A trip to Caracas, Venezuela
Region: VenezuelaThe plane flew through the thick white Caribbean clouds with relative ease as it approached the green hills that adorn the coast of Venezuela. I look out the window as the plane begins to make its descent into Aeropuerto Internacional Simon Bolivar (or Maiquetia as its commonly referred to). It’s been two years since I last stepped into the soil of my birth and I frankly do not know what to expect. After getting ... more
Views: 2608Has Hugo Chavez turned Venezuela into a Country of Government Informers?
Region: Venezuela(Written June 4th 2008) Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has recently used his decree powers (given to him by the National Assembly last year) to pass a law that will carry out some major and highly controversial changes in the Venezuelan intelligence services. The new law is called “The Law of the National Intelligence and Counterintellige... more
Views: 2571In Venezuela, 'Dancing Devils' Live on
Region: Venezuela
Posted by Laura Vidal to Global Voices Online The Dancing Devils of Yare, a pagan-Christian celebration in Venezuela that takes place nine Thursdays after Holy Thursday, and is a very typical artistic and cultural expression of the region. To understand better what it is all about, in this Wikipedia article Dancing Devils of Yare, there are good explanations and links to journalistic works from some newspapers: The... more
Views: 2486Venezualan Bloggers Remember Eugenio Montejo
Region: Venezuela
Posted by Laura Vidal to Global Voices Online Venezuelans say goodbye to another of their poets in times when they need them the most. On June 6th, enthusiasts of literature and arts in Venezuela received the sad news of the death of one of the most important and influential writers of the last few years: Eugenio Montejo. Montejo's poetry is well recognized for its rich texture. He was also published in numerous book... more
Views: 2184Venezuela hit with U.S. sanctions for supporting Iran, Hezbollah
Region: VenezuelaAfter several months of calling for U.S. government action to sanction Venezuela's state run oil company Petroleos de Venezuela, S.A. for doing business with Iran, Chairman of the House Western Hemisphere Subcommittee Rep. Connie Mack (R-FL) applauded the U.S. State Department's decision to finally sanction Venezuela's state-owned oil corporation yesterday. Congressman Mack stated: "The sanctions o... more
Views: 2514'Go ahead and squeal, Yankees' Hugo Chavez says
Region: VenezuelaJust 10 months ago the King of Spain sunk Hugo Chavez's metaphorical battleship into deep icy diplomatic waters when he told him to 'shut up' at a summit in Santiago, Chile. But on television Monday 8, September 2008 the Venezuelan President chirped like a canary when he announced 1000 Russian amigos would play ships and planes with him in November. 'Go ahead and squeal, Yankees' Hugo Chavez boasted of th... more
Views: 1438Venezuela: Youth Orchestra Transforms Lives
Region: Venezuela
In 1975, José Antonio Abreu started working on his dream of creating an orchestra in Venezuela. Abreu and other 8 students, started the Old Music School José Ángel Lamas, which created a program based on new ways of learning and adapting different teaching methodologies that fit with the country's reality. The new system brought together young musicians from around the country, espe... more
Views: 3081Americas: Celebrating BlogDay
Region: Venezuela
August 31 marks the celebration of BlogDay around the world. According to the site the event was created so that blogs from other parts of the world can be discovered by others: On that day Bloggers will recommend other blogs to their blog visitors. With the goal in mind, on this day every blogger will post a recommendation of 5 new blogs. This way, all blog readers will find themselves leaping around and ... more
Views: 1770Yukpa Indians, Chávez and land disputes
Region: Venezuela
Citizen media videos have been uploaded informing of the situation arising in Venezuela between the Yukpa Indians of the Perijá Mountains, landowners and President Chávez. This dispute over land limits is 30 years in the making, when military forces displaced the Indigenous communities of the Yukpa by force and established landowners who have cattle ranches and have been working the lands ever since. The ... more
Views: 1614Hugo Chavez and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Bound by their Opposition to Washington
Region: VenezuelaHugo Frias Chavez and Ahmadinejad have been challenging the U.S every chance they get. Each leader is trying to exert influence in the region in various ways and are bound by their strong opposition to Washington. Ahmadinejad was born on October 28, 1956. He was the fourth child of a poor family who lived in a small village not far from Tehran. A few years later, his father moved the family to Tehran, part of a m... more
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