Observations focused on the problems of an underdeveloped country, Venezuela, with some serendipity about the world (orchids, techs, science, investments, politics) at large. A famous Venezuelan, Juan Pablo Perez Alfonzo, referred to oil as the devil's excrement. For countries, easy wealth appears indeed to be the sure path to failure. Venezuela might be a clear example of that.
Unfortunately, there is always someone that is doing worse than us as witnessed by the fact that in Iran 2033 of the 8200 candidates have been barred from participating in the upcoming parliamentary elections. Hope this is the beginning of the end for those religious fanatics that rule that country.
Unfortunately, there is always someone that is doing worse than us as witnessed by the fact that in Iran 2033 of the 8200 candidates have been barred from participating in the upcoming parliamentary elections. Hope this is the beginning of the end for those religious fanatics that rule that country.
I am quite bothered by this article in today’s El Universal. Essentially it says that the political parties that are part of the Coordinadora Democrática want to continue choosing candidates and blocking the path of true democracy in Venezuela. According to the article, some parties want to have the local parties discuss a unity candidate for all Governorships and Mayoral races and only if a consensus can not be reached then resort to primaries. I am strongly against this methodology; it should be exactly the opposite: We should have primaries for all races and only if only one candidate is presented will there be no primary.
The Coordinadora Democrática has the chance to truly establish democracy in Venezuela from the bottom up and it should not miss the chance to show what a true democracy should function like. Sadly, in the 1998 Presidential election, NOT ONE candidate was chosen in a primary, all of them were either people who were candidates and then looked for parties to support them (Chavez, Irene, Salas Romer) or people selected in smoke-filled rooms by their parties. I still remember with fondness in 1993 when the Social Christian party COPEI decided to hold a primary to elect Eduardo Fernandez as its candidate. They opened the primary to everyone and lo and behold, Oswaldo Alvarez Paz won running away. (I never liked COPEI, but I voted in that primary because I thought Eduardo Fernandez should not be a candidate again) To me that was one of the few truly democratic processes of the last twenty years in Venezuela. If the Coordinadora decided to hold primaries, for example, on March 15th. for all the races which will take place on July 25th. it will be giving Venezuelans part of the democracy everyone has been promising, but nobody has delivered. Otherwise, it will be once again, more of the same. With this precedent, primaries will become a way of life and all parties (including MVR, Chavez had promised it, but has not even delivered it internally!) will be forced to use them in the future.
I am quite bothered by this article in today’s El Universal. Essentially it says that the political parties that are part of the Coordinadora Democrática want to continue choosing candidates and blocking the path of true democracy in Venezuela. According to the article, some parties want to have the local parties discuss a unity candidate for all Governorships and Mayoral races and only if a consensus can not be reached then resort to primaries. I am strongly against this methodology; it should be exactly the opposite: We should have primaries for all races and only if only one candidate is presented will there be no primary.
The Coordinadora Democrática has the chance to truly establish democracy in Venezuela from the bottom up and it should not miss the chance to show what a true democracy should function like. Sadly, in the 1998 Presidential election, NOT ONE candidate was chosen in a primary, all of them were either people who were candidates and then looked for parties to support them (Chavez, Irene, Salas Romer) or people selected in smoke-filled rooms by their parties. I still remember with fondness in 1993 when the Social Christian party COPEI decided to hold a primary to elect Eduardo Fernandez as its candidate. They opened the primary to everyone and lo and behold, Oswaldo Alvarez Paz won running away. (I never liked COPEI, but I voted in that primary because I thought Eduardo Fernandez should not be a candidate again) To me that was one of the few truly democratic processes of the last twenty years in Venezuela. If the Coordinadora decided to hold primaries, for example, on March 15th. for all the races which will take place on July 25th. it will be giving Venezuelans part of the democracy everyone has been promising, but nobody has delivered. Otherwise, it will be once again, more of the same. With this precedent, primaries will become a way of life and all parties (including MVR, Chavez had promised it, but has not even delivered it internally!) will be forced to use them in the future.
I have posted in the orchid section pictures of one of the most spectacular orchid plants there is, you should go take a look, it is simply unbelievable.
This spectacular Grammatophyllum Scriptum has just finished flowering all five shoots that it grew this time. Each of these growths has between 70 and 80 flowers about one and a half inches in size. The plant is originally from Papua Nueva Gunea, has little scent and I find that it loves the sun. As it has grown I had to move it from the orchid room to its fringes where the sun hits it more and the results are incredibe. The plant has been with me for about seven years and I bought it as a small seedling. This is not the largest of the species. There is an even larger one called Speciosum or Papuuanum which can be taller than peple. I have had one of those for ten years. its huge, outside the orchid room in full sun (too big), but has never flowered. From top to bottom: Top Left: My brother in law standing like a Harvard Botanist next to the plant. He is there simply for scale purposes. Top right: The full plant with its five shoots. Next four pictures concentrate on a single branch showing it closer and closer until you see a single flower. Finally, an interesting picture I took by looking up the long shoot is shown in the bottom. This is simply spectacular.
