Chavez Takes To Twitter To Fight Critics Online

by The Associated Press

Associated PressIn this photo taken April 8, 2010, Eva Golinger, a Venezuela-American lawyer and political activist, speaks during an interview with the Associated Press in Caracas. Golinger uses socialist networking sites and her blog to defend Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez from his online critics. Chavez, famed for hours-long speeches, is being forced to pack his messages into tweets to fight back at Internet-savvy opponents who have put him on the defensive.

Enlarge Associated PressIn this photo taken April 12, 2010, Eva Golinger, a Venezuelan-American lawyer and political activist, made final edits at the English-language edition of El Correo del Orinoco, a state-financed newspaper in Caracas. Golinger uses socialist networking sites and her blog to defend Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez from his online critics. Chavez, famed for hours-long speeches, is being forced to pack his messages into tweets to fight back at Internet-savvy opponents who have put him on the defensive.

Associated PressIn this photo taken April 12, 2010, Eva Golinger, a Venezuelan-American lawyer and political activist, made final edits at the English-language edition of El Correo del Orinoco, a state-financed newspaper in Caracas. Golinger uses socialist networking sites and her blog to defend Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez from his online critics. Chavez, famed for hours-long speeches, is being forced to pack his messages into tweets to fight back at Internet-savvy opponents who have put him on the defensive.

Enlarge Associated PressIn this photo taken April 8, 2010, Nelson Bocaranda, a radio program host and one of Venezuela’s most popular Twitter users, speaks at the Onda 107.9 FM studios in Caracas. Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez, famed for hours-long speeches, is being forced to pack his messages into tweets to fight back at Internet-savvy opponents who have put him on the defensive.

Associated PressIn this photo taken April 8, 2010, Nelson Bocaranda, a radio program host and one of Venezuela’s most popular Twitter users, speaks at the Onda 107.9 FM studios in Caracas. Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez, famed for hours-long speeches, is being forced to pack his messages into tweets to fight back at Internet-savvy opponents who have put him on the defensive.

Enlarge Associated PressIn this photo taken April 8, 2010, Nelson Bocaranda,a radio program host and one of Venezuela’s most popular Twitter users, taps on his blackberry at the Onda 107.9 FM studios in Caracas. Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez, famed for hours-long speeches, is being forced to pack his messages into tweets to fight back at Internet-savvy opponents who have put him on the defensive.

Associated PressIn this photo taken April 8, 2010, Nelson Bocaranda,a radio program host and one of Venezuela’s most popular Twitter users, taps on his blackberry at the Onda 107.9 FM studios in Caracas. Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez, famed for hours-long speeches, is being forced to pack his messages into tweets to fight back at Internet-savvy opponents who have put him on the defensive.

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CARACAS, Venezuela April 28, 2010, 11:13 pm ET

President Hugo Chavez has joined the ranks of those who say, “If you can’t beat ‘em, tweet ‘em.”

Facing a flurry of cyberspace critics, the loquacious leader known for hours-long speeches made a revolutionary move Wednesday, sending his first message from a Twitter account where his missives are limited to 140 characters.

“Hey how’s it going? I appeared like I said I would: at midnight. I’m off to Brazil. And very happy to work for Venezuela. We will be victorious!!” it read.

Just as Chavez has been cracking down on traditional media, he finds himself on the defensive against an Internet-based opposition doing battle with computers and handhelds.

“As the government has tightened the screws on the media, the use of the Internet, blogs, Twitter and so forth has grown exponentially,” said radio host and newspaper columnist Nelson Bocaranda, whose witty anti-Chavez commentary has earned him more than 140,000 followers on Twitter.

Of the 200 Venezuelans most followed on Twitter, close to 90 percent side with Chavez’s opposition, said Carlos Jimenez, director of the Caracas-based online polling firm Tendencias Digitales. But he expects “Chavistas” to catch up.

Already, the president’s Twitter account, “chavezcandanga,” is headed toward the top of Venezuela’s most-popular list, gaining more than 79,000 followers less than 24 hours after he sent his first message. “Candanga” roughly translates to “devil” in some Latin American countries, though in Venezuela it can mean “rabble-rouser.”

“The opposition thinks it owns the social networking sites. They think Twitter and Facebook belong to them,” said Diosdado Cabello, head of the state-run telecommunications regulator.

“We’re fighting and there are 7 million of us who will have Twitter,” Cabello added, referring to members of Chavez’s socialist party, adding that their tweets would carry messages “from our commander.”

More than 8.7 million Venezuelans were regular Internet users as of January, or about 30 percent of the population, up from 25 percent in 2008, according to Tendencias Digitales.

