tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-650185063154546062024-02-02T07:06:51.535-08:00Trebol (Argentina/Chile)Trebor Healeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08018039526428776529noreply@blogger.comBlogger45125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65018506315454606.post-34924026604482484382012-06-07T10:01:00.003-07:002012-06-07T10:26:15.373-07:00Argentina's Mad Existence<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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...leads us to Eastern Europe. Well sort of... as you know by now, I'm fascinated with the source of Argentina's troubles and it's led me most recently to the mass immigrations of the turn of the century (19th to 20th) which brought Italians, Ukranians, Russians, Yugoslavians, Jews and others (interesting side note: the Jewish settlements in Entre Rios, which I visited 2 weeks ago:<a href="http://www.colonizacionjudia.com.ar/tapaeng.htm"> http://www.colonizacionjudia.com.ar/tapaeng.htm</a>).<br />
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<i>Barón Mauricio de Hirsch</i></div>
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baron_Maurice_de_Hirsch%20"><i>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baron_Maurice_de_Hirsch </i></a> </div>
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(interesting character who financed many of the Jewish settlements)</div>
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With these immigrants came anarchism, socialism, communism, etc., which laid the groundwork for the class conflict which Peron eventually exploited, and arguably neutralized...for awhile....<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anarchism_in_Argentina">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anarchism_in_Argentina</a><br />
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The same thing was happening in America at the turn of the century, resulting in the American labor movement. Prosperity in America assimilated much of this movement, just as stagnation (and resource-driven economics) failed to do that in Argentina. (Incidentally the dictatorship of the 70s was harder on these
immigrant communities, and Jews and Eastern Europeans took a bigger brunt of the
abuse since they were often connected to, or stereotyped as connected to,
leftist political movements and thought). Anti-semitism continues in Argentina, even as it boasts the largest Jewish population in South
America.<br />
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The hideous junta of the dirty war<br />
America's growing presence due to war on terror, conflict with Iran:<br />
<a href="http://www.argentinaindependent.com/currentaffairs/humanitarian-relief-or-military-intelligence-the-us-base-in-chaco/%20">http://www.argentinaindependent.com/currentaffairs/humanitarian-relief-or-military-intelligence-the-us-base-in-chaco/ </a></div>
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The fact that these class issues have never been adequately addressed has led to the politics of resentment, as it's often called here. The rich resent the masses demanding to have a share, and the poor resent the rich for refusing it and calling in the military when the demands get too animated. The small middle class resents the lack of credit (and stability) which results from the back and forth between favoring the rich or favoring the poor. I've had some great political discussions here, and each time, I try to reach a little further back to try and pinpoint where things went wrong. First I thought it was Peronism, now I'm thinking it's the turn of the century and the failed corrupt government of Hipolito Yrigoyen. But Gaspar is always right in the end...it goes all the way back to 1810 and Buenos Aires. Yes, just like the US, it goes back to the beginning.....as I explain to people here when they ask about the strange Christian lunacy of America--well, that's who started our country and that is our tragic flaw that I hope won't end us.<br />
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hip%C3%B3lito_Yrigoyen">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hip%C3%B3lito_Yrigoyen</a></div>
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Argentina's is more about the power of Buenos Aires, lording it over the rest of the country, a beachhead of European civilization in a barbarous land, or so they used to depict it way back when. Never really true. I just read a biography of Juan Bautista Alberdi, who was of the caliber of a Jefferson or Madison and repeatedly forced into exile. Imagine if Madison had been forced into exile repeatedly because of the 'caudillo' (basically the usual brutal dictator type) nature of power in Spanish America.....<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_Bautista_Alberdi">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_Bautista_Alberdi</a>. <br />
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And his nemesis, Juan Manuel Rosas, who set the precedent for all the dictatorships that have followed.....<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_Manuel_Rosas">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_Manuel_Rosas</a></div>
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But lest I bore you all with this only-of-interest-to-an-Argentino-phile, there's a new Argentine film out which I saw last night about the miserable conditions in the 'villas miserias' ..</div>
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villas_miserias">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villas_miserias</a></div>
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Film trailer: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNQreNu7ypk">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNQreNu7ypk</a></div>
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Justin Timberlake reigning over Villa 31...que horror </div>
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I still prefer gauchos, and that aspect of Argentine
society...i.e. the provinces outside Buenos Aires, where the
free-wheeling gauchos roamed with their great, high energy folklorico
music (tango is just too dour and formal for me), their mate and their sense of freedom and an egalitarian society
which Buenos Aires, in all its annoying European arrogance, prevented at
every turn. The gauchos plight is more tragic here than one would think, especially with our own idealized cowboy myths. To truly understand it, one must understand the story of Artigas...<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artigas">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artigas</a>..., the founder of Uruguay, as well as read Martin Fierro ....<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Fierro">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Fierro</a>....and familiarize oneself with Gauchito Gil, the gaucho folk saint...<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gauchito_Gil">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gauchito_Gil</a>... Of course, there are good gauchos and bad, as one learns in Sarmiento's seminal work about Argentina's unique karma if you will....<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facundo">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facundo</a>...(also see Juan Manuel Rosas above). So, there's a dark side to everything, and I'm probably just projecting into the part of Argentina I understand less...funny how that works...I always romanticize what I don't understand but find enticing for its freedom...then I learn the ugly truth...I guess it's how I learn....in the end all things are 'mas o menos'...no, Evita is neither a whore nor a saint...and politics is really just a pack of dangerous lies since it continually promotes myths over truths. Enter Che.....<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUMyqol3jaarPiexZxNS-4ocQGg6duNzCcpQ2VkoyOaGQkyF4uYeLzVp-KsNG0_mk4g4Rar-ih9LajDLqdh79YYTGmYL8eCj10lK1k2JSh8VHIsx7OCkttCvF6Q5uOyUfewJwb408WBx4/s1600/DSCN0690.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUMyqol3jaarPiexZxNS-4ocQGg6duNzCcpQ2VkoyOaGQkyF4uYeLzVp-KsNG0_mk4g4Rar-ih9LajDLqdh79YYTGmYL8eCj10lK1k2JSh8VHIsx7OCkttCvF6Q5uOyUfewJwb408WBx4/s320/DSCN0690.JPG" width="320" /> </a></div>
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I've mentioned in past blogs that the Madres of the Plaza de Mayo have been more or less subsumed into the K faction of the Peronist movement...which is quite weird, because they were mothers missing their children and now they are associated with a part of Peronism (Cristina's faction, the K for Kirchneristas) that plays itself off as the permanent revolution (love child of the Montoneros via Evita, and all of it a very dubious bridge, and playing a little fast and loose with some pretty dangerous stuff in my opinion....<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montoneros">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montoneros</a>), much in the way that the PRI sold itself for 70 years in Mexico. An institutional revolution run by the party in power which is not the product of a revolution. Patently absurd and that's why people end up talking about fascism. Che would be appalled. But myths don't get appalled.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdrF9RyUQ4acg8rhVJRBRwju2fkwk9_SQZgQu5n3VVOHinlaHMqYXyKVBAwzLjZeQKvPG0hKxUiy6UAjUTh2WOX7s6GSpHKAc6Ys7MWdK2KtR32Dyuf2nuh6Dfj_NBUOrZBMCmShLfUYI/s1600/DSCN0686.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdrF9RyUQ4acg8rhVJRBRwju2fkwk9_SQZgQu5n3VVOHinlaHMqYXyKVBAwzLjZeQKvPG0hKxUiy6UAjUTh2WOX7s6GSpHKAc6Ys7MWdK2KtR32Dyuf2nuh6Dfj_NBUOrZBMCmShLfUYI/s320/DSCN0686.JPG" width="240" /> </a></div>
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Speaking of which, I love this mural in San Telmo, where Che and Gauchito Gil have merged into one.</div>
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Yes, that's how you spell Hollywood in Argentina </div>
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And if it ain't Che, or Gauchito Gil popping up everywhere...it's guess who...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_jog_Uv3Qo3DEQw46iuUGY7X3cg1oK6ksAcUSbJlWtOoYAiFCSz7Y-T5okSUA6EG09rqFZaY7_aFzS6qE4wOsP0VWz7YRCd_5I4leCpgQgVljqy0eGbKpTUOgRlHR4sAmPHgCz4mQhv8/s1600/DSCN0691.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_jog_Uv3Qo3DEQw46iuUGY7X3cg1oK6ksAcUSbJlWtOoYAiFCSz7Y-T5okSUA6EG09rqFZaY7_aFzS6qE4wOsP0VWz7YRCd_5I4leCpgQgVljqy0eGbKpTUOgRlHR4sAmPHgCz4mQhv8/s320/DSCN0691.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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I'm reading American news a little more now as I'll be returning soon, and of course, I'm disturbed by the weirdness of America: The Christian creeps, the endless shoot-ups by crazed gunman, the inane, uninformed and embarrassing political climate--Gray Davis gets recalled, but Scott Walker doesn't? REALLY. Say what you will about Argentina, people seem better informed, and Peronist or not, anyone with an education sees through the propaganda. Sadly I can't say that about most Americans who have been sold a bill of goods beyond anyone's imagining by the right....in a nutshell, if you have eyes to see: <a href="http://www.nationofchange.org/five-numbers-add-dump-walker-1338815323">http://www.nationofchange.org/five-numbers-add-dump-walker-1338815323</a></div>
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I think the difference is that many Americans choose not to look very hard for the truth. Argentines don't have that luxury. </div>
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And yet Americans are fascinated with the end of world: Someone is concerned that the Andromeda galaxy is
going to crash into the Milky Way in two billion years. A Harvard physicist explained that it would just be
two great big fuzzy balls of stars and mostly empty space passing
through each other harmlessly over the course of millions of years.“We’ll just have twice as many stars,” he said. “The end of the world is
a really silly concept. It’s been here for four billion years. I can
imagine us blowing ourselves up as a civilization, but the planet
wouldn’t care.” </div>
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Meanwhile back on earth.....</div>
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The lovely Kavanaugh Building. The apartment I had near here for a couple months was designed by the same architect. It had a nice little patio and sleeping loft</div>
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Home of the long-suffering Argentine peso...black market dollar price is now at 6/1 thanks to government restrictions. Word on the street is it will reach 8 or 9 (official rate is 4.5/1). Inflation is the cause, and in order to stem the tide of disappearing dollars sent overseas and a debt payment that is due in October, apparently the government had no choice. But the fact that the government doctors the inflation rate numbers is a big blow to what little confidence people have here in the peso, which just generates more dollar flight. </div>
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Below: Cristina lives behind this wall in a large quinta outside the city.</div>
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You'll never see me in a Che T-shirt, but that doesn't mean I'm not a revolutionary...Kittistas!</div>
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Our own private K movement ...that's Ezequiel's twin brother Marco and his son Santino</div>
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They don't use apostrophes in Spanish, and when they try, it sometimes comes out like this.<br />
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Buses of Buenos Aires....photo montage courtesy of Russell Kiel:<br />
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My brother Brian took the below photo of his wife Anita at an Argentine restaurant in Pasadena called 1810.<br />
So like Brian to find a little mirror and send it to me. He always does this which is why he's such a special friend and brother, and why I've just dedicated my new novel<i> Faun</i> to him.</div>
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I'm having trouble ending this blog, so let's get out a map and just take a walk through Buenos Aires while we listen to Sarah Brightman sing "Don't Cry for Me Argentina". </div>
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZziK9yqgV5c&feature=related">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZziK9yqgV5c&feature=related</a></div>
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I've avoided the song, because it's too easy, because Argentines don't particularly like the depiction of Evita in the opera, and because it's sentimental and feels cliched. But there's something about it, and after spending another 6 months here--a much tougher 6 months--I feel I understand it in a different way. It's not about Evita, it's not about Argentina--it's about loving oneself which is why people like it and are touched by it...mostly because it's hard to love oneself and Evita clearly didn't love herself enough, as most of us don't. It's about </div>
Argentina breaking your heart, it's about Argentina being your heart. I can say it has broken mine, and I can also say that that is a gift...a hard gift, but a precious one.<br />
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It's no good to talk about such a song without including the words, so here they are</div>
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It won't be easy</div>
You'll think it strange<br />
When I try to explain how I feel<br />
That I still need your love<br />
After all that I've done<br />
You won't believe me<br />
All you will see<br />
Is a girl you once knew<br />
Although she's dressd up to the nines<br />
At sixes and sevens with you<br />
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I had to let it happen<br />
I had to change<br />
Couldn't stay all my life down at heel<br />
Looking out of the window<br />
Staying out of the sun<br />
So I chose freedom<br />
Running around trying everything new<br />
But nothing impressed me at all<br />
I never expected it too<br />
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Don't cry for me Argentina<br />
The truth is I never left you<br />
All through my wild days<br />
My mad existence<br />
I kept my promise<br />
Don't keep your distance<br />
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And as for fortune and as for fame<br />
I never invited them in<br />
Though it seemed to the world<br />
They were all I desired<br />
They are illusions<br />
They're not the solutions<br />
They promise to be<br />
The answer was here all the time<br />
I love you and hope you love me<br />
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Don't cry for me Argentina<br />
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Don't cry for me Argentina<br />
The truth is I never left you<br />
All through my wild days<br />
My mad existence<br />
I kept my promise<br />
Don't keep your distance<br />
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Have I said too much?<br />
There's nothing more I can think of to say to you<br />
But all you have to do<br />
Is look at me to know<br />
That every word is true <br />
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OK, for those of you who are now rolling your eyes...I know I'm not the first... </div>
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Now take a walk with me through the city of cupolas and cafes......</div>
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Suerte Argentinos! A truly lovely people. Truest thing I heard here: "Argentines just know how to get along, despite everything. They know how to get along with each other."<br />
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Well, most of them....<br />
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</div>Trebor Healeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08018039526428776529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65018506315454606.post-32259734875814712292012-05-20T15:55:00.000-07:002012-05-20T15:55:07.420-07:00Art and Artfulness<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Comes in many forms of course. I've always liked South American art and literature. So here's a bunch, conceptual, found and otherwise:<br />
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One of the many hotel transitorios. You drive in, hook up, and drive out.</div>
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Below....we had a great time with Liliana Forni's video at the Bellas Artes Museum in Rosario. Rosario was once Argentina's second largest city and a major port. It's kind of the Chicago of Argentina I'd say, eclipsed more recently by Cordoba, just as LA has eclipsed America's second city. One quickly realizes one is not in Buenos Aires, the minute one isn't...Rosario wasn't terribly exciting but we found good art there--and Mexican food, though it was the usual bizarre Argentina version: burritos shaped liked triangles, full of eggplant, red peppers, corn and onions, and no hot salsa--and worked around the lack of signal lights, which never ceased to amaze us. There aren't even stop signs...cars simply proceed into intersections hoping for the best...much honking, many 'hijo de putas' and 'pelotudos' proferred back and forth. As for pedestrians...cuidado....back to Liliana Forni's work.....</div>
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Easy to tell which one's the dancer and which the writer....</div>
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Below...a lovely brain made out of chewing gum...</div>
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("Great Social Brain or My Daily Chiclet"...Juan Mathe)</div>
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The Museum of Contemporary Art in Rosario housed in a refurbished grain elevator. The city also has a pretty bridge across the enormous Rio Parana, which dwarfs the Mississippi. It's basically the southern outlet of the Amazon basin, thus its big brown, riddled-with-channels immensity</div>
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Art about the river....</div>
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Jose Flanas Casa</div>
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Below: the Monument de la Bandera (flag), designed by Manuel Belgrano, one of Argentina's gay founding fathers....the flag's design gives it away if the pics of him don't</div>
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This woman was playing a Paraguayan harp..<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paraguayan_harp" style="text-align: left;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paraguayan_harp</a>.. which was really interesting. Smaller than the usual harp, with fewer strings, it is played more rapidly, almost like a guitar, creating a unique and really lovely sound. It's used in Paraguayan folklorico music among the Guarani who are the native people of Paraguay and who were expert at making musical instruments for European courts. If you've seen the movie, <i>The Mission</i>, you'll have seen a little bit of the Guarani's history and an illustration of how musical they are.</div>
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Jorge DiCiervo</div>
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Juan De Prete</div>
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Adolfo Nigro</div>
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Even the military likes to create sculpture gardens. One sees these military hardware displays in various parks...a leftover from the dictatorship celebrating the glorious military in a nation with no enemies. In the last 150 years, they've only attacked their own people, except for the Falklands of course, which finally brought the dictatorship down.</div>
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After declaring independence in 1810, Argentina was basically at war with itself for the next 60 or so years...mostly being a conflict between Buenos Aires and the rest of the country. Federalism never really succeeded here which is why Buenos Aires still monopolizes the country and often acts imperially toward the other provinces</div>
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_Argentine_Civil_Wars">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_Argentine_Civil_Wars</a>....<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argentina" style="text-align: left;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argentina</a></div>
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And then, of course, there's the church art....</div>
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I liked the cherubs</div>
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love the foot...</div>
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most had wigs in this Santa Fe (2 hours north upriver from Rosario) museum,but they ran short</div>
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This one dropped his arm...</div>
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There were lovely gardens outside at this Franciscan convent...reminded me a lot of the California missions which were also Franciscan. A nun took a liking to us and pounded us both on the chest with her palm, wishing that we find girlfriends</div>
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Meanwhile the evangelicals are calling it a 'show'......</div>
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The rest of Santa Fe was a bit dreary, and being that it rained all day....</div>
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We headed across the river (several bridges, then a long tunnel) to Parana which turned out to be a really cool place...I only went there because my friend Gaspar is from there, but I was pleasantly surprised at what a pretty little city it was....with a huge park along the river</div>
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And more spectacular art in Parana at their Museo Bella Artes.....</div>
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Antonio Berni is one of Argentina's most renowned artists. This piece is called "Huelga" which means 'strike' and explains why he had to go into exile during the dictatorship</div>
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio_Berni">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio_Berni</a>
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Below is another of his works when he lived and worked among the poor in Santiago del Estero after the fall of the dictatorship</div>
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Leo Vinci</div>
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Marino Santa Maria</div>
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Oscar Antonio Vaz</div>
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Juan De Dios Mena: "Changerin" (chango is a dude, so its like a guy who does whatever work is available)</div>
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Juan Grela</div>
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I love this as it looks a lot like Egyptian depictions of the goddess Nut. She is the only female skygod in any mythology as far as I know. Along with Osiris, who is a male fertility god associated with the Nile, Egyptian cosmology is indeed turned around, unique and queer. I've written about a queer male earth god and sky mother in my poetry and my upcoming novel, <i>A Horse Named Sorrow</i>. It makes a queer kind of sense to me.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYkLP_5j4XOI4K2iA2x3z_HUnHiTuF-X6oj2IUF16CjKYFtnl_2lw9J3IGEOqXvza12PT6sgB60osWlcKCjUmWhRTQbEfURQsqKfs1FB_v73Jl64cmLSWunhpsM5IF5rsv6cuUo2TjaCE/s1600/DSCN0626+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYkLP_5j4XOI4K2iA2x3z_HUnHiTuF-X6oj2IUF16CjKYFtnl_2lw9J3IGEOqXvza12PT6sgB60osWlcKCjUmWhRTQbEfURQsqKfs1FB_v73Jl64cmLSWunhpsM5IF5rsv6cuUo2TjaCE/s320/DSCN0626+-+Copy.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Luis Luzzi</div>
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This painting recounts the building of the Buenos Aires subway, with the Congress building in the background, which is just down the street from my apartment.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq2YhBp5Mqgq5A3k0Ch42fz6p-mtb2FiileRhvRLiS9JF1fW1xDW11hCjMhL4_4rG_DRpqLLtbtw7XAR_FnlxYotO5wCf1hitWGWygz0UNVokcEp6vlzX4Iu_XmSTGsV5fvw3fQwingnM/s1600/DSCN0632+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq2YhBp5Mqgq5A3k0Ch42fz6p-mtb2FiileRhvRLiS9JF1fW1xDW11hCjMhL4_4rG_DRpqLLtbtw7XAR_FnlxYotO5wCf1hitWGWygz0UNVokcEp6vlzX4Iu_XmSTGsV5fvw3fQwingnM/s320/DSCN0632+-+Copy.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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The biggest palo borrachos I've ever seen are in the museum's courtyard...I love these trees, and they flower in pink, yellow and white</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7m_zVW_2_rK86O9zBA_aLfHb_eEheGPL0_t3bC4qGBhVK7_X9VxZMmn6vd0cnOdVUVTvcaotkdKzWpnRCvqS00BbyQzzkGn4_2yM2oJF-vlHQiseyBepxFE92KVc-oN7SWvM470CYrEg/s1600/DSCN0634+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7m_zVW_2_rK86O9zBA_aLfHb_eEheGPL0_t3bC4qGBhVK7_X9VxZMmn6vd0cnOdVUVTvcaotkdKzWpnRCvqS00BbyQzzkGn4_2yM2oJF-vlHQiseyBepxFE92KVc-oN7SWvM470CYrEg/s320/DSCN0634+-+Copy.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Luis Tessandori</div>
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****</div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">And here's a bunch of art from Uruguay that I never got around to posting.....some really good stuff....</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6laAPpY00SRSLpZGsXQnzpMLyxk2zpYj2OD6Ggqc-0rGZmteGfeN3S-LN_iIWTDDf2ZZvtBlxc3cNkYaMaXRdLhmrkmN2J20fnxU9vDw15R9wf8fprk_nbO_IvBOviyOY-fZYMo-BpTw/s1600/SAM_0499.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6laAPpY00SRSLpZGsXQnzpMLyxk2zpYj2OD6Ggqc-0rGZmteGfeN3S-LN_iIWTDDf2ZZvtBlxc3cNkYaMaXRdLhmrkmN2J20fnxU9vDw15R9wf8fprk_nbO_IvBOviyOY-fZYMo-BpTw/s320/SAM_0499.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Jose Pedro Costigliolo</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLwi3Bi0ysjJtZDJ7u_PcLoyl6Z7gOIpgxBCTYMyrV63rYlrAlVl1QfMQ1Y_ryzWGHIxC2nR-dQM7AeYJAYs4eiKMlZ9pwXCRH1lsJX6L1pKgdgmUXyo8zHfXbNxh3z3ODh4XFEK9ML-s/s1600/SAM_0501.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLwi3Bi0ysjJtZDJ7u_PcLoyl6Z7gOIpgxBCTYMyrV63rYlrAlVl1QfMQ1Y_ryzWGHIxC2nR-dQM7AeYJAYs4eiKMlZ9pwXCRH1lsJX6L1pKgdgmUXyo8zHfXbNxh3z3ODh4XFEK9ML-s/s320/SAM_0501.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Jose Pedro Costigliolo
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCE7Q5u5mCCKhs_32oBZC_oTqHJ0cDTtuVTjYzNv_T7Vsh2YZz_REvCnzId6u4gI56w9cce7mhAKgv88BX46BaA3PqXyubpL2sdXtrnb5fAbNUeNXpSx_RO9UxaDKeEDYkk004wFCGKJg/s1600/SAM_0503.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCE7Q5u5mCCKhs_32oBZC_oTqHJ0cDTtuVTjYzNv_T7Vsh2YZz_REvCnzId6u4gI56w9cce7mhAKgv88BX46BaA3PqXyubpL2sdXtrnb5fAbNUeNXpSx_RO9UxaDKeEDYkk004wFCGKJg/s320/SAM_0503.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Maria Freire</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYlHPC7H2pfAztiuEezJlAnaObppIN5bUsZD9s-1G69Pu44yX3_agsY-hNF0t8gun-6uCPQify0gEVDslk70VXtKjeuVZg4NBLrVDbBuxIWcrg7a13kdUs5uRzTmhqh6khcfMH7w0ygec/s1600/SAM_0505.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYlHPC7H2pfAztiuEezJlAnaObppIN5bUsZD9s-1G69Pu44yX3_agsY-hNF0t8gun-6uCPQify0gEVDslk70VXtKjeuVZg4NBLrVDbBuxIWcrg7a13kdUs5uRzTmhqh6khcfMH7w0ygec/s320/SAM_0505.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Carmelo de Arzadun </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTQZ8uJNkthzrT-MJ6wHkgWlckXWCb_tBUnPz8IOZqDUYzxRf_6liTzLPJljoug72wxUhjayn8KD0y_Ey6Fnw2pZxepdzks6pW4YZce_Op-eqmHALBoZEuoKCsajtwY2c0oMn5j0scTM0/s1600/SAM_0507.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTQZ8uJNkthzrT-MJ6wHkgWlckXWCb_tBUnPz8IOZqDUYzxRf_6liTzLPJljoug72wxUhjayn8KD0y_Ey6Fnw2pZxepdzks6pW4YZce_Op-eqmHALBoZEuoKCsajtwY2c0oMn5j0scTM0/s320/SAM_0507.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Manuel Rose</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1-h9xwJwsBwcZTMxWJ_vnoL32a9SagEm63vinR1n-fdUUyBbOmVadrC8tb8H3KGHhRDbErZqCrKAAeNzYgo2mGZkI-VEd_0u8mX1BiHLi_S9-Kp33lHBinQtO2A6ZMSaCR99P5e4xHqI/s1600/SAM_0509.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1-h9xwJwsBwcZTMxWJ_vnoL32a9SagEm63vinR1n-fdUUyBbOmVadrC8tb8H3KGHhRDbErZqCrKAAeNzYgo2mGZkI-VEd_0u8mX1BiHLi_S9-Kp33lHBinQtO2A6ZMSaCR99P5e4xHqI/s320/SAM_0509.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Jose Cuneo</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirXROfjd-MMeJ5zRSd39gAlmQmLbugwKg4krMXDmSM5OSw-voOL4k-bZst20Q3pIfvx4cZ_7Igs6dUSwyGSHR9WwqbuFllVXiWfjW6har6m9mvh2UdAacy1rlrPaN82Yf0Wmi0R6GETb4/s1600/SAM_0511.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirXROfjd-MMeJ5zRSd39gAlmQmLbugwKg4krMXDmSM5OSw-voOL4k-bZst20Q3pIfvx4cZ_7Igs6dUSwyGSHR9WwqbuFllVXiWfjW6har6m9mvh2UdAacy1rlrPaN82Yf0Wmi0R6GETb4/s320/SAM_0511.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Julio Alpuy</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGqwSIj0XZbYvo_mne5jG5xPXgU6sgPYvkQ8v1NpszUXazev39gi4lXeGryIRV_-aFIjaDl_ZcpKO-PLn1H8502lXz43GW4lz1ubAiSyEqDL6sBQKjgsIMTGCqm9RrjvrD7T1QyVWIyYY/s1600/SAM_0513.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGqwSIj0XZbYvo_mne5jG5xPXgU6sgPYvkQ8v1NpszUXazev39gi4lXeGryIRV_-aFIjaDl_ZcpKO-PLn1H8502lXz43GW4lz1ubAiSyEqDL6sBQKjgsIMTGCqm9RrjvrD7T1QyVWIyYY/s320/SAM_0513.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Manuel Blanes, above and below...his work is picture-perfect along the lines of Caravaggio. He's considered Uruguay's national artist...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq6sMUTq3KYVUrNF_dJy7JkYmTmaPT4lTdCK_jaiZA7q6pS36cnYXExBbZUQKgstLQ4ZZ9JWVYTqLypC9XeUknnNJjgZZASXRTZS2CzsVkbLVeywWmK1IszGZfdJ1so4VwiWBEsvjk4tw/s1600/DSCN0510.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq6sMUTq3KYVUrNF_dJy7JkYmTmaPT4lTdCK_jaiZA7q6pS36cnYXExBbZUQKgstLQ4ZZ9JWVYTqLypC9XeUknnNJjgZZASXRTZS2CzsVkbLVeywWmK1IszGZfdJ1so4VwiWBEsvjk4tw/s320/DSCN0510.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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The weirdest presidential palace (Montevideo, Uruguay) you'll ever see...looks like a bank and reminds one how economic matters such as monetary policy and banking in general are primary in any hope for a successful presidency in Uruguay, Argentina or anywhere in the developing world for that matter....</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMMBMmHCm4aOFFuarNMBt5G_YVZj81p8z5oGtltyYNYhj_lvTWbUKGb_GoFpZkqQWmg_AHS86kIAuVOTvx9cQV2TiY0Pfikw4UGVfQouwEsoRddh3Ut5xh7PZ3Z8Gz0jVu7M82iWI0JsY/s1600/SAM_0114.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMMBMmHCm4aOFFuarNMBt5G_YVZj81p8z5oGtltyYNYhj_lvTWbUKGb_GoFpZkqQWmg_AHS86kIAuVOTvx9cQV2TiY0Pfikw4UGVfQouwEsoRddh3Ut5xh7PZ3Z8Gz0jVu7M82iWI0JsY/s320/SAM_0114.JPG" width="320" /></a>
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Speaking of currency, while I lived downtown in Buenos Aires the last few months, I'd watch these trucks line up on Reconquista, Buenos Aires' Wall Street. Whether they are full of pesos, dollars or nothing is anybody's guess. And where they go who knows.....</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCcXKlJduo_T7WiqGCRrZ-O9Dn9r5oMHE38Z4mZY7rTBxZboCY-_FzRPv3QR3LoFcbuW9LY2EMVPAd26TiXox77VjJsM0HucQpD4eLYS244lYDopUYSxAv4lNIPpmw4VC4ZLwIB0Dp70U/s1600/SAM_0035.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCcXKlJduo_T7WiqGCRrZ-O9Dn9r5oMHE38Z4mZY7rTBxZboCY-_FzRPv3QR3LoFcbuW9LY2EMVPAd26TiXox77VjJsM0HucQpD4eLYS244lYDopUYSxAv4lNIPpmw4VC4ZLwIB0Dp70U/s320/SAM_0035.JPG" width="320" /></a>
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Found art......</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0TVPQ5LIRD71xgQTl5eaFLQ1CjpFsMl8F8HRdpdBA-HDo6HuzO_s0d4nsYb6jku_G-2RaGkWt3jsa9Yul4eK0zeE-TtLHMEDDLT0gMUA0piX7laCsqy0Yd8SAJJzwv8RJzkuc2zs4ZcY/s1600/DSCN0655.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0TVPQ5LIRD71xgQTl5eaFLQ1CjpFsMl8F8HRdpdBA-HDo6HuzO_s0d4nsYb6jku_G-2RaGkWt3jsa9Yul4eK0zeE-TtLHMEDDLT0gMUA0piX7laCsqy0Yd8SAJJzwv8RJzkuc2zs4ZcY/s320/DSCN0655.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>Trebor Healeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08018039526428776529noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65018506315454606.post-83214422187484530832012-05-09T12:42:00.001-07:002012-05-09T12:42:26.347-07:00Uruguay<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Uruguay kindly reminded me not to forget Mothers Day. So, Happy Mothers Day, Mom...You are the Budweiser of Uruguay! :) And amazingly enough, the brewery was founded in 1936, the year of your birth.<span style="text-align: center;"> </span><br />
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Saludos Patricia! Of course, it's a little odd getting drunk on your mother night after night, but in the spirit of the great Persian poet, Rumi, I think it's a perfect way to celebrate what a good Mom she is, as those of you who know her can attest.</div>
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Caught by our own thoughts,</div>
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we worry about everything.</div>
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But once we get drunk on that Love</div>
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whatever will be, will be.</div>
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***</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Bring the pure wine of</span></div>
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love and freedom.</div>
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But sir, a tornado
is coming.</div>
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More wine, we'll
teach this storm</div>
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A thing or two
about whirling.</div>
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumi">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumi</a>
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Of course, travelers cannot live on beer alone. We enjoyed another of Uruguay's national beverages... grappa miel, as did Henry.</div>
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Grappa is an italian brandy, which for whatever reason is mixed with honey (miel) here. It's tasty in the way of cough syrup. I first learned of grappa as a high school student via Ernest Hemingway who wrote of it in <i>Farewell to Arms: </i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">"The next day in the morning we left for Milan and arrived forty-eight hours later. It was a bad trip. We were sidetracked for a long time this side of Mestre and children came and peeked in. I got a little boy to go for a bottle of cognac but he came back and said he could only get grappa."</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">- Ernest Hemingway, </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">A Farewell to Arms</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">, Chapter 12</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">I was unable to locate the elusive fish empanada that Portenos told me existed in Colonia, our first stop, but I did find affordable salmon for the first time in 3 months and more bunuelos de algas (seaweed)</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">We rented bikes to ride around Colonia, which is a charming Portuguese town (a bit touristy but beautiful like Carmel, so all is forgiven) founded in 1680 for smuggling purposes when the Spanish wouldn't allow anything to ship via the east coast of South America...everything had to go through Lima in those days, which is why Buenos Aires was also rife with smuggling during that era.</span> </div>
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Uruguaysos speak a similar Spanish to Argentines, though they have a few different words which I've come to like. For 'esta bien' which is like OK, or alright, or fine...they just say 'ta'. Instead of 'che,' which is dude or guy in Argentina, they say 'bo'. There money is a tad prettier too.</div>
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and includes non-politicians and women, which is also a welcome sight. (Chile has a 5,000 peso note with Nobel poet Gabriela Mistral that I wrote about last year). Below is what would be the $50 bill....with poet Juana de Ibarbourou's likeness...she was a prominent feminist and her poetry was highly erotic <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juana_de_Ibarbourou" style="text-align: left;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juana_de_Ibarbourou</a></div>
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Oh, how I wish I could come upon Walt Whitman on our $50 bill or Allen Ginsberg on the $20.</div>
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One day America will live up to JFK's words etched in stone on the Kennedy Center:</div>
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"I look forward to an America honored not for its victories or defeats on the battlefield or in politics, but rather, for its contribution to the human spirit." George and Abe and Ben are legit on their bills, the rest need changing: I suggest MLK, Frederick Douglass, Whitman or Emerson or Ginsberg or Emily Dickinson...Mae West! Mother Jones! Sitting Bull.</div>
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The kids wear the same guardapolvos, but with big bows. It's more traditional here, more Spanish, less brassy and fashion-oriented. Uruguayans are chill and proud of that fact. They drink mate even more than the Argentines.</div>
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And yes, un monton (tons) of feral dogs. One gets adopted by them for a few hours at a time. They're good companions and just sort of hang out with you until they find something else more interesting to do. Most seem to get enough food, but of course, they don't end up neutered or spayed and if they get sick, they just suffer the consequences. But they're generally treated well and as much as it's not ideal, they aren't being euthenized en masse as so often happens in the US, if it weren't for the legions of dog rescuers who save at least some. It's funny to watch them chasing cars down major thoroughfares, which they tend to do generally around dusk. Below are two of the dogs who adopted us, one of whom was just a little puppy...I kept wondering..where is your mother, cachorro?</div>
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We headed east along the coast to the more remote beaches. Punta del Diablo is a classic beachtown of surfers, backpackers and little bars and restaurants that were really not much more than shacks.</div>
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We stayed at Diablo Tranquilo, a great hostel. It's good to stay in hostels now and again for the community of world travelers you always meet......we met a hippy family from Pennsylvania with two cute little kids, the charming Uruguayso Diego, and Sabina, from Azerbaijan via Canada. There was a nice little bar, decks, our room had a great ocean view (you can rent private or dormitory style rooms)..and there was good vegetarian food to be had. This hostel was run by an American who is not just a great host, but a very accomplished person for his 29 years. </div>
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Previous to this hostel, which he started at 24, he worked in Brazil, analyzing economic issues and is one of the most well-informed people I've met in years. After having run his hostel here for 5 years, he totally understands the problems in South America and educated me considerably about the finer points. I really appreciated his insight on the corruption/stasis/economic malaise here....so much is about relationships, not laws, which is different from our system. Success is not celebrated, but frowned upon. He agreed that the church is indeed an enormous obstacle and maybe the single biggest contributing factor to the tragic stasis of the class society in South America that keeps the rich rich and the poor poor and all of their economies and politics in a sort of cyclic left/then right/then left/then right ad infinitum rollercoaster of counterproductiveness. He has an understanding of capital and political theory that made me think he is going to continue to do great things (he's already started two family businesses here and has contributed enormously to the local economy. His was the first hostel here..there are now 32). He has a technology company in Austin and talked at length about how computers/the internet can create economic prosperity without the need for traditional capital, which is an especially huge and importnat point in economies that offer no access to capital to the majority of their citizens. He made me feel more hopeful after the hopelessness I was feeling after reading Galeano's book. I also see him as part of the younger generation that is capable of some real greatness, creating sustainable dynamic smart businesses for the future...In a word, I'd say the dude is more or less 'unstoppable'...Saludos Bryan!</div>
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Next day we set off to the fort, a Spanish stronghold to contest the British and Portuguese presence in the Rio de la Plata (built 1762). I loved the orange lichen on its walls...</div>
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We took a bus up there and walked back on the beach for about 8 miles...saw about two people, and since it's a national park, it's pristine wilderness most of the way. We picked up trash (there is much less litter here in Uruguay, a nice change) partly because I like doing it, feel obligated to do it somewhat, and because I like garbage as it always has a story. And I like stories. You find the most interesting things <i>among the garbage and the flowers.</i>...<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otJY2HvW3Bw" style="text-align: left;">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otJY2HvW3Bw</a>.....We had the added incentive that Diablo Tranquilo gives away free 40-ouncers to whoever brings back a bag of garbage after visiting the beach. We were like two little kids, coming up with some innovative transport methods that made me think there would be much to still work with in a post-apocalyptic world strewn with trash.</div>
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While imbibing our free 40, Bryan shared more: Uruguay has an 84% divorce rate. It's only 65% Catholic, much more Protestant, compared with Argentina which is like 90%. He
also described some of the frustrations of running a business in a culture
where not only do those in power shake down anyone who starts making money (the
folks he helped start a business), but the tax system is such that you are
taxed higher if you pay better wages, creating an incentive to pay low wages,
which once again only preserves the class society status quo. At the same time,
workers can sue--and usually do--their employers if they are fired and
generally always win. This again preserves the status quo as the workers don’t
feel completely screwed, and for the young, it means a windfall when you get
fired, so you can take a trip to Spain or elsewhere. He then described how this goes on for awhile
until the country’s currency deteriorates, then there’s a rightwing backlash
(Uruguay has a similar history to Argentina…a brutal dictatorship complete with
disappearances happened here in the 70s as well, with few brought to justice). The
rightwing backlash is then followed by a leftwing rebirth when the right
collapses under the threat of social revolution. This has gone on for 300 years
as he sees it and is the endless cycle each country is trapped in. We all sat
there wondering how ever can we change this… Bryan is all about freeing up
capital. I always think of land reform, a similar result, but which can only happen here via
revolution, which I don’t want to
promote per the violence, which is why I always feel the most hopeful thing
that happened in South America was the Allende election in Chile..<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvador_Allende" style="text-align: left;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvador_Allende</a>.Of course, it was
crushed by the US (along with the Guatemalan..<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guatemala" style="text-align: left;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guatemala</a>, Salvadoran..<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Salvador" style="text-align: left;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Salvador</a>, Nicaraguan...<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicaragua" style="text-align: left;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicaragua</a>, etc.
revolutions). Cuba is the other beacon of hope to Latin Americans...<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuba" style="text-align: left;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuba</a>. Say what you
will of Cuba, it provided medical care and education to everyone and has
radically transformed the usual class injustices found in all Latin American
countries, even while being harassed by the US for 50+ years. That’s why it is
looked to as a watershed moment in Latin American history, and somewhat idealized. But it's about to end. Who knows what will
happen…Chavez is just another of the cycles, and how anyone can believe a military man can save an economy and improve the lives
of millions is kidding themselves. Short term. Politics is short term Bryan kept saying…people are
the only hope for longterm solutions. How to get them access to capital remains
the big question. I liked his attitude that people are the answer..he has certainly done a great deal for many people and is an example how one person can vastly improve his surroundings.</div>
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We left Punta del Diablo, and leaving a tip, I accidentally
placed a 1,000 Uruguayan peso note in the tip jar (that’s $100 bucks). I was
thinking it was a $10…luckily I was counting my money ten minutes later,
noticed the mistake and ran back down, and it was still in the tip jar. Those
guys deserve a $100 tip actually, but I had to give them a more reasonable one that
I could afford.</div>
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The ugliest statue I’ve ever seen…..some kind of mermaid in Paloma…we only stayed a
day. It was a complete ghost town with only one café open as it’s now the low
season. Paloma is a beach town, but a commercial one, unlike Punta del Diablo.
It’s basically the budget version of Punta del Este which is the Miami South
Beach scene, popular among Argentine rich folks, celebrities, etc. I did like
all the pines on this stretch of the coast..it reminded me of South Carolina
and is probably of the same latitude. This is on our way out via the bus terminal....</div>
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We did stay long enough to sample Uruguay's national wine...Tannat (much like Malbec, quite good)</div>
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Looking very old country…and old I suppose…on the banks of a
Uruguayan river when our bus broke down and we had to wait an hour for a
replacement....4 hours later, we rolled into Montevideo, a beautiful chill city, filled with the same leafy sycamore trees that graced Colonia....</div>
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Right now I’m writing in a café, but will need to upload
later as there is no way to connect to the internet even though wifi is
plastered all over the windows. Seems no one here knows the ‘clave’ (password). This is a common South American experience.
