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The_Goat Member
Joined: 03 Mar 2007 Posts: 3260 Location: South of France
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Posted: Wed Mar 06, 2013 4:24 pm Post subject: Hugo Chavez dead |
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http://uk.news.yahoo.com/venezuelas-chavez-dies-ending-era-064437709.html
First Kim Jong Il, now Chavez. Quite sure Castro will follow pretty soon. The World will soon be bereft of some interesting characters.
But whatever his politics, I liked the man. He had chutzpah, one must admit. And unlike Kim Jong Il and Castro, he didn't ruin the lives of the so called 'class enemies'.
RIP. _________________ I don't know which is the more pampered bunch : AI's widebodies (the aunties) or Jet's widebodies (the planes).
-Jasepl |
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jasepl Member
Joined: 26 Jul 2008 Posts: 4257 Location: bund-bay
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Posted: Thu Mar 07, 2013 8:17 pm Post subject: |
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True. LIke Silvio and Sarko, politics aside (and, frankly, Hugo's politics didn't affect us) he at least had character.
Compared to yawn-fests like Hollande and Manmohan. _________________ four years free of jetya punti! |
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Spiderguy252 Member
Joined: 10 Aug 2007 Posts: 4259 Location: Indian Ocean
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Posted: Fri Mar 08, 2013 10:00 pm Post subject: |
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Slightly tangential, but does anybody believe this nonsense? Over the past year, I've been heavily into the subject of peak oil, and these OPEC graphs are as dodgy as they come.
As a thumb rule, countries like to overstate their reserves to receive continued funding from the organization - so you have massive jumps at portions of the graph without any associated discovery on the ground. Furthermore, the lines are always horizontal on other occasions - meaning that coincidentally, each country is discovering just as much oil as they're producing each year - there's never any decline!
Have a look at Venezuela's Chavez instigated jump in 2008. That's scarcely believable, claiming that they now have fewer barrels than just Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile, this is the reality of their output:
The arrow indicates Chavez's entry into power, and they near-peaked shortly afterward. Chavez drove their industry into the ground in a matter of a year or two, trying to achieve a maximum effort or a secondary peak, as it's called. _________________ Yeah. |
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stealthpilot Member
Joined: 19 Dec 2006 Posts: 2325 Location: BLR, DXB
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Posted: Sun Mar 10, 2013 1:57 pm Post subject: |
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Set aside the oil output, look at the crime rate this past decade. It's gone up and up and up .... Venezuela is scary for locals many of whom dont want to return because they are scared of getting mugged/killed over a carjacking.
He might have personality but he made the streets even more unsafe. _________________ eP007 |
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The_Goat Member
Joined: 03 Mar 2007 Posts: 3260 Location: South of France
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Posted: Sun Mar 10, 2013 3:11 pm Post subject: |
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At no point did anyone claim that Hugo was a great leader. He was as inept, clueless and as full of hubris as they come. Much like Kim Jong, Castro, Mugabe and other bozos.
But in spite of being dictatorial, he didn't indulge in any blood fest, which is quite praiseworthy. He also consistently kept showing the US the middle finger (the Bush Administration in particular) whilst sitting in their backyard, which is also quite commendable. These attributes lent him certain endearing characteristics of strength, which are becoming all too rare in a World in which positions of leadership are increasingly getting usurped by buttlickers and bullshitters.
For that alone Hugo deserves respect. _________________ I don't know which is the more pampered bunch : AI's widebodies (the aunties) or Jet's widebodies (the planes).
-Jasepl |
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Spiderguy252 Member
Joined: 10 Aug 2007 Posts: 4259 Location: Indian Ocean
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Posted: Mon Mar 11, 2013 8:31 pm Post subject: |
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The_Goat wrote: | At no point did anyone claim that Hugo was a great leader. He was as inept, clueless and as full of hubris as they come. Much like Kim Jong, Castro, Mugabe and other bozos.
But in spite of being dictatorial, he didn't indulge in any blood fest, which is quite praiseworthy. He also consistently kept showing the US the middle finger (the Bush Administration in particular) whilst sitting in their backyard, which is also quite commendable. These attributes lent him certain endearing characteristics of strength, which are becoming all too rare in a World in which positions of leadership are increasingly getting usurped by buttlickers and bullshitters.
