Archive for September, 2004
How many feel about the mathematical studies of the RR vote by Weil
September 15, 2004How many feel about the mathematical studies of the RR vote by Weil
September 15, 2004
Second Seminar on Electoral Statistics
September 14, 2004For those in Caracas the second seminar sponsored by USB and UCV will take place next Thursday at Simon Bolivar University at 11 AM at the Centro de Auditorios.
There will be three talks (Moderator Ricardo Rios(UCV)):
-Luis Raul Perichi (USB): Statistical Methods to verify the non-inetrvention of an election.
-Rafael Torrealba (Universidad Centro Occidental Lisandro Alvarado): Numerical coincidences or correlations in the August 15th referéndum.
-Isbelia Martin (USB): The Presidential recall referendum analized as a natural binomial process: A physical perspective.
Second Seminar on Electoral Statistics
September 14, 2004For those in Caracas the second seminar sponsored by USB and UCV will take place next Thursday at Simon Bolivar University at 11 AM at the Centro de Auditorios.
There will be three talks (Moderator Ricardo Rios(UCV)):
-Luis Raul Perichi (USB): Statistical Methods to verify the non-inetrvention of an election.
-Rafael Torrealba (Universidad Centro Occidental Lisandro Alvarado): Numerical coincidences or correlations in the August 15th referéndum.
-Isbelia Martin (USB): The Presidential recall referendum analized as a natural binomial process: A physical perspective.
Have fun with the CNE! by Teodoro Petkoff
September 14, 2004
Couple with yesterday’s Macondo-like story with this Tal Cual Editorial and the meaning of underdevelopment reaches unheard of heights with this the new “oligarchy” that celebrates their non-accomplishments.
Have fun with the CNE! by Teodoro Petkoff
Like a fruit that begins to rot, the symptoms of the beginning are
imperceptible. Then they will accentuate themselves until they can not
longer be hidden.
That’s what happens to political regimes.
In the beginning the cases are isolated and disperse, later they
become protuberances and finally the lack of honesty wins it all.
Yesterday Tal Cual told the story of two recent facts through which
not the hidden face of the moon is shown but the one on this side. And
is full of pimples and wrinkles.
One was the gracious award of a bonus of Bs. 15 million to 420 workers
of the Autonomous Institute for the Railroad (IAFE)-by pure
coincidence, of course, two days before the recall referendum.
They are Bs. 6 billion (US$ 2 million) distributed happily, with no
other justification than the delay in the signing of the union
contract.
This practice (the one of a bonus), in these cases of delays is
common. What is unusual, of course, is the disproportionate amount
that the lucky workers of the IAFE received. Could it be that this
bonus is indexed to inflation? They could come back and tell us such a
tale.
But in largesse and waste, the CNE, with its patron saint party that
it began celebrating yesterday, breaks all records. Even if the amount
of money that the CNE will dilapidate is much less than that of the
trains-188 millions, a mere peanut shell compared to the other
one-qualitatively speaking the immorality is larger. 60 million for a
party at the Military Circle, 22 million, 22 million in caps, t shirts
and key chains; 15 million in a magazine that nobody will read and
million and millions more in “performances”, musical groups, plays,
flowers for the Liberator, arrangements for the godmother,
arrangements for a church, a car rally that symbolically begins at the
CNE and ends at the military circle, place f residence of
“tramparente” Carrasquero, posters, sports trophies, kid storybooks, a
<!– D(["mb","horse race (at which there will be a toast for 12 million). Nothing\
has been left to chance. A forward looking hand wrote next to a budget\
item of 4 million for the güiski "careful, do not exclude".\
Elementary. Any situation, Carrasquero must have thought, can be\
overcome (sobrevenida) except what has to do with alcohol. And let it\
be 18 years old.\
It is the usual Saudi-like style, but worse. In the spirit of the\
"Great Venezuela", but worse. The carelessness with public funds, but\
worse. Ask that oil will give. And we will too, because oil pays only\
half of public expenditures. The other half is paid by the taxpayers.\
Is this what Vielma Mora (the internal revenue chief) gets the funds\
for? The tax office shuts down and shuts down businesses, its goal is\
cero evasion, asks consumers for their receipts, improves tax\
collection and all of that, for what? So that the CNE Directors can\
light up their cigars with ten thousand Bs. Bills?\
\
–\
Miguel Octavio\
\
blog: The Devil\’s Excrement\
\
\http://miguel.octavio.net\\
“,1] ); D([“mb”,””,0] ); D([“ce”]); //–>
horse race (at which there will be a toast for 12 million). Nothing
has been left to chance. A forward looking hand wrote next to a budget
item of 4 million for the güiski “careful, do not exclude”.