No one knows and no one finds out. I went to the next place, same prob...4 people...cooks, waiters, etc.... arguing over the password. <i>No hay problema</i>, I'll come back later. Sometimes I really miss efficiency, other
times I like how things just go along and no one stresses. I’m also noticing
there is always sugar in the coffee here because they don’t use espresso, they
use normal grounds which are infused with a small amount of sugar. In Argentina, espresso is espresso, but drip coffee almost
always includes sugar….there is only one
brand I buy when making my own coffee that doesn’t have sugar. Uruguay is not really as much of a cafe culture...Argentina is like France or Italy, every friggin' corner...Uruguay is more like the US...you have to hunt. It's not an empanada culture either, which we found out the hard way yesterday, when we had the
worse empanadas I’ve ever had…basically ground beef sans any spices or
flavoring in the one, and fatty ham and cheese in the other. Of course, this is
a corner dive bar, with several mid-day drinkers carousing on the corner
outside. </div>
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The coffee was like liquid asphalt in this place, and it’s generally
harsh and not good here in Uruguay. No wonder everyone is drinking mate. Later, while purchasing a small alarm clock in a kiosk, I had a funny conversation
with the man behind the counter. “Is this clock from Uruguay?” I asked, just as I
discovered the 'made in China' stamp on the box. His answer: “Are you kidding? We
don’t have the technology here for clocks. Only cows.” I asked him if maybe
they could teach the cows to tell time. He laughed and said, “Cows aren’t for
thinking, they’re for eating, and besides, why teach the poor cow when he’ll be
killed in a year?” Happily for me (not for the cow), my Spanish has jumped
another level. It really is true what they say about learning a new language…you
labor along frustrated, feeling you’re getting nowhere, then you have these
sudden jumps to the next plateau. Of course there are many plateaus, and I’m still only
halfway up the mountain, but I'm a backpacker so I'll get there eventually!</div>
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There is a lot more fish here thankfully….it is
not a coincidence that Argentina is shaped like a side of beef or a steak. We
kept looking at Uruguay…what is it shaped like? …..a bunuelo!</div>
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There are ugly buildings as well of course.....</div>
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and charming old rickety hotel rooms.....</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDBC3WEtCWe4ctvN0lWVpUGgHDsFtK7sORmJ-xeUZ9LRPqCP2OXM0pql_ihNDqOKyLSINWZUMAKcSMlNU78EbWNt1s2FVr2-bJBzrPT7Qftm5gvQW0KESpyfqwzHz2nQJkh85SLiS2Hl0/s1600/DSCN0458.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDBC3WEtCWe4ctvN0lWVpUGgHDsFtK7sORmJ-xeUZ9LRPqCP2OXM0pql_ihNDqOKyLSINWZUMAKcSMlNU78EbWNt1s2FVr2-bJBzrPT7Qftm5gvQW0KESpyfqwzHz2nQJkh85SLiS2Hl0/s320/DSCN0458.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">We came upon this little fountain which is literally covered in padlocks. As the legend goes, if you put your name along with your beloved's on a padlock and lock it here, the love will be forever.</span><span style="text-align: center;"> :)</span><br />
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It’s funny to see the old buildings surrounded by new
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<span style="text-align: left;">This is an old hotel, now a squat, by the port…the port is
undergoing renovation and reminded me a lot of Seattle’s Pioneer Square, which was completely derelict when I lived there as a child in the 60s and is now filled with restaurants, shops, etc. There are still many
abandoned buildings and this isn’t the US, so it could be decades before it
looks anything like that, and there are many more squats in the numerous
abandoned warehouses here. Montevideo is a very pleasant city overall, with
great weather, friendly chill people..it doesn’t feel like it’s falling apart
as much as Buenos Aires does either. If the economy was more developed, people
would flock here… the climate and culture are ideal. There are only 3.5 million
people so there’s a sense that this country could really get it right in a way
that is much more elusive for its more populated neighbors. Same population as
Ireland.</span> And Ireland did what Bryan recommends...tech...capital for the capital-less.</div>
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This guy had a bookstand on the street and offered a wealth
of knowledge about Uruguayan lit. We also liked his red Yankees cap which I’ve
never seen before, probably because red is not the Yankees color. It was also
sort of funny to see a Uruguayan with a ‘Yanqui’ cap. Then again maybe the only
good Yankee is a Red Yanqui!? Hardy har har….</div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">Mate is even bigger here than in Argentina and you can see people walking around with their thermos bottle tucked under their arm, mate in hand, sipping. This guy at a bus stop not only was drinking mate in this manner, but was also checking messages on his cell and listening to music with headphones while holding a cigarette which he dragged on between sips of mate.</span>
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We had a funny moment in the Pre-Columbian museum, which covered everything from Assyria and Egyptian mummies to Rome and Buddhas...why not called it Museuam of Antiquities?...What do all these other cultures have to do with Columbus? Anyway, most of the stuff was copies of originals. We found the American section, but I really wanted to learn something about Uruguay....finally we found out.........</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU7bpJgwik0iphXsSh6dUiRlnD1zKUBe2-E09QmT1josRiU1u5J1zpI1l-TNBkBNNtgQI2xbsjn8tz6CO3ex36bvRL5QS-KA9lk6kgxnHbW_ff1tNRThwDhxnFVOguEM3QMHFISmJKo-8/s1600/SAM_0117.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU7bpJgwik0iphXsSh6dUiRlnD1zKUBe2-E09QmT1josRiU1u5J1zpI1l-TNBkBNNtgQI2xbsjn8tz6CO3ex36bvRL5QS-KA9lk6kgxnHbW_ff1tNRThwDhxnFVOguEM3QMHFISmJKo-8/s320/SAM_0117.JPG" width="320" /></a>
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'piedras, nada mas' Ezequiel said non-chalantly....which is basically saying..<i>.just rocks</i>...amidst all those Roman gods and buddhas and Aztec calendars and Nefertiti, it was side-splittingly funny at the time.....Uruguay was like California...simple hunters and gatherers, no giant temple-building organized society. Probably a much more pleasant place to have lived than in those so-called 'civilized' cultures actually....<br />
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There are no Starbucks here...yet.But the Argentine copies are around in the richer neighborhoods...Martinez and Havana which are clearly designed to compete with Starbucks...they have superior coffee of course as well as waiters.</div>
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I like the zipper grafitti</div>
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Ezequiel and I both like to read lit...he in Spanish, me in English...we're into Orwell right now.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6oAfUrZX1ow7UV0rat0ErQHFcHNuUn87fI-tAFo7_y0f-K7q5hRuYMSqtbJvfZ0hqQGKaXNqv8gTz65gKuk9gOIzG6Y9WQRa_g0nzLTHnH2vYMVMEST9lyLWStS6M66_Oog-VR6QZyLY/s1600/SAM_0040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6oAfUrZX1ow7UV0rat0ErQHFcHNuUn87fI-tAFo7_y0f-K7q5hRuYMSqtbJvfZ0hqQGKaXNqv8gTz65gKuk9gOIzG6Y9WQRa_g0nzLTHnH2vYMVMEST9lyLWStS6M66_Oog-VR6QZyLY/s320/SAM_0040.JPG" width="320" /></a>
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We'll be back in Buenos Aires by Friday where we hope to see Russ and Michelle again, who John Parsons, my old college friend, connected us to. There's a great tango singing place in Congreso that we went to and we had a great time speaking Spanglish. These guys have been traveling for over 300 days...as I recall...Thailand, Slovenia, Budapest to name but a few of the highlights. They're heading to Ecuador next.</div>
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<br /></div>Trebor Healeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08018039526428776529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65018506315454606.post-80135516696382949372012-05-02T15:43:00.001-07:002012-05-02T15:52:39.975-07:00Strange Things<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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There are many, but I'll share just a few. Yellow lights follow green lights, but they also follow red lights, which warns people to proceed with caution before gunning it with the green. I think this is a good idea, but may only be the result of the insane amount of red-light running here. No one is ever ticketed, or not that I've seen. The police only seem to hassle people over parking.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiagKRCgkwhBh6nUB33V0XBIB65ohENXk80IA7C9iru3ToOmigQ_TioI39j6MvZlqM5fIOBnm8x_6XgppG9qgYoRxTD5YWkTtZyJc_g8cJKup59BnzZSdV0yPdW-SwZghlUQFIctWxUGu0/s1600/IMG_1562.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiagKRCgkwhBh6nUB33V0XBIB65ohENXk80IA7C9iru3ToOmigQ_TioI39j6MvZlqM5fIOBnm8x_6XgppG9qgYoRxTD5YWkTtZyJc_g8cJKup59BnzZSdV0yPdW-SwZghlUQFIctWxUGu0/s320/IMG_1562.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Milk in bags. I thought about this for awhile before finally asking someone. It's like a pillow basically, which means it's great for muscle pulls but spills all over the place when you try to pour with it, and you better have some kind of decanter to prop it up in afterward. As it turns out, most Argentines have these plastic containers that the bags fit into. Of course there isn't one in my apartment.<br />
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The Mothers of the Disappeared is now flush with cash and has its own fleet of trucks. They have raised enormous amounts of money, mostly because they are favored by the Kirchneristas (Cristina's and Nestor's base within the 7-headed monster that is Peronism). Peron set a dangerous precedent by making unions part of the labor department. That's no longer the case with unions though they have a lot of pull within the Peronist party, but nonprofits like the Mothers are often more or less sucked into the government and act like a large bureaucracy--there was a huge money-laundering scandal with them last year as they now build low income housing with their enormous endowment, and no surprise, money was being funnelled into offshore accounts.<br />
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The endless, and laugh out loud, absurdity of what I can only call Italian machismo. OK, get this: a straight guy has a 'culo de oro'--that's a pure gold ass because it's untouched by other men. A bisexual has a gold-plated ass and a queer has nothing but what we usually think of as an ass since its no longer pure. This is some sort of weird Catholic version of male virginity I suppose.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtwqJSYzYrIkNtYWq3VF9RbwNYMsOsC4nC0A4x9CnfRw218dlOzqfcUd_N52Qrfl9-wg6Q-4BwP7nlAaTa5j6STsVvyXKsdvFfYcUyrk5HrMir-nagj5EJI2v49hnGFWJd1SGmsVgZmjo/s1600/Respect_UK_lighter_legal_60.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtwqJSYzYrIkNtYWq3VF9RbwNYMsOsC4nC0A4x9CnfRw218dlOzqfcUd_N52Qrfl9-wg6Q-4BwP7nlAaTa5j6STsVvyXKsdvFfYcUyrk5HrMir-nagj5EJI2v49hnGFWJd1SGmsVgZmjo/s320/Respect_UK_lighter_legal_60.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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There is, as well, the usual regard for comic Latin chivalry. The Stella Artois ads are a case in point. It's the only decent beer here and they have the Argentine market down...the whole faux-French retro-romantic thing--think tango and the Parisian-style cafes. And of course, made by an English advertising agency. Watch the commercial--which is a slightly longer version than the one that runs on TV here (this one is also in English), but you'll get the point:<br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUZ3_eKyxpE&feature=related">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUZ3_eKyxpE&feature=related</a><br />
Here's a more comic type 'Italianate' Argentina soda ad:<br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yz4ySY7oKkk">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yz4ySY7oKkk</a>
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Another amazing aspect of Argentine culture is the sheer volume and visibility of transexuals. There are several famous ones on TV and in theaters and you see many in the street. They take no shit and are generally left alone to be who they are. No one stares at them here, but many live pretty tough urban lives as prostitutes... <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zDtSy3exwg">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zDtSy3exwg</a><br />
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Political correctness never happened here. These are cannibal cakes complete with bones through the hair.</div>
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And yes, there is apparently a school for making empanadas. Having attempted them several times, I can attest to how difficult it actually is.</div>
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the lovely ombu tree in Plaza San Martin...very banyan like, from the pampas</div>
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There should always be a big bookstore across the street from any church, just in case people need a second opinion</div>
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As a young poet in San Francisco, I used to create my own chapbooks. Most poets start this way and it was nice to see this box of homemade poetry chapbooks with cardboard covers here in Argentina as well.</div>
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Argentines have a funny way of saying 'basta' this or 'basta' that...it means 'enough already' and this one is perfect. And here's a good article to set things straight about that whole KONY song-and-dance of recent months:<span style="text-align: left;"> </span></div>
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Grafitti of Gauchito Gil, the Argentine folk saint I wrote about last year .. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaucho_Gil" style="text-align: left;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaucho_Gil</a></div>
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Cristina without makeup--doesn't she look a lot better?</div>
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You can say that again, the cult of Nestor is beginning to rival Peron and even Evita, which is how it's done here (As one of my teachers once said: they only vote for the dead here). The business of mythologizing Nestor is sort of like the Reagan myth, except that he's of the Peronist left. But there are all sorts of little squares named after him and his image is everywhere. And the big blue 'K' of the Kirchneristas, which can be seen at every demonstration, are a constant reminder of his efforts--and Cristina's--at rejuvenating the Peronist left. He died of a heart attack two years ago which is why Cristina always wears black. Their idea had been to switch off as President so they could dominate for 16 years. It likely would have happened. Since Nestor is gone, Cristina is now working toward changing the constitution so she can run for a third term. Most people seem to be OK with it as they are nervous because there are neither viable oppostion candidates nor a viable successor. As for the traditional rightwing or centrist opposition, it vanished with the middle class after the default and peso collapse of 2001 and is now basically led by the press, La Nacion and Clarin, the two largest dailies that are constantly after Cristina and the K.</div>
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There was a rock concert to celebrate the expropriation from Spain of the nation's oil industry (can you imagine a rock concert for an oil company...well it's a little different, but still, it's weird). And yes, hosted by the Mothers of the Disappeared. The connection may not be obvious at first, but this is how Peronist nationalism works....According to the Peronist Youth and Movimiento Evita<i> the oil company was stolen from us and we're taking it back </i>(It was actually sold during the Menem Administration), the Malvinas were stolen from us (It was retaken by Britain after an Argentine invasion) and our children were stolen (this part is true, and real). But we've got Spain, Britain and the Argentine dictatorship all implicated here as on the same side. On some meta level between right and left, or on a historical or class level, it's arguably true, but especially from a Peronist perspective, it plays well. Because Peronism is about the working people, or so they say. Certainly, Peronism has always used the working people and poor as its base, but whether they deliver is another thing. I think in some ways they do, but it's an awful lot of talk and none of them since the Perons themselves have been that beneficial to the working people in terms of actual economic realities, like wages and living standards. It's more of a Populist movement acting out a socialist fantasy. A sort of necessary evil perhaps because the right has such an abysmal record of governing or improving the lives of working Argentines. As my friend Gaspar, one of my brightest friends here, explains...</div>
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you can't understand Argentina unless you understand the conquest of Patagonia and the big land giveaways to the general/capitalist guys (the new world Spanish system basically and very feudal). I love comments like that. You have to keep going deeper to really understand anything, especially in politics and economics. As for K Peronists, Gaspar says their whole approach is to keep the young involved and so they present everything on an adolescent level. I think that is spot on (and it's what the right does in the US). For example, Argentina expropriated the half of YPF that was Spanish controlled (51% controlling interest). They didn't expropriate the other 49%, much of which is owned by US and European oil companies. Peronists never mention these details as it seems that money/power/nationalism are their prime motivators, at least from what I've seen. Which is the reality of politics certainly, but one can't help but roll their eyes at the blatant propaganda that it is otherwise.</div>
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I'm guessing it was Peronist Youth who plastered this wall with images of Peron. They were pasted right over posters of Monica Lopez, a prominent feminist, who is also incidentally a Peronist, but not a Kirchnerista. Which is the perfect segue into what I'm reading right now..Orwell's <i>Homage to Catalonia </i>which is all about the fracturing on the left.</div>
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He was a president..<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bartolome_Mitre" style="text-align: left;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bartolome_Mitre</a></div>
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the horrible hot pink lights that illuminate the Casa Rosada (the white house of Argentina) at night</div>
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genial...buena onda...riquisimo</div>
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The old mailboxes which we refer to as statues. None function and people sometimes put garbage in them, but never letters. For those you have to go to the post office.</div>
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Mumbai, the Indian restaurant I had chosen for my birthday was closed (many things were as May 1 is International workers day), so we chanced upon a Hungarian restaurant which we thought was interesting for its novelty if nothing else. Much ghoulash was had, and comments shared about how I was born on the day of the worker when I've spent so much time not working (perhaps its one of the perks). Besides, May Day is also Beltane, which is more what I'm about.</div>
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And, since coincidences happen constantly here (I'm beginning to think magic realism in Latin literature was not an invention, but just a reflection of things as they are), we were drawn to the restaurant's name since we had listened to this aria from the opera Turandot the day before:</div>
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTFUM4Uh_6Y&feature=related">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTFUM4Uh_6Y&feature=related</a>
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The above poorly-photographed banner by yours truly was about nuclear waste storage. Which is happening near the airport. One of the dumber ideas by some bureaucracy I'd guess. Putting nuclear waste next to the main entry point of the country. Can you imagine an accident or contamination and the airport closes for 6 weeks? Adios Argentine economy. This is a no brainer. There are two nuclear plants in Argentina. Interestingly, these signs were in English and Spanish, which is never the case in protests here. I think they were obviously looking for international attention as the nuclear issue is an international one. Note the white scarves made of tiles on the pavement. Those are in honor of hte Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo (aka Mothers of the Disappeared) who circumambulated the central obelisk here in the Plaza de Mayo and arguably were a major factor in bringing down one of the most despicable dictatorships in history. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mothers_of_the_Plaza_de_Mayo" style="text-align: left;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mothers_of_the_Plaza_de_Mayo</a></div>
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This is a permanent protest encampment about the lack of benefits for Las Malvinas (Falklands War) veterans. It is annoying that the Malvinas are constantly used politically to gain points and promote nationalism/patriotism, while the vets, many disabled, languish in poverty. Of course, the same can be said for the US. People ask me about homeless people in the US, and I mention that many are veterans.</div>
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Italian dance cultural event in the city center...la Tarantella</div>
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A 19th-century well with attendant modern trash and grafitti</div>
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The Guido Palace Hotel. Just liked the name.</div>
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The film festival just wrapped up and now the book festival is going on. I stopped in to have a look....</div>
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(Note to Stella: they had a t-shirt, but I didn't like it, so you still need to find me one with the flag!)</div>
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Sorry about the focus on this pic, but it's interesting to see how many Marxist/Anarchist/Socialist works are read here. In the US, as we know, the majority of people rarely have even a basic clue about political theory, but here you see books by Bakunin, Proudhon, Kropotkin, Marx, etc. in every bookstore, often prominently displayed in windows. Of course, these books hold more cache in a country and among a population that knows firsthand the abuses these thinkers are addressing, and have experienced the worst excesses and outright failures of capitalism. There was never land reform here of any substantial kind, it's always been a privileged rich man's game. Every kid who goes to college can talk about all of this political theory on the level that only kids into the progressive left do in the US (a smaller and smaller subset of students sadly as our universities devolve into high tech vocational schools)</div>
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This was a weird installation. Since the US is not in South America, and this is a South American Book Fair (although there were Israel and Armenia booths--I'm guessing because they have large populations here and the common history of genocide that Argentina shares). Anyway, the US booth was all about getting a U.S. visa, which is actually very hard to get. There was a video welcoming Argentines to the US...but get a visa first. Which you usually can't get. But it was nice to show Ezequiel the books with photos of National Parks on this shelf. He's never actually been to a waterfall. So we hope to go to one of the biggest in the world in June..Iguazu.</div>
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Buenos Aires has one big mosque (lots of Syrians and Lebanese here)...Ezequiel is half Syrian, but raised Catholic in a totally Argentine Spanish/Italian town so he has no real connection to the culture, though he likes Middle Eastern food as much as I do.</div>
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The book fair took place in La Rural, a huge convention center (campus really) where all this kind of stuff happens. Originally, it was for big cattle shows, thus the name.</div>
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And finally, a spanish-speaking infant....<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-EwQdQm4r4&feature=related">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-EwQdQm4r4&feature=related</a><br />
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<br /></div>Trebor Healeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08018039526428776529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65018506315454606.post-10188820755205666992012-04-17T11:02:00.001-07:002012-04-17T11:08:49.674-07:00Trapped in Retiro<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Well, I've been a little slow on blogging, mostly because I haven't been doing anything! Or not of interest to this blog anyway. I'm writing and reading a lot as usual....[book cover for my novel <i>Faun</i> which will come out in October]:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0glpJksfTEijyjhdJkWwajmkfQT5C4Cd1cuk8IXV4ybCKF6a0_yEFz-e7dxAomQNCUsIzBTdNhMIGs-sdjCbzNlqJm7XPKx-JDwZV65pmJNTrdLi_brT2dWk3ZdzFZp1ZvTjL-1PMoRs/s1600/Lethe_Faun_e.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0glpJksfTEijyjhdJkWwajmkfQT5C4Cd1cuk8IXV4ybCKF6a0_yEFz-e7dxAomQNCUsIzBTdNhMIGs-sdjCbzNlqJm7XPKx-JDwZV65pmJNTrdLi_brT2dWk3ZdzFZp1ZvTjL-1PMoRs/s320/Lethe_Faun_e.png" width="211" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">... but since I screwed up my leg, I've been unable to do much else...can't walk more than a few blocks and I'm going stir-crazy. Here's what went down: frustrated by the expense and crowds at pools, I decided to take up running as I'm living right near the reserva, a large natural area created by landfill in the 1970s adjacent to downtown (not a great idea and I'm not sure why as the promenade that ran along where it now sits was beautiful)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBvfC4KXLMOZjuCX92PtvscdXD5qPQIPmGDZPnycwyaTWehU96-wPunOQxyOYTbAPXjcv7XUaekecLWq853Lz50Qs2-diMnNktmjdFXrqJgOXBegq-dT2UWS0-ReApmmOzetbekNapdns/s1600/1.1288294793.ba-ecological-reserve.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBvfC4KXLMOZjuCX92PtvscdXD5qPQIPmGDZPnycwyaTWehU96-wPunOQxyOYTbAPXjcv7XUaekecLWq853Lz50Qs2-diMnNktmjdFXrqJgOXBegq-dT2UWS0-ReApmmOzetbekNapdns/s320/1.1288294793.ba-ecological-reserve.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I lasted about two weeks before I pulled a muscle royally and am now unable to even take long walks, which I rely on for my sanity. We call them "cuadrones," which is my pidgin Spanish for many blocks (cuadras). For those of you who know Spanish, this is a riff on the common use of adding '-on' for something very large....e.g. a pansa (belly) becomes a 'panson' when very large. Mi pierna es un disastrON</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjo0GuYz1kXktvXcUlx8AY2FlNqlmJ1yWSABybO6gsrRTce-WT5CctGkQgvAQlJSMLxA_649GdAcgAiJXZC0eBuhcsC_5cnP-fYThyphenhyphenrgMh_HL_QC-WVbqNo338Iim_TlZuLuxpnAFwZDY/s1600/IMG_1552.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjo0GuYz1kXktvXcUlx8AY2FlNqlmJ1yWSABybO6gsrRTce-WT5CctGkQgvAQlJSMLxA_649GdAcgAiJXZC0eBuhcsC_5cnP-fYThyphenhyphenrgMh_HL_QC-WVbqNo338Iim_TlZuLuxpnAFwZDY/s320/IMG_1552.JPG" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">So I iced it, which got the inflammation down, and now I'm using heat and massage (thanks to Ezequiel who continues to be beyond saintly in all things). Yes, I will be 50 in two weeks and I'm feeling it. I have never, not once, been laid up like this for a muscle, and I've lived a fairly athletic life.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">So I'm trying to embrace the downtown neighborhood, since I can't venture any further afield.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is the best place downtown, a classic hole in the wall. Too bad I don't like meat. It's basically a walk-in parilla where local working guys stop in for a steak, a chorizo, a beer, etc. I sit across the street and drink coffee and watch them come and go.</div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">One can look at buildings when one can't do much else, and Buenos Aires is a city of interesting buildings for sure.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFLRoO6yGCl6k9lbAXWQmJj6DKMyREqNOdrGtZ6iu4ihWi62HdBkU2Ocf1i7yIHLbRACPdHZhXomld6DEo04gsWU7JGs3SesxHZQKa9yDxH8BlLFH7tOVcYQ43S1PSAzicKiLh2U86mI8/s1600/IMG_1536.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFLRoO6yGCl6k9lbAXWQmJj6DKMyREqNOdrGtZ6iu4ihWi62HdBkU2Ocf1i7yIHLbRACPdHZhXomld6DEo04gsWU7JGs3SesxHZQKa9yDxH8BlLFH7tOVcYQ43S1PSAzicKiLh2U86mI8/s320/IMG_1536.JPG" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And I'm proud to announce my first Argentine reader/fan. Jimena ordered my novel<i> Through It Came Bright Colors</i> via kindle and we had a nice coffee and chat. She loves to read in English...good thing because my book has't been translated into Spanish (though I did run across a story of mine in an anthology in Buenos Aires' gay bookstore that was--unbeknownst to me--translated into Spanish. A nice surprise). Jimena is a nurse who really wants to live in San Francisco. After talking to her, I encouraged her as I think she'd really be a perfect fit for SF.</div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I also found the first really 'good' beer in Argentina as the Retiro neighborhood is full of bars--mostly expensive and upscale as it caters to an afterwork business crowd, including lots of foreign businessmen--Americans and Brits mostly. Anyway, a brewpub named Buller puts out a collection of great beers, including an India Pale Ale, of which there is no beer finer in my opinion. Below is their sampler, which is 6 mini-pints (they're like shot glasses): a stout, a couple lagers, a few ales.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The dark side of all this is that seeing all these business people just reminds me of how screwed up the world is, and again I must encourage you to read Galeano's "Las Veinas Abiertas de Latina America" (The Open Veins of Latin America). </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGCuQlQN_htkDx1oxHH7KikcdrUpdxofIog8gjA9VWInAgJEiFh141K2bDOnKxBvKfxs97s8dGbYwGD9YkrKIvzMLUIXBVokk5BMzV7rh1_Yh1iXpOJMCeXUtDY0Z_2OIpQ268NCzJar4/s1600/51sRne78LIL._SL160_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-dp,TopRight,12,-18_SH30_OU01_AA160_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGCuQlQN_htkDx1oxHH7KikcdrUpdxofIog8gjA9VWInAgJEiFh141K2bDOnKxBvKfxs97s8dGbYwGD9YkrKIvzMLUIXBVokk5BMzV7rh1_Yh1iXpOJMCeXUtDY0Z_2OIpQ268NCzJar4/s1600/51sRne78LIL._SL160_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-dp,TopRight,12,-18_SH30_OU01_AA160_.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Foreign capital is the bane of all developing nations, contrary to what one might think (If I could impress you with nothing else, please never conflate macroenconomics with logic...macroeconomics is basically quantum physics which is how the IMF continues to get away with what it gets away with, and why the euro will die with Spain if Europe doesn't change its 'logical' rightwing course...remember Hitler...his whole spiel, as hideous as it was, was based on politically consumable logic. Yes, that means Paul Ryan.) Foreign capital basically benefits those who make the deals and the govt, which pimps its own country--I'm not being hyperbolic here--ending in nothing less than a rape of the host nation. All the profits leave which IS THE PROBLEM. But the numbers look good and everyone talks about growth while inflation and poverty soar stage left. Foreign aid, the IMF, all that, is basically the same as a 23% interest credit card and these nations go the same route as someone who falls behind on those credit cards. The problem is history really--these nations have to play catch up with already dominant economies, and it's like trying to arm wrestle with a teenager when you're 4, and they won't give you a handicap. I recommend the book because I don't want to launch into a screed on Neo-colonialism--or have I already?--which Galeano can more eloquently express than I can. Count yourself lucky you are in the US and do all you can to defeat the Republican juggernaut which WILL turn the US into a country like Argentina if it succeeds in eradicating middle class jobs, which it has been doing, successfully, for 30 years now.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">In the meantime, in our current mileu, the only hedge anyone seems to have is science/math education.....which is why Asia is the only part of the developing world that stands a chance (yes, plenty of blame can be placed on Latin American govts/culture and their terrible education policy--about as bad as US schools) ... but there is some hope. Regardless of what you think of the current leftist regimes in South America, they are taking a much needed stand against business as usual....<a href="http://www.argentinaindependent.com/currentaffairs/newsfromlatinamerica/latin-america-people%E2%80%99s-summit-highlights-social-struggles/">http://www.argentinaindependent.com/currentaffairs/newsfromlatinamerica/latin-america-people%E2%80%99s-summit-highlights-social-struggles/</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">But it will take more than this to compete with the US and Europe and I'm not sure the culture here will ever be able to do that. Argentina has just more or less nationalized their oil industry by taking 51% from a Spanish company...but no one believes they'll do a better job with it. One has to nationalize and kick butt to succeed economically. Interesting to note, Cuba was doing that but once the US blackballed it, it had to rely on the USSR and we know how that went. But it's the reason South Americans still idealize the Cuban revolution. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">OK, I was trying to gracefully segue here....education: I like how the school kids here where 'guardas de polvo' (thats like dust guard or chalk guard). They all look like little doctors, walking the streets in their little coats. The younger kids have cuter ones, more colorful, etc.<span style="text-align: left;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I'm heading to Montevideo for my birthday, even if I have to go on crutches...stay tuned!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Trebor Healeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08018039526428776529noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65018506315454606.post-74874333310469866692012-04-04T12:55:00.005-07:002012-04-08T15:42:48.891-07:00Poverty<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: center;">"There is a necklace of poverty that chokes Buenos Aires tighter every day...."</div><div style="text-align: center;">Nathan Englander, from his novel <i>The Ministry of Special Cases</i><br />
(excellent book I'm reading right now about a family whose son disappears during the Dirty War era)<br />
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It's the elephant in the room, of course, or maybe the penguin or guanaco. Animals aside, the poverty here is disturbing, especially in Buenos Aires where wealth sidles right up next to it. For example, Villa 31, next to the train station, literally blocks from some of the most expensive apartment buildings and hotels in Buenos Aires (with door men and security of course). There is a lot of begging and petty crime on the streets which you have to stay aware of. Though there is gun control here, the dictatorship created a huge black market for guns, so they are around, though not like in the states as far as I can tell. Violence is basic and<i> old world</i> here as awful as that sounds. It's about robbery and gender relations. I say this because I'm asked to explain the bizarreness of American violence in the wake of the Oakland shooting. Ezequiel says all the weird stuff happens in the US: tornadoes, enormous wealth, pyschos, religious nuts and armageddon. This takes the edge off missing home.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUI3v2Xpw-Z4V6Uj6KWVya3LDRXrZsQOolpWUlJy2W341d1kyZ5pZprnw-6NulSOxVfB5OR6WLVEWORYWi-pOd4XcXdmZo6D8qoTeTCZ3XjJWerdbZawIHSDnzo1bFw8lseGtscpdTyZw/s1600/villas-web.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUI3v2Xpw-Z4V6Uj6KWVya3LDRXrZsQOolpWUlJy2W341d1kyZ5pZprnw-6NulSOxVfB5OR6WLVEWORYWi-pOd4XcXdmZo6D8qoTeTCZ3XjJWerdbZawIHSDnzo1bFw8lseGtscpdTyZw/s320/villas-web.JPG" width="238" /></a> <br />
