Lula leaves
and still no cadena!

El Nacional just reported that Brazil's president Lula has decided to leave today instead of tomorrow as originally planned. The excuse is some health problem to his vice president. The real reason is apparently that the Brazilian foreign office has come to the conclusion that the Venezuelan gathering of the G-15 was used by Chavez for its own profit instead for the reason it should be normally used. In other words, Lula does not want his presence in Caracas to be seen as supporting what Chavez is doing.

Meanwhile, the great news perhaps is that no cadena has come to cover up the mess in Caracas's streets. Except for a brief cadena this morning, nothing else has come to TV screens. Is the governmet trying to intimidate people? Is it avoiding a cadena to hide this media manipulation tool in front of foreign dignitaries that would nto dream of such an abuse in their own countries? Well, Mugabe might like the cadena system and probably practices it himself in Harare.