www.vheadline.com Posted: Monday, February 17, 2003 By: Oliver L Campbell

Date: Mon, 17 Feb 2003 10:20:55 -0000 From: Oliver L Campbell oliver@lbcampbell.com To: Editor@VHeadline.com Subject: Projects to increase food production

Dear Editor: I refer to your report of February 13 entitled Venezuelan government to commence food production projects which goes on to state, perhaps with an element of exaggeration, Venezuelan major cities can produce sufficient food to feed their inhabitants.

While any initiative to increase food production in Venezuela, and so save foreign currency reserves, has to be applauded, I have doubts about this solution.  Perhaps a  Venezuelan agronomist would confirm he believes this is, indeed, the best way to boost food production. I am ignorant on farming matters and can only apply some common sense and relate a few of the past difficulties when efforts were made to increase food production in Venezuela.

a) Surely it would be better to cultivate the best arable land available even though this land may not necessarily be close to the impoverished urban areas?

b) Though these projects provide work for those living in the impoverished urban areas, do people there have the necessary farming skills or, indeed, the desire to work as farmers?

c) In the past, there has been a migration from the land to the cities because farm labourers were so poorly paid for what were long hours of hard work in the sun.

d) In the past, the intermediaries, transportistas and wholesalers, have taken a large slice of the margin between the price the farmer gets paid and that charged to the retailers e.g. the supermarket chains.

e) It is a fact that, worldwide, over the last 50 years bargaining power has shifted from the manufacturers/producers to the large retailers so that they dominate the price setting (fixing?) process.  This has been to the detriment of farmers,  particularly the small farmers who have had to defend themselves by forming cooperatives.

f) Also for much of the time it has been cheaper to import many food products, e.g. black beans, than to produce them in Venezuela. This may be due to climatic factors, economies of scale or inefficiencies in the distribution system. (the so-called 'roscas').

If the government’s prime objective is provide employment, then the food production projects in urban areas make some sense.  However, if the main purpose is to provide food at competitive costs, then I have misgivings about its effectiveness since competitive costs are usually associated with large scale farming on good quality arable land.

I do not like to identify problems without proposing solutions, but the only one I can suggest to increase food production in general goes against my free market principles and that is to create some form of price control so that the farmer gets a fairer deal. It then follows the intermediaries and retailers (the supermarkets mainly) have to give up some of their present margins.

The trouble with price controls is that an invisible hand is substituted by an invisible government department which dictates who shall have what. If you do not allow each party to make a reasonable profit, then the whole production chain collapses and that product is no longer produced.

The government’s intention in this case is excellent but will the projects as envisaged really be viable?  Doubtless you have readers with more knowledge of agronomy than I who can either endorse the projects or propose better alternatives for increasing food output.

Oliver L. Campbell oliver@lbcampbell.com

www.democratandchronicle.com By Dolores Orman Democrat and Chronicle

Victoria Heredia of Pittsford, a native of Venezuela, is pressing for new elections there. [Day in Photos] (February 17, 2003) — PITTSFORD — A Pittsford woman is among Venezuelans locally and throughout the world involved in efforts to oust that country’s president, Hugo Chavez. Victoria Heredia collected signatures locally as part of a “Great Sign-Up” effort on Feb. 2 that was sponsored by Chavez opposition leaders in Venezuela. A Pittsford resident for th e past 21/2 years, Heredia, 37, said she also hopes to help organize a local support group of Venezuelans. “I feel very attached emotionally to my country,” she said. “All my family and my husband’s family live there.” Chavez’s opponents are pushing for a free election to allow Venezuelans to decide if they want him to stay in office. “We want Venezuelans to vote and decide what we want to do with our country before a civil war starts,” said Heredia. About two weeks before the petition-gathering, she decided she wanted to participate. She joined one of the major anti-Chavez Venezuelan organizations in the United States so she could collect signatures. She got 11 and forwarded them to a collection point in Miami. “I feel I have helped the situation,” Heredia said. “I wish I were there to help more. Being outside, we can still do many things for our country.” She already has an idea. “We may start to create in Rochester (an organization) as a way of helping over there,” said Heredia, a former adjunct professor of management information systems at the Rochester Institute of Technology and the mother of triplets. Liliana Carrano of Penfield and her husband were among those who signed Heredia’s petition. “We hope that it does help to go to (an) election,” said Carrano, 37. “That is our weapon and our signature -- that we do have.” Centers for the petition effort were in such major cities as Madrid, Amsterdam and Toronto. Maria Martinez-Campos, 34, and her husband traveled to Toronto to sign up. The Hilton couple arrived at 11:45 a.m. at a Venezuelan restaurant where signing was to begin at noon. “We were the first ones (to sign up),” Martinez-Campos said. “It was wonderful. You feel that you are doing something for your country.” She said she later learned that more than 300 people had signed the petition at the restaurant. E-mail address: dorman@DemocratandChronicle.com

www.vheadline.com Posted: Monday, February 17, 2003 By: Robert Rudnicki

The Venezuelan economy is reported to have shrunk by 8.9% over 2002, with the key driver for the contraction being a opposition-led work stoppage which commenced on December 2 and closed down the vital petroleum industry as well as many other sectors of the economy.