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Every afternoon here in Buenos Aires the kids and young men, and often women as well--since whole families work together--come into the city from the province to collect recyclables. These are the cartoneros, who for the most part, are respected and law-abiding. They basically want to be left alone and many say they prefer this work because they dont have to deal with some dishonest boss or company who won't pay them a decent wage (just witnessed a protest last week where a large grocery chain shut down and just stopped paying wages). My Scottish friend who's lived here 15 years has hired and gotten to know some of these cartoneros. A lot of them have sad stories...car accidents, health problems, too many kids...all of it conspiring to drop them through the safety net which is a threadbare one at best. There are teenagers with babies, and prostitution comes into play as well. There was the story of a rich straight couple who like to go out and find young men in the street to have sex with. The boys ask if they can take a shower first, but the answer is...'no, the whole fantasy is ruined then...sorry.' One of the weird things about Argentina is that even the poorest street people are often shockingly beautiful. Which makes it harder to see them as 'other' and/or to ignore/dismiss them. It engages you, which can be a good thing.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhGOMBKZXqJWaSdkbuWXuMSl83w4MwZPu17AxBtD6aH6uMAWtLsBrPItp2TYRX8l2WiZYaLp1AN3DwbBNc2X2dcMTo7snHr0SbQJp6MjU0la7z7jz8HUNRGg3sPxlruUth-9-1sfp7M7M/s1600/2281999649_78080febbf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhGOMBKZXqJWaSdkbuWXuMSl83w4MwZPu17AxBtD6aH6uMAWtLsBrPItp2TYRX8l2WiZYaLp1AN3DwbBNc2X2dcMTo7snHr0SbQJp6MjU0la7z7jz8HUNRGg3sPxlruUth-9-1sfp7M7M/s1600/2281999649_78080febbf.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVs_8cWxfjz2pRFgKYd0lQbnnXoVDy_isD09H_wzLDjCqySQfJ4RyIiKHNwUz3ahDxVEw4JtgxorUB2u_UberNWe-McN31TwBEb4iFaP-znzeMiBSNXwYL3CQlOIqz_PzO4GUTiB7IOzQ/s1600/673482298_45677246c1_661122.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVs_8cWxfjz2pRFgKYd0lQbnnXoVDy_isD09H_wzLDjCqySQfJ4RyIiKHNwUz3ahDxVEw4JtgxorUB2u_UberNWe-McN31TwBEb4iFaP-znzeMiBSNXwYL3CQlOIqz_PzO4GUTiB7IOzQ/s320/673482298_45677246c1_661122.jpg" width="315" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The above photos are courtesy of an Icelandic guy <a href="http://finnurb.blog.is/blog/finnurb/about/" style="text-align: left;">http://finnurb.blog.is/blog/finnurb/about/</a> as I don't like taking pictures generally and am not comfortable photographing poor people. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> It feels weird with a camera that could pay a month's wages. If I was a better person, I'd give them the camera.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It's interesting to learn that many of these people prefer to live in a hovel and pick through trash, because..there's more dignity to it and it's better than being abused and mistreated like a low-wage slave. People like to be in charge of their own life no matter how hard it is (I saw the same thing when I volunteered in the mental health unit at SF General). The solution is of course to create a system that people don't want to opt out of, or that isn't so brutal that it drives people into 'preferable' poverty. Anyway, it's hard to witness and maybe that's because it's where America may be headed, and in some places, has already arrived there. </div><div style="text-align: center;">The one thing you can do, which not enough people here do (the waste collection system is a mess-people just put bags in the streets as they say trashcans will all be stolen), is separate your trash so it's easier for cartoneros to get to the bottles, plastic, etc without digging through gross stuff.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFN4JtDz9ckVW9N3yt3-6LsGT1Q5cxXUI6CIe8JWHLKncX6bMA0VnvjjEvdw99j-ETn65KyvBvJHGR6SX5OYAQ-c0rN5D9UGSXLkV0jT-SbNPnB_q-MfsaV-PFV0Uw4Xn1G10S8bydtA4/s1600/819309.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFN4JtDz9ckVW9N3yt3-6LsGT1Q5cxXUI6CIe8JWHLKncX6bMA0VnvjjEvdw99j-ETn65KyvBvJHGR6SX5OYAQ-c0rN5D9UGSXLkV0jT-SbNPnB_q-MfsaV-PFV0Uw4Xn1G10S8bydtA4/s320/819309.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">There are the street kids of course. They are kids and many have that weird ability to enjoy themselves no matter what the circumstances. One little boy, about 6 or 7, in the central pedestrian mall was begging and also fascinated with this woman who stood on a box and acted like a marionette when you put coins in her cup. The kid kept begging and then giving all his money to watch the girl move. He was full of glee. I wondered if they were working together, but it didn't appear so. The kid just loved watching her, loved the power to make her move.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">You see other kids come into restaurants with handfuls of coins which they change out for bills. Some restaurant staff seem to have relationships with these kids and sit them down and give them some bread while making change. More often, the kids are chased out. But customers are generally kind and give them a piece of pizza or a hug or something. A little conversation. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Others you'll see on the subway, sniffing glue or sleeping on sidewalks. Usually the kids are with their mothers which saves them from drugs if nothing else. I saw one little boy next to him mom in the subway playing with a discarded plastic Starbucks cup which was just a picture of neoliberalism.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A popular thing among some rich folks is to open a food kitchen for kids, so you see these around. But, of course, charity isn't enough..there need to be big structural changes in this economy, which is too resource driven, and resource economies create poverty. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgna_xebL4SjHkqaDplK0vVgYmpuHOZn6g3qeYaj02qtz-QljICX2UpDD3TQVcn0LiR0mOwVhDq6xD2xObmnsY-Ke_SYlQuX2eNogKiKwT-35VmoMV6DKyvraR90H8vMYuCfONRhsK2zv0/s1600/41NxZQhH6JL._AA160_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgna_xebL4SjHkqaDplK0vVgYmpuHOZn6g3qeYaj02qtz-QljICX2UpDD3TQVcn0LiR0mOwVhDq6xD2xObmnsY-Ke_SYlQuX2eNogKiKwT-35VmoMV6DKyvraR90H8vMYuCfONRhsK2zv0/s1600/41NxZQhH6JL._AA160_.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">An excellent book which describes this process is Eduardo Galeano's <i>The Open Veins of Latin America</i>. He posits that the entire capitalist system was more or less created from the resources taken from South America (along with African slaves, when there weren't enough Indians left, to do the work). This is a hard book to read, and often it gets attacked from the right for being a leftist screed. But it's well-researched and when you read that 8 million Bolivian Indians died pulling silver out of the mines in Potosi to feed Europe's hunger for capital, you can say whatever you want. The right wing capitalist rebuttal always seems too defensive, too much about denial and dependent on the distance of history to dodge the guilt. Fear of the mirror. If you have eyes to see....</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is necessary stuff to read for all people's of the Americas, and I recommend it.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Whether you read or not, it's apparent that people need better jobs and opportunties here. Yet how can that happen when wealth is about owning resources and selling them to other countries? There's no incentive to create a middle class market here and resource exploitation pays lousy wages. Argentina is no different than the most of Latin America, almost wholly dependent on selling its resources (soy, beef, wheat here), which only serves the owners of those resources, who more often than not aren't even Argentine: They're Spanish, American, French, etc. Corruption doesn't help the situation either, but how could it be otherwise in a classist, resource-exploitive system that doesn't really have an incentive to be fair or law-abiding? Take a look at this list:</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corruption_Perceptions_Index">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corruption_Perceptions_Index</a> </div><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;">Argentina is down among the African nations, even as Buenos Aires sees itself as European (and yes, corruption can easily be seen as a legacy of resource-driven colonialism, which explains some of the list, and I think very much explains Argentina). As you can see, Argentina is improving ever so slowly, though the word on the street is always painful. People just don't have faith in the government here, and a big part of it is the weirdness and fantasy of Buenos Aires. It's like a European city and Portenos like it that way, no matter the cost (it is a lot like a colonial capital run by foreigners (the rich), separate from but still exploiting the country it's attached to it). The power is here, but it's schizoid as it's surrounded by an arguably third world country. So you have gay marriage, and now a movement to legalize pot--all very 'la capital issues' regardless of their merits--but there are street kids and people living in the 19th century in the province. The difference is gay marriage and pot don't cost anything; they're easy. You look cool while doing nothing. Not to discount either, but I think getting kids off the street and improving living conditions generally should probably be the most important concern. Amid all this, they just raised the pay of all public officials....gotta keep up with that 20% inflation (but why are the people who could actually do something about it responding to it in the most counterproductive way? For answer, please see US Republican Party response to US economic meldown)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxUZOJrLSFhDpx94P8GO895xM_RrIKa4CLVHPRtMD_g6z61JLxbk3_Md-aSPHHLdJclgbFgqs0S4DCYo2r3_dM6DPkDF4sJI3m0OZHbmmuG2kKrbjn5pjpaFbKDT7NRgdCJ4seWacCrnQ/s1600/MarijuanaStencilAtCongresoByBeatriceMurch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxUZOJrLSFhDpx94P8GO895xM_RrIKa4CLVHPRtMD_g6z61JLxbk3_Md-aSPHHLdJclgbFgqs0S4DCYo2r3_dM6DPkDF4sJI3m0OZHbmmuG2kKrbjn5pjpaFbKDT7NRgdCJ4seWacCrnQ/s320/MarijuanaStencilAtCongresoByBeatriceMurch.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">There's also a fair amount of immigration here...lots of Peruvians, Bolivians, Paraguayans. Which puts the lie to this being a white country. It looks very latin in most parts because Argentina is still the best paying economy in South America, despite its flaws. Of course, there's also the debate about whether Sicilians are white people, which of course begs the question: what is a white person and why does the world think so racially? Sicilians <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">are basically a mixture of the entire Mediterranean, including African slaves, and are often much darker than their Indian counterparts here...but they're considered white. Culturally, yes, I suppose, so perhaps we should be speaking about culture and not color. There is a western culture, those from it are favored and have an advantage. Bolivians, an Argentine doctor remarked to me, have no culture. Really? There is an embarassing lack of development of multiculturalism here. Ezequiel for instance is half Syrian and is often treated as 'morocho,' which is slang or softer for Indian, dark-skinned or 'negro,' which is more prejorative. So lets see, Arab people are white or brown or black or what? I'm never sure, which shows how stupid the whole race/color thing is. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Only those who experience the color line, or the rasta stoner crowd, or artists seem to have a clue. But they get little support or voice. Yes, the lack of support for the arts here continually pisses me off. Peronism supports the workers, but not the arts....let me paraphrase Miguel again (from an earlier post), the Cuban: you can't call it socialism if it isn't comprehensive in its vision of a healthy society. But god bless the artists anyway, they always find a way. This carboard creature recently appeared in Cordoba where I lived last year for a month and hope to visit again in May (see March 2011 blogs at right):</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzKEiSz45iGT-girvdqV37NmPJToBi1pPc5VouaClITCd3hbfbqBh0jHUvZcLrjV4IMWjh8Wpz04qOBcmzHktt0RurcbTFxFI3SR00X91b6AL66ROeV1dKYaotmBDj-lrE_yqlpm5r12Y/s1600/Pablo-Curutchet-Massive-Cardboard-Box-Man-And-Dogs-11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzKEiSz45iGT-girvdqV37NmPJToBi1pPc5VouaClITCd3hbfbqBh0jHUvZcLrjV4IMWjh8Wpz04qOBcmzHktt0RurcbTFxFI3SR00X91b6AL66ROeV1dKYaotmBDj-lrE_yqlpm5r12Y/s320/Pablo-Curutchet-Massive-Cardboard-Box-Man-And-Dogs-11.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf4lqPeBGWCGrIQyjMA2wVMFgVT03wYwcHmt-o6PjO6n7BxdwBTn3M761MaCS_r6cSwoafr-X3jsq2yOkgOSK2zb4oaoGEANWmQRxUpd2K-nO1AalWKlSk_MHLLARngDLTV5J0S2Ae2DU/s1600/Pablo-Curutchet-Massive-Cardboard-Box-Man-And-Dogs-21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf4lqPeBGWCGrIQyjMA2wVMFgVT03wYwcHmt-o6PjO6n7BxdwBTn3M761MaCS_r6cSwoafr-X3jsq2yOkgOSK2zb4oaoGEANWmQRxUpd2K-nO1AalWKlSk_MHLLARngDLTV5J0S2Ae2DU/s320/Pablo-Curutchet-Massive-Cardboard-Box-Man-And-Dogs-21.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Artist is Pablo Curutchet <a href="http://pablocurutchet.com.ar/" style="text-align: left;">http://pablocurutchet.com.ar/</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Last weekend, they shut down the center of the city for a formula race. Sports are king here, which is odd for a non sports fan. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbTFWZv1cstk2LgGNMGpRLchOnDz3ZMiZsiSgbj6lxVzk2ACXRkpVlTOYdSDeWjlFWlQ0u2X2GygCWFnG4EfUfTDmhsTAq8Wj6XpjBiVwtoAnJVndn4FV_gl7qiuvh4pPpEUxDXfRpDVk/s1600/Super_TC2000_en_Bs_As.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbTFWZv1cstk2LgGNMGpRLchOnDz3ZMiZsiSgbj6lxVzk2ACXRkpVlTOYdSDeWjlFWlQ0u2X2GygCWFnG4EfUfTDmhsTAq8Wj6XpjBiVwtoAnJVndn4FV_gl7qiuvh4pPpEUxDXfRpDVk/s320/Super_TC2000_en_Bs_As.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimnFZos3qNl94elyoz5rd_8lAV9xTf1gJ_bBLlrNyLsuTV21AP5R2ZhPAUCzqhZBCJwF75wfSa7VLZRY_Qik9231OQfiEFzJ2yAzCc5T8sQE75zcfFynFjUBxoaIUvkiebyDNSrIOk7Ho/s1600/TC2000-BUENOS-AIRES-021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimnFZos3qNl94elyoz5rd_8lAV9xTf1gJ_bBLlrNyLsuTV21AP5R2ZhPAUCzqhZBCJwF75wfSa7VLZRY_Qik9231OQfiEFzJ2yAzCc5T8sQE75zcfFynFjUBxoaIUvkiebyDNSrIOk7Ho/s320/TC2000-BUENOS-AIRES-021.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKwAgh_y6Epdg7M_AmBj4PbboJP7zi8tmLh41jJNi0SCL6GKVEsxhJxeyfS6-vCpka7fDwzG7NxyhwHS-rfUdZRNjv_8nWstpV5nVFuwhzb39C6gDuPXMWS9LwUPt8nCa7NXQI1m_vHIM/s1600/DSCN0335.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKwAgh_y6Epdg7M_AmBj4PbboJP7zi8tmLh41jJNi0SCL6GKVEsxhJxeyfS6-vCpka7fDwzG7NxyhwHS-rfUdZRNjv_8nWstpV5nVFuwhzb39C6gDuPXMWS9LwUPt8nCa7NXQI1m_vHIM/s320/DSCN0335.JPG" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">After last week's Dia de la Memoria, in honor of the 30,000 disappeared of the dirty war (1973-86)...<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dirty_War" style="text-align: left;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dirty_War</a> and/or <u>see my more extensive posts from last year at right under April 2011</u>.... this week was the 30th anniversary of the Malvinas War (Falklands to those of you who aren't politically correct Argentine style). I've referred to this drama in earlier posts from a year ago as well ...<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falklands_War" style="text-align: left;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falklands_War</a>, ...so I won't belabor you with more commentary...it seems to be yet another easy issue politically to claim the territory off the coast as rightfully Argentina's. It's weird that everyone, left and right, has this knee-jerk strong patriotic feeling about it when the whole sad affair was basically a conflict between Argentina's fading cold-blooded dictatorship and the UK's fading empire in the hands of the cold-blooded Maggie Thatcher. The more I look into it, the more it seems the whole thing could have been avoided. But considering the players on both sides, who seemed more than comfortable with bloodshed, a peaceful solution was not aggressively pursued. And if ever there was a war that didn't need to happen and could have been avoided, this was it. Now it's just a point of pride, and patriotism and pride are ugly things. But they won't go away--too many young men were killed to let it go, and the sinking of the Belgrano was particularly egregious and destroys all British credibility. Of course the people in the islands don't want to be part of Argentina. So there you have it. Reminds me of the west bank...easiest to send the settlers back home and make peace. Why are victors so graceless?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2j1bq6V67K51YuV98_NaWCS3PEWULMmx8dX-2X_4w9X6-PbEP6adKyPHYnBP18n8XiPr-QLVK6irpzZpSTND2M_0W6FiAGx_UJWXNDuEP2ZurK1g31bAdflOhLvvewX2k0b-NdCjB7bQ/s1600/DSCN0347.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2j1bq6V67K51YuV98_NaWCS3PEWULMmx8dX-2X_4w9X6-PbEP6adKyPHYnBP18n8XiPr-QLVK6irpzZpSTND2M_0W6FiAGx_UJWXNDuEP2ZurK1g31bAdflOhLvvewX2k0b-NdCjB7bQ/s320/DSCN0347.JPG" width="238" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Sometimes the obelisk looks gray instead of white, no matter how hard Evita screams</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">On a happier note, this article made me feel a little better as I struggle forward with my Castellano:</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/18/opinion/sunday/the-benefits-of-bilingualism.html?src=ISMR_AP_LO_MST_FB">http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/18/opinion/sunday/the-benefits-of-bilingualism.html?src=ISMR_AP_LO_MST_FB</a> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div itemprop="articleBody" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><u>the salient excerpts</u>: a heightened ability to monitor the environment. “Bilinguals have to switch languages quite often — you may talk to your father in one language and to your mother in another language,” says Albert Costa, a researcher at the University of Pompeu Fabra in Spain. “It requires keeping track of changes around you in the same way that we monitor our surroundings when driving.” In a study ...on monitoring tasks, ...the bilingual subjects not only performed better, but they also did so with less activity in parts of the brain involved in monitoring, indicating that they were more efficient at it.</span></div><div style="font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 1.5em; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; text-align: center;"><u>Below: </u><u style="line-height: 1.467em;">Trebor Healey attempts bilingualism</u></div><div style="font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 1.5em; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 1.5em; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZcDXinUk3V3hcZk0ehiSQC6vKys96FUYqyzo3ohIi0LnMI6fjrcmg47-c7GjBkjBbyrJC7HOlKtTkAPD-8QaZ4d_XPWpElSqyD8b_3CnWQR7fSRLiMwBs0_1KOXrgBbKVFiKIRIry_h8/s1600/564000_10150720304434273_771994272_9421234_1571006921_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZcDXinUk3V3hcZk0ehiSQC6vKys96FUYqyzo3ohIi0LnMI6fjrcmg47-c7GjBkjBbyrJC7HOlKtTkAPD-8QaZ4d_XPWpElSqyD8b_3CnWQR7fSRLiMwBs0_1KOXrgBbKVFiKIRIry_h8/s320/564000_10150720304434273_771994272_9421234_1571006921_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 1.5em;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 1.5em; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz_vALVuCKjSsn_CzxTNSPy2FECblypsv3FuBmGUULsw7alVuGWac0kopsiBU39ktZbrf555ltO9uUM9a5N5Avf_60xPQyO-UCPrTbhe_Ugw94B_PBCI1cbwXkJJwdHA5TND7Cf7pZFuY/s1600/DSCN0036.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz_vALVuCKjSsn_CzxTNSPy2FECblypsv3FuBmGUULsw7alVuGWac0kopsiBU39ktZbrf555ltO9uUM9a5N5Avf_60xPQyO-UCPrTbhe_Ugw94B_PBCI1cbwXkJJwdHA5TND7Cf7pZFuY/s320/DSCN0036.JPG" width="238" /></a></div><div style="font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 1.5em;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 1.5em; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggqE519wUfLLiMSAS-GUP6yf-ZW-bvCbOVXQeKDHMmOMyrbXgrmC_-RwUqX2NJTZzrJgw5ZIhciJD8qQ2Jzzf9IN8xVe0wd3XTyNhJvXAW2NG7Bw7NCv_t10xzXNupfObXxl3HlFiW69M/s1600/DSCN0169.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggqE519wUfLLiMSAS-GUP6yf-ZW-bvCbOVXQeKDHMmOMyrbXgrmC_-RwUqX2NJTZzrJgw5ZIhciJD8qQ2Jzzf9IN8xVe0wd3XTyNhJvXAW2NG7Bw7NCv_t10xzXNupfObXxl3HlFiW69M/s320/DSCN0169.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 1.5em;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 1.5em; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYxKv6ht6FaKA0BYIVpbrOkuIa4q1sLXCNksjzYzRwyswdx4qeqHRdQyca63uXR0QPmtP-g4kAIbPX0xnEUXCYfVAD22V9JaMUpI9xngK99jKkWFX1LqsjzaVMxDRDscdLfJK_wc-4Xds/s1600/DSCN0236.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYxKv6ht6FaKA0BYIVpbrOkuIa4q1sLXCNksjzYzRwyswdx4qeqHRdQyca63uXR0QPmtP-g4kAIbPX0xnEUXCYfVAD22V9JaMUpI9xngK99jKkWFX1LqsjzaVMxDRDscdLfJK_wc-4Xds/s320/DSCN0236.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 1.5em; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.467em;">The bilingual experience appears to influence the brain from infancy to old age (and there is reason to believe that it may also apply to those who learn a second language later in life).</span></div></div><div itemprop="articleBody" style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;"><div style="text-align: center;">Bilingualism’s effects also extend into the twilight years. In a recent study of 44 elderly Spanish-English bilinguals, scientists led by the neuropsychologist Tamar Gollan of the University of California, San Diego, found that individuals with a higher degree of bilingualism — measured through a comparative evaluation of proficiency in each language — were more resistant than others to the onset of dementia and other symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease: the higher the degree of bilingualism, the later the age of onset.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: 1.5em; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC4j9gdSDuf5LS5XFaOQmAmkZvz1b5j8354RgxBuROFJNNk0VeC6oLGfDqXn9agfsz8jdUz4dmRTOJQXqhm2q5nzS6q0gdrYPYSP9lx8qcKiIyEpSxCuo87MMKP1JgTSTtEDrOGGXrubk/s1600/grande-galeria451-foto4116.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC4j9gdSDuf5LS5XFaOQmAmkZvz1b5j8354RgxBuROFJNNk0VeC6oLGfDqXn9agfsz8jdUz4dmRTOJQXqhm2q5nzS6q0gdrYPYSP9lx8qcKiIyEpSxCuo87MMKP1JgTSTtEDrOGGXrubk/s320/grande-galeria451-foto4116.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Now it's semana santa (4 days)...there are a lot of holidays here</div><div style="font-size: 1.5em;"><br />
</div></div></div>Trebor Healeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08018039526428776529noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65018506315454606.post-40446584777662926242012-03-25T16:42:00.002-07:002012-03-26T05:43:09.369-07:00Mar Del Plata<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsp205QlcMrP1hGT0acdSz3gXqSbP73hIuKi_AiTP0y9pvUxcOnvzfaJMbXH2VVhOMuuoMFK2zeszFOW3F8qwsPhy8kx79YoKTfYbpNm63JmJO2o1Sjj2daB7AyzhnWe1cvZqlYLIWgU8/s1600/DSCN0288.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsp205QlcMrP1hGT0acdSz3gXqSbP73hIuKi_AiTP0y9pvUxcOnvzfaJMbXH2VVhOMuuoMFK2zeszFOW3F8qwsPhy8kx79YoKTfYbpNm63JmJO2o1Sjj2daB7AyzhnWe1cvZqlYLIWgU8/s320/DSCN0288.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWj3qExRV_cK1QfeFJVQIX0hglRns11FZTL5CuB9ouAEls8k0f-UyKIECvbSz7HMCMz5y-WzRwuIW-tjf1NiwRUzQbGHNhmmglX4aWXqpNxSgHXZo8rkXWVk01gJ_lQ_6ne5wgXrqQpOo/s1600/DSCN0250.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Mar del Plata is a big beach town--a city really--about 5 hours southeast of the capital. I guess it's sort of like Atlantic City as it's the traditional beach escape for Buenos Aires and has been for 100 years, so it's enormous, with big hotels, casinos, Vegas-type shows and private beaches. It's a zoo during the summer months (January, February), but it was delightful tranquil in March.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr9JCN3hOzR1v6Sn45oqJjW1Y3Zdu6qHa6llPOa1bmZfrHIR00dYNeT3pIUEODdvXtB2joQ1mChyphenhyphend7E8MRICEoS5PRP4iuMz1f5oJdui3WCL4pSji_0O9j6j6iZaNyWMkv924T4v2qw9Y/s1600/DSCN0320.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr9JCN3hOzR1v6Sn45oqJjW1Y3Zdu6qHa6llPOa1bmZfrHIR00dYNeT3pIUEODdvXtB2joQ1mChyphenhyphend7E8MRICEoS5PRP4iuMz1f5oJdui3WCL4pSji_0O9j6j6iZaNyWMkv924T4v2qw9Y/s320/DSCN0320.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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It's also famous for odder things, such as the 11-story fall of a famous comedian/actor, Alberto Olmedo<br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alberto_Olmedo">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alberto_Olmedo</a><br />
the video: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfonsina_Storni">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfonsina_Storni</a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD-XNXx-pCQqq0Cl-Cdc1xBuND7GA6zvlQThlGXBLtRGEqLnDYqyOHbIrpAUYd1giJONFy2XNQJv6PBki07v3GkW3dq2bG9VGeHodsqc2h2__cWWe66lRYnSwQl4r-AM7XIjtjNRJcqCM/s1600/alberto-olmedo-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD-XNXx-pCQqq0Cl-Cdc1xBuND7GA6zvlQThlGXBLtRGEqLnDYqyOHbIrpAUYd1giJONFy2XNQJv6PBki07v3GkW3dq2bG9VGeHodsqc2h2__cWWe66lRYnSwQl4r-AM7XIjtjNRJcqCM/s1600/alberto-olmedo-5.jpg" /></a></div><br />
and the place where the poet Alfonsina Storni walked into the sea (suicide)<br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfonsina_Storni">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfonsina_Storni</a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_g4IptIsJQUWMWQTRdHwsKUfF5sUlrK0hbOzsbcUJL1tjLOeeimpovB-K8bF1BThsh19uCop_w0eFFmOQqHse76KIrH9uJi_DU2jy4w0Tbyxle-sPyfl1hMezdtj7AcPZBdTU3VCQkFw/s1600/15322_f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_g4IptIsJQUWMWQTRdHwsKUfF5sUlrK0hbOzsbcUJL1tjLOeeimpovB-K8bF1BThsh19uCop_w0eFFmOQqHse76KIrH9uJi_DU2jy4w0Tbyxle-sPyfl1hMezdtj7AcPZBdTU3VCQkFw/s320/15322_f.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
and where a young girl named Evalina went on hunger strike in the hopes that Evita would be the vice presidential candidate when Peron was running for a second term in 1952. By this time, Evita's popularity was eclipsing her husband's, and his advisors (and probably Peron himself, an unsentimental powermonger and probably threatened by the fact she was outshining him) wouldn't allow it. It was the ulitmate betrayal of all she'd done for him. But he also knew she had cancer by then, and he kept it from her when the doctors informed him, so he used it ultimately as the excuse that she wasn't up for the job. Who knows, the drama and opera of the Perons is too much for anyone to get their head around. Sadly Evalina, who was fasting in one of these beach tents (lots of private beaches here--thank goodness this isn't allowed in California <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Coastal_Commission">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Coastal_Commission</a>), pictured below, was washed out to sea when an enormous storm hit, or so the story goes.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg50Ilr3xNujTfMXTWKymokEyLpJQi1WNffL9pYI6iKDCccr89CCoO4E6X38qASInWiqc5QkkxM7FqaHKwr2VZjoGoQ5tAJzLb6dkXXPboW1235yJ4ZvZXsyCegYc_TEf7OuxiypasXVjI/s1600/DSCN0310.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg50Ilr3xNujTfMXTWKymokEyLpJQi1WNffL9pYI6iKDCccr89CCoO4E6X38qASInWiqc5QkkxM7FqaHKwr2VZjoGoQ5tAJzLb6dkXXPboW1235yJ4ZvZXsyCegYc_TEf7OuxiypasXVjI/s320/DSCN0310.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
This may all sound a tad morbid, but they're kind of into death here, in a very different way than in the US. It has a more religious feel here than a scandalous one, or as if it's a moment of failure. I don't know, this is a developing idea I guess, but I think death in America is treated sort of like poverty, as if it were a weakness. That's pretty twisted. There's a darkness here, but it's real so you sort of embrace it? Again, just a developing idea, as such things don't digest fast. But death is definitely not 'other' here.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii_8TM2YMKPeJGfhxLbaN2JBKngWU7tMzIihezX8cHUwBwxKMkojYkKDHVWa_DKKMo2D6YdsJIt7DJnQMCdd5m6lVkQNbp_jp-jZUAso8XNE0Lb1T4glwoafGTQPsc5YkMXUnBFTKZ444/s1600/DSCN0295.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii_8TM2YMKPeJGfhxLbaN2JBKngWU7tMzIihezX8cHUwBwxKMkojYkKDHVWa_DKKMo2D6YdsJIt7DJnQMCdd5m6lVkQNbp_jp-jZUAso8XNE0Lb1T4glwoafGTQPsc5YkMXUnBFTKZ444/s320/DSCN0295.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_nHCz_F0MAVqriRYBTlooGJCQXiZoHF5NU6hhZucOrL6mMNCP7yynN8crCTnTi0bGnTAmwNpxkpfEtTCnyqtgPh3dRAxgRxiTDzchBw8prH2xYZ8vWg6kVfMo4D-Bt-o8xGh0VW8FLQc/s1600/DSCN0245.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_nHCz_F0MAVqriRYBTlooGJCQXiZoHF5NU6hhZucOrL6mMNCP7yynN8crCTnTi0bGnTAmwNpxkpfEtTCnyqtgPh3dRAxgRxiTDzchBw8prH2xYZ8vWg6kVfMo4D-Bt-o8xGh0VW8FLQc/s320/DSCN0245.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
The casino<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWj3qExRV_cK1QfeFJVQIX0hglRns11FZTL5CuB9ouAEls8k0f-UyKIECvbSz7HMCMz5y-WzRwuIW-tjf1NiwRUzQbGHNhmmglX4aWXqpNxSgHXZo8rkXWVk01gJ_lQ_6ne5wgXrqQpOo/s1600/DSCN0250.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWj3qExRV_cK1QfeFJVQIX0hglRns11FZTL5CuB9ouAEls8k0f-UyKIECvbSz7HMCMz5y-WzRwuIW-tjf1NiwRUzQbGHNhmmglX4aWXqpNxSgHXZo8rkXWVk01gJ_lQ_6ne5wgXrqQpOo/s320/DSCN0250.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmaNHgg7a6HHiMKUSYD_34Fb6CHfgZ6GUDPdp9WKOVOrous3MUQ1SRDgWXIe2TtffD3EjUTvgw-3qlFjcBf13QWRIuW_N5AL-6vp1XXaUBRb0tBngNPvCW0VCJzCA0ZdfN-XLLyYZQFvY/s1600/DSCN0254.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-grDGwxod4s_uRYJJy_H9RJK1kKMGta5NqPfOTUOYSEeveU4q1LC3HKMHy1_KC-xNljIMDBjeNacRD0UCALp-26KN9MKA1nH1iCwbUjBXQRl_MxPfsYsl2bYgVH1M6zcaikaFni-5sxA/s1600/DSCN0246.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-grDGwxod4s_uRYJJy_H9RJK1kKMGta5NqPfOTUOYSEeveU4q1LC3HKMHy1_KC-xNljIMDBjeNacRD0UCALp-26KN9MKA1nH1iCwbUjBXQRl_MxPfsYsl2bYgVH1M6zcaikaFni-5sxA/s320/DSCN0246.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
I like the ceramic art on the building on the left<br />
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It was a relief to enjoy seafood for days on end, as it's hard to come by in meat-obsessed Buenos Aires.<br />
We ate like pigs at Chichilo, a huge Seafood place down at the port, founded by an Italian family after WWII, where we enjoyed merluza, paella, rabas (squid) and bunuelos de algas marinas (seaweed and flour fritters)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoKcyvj-_8pChFAAKuzDkkwQmkJEF0yuJBoFq22eA8ewGGjChDLDdsDe9gZIqzNmRRYXzC5GFSDTlo8HGac08rkMYLyheJ8NF4Sach9-9UUNuvbgtnOhWGcd5S74fINynLiFyJwao19V4/s1600/DSCN0283.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoKcyvj-_8pChFAAKuzDkkwQmkJEF0yuJBoFq22eA8ewGGjChDLDdsDe9gZIqzNmRRYXzC5GFSDTlo8HGac08rkMYLyheJ8NF4Sach9-9UUNuvbgtnOhWGcd5S74fINynLiFyJwao19V4/s320/DSCN0283.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8zBEFiWtQW-T8X-UFgRaqq78joHUledsPHd9t94Xwun6URyMLRo6wyrp4bkTnMOeAqSAcTzTa0UG95Sy3can5RYrIUY6fmKu8nSW_g5nLLoZ8xNM8eQIM4stHCRcAFEZgr3xfLsJ8Tm4/s1600/DSCN0287.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8zBEFiWtQW-T8X-UFgRaqq78joHUledsPHd9t94Xwun6URyMLRo6wyrp4bkTnMOeAqSAcTzTa0UG95Sy3can5RYrIUY6fmKu8nSW_g5nLLoZ8xNM8eQIM4stHCRcAFEZgr3xfLsJ8Tm4/s320/DSCN0287.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT2jH_L4uZyAmDOBMIi-SFeVyLqdVHKyEEPNu7PyAnvqoqQfgfc8SxF1sn0AR5nF7FviZAwt3HHNYgT8pg2-OR77KRx8Soecn5H81u4Z6B3NFmio3ao39PrE5Ugf2SaD8pZLNJMQP17-w/s1600/DSCN0284.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT2jH_L4uZyAmDOBMIi-SFeVyLqdVHKyEEPNu7PyAnvqoqQfgfc8SxF1sn0AR5nF7FviZAwt3HHNYgT8pg2-OR77KRx8Soecn5H81u4Z6B3NFmio3ao39PrE5Ugf2SaD8pZLNJMQP17-w/s320/DSCN0284.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFEU4HkdxlrZamEzUmy9MOo28_Ky2vAIqkw510hGutt4YNN-eCSqh48MUH1eI3S93nnaolDrXR6SNjW_bHUitb8BghjJ5_wd6xyE47mXwnjlBSVpbaykoHEOPmEwoMGO9OdkwbC7cjkkE/s1600/DSCN0286.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFEU4HkdxlrZamEzUmy9MOo28_Ky2vAIqkw510hGutt4YNN-eCSqh48MUH1eI3S93nnaolDrXR6SNjW_bHUitb8BghjJ5_wd6xyE47mXwnjlBSVpbaykoHEOPmEwoMGO9OdkwbC7cjkkE/s320/DSCN0286.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
the fat man post-feast. I'm running, but I'm gaining weight in this fat-centered diet. I need my fresh, light California cuisine!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_3R_Q4fgRZCiZ3Wm76yz-k9foru7edyZtQbnpnH3OVrvJDTDAk23vlzpBYzkS9wgb0y2DdvVHuYxyfb5gJ6T7T-FSTEpOqrB07erGD7rWMstxq8uaj-Hx9M490-XhBz2iFR2IHUpG3Sg/s1600/DSCN0327.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_3R_Q4fgRZCiZ3Wm76yz-k9foru7edyZtQbnpnH3OVrvJDTDAk23vlzpBYzkS9wgb0y2DdvVHuYxyfb5gJ6T7T-FSTEpOqrB07erGD7rWMstxq8uaj-Hx9M490-XhBz2iFR2IHUpG3Sg/s320/DSCN0327.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
Speaking of fat, these medialunas (the standard breakfast of Argentines, along with coffee) are the size of cats. One can choose between medialunas de grasa (that's fat as in meat fat) or medialunas de manteca (which is butter here). Either way, you're doomed. We called these giant puppies Media-planetas<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGwrX65O_vn__xHybCfZl-DpmIVmrn-rrE_XNvIFs0Ww-d0R2MEdO5yUu2mTFZZjLWEjIewmzLifajZE9DefRxmTwZeHULDACKHd0LbQSHrZP6rqhjtpRFF0OqNaVgUEqnrg8M_pEZeOw/s1600/DSCN0256.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGwrX65O_vn__xHybCfZl-DpmIVmrn-rrE_XNvIFs0Ww-d0R2MEdO5yUu2mTFZZjLWEjIewmzLifajZE9DefRxmTwZeHULDACKHd0LbQSHrZP6rqhjtpRFF0OqNaVgUEqnrg8M_pEZeOw/s320/DSCN0256.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I love to walk, and so does Ezequiel. We walked about 10 miles through Mar del Plata which is the best way to get to know a place and to find weird off the beaten track phenomena.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5B0lWX7s_nFYGRdJL8s7LGSh8b9GF4PjeFae_z1ZZbCad8A1Um-ouXgSEUbemsf38LZ-94ZTsQzpc-iy9fBxY28MTY4pzosw_gVtwba-CExhP1SH3xYwuEjFDdw-HEvYaTMGIwOuOJmo/s1600/DSCN0319.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5B0lWX7s_nFYGRdJL8s7LGSh8b9GF4PjeFae_z1ZZbCad8A1Um-ouXgSEUbemsf38LZ-94ZTsQzpc-iy9fBxY28MTY4pzosw_gVtwba-CExhP1SH3xYwuEjFDdw-HEvYaTMGIwOuOJmo/s320/DSCN0319.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJOxcmXZ8f0hfoEyRr-liA5-zSEvLj559BEkBZ9cACzkBN1gpyJCx6XrKDHByiyteT8IViKqhQQ2r7FrfJTZozwC8sr7R95llVoiy7S4Q1PSd8Hy5Nbq7m00R9OtZGHAZXYSi-L-nvD0g/s1600/DSCN0257.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJOxcmXZ8f0hfoEyRr-liA5-zSEvLj559BEkBZ9cACzkBN1gpyJCx6XrKDHByiyteT8IViKqhQQ2r7FrfJTZozwC8sr7R95llVoiy7S4Q1PSd8Hy5Nbq7m00R9OtZGHAZXYSi-L-nvD0g/s320/DSCN0257.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">One comes across things like this when one gets away from the main thoroughfares. Evangelism. An invasion of God's love...nothing like military analogies to make one feel loved. This one features a sign with, I guess, an angel/cherub/infant, same difference (white-skinned and blue-eyed. This makes one wince as there's a very pronounced color prejudice here. Note God's big nose and dark hair. Let's see, God is a Mediterranean with a corporate haircut but the angels are Norwegian?)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Nothing makes Catholicism a relief like the above. And wouldn't you know it, we next found a Lourdes Grotto in our peregrinations. And say what you will, but these places have good energy. I think because people bring their best selves here. A Lourdes Grotto attracts people who are in serious trouble sincerely asking for help. It was truly a sanctuary. I think people need to drop the theology and concentrate on the place. Quiet caves are good things.</div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">But all good things must come to an end, and right next door to the grotto was this cheesy piece of Catholic kitsch, complete with mechanical assumption into heaven (and I mean loud, clunking chain mechanical)</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3NUS7ktF3lye4DQT95xA23ikyv0c7lcgopid-WdJtzRX653j4Wpl32yt-Zvy-uoXN5CDKnWXrQBhXK0Ck3eCaHC8jMqjj5XmH6bfAJ8TJLI9EF6D25EchWvvYTDkmC5Z-ZoebXqUY-2I/s1600/DSCN0262.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3NUS7ktF3lye4DQT95xA23ikyv0c7lcgopid-WdJtzRX653j4Wpl32yt-Zvy-uoXN5CDKnWXrQBhXK0Ck3eCaHC8jMqjj5XmH6bfAJ8TJLI9EF6D25EchWvvYTDkmC5Z-ZoebXqUY-2I/s320/DSCN0262.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It was a full-on model Holy Land, with over-sized ducks and creche figurines walking around. I spotted several magi, meandering about alone, looking lost, and way too many shepherds. Speaking of religion.....</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQqfwS0TgD6jylHi1Ms6_UWEMj7rj3-Tr9sIpIraLgXCpDgW0zqEPJjKqwz37wGFpgiGHIU9XFxfl4762eEmnRt1Rvv5LZKoaivWB-iHTPJBVrzs307JpH0wjI9m2NktZqYZIUqG9rPLk/s1600/DSCN0291.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQqfwS0TgD6jylHi1Ms6_UWEMj7rj3-Tr9sIpIraLgXCpDgW0zqEPJjKqwz37wGFpgiGHIU9XFxfl4762eEmnRt1Rvv5LZKoaivWB-iHTPJBVrzs307JpH0wjI9m2NktZqYZIUqG9rPLk/s320/DSCN0291.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRSI8l789uCsg5V15I2J9wqghJ4O6Tj5Okx6ba1ycmnugkVFcVixr_nJ7yysHAjqbPHuoacdLB3qA6i2WODs9bwMcUcxU13JE2Qs5uyg-G_qaDMZ4aJ4wgbmJPbRAJRUUU_JaXnEc3UY8/s1600/DSCN0306.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRSI8l789uCsg5V15I2J9wqghJ4O6Tj5Okx6ba1ycmnugkVFcVixr_nJ7yysHAjqbPHuoacdLB3qA6i2WODs9bwMcUcxU13JE2Qs5uyg-G_qaDMZ4aJ4wgbmJPbRAJRUUU_JaXnEc3UY8/s320/DSCN0306.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf2d9tDKlliLjKhg1gzAn__wq9e8ooFZl7RIU1GToveD8ypE5k03kAaC4nml2ygDSyWSPUhE-DuWvfZcpzjxR9ehC_zu4lAz8F6PmraoRXBlwlSeKBcnQ81nJMFdCf6OM4cODSPDgeiIg/s1600/DSCN0298.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf2d9tDKlliLjKhg1gzAn__wq9e8ooFZl7RIU1GToveD8ypE5k03kAaC4nml2ygDSyWSPUhE-DuWvfZcpzjxR9ehC_zu4lAz8F6PmraoRXBlwlSeKBcnQ81nJMFdCf6OM4cODSPDgeiIg/s320/DSCN0298.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
Shoe store named for the city of my birth<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij0pzfJ1c7pNj6EVJglCFZyqqenlBrZJm6lfqY2BKa47-atBbJe0jja7tgeHPXwsZEMIp8_PJuW8MgBrFeU4Uhj-J80kZRPsQ5elGr2tceU-Ce-xNbv50q9PLspM8Dj-uYDLrmR74CLcI/s1600/DSCN0301.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij0pzfJ1c7pNj6EVJglCFZyqqenlBrZJm6lfqY2BKa47-atBbJe0jja7tgeHPXwsZEMIp8_PJuW8MgBrFeU4Uhj-J80kZRPsQ5elGr2tceU-Ce-xNbv50q9PLspM8Dj-uYDLrmR74CLcI/s320/DSCN0301.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
This fountain was in front of our little worker co-op hotel. You can walk across those blue parts and there is a flame burning in the center. It memorializes local boys lost in the Malvinas War. Always so sad to see names with dates that add up to about 20 years.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmaNHgg7a6HHiMKUSYD_34Fb6CHfgZ6GUDPdp9WKOVOrous3MUQ1SRDgWXIe2TtffD3EjUTvgw-3qlFjcBf13QWRIuW_N5AL-6vp1XXaUBRb0tBngNPvCW0VCJzCA0ZdfN-XLLyYZQFvY/s1600/DSCN0254.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmaNHgg7a6HHiMKUSYD_34Fb6CHfgZ6GUDPdp9WKOVOrous3MUQ1SRDgWXIe2TtffD3EjUTvgw-3qlFjcBf13QWRIuW_N5AL-6vp1XXaUBRb0tBngNPvCW0VCJzCA0ZdfN-XLLyYZQFvY/s320/DSCN0254.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCNqZQ9buc99tuoyr0Bd-qsoVN0biJMphhG8_7zeq0ZS_A-tqRlBQP4JboQvl_x1VClNpjeIEou3Vm1ztTeK8OWZX89z-UFO2V2f1clEDmwhaeiijZQQ2_sh5d1ectyu1710HV8widPzI/s1600/DSCN0309.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCNqZQ9buc99tuoyr0Bd-qsoVN0biJMphhG8_7zeq0ZS_A-tqRlBQP4JboQvl_x1VClNpjeIEou3Vm1ztTeK8OWZX89z-UFO2V2f1clEDmwhaeiijZQQ2_sh5d1ectyu1710HV8widPzI/s320/DSCN0309.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBHrEVXKQ4L3ulvhaYj6vSvlswnoZdeI37KbkrwjNxyj5Kv1-qtQZn8JvV_Cl_RfBwR3-zrT6-J7tydkpIQpQhPKBwO-g7pHeXs5rPcTEFhD_rSGSnnSkISg4EGdAA0P3X662uFyw8eH0/s1600/DSCN0314.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBHrEVXKQ4L3ulvhaYj6vSvlswnoZdeI37KbkrwjNxyj5Kv1-qtQZn8JvV_Cl_RfBwR3-zrT6-J7tydkpIQpQhPKBwO-g7pHeXs5rPcTEFhD_rSGSnnSkISg4EGdAA0P3X662uFyw8eH0/s320/DSCN0314.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
Cervantes is everywhere. It's funny because there are Plaza San Martin's in every city (he's the great liberator who drove the Spanish out of Arg, Chile, Peru) and there's always a statue of San Martin in those plazas. In the Plaza de Espana's, also ubiquitous, there's always a Don Quixote.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFvNdHBydR1aV3SnziyqEkiSIfVqp6ZlKVHHcMbXnfeGv6am5h73P5KCh50vXLOcRqsEFhluOu9UfAfilhn8ZEYreBfcsbchGp0Dg9G-5hioJaqVijbMbBZzmD2ksdSum-deGD8Db7WU8/s1600/DSCN0318.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFvNdHBydR1aV3SnziyqEkiSIfVqp6ZlKVHHcMbXnfeGv6am5h73P5KCh50vXLOcRqsEFhluOu9UfAfilhn8ZEYreBfcsbchGp0Dg9G-5hioJaqVijbMbBZzmD2ksdSum-deGD8Db7WU8/s320/DSCN0318.JPG" width="240" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5B0lWX7s_nFYGRdJL8s7LGSh8b9GF4PjeFae_z1ZZbCad8A1Um-ouXgSEUbemsf38LZ-94ZTsQzpc-iy9fBxY28MTY4pzosw_gVtwba-CExhP1SH3xYwuEjFDdw-HEvYaTMGIwOuOJmo/s1600/DSCN0319.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> I like this sculpture but it's weirdly in honor of real estate brokers. Go figure. There are probably few people less heroic or commendable than real estate brokers.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI5BrM9_pUjkMm-kqqfXExFtzRjm32IA5AYiFkbuDxrR6hnPcAGtUf0xwyN4F01rMfE1ajiLd1aYDkB3EtoqK5BG8EBBYbGxly1IqffiPkYccmvIzpzSVFtixa9LoSPtVG13woHUFTRCQ/s1600/DSCN0321.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI5BrM9_pUjkMm-kqqfXExFtzRjm32IA5AYiFkbuDxrR6hnPcAGtUf0xwyN4F01rMfE1ajiLd1aYDkB3EtoqK5BG8EBBYbGxly1IqffiPkYccmvIzpzSVFtixa9LoSPtVG13woHUFTRCQ/s320/DSCN0321.JPG" width="240" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpx3vvD4f3HQaQXMr29Tu2az1rnvXU2zoWX0SXfQQk9vOxZSz5KFdRbuCWeLZMlK4TYa8maoZeQPvk_n9vtjfrIrUtcqyqx-uI_LdUx3i6DjlSbUtuUQ4GyR9E-DjYwq_N2WSbl5gmBvI/s1600/DSCN0322.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpx3vvD4f3HQaQXMr29Tu2az1rnvXU2zoWX0SXfQQk9vOxZSz5KFdRbuCWeLZMlK4TYa8maoZeQPvk_n9vtjfrIrUtcqyqx-uI_LdUx3i6DjlSbUtuUQ4GyR9E-DjYwq_N2WSbl5gmBvI/s320/DSCN0322.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLTpcxI2Oz8RyMJeEebsoc3G2e7vR5KwOGILojlPmCmOvsNUJD3oZMWNzzO3U7lcJrlPDDpCKTipZwCCZFXBOWvCRpmOsAzo_jKA9-lzvMhsoHpiAM0OCYFGNea0YC9qup_CSUkJi-URU/s1600/DSCN0323.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLTpcxI2Oz8RyMJeEebsoc3G2e7vR5KwOGILojlPmCmOvsNUJD3oZMWNzzO3U7lcJrlPDDpCKTipZwCCZFXBOWvCRpmOsAzo_jKA9-lzvMhsoHpiAM0OCYFGNea0YC9qup_CSUkJi-URU/s320/DSCN0323.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
This was too good to pass up (note fresh turd at left). The amount of dog shit and litter in Argentina is embarrassing.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_3R_Q4fgRZCiZ3Wm76yz-k9foru7edyZtQbnpnH3OVrvJDTDAk23vlzpBYzkS9wgb0y2DdvVHuYxyfb5gJ6T7T-FSTEpOqrB07erGD7rWMstxq8uaj-Hx9M490-XhBz2iFR2IHUpG3Sg/s1600/DSCN0327.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJUm2ZQ8-QTqdw6ET8KWf50imtasw1wpWEFEXJ4xcLjDYZIRpJidDkidf7dFG6BjhYFkyAWUWfDjuOoVw4I4xhi1i8dx7bm5g7Gh5qVJWG4noi9BjrgmYKIwgjcOJdO9AgNGQe1Cxbl7g/s1600/DSCN0328.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJUm2ZQ8-QTqdw6ET8KWf50imtasw1wpWEFEXJ4xcLjDYZIRpJidDkidf7dFG6BjhYFkyAWUWfDjuOoVw4I4xhi1i8dx7bm5g7Gh5qVJWG4noi9BjrgmYKIwgjcOJdO9AgNGQe1Cxbl7g/s320/DSCN0328.JPG" width="240" /></a><br />
Only a matter of time. Skater culture has finally been co-opted. Skater culture is big here, and I like it. It's like a way for young guys to be macho and aggressive without hurting anyone else. More skaters, less football, less war.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfsh5M3srY7D6_4DSSUIRAUSiedkd-oY-eOQsiFUj6O9dXvBCyQpN8FjA63aKx2jvo43Y-yNTit9rZnZA8BubnRMx1-Ji2xEVHiudLDtJ5GwC7OVR4C3xZMV3jzLPeW2vw7rxYYITM2gw/s1600/DSCN0255.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfsh5M3srY7D6_4DSSUIRAUSiedkd-oY-eOQsiFUj6O9dXvBCyQpN8FjA63aKx2jvo43Y-yNTit9rZnZA8BubnRMx1-Ji2xEVHiudLDtJ5GwC7OVR4C3xZMV3jzLPeW2vw7rxYYITM2gw/s320/DSCN0255.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
A typical Argentina suburban house. Weird architecture, I'm not quite sure what it is...a weird Spanish/Italian/German hybrid.<br />
Then we bussed home in the rain....moving like a......<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwiUUw0tVt5FENEpM_mnF8K6WEZOTxh4wmCxJk1k3YmdFqhmvqqZ8n57_6jwovFHLpScrxYKQ1_6pI4U-2DFAvO_idHTNlD3rla8KaO8HwB6YHWv-thncTcSkhgCHWJMw9xOZ_Hkcpd5Q/s1600/DSCN0234.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwiUUw0tVt5FENEpM_mnF8K6WEZOTxh4wmCxJk1k3YmdFqhmvqqZ8n57_6jwovFHLpScrxYKQ1_6pI4U-2DFAvO_idHTNlD3rla8KaO8HwB6YHWv-thncTcSkhgCHWJMw9xOZ_Hkcpd5Q/s320/DSCN0234.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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</div></div>Trebor Healeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08018039526428776529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65018506315454606.post-28505088674048264422012-03-14T14:39:00.000-07:002012-03-14T14:39:09.639-07:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: center;"><b>La Bandera, La Grasa, La Iglesia, La Pena y La Peron</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br />