Some 350,000 of those users were registered on Twitter, a tenfold increase from 2009. More than 5.4 million Venezuelans were registered as Facebook users, double those in the previous year.

Chavez has been accused of cracking down on critics as he sees his popularity slip amid energy shortages and soaring inflation. His government has brought criminal charges against the majority shareholder of Venezuela’s lone anti-Chavez TV channel, and pressured cable companies to drop the critical Radio Caracas Television International after it refused to comply with a new rule requiring media outlets to televise mandatory programming, including Chavez’s speeches.

But that didn’t stop the debate over Venezuela’s most popular and divisive politician from exploding in cyberspace.

Opposition politician Oswaldo Alvarez Paz texts from the jail cell where he is being detained after saying on TV that Venezuela has become a haven for drug trafficking.

“I’ve been imprisoned for expressing an opinion,” read one of Paz’s recent dispatches, which drew thousands of responses on Twitter.

Radio host Bocaranda condemned Venezuela’s close ties with Cuba in a recent tweet. “It’s not often that one can recognize a truthful statement from Raul Castro: ‘Venezuela and Cuba are becoming the same thing.’ That’s true, we’re retrogressing,” he said.

Chavez initially called for regulation of the Internet last month, specifically urging prosecutors to act against one critical website. But he later backtracked and said he would begin blogging instead. His new strategy to dominate social networking sites includes using a group of young “communication guerrillas” to battle opposition messages in the media and online.

Venezuelan-American lawyer and activist Eva Golinger often defends Chavez using Twitter and her blog, “Postcards From the Revolution.”

She has posted information about U.S. funding for organizations that she accuses of trying to unseat Chavez and took issue with those questioning Alvarez Paz’s arrest. He is charged with conspiracy, spreading false information and publicly inciting crime.

“There are so few voices out there that were not against the revolution that I almost felt like it was my obligation,” Golinger said.

Some of Chavez’s online critics, meanwhile, have gained a following by using humor. El Chiguire Bipolar, named after a giant rodent found in Venezuela, is now one of the nation’s most popular websites with cartoons, satirical videos and bogus news reports — including a recent parody of Chavez blogging.

“Hi, my name is Hugo and I’m new to all this stuff of blogs and the Inter-Web,” the site said. “They asked me for a password, but the truth is that I forgot the one I’d always used.”

In a second mock entry, Chavez gives up, saying he’ll ask Cabello “to expropriate a blog for me somewhere.”

Chavez’s socialist government has taken over many private businesses.

———

On the Net:

Postcards From the Revolution: http://www.chavezcode.com

El Chiguire Bipolar: http://www.elchiguirebipolar.com

Venezuela: one of the most efficient countries on counternarcotics

Caracas, Apr 23. ABN.- The quality of Venezuelan policies on fight against drug trafficking has placed the country among one of the most efficient in the world, in reference to drug seizing and capture of people related to the drug trafficking business.

The information was given this Friday by the Minister of People’s Power for Interior and Justice Tareck El Aissami, during the deportation of two Colombian citizens arrested for drug trafficking.

El Aissami underscored that the Bolivarian Government has seized a total of 21,048 kg (21 tons) of drugs so far this year, which proves the efficiency and quality of the work done by Venezuelan authorities to prevent the proliferation and consumption of illegal substances.

“These results speak for themselves and fight against drug trafficking,” he emphasized.

El Aissami insisted that domestic policies aimed at seizing narcotics, as well as the capture of citizens devoted to drug trafficking, have transformed the country into one of the most efficient on the fight against drug trafficking.

“We keep increasing our response capacity. We keep improving the efficiency of the policies adopted by the Revolution through the national counternarcotics plan carried out by our Government and that place us as a referential country on this subject,” the interior minister underscored.

Furthermore, El Aissami reiterated that Venezuelan authorities act transparently and attached to the National Constitution; for such reason, human rights have been respected in every counternarcotic operation.

“This ratifies Bolivarian Government will to act transparently, conscientiously and objectively in these kind of acts,” he underlined.

Likewise, he reminded that during the last period in which the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) acted in Venezuela (2001-2005) drug cartel chiefs, criminals nor paramilitaries were arrested and even less deported.

“From 2001 to 2005 no drug cartel chief, criminal or paramilitary was arrested or deported. Not a single one. Since the Government, sovereignly, decided to get rid of this load, that is, the DEA, our response capacity increased substantially,” the Minister explained.

So far this year, Venezuelan authorities have arrested and deported 6 citizens to be judged at their respective countries. In the last four years, Venezuela has deported a total of 43 people.

