Chavez vs. Bodies Exhibition

The Chavez regime has started their case against Bodies exhibition, in this case Premier Exhibitions, or their Venezuelan agent, Evenpro. What is really funny is that it was the tax administration would confiscated the bodies, since their where brought by international courier. Now the Venezuelan Public Prosecuting office (Fiscalia Ministerio Publico) is pressing charges against the company. To this very moment they are investigating where did the bodies come from and have even considered to press criminal charges against the promoters. What is on Chavez mind is that this could easily be a way for black market homicide....Ugh! Chavez thinking like the crook that he know he is...

I personally find it amusing to exhibit for medical or scientific purposes the remains of humans who previously have given their informed consent. On contrast, my fathers opinion is that he finds it awful and does not think it should be exhibited.

However, their has been a past with this Bodies exhibition. Prior to the 2005 U.S. premiere of the Bodies exhibit, the Florida Attorney General expressed the opinion that the State Anatomical Board’s approval should be required. The Board fought the Tampa Bodies exhibit, with its director expressing the opinion that the exhibit should be shut down. Premiere Exhibitions officials disagreed, claiming that the Board had jurisdiction only over medical schools and not museums; the exhibit opened two days ahead of schedule at the Tampa Museum of Science and Industry.

Questions regarding the origins of the bodies continue to be raised. In 2006, reporting from Dalian, China for the New York Times, David Barboza described "a ghastly new underground mini-industry" with "little government oversight, an abundance of cheap medical school labor and easy access to cadavers and organs." Premier representatives say "the bodies were not formally donated by people who agreed to be displayed." The director of the Anatomical Committee of the New York Associated Medical Schools (NYAMS) worries that "you have no documentation of who this is."

ABCNews' program 20/20 produced a major report exposing the "secret trade in Chinese bodies." Claiming that bodies are sold on the black market for $300, the report spawned not only a series of other articles but also a Congressional inquiry, an investigation by the NY Attorney General,and the resignation of Premier's CEO Arnie Geller.

On the front of their exhibition website reads a disclaimer describing the presumed origin of the bodies, and fetuses:

Disclaimer:

-This exhibit displays human remains of Chinese citizens or residents which were originally received by the Chinese Bureau of Police. The Chinese Bureau of Police may receive bodies from Chinese prisons. Premier cannot independently verify that the human remains you are viewing are not those of persons who were incarcerated in Chinese prisons.

-This exhibit displays full body cadavers as well as human body parts, organs, fetuses and embryos that come from cadavers of Chinese citizens or residents. With respect to the human parts, organs, fetuses and embryos you are viewing, Premier relies solely on the representations of its Chinese partners and cannot independently verify that they do not belong to persons executed while incarcerated in Chinese prisons.

New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo concluded his investigation of Premier, finding "The grim reality is that Premier Exhibitions has profited from displaying the remains of individuals who may have been tortured and executed in China. Despite repeated denials, we now know that Premier itself cannot demonstrate the circumstances that led to the death of the individuals. Nor is Premier able to establish that these people consented to their remains being used in this manner. Respect for the dead and respect for the public requires that Premier do more than simply assure us that there is no reason for concern. This settlement is a start."

In June 2007, Elaine Catz quit her job of 11 years as science education coordinator for the Carnegie Museum of Science in protest over the exhibit, citing religious objections and questions regarding provenance, including the issue of reports of organ harvesting from Falun Gong in China.

In 2007, a Washington State bill was introduced to ban exhibits of bodies without clear documentation of consent, and a similar bill was introduced in January 2008 by California legislator Fiona Ma.

In June 2008 New York State passed a bill requiring anyone showing an exhibit that uses real human bodies in museums across New York to get a permit to show where exactly the bodies came from. Senator Jim Alesi sponsored the bill.

Professional ethicists, human rights activists and religious leaders have also objected. "Given the (Chinese) government's track record on the treatment of prisoners, I find this exhibit deeply problematic," said Sharon Hom, the executive director of the advocacy group Human Rights in China. Professor Anita L. Allen, a University of Pennsylvania bioethicist, argued spending money to "gawk" at human remains should raise serious concerns. Thomas Hibbs, Baylor University ethicist, compares cadaver displays to pornography in that they reduce the subject to "the manipulation of body parts stripped of any larger human significance." Even if consent were to be obtained, Rabbi Danny Schiff maintains that we should still question what providing "bodies arranged in showcases for a hungry public" says about a society.[29] Harry Wu, a long-time human rights activist, terms the practice of obtaining exhibit specimens from China "immoral" and describes how the Chinese label of 'unclaimed' on bodies may imply that families were not notified of the death.

Regarding the educational concerns around these exhibits, St. Louis Diocese Archbishop Raymond Burke directs Catholic Schools there to avoid field trips, citing serious questions for Catholics. Prior to the exhibit's opening in Pittsburgh, the Pittsburgh Catholic Diocese endorsed the educational content of the exhibition, while noting that it would not be appropriate for everyone and welcoming continued discourse regarding the place of such exhibits in society. Rev. Daniel Pilarczyk, Archbishop of Cincinnati, issued a statement: "I do not believe that this exhibit is an appropriate destination for field trips by our Catholic schools."

In 2006, citing concern over how "some kids will process these images," Abbotsford, British Columbia School Superintendent Des McKay barred field trips to exhibits of plasticized human beings. In an editorial, Lutheran Reverend Christoph Reiners questioned the effect on the values of children. Elaine Catz, who helped coordinate field trips for the Carnegie Science Center prior to resigning in June 2007, maintains "it teaches that, once he is deceased, there is nothing wrong with taking a person's body without his consent; it teaches that there is nothing wrong with exploiting the dead in order to make a profit, as long as it is in the name of science or education or art. It teaches that it is incredibly easy to dehumanize others."

In 2009, after a week of presence in Venezuela, on march 4th the authocratic president Hugo Chavez confiscated the corpses, that will remain under his jurisdiction for undetermined time.

Carl Andre / Artist Review

Remembering my days in 2006 when I roamed what is now my favorite museum in the whole wide world, Tate Modern in Southwark, London. At the Tate Modern in one of the exhibitions I remembering seeing a sculpture of an artist called Carl Andre.

The sculpture in the picture is called Equivalent VIII. Nothing more than a pile of bricks. 120 white firebricks placed in a rectangular form, constitutes this piece of minimalist work.

Andre´s piece provocked an uproar in London in 1976 when it was subject to a piece in the Sunday Times, questioning the content of art of this Tate Modern art display...I would say he is a genius...

Carl Andre (born September 16, 1935) is an American minimalist artist recognized mainly for his ordered linear format and grid format sculptures ranging from large public artworks (such as Stone Field Sculpture, 1977 in Hartford, CT) [1] and Lament for the Children,1976 [2] in Long Island City, NY) to more intimate tile patterns arranged on the floor of an exhibition space (such as 144 Lead Squares [3], 1969 or Twenty-fifth Steel Cardinal, 1974)..

Andre was born in Quincy, MA. He completed primary and secondary schooling in the Quincy public school system and studied art at Phillips Academy in Andover, MA from 1951 to 1953[4]. While at Phillips Academy he became friends with Hollis Frampton who would later influence Andre's radical approach to sculpture through their conversations about art[5] and through introductions to other artists[6].

Andre served in the U.S. Army in North Carolina 1955-56 and moved to New York City in 1956. While in New York, Frampton introduced Andre to Constantin Brâncuşi through whom Andre became re-acquainted with a former classmate from Phillips Academy, Frank Stella, in 1958. Andre shared studio space with Stella from 1958 through 1960[7].

