This is a picture of the leaders of Chavez’ party PSUV after they had the joy of talking to their boss from Cuba. They all tweeted in unison when this happened, but somehow the picture does not fit the news, or the faces do not fit the news. As we say in Spanish the “carometro” or “facemeter” is not the bearer of good news.
If a picture is worth 10,000 words, then judge Hugo’s health by these faces.
Thanks ErneX!
The Devil's Excrement 
June 3, 2013 at 6:01 am
Good day! I know this is kind of off topic but I was wondering if you knew where
I could find a captcha plugin for my comment form? I’m using the same blog platform as yours and I’m having trouble finding one?
Thanks a lot!
May 18, 2013 at 9:28 am
Me ha parecido muy interesante gracias por compartirlo.
August 1, 2011 at 12:59 am
[…] If a picture is worth 10000 words, judge Hugo Chavez' health by … Jun 27, 2011 … If a picture is worth 10000 words, then judge Hugo's health by these faces. Thanks ErneX! … […]
July 4, 2011 at 1:44 pm
right, have just seen that Mr. C arrived in Ve ¨en la madrugada´how convenient. my question is to all of you who suffer from ailments maybe you, your family, your very close family, would you let them travel under these circumstances just out of surgery. Not a good idea! Me thinks when a person who just doesn´t acknowledge sickness & goes forward not ¨obeying doctors orders¨ will suffer terrible demise. Do you agree? and just to be present for some bicentenario who cares!! and well I agree his focas are just incredibly not with it. would like to say something else but shall not!!
July 4, 2011 at 1:54 pm
a menos que me busques la lengua para seguir!!
June 28, 2011 at 9:50 pm
I might be looking too much into it, but:
Can any of you tell me where are Fidel’s legs? from here it seems he’s sitting on a gray cushion that’s placed on his chair, his chair is too close to Chavez chair.
Also notice the 2 people looking at the group that we can see their heads from behind, notice the hair of the one in the right and the color difference in Chavez blue jacket when it approaches that hair.
June 28, 2011 at 9:55 pm
Well, the video shows moving scenes from their chat, so this might be either real or archive material, that the guy isn’t addressing the people knowing how he is it’s still a mystery.
June 28, 2011 at 9:43 pm
Why release a video of Chávez with Fidel and one hi-res picture and not have the guy speak on TV?
This is fishy. The video might be old material, if they are so eager to prove the guy is ok, then let the guy talk on TV about it.
June 28, 2011 at 9:29 pm
These videos, newspapers and pictures are meant to be deceptive. If he was in that great shape we would be talking to the nation and taking shots at the escualidos that are wishing that he was dead. I think something is wrong with his health. Is to early to gain sympathy points with voters, the elections are to far away… look at Obama, he already lost the sympathy points gained through the killing of Osama.
June 28, 2011 at 9:25 pm
Check in the video the jacket with the Venezuelan flag that Chavez is wearing, it has 7 stars . . .
June 28, 2011 at 9:09 pm
Have you guys never heard of Photoshop? If Chavez could talk, he would have addressed the Venezuelan people. If he isn’t talking, whatever he has is serious.
June 28, 2011 at 9:05 pm
The images, or at least the last one, seems real to me. Hugo looks a little haggard and thinner than usual. It’s obvious that whatever is afflicting him is serious. It’s impossible to tell if life threatening. He’ll be back.
June 28, 2011 at 8:27 pm
Another, clearer photo, has now been released.
http://www.lapatilla.com/site/2011/06/28/izarra-muestra-nuevas-imagenes-de-chavez-con-fidel/
I still would bet that it’s a set up.
If he’s in such great shape why hasn’t he sent a voice message to the people of Venezuela?
June 28, 2011 at 9:03 pm
the Granma in that picture (had to rotate it) that Fidel is holding shows a caption (in red) that corresponds to page 8 in today’s edition “Uniformes a la Medida.”
No idea what is going on…
Click to access todas.pdf
June 28, 2011 at 8:16 pm
The problem for the leaders of Chavez’ party PSUV is that they can’t count on the military using force for them any more, what if the opposition wins the election in 2012? would a new government jail them, as in Argentina or more recently Egypt?
That’s why Chavez’s brother tried to put the geni back in the bottle with the threat of force, from his party supporters, note he did not mention the military that can no longer be counted on 100%
With Chavez not around to protect any military of human rights violations, would any military commander stick his neck out for Adan Chavez or his gang, risking trial by an international court ?
June 28, 2011 at 8:00 pm
This video just leaves more in doubt.
