Monthly Archives: August 2012

Carlos Graffe and Daniel Blanco – kudos!

Posted on August 31, 2012 by

This video needs to go viral. Sorry, in Spanish. The backstory to the video, and the government’s campaign to discredit it, is here.  HT: Liz.

Posted in Corruption, The Economy | 25 Comments

The Last Word on the Torre de David’s Prize

Posted on August 31, 2012 by

…is the rodent’s.

Posted in infrastructure, International chavistas, Venezuelan Culture | 2 Comments

El lado no tan lindo de la noche…

Posted on August 31, 2012 by

From comments, as translated by FT, I’m a woman, born and raised in Venezuela. My problem with Miss Venezuela isn’t that some girls decide to go hungry, undertake the risks implied by unnecessary surgery and compete to do something that … Continue reading →

Posted in Venezuelan Culture, Women | Tagged | 87 Comments

Towards an ontological understanding of the Miss Venezuela

Posted on August 31, 2012 by

I woke feeling a bit contrarian, so I’m going to propose a topic regarding last night’s Miss Venezuela (which I did not watch, by the way). Every country has its rituals. Spain has its Real Madrid vs. Barça and its … Continue reading →

Posted in Venezuelan Culture | 64 Comments

El País que No Cambió – Miss Venezuela LiveBlog

Posted on August 30, 2012 by

Just for old times sake, I’m watching Miss Venezuela tonight. (It’s streaming live online – just click here!) It’s so weird that this still goes on. It’s like a time-warp straight out of the tacky, unreconstructed 80s still surviving somehow … Continue reading →

Posted in In Other News | Tagged | 69 Comments

When life gives you lemons, you make a livable high-rise

Posted on August 30, 2012 by

Remember la Torre de David? You know, the abandoned skyscraper that was invaded by squatters and now stands as a monument to Venezuela’s housing crisis? Well, architecht Alfredo Brillembourg (presumably related to the building’s namesake) moved into the building and … Continue reading →

Posted in infrastructure, Society | 31 Comments

Censored Ad Update

Posted on August 30, 2012 by

The CNE ordered TV stations to take off the air this 30-second spot of Leopoldo Lopez’s political party Voluntad Popular, titled “Security is the Way”. Here’s the ad in question: The Electoral authority has already shut down other ads, including … Continue reading →

Posted in Human Rights, Presidential Election, The Media, Violence | 18 Comments

Schrödinger’s Bond

Posted on August 30, 2012 by

Did Chávez have his “you didn’t build that” moment after the Amuay disaster when he said that, accident or no accident, “as some philosopher whose name I don’t remember said, The Show Must Go On“? Both were gaffes, and the … Continue reading →

Posted in Bonds, Chavez's mental health, Oil | Tagged | 30 Comments

#AccountabilityFail

Posted on August 29, 2012 by

After recounting the whole sordid series of fuck-ups that have plagued PDVSA over the last nine years, from Maletingate and PudreVAL to Illaramendi and the Guarapiche Spill, The Economist quips, In theory, such a string of mishaps should have put … Continue reading →

Posted in Oil | Tagged | 15 Comments

PDVSA’s oil spills go global

Posted on August 29, 2012 by

Just right after the Amuay disaster, PDVSA has another problem in its hands: this time in Ah, Oh, Curaçao. An oil spill from the Isla Refinery, currently handled by PDVSA, has stricken the natural reserve of Jan Kok located nearby. Several … Continue reading →

Posted in International, Oil | 13 Comments

There Must be 222 Ways to Leave Your Skin Behind at Amuay

Posted on August 29, 2012 by

Thanks to the miracle that is this leak, we now know that a report dated May this year by RJG Risk Engineering’s Roger Gregory noted there were 222 accidents of various types at the CRP last year, including around 100 fires … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

“For my friends, everything. For my enemies, the law.”

Posted on August 29, 2012 by

Here’s my run-down on the Amuay Explosion for the IHT.  

Posted in Oil | Tagged | 66 Comments

CPJ Takes on Communicational Hegemony

Posted on August 29, 2012 by

On the heels of a scathing LA Times piece on the tone of campaign coverage in the National System of Public Media, the latest report on the state of the media in Venezuela by the Committee to Protect Journalists exposes the … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics | 25 Comments

Annals of Fiscal Responsibility

Posted on August 29, 2012 by

Check out fringe presidential candidate Reina Sequera’s interview with Últimas Noticias, particularly the bit starting at 4:34. Yup, the crazy lady is actually promising One Million Dollars Cash to every man woman and child in the country (from “the oil excedent”). … Continue reading →

Posted in Presidential Election | Tagged | 3 Comments

Miraflores Sit Room Exposed!

Posted on August 28, 2012 by

The latest cadena from Miraflores had a different setting than usual: Meet the “Presidential Command Post”. Probably you have heard of it by its other name: The Sala Situacional. But, is this the first time it’s been seen in public? Not … Continue reading →

Posted in In Other News, International | 26 Comments