I couldn't read the first x-ray because it was never in my printed paper:
"Chavez undergoing cancer treatment" July 01, 2011|By Bloomberg News
Over a week late, but I suppose I should be grateful they even bothered to mention it.
CARACAS - President Hugo Chavez said yesterday he is being treated for cancer in Cuba after doctors on the communist island discovered tumors during an emergency operation this month that had been shrouded in mystery.
Chavez, in a videotaped message read to Venezuelans from Havana, said all the cancerous tumors had been removed and he was recovering. He gave no time for his return after his government earlier this week canceled a summit of Latin American heads of state scheduled for next week....
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Then the Sunday Globe website gave me a blank one:
"Chavez's cancer revelation rattles Venezuela" by Ian James Associated Press / July 2, 2011
CARACAS, Venezuela—President Hugo Chavez's disclosure that he is being treated for cancer is raising questions about whether he will be able to run for re-election next year and how his illness may impact the future of his socialist movement in Latin America.
While Chavez remained in Cuba recovering from surgery that removed a cancerous tumor, he sought to assure his supporters that he remains in charge and expects to fully recover.
"We're optimistic and we know we'll get out of this," Chavez said in a telephone interview on Cuban television Friday night.
He said he planned to meet with some of his Cabinet ministers Saturday to discuss agriculture projects and other issues.
"No one expected this illness. But it is useful for us to rise above it as we are doing," Chavez was quoted as saying by the state-run Venezuelan News Agency. "It is going to strengthen us."
Questions remain about how sick Chavez is. He announced Thursday night that a surgery had successfully removed the tumor in his pelvic region, though he didn't give details about what kind of cancer he had or say how soon he might return home.
In the streets, hundreds of the ailing leader's supporters poured into a downtown plaza, shouting "Onward, commander!"
Vice President Elias Jaua assured Venezuelans on Friday that there was no need for Chavez to cede his duties as president....
Then the wall went up.
General Henry Rangel Silva, a military chief and member of Chavez's inner circle, assured the country that Venezuela's stability "is guaranteed."
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Chavez's illness has created uncertainty in a political system he has dominated during his more than 12 years in power.
What did the above.... never mind, sigh.
A weakened Chavez also poses potential challenges for his efforts to counter US influence and rally the radical left in Latin America and beyond.
Hmmmmmm.
Some analysts predict that if Chavez's illness worsens, his socialist-inspired Bolivarian Revolution movement might face troubles because of a lack of clear successor.
And cui bono?
"Chavismo without Chavez doesn't exist," said Joel D. Hirst, an international affairs fellow at the Washington-based Council on Foreign Relations. "The revolution is really about one man."
No revolution is ever about one man, and that includes my heroes Gandhi and MLK.
"If for some reason Chavez was not able to continue as president or to run in the 2012 election, it would produce a tectonic shift in Latin America politics," Hirst said.
If Chavez were to die....
They sound almost hopeful, don't they?
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And while we are in Cuba:
"Cuba gives details of law relaxing limits on home, car sales; Strict system has been in place since 1959 revolution" July 02, 2011|By Peter Orsi, Associated Press
HAVANA - Cuba has revealed the first details of a highly anticipated new law meant to loosen rules on the buying and selling of homes and cars, which have been tightly controlled since the 1959 revolution.
The law is still being crafted and will take effect by the end of the year, the Communist Party newspaper Granma reported yesterday. It is meant to help ease a severe housing shortage and legalize unofficial title transfers that are commonly used to skirt the state's rigid rules.
Under the current system, which allows one-to-one home swaps, thousands of dollars in cash typically pass under the table in complicated black-market transactions that can involve multiple parties and several properties. Some Cubans enter into sham marriages to be able transfer property titles.
Individuals will still not be allowed to own more than one home, and the sales will be taxed, Granma said. Bureaucratic hurdles will be eliminated, meaning transactions can be notarized and completed without having to seek prior authorization. Family members will be able to inherit property even if they are not living at the address....
The law is part of a sweeping package of free-market changes that the government is counting on to perk up a sluggish economy....
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Next Day Update:
"Chávez cheered by display of support" by Associated Press / July 4, 2011
CARACAS - A march by thousands of Venezuelans to mark the country’s bicentennial quickly turned into a show of support yesterday for ailing President Hugo Chávez, who remained in Cuba recovering from the removal of a cancerous tumor.
The president’s red-clad supporters waved flags, beat drums, and chanted “Long live Chávez!’’ They also displayed signs reading “Get well soon, commander’’ and “Venezuela is with you.’’
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The march was organized as part of the country’s weeklong celebrations marking the 200th anniversary of its declaration of independence from Spain. A military parade is planned on tomorrow’s anniversary....
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