Orinoco outlaw II...

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Yes, this could be Orinoco Outlaw MDXXLXXI but this is a good one: back in 2020 I mentioned that the US Government posted a 15 million dollar reward against "Nicolás Maduro Moros and 14 Current and Former Venezuelan Officials Charged with Narco-Terrorism, Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Criminal Charges". 

This week - after creeping up slowly to 25 million - it has just been doubled by Marco Rubio the US Secretary of State to a cool FIFTY million. "The Department of State and the Department of Justice are announcing a reward offer increase of up to $50 million under the Narcotics Rewards Program (NRP) for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Nicolás Maduro for violating U.S. narcotics laws." 

I'm a bit late to this excellent news as I was crossing the Atlantic when it was announced but the reasons are plain and simple:

"Since 2020, Maduro has strangled democracy and grasped at power in Venezuela. Maduro claimed to have won Venezuela’s July 28, 2024, presidential election but failed to present any evidence that he had prevailed. The United States has refused to recognize Maduro as the winner of 2024 election and does not recognize him as the President of Venezuela."

Well said. The 'reward offer is authorized by the Secretary under the NRP, (Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs) which supports law enforcement efforts to disrupt transnational crime globally and bring fugitives to justice as a key pillar of President Trump’s "America First" priorities.'

Orinoco oil output III...

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By way of celebration of the easing of sanctions on Venezuela last week (albeit temporarily for the present) here's an interesting blog from Latinometrics Substack today: Venezuela's Oil Potential and its History [LINK]. Some facts from the article: "Venezuela owns 18% of all of the world's oil"..."By 1950, Venezuela was the world’s 4th-wealthiest nation per capita." Unbelievable, right?

...and the image below shows how they are keeping most of their oil in the ground, not what they'd like to do!

And here's where I repeat a post from 5 years ago:

Hazard a guess at these two countries: 

The first country "is one of the region’s oldest and strongest democracies.
"It boasts a stronger social safety net than any of its neighbours and is making progress on its promise to deliver free health care and higher education to all its citizens. It is a model of social mobility and a magnet for immigrants from across Latin America and Europe.
"The press is free, and the political system is open; opposing parties compete fiercely in elections and regularly alternate power peacefully. It sidestepped the wave of military juntas that mired some Latin American countries in dictatorship. Thanks to a long political alliance and deep trade and investment ties with the United States, it serves as the Latin American headquarters for a slew of multinational corporations. It has the best infrastructure in South America. It is still unmistakably a developing country, with its share of corruption, injustice, and dysfunction, but it is well ahead of other poor countries by almost any measure... 

"The second country is one of Latin America’s most impoverished nations and its newest dictatorship. Its schools lie half deserted. The health system has been devastated by decades of underinvestment, corruption, and neglect; long-vanquished diseases, such as malaria and measles, have returned. Only a tiny elite can afford enough to eat. An epidemic of violence has made it one of the most murderous countries in the world. [sic]
"It is the source of Latin America’s largest refugee migration in a generation, with millions of citizens fleeing in the last few years alone. Hardly anyone (aside from other autocratic governments) recognizes its sham elections, and the small portion of the media not under direct state control still follows the official line for fear of reprisals. By the end of 2018, its economy will have shrunk by about half in the last five years. It is a major cocaine-trafficking hub, and key power brokers in its political elite have been indicted in the United States on drug charges. Prices double every 25 days. The main airport is largely deserted, used by just a handful of holdout airlines bringing few passengers to and from the outside world." 

The two countries? Answer: these two countries are in fact the same country: Venezuela. Forty years is a long time

(Highlight with cursor to see answer). 

Read the rest of the article HERE. 'Venezuela’s Suicide. Lessons From a Failed State.' By Moisés Naím and Francisco Toro at Foreign Affairs Magazine.

Orinoco Belt info, world's largest reserves isn't a joke. 

Orinoco oil output III...

---

By way of celebration of the easing of sanctions on Venezuela last week (albeit temporarily for the present) here's an interesting blog from Latinometrics Substack today: Venezuela's Oil Potential and its History [LINK]. Some facts from the article: "Venezuela owns 18% of all of the world's oil"..."By 1950, Venezuela was the world’s 4th-wealthiest nation per capita." Unbelievable, right?

...and the image below shows how they are keeping most of their oil in the ground, not what they'd like to do!