Andre's early work in wood may have been inspired by Brâncuşi, but his conversations with Stella about space and form led him in a different direction. While sharing a studio with Stella, Andre developed a series of wooden "cut" sculptures[8] (such as Radial Arm Saw cut sculpture, 1959, and Maple Spindle Exercise, 1959). Stella is noted as having said to Andre (regarding hunks of wood removed from Andre's sculpture) "Carl, that's sculpture, too."[9]

From 1960-64 Andre worked as freight brakeman and conductor in New Jersey for the Pennsylvania Railroad. The experience with blue collar labor and the ordered nature of conducting freight trains would have a later influence on Andre's sculpture and artistic personality. For example, it was not uncommon for Andre to dress in overalls and a blue work shirt, even to the most formal occasions.."[10]

During this period, Andre focused mainly on writing and there is little notable sculpture on record between 1960 and 1965. The poetry would resurface later, most notably in a book (finally published in 1980 by NYU press) called 12 Dialgues in which Andre and Frampton took turns responding to one another at a typewriter using mainly poetry and free-form essay-like texts[11]. Andre's concrete poetry has exhibited in the United States and Europe, a comprehensive collection of which is in the collection of the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam[12].

In 1965 he had his first public exhibition of work in the "Shape and Structure" show curated by Henry Geldzahler at the Tibor de Nagy Gallery. Andre's controversial "Lever" was included in the seminal 1966 show at the Jewish Museum in New York entitled, "Primary Structures." In 1970 he had a one man exhibition at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, and has had one man exhibitions and participated in group shows in major museums, galleries and kunsthalles throughout America and Europe.

In 1969 Andre helped organize the Art Workers Coalition.

In 1972 Britain's Tate Gallery acquired Andre's Equivalent VIII, an arrangement of bricks. It was shown several times without incident but became the center of controversy in 1976 after it featured in an article in The Sunday Times. It was defaced with paint later in the year. The "Bricks controversy" became one of the most famous public debates in Britain about contemporary art.[13]

In 1979 Andre first met Ana Mendieta through a mutual friendship with artists, Leon Golub and Nancy Spero at AIR Gallery in New York, N.Y.[14]. Andre and Mendieta eventually married in 1984 but the relationship ended in tragedy. Mendieta fell to her death from Andre's 34th story apartment window in 1985 after an argument with Andre. Andre was charged with second degree murder. He elected to be tried before a judge with no jury. In 1988 Andre was acquitted of all charges related to Mendieta's death.[15]

Jonathan Meese / Artist review

Jonathan Meese (born January 23, 1970, Tokyo) is a German painter, sculptor, performance artist and installation artist based in Berlin and Hamburg. His (often multi-media) works include collages, drawings and writing. He also designs theater sets and wrote and starred in a play, "De Frau: Dr. Poundaddylein - Dr. Ezodysseusszeusuzur" in 2007 at the Volksbühne Theater.

Meese attended Hochschule für bildende Künste in Hamburg, but left the school before completing his studies and was picked up by Berlin gallery Contemporary Fine Arts. An early installation Ahoi de Angst was presented at the first Berlin Biennale in 1998. Susanne Titz, writing about the Biennale said, "It was thus clear that Meese had indeed put his finger on the pulse of his generation and presented it." [1] According to Karel Schampers, "Jonathan Meese can tell a story in such a gripping way that you would never have the idea to doubt its truth. Especially his installations benefit from this quality," [2]

He has been included in exhibitions “Spezialbilder” at Contemporary Fine Arts in Berlin, “Grotesk!” at Schirn Kunsthalle in Frankfurt and “Schnitt bringt Schnitte” at Ausstellungsraum Schnitt in Köln. Recent exhibitions include Thanks, Wally Whyton (Revendaddy Phantomilky on Coconut Islandaddy) at Modern Art, London, and a performance at Tate Modern, entitled Noel Coward Is Back — Dr. Humpty Dumpty vs. Fra No-Finger. [3] [4] He has exhibited at Modern Art, London, Galerie Daniel Templon, Paris, and Centro Cultural Andratx, Mallorca.

He is represented by Contemporary Fine Arts in Berlin, Leo Koenig in New York, and Modern Art in London. In 2007 he collaborated with the composer Karlheinz Essl on the installation FRÄULEIN ATLANTIS shown at the Essl Museum in Vienna/Klosterneuburg.

He has worked collaboratively with the painters Jörg Immendorff, Albert Oehlen, Tim Berresheim, Daniel Richter, Tal R and the composer Karlheinz Essl.

Benicio del Toro in Caracas, Venezuela playing politics

Benicio del Toro was last night in Caracas. No doubt paid by the Venezuelan government. According to the Venezuelan news agency, de Toro (who played Dr. Gonzo in one of my favorite movie, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas), assisted to the premiere of the movie el Che in Nuevo Circo in downtown Caracas. In the pictures he is caught right next to Libertador mayor and Ex-Electoral Vice President Jorge Rodriguez. What is really pathetic is that they were showing the movie in a Bull Fight arena. Nuevo Circo in Caracas is legendary for bull fights with bullfighters from Spain and all over the world. Poetic, I would say so...

As for Che Guevara, I have a lot to say about this fellow. Mythical I would certaintly say so. Specially when you can see him in T Shirts all over, trying to get a reaction from society. Most people do not know much about the history of Che Guevara and how we met Fidel, climbed on a boat with him in Mexico to invade Cuba, how we was appointed President of the Central Bank and how we escape Castros hands to hide in the mountains of Bolivia. There are a bunch of movies out there, concerning Che and Fidel, let alone television documentaries, so why is Steven Soderberg doing another movie about Che Guevara?

The truth is Che Guevara was a sociopath killer hired by Fidel Castro for the invasion of Cuba. When the invasion succeded the monster Che Guevara was getting bigger than Fidel´s...

I will post this article by Dale Yeager, and US writer on who was really Che Guevara. And not the manipulative version out there trying to make a quick buck...

Yogui, this is for you:

Why He Became Famous

A search for his name in Google produces 1,120,000 hits. His image is tattooed to the belly of Mike Tyson [and Maradona´s shoulder], and he frequents the t-shirts and hats of college students and celebrities.

In 1952, former Cuban president Fulgencio Batista was third in the race for president and decided to hold a coup. By the way, he had done this earlier in 1933 and was elected the first time by forming a political alliance with the Cuban Communist Party, sound familiar?

In 1953 a young attorney named Fidel Castro, tried to oust Batista but he and his group failed after which he was arrested and jailed. After two years, Batista freed Castro. That same year Castro meets Che Guevara and Che joined Castro’s 26th of July Movement.

In 1956 Castro and his 26th of July Movement launched another attack and was beaten by Batista’s troops…again. Castro moved to the mountains for three years. In 1958, several groups [not affiliated with Castro], tried to bring down Batista, along with Castro’s crew.

Eventually Batista realized that the gig was over for him and he fled Cuba on New Year's Day 1959.

After the revolution's success, the 26th of July Movement was joined with other bodies to form the United Party of the Cuban Socialist Revolution, which in turn became the Communist Party of Cuba in 1965.

So who was Che Guevara?

His full legal name was Ernesto Rafael Guevara de la Serna. He was of Spanish-Irish descent.
In 1928, he was born into an aristocratic and politically Marxist family in Rosario Argentina. As a boy he played rugby and was nicknamed the “The Raging" because he was extremely aggressive.
In 1948 Guevara entered the University of Buenos Aires to study medicine. There is no evidence that he graduated with a medical degree. In fact the only medical job he had was that of a medical assistant and his efforts to get an internship as a doctor were not successful.
1956 he married his first wife Hilda Gadea, an exiled Peruvian Marxist. They had one child. Later in 1959 he decided to divorce Gadea and marry a Cuban, Aleida Marsh. They had four children. In 1964 this loyal father had an extramarital affair with Lilia Rosa López, and they had a son Omar Pérez. His closest friends described Che as a father using one word …absent. In reality he was – like all political extremists – obsessed with his cause and his personal pleasure instead of the well being of his family.
But many people see Che Guevara as a liberator as a social savior. He was far from that. When Guevara met Castro and joined forces with him Cuba needed saving….or did it?