It’s an obvious fake.
If Chavez was that active he’d talk to the people.
The daughter looks much younger than she is.
Doesn’t he have any other clothes?
The shirt in most of the photos is exactly the same shirt that Fidel wore in Nov. 2010 when they met.
Chavez is wearing the same undershirt & jacket that he wore in the November meeting & photos.
Is Fidel all that active?
What was the weather today in Havana?
Etc, etc, etc.
The question is why all the secrecy?
What’s happening behind the scenes here in Venezuela that we don’t know about?
The big day will be July 5 when the zombie will have to appear.
June 28, 2011 at 7:35 pm
June 28, 2011 at 7:30 pm
si son verídicos los rumores, Chávez está comido de cáncer en varios grados, afectando los senos paranasales, la próstata, el colon y el pancreas. El rezo no es mala idea …
June 28, 2011 at 7:59 pm
That is a big IF.
Saber…..
¿Qué sé yo?
I know from nothing..
July 5 will clear up some unknowns.
June 28, 2011 at 7:20 pm
The real vacuum, the lack, is of vision. Who has a vision for Venezuela, a dream worth following, worth getting excited about?
Chavez had a vision, bullshit as it was, but it was a vision of the poor being brought out of poverty, the evil wicked oligarchs being stripped of their ill-gotten gains, the wealth of the country being used for the good of the downtrodden masses. He showed himself incompetent to deliver on that promise, and no one at this point believes in it or expects it. At best they are hoping to get their long-promised free handout. Adan is totally wasting his time with the revolutionary talk except as a poor justification for the present parasites to use violence to retain their wealth.
What has defined the opposition, including most of those posting here? Anti-Chavez, no more Chavez. That’s about all. What happens if all of the effort has been put towards pushing a door open, then all of a sudden the door simply disappears? What then?
It seems to me it wouldn’t take much of a vision and dream of change for the better, something practical perhaps, presented by someone with a history of accomplishment, to get the support of the people to move in a new direction.
One would think that in a country of around thirty million people there would be one or two with a clear vision and dream worth following and working toward.
June 28, 2011 at 7:15 pm
The latest rumor is that all this is a political ploy according to Roberto Giusti in El Nacional. We will see.
June 28, 2011 at 6:55 pm
pero en coma…
June 28, 2011 at 6:48 pm
chavez viene … y viene arrecho
June 28, 2011 at 6:30 pm
LGL: Why the surprise? A praying communist is as incongrous as rich socialists
June 28, 2011 at 7:16 pm
Sorry Miguel – bot sometimes you really do make some braindead comments.
June 28, 2011 at 7:18 pm
It’s all too weird for me. Just saw some video footage from VTV showing Chavez from TODAY (in the same outfit as in the Fidel-Raul-Hugo photos) looking healthier and more talkative than ever. No audio, though. Fidel and Hugo make a point of looking at a newspaper which Andres I says is today’s Granma.
June 28, 2011 at 6:22 pm
File this under “you’ve got to be kidding.” Prayer meeting tomorrow at 830 am at the national assembly. Copy of the memo that supposedly went out within the page.
http://canaldenoticia.com/convocan-trabajadores-de-la-para-rezar-por-la-salud-de-ch%C3%A1vez
June 28, 2011 at 4:31 pm
on June, 11:
“Izarra confirmó que el Primer Mandatario Nacional regresará al país en los próximos días e indicó que se seguirá informando periódicamente sobre la evolución del estado de salud del jefe de Estado.”
http://www.vtv.gob.ve/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=61901:min-izarra-presidente-chavez-se-recupera-satisfactoriamente-&catid=49:nacionales&Itemid=102
June 28, 2011 at 4:14 pm
Only to remember, that’s what they said on June, 10:
“El cuerpo médico estima que en breves días el Presidente de la República estará en condiciones de regresar de manera segura a Venezuela, aspecto sobre el cual se mantendrá debidamente informado a nuestro Pueblo.”
http://www.vtv.gob.ve/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=61889:chavez-es-operado-en-la-habana-de-un-absceso-pelvico&catid=49:nacionales&Itemid=102
June 28, 2011 at 3:36 pm
Those in the photo are seriously worried about their future prosecution for corruption and human rights abuse if Chavez leaves power.
June 28, 2011 at 2:02 pm
Ya murio el mardito? Upss se me salio el Maracucho
June 28, 2011 at 1:53 pm
This from Venezuelanalysis:
“Speaking via telephone on a live television programme for TeleSUR on 12 June Chavez said that Cuba had one of the most advanced health care services in the world. “I got ill in the right place,” he said. Also during the phone call he said he did not have anything “malignant”.
