The lineup

Caracas Chronicles is a team effort, so without further delay, I want to introduce the group of writers that, I hope, will help continue making this a place...

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lineupCaracas Chronicles is a team effort, so without further delay, I want to introduce the group of writers that, I hope, will help continue making this a place worth visiting. Two of them you already know.

Since joining CC in 2012, Gustavo Hernández Acevedo (GEHA) has made himself indispensable, keeping us abreast with happenings beyond Caracas. Whether it’s visiting local stories in Puerto La Cruz or detailing corruption scandals in his home base of Barquisimeto, Gustavo gives Caracas Chronicles most of its non-Caracas flair. He has also meticulously documented the rising tide of media hegemony. Gustavo will continue along these lines, but will also venture into writing some investigative reporting of his own, with longer, more in-depth pieces.

Emiliana Duarte (@emiduarte) took the blog by storm right about when Hugo Chávez was preparing to meet his maker. Her assessments of everything from the opposition as seen from the inside to, yes, cake!… have been both incisive and delightful. She’s a breath of fresh air, one of the few people with the cojones to go check out the masses wanting to see Hugo Chávez’s coffin. After some well-deserved time off, she is back on the saddle again.

Now for the new writers.

Audrey M. DaCosta (who comments as adrytatoo) is a young marine biologist and a mother of two. A recent ex-pat, she will bring to the blog her own insight on gender issues. She will also be tackling Venezuela’s numerous environmental challenges. Finally, she has just recently left the country, so she will be writing about her experiences as she ventures out into the world – something many of you will surely relate to.

Rodrigo Linares is also a frequent contributor. A USB engineer with a Master’s from MIT, he is one of the young crop of brilliant professionals we are honored to have met through the blog. A Venezuelan with deep roots all over the country, ones that go back centuries, he will be writing mainly about infrastructure, technology, and even things like microbrewing. Should be interesting.

Carlos Rangel (@carlosrangel87) is a talented young Venezuelan economist. The grandson of a towering Venezuelan intellectual, he is also the nephew of my college girlfriend, which means I have known him since he was a toddler, way back in the late 80s. More importantly, he is whip smart and eager to share his thoughts. He will be writing about Venezuela’s municipal policymakers from the inside, with a focus on crime-fighting.

Last but certainly not least, Anabella Abadí (@janabadi) and Bárbara Lira (@bslira) are two young Venezuelan economists with a sharp eye for data and a cold head for reasoning. They are well on their way to establishing themselves as serious analysts, whether it’s through their writings in Prodavinci, their book “Gestión en Rojo,” or their work as consultants, which is where I first had the privilege of meeting them. They will be posting jointly, in both English and Spanish, and their main focus will be myth-busting the revolution by taking statements from official sources … and de-constructing them. Call it “reductio ad chavismum.”

Here’s hoping that CC serves as a springboard for bigger, better things for all of them. I, for one, can’t wait to read what they have to say.