In what has to be a first, the promotional video for Ciudad Bolívar’s sure-to-be-doomed candidacy for the 2019 Panamerican Games consists, mostly, of a jingle praising our currency.
After seeing this well-made video, complete with happy SOE workers clad in red, a bunch of shots of not-Ciudad-Bolívar Puerto Ordaz, beauty queens, and waterfalls, tons of waterfalls, only one thing will remain in your head: Bolívares! Bolívares!
The announcement will be made tomorrow. Santiago, Lima, and La Punta are also competing.
Update: Lima will host the games. Maduro loses. This candidacy was a chavista capricho, so I’m glad to see them lose. They’ll have to find some other boondoggle with which to syphon away public funds.
Caracas Chronicles 
What a paradise. What country is this?
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Perhaps the chorus is a not so subtle hint that every member of the PASO General Assembly that attends the games will get access to CADIVI dollars?
In all honesty, as someone who has sat through a number of these promotional videos over the years, this one is about par for the course. They are selling Venezuela along with CB. And, of course, waterfalls.
I would almost hope they get the games, only to see the mass chaos that would erupt as they try to build the requisite facilities that would require things like, you know, cement. Rebar. Structural Steel. And lots of corruption. It would keep you guys busy for years on the games alone.
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One day I hope that city will be renamed Angostura…and the state will be called Guayana.
Indeed, the video is tacky, in spite of the wonderful landscapes…but then landscapes were not created by Venezuelans.
The guys in red didn’t look so flashy as I feared.
And what was that about Santiago AND Lima being the fastest growing city in Latin America?
Santiago is the best. La de Punta me dio un sueño que ni te cuento. Lima’s looked so eighties…I almost expected a Peruvian Yordano to appear any moment.
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To be fair the Peruvian video was for their last attempt, to host the 2015 games.
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If you got a bolívar for everytime they said Bolívar es… you wouldn’t even have a dollar.
* ApliCAn conDIciones y rearricciones VIgentes
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*restricciones
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I was part of a Toronto delegation trying to bring the PanAmerican Games to our city. We visited numerous Latin capitals to put on our show, complete with video. So I have been inside the room, to hear what is actually discussed by the people who make this decision.
I am sure the first objection to Ciudad Bolivar will be security, but a very important one will be the recent antigay media presentation in the National Assembly. I guarantee that competitors will have the video, and will use it to undercut Venezuela’s self-presentation as a modern, tolerant country. After Sochi, which has given the Olympic movement another black eye, there will be no appetite for more of the same.
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OT. Maduro just announced that SICAD will auction 900 million dollar a week. I think this means the end of Cadivi.
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Not necessarily the end of Cadivi bit most probably SICAD will be used as Caduvi is restructured.after Maqduro’s criticism of it a couple of nights ago.
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What was it you said about inflation?
It is up again at 4.4% for September. So much for dropping and returning to historical levels. Oh well, you can always celebrate the new enabling law request.
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Auction and SICAD not likely, more probably there will be yet another distribution to those that are connected, “enchufados”.
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Ps the video is not that bad. I was expecting everyone wearing red, and there is not even one picture of Chavez!!
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It’s absolutely gorgeous. Makes me want to move back immediately, especially with winter approaching here …
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crime stats for the state?
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Haven’t analysed that state, but you can have an impression with this:
http://informe21.com/actualidad/cuerpos-policiales-reportan-345-asesinatos-en-bolivar
Extrapolate to the whole year, take into account Bolívar’s population and get the murder rate with that. It ain’t Chile. Colombia or Northern Mexico are safe places compared to that.
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Colombia or Northern Mexico are safe places compared to that.
Indeed. The murder of 345 in the first 4 months of 2014, in a state with 1.6 million population, translates to a murder rate of 64 /100,000, which is about the average for Venezuela.
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64/100,000 is Colombia… in 2002.
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Kepler, si el ministro de turismo lee esto le va a dar otro ataque de risa!…remember Venezuela es un pais CHEVERE….
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Here is another promotional video for Ciudad Bolívar. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=leuXdLP9Ydw Now I wonder what mean-spirited and small-minded comments JC and Kepler will have about this one?
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Viejo, ese vídeo es uno de promoción al turismo en naturaleza, mal llamado ecoturismo? Un vídeo de promoción a la vida nocturna en Puerto Ordaz?
Otra cosa no es.
Creo que los otros vídeos enfocan la infraestructura real y la logística a disposición de unos juegos deportivos internacionales.
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The Bolivar video was visually attractive. Bolivar es in the background- whatever. Neutral reaction to that.The La Punta Argentina video had nonsensical propaganda- “first sustainable Panamerican games” – give me a break. Dozens of people saying, ” I have a dream:” lame, lame, lame. At least I didn’t laugh at the Bolivar video.
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One would rush to the logical assumption that the money would be better invested elsewhere, but this time I will say that the country is in desperate need of an event like this, the goverment would be forced to do some of the things they did for the Copa America, fix some roads, airports and build some very needed sport facilities, things they only do when some foreigners will come, cleaning for god’s sake, pa que corten el monte y tapen los huecos de las carreteras para variar.
Sure the money would be better spent elsewhere, but this is the only way I see for a chavist goverment to do some of the stuff they should do always even if it’s only for a while, now that it seems the commies will stay in power forever.
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This is not a criticism specific to this presentation only but it just strikes me again how around the world at sporting events (and why sporting events, per se???), indigenous people are front and centre at sales pitch time, and the opening and closing ceremonies, and then are completely forgotten. Wasn’t there some allegation of a massacre a few months ago?….
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And only an idiot or a completely deranged person would play a saxophone on a waterfall like that. Bah.
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Perception of diversity.
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at least the girl “looked” like playing because the guy in the violin could not be more fake LOL…
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The video is really good but is hard to get past the Bolívares, Bolívares… thing.
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Petrocaribe: money well spent!
“Por su parte, Héctor Edwards, secretario general del Comité Olímpico de Guyana (país sudamericano, pero culturalmente asociado al Caribe), estima que “la definición va a estar entre Santiago y Lima. Ciudad Bolívar y La Punta no tienen la capacidad para organizar unos Panamericanos”, afirma, para luego confesar que “creo que Chile va a ganar, porque tiene la ventaja de que organizará los Juegos Sudamericanos”.
We give them the Esequibo. They trash us. Fair deal.
http://www.latercera.com/noticia/deportes/2013/10/656-546475-9-el-caribe-es-la-clave-pero-tiene-su-apoyo-dividido.shtml
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At least they gave us tons of rice. Very expensive tons of rice.
http://caracaschronicles.com/2013/05/08/food-sovereignty-still-a-mere-formality/
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The worst part about it is that my sis just showed me how this song is a total rip off:
Hilarious.
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Actually, it’s a rip off of a rip off. The original song was from the Trinidadian calypso great Lord Kitchener: My Pussin. I should have recognized that in the first place. The “Calypso” label jogged my brain.
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I don’t think it’s fair to ask all of the athletes to compete on the street and have the opening ceremonies on a bridge….no wonder Venezuela lost…
Jajajajaja
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