"On the bench; The Citgo sign in Kenmore Square will get a much needed renovation in next few weeks" by Jack Nicas, Globe Correspondent | July 22, 2010
The Citgo sign, the bright beacon above Kenmore Square standing tall in the air beyond Fenway Park’s left-field, Green Monster wall., will go dark tomorrow for a 1-to-2-month hiatus while crews replace its 218,000 LED lights with brighter, more flexible, weather-resistant versions....
Citgo, part of Venezuela’s government-owned oil company, said the new renovation is timed to mark its 100th anniversary. Although the sign is a beloved symbol of the city, it has at times drawn scorn for its Venezuelan connections.
Of course, I DID NOT HEAR ANYONE COMPLAINING when he was running CHEAP HEATING OIL up here while AmeriKan oil companies (and BP) were gouging the s*** out of us.
After its $1.5 million upgrade in 2005, Mayor Thomas M. Menino flipped the ceremonial switch with Juan Barreto, then mayor of Caracas, and former Red Sox shortstop Luis Aparicio, the only Venezuelan in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
But a year later, as President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela criticized President George W. Bush, Jerry McDermott, then a city councilor, called for the sign’s removal....
Chavez called him 'El Diablo," and I think he was right.
Yeah, I do smell something, readers.
Related: Drums of War Silent in Boston Globe
The Boston Globe's Invisible Ink: Violins of War Sounding For Venezuela
Yeah, we can still hear things even in the dark:
"Venezuela cuts ties with Colombia" by Associated Press | July 23, 2010
CARACAS — President Hugo Chávez severed Venezuela’s diplomatic relations with Colombia yesterday over allegations that he harbors guerrillas, and he warned that his neighbor’s leader could attempt to provoke a war.
Over a sign?
Chávez said he was forced to break off all relations because Colombian officials contend that he has failed to act against leftist rebels who allegedly have taken shelter in Venezuelan territory.
He acted moments after Ambassador Luis Alfonso Hoyos of Colombia presented a meeting of the Organization of American States in Washington with photos, videos, witness testimony, and maps of what he said were rebel camps inside Venezuela and challenged Venezuelan officials to let independent observers visit them.
Yeah, not like any of that stuff could be phonied up or anything.
In Washington, Hoyos said roughly 1,500 rebels are hiding in Venezuela, and he showed fellow diplomats numerous aerial photographs of what he identified as rebel camps.
CIA got busted, 'eh?
Hoyos said the government of President Álvaro Uribe has repeatedly asked for Venezuela’s cooperation to prevent guerrillas from slipping over the porous 1,400-mile border.
“We have the right to demand that Venezuela doesn’t hide those wanted by Colombia,’’ Hoyos said, urging the OAS to investigate Colombia’s assertions.
He insisted that several rebel leaders are hiding in Venezuela.
Chávez’s envoy, Roy Chaderton, did not respond to the challenge to allow visits to the camp sites and said the photographs don’t provide solid evidence of a guerrilla presence.--more--"
Related:
"US builds up its bases in oil-rich South America; From the Caribbean to Brazil, political opposition to US plans for 'full-spectrum operations' is escalating rapidly
The United States is massively building up its potential for nuclear and non-nuclear strikes in Latin America and the Caribbean by acquiring unprecedented freedom of action in seven new military, naval and air bases in Colombia. The development – and the reaction of Latin American leaders to it – is further exacerbating America's already fractured relationship with much of the continent.
The new US push is part of an effort to counter the loss of influence it has suffered recently at the hands of a new generation of Latin American leaders no longer willing to accept Washington's political and economic tutelage....
--MORE--"
So WHEN is the INVASION?
Obama's August surprise?
