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<p>Stuff really started hitting the fan in Venezuela this week, as public discontent with the ongoing crises of basic goods shortages, runaway inflation, and high crime rates has finally come to a head and protests have started popping up all over the country.</p>

Pop star Madonna weighed in on events in Venezuela and Ukraine Thursday, launching an attack against President Maduro via Instagram. Beside a picture of Maduro, Madonna wrote: Apparantly Maduro is not familiar with the phrase "Human Rights"! Facism is alive and thriving in Venezuela and Russia. The Ukraine isn't far behind! #wakethe[%$@#]up #revolutionoflove

Ukraine And Venezuela: This Ain't No Velvet Revolution Venezuelans in Santiago, Chile, protest President Nicolas Maduro's arrest of opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez. AFP/Getty Images Venezuelans in Santiago, Chile, protest President Nicolas Maduro's arrest of opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez. AFP/Getty Images View Enlarged Image Revolts: Two massive uprisings have rocked Ukraine and Venezuela. Neither toppled the countries' tyrants, but the one more likely to succeed is in Ukraine, where resistance is no longer passive. Venezuela saw some of its biggest protests in years on Tuesday, with hundreds of thousands of citizens marching through Caracas and elsewhere, peaceably demanding an end to...

With the eyes of the world on the brutal crackdown on dissent in Venezuela, the regime of Nicolas Maduro decided to try to take a few of those eyes out of action. CNN reporter Karl Penhaul found himself staring down the barrel of a nickel-plated pistol, as plainclothes police confiscated his crew’s camera and transmission equipment. That forced him and his crew to find someplace else as a reporting center, taking them out of the center of the conflict: (video at link)

Sean Penn is an idiot. But you knew that. There are more idiots in Hollywood. But you knew that too. Here is a who's who of Hollywood idiots who were supporters of Hugo Chavez. Oliver Stone, Danny Glover, Kevin Spacey, Harry Belafonte and Don King. Belafonte has claimed that millions of Americans support Chavez. Of Chavez government King once said "To see what is happening here makes me feel good all over." If only someone would shove a microphone up his in his face and in the faces of all these idiots and see what they have to say about...

Moments before his dramatic arrest, opposition leader Leopoldo López told a sea of white-shirted supporters that he doesn’t fear years behind bars if that’s what it takes to open eyes to the damage done to Venezuela by 15 years of socialist rule. “If my jailing serves to awaken a people, serves to awaken Venezuela … then it will be well worth the infamous imprisonment imposed upon me directly, with cowardice” by President Nicolás Maduro, a defiant López shouted through a megaphone Tuesday from atop a statue of 19th century Cuban independence hero José Martí in a Caracas plaza. …

Troubled morning in Caracas (and Venezuela for that matter). The regime finally got its hands on Leopoldo Lopez about 1 hour before I type this lines. But I guess that soon it will wish it had not done so. Then again, with the psychopath faced folks that run the show like Cabello, it is to be doubted they understand their error, probably sickly celebrating in some quarters while, I am sure, a large chunk of chavismo itself is watching in horror at the monster they have created. Because yes, I have the feel that Cabello is behind that arrest as...

As the day progresses, I expect there to be substantial activity in Venezuela. As I learn of it, updates will be provided here or through new posts. Few seem to know what to do. Perhaps Leopoldo Lopez does.According to Daniel, as far as I knew until recently the only English language blogger still hanging on in Venezuela, the country is adrift. The question here is who is most adrift in Venezuela today, the regime or the opposition?  The crisis that started late January in Tachira has spread as no other crisis has spread in Venezuela since "el caracazo" when looting happened in...

The question here is who is most adrift in Venezuela today, the regime or the opposition? The crisis that started late January in Tachira has spread as no other crisis has spread in Venezuela since "el caracazo" when looting happened in all major cities, to varied extent for sure, but enough to leave a memory. This time around is not about looting, is not about kicking Chavez out, it is about a country that sees a devastating economic crisis ahead and the implied final loss of hope. Failure to understand that is a major handicap in trying to speculate on...

There are fewer things there to like now than a decade or more before, but even now there are some. The past several days in Venezuela, marginally covered by the "legitimate" media in the United States, were highly disturbing. My wife, Jeanie, and I retain pleasant memories from when we were there off and on between 1996 and 2001, frequently for months at a time.ThenIn general Venezuela was prosperous, food (most of it locally grown or raised) and other necessities were plentiful as well as inexpensive and, with rare exceptions, the people we met seemed happy. Caracas, for a large city, was...