“I’ll be the first to inform the country, Chavez is recovering and he’ll be here …on 5 July,” Soto Rojas said. On 5 July the summit to launch the Community of Latin America and Caribbean countries (CELAC) begins in Caracas.”
So lemme see if I got this right: (1) There’s nothing ‘malignant’ and (2) He’ll be there on July 5th.
Oh my. This is gonna be good! How will he look on July 5th? What will he say to the crowds? Fascinating….
June 28, 2011 at 2:00 pm
If they cut out his cancerous, malignant, prostate, he has “literally” nothing malignant at this point in time. Politics is all about the “art” of lying.
June 28, 2011 at 4:15 pm
we will no longer have a man in power. He will cry more than one time his lost.
June 28, 2011 at 12:26 pm
Diosdado on Twitter, just 8 minutes ago:
“Hoy debemos estar más unidos que nunca en torno al liderazgo de nuestro Comandante. Con Chávez todo sin Chávez nada”
June 28, 2011 at 12:34 pm
Pues, ¡nada!
June 28, 2011 at 4:41 pm
godgiven es el rey de los jalabolas, que tipo tan peligroso
June 28, 2011 at 12:18 pm
The face-meter is only effective when looking at the real leaders in la havana, not lesser clowns.
June 28, 2011 at 10:42 am
Note that, in all of this discussion, the dictates of the Constitution are not even a consideration. Sad…
June 28, 2011 at 12:33 pm
I didn’t sign up for “this” constitution. I signed up for the “previous” constitution. How many times can you “constitute” the same country? Having five constitutions in under 200 years is like drinking instant coffee or powdered milk which I know Miguel loves to hate. A country with five constitutions is an absurdity. The constitution is just a TV prop to be used at the required times. The constitution is not something that needs to be read to mass prisoners in inadequate jails or to burn soldiers to death to intimidate the rest of the troops. The constitution is not needed to persecute the opposition nor to sell the country to Cuba.
After the power struggle is settled, we can write another novella, sorry, the Six Constipation of the Ever-changing Republic of Mara and Caibó.
People, at this point the constitution is irrelevant. They have stolen our country and we want it back. But not to hand it back to the previous AD-COPEY duopoly but to us, the people of this enchanted land.
June 29, 2011 at 8:38 am
captainccs, no one is going to give you the country back, you’re going to have to take it. I don’t see enough Venezuelans willing to do that.
I might add, Venezuelans ‘gave’ the country away (to Chavez) to begin with, so they have no one to blame but themselves. Just as Americans have no one to blame for their incredible debt….
June 29, 2011 at 9:49 am
deananash, you are absolutely right, no one is going to hand us our country back on a silver platter.
For better or for worse, Venezuelans have decided to follow Mother Theresa, Gandhi and MLK to try to get the country back via elections. As long as Chavez is in good health and willing to use force against the population like Gaddafi of Libya and al-Assad of Syria, the Robolution is safe. Chavez’s illness is a once in a lifetime opportunity to get rid of the dictator via elections provided we can split the military from Chavismo sin Chavez.
June 28, 2011 at 10:37 am
When one looks at that photo one sees a creeping desperation in their faces, a sense of panic and a subtle air of craziness. What nutty group of humans would pose for such a silly photograph? Couldn’t just one of them act normal, natural and with a sense of calm? They are all approaching madness, a kinda group insanity. As the great Greek philosopher Europides once said, “Those whom the Gods wish to destroy, they first make mad.’ How very true…..
June 28, 2011 at 10:07 am
Miguel,
The bloody military have always taken over in Venezuela…for the last 500 years…some times more incompetent than others…and for 38 years (really, not 40) they kept themselves discreetly in the background. Son la plaga y hasta que los venezolanos no hablen de manera abierta de esto no los neutralizaremos hasta que sean una organización como en un país civilizado.
I
June 28, 2011 at 10:01 am
I will write about this when things are clearer (or darker), my intuition tells me otherwise: none of the above!
Who has the most to lose?
Who is the most corrupt?
Who has the most power?
Not the civilians, the military…they will take over…at first…then we shall see…
June 28, 2011 at 2:09 pm
For me, the most plausible scenario is that Chavez will come back and govern until the next election which could be held earlier.
