The Devil's Excrement: Recent Episodes
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Observations focused on the problems of an underdeveloped country, Venezuela, with some serendipity about the world (orchids, techs, science, investments, politics) at large. A famous Venezuelan, Juan Pablo Perez Alfonzo, referred to oil as the devil's excrement. For countries, easy wealth appears indeed to be the sure path to failure. Venezuela might be a clear example of that.
My only remaining connection to Venezuela is the arepa index, also called the hyper-inflated arepa index, which was created as a way of keeping tabs on inflation. Boy, little did I know how it would grow! The arepa cost 385,000 Bs on February 27. This gives a new all time high for the inflation rate […]
A good friend just reported back to me that on Jan 27 the price of my usual queso de mano arepa bought at my favorite arepera was 225,000 Bs., up from essentially two months earlier when it was 35.000 bolivars, for a rise of roughly 270% a month! Although some months I did not measure […]
A friend, LFU, came to visit and asked me “Do you want me to get you the price of the arepa?”. I said yes, but you have to find the same arepa and arepera. It is queso de mano at GHA. He went on Nov 20th and found the price to be “only” Bs. 35,000 […]
Do you ever wonder why Maduro does not give up? He could do so many things. But he is not wired that way. He. wants power. Not since the Ukraine has there been a case like Venezuela and it is evident the government knows history. A change in style? Regime change. Change in terms of the […]
(I wrote this post a week ago, but had no Internet) It’s really a tragedy. The price of oil shot up and Chavez took advantage of it. He also produced more and took advantage of it again, producing heavy crudes. And sent lots to China in exchange for cash. He got more of the […]
I dont’t want to make this blog about me. But my country is falling apart and I haven’t lived there since my accident so what special knowledge do I have? But I have had wonderful experiences in having people show their appreciation and they have moved me. They really liked me! I have mentioned some […]
Up to August 6th, The Devil thought he was immortal. No more. That day he was on a bicycle in boca raton, and was hit by a car. My wife was biking with me, but she was ahead and wondered where I was. By the time she found me, I was unconscious and a long […]
The Devil has been silent for the last few months. Last summer, he was struck by a car while riding his bicycle and suffered a traumatic brain injury. He was in critical condition for several weeks and continued in acute care for another month but is now medically stable enough to have started physical and […]
My good friend Maruja dedicates this video to Venezuela’s Political prisoners, those persecuted and those in exile
Venezuelans crowd the Simon Bolivar bridge in the border with Colombia waiting for its opening to go buy food and supplies there. I have been fascinated by the events at the Venezuela-Colombia border for the last two weekends, as the Government decided to open a relief valve and let Venezuelans go over to Colombia for […]