Elementary. Any situation, Carrasquero must have thought, can be
overcome (sobrevenida) except what has to do with alcohol. And let it
be 18 years old.
It is the usual Saudi-like style, but worse. In the spirit of the
“Great Venezuela”, but worse. The carelessness with public funds, but
worse. Ask that oil will give. And we will too, because oil pays only
half of public expenditures. The other half is paid by the taxpayers.
Is this what Vielma Mora (the internal revenue chief) gets the funds
for? The tax office shuts down and shuts down businesses, its goal is
cero evasion, asks consumers for their receipts, improves tax
collection and all of that, for what? So that the CNE Directors can
light up their cigars with ten thousand Bs. Bills?
Have fun with the CNE! by Teodoro Petkoff
September 14, 2004
Couple with yesterday’s Macondo-like story with this Tal Cual Editorial and the meaning of underdevelopment reaches unheard of heights with this the new “oligarchy” that celebrates their non-accomplishments.
Have fun with the CNE! by Teodoro Petkoff
Like a fruit that begins to rot, the symptoms of the beginning are
imperceptible. Then they will accentuate themselves until they can not
longer be hidden.
That’s what happens to political regimes.
In the beginning the cases are isolated and disperse, later they
become protuberances and finally the lack of honesty wins it all.
Yesterday Tal Cual told the story of two recent facts through which
not the hidden face of the moon is shown but the one on this side. And
is full of pimples and wrinkles.
One was the gracious award of a bonus of Bs. 15 million to 420 workers
of the Autonomous Institute for the Railroad (IAFE)-by pure
coincidence, of course, two days before the recall referendum.
They are Bs. 6 billion (US$ 2 million) distributed happily, with no
other justification than the delay in the signing of the union
contract.
This practice (the one of a bonus), in these cases of delays is
common. What is unusual, of course, is the disproportionate amount
that the lucky workers of the IAFE received. Could it be that this
bonus is indexed to inflation? They could come back and tell us such a
tale.
But in largesse and waste, the CNE, with its patron saint party that
it began celebrating yesterday, breaks all records. Even if the amount
of money that the CNE will dilapidate is much less than that of the
trains-188 millions, a mere peanut shell compared to the other
one-qualitatively speaking the immorality is larger. 60 million for a
party at the Military Circle, 22 million, 22 million in caps, t shirts
and key chains; 15 million in a magazine that nobody will read and
million and millions more in “performances”, musical groups, plays,
flowers for the Liberator, arrangements for the godmother,
arrangements for a church, a car rally that symbolically begins at the
CNE and ends at the military circle, place f residence of
“tramparente” Carrasquero, posters, sports trophies, kid storybooks, a
<!– D(["mb","horse race (at which there will be a toast for 12 million). Nothing\
has been left to chance. A forward looking hand wrote next to a budget\
item of 4 million for the güiski "careful, do not exclude".\
Elementary. Any situation, Carrasquero must have thought, can be\
overcome (sobrevenida) except what has to do with alcohol. And let it\
be 18 years old.\
It is the usual Saudi-like style, but worse. In the spirit of the\
"Great Venezuela", but worse. The carelessness with public funds, but\
worse. Ask that oil will give. And we will too, because oil pays only\
half of public expenditures. The other half is paid by the taxpayers.\
Is this what Vielma Mora (the internal revenue chief) gets the funds\
for? The tax office shuts down and shuts down businesses, its goal is\
cero evasion, asks consumers for their receipts, improves tax\
collection and all of that, for what? So that the CNE Directors can\
light up their cigars with ten thousand Bs. Bills?\
\
–\
Miguel Octavio\
\
blog: The Devil\’s Excrement\
\
\http://miguel.octavio.net\\
“,1] ); D([“mb”,””,0] ); D([“ce”]); //–>
horse race (at which there will be a toast for 12 million). Nothing
has been left to chance. A forward looking hand wrote next to a budget
item of 4 million for the güiski “careful, do not exclude”.