During the fourth quarter of 2002 the economy contracted by a whopping 16.7% following a 26% fall in the oil sector as thousands of Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) workers walked out on their jobs to support the Coordinadora Democratica political action.

• Since the work stoppage came to an end on February 4, oil production has slowly but surely shown signs of recovery, with estimates now at between 1.4 million and 1.9 million barrels per day.

This recovery in production is likely to soften the blow of the strike on this quarter's figures, however the contraction is still expected to be high, with a possible recovery only likely during the second quarter.

www.thestate.com Posted on Mon, Feb. 17, 2003 By GINA SMITH Staff Writer

Olivia Garcia Echezuria's heart was broken as she boarded a plane in May. With her work visa expired, she had to give up her job as a Spanish teacher and leave the United States.

Echezuria had to return to her native Venezuela, a country where most workers are on strike, poverty is rampant and education is a privilege of the rich.

Before her plane lifted off, Echezuria already missed her students at C.R. Neal Alternative School in Columbia, where she'd taught for the past four years.

She resolved to return to South Carolina and her students.

Shortly after setting foot on Venezuelan soil, Echezuria set to work -- visiting the U.S. Embassy, talking to every official.

In October, she was allowed to return to the United States.

Now, she's a living lesson in determination at C.R. Neal, a school for students who struggle in traditional classrooms.

"You can do whatever you want," Echezuria told her students recently, as she moved around her classroom like a ballroom dancer, dipping to touch students' shoulders, clapping her hands for emphasis. "But you have to want."

Students nod their heads. They know she is living proof.

"She got out in the nick of time," said Nathan White, the school's principal. "There are people trying so desperately to get out of that country but can't."

White kept his fingers crossed that Echezuria would be able to return.

"Kids love her, and I don't say that tongue-in-cheek," White said. "Kids can ask her anything. They trust her. They believe her."

Yes, Echezuria misses Venezuela where her grown daughter, mother and 11 siblings live. But she's needed here.

"My patriotism is global," she says with a rich Venezuelan accent, R's rolling like waves. "Wherever I can serve and be happy, that's where I want to be. That's how it is here."

At 4 feet 11 inches, Echezuria stands tall in the minds of her students.

Dreams come true, and resilience pays off. The proof is in Room 9.

Students finger her passport and family photos that she keeps in her room. They are reminders of what she's gone through and what she's given up for them.

And then there's the ticking of her golden watch. Now is the time to learn. Now. Now. Now.

"She tries to push you harder and harder every day," said Carl Cherry, a student of Senora E, as Echezuria is affectionately called. (Some students prefer Senora Olivia.)

Echezuria is the only Spanish teacher at the alternative school and teaches about 60 percent of its 240 students.

Her classroom is decorated with native Venezuelan garb, and flags from Spanish-speaking countries hang on the walls. Colorful rugs are spread on the floor, and plants grow in the windows.

Two parakeets chirp in a cage. (Most homes in Venezuela have birds.) Sometimes, annoyed students tell the birds to shut up.

Senora Olivia has a ready comeback: "After you," she tells students.

Teaching is always hands-on for Echezuria, who relies little on textbooks. When the class learns food vocabulary, Echezuria blindfolds them, feeds them grapes or bits of banana, then asks them to name the food in Spanish.

For a special treat, she makes them empanadas, Venezuelan turnovers of chicken, beef, cheese and corn flour.

She clicks around the room in her characteristic high heels, dramatic hand gestures cutting through the air. "Perfecto, exacto," she boisterously calls to students who answer a question correctly. Then she signs for other students to applaud.

And in the midst of lessons, Echezuria reminds students why they're learning Spanish.

"Transfer your knowledge. Don't leave it in the classroom," she tells them. "Spanish is for real. It's a real skill. No one can take it away from you."

Next month, Echezuria will hold the school's first ever Latin American Festival for students. There'll be food, costumes and traditional dancing from Hispanic-speaking countries.

But time is running out again for Senora Olivia. Her visa will expire in 2005.

"I will be older. It may be tougher to find a job in (Venezuela)," Echezuria says.

But if her students keep working hard to learn, she'll work hard too.

"I will try to stay."

www.sgvtribune.com122241184998,00.html Article Last Updated: Sunday, February 16, 2003 - 10:43:18 PM MST By Gabe Lacques , Staff Writer

Many Angels were able to parlay their World Series championship into an off-season of fun and opportunity. Francisco Rodriguez mostly stayed home.

The alternative was too dangerous.

For Rodriguez, winning a World Series and the higher profile that comes with it brought not fame but fear. And scrutiny. And the feeling that, if he wandered into the dangerous streets of Caracas, Venezuela, he would be robbed because of who he is.