Facts from a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization report on Cuba released in 1957:

· "One feature of the Cuban social structure is a large middle class”.

· "Cuban workers are more unionized (proportional to the population) than U.S. workers.

· The average wage for an 8 hour day in Cuba in 1957 is higher than for
workers in Belgium, Denmark, France and Germany.

· Cuban labor receives 66.6 per cent of gross national income. In the U.S. the figure is 70 per cent, in Switzerland 64 per cent. 44 per cent of Cubans are covered by Social legislation, a higher percentage then in the U.S."

· In 1958 Cuba had a higher per-capita income than Austria and Japan. Cuban
industrial workers had the 8th highest wages in the world. In the 1950's Cuban stevedores earned more per hour than their counterparts in New Orleans and San Francisco.

· Cuba had established an 8 hour work-day in 1933 -- five years before FDR's New Dealers got around to it. Add to this: one months paid vacation.

· Cuba, a country 71% white in 1957, was completely desegregated 30 years before the U.S.

· In 1958 Cuba had more female college graduates per capita than the U.S.

In reality the Cuban people had lost control of their government when Batista seized power in 1952. When the Castro / Che team took over the country was thriving economically and in some ways socially but it had lost its direction. History has shown that when liberal democracies lose their direction there is always an opportunist ready and waiting to take over.

But maybe with all of his faults Che was a kind man, a loving man, think again! In his article “The Killing Machine”, Alvaro Vargas Llosa details the violent side of Guevara.

· In April 1967, speaking from experience, he summed up his homicidal idea of justice in his "Message to the Tricontinental": "hatred as an element of struggle; unbending hatred for the enemy, which pushes a human being beyond his natural limitations, making him into an effective, violent, selective, and cold-blooded killing machine."

· "I feel my nostrils dilate savoring the acrid smell of gunpowder and blood of the enemy,"

· Guevara's disposition when he traveled with Castro from Mexico to Cuba aboard the Granma is captured in a phrase in a letter to his wife that he penned on January 28, 1957, not long after disembarking, which was published in her book Ernesto: A Memoir of Che Guevara in Sierra Maestra: "Here in the Cuban jungle, alive and bloodthirsty."

· In January 1957, as his diary from the Sierra Maestra indicates, Guevara shot Eutimio Guerra because he suspected him of passing on information: "I ended the problem with a .32 caliber pistol, in the right side of his brain.... His belongings were now mine."

· Later he shot Aristidio, a peasant who expressed the desire to leave whenever the rebels moved on. While he wondered whether this particular victim "was really guilty enough to deserve death," he had no qualms about ordering the death of Echevarría, a brother of one of his comrades, because of unspecified crimes: "He had to pay the price." At other times he would simulate executions without carrying them out, as a method of psychological torture.

· Instruction given to his underlings, "If in doubt, kill him".

· José Vilasuso, a lawyer and a professor at Universidad Interamericana de Bayamón in Puerto Rico, who belonged to the body in charge of the summary judicial process at La Cabaña [the prison Castor put Che in charge of], told me recently that Che was in charge of the Comisión Depuradora. The process followed the law of the Sierra: there was a military court and Che's guidelines to us were that we should act with conviction, meaning that they were all murderers and the revolutionary way to proceed was to be implacable. My direct superior was Miguel Duque Estrada. My duty was to legalize the files before they were sent on to the Ministry. Executions took place from Monday to Friday, in the middle of the night, just after the sentence was given and automatically confirmed by the appellate body. On the most gruesome night I remember, seven men were executed.

· Javier Arzuaga, the Basque chaplain who gave comfort to those sentenced to die and personally witnessed dozens of executions, spoke to me recently from his home in Puerto Rico. A former Catholic priest, now seventy-five, who describes himself as "closer to Leonardo Boff and Liberation Theology than to the former Cardinal Ratzinger," he recalls that there were about eight hundred prisoners in a space fit for no more than three hundred: former Batista military and police personnel, some journalists, a few businessmen and merchants. The revolutionary tribunal was made of militiamen. Che Guevara presided over the appellate court. He never overturned a sentence. I would visit those on death row at the galera de la muerte. A rumor went around that I hypnotized prisoners because many remained calm, so Che ordered that I be present at the executions. After I left in May, they executed many more, but I personally witnessed fifty-five executions. There was an American, Herman Marks, apparently a former convict. We called him "the butcher" because he enjoyed giving the order to shoot. I pleaded many times with Che on behalf of prisoners. I remember especially the case of Ariel Lima, a young boy. Che did not budge. Nor did Fidel, whom I visited. I became so traumatized that at the end of May 1959 I was ordered to leave the parish of Casa Blanca, where La Cabaña was located and where I had held Mass for three years. I went to Mexico for treatment. The day I left, Che told me we had both tried to bring one another to each other's side and had failed. His last words were: "When we take our masks off, we will be enemies."

· Che set up the first forced labor camp, Guanahacabibes, in 1960. This camp was the precursor to the eventual systematic confinement, starting in 1965 in the province of Camagüey, of dissidents, homosexuals, AIDS victims, Catholics, Afro-Cuban priests, and other such scum, under the banner of Unidades Militares de Ayuda a la Producción, or Military Units to Help Production. Herded into buses and trucks, the "unfit" would be transported at gunpoint into concentration camps organized on the Guanahacabibes mold. Some would never return; others would be raped, beaten, or mutilated; and most would be traumatized for life, as Néstor Almendros's wrenching documentary Improper Conduct showed the world a couple of decades ago.

But maybe the people of Cuba today are benefiting from his reforms and economic genius. According to Ernesto Betancourt his deputy at the Cuban National Bank where he was put in charge by Castro, " Che was ignorant of the most elementary economic principles”.

Today Cuba is a mess.

Water and sewer pipeline networks are in shambles.
Only 62% of Cubans have access to clean water.
Cuba is lacking 1.6 million housing units.
Cuban schools rely on 18 year old high school graduates as their primary teachers.
Cuba, with the governments blessing, has become a major sex tourism destination and is a source country for women and children trafficked for exploitation.
AIDS victims are imprisoned in locked compounds and not allowed out.
Way to go Che!

This article is dedicated to the men, women and children killed by Che Guevara.

14 executed by Che in the Sierra Maestra during the anti-Batista guerrilla struggle (1957-1958):

1. ARISTIDIO 2. MANUEL CAPITÁN 3. JUAN CHANG 4. “BISCO” ECHEVARRÍA 5. ECHEVARRÍA BROTHER #1

6. ECHEVARRÍA BROTHER #2 7. EUTIMIO GUERRA 8. DIONISIO LEBRIGIO 9. JUAN LEBRIGIO 10. “EL NEGRO” NÁPOLES

11. “CHICHO” OSORIO 12. ONE UNIDENTIFIED TEACHER (“EL MAESTRO) 13.-14. 2 UNIDENTIFIED PEASANTS



10 executed in Santa Clara at Che’s orders in only two days (January 1959):

1. RAMÓN ALBA 2. JOSÉ BARROSO 3. JOAQUÍN CASILLAS 4. FÉLIX CRUZ 5. ALEJANDRO GARCÍA OLAYÓN

6. HÉCTOR MIRABAL 7. J. MIRABAL 8. FÉLIX MONTANO 9. CORNELIO ROJAS 10. VILALLA



156 executed at La Cabaña Fortress prison at Che Guevara’s orders:

1. VILAU ABREU 2. HUMBERTO AGUIAR 3. GERMÁN AGUIRRE 4. PELAYO ALAYÓN 5. JOSÉ LUIS ALFARO

6. PEDRO ALFARO 7. MARIANO ALONSO 8. JOSÉ ALVARO 9. ANIELLA 10. MARIO ARES POLO

11. JOSÉ RAMÓN BACALLAO 12. CEVERINO BARRIOS 13. EUGENIO BÉCQUER 14. FRANCISCO BÉCQUER

15. RAMÓN BISCET 16. ROBERTO CALZADILLA 17. EUFEMIO CANO 18. JUAN CAPOTE FIALLO

19. ANTONIO CARRALERO 20. GERTRUDIS CASTELLANOS 21. JOSÉ CASTAÑO QUEVEDO 22. RAÚL CASTAÑO

23. EUFEMIO CHALA 24. JOSÉ CHAMACE 25. JOSÉ CHAMIZO 26. RAÚL CLAUSELL 27. ÁNGEL CLAUSELL

28. DEMETRIO CLAUSELL 29. JOSÉ CLAUSELL 30. ELOY CONTRERAS 31. ALBERTO CORBO 32. EMILIO CRUZ

33. JUAN FELIPE CRUZ 34. ORESTES CRUZ 35. HUMBERTO CUEVAS 36. CUNY 37. ANTONIO DE BECHE

38. MATEO DELGADO 39. ARMANDO DELGADO 40. RAMÓN DESPAIGNE 41. JOSÉ DÍAZ CABEZAS

42. ANTONIO DUARTE 43. RAMÓN FERNÁNDEZ OJEDA 44. RUDY FERNÁNDEZ 45. FERRÁN ALFONSO

46. SALVADOR FERRERO 47. VICTOR FIGUEREDO 48. EDUARDO FORTE 49. UGARDE GALÁN

50. RAFAEL GARCÍA MUÑIZ 51. ADALBERTO GARCÍA 52. ALBERTO GARCÍA 53. JACINTO GARCÍA

54. EVELIO GASPAR 55. ARMADA GIL Y DIEZ CABEZAS 56. JOSÉ GONZÁLEZ MALAGÓN 57. EVARISTO GONZÁLEZ

58. EZEQUIEL GONZÁLEZ 59. SECUNDINO GONZÁLEZ 60. RICARDO GRAO 61. BONIFACIO GRASSO

62. RICARDO JOSÉ GRAU 63. OSCAR GUERRA 64. JULIÁN HERNÁNDEZ 65. FRANCISCO HERNÁNDEZ LEYVA

66. ANTONIO HERNÁNDEZ 67. GERARDO HERNÁNDEZ 68. OLEGARIO HERNÁNDEZ 69. SECUNDINO HERNÁNDEZ

70. JESÚS INSUA 71. ENRIQUE IZQUIERDO 72. OSMÍN JORRÍN 73. SILVINO JUNCO 74. ENRIQUE LA ROSA

75. IGNACIO LASAPARLA 76. JESÚS LAZO 77. ARIEL LIMA LAGO 78. RAÚL LÓPEZ VIDAL 79. ARMANDO MAS

80. ENERLIO MATA 81. ELPIDIO MEDEROS 82. JOSÉ MEDINAS 83. JOSÉ MESA 84. FIDEL MESQUÍA

85. JUAN MILIÁN 86. FRANCISCO MIRABAL 87. LUIS MIRABAL 88. ERNESTO MORALES 89. PEDRO MOREJÓN

90. DR. CARLOS MUIÑO, MD. 91. CÉSAR NECOLARDES ROJAS 92. VICTOR NECOLARDES ROJAS 93. JOSÉ NUÑEZ

94. VITERBO O'RREILLY 95. FÉLIX OVIEDO 96. MANUEL PANEQUE 97. PEDRO PEDROSO 98. RAFAEL PEDROSO

99. DIEGO PÉREZ CUESTA 100. JUAN PÉREZ 101. DIEGO PÉREZ CRELA 102. JOSÉ POZO 103. EMILIO PUEBLA

104. ALFREDO PUPO 105. SECUNDINO RAMÍREZ 106. RAMÓN RAMOS 107. PABLO RAVELO 108. RUBÉN REY

109. MARIO RISQUELME 110. FERNANDO RIVERA 111. PABLO RIVERA 112. MANUEL RODRÍGUEZ

113. MARCOS RODRÍGUEZ 114. NEMESIO RODRÍGUEZ 115. PABLO RODRÍGUEZ 116. RICARDO RODRÍGUEZ

117. JOSÉ SALDARA 118. PEDRO SANTANA 119. SERGIO SIERRA 120. JUAN SILVA 121. FAUSTO SILVA

122. ELPIDIO SOLER 123. JESÚS SOSA BLANCO 124. RENATO SOSA 125. SERGIO SOSA 126. PEDRO SOTO

127. OSCAR SUÁREZ 128. RAFAEL TARRAGO 129. TEODORO TELLEZ CISNEROS 130. FRANCISCO TELLEZ

131. JOSÉ TIN 132. FRANCISCO TRAVIESO 133. LEONARDO TRUJILLO 134. TRUJILLO 135. LUPE VALDÉS BARBOSA

136. MARCELINO VALDÉS 137. ANTONIO VALENTÍN 138. MANUEL VÁZQUEZ 139. SERGIO VÁZQUEZ 140. VERDECIA

141. DÁMASO ZAYAS



*15 additional executions were reported by The New York Times (on 2/6/59, 2/8/59, 3/16/59, and 4/2/59),

but names are unknown.

References:

1. State Department on Repression in Cuba, Fact Sheet Released by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor and the Bureau of Public Affairs
Washington, DC December 15, 2003

2. The Killing Machine, Alvaro Vargas Llosa, The New Republic, 7/11/2005

3. UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization) report on Cuba, 1957

4. CAFC.gov U.S. Department of State July 2006

5. FREE SOCIETY PROJECT, INC. http://www.cubaarchive.org/

Venezuelan Government seizes 2 Rice Plants

As of yesterday, Monday March 2, 2009, the Venezuelan Government has seize 2 important rice plants in Venezuela. One of the plants, Primor, is own by the Polar group and solely represents 22% of the market of rice. The rationale behind government intervention is that the private companies are underproducing rice on account of shortages of raw material. Private companies are producing approximately -15% of what they produced exactly last year while the government alleges that theres is plenty of raw (rice) materials.

Over the past 5 years, the government has increased its regulation concerning the sale of rice, coffee, ketchup, vegetable oil, in its frenzy to control inflation. Now those who understand how the market operates, know that its only a matter of time until they creatively comply with such government regulation. On creative compliance I will try to address it separately since its such a deep subject of government regulation. We Venezuelans now can find, Ketchup light or Ketchup hot sauce instead of regular ketchup because its price are regulated, flavored rice instead of white rice, decaffinated and flavored coffee instead of black coffee, so on and so forth...

What is true is that its obvious that this government intervention measure will severely permeate through other wholesale goods. Why? Well a couple of days ago the Government made an announcement calling for economic measures in 15 days, its obvious the government is battling against inflation and the strong loss of purchase power of the Venezuelan Bolivar, and what is worse, the economy seems to have slow down...

My advise, again divest Venezuelan currency and watch for more and more government intervention of wholesale goods. This morning a government consumer protection agency has announced that they will intervene vegetable oil and flour plants.

I also predict that investment and financial frauds schemes will become very popular as the population will severely go desperate...

US State Department unloads against Venezuela

On Feb. 25, 2009, the United States State Department release its Country Report on Venezuela concerning the status of human rights. Its not that the United States is perfect in this regard, after all its one of the few countries with lawful death penalty. However, the State Department issues this report so that people can learn on the violations of human rights in that specific country and recognize the development of policies in favor of protecting human rights.

I will paste certain parts of the report, which can be found here

"Venezuela is a constitutional democracy with a population of approximately 26 million. In 2006 voters reelected President Hugo Chavez of the Fifth Republic Movement (MVR). Official observation missions from both the European Union and Organization of American States (OAS) deemed the elections generally free and fair but noted some irregularities. While civilian authorities generally maintained control of the security forces, there were instances in which elements of the security forces acted independently of government authority.