And here's where I repeat a post from 5 years ago: Hazard a guess at these two countries: 

The first country "is one of the region’s oldest and strongest democracies. "It boasts a stronger social safety net than any of its neighbours and is making progress on its promise to deliver free health care and higher education to all its citizens. It is a model of social mobility and a magnet for immigrants from across Latin America and Europe. "The press is free, and the political system is open; opposing parties compete fiercely in elections and regularly alternate power peacefully. It sidestepped the wave of military juntas that mired some Latin American countries in dictatorship. Thanks to a long political alliance and deep trade and investment ties with the United States, it serves as the Latin American headquarters for a slew of multinational corporations. It has the best infrastructure in South America. It is still unmistakably a developing country, with its share of corruption, injustice, and dysfunction, but it is well ahead of other poor countries by almost any measure... 

"The second country is one of Latin America’s most impoverished nations and its newest dictatorship. Its schools lie half deserted. The health system has been devastated by decades of underinvestment, corruption, and neglect; long-vanquished diseases, such as malaria and measles, have returned. Only a tiny elite can afford enough to eat. An epidemic of violence has made it one of the most murderous countries in the world. [sic] "It is the source of Latin America’s largest refugee migration in a generation, with millions of citizens fleeing in the last few years alone. Hardly anyone (aside from other autocratic governments) recognizes its sham elections, and the small portion of the media not under direct state control still follows the official line for fear of reprisals. By the end of 2018, its economy will have shrunk by about half in the last five years. It is a major cocaine-trafficking hub, and key power brokers in its political elite have been indicted in the United States on drug charges. Prices double every 25 days. The main airport is largely deserted, used by just a handful of holdout airlines bringing few passengers to and from the outside world." 

The two countries? Answer: these two countries are in fact the same country: Venezuela. Forty years is a long time

(Highlight with cursor to see answer). 

Read the rest of the article HERE. 'Venezuela’s Suicide. Lessons From a Failed State.' By Moisés Naím and Francisco Toro at Foreign Affairs Magazine.

Orinoco Belt info, world's largest reserves isn't a joke. 

Orinoco outlaw...

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At last! US Department of Justice: "Nicolás Maduro Moros and 14 Current and Former Venezuelan Officials Charged with Narco-Terrorism, Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Criminal Charges" [US Gov DOJ]. Looks like a fake but it isn't. Maybe this news and coronavirus plus the new oil crisis will be enough to get the Venezuelan [typo edit] military to do what they should have done years ago and protect their people!

Hat-tip: Beeb.

Orinoco outlaw...

---

At last! US Department of Justice: "Nicolás Maduro Moros and 14 Current and Former Venezuelan Officials Charged with Narco-Terrorism, Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Criminal Charges" [US Gov DOJ]. Looks like a fake but it isn't. Maybe this news and coronavirus plus the new oil crisis will be enough to get the Venezuelan [typo edit] military to do what they should have done years ago and protect their people!

Hat-tip: Beeb.

Orthopterology over onolatry...

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Hazard a guess at these two countries: the first country "is one of the region’s oldest and strongest democracies. 

"It boasts a stronger social safety net than any of its neighbors and is making progress on its promise to deliver free health care and higher education to all its citizens. It is a model of social mobility and a magnet for immigrants from across Latin America and Europe. 

"The press is free, and the political system is open; opposing parties compete fiercely in elections and regularly alternate power peacefully. It sidestepped the wave of military juntas that mired some Latin American countries in dictatorship. Thanks to a long political alliance and deep trade and investment ties with the United States, it serves as the Latin American headquarters for a slew of multinational corporations. It has the best infrastructure in South America. It is still unmistakably a developing country, with its share of corruption, injustice, and dysfunction, but it is well ahead of other poor countries by almost any measure...

"The second country is one of Latin America’s most impoverished nations and its newest dictatorship. Its schools lie half deserted. The health system has been devastated by decades of underinvestment, corruption, and neglect; long-vanquished diseases, such as malaria and measles, have returned. Only a tiny elite can afford enough to eat. An epidemic of violence has made it one of the most murderous countries in the world. [sic]

"It is the source of Latin America’s largest refugee migration in a generation, with millions of citizens fleeing in the last few years alone. Hardly anyone (aside from other autocratic governments) recognizes its sham elections, and the small portion of the media not under direct state control still follows the official line for fear of reprisals. By the end of 2018, its economy will have shrunk by about half in the last five years. It is a major cocaine-trafficking hub, and key power brokers in its political elite have been indicted in the United States on drug charges. Prices double every 25 days. The main airport is largely deserted, used by just a handful of holdout airlines bringing few passengers to and from the outside world." 