“We will keep working hard to reach these objectives: peace, calm and prevent this destructive problem gets into our people, our communities, our streets,” El Aissami stressed.

http://www.dn.se/nyheter/varlden/chavez-vacklar-i-venezuela-1.1083164

Alba has a new vision of Latin American union

The Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (Alba) is an organization that has a new vision of the Latin American union which is nourished and legitimated by the people, underscored the Venezuelan Deputy to the Andean Parliament Janeth Madriz.

In the occasion of the Ninth Summit of the Alba that took place on Monday in Caracas, the Venezuelan Deputy highlighted that the Alba is an organization that marks a change of era.

“We must be proud because we are part of a different kind of union, a complementary one, in which excluded people are the most important,” Madriz said.

The Venezuelan Deputy stated that it is necessary that all Latin Americans understand that “we are now citizens of the Alba. That is empire’s fear.”

Furthermore, she mentioned as the main characteristics of the Alba: a social agenda, which is the priority; countries working to complement each other and not to compete against each other; and the promotion of a democratic process with people’s participation.

Dep. Madriz commented that the political union represented by the Alba also includes significant economic aspects, such as the implementation of the Unitary System of Regional Compensatory Payments (Sucre).

Likewise, she made reference to the speech given by the President of Argentina Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner during the solemn session of the National Assembly carried out on Monday to commemorate the beginning of the bicentenary cycle from the independence of Venezuela. Madriz underlined that the entire country felt the strength of the speech of the Argentinean Head of State.

Madriz recalled that Cristina Fernandez highlighted that freedom and equality are the main columns of this new independence; therefore, she underscored that every person has to understand that the fight for such principles is a responsibility of each citizen and must be permanent.

Moreover, the Dep. considered a gift for Venezuelans the civil-military parade carried out in Caracas and rejected critics from the opposition, “who do not understand the union between the Bolivarian National Armed Forces and the people.”

Madriz expressed her confidence on the benefits that will bring for Argentina and Venezuela the agreements that will be endorsed between the presidents Cristina Fernandez and Hugo Chavez this Tuesday, above all, because they include technology transfer.

http://www.dn.se/nyheter/varlden/chavez-vacklar-i-venezuela-1.1083164

Capitalist model responsible for climate change must be replaced

Caracas, Apr 22. ABN.- The world has the obligation of replacing the capitalist production model responsible for the climate change that threatens the Earth, warned the Venezuelan Deputy German Ferrer.

The parliamentarian underscored that the planet remained almost 200,000 years in geothermic balance; however, in the last two centuries, as a result of the capitalist production and consumer model, the catastrophe of the climate change was generated.

In reference to the First World People’s Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth, which ends this Thursday April 22, Ferrer emphasized that Bolivia and its President Evo Morales are raising their voice on behalf of the peoples of the world that are suffering the onslaughts of climate change.

He reminded that this Conference is a response to the failure of the Conference in Copenhagen, which was, in his opinion, disrespectful toward the countries of the planet.

Moreover, Ferrer assured that Venezuela sent a large representation to Cochabamba, bringing significant conclusions as a result of the discussions among social movements, parliamentarians, ministers and organizations linked with the subject.

The Deputy also underscored that the Caura, located in Bolivar state (Venezuela’s southwest), should be declared National Park, since it is the largest tropical forest in the world with about 5 million hectares and is “under attack.”

In this regard, he commented that the Venezuelan Public Ministry and the environment ministry are adopting measures to preserve this green lunge; nevertheless, Ferrer considers that if it declared National Park its protection would be reinforced and the measure would not threat indigenous people’s settlements in the area.

http://www.dn.se/nyheter/varlden/chavez-vacklar-i-venezuela-1.1083164

Formal employment increased 1.4 percent in March in Venezuela

Caracas, Apr 22. ABN.- The formal employment increased in March in Venezuela reaching 57.3 percent, which can be translated as an improvement in the quality of jobs in the country, informed the National Statistics Institute (INE).

In this regard, Elias Eljuri, President of the INE, stated that this is a significant figure, because it means that the quality of the jobs improved, represented in a raise of the formal employment in 1.4 percent, going from 55.9 to 57.3 percent of the total workforce.

Likewise, Eljuri informed that regarding the unemployment rate, the Monthly Report on Workforce corresponding to March registered an 8.7 percent.

In addition, Eljuri added that this figure represents “the continuity of a stabilization process within the unemployment rate, because it is almost the same figure that we had in February, 2010.”

According to the President of the INE, this tendency “is the result of an economic policy oriented to protect labor stability and people’s power purchase. This policy has softened the negative effects of the work market as a consequence of the world economic crisis.”