Elementary. Any situation, Carrasquero must have thought, can be
overcome (sobrevenida) except what has to do with alcohol. And let it
be 18 years old.
It is the usual Saudi-like style, but worse. In the spirit of the
“Great Venezuela”, but worse. The carelessness with public funds, but
worse. Ask that oil will give. And we will too, because oil pays only
half of public expenditures. The other half is paid by the taxpayers.
Is this what Vielma Mora (the internal revenue chief) gets the funds
for? The tax office shuts down and shuts down businesses, its goal is
cero evasion, asks consumers for their receipts, improves tax
collection and all of that, for what? So that the CNE Directors can
light up their cigars with ten thousand Bs. Bills?
They cry out fraud in the election of the queen of the Electoral Board
September 13, 2004This story is so incredibly ridiculous, ironic and in a perverse sense, funny, that I could not possibly pass up translating it:
They cry out fraud in the election of the “queen” of the Electoral Board (CNE).
The Electoral National Council (CNE) has been shaken again by charges of electoral fraud, but this time it does not have anything to do with politics: they are aimed against the selection of its own beauty queen. While the charges by the political opposition of the country against the decision of the CNE to give the victory to President Hugo Chavez in the recall referendum vote on his mandate have yet to be silencec, employees of the institution protested against a supposed manipulation in the election of the most beautiful employee of the CNE, Reuters informed.
According to witnesses, last Wednesday the CNE workers rejected with shouts the selection in an internal beauty contest, of an employee of the press department. In the surveys prior to the election, the girl who was winning was not among the favorites. “Everybody was surprised ‘”, said to Reuters a civilian employee of the CNE, that requested not to be identified. “Perhaps the men thought that she was not the most beautiful; people in the back shouted “fraud” and they left the hall “, he added.
Witnesses assured us that the president of the CNE, lawyer Francisco Carrasquero, was one of the five members of the jury of the contest in which 17 candidates participated. The suspicions and outraged accusations of the employees reminded everyone of the charges by the political opposition that, in spite of not exhibiting concrete proofs and against the opinion of international observers, assures everyone that the CNE altered the results of presidential recall referendum of August15th. in order to grant Chávez the triumph that ratified him in his position until 2007.
The Democratic Coordinator (CD) charges that the CNE is dominated by those in favor of the government of Chávez, and says that they have manipulated the voting system to yield the victory to him.
The CNE is celebrating this week the anniversary of the designation of their authorities in the 2003 by the Supreme Court of Justice. The election of the “queen” was part of those celebrations, in a country that takes very seriously its beauty contests and that has managed to obtain more international crowns of beauty that any other nation in the globe. It was not clear if the CNE will keep the result or if it accepted the demand by some employees who demanded a revision of the election.
They cry out fraud in the election of the queen of the Electoral Board
September 13, 2004This story is so incredibly ridiculous, ironic and in a perverse sense, funny, that I could not possibly pass up translating it:
They cry out fraud in the election of the “queen” of the Electoral Board (CNE).
The Electoral National Council (CNE) has been shaken again by charges of electoral fraud, but this time it does not have anything to do with politics: they are aimed against the selection of its own beauty queen. While the charges by the political opposition of the country against the decision of the CNE to give the victory to President Hugo Chavez in the recall referendum vote on his mandate have yet to be silencec, employees of the institution protested against a supposed manipulation in the election of the most beautiful employee of the CNE, Reuters informed.
According to witnesses, last Wednesday the CNE workers rejected with shouts the selection in an internal beauty contest, of an employee of the press department. In the surveys prior to the election, the girl who was winning was not among the favorites. “Everybody was surprised ‘”, said to Reuters a civilian employee of the CNE, that requested not to be identified. “Perhaps the men thought that she was not the most beautiful; people in the back shouted “fraud” and they left the hall “, he added.
Witnesses assured us that the president of the CNE, lawyer Francisco Carrasquero, was one of the five members of the jury of the contest in which 17 candidates participated. The suspicions and outraged accusations of the employees reminded everyone of the charges by the political opposition that, in spite of not exhibiting concrete proofs and against the opinion of international observers, assures everyone that the CNE altered the results of presidential recall referendum of August15th. in order to grant Chávez the triumph that ratified him in his position until 2007.
