Wednesday, October 29, 2003

Economy shrinks by only 8-9% The Venezuelan economy shrank in the third quarter by 8-9% of GDP according to the Minister of Finance. According to the Government PDVSA is up to speed and the opposition did not stage any strikes or boycotts during the quarter or the previous ones. So how come it shrank? Maybe because they are using Chavez' profound economic statement said two weeks ago while I was away "You don't need economic growth to improve the life of the poor". It shows..... 11:11:23 PM    comment []

Another flimsy accusation against the CIA Chavista Deputies presented a video today at a press conference showing a "CIA plane" arriving at Valencia airport South of Caracas with two armed CIA "agents" on board who were quickly driven away by representatives from the Governor's office. Nothing was said as to what exactly these two men were doing, planning or whether it was dangerous. No proof was presented as to their identity or how it was determined that they were CIA agents. However, the two Deputies said that they had presented their information to US authorities. Interestingly enough, the US Ambassador to Venezuela, who tends to be too diplomatic at times, responded promptly by saying that he had received no information on the matter and even joked about saying "as you say in Spanish this is simply pure "paja" (the best translation for bullshit), suggesting the two Deputies had an overactive imagination. While I am sure the CIA is active in Venezuela, it is not clear to me what threat these guys represent to the country, what they are plotting or even if they are CIA. They could at least have looked into who owns the airplane (call letters L202HG) or what their names were. I still think Maxwell Smart and C.H.A.O.S. are also involved. 11:02:39 PM    comment []