Politicization of the judiciary and official harassment of the political opposition and the media characterized the human rights situation during the year. The following human rights problems were reported: unlawful killings; harsh prison conditions; arbitrary arrests and detentions; a corrupt, inefficient, and politicized judicial system characterized by trial delays, impunity, and violations of due process; official intimidation and attacks on the independent media; discrimination based on political grounds; widespread corruption at all levels of government; violence against women; trafficking in persons; and restrictions on workers' right of association."

Here the report is totally correct, the politicization of the Judiciary is obscene in Venezuela, as a practicing attorney can give loads of examples, I remember that when the Initial Celebration of the Judicial year, all the Justices of the Supreme Court chanting Chavez no se va! Chavez will not go away. This is dead on. Unlawful killings, well one can read the papers in Venezuela to see that we have more dead count than the war in Iraq and Afganistan, put together. Trial delays, impunity and violations of due process. I wish to remember the people in Venezuela, that we have political prisoners, awaiting for years for a trial thats never going to come. The names, Lazaro Forero, Henry Vivas, Ivan Simonovics, Gral Martinez Mendoza, Jose Mazuco from Zulia State police, among others. Widespread corruption, well this is totally correct!!!

"In October the Ministry of Interior and Justice reported that 18,313 police officials, or 16 percent of the country's police force, were under investigation for misconduct and alleged human rights violations, including kidnapping, torture, unlawful arrest and detention, and extrajudicial killings stemming from cases filed from 2000-07. In 2007 alone, 1,948 police officers were accused of alleged misconduct, according to the Ministry. The National Organic Police Law was passed in April 2007. This law created a national police force; however, there have been no efforts to staff this organization. In January the Caracas Metropolitan Police Force was placed under the authority of the Ministry of Interior and Justice."

"
While the constitution provides for an independent judiciary, judicial independence remained compromised. The judiciary also was highly inefficient, sometimes corrupt, and subject to political influence, particularly from the Attorney General's Office, which in turn was pressured by the executive branch.

The judicial sector consists of the Supreme Court and lower courts, the Attorney General's Office, and the Ministry of Interior and Justice. The Supreme Court is the country's highest court and directly administers the lower courts through the Executive Directorate of the Judiciary.

According to the NGO Foro Penal, almost 40 percent of the judges were provisional and temporary. The Supreme Court's Judicial Committee may hire and fire temporary judges without cause and without explanation, and it did so. Provisional judges legally have the same rights and authorities as permanent judges. The provisional and temporary judges, lacking tenure in their profession, particularly were subject to political influence from the Ministry of Interior and Justice and the attorney general.

The law provides that the Moral Council (attorney general, human rights ombudsman, and comptroller general) may suspend judges and allows the National Assembly to revoke the appointment of Supreme Court judges by a simple majority vote.

Lower court judges hear pretrial motions, including prosecution and defense motions, prior to criminal cases going to trial judges. Executive judges oversee the application of sentences. Appeals courts, consisting of three-judge panels, review lower court decisions. The attorney general oversees the prosecutors who investigate crimes and bring charges against criminal suspects.

In accordance with President Chavez's December 2007 amnesty decree, the charges against governor-elect of Miranda State Henrique Capriles Radonski, for his alleged involvement in the arrest of Ramon Rodriguez Chacin, were dropped. In October the courts reopened the case against Capriles related to a violent demonstration in 2002 outside the Cuban Embassy.

In March an ex-prosecutor accused former attorney general Isaias Rodriguez of altering witness testimony and falsely implicating critics of the government in the Danilo Anderson case. Anderson was a high-profile prosecutor killed in a car bomb explosion in November 2004. The government's one-time key witness, Giovanny Vasquez, told the media that Rodriguez paid him 1,075,000 Bs.F (approximately $500,000) to present false testimony in the case. The government reportedly reopened the case following the allegations against Rodriguez.

Trial Procedures

The law provides for open, public, and fair trials with oral proceedings for all individuals. The accused have the right to be present and consult with an attorney. Public defenders are provided for indigent defendants, but there continued to be a shortage of public defenders. Defendants have the right to question witnesses against them and present their own witnesses. The accused and their attorneys do not necessarily have access to government-held evidence. Defendants are considered innocent until proven guilty. Defendants and plaintiffs have the right of appeal.

Trial delays were common. A professional judge and two lay judges try serious cases; a single judge may hear serious cases if requested by the defendant or victim or if attempts to appoint lay judges have failed. Difficulty in finding persons willing to serve as lay judges also resulted in delays.

The law provides that trials for military personnel charged with human rights abuses after 1999 be held in civilian rather than military courts.

Political Prisoners and Detainees

There were an estimated 12 political prisoners in the country. In some cases the political prisoners were held in distinct penal facilities, including DISIP installations and the Ramo Verde military prison. The International Committee of the Red Cross was permitted access to these political prisoners.

In December 2007 President Chavez decreed a partial amnesty for persons implicated in the drafting or signing of the 2002 Carmona Decree, which recognized an interim government during the 2002 coup against Chavez, and in a series of enumerated acts surrounding the coup. Human rights organizations welcomed the measure but urged Chavez to broaden the amnesty to include all those accused of involvement in the events of 2002 and to all implicated in political crimes.

Retired army General Francisco Uson remained free on conditional release from Ramo Verde after being released in December 2007. Uson served three years and six months for allegedly "defaming" the army. The conditions for his release included not traveling outside of greater Caracas and reporting before a judge every 15 days. He was also prohibited from participating in demonstrations or commenting on his case to the media.

Former Caracas Metropolitan Police commissioners Ivan Simonovis, Henry Vivas, and Lazarro Forero, along with eight other police officers, remained imprisoned without conviction, stemming from charges of being accomplices to murder committed during the events related to the civil disturbances in 2002. The three commissioners were held in DISIP installations, while the eight other police officers were in Ramo Verde. On January 16, a judge denied a motion to dismiss the charges under President Chavez's December 2007 amnesty decree. The ruling followed statements by Chavez and Attorney General Luisa Ortega Diaz that the accused were not eligible to benefit from the amnesty.

In September 2007 government officials imprisoned and accused Jose Sanchez "Mazuco," former chief of security for Zulia State, which is controlled by opposition governor and former presidential candidate Manuel Rosales, in connection with the killing of Claudio Macias, a Military Intelligence Police (DIM) informant who was jailed at the time. Prosecutors contended that Sanchez authorized the hanging of Macias. Sanchez remained in custody at the Ramo Verde military prison at year's end."

Buckle up Venezuela! Its going to be a [economic] bumpy ride...

Yep, finally today the Venezuelan Government has issued a statement concerning the real deal economic global crisis affecting also, who? Venezuela. It is obvious that Venezuela is probably one of the first affected countries in the whole world. The reason, well would it be just because 90% of government spending comes from oil revenues. And more importantly, Venezuelan economy depends roughly 60% from imports. The drop of the oil prices had to mean something to Venezuelan economy, almost a year ago Venezuela oil crude was trading around $125 per barrel, now its lucky to get even $38, thats a -30%, and I am being very optimistic.

So finally today Chavez gave in on the subject, Ali Rodriguez, Venezuela´s Finance Secretary has issued a statement saying that the Government will make economic adjustments announcements in 15 days. What??? I know Mr Rodriguez is the Finance Minister but is he buying time? At the same token the inflation levels seems to surging through the days of the year 2009, and at the same time next week we have an increase in the Tax Unit (Unidad Tributaria) from Bs. 46 to Bs. 55, an increase in 19% percent. How will this affect Venezuelans? Well, let me put it this way, how about Stanflation, that is inflation with economic recession. I seriously think that it will probably take 3-4 weeks to really feel it in local supermarkets.