The Democratic Coordinator (CD) charges that the CNE is dominated by those in favor of the government of Chávez, and says that they have manipulated the voting system to yield the victory to him.
The CNE is celebrating this week the anniversary of the designation of their authorities in the 2003 by the Supreme Court of Justice. The election of the “queen” was part of those celebrations, in a country that takes very seriously its beauty contests and that has managed to obtain more international crowns of beauty that any other nation in the globe. It was not clear if the CNE will keep the result or if it accepted the demand by some employees who demanded a revision of the election.
New Government telco (or folly?): Great news for CANTV
September 13, 2004The Government confirmed today that it was launching a new Government owned Telecommunications Company financed by CVG and Edelca. The company will offer residential local, national and international telephone service as well as Internet services.
This is great news for CANTV. In the days prior to the recall vote the Government accused CANTV of conspiring against the recall vote and that it will nationalize it if necessary. Vice-President Rangel even said that the privatization of the company should be reversed, because this was a strategic sector for the Government. With the start of this company, the Government will have no more reason to use this argument and CANTV should be safe for the time being.
Moreover, CANTV’s business should also be safe. CANTV is a fairly efficient company at this time, with mobile and Internet being the growth drivers. We doubt the Government will devote the resources required to provide adequate Internet service, while residential service is regulated and not the best business in the sector. Curiously, the company will not go into the wireless business, the growth engine of CANTV. Talk about a dumb business plan! If on top of that the new telephone company is run as inefficiently as the Government, we suspect the new company will only survive in an environment of high oil prices, if at all.
This is truly a misguided idea, the Government should use resources to provide basic necessities and services to people, and this is not one of them anymore. When CANTV was partially privatized in 1990, it would take three or four times to even get a dial tone, public phones did not work, it would take up to five years to get a line and the company was a great source of corruption. What could be done differently this time given the badly managed Government we have? How much does the Government have to invest even to begin competing with CANTV and the other private telcos? Where will they get the talent to run it? What possible competitive advantage will they have?
To top it all off, the telecom sector has been opened to competition since 2001 and curiously the one that ahs attracted the least attention ahs been residential service, while there are some struggling companies competing in data and long distance. There are five cellp hone providers. This is about a silly an idea as I have heard from this Government. It will become another wasteful sink for funds and a new source of corruption, I am sure many are already lobbying to be named as Presidents of this company or to its Board of Directors.
New Government telco (or folly?): Great news for CANTV
September 13, 2004The Government confirmed today that it was launching a new Government owned Telecommunications Company financed by CVG and Edelca. The company will offer residential local, national and international telephone service as well as Internet services.
This is great news for CANTV. In the days prior to the recall vote the Government accused CANTV of conspiring against the recall vote and that it will nationalize it if necessary. Vice-President Rangel even said that the privatization of the company should be reversed, because this was a strategic sector for the Government. With the start of this company, the Government will have no more reason to use this argument and CANTV should be safe for the time being.
Moreover, CANTV’s business should also be safe. CANTV is a fairly efficient company at this time, with mobile and Internet being the growth drivers. We doubt the Government will devote the resources required to provide adequate Internet service, while residential service is regulated and not the best business in the sector. Curiously, the company will not go into the wireless business, the growth engine of CANTV. Talk about a dumb business plan! If on top of that the new telephone company is run as inefficiently as the Government, we suspect the new company will only survive in an environment of high oil prices, if at all.
This is truly a misguided idea, the Government should use resources to provide basic necessities and services to people, and this is not one of them anymore. When CANTV was partially privatized in 1990, it would take three or four times to even get a dial tone, public phones did not work, it would take up to five years to get a line and the company was a great source of corruption. What could be done differently this time given the badly managed Government we have? How much does the Government have to invest even to begin competing with CANTV and the other private telcos? Where will they get the talent to run it? What possible competitive advantage will they have?
To top it all off, the telecom sector has been opened to competition since 2001 and curiously the one that ahs attracted the least attention ahs been residential service, while there are some struggling companies competing in data and long distance. There are five cellp hone providers. This is about a silly an idea as I have heard from this Government. It will become another wasteful sink for funds and a new source of corruption, I am sure many are already lobbying to be named as Presidents of this company or to its Board of Directors.
The Devil's Excrement 