The two countries? Answer: these two countries are in fact the same country: Venezuela. Forty years is a long time.

(Highlight with cursor to see answer).



Read the rest of the article HERE. 'Venezuela’s Suicide. Lessons From a Failed State.' By Moisés Naím and Francisco Toro at Foreign Affairs Magazine.

Orthopterology over onolatry...

---

Hazard a guess at these two countries: the first country "is one of the region’s oldest and strongest democracies. 

"It boasts a stronger social safety net than any of its neighbors and is making progress on its promise to deliver free health care and higher education to all its citizens. It is a model of social mobility and a magnet for immigrants from across Latin America and Europe. 

"The press is free, and the political system is open; opposing parties compete fiercely in elections and regularly alternate power peacefully. It sidestepped the wave of military juntas that mired some Latin American countries in dictatorship. Thanks to a long political alliance and deep trade and investment ties with the United States, it serves as the Latin American headquarters for a slew of multinational corporations. It has the best infrastructure in South America. It is still unmistakably a developing country, with its share of corruption, injustice, and dysfunction, but it is well ahead of other poor countries by almost any measure...

"The second country is one of Latin America’s most impoverished nations and its newest dictatorship. Its schools lie half deserted. The health system has been devastated by decades of underinvestment, corruption, and neglect; long-vanquished diseases, such as malaria and measles, have returned. Only a tiny elite can afford enough to eat. An epidemic of violence has made it one of the most murderous countries in the world. [sic]

"It is the source of Latin America’s largest refugee migration in a generation, with millions of citizens fleeing in the last few years alone. Hardly anyone (aside from other autocratic governments) recognizes its sham elections, and the small portion of the media not under direct state control still follows the official line for fear of reprisals. By the end of 2018, its economy will have shrunk by about half in the last five years. It is a major cocaine-trafficking hub, and key power brokers in its political elite have been indicted in the United States on drug charges. Prices double every 25 days. The main airport is largely deserted, used by just a handful of holdout airlines bringing few passengers to and from the outside world." 

The two countries? Answer: these two countries are in fact the same country: Venezuela. Forty years is a long time.
(Highlight with cursor to see answer).

Read the rest of the article HERE. 'Venezuela’s Suicide. Lessons From a Failed State.' By Moisés Naím and Francisco Toro at Foreign Affairs Magazine.

Ova over oil...

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Un oeuf is enough as the old classic goes, but in Venezuela the cost of one egg is the same as 126 litres of petrol (3.33 lorry loads) ... no, you didn't misread that. Ludicrous. "La crisis venezolana es una férrea traducción del incoherente manejo que el régimen chavista y madurista le ha dado a la economía del país durante los últimos 20 años, que hoy se encuentra desquiciada y desequilibrada" [LINK]...more or less: 'The Venezuelan crisis is a fierce representation of the incoherent management that the Chavista and [now] Madurista regime has given to the country's economy during the last 20 years, which today is deranged and unbalanced.' Deranged, I'll say; believe it or not...according to Calisa in Venezuela al Diá, Venezuelan Economist José Toro Hardy has reported* that "A petrol truck takes 38,000 litres; 1L of 91 octane petrol costs 1 Bolivar per litre [yes, one Bolivar]; therefore the cost of the truck-load is Bs38,000. Meanwhile a tray of 30 eggs costs Bs3,800,000 (they tell me that it is already more expensive). That leads to the unusual conclusion that the equivalent of the cost of the tray of eggs you could pay for 100 trucks of gasoline." Making an egg the cost of more than three truck-loads of petrol. Unusual? he also calls it 'Awful'; in fact it's fucking obscene and ridiculous.



I was so wrong in early 2006; but also so right later that year: lot has flowed under the bridge since Orinoco oil overflowing..."The Orinoco river oil strip will become the world's greatest reservoir of petroleum for the next years". This may explain why Chavez seemed so cocky and triumphant as he strutted his stuff on his world tour in the last few weeks. In my opinion it only makes him more of a danger."



* Full article: Banca y Negocio. 

Ova over oil...