At the same time, considering that Venezuela generally depends on its oil revenues for its internal economy, the President of PDVSA and Energy Minister (Venezuelan Oil Czar) has also announced that PDVSA is considering renegotiating with Venezuelan oil contractors a decrease in 40% for their fees. He is arguing a radical change in circumstances, and as an attorney know the implications of such an argument. Bottomline, it is publicly known in Venezuela that PDVSA has defaulted on its local contractors and now PDVSA will argue "radical change in circumstances" to negotiate their way out of their legal quagmire. The term legally is Rebus Sic Stantibus, which derives from latin "fundamental change of circumstances" that gave reason for the contract to take place and remains a lawful option to excuse performance on contractual terms. Whats going to happen then Venezuelans would ask? Contractors will have no other option but to accept...and ooops, another factor to consider for the Stanflation to seriously kick in.

My economic advise, divest Venezuelan currency and invest in real estate and wholesale goods. Watch the government regulation on the latter...

Rupert Murdoch apologizes for racist cartoon

Financial mogul and international billonaire Rupert Murdoch has issued a formal apologies for the racist cartoon that was published a while ago in the New York Post. Murdoch was born in Australia and is the owner of News Corp, including Fox, Sky network in Europe and a vast collection of newspapers, including the famous NY Post.

The New York Post published a cartoon depicting two NY Cops killing a chimp and asking themselves who will write the next economic stimulus package. Several afro american groups in New York were requesting an explanation to the newspaper. Well the head honcho himself issued a statement titled "Statement from Rupert Murdoch" and goes like this:

Today I want to personally apologize to any reader who felt offended, and even insulted," said Murdoch, head of the media giant News Corp, which owns the Post.

"We all hold the readers of the New York Post in high regard and I promise you that we will seek to be more attuned to the sensitivities of our community," Murdoch wrote."


I personally think that this cartoon is not race related, in fact I think it wouldve conveyed the same message if it were another animal perhaps a dog, a horse or even a pig...

What gets my attention is the effectiveness of people coming together and protest againt a consumer product (a newspaper in this case) that completely disregards the emotions and affections of their clients. Mr Murdoch as he is always well advised, issued a statement to settle the issue out of the courts and out of the public scrutiny.

the Wheel of Fortune (or destiny)

If you create an act, you create a habit. If you create a habit, you create character. If you create a character, you create a destiny.

Its the little choices that make up our lives. Human being are governed by free will, however we rarely see such choices come up in our lives. Its the little choices that count, those choices like waking up earlier or later, or wearing this or that outfit, that make up our lives. Even better, the choices that makes our day, taking this road, instead of that one, taking time to listen to a friend or a relative...

We choose constantly throughout the day, sometimes it seems that the choices pick you, instead of us making sound and sane choices. Then coincidences are no longer little freak events where we try to look busy and really interested in some other place and time. We must stop looking foolishly busy or not interested in these coincidences, but must act pleasently surprised to find that they constitute the makeup of our minds and our lives...

Carlo Tamagnone, an Italian philosopher from Turin, proposed a pragmatic view of destiny, like a force on the back that pilots the life of the men. According to him the destiny is therefore not an anthropological a priori, but an a posteriori of the flow of life, as evolutionary way under construction by every living person. In fact, apart from the genetic factor as its base, the destiny is forming by living and by accumulating experiences of life. In this perspective, the dstiny is therefore something that each individual built up as largely as an involuntary "project" of his life, acting and influencing his decisions and choices. Tamagnone recognizes six destinal elements-agents: the genetic inheritance, the childish imprinting, the condition, the situation, the role, the social class and the level of wealth

the blue house

Alone I sit from my blue
house that shelters me from
strange and afars, sights
and smells of tree

Alone I sit, and afar I read
your verses from wherever you are
Inside with me

This blue ceiling and walls
is what I see, and the covers
and the paintings they are blue
inside of me.

Afar from the winds and the feathers
while some leaves still stay with me
from the red yearning of my soul
to the green inspiration of my trees,
turning blue into everything that I see...

painting by Marc Chagall

the more things [climate] change, the more they stay the same

As published by Harpers magazine, the increase in lobby for climate change policy has really blossomed in the United States. This makes me outright challenge climate change allegations. Its not that I do not agree the planet is taking a beating with pollution, over harvesting, fishing and what not, but our understanding of how does the planet work, and better yet, is the remedial action going to have the planned effects?

I think Al Gore is suspect...

The number of lobbyists seeking to influence federal policy on climate change has grown more than 300 percent in five years, with a slew of new interests from Main Street to Wall Street adding to the challenge of addressing global warming, according to a new Center for Public Integrity report, The Climate Change Lobby. The report provides a first-of-its-kind look at the universe of special interests shaping debate in the United States and how it has sharply expanded between 2003— when Congress previously voted on climate change— and 2008.

Among the report’s findings:

More than 770 companies and organizations hired some 2,340 lobbyists to work on climate change and spent at least $90 million lobbying in 2008. The American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity—a group of 48 companies—topped the list of those solely focused on the issue, spending $9.95 million.

Finance, insurance and investment firms, with virtually no presence in the climate debate on Capitol Hill in 2003, last year had as many lobbyists as alternative energy firms— about 130. Their interest is in shaping the rules of a market-based “cap-and-trade” system.

Despite the huge growth in the number of environmental, health and alternative energy lobbyists, they are outnumbered by industry and other interests 8-to-1.

First Madoff, Now Stanford

My friend Rick P (aka Yogui) has suggested me to address the issue surrounding Stanford Bank and fraud allegations and government intervention of a global banking institution. Asides from value judgments this is like a wet dream for any banking and finance attorneys. And for bankruptcy attorneys well it’s like hunting such a huge animal only comparable to a huge Tuna, definitely more meat than teethes to sink in.

What really gets my attention is this fellow Robert Allen Stanford. He comes from Mexia, Texas (a small town in Texas) yet officially resides in the US Virgin Islands and is an honorary citizen of Antigua. He was born in 1950, which roughly makes him 59 years old. He officially holds no formal education, not even a community college degree, at least made public. Stanford International Bank became global from its operation in Antigua during the last 10 years. What really gets my attention is that this bank from Antigua was targeting Latin American investors. Specifically, investors between the figures of 250K all the way up to 20 million dollars. To this date, Stanford Banks have been controlled by governments in Mexico, Panama, Venezuela, Ecuador and Peru.

The Banks experience was directly from Allen Stanford real estate experience and his board, comprised mainly by his college roommate (did he drop out from college? or what?), his father, Laura Pendergast-Holt (a hot chick, apparently Stanford’s mistress) and a resident from Mexia, Texas.

Mr. Stanford has had quite a joyride throughout the years, living a lavish lifestyle while remaining savvy with his greedy Latin American friends. Now, the fraud was not only in Latin America. The fraud permeated the United States, where the SEC and the FBI had to intervene when they found out that Stanford was offering an insane percentage against cash in Certificates of Deposits (CD). Now, US government officials conducted their investigations in Antigua (what? now Antigua is US jurisdiction?), and have seized property belonging to Stanford in Stanford International Bank and ordered the repatriation of cash to the United States.

What really baffles me is that Stanford Bank was being sued by Stanford University, because Allen Stanford alleged that his great-great-great-great grandfather was related to the found of Stanford University. Also being sued by St Judes Cancer Hospital, because Stanford had represented in its financial statements that they made a contribution of 15 Million Dollars, which they never received.

As of yesterday the FBI issued a press release statement disclosing to the public that Stanford Bank may have laundered money for the Cartel of Gulf (Mexico’s worst drug cartel operation), which now makes sense to have operations throughout Latin America, including Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela...And for the FBI to release such a statement translates into what they think professionally before they present the case to a Federal Judge on legal grounds. Time will only tell, but when the news come do not be a stranger...

NY Post a racist according to Al Sharpton

Do you think this cartoon is racist? According to Al Sharpton this cartoon published by NY Post depicts racism against the Black President, Barack Obama. I truly disagree, I think that the author was relating to the chimps in DC that drafted the Stimulus Plan, which was by the way, really huge...

the end of Facebook?