And another good article on the subject of the Millardito (little billion), this time by Gerver Torres in today’s El Universal:
A little billion of errors by Gerver Torres
The request by the President of Venezuela for the Central bank to give him “a little billion dollars” of the international reserves offers a privileged opportunity to evaluate the billion wrongs in which we are submerged.
In the first place is the topic of the autonomy of the Central Bank. At a moment in which countries make efforts to exhibit the largest possible independence from their monetary authorities, ours is under siege. The autonomy of central banks is offered as a guarantee of more price stability and thus it is good for generating confidence.
A country in which the monetary authority can match with authority and independence for the stability of prices is more attractive for investments and will thus enjoy more growth and employment. In this sense, the President’s request is a direct attack against the value of the Bolivar and aga9snt employment.
Second, is the mess of in which our public management finds itself. The Government has an instrument to define its priorities. That instrument is the national budget. The idea of a budget is that the Government propose in it its policies and priorities and they be discussed in the National Assembly. It thus happens that the President makes his request for the little billion soon after presenting and formulating the budget for this fiscal year. In this sense, the request by the President is an anthem to improvisation and disorganization.
Third, there is a total lack of knowledge about how the economy functions. Money is asked from the international reserves as if they were additional money that we had for eventual expenses. It so happens that the international reserves are an expression of the equivalence between dollars and the bolivars that are already circulating in the economy. Dollars and bolivars are sides of the same coin. We can not pretend to spend twice. It is as if someone that is told that it has two thousand five hundred bolivars wanted to spend amounts, the two thousand five hundred and the dollar. In this sense the President’s request is a demonstration of economic ignorance.
Finally, there are the contradictions in economic policy. These produce a general asphyxia of the economy when you bar rot from getting foreign currency via exchange controls, when you impose high interest rates, when you don’t promote investment. Then, using a single move, you want to revive a sector. In this sense the request by the President is an act of Government incongruence.
For all these reasons, the request for a billion dollars has to be seen with billions of reserve.
And another good article on the subject of the Millardito (little billion), this time by Gerver Torres in today’s El Universal:
A little billion of errors by Gerver Torres
The request by the President of Venezuela for the Central bank to give him “a little billion dollars” of the international reserves offers a privileged opportunity to evaluate the billion wrongs in which we are submerged.
In the first place is the topic of the autonomy of the Central Bank. At a moment in which countries make efforts to exhibit the largest possible independence from their monetary authorities, ours is under siege. The autonomy of central banks is offered as a guarantee of more price stability and thus it is good for generating confidence.
A country in which the monetary authority can match with authority and independence for the stability of prices is more attractive for investments and will thus enjoy more growth and employment. In this sense, the President’s request is a direct attack against the value of the Bolivar and aga9snt employment.
Second, is the mess of in which our public management finds itself. The Government has an instrument to define its priorities. That instrument is the national budget. The idea of a budget is that the Government propose in it its policies and priorities and they be discussed in the National Assembly. It thus happens that the President makes his request for the little billion soon after presenting and formulating the budget for this fiscal year. In this sense, the request by the President is an anthem to improvisation and disorganization.
Third, there is a total lack of knowledge about how the economy functions. Money is asked from the international reserves as if they were additional money that we had for eventual expenses. It so happens that the international reserves are an expression of the equivalence between dollars and the bolivars that are already circulating in the economy. Dollars and bolivars are sides of the same coin. We can not pretend to spend twice. It is as if someone that is told that it has two thousand five hundred bolivars wanted to spend amounts, the two thousand five hundred and the dollar. In this sense the President’s request is a demonstration of economic ignorance.
Finally, there are the contradictions in economic policy. These produce a general asphyxia of the economy when you bar rot from getting foreign currency via exchange controls, when you impose high interest rates, when you don’t promote investment. Then, using a single move, you want to revive a sector. In this sense the request by the President is an act of Government incongruence.
For all these reasons, the request for a billion dollars has to be seen with billions of reserve.
Central Bank Director Armando Leon gives a very simple explanation for how absurd (or is it stupid?) Chavez’ request to have the Central Bank give him US$ 1 billion from the country’s international reserves for agriculture is:
“The difference between Venezuela and a game of Monopoly is that currencies have backing, thus using the reserves would imply that the bills in circulation would be similar to the bills in Monopoly”
At last someone explains it simply!
Central Bank Director Armando Leon gives a very simple explanation for how absurd (or is it stupid?) Chavez’ request to have the Central Bank give him US$ 1 billion from the country’s international reserves for agriculture is:
“The difference between Venezuela and a game of Monopoly is that currencies have backing, thus using the reserves would imply that the bills in circulation would be similar to the bills in Monopoly”
At last someone explains it simply!
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The Devil's Excrement 