Romeo in black beans
I had lunch today at Bentley's with totemstothesun. It wasn't planned; we just happened to both show up there. My initial plan was to eat at Café Sonora, since I had to go to the campus bookstore nearby. But when I saw how busy Café Sonora was, I decided to satisfy my bean-and-tortilla craving ( which I've had since last night) with the burrito they serve at Bentley's. It's usually good, but today it was a bit dry--or perhaps it just seemed dry because totemstothesun and I were talking about aquatic life before it arrived.
The other happy thing that happened today was finding out that Hugo Chávez was re-elected. He's definitely one of my favorite Bush-hating socialists. Below is the story from The Kansas City Star.
Chavez re-elected easily in Venezuela
Leftist who has called Bush "the devil" gets over 60 percent of vote.
The Associated Press
CARACAS, Venezuela -- President Hugo Chavez won another six-year term Sunday in an election that weighed the popularity of his oil-funded handouts to the poor against fears of increasingly authoritarian rule.
With 78 percent of voting stations reporting, Chavez had 61 percent to 38 percent for challenger Manuel Rosales, said Tibisay Lucena, head of the country’s elections council. Chavez had nearly 6 million votes versus 3.7 million for Rosales, according to the partial tally.
Turnout was 62 percent, according to an official bulletin of results, making Chavez’s lead insurmountable.
Even before all polling stations closed, hundreds of Chavez supporters celebrated in the streets as word spread of a partisan exit poll paid for by the government that pointed to the sweeping Chavez victory. Revelers set off fireworks and cruised downtown Caracas in caravans, honking horns and shouting "Chavez isn't going anywhere!"
Since he first won office in 1998, Chavez, a leftist, has increasingly dominated all branches of government and his allies now control congress, state offices and the judiciary. He has called President Bush the devil, allied himself with Iran and influenced elections across the region.
Chavez also has used Venezuela's oil wealth to his political advantage. He has channeled oil profits toward multibillion-dollar programs for the poor, including subsidized food, free university education and cash benefits for single mothers. He has also helped allies from Cuba to Bolivia with oil and petrodollars.
Despite some complaints from the Rosales camp about voting problems, a top Rosales adviser, Teodoro Petkoff, said Sunday evening that the voting "was carried out in a satisfactory manner."
The other happy thing that happened today was finding out that Hugo Chávez was re-elected. He's definitely one of my favorite Bush-hating socialists. Below is the story from The Kansas City Star.
Chavez re-elected easily in Venezuela
Leftist who has called Bush "the devil" gets over 60 percent of vote.
The Associated Press
CARACAS, Venezuela -- President Hugo Chavez won another six-year term Sunday in an election that weighed the popularity of his oil-funded handouts to the poor against fears of increasingly authoritarian rule.
With 78 percent of voting stations reporting, Chavez had 61 percent to 38 percent for challenger Manuel Rosales, said Tibisay Lucena, head of the country’s elections council. Chavez had nearly 6 million votes versus 3.7 million for Rosales, according to the partial tally.
Turnout was 62 percent, according to an official bulletin of results, making Chavez’s lead insurmountable.
Even before all polling stations closed, hundreds of Chavez supporters celebrated in the streets as word spread of a partisan exit poll paid for by the government that pointed to the sweeping Chavez victory. Revelers set off fireworks and cruised downtown Caracas in caravans, honking horns and shouting "Chavez isn't going anywhere!"
Since he first won office in 1998, Chavez, a leftist, has increasingly dominated all branches of government and his allies now control congress, state offices and the judiciary. He has called President Bush the devil, allied himself with Iran and influenced elections across the region.
Chavez also has used Venezuela's oil wealth to his political advantage. He has channeled oil profits toward multibillion-dollar programs for the poor, including subsidized food, free university education and cash benefits for single mothers. He has also helped allies from Cuba to Bolivia with oil and petrodollars.
Despite some complaints from the Rosales camp about voting problems, a top Rosales adviser, Teodoro Petkoff, said Sunday evening that the voting "was carried out in a satisfactory manner."