Tomorrow is the second anniversary of Hugo Chávez’s death. We all remember him as a legend, an electoral behemoth who could conjure up adoring masses and fawning headlines seemingly at will. But you know what? It seems as though the emperor had no clothes. Our friend Francisco Monaldi puts things into perspective in this article for Prodavinci.…
More than five and a half years ago, the Venezuelan telecoms regulatory agency (CONATEL) ordered the shutdown of 32 radio stations, including five belonging to the private network CNB (Circuito Nacional Belfort). Those CNB stations eventually became part of the State Media System (the main one in Caracas is now ANRadio, the National Assembly’s FM). All…
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief it was the epoch of incredulity…”. Those of you who have read “A tale of two cities” surely recall the memorable opening paragraph of Dickens’s masterpiece,…
Bad news for our dear gringo friends, particularly those who have a death wish and were planning to travel to Venezuela in the near future: the Maduro administration will require US citizens to apply for (tourist) visas before entering Venezuelan territory. This measure is part of a (sort of) diplomatic retaliation package thoroughly crafted by Nicolas Maduro to get back to…
It hasn’t been an easy week for Nicolas Maduro here at home, so he decided to go back to his old hobby for a spot of foreign affairs. On the agenda: a visit to our Caribbean neighbors, Trinidad and Tobago. Heading a delegation of ninety-five, Maduro met with the T&T Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar (who, btw, is facing a political crisis…
I liked this article on Prodavinci by pollster / economist Luis Vicente León. He says there are three main reasons for the government’s recent crackdown on the opposition: generating fear of protest in the face of a sharp deterioration in living conditions; changing the topic from an economic crisis to a political one; and increasing…
The prairie is dry. Bone dry. Parched. And boy is it getting hot. You wouldn’t normally worry about a spark. But when the prairie is this dry. Well. Oh, and it’ll be February 27th in 3 days.
