Venezuelans Celebrate In Doral

According to 2021 U.S. Census data analyzed by the Pew Research Center, about 640,000 people of Venezuelan origin lived in the U.S., including both foreign-born immigrants and U.S.-born people of Venezuelan ancestry. More recent analyses suggest the total Venezuelan diaspora in the U.S. (including everyone who identifies with Venezuelan origin) may be between 800,000 and 900,000, with Florida being the largest center.

Doral, a suburb of Miami, has such a high concentration of Venezuelan immigrants that it has often been called “Doralzuela.” Census estimates indicate the total population of Doral is around 76,000–80,000, and more than a third of its residents (27,000) are Venezuelan immigrants, making them a major demographic group in the city.

When Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured in a U.S. military raid in Caracas this past weekend, the people of Doral came out to celebrate. Photographer Gary Firstenberg also came out to capture their colorful jubilation.

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It's apparent from these photos that the initial response in Doral was a colorful wave of elation, but the people of Venezuela are facing many challenges. According to author/journalist Robert Bryce, an expert in how energy systems function in the real world, "When US military forces swept into Caracas early Saturday morning to capture Nicolás Maduro, among the first targets hit were, predictably, electricity targets. The fastest way to sow confusion in a society is to shut down or destroy its electric grid," a tactic the US military has been using "in nearly every conflict since the Korean War." 

EdNote: In 1950, Venezuela’s economy was ranked as the fourth-richest in the world by GDP per capita, ahead of most nations except the United States, Switzerland, and New Zealand.

Pray for the people of Venezuela. 

L'Ippogrifo Stampe d'Arte: Mastery of a Grand Tradition

Gianni Raffaelli

Artists have been using engraving to make art prints for over 500 years. The earliest known engraved print dates back to 1446, and the technique quickly became popular throughout Europe. Engraving was particularly well-suited for reproducing paintings and other works of art, and it was often used to create prints of religious subjects.

Some of the most famous engravers of the 15th and 16th centuries include Martin Schongauer, Albrecht Dürer, and Lucas van Leyden. These artists created highly detailed and elaborate prints that were prized by collectors. 

When I was in college I took an introduction to printmaking class in which I learned some of the techniques artist use to reproduce their work. Though I barely scratched the surface, I recognized the possibilities and developed a keen appreciation for those who have mastered the craft like Gianni Raffaelli of L'Ippogrifo Stampe d'Arte. Along with his wife Francesca and son Duccio, they work out of a studio on the West side of the Arno River in Florence. 

Duccio Raffaelli

While on a leisurely stroll through a network of narrow streets I came upon the L'Ippogrifo Stampe d'Arte gallery where son Duccio welcomed me and graciously showed me around. 

His father attended an Academy of Fine Art when young, especially fascinated with architecture. He and a friend from art school decided to open a studio nearby and began printing old maps. Before long it was a threesome and they began having exhibitions around Italy. The three engravers split in 1999 and the Raffaelli family settled here.

Gianni himself was originally from Venezuela. At a certain point in time he switched from cartography to painting. When you visit their gallery you will be impressed by the work he does along with his wife Francesa and son Duccio. Their website begins with this invitation:

Welcome to L'Ippogrifo Stampe d'Arte, just a stone's throw away from Florence's Ponte Santa Trinita. Here, the talented Raffaelli family keeps alive the rich tradition of etching using time-tested methods. Step into their world and peruse a captivating collection featuring landscapes, cityscapes, and the beauty of nature, all with a special touch of Florence's magic. These finely crafted engravings promise an artistic journey filled with realism, whimsy, and everything in between—a delightful way to carry home a piece of Firenze's charm.

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Artists have been using engraving to make art prints for over 500 years. The earliest known engraved print dates back to 1446, and the technique quickly became popular throughout Europe. Engraving was particularly well-suited for reproducing paintings and other works of art as well as maps, book illustrations and religious subjects.

Engraving continued to be a popular printmaking technique throughout the 17th and 18th centuries. Some of the most famous engravers of this period include Rembrandt, William Hogarth, and Francisco Goya. These artists used engraving to create a wide range of prints, including portraits, landscapes, and satirical images.

If you're a lover of art, Florence is a "must see" destination for your bucket list. Pace yourself. Go slow. Leave half of your days unscheduled so that you might discover the many other gems this city of treasures contains, such as the Scarpelli Florentine Mosaic Workshop, the Daniela Meza Sigala's gallery/studio and this one, the L'Ippogrifo Stampe d'Arte. 