---

Un oeuf is enough as the old classic goes, but in Venezuela the cost of one egg is the same as 126 litres of petrol (3.33 lorry loads) ... no, you didn't misread that. Ludicrous. "La crisis venezolana es una férrea traducción del incoherente manejo que el régimen chavista y madurista le ha dado a la economía del país durante los últimos 20 años, que hoy se encuentra desquiciada y desequilibrada" [LINK]...more or less: 'The Venezuelan crisis is a fierce representation of the incoherent management that the Chavista and [now] Madurista regime has given to the country's economy during the last 20 years, which today is deranged and unbalanced.' Deranged, I'll say; believe it or not...according to Calisa in Venezuela al Diá, Venezuelan Economist José Toro Hardy has reported* that "A petrol truck takes 38,000 litres; 1L of 91 octane petrol costs 1 Bolivar per litre [yes, one Bolivar]; therefore the cost of the truck-load is Bs38,000. Meanwhile a tray of 30 eggs costs Bs3,800,000 (they tell me that it is already more expensive). That leads to the unusual conclusion that the equivalent of the cost of the tray of eggs you could pay for 100 trucks of gasoline." Making an egg the cost of more than three truck-loads of petrol. Unusual? he also calls it 'Awful'; in fact it's fucking obscene and ridiculous.

I was so wrong in early 2006; but also so right later that year: lot has flowed under the bridge since Orinoco oil overflowing..."The Orinoco river oil strip will become the world's greatest reservoir of petroleum for the next years". This may explain why Chavez seemed so cocky and triumphant as he strutted his stuff on his world tour in the last few weeks. In my opinion it only makes him more of a danger."

* Full article: Banca y Negocio. 

Orinoco overflow...

---

Looking at the IMF inflation figures and the CPI (the Consumer Price Index measures changes in the price level of  "a typical basket of consumer goods and services" etc purchased by households; the rate of inflation is the rate of change of the average CPI) and the map (left) indicating those levels. Venezuela and a handful of central African nations are "25% or more"; OK doesn't sound too bad does it?  However, there's a few more zeros on Venezuela's, HERE. Gross domestic product per capita is falling like a stone and even HALVED between last year and this.



A good overview of the whole Venezuelan crisis is HERE, although only updated to March this year so nothing about the recent sham elections. "The humanitarian crisis has spilled across Venezuela’s borders, with as many as five hundred thousand fleeing in the past two years. Many have crossed into neighboring Colombia and Brazil, while others have left by boat to the nearby island of Curacao." I can tell you many thousands are also in Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Panama, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador Mexico etc. Several holes in heads needed smartish.



There's also THIS , 'How Chavez and Maduro have impoverished Venezuela', "And it is always the people that suffer most."



The real shame here is not the that it can't be changed but that it will take at least a generation to get over this period. Take out the trash tomorrow and change the whole governing structure including all the higher ranks of all the forces and it would take 50 years to heal the wounds of 'el pueblo': it is deep, the splits and resentments and hate between members of the same families; the scummy thieving armed shits that ruin everyone's' lives; the Cuban poison orchestrating from the shadows, the sin cojones policia, guardia and armed forces that years ago should and could have stopped the rot.



[edited 30/05]

Owsblog Venezuela

Orinoco overflow...

---

Looking at the IMF inflation figures and the CPI (the Consumer Price Index measures changes in the price level of  "a typical basket of consumer goods and services" etc purchased by households; the rate of inflation is the rate of change of the average CPI) and the map (left) indicating those levels. Venezuela and a handful of central African nations are "25% or more"; OK doesn't sound too bad does it?  However, there's a few more zeros on Venezuela's, HERE. Gross domestic product per capita is falling like a stone and even HALVED between last year and this.

A good overview of the whole Venezuelan crisis is HERE, although only updated to March this year so nothing about the recent sham elections. "The humanitarian crisis has spilled across Venezuela’s borders, with as many as five hundred thousand fleeing in the past two years. Many have crossed into neighboring Colombia and Brazil, while others have left by boat to the nearby island of Curacao." I can tell you many thousands are also in Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Panama, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador Mexico etc. Several holes in heads needed smartish.

There's also THIS , 'How Chavez and Maduro have impoverished Venezuela', "And it is always the people that suffer most."

The real shame here is not the that it can't be changed but that it will take at least a generation to get over this period. Take out the trash tomorrow and change the whole governing structure including all the higher ranks of all the forces and it would take 50 years to heal the wounds of 'el pueblo': it is deep, the splits and resentments and hate between members of the same families; the scummy thieving armed shits that ruin everyone's' lives; the Cuban poison orchestrating from the shadows, the sin cojones policia, guardia and armed forces that years ago should and could have stopped the rot.

