Welcomeses

You already know Barba de Chiva (a professor and city council member), who has been doing great posting. Please also say hello to or salute or twiddle Flaco Delgado (part great Tejano musician, part famous Spanish cyclist) and Rollo Groast (a social scientist and our food columnist), who some of you may know if you're into intense and very long novels. "Merde," as the French say before going on stage.

This is the new "team," as Blogger says bureaucratic-speakingly, at Phronesisaical. We're here to pleasure you with interesting links, smart commentary, wit, and blowup dolls.

As for Helmut, he'll try to post from Venezuela for the rest of November, but posts will likely be few and far between if not totally absent. He'll definitely blubber on about Venezuela once he returns. While there for other reasons, Helmut also gets to meet a government Minister, other government officials, opposition officials, and American Embassy people, among others, so he hopes to have a better-rounded view of the place and of Chavez.

For now, keep an eye on the Summit of the Americas. Rumor has it that Chavez and Bush are to be seated at the same table for the banquet. I'd love a recording of that. It'll be like Redd Foxx and, and,... well, George Bush (I hear his nickname for Chavez is "Chivas Regal" [nahh, I just made that up]; Chavez's nickname for Bush, of course, is "Mr. Danger").