Rodriguez, who won five postseason games after pitching just five innings in the major leagues last season, arrived Sunday at the Angels' spring training complex, reuniting with teammates for the first time since last autumn.

He pored through a huge stack of fan mail, participated in fielding drills and a 10-minute throwing session, then sat down to a large plate of barbecued beef.

What appeared to be a mind- numbingly routine day felt different to Rodriguez than his American- born teammates. After a winter amid the turmoil of Venezuela, even the simplest things aren't taken for granted.

A national strike protesting the regime of President Hugo Chavez has paralyzed the country, resulting in fuel shortages, unemployment and higher crime.

For Rodriguez, the stakes were different.

He unwittingly became a political pawn. In one week, his grandmother and brother were robbed three times at gunpoint, most likely because of their relationship to Rodriguez, who considers his grandmother his mother. And Venezuela's winter league season was canceled, limiting Rodriguez to two brief appearances.

Of course, no baseball was the least of his worries. Rodriguez escaped severe poverty in Caracas to earn a $900,000 signing bonus from the Angels in 1998, and his newfound fame only made him a bigger target.

"It's hard, especially because the people down there don't have money or have jobs because of the strike,' said Rodriguez, who turned 21 on Jan. 7. "There's a lot of poor people. They want to steal money.'

Or cars. Houston Astros outfielder Richard Hidalgo was shot in the left arm by carjackers on Nov. 21. Did Rodriguez fear a similar fate?

"Sure, man,' he said. "It's tough. Everybody down there recognizes me. They want me to give money, they want my money. They knew it was my mom and my brother. That's what's scary. They pulled guns on them.

"I mostly just stayed in my house. First, there's no gas. Second, it's dangerous in the street. I prefer to stay in the house.'

Chavez was temporarily overthrown in April, but regained power after less than two days. Chavez invited Rodriguez to visit him, but the new national hero is declining for now because he would just as soon stay out of a politically charged situation.

"Not right now,' Rodriguez said. "I want to wait. If I have a chance to meet with him and talk to him when it calms down ... but not right now. The (situation) stinks. I don't want to get involved with anything.'

Rodriguez arrived to training camp a day late because of transportation problems, and he's probably fortunate he got out that soon. The U.S. embassy was open for just one day last week, so it was unclear whether Rodriguez's visa paperwork would get processed in time.

But it did, and finally, after a 12- hour flight Saturday, he could concentrate on baseball.

Manager Mike Scioscia said Rodriguez will assume the same role he had in the postseason setting up closer Troy Percival while occasionally pitching as many as two innings. With the sudden fame he achieved last October, it's easy to forget Rodriguez has just 5 2/3 regular-season innings to his credit.

But Rodriguez struck out 13 in that limited span. And his postseason already is part of baseball lore. He won five games, tying Randy Johnson's record. He struck out 28 in 18 2/3 innings. And in Game 2 of the World Series, he put on an unforgettable performance, pitching three perfect innings and throwing 22 strikes in 26 pitches in a pivotal 11-10 victory.

"Frankie showed last year, with a litmus test that was as tough as you could get, that he had the ability to have success and not only pitch in the major leagues, but pitch in the toughest situations,' Scioscia said. "His perspective in talking to him is where it needs to be. He wants to be here for a long time. He understands the need for consistency, to do it not for six or eight weeks, but for one out at a time for years to come.

"I think you will see some improvement in consistency, and it's admirable he has that perspective. This kid's focused and he's driven. He's said he's not just basing his whole career on four weeks.'

Pitching coach Bud Black said the team will "do a good job keeping Francisco grounded,' not that it's necessary, because "Frankie's a realist. He knows what he has to do.'

Rodriguez reiterated during the Series that he was in a dreamlike state, and he might always feel that way about the most significant month of his career. But he's also ready to move on.

"I don't realize what I did yet,' he said. "Sometimes, when I watch TV, I'll realize what I did in the postseason. Now, the World Series is in the past. I'm a little bit worried because I want to show the Angels, show the fans, who is Francisco Rodriguez and what I can do for a full season.'

Assuming his arm holds up during the rigors of a six-month season, the results could be huge for the Angels. Rodriguez and Percival's presence at the back end of games will be significant for a starting staff that completed eight or more innings just 18 times last season.

Rodriguez also has different goals for this season. He wants to move his grandmother and many of his siblings he counts 13 in all, but some are actually his uncles out of Venezuela.

That might take time, given the limited capabilities of the embassy there. If and when it does happen, his mind might finally be at peace.

"It would be much better,' he said. "Feeling good, knowing what she's doing, not worried about all the problems down there.'

With that, he tugged on his cap and headed out to the field, ready to start a new season and put behind him a most unsettling off-season.

-- Gabe Lacques can be reached at (626) 962-8811, Ext. 2239 or by e-mail at gabe.lacques@sgvn.com .