I seriously predict that Facebook users will dramatically come down. I think that users will migrate their profiles to other, smaller and more targeted online communities. Online communities that will identify with each user, instead of a mega web site where you can find virtually anyones profile and ask them if they can join you as a virtual "friend". In my case I intially joined Facebook when I was at law school in 2006 and I remembered that I closed my account because of people asking him to join them as friend, even though I met them the night before...

Its not that I hate social networking, in fact, I think its important. Nowadays I have a profile and am a member of a closed social network website, ASW.

I think Mark Zuckerberg should sell the site before it looses more and more value...


Facebook backs down, reverses on user information policyStory Highlights

Outraged members canceled their accounts or created online petitions

On Wednesday, Facebook reviewed user "feedback," and reverted to its old policy

Next Article in Technology »

(CNN) -- Under fire from tens of thousands of users, the social networking site Facebook said early Wednesday it is reverting to its old policy on user information -- for now.


Backlash against Facebook began after a consumer advocate site flagged Facebook's policy change.

The site posted a brief message on users' home pages that said it was returning to its previous "Terms of Use" policy "while we resolve the issues that people have raised."

The "Terms of Use" is the legalese tacked on to the bottom of most Web sites that details what the site's owners can do with the information that users provide.

Facebook, the Web's most popular social networking site, has been caught in a content-rights battle after revealing earlier this month that it was granting itself permanent rights to users' photos, wall posts and other information even after a user closed an account.

The popular site allows users to create personal profiles where they can then connect with one another, upload photos and share links. The site boasts more than 150 million active users.

Member backlash against Facebook began over the weekend after a consumer advocate Web site, The Consumerist, flagged a change made to Facebook's policy earlier in the month.

The company deleted a sentence from the old Terms of Use. That sentence said Facebook could not claim any rights to original content that a user uploaded once the user closed his or her account.

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Facebook faces furor over content rights
It replaced it with: "You may remove your User Content from the Site at any time. ... (H)owever, you acknowledge that the Company may retain archived copies of your User Content."

In response, Chris Walters wrote in the Consumerist post, "Make sure you never upload anything you don't feel comfortable giving away forever, because it's Facebook's now."

Thousands of indignant members either canceled their accounts or created online petitions. Among them were more than 64,000 who joined a group called "The People Against the new Terms of Service."

On Monday, Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg tried to quell the controversy by saying the company's philosophy is that "people own their information and control who they share it with."

But members were not appeased because the site did not fix its Terms of Use. The company, in its post Wednesday, said it was returning to its previous Terms of Use because of the "feedback" it had received.

"As Mark expressed in his blog post on Monday, it was never our intention to confuse people or make them uneasy about sharing on Facebook," company spokesman Barry Schnitt said in a blog post. "I also want to be very clear that Facebook does not, nor have we ever, claimed ownership over people's content. Your content belongs to you."

Schnitt said the company is in the process of rewording its Terms of Use in "simple language that defines Facebook's rights much more specifically."

Who is Valentin Santana ? La Piedrita, anyone?

Valentin Santana is the leader of an urban "collective" movement (La Piedrita) that seeks to protect the poor against the oppression of the state in a Venezuelan barrio (slums, projects or shankytown) called 23 de Enero in Caracas. Their name derives from being a "little stone" on the shoes of criminals, the empire or the oppressor.

Valentin Santana has claimed responsibility for criminal acts against Venezuelan private citizens (Marcel Granier, Alberto Federico Ravell and journalist Martha Colomina) just because they publicly oppose Chavez´s regime. He has publicly said through Venezuelan media that opposition leaders must be "executed". What is really insane is that this fellow has publicly violate the law by threating private citizens and tagging them "enemies of the revolution" or "representatives of the empire" and that they must be passed through revolutionary weapons.

What is worse, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, has publicly ordered the arrest of Valentin Santana. Chavez claims he is vital for peace in Venezuela. Still, to this date, Valentin Santana has remain free and vocal, even giving interviews to reporters from his military style bunker in Caracas.

Here you can see him with his shirt "Diego" which was his son, who was allegedly killed by Tupa Amaros (social group with ties with Chavez)...

Tocqueville and the Tyranny of the Majority

Alexis de Tocqueville was a French Political thinker that revolutionized the conception of democracy in the United States of America. He wrote about the democracy in the United States as a example to be followed by European governments.

Concerning the tyranny of the majority, de Tocqueville argues that there is little toleration of difference of opinion in democratic societies. Unlike in aristocratic societies, public opinion is seen as authentic rather than ascribed, and therefore has a great deal more moral force.

He argues that In USA, the government is exposed to the whims of the majority. Particularly in the legislature, which is elected at short intervals,representatives must act on public opinion in order to stay in office.

Furthermore, "the moral authority of the majority is partly based on the notion that there is more intelligence and wisdom in a number of men united than a single individual, and that the number of legislators is more important that their quality".
Yet another principle ensures the moral power of the majority. It is that "the interests of the many are to be preferred to those of the few".

A danger of democracy is that it can crush independence of thought:

"I know of no country in which, speaking generally, there is less independence of mind and true freedom of discussion than in America [...] As long as the majority is still undecided, discussion is carried on; but as soon as its decision is irrevocably pronounced, everyone is silent, and the friends as well as the opponents of the measure unite in assenting to its propriety "

In Europe, a person at odds with a repressive government can usually find shelter somewhere. If their opinion is at odds with an aristocratic government, then they can usually find security with the general populace. If it is at odds with the populace, the opposite is true.

The censure delivered on dissenters is much harsher in democratic societies than in aristocratic societies. In aristocratic societies one is tortured and punished but one's soul escapes. In democratic societies, "the body is left free and the sould enslaved":

“The sovereign can no longer say, “You shall think as I do on pain of death”: but he says, “You are free to think differently from me, and to retain your life, your property, and all that you possess; but if such be your determination, you are henceforth an alien along your people. You may retain your civil rights, buy they will be useless to you, for you will never be chosen by your fellow-citizens, if you solicit their suffrages; and they will affect to scorn you, if you solicit their esteem. You will remain among men, but you like an impure being; and those who are mostly persuaded of your innocence will abandon you too, lest they should be shunned in their turn."

Given this overwhelming moral power of "majority opinion", its ability to ostracise, and its tendency to enforce conformity, it is possible that the average person may simply abdicate responsibility for taking part in political debate and accept majority opinion as his own. De Tocqueville argues that this is a fault of democracy in general, rather than democracy in America.

Tocqueville states that "unlimited power is itself a bad and dangerous thing. Human beings are not competent to exercise it with discretion." Only God, in his perfection, is fit to exercise such power. When absolute command is conferred on any power, there is a germ of tyranny. The main problem with the democratic insitutions of the United States comes their irresistible strength. "I am not so much alarmed at the excessive liberty which reigns in that country as at the inadequate securities which one finds there against tyranny."

If a party is wronged, the only entity that one can turn to is the majority. The majority controls the legislature, the executive and courts.

"If the free institutions of America are destroyed, that event may be attributed to the omnipotence of the majority, which may at some future time urge the minorities to desperation and oblige them to have recourse to physical force.".

Tocqueville cites Madison's Federalist 51, where Madison states his opinion on faction. He states that it is of paramount importance to protect the weak against the strong, and prevent the oppresion of fractious majorities. Madison argues that the real danger is the tyranny of the legislature, which is so exposed to the whims of the majority.

An Example of the Tyranny of the Majority

In the chapter "The Unlimited Power of the Majority", De Tocqueville cites two examples of the tyranny of the majority.

During the war of 1812, a newspaper in Baltimore had taken the opinion of the other side, and "excited the indignation of the inhabitants". The mob attacked printing presses, the militia was called out, but did not respond. The only way of saving those threatened was to throw them into prison. The prison was then forced upon and the editors killed. The guilty were acquitted.

