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Venezuelan TV Channel Fined for Airing ‘The Simpsons’

1:32 pm By Maegan La Mala · Controversia|Entertainment|Latin America|TV|Venezuela · 2 Comments

30 Jun 2008

Venezuelan television network Televen has been fined by the government for airing episodes of The Simpsons. You might remember that a couple of months back Maegan told us that Televen was told by the Venezuelan TV regulator that they had to air The Simpsons later in the day so that children wouldn’t be exposed to it. Now it seems the cartoon is to be pulled all together because it

contains images and sounds that, in common use, are crude, as well as those that refer to the consumption of alcohol, without showing its effects or attempting to help erradicate addictive conduct…as well as images and sounds which show dramatized violence.

The Simpsons would be pretty boring if the characters were doling out messages about the negative effects of alcohol consumption. And what’s up with Chavez and alcohol anyway?

Televen’s fine comes not in the form of money to pay but air time. The network has to promise to broadcast 30 second cultural and educational spots for 30 consecutive days.

Via / El Universal

Image via Hypeline.com

Hugo Chavez and Alvaro Uribe to Meet Soon?

1:38 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Colombia|Politics|Venezuela · Comments Off

16 Jun 2008

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, political enemies, may be meeting soon, especially since Chavez’s call to the FARC to release all their hostages and end their fight.

“I want to reiterate our thanks to President Hugo Chavez for his recent comments that help Colombia win a definite peace. I believe they were positive comments,” Uribe said at a community town hall meeting.
Uribe said he would meet soon with Chavez as the two governments work to repair ties…A Colombian government source said the meeting would likely take place in Venezuela before July 15 though details were still being hammered out.

Via / Reuters

Image Via / Venezuela Analysis

Venezuela Might Go Dark

12:54 pm By Maegan La Mala · Controversia|Latin America|society|Venezuela · Comments Off

5 Jun 2008

One of the last places you might think of when someone says “energy crisis” is Venezuela. But we’re not talking about gas or oil but electricity. Business Week reports on a trend in the South American country that’s hindering business and causing a lot of headaches.

Angela Marquez should be pleased, considering the long line of customers at her paint store in the central Venezuelan city of La Victoria, an hour west of the capital of Caracas. There is only one problem: She can’t ring up any purchases because the city is having another one of its frequent power blackouts. “This is completely ridiculous,” Marquez fumes, as customers weigh whether to wait for the power to return. “It’s impossible to run a business in conditions like this. And it’s only getting worse.”

Although Venezuela has the region’s largest oil and natural gas reserves, its electrical system has been neglected for years by successive governments. In April, large parts of the country, including the capital of Caracas, were without power for hours, resulting in chaos. Huge traffic jams clogged the city, subways did not operate, and many people were trapped in elevators. “We are on the edge of a grave crisis,” says Andres Matas, a Caracas electricity analyst. “We are on the edge of nationwide power rationing. Some parts of the country already have partial rationing, like in the east.”

The problem is apparently related to Venezuela’s extreme reliance on hydroelectric power. Experts say that up until now, the country has been lucky because of heavy rains, which have allowed for more power production.

Via / Business Week

Spaniards Hate Chavez More than Bush?

12:05 pm By Maegan La Mala · Latin America|Politics|Spain|Venezuela|World · Comments Off

2 Jun 2008

Wow, that’s saying a lot, because the Spanish hate them some Dubya. According to a recent poll:

Spaniards dislike Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez most among world leaders, including U.S. President George W. Bush, a poll indicated.

The survey of 2,500 Spaniards in 2007 found the leftist Chavez ranks first among major world leaders the Spanish do not care for, ahead of the U.S. president and Cuba’s former leader Fidel Castro.

Bush was the most disliked world leader among Spaniards in the 2006 version of the poll, El Pais reported Friday.

I wonder how those two feel about being in the same category…

Who holds the Spanish people’s heart in their hands? Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva ranks as one of the most admired leaders for Spaniards.

Via / UPI

Is the U.S. Trying to Provoke War In Latin America?

8:30 am By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Latin America|Politics|Venezuela · Comments Off

20 May 2008

Apparently learning nothing from Colombia entering Ecuador’s territory to go after the FARC, or maybe taking a page from that incident and the diplomatic crisis it sparked, there are allegations that the U.S. violated Venezuela’s airspace. US officials admitted a naval plane on a counter-narcotics mission had “navigational problems” that led it to briefly enter Venezuelan airspace.
[Venezuelan Defense Minister] Mr Rangel told a news conference that the US aircraft “practically flew over” La Orchila – where Venezuela has a military base and President Hugo Chavez has a residence – and another island before turning back.
“This is just the latest step in a series of provocations,” he said.

