(This Government has given us freedom)
This so called revolution is truly remarkable, beyond the limitations that it wants to impose on freedom of expression and/or speech, it now seems to want to impose a limit, in something we may call Freedom of Stating Facts. Yeap, in the vein of totalitarian Governments past and present, the Chavista goons want to make sure you only talk about the facts that they want, not the ones you want.
The victim in this case is a scientist Antonio Morocoima, a researcher at the Medicine Faculty of the Universidad de Oriente, who will be investigated by the Legislature of that State for creating panic in the population.
Morocaima’s crime?
He released the information that out of the 500 bugs (triatomina or “chipos” in Spanish) he had sampled in the wild, 300 of them or 60% were carriers of Chaga’s disease via the agent Trypanosoma Cruzi. According to the genius accusing him, this created panic in the population.
You have to understand that the person denouncing Morocaima is the very Chavista Head of the Health Institute of Anzoategui State. According to the report from this Institute, there are 341 cases of Chagas’ disease in the State, all dating back 20 years. None new, through the magic of hiding the facts and not attacking or solving problems. For example, last year a six year old died of Chagas’ disease in that state and many cases reported around the country including Caracas in recent weeks.
I guess that the hope is that just like economic problems, they will go away, or disappear until after the 2012 elections, or maybe even blame it on El Niño. But until then, they will prohibit not only you from expressing your opinion, but from stating facts.
It’s all for the “common” good, i.e. Hugo Chavez staying in power, you know…
The Devil's Excrement 
June 9, 2010 at 8:01 am
also why Brazil going with French nuclear submarine technology to protect their deep water rigs. Nuclear subs to protect oil rigs.
June 9, 2010 at 7:56 am
Speed, that is why mrs K was recently ranting and raving about the islands. The brits have a nuclear sub in the area to protect the rig!
June 9, 2010 at 7:54 am
Roger Waters is playing The Wall two nights in Broward in November for you Floyd fans which reminds me twenty-year olds today don’t know what Pink Floyd is!
June 7, 2010 at 7:49 pm
There is political principle that an individual doesn’t know if he or she is one of the majority. They have to rely on those who they think know, i.e. journalists or government leaders. The latter often having a conflict of interest.
Doctors, of which I am one, collect information, findings, observations, etc. and then often take a stab at it. If we had access to all the money in the world, we could do a better job.
June 5, 2010 at 6:31 pm
yea baby….bite on this Argies and Chavez…..
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1284171/Oil-discovery-Falklands-hailed-biggest-kind-North-Sea-Oil.html
June 5, 2010 at 11:05 am
You have to wonder what some of these Chav’s are thinking, don’t they know the truth will get out? http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100604/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_venezuela_malaria
June 4, 2010 at 6:31 pm
Gringo,
“Given the universal reputation of MD’s having illegible writing, can one say that the illegibility is there to hide illiteracy?”
You have a point there; maybe you will be not confidence with a MD, which writes recipes with precious hand writing letters. That is the extension of this universal reputation.
What the notes shows as you said, there is no filter to study medicine in Bolivarian Universities. Usually, the cream of the students has access to this kind of study, and the media of qualifications was very high.
Well this is not true anymore. Maybe (sic) this is the democracy, after all.
June 4, 2010 at 3:10 pm
Chagas bugs, I had a strong viceral reaction the instant I saw the opening graphic of this post. We have these night biting blood suckers here in Texas and more than once I’v been bitten. a large % of the ones tested in south Texas have T. cruzi but there are no records for Chagas infections. One of the things I have always heard is that after sucking your blood these bugs like to take a crap and that they often do that close to your eyes. infection by contamination from the excrement in to the bite wound or your eyes results in developing the disease. Since they carry the trypanasomes in their guts this sort of makes sense. So all bites dont result in infection. I hope your friend turns out to be OK. I’d rather have Dengue again than Chagas.
June 4, 2010 at 2:43 pm
“Of all the things that won’t prevent an illness, alcohol is the most popular”
But who knows? Enough rum might do the trick, though I would think one would need to be drinking steadily for a least a week to have the desired medicinal effect. A one night drunk wouldn’t do it.