In the event of Chavez’s death or if he’s forced to step down, initially Jaua has the advantage being the vicepresident and constitutional next in line. He can then name Adan Chavez or Ali Rodriguez as vicepresident and Diosdado as minister of xxxx. They would try to hold power with the help from Cuba until the next elections.
I don’t see the military stepping in forcefully as the top brass are eunuchs unless Diosdado is willing to lead them. In the last case he would have a very unstable government that wouldn’t last long.
June 28, 2011 at 6:57 pm
Stratfor did not mention Adan’s drug role. The military and not Adan will assume control. Inernational community will not tolerate Adan. It’s whoever has control over key firepower and combat units. Cufan (CEO), military intelligence, Pretty Eyes (Godgiven Hair) all play key roles. I see some very bad dudes rememerging: Luis Correa, Jesse Chacon, etc
June 28, 2011 at 9:56 am
Reading the article above I get a knot in my stomach. There is a real chance that without HC we could end up a lot, a lot worse.
Look at the immediate options:
Adan Chavez. Marxist. Close ties to Cuba. Maybe the closest to maintaining the status quo.
Jaua. Even more radical than HC.
Cabello et al. Less radical but incredibly corrupt. Possible ties to drug trafficking
Ali Rodríguez – Rafael Ramírez. Oh God. Incompetence personified.
I don’t see a lot of space for the opposition should a power struggle ensue. Maybe I’m just being my usual pessimistic self.
June 28, 2011 at 8:30 am
Let me be the first to say it: he was poisoned by the Yankees and we can prove it if we exhume his body.
June 28, 2011 at 8:20 am
LGL: THOMAS COEX/AFP/Getty Images
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez (R) and his brother Adan Chavez
Summary
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez’s older brother, Adan Chavez, is rumored to be preparing to take charge in Caracas as the president continues recuperating from an apparently serious medical condition. The president has used divisions between factions in his regime and the threat of an armed citizens’ militia to maintain power in Caracas. While he remains hospitalized in Cuba, those factions could begin positioning themselves to attempt to take over, though a lack of broad popular support would complicate any attempted coup.
Analysis
Rumors are circulating that Adan Chavez, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez’s older brother and governor of Chavez’s home state of Barinas, is positioning himself to take charge of the regime while Chavez recuperates from what appears to be a serious medical condition. Adan Chavez attracted attention when, during a June 26 prayer meeting for the president in Barinas, he quoted Latin American revolutionary leader Che Guevara in saying, “It would be inexcusable to limit ourselves to only the electoral and not see other forms of struggle, including the armed struggle.” In other words, Adan Chavez is reminding the president’s supporters that taking up arms may be necessary to retain power should elections prove insufficient.
Chavez was hospitalized June 10 in Cuba, where he underwent surgery. According to the Venezuelan government, the surgery was needed to treat a pelvic abscess but complications arose from a knee injury the president suffered while jogging in May. However, a STRATFOR source with a link to the president’s medical team has said that he first underwent surgery in early May, when he unexpectedly postponed a state visit to Brazil. Though the official reason given for the postponement was a knee injury, the source said, the doctors had discovered a tumor in the prostate. One month later, the president felt pain in his abdomen during visits to Ecuador and Brazil. He then went to Cuba, where his medical team discovered that the tumor had spread in the pelvic area.
Since his second surgery June 10, Chavez has been heavily medicated and in a great deal of pain. This explains why the president, who typically embraces the media, has shied away from the camera over the past 17 days. Besides a June 25 message posted on Twitter in which he talked about his daughter, ex-wife and grandchildren coming to visit him in Havana, the president’s last physical media appearance was a voice-only interview on Caracas-based Telesur television network on June 12, in which he sought to reassure observers that he would recover quickly and return soon to Venezuela. He also appeared in four photographs with the Castro brothers published by Cuba’s official daily Granma and the website Cubadebate in what appeared to be a hospital room. According to a STRATFOR source, the president has been trying to negotiate with his doctors to return to Caracas by July 5, in time for Venezuela’s 200th independence anniversary and military parade. Though STRATFOR’s source close to the president’s medical team claims that his medical condition is not life-threatening, the doctors do not believe the president appears well enough to make a swift return to Venezuela.
The Main Power Players
The president’s prolonged absence is naturally stirring up rumors of plotting within the regime and military establishment against the Venezuelan leader. Splits are becoming increasingly visible within the regime. First, there is Adan Chavez, who has been described as having a very close relationship to the president and was said to be among the first to visit Chavez in the hospital in Cuba. Adan became governor of Barinas state in 2008 (a post previously held by his father) and has served as the president’s ambassador to Cuba. Indeed, the president’s brother is responsible for extending Cuban links into Venezuela as an additional check on potential dissenters within the regime. Though Adan is someone the president is more likely to trust, he would have difficulties building broader support.