Eljuri commented through a press release that this indicator, seen from a historic point of view, “remains way below the figure found by President Chavez at his arrival in the government, or the rate existing as a consequence of the political effects of the coup and the oil sabotage in the period 2002-2003.”

The Survey of Homes by Sample in March, 2010, covered 5,707 homes and 23,722 people of 15 years of age and above. The referential period was between March 1st and 28, 2010.

Said sample was distributed throughout the entire territory, excepting collectivities (hotels, pensions, jails, hospitals, barracks, churches, among others), localities with less than 10 houses, federal dependences and indigenous communities living in wild zones.

http://www.dn.se/nyheter/varlden/chavez-vacklar-i-venezuela-1.1083164

Governments are compelled to take political decisions to save Mother Earth

 

Apr 22 ABN.- “When it has to do with human life and defense of the Planet, Governments are compelled to hear each other and take political decisions,” stated on Thursday Bolivia’s President Evo Morales on the occasion of the First World People’s Conference on Climate Change and Rights of Mother Earth.

Similarly, Morales stressed that the attendance of social movements is the most noticeable difference between the Cochabamba encounter and the Copenhagen Summit, carried out on December 2009.

“Here (in Cochabamba), we are debating responsibly before humanity and for that reason we invite the presidents of the world to listen to social movements’ thinking, who really suffer the effects of the climate crisis. This dialog is crucial,” Morales stated.

According to him, the summit on Denmark was a failure because a few countries wanted to impose a document in which they did not show “to be interested on contributing to the defense of the environment.”

Therefore, Bolivia’s President asked, once the debate is carried out and the conclusions are made public, to “look ways to apply concrete measures.”

The Conference carried out in Bolivia since April 19 has counted with the attendance and participant of more than 20 thousand people from about 130 nations from the five continents.

The debate was divided into 17 working groups that tackled with matters such as the structural causes of climate change, the Kyoto Protocol, and aspects about agriculture and food sovereignty.

http://www.dn.se/nyheter/varlden/chavez-vacklar-i-venezuela-1.1083164

Venezuela among the best nourished countries in Latin America

Caracas, Apr 20. ABN.- Venezuela is among the top five Latin American countries with more progress achieved in the food area and lower nutritional deficit in children under an age of 15, thanks to the implementation of diverse plans and projects promoted by the Venezuelan Government to incentive domestic agriculture, livestock and fishing.

According to the Venezuelan nutrition institute (INN), by 1990 the global nutritional deficit on children under an age of 5 was 7.66; in 1998, was 5.3; and in 2007, was just 4.19.

According to both the World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the daily consumption of kilocalories for Venezuelans should be around 2,300.

Nevertheless, by 1998 the INN registered that Venezuelans consumed 2,203 kilocalories; that is, 97 kilocalories below daily needs. In contrast, by 2008, the consumption increased to 2,717.

Likewise, the Malnutrition Prevalence Index, a study carried out every three years, was reduced considerably from 21 percent in 1998 to 6 percent in 2007, which represents a fall of 71.42 percent.

These indicators prove that Venezuelans have better access to food thanks to some governmental policies, such as the price control on basic need products, re-nationalization of lands, support to small and medium producers through financing, construction of processing plants and the Socialist Production Units.

In addition, the government has given support to the farmers that work at the denominated Zamoranos’ farms, the national plan of seeds, free vaccination cycles for livestock, prohibition of the industrial trawler fishing, support to traditional fishing and national aquiculture.

Also, the Venezuelan State offer consumers a alternate option where to get their supplies, in which it worths mentioning the food network Mercal; the Venezuelan food producer and distributer Pdval; and 6,000 food houses that benefit around 900,000 people, who receive lunch and an afternoon snack from Monday to Saturday.

At the same time, the Venezuelan Government puts at consumers’ disposal the Corporation of Socialist Markets (Comerso), attached to the Commerce Ministry, through which Government commercializes quality goods and services at fair prices.

Additionally, the minimum wage of Venezuelans has been increased every year in the last years. According to the data from the National Statistics Institute (INE), by 1998, Venezuelan minimum wage was 120 bolivares (US$ 46.15) plus 76 bolivares (US$ 29.23) on food tickets. In 2009, the minimum wage reached Bs. 1,064 (US$ 409.23) plus Bs. 528 (US$ 203.08) on food tickets.

These policies have made possible to reduce poverty from 49 percent in 1998 to 23.08 percent until the second semester of 2009. While extreme poverty homes feel from 42 percent during the second trimester of 1999 to 23 percent until the second semester of 2009.