[edited 30/05]
Owsblog Venezuela

Orderly Orinoco outing...

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"Maduro recall petition in Venezuela gets 200% more signatures than needed" [Link]....And more...on the first day! Venezuela creeps slowly towards 'salvation': recall of Krusty II Nick Ripe is now a slight possibility with the Venezuelan National Electoral Council (the awfully corrupt CNE, the Unimaginable Weasel-Fucking Doom Demon personified by Tibisay Lucena) saying about two hundred thousand signatures would be needed to spark a recall of the President. That went well:

"CNE had given us a month to collect 197,978 signatures to begin the recall process. Many multiples of that have come out to sign, handily exceeding the target in all 24 states. How many? The Wall Street Journal says 1.1 million by the end of day one. We understand the tally by the end of day two is substantially higher than that, but we haven’t been able to confirm a number."

"Know Hope"; "Nobody - not in the government, not in the opposition - was expecting the avalanche of people we've seen yesterday and today signing to request Maduro's recall" say Caracas Chronicles.

Orderly Orinoco outing...

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"Maduro recall petition in Venezuela gets 200% more signatures than needed" [Link]....And more...on the first day! Venezuela creeps slowly towards 'salvation': recall of Krusty II Nick Ripe is now a slight possibility with the Venezuelan National Electoral Council (the awfully corrupt CNE, the Unimaginable Weasel-Fucking Doom Demon personified by Tibisay Lucena) saying about two hundred thousand signatures would be needed to spark a recall of the President. That went well:

"CNE had given us a month to collect 197,978 signatures to begin the recall process. Many multiples of that have come out to sign, handily exceeding the target in all 24 states. How many? The Wall Street Journal says 1.1 million by the end of day one. We understand the tally by the end of day two is substantially higher than that, but we haven’t been able to confirm a number."

"Know Hope"; "Nobody - not in the government, not in the opposition - was expecting the avalanche of people we've seen yesterday and today signing to request Maduro's recall" say Caracas Chronicles.

Oppression over...

---

Nick Ripe indicates which way he should have gone...

...or at least we can hope this really is the beginning of the end for the Krusty (deceased) and Nick Ripe Roadshow. Nearly 75% turnout and an [edited] overwhelming majority in votes mean a large majority in the Venezuelan National Assembly for the opposition. Hopefully they can remain united and steer the donkey [Update: who spat his dummy afterwards: "I decided to hear it one more time and there was no mistake about it: Nicolás said "I didn’t get my majority, so now you don’t get your house""] on the right path for Venezuela.



You don't have to dig very deep to know why this beautiful country with massive potential has become such a disaster but here, In five charts, you can see just the recent damage Maduro's policies has caused. Recession is forecast for 2016 as well so the road to recovery will be long and hard.



Hopefully political prisoners could now be released, especially those there for only doing what Maduro does every day. 

Oppression over...

---

Nick Ripe indicates which way he should have gone...

...or at least we can hope this really is the beginning of the end for the Krusty (deceased) and Nick Ripe Roadshow. Nearly 75% turnout and an [edited] overwhelming majority in votes mean a large majority in the Venezuelan National Assembly for the opposition. Hopefully they can remain united and steer the donkey [Update: who spat his dummy afterwards: "I decided to hear it one more time and there was no mistake about it: Nicolás said "I didn’t get my majority, so now you don’t get your house""] on the right path for Venezuela.

You don't have to dig very deep to know why this beautiful country with massive potential has become such a disaster but here, In five charts, you can see just the recent damage Maduro's policies has caused. Recession is forecast for 2016 as well so the road to recovery will be long and hard.

Hopefully political prisoners could now be released, especially those there for only doing what Maduro does every day. 

Opposition offence...

---

...or, in Venezuela, it's an offence to be the Opposition, almost. The Organization of American States (OAS) has severely criticized Tibisay Lucena (the venal, corrupt and totally partisan [par for the course in most Venezuelan institutions] leader of Venezuela's National Electoral Council (CNE). [Reuters, also The Devil's Excrement] In a harshly-worded letter (ooooh) he wrote that Venezuelan authorities were failing to ensure fairness the coming 6th December fair elections.