Then there is Vice President Elias Jaua, who the president has notably prevented from assuming his presidential duties during his absence. Jaua belongs to the more hard-line, ideological chavista camp that has fostered a close relationship with Cuba, drawing his support from Miranda state but facing resistance within the military establishment.
On the other side of the split is United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) deputy and PSUV regional vice president in the east Diosdado Cabello (formerly Chavez’s chief of staff and vice president). Cabello is joined by defense minister and former head of Operational Strategic Command of the Venezuelan armed forces Gen. Henry Rangel Silva. Director of Military Intelligence Hugo Carvajal and Ramon Rodriguez Chacin, Venezuela’s former interior and justice minister and chief liaison between the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, are also in Cabello’s camp. This faction carries substantial support within the armed forces and has been wary of the large Cuban presence in the military-intelligence establishment (designed in large part to check dissent within the regime). This group has been most heavily involved in drug trafficking and Venezuela’s elaborate money-laundering schemes that have debilitated numerous Venezuelan state firms. In the middle of this mix is Electricity Minister Ali Rodriguez, a former energy minister, former finance minister and former president of Petroleos de Venezuela, (PDVSA), and longstanding member of the regime. Rodriguez and current PDVSA President Rafael Ramirez are among the regime members that try to operate as autonomously as possible and likely have become too powerful for the president’s comfort.
The Caracas Dilemma
By the president’s design, no single person within this maze of Venezuelan politicians and military figures is likely to assume authority over the state and maintain power without a major struggle. The president can look to his brother or ideological allies like Jaua to fill in for him, but they all lack the charisma and intricate web of dependencies that Chavez has created over the past 11 years that keep him in power. Moreover, anyone attempting a government intervention at the president’s expense will have to contend with the country’s burgeoning National Bolivarian Militia (NBM) — a largely peasant army that, while lacking fighting skills, is driven by the chavista ideology and could produce a mass showing in the streets in support of the president, thereby complicating any coup attempt. This is a lesson that Chavez understands well, as his attempted coup in 1992 and his rivals’ attempted coup in 2002 failed in part because they lacked popular support.
The military has attempted to place checks on the NBM, specifically by demanding control over arsenals that could be used by militia members. However, the president and members of the regime like Jaua have been working carefully to build the militia’s autonomy at the expense of the armed forces, and it is unclear how much trouble they would have in trying to arm the peasant force. Adan Chavez is likely counting on his familial link and longstanding ideological commitment to Marxism, and the chavista fervor within the militia, to bolster himself in the eyes of the military elite should his brother call on him to step in.
Chavez has created multiple layers of insulation around his power by fostering competition among the factions within his inner circle, dividing his opposition and arming citizens in support of his regime in case the military makes a move against him. That said, the Venezuelan president also was probably not expecting a major health complication to throw him off balance. Though there is still a good chance Chavez could make a comeback, the longer he remains outside of Venezuela, the more difficult it will be for him to manage a long-simmering power struggle within the regime and the more uncertainty about Venezuela’s political future will be felt in the energy markets.
June 28, 2011 at 9:04 am
John, thanks a million! Extremely interesting.
June 28, 2011 at 9:37 am
His ex wife?
I only see a message the day after:
“Llegaron Rosinés y mis nietos Gaby, Manuelito y El Gallito a visitarme. Ah, qué felicidad recibir este baño de amor! Dios me los bendiga!”
I don’t see how he would be mentioning his ex-wife.
June 28, 2011 at 7:53 am
This is the best soap opera of all times! Who needs the Corin Tellado’s of the world, when we have Chavez, the PSUVistas and the opposition? Lots of drama, long faces, unknown illnesses, corruption, speculation! Nobody trusts anyone and nobody can predict the end….
Awesome.
June 28, 2011 at 7:01 am
Does anyone have access to the full Stratfor article “Venezuela: Chavez’s Health and a Potential Power Struggle?” Supposedly it says that HCh has been operated twice for prostate cancer. Asides from their outlook on his health, getting a read on scenarios on the ongoing power struggle seems very important at this point.
June 28, 2011 at 6:27 am
The Stratfor explanation looks very plausible to me. But as Kepler says, don’t get blinded by this.
