Act of God of the Day: Chavez nudges Christ to pick South American pope

CARACAS — Just hours after the state funeral of Hugo Chavez, the man who led Venezuela through a self-styled socialist revolution over 14 years and died after a nearly two-year battle with cancer this week, pots and pans were being banged by residents of Caracas’ wealthier neighborhoods.

CARACAS — Hugo Chavez's funeral, which drew dozens of heads of state and a sea of red-clad supporters, has come to a close, but the formal farewells will probably continue much longer. The government says that "like Ho Chi Minh, Lenin and Mao Zedong," Chavez's body will be embalmed and placed in a glass case "for eternity."

BOGOTA — During his first presidential campaign in 1998, I sat across from Hugo Chavez in a twin-engine Cessna. As we recorded an interview, the candidate tried to gulp down a quick lunch before landing for his next rally. Suddenly, the plane hit turbulence, his plate flew into the air and food was all over the floor. Unfazed, Chavez waved off the flight attendant, got down on his knees and began sweeping up the mess with his hands. That was my first encounter with Chavez and it provided a vivid example of why, for journalists, he was the most intriguing Latin American politician of his era.