For that alone Hugo deserves respect. |
How would you categorize Iran's Ahmadinejad, then? _________________ Yeah. |
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The_Goat Member
Joined: 03 Mar 2007 Posts: 3260 Location: South of France
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Posted: Mon Mar 11, 2013 9:45 pm Post subject: |
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Spiderguy252 wrote: |
How would you categorize Iran's Ahmadinejad, then? |
A powerless muppet, if there ever was one.
The real power in Iran rests with the Ayatollah (The Supreme Leader) and the Revolutionary Guard. Ahmedinejad is just an appointee who neither decides policy, nor does he have any control over anything besides mundane day to day administration.
Ahmedinejad cannot be compared with rulers like Chavez and Kim Jong, who had real power in their hands.
Iranian politics is rather complex , from what I gather from my Iranian friends. On one hand there's Ahmedinejad threatening to wipe out Israel, which he cannot do as he has no control over the military or the foreign policy. On the other there's the Ayatollah and his cronies with the real power, who keep a low profile and are not really against the US and Israel, as long as they are allowed to run their nuclear program.
One wierd country that. _________________ I don't know which is the more pampered bunch : AI's widebodies (the aunties) or Jet's widebodies (the planes).
-Jasepl |
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Spiderguy252 Member
Joined: 10 Aug 2007 Posts: 4259 Location: Indian Ocean
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Posted: Tue Mar 12, 2013 1:20 am Post subject: |
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The_Goat wrote: | One wierd country that. |
Fascinating too, you'd have to wonder where they'd be if not for the events of 1979. Of course, the then Shah would have still expired in 1980 but the political system would be a more moderate pro-West government that would in no way be subject to the sanctions and international pressure, among other things, that the country is seeing today. _________________ Yeah. |
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ssbmat Member
Joined: 20 Dec 2006 Posts: 1710
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Posted: Wed Mar 13, 2013 8:53 am Post subject: |
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The_Goat wrote: | Spiderguy252 wrote: |
How would you categorize Iran's Ahmadinejad, then? |
A powerless muppet, if there ever was one.
The real power in Iran rests with the Ayatollah (The Supreme Leader) and the Revolutionary Guard. Ahmedinejad is just an appointee who neither decides policy, nor does he have any control over anything besides mundane day to day administration.
Ahmedinejad cannot be compared with rulers like Chavez and Kim Jong, who had real power in their hands.
Iranian politics is rather complex , from what I gather from my Iranian friends. On one hand there's Ahmedinejad threatening to wipe out Israel, which he cannot do as he has no control over the military or the foreign policy. On the other there's the Ayatollah and his cronies with the real power, who keep a low profile and are not really against the US and Israel, as long as they are allowed to run their nuclear program.
One wierd country that. |
If only the USA would have let people be without messing around ever since WW2, the world would have been a much peaceful place. |
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ssbmat Member
Joined: 20 Dec 2006 Posts: 1710
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Posted: Wed Mar 13, 2013 9:12 am Post subject: |
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The_Goat wrote: | At no point did anyone claim that Hugo was a great leader. He was as inept, clueless and as full of hubris as they come. Much like Kim Jong, Castro, Mugabe and other bozos.
But in spite of being dictatorial, he didn't indulge in any blood fest, which is quite praiseworthy. He also consistently kept showing the US the middle finger (the Bush Administration in particular) whilst sitting in their backyard, which is also quite commendable. These attributes lent him certain endearing characteristics of strength, which are becoming all too rare in a World in which positions of leadership are increasingly getting usurped by buttlickers and bullshitters.
For that alone Hugo deserves respect. |
Agree wholeheartedly. OTOH, look at the Italian naval guards episode and how GOI has handled it. Just one example of the lack of spine.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Few-options-for-India-in-Italian-marines-case/articleshow/18941203.cms |
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iah87 Member
Joined: 17 Apr 2007 Posts: 2566
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Posted: Thu Mar 14, 2013 5:06 am Post subject: |
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I dont think we can compare Hugo with Iran and N. Korean leaders. N. Korea especially. For Venezuelan poor, he is still a hero. Ultimately power corrupts, his tenure was good, but he should have stepped aside when his health was deteriorating. As far as oil revenues, Venzuela has still plenty of oil, there are many desperate companies who will be willing to invest in Venezuela. |
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