So what do you all think? Was this an “accident” or something more sinister?

The plane was a U.S. Navy plane. You’ll remember that about a month ago the U.S. Navy reestablished an fleet in the Caribbean.

Via / BBC

Chavez: “I hope Merkel doesn’t tell me to shut up”

16 May 2008

Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez said yesterday that he hopes the German president, Angela Merkel — with whom he currently has a rather thorny relationship — doesn’t tell him to shut his trap when they cross paths at the Latin American-European Summit this week:

I hope it doesn’t occur to her to repeat King Juan Carlos de Borbón’s expression if we end up coinciding at a roundtable or some other place.”

For the benefit of us all, let’s see that clip again…

My favorite part is around 0:40 when the king goes “Tú!” and points at Chávez as if you say “your number’s up, buddy!”

Somehow that doesn’t sound like Merkel’s style to me. I can’t wait to see what Chavez does when he sees her.

Via / Ansa.it

Venezuela to Colombia : A U.S. Base on the Border Means War

5:17 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Colombia|Ecuador|Venezuela · 1 Comment

15 May 2008

With the lease of the U.S. military base in Manta, Ecuador expiring next year and Ecuador’s President Rafael Correa vowing not to renew, the United States Ambassador to Colombia, William Brownfield, suggested that the Ecuador base could be moved to La Guajira inside Colombia, who maintains friendly diplomatic relations with the U.S. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, not one to take a “wait and see” approach, said that placing a U.S. base in the region that spans northeastern Colombia and northwestern Venezuela, would equal nothing less than a threat of war.

“We will not allow the Colombian government to give La Guajira to the empire,” Chavez said, referring to the US during a speech to a packed auditorium of uniformed soldiers.
“Colombia is launching a threat of war at us.”

While Chavez certainly will be called out because he is the only one crying “war” , what would a U.S. military base on the Colombia/Venezuela border mean?

Via / Al Jazeera

Venezuela Mad at Germany

14 May 2008

The Venezuelan government has announced that the bilateral relationship with Germany might change as a result of a comment made by German president Angela Merkel yesterday. Merkel, responding to reporters about a couple of unsavory remarks made by Chavez, replied:

“President Chavez does not speak for Latin America — every country has its own voice, with which they pursue their own interests…”

Merkel apparently also pointed to the “No” vote on a recent constitutional referendum in Venezuela as evidence of that country’s pursuit of such interests.

Hugo Chavez isn’t happy, snapping back at Merkel by telling her to go to hell, reports AP:

“Ms. Chancellor, you can go to …” he said, pausing. “Because you are a lady, I won’t say any more.”

The Summit between the European Union and Latin America begins tomorrow in Lima, and we’ll see what happens when the two come face to face in person.

Via / El Pais and AP

Spanish President Warns Chavez to Behave

13 May 2008

Spanish president Jose Luis Rodríguez Zapatero has warned Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez against disrespecting his government during the Latin American-European Summit to be held in Lima this week:

…he reiterated to Hugo Chavez that he must respect Spanish institutions, after he once again criticized the Spanish king.

On his weekly radio address, Aló Presidente, Hugo Chávez said that the Spanish king “thinks he’s superior” to Latin Americans but that “when the King goes to the bathroom, he lets out the same thing the rest of us do.” Quite the colorful illustration.

President Zapatero says that if Chavez does go to the Summit this week, “it’s quite probable that I will have a talk with him”. Zapatero is apparently attempting to avoid another embarrassing incident like this one.

Perhaps the German government should be more concerned. Apparently Chavez has been comparing president Angela Merkel to Hitler and plans to confront her at the Summit.

Via / Canarias 7 and El Universal

Hugo Chavez Says Colombia (and U.S.) Trying to Provoke War

1:19 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Colombia|Politics|Venezuela · 2 Comments

12 May 2008

Yesterday Hugo Chavez accused Colombia (and the U.S.) of provoking a war by pushing Interpol to back up the position that Venezuela’s government has supported the FARC.

“El gobierno de Colombia es capaz, así lo digo, es capaz de provocar una guerra con Venezuela para tratar de justificar la intervención de los Estados Unidos en Venezuela”, expresó el mandatario, en su habitual mensaje dominical.

Currently Interpol is determining if computer files recovered from a camp of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia prove that Venezuela is supporting the guerrilla organization, as the U.S. and Colombia claim.

The Wall Street Journal reported May 9 that the files showed that Chavez sought guerrilla warfare training from the FARC, as the rebel group is known, and may have offered to supply them with rockets, citing unnamed senior U.S. intelligence officials. The findings may increase pressure for the U.S. to put Venezuela on the list of state sponsors of terrorism, the Journal reported.

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