The letter [here as PDF in English] [here PDF in Spanish] describes concerns regarding "the overall conditions of the process and the election campaign, an uneven playing field" putting it mildly in an "atmosphere characterized by serious political polarization and mistrust..."; use of funds for campaigns being abused with government candidates using national funds, the government deploying large numbers of civil servants and state resources for campaign purposes etc.



Reduced access to the [controlled] media. Contrived confusion on rigged ballots, with even new Krusty Nick Ripe speaking on national television assisting the cheat (he also 'promoted' an "ongoing campaign of threats and prosecution of workers, students, and popular sectors" along with the current president of the National Assembly Diosdado Cabello (Godgiven Hair), "who supports and promotes illegal activities of espionage and tracking of opponents."
Changing the rules of the game: blatant gerrymandering, disqualification of opposition candidates ("There have been cases where they were prejudged, with no possibility of getting their defense [sic] admitted." Investigation of political parties etc...



...you get the picture.

Opposition offence...

---

...or, in Venezuela, it's an offence to be the Opposition, almost. The Organization of American States (OAS) has severely criticized Tibisay Lucena (the venal, corrupt and totally partisan [par for the course in most Venezuelan institutions] leader of Venezuela's National Electoral Council (CNE). [Reuters, also The Devil's Excrement] In a harshly-worded letter (ooooh) he wrote that Venezuelan authorities were failing to ensure fairness the coming 6th December fair elections.

The letter [here as PDF in English] [here PDF in Spanish] describes concerns regarding "the overall conditions of the process and the election campaign, an uneven playing field" putting it mildly in an "atmosphere characterized by serious political polarization and mistrust..."; use of funds for campaigns being abused with government candidates using national funds, the government deploying large numbers of civil servants and state resources for campaign purposes etc.

Reduced access to the [controlled] media. Contrived confusion on rigged ballots, with even new Krusty Nick Ripe speaking on national television assisting the cheat (he also 'promoted' an "ongoing campaign of threats and prosecution of workers, students, and popular sectors" along with the current president of the National Assembly Diosdado Cabello (Godgiven Hair), "who supports and promotes illegal activities of espionage and tracking of opponents." Changing the rules of the game: blatant gerrymandering, disqualification of opposition candidates ("There have been cases where they were prejudged, with no possibility of getting their defense [sic] admitted." Investigation of political parties etc...

...you get the picture.

Owing options...

---

Another interesting money related graph; not the debt (see Owning outstanding) but - look away Venezuelans - the world's riskiest sovereign debt (the Business Insider graph uses cost prices of CDS (credit-default swaps), "which are derivatives that pay out if a borrower defaults.". Hat-tip Caracas Chronicles where DAUZ has a an great explanation of how CDS work for those not so au fait with the financial lingo and definitions.

Owing options...

---

Another interesting money related graph; not the debt (see Owning outstanding) but - look away Venezuelans - the world's riskiest sovereign debt (the Business Insider graph uses cost prices of CDS (credit-default swaps), "which are derivatives that pay out if a borrower defaults.". Hat-tip Caracas Chronicles where DAUZ has a an great explanation of how CDS work for those not so au fait with the financial lingo and definitions.

Osorio's overstatement; OLP overkill...

---

Basically bankrupt [Link]

[edited a.m. 090815] Venezuelan 'Minister for Food' (really?) Carlos Osorio pledged two months ago that the food crisis would be over in two months...not only is it still going on but the lines of waiting customers are getting longer. Also, looting in increasing (when the people in the lines get exacerbated) but the government would rather try to shoot the messenger in an attempt to belie the message. And now the unthinkable: the beer is running out; "take away beer and things get risky" [Link], this I can vouch for from personal experience (bit like THIS). From the 'Link' link, a store owner - without 'milk and bottled water for months' - says "People more freaked out about losing beer than water – it shows how distorted our priorities have become here"; in a land where petrol costs the tank-filler less than 2 dollar cents a litre this is hardly surprising. The courts silence opposition but also "low-profile dissenters", and are slowly but surely 'annulling' political parties by appointing pro-government cliques to lead them. There is no doubt that the country is near to a 'major social crisis' (been there for years some say and no surprise to others), this year's elections will be interesting.



The OLP have been busy, (Operativo de Liberación y Protección del Pueblo / The People's Liberation and Protection Operative) with Krusty 2nd Nick Ripe saying that the OLP will continue until "criminal gangs and paramilitary practices infiltrated into the country by the right are eliminated"...fine but I'm assuming that many of these are the same gangs formed and armed by Chavez.