Good comments made by Chavez, the only man with courage to speak out against Bush. His speech was against Bush and not against Americans at all. We all know what is happening in world due to the adventures of Bush Administration. Are we making the world peaceful for living or we are making it like hell? Hundred of people are killing due to the Bush's personal agendas. It is crystal clear that two wrongs cannot make on right. And Chavez is also not good. We have to think about people, about Americans and their lives. Chomsky is a good writer and renowned all over the world.

See this link

http://www.loosechange911.com/index_main.html

vanessa - it's not *my* definition. It's the definition the statisticians used for compiling the statistics.

peter cooper - that's even more amazing than Chavez' looney speech at the UN. It sounds like a blatant misuse of the college's facilities. Who was the wackadoo in the administration who sanctioned that?

Amusing results of the Speech: Chavez sends Chomsky book sales soaring

just saying,

i understand what you are saying, but i'm not sure that i agree with your definition of infant and death (to me, if a baby dies, that is infant mortality, whether or not their was an attempt to save the child). i appreciate the education and clarification (for real).

people should read Chomsky's response to Chavez on the NY Times website:

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/22/nyregion/22chomsky.html?hp&ex=1158984000&en=616ca21d7087cc26&ei=5094&partner=homepage

Vomitus said: "you're all selfish and can't see past the end of your noses."

I understand that, according to Republicans, selfishness is the fundamental driving force of humanity. I don't think a conservative would find being accused of selfishness as offensive.

I'd just like to clarify that although this speech may have taken place at Cooper Union the audience was hardly representative of the university. I am a Cooper student, and was denied entry by the Venezeulan security personnel manning the doors. My friends met the same resistance. I do not know of a single student who was actually allowed in the building. The only info I have is from one of the students who had to set up the technical equipment and he described the audience as made up entriely of Venezeulan nationals who were provided with tickets by the Chavez government.

Don't disparage the student body of the College over the crowd reaction at this event. In fact, we were never even informed that he would be appearing. I only found out when I saw the massive security presence forming around the Foundation Building that night.

Actually the infant mortality rate in Cuba is NOT lower than in the US and this is because of the way the statistics are compiled.

the United States has the most intensive system of emergency intervention to keep low birth weight and premature infants alive in the world. The US is one of only a handful countries that keeps detailed statistics on early fetal mortality--the survival rate of infants who are born as early as the 20th week of gestation.

How does this skew the statistics? Because in the United States if an infant is born weighing only 400 grams and not breathing, a doctor will likely spend lot of time and money trying to revive that infant. If the infant does not survive--and the mortality rate for such infants is in excess of 50 percent--that sequence of events will be recorded as a live birth and then a death.

In many countries (including many European countries) such severe medical intervention would not be attempted and, moreover, regardless of whether or not it was, this would be recorded as a fetal death rather than a live birth. That unfortunate infant would never show up in infant mortality statistics.

This is clearly what is happening in Cuba. In the United States about 1.3 percent of all live births are very low birth weight--less than 1,500 grams. In Cuba, on the other hand, only about 0.4 percent of all births are less than 1,500 grams. This is despite the fact that the United States and Cuba have very similar low birth rates (births where the infant weighs less than 2500g). The United States actually has a much better low birth rate than Cuba if you control for multiple births --i.e. the growing number of multiple births in the United States due to technological interventions has resulted in a marked increase in the number of births under 2,500g.

Just because Chavez said what a large percentage of our own citizens are thinking doesn't make him Einstein, but it does show a certain amount of chutzpah.

GWB is a total zero, a complete fuckup, and history will judge him in the harshest light - in spite of the lengths to which you mentally challenged warmongers will go to convince yourselves that he has done anything positive for this country.

If your aim is to defend the US (by the way, thinking Chavez is funny is not a direct attack on the USofA or a declaration of love for the politics Venezuela, but ok...) you may want to choose a topic other than infant mortality rate to prove that the United States is such a superior country.

The infant mortality rate in CUBA is lower than the in the United States.

What's with the Sweden analogies?

It ain't paradise there, either. I should know. I married a Swede and he hates the Swedes in NYC and wants nothing to do with them. He goes home to Sweden every year. Whereas I travel there less often.

And, to make his family more angry, We have two kids and they be mixed bra. Tough titties, we just diluted your viking bloodline.

Aside from Chavez deplorable human rights stance, there is also Venezuela's terrible living conditions: "infant death rate is about eight times as high as Sweden. Child malnutrition (for children under age five) stands at about 17 percent of the population classified as stunted or wasted (which are the official United Nations categories for malnutrition). There are approximately 5,000,000 people in Venezuela living without access to safe drinking water, resulting in a percentage of population ranking of Venezuela among the poorest in South America." etc. etc.

Venezuela is an oil-rich country, but many--if not most--of its citizens live in substandard conditions.

Get real.

Wow, all the hateful Republicans logged on while I was off feeding people at the homeless shelter.

Sava: Go home.

Ben Dover: He (Chavez) can't afford the invasions economically, cry baby. Don't be daft man. If they were in power, they would dictate whomever they could. Please, "...he that controls the spice controls the life..." Why don't you go with Sava.

robin g. - GWB has done plenty of things that should please left wing dolts like you. And Chavez wasn't giving anything that belonged to him. He took a natural resource that should be benefitting the citizens of his very poor country and gave it to the citizens of our very rich country. Dictators love gullible saps like you.

Sava - Get off the boss' computer and get back to scrubbing the floors.

Since President Chávez took power in 1998, corruption and crime are rampant as well as failing infrastructure and public hospitals. In late March 2005, the Chávez government passed a series of media regulations that criminalized broadcasted libel and slander directed against public officials; prison sentences of up to 40 months for serious instances of character defamation launched against Chávez and other officials were enacted.

Sure Bush sucks, but Chávez ain't the guy for me either. Just because I don't like Bush, it doesn't mean I support Chávez. They are both idiots.

VIVA CHAVEZ !!!

At least he's not invading other countries on false pretenses, legalizing torture, creating clandestine jails worldwide, bombing innocent woman and children or driving the US economy into the ground like the Devil ..er..I mean Bush is doing.

Leftist or rightist, you all make me want to vomit. You think your own personal ideology is the only way.

How about some of you boneheads realize that we're all Americans and all on the same boat. Sometimes I think Republicans hate Democrats more than terrorists. Contrary to popular belief, not all Republicans are evil, and not all Democrats are clueless. But one thing's for sure: you're all selfish and can't see past the end of your noses.

Things will only progress when both sides figure out how to make amends and come up with a compromise on all issues.

Where's these white people who are pissed at chavez at?

I don't see them in Harlem? do you?

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.

el diablo, classic. Looks like no matter what culture, the white man is the DEVIL.

ViVa Chavez !I agree with the coment Bush Is A devil gone astray !Can the American Public not control him ?Democracy is in Danger!Phones being tapped ?Bodies being searched ? What else You want America Are You all Cowards ? America is run by the Dictator devil Bush !Get him to Court !

VIVA

CHAVEZ!!!!

It was more than a few barrels, and I don't see any politicians here giving the poor heating oil.

And I guess you can say bad things about someone no matter if they do a good thing, and good things about someone even if they do bad things. I can't think of one good thing to say about GWB though.