June 28, 2011 at 6:23 am
@Kepler (it is nice to reply there, but the fonts are getting annoying small)
Yes, I see your point:
-Credibility is at risk
-Focus priority
-get the Ni-Nis on board
I was in Chile then 😉 (I was only a year in Venezuela). I see the differences between the campaign there and this in V. The opposition was very aware of the need of unity, there was a very high level of organisation, with members in all locations and in every voting booth.
Maybe I’m wrong, but I think there were more politicians hoping for second range posts also, a sort of a shadow cabinet, this is completely missing in Venezuela today. Venezuelans has some time left to do this, but it should be done. Some guy for the finances, another for the electricity, other for prisions, and speakeing for the whole opposition, not for their party.
June 28, 2011 at 5:16 am
I just saw a WSJ article quoting Stratfor saying that Chavez has prostate cancer. Stratfor is a reliable source.
STRATFOR sources close to the Cuban medical team say Chavez has prostate cancer.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303627104576412234084047132.html?mod=rss_asia_whats_news
Prostate cancer is not necessarily fatal so we may see the Commandant on July 5 but I’m pretty sure the cancer will slow him down. Treatment can cause urinary Incontinence and sexual impotence. Of course Chavez has suffered from oral incontinence and paranoia for a long time. My prognosis is that we will see a rojo-rojito war of succession with no assured outcome. I hope the oppo has the intelligence to take advantage.
June 28, 2011 at 4:46 am
Ah, I see now, the other picture. I meant the one on this post.
June 28, 2011 at 4:03 am
I don’t think that’s Cabello. Who is next to Adán? Who’s the black woman next to him? Who is the one Bob thought Diosdado? (I definitely do not think it’s the EBEVA boss)
June 28, 2011 at 4:26 am
In that picture you can see standing Diosdado Cabello & Antonia Muñoz. Sitting Erika Faria, Cilia Flores, Elias Jaua, Adan Chavez, Francisco Arias Cardenas.
June 28, 2011 at 4:45 am
Diosdado Cabello? The guy with white hair? Doesn’t look like him to me.
Males sitting: Soto, Jaua
Males standing: Adán, someone I don’t identify, Aristóbulo, Arias
June 28, 2011 at 1:45 pm
Oh I was referring to this other picture, the one that Bob linked to:
http://www.noticias24.com/actualidad/noticia/271645/cabello-y-farias-llamo-nuestro-comandante-para-darnos-instrucciones-tweets/
In the picture in this post, I don’t know who that man with white hair is either.
June 28, 2011 at 2:46 am
A couple of things look fishy to me. Why did he make a phone call & why not a video conference? And why in the picture are they all huddled around Jaua’s mobile like a bunch of 13 year olds? Do they not have conference call to fixed lines?:
http://www.noticias24.com/actualidad/noticia/271645/cabello-y-farias-llamo-nuestro-comandante-para-darnos-instrucciones-tweets/
Note the way Cabello is lurking behind Jaua… symbolic?
I remain healthily skeptical about how bad Chavez really is though.
June 28, 2011 at 2:35 am
Chavez death will be announced on th 5th of July,
so as to link him in perpetuity with Venezuelan independence
June 28, 2011 at 1:51 am
What I really find a shame is that nobody has taken Adán Chávez’s words to the international press. Only we wrote about that.
Geez, these guys are too happy tweeting “estamos ganando”
June 28, 2011 at 1:59 am
Kepler, I think we should cautious, as it is only guessing, but trying to fand the truth is not wrong. But beeing careful and not getting carried by rumours.
You are very wright, what Adán Chávez said shouldn’t go under.
June 28, 2011 at 2:31 am
LD, this is it: 1) we lose focus and 2) Chávez could make a big comeback on 5th July and points go for him, at least for some time; the best we can do is to announce we expect Chávez to be in Caracas on the 5th and explain why the hell his brother is not prosecuted for calling for the use of arms less elections fail for them
June 28, 2011 at 2:33 am
It is a matter of image towards the ninis, the foreign nations and some mild Chavistas who are now doubting. That is what we should be very aware about now.
We won’t change the hard core Chavistas, but there is a lot of people out there.
37% of the population out of posh areas – on average – don’t vote.
In Chile 3% was the abstention level when they got rid of Pinochet.
There is a lot to do but to do that we need to send the right messages.
June 28, 2011 at 1:40 am
You should all calm down
There are positive statements about Chávez from key people.
Look:
EVOLUCIONA SATISFACTORIAMENTE
El médico tratante de Clodosbaldo Russián, informó este martes que la salud del Contralor General de la República evoluciona satisfactoriamente, luego de que sufriera un ACV el pasado 22 de abril.