Venezuela diversifies oil markets

Caracas, Apr 23 ABN.- Venezuela has managed to diversify its oil markets given the efforts of the National Government in the area, which has led to send crude oil to several countries of the world.

The information was stressed the Minister of People’s Power for Energy and Oil and head of the state run Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA), Rafael Ramirez, during a conversation with national and international journalists.

“We have diversified many of our markets, so we are sending oil to the whole world,” he stated.

According to the official, Venezuela embarks 40 thousand barrels per day toward Uruguay; 12 thousand to Bolivia; 25 thousand to Nicaragua; 460 thousand to China; 200 thousand to India; and 80 thousand to Belarus.

Regarding the oil sent to the United States, Ramirez informed that it variates but that it hovers around the million barrels.

As part of the initiative of the regional alliance Petrocaribe, Venezuela embarks about 50 thousand barrels per day.

During the encounter, carried out at the seat of the mentioned Ministry, Ramirez reaffirmed the interest on diversifying the currency commercialization, in behalf of breaking the current dependence to the unstable US dollar.

“Other members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries progress toward that direction,” he commented.

http://www.dn.se/nyheter/varlden/chavez-vacklar-i-venezuela-1.1083164

Venezuela is the center of a world dynamic that pursuits to break empire’s hegemony

Caracas, Apr 21 ABN.- The president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez, stressed on Tuesday that Caracas became an epicenter in which concur many ideas and projects as part of a world dynamics that try to break the empire’s hegemony.

“Here meet every day with more and more strength ideas, projects, efforts, thinkers and social, political and economic actors (…) Caracas is the visible expression of that world dynamics, which is today in progress trying to break the empire’s hegemony.”

The President expressed the above statements at the end of a meeting held with Cuba’s President Raul Castro, at the Miraflores Executive Mansion, Caracas, carried out in order to foster economic complementarity between the two nations.

Similarly, Chavez stressed that this world dynamics, which has focused at Venezuela’s capital city, has managed to progress despite the aggressions of the US empire and its attempts to halt the integration process experienced in Latin America and the Caribbean.

“Even though the United States Administration has tried to isolate us, demonizing us with a permanent, day-to-day aggression” the integration in Latin America and the Caribbean strengthens every day more.

In this connection, the Venezuelan President added that the experience lived in Venezuela during the events to celebrate the Bicentennial since April 19 1810 proves so.

“What we saw here and its results will continue appearing in perspective, as long as days, months and years go by. All these that we have been sowing will become harvest of freedom and development,” he said.

During Tuesday’s working meeting, the Venezuelan and Cuban presidents tackled with different issues regarding the economic matter, in order to devise an economic complementation map in this area.

“We were working out diagnosis and planing for economic complementarity, food production. Between Cuba and Venezuela we export too much foods and many other goods in order to satisfy needs. We would perfectly produce clothes, shoes,” Chavez explained.

Besides, he informed that it was decided to carry out quarterly encounters with Cuba in order to evaluate projects of social and economic development boosted by the two countries.

http://www.dn.se/nyheter/varlden/chavez-vacklar-i-venezuela-1.1083164

Let’s build today, 200 years later, the queen of nations and mother of Republics

Caracas, Apr 20 ABN.- The president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez, expressed that 200 years after the independence is necessary to build “the queen of the nations and mother of the republics”.

During a solemn session of the Venezuelan Parliament on the occasion of the Bicentennial Year, Chavez quoted Liberator Simon Bolivar by saying “when our souls finish the complete work of our independence, we will fly to embrace each other and so reach unity and consolidate the great American pact.”

He thanked the presence of President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner and praised the speech she gave as honorary speaker during the event.

Similarly, he said that if “Providence give us that benefit, then we will be able to create here, in this continent, the greatest nation of the world, which we may call the the queen of nations and mother of Republics.”

The President expressed that all of us “are compelled to retake and give full and deep shape to Guayaquil’s embracement,” warning that we “have a very important role to play.”

In this connection, he wondered “How many things have had to occur so that we can be here’,” referring to the presence of the different left-wing presidents during the event at the seat of the Venezuelan Parliament and who mediate for the Latin American and Caribbean unity.

“The 21 century will find us together or dominated,” said President Chavez quoting former Argentinean president Juan Domingo Peron, and he added that this April 19 “we are here united to not be dominated never again.”

Furthermore, he explained that the situation lived nowadays “is a revolution of values, ideas, cultures and policies, with the participation of our nations who have resuscitated and never again to die.”

The leader Commander of the Venezuelan Revolution reminded that this “is the century of Our America, the consolidation of the definitive independence.”