</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDzZ57SQLFzpCRjlle9uaBXk5yCyBuN7XtgyOBrOFq8uu2RMtsGb6USVHxNyKFNzsG-kF9PQRswDYfBLZ4GDIgOWXMbRcvXCPUY2uHeH1QslINMTd5_6hNs1LFGSO70KgcNQXH3kSwRQ/s1600/240px-Flag_of_Argentina.svg.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDzZ57SQLFzpCRjlle9uaBXk5yCyBuN7XtgyOBrOFq8uu2RMtsGb6USVHxNyKFNzsG-kF9PQRswDYfBLZ4GDIgOWXMbRcvXCPUY2uHeH1QslINMTd5_6hNs1LFGSO70KgcNQXH3kSwRQ/s1600/240px-Flag_of_Argentina.svg.png" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The Argentines love their flag, and though it seems to represent only football to many of them, I think it's the colors that really make it so likeable...there's nothing really martial in it, nothing bold and forceful about that baby blue--not like all the red, white and blues of France, Britain, the US. Manuel Belgrano, the arguably gay boy among the founding fathers, designed it. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBWGjW2R7bS97jaQjeC5IKzuBRjmAGUtDvUaAT02dMXjGOMc1XnLn_X8JybSwvFkG0CS1voVv9iM6I8EE6Ai9T83ozN-mmtsaZUAFKwLEg6JoTn7IInbFgDOaceF7zSkltHu9-QRf3yA/s1600/220px-Belgrano_y_la_Bandera.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBWGjW2R7bS97jaQjeC5IKzuBRjmAGUtDvUaAT02dMXjGOMc1XnLn_X8JybSwvFkG0CS1voVv9iM6I8EE6Ai9T83ozN-mmtsaZUAFKwLEg6JoTn7IInbFgDOaceF7zSkltHu9-QRf3yA/s1600/220px-Belgrano_y_la_Bandera.JPG" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Manny</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Sarmiento (the other man of reason in Argentina's somewhat tragic and emotional history) said the blue stood for the sky, and the white for reason, with the sun of enlightenment in the center. All about transcendance... very 19th century, and very painful considering how much this country has struggled, and its people suffered, to transcend its brutal, and typically Spanish Colonial past.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi62O_eDNDpUPUj4sCvNdpQADTcPxBNHr-Dc8EqiQdvx2MTqTCHM0I92snvEbCOWg1RZ9VkhN8tzVSsMJXoS6mROL2UOKh0p40XE6i93yrx7qjZLcyPclR-yU54qKZe0VThCy-Ne76TMg/s1600/DSCN0146.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi62O_eDNDpUPUj4sCvNdpQADTcPxBNHr-Dc8EqiQdvx2MTqTCHM0I92snvEbCOWg1RZ9VkhN8tzVSsMJXoS6mROL2UOKh0p40XE6i93yrx7qjZLcyPclR-yU54qKZe0VThCy-Ne76TMg/s320/DSCN0146.JPG" width="272" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">They call this tower "El Big Ben del Sur". It was built by the British in 1909 to commemorate the centennial and stands in front of the main Retiro train station, close to where I'm now living (The British built Argentina's railroad system and have been involved in its economic development since the beginning). Many Argentines idealize the British for their efficiency and organization, something a bit elusive here.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIvHYP8B9ifqqNhmNydWwC8S4eGnIttG82554vQ9qvibCigqklcrioGqA6iM91b-fqNhnvyw_4830XKdKSEkeh525yho-JhqLUsliXm_m_ncwLordNK1Ye4tNVDkJMvSJDPHblesZByw/s1600/cristina-malvinas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIvHYP8B9ifqqNhmNydWwC8S4eGnIttG82554vQ9qvibCigqklcrioGqA6iM91b-fqNhnvyw_4830XKdKSEkeh525yho-JhqLUsliXm_m_ncwLordNK1Ye4tNVDkJMvSJDPHblesZByw/s320/cristina-malvinas.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCPgQQhDFuuAeVgSmpGC9GPNkwlUTBzkUMk-0dWl7zQN_6XVUnmDYIkLePuxtOOWuQcGgRDtbI48-Kc_RYp15ik1ryHuqovkdPxLm2ihVbffbDr8EeC1-jDFIXGNycnoODFugrarN6ZA/s1600/DSCN0098.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCPgQQhDFuuAeVgSmpGC9GPNkwlUTBzkUMk-0dWl7zQN_6XVUnmDYIkLePuxtOOWuQcGgRDtbI48-Kc_RYp15ik1ryHuqovkdPxLm2ihVbffbDr8EeC1-jDFIXGNycnoODFugrarN6ZA/s320/DSCN0098.JPG" width="272" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgppMzXLf_xew80QsmrSalEpppWefgmZjxPYaMDh9jFXEupT9r6Z-IfN4E4bJ1Td8ltVIgZRTE7DpUpJaqoedSYjxL2KeWLlJ2-PrfmZXyjruSQ1mbZNp48Pogy-19f6UujdajNvJ7KQg/s1600/DSCN0100.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgppMzXLf_xew80QsmrSalEpppWefgmZjxPYaMDh9jFXEupT9r6Z-IfN4E4bJ1Td8ltVIgZRTE7DpUpJaqoedSYjxL2KeWLlJ2-PrfmZXyjruSQ1mbZNp48Pogy-19f6UujdajNvJ7KQg/s320/DSCN0100.JPG" width="272" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9uIvzLrcniWk6o-jVZtHbt4ZYseTzwpeNdarxq3vL5PqJ973eeyeYUiBHDw9BNwLArtJ3b_rJUYoYsnetQZRSb66fwnksDzfDBcj7k_KR2f8m48v_wijEeNpqyhef-tf9rj6AiIriMA/s1600/DSCN0102.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9uIvzLrcniWk6o-jVZtHbt4ZYseTzwpeNdarxq3vL5PqJ973eeyeYUiBHDw9BNwLArtJ3b_rJUYoYsnetQZRSb66fwnksDzfDBcj7k_KR2f8m48v_wijEeNpqyhef-tf9rj6AiIriMA/s320/DSCN0102.JPG" width="272" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF749Oj692MYw0-jv6HOWZLuRQmQORDPMtofU872AHReNHZha5RL7o_KA3ymGvRoo0i0NGIE9ZUiOp-F3So50Nk0EA3m0iN3kbgvMn7at3YDlOPj-_It1eOLHs7A2QdbY2cuWYSU9M9g/s1600/DSCN0044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF749Oj692MYw0-jv6HOWZLuRQmQORDPMtofU872AHReNHZha5RL7o_KA3ymGvRoo0i0NGIE9ZUiOp-F3So50Nk0EA3m0iN3kbgvMn7at3YDlOPj-_It1eOLHs7A2QdbY2cuWYSU9M9g/s320/DSCN0044.JPG" width="272" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">As much as they display it, they don't seem to have the same respect for it as Americans do theirs (this one is in the park in front of the National Congress building), but then again, the flag is subject to the same casual attitude as traffic lights, train maintenance, law enforcement and corruption in general. It is, in that sense, representitive, a true symbol of its nation. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaPv5DBwFcdyePEbDxyBr3kkuE0ZYOltxtXQU-oL4nHoXVKx47xh_rLzzzyRU_7cokCu4ppeEbyDN4Xgjf2IWwWhDnGTFsCuC9tVTBKCJSFFqvhmxQLlEBSmP9Px2J4GGaLIDUMIFjLw/s1600/DSCN0150.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaPv5DBwFcdyePEbDxyBr3kkuE0ZYOltxtXQU-oL4nHoXVKx47xh_rLzzzyRU_7cokCu4ppeEbyDN4Xgjf2IWwWhDnGTFsCuC9tVTBKCJSFFqvhmxQLlEBSmP9Px2J4GGaLIDUMIFjLw/s320/DSCN0150.JPG" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Con todo</i>....with everything except the 'r' that is. The simple joys of learning a new language are often reduced to noticing misspellings. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4qFwMSFe2jhCOlL8NANcT-guGGgry6Tw1UdE82dxC4yfpGFAgrx6zEJE8MGkZl87ULOaZsBj9otmv4E98Bkx4pNJr1ShXKIYsmMci8WN7Yap5mo7LPikmjc8-CjI2Mbj2k_frB_9yzg/s1600/empanadas+abiertas+de+verdura+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4qFwMSFe2jhCOlL8NANcT-guGGgry6Tw1UdE82dxC4yfpGFAgrx6zEJE8MGkZl87ULOaZsBj9otmv4E98Bkx4pNJr1ShXKIYsmMci8WN7Yap5mo7LPikmjc8-CjI2Mbj2k_frB_9yzg/s320/empanadas+abiertas+de+verdura+3.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The dietic challenges here are immense for a person who is trying to keep his fat intake at a reasonable level. Even the empanadas de verduras are oozing with cheese. Below is an empanada de carne, complete with olives and eggs. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSrhaIn5Vhny_XHPMoLbB5StkqS-8F-xdpnooQBUav9SHaA1jW5rRSSCNfAve_PKb_3hM2xx07G8kfDLvYJBE3bYwZ1RKtDs0AUpC2-HccoKeedb2zk9k5-L8I6YYA9lIesUDeQcdqAw/s1600/empanadas%252Bsalte%25C3%25B1as%252Bwallpaper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSrhaIn5Vhny_XHPMoLbB5StkqS-8F-xdpnooQBUav9SHaA1jW5rRSSCNfAve_PKb_3hM2xx07G8kfDLvYJBE3bYwZ1RKtDs0AUpC2-HccoKeedb2zk9k5-L8I6YYA9lIesUDeQcdqAw/s320/empanadas%252Bsalte%25C3%25B1as%252Bwallpaper.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibZdxqRJ16zx4RWIiP6OF0wjabXQRPP1qcsQB2bkv5jPPE59jx_APT-VEPLOwJLO8yYd6uEli-TM3LZZQa_xU1y6JTz_WND6K3VaXpNIUzGaY4eNfrHBkplNGEcDIOaHGurz3pJruzpg/s1600/01-03-09_2020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibZdxqRJ16zx4RWIiP6OF0wjabXQRPP1qcsQB2bkv5jPPE59jx_APT-VEPLOwJLO8yYd6uEli-TM3LZZQa_xU1y6JTz_WND6K3VaXpNIUzGaY4eNfrHBkplNGEcDIOaHGurz3pJruzpg/s320/01-03-09_2020.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">...aka Empanadas Arabes, the middle eastern style empanadas....spicier and eaten with a lemon that you squirt into it. Quite good, and lethal to the cardiovascular system.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I'm eating a lot of olives--sans empanada--one of the few healthy snacks I can find. There is a bit of a health movement here but this is a serious meat culture, and changing eating habits is about as easy as dispensing with Catholicism, which is also a slog, but happening here slowly as well. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIvUiZDyyMQSiVyFtYS1lvy2vqVXV1psblpCTdOuOdMUzrq0CHbE2F0VdDbRrqzpF6EOU1qjeJ9QBlcOLCnBqZWoL-raMgCu0H_9JHWQwuQHUdZoyeTdLn0e3zr9lAsxRthWyGLet1pA/s1600/DSCN0196.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIvUiZDyyMQSiVyFtYS1lvy2vqVXV1psblpCTdOuOdMUzrq0CHbE2F0VdDbRrqzpF6EOU1qjeJ9QBlcOLCnBqZWoL-raMgCu0H_9JHWQwuQHUdZoyeTdLn0e3zr9lAsxRthWyGLet1pA/s320/DSCN0196.JPG" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">In case there was any doubt about the church's unholy alliance with violence, that's a tank on the front lawn at the Naval Academy's chapel.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWoEgPXEPRnKZJUxV2DerfWBdRWlQ2QIqifOuzI7J3nkkaXpysNEH6_Lq5TZBbp26EmGkN0QidzMlK7b5MH3k1kYOaeC25eg0d5hniXZKAxvrmADJ0f-0UQwJpSfnQum3DY4gmPfxD0Q/s1600/6a00d8345161a069e20133f26446ff970b-320wi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWoEgPXEPRnKZJUxV2DerfWBdRWlQ2QIqifOuzI7J3nkkaXpysNEH6_Lq5TZBbp26EmGkN0QidzMlK7b5MH3k1kYOaeC25eg0d5hniXZKAxvrmADJ0f-0UQwJpSfnQum3DY4gmPfxD0Q/s1600/6a00d8345161a069e20133f26446ff970b-320wi.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Gay marriage is of course legal, though there is still religious opposition... </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #003366; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 19px; text-align: justify;">According to “</span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Completely-Queer-Gay-Lesbian-Encyclopedia/dp/0805060316" style="background-color: white; color: #339900; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Completely Queer: The Gay and Lesbian Encyclopedia”</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #003366; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 19px; text-align: justify;"> (1998), “Argentinians endured some of the most brutal campaigns of official and unofficial persecution of lesbians and gay men anywhere in the 20th century.” After the military coup of March 24, 1976, “some 400 gay men were ‘disappeared’ – kidnapped, barbarically tortured, and executed . . . Encouraged by Roman Catholic church leaders, the dictatorship raided and closed gay bars, arresting as many as 1,400 men in a particularly brutal 1978 campaign that took place on the eve of the World Cup soccer tournament in Buenos Aires. In 1982 and 1983, the last two years of the dictatorship, paramilitary groups assassinated a number of gay men working in the arts. . . .” </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">....and just yesterday they finally legalized abortion in cases of rape. In the past, no abortion was legal.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYm0IHpZ2hysQGnN1ljiZOTQjntmB3g6UKBhkjBkHWlnLSDIfJHLdRFleiMhJvp7noPZwq0NdW7yajKEhGouGS0QsgsBFTmAzPC_sZ0tNRgNefXcqaAkME3Z7tPPX4NwqB1bJkgbKF4g/s1600/DSCN0157.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYm0IHpZ2hysQGnN1ljiZOTQjntmB3g6UKBhkjBkHWlnLSDIfJHLdRFleiMhJvp7noPZwq0NdW7yajKEhGouGS0QsgsBFTmAzPC_sZ0tNRgNefXcqaAkME3Z7tPPX4NwqB1bJkgbKF4g/s320/DSCN0157.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE3TCOjRFXLA4ynmYbf2etEUWYn2sXDH9HromUZqnMzw_k8jzZ4o4y6y990PfXDBDSsEc6BWLcuiF9Vn9w9Lv8oC0u08rVqBsUFqHcdhJQy5Klm1uRnEVrlqHV1Zp6OWv3oOqbrTdasQ/s1600/211834_1825304008_477063662_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE3TCOjRFXLA4ynmYbf2etEUWYn2sXDH9HromUZqnMzw_k8jzZ4o4y6y990PfXDBDSsEc6BWLcuiF9Vn9w9Lv8oC0u08rVqBsUFqHcdhJQy5Klm1uRnEVrlqHV1Zp6OWv3oOqbrTdasQ/s1600/211834_1825304008_477063662_n.jpg" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> The absolute best experience last week was "La Pena Jujuena." Penas are gatherings where folkloric music is played and they're sort of carneval-esque. 'Jujuena' means from Jujuy, which is in the far north near Bolivia, a mostly indigenous province, so this pena was unique to that region. Ezequiel's friend Victor is a Jujueno and invited us along. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTQAdtt6quNMebJdMCLvTXdOcmgvf4wma2qcoJZB77d91uYYeGIXoPjmcnSoZfVK6s8ImuJFTv11slECCMt08J83MmXKIWPC0Uy0Stx5-w_UjVHrfG1mzsbAZFkalGsX7FMS7KTGT7-A/s1600/DSCN0168.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTQAdtt6quNMebJdMCLvTXdOcmgvf4wma2qcoJZB77d91uYYeGIXoPjmcnSoZfVK6s8ImuJFTv11slECCMt08J83MmXKIWPC0Uy0Stx5-w_UjVHrfG1mzsbAZFkalGsX7FMS7KTGT7-A/s320/DSCN0168.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">At left, Victor, 'la juje' (his gay Jujuy-inspired nickname). This is at a Peruvian restaurant, the absolute best and least fat-inspired cuisine available in Buenos Aires. Sadly, most of the vegetarian restaurants in Buenos Aires are run by Chinese immigrants and heavy on grease.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">anyway, back to the pena.....</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4AbP_7W0W4XpVwJWS4yGC_qOv2tFOoTo1-nvYNQ3cENdjDglN0uz-Q9PYXHfygQ8ReH-ZWiUKOtE-NnrNAMBjEQPb00aD-ANl2NSKuUtH9-OwtVsb-Hia08uc4Z4F-czD8fLk6G9l9w/s1600/coroico.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4AbP_7W0W4XpVwJWS4yGC_qOv2tFOoTo1-nvYNQ3cENdjDglN0uz-Q9PYXHfygQ8ReH-ZWiUKOtE-NnrNAMBjEQPb00aD-ANl2NSKuUtH9-OwtVsb-Hia08uc4Z4F-czD8fLk6G9l9w/s320/coroico.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">...I felt like I was standing on a platform all night as I towered over the crowd. The crowd carried a devil aloft which I was told symbolizes his being freed from his earthly confines and set loose so that the people go crazy for a time. They then dust your face with talcum powder to pull the bad spirits out of you and refresh you for the coming year. It was a blast and pretty insane after a few hours.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzvnhHEcgRLvYh0qI-LYeIvLZTkxDrH_1F4gcOvtskHBnjvUvgVPmr6cbSzt1Zd5oujPKB0I7ICdvvmNS_to77u5QsUVk6XRbW_sbsyLVHyZTAc5PbAgXPdtSzZbbHY1FvcpdlLbnG6g/s1600/ARCHI_68883.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzvnhHEcgRLvYh0qI-LYeIvLZTkxDrH_1F4gcOvtskHBnjvUvgVPmr6cbSzt1Zd5oujPKB0I7ICdvvmNS_to77u5QsUVk6XRbW_sbsyLVHyZTAc5PbAgXPdtSzZbbHY1FvcpdlLbnG6g/s320/ARCHI_68883.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Hq6TbBijh9n4tU24Y1gzbFeJyon0l7SIe0UbIFWWeElFdeeHe19MQf3E0EnZoUOuY7A167bMVMl39VPij1pmHlAEah_X7lh85cDXiJPcoPGcc8OeE4et6_mawYzpemnTkfQB2zlrSQ/s1600/destacada327.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Hq6TbBijh9n4tU24Y1gzbFeJyon0l7SIe0UbIFWWeElFdeeHe19MQf3E0EnZoUOuY7A167bMVMl39VPij1pmHlAEah_X7lh85cDXiJPcoPGcc8OeE4et6_mawYzpemnTkfQB2zlrSQ/s1600/destacada327.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> I prefer this music to tango, which is a bit dour and nostalgic for my tastes--or maybe just my mood right now. Folklorico is of the people, of the land, and full of great energy. It has no interest in being European, even though its Spanish influence is obvious. It's definitely native at heart--or at least gaucho, which here means having gone native in a way our cowboys never did--with lots of Andean flutes, drums, etc. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdErZM1f6aIBq_K8bodxOxFcCV7FPuN_L0RNmeuYrx1c3sno1n8wrl3B0Tzf1JJtzwcIdlSnMUDqQC-Nm-m1ISA7-ZJzQnruQvieM-RvuQkZa6tiloHmEurz2mdJIynErWShbQYheN9A/s1600/Zamba.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdErZM1f6aIBq_K8bodxOxFcCV7FPuN_L0RNmeuYrx1c3sno1n8wrl3B0Tzf1JJtzwcIdlSnMUDqQC-Nm-m1ISA7-ZJzQnruQvieM-RvuQkZa6tiloHmEurz2mdJIynErWShbQYheN9A/s1600/Zamba.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">the zamba</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP5mO8tdw0q-22awXEaBY2FGkrpS8lPgyIyl4cY_4xdFH5T3amOWQjAsFN0Fd6VRjEPZuTEEG6BoP2UeowtLaSh1oqQU215Vp33t-pUiXejUlwpwKnq8hkQY502JcfwvUovQgeqOS1aQ/s1600/gauchos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP5mO8tdw0q-22awXEaBY2FGkrpS8lPgyIyl4cY_4xdFH5T3amOWQjAsFN0Fd6VRjEPZuTEEG6BoP2UeowtLaSh1oqQU215Vp33t-pUiXejUlwpwKnq8hkQY502JcfwvUovQgeqOS1aQ/s320/gauchos.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqOw4dKa37KQpMK0AZYyGzlCMiXXm1OrMFwsOFyj5UakDmm6ZYMf-XMfA-aDZGmJ9-J_R_lZukKmgV2N93v14v3r_SNgQbCkLNuWGt49HZ8nAGjmx71rshUEFE7lMkrBFOjbd-u0SSig/s1600/63264_600.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqOw4dKa37KQpMK0AZYyGzlCMiXXm1OrMFwsOFyj5UakDmm6ZYMf-XMfA-aDZGmJ9-J_R_lZukKmgV2N93v14v3r_SNgQbCkLNuWGt49HZ8nAGjmx71rshUEFE7lMkrBFOjbd-u0SSig/s320/63264_600.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGHN5OcbM0ugyw7RtuKNaTFkpewlD8lFTxXYHcKIubPtunzuWhZv9xlBQd56cfwRPrSRyubgw_WhQsIUS34qEjaWPuYoYS9j3LxP2E_UTf7g53BSAEDW0Xz1vCnrcQ1H8-HxxXo0h7XA/s1600/foto+9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGHN5OcbM0ugyw7RtuKNaTFkpewlD8lFTxXYHcKIubPtunzuWhZv9xlBQd56cfwRPrSRyubgw_WhQsIUS34qEjaWPuYoYS9j3LxP2E_UTf7g53BSAEDW0Xz1vCnrcQ1H8-HxxXo0h7XA/s320/foto+9.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Jorge Gordilla with his fiddle. He was accompanied by an incredible guitarist (not pictured) who played so hard I was sure the instrument would splinter and fly into pieces. His voice kept up with it too. Wish I could find him online, but no luck so far...all I know is his name is Brian from Entre Rios :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Ru9jPJORSXwRQ0ysou-RessNNS-J60jOjKwJaodFIw-yBlN74TRwEpcjX_XzzofmOmqPsK2_Ot9CNrtwr2RkCIUBu0jbFpxsiJrtzBWi2eF2EFy_UnNi8E7TS7cw9YutXHcANB3NEg/s1600/DSCN0178.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Ru9jPJORSXwRQ0ysou-RessNNS-J60jOjKwJaodFIw-yBlN74TRwEpcjX_XzzofmOmqPsK2_Ot9CNrtwr2RkCIUBu0jbFpxsiJrtzBWi2eF2EFy_UnNi8E7TS7cw9YutXHcANB3NEg/s320/DSCN0178.JPG" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">After finishing <i>Santa Evita</i>, I'm slogging through Eloy Martinez's <i>The Peron Novel</i>, which is far less intriguing as Juan's just not as interesting a person. A philosophy forged by military training is just not the same as the girl from nowhere who made it all the way to the top. But he did have ideals and he was better than the rest of the army types, so you gotta give him that. I guess saying someone could have been worse is a bit of a backhanded compliment, but considering how bad the military has behaved in this country, he comes off as a very reasonable person who, though arguably fascistic, for the most part eschewed violence unlike his colleagues who seemed to revel in it, almost orgiastically by the 1970s dictatorship. The fact that his own military turned on him--as did the church--is to his credit. And again, he did believe the state had a responsibility to the poor and working class (not just the rich), which is why his legacy has survived, although it morphs in the strangest ways from left to right, all the way to indigenous:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtu_v9dLecj10VxCaeU1TK7Kpq2EYcaAv82am3Q3gQghqMCWaVHuN2k7h4d-iP5i3mmCu3OSXwRbuM8Pu8hW9lkha4jZKZCzEfNtEGpX3ZOnKsxsp4V16lisv0DQTwgY36HggupY1cQg/s1600/166834_172354732805773_100000937438297_349332_553028_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtu_v9dLecj10VxCaeU1TK7Kpq2EYcaAv82am3Q3gQghqMCWaVHuN2k7h4d-iP5i3mmCu3OSXwRbuM8Pu8hW9lkha4jZKZCzEfNtEGpX3ZOnKsxsp4V16lisv0DQTwgY36HggupY1cQg/s320/166834_172354732805773_100000937438297_349332_553028_n.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU9CtUF7eoQNGrLNVVewsrI7pn-m4NJ1tjzVf1Oo5Kbyv2Acim3bVG_XNzDcKNLQaobe4FC5YctT2N5hqAUurMqFcktAUTsii6N2rfQCWQ9DoAliQTmXrMoym6uILNHVirYSHkrQgYuw/s1600/DSCN0076.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU9CtUF7eoQNGrLNVVewsrI7pn-m4NJ1tjzVf1Oo5Kbyv2Acim3bVG_XNzDcKNLQaobe4FC5YctT2N5hqAUurMqFcktAUTsii6N2rfQCWQ9DoAliQTmXrMoym6uILNHVirYSHkrQgYuw/s320/DSCN0076.JPG" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Peronism talks a good game, but the results don't seem too evident. More and more it seems to me like the fat cat Peronists behave like old time cuadillos and retain power by depending on an uneducated desperate lower class, who they throw their patronage towards. The train crash is a case in point. The private company that was awarded the franchise is heavily subsidized by the government in order to keep tickets cheap. But apparently the company (run by a family that is friends with the president's) didn't use said subsidies to maintain the system. What did they use the money for? Need one ask? The other cynical thing are these staged marches which are apparently paid for by the various Peronist factions. That is very Peronist as Peron himself used the same tactics, calling the people into the streets and encouraging a sort of mob frenzy to intimidate the oppostion. It's sad to have to say, it's better than the alternative, though that seems to be a general consensus.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Atvw067mc4hQHVj3Q3zcKGsXHTarLlXwWds-dwrh5wv3ZvRmvBlPMZhfuogL3oZWpXiFas3d0pysjbPeUsfYVYgzoxSwEHpVtHYM6afq1K-_bZEa18u5lNTrkdCRYBH1sC-YLw8nVw/s1600/4240883w.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Atvw067mc4hQHVj3Q3zcKGsXHTarLlXwWds-dwrh5wv3ZvRmvBlPMZhfuogL3oZWpXiFas3d0pysjbPeUsfYVYgzoxSwEHpVtHYM6afq1K-_bZEa18u5lNTrkdCRYBH1sC-YLw8nVw/s320/4240883w.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">with VP Boudou, once a potential heir apparent, now embroiled in a corruption scandal</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWdX6juAOufXWkd4W556sbpitNlRwLxjwVh3yOvsBcn4UHdok_1Cd7Z8Lrt16UJJdtYdUE5PLLyLeP57N1V2Yd9_gU9U7j2lCYtkLc4U236A97G8SAcSYtog2DniUXTLCKk-ZMXijYsw/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWdX6juAOufXWkd4W556sbpitNlRwLxjwVh3yOvsBcn4UHdok_1Cd7Z8Lrt16UJJdtYdUE5PLLyLeP57N1V2Yd9_gU9U7j2lCYtkLc4U236A97G8SAcSYtog2DniUXTLCKk-ZMXijYsw/s1600/images.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">No one knows what will happen here once Cristina's term run outs, but one person said, 'maybe they'll change the constitution and she can get another term.' Such is democracy in Argentina. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZOB7ubVfdt3k7dWCOHGmJ9TELW9M7oiaEu-YT11VxuWjmxR3IPm7foWSYxabd0Hos0nwNVazhLXQDC3_wP01xeaC2LcbuMiFLue-9iSWVSlYKUt3QLclP07shJx675uOu8x04bNhaHg/s1600/images+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZOB7ubVfdt3k7dWCOHGmJ9TELW9M7oiaEu-YT11VxuWjmxR3IPm7foWSYxabd0Hos0nwNVazhLXQDC3_wP01xeaC2LcbuMiFLue-9iSWVSlYKUt3QLclP07shJx675uOu8x04bNhaHg/s1600/images+(1).jpg" /></a> </div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Below, Juan Domingo (in plaster) eyes Ezequiel from across "Cafe Con Peron", a party-affiliated coffeeshop on the former site of Juan and Evita's home. Like all things Juan and Evita, the dictatorship that followed them destroyed the house and all images and memories of them, even outlawing the mention of their names.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVkX560mjUeuvFRph8kmHqOoBjvYNJGmyiC0_RJkJnAtvX715p0cagY2G-b6Jnl5PYMGoJ8ewwkqwBXKShfW90J5MjWxNOOzU29IN5OG9uXwuvPbPGe0zF7_iAYKiMRkUrjq2Xlx5FQw/s1600/DSCN0079.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVkX560mjUeuvFRph8kmHqOoBjvYNJGmyiC0_RJkJnAtvX715p0cagY2G-b6Jnl5PYMGoJ8ewwkqwBXKShfW90J5MjWxNOOzU29IN5OG9uXwuvPbPGe0zF7_iAYKiMRkUrjq2Xlx5FQw/s320/DSCN0079.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8JHzRBEQ2Nv989lHEpJS5cLxsP2bh2fH4J4Fe7uvmQuD4ZhGJE8faUjdiNJytXprBL-qr_Ok_Q6OS1Bi5Sw_0Y0fwMrvWoaVtxP2nF9qjyWCaxwMQT9mMHfOjz-zDPQf4II_0PA30LA/s1600/DSCN0078.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8JHzRBEQ2Nv989lHEpJS5cLxsP2bh2fH4J4Fe7uvmQuD4ZhGJE8faUjdiNJytXprBL-qr_Ok_Q6OS1Bi5Sw_0Y0fwMrvWoaVtxP2nF9qjyWCaxwMQT9mMHfOjz-zDPQf4II_0PA30LA/s320/DSCN0078.JPG" width="320" /></a> </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAhywcPgid4sZ9-knIIoZc_l9-6snHilUmYn9E8f0cBI83GIZRUyw0fJtSp_tDWY4tIRr-ED30saWq7SLMIhkmK_rkhCCSaR_9mJseOrexNDcb-xzfCSWToKPhC732jop9vLfVPK7sXw/s1600/DSCN0140.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAhywcPgid4sZ9-knIIoZc_l9-6snHilUmYn9E8f0cBI83GIZRUyw0fJtSp_tDWY4tIRr-ED30saWq7SLMIhkmK_rkhCCSaR_9mJseOrexNDcb-xzfCSWToKPhC732jop9vLfVPK7sXw/s320/DSCN0140.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The government is running out of money financing this cast-iron image of Evita on the Health Ministry's building. That's Don Quixote on the right.</div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRgdhG5eo8o1J2z7dVO2FeRxyYZ9TyJzxTMZS4GaSEnsBhq1d-mBDg1ykjF3sNOigaapZwJ9hnlI5lLkiCTDXD3rmognIQbd2CALTFsJnWaUFtB7OxhkSWrqUt9z9N_7nU1Q2dtoqR5w/s1600/Santo+Santino.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRgdhG5eo8o1J2z7dVO2FeRxyYZ9TyJzxTMZS4GaSEnsBhq1d-mBDg1ykjF3sNOigaapZwJ9hnlI5lLkiCTDXD3rmognIQbd2CALTFsJnWaUFtB7OxhkSWrqUt9z9N_7nU1Q2dtoqR5w/s1600/Santo+Santino.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Lots of cute children as always, and this one must be dreaming of Jesus or martyrdom.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Speaking of which, my personal imp or 'familiar,' or low-maintenance child, Henry, made the trip and has been enjoying the city....</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkQJ5XOhdaWcAMyU9UBZpWUGKqtBSbRO4jbHQB6EDw1HgMR7o34Hf5Q-rJNfMW4M-t3tS37BR1GbY9DIkqdfCWdffs9cJqtTRM1CQ3kWMN2qQv1Rx3VuBbITIHoprp-E4wzfFl3E2n-g/s1600/IMG_1507.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkQJ5XOhdaWcAMyU9UBZpWUGKqtBSbRO4jbHQB6EDw1HgMR7o34Hf5Q-rJNfMW4M-t3tS37BR1GbY9DIkqdfCWdffs9cJqtTRM1CQ3kWMN2qQv1Rx3VuBbITIHoprp-E4wzfFl3E2n-g/s320/IMG_1507.JPG" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIEWMis34kczylT_WT61JzVsY0323_5yPqqTBTsQQCVr6iZGs3BHdyVH9dWxeNMjlZLfWLxn-jOD4wLKV91YRjRLlyUI4ieipOabTaIzdO8jfFvXtka_hq7OSWk7VNEtnN_-6uu0QopA/s1600/DSCN0205.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIEWMis34kczylT_WT61JzVsY0323_5yPqqTBTsQQCVr6iZGs3BHdyVH9dWxeNMjlZLfWLxn-jOD4wLKV91YRjRLlyUI4ieipOabTaIzdO8jfFvXtka_hq7OSWk7VNEtnN_-6uu0QopA/s320/DSCN0205.JPG" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Henry is holy as well. I'm a Buddhist Agnostic, but I do love to pray. Perhaps it's an indication of my alienation as it always makes me feel connected to people to light candles for them and send good wishes. Or maybe it's just the long slow withdrawl from Catholicism which is a monster of a mindset to dispense with. I'm working on it. In the meantime, send me your prayer requests.</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /><br />
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</div>Trebor Healeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08018039526428776529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65018506315454606.post-28678730002211367232012-02-26T19:49:00.004-08:002012-03-16T06:57:40.806-07:00El Cuerpo<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHbvOrg78AsNZpCqex-1s4FTGQDCQUoD-mtdAKqiq6sZeJr5TKGTU4vjMuXw_8eZUQmbIShVNfOPfqbSzn21yKPMq0ec0wCZRoy_UrqnqCaMGFsGkWybW5KZU6OhyKgGgEksmt7UvlXw/s1600/the-train-crash-at-Once-Buenos-Aires-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHbvOrg78AsNZpCqex-1s4FTGQDCQUoD-mtdAKqiq6sZeJr5TKGTU4vjMuXw_8eZUQmbIShVNfOPfqbSzn21yKPMq0ec0wCZRoy_UrqnqCaMGFsGkWybW5KZU6OhyKgGgEksmt7UvlXw/s320/the-train-crash-at-Once-Buenos-Aires-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">I finished the book, </span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">Santa Evita</i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">, just as the trains were crashing. Being that the book was so intense and dark, this was a little creepy. The trains piled up and they looked like coffins. And of course, the news cycle went into overdrive in the same way it does back home…endless footage of the carnage and wreckage, mourning relatives, eyewitnesses recounting the event…but it quickly veered Argentine within a day….finger-pointing and people’s frustration with the shoddiness of government (the railroads were privatized under Menem, but are dependent on government subsidies so as to keep fares low/affordable…and they’re like a concession, owned and operated by a family with close ties to Cristina…so you can fingerpoint in all directions: neoliberalism, socialism, cronyism, Peronism, etc., and/or all of the above). Cristina announced two days of mourning. There she was dressed in mourning black, as she is forever dressed in black in honor of her late husband, former President Nestor Kirchner…and here’s where death sort of took over from rationality, along the lines of Evita…..flags at halfmast, the widowed president, Nestor’s body somewhere stage left …and the obsession in the news became about the body of Lucas….</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">His smiling photo holding the little girl…with the caption <i>El Cuerpo de Lucas…El Cuerpo de Lucas</i>….But <i>who</i> is Lucas? Lucas was a young man who’d apparently been on the train and hadn’t come home. They kept showing his crying mother. He continued to not appear. Where was the body of Lucas?…it was really strange as I was reading about ‘where is the body of Evita’ which also disappeared—for a bit longer, about 20 years. Endlessly the news cycle repeated itself with the picture of Lucas and his little daughter…handsome Lucas, a young father…where is he? How could it not touch you? <i>El cuerpo de Lucas, el cuerpo de lucas</i>…it was weird, because he hadn’t appeared but they kept talking about his body like <i>he</i> wasn’t the subject, his body was, as if he were dead already although there was no real evidence either way. I mean, in the US, it would be <i>Where is Lucas?</i> Back home, he’d be assumed alive until he was found. But here it’s where is <i>the body</i> of Lucas? Looking for his body is making the assumption he’s dead. And yet why would it be so hard to find a dead body when you knew pretty specifically where it was? It’s as if, as if….had his body been kidnapped like Evita’s? In the end, his body was found, deeply buried in the iron wreckage where two parts of the train had compacted violently as they folded in on themselves like an accordion. There was no time for grief as the protests started, the tear gas, the train station shut down. Very, very weird—people reacted as if they’d been hiding him, holding out. Pictures of Lucas on placards. Lucas’s body had become a symbol of the body politic much as Evita’s had. I’m not making this up though it feels like I must be …how could life imitate art so explicitly? And yet that is Evita’s story, and more and more, I’m beginning to think, it’s Argentina’s. Saint Lucas. There’s an unreality here….I mean, yeah, it looks like Paris, but it’s not Paris, yet people live here like it is. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiekmjkZDzCFwUX70CCl3f8ZHAlJrrmvGpfL2DD_PCDQRDqLT7iUUPvaxtssX0fb-bEfYN-PJVHOFQHMe8bNsYsgs7QRYoUHqTc9r7AEatUGEG9nhIshyphenhyphenldvCaGgFS2emGBpSQppw195g/s1600/DSCN0117.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiekmjkZDzCFwUX70CCl3f8ZHAlJrrmvGpfL2DD_PCDQRDqLT7iUUPvaxtssX0fb-bEfYN-PJVHOFQHMe8bNsYsgs7QRYoUHqTc9r7AEatUGEG9nhIshyphenhyphenldvCaGgFS2emGBpSQppw195g/s320/DSCN0117.JPG" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">I’m not saying people don’t live in unrealities back home, and I had an interesting discussion the other day with an Argentine about how Argentina is obsessed with the past and the dead, while America is obsessed with the present and the living. A lot of Americans know nothing about their history or anyone else’s. They consider the past bad or negative or to be forgotten. In California they literally surgically remove it or nostalg-ify it into Disneyland-type renderings—except for San Miguel, my fave, they’ve done this to all the missions. Faulkner, and in many ways, the South are in some weird way the conscience of America because they are still about the past, though I suppose less so with time in any real way, and more so in the nostalgic way that capitalism likes to repackage the past….Krispy Kreme donuts, Paula Dean, etc. In the end, neither way of life is healthy. You have to remember the past and know it and you have to let it go also and move on (while keeping an eye on it), so you can deal with the present. But you can’t just do one or the other. It takes intelligence to deal with the past…there is a lot of intelligence here, but it’s sort of contained in the intellectual class…the masses just behave with this weird catholic hysteria...they understand the past in a certain primal way, but it’s kind of insane. Of course, they’ve been repeatedly abused and traumatized by authority here. In America, the past seems heavily rationalized, almost into complete abstraction, which easily lends itself to denial. I often feel the only people who really understand/feel America’s past are Native Americans who I’ve gotten to know. I always feel like I’m in a different place when I’m with them at sweats, etc.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">So to wrap this into one poetic statement: America often seems like the naïve, uneducated child of history with no past, while Argentina is like the corpse of Europe with too much past. Enter Starbucks at the site of a famous old Buenos Aires café, named, appropriately enough, L’Aglion, which is French for The Eagle:<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIXVhKuHnL1DD5G2cFW-r1nqJTrO2aLbS8H9vrDJwurt5XGtLzZ8Wo9Xr8qcwMR102ZJyrjHpksXxi_sndDb3PvXn1cMkgoaRgmvfozOnEy45RA64xa2_H20LHcCy8kYzrePkNcX0pYQ/s1600/DSCN0133.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIXVhKuHnL1DD5G2cFW-r1nqJTrO2aLbS8H9vrDJwurt5XGtLzZ8Wo9Xr8qcwMR102ZJyrjHpksXxi_sndDb3PvXn1cMkgoaRgmvfozOnEy45RA64xa2_H20LHcCy8kYzrePkNcX0pYQ/s320/DSCN0133.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><o:p><br />
</o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">Speaking of corpses, I’ve always found plastic surgery macabre, sort of like the walking dead and this culture embraces it in spades.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2006/oct/24/argentina.travelnews" style="background-color: transparent;">http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2006/oct/24/argentina.travelnews</a> <a href="http://www.cosmeticsurgerytoday.com/blog/cosmetic-surgery/top-25-plastic-surgery-countries/">http://www.cosmeticsurgerytoday.com/blog/cosmetic-surgery/top-25-plastic-surgery-countries/</a> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">….so here you go, some cuerpos de Argentina: </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 11px;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6z36GBsjXRpeJ4Ls9jKX0bqqpfI8p3ZgkPmtriOmVP3RBzT-2tsXrUTgRRS1xLVEDiWky9q_NfjuWnPu716YmIundqad4ns4BheoQ9eOE8PtLINcALYpMUv-05vQ2t-ieT8oyS28H9Q/s1600/1308262968_moria.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6z36GBsjXRpeJ4Ls9jKX0bqqpfI8p3ZgkPmtriOmVP3RBzT-2tsXrUTgRRS1xLVEDiWky9q_NfjuWnPu716YmIundqad4ns4BheoQ9eOE8PtLINcALYpMUv-05vQ2t-ieT8oyS28H9Q/s320/1308262968_moria.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHdsgMCjAVkf4imhknX0735sEgE_MFcIt8XU2CuxsSj14ek1FXLMWGzmOv1rNzs0uZM8ZoNjnGbaEidP51kqnMnUryyjIj9INeJcxko6rAI6JE7aNlsPBUEfMI1bKBzYsmgAjbj1TiEg/s1600/Esta-noche-con-Moria-Casan-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHdsgMCjAVkf4imhknX0735sEgE_MFcIt8XU2CuxsSj14ek1FXLMWGzmOv1rNzs0uZM8ZoNjnGbaEidP51kqnMnUryyjIj9INeJcxko6rAI6JE7aNlsPBUEfMI1bKBzYsmgAjbj1TiEg/s320/Esta-noche-con-Moria-Casan-2.jpg" width="262" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 11px; text-align: left;">Showgirl forever, Moria Casan</span> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 11px; text-align: left;">(I do like her quote on the cover of a Marijuana magazine: 'when I'm stoned, I feel like a geisha.')</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf6EbCP8_f6fcsDWnRGl7knanSatVKfnCorQv9QIOCdVnHDkJB1tJ0PF7pirKfmEF4zdyAfNyl_kQAp6Kp_PnjAu7rPh84ObSZKz2CmUA-iYBrEv-m8CtJzttbkcJOefb9ZfgvLbgYCQ/s1600/mirtha_legrand_2005_02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf6EbCP8_f6fcsDWnRGl7knanSatVKfnCorQv9QIOCdVnHDkJB1tJ0PF7pirKfmEF4zdyAfNyl_kQAp6Kp_PnjAu7rPh84ObSZKz2CmUA-iYBrEv-m8CtJzttbkcJOefb9ZfgvLbgYCQ/s320/mirtha_legrand_2005_02.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Establishment talkshow host, Mirtha LeGrand, who is 85</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq_8dsv9k96w0HKHjaLoumkWiFq8bsuj1RLChdM1WXTurUzmWa_H7lkvAv81VR8vSq_3J4ckXxc05sahwhTv_LdJgWy1qEE3y0baONo244LctxY_eXIpMn8eInNXGtPNbmWzBXbn8lzA/s1600/susana_gimenez.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq_8dsv9k96w0HKHjaLoumkWiFq8bsuj1RLChdM1WXTurUzmWa_H7lkvAv81VR8vSq_3J4ckXxc05sahwhTv_LdJgWy1qEE3y0baONo244LctxY_eXIpMn8eInNXGtPNbmWzBXbn8lzA/s320/susana_gimenez.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Hipper talkshow host, Susana Gimenez</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-GBJ58ZAhusO9VAIDQSoQ5o8AxrCufxdW4xU5EjaIYDycOjsUizMoqDTbUDZEiCuqPpZUzKAvXtuQ8P-xgHpV0yYSIJ4Tty1wDA9Ds0BtlKLRj9C0DVRJSBzJHYLyCcfe4h2sK4vppw/s1600/oggi+junco+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-GBJ58ZAhusO9VAIDQSoQ5o8AxrCufxdW4xU5EjaIYDycOjsUizMoqDTbUDZEiCuqPpZUzKAvXtuQ8P-xgHpV0yYSIJ4Tty1wDA9Ds0BtlKLRj9C0DVRJSBzJHYLyCcfe4h2sK4vppw/s320/oggi+junco+1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Drag queen Oggi Junco</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguv2y0MSq1SqGA5zv7L-JcJE6wVRdr33x9t-QgnxrIrnJ9daUwVC0YAjCv2r-i2OnKYWh3s1fRVGO09noj2DJzjgF4aUR1uNz8vp86ptKIwXXIWYBE6JJPFuwK78hNah4JKmc38UgcJg/s1600/opereta.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguv2y0MSq1SqGA5zv7L-JcJE6wVRdr33x9t-QgnxrIrnJ9daUwVC0YAjCv2r-i2OnKYWh3s1fRVGO09noj2DJzjgF4aUR1uNz8vp86ptKIwXXIWYBE6JJPFuwK78hNah4JKmc38UgcJg/s320/opereta.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Reality show TV personalities Guido Suller y Ricardo Fort</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjre2eHA0bHCX-Xy6Fywdx9ERN9pUgPdMjRe7ykYJ80Lm29YtfXU8zwvwqKN0ayQTusl_d2i80qwcUwPWo7IEEvRt8Ece22343dsFT7LbfH1kTxMd_gf6sjOQZnoNkMmYPETgTBBH_NSQ/s1600/Eva_Per%C3%B3n_-_Cad%C3%A1ver_momificado_con_Dr_Pedro_Ara-_1953-55.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjre2eHA0bHCX-Xy6Fywdx9ERN9pUgPdMjRe7ykYJ80Lm29YtfXU8zwvwqKN0ayQTusl_d2i80qwcUwPWo7IEEvRt8Ece22343dsFT7LbfH1kTxMd_gf6sjOQZnoNkMmYPETgTBBH_NSQ/s320/Eva_Per%C3%B3n_-_Cad%C3%A1ver_momificado_con_Dr_Pedro_Ara-_1953-55.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">First lady, saint and myth forever, Evita Duarte Peron</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">We finally got to the tomb of Evita up in Recoleta cemetery. She got the last laugh on the rich who vigilantly denied her entrance into their world while she was alive. She’s buried in </span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">THE</i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"> cemetery in the center of power and wealth in her father’s family’s crypt (Duarte).</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcPbKqt0aFP3WWXDkrETpEFU8K6nnq-9FBLBb4ZkP_eWEkW22mx946lNis9lpbx8iGvr6lM3k1OVpsvOv9JbsmCWCje4Oz21_P1fKc-wg4V2pL8XYQUiYwNHmOyZhAav0_A3wmMAFReg/s1600/DSCN0138.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcPbKqt0aFP3WWXDkrETpEFU8K6nnq-9FBLBb4ZkP_eWEkW22mx946lNis9lpbx8iGvr6lM3k1OVpsvOv9JbsmCWCje4Oz21_P1fKc-wg4V2pL8XYQUiYwNHmOyZhAav0_A3wmMAFReg/s320/DSCN0138.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiikZjaP4vbyBQHoa0rP7ksvgSQd-Q2FIwQULa1Q5w80107Q_fKBiL4IFzunZTMw2FpqjPijL61etmcNlb3sXvWxpDjhyLinpvTCYXlJvsidEPyz1xC-t0iHq759vh3IjfGGH2NO2i_Ig/s1600/DSCN0134.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiikZjaP4vbyBQHoa0rP7ksvgSQd-Q2FIwQULa1Q5w80107Q_fKBiL4IFzunZTMw2FpqjPijL61etmcNlb3sXvWxpDjhyLinpvTCYXlJvsidEPyz1xC-t0iHq759vh3IjfGGH2NO2i_Ig/s320/DSCN0134.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">Evita was illegitimate and her father never acknowledged her though he’d taken some interest in her brothers and sisters, supporting the family on the side at one of his many properties.</span><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3AOnz-RhdXRBTC_RtJ0mVkY_m37JwKaPVbP_fTSVqNj_tbhE4bz3h_-z1hsPegBweFlX1kN5-QkpqjpGkhZLnIA48iOeXF6nkv4j0HPDMFmEoreQIMMCyahu5sy-8ihHyiJTGIc3b-Q/s1600/images+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3AOnz-RhdXRBTC_RtJ0mVkY_m37JwKaPVbP_fTSVqNj_tbhE4bz3h_-z1hsPegBweFlX1kN5-QkpqjpGkhZLnIA48iOeXF6nkv4j0HPDMFmEoreQIMMCyahu5sy-8ihHyiJTGIc3b-Q/s1600/images+(1).jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">In the well-known story, the ‘legit’ family tried to drive her mother and brood of 5 small children away when they came to their father’s funeral but eventually they let them view the body briefly. For Evita to be buried in this crypt is quite an existential feat on some level. Again, you go girl.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTE1K5pqzvWvNnW-tU9P-M75_4G7cR7LCnZ71qY8eMzokheSBgM74Qy8QwYu8zlPwY4JdwKMU3sTkccLgXslb80ejNopDvuZ13YbYzvenv7vbLM2b3xNgZZ6Cki7O00xbsJ4tkB3UevA/s1600/eva_peron.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTE1K5pqzvWvNnW-tU9P-M75_4G7cR7LCnZ71qY8eMzokheSBgM74Qy8QwYu8zlPwY4JdwKMU3sTkccLgXslb80ejNopDvuZ13YbYzvenv7vbLM2b3xNgZZ6Cki7O00xbsJ4tkB3UevA/s320/eva_peron.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">Evita’s story illustrates a very ugly side of this society where men are generally kind of shamelessly irresponsible sexually…the gay guys have a similar rep, though like all stereotypes, there are plenty of exceptions. It was sort of comic to listen to the other tourists around the tomb…one guy said to his girlfriend… "who is this woman, what did she do?” I suppose a foreigner could do the same at the Lincoln Monument, but sheesh, even your Lonely Planet will give you a page or two to brush up on a country’s 10 greatest hits, no? I’m assuming everyone is at least familiar with the opera, although that’s a whole nother can of worms and a pretty shallow one. But it’s a start, it’s not all bad.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTe92MOBK7dBLOsv4mPxSoinloHKTxbgLh1r5JM-5jwHZbF6rP3jlhKoqWODvj2M-XE4IMaeEU0RkEZyD5MJ4KdPxPv_je5TCaQVuwcxjijCcVY2kOFeWzoJjo7H39O_h9wPc7CLLocg/s1600/download+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTe92MOBK7dBLOsv4mPxSoinloHKTxbgLh1r5JM-5jwHZbF6rP3jlhKoqWODvj2M-XE4IMaeEU0RkEZyD5MJ4KdPxPv_je5TCaQVuwcxjijCcVY2kOFeWzoJjo7H39O_h9wPc7CLLocg/s1600/download+(1).jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">A big group of Europeans and Japanese arrived while we were looking at the tomb, which is protected by bulletproof glass—apparently Evita’s body is far in the depths under several steel barriers. The Argentina tour guide explained to the throng that Eva’s maiden name was Duarte and that this is her family’s crypt, and no her husband wasn’t buried here because his family was from somewhere else….wow, that’s sort of brushing over the facts a bit…but how could she begin to tell the real story, not only because it would take forever, but because much of her audience doesn’t even have a rudimentary knowledge to help her begin. I wondered about someone asking who was Jesus? Um, well he was a carpenter, used to like belt out epigrams, was pretty good at it. Important Jewish family, House of David, yada, yada, yada.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIIO86nPEGdIv4wHinBGxk_kca3f1GPhf33x_HdYk-XXkNO7fr53_DCX-hEJdQl2BwjkcMSn_SMsGxD8En8Zm-3nhSaG5_bu0FMiuyJb3PuVnoqJ7SUp7ldtN4cKBLD14LnntBHvzRNQ/s1600/eva-peron-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIIO86nPEGdIv4wHinBGxk_kca3f1GPhf33x_HdYk-XXkNO7fr53_DCX-hEJdQl2BwjkcMSn_SMsGxD8En8Zm-3nhSaG5_bu0FMiuyJb3PuVnoqJ7SUp7ldtN4cKBLD14LnntBHvzRNQ/s320/eva-peron-2.jpg" width="223" /></a> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">It’s hard not to feel a little sorry for Evita, or at least some empathy, even though she was dangerously egotistical and ambitious, and her enabling of her husband’s thuggery, as well as her letting people deify her, is pretty unforgiveable and ultimately abusive of the very people she claimed to represent. She was not a wise or bright woman, and seemingly in way over her head (or not, all things Evita being enigmatic), but she did redistribute wealth with a sense of justice and she got women the vote....ultimately she was the shadow of this country’s false self image in the same way Vietnam was for America’s false self image. After her death, the way her body was desecrated makes it hard to feel nothing. It’s Maggie Thatcher all over again, sympathy for the devil…and ultimately that’s a good thing if you’re working on growing your heart and soul.</span></div></div>Trebor Healeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08018039526428776529noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65018506315454606.post-88848848572249496412012-02-20T18:11:00.042-08:002012-02-20T21:48:25.099-08:00Volver<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGWtTur2UhiZG9hziIegduqnKlTemiuZmYe6MlAy6_xg8EU0CHSfNKGktbYxGxySQU6DIsVtTmuDtevDfLYza5CqeDLChI38VwxP9PI-rMdVWfcwxuuXJtrrfzcazAVgHBzOcwknPmnQ/s1600/IMG_1541.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
