A New Currency in Venezuela

Another striking change in the policies of Hugo Chavez occurred recently when he decided to introduce a new currency, or rather, take a few zeroes off the old one and bringing back some old coins.  What should be interesting to watch is how the new prices affect the economy and how confusing things might be. Furthermore, it will be important to see how long it takes for the old currency to come off the market and the new currency to replace it.  I believe it will be a long process and fairly difficult because of the status of the country, and the hurting economy.  Currently, Venezuela has the highest inflation rate in South America which has led Hugo Chavez to make these drastic changes in the economy.  Chavez believes that renaming the currency and the re-denomination will bring the economy back to the prosperity from decades ago.  Also, Chavez is bringing back a 12.5 cent coin to mimic one of the past involving Simon Bolivar.  It seems like this move by Chavez is just one to draw more nationalism from the Venezuelan.

 

 

Venezuela and Capybara, not Chavez…?

So, it’s almost Easter time, and everyone (in Easter celebrating regions) are preparing a feast of some sort, or at least getting ready to.  While turkey might be a favorite in the United States, other nations have other different preferences.  Venezuela has a pretty unique on in fact: the capybara.  It is a delicacy in the country that was so popular it was nearly wiped out by poachers.  President Chavez is even a fan claiming to eat “capybara empanadas washed down with papaya juice.” While the ways in which the animal are hunted and killed are sometimes criticized and scrutinized, it doesn’t change the fact that its meat can cost sometimes more than twice that of beef.  By the way, the capybara is also the largest rodent in the world.

            Lately, every time I search for a news article about Venezuela, typical results will be negative related to the deteriorating relationship between the S and Chavez, or just criticism about Chavez and his government.  So when I ran across this article (the headliner for the mericas region of the New York Times website), I was a pleasant relief.  Reading this article will remind people that although the Venezuelan government is an adversary to the S government, politics are not the only thing going on in the country.  However, it is still ironic and humorous that a story about the capybara hunting in Venezuela should make headlines on nytimes.com.

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/21/world/americas/21rodent.html?ref=americas

Look at what Chavez has to say about Bush!!!!

Here are some comments from the New York Times in response to Bush’s visit to Brazil.   Here is the article then some highlights. 

The Venezuelan leader was especially disparaging about what he characterized as Mr. Bush’s belated and “hypocritical” focus on issues of economic and social injustice in the region.“He seems like
Columbus — he’s discovering poverty,” Mr. Chávez said. He also said, referring to the
United States by a pejorative term that he habitually employs, “the fundamental blame belongs to the Empire, to the economic models and coups d’état. And now he comes to us to talk of democracy — with what right?”…“If I had him face to face, I’d tell him, ‘Gringo go home.’ ” Mr. Chávez seemed to take particular umbrage at Mr. Bush’s remarks earlier this week comparing Simón Bolívar, the hero of Venezuelan independence and Mr. Chavez’s idol, with George Washington. Mr. Bush had said that Bolívar, like
Washington, “belongs to all of us who love freedom,” but Mr. Chávez made it clear that he did not agree.The comparison was “crude, a slap to the dignity of our people,” Mr. Chávez said before leaving Venezuela, and then elaborated on the idea at a news conference in Buenos Aires, where he is staying in a hotel that is part of an American chain.Washington was born poor and died a rich slaveholder, Mr. Chávez argued, while Bolívar was born rich and died poor, because of his devotion to the cause of Latin American independence from
Spain.

Another Needle in Bush’s side?

Recently, the United States has created reports claiming that Venezuela has been lacking in its part to fight against the cocaine production in Latin America.  Those in charge of the report claim that prior to Chavez’s government Venezuela was one of the most efficient and cooperative countries in battling the coca eradication in the region.  Now, while there has been much crackdown in Columbia, a lot of production has moved to Venezuela and the US feels like Chavez is not doing enough.  This appears to just be another example of how relations are deteriorating between the United States and Venezuela.  What is more, to contradict American reports, Chavez has also talked with Iran and is in the process of building a remote plane to scour the Columbia border in its part to fight drug trafficking. 

On that note, more advancement has developed between Venezuela and Iran in response to American influence around the world.  The two nations have created a Boeing 747 flight that travels between Tehran and Caracas with one stop in Syria.  Furthermore, Venezuela is strengthening its relationship with the Iran (in spite of the American government) by supporting the Iranian Uranium enrichment program.  How the US responds to these actions will interesting enough, but already the Bush administration seems to be taking some action to stem more anti-US development in the Latin American region.  Bush has set out on a trip to counter rising leftist sentiment that is lowering American popularity in the region.  Of course, it doesn’t help Washington that Hugo Chavez has been somewhat generous in the region; offering aid to several nations (Nicaragua for an example).