Re “Whether Pigs Have Wings?”
The majority of the lyrics are lifted verbatim from Lewis Carroll’s poem “The Walrus and the Carpenter” which is in his 1871 book Through the Looking Glass, the sequel to Alice in Wonderland.
June 4, 2010 at 1:57 pm
A_Antonio
In other hand, I received by mail a picture of notes of a medicine student of a Bolivarian University, the notes is transcribed as follow..
Given the universal reputation of MD’s having illegible writing, can one say that the illegibility is there to hide illiteracy? Seriously, it is a sad comment that a medical student cannot spell. Can’t say I’d have a lot of confidence in that student treating me in the future when the student is a full-fledged MD- if the student makes it that far. It used to be that medical students were the cream of the crop. No more, apparently.
June 4, 2010 at 11:03 am
MO, I think the first page of Tal Cual newspaper today deserves a post. At least, to translate the Loreano’s article. I recommend it others to read it, anyway.
June 4, 2010 at 10:58 am
There will be no new permuta market this week.
Maybe next week.
http://www.eluniversal.com/2010/06/04/eco_ava_la-proxima-semana-se_04A3964251.shtml
June 4, 2010 at 10:50 am
Good advice m_astera. We all got our fingers crossed.
As you would expect, most are telling her enough alcohol will cure any infection, so it’ll probably be the usual Friday drinks in Caricuao.
Just goes to show, that apparently the members of the Government mustn’t have any friends or family, because it seems they never get affected by sickness or violence like the rest of that. Either that, or they simply lie.
June 4, 2010 at 10:41 am
Island Canuck:
I read it, not pretty. 😦
June 4, 2010 at 10:24 am
A_Antonio:
Headline from today’s Caribazo in Margarita:
Emergencia Hospitalaria / Pacientes decidieron hablar
Negligencia médica reina en el Luis Ortega de Porlamar
http://www.diariocaribazo.net/noticias01.html
June 4, 2010 at 10:01 am
Kevin, excellent poem, This close the topics of pigs with wings.
Now serious, I was wondering if some day we will know the real number of cases, like of malaria, dengue, Chagas or Venezuelans affected by malpractice by Cubans “doctors”. Malaria and Chagas cases were practically not significances numbers before Chavez.
In other hand, I received by mail a picture of notes of a medicine student of a Bolivarian University, the notes is transcribed as follow:
“1_ Licobacter pilon. 2._Los paracitos que producen hanemia y diarea. 3._Productos ilícitos en Venezuela. 4._Rotabirus 5._echerícha poli. 6_ecsamen de orima y de eses. 7_ Oxuríasís.”
Make your own conclusions.
June 4, 2010 at 6:56 am
No, 40 billion was issued, as of Dic. 31st. 2009 banks only had US$ 3.34 billion cash value.
June 4, 2010 at 6:53 am
Off topic
I see Chavez ask the banks to volunteer to give back the dollar denominated bonds to the gov. and if they don’t volunteer he will take the bonds anyway. The WSJ mentioned this was around 40 billion of sovereign debt. Is this a default on debt? How will it affect the bank balances? Is this the end of private banking in Venezuela?
June 3, 2010 at 9:01 pm
Man, Ayn Rand had so many things right about totalitarians ts kind of scary.
June 3, 2010 at 7:43 pm
capitankane-
In the meantime, perhaps your friend should do all that she can to strengthen her immune system and fight off any possible infection.
The test in three weeks might still show antibodies to chagas if she was infected, but there is no need for her to get ill.
June 3, 2010 at 7:42 pm
“Whether pigs have wings?” A relevant allegory
Yes, yes, of course, of course, but, uh, ha, ha
The time has come, my little friends
To talk of other things
Of shoes and ships and sealing wax
Of cabbages and kings
And why the sea is boiling hot
And whether pigs have wings, ha ha
Callo-Callay
Come, run away
With cabbages and kings!
Well, now, uh, let me see
Ah, a loaf of bread is
What we chiefly need!
Listen, how ’bout some pepper and salt and vinegar, eh?
Well, yes, yes, splendid idea, ha ha!
Very good, indeed
Now, if your ready, Oysters, dear.
We can begin the feed.
