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In praise of Blogging the Revolution
“Caracas Chronicles has been an indispensable source of lucidity and perspective in these turbulent times in Venezuela. Toro and Nagel have been right on target, without pretending to be ludicrously impartial; they have been able to rise above polarization, trying hard to make sense of an often implausible reality. Blogging the Revolution shows them at their best. If you are not already a fan, you will become one.”
- Francisco J. Monaldi, RFK Visiting Professor at Harvard Kennedy School and Director, Center on Energy at IESA in Caracas.Recent Comments
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Monthly Archives: December 2012
Ten Years Ago Tonight
There’s a strange symmetry to it: exactly ten years ago tonight, amid the outbreak of collective mass delusion that was the 2002-2003 Paro, tens of thousands of us were gathered on the Distribuidor Altamira for a flag-waving, slogan chanting New Year’s Eve-cum-political … Continue reading
Posted in Politics
56 Comments
Things I know
The next few days are full of uncertainty, but there are a few things I know. 1. Whatever we do, however much we restrain ourselves, as much as we show respect for the passing of the President, chavistas will cut … Continue reading
Posted in Chavez cancer
36 Comments
Bocaranda’s freakin’ me out now…
Over the last couple of years, Caracas gossip-monger Nelson Bocaranda has made up (partly) for his long and inglorious record of getting sensitive stories wrong by, miraculously, seeming to have the kind of inside-line on Chávez’s condition that even high … Continue reading
Posted in Politics
26 Comments
Our long, national psychodrama continues
Taking advantage of the long weekend, I was going to sit down and write one of several posts lurking in my head. There is one on education, another one on political parties, and yet another one on Venezuela’s fiscal situation. … Continue reading
Posted in Chavez cancer
58 Comments
Preparing for the wrong conflict
The new Defense Minister Diego Molero Bellavia visited this week the new missile complex of Paraguaná (located near the Josefa Camejo Airport) and told reporters it will be ready in 2013. The new base, armed with the Russian S-125 Neva/Pechorawill … Continue reading
Posted in In Other News, Military, Violence
7 Comments
República Chavista de Venezuela
The level of sycophancy chavista figureheads are displaying lately is worthy of psychiatric evaluations. Reuters’ Daniel Wallis paints a picture, Punctuated by occasional bulletins on the president’s condition, government media have pushed their always Chavez-heavy output to hagiographic levels – es … Continue reading
Posted in Politics
79 Comments
Crystal Ball Chronicles
28 December, 2016 – CARACAS From his hospital bed in Havana, Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez decreed a raft of new revenue-raising measures to deal with the country’s chronic fiscal imbalances today, the country’s vice-president Nicolás Maduro announced. Though President Chávez … Continue reading
Posted in Chavez cancer
32 Comments
¿Por qué no te callas?
Remember the problem we have with the sencillo? Well, it’s no longer a domestic issue. Spanish newspaper ABC reports that the one Bolívar Fuerte coin is now used by small con artists there to pay in stores, buses or bars. Given … Continue reading
Posted in In Other News, International, The Economy
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A closer look at Maduro’s superpowers
Press reports about Nicolás Maduro’s new powers on economic issues don’t really do justice to what is going on. When you scratch beneath the surface and actually read the text, you realize chavismo is getting ready for an election. The … Continue reading
Posted in Bonds, Nicolas Maduro, The Economy
50 Comments
Balloons are the new possums
Parts of Barquisimeto and Cabudare were forced to pass Christmas Eve in the dark thanks to electric blackouts. This time though, the blame didn’t fall on an animal but on an object: the sky lantern. In a written statement, CORPOELEC … Continue reading
Posted in Electric Crisis, In Other News, Venezuelan Culture
7 Comments
Driving the nation
The latest Official Gazette informs us that the Vice-President (and appointed succesor) Nicolás Maduro has been given broad new powers in economic matters. Those duties include overseeing the budget and other public credit operations, authorizing expropiations and matters related to … Continue reading
Posted in Nicolas Maduro, Politics, The Economy
5 Comments
Tired of eating yet?
The history of our queen. (In Spanish. HT: Syd)
Posted in Venezuelan Culture
8 Comments
A holiday respite
Barring unforseen circumstances, i.e. The Man dying, we are going to go offline for a few days. We’ll be back toward the end of next week. Happy holidays, everyone. Hug your loved ones, and appreciate every moment. Don’t put your … Continue reading
Posted in Blogging
83 Comments
Getting groceries the “commando” way
In recent years, a new kind of robbery has become recurrent in Venezuela: the “commando assault”. Its modus operandi is based on a large and organized group of criminals (ten or more), who arrive to a location like a commercial … Continue reading
Posted in In Other News, Society, The Economy, Violence
5 Comments