FRANCA MEJORÍA (9 June)
La Agencia Venezolana de Noticias (AVN) informó que El Aissami informó a través de su cuenta oficial en Twitter “El Contralor General CLODOSBALDO RUSSIAN se encuentra en franca recuperación… Gracias a DIOS. Desmentimos cualquier información contraria”.
Oops…sorry, that was Russián, but I am sure there are similar reports for Chávez, so don’t worry: he is fine.
Seriously, guys, I agree with Metodex and Roy.
June 28, 2011 at 11:24 am
Lmao
June 28, 2011 at 1:17 am
I agree, this picture gives a good idea how the things are going. Facial expresion can’t tell lies.
Another thing I was thinking, there were messages from Santos, Sarkozy and Lugo, but what about Correa and Evo? Do they say something, if not, why not? Weren’t they also surprised like Lugo? (I think this proofs that this was not a surprise for Chávez too)
June 27, 2011 at 10:53 pm
It’s probably safe to assume that the various apprehensions, theories, and points of view on this blog are representative of the general mood and thoughts of the country. The few who know what’s really going on with Hugito aren’t telling, everyone else is guessing. That’s why no one is in the streets; they are waiting for enough information to decide which direction to move.
I have to laugh about the idea of marching on Miraflores and taking over. Who would take charge? Got any worthwhile, trustworthy candidates from either side?
I’m reminded of a time some decades back when all of the doctors in New York City went on strike; the death rate dropped dramatically. Are we getting a preview of how the country would work without a leader? So far, so good.
June 27, 2011 at 11:00 pm
Last time they marched on Miraflores and took over, Carmona made an ass of himself. The military figured the cure was worse than the illness and brought Chavez back.
June 27, 2011 at 9:20 pm
Where do you guts think he’ll be buried? Havana? Caracas? Disneyland?
Leña pa’ lante! LOL
June 27, 2011 at 11:30 pm
if Fidel confiscates his airplane, then Havana- lol
June 27, 2011 at 7:55 pm
I disagree Roy. The carometro tell’s you something, it’s infomation. It basically tells you that the news from Cuba are not good news. Going a little bit further, tells you Chavez is still alive and good enough that he can talk on the phone with his trusted comrades but he’s not feeling good enough to talk to the people.
June 27, 2011 at 9:34 pm
Or, it could mean that he feeling his oats and he gave them all a royal chewing out for doing (or not doing) something. The point is, we just don’t know.
June 27, 2011 at 11:24 pm
Really? do you think they feel that bad because Chavez talked harsh to them? All of them?
Usually when that happens they go on and take it out on someone else.
Doesn’t seem to be the case here. Besides Chavez likes to berate them publicly.
I know we don’t know for sure, but speculating it’s all right as long as we don’t go overboard and start taking the speculation as truth.
June 27, 2011 at 11:27 pm
agree
June 27, 2011 at 7:39 pm
I have to agree with Metodex. “Don’t know” means don’t know. As tempting as it is, we need to stop speculating and guessing. Playing “what if” is fine, but making conclusions from “carometros” is about as conclusive as reading tea leaves.
June 27, 2011 at 7:37 pm
Meto,
Speculating is fun, after all isn’t this where the Media nowadays excels? And if we ever find out what really happened, somebody takes the cake stating “I knew it all along”.
What these people need is some training in positive thinking (to say it in clichéed speek), but when the only alternative to failure is death, brain-conditined by slogan repeated umpteen times a day, I can understand the long faces.
More so because I am convinced they didn’t really talk with their Master (without whom they are obviously lost and powerless), or he sounded like Darth Vader, not because of evil power, but because of some respirator machine making weird noises and while he tried to whisper something that made no sense.
Now is the time to get out in the streets and protest, and march on Miraflores or bring the country to a stand still by blocking major highways and whatever else it takes. For once, use their methods to gain power! Even dumb as a doorknob Evo knows this. They are helpless without their leader (reason for the threat by empty suit brother Adan, trying to instill some fear, because the Master is incapacitated). They are vulnerable cowards as we speak. This is a unique opportunity!!!
But nothing will happen in the artificial boobs and Blackberry society, I’m afraid.
June 27, 2011 at 8:01 pm
……….. and they won’t even have to fly Chavez and his family to Cuba!
June 27, 2011 at 7:10 pm
I’ve read multiple times the theory about this being a Chavez plan to return triumphantly in order to gain popularity and I can’t figure how people can think that.