Feed?!
Oh, yes, the time has come, my little friends
To talk of food and things
Of peppercorns and mustard seeds
And other seasonings!
We’ll mix ’em all together
In a sauce that’s fit for kings
Calloo-Callay
We’ll eat today
Like cabbages and kings!
I, uh, weep for you. I (hic), oh excuse me
I deeply sympathise
For I’ve enjoyed your company, oh much more
Than you realize
Little Oysters? Little Oysters?
But answer, there came none
And this was scarcely odd because
They’d been eaten
Every one!
URRRRRRRG!
The time has come!!!
June 3, 2010 at 7:09 pm
I am flying with pigs on the wing.
I believe in Pink Floyd.
🙂
June 3, 2010 at 6:59 pm
I strongly recommend that if you see a flying pig, you should get out of the way!
June 3, 2010 at 6:53 pm
If you believe in Pink Floyd you know “pigs on the wing”.
Pigs do not need wings to fly.
Do not be afraid to fly with them.
June 3, 2010 at 6:45 pm
Do not be afraid, flying pigs are your friend.
June 3, 2010 at 6:15 pm
moctavio,
You’re probably thinking of buffalo wings!
June 3, 2010 at 4:23 pm
But Gordo, pigs do have wings, no?
🙂
June 3, 2010 at 4:22 pm
Maybe this is Chavez’s way of letting people know that he already has absolute power. Why would he do this? Maybe the sooner we all know he has the power to say that “pigs have wings,” then nobody will try to challenge election irregularities like after the recent sham election in IRAN, so he doesn’t have to use his goons to crack heads.
June 3, 2010 at 3:22 pm
Just today a friend of mine got bitten by a chipo in Caricuao. She went to the doctor and they say she has to wait 3 weeks before they can even test her for Chagas infection.
I suppose the fear she’ll be carrying of having been infected for the next few weeks are all figments of escualido imagination, up there with Superman, the ninja turtles, and the levels of violence and corruption in Venezuela today.
June 3, 2010 at 2:12 pm
“Nothing new under the sun” was telling the ancient Greek philosopher Socrates…
There is a flashing speech in the old movie “Doctor Zivago” from Pasternak’s novel (the one with Omar Sharif playing as Doc. Zivago) when he is speaking in a Moskow hospital in the first years after Russian Revolution with a collegue which was one of his former college companion. He was concerned about the increasing death rate for infectious desease and his collegue blamed him to be silent! That for Revolution it isn’t important a death or the thruth or healing a patient… what is important is to make-up number for good statistics in favour of revolutionary government!!!
No surprise that Pasternak novel was forbidden!
The same happened for every Communist country, including Cuba and now it’s Venezuelan moment. So sad!!! And more sad to see how much people in Venezuela isn’t conscious of what is happening!
It’s named “people’s dictature” in communist books but it’s always a dictature of some men over all the people.
June 3, 2010 at 2:11 pm
“Nothing new under the sun” was telling the ancient Greek philosopher Socrates…
There is a flashing speech in the old movie “Doctor Zivago” from Pasternak’s novel (the one with Omar Sharif playing as Doc. Zivago) when he is speaking in a Moskow hospital in the first years after Russian Revolution with a collegue which was one of his former college companion. He was concerned about the increasing death rate for infectious desease and his collegue blamed him to be silent! That for Revolution it isn’t important a death or the thruth or healing a patient… what is important is to make-up number for good statistics in favour of revolutionary government!!!
No surprise that Pasternak novel was forbidden!
The same happened for every Communist country, including Cuba and now it’s Venezuelan moment. So sad!!! And more sad to see how much people in Venezuela isn’t conscious of what is happening!
It’s named “people’s dictature” in communist books but it’s always a dictature of some men other all the people.
June 3, 2010 at 1:36 pm
The CIA unleashed these chipos on the populace!!! That’s what they will claim next. You just can’t beat capitalistic, imperialistic ingenuity…
June 3, 2010 at 1:15 pm
As news of the investigation spreads, even more publicity will be given to Morocaima’s statement. Spreading panic by investigations about “spreading panic.” Or is investigation about “spreading panic” to be done behind closed doors?