The anti-Government demonstrations in Venezuela may be approaching boiling point with a showdown set for Tuesday in the capital Caracas. Three US diplomats have been expelled and an arrest warrant issued for opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez. The demonstrations have grown in intensity over the past two weeks. They are partially a response to an economic crisis in an oil-rich country. Inflation is the highest in Latin America. Crime has soared, there are power blackouts, the black market is flourishing and food staples are sometimes difficult to find. The Socialist Government blames shortages on saboteurs and sees the hand of the...

In yet another episode of truth is stranger than fiction, via translation from El Economista, I present "Venezuela President Calls for Protest March Against Fascism" The president of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, has again invited his people to take to the streets Saturday in a march "for peace and against fascism." Mature blames his opponents for violence in recent demonstrations, in which there were three deaths last Wednesday. The president stated that violent demonstrations are part of a plan to end its power, similar to what occurred recently in Ukraine. Maduro is calling for a march of all social policies for...

Young Venezuelans have been rallying for two weeks, despite a security crackdown, a local media blackout, and attempts by the government to censor the web and the airwaves. President Nicolás Maduro remains in control, but without Hugo Chavez’s as the unifying behind "Chavismo," there is a chance the unrest may shake the balance of power in Caracas. Wondering why Venezuelans are protesting in the first place? Watch our video:

CARACAS, Venezuela - Venezuela's president says he's ordering the expulsion of three U.S. consular officials. President Nicolas Maduro made the announcement during a televised speech Sunday night that comes amid rising tensions in Venezuela over anti-government protests. Maduro hasn't identified the officials but accuses them of infiltrating Venezuelan universities under the cover of doing consular work involving student visas.

Secretary of State John Kerry is joining officials from the United Nations, Organization of American States and European Union in condemning “senseless violence” in Venezuela. “The United States is deeply concerned by rising tensions and violence surrounding this week's protests in Venezuela,” Kerry said in a statement. “Our condolences go to the families of those killed as a result of this tragic violence.” “We are particularly alarmed by reports that the Venezuelan government has arrested or detained scores of anti-government protestors and issued an arrest warrant for opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez. These actions have a chilling effect on citizens' rights...

Florida lawmakers are trying to turn the Obama administration’s attention toward two weeks of escalating deadly protests in Venezuela, where protesters frustrated with the socialist government have taken to the streets to demand a better country. The late Hugo Chavez’s Bolivarian experiment, continued by his handpicked successor Nicolas Maduro, has resulted in an economy in tatters, sky-high crime, and massive government corruption. Maduro has put the world on “alert” that he’s “facing a developing coup plan against the democracy and the government that I preside over, orchestrated by a small group of irresponsible leaders, violent, full of hatred and personal...

"Venezuela and its revolution will endure under the proven leadership of Vice President Maduro." (Sean Penn, March 5, 2013.) To say nothing of the “proven” –and particularly, the enduring--”leadership” of Maduro’s colonial overlords in Havana, of whom Sean Penn is also extremely fond. “I had the privilege to introduce my children to comandante Fidel Castro!” (Sean Penn, arm in arm with “great friend” Hugo Chavez, Caracas Feb. 13, 2012.) Protests rocked Venezuela this week. Hundreds of Venezuelans were arrested by Cuban-trained police and at least three were shot dead by Cuban-trained paramilitary storm-troopers. As we go to press Caracas is...

Sean Penn and Charlize Theron seem to be getting awfully serious. On Saturday evening during the Help Haiti Home Gala in Beverly Hills the 53-year-old actor hinted his 38-year-old lady love of several months changed his mind about his the astonishing number of gund he owns - 65 in total - per E! In his speech the Mystic River actor said 'a strong woman who happens to be from South Africa' convinced him to destroy the fire arms. -snip- 'Sean stated during his speech, 'Being provoked by this aforementioned strong woman and considering how liberating of bulls--t and ugliness it...

Spanish actor Antonio Banderas surprised CNN viewers when he criticized US President Barack Obama and suggested Europe and the US should apply the same economic policies as Venezuela’s late president Hugo Chávez. During his talk with Spanish journalist Ana Pastor, Banderas was asked several questions about the current financial crisis and possible solutions to it. The Malaga-born star pointed the finger of blame at “the markets, the lobbies, the big corporations” and suggested they didn’t have to take responsibility when countries and governments had problems. “We’re not being governed by the people we voted for,” he told Pastor. “How do...

US Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday declared that a nearly 200-year-old policy which had governed Washington's relations with Latin America was finally dead. Known as the Monroe Doctrine after it was adopted in 1823 by former US president James Monroe, the policy had stated that any efforts by European countries to colonize land in North or South America would be views as aggressive acts and could require US intervention. “The doctrine that bears (Monroe’s) name asserted our authority to step in and oppose the influence of European powers in Latin America,” Kerry told an audience at the Organization...