<img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGWtTur2UhiZG9hziIegduqnKlTemiuZmYe6MlAy6_xg8EU0CHSfNKGktbYxGxySQU6DIsVtTmuDtevDfLYza5CqeDLChI38VwxP9PI-rMdVWfcwxuuXJtrrfzcazAVgHBzOcwknPmnQ/s320/IMG_1541.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal">I was thinking of David Foster Wallace <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Foster_Wallace">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Foster_Wallace</a> as I made my way to Argentina, for no better reason than his initials, which he’s often referred to by, are the same as those of the Dallas Forth Worth Airport, a totally incongruous allusion, except that maybe it isn’t because DFW would be the perfect person to describe Texas and maybe he did…I’ve only read a handful of his essays—he’s a tad too intellectual for me, though like most people I do PLAN to read <i>Infinite Jest</i> one day and recommend his essay on cruise ships, <i>A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again</i>...<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Supposedly-Fun-Thing-Never-Again/dp/0316925284/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1329786036&sr=8-3">http://www.amazon.com/Supposedly-Fun-Thing-Never-Again/dp/0316925284/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1329786036&sr=8-3</a>. I knew him for a short period when I dated one of his best friends from the U of Arizona MFA program—he even talked me out of suicide once which is too private a story to share and sort of a weird thing to bring up considering how he fought with that urge for much of his life. Or maybe it isn’t, because he believed very much in helping other people. It was something that stood out in his character, and my memory of him is of an excellent person who did what in the moment needed to be done. I've always admired such people. It's easier said than done.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Putting aside the whole coincidental acronym business (after all CIA means ‘and company’ in Argentina, and there’s a Federal Agency here with the acronym FACES—there's nothing more faceless than a bureaucracy), I enjoyed gazing down upon the amazon and its enormous snaking tributaries as the sun rose on my left and the moon shone bright on my right, which is one of those special air travel experiences. Customs was fast and I was happy to find that the $140 dollars the Argentines charge all Americans (so sad to see us pulled aside and lined up separate from everyone else, but it's payback for American immigration hassles, or so I've heard) didn’t apply to me as I paid it last year and it's good for ten years. Then there's Ezequiel waiting for me outside of customs :) </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeQvSs7uOYDqvo-TpL1CA9jlQui0lpNFmfEGi_dkjAKn66fl83wDxksBB5A3IV_2zTlfkkaBCtzz2Vxg6vPel-rzfinAFcPICZxBoS1xB1_mswz13AplK3a_mPoxV5IlXftg0Mbcgr3g/s1600/IMG_1519.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeQvSs7uOYDqvo-TpL1CA9jlQui0lpNFmfEGi_dkjAKn66fl83wDxksBB5A3IV_2zTlfkkaBCtzz2Vxg6vPel-rzfinAFcPICZxBoS1xB1_mswz13AplK3a_mPoxV5IlXftg0Mbcgr3g/s320/IMG_1519.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">We took the shuttle into town, got settled into my apartment in the Congreso District, and then wouldn’t you know it, DFW appeared again when I came face to face with his posthumous novel on the front table in one of the local bookshops which this neighborhood is full of. I didn’t even know there was a posthumous novel and already it’s translated into Spanish.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisNqWNAbIUiAbXDKqfGJX3inkKLQ8gjfjKeTNESPxAjaBl9aymKK4J3pNlop4Qte85-quggGi0kKoivxtlBk_J4nG-M8dzSleHe-jumzyj3zjXHHlzLHvPDN634MkeGas_-W1ET11XKQ/s1600/IMG_1509.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisNqWNAbIUiAbXDKqfGJX3inkKLQ8gjfjKeTNESPxAjaBl9aymKK4J3pNlop4Qte85-quggGi0kKoivxtlBk_J4nG-M8dzSleHe-jumzyj3zjXHHlzLHvPDN634MkeGas_-W1ET11XKQ/s320/IMG_1509.JPG" width="320" /></a> </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Well, like most weird things, it has nothing to do with anything, or it does. We shall see. I had a rough start here, but things are settling down and it all reminds me that I have become much calmer through the years. Nothing hugely dramatic happened, I’m fine, but as a younger man, I wouldn’t have weathered it I don’t think. Which is the reason I’m in Argentina at 49 and not 25 like a normal person. And, being that I’m proudly—or at least resignedly—not a normal person, that’s as it should be.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Gay marriage is legal here--and pretty cool to watch from afar as Maryland and Washington step up in recent weeks--so I didn’t feel the usual hesitation about attending a wedding which we were invited to, and which turned out to be a complete blast. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9XNgjV9nOlhP0ThvbKfd2nVvv7XhnsBzPB-kPutQNMwS62wvzc6dURdhsGLXxtgvHO7B72TYZTM6CZPndJotoJDNIxglDr02u-G3czGVa3Nos48xUPbLZGXkaY0AcGui-AiNc4XleMA/s1600/DSCN0013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9XNgjV9nOlhP0ThvbKfd2nVvv7XhnsBzPB-kPutQNMwS62wvzc6dURdhsGLXxtgvHO7B72TYZTM6CZPndJotoJDNIxglDr02u-G3czGVa3Nos48xUPbLZGXkaY0AcGui-AiNc4XleMA/s320/DSCN0013.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">with Ezequiel's friends (clockwise from me...Juan Luis, Virginia, Gabriela)</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuNcQQIDsBY0OmscULeDMujpduJcrQofjXpQNfIFz8zNMheSOCFEg_P0lFgKcVnHFkWu_vH7AhjS6ayWbMOsRrjyB22sCYJnBlKJ1kLi9XMi7Mfvhw_Zhs7yJYN90BvNY8on03fnG-Gw/s1600/DSCN0015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuNcQQIDsBY0OmscULeDMujpduJcrQofjXpQNfIFz8zNMheSOCFEg_P0lFgKcVnHFkWu_vH7AhjS6ayWbMOsRrjyB22sCYJnBlKJ1kLi9XMi7Mfvhw_Zhs7yJYN90BvNY8on03fnG-Gw/s320/DSCN0015.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">for a brief moment, the little gay family...Benjamin was an incredibly cute kid and very friendly and I could communicate with him perfectly, since he was the one person at the wedding who spoke very little Spanish! He totally adopted us.</div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Benjamin's beautiful parents, Federico and Diana, both 19. Note the Popeye behind them and the fact that the kid looks uncannily like Sweetpea</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqlKd6w_Hm7gFZ2OWxE2Pk0lbCgdjuSkb7qLQCm2dd9iCfATVEzCya7V_jLdr5NL16BKwZ4EbUbhfmMvzYsE4pWg24MOR_1X0PT3mIXU3dsPvplNqb28vFBsqRDAE39YdoHM_XpgUR1w/s1600/download.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqlKd6w_Hm7gFZ2OWxE2Pk0lbCgdjuSkb7qLQCm2dd9iCfATVEzCya7V_jLdr5NL16BKwZ4EbUbhfmMvzYsE4pWg24MOR_1X0PT3mIXU3dsPvplNqb28vFBsqRDAE39YdoHM_XpgUR1w/s1600/download.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div> In the tradition of Carnaval, which followed this Valentine's Day wedding, and which I'll get to, out came the spray cans of 'espuma' which is basically soapy water, followed by confetti which then sticks to your clothes. It's a mess, but then so is Argentina, so 'esta bien'<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5xVTFWkjQKXoYIoQo_OnyDfQlse3eyvOozT2S3zuoLx4vSY6iySec4ISbRY38P76ewIfZTcoTQJBRRKIOPm3iHJjPTJXBth6-Um4qHGeJpKKojCpqiCX9f0ksotgF64fesAct2RnpBg/s1600/DSCN0024%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5xVTFWkjQKXoYIoQo_OnyDfQlse3eyvOozT2S3zuoLx4vSY6iySec4ISbRY38P76ewIfZTcoTQJBRRKIOPm3iHJjPTJXBth6-Um4qHGeJpKKojCpqiCX9f0ksotgF64fesAct2RnpBg/s320/DSCN0024%5B1%5D.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">One is very conscious of being queer at a wedding, and I must say, I felt totally welcomed at this one. Of course, Catholic cultures rarely breed the kind of explicit ignorant homophobia I'm used to back home with fundamentalists, so it’s generally invisible here, which if not ideal, is a big relief. Catholicism is a religion of secrecy, which explains a lot of its current problems worldwide and its horrible track record in this country and others vis-à-vis violence and fascism.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo-BomVNb7Qqlr-Jqkzfp9aQ6OZSlWSIWKU4oWqRsULsXMRnf8KwBTAfOfUwFCFfYwKd4KXcUqR1_QM3YFvn29pNpfqpjewZQ6sMt1iKG9a01HI4WTTO1qtPEpWepL2B3bQkCDEybG5A/s1600/DSCN0019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo-BomVNb7Qqlr-Jqkzfp9aQ6OZSlWSIWKU4oWqRsULsXMRnf8KwBTAfOfUwFCFfYwKd4KXcUqR1_QM3YFvn29pNpfqpjewZQ6sMt1iKG9a01HI4WTTO1qtPEpWepL2B3bQkCDEybG5A/s320/DSCN0019.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">My little northern heart among the Argentines </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDIi-_I79Tq4TTCCPsS6zQCczIuCaWaNy0gzEtTO9hH0rc450bgU6GYMNBq91gqrgP5SRS1afD_LXQhJ-NnX50DGq8Pjg7RgPPtnCAcGY9XenoGQXmKL5OXjEXxtopqT3Za8xavUmoMg/s1600/IMG_1514.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDIi-_I79Tq4TTCCPsS6zQCczIuCaWaNy0gzEtTO9hH0rc450bgU6GYMNBq91gqrgP5SRS1afD_LXQhJ-NnX50DGq8Pjg7RgPPtnCAcGY9XenoGQXmKL5OXjEXxtopqT3Za8xavUmoMg/s320/IMG_1514.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;">But I still like the churches. Iglesia Santissima Sacramento was interesting as it sports no saints, Marys or Jesuses on the altar…only angels.</div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;">You can borrow bikes all over the place in Buenos Aires now. It's really a great system...there are city-run bike kiosks all over town, and you can use a bike for an hour free, then just keep renewing at other kiosks....</div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfZbRolZbw1905lShnN0S-aubO6Thh95o-x6avrvJazRupH7OeNOdrmmt6KWHDF05FXS3uDLtMXzWnvEe3pq2lacEI5GN-omOVtWuOxRnoZ_fZQNZbyOnJgHEEyEvoWWzSVqo5xuU6bg/s1600/Bicing1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfZbRolZbw1905lShnN0S-aubO6Thh95o-x6avrvJazRupH7OeNOdrmmt6KWHDF05FXS3uDLtMXzWnvEe3pq2lacEI5GN-omOVtWuOxRnoZ_fZQNZbyOnJgHEEyEvoWWzSVqo5xuU6bg/s1600/Bicing1.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_QsYJ6wC07h5YxHo8FrTgXh8qk2DUADhtkuXgL1qn7sq7Fx1wRKmXnobGhE8LY3MrNrEIxpygzZm2hinwdzUkBTMtcjhLDTapyZmqbBXS3q4ot71BsoKsRlUbmbq2e1fcAmz6Ml6Nog/s1600/gorriti2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_QsYJ6wC07h5YxHo8FrTgXh8qk2DUADhtkuXgL1qn7sq7Fx1wRKmXnobGhE8LY3MrNrEIxpygzZm2hinwdzUkBTMtcjhLDTapyZmqbBXS3q4ot71BsoKsRlUbmbq2e1fcAmz6Ml6Nog/s320/gorriti2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Biking is big in Buenos Aires and growing in leaps and bounds, a part of BsAs view of itself as a European capital. It's sort of like the gay thing. Even though much of the country is living in a sort of quasi-third world, Portenos (those who live in BsAs) see themselves as something else—exiled Europeans who insist the country keep up with those it aspires to be like…France mostly, but they love Italian fashion and shopping in Miami as well.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Of course, you have to be careful on your bike, or on foot, as there are potholes everywhere. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIFgH0QUbqAH3itxXpdEUM0S100CNI-esuU59sHNbhHFHgJnmLiXdJKGGpOOAFESHw20v31bOKFmzYH2ljIvAycu_JdZUUIz1xYLJVKHry6kIerhoJd4vHDIlgNaCEg1GW0aG-cBVbSA/s1600/ptohole2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIFgH0QUbqAH3itxXpdEUM0S100CNI-esuU59sHNbhHFHgJnmLiXdJKGGpOOAFESHw20v31bOKFmzYH2ljIvAycu_JdZUUIz1xYLJVKHry6kIerhoJd4vHDIlgNaCEg1GW0aG-cBVbSA/s320/ptohole2.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal">I’ve been watching this as it sort of intrigues me….workers come and dig up a sidewalk for electrical or plumbing repair, but apparentely they aren’t responsible to fix the sidewalk--and whoever is doesn’t appear for weeks, or months. Here’s a pothole resulting from one of these ‘repairs’ a block from my apt.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZTl6c5TUKG6nFvKPn-f6d_zPwqvwIpQpzW9yM3j4seCG-1VdabQ5XRB6YKE_0pM_6gquX4_jYZxj-8aMewKwxcTH6ybg86tK7opMElKXIVVZCXKFNB4xCM4pDoiIwPSj6MbxLk3-9og/s1600/pothole.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZTl6c5TUKG6nFvKPn-f6d_zPwqvwIpQpzW9yM3j4seCG-1VdabQ5XRB6YKE_0pM_6gquX4_jYZxj-8aMewKwxcTH6ybg86tK7opMElKXIVVZCXKFNB4xCM4pDoiIwPSj6MbxLk3-9og/s320/pothole.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It's to the left of the bus </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">At one point, those boards were a little cabana to warn folks of the pothole. But it’s slowly collapsed due to time, cars clipping it, or drunks at night crushing it for fun or to get ahold of board to bonk their opponent with. Ezequiel joked it's now at the stage where some cartoneros will grab what’s left to make asado on the sidewalk (that’s traditional Argentina barbecue). Which does happen here. Homeless people are not predominantly vets, the mentally disturbed, or substance abusers—most are poor people from the province who live off recycling, often whole families, who then cook on the streets, sometimes full-on bbqs with a fire and everything.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">One is very aware of the poverty of this country even though Buenos Aires is an island of the most fortunate in the country. But at night and on weekends, lots of kids and mostly young men come into to town to panhandle, etc., some pretty aggressively. And the weird thing is they all look like Roman emperors or Gods. Hard to turn away. You do what you can, and the little kids especially break your heart.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I’m getting caught up on movies I was never able to get to, and it’s fairly easy here and educational, because the American movies are in English with Spanish subtitles: First we saw the Descendants, which I liked more or less, though I don’t see what all the fuss is about. I suppose because one of the reasons I’m here and like Argentina is because that whole obsession we have in America with doing too much and missing your life (George Clooney’s character and the basic point of the film) is just not what Latin culture is about. So, on one level, I found the film really cliché—also the fact that the mother is hooked up to a machine, almost dead, and the older daughter has drug issues while the younger acts out in school, which seems to me just the usual beating-us-over-the-head with drama because it’s the only way to get a numb American’s attention? I don’t know. Well, this isn’t a blog about Hollywood and it’s a very Hollywood movie, and sorry, but I'm not really buying it.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Let’s talk about Juan Nanio instead, Ezequiel’s documentary filmmaker friend here in Buenos Aires. And not just because he’s hotter than George Clooney, but because he’s talented too. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBxX0v-jrhPYo6k580oUzgQBNet-Go1M9yddX8PdQMD_ctWMpQDG7e4pbE3sB7Zb7Bk5wjNgF5qENV3ElqGUMBYiD3rvxIrdHUurw8lQs53HMZnL_IYnx4HPf5fjH7KRTGUwIynHv8ow/s1600/SAM_1922.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBxX0v-jrhPYo6k580oUzgQBNet-Go1M9yddX8PdQMD_ctWMpQDG7e4pbE3sB7Zb7Bk5wjNgF5qENV3ElqGUMBYiD3rvxIrdHUurw8lQs53HMZnL_IYnx4HPf5fjH7KRTGUwIynHv8ow/s320/SAM_1922.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">At only 24, he’s already completed one documentary, <i>Kuan Yin</i> (<a href="http://www.bafici.gov.ar/home11/web/en/films/show/v/id/306.html">http://www.bafici.gov.ar/home11/web/en/films/show/v/id/306.html</a> --beware of bad Argentine English translation). He's also acted in a film that will be shown at the Rotterdam Film Festival this year and he's doing a documentary on Ezequiel’s household (which is why I muled an HD camera down for him, saving him upwards of a grand because the taxes are so high on imports here. He graciously presented me with a bottle of JB Scotch--class act). Eze's household is unique as it's a group of gay artists—3 of the 4 are dancers—attempting to pursue their dreams in Argentina while not being a part of the upper class, which is how dreams are generally done in Argentina. Which isn’t to attack the rich so much as point out that there are so few opportunities, the rich grab whatever is available, and that goes for pretty much everything. Which leads me to my increasing cynicism about Peronism (in power for most of the last 28 years), which Miguel Gomez, a writer and dancer from Cuba and one of Ezequiel’s dance instructors, helped me sort out.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7FuIkYWhWd-DJretIM2fAHb58oUDjEs5X2FeeyK1dJTZflGkbnpjUhAi-EaO0WZmvpROOXhzZJVBasM1jFvP8NDdNnn-7yUGA7juExVji9edJGfcie3jaKb4wKRCwBbcTIJy54X5RKQ/s1600/logo+jup.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7FuIkYWhWd-DJretIM2fAHb58oUDjEs5X2FeeyK1dJTZflGkbnpjUhAi-EaO0WZmvpROOXhzZJVBasM1jFvP8NDdNnn-7yUGA7juExVji9edJGfcie3jaKb4wKRCwBbcTIJy54X5RKQ/s320/logo+jup.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
As a Cuban, he knows what socialism is and how it functions--Peronism is not socialism no matter what leftist Peronists (ie Kirchneristas) say because it is not about ideas, ideals, or even society—their lack of support for the arts is a glaring example of that. Peronism is about power. Peronists are always promising things to and talking about the poor, and then once elected, forgetting about them. And the poor keep voting for them because they have no one else, because Evita gave their grandma a life-saving doctor's visit or a house, and/or because Peronism is a religion and it’s about faith and hope, not reality.<br />
Make your own conclusions, but I warn you, it's the weirdest mix of left/right you'll ever find: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peronism">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peronism</a><br />
Miguel is a really interesting person. He danced with Cuba’s National Ballet for over 20 years, defecting to Argentina when his career was winding down and he fell in love with Gladys, who he’s married to and has a son with, Julian. Gladys is a tango dancer of some renown and she wants to teach me tango! God help us. Anway, we sat in their charming little plant-filled New Orleans-style balcony apartment in the rough Constitucion neighborhood--a lot of prostitution, rateros (...from the word for rat, <i>rata</i> ….Miguel explained this as the term for petty thieves who take small stuff…purses, wallets, cameras), Dominicans, and immigrant Peruvians who use the street as their front porch, they joked. Miguel’s lived the life of an artist from day one and continues to and was eloquent on what that is…not pursuing fame, but doing the work; not focusing on personality and celebrity, but the work. He reminded me of my friend Frank Shawl who runs a dance school in Berkeley and is one of the other true artists who has mentored me, along with the painter Ernest Posey...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglWXAMHQT0CXrl-e9c7R2mIfLniYoxADoRbaWxPc8FHpuy5ySn5VgWIPC2luRBc6OwRgetaJOXPPBEy_bZQekMkV1KD0tt7-w72GRE4f0NJXxARBK1NAWdgVeIc7P4SI3O7qf3wOr_zw/s1600/F_V2_jpg+shawl+and+anderson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglWXAMHQT0CXrl-e9c7R2mIfLniYoxADoRbaWxPc8FHpuy5ySn5VgWIPC2luRBc6OwRgetaJOXPPBEy_bZQekMkV1KD0tt7-w72GRE4f0NJXxARBK1NAWdgVeIc7P4SI3O7qf3wOr_zw/s320/F_V2_jpg+shawl+and+anderson.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Frank Shawl and Victor Anderson of the Shawl Anderson School of Dance in Berkeley</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqz3xgyIcAwpAeH2kg-FnZqxTdomTV1beI-D4zIyFeCD5plgaxZ9A5YBopFxCZZd-WELZzZSVa3FrWOF5tcPISW8O_9Nsm7lRhFbEv_D5CdVB1_Bt99zSq-5kTeRGksjt-2uZkfqA31A/s1600/earnest_coverJester.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqz3xgyIcAwpAeH2kg-FnZqxTdomTV1beI-D4zIyFeCD5plgaxZ9A5YBopFxCZZd-WELZzZSVa3FrWOF5tcPISW8O_9Nsm7lRhFbEv_D5CdVB1_Bt99zSq-5kTeRGksjt-2uZkfqA31A/s320/earnest_coverJester.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">The inimitable Ernest Posey</div><br />
As for Miguel, he was thrown out of his house at 8 years old by his military father when he expressed his interest in dance which his father assumed meant he was gay. He isn’t, and had the good fortune to be taken on as a student in Havana to study and become a world-class classical ballet dancer. At 61, he continues to teach, ‘because that’s what I want to do’ he laughs. ‘And it’s always about doing what you want to do. That’s what teaching is, asking people what they want to do and helping them do it. It’s not about telling them anything.’ He was all smiles and inspiration as we shared Quilmes and peanuts. Eventually, we headed off to meet Juani for dinner, and in parting, I asked him if he missed Cuba. He smiled and said "Yes, but I never say it, because Cuba, my country, misses me and I know that, but it doesn’t speak or say it, and so neither do I." He smiled big. I know I got this eloquent answer wrong on some level, as it came out as a poetic sort of statement and I mangled it in the translation because my Spanish is so limited! But you get the idea I hope. Miguel also gave me an anthology of Argentine short stories, 3 of which are by him.<br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">I walked away wondering about the US. Does it miss me? Ezequiel assured me, it's not an occidental thought. Probably so. I often feel so alienated. I know the Sierra Nevada Mountains miss me. We’ve been in love for decades. If I have a country, those mountains are it.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy31XFtTs1yhCfqgRepd3F71yLII8XZHstQwlVt1AE2KJZ5KGssS6p629g1V7mAjlCxoSaNVloGALlkJ2oMHSTTxV5w8pM4oJRIxrLKykND0R8TJAXJ-gbBgqnEzp11c2pSoaXhp4Ipg/s1600/First_Lake_Sierra_Nevada_Range_California.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy31XFtTs1yhCfqgRepd3F71yLII8XZHstQwlVt1AE2KJZ5KGssS6p629g1V7mAjlCxoSaNVloGALlkJ2oMHSTTxV5w8pM4oJRIxrLKykND0R8TJAXJ-gbBgqnEzp11c2pSoaXhp4Ipg/s320/First_Lake_Sierra_Nevada_Range_California.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I look forward to seeing Miguel and Gladys again. So I need to read Miguel’s stories along with my juvenile-level Spanish books which are more my speed…I’m reading a graphic novel about Lawrence of Arabia and still stumbling through Ivanhoe. And I’m reading lots of books about Argentina and South America in English! For a complete list see my goodreads page: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/834772?shelf=%23ALL%23">http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/834772?shelf=%23ALL%23</a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioKhEok6t82Z_rAFPk9obrY0rofssGrAIo3L2WzhzsMSjHpuyEYE63SH5Bs0ITysxKP-hRTSChJqKd0T3Gc_i4e1ZkBueGhl1b70YdAAsrT6a7oueoulhfB72F15qIOZt0YCFnEf8Plg/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioKhEok6t82Z_rAFPk9obrY0rofssGrAIo3L2WzhzsMSjHpuyEYE63SH5Bs0ITysxKP-hRTSChJqKd0T3Gc_i4e1ZkBueGhl1b70YdAAsrT6a7oueoulhfB72F15qIOZt0YCFnEf8Plg/s320/3.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I’m currently engrossed in Thomas Eloy Martinez’s <i>Santa Evita</i>, a really great book if you want to understand Evita, and I warn you, understanding her is like understanding string theory….her story keeps slipping out of your hands. Who was she? Well here’s a start: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evita_Peron">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evita_Peron</a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9PCnVnD9L1fJ37xd3I5-0Cy5TQrTMcR5CCGv-GtRbu32f7lZW5P_6ZjHmy67pB_PuQIXiO9OlPrlmU72a7UaD1wyke_l7FKQnMnbFVqO1Qx2oNGkEQhv8yrPwg7OGMKaCKLaF2QFd4g/s1600/evita2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9PCnVnD9L1fJ37xd3I5-0Cy5TQrTMcR5CCGv-GtRbu32f7lZW5P_6ZjHmy67pB_PuQIXiO9OlPrlmU72a7UaD1wyke_l7FKQnMnbFVqO1Qx2oNGkEQhv8yrPwg7OGMKaCKLaF2QFd4g/s1600/evita2.jpg" /></a></div><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Because she was an uneducated and fairly simple person, it’s hard to see her as we see most politicians—cunning and wiley. Then again, those are primitive emotions and the best explanation of her is that she is almost pure subconsciousness, which is why she is remembered as a saint, a whore, a myth, a goddess. I only wish Jung had lived long enough to see this particular emergence of the shadow. For more than half of this country, she became the Virgin Mary, more or less…shrines, candles, prayers, the whole bit. For modern people, I think she is the best argument for proof of the illusion of religion, certainly Catholicism. Because you can watch the whole thing, the whole projection, unfold before your eyes, and much of it was captured by television. In reality, she was just a girl who had been dealt a bad hand and was resentful about it, but also willful and determined. Enough so that she successfully got the biggest role of all and didn’t waste time with it…she told the establishment what they’d done to her and that there were millions like her and they were now going to be the future…the meek inherited the earth….and now they are surely making the same mess of it the proud did, and they've paid for it in blood. There’s endless speculation about what she could have done if she hadn’t died of cancer so young (33, same age as Jesus—the myth stuff relentlessly appears in her life story…bastard child, not pretty, but she found the right hair color and hairdo, rose to prominence in a country that is beyond sexist, a veritalble Catholic Kali). But the fact is, resentment isn’t revolution, just like Stalin isn’t Trotsky. I agree with those who believe she would have continued to veer right, as her husband did. She’s the opposite trajectory from Che—she’s the anti-intellectual who barks at the rich and then puts on a fur coat and pearls and wants to be buried in their cemetery. Che was, of course, middle/upper class, so he didn’t have the class resentment, he got to go to medical school and developed the ability to see outside his own drama, and was not at all interested in being part of the establishment. Consequently, Che is more of a saint than she was if you’re going to go along strictly Christian lines…he DID sacrifice himself for others, he was not into wealth and certainly didn’t buy his fame, he was frighteningly clear-headed, physically courageous, and yet he wore the blinders of dogmatic Marxist revolution, which is where I always part ways with him.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH_Zell8JLiiUHF5ufW61R7Gbfx0sS22vsBTm8wjKY-gMGZDaYc9sIZpzaKoiNKqAEtSyDQtmF5I62c7NJYzShSZ015VizShS4iv06c82ZjW4H4Bz286IDdSiDSiGaGGdyuiyhi3Z1bw/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH_Zell8JLiiUHF5ufW61R7Gbfx0sS22vsBTm8wjKY-gMGZDaYc9sIZpzaKoiNKqAEtSyDQtmF5I62c7NJYzShSZ015VizShS4iv06c82ZjW4H4Bz286IDdSiDSiGaGGdyuiyhi3Z1bw/s1600/images.jpg" /></a></div><br />
So, in the end, we have two holy people who became sort of religious icons, who were both more or less martyred for it, and who stand before us — if you have eyes to see and ears to hear—as if to say: So how do you like your religion now, Mr. Death? (oblique allusion to a great ee cummings poem, Buffalo Bill’s, which is a complete digression, but I so love ee cummings, I can't resist): </div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #f2f2f0; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 5.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Buffalo Bill's</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 5.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><br style="text-align: -webkit-auto;" /> <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #f2f2f0; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;"><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">defunct</span></span><br style="text-align: -webkit-auto;" /> <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #f2f2f0; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;"><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"> who used to</span></span><br style="text-align: -webkit-auto;" /> <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #f2f2f0; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;"><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"> ride a watersmooth-silver</span></span><br style="text-align: -webkit-auto;" /> <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #f2f2f0; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;"><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"> stallion</span></span><br style="text-align: -webkit-auto;" /> <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #f2f2f0; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;"><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">and break onetwothreefourfive pigeons justlikethat</span></span><br style="text-align: -webkit-auto;" /> <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #f2f2f0; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;"><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"> Jesus</span></span><br style="text-align: -webkit-auto;" /> <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #f2f2f0; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;"><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">he was a handsome man</span></span><br style="text-align: -webkit-auto;" /> <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #f2f2f0; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;"><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"> and what I want to know is</span></span><br style="text-align: -webkit-auto;" /> <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #f2f2f0; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;"><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">how do you like your blue-eyed boy</span></span><br style="text-align: -webkit-auto;" /> <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #f2f2f0; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;"><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">Mister Death</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 5.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #f2f2f0; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;"><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal">But really, there is <i>SO</i> much to be learned from the lives of these two people…they are arguably the two largest myths of the 20<sup>th</sup> century. Add them to my estimation of South America: Marxism and Democracy both died in Chile in 1973; Religion died in Argentina in 1952.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha9j6x4AXRfl7C1TFdpb6ZTYqkoUTmoTZ7pm7PFoOlRyzMnjdSzi2MQvnMMl441yB-JYGCxgocGoOuvc138Dz4WGOY94D54rBp4AH4DZXePutziVOCnOPijP2Cr1qJwgUv8LhueZb6HQ/s1600/margaret_thatcher.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha9j6x4AXRfl7C1TFdpb6ZTYqkoUTmoTZ7pm7PFoOlRyzMnjdSzi2MQvnMMl441yB-JYGCxgocGoOuvc138Dz4WGOY94D54rBp4AH4DZXePutziVOCnOPijP2Cr1qJwgUv8LhueZb6HQ/s320/margaret_thatcher.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Anyway, speaking of powerful women—and one who has incidentally not died yet, nor has her epoch—the next film we went to was <i>Dama de Hierro</i> (The Iron Lady), which I really liked, not because of the subject, but because good art gives you a way to empathize with people you don’t like. If only the iron lady herself had seen this film, perhaps she would have had a little more empathy for her people, the Irish or the Argentines. Well, what can I say, I like history and Meryl Streep is truly amazing.<br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">But back to this idea of making unlikeables likeable. It’s all about showing vulnerability, and it creates understanding. This has been done with Evita countless times, often during her own lifetime and by her own words and actions. And it’s the reason <i>Mad Men</i> and <i>Paradise Lost</i> are great. Sympathy for the Devil basically. And in that, it can be dangerous for those who aren’t clear-headed. I mean, what's next? "The Steel Man"? (that’s what Stalin means actually); Adolph can’t be far behind. I’m not saying you shouldn’t feel for Adolph, but do it in the privacy of your own home and don’t make a blockbuster film about it. The irony in all this is that Margaret seemed to have very little empathy (the most astute description of Reagan imho--and it certainly applies to Maggie--was that he lacked empathy, which one can also say for our current crop of Republican presidential hopefuls, and sadly most people of the right in general). But perhaps that is too simple…it’s the lack of a complicated empathy really, the kind humans have the intelligence to get to if they work at it and don’t fall back on lazy moralizing and platitudes, which sadly, seems to be what Margaret repeatedly did as her city and her country burned around her.<br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">A lot of it does come down to where and what someone comes from. Margaret was the daughter of a grocer, and she had the economic viewpoint of a small business person, with the usual blinders about microeconomics vs. macroeconomics, which are two very different things, though you’d never know it if you did nothing but watch politicians talk about the economy. Microeconomics is not macroeconomics (am still looking for a good website to explain all this in layman’s terms—feel free to suggest! But in a nutshell, grocery stores can’t engage in stimulus, monetary policy, war, to name just a few). Microeconomics isn't and never has been Macroeconomics, and never will be, regardless of what the current neoliberal orgie on the world stage continues to preach. Keynes could never have existed if he had the small mind of microeconomics, and Keynes is arguably the most important economist of the modern era, and yes, it's true, he was generally of a conservative political mind. But again, macro is not micro, even for your politics, and we all remember a time—even Nixon for godsakes—when conservatives knew the difference. But lest you think I’m a windbag with no solution, I’ll offer a modest proposal: A lot of this is about globalism, jobs having gone from the first world to China. Those jobs have to be replaced by jobs with comparable wages to ‘fix’ western economies. I’m not sure unions can do the trick right now, not until they become international like corporations and are able to organize actively in China to begin the process of creating some sort of humane equilibrium in world labor markets. In the meantime, we’ll have to create opportunities and redistribute wealth some other way I’m afraid--sorry 1%. There are a lot of ways to do that, but it’s what needs to be done. Let’s get on with it. I’m no Paul Krugman, so let’s have him weigh in: <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/20/opinion/krugman-pain-without-gain.html?_r=1&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha212">http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/20/opinion/krugman-pain-without-gain.html?_r=1&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha212</a><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">The fact is, it’s not simple. People want life to be simple and Thatcher and Reagan especially played on that. But it’s not, and when we’re honest with ourselves we know that. Think of the last time someone made that comment that life is simple. What did they mean? Were they being lazy, or were they unable to be honest with themselves, or were they copping out and/or just tired or exhausted or confused? Which one, because I don’t think we’re being truthful when we say life is simple. “Not for me” to quote Elaine screaming back at her mother as she ran out of the church at the end of <i>The Graduate.</i> Once again, a massive digression, but everything is connected to everything. Enjoy: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahFARm2j38c&feature=related">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahFARm2j38c&feature=related</a><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">And something else that ain’t simple—trying to have a healthy diet in Argentina! I’m giving it a go, but it’s just a ‘monton’ of fat. I like that word <i>monton</i> because it sounds like 'mountain' and it means a lot of something, so it makes perfect sense in that onomatopoeic way. Anyway, all this food frustration makes me cook and save money, so it’s not all bad. And Ezequiel is a good cook too, and he’s totally game and into searching out tofu and soy and gluten which are all staples of the low-fat veggie diet which I’m slowly finding resources for. But it ain’t California, so I’m eating cheese and meat in quantities unimaginable in my former life…pero bueno…<br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">Here’s Argentine artist Marcos Lopez's take on it as the Last Supper:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB5OmE3z9a9SZBAMVIoBvNTPZVYtGP2vh5umHGa41rXWpRCc_tX_H74lwOTwK-IQ32fl_AWIZV1aYDp6UUNuOOlla5RS4pJrbLjfRDe-SuOwqHUE8l9XU0_BOXdHglLNgXXSS-f31t_A/s1600/AsadoCriollo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="114" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB5OmE3z9a9SZBAMVIoBvNTPZVYtGP2vh5umHGa41rXWpRCc_tX_H74lwOTwK-IQ32fl_AWIZV1aYDp6UUNuOOlla5RS4pJrbLjfRDe-SuOwqHUE8l9XU0_BOXdHglLNgXXSS-f31t_A/s320/AsadoCriollo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">More of his great work here: <a href="http://www.taringa.net/posts/imagenes/1052866/Marcos-Lopez-_-fotografo-argentino.html">http://www.taringa.net/posts/imagenes/1052866/Marcos-Lopez-_-fotografo-argentino.html</a><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">In the richer neighborhoods, I even found vegan food!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitMMQkiWakNjB_iGz-lJJwIxHxCWSDf3s5_8Yt-WIBVLxoM8vSHtOEpr-J2BygC71ypRIqay8AhFv3rBRidDpaO4lWDzmniOUWZ47nl9uOnENduo2pQbA8CLYo19NI5YFXZAiafMBYhQ/s1600/IMG_1510.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitMMQkiWakNjB_iGz-lJJwIxHxCWSDf3s5_8Yt-WIBVLxoM8vSHtOEpr-J2BygC71ypRIqay8AhFv3rBRidDpaO4lWDzmniOUWZ47nl9uOnENduo2pQbA8CLYo19NI5YFXZAiafMBYhQ/s320/IMG_1510.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiDs6qlXH77X_H5L8oBLCt72cEJwPU3xVikprEN-4VdfncKdKq-cqciurZiU4bmft8aAJI9K_MS1XZkFeb5PMMqWbfdYeO3Cw4yHG3aSysFQ29r298BEXg4aD0ELFUApttyGz66MoHxw/s1600/IMG_1511.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiDs6qlXH77X_H5L8oBLCt72cEJwPU3xVikprEN-4VdfncKdKq-cqciurZiU4bmft8aAJI9K_MS1XZkFeb5PMMqWbfdYeO3Cw4yHG3aSysFQ29r298BEXg4aD0ELFUApttyGz66MoHxw/s320/IMG_1511.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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I do love the old cafes ('notables'), probably the thing that keeps me most in love with Buenos Aires, because my idea of paradise is pretty much a chill cafe with a nice cup of coffee, a stack of books to read and a nice window from which to watch people walk by...and it doesn't hurt when 9 out of 10 of them are stunningly beautiful..and there's some tango music playing quietly in the background.....this one's called 'The Orchid'<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhipSRKSW0whiJDBkpTp4dN1DcM02olLEm3GCGJMI-iQIsO_U8srTaIBZpZJA1dbdLQehbSJ1OYbmzfDTkNQXUu5NL_Qp3lSc1Hy5iNzt0RgNfpPa1CO8JRJc2rp0HyUqR2A8_CIfuaWA/s1600/IMG_1529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhipSRKSW0whiJDBkpTp4dN1DcM02olLEm3GCGJMI-iQIsO_U8srTaIBZpZJA1dbdLQehbSJ1OYbmzfDTkNQXUu5NL_Qp3lSc1Hy5iNzt0RgNfpPa1CO8JRJc2rp0HyUqR2A8_CIfuaWA/s320/IMG_1529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">As you can see, in cafes 'notable' there are many traditional touches, such as fileteado, which is a style of painting right up my alley...<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fileteado" style="text-align: left;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fileteado</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip-az90TxhQ2Aq-m9o_BcyAoiCPq9rfSiK2LpxDOBp9gqDIPfvjfHIp0yhB1ZZbaBVx_o3gqBXovH3qfrjAH2eDYdbwWHBhwq9g_O7hK92V7qnY1U-kO5Mod3Bw52c22JLpFXbwHGXiQ/s1600/IMG_1527.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip-az90TxhQ2Aq-m9o_BcyAoiCPq9rfSiK2LpxDOBp9gqDIPfvjfHIp0yhB1ZZbaBVx_o3gqBXovH3qfrjAH2eDYdbwWHBhwq9g_O7hK92V7qnY1U-kO5Mod3Bw52c22JLpFXbwHGXiQ/s320/IMG_1527.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWdvnKZNS1MfyWw904C6aUZj4PHvqFUgbf1m0rTjheOO6omWOyn74Ttcsx6YIFvv5t3sKOXFSk1teYEHjDfotZ1MuPVIqg7o1YTTcKJ6pIXv-0s4leRGKBmEqSizJOpE9ebK0-wPOYTA/s1600/IMG_1528.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWdvnKZNS1MfyWw904C6aUZj4PHvqFUgbf1m0rTjheOO6omWOyn74Ttcsx6YIFvv5t3sKOXFSk1teYEHjDfotZ1MuPVIqg7o1YTTcKJ6pIXv-0s4leRGKBmEqSizJOpE9ebK0-wPOYTA/s320/IMG_1528.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">But paradisiacal feelings aside, the sidewalks remind you of the disappeared from the time of the dictatorship and the dirty war (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dirty_War" style="text-align: left;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dirty_War</a>) </div> These sidewalk tiles are placed in front of houses where people were 'disappeared' and are one of the few constant reminders of the 30,000 who vanished between 1976 and 1983 during one of the ugliest and nastiest dictatorships the world has ever known. Think about it...in a country of 30 million people, 1% were killed by their own govt. That would be 3.5 million Americans, which is the entire population of the city of Los Angeles.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdg0oWhftWRSR5swIrUujKJzlrBDZqNcp8nVTbCKhIZM9izFEg-0WcXNuXQqe6Lugdmn1zdh4tc2oTitT_4qx9iUhEiGM1-eOattM7sR1i4U25sXWKtat6axzY7OLfqfQ2a2NyxmNXVQ/s1600/IMG_1530.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdg0oWhftWRSR5swIrUujKJzlrBDZqNcp8nVTbCKhIZM9izFEg-0WcXNuXQqe6Lugdmn1zdh4tc2oTitT_4qx9iUhEiGM1-eOattM7sR1i4U25sXWKtat6axzY7OLfqfQ2a2NyxmNXVQ/s320/IMG_1530.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Speaking of shadows, let me leave you with an appropriately Argentine dark thought. If they made a movie about Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, they’d have to call it La Viuda Negra (the black widow). Because she still only dresses in black after her husband Nestor’s death, even though many of us thought she’d cease doing that once re-elected. She doesn’t strike me as in anyway evil, which gives me hope that the age of mythos is over. But black widow spiders, the obvious allusion, are still a symbol of the darker aspects of nature, no? Will she too drift into myth? Or is that just more sexism? Countless men murder their wives and are never called Black Widowers. Dictators kill even more and live under luxurious house arrest in Recoleta. Perhaps, Evita just keeps coming back, as she said she would…. “and I will be millions.” I don't know what to think of her, and I don't completely trust her, but there's a part of me that wants to shout: You go girl!<br />