This last photo (below) is of an incredibly detailed image that Gianni Raffaelli created during the Year of Covid. Art can be a way that people process difficult emotions and experiences.* This particular piece, with its Escheresque influences was Raffaelli's way to lose himself in a project that consumed his time and demanded his attention during that difficult year. It's a visual delight. 

Gianni Raffaelli of L'Ippogrifo Stampe d'Arte

Gianni Raffaelli hand engraves original illutrations on copper plates, then prints limited editions on high quality paper. These are hand-painted, signed and numbered by the artist in the tradition of the old Florentine workshops.

Related Links

Stories About My Italy Adventure

*A Visit with Tim Hatfield, Author of an Uplifting Book Featuring the Beatles Catalog in Its Entirety

The Disaster No One Talks About: Venezuela

Refugees in Bogata make crafts out of 
worthless Venezuelan cash.

Trendy economists say the US can spend much more, and pay for it by printing more money. This won’t cause further inflation, say "modern monetary theorists."

But one country recently tried “printing more money." Here's what happened:

A lot of us either never knew or have forgotten that Venezuela was the wealthiest nation in South America. Petroleum revenue rewarded it with wealth. It was a socialist government that became a darling of the Left. Hugo Chavez (president from 1999-2013) spent big bucks on social programs. He even sent money to the U.S. to help provide heating oil for poor Americans.

A combination of political corruption and hyperinflation after his departure sent the country's economy into a tailspin. In 2014 inflation stood at 69%. By 2015, inflation was now 181%. That means what used to be a dollar in January 2014 was less than 30 cents by the end of two years. Inflation was up 800% by end of 2016 and 4,000% in 2017, followed by 1.7 million percent in 2018.

According to details at Wikipedia "By early April 2019, the 18,000 Bs.S monthly minimum wage was the equivalent of $5.50 – less than the price of a McDonald's Happy Meal. Ecoanalitica estimated that prices jumped by 465% in the first two and a half months of 2019. In March 2019, the Wall Street Journal stated that the 'main cause of hyperinflation is the central bank printing money to fund gaping public spending deficits,' reporting that a teacher could only buy a dozen eggs and two pounds of cheese with a month's wages."

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Over the past 30 years my brother has taken 28 trips to South America to teach counseling to church leaders in various countries. When the Venezuelan economy imploded, as many as six million citizens fled their homeland, flooding into neighboring South American countries. My brother saw first-hand the challenges of this refugee crisis, which has received little coverage in our media here. Only Saudi Arabia has produced more refugees than Venezuela since 2000. 

If the war in Ukraine continues, refugee numbers will likely surpass Venezuela in magnitude, though it is a crisis of a different character. 

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Please note, this is not an appeal to eliminate social programs. Rather it is an appeal for our government to embrace basic fiscal responsibility. The motive behind much government largesse seems more about winning voters than doing what is best for these voters and the future of the country. 

The second lesson in this story--the first being that we need to cringe when politicians say they want to solve our problems by printing more money--is to note how quickly the strongest economy became a disaster.

America is not immune from stupidity or corruption. Let's not say "It can't happen here." Rather, let's say, "It MUST NOT happen here."

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Read more about Hyperinflation in Venezuela.

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The Tragic Implosion of Venezuela

Source: DataIsBeautiful.com  Click to enlarge.

In 1950 Venezuela was the 4th wealthiest nation per capita in the world and the richest nation in South America. Can you believe it? Today millions have fled the country into South American neighbors with massive increases in crime and cultural challenges.

The country's difficulties didn't happen overnight, but when nations fail they fall hard. This year the inflation rate increased 10,000,000%, which is a number that doesn't even make sense.

What's going on? Venezuela sits on the richest oil reserves in the world. Well, it's another case of the richest getting richer while the food lines grow longer. Children faint in school from hunger. The murder rate has skyrocketed.

Photo by Richard Jaimes
on Unsplash

According to a 2018 article in Foreign Affairs titled Venezuela's Suicide, "Its schools lie half deserted. The health system has been devastated by decades of underinvestment, corruption, and neglect; long-vanquished diseases, such as malaria and measles, have returned. Only a tiny elite can afford enough to eat. An epidemic of violence has made it one of the most murderous countries in the world. It is the source of Latin America’s largest refugee migration in a generation, with millions of citizens fleeing in the last few years alone."

A year later and it seems everyone with means to do so has fled, though many from the educated and professional classes have remained and continue to protest their government. As of last week more than 16,400 protests have taken place this year alone.

According to a May New York Times article Venezuela's collapse is the worst ever that has not been caused by war.

Pray for the good people of Venezuela.

Related Links
Venezuela on the Brink
Venezuela's Suicide: Lessons from a Failed State
U.N. News: Misery for Venezuelans continues