The Devil's Excrement

With 54% plus of the vote Chavista Wills Rangel, a former Adeco and Carlos Ortega aid, won the oil union elections representing Chavez’ PSUV party via the FUTPV union slate.

And you have to love the symbolism of Rangel, a former Adeco, sitting in front of a terrible Chavez painting, talking about socialism.

But note on the lower left he has a little Chavez figurine, with someone that I have yet to clearly identify (Any help would be appreciated) and then…that symbol of the peculiar bolibourgeois socialism: A picture of his race horse winning at the La Rinconada race track in Caracas.

Those are the values of XXIst. Century Socialist union leaders in Chavista Venezuela…

Do I need to say anything more?

I have been busy. I am transferring one by one all of my orchid pictures from my old website to the new one and it takes time. I actually spent like three evenings doing that and I did about a year and a half. I am now up to summer of 2007, so I am closer, but it is a lot of work.

Yesterday evening was quite cool. First, I watched the “Bienvenido Dudamel” concert over the Internet from the LA Philharmonic website. Did not watch it all, but managed to see good pieces of it, even if I missed Red Hot Chili Peppers. I will try yo see that part again. According to the website, they will have it by video on demand soon. Even more interesting, once the Red Sox game began, I managed to watch using my CANTV ADSL both the concert and the game (with the game on mute) over the Internet at the same time. Yes, the Red Sox game was meaningless, since they are going to the playoffs already, but there is a difference between fan and fanatic, I am the latter.

In the middle of both of these I went to have dinner with some good friends and my brother and his wife at what is probably the best value/quality meal in Caracas: I went to eat at Sumito Estevez’ cooking school in Chuao. You get two choices per course (you can see what the menu is on the website early in the week) and there is no charge for opening bottles of red wine. (It is quirky, as there is a charge for drinking white winr!). All of this, including dessert and a guayoyo coffee for only Bs. 150 per person. You get a first class meal with excellent service in an informal atmosphere. Try it! (Disclosure: Sumito is a friend of mine)

Last night I had a ceviche tasting to start, a Beef Carpaccio with confit mushrooms, pepper mustard and tempurized spinach as the first course and Seafood Chowder as the main course, with a cold cus cus salad. For dessert we got Mulberry sherbet with a cream of green apple. Excellent!

Then I went home and arrived just when the Ninth Symphony was starting in the concert, directed by Dudamel and watched the whole thing and the fireworks at the end. What can I say? Simply spectacular.

A nice and relaxed day!