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But let's end with Carnaval instead...I love the sounds of drums in the city streets.....for one fleeting moment, we're all free of the machinations of politicians and bankers....<br />
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</div></div>Trebor Healeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08018039526428776529noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65018506315454606.post-28249969507632924872011-07-29T22:16:00.000-07:002011-11-20T13:21:16.287-08:00Teatro Colon<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwcVIxPlw44U3tbyES7_1VJuuBVANKZVq3JjySjkX_g7Ivfe0ruUyi21_wKp4PTsKDtGHW7F_gRcNXcBwL1cOrHzOBte9NaiRQzDu27g62-4pyqftF3qIG17Lg99D3ZghaqzfuBjvdYQ/s1600/SAM_1156.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwcVIxPlw44U3tbyES7_1VJuuBVANKZVq3JjySjkX_g7Ivfe0ruUyi21_wKp4PTsKDtGHW7F_gRcNXcBwL1cOrHzOBte9NaiRQzDu27g62-4pyqftF3qIG17Lg99D3ZghaqzfuBjvdYQ/s320/SAM_1156.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="238" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Visited the 'other' Evita Museum on Avenida de Mayo...this one dubbed El Museo Evita del Pueblo and managed by the working people who deify her. It's mostly photos but interesting nonetheless. One thinks about what a mess the right made of this country when they threw out Peron (they bombed the Plaza de Mayo during a public rally, killing mostly children). Whatever you think of the Perons and Peronism, it's obvious it was the only chance the people/working class had and it's the reason Peronism survived, despite all the dictatorships that tried to eradicate it for 35 years, and why it's in power in now.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We found another burrito place and this one is much better than California Burrito Co. which is overpriced and not very good. (Cal Burr Co. was started by three postgrad american entrepreneurs). This one is owned by an Argentine and his wife who is from Juarez, Mexico and her authenticity comes thru. The burritos are smaller here, but their guacamole was great as were the beans and veggies. And I just miss burritos so much!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We saw Verdi's 'Simon Boccanegra' at Teatro Colon, Buenos Aires' premier theater, built in grand style between 1880-1908. It really is an incredible building and this was a great experience. It's all thanks to Ezequiel's roommate Pablo who is the vestuarista (he creates the costumes for the ballet and opera at Teatro Colon). Eze and his friends are an impressive and talented group of people and I feel so lucky to have connected with all of them.</div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Below is one of the weird hobbit-like restaurants that are inspired by 'duendes' or earth spirits (the elvin, dwarf types, so it's very Euro-inspired). They always have artesanal beer which is nice.</div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR7DHJz66SPHMbCcLoqwetUtJAdi8SkF_eVNzzAqHXlxzjt9z9owXDDUBwLf5ajtw8UYPlpBvnSomtuZVFjp7D10Pew0LmlUT4Thug9Arf5SjiQsqmHKLKM7UXw1cjlsuHcWuJSSfimw/s1600/IMG_1184+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR7DHJz66SPHMbCcLoqwetUtJAdi8SkF_eVNzzAqHXlxzjt9z9owXDDUBwLf5ajtw8UYPlpBvnSomtuZVFjp7D10Pew0LmlUT4Thug9Arf5SjiQsqmHKLKM7UXw1cjlsuHcWuJSSfimw/s320/IMG_1184+-+Copy.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="238" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiSKPgKep4KuaHbOA1dPDtp0QyFA6Bbj56vHZ7XPkqG_86cw4xjxCk5lYH1xGlufjf4YNMM7i2CMYWxmuzs20FXpnbcPaewBTz7NGC8ccwtQCcUgrpheewWbwzORe1pVrQIwSFeT53IQ/s1600/IMG_1146.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiSKPgKep4KuaHbOA1dPDtp0QyFA6Bbj56vHZ7XPkqG_86cw4xjxCk5lYH1xGlufjf4YNMM7i2CMYWxmuzs20FXpnbcPaewBTz7NGC8ccwtQCcUgrpheewWbwzORe1pVrQIwSFeT53IQ/s320/IMG_1146.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">True dat :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We visited ESMA, which is now a human rights center and memorial as it was formerly the central interrogation and torture site of the military dictatorship. It's an enormous campus, like a university, and being that 30,000 people disappeared between 1976-1983, it's kind of mind-boggling to take it all in and feel it beyond the abstractions</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh98RoIMrhLMaPWnecCIQHf7XGrMaZKtYihobEBM5vQBrsfb0c0ul_CgG7DEWLY7g_N6BPcvA1P9TLJc592Z0NuoW412YyBFngh4cpMj97HjOH43AkqB_WcjDqZUYUcTY9bAsFR4Xoi4w/s1600/SAM_1150.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh98RoIMrhLMaPWnecCIQHf7XGrMaZKtYihobEBM5vQBrsfb0c0ul_CgG7DEWLY7g_N6BPcvA1P9TLJc592Z0NuoW412YyBFngh4cpMj97HjOH43AkqB_WcjDqZUYUcTY9bAsFR4Xoi4w/s320/SAM_1150.JPG" width="238" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUN6bJXHavpYKxogcU31DeM6bwmvfAMJrwrw2lSscZzt-xBRxkMTJ78sHlEPYaIFEo-aQdyRjEkmhPnKTkmmeNyDNfiLhaf3sdFAoIeIzcOqVUhIYTGt098Ro4iyH3tW0OXOt29LXZHQ/s1600/SAM_1147.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUN6bJXHavpYKxogcU31DeM6bwmvfAMJrwrw2lSscZzt-xBRxkMTJ78sHlEPYaIFEo-aQdyRjEkmhPnKTkmmeNyDNfiLhaf3sdFAoIeIzcOqVUhIYTGt098Ro4iyH3tW0OXOt29LXZHQ/s320/SAM_1147.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The saddest part...the 500 children who were born to prisoners and adopted out to military families. Close to 400 have now had their DNA tested and reconnected with their previous families, which has got to be a very strange experience as the people they were raised by were allied with the people who killed their parents.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Below, the always disturbing Catholic collusion. Chile's archbishop resisted Pinochet--not so here, the archbishop was on the payroll</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheDQ3zMEHVNoZhtikHjWQvs3zqm9g1XtxIu0TyBN-UWswIibZO7OGCfkgc51F_VpPV1Ss0POxhpunsSrlYjIk42srTJwEnLwsdpRq6S-IGP0sVUQsPYL92tiep6m5CUmcjXX1t-tpiDg/s1600/SAM_1146.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheDQ3zMEHVNoZhtikHjWQvs3zqm9g1XtxIu0TyBN-UWswIibZO7OGCfkgc51F_VpPV1Ss0POxhpunsSrlYjIk42srTJwEnLwsdpRq6S-IGP0sVUQsPYL92tiep6m5CUmcjXX1t-tpiDg/s320/SAM_1146.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc8jEQUYfNvT9U8YRLPTnJmnty4eyqfrMp-DO2HvuE5jZDUXTm7jHPmtNR15Sxp_6VwtM6ImEizzCnLE5CTjv7I65nY5TOJbTbM_Jr7e_fw_5_9HflTT0Q1N9MxQKVqfsUSePzaNFxSQ/s1600/SAM_1145.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc8jEQUYfNvT9U8YRLPTnJmnty4eyqfrMp-DO2HvuE5jZDUXTm7jHPmtNR15Sxp_6VwtM6ImEizzCnLE5CTjv7I65nY5TOJbTbM_Jr7e_fw_5_9HflTT0Q1N9MxQKVqfsUSePzaNFxSQ/s320/SAM_1145.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="238" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpMDbk_BhDEggwPQM5WAypE_9hAcZ_S-X7GxDFT-fBE1fpE3wopKismOoqB_kHyd6uJHcZI6F4kanLEJTJH8IG5GKigv3mdSs9lXWHOznugwlI3ApACYEYjYD1g1MEozonD6nHTQyRuw/s1600/SAM_1144.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpMDbk_BhDEggwPQM5WAypE_9hAcZ_S-X7GxDFT-fBE1fpE3wopKismOoqB_kHyd6uJHcZI6F4kanLEJTJH8IG5GKigv3mdSs9lXWHOznugwlI3ApACYEYjYD1g1MEozonD6nHTQyRuw/s320/SAM_1144.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="238" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The art here was really good...Below is a dismantled Falcon...green Falcons were the vehicle the secret police used when they came to your house to take you away, most likely never to be seen again. People lived in fear as the kidnappings were often random. The dictatorship basically carried out a political genocide of the left.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1hhI3n5Irhcg-GlG6rGworuo-KlTTMl6xCNWiHZMkNjdb3YwMIItlN7EIACtG2mR6vgQiMPZ1MMuUjZYZGcMtmTFJ4DLlDPj7F-XGJRg4e9RmDKgPiQK0zMwCd2SPz9Vgp_dcqsGBdw/s1600/IMG_1183+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1hhI3n5Irhcg-GlG6rGworuo-KlTTMl6xCNWiHZMkNjdb3YwMIItlN7EIACtG2mR6vgQiMPZ1MMuUjZYZGcMtmTFJ4DLlDPj7F-XGJRg4e9RmDKgPiQK0zMwCd2SPz9Vgp_dcqsGBdw/s320/IMG_1183+-+Copy.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.65pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Josefina Castro<o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.65pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">"Mis Morochos"</span></div></div><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.65pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.65pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Cristian Lopez Rey<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.65pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">The below are all part of the really interesting allegorical painting, "Camino a Hamelin"<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxUdXKCzYLDnuUTfCyZSO5vkDNr5V7nOMhmJxue-g9mr_aVd8flY52x5BU2by4wtNXkhgF-zDFIkj3mvEZuzjlRJsbYh9M7TUvsStQeaGQBzKnJHoL0KVeagl7cfUSH96-0QNLIbHmzQ/s1600/IMG_1178.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxUdXKCzYLDnuUTfCyZSO5vkDNr5V7nOMhmJxue-g9mr_aVd8flY52x5BU2by4wtNXkhgF-zDFIkj3mvEZuzjlRJsbYh9M7TUvsStQeaGQBzKnJHoL0KVeagl7cfUSH96-0QNLIbHmzQ/s320/IMG_1178.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.65pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Maria Ximena Inesta<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.65pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">"28,000,000"</span></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEior9jNILZGie-OdhAeuiXV07_JHrS8OGfDSRZmgk8w2bbvklRahIlCu7EEYIW6b7lSMATB1U3GZu8xCsPc8ROWqcvQkiOrgj7rgc5MaN1MB5WM8AKFAEjrZDcmYbfSinF_7W0tAIcqvg/s1600/IMG_1179.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEior9jNILZGie-OdhAeuiXV07_JHrS8OGfDSRZmgk8w2bbvklRahIlCu7EEYIW6b7lSMATB1U3GZu8xCsPc8ROWqcvQkiOrgj7rgc5MaN1MB5WM8AKFAEjrZDcmYbfSinF_7W0tAIcqvg/s320/IMG_1179.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.65pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Alejandor Moreyra<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.65pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">"Dragon Latinoamericano"</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQMGdkxll7plqsJZFVutHvwVftWOadwrVTZXeMDGJP-OBB93gDtDSlFEPpRh_YZRmckiCHv1vs8MjVxdU0prO1YziThoDvlnZlk28VWYgder08cu_o7e9GrA_gZhjwhRcXefspw_gn7w/s1600/IMG_1180.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQMGdkxll7plqsJZFVutHvwVftWOadwrVTZXeMDGJP-OBB93gDtDSlFEPpRh_YZRmckiCHv1vs8MjVxdU0prO1YziThoDvlnZlk28VWYgder08cu_o7e9GrA_gZhjwhRcXefspw_gn7w/s320/IMG_1180.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.65pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Cataline Scoppa<o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.65pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">"Serie NN"<o:p></o:p></span></div></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.65pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Rocio Vidal</span></div></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpTQSjPNkHHC0ia-wKlwfbqqXq-KNXsNAMsS4tbLtqewWpXuy_fpLXIYGZaTHT7dv-SVtW5sLQCFxtLrhkteQXMJ8IwjTROMrGokbhRt6BdNA8GkaBBKWu4LxOsNHUZvWiWF8W1js27g/s1600/IMG_1182.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpTQSjPNkHHC0ia-wKlwfbqqXq-KNXsNAMsS4tbLtqewWpXuy_fpLXIYGZaTHT7dv-SVtW5sLQCFxtLrhkteQXMJ8IwjTROMrGokbhRt6BdNA8GkaBBKWu4LxOsNHUZvWiWF8W1js27g/s320/IMG_1182.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.65pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Emmanuel Florance Chaplin<o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.65pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Gris Urbano”</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Below is an election bus of the Peronist left....all the characters of Argentine history are depicted from Che to Mercedes Sosa...it was the single cheerful thing on the ESMA campus</span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A funny sticker on the subway--with a message, and a sad reminder of the political cynicism here</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Another high point on this trip came via the artist Xul Solar....his work is really unique and beautiful and inspired me a lot and reminded me again that it's art and nature and crazy little kids and love that keep me going...and burritos! :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xul_Solar">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xul_Solar</a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The lovely Cafe Roma with one of its 80-yr-old waiters at the espresso machine</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">These memorial tiles are all over the city marking the addresses where people lived who were disappeared by the dictatorship. There are similar tiles in Santiago and I think it's a great idea because it reminds people as they go about their business...never forget, or Nunca Mas as they say here</div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A final cafe con leche with Steven in Bar El Federal in San Telmo. Stephen lent me a cell phone for my 6 months down here which was really helpful and saved me the hassle of the whole cell phone nightmare we all know so well.</div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It's really cold again and there are homeless kids on the subway, one sniffing glue out of a bag. It's horrible to see kids living like that but the govt. here can't get it together to get them off the street. Someone told me that even for adults, welfare is $150/mo. That's $40. At the opera last night, the sheer volume of furs was staggering...I saw a lot them today too...there's something really brutal and ugly about a fur coat -- the death of an animal and a really bold in-your-face reminder that some people here have a lot and others don't. And yet it's always on some old lady who looks more or less harmless. I had a vision of all the little old ladies pulling off their furs and giving them to the homeless urchins who'd be dragging them on the ground behind them, they're so enormous. It could happen.</div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It's so cold, the poor little guy was shaking</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The journey winds down, my how it's flown. I'm sitting in the airport now with Ezequiel who has been such a sweet good friend, and I'm feeling very grateful for everything....here's a beautiful song to better express that .... written by a Chilean, Violeta Parra, and sung by an Argentine, Mercedes Sosa....</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Trebor Healeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08018039526428776529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65018506315454606.post-15071496463686107182011-07-26T09:09:00.000-07:002011-07-27T06:17:45.963-07:00La Provincia<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2FUbk5Udk6fhHfkqRoVW51tuc7C26pbjV6vc0OnPr3eQQAH3ErvJPA2-aboJhVIz_dlS0WBD7tPiIZb7dr8QIIUYElsrdKJR4FNYfnqEEpPcUKXOoM_RXkZjc0HWUBkYq9HuhOCHbxw/s1600/IMG_1153.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2FUbk5Udk6fhHfkqRoVW51tuc7C26pbjV6vc0OnPr3eQQAH3ErvJPA2-aboJhVIz_dlS0WBD7tPiIZb7dr8QIIUYElsrdKJR4FNYfnqEEpPcUKXOoM_RXkZjc0HWUBkYq9HuhOCHbxw/s320/IMG_1153.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The weird 'welcome to Claypole' sign which is a sort of tropical fantasy in the middle of the very rough and tumble province where no one goes on vacation. Ezequiel grew up here in Claypole about 2 hours south of the city and we went down for his Mom's birthday. </div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Here's the family, a really nice group of people, all of whom work hard and fight the good fight in a town where a lot of people don't: left to right..cousin, aunt, Jessica Eze's sister, me, Eze, Marco his fraternal twin bro, his Mom, Sylvana who is Marco's wife and that's their son Santino, and then one more cousin. One often can't help but wonder how does a nice family like this stay so nice in a place like Claypole. People have been asking such questions forever, and who knows, but I have to give a great deal of credit to Eze's mom who is a really great lady and clearly a good mother who raised really good kids, and told endless stories of Ezequiel disappearing for whole days, which worried her as she was terrified, and rightfully so, in the rough barrio they live in. But Eze has a weird angelic quality and everyone likes him and he'd just be out, even as a kid, making random friends. </div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">There are lots of Gaucho Gil shrines in Claypole as he is the patron saint of thieves, among other things, and Claypole has a very large population of 'ladrones' (thieves), many of whom are Eze's former classmates. It's a tough place, full of gangs and corrupt cops and you pretty much can't go out at night. He told me a lot of stories as we greeted various neighborhood denizens while we wandered the streets. I wouldn't feel safe coming here alone, but since Eze is a nice guy and has that likeable angelic nature and knows all these people, they don't bother him or his friends. It was good for me to see this other part of Argentina as in the cities and tourist attractions you pretty much see mostly only the more fortunate folks. Claypole is in better shape than it was several years back according to Eze, and it's more evidence that no matter what you think of Nestor and Cristina, the country has improved markedly under their leadership for all its flaws. Many of the apt. blocks in Claypole were once govt subsidized but they all got privatized under Menem who is often blamed for a lot of what's gone wrong here economically since the dictatorship (as mentioned in previous posts, it was the usual neoliberal privatizing orgy which is always paid for by the middle and working class, while the businessman fatten their wallets and build new skyscrapers..chile, britain, US, etc. What is especially horrible here is that all the debt was dumped on the populace who had their currency devalued by 2/3. Who knows where that money went...likely offshore. This is a wealthy country and it's impossible to see the debt as anything other than a ripoff by one class against another, or as the lady in Cordoba thinks... one political group against another. Whatever the case, it's unconscionable and I plan to do more reading on the subject when I get home as I can't quite get my head around what's happened here). I mean imagine what happened here in 2001 happening in the US. One day, the banks close and the newspaper tells you your $1 is now worth 30 cents. The middle class became the lower class overnight.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And then there's the police. The police have a terrible reputation in Claypole and in BsAs (the current mayor of the city was actually kidnapped and ransomed back to his family by what turned out to be the metropolitan police). In Claypole it's a little more 'street' as thieves and other criminals pay the cops hush money. There's a very high rate of escapes from the local jail as well which is likely a mixture of the same corruption as well as lax security...and more ominously, resulting in cops killing fugitives when they come across them (esp. when they stop paying), justifying these assassinations as 'justice' since escaped criminals generally are given very little consideration by the larger society and considered fair game. A policeman mistakenly shot an innocent bystander in San Telmo this week while pursuing a thief...he pulled out his gun on a busy street at 5 o'clock to shoot at the criminal and hit someone else. He's now claiming the gun fell out of his holster and shot by itself. Many people concur that the police don't protect people, they kill them. Eze told me tons more stories from Claypole but I'm not that comfortable sharing individuals' tragic stories on a blog, so if interested, I can share more with whomever would like to talk about it. Just send me an email.</div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">the ubiquitous perro callejero</div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Meanwhile, back in my neighborhood in BA...we just can't get over how tacky the name of this place and its sign are.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The communist party has moved in across the street, into the same building as a bank, which is kind of funny.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIocA5L6jRjVUGsiNrzQY3S8gtqh-zlMI2AJUQyYv84zdwoj6rHPWB_h5V8GEVAM7H6HBN_fyZcDTAFSPLGfKrWP4sMztztQjfpKWnr99zbdCz9Hg922FAn52O6aqG3g6wos6f9FdG5A/s1600/IMG_1105.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIocA5L6jRjVUGsiNrzQY3S8gtqh-zlMI2AJUQyYv84zdwoj6rHPWB_h5V8GEVAM7H6HBN_fyZcDTAFSPLGfKrWP4sMztztQjfpKWnr99zbdCz9Hg922FAn52O6aqG3g6wos6f9FdG5A/s320/IMG_1105.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="238" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Finishing yet another version of my novel Faun</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We also took a trip out to Tigre, which is upriver and used to be the port of entry for all the fruit/veggies from the more tropical climes to the north. Now it's a tourist trap with refurbished docks and wharves full of kitschy tourist stuff. There are lots of summer homes here as it's a big delta, a maze of rivers, which makes it much cooler in the summer and fun for boating, etc.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaqa7BNDsxkRn-T8ne7Eeu5H-p90SYKbC1U3cmmqSLNImgg1ZXPHYazAQkYFBthEHEsaBjZgkWm_x3fJ4l5vbb6y-p1T1VkHxIc3Lz3AEXPZwALzTqH7-T2HSCSNsy2brMOGjnhL5CaQ/s1600/IMG_1109.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaqa7BNDsxkRn-T8ne7Eeu5H-p90SYKbC1U3cmmqSLNImgg1ZXPHYazAQkYFBthEHEsaBjZgkWm_x3fJ4l5vbb6y-p1T1VkHxIc3Lz3AEXPZwALzTqH7-T2HSCSNsy2brMOGjnhL5CaQ/s320/IMG_1109.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">palos borrachos!</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQgQ99MLIMQ_9fhLsL8P8DrMmh9Mlpg2mG5a_NJD6YWbHrBYkq-lO-2PR5ls6iEkA1Y3ynxbQc7zkyG1ct_kM-MAMMFzVI5ff4H4CNb30ZBaebLxGGqggwxorIbVyV2oPezN_dQT4ewQ/s1600/IMG_1110.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQgQ99MLIMQ_9fhLsL8P8DrMmh9Mlpg2mG5a_NJD6YWbHrBYkq-lO-2PR5ls6iEkA1Y3ynxbQc7zkyG1ct_kM-MAMMFzVI5ff4H4CNb30ZBaebLxGGqggwxorIbVyV2oPezN_dQT4ewQ/s320/IMG_1110.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">someone is refurbishing this cool old house</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwRsuAvSmkaqS3j_wT2hsmCROSiIJ4vmZucPslh95ywHtUrZ650dyzEOOybZEgY6X7k46XaKpmXzQuIJepM0DPEGyMrxgzzdN1aTVGRMkzQdodU0dWmo-3n58TqiW6S7tJ5jX039lHOA/s1600/IMG_1111.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwRsuAvSmkaqS3j_wT2hsmCROSiIJ4vmZucPslh95ywHtUrZ650dyzEOOybZEgY6X7k46XaKpmXzQuIJepM0DPEGyMrxgzzdN1aTVGRMkzQdodU0dWmo-3n58TqiW6S7tJ5jX039lHOA/s320/IMG_1111.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="238" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Back in BsAS, we took a final walk through San Telmo, where last time through we'd had a lovely meeting with Maggie at Bar Federal (Maggie's traveling around the world and is now in South Africa)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">PROAMuseum in La Boca....Ezequiel and Jose Maria (Haity), and of course, Maradona and a cow</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHkPLANQgTVYVTiWS6piRRpVWXtHy0CnESTO4gtJkoobVPpDdV0btwQbmAcjQLTkEw3LRdSOpBvO8maVIAJ4-F8e9PZEBdzW_rg6KA67U8RiLD8ZW7dUL0oJzoH7wkbi1K01AMxRyyuw/s1600/SAM_1044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHkPLANQgTVYVTiWS6piRRpVWXtHy0CnESTO4gtJkoobVPpDdV0btwQbmAcjQLTkEw3LRdSOpBvO8maVIAJ4-F8e9PZEBdzW_rg6KA67U8RiLD8ZW7dUL0oJzoH7wkbi1K01AMxRyyuw/s320/SAM_1044.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">An interesting memorial this one, as they constructed a sort of shadow of the Israeli embassy that once stood here before it was blown up (culprits never found which hints at Argentine govt. collusion or hushing up at least)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1992_Israeli_Embassy_attack_in_Buenos_Aires">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1992_Israeli_Embassy_attack_in_Buenos_Aires</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And sadly, it's not the only bombing...two years later, terrorists blew up the Argentine Israelite Mutual Assoc which killed even more people</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AMIA_Bombing">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AMIA_Bombing</a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7rAiFAZjkK9_DMeZzz8YR_SFrCN8FtQa3WKWpeRs1Rkh6Q4koL8z0E6JaFUFDvK5Gp77lx1_1WMZwv6qlZ9lP3NlQkQ19pC9cK_8Rq0sL3i0MGEelZf4KI3CP0mnZibVZHygk7WK7CQ/s1600/SAM_1052.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7rAiFAZjkK9_DMeZzz8YR_SFrCN8FtQa3WKWpeRs1Rkh6Q4koL8z0E6JaFUFDvK5Gp77lx1_1WMZwv6qlZ9lP3NlQkQ19pC9cK_8Rq0sL3i0MGEelZf4KI3CP0mnZibVZHygk7WK7CQ/s320/SAM_1052.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">More street commentary on the controversy over money laundering by Schoklender while working with the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo (Schoklender as priest with Hebe as the devil) <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hebe_de_Bonafini">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hebe_de_Bonafini</a>..</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mothers_of_the_Plaza_de_Mayo">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mothers_of_the_Plaza_de_Mayo</a>..</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergio_Schoklender">http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergio_Schoklender</a> (you'll need to google translate this one)</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Below: sitting with Mafalda in San Telmo, who is sort of the Peanuts equivalent down here (but more political).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mafalda">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mafalda</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD5i0bXNq4ptELgPFEGG957_YVNuld3sGJi-GG1J5VXjDCQOIu59VpOpfWfgeZCJfq3aPr0luKT-GVm5ZDIA6QLDW2dwZlemfsC_0fqQhwED5EeGwsb1sRGVpbUHGuafH3Cxls5G_1vg/s1600/SAM_1130.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD5i0bXNq4ptELgPFEGG957_YVNuld3sGJi-GG1J5VXjDCQOIu59VpOpfWfgeZCJfq3aPr0luKT-GVm5ZDIA6QLDW2dwZlemfsC_0fqQhwED5EeGwsb1sRGVpbUHGuafH3Cxls5G_1vg/s320/SAM_1130.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The weird passion of soccer fans which seems almost thuggish. I dislike River Plate (previous post outlined rioting by fans after they were beat by Cordoba's Club Belgrano, which basically knocked River Plate into B level play) River Plate is all about money and expecting to win. Viva Belgrano!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM07sfXjoRXErt7vCmX3IS1bHlPL8DSfg90Ok3pGPc9yZaLZsv_MOKvgoIUNEN3LnIB8-W8EcbA30YUTCb9l6ftOOR15kmnG4dDTnmxrHquoBFMN1poDdx7zvJFCOnp6BghRKmzsfvyw/s1600/IMG_1122.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM07sfXjoRXErt7vCmX3IS1bHlPL8DSfg90Ok3pGPc9yZaLZsv_MOKvgoIUNEN3LnIB8-W8EcbA30YUTCb9l6ftOOR15kmnG4dDTnmxrHquoBFMN1poDdx7zvJFCOnp6BghRKmzsfvyw/s320/IMG_1122.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiToBCqTzTsK69B_keZqWoAoZCtx8cjCpiuYGd5y6xVzBqGHioMava5kg5CJv0hR3pCrvf-vsbF45XGQDLh_20HUkvXAqg5ch5iVn6rlHuFuML-rOIM-gXIxrMch0qNnD9gPdYMAHk0pA/s1600/IMG_1107.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiToBCqTzTsK69B_keZqWoAoZCtx8cjCpiuYGd5y6xVzBqGHioMava5kg5CJv0hR3pCrvf-vsbF45XGQDLh_20HUkvXAqg5ch5iVn6rlHuFuML-rOIM-gXIxrMch0qNnD9gPdYMAHk0pA/s320/IMG_1107.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Across town in the Abasto, we were accosted by a police officer who insisted we be witnesses in a dispute next door to Cafe Roma. Luckily, I dodged it as I'm not a resident (he didn't even care that I was a US citizen and not Argentine). Anyway, as it turns out, the above building has been occupied for 3 months by 4 disgruntled workers (spanish speakers, pls see graffiti). I talked to the owner for awhile so I only got his side of the story, but he seemed to me like a reasonable person. His main complaint (aside from whatever dispute he was having with the union) was that it had taken the police 3 months to finally address the issue. He made the usual complaint of 'this country' which everyone uses. It's interesting because no one ever says that in the US. It's never 'this country' its 'those people' or 'that policy' etc. But here it's the country that gets blamed. It's a weird identity complex and sort of speaks of a hopelessness that's a real bummer. A woman I know got mugged. Her response: 'this country' shaking her head.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Anyway, the policemen ushered Eze and another witness in with the lawyers and an hour later, let them go. The owner also told me he partly blamed Cristina as he felt she lets the unions drag disputes out and doesn't enforce anything against them as it's too costly politically. This is likely somewhat true as the unions and CGT ...<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Confederation_of_Labour_(Argentina)">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Confederation_of_Labour_(Argentina)</a>....have enormous power here and can round up and produce enormous demonstrations on a dime and often do, apparently sometimes even paying those demonstrating. To their credit, they brought down several military govts. so whatever you think of them, they are better than those who oppose them generally. No one works clean or fair in Argentina is the sad conclusion.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Once I'd worn out my Spanish with the owner, I sat nearby drinking coffee at Cafe Roma, one of my fave old man cafes, which was the point and why we'd headed over to the Abasto in the first place</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVerodebz_87mDak3bmWPQdlI_lteQjDkl0pC18eZBU5z8rsYP2OGQd0FyrjeRuraEKHfV7mXFSKp7Bpigy-g2tvNuK1doOu_rm51sqJax0dhlORy8o-jPJMmkKYf60A-W50jFbORHow/s1600/IMG_1108.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVerodebz_87mDak3bmWPQdlI_lteQjDkl0pC18eZBU5z8rsYP2OGQd0FyrjeRuraEKHfV7mXFSKp7Bpigy-g2tvNuK1doOu_rm51sqJax0dhlORy8o-jPJMmkKYf60A-W50jFbORHow/s320/IMG_1108.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> The Bicentennial Museum that just opened behind the Casa Rosada is incredible and highly recommended, one of the best and most informative museums in Argentina. I had expected something lame and/or propaganda-like as it opened during an election year in the backyard of the reigning president. And granted, there is a bit of that, with the historical videos ending on a hopeful note of...<i>.after all we've been thru, nestor and cristina came along and its a new day and everything is moving in the right direction for the first time in a hundred years or more..</i>....then again, there's even a bit of truth to that. The history of Argentina is a rough one.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A few horrible facts: 649 soldiers were killed in the Malvinas (Falklands War) and 400 more committed suicide afterwards, which got me thinking of all the sad and disturbing news I've been hearing about returning vets in the US. And as for the budget mess (more for vets by the way, por favor), do any of those idiots ever think of the rest of the world? It angers me that a lot of Americans think it's great America has so much economic power, but if that is true, what about the responsibility? The default threat is now affecting other economies, and there are people who will go hungry because John Boehner is more interested in applying his sun-in and his arrogance than thinking about others (oh they're all Christians right? What an embarrassment...the whole world is watching and they look like buffoons).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHUO5wLcBjHDT5h0vyDDX_WVDE4vq_MPI6BvJ_jqLzMJ2J1b8KRiZfPgTNWMmOdWvDkz4rdb4V_eBu1BslMy540oyP4FT6D4BH-OFxtJK7aT_6vZGQHbm8_uhlapNgrfKALRyi6duSLg/s1600/IMG_1117.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHUO5wLcBjHDT5h0vyDDX_WVDE4vq_MPI6BvJ_jqLzMJ2J1b8KRiZfPgTNWMmOdWvDkz4rdb4V_eBu1BslMy540oyP4FT6D4BH-OFxtJK7aT_6vZGQHbm8_uhlapNgrfKALRyi6duSLg/s320/IMG_1117.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="238" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Same as it ever was, eh, speaking of buffoonery.....in their role as the Hollywood couple, Juan and Eva</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkA59omGULEsDDX-14QfWYF4cNV_WCs0KVhNU0pZ_UhceTbarhIgWqAyGuT50MmIZGvZgcw6AevAv2kwjx6rOeER_1u4RrXT2OL38Z9DR5REu7KMwgYMxkgmbCm84fnuqRhQYAxn_hzQ/s1600/IMG_1116.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkA59omGULEsDDX-14QfWYF4cNV_WCs0KVhNU0pZ_UhceTbarhIgWqAyGuT50MmIZGvZgcw6AevAv2kwjx6rOeER_1u4RrXT2OL38Z9DR5REu7KMwgYMxkgmbCm84fnuqRhQYAxn_hzQ/s320/IMG_1116.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The Justicialista! I love this car, but what a name... Peron had it named after his political movement. Oh, he's not a fascist right? Sheesh. One of my teachers told the horror story of how university teachers were fired (her grandpa was one) if they wouldn't wear mourning armbands for Evita when she passed away. Anyway, the Justicialista was Peron's attempt to initiate an auto industry, but it didn't last....<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IAME_Justicialista">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IAME_Justicialista</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeB1a-VaFaHQ_ZXzJzrvaGtx2Q69eLwzSg3CzlTKEfc4AE-4hBGXLSI-VjKNNVbYx8ZxBrfzyUDJ4z4p-Va6e4ayNo0DkrZCf3BxRLnbkzjp2pr1wKzVtnQ3qXq-MWJnAo3THtCaA2zA/s1600/IMG_1118.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeB1a-VaFaHQ_ZXzJzrvaGtx2Q69eLwzSg3CzlTKEfc4AE-4hBGXLSI-VjKNNVbYx8ZxBrfzyUDJ4z4p-Va6e4ayNo0DkrZCf3BxRLnbkzjp2pr1wKzVtnQ3qXq-MWJnAo3THtCaA2zA/s320/IMG_1118.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A horrible photo of a great allegorical painting that takes on the entire history of Argentina.....Eve in the middle as earth mother spawning Eva in her hand is priceless.....</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Meanwhile, across town, is the Evita Museum. And yes folks, even Evita was once a clown </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwsaHuY4MM9UxwzgXV8kjqFlpRwvWc7vo1IbOfK3dAyAeo8_NidOMZ9TuKAWqINVLWINz5M3OMexQH9bYuR9de3dWv6UWaCVwYpJc5IsqKxSDUO2Q3CvfKdz1AwLBmWzKGaouTfvB0nw/s1600/IMG_1126.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwsaHuY4MM9UxwzgXV8kjqFlpRwvWc7vo1IbOfK3dAyAeo8_NidOMZ9TuKAWqINVLWINz5M3OMexQH9bYuR9de3dWv6UWaCVwYpJc5IsqKxSDUO2Q3CvfKdz1AwLBmWzKGaouTfvB0nw/s320/IMG_1126.JPG" width="238" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A lot of her outfits were on display, as are my poor photography skills. To my credit, the camera sucks</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPsfc8ZRWOHXc7g3pKVet-xeX_sPxMmjkphBSNWSvPXPQqJoAFMkVri8l9bk5y3QP6QMd5QZguKmCSUEkzG7Xr1rpDHz9gcvheK6RKjESrzXA0E6oq3d8kan_-op8GCswX1NU-JJ6nBA/s1600/IMG_1129.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPsfc8ZRWOHXc7g3pKVet-xeX_sPxMmjkphBSNWSvPXPQqJoAFMkVri8l9bk5y3QP6QMd5QZguKmCSUEkzG7Xr1rpDHz9gcvheK6RKjESrzXA0E6oq3d8kan_-op8GCswX1NU-JJ6nBA/s320/IMG_1129.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="238" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Eva as the virgin mary is a recurrent theme that is really disturbing. Yes, she was very kind to orphans and was a working class person who never forgot where she came from and always helped those who had to live in the poverty she escaped. It's why she is loved by the poor and the working class Peronists. She was actually designated spiritual mother of the country, which easily morphed into mother of god. And she accepted the title. Anyway, it all just hints at the creepy connection between fascism and catholicism, which is like an iron chain, and if you doubt that, study fascism and you'll always find a big fat Catholic rat scurrying about. This may sound odd coming from a Virgin Mary aficionado like myself, but a lot of my interest in the BVM is camp, esp. when it reaches this exploitive level. Remember, I only like Buddha-Mary! Like any mythic image, she's been co-opted aplenty and used for all manner of things. This also makes me think of the movie Elizabeth which I saw a few weeks back...as you'll recall, the Virgin Queen accepted the spiritual mother position as well, co-opting the archetypal power of it as mythic spiritual mother of the protestant British Empire.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Evita also died at 33, the same age as Christ, so how can one not see the inevitably of her legacy...it's a little weird and operatic, and her glamorous life is in many ways a very sad one. Even those who don't like her appreciate she gave women the vote. For all her flaws, she did fight for justice more than her husband ever did (one has the sense she was overly sentimental whereas he was brutally pragmatic) and was the better of the two. I feel about her a little like I feel about Che, though they were radically different people. They both wanted to do what they felt was right but weren't terribly enlightened about it---and in that way they were like all of us (albeit with enormous Argentine egos. As the joke goes: how does an Argentine commit suicide?..... By jumping off his ego).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">With all the endless Che t-shirts, I finally saw the bluntly truest. The Che beret pic, but it's Marilyn Monroe's face where Che's should be under the beret, mole on cheek, lipstick and all :).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">OK, this may be my last entry, but I'll try to do one more. I'm feeling a little sad. As I told Mili today in my last class (I took a final 4 private classes with my my fave teacher), I feel comfortable here and I REALLY like the people and I've been blest with amazing friends, especially the very generous and so-funny ever-delightful Ezequiel. I miss my family and friends of course, and I miss the mountains and burritos. The rest, well, I don't know, I can take it or leave it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div></div>Trebor Healeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08018039526428776529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65018506315454606.post-63113754184208880322011-07-05T06:48:00.000-07:002011-07-07T09:30:11.181-07:00Cristina, Cristina Everywhere<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Well, the election is in full swing and Cristina's mug is everywhere, and one can' t help but start to crack jokes about anyone who is so ubiquitous you half expect to wake up next to her in the morning. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Here Ezequiel tries to determine what Cristina is looking at...a dead tree it turns out. This is the saintly picture---looking up into the heavens--put out by Movimiento Evita org, a student group.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIbzs_vPdtIG98XidBIORajFMPEVk2dyevEIr0gDPhg2Bt39fstQ8i1pd7bA3GEB6IjDDop3TxiZ6I850_H6bbzisiM-_8LAXphsVnQNKDMy1wI1tfaThRvm3_QrYS90HIXhimBzOegA/s1600/Evita+Ciudad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIbzs_vPdtIG98XidBIORajFMPEVk2dyevEIr0gDPhg2Bt39fstQ8i1pd7bA3GEB6IjDDop3TxiZ6I850_H6bbzisiM-_8LAXphsVnQNKDMy1wI1tfaThRvm3_QrYS90HIXhimBzOegA/s320/Evita+Ciudad.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">All things Evita...a suburb shaped like her profile</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://bigthink.com/ideas/21399">http://bigthink.com/ideas/21399</a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">More soon...I've got a horrible cold/flu thing, so am moving a bit slow at the moment (I can only hope this will immunize me against the flu this coming winter in the northern hemisphere as it will likely be the same one.)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We went out to Lujan, which is a Lourdes-like place and shrine to Our Lady of Lujan. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Lady_of_Luj%C3%A1n">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Lady_of_Luj%C3%A1n</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Sitting in the middle of a plain, it's quite impressive to approach as you can see it for miles. The whole thing is very middle ages, with dogs sleeping and walking around in the church, baby's getting blest, a very funny and friendly priest dousing us with holy water. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I got myself a 'Gauchito Gil' t-shirt. Gaucho Gil is not an 'approved saint' but a folk saint, which is what I find interesting about him. He's kind of a Robinhood folk saint and represents the hard lives of gauchos, who unlike cowboys in the states, sort of went native and were often abused by the army that conscripted them against their will.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gauchito_Gil">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gauchito_Gil</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">His shrines are often found along highways</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I love these old derelict buildings with plants growing on the roof</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Enrique <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px;">Larrañaga</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px;"><a href="http://www.galarroyo.com/nuevo/trastienda/larranaga.htm">http://www.galarroyo.com/nuevo/trastienda/larranaga.htm</a></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Antonio Berni</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio_Berni">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio_Berni</a></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Benito Quinquela Martin, who painted the port in the Boca barrio where he grew up. He was an orphan, found on a doorstep with a note, saying 'this kid's been baptised' and he made his own coffin, with one of his paintings on it :) </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benito_Quinquela_Martin">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benito_Quinquela_Martin</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A modern version of the parting of the Red Sea on a wall in Palermo. It's zero degrees centigrade, I'm going to bed.</div><br />