First of all the timing would be terrible with elections still so far away. That would be a wasted salvo at this time.
Second, bringing up the possibility of a serious illness only diminishes his image, it doesn’t improve it in any way. Even if he were to eventually recuperate fully, the perception of his mortality would be always present in people’s minds.
Third, it would be an awful big risk to gamble being absent for so long, for no good reason at all, outside the country and not even communicating at all with the people, letting a cloud of disinformation spread. It’s completely against his nature.
The only conclusion I can reach is that motifs of force majeure are keeping Chavez away and silent for so long. Only illness fits the bill. A really serious one.
June 27, 2011 at 7:07 pm
this is a picture of happier times, just to compare:
June 27, 2011 at 7:04 pm
Jaua holds the Globovision mike as a safety blanket
June 27, 2011 at 6:42 pm
I believe you’re all being fools.
Please stop the “predictions”, including you MO!!!!I don’t believe in faces,or tweets or anything after april 11th,2001.
I believe when i see a coffin, or a fully recovered president.
Stop this madness, because the truth is, we all know nothing.
June 28, 2011 at 2:52 am
Don’t believe anything or say anything until you see the body laid in estate…
June 27, 2011 at 6:38 pm
Oh, there’s also the possibility that Hugo is perfectly fine and simply bitch-slapped these morons over the phone call due to their incapacity to run the show, as he sometimes does on national television. That would also explain the long faces.
But I still agree with the general opinion that if the guy doesn’t show up for the bicentenary of independence then he must be truly sick or recovering from something else than the so called pelvic abscess.
June 27, 2011 at 6:31 pm
Agencia Venezolana de Noticias seems to agree with us with the carómetro, so much they cropped the whole photo to only show Cilia:
http://www.abn.info.ve/node/64579
June 27, 2011 at 6:31 pm
My bad, it seems it’s an archive photo, still my argument remains.
June 27, 2011 at 6:25 pm
I read all of the tweets at noticias24. Seems Hugo didn’t have much in the way of actual instruction or direction to share.
BTW, what means pa’ lante? Short for para adelante?
June 27, 2011 at 7:05 pm
Yes, that is what it mean. In Venezuela, you will hear it used all the time. Another is “pa’ ya”, short for para alla. After so long here, every once in awhile, I find myself using such shortcuts, including “do'” instead of “dos”.
I took a trip a while ago to Colombia where the people were highly amused at my Venezuelan/Gringo accent.
June 27, 2011 at 6:21 pm
Miguel, you don’t understand why thy are so unhappy. They were all dreaming of getting their own conuquito but with Chavez alive all the conuquitos are his. El Commandant does NOT share!
¡Patria o Socialismo! Lo de muerte era solo por joder.
June 27, 2011 at 6:25 pm
All those in the photo are set for life already with plenty of riches. But that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be concerned, of course.
June 27, 2011 at 6:18 pm
That is a very good post. Here’s another picture: http://www.psuv.org.ve/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Vicepresidentes-del-PSUV-540×324.jpg
June 27, 2011 at 9:15 pm
Hey, where’s the “Like” button?
June 27, 2011 at 10:43 pm
The black guy is dressed differently on your photo. Is it the same guy?
June 27, 2011 at 10:45 pm
it is, dont get why he is dressed differently, now i am not sure this pic )in the comment) is from today
June 28, 2011 at 1:07 am
No, this is at another time (and probably day). Not the same people, nor the same microphones array.
June 28, 2011 at 1:54 am
Kepler, I think we should cautious, as it is only guessing, but trying to fand the truth is not wrong. But beeing careful and not getting carried by rumours.
June 28, 2011 at 1:55 am
oops, wrong here, sorry
June 27, 2011 at 6:16 pm
“If you don’t think that’s funny, get the hell out here!”
-Larry the Cable Guy
June 27, 2011 at 6:04 pm
BlackBerry cadena:
Chavez tweet from Cuba: “Comrades, our new chant from now on is ‘fatherland or socialism’. The stuff about ‘death’ was a joke. I’m shitting in my pants.”
June 27, 2011 at 6:03 pm
Tirandole leña al fuego!! rumor mill is going full bore now!!
But its too tempting to not start speculating about it!!
Arturo, tell us about your master and commander!! is he ok? are you sad?? post your picture to see if you are worried!!
June 27, 2011 at 5:58 pm
Video of Cilia Flores giving the statements:
The mood is not really good.
June 27, 2011 at 6:11 pm
that bitch is happy onlñy when she destroys the life of somebody on that particular day