"This time the revolution is for real," declared Fidel Castro after his troops marched into Havana on New Year's Day, but 50 years later about all that is left is a sclerotic regime and a ponderous movie about a T-shirt icon. At four hours, the Steven Soderbergh film "Che" is almost as long as a Fidel speech, and almost as exciting. ...more

March 7, 2009

My recent Venezuela column in The Tampa Tribune prompted a prominent response from a local Venezuelan activist who took exception to some points I made. Fair enough. On this subject, I'm not an expert on anything but my own first-hand impressions based on what I saw -- from health clinics to brazen street crime -- and to whom I spoke -- from Chavez acolytes to scornful opposition. ...more

May 22, 2008

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez urged his Latin American allies Saturday to begin withdrawing billions of dollars in international reserves from U.S. banks, warning of a looming U.S. economic crisis. ...more

January 27, 2008