American news about Venezuela

I went to Americas section of The New York Times website today to see what was going on, and two of the headlining stories were about Venezuela. One was about oil and how in the next six months private oil companies must create a joint venture with the government. Its purpose is to generate more income for the government. Right next to that article was another one about Venezuela. It was about how young girls in the country are trying harder and harder at an increasingly younger age to become beauty queens. It is about beauty schools that open their doors to girls as young as 5. Part of the article described Venezuela as having a society in which looks are more important that in other countries. The author explained vanity as being everything. I had no idea that was an issue, but then I realized that contemporary culture is something my Latin American Studies classes have not included very often. I guess it shouldn't seem so strange to me since I live in the United States and very often the headlining stories are about the same- oil and the importance of good looks.

This is the link to both articles. It may not work if you don't have an online membership with The New York Times (which is free by the way)
Americas section