Them crazy white gringos (Ted Kennedy)

Ok, this is to funny to not post:



Apparently someone left the liquor cabinet unlocked :)

Clearly Latinos are becoming an increasingly important demographic group to US politicians, but does Ted Kennedy really have to sing in Spanish. I just hope Obama doesn't lose votes because of it.

Fidel and a short break

After 46 years it looks like the US embargo against Cuba has finally worked, Fidel is finally gone from power. Yes I'm being sarcastic. There was a time when the embargo likely served its purpose but that day has long since passed, I continue to believe that trade and opening up to Cuba is the most effective way to bring about democracy and prosperity to the Cuban people.

On a separate note I have to take a short break (1-2 weeks) since I have to attend to work/career obligations. I will try to sneak in a post or two but who knows. If anyone is interested any short term blogging feel free to contact me :)

Venezuela: Exxon and the media

By now most readers have heard about the court order on Exxon's behalfagainst the Venezuelan oil companies (PDVSA) international assets. What many people including myself were waiting on was how would Chavez respond to this move. Well today we found out during Chavez's Sunday variety show. Below is a youtube clip of todays show.



To be honest there is little to be surprised about it's more of the same rhetoric we have heard over the years, the only difference is that it is directed at Exxon calling them thieves, corrupt, mafia, agents of imperialism that commit genocide, etc...

Chavez also said he would be willing to cut off oil supplies to the US if this economic terrorism continues, ya nothing new here. I'm sure there are more than one person in Washington that would love to call Chavez's bluff and dare him to do it, I know I would like to. Venezuela is in no position to be stop oil exports, due to its dependence on oil exports, and US being the only major viable market, plus oil is a fungible commodity and any price change would impact Venezuela more than the US. Plus the Venezuelan's would likely not be in a mood to tolerate Chavez's wild adventures since basic food items are in short supply as it is.

Below is a short clip of a "documentary" on Exxon that was produced by the state funded public television station VTV.



Whether you like ExxonMobile or not this "documentary" is highly biased and in many cases it lies. But then again when was the government interested in the truth or unbiased media. Of course in the words of the minister of communication Andres Izarra Venezuela and "canal 8 (VTV) is acting in situation of a mediatic war". This must be the reason why they closed RCTV last year and are now turning their sights on Globovision and Unionradio, with the "National Assembly supporting legal actions against Globovision".

If only the Venezuelan government were as efficient and effective in closing media outlets as managing and improving the economy.

Super Tuesday

To be honest I haven't been paying a lot of attention to the intricacies of Venezuelan political news as of late. Instead I have been engrossed in the upcoming US primaries. Most readers I'm sure know that tomorrow is a big day for both republicans and democrats. I think it is safe to say that on the republican side Senator John McCain will be the republican nominee. The big question is who will be the nominee for the democrats, previously I predicted Clinton would be the front runner against McCain, well I would like to change my prediction and say that Obama will win.

The Obama campaign has been on a tear lately raking in some very high profile endorsements including John Kerry, Patrick Leahy, and more recently Ted Kennedy, Caroline Kennedy, and even Maria Shriver (yes, Arnolds wife and also a Kennedy clan member). For those interested I found this link on the NY Times website showing some of the various endorsements all the candidates have received to date

The most recent news I have seen is that Clinton and Obama are in a statistical tie (Obama 49%, Clinton 46% +/- 4.5%). The interesting fact is that with time Obama's numbers trend higher, and since the democratic primary is more drawn out than the republican one this will likely play in Obama's favor.

As for this blogger, I will be casting my presidential primary vote tomorrow, and in case anyone is interested I will be voting for my senator, Barack Obama.


Venezuelan News

Most of the news I have read has been more of the same with Chavez still preoccupied with the FARC and insulting Uribe. Meanwhile, food shortages continue to get worse and of course Chavez's solution is to seize goods and threaten producers. In this link you can see a video of the chaos brought by milk shortages, one can only assume that if this continues the chaos will turn violent leading to riots.

As if the financial future of Venezuela were not more in question by the run up of debt by PDVSA from 2.9 billion in 2006 to 16 billion in 2007, we get this article from Reuters

CARACAS, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Venezuela's state-run oil company PDVSA is seeking a $1 billion up-front payment for several large shipments of fuel oil, El Universal newspaper reported on Saturday, in what may be a new sign of cash flow problems.

Under the deal, Venezuela is selling the fuel relatively cheaply but wants payment next week, the newspaper said.
PDVSA wants to find buyers for eight very large crude carrier cargoes of fuel oil by Feb. 6 and expects payment the following day.