The other example is that of black voters. The blacks were ostensibly allowed to vote, but De Tocqueville is told that they "volutarily abstain from making their appearance" at the voting booth, because they are afraid of being bullied or mistreated.

"The law is sometimes unable to maintain its authority without the support of the majority".

The majority, De Tocqueville concludes, have the right not only to make the laws, but to break them as well. It is only another instance of the importance of mores and values.

Tyranny of the Majority (Venezuelans approve amendment concerning no term limits for public officials)

No term limit for Venezuelan elected officials

Venezuelans yesterday, Sunday February 15, 2009 have approved in a public referendum to ammend the constitutional provisions that limits the terms for elected public officials, including the President, Governors, Assembly Representative (parliamnent or congress), Mayors and Deputies before State or local Councils.

The victory of the Yes proposition was 54% over 46%, in a 9% difference. The only States in Venezuela where the proposition No won over yes where: Zulia, Tachira, Merida, Miranda and Nueva Esparta. Which means that most of Venezuelans approve the government of Chavez...

What remains true, is that Chavez totally abused the powers of the Presidency for his campaign, it was outright insane.

The answer lies now in Campaign Finance Reform laws in Venezuela. Currently the legal framework resides in the Organic Law of Electoral Power and the Organic Law for Voting and Political Participation. What is even worse, Venezuelans must now turn their opinion and enable institutions to control the National Electoral Power (Consejo Nacional Electoral, or CNE) in their duties to moderate the participation of elected officials in their election campaigns. But I guess that is too sofisticated even for Venezuelans...

the mating game or on why you cant hurry love

My alma mater drawing headlines in the world for really progressive research has this time, outdone themselves. Prepare to be knocked off from your feet, specially if you are single, like me...

An LSE researcher has helped to develop a mathematical model of the mating game to help explain why courtship is often drawn out.

Duration of courtship effort as a costly signal, by Dr Peter Sozou, research associate, Centre for Philosophy of Natural and Social Science, LSE and Professor Robert Seymour, Mathematics, University College London (UCL) shows that extended courtship enables a male to signal his suitability to a female and enables the female to screen out the male if he is unsuitable as a mate.

The research, published in the January edition of the Journal of Theoretical Biology, uses game theory to analyse how males and females behave strategically towards each other in the mating game.

Dr Peter Sozou, LSE Centre for Philosophy of Natural and Social Science and Warwick Medical School and, said: 'From a female's point of view, males are not all equal. A female would like to mate with a good male, but cannot tell a male's type from his appearance alone.

'The strategic problem the female faces is how to screen out bad males, and this is where long courtship comes into play. A male is assumed to always want to mate with a female, but a good male is more willing to pay the cost of a long courtship in order to claim the prize of mating. This leads to an outcome in which the female is not willing to mate immediately, but instead requires the male to wait for an indeterminate time before she agrees to mate with him. During this time, the male may give up on courting the female.

'Bad males give up at some random time if the female has not by then mated with them, but good males are more persistent and do not give up. The female’s strategy is a compromise - a trade-off between on the one hand the greater risk of mating with a bad male if she mates too quickly, and on the other hand the time cost of delay. Under this compromise there remains some risk that she will mate with the wrong type of male. She cannot eliminate this risk completely unless she decides never to mate.'

Young Dwarf Star

One of the hottest white dwarfs known to scientists lies in the heart of this nebula, called NGC 2440, about 4,000 light-years from Earth. The star (the bright dot near the photo's center), has a surface temperature of roughly 360,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Since white dwarfs cool as they age, this one must be relatively young. The glowing purple aura around it is the left-over material cast off by the star when it became a white dwarf star at the end of its life


White Dwarf: Dead Star ShiningBy 02.13.09 At the end of a star's lifetime, when it's burned all there is inside it to burn, it often collapses into what's called a white dwarf star. These dense globes have roughly the mass of the sun packed tight into a ball the size of the Earth. Since there is no fuel left for fusion in white dwarfs, they shine only faintly, by emitting stored heat. A white dwarf is thought to be the end stage awaiting most of the stars in our galactic neighborhood, including the sun — only about 3 percent of nearby stars have masses so huge that they collapse even further in supernova explosions.

Sabato nominated for Nobel Lit prize

One of Latinamerica´s finest writers alive, Ernesto Sabato, has been nominated to the Nobel Literature Prize. Ernesto Sabato was born in Argentina back in 1911. Curiously he graduated from Physics and earned his PhD from La Plata National University in Argentina. He also worked in the Currie Institute in Paris. After World War II, Ernesto Sabato lost his faith in science and starting writing.

His first book, the Tunnel (el Tunel) was a major success. This was his best book in my opinion which was a major literary inspiration in my law school days.

Some memorable quotes from Ernesto Sabato:

Un genio es alguien que descubre que la piedra que cae y la luna que no cae representan un solo y mismo fenómeno.

A genius is he who discovers that the rock that drops and the moons that does not, represents the one and same phenomenon.

Vivir consiste en construir futuros recuerdos.

To live consists in building future memories.

Ser original es en cierto modo estar poniendo de manifiesto la mediocridad de los demás.

To be original is in certain mode to manifestly highlight the mediocracy of others.

La vanidad es tan fantástica, que hasta nos induce a preocuparnos de lo que pensarán de nosotros una vez muertos y enterrados.

Vanity is so fantastic that it induces to worry about what will be thought of us once we are dead and buried.

Cops arrest Michael Phelp´s (weed) friends in Columbus, South Carolina

Local people in South Carolina are calling it the Michael Phelps incident. A week ago, 8 time olympic gold winner, Michael Phelps was shown in a picture of the News of World paper in United Kingdom hitting the (weed) bong. Now police in South Carolina apparently have arrested some of the friends that where with Phelps. This is truly a classic example of how the politics of drugs often violate civil liberties. Police in South Carolina must be water tight on the evidence, and I am not talking about heresay or simple cell phone pictures.

The legal quagmire resides in the fact that Michael Phelps has publicly recognized that he smoke marijuana in Columbus, South Carolina. Now, police in South Carolina can (must?) charge Michael Phelps at least with possession of drug controlled substances, because of the news of the crime...Phelps is facing a three month ban from competitive swimming and now it looks like a court date in South Carolina...

What percentage of US college students have clean sheets from criminal courts in the US? Not a lot I would say...

the Benkler-Carr wager - Peer produced or price incentivized?

Back in July 2006, Nicholas Carr (editor of Havard Business Review) made a bet with Yochai Benkler (a teacher of law from Yale & Harvard), concerning the future the internet. They envisioned the future of the most influential sites on the internet. Nicholas Carr argues that in the future the most influential sites will be dominated by price incentivized sites (content provided by paid workers) whereas Yochai Benkler argues that in the future the most influential sites will be commons based peer production (as wikipedia, youtube and flickr).

I think Benkler is right...

his book wealth of networks can be freely accessed at benkler.org

the Michael Phelps-Bong incident

This is the reply of Mike Edison (former publisher of High Times Magazine) concering Michael Phelps incident smoking weed out of a bong...

George W. Bush never had to answer for his “youthful indiscretions.” Michael Phelps, not so lucky. Having been caught red-handed with a smoking bong firmly pasted to his maw, the long knives are out for the Olympic hero.
Let’s see if I’ve got this right. Phelps isn’t a future Hall of Famer juicing himself with the “cream” and the “clear,” or getting his gluteus maximus pin-cushioned with designer ’roids. He isn’t a doped racehorse, or a testosterone-shooting bike nerd trying to turn his Lycra-Spandexed bum into a blur pedaling across France.
He isn’t even the current president of the United States, who freely admits to having toked his share of tropical trumpets back in his Hawaiian hoodlum days, not to mention tooting some of the Big Island’s finest imported disco dust.
He’s a 23-year-old rock star who got caught smoking pot. How is Phelps going to do the breast stroke covered in tar and feathers?