</div>Trebor Healeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08018039526428776529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65018506315454606.post-66886717882713023212011-06-27T08:25:00.000-07:002011-07-07T09:29:07.522-07:00Volver<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I'm excited to be back to enjoy this lovely city and its friendly people for another month.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5JQ1m3mxKw">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5JQ1m3mxKw</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUtXouK0bygbP0WdABrh8mTvkDRIp3lrODDNxi2CtsKeImQ5RKXBjJ4saoWnGzSSc49Di99-gmSzrTKA_VmBPjeiuctBO3X24idsw3lAS9kneDxo_5l38VWE5LeFn23hm-ToKMfsQLxQ/s1600/IMG_1052.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUtXouK0bygbP0WdABrh8mTvkDRIp3lrODDNxi2CtsKeImQ5RKXBjJ4saoWnGzSSc49Di99-gmSzrTKA_VmBPjeiuctBO3X24idsw3lAS9kneDxo_5l38VWE5LeFn23hm-ToKMfsQLxQ/s320/IMG_1052.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Plaza de Mayo, with Cabildo on left.....<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buenos_Aires_Cabildo">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buenos_Aires_Cabildo</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWTYdtwkjMvJoDv1hwZkhrgy0_MMdDkMu8B4B-4fOF3q5sv4CquDZoBrScvJgDd1_Z_-50KFB41KbC_leV77lxWSkL3pSXrVE_CRTji67HrLV3UQsmrBJo7z9ZXsbDuPyMcLbL9Xt_7A/s1600/IMG_1053.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWTYdtwkjMvJoDv1hwZkhrgy0_MMdDkMu8B4B-4fOF3q5sv4CquDZoBrScvJgDd1_Z_-50KFB41KbC_leV77lxWSkL3pSXrVE_CRTji67HrLV3UQsmrBJo7z9ZXsbDuPyMcLbL9Xt_7A/s320/IMG_1053.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Casa Rosada (house of govt.), la bandera and the torres of Puerto Madero... Dubai-like highrise apts for the rich....history of the area is interesting as it was part of the port originally....<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puerto_Madero">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puerto_Madero</a>...Today it's just sort of a boring place for rich business people, the kind of place that is pretty much the same the world over. It has little of what's wonderful about BsAs and much of whats wrong with the new neoliberal world order...expenisve restaurants, total car culture, total class hierarchy, zero soul</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc0bQM99ynLEgophW_1hmd3ae04xzPaMYKFlhPeLXAaAjFTNKwYkwDgRtLbxD_dM6i-0odgh28LZpohPHIGerqO4N0g78sgIKB8HPZIr9bYLzx1BxgeB5SKdOqijdLNuLjzhasVxOOBQ/s1600/IMG_1042.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc0bQM99ynLEgophW_1hmd3ae04xzPaMYKFlhPeLXAaAjFTNKwYkwDgRtLbxD_dM6i-0odgh28LZpohPHIGerqO4N0g78sgIKB8HPZIr9bYLzx1BxgeB5SKdOqijdLNuLjzhasVxOOBQ/s320/IMG_1042.JPG" width="238" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Saying goodbye to Federico from the bus in Cordoba...this was sad, he looks like an orphan! My very good friend who I miss already.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe-5sBYOacdx-7rVO06kCMgOwibVWiPeW2tmuvL1YOgj6Aw-CrE2xN3CPQsX0hEKASqUkzEWcCX6bnuSaia-szheBZKRDbIg_xarZDkSR4nJBbV9Dr8Wuj6EvQPAuYVBQEdu8-agbOQg/s1600/IMG_1057.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe-5sBYOacdx-7rVO06kCMgOwibVWiPeW2tmuvL1YOgj6Aw-CrE2xN3CPQsX0hEKASqUkzEWcCX6bnuSaia-szheBZKRDbIg_xarZDkSR4nJBbV9Dr8Wuj6EvQPAuYVBQEdu8-agbOQg/s320/IMG_1057.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">One of Argentina's most renowned Modernest novelists, Ernesto Sabato on Avenida 9 de Julio. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernesto_Sabato">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernesto_Sabato</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Imagine if we featured writers on Santa Monica Blvd. or Broadway or Market St.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg98MAURTxxIwGpU4sVqeAFnXCZ5YpdKAxnJSNxGNpJRc9FBwrt1vdjUViMtEOkDQg1r1nWE2gIgrtsiXSpXDCDF3L039kPBCNcmzC8U9TaZZG67xSiAND34Y2nPSLdtm7LZ59CRexk5Q/s1600/IMG_1048.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg98MAURTxxIwGpU4sVqeAFnXCZ5YpdKAxnJSNxGNpJRc9FBwrt1vdjUViMtEOkDQg1r1nWE2gIgrtsiXSpXDCDF3L039kPBCNcmzC8U9TaZZG67xSiAND34Y2nPSLdtm7LZ59CRexk5Q/s320/IMG_1048.JPG" width="238" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This sculpture is made of 30,000 books, and titled the Tower of Babel</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.marta-minujin.com/exhibitions19.html">http://www.marta-minujin.com/exhibitions19.html</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjANyXJ9zLJJKRGh1OMKJ72LvqRVtOAcFPu99d1F3ZlmF69HEzayoT-_V-Tm2LhKDtg5irgnwnoL-85MJBn7gH0LipkIi-CEj7OY3lYozJyIWHAr-aIjSYzjsuPL8aUcOK1iRVTdzfj1A/s1600/IMG_1054.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjANyXJ9zLJJKRGh1OMKJ72LvqRVtOAcFPu99d1F3ZlmF69HEzayoT-_V-Tm2LhKDtg5irgnwnoL-85MJBn7gH0LipkIi-CEj7OY3lYozJyIWHAr-aIjSYzjsuPL8aUcOK1iRVTdzfj1A/s320/IMG_1054.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">la cuenta! Not really, but it's always a bit of a chore to get the check in Argentina or Chile and if there isn't a statue commemorating this, there should be. This is actually a politician by the name of Lisandro de la Torre....<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lisandro_de_la_Torre">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lisandro_de_la_Torre</a></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Ezequiel in the tiny kitchenette in my Congreso District apt</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEids-0R-YbS5hSEMZqbyZBVvjd6NWDcSeslzbOrbJb0b93CNMo0cLC31qhTtHhjQ2zZElJttsV7_7Ou8868AfEbhmxw7dW_J2Fe0e8jtofAb1ScPYTkUOhaFkLsY5m3DiT820Zwc1yF8A/s1600/IMG_1046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEids-0R-YbS5hSEMZqbyZBVvjd6NWDcSeslzbOrbJb0b93CNMo0cLC31qhTtHhjQ2zZElJttsV7_7Ou8868AfEbhmxw7dW_J2Fe0e8jtofAb1ScPYTkUOhaFkLsY5m3DiT820Zwc1yF8A/s320/IMG_1046.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaOG7UiMTqWgDGefQotbNQEKK2YM3RCJJKAtYM1MRhkoKDRPuiZp8gbUIpdn1wP_3HRNl1kz3HDH061jhzgdz4mxhtR2pMV4Qrl2hMTl-tDS4CoCWRucoy8KGsKt_bjhjxAVaRXJnK-Q/s1600/IMG_1050.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaOG7UiMTqWgDGefQotbNQEKK2YM3RCJJKAtYM1MRhkoKDRPuiZp8gbUIpdn1wP_3HRNl1kz3HDH061jhzgdz4mxhtR2pMV4Qrl2hMTl-tDS4CoCWRucoy8KGsKt_bjhjxAVaRXJnK-Q/s320/IMG_1050.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Another march, this time Catholic Youth, which was telling for its low energy. They had drums, but they weren't playing them very hard...then again, it's not an aggressive scene (or shouldn't be), but it struck me that kids into religion have not come into themselves yet, they haven't found their real true power that one can only really find by looking inward and having a spiritual experience not dictated from the outside. Otherwise, it just ends up another shallow political movement that results in violence, division and injustice (none of which are spiritual values) and people are manipulated by it and used by sinister forces interested in power. We see this happening to young people all over the world at the hands of so-called religious leaders. Save the children!</div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Belgrano's tomb in San Telmo</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAouW0vuH3cibpqCKWdaCDwhj_vOjmGdklpnPdFVX-339n92A0XoC_NvmQ4CSYbSnft37ZW82ERmY0WnySX_KlTna8r5q6bT30ehQAvOJWztvhb_xnHNSUl2tUNJ3ViSaDnrnDtEffow/s1600/IMG_1063.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAouW0vuH3cibpqCKWdaCDwhj_vOjmGdklpnPdFVX-339n92A0XoC_NvmQ4CSYbSnft37ZW82ERmY0WnySX_KlTna8r5q6bT30ehQAvOJWztvhb_xnHNSUl2tUNJ3ViSaDnrnDtEffow/s320/IMG_1063.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I just thought it was strange that that large highrise in the distance looks like my thumb drive.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We took a hike through the 'reserva', a beautiful natural area between Puerto Madero (the buildings in the distance below) and the Rio De La Plata, which is the widest river in the world....at least the last few hundred miles of it....<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buenos_Aires_Ecological_Reserve">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buenos_Aires_Ecological_Reserve</a></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Uruguay is somewhere out there</div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The elections are on (there's an image of Evita on the above bldg) and there are posters all over town, and the police are cleaning up the protest sites, which will likely be back as soon as the election is over. There are also fairs and all sorts of gatherings to encourage people to vote, which seems a little corrupt and old school, as in Huey Long, to me. But corruption here is endemic and Clarin, ...<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clar%C3%ADn_(newspaper)">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clar%C3%ADn_(newspaper)</a>...the newspaper that is the arch-enemy of Cristina...<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Controversies_between_Clar%C3%ADn_and_Kirchnerism">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Controversies_between_Clar%C3%ADn_and_Kirchnerism</a>.... is threatening to begin running lists of accusations of corrupt activities in the daily paper. I think it's potentially a good idea, but I assume it will be completely political in which case it will change nothing and just further delegitimize an increasingly illegitamite political system--which Argentina really can't afford, considering its history. But corruption here is so out of hand it threatens to actually starve and/or kill people, and the Peronistas don't seem enough concerned, which is a sad comment. Then again, how do you change a culture? The shadow of Peron forever hovers over this country...I don't see how that can be changed...it's really entrenched. Peronism seems to be THE defining moment of Argentine politics and it's not an ideal one. Watching videos of Peron, you can see his charisma, the same grandfatherly Reagan schtick right to the end. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Cordoba's Belgrano football club beat River Plate and then tied with them, demoting them to level B in the Copa de America...which led to a riot among River Plate fans. River Plate's nickname is the millionaires as they pump so much money into the team....<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Club_Atl%C3%A9tico_River_Plate">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Club_Atl%C3%A9tico_River_Plate</a>...they're like the Yankees, flush with cash and the most winning team ever, so this is a huge humiliation. The ritoing was bad..burned cars, trashed stores...out came the water cannon and tear gas and the police definitely looked less in control than the old Carabineros in Chile who would never let things get this out of hand. It almost looked like Greece. Watch this video:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgcLCghsMeY">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgcLCghsMeY</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Yes, football gets more emotional response than real issues, same as it ever was.....</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Trebor Healeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08018039526428776529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65018506315454606.post-63656398317927402942011-06-24T06:34:00.000-07:002011-06-24T13:56:20.258-07:00Califoridoba<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Will be leaving Cordoba tonight, and I will miss it. This is a really lovely city, just the right size with lots of trees, great people and dozens of cafes I've really enjoyed writing in: KGB, Brulatty, Creambury, Clasico, Panino, Il Gatto, Butterfly, Quixote...the list goes on.. this is my kind of town, I just circulate from one to the next and then do it all over again and write for about 2 hours in each.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">My building this time around...an excellent apartment, quiet and well located...2 blocks from the university, a lovely campus sort of like Stanford's...lots of trees and grass</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHSkAMexG362-HiGmmPDcKvlYn6r7pqJpGwiCXf27kJV5Nlj1k-HnPRwOFbtQ4s6mBPiHqxuxRHZTeNbaop1bR4OBdNTRHM6V_0nFi2YAIgtymOavgMVbRIFyrPHxEiyACF3HQB-Loqw/s1600/IMG_1027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHSkAMexG362-HiGmmPDcKvlYn6r7pqJpGwiCXf27kJV5Nlj1k-HnPRwOFbtQ4s6mBPiHqxuxRHZTeNbaop1bR4OBdNTRHM6V_0nFi2YAIgtymOavgMVbRIFyrPHxEiyACF3HQB-Loqw/s320/IMG_1027.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Argentina's next football star may emerge from this very field!</div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">more of the weird Germanic architecture that pops up now and again...I think it's more Swiss, from Swiss Germans and Italians, but it's just very noticeable and a little odd. This is a water tower and it sure don't look like what I'm used to in Iowa or Fresno.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A residential street near Cordoba's massive Sarmiento Park which the university bleeds into. This area is kind of like the panhandle in SF. Cordoba is a very liveable city and reminds me of California with all its trees and easy accessibility to nearby mountains and lakes--and excellent weather (it's been raining every day in BsAs, but we're bathed in sunshine here). Buenos Aires is certainly the big happening city, but I've talked to lots of people here who feel Cordoba is the more liveable city and I think I'd agree. There's everything you need here, it's much smaller and mellower, and it's right in the center of the country, so it's accessible to every other interesting place. It's definitely underrated---there are very few language schools here as many travelers skip it. I'm really glad I came back here, have been here 3 times now and I never get tired of it or bored. Have met wonderful people here as well who I'll miss a lot:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Viviana returning to Butterfly with the chicken steaks for the Lomito de Pollo. This woman has singled-handedly destroyed my vegetarian credentials with her incredible sandwiches. But never fear, once back in the states where the chicken and meat are inferior, I'll return to tofu!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Hector, Viviana's cousin who is working with her for a month on his school break. He's a budding filmmaker, and as a 20-yr-old has won awards and had things on TV and everything. A wunderkind, he dreams of going to LA, and the way he's going I think we'll see him there.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWNkspPZjTPDPtDC1azEtcjWdaw8CfAbpbyf4HJ89lq9ouCB_EsCxbFp_6n535wQr4JFjctOI5vKDmNgaUpwxlSccK2UMBB7cowczmSaW9JVCqucoRdRtGLWZXDvNF03DVTkmWfrRWzw/s1600/IMG_1025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWNkspPZjTPDPtDC1azEtcjWdaw8CfAbpbyf4HJ89lq9ouCB_EsCxbFp_6n535wQr4JFjctOI5vKDmNgaUpwxlSccK2UMBB7cowczmSaW9JVCqucoRdRtGLWZXDvNF03DVTkmWfrRWzw/s320/IMG_1025.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Fede's roommate, Alexis, from Tucuman---note that rasta tail running down his back!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And of course, one of my new best friends and just a great person on every level, the inimitable Fede:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">At the modeling agency where he works. (Note to Christian: how about that little girl's t-shirt, eh?)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Palo Borracho!! Of course, I won't be leaving these behind and look forward to seeing more of them on the boulevards of Buenos Aires</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyPi4ZusLJJwmAhhOILVgs07LAtVcZYE1DavoNNga3AEL_pAUm-8MqS9UK6FycXlgCw4GaG8glMojWO-gMFZz3DERhpvnqFacyJjPFg8PAq_DUrU5Al81lTTT3Zto1b9pXir4FgiR6oQ/s1600/IMG_1024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyPi4ZusLJJwmAhhOILVgs07LAtVcZYE1DavoNNga3AEL_pAUm-8MqS9UK6FycXlgCw4GaG8glMojWO-gMFZz3DERhpvnqFacyJjPFg8PAq_DUrU5Al81lTTT3Zto1b9pXir4FgiR6oQ/s320/IMG_1024.JPG" width="238" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Cordoba's tallest building, Torre Angela...about 15 stories. No big highrises here, that seems to be for Asians, Americans and Arabs. Interesting that, huh? Certain cultures are trying to prove something? All the rabidly capitalist cultures showing off I guess. Tall buildings are so 20th century. Of course, the emphasis here is very euro and europeans have never been too big on highrises. Am noticing more and more the French influence...not ethnically, but culturally. The Argentines generally admire the French, and what with cafe life, perceived arrogance and the intellectual culture, you can see the similarities. Argentines are much friendlier in my opinion, but it's part of their identity complex I suppose. They don't seem to want to own up to their Italianness, I don't know. I guess the perception of Italian culture is not as good as the French version, though I'd disagree personally with that. It may be the disorganization/corruption/mafiosa syndrome that Italians are stereotyped for and which is a definite problem here.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I had a long conversation with a lady who was explaining what she sees as the moral deterioration of society. Juvenile deliquency is a big concern here and one reads about murders and robberies in the paper. It's interesting, they always refer to young men as 'jovenes' or youths and 'deliquencia' which is also a term referring to the young. In the states, we usually just call everyone a man or woman, without distinctions. Once you're 18, you're responsible for whatever you do. There is virtue in that certainly, but there's a humanness that's lost. Here, when I see news about violent youths, I'm reminded how out of control young men are, and that they are different than other adults, and that they are young now and hopefully will outgrow it. I appreciate the distinction. I think our insistence on ignoring a criminal's age sort of negates that very human reality that the young are different, that they need to be seen and approached as youths, as people in a certain reality. That doesn't excuse what they do, but it's just more real on some level to me.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">She also talked about the govt and how she sees the Peronist left as just exacting revenge against the right. She's a leftist herself, but she believes in a rational approach to justice, not revenge. As she sees it, the excesses of the dictatorship (the right) have created a vengeful response that is just about stealing the spoils of the country for the current corrupt political leaders since the last crew did the same thing (this poor country has a long history of being exploited to the benefit of one class...a small one. Same as it ever was). What's hideous about the Peronists is that they constantly play the populist card, but the people just get poorer and poorer. She feels Menem ...<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saul_Menem">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saul_Menem</a>...was the worst (he was also tortured by the right/military during distatorship) but that the Kirchners..<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N%C3%A9stor_Kirchner">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N%C3%A9stor_Kirchner</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cristina_Kirchner">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cristina_Kirchner</a>... are just an extension of the same thing. A case in point: Argentina is selling its beef, grain and soy to China now (in the past it sold it to US/Europe). Forests were cleared in Salta province to make room for more soy fields. Well, the rains came, and the trees were gone, so erosion resulted, and then what followed was a huge flood that wiped out a town. The govt. rushed to the rescue, sending medicine and clothing. But they never arrived. The clothing ended up outside Buenos Aires being sold at a huge swap meet; the medicine ended up with the local politicians in Salta province who proceeded to sell it to Bolivia. The people received nothing. No investigation, no justice served. There's your peronist populism....she said there's often no medicine in hospitals and people in the villas (slums) are getting increasingly desperate...and the peronist 'leftist' govt. gets their votes. Sounds like the populists Repubs. we have back home (Palin, religious nuts like Perry and Bush, michelle bachman) who make the same claims to be 'of the people', shamelessly using emotion to rip off those people they apparently represent. Populism is a very dangerous thing and almost always misused (Hitler, Mussolini anyone?), so we should take note as it swells in our own screwed-up society. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Speaking of demagoguery, I was recently alerted to the smear campaign a rightwing firm is trying to pull on my former employer, LAANE</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/LAANEonFB">http://www.facebook.com/LAANEonFB</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Roxana Tynan outlines the situation well in this short podcast if you'd like to hear about it. Basically someone has hired a rightwing firm (they won't say who they're working for) to investigate LAANE by demanding public records from tons of sources..city hall, counties, community orgs, etc. That's fine, it's all public stuff and LAANE works clean, so there's no danger of any bad fallout. The prob is this firm won't say who hired them, but they've worked with Karl Rove, Sarah Palin, Meg Whitman, Yes on 8. So basically it's a rightwing fishing expedition to try and discredit a very successful progressive organization. I guess it's a testament to LAANE's effectiveness (birds only pick at the best fruit, or should I say vultures?). The downside is that they will end up costing LAANE, a nonprofit, money because they'll likely plant articles and make accusations, that even if untrue, LAANE will have to respond to. Press campaigns are very expensive, especially in the US where no one bothers to find out the truth and an accusation is as good as a conviction. I feel sad for my country and a little disgusted at how immoral and unethical the right is...imagine demanding public records but refusing to admit who hired you. Cowardice? Yes. Underhanded, working behind the scenes and in secret with bad motives? Creepily like the dictatorships of South America I'm afraid. Basically the darker forces in the US used the same tactics in aiding dicatatorships here...see <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/School_of_the_americas">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/School_of_the_americas</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">On a lighter note, I took a lovely final walk through Sarmiento Park on my way to Brulatty to finish my final draft of my novel FAUN. It's done!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9hknJo5lhO6Ag96cZpc07HvvS8BaxEx8Y-FZ0KISjOyG7kYAlV95ljILrwdFiY9GolZtcA1HXRwE_c93vPFUImztrRdZ9OEeSyekdLmD4WmeuqW7Fg0sxqtwAFWPCOat3_JCwP8ChFA/s1600/IMG_1035.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9hknJo5lhO6Ag96cZpc07HvvS8BaxEx8Y-FZ0KISjOyG7kYAlV95ljILrwdFiY9GolZtcA1HXRwE_c93vPFUImztrRdZ9OEeSyekdLmD4WmeuqW7Fg0sxqtwAFWPCOat3_JCwP8ChFA/s320/IMG_1035.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">descending the stairway...Brulatty is in the building on right.</div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Looking back up the stairs at a couple of handsome Argentines using it for a workout. It's more than their looks, it's the whole way they hold themselves and act that makes these people so attractive.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8pIKEzulbAihmwYraNeruOfhPOu3Q7TUhsBsyY_zFDBAln3KPXWNgDm3DJZ7s20VB7irTXLe4XVt_bIQqeRVR7usDmlr6rn96a0vBOaAYKHvcr4iPRBVG9zz7CBs1QY9w4YwA2O2gIA/s1600/IMG_1039%255B1%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8pIKEzulbAihmwYraNeruOfhPOu3Q7TUhsBsyY_zFDBAln3KPXWNgDm3DJZ7s20VB7irTXLe4XVt_bIQqeRVR7usDmlr6rn96a0vBOaAYKHvcr4iPRBVG9zz7CBs1QY9w4YwA2O2gIA/s320/IMG_1039%255B1%255D.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The other big contemporay art museum, which was once some rich dude's house...the Palacio Ferreyra...<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Argentina">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Argentina</a>...also called Museo Evita but people don't seem to want to call it that...poor Evita, she basically tried to pry her way into the upper classes with a crowbar, but they just won't have her.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evita_Peron">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evita_Peron</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">the vengeance goes on, back and forth...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Well, they don't love all their politicians, but they do love their bandera (flag)... Flag Day was Monday and it's a national holiday....<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Argentina">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Argentina</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmuTaHEmZeWWxPGqWyB_LUw2uRcPp9lYI7xW8QgtE5-WlB9RssuHilWmLZr-BpRptkncniQqoD5HN0f6prujWqvrBY5Rn70b6l3sN4GGbb9VtOgQqLPb5HQ4vtP0zmN1p9FpK8Mqz3dA/s1600/IMG_0960%255B1%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmuTaHEmZeWWxPGqWyB_LUw2uRcPp9lYI7xW8QgtE5-WlB9RssuHilWmLZr-BpRptkncniQqoD5HN0f6prujWqvrBY5Rn70b6l3sN4GGbb9VtOgQqLPb5HQ4vtP0zmN1p9FpK8Mqz3dA/s320/IMG_0960%255B1%255D.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Well I'm off to the bus station......chau</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Trebor Healeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08018039526428776529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65018506315454606.post-51975404442760463052011-06-21T19:32:00.000-07:002011-06-22T16:45:09.984-07:00Lomito de pollo!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The best sandwich in south america is Vivian and Roxana's lomito de pollo...its the garlic....</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We met this lovely young chap, Jaffar in Butterfly this weekend. When I said hello to him, he said "I speak English." He's totally bilingual, lives in Louisville, Kentucky and here in Cordoba with his Mom who is from here. Dad is from Jordan. Trippy, the lives of these intl. kids. Jaffar was one of the smartest and most awake kids I've ever met. At 7, he's basically like a 20-yr-old</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisBrB4EPuEzK1kBq7Eq7_0ZQjjEW9MmQkYYKOwg18tWorZakTZ0aRSaRVhv1uWaHRSpMJuiA5RnVxVlUX7j7opQUrsTqosl7V56tlP5LQYJ9OlJ0j74U-GBFwgV4wP98UmE5sX5DXGKw/s1600/IMG_1003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisBrB4EPuEzK1kBq7Eq7_0ZQjjEW9MmQkYYKOwg18tWorZakTZ0aRSaRVhv1uWaHRSpMJuiA5RnVxVlUX7j7opQUrsTqosl7V56tlP5LQYJ9OlJ0j74U-GBFwgV4wP98UmE5sX5DXGKw/s320/IMG_1003.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCxCbc-1AroMG2zaWPcct86D5rm4cqMi0Z5XuD1dfENJH5sOBdSUeWSgESCXuKl3M6kpFAx6LV0zkdTzAmFYHXdHxKJShn9IlVVglVjYV-7MPM9HsuksOjIgmJLtFeuSHcB_wCl07LaA/s1600/IMG_1004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCxCbc-1AroMG2zaWPcct86D5rm4cqMi0Z5XuD1dfENJH5sOBdSUeWSgESCXuKl3M6kpFAx6LV0zkdTzAmFYHXdHxKJShn9IlVVglVjYV-7MPM9HsuksOjIgmJLtFeuSHcB_wCl07LaA/s320/IMG_1004.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The oft-seen Fiat 600. Fede had one back in Salta.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-2AYfVRfbGr_3nA75ckLt6gXhzYlVN5m3jUXJcuZwFqR96wZwoqp1x4CMoyopC1gnCR6fmRC3BJ0KbXwU0gzSv3B9R6_wIakgL3wHBmeI8hWzuBuMnAfW0yegffPjnxaivJQMogwh-Q/s1600/IMG_1001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-2AYfVRfbGr_3nA75ckLt6gXhzYlVN5m3jUXJcuZwFqR96wZwoqp1x4CMoyopC1gnCR6fmRC3BJ0KbXwU0gzSv3B9R6_wIakgL3wHBmeI8hWzuBuMnAfW0yegffPjnxaivJQMogwh-Q/s320/IMG_1001.JPG" width="238" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Our Lady of Perpetual Help which is connected to a Salesian School and had a big bookshop where I found some great new Marys to add to my collection. I love these Marys because they're exactly like the Buddhist tradition..they are representations of certain qualities or archetypes...there can be an infinite number of Marys or Buddhas and none of them are literal...they are mind states</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzwhL7yCJ5n6yyxdvitWAru3vmoP9mT0WYvzuuTkiLiZP6DRPwoTPvpa1R_FW864IN4SnGsZkzffrqRM68r7cXFmsVTOA3ET6w1w3kNLolPZhWgYMlszb3DDnGe8QNhOJqE7xnjFT5lA/s1600/IMG_1010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzwhL7yCJ5n6yyxdvitWAru3vmoP9mT0WYvzuuTkiLiZP6DRPwoTPvpa1R_FW864IN4SnGsZkzffrqRM68r7cXFmsVTOA3ET6w1w3kNLolPZhWgYMlszb3DDnGe8QNhOJqE7xnjFT5lA/s320/IMG_1010.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Top, left to right: Nuestra Senora del Valle (not sure of her origin, but there's a big shrine in Catamarca, Arg and I see her shrines in mercados all the time); La Virgen del Rocio (not sure of her connection, if any, to Arg, but the image is noteworthy for its abstraction, quite unique....<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virgin_of_El_Roc%C3%ADo">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virgin_of_El_Roc%C3%ADo</a>); Nuestra Senora de la Merced, who is the patroness of the Army... San Martin carried her standard as he drove the Spanish from Arg, Peru and Chile...note the Arg flag colors she's decked out in)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Bottom left is the patroness of the Air force, Nuestra Senora de Loreto.... <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuestra_Senora_de_Loreto">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuestra_Senora_de_Loreto</a>...and I just love that plane behind her...very 1930s..I guess if you updated her, she'd need an F-15 or MIG behind her, or maybe a drone or stealth bomber? Bottom right is the Virgen de Huachana, very indio, she appeared to a girl in Santiago Del Estero, one of Arg's oldest cities, just north of here.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The lady at the store was pulling out drawers of these cards for me, the typically warm and friendly Argentine, who eventually asked me...do you like mate? Of course, I answered, thinking she was going to share her cup with me. But she returned with this Don Bosco mate which the Salesians make themselves, and it's totally organic! I asked her how much and she laughed...its a gift, silly. How sweet.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A stroll along the rio </div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Some more good tango...cd by this lady found in my current apartment....</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yUK6WC2fZM">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yUK6WC2fZM</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Just as I was gloating on eternal summer, it rained all day here yesterday and I was finally forced to buy an umbrella on the street. Had thought I could squeak through without one....one more bulky item to add to the maxed out mochila! (backpack)</div><br />
</div>Trebor Healeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08018039526428776529noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65018506315454606.post-67230889096306810932011-06-20T09:27:00.000-07:002011-06-20T20:36:26.716-07:00Klezmer in Kordoba<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Dada Mini is a great bar/restaurant in Cordoba, in the Guelmes barrio which hosts a big arts fair every weekend and is pretty much ground zero for the creative life of Cordoba, Argentina's second largest city, which is pleasantly small along the lines of Portland, Ore. We lucked into some great Klezmer music here at Dada...<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klezmer_music">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klezmer_music</a>... I love Klezmer music...it is the true music of clowns... and for anybody who's been to a Jewish wedding you'll know how fun it is....just totally fun, and makes you want to dance with everyone...kids, grandmas, you name it, which is how it goes at a Jewish wedding.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRE10ZqGF_nY7vHEuo4dHviqo06zpGKEZQrMJMolur1iQu-9Z9taaoq_XRiGMfdwvfYHyIIcTSCwuUpntVCEQEPV-jyAA0c6gh8MpJ6bvOyMbrunF5CmsMjfcrUBbwe4FG0bOyGqgmAA/s1600/255666_2095943526338_1477849369_32421379_2264918_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRE10ZqGF_nY7vHEuo4dHviqo06zpGKEZQrMJMolur1iQu-9Z9taaoq_XRiGMfdwvfYHyIIcTSCwuUpntVCEQEPV-jyAA0c6gh8MpJ6bvOyMbrunF5CmsMjfcrUBbwe4FG0bOyGqgmAA/s320/255666_2095943526338_1477849369_32421379_2264918_n.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDgybr2gxwNe4-4LgI4KjWrszVGoJ1i_RXdytsL9O1DkJOLxbBGoxl-yX3kGFQmHpn5I2SpAq1_t09i_WXGJG6Cyxh6j09Oz-5wx0SaZ31ue7udngeCSijB8Cc5veo41_Ic93oJlMNcA/s1600/254051_2095948086452_1477849369_32421395_7492271_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDgybr2gxwNe4-4LgI4KjWrszVGoJ1i_RXdytsL9O1DkJOLxbBGoxl-yX3kGFQmHpn5I2SpAq1_t09i_WXGJG6Cyxh6j09Oz-5wx0SaZ31ue7udngeCSijB8Cc5veo41_Ic93oJlMNcA/s320/254051_2095948086452_1477849369_32421395_7492271_n.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">the fab decor</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpw7zK2PenTFLlU2QqpWAXqFhZIYipAO0-6jZlZmacmrJnTqNcdMb94W5zDXcLPDmCqnyC45mVFKPkGh1F_pbRhOFOfJmTnbTx5v1UY2oqVJfENTyYqXweZH2v0GXmgjYE2eZKq5dlAw/s1600/255747_2095949286482_1477849369_32421400_6155104_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpw7zK2PenTFLlU2QqpWAXqFhZIYipAO0-6jZlZmacmrJnTqNcdMb94W5zDXcLPDmCqnyC45mVFKPkGh1F_pbRhOFOfJmTnbTx5v1UY2oqVJfENTyYqXweZH2v0GXmgjYE2eZKq5dlAw/s320/255747_2095949286482_1477849369_32421400_6155104_n.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="238" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">the interesting food....curry quesadillas</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl0O4PmcPB5TK0StHAjk9xeKRZFPuNDaC7pkcNLMwbqhMJRNNBnRrz_KIXHTg68MNgUHRW4SmM8HrUaMTkx9oEZwrt_Hj2RDjde_DOlPEn7_CDO3OCoja-9V1fWgtEDneCjUu5mG2f9A/s1600/252861_2095949926498_1477849369_32421403_3930678_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl0O4PmcPB5TK0StHAjk9xeKRZFPuNDaC7pkcNLMwbqhMJRNNBnRrz_KIXHTg68MNgUHRW4SmM8HrUaMTkx9oEZwrt_Hj2RDjde_DOlPEn7_CDO3OCoja-9V1fWgtEDneCjUu5mG2f9A/s320/252861_2095949926498_1477849369_32421403_3930678_n.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="238" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Like I say, Klezmer makes you want to dance..with kids, grandmas...dogs!! This little guy wears a sweater that says 'Dada Mini' as well as his name 'Roberto' and a little note that says 'Tengo facebook'. I haven't found him yet though :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">My boon companion, Fede, and I spent the day out at a Jesuit estancia in Jesus Maria (we kept joking..where's Joseph?), which is basically one of the big haciendas the Jesuits set up to raise money for their university in Cordoba, while educating the local indigenous and basically just kicking butt producing wine, food, leather goods, etc. and supplying the mines in Potosi when Argentina was a remote part of the viceroyalty of Peru. This is why Cordoba was the first and most important city, before Buenos Aires because Buenos Aires was not allowed to trade (thus it's smuggling history...in those days, everything had to go through the port of Lima, Peru). In 1776 Buenos Aires finally got its due when they created the Viceroyalty of the Rio de la Plata, which wasn't a good thing for Cordoba...BsAs has never really been beneficial to the rest of Argentina, thus its complicated history. It's been more like a self-serving city state which uses the provinces for its own benefit. But before all that happened, the Bourbons came along in Spain, and being generally French and more business savvy, immediately shut down the Jesuits who had become a rival force in the Spanish colonies. Funny, because the Jesuits were formed as a response to the reformation...they basically were a victim of their own success. They're worth reading about.....<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Society_of_Jesus">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Society_of_Jesus</a>..and if you don't want to read about them, see the movie, The Mission...it's a great illustration of its clash with the Spanish Crown and it was filmed in Argentina.....on a completely tangential note, my father was always trying to convince us to go a Jesuit high school because he admired their discipline and felt they created the best quarterbacks :) I wasn't interested in discipline or football and thankfully dear old Dad always insisted it had to be our choice (very Protestant of him :) and besides, I could never get out of my head his stories of his own Jesuit matriculation where the priests used to pick him up by the ear. But I'm glad for the Jesuits as when my mother needed to find a priest to give the stamp of approval for my being queer, it was a Jesuit who stepped up. I also have a Jesuit grand uncle, who's a swell chap and smart</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi0L8ILWoMlb1187zWNGLJm4Oxc0H4OMsYUB8QOPEulR8dBGpVMnYdxbtivqo7nA5c3rj2-maAZEUH1mXx-7jrjEAhcBYS6WdUt4_UCbWlTWrOc9AZy0jXMIehFcna_mBg9v5rMRF8Xw/s1600/IMG_0978.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi0L8ILWoMlb1187zWNGLJm4Oxc0H4OMsYUB8QOPEulR8dBGpVMnYdxbtivqo7nA5c3rj2-maAZEUH1mXx-7jrjEAhcBYS6WdUt4_UCbWlTWrOc9AZy0jXMIehFcna_mBg9v5rMRF8Xw/s320/IMG_0978.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIyJZXMt_bOggAAa5HEXztV904NDt-taXLBpWkd8HLN90scb4vzVTIec_oRzVA2xj4WRcJ3R_LO1XjEQBz3IUxAdfYYqeHf_tucecKPQEDuxeVvLEjqWXgYeplxql07x3ompqw9CIzwA/s1600/264600_2095935086127_1477849369_32421345_4978610_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIyJZXMt_bOggAAa5HEXztV904NDt-taXLBpWkd8HLN90scb4vzVTIec_oRzVA2xj4WRcJ3R_LO1XjEQBz3IUxAdfYYqeHf_tucecKPQEDuxeVvLEjqWXgYeplxql07x3ompqw9CIzwA/s320/264600_2095935086127_1477849369_32421345_4978610_n.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">There was also some great art in here but no photos were allowed. The indigenous renderings of angels with rifles are especially noteworthy. I mean, they are about power and how is a sword different than a rifle? There were also a series of incredible Marys of every kind, making me realize there are definitely more versions and renderings of Mary than Christ (at least in Mediterranean Catholicism). It's a goddess religion, plain and simple, and Mary's basically a buddha forever reconfigured depending on the qualities desired or the needs at hand</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSfGPSokD3sTNIhOjCso9ZS1U4nJijS_QNMzCPpgyUYrxpAy0lJW4JK088vP4G8CRGPMpH2IWUuOZf7pquiWXAIqsrOYR8Eby-2ILz52SzwuxEaTb39XytWc3oQirfNtQ8zg2VoCglrA/s1600/IMG_0979.