After a legislative coup, a sort of economy coup: massive devaluation in Venezuela

And yet you would not believe that there was such a massive devaluation if you read only the headlines of Google news.  Words like "unification" pop up to hide the fact that about half of the imports of Venezuela will now cost 65% more in USD than they did today.

The "Chucho Melean" saga

I do not know how the invasion and organized land robbery of the Sur del Lago farms by the regime will end up, but one thing we are going to get is a fabulous saga by Milagros Socorro.  In Codigo Venezuela, the e-zine she is now editing, she has started to tell the tale in a series of installments.  The first one is up, in Spanish unfortunately but do not miss it and try the Google translation tool if you must.  It is more, much more than just the narrative of the last couple weeks: it is a slice of Venezuelan social history and mores!

No more ambassadors for the US and Venezuela

Thus the other shoe dropeth.  After the vehement refusal of Chavez to receive the new ambassador, Larry Palmer, the US decided to reply in kind by revoking the diplomatic visa of Alvarez in Washington.

End of years petitions

Well, I am busy with end of year stuff and too depressed to write significant posts.  So for you two petitions to sign.  The first one is from a group of academics and the second one heavily sponsored by Diego Arria.  So there, you have two type of petitions to sign with very different tones but all designed to protest Chavez Advent dictatorship.  Sign one or two but do sign, will you?

For your "dia de los inocentes" entertainment

There is a little podcast that we did Fausta and yours truly about the dictatorship set in Venezuela.  Even someone informed like Fausta was speechless on occasion.  Have fun with it.

Una de las razones por la cual Chavez y sus focas no respetan la navidad

Si, es verdad, una de las razones por la cual Hugo Chavez siempre sale con vainas en diciembre es que sabe que la gente de bien, la gente de tradiciones, la gente de familia, la gente seria, deja un poco de lado sus menesteres cotidianos ese mes para dedicarse a su familia, sus amigos, y hasta a materias espirituales para algunos.  Por lo tanto el sinvergüenza ese aprovecha el descuido para cerrar televisoras y hasta imponer dictaduras, sabiendo que no recibirá la respuesta que se amerita e impondrá su odio.

Pero también hay otra razón y esa nos la describe Yoani Sánchez de una manera sobria y al punto: esa gente, los chavistas de poder, no creen en nada, y menos en los hombres.  No se pierdan su escrito de como el pueblo poco a poco logra recuperar la navidad en Cuba.

Carlos Andres Perez dies

After Chavez, Carlos Andres Perez has been the most controversial president in the last century (twice elected, in 1973 and 1988).  And he also was the first populist president of Venezuela even though with Chavez we had to redefine the populist terminology....