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSfGPSokD3sTNIhOjCso9ZS1U4nJijS_QNMzCPpgyUYrxpAy0lJW4JK088vP4G8CRGPMpH2IWUuOZf7pquiWXAIqsrOYR8Eby-2ILz52SzwuxEaTb39XytWc3oQirfNtQ8zg2VoCglrA/s320/IMG_0979.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLcXRkmUD9sxgybmamZbQMymHw4brom_eWpaIgoHeRs8qDY0O9qu6tiLctf35eHeBRckdhsiv2ufCRShvY_ZLChj__Xseh9FUuuENcgXTHvggVhywk0go2hPb9U5A5KZOgXoQkWV08rA/s1600/IMG_0982.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLcXRkmUD9sxgybmamZbQMymHw4brom_eWpaIgoHeRs8qDY0O9qu6tiLctf35eHeBRckdhsiv2ufCRShvY_ZLChj__Xseh9FUuuENcgXTHvggVhywk0go2hPb9U5A5KZOgXoQkWV08rA/s320/IMG_0982.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="238" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">an enormous and Spanish overly-dramatic Christ. But I still prefer these...Catholics get bloody and pagan and earthy, and that's a good thing. I'm sick of the cleaned-up Protestant lifeless cross. I'm very aware of how much I find this catholic stuff, on some level, very earthy and comforting, reminding me what an insane disconnected mental mess US protestantism has become. I've come to the conclusion that the US is not in fact a religious nation at all...it's just sort of mentally disturbed and juvenile. Most of what passes for religion in the US has zero to do with anything sacred. It's a sad conclusion to make and scary...we have some serious problems and we aren't addressing them at all...Rick Perry, case in point..... It appears that Protestantism has certianly benefitted us economically and yes, it has freed the minds of millions through history. But it's important to realize the cost of those benefits. God, do I sound Catholic or what? Believe me, I'm far from it...I have little but disdain for the institution itself, but as a culture and a sacred tradition, it kicks ass over these so-called reformed versions (I do want to single out Episcopalians/Anglicans for doing the best with saving the good stuff and getting rid of the bad) which have just bled the life out of it. Imagine chucking Mary...that I never got...once you exile the female, you end up with just an unbalanced and lifeless mental construct. Yes, it's horror I'm hinting at and it doesn't make me want to come home.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWVYnADiao3XgDl-xFS6VnAuZe9TPCuNTjEzdQ4vOthoiuKi3ga8wjfcz-zxfNK9K-LntVxOaH29RwPXuoyq3LWYWbwI9b9k_YDWgZ9Rx_J6t7MmhRQbEA2I5x2etPpDGgOPw2iV93bw/s1600/IMG_0970.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWVYnADiao3XgDl-xFS6VnAuZe9TPCuNTjEzdQ4vOthoiuKi3ga8wjfcz-zxfNK9K-LntVxOaH29RwPXuoyq3LWYWbwI9b9k_YDWgZ9Rx_J6t7MmhRQbEA2I5x2etPpDGgOPw2iV93bw/s320/IMG_0970.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">the river </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV5FqRdXZfKjMeNYuKj75OAa7qKpCMNacuCiWUsYIM-HhoX2kF3WjLUOYbZkOdIYiLmV1IjTGdezmubOACSecuEZWEc_kLx1pO9C-_bawktrV6sw_rYWVcfW1wKUMx3qnJ4mNfdg6yNw/s1600/IMG_0966.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV5FqRdXZfKjMeNYuKj75OAa7qKpCMNacuCiWUsYIM-HhoX2kF3WjLUOYbZkOdIYiLmV1IjTGdezmubOACSecuEZWEc_kLx1pO9C-_bawktrV6sw_rYWVcfW1wKUMx3qnJ4mNfdg6yNw/s320/IMG_0966.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="238" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Santa Evita, making an appearance on the main drag of Jesus Maria</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlv71EpJn-hmjgOesqDgaeGEMC0q6PLTmvhJlajdqkgnDraqsXHK3Ew5qX5kdzZ_CzAyt7K3FIGPnyc-oiLUxXTHToFKZmOtGOX8hRS4wxY4CcZZw0gX1hZ4MT5JuHkYkDg_oHV0B1xg/s1600/255708_2095937526188_1477849369_32421354_5094339_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlv71EpJn-hmjgOesqDgaeGEMC0q6PLTmvhJlajdqkgnDraqsXHK3Ew5qX5kdzZ_CzAyt7K3FIGPnyc-oiLUxXTHToFKZmOtGOX8hRS4wxY4CcZZw0gX1hZ4MT5JuHkYkDg_oHV0B1xg/s320/255708_2095937526188_1477849369_32421354_5094339_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Wonderful Fede who is a great travel companion, game for everything and just sweet as a peach. He works two jobs, is helping put his sister through law school and is just an all around total mensch. He's made Cordoba a really great experience, and is an awesome cook too!</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqT5kFFzhDkNzSoD2omj95QqIIjxiROLjF25A_zH0XNP7b8Hw4XxS7xl8yo8UeGYXD-XbaqRNoYE3cacnXUhTNAeAfBki9QU5ljZbXxvPR-Y4GYIy4d_QcqXTiWtV2WWe2LPlR3tCHZA/s1600/263719_2095946806420_1477849369_32421390_5417215_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqT5kFFzhDkNzSoD2omj95QqIIjxiROLjF25A_zH0XNP7b8Hw4XxS7xl8yo8UeGYXD-XbaqRNoYE3cacnXUhTNAeAfBki9QU5ljZbXxvPR-Y4GYIy4d_QcqXTiWtV2WWe2LPlR3tCHZA/s320/263719_2095946806420_1477849369_32421390_5417215_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I'm continuing to write tons and have realized this trip has resurrected my writing life, which is 'something' and not an easy thing to resurrect!</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib7YbIiBW5oFol2N1aZwODmT5oyctL-8gYH-wvcjSn7-uVcpDz2XMDLnuv5dbdimClTHLZCRmxILQxk8-SexKI2ZgvM_l6Ft3x1E5r3f77ZLoE6uRfAwF4TXe8p8_O_1gfldLTbHLNEw/s1600/264184_2095930926023_1477849369_32421330_7336461_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib7YbIiBW5oFol2N1aZwODmT5oyctL-8gYH-wvcjSn7-uVcpDz2XMDLnuv5dbdimClTHLZCRmxILQxk8-SexKI2ZgvM_l6Ft3x1E5r3f77ZLoE6uRfAwF4TXe8p8_O_1gfldLTbHLNEw/s320/264184_2095930926023_1477849369_32421330_7336461_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This just struck me as funny...San Martin is the hero of South American liberation from two centuries ago, along with Simon de Bolivar. </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXL8-kgrmvPuGAhrODw8LwRTpV6Xa4SRJgfvDdrTj2uNRRBjpzGDG8BT-JXyV-GM5z53aKEYpSoQGUrqX3XT2_RU2ONuTVH0RL2tZ8Cq4gfXiMfjBhluPme776a66LvM_kxoH2R0SD_g/s1600/264276_2095929805995_1477849369_32421325_7580281_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXL8-kgrmvPuGAhrODw8LwRTpV6Xa4SRJgfvDdrTj2uNRRBjpzGDG8BT-JXyV-GM5z53aKEYpSoQGUrqX3XT2_RU2ONuTVH0RL2tZ8Cq4gfXiMfjBhluPme776a66LvM_kxoH2R0SD_g/s320/264276_2095929805995_1477849369_32421325_7580281_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Jesus Maria is big on the gaucho circuit and they have a huge rodeo stadium here. Incidentally, Fede's grandpa was a gaucho.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Meanwhile, back in the 21st century......Nueva Cordoba, where I'm staying this time....one of my fave cafes where the handsome mozo has perfected the 'todo bien'....one of my fave phrases...pronounced totho vien....all is well or all's great.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMRs78slU36odnUYboYyYipGVto2nFSysegqqjeVaYMU61TTI3tdQY9VYAXtQ09g98vsVJX6XzMxSy9MY-5p6LI413rv_UUu3iFFPnoktyGkkgKn2haTpqFA_S9jYSeH4i21J6OYCdsw/s1600/IMG_0958.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMRs78slU36odnUYboYyYipGVto2nFSysegqqjeVaYMU61TTI3tdQY9VYAXtQ09g98vsVJX6XzMxSy9MY-5p6LI413rv_UUu3iFFPnoktyGkkgKn2haTpqFA_S9jYSeH4i21J6OYCdsw/s320/IMG_0958.JPG" width="238" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">KGB bar, a good place to write, drink or people watch</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIowD_Rm0Pl2tR7ZdtpGnww4cl-1mR6X1bfB3kLchdz5nFmr66UyNYVh9Cn6u3p-tSl7r31IwTvDtU9Dj8VvnQD6BZhC_KjZpfg6LJGY947ZUCtZaOESwZ-ShRnh1i41DwToK4aUPYvA/s1600/IMG_0962.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIowD_Rm0Pl2tR7ZdtpGnww4cl-1mR6X1bfB3kLchdz5nFmr66UyNYVh9Cn6u3p-tSl7r31IwTvDtU9Dj8VvnQD6BZhC_KjZpfg6LJGY947ZUCtZaOESwZ-ShRnh1i41DwToK4aUPYvA/s320/IMG_0962.JPG" width="238" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Capuchino's Church</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT0CNIpJ8ANyi1JeO1-H0ML3Sr2HxpCKNHpsDKuVRFlvpZHIBzkCKXVujVmgie9hhFz_DBfzOGQ6bLzEC5oHt_L9OnocGRiLR-nL5koX6Nhbo0ugU2F4RmbJzSV8zyVYXePuNII8qJuw/s1600/IMG_0963.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT0CNIpJ8ANyi1JeO1-H0ML3Sr2HxpCKNHpsDKuVRFlvpZHIBzkCKXVujVmgie9hhFz_DBfzOGQ6bLzEC5oHt_L9OnocGRiLR-nL5koX6Nhbo0ugU2F4RmbJzSV8zyVYXePuNII8qJuw/s320/IMG_0963.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is a fine cafe...and like I say, Argentina is just rife with superb cafes...this one is great at night too as it has heaters....Cordoba's winter is milder even than LA's so it's pretty much like spring or fall here....Fede even mentioned with a straight face that it was autumn--winter's in July....one month of winter...nice :)</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitX5fjsVMoJiO_cjrmZQLHTezcs9A5fDtnQh3RAbdsIJfnN9YdB7N1UBRwIgwzMLojdv1amH7bVSvtxwnTEv6B-ZfqttWJqpXltPTTKeZCuArekDGpbnk7OqN6ZQiksRDuCNbFQ9Ew8g/s1600/IMG_0964.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitX5fjsVMoJiO_cjrmZQLHTezcs9A5fDtnQh3RAbdsIJfnN9YdB7N1UBRwIgwzMLojdv1amH7bVSvtxwnTEv6B-ZfqttWJqpXltPTTKeZCuArekDGpbnk7OqN6ZQiksRDuCNbFQ9Ew8g/s320/IMG_0964.JPG" width="238" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">the complicated roofs of Cordoba, there's always a lot going on up there which gives the skyline an interesting texture</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN0YN-_zmjB7hgatM66PZi1H8YM0WYXqI4nqtpgqjD2kLwT1pQ31bTdPPhNjQPltJ6M690yePvC7uvyQv0nE9KwPROxaRt4H222wTqRgkWC8QcWid_YaEn2S_hhiFaUNb8b-gUCxTdug/s1600/IMG_0965.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN0YN-_zmjB7hgatM66PZi1H8YM0WYXqI4nqtpgqjD2kLwT1pQ31bTdPPhNjQPltJ6M690yePvC7uvyQv0nE9KwPROxaRt4H222wTqRgkWC8QcWid_YaEn2S_hhiFaUNb8b-gUCxTdug/s320/IMG_0965.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I just notice certain things....tragic pruning</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnJ_aGw8UvFIcu5BBqNhzLEtYDyHH27Rd63_P4OI9lQLlwLVZQ9P3UJiG7ePjGAFf1a0hyz05RoiqFliKD3u6i55C9wpMPyfP9LyT_EKK-BcwY6xYvEI1A_H71DFrt4arq-AMl7SxsmQ/s1600/IMG_0989.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnJ_aGw8UvFIcu5BBqNhzLEtYDyHH27Rd63_P4OI9lQLlwLVZQ9P3UJiG7ePjGAFf1a0hyz05RoiqFliKD3u6i55C9wpMPyfP9LyT_EKK-BcwY6xYvEI1A_H71DFrt4arq-AMl7SxsmQ/s320/IMG_0989.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It was cool to see this little hut...it's basically exactly like the cabin I inherited from my dear friend Ernest Posey. Being that it has helped finance this trip, it was nice to see it here in Argentina. ....I'd always dreamed of keeping it and taking it with me wherever I went as it seemed so portable to me....well here it is ..thanks Ernest, you are with me always</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6vwC7T4PluI1qOWQ9Gw3Me5dWjAbEevbzu8sRopIgGK7nUVzxTK-PyZS-fzG9_HSAANTpmZgiQnXJmN2o767U0csh9ggPFBr2raGSFpmQFa0OvoL7hZPbDPMurHxkZKP_CB83lwNu_A/s1600/IMG_0994.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6vwC7T4PluI1qOWQ9Gw3Me5dWjAbEevbzu8sRopIgGK7nUVzxTK-PyZS-fzG9_HSAANTpmZgiQnXJmN2o767U0csh9ggPFBr2raGSFpmQFa0OvoL7hZPbDPMurHxkZKP_CB83lwNu_A/s320/IMG_0994.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">the ever photogenic Fede</div><br />
</div>Trebor Healeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08018039526428776529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65018506315454606.post-45709116667833936262011-06-16T12:27:00.000-07:002011-06-16T16:34:24.461-07:00Mercedes, Maoists and a Midsummer Nights Dream<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The below four photos are from San Pedro de Atacama, two weeks ago in Chile, but my friend Eric just sent them to me, so I share them now...biking in the valle de la luna and soaking in the geyser pools at 6 am</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg81egn614b6pk2M4mkcId9Q-dAQdAcc1Y_bEDWaULddGzZ1VpdCHetOR3SmQuOHtANT1bsU57dWiRD4og44eyjtRYic1ut7eFmL9f9Tg0VTnErP77cPmntpyJsxUdp1ChHK-1pUREn2g/s1600/2011_23_13_Trebor_on_his_bike_on_Valle_de_la_Luna.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg81egn614b6pk2M4mkcId9Q-dAQdAcc1Y_bEDWaULddGzZ1VpdCHetOR3SmQuOHtANT1bsU57dWiRD4og44eyjtRYic1ut7eFmL9f9Tg0VTnErP77cPmntpyJsxUdp1ChHK-1pUREn2g/s320/2011_23_13_Trebor_on_his_bike_on_Valle_de_la_Luna.JPG" width="238" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This one's very lochness...is it really a middle-aged humanoid or just trick photography?</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5peU5zIAQF1gNx3s2hcaItUmbe3QRhnDSHqB4o63tqgPMO4zRm7sMIMtORAZb-6Ho9n9NFl4OOwCifDyZmxfNrFliMzLCp6O09HHCkIuHWEAnJwnC65f2FpL0xhFAcM1uFxFWM5XiyQ/s1600/2011_24_41Trebor_in_the_thermal_pool.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5peU5zIAQF1gNx3s2hcaItUmbe3QRhnDSHqB4o63tqgPMO4zRm7sMIMtORAZb-6Ho9n9NFl4OOwCifDyZmxfNrFliMzLCp6O09HHCkIuHWEAnJwnC65f2FpL0xhFAcM1uFxFWM5XiyQ/s320/2011_24_41Trebor_in_the_thermal_pool.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Below is a canyon in Valley de la Luna....brush off that orange dirt and this entire mountain was solid crystal...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcgSljwq_UiwUzh1ogWnP2wOQ0cFzZoqx3BOweVO6KdI2e3dqG1gzDHo1TsYQOGHybHdUZ5n9zIb5OooEGF8y3E3-8GpYem5wExzz-mkBTN73tdtI9sCzVNy9h_jPiuZWAHyXswEN3ag/s1600/2011_23_16_Trebor_in_the_caves.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcgSljwq_UiwUzh1ogWnP2wOQ0cFzZoqx3BOweVO6KdI2e3dqG1gzDHo1TsYQOGHybHdUZ5n9zIb5OooEGF8y3E3-8GpYem5wExzz-mkBTN73tdtI9sCzVNy9h_jPiuZWAHyXswEN3ag/s320/2011_23_16_Trebor_in_the_caves.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="238" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A village south of San Pedro...I'm walking with a French guy who is a wine buyer, visiting Chile to select vino, etc....Esteban, the charming Chilean lurks, stage left...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">and here's Eric's blog.....<a href="http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/GringoAnciano/">http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/GringoAnciano/</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-6vkmJo1Sh5FVLtICT0K6vr_R31BVwc_p4sk19jC1sXcUOAWvA6GPE1HELgdMWKVZBBbGAEpJSvNfoqRnCqqM0h2hcmjBx-8u_U3k2lONdVAA8cm2NlAS1eOBob7oGEzroE69rufTQA/s1600/2011_23_82_end_of_trip_to_Lagunas_Altipl%25C3%25A1nicas_and_Salar_de_Atacama_-_village_streed.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-6vkmJo1Sh5FVLtICT0K6vr_R31BVwc_p4sk19jC1sXcUOAWvA6GPE1HELgdMWKVZBBbGAEpJSvNfoqRnCqqM0h2hcmjBx-8u_U3k2lONdVAA8cm2NlAS1eOBob7oGEzroE69rufTQA/s320/2011_23_82_end_of_trip_to_Lagunas_Altipl%25C3%25A1nicas_and_Salar_de_Atacama_-_village_streed.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I thought this statue was one of those real people posing as a statue that you see at street fairs and such...but no, it's a statue..art imitates life imitates art imitates itself, or something...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It's Mercedes Sosa, una tucumana, in her more native guise...she is part indigenous...more info in a previous post from Cordoba/March and, of course, her most famous song....</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0QFkpUhBFo">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0QFkpUhBFo</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">more about her interesting life....</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes_Sosa">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes_Sosa</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRuLB4CRZ-phRkZACm_aPH9l5AotZZm0Nca-Eraou-zMwCM4J-CQbi4ufQ-JIfb9MsnfGyS8T5cY3jST6FR788aPOoYvpVLdR8HhCrMqV7aJd56cC_wCJFubPx5EdEMB9p4t9HsjS0_A/s1600/IMG_0946%255B1%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRuLB4CRZ-phRkZACm_aPH9l5AotZZm0Nca-Eraou-zMwCM4J-CQbi4ufQ-JIfb9MsnfGyS8T5cY3jST6FR788aPOoYvpVLdR8HhCrMqV7aJd56cC_wCJFubPx5EdEMB9p4t9HsjS0_A/s320/IMG_0946%255B1%255D.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">My favorite trees, the palo borrachos, are back!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxGkBQJ_QGvHA6LrjTzTOaM5oo_vA1zJV5KRtTsuumTNxbGkXwR9z0FIWB3BhWoTKadnyPIhU-N57k6_EaKF7OpU5BP9XQhIVOvVV_zA7KPO4lmt7ErbMNWQoTXWM2Et3fFlXODy19ew/s1600/IMG_0947%255B1%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxGkBQJ_QGvHA6LrjTzTOaM5oo_vA1zJV5KRtTsuumTNxbGkXwR9z0FIWB3BhWoTKadnyPIhU-N57k6_EaKF7OpU5BP9XQhIVOvVV_zA7KPO4lmt7ErbMNWQoTXWM2Et3fFlXODy19ew/s320/IMG_0947%255B1%255D.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Argentines are always building fires...this one by workers behind a museum in Tucuman's large city park. I've seen fires at bus stops along the highway at 6 am, on sidewalks with grills draped over them for asado (Argentines are always barbecuing meat), out in fields, in restaurants, in front of churches, pretty much anywhere it gets cold...something sweetlly communal about it</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbYhyphenhyphen9Z-bUAnS7ePIlcq0JXM1WtluqHQNWXPJkmaduoDFhYDjWQN_IsQ5EEKzc7H0lcOIzTbIYkf1C7yzW8mW8pMMVnfZqjepDUDxoll7HXAQG2hJZyJmx4fJcFHepIUw6WgHvu0H0cw/s1600/IMG_0948%255B1%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbYhyphenhyphen9Z-bUAnS7ePIlcq0JXM1WtluqHQNWXPJkmaduoDFhYDjWQN_IsQ5EEKzc7H0lcOIzTbIYkf1C7yzW8mW8pMMVnfZqjepDUDxoll7HXAQG2hJZyJmx4fJcFHepIUw6WgHvu0H0cw/s320/IMG_0948%255B1%255D.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Argentines also fill their parks with cafes...one reason this country suits me so well is that there are literally cafes anywhere you could wish for one...a true embarrassment of riches for a wandering writer/reader such as I...this one in Tucuman's central park... </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjplRb1ovQlVs1c4X3xgxhpH5ha2dupQ11Qf9CsXmZVG-V8Fw7XQRqD73HIgZLNleI4NmgFWEEsnTTT0aIre7MQCzwODrJPc1n-kc1lSKueO4NxnWfYWbTiMV7n1ubLoU9KWuHnULE5vA/s1600/IMG_0949%255B1%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjplRb1ovQlVs1c4X3xgxhpH5ha2dupQ11Qf9CsXmZVG-V8Fw7XQRqD73HIgZLNleI4NmgFWEEsnTTT0aIre7MQCzwODrJPc1n-kc1lSKueO4NxnWfYWbTiMV7n1ubLoU9KWuHnULE5vA/s320/IMG_0949%255B1%255D.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This high end cafe was at the end of a road leading up into the lovely Parque San Lorenzo trails outside Salta...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy0OGZhUEtJC0CfIP9cGBxt4OTNeLOdM6PSeuyiG__7XQxQRj173A8RWmkKQuOX1oRd9wFK-SrDQ5FnK-AZ3oX20ezssi30Q_9kqRbVVAhyeX7M83Ax25TMidhdyCzSxALvDbtEqYQsg/s1600/IMG_0861.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy0OGZhUEtJC0CfIP9cGBxt4OTNeLOdM6PSeuyiG__7XQxQRj173A8RWmkKQuOX1oRd9wFK-SrDQ5FnK-AZ3oX20ezssi30Q_9kqRbVVAhyeX7M83Ax25TMidhdyCzSxALvDbtEqYQsg/s320/IMG_0861.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A soccer statue, of course.....Some Argentines complain that nobody cares about politics, only soccer. It's definitely a huge part of Argentina's nationalism and apparently many people coped/slept-walked through the dictatorship by following their favorite team... the entire country basically shuts down on Sundays for the many games. Speaking of nationalism, several Argentines resent Chile for helping the Brits during the Falklands...I find this a tad hard to understand. Pinochet of Chile was a brutal dictator...how can you hold Chileans responsible for his policies. On top of that, the Falklands war was a boondoggle by the Arg dictatorship and they should be blamed for everyone who died there...it was poorly planned and disingenous to distract from their failed economic policies. They sent untrained young conscripts to slaughther...an absolutely corrupt and unethical govt....Why would anyone support them? But nationalism is what it is and as people died due to Pinochet's help in sinking the Belgrano, it's understandable that there are some hard feelings.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxEIqWW5CKKJxoGpM2AyPXlXwvh83Zp6jBaXD3QAqmxyZqmysdxo7r7bdWp9hT_ofYI9OuyrcqSi9LdZllPxS8q2_wbgG55iIiIv_shqPuDXzxfn-EzDSJpVsPXdhH8QMv4EoT-n8cyA/s1600/IMG_0950%255B1%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxEIqWW5CKKJxoGpM2AyPXlXwvh83Zp6jBaXD3QAqmxyZqmysdxo7r7bdWp9hT_ofYI9OuyrcqSi9LdZllPxS8q2_wbgG55iIiIv_shqPuDXzxfn-EzDSJpVsPXdhH8QMv4EoT-n8cyA/s320/IMG_0950%255B1%255D.JPG" width="238" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The weird Spanish expression of 'God's-on-our-side' military victories depicted in churches.....</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQQe6gw7bjd5Ij0oUX3g8a2tSAWdIAbc55fTWuodV5iRT5gWz6kxB_iy4aQjyugEieLJCRUiN-CiCK4YW1Orrc1EWQBu0dHRkNHYrxs0_QNNHi_758Huzpm5DqWbF35HQm2_c9JGnuhQ/s1600/IMG_0952%255B1%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQQe6gw7bjd5Ij0oUX3g8a2tSAWdIAbc55fTWuodV5iRT5gWz6kxB_iy4aQjyugEieLJCRUiN-CiCK4YW1Orrc1EWQBu0dHRkNHYrxs0_QNNHi_758Huzpm5DqWbF35HQm2_c9JGnuhQ/s320/IMG_0952%255B1%255D.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMgGDF3ufdvgJO7G8WCZpIlAkVwGOm2i4Q7KC2JXzpe_Ww9x-P9FLh2VEp1PTTxamuAxFItNbxgnrsB-XyruyYpzlRouYNclctrQ1RVHOePkuBR373vqZV7POmbu6jUjLEK1mAFOsXzQ/s1600/IMG_0956%255B1%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMgGDF3ufdvgJO7G8WCZpIlAkVwGOm2i4Q7KC2JXzpe_Ww9x-P9FLh2VEp1PTTxamuAxFItNbxgnrsB-XyruyYpzlRouYNclctrQ1RVHOePkuBR373vqZV7POmbu6jUjLEK1mAFOsXzQ/s320/IMG_0956%255B1%255D.JPG" width="238" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I visited this sugar cane museum</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOXETMofsGDZ77i2MVnRsrCq_M-UUjUiw_ZzU_51Rhu1Tj_gr8pLmeB3-bap1J_NtY0K5jb3ncWsPibwhEuvtvKWBoutGd_1CeWplY25buY1UKgTcfcSRoOYkAvngDKnmRva-isGeMLA/s1600/P1010556-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOXETMofsGDZ77i2MVnRsrCq_M-UUjUiw_ZzU_51Rhu1Tj_gr8pLmeB3-bap1J_NtY0K5jb3ncWsPibwhEuvtvKWBoutGd_1CeWplY25buY1UKgTcfcSRoOYkAvngDKnmRva-isGeMLA/s1600/P1010556-3.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> Tucuman was one of the first industrialized sugar producers (thanks to the priest Fr. Colombres.....<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Colombres">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Colombres</a>...and of course the Jesuits who introduced the crop here. Interesting, all these catholic priest businessmen....which is why the Spanish shut them down..they'd obtained too much power and money and threatened the crown...Colombres was also a founding father, involved in the early congresses, etc.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The sugar industry, being labor intensive, was along with cotton, a big driver of the slave trade in the Caribbean and Brazil and of course here the wages were incredibly low. It's no wonder it became a center of marxist organizing pre-dictatorship..</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People%27s_Revolutionary_Army_(Argentina)">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People%27s_Revolutionary_Army_(Argentina)</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN22xaZbWKIcIpO9XAUa6TIfowiKMbObpBP1FZoXOo3cq8QZJ6t3aPgehnmJQYXSEuD4qGk_VtiBO0AiLvvZlKpOLWfJlVRc2Pd9-S3QtuqtAhUahYJwrWyODFXo7MeX0R1549I7k3Gg/s1600/cheerp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN22xaZbWKIcIpO9XAUa6TIfowiKMbObpBP1FZoXOo3cq8QZJ6t3aPgehnmJQYXSEuD4qGk_VtiBO0AiLvvZlKpOLWfJlVRc2Pd9-S3QtuqtAhUahYJwrWyODFXo7MeX0R1549I7k3Gg/s1600/cheerp.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">There was one heartbreaking photo of a group of young ERP guerrilla recruits...all handsome young Argentines with those big eager open smiles... I've never seen revolutionaries...and certainly not communists..look so sweet and loveable....it looked like a school field trip.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I met a really nice guy, Ariel, in a bookstore...nice name.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We spent a nice evening together, eating authentic local cuisine (humitas, tamales, empanadas, vino) and speaking Spanish. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVJmA_i91cl3gt9eyr8RrHiv2xKc7TM6gHDNSwM1jREjbAC6eJck7hwafqIVt1IMXTnq5o9dtyevnOyKKTi4XUJhroz-npSImbGDfT2mOVHGxmPqsjLL3EEt8oyiWYQkWk52_buIx0og/s1600/Humitas_en_chala_tipicas_de_Argentina8.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVJmA_i91cl3gt9eyr8RrHiv2xKc7TM6gHDNSwM1jREjbAC6eJck7hwafqIVt1IMXTnq5o9dtyevnOyKKTi4XUJhroz-npSImbGDfT2mOVHGxmPqsjLL3EEt8oyiWYQkWk52_buIx0og/s320/Humitas_en_chala_tipicas_de_Argentina8.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">These are humitas....they're like tamales but bigger, and they can be served this way or as a soup. The corn is bigger and chunkier than a tamale and there are different spices in it and it's often sweeter.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Anyway, Ariel is a painter, but makes his living as a photographer, thought he used to work at a hostal in Patagonia. We had an interesting discussion about foreign travelers as he spent years with them. He likes the French the best...lots of Argentines really identify with the French and maybe they are the French of South America. I didn't particularly agree as I perceive the French as kind of living in their own little French world and often unwilling to make eye contact. Having said that, I also met some nice French folks, and like Argentines I can say they are generally almost always clued-in, which makes them nice to have around. Myself, I like Scandinavians and Argentines...Scandinavians are fun and game for whatever and Argentines are just really friendly, down to earth and helpful and open. Sadly, Israelis came in last...we both agreed it was probably their living in a constant state of war, and almost all Israelis do their traveling after their military service which, of course, is brutal and hardening. I met a really nice Israeli last year, so generalizations are just that, but I also met the aggressive/cold ones who have a bad rep among hostals. It all just makes one feel really sad about the middle east and what it does to people (ditto with neoliberalism...Israel, along with the US, and increasingly Chile it appears, are pursuing the same no-holds-barred brutal capitalist model and it clearly does harden people and reduce their ability to empathize and connect...I may be going out on a limb here, but it feels like a thick one that could support a lot of weight. Of course, like Israel, the US is more or less in a constant state of war, though its further afield...and war eats the soul and is of course a very large part of the neoliberal model....war and violence and theft as integral to economic growth, really a hideous state of affairs.). Ariel thought Germans and Americans were the most critical of their own countries and that British girls were into volunteerism but the men strangely never were. He felt Australians, Brits, Canadians, Americans were all generally respectful. He also mentioned that it was really easy to meet girls as an Argentine or latin guy...you don't even have to write poetry, you just have to show up and the foreign girls are yours :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">He also had lots of interesting things to say about Tucuman...it's like Gotham he said, a very surreal place, all the opposites up against each other (rich/poor, very intellectual/very uneducated, agri/urban) and the place where everything in Argentine is tried first....if it works, it spreads, if not Tucuman just takes the hit of a bad idea. I like it a lot as I like all Argentine cities...they're really perfect little cities in terms of liveability and full of vitality and soul.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I'll try to find him on facebook for a pic. I would have photographed him today but he had a sudden work call and I'm leaving tonight, so it ain't gonna happen. Since his name is that of an angel..Ariel...perhaps he is one and isn't real and thus I can't see him again!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">anyway, buen rato (good time)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Trebor Healeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08018039526428776529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65018506315454606.post-15255359295887872112011-06-14T16:12:00.000-07:002011-06-15T09:21:02.131-07:00Tafi to Tucuman<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">An amazing hike up in the mts above Tafi Del Valle..I'd thought it would be a short morning constitutional, but I just kept going...the clouds were beautiful, but it was very cold and froze later that night. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Winter is weird here...often days are warm and nights freezing. There's rarely precipitation as most of the rain patterns in Argentina are more monsoon-like, ie rain during the warm seasons. Which makes it a great place to travel in winter. You can pretty much do everything, and up north here it's really very nice as you can see......</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrUDI5od2dz9u2f9cVCl3obn6SrPcuenPwm7GfLzHeyOoOH29kQc4PEIBsc5ipYssse_w4lmms8SS3UqdtB5xoyJJ9QuVFnXt7tL1yAP2VYSjHGTqQwKofuKyFZdFPnKFyayhCRf6qbw/s1600/IMG_0910.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrUDI5od2dz9u2f9cVCl3obn6SrPcuenPwm7GfLzHeyOoOH29kQc4PEIBsc5ipYssse_w4lmms8SS3UqdtB5xoyJJ9QuVFnXt7tL1yAP2VYSjHGTqQwKofuKyFZdFPnKFyayhCRf6qbw/s320/IMG_0910.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Pachamama!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pachamama">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pachamama</a></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Below is Hector, and he owns a restaurant in town....things are pretty slow here now that it's winter so there's like one or two people in each restaurant. This allowed me to meet a lot of mozos (waiters). Hector was very cool, very smart and we talked about all sorts of stuff, from the economy of Argentina, which he knew a lot about, to the sinking of the Graf Spee...<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_pocket_battleship_Admiral_Graf_Spee">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_pocket_battleship_Admiral_Graf_Spee</a>..(what it doesnt mention is that many of the crew stayed and settled in Argentina and there's a whole German town near Cordoba with a big Octoberfest that is full of German architecture and names and is apparently the product of this story, but Hector says it's a myth for tourists). Hector has a daughter in Holland. He met a Dutch traveler here and actually moved to Holland for awhile, but now they've split up.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We drank the below artesanal beer...almost as good as Sierra Nevada!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I had $ probs here...not only did Paypal block my account because I messed up the password (Paypal is great for sending deposits for renting apts, which I'm doing again in BsAs and Cordoba, and it's a way to have US$s which are hard and expensive to come by--I resolved it fortunately with a sob story email), but Tafi also only had one atm and it wouldn't accept my card... luckily the estancia relented and let me use a credit card. I don't know why it's so hard to use credit cards here. It was easy in Chile, pretty much like US, but Argentina is tough...they just want cash which means you're constantly having to go to the bank (and they often offer cash discounts when they do provide cc option, which at least makes it worth the trip to the bank). And the money here is a mess...falling apart bills and there are very few coins so people horde them and there is even a black market for coins as people need them desperately for public transportation (They still don't have swipable cards for buses, subways etc as is the norm everywhere else, including Chile, which incidentally has beautiful money (almost plastic-like, its tough and lasts forever). It can also be hard to change big bills, but since Argentines are so nice, they will take them if it's all you have, even if they have to go down the street to get change. Below is a common seen-better-days $2 peso Argentine bill:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha6n1vt5-Bdnntcx8WYr9i6EutizoFB1Yui7t8uCEgci-EiPP13mqCeikepiRubI7a4koYcRt7xjLUlSfny7asF_XXQOihNo3KubshvzIwlD9mZ7EZaatAKhbmXm6qJcZY6Y4s1ASPbQ/s1600/IMG_0945%255B1%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha6n1vt5-Bdnntcx8WYr9i6EutizoFB1Yui7t8uCEgci-EiPP13mqCeikepiRubI7a4koYcRt7xjLUlSfny7asF_XXQOihNo3KubshvzIwlD9mZ7EZaatAKhbmXm6qJcZY6Y4s1ASPbQ/s320/IMG_0945%255B1%255D.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Money is an issue when traveling for long periods, but even for short trips. The best thing I did was switch from Wells Fargo to Citibank, which has branches here. Wells charges $5 for each ATM withdrawl as do all non-intl. banks and I heard this lamentable fact over and over again from other travelers. I learned it last trip and made sure to find an intl. bank this time around. Citibank charges me 0 for atms and no transaction fee for cc purchases (the norm is 3%). So keep this in mind if you're traveling overseas. A little research has saved me over $1,000. The other bank you could use is HSBC but they require a huge balance in the acct and they also shot a customer in BsAs during the run on the banks in 2001, which is hardly encouraging customer service. Having said all that I was trying to buy US$ today and Citi won't sell them to me. That after an hour and half in line, which includes walled-off counter and a guard to keep things under control. No cell phones are allowed in the line....all this to keep order in a pretty disorganized country (there's a big to-do right now with new healthcare ID cards and it's a total mess with no one getting what they need and waiting in lines...Cristina declared her candidacy today and she'll get elected and none of this will change (maybe it's beyond her or anyone to fix). It's a huge prob for people here--my friend Eze had hell trying to get his passport renewed because the govt uses bad plastic coating which eventually erases yr name). Anyway, long lines for anything bureaucratic or money-related is the norm and I've been lucky in avoiding both. Thank god for atms, they work fine. (I needed $s for an apt deposit, but I can just use pesos and pay more...I'll happily pay $20 to avoid these lines). And thank god the Argentines smile when they tell you no, it makes it all easier and it clarifies that we're all sort of in this together. One must shrug and have a good cup of good coffee.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu0-s3j-T-Jn155uQoJuyY5nxn6ovRtZAdazkbQ8rSWHAZL8gxMhNpqDGX9hOfFH0gLU_ruQnTxAPsdpHquaU9tGZbjlKrjPUQ8LZjvFPS-62Jcsa3W-ONpv3ccgJobGdqibDE5SplHA/s1600/IMG_0930%255B1%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu0-s3j-T-Jn155uQoJuyY5nxn6ovRtZAdazkbQ8rSWHAZL8gxMhNpqDGX9hOfFH0gLU_ruQnTxAPsdpHquaU9tGZbjlKrjPUQ8LZjvFPS-62Jcsa3W-ONpv3ccgJobGdqibDE5SplHA/s320/IMG_0930%255B1%255D.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Sugar cane on the road to Tucuman.....</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Arrived today in San Miguel de Tucuman, an important city historically, where independence was declared and the constitution written and signed. It was also the site of a big battle led and won by General Belgrano (the only big battles against the Spanish in what is now Argentina all happened in this area and north....Tucuman, Salta, Jujuy and it was apparently rough on the people. Salta's flag is red to commemorate the bloodshed and the gauchos all wear red ponchos.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Tucuman is also the world's largest producer of lemons (the things you squirt on empanadas :), and is called the garden of Argentina. Two of Ezekiel's roommates de la familia Belgrano are Tucumanos</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Miguel_de_Tucum%C3%A1n,_Argentina">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Miguel_de_Tucum%C3%A1n,_Argentina</a></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">City Hall above with many protests across the street (clean water, more healthcare...there system is very strained.. jobs, education, etc.)</div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">the site of the declaration of independence above</div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">museo</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Belgrano! Looking very fey, and with his favorite chair</div><br />
</div>Trebor Healeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08018039526428776529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65018506315454606.post-79949540931944450002011-06-12T15:50:00.000-07:002011-06-13T06:56:49.018-07:00Crazy Indios of Cafayate<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Yes, this is one dramatic welcome to say the least. This ain't no happy Jesus.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhME8udBmemCxLv7M0F_WunOrWfYNaLgiVxHDcHRTd5eV05KTPQvwu6Icj99F1pamdadTQPB46V8o2JXHyDHWwtXHmUlD4wO_F3m2m3g7x0Jq06bCs1Q0SBOkaPthYKSlLvKYShXuJI6Q/s1600/IMG_0902.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhME8udBmemCxLv7M0F_WunOrWfYNaLgiVxHDcHRTd5eV05KTPQvwu6Icj99F1pamdadTQPB46V8o2JXHyDHWwtXHmUlD4wO_F3m2m3g7x0Jq06bCs1Q0SBOkaPthYKSlLvKYShXuJI6Q/s320/IMG_0902.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And this one is just up the road. Like I've said, I like the Mary shrines better, much more pagan, much more peaceful and sacred, sort of like the space found in meditation or the yin to the J-man's yang.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">But what's particuraly interesting about the below Mairan highway shrine is that it's set in a pile of stone and brambles reminiscent of the stone circles of Ireland that Isaac and I went hunting for outside of Cork. Which just proves my pagan point: It's about the rocks and plants and earth!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stone_circles">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stone_circles</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Note: the circles were not always 'constructed' especially in non-urban locales or where there weren't large concentrations. In those cases, they could be 'found'..as in fairy 'mounds'.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">There are lots of animals just walking around in Tafi...horses and donkeys on the side of the highway are certainly a hazard, but it's very Argentinian to go around them and just shrug. There are llamas at the estancia I'm staying at which is very charming. One of the little ones likes to follow me around. There are also dogs and cats.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Now and again I drop a few more bills to get my own bathroom or just to have respite from the hustle and bustle of hostels or the cheaper places. This place was still only $50 bucks a night, which is the most you ever need to spend here, though you can always drop 100s if you want of course. Hostels can be as low as $10-12 in a dorm, $15-$20 for your own room w/shared bathroom or a bit more for a single with bath. Budget hotels are about $30/night.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn3zWODMC_4mUfnZg0xOzDo-5_deNDhoFEZurt4G10ryyojbW2VlHM-U6U86R7lS8gn1kZ37LT7FaJN9MGxMKwJWwazwTwdBcE7o5hm8eU6tj2dl2IoO-19AZRNbRXTVuzKWP5NkcrMw/s1600/IMG_0905.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn3zWODMC_4mUfnZg0xOzDo-5_deNDhoFEZurt4G10ryyojbW2VlHM-U6U86R7lS8gn1kZ37LT7FaJN9MGxMKwJWwazwTwdBcE7o5hm8eU6tj2dl2IoO-19AZRNbRXTVuzKWP5NkcrMw/s320/IMG_0905.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I took a long snaking bus ride through the mountains on my here from Cafayate, with the local indigenous people getting on and off, razzing each other, cracking jokes. When we left there were two very drunk Indios with their sober girlfriends trying to talk sense to them: 'escuchame!' (listen to me). Very sad and reminiscent of what you can see in the States. I think the Indian population here is much more lost in that in-between space of their culture gone and yet they're not really getting any of the rewards of the new one. Up above Salta, it seems more chill, at least for the older Indians who live very much like they always have in towns that are their own, following their own traditions about pachamama (the earth mother..one story of which is that young people live together for two years before they get married to see if they're a match...good idea and pretty much what we've all adopted in modern society, though it's certainly presented probs for the Catholic church which like most places is sythesis of the indigenous religion with Catholicism). I don't see much tension socially between whites and Indians though, everyone seems to treat each other very respectfully and on the level--at least here or from my outside viewpoint. I've heard that Argentines use the term 'Bolivian' as an insult word (you can be Argentine, Mapuche, Peruvian, but they'll still call you a Bolivian) and if you see my early posts, a man told me Indians have no culture. But he was a 'Porteno' (Buenos Aires resident) and they're often noted for their old-fashioned Euro-centric views. And ghetto kids will be ghetto kids: there were three Indian boys on the bus in the usual ghetto-fab cool of Argentine (soccer style sweats, high end nikes, curly cues of hair on the crown or at the back dyed blond), beautiful to be sure, but playing their music on the bus (an annoying reality in both Chile and Arg...people using cell phones as boomboxes....a tinny sound with zero to recommend it) and basically wilding. The bus driver did nothing and as a foreigner it always feels inappropriate to say anything as I feel I'm a guest here. Fortunately on the next bus, the driver asked the guy to turn his cell phone off...music at 6 am...argh, get a clue. People live in their own friggin worlds. These people seem to have no sense that it might be inconsiderate, which is interesting, because one often assumes people know they are being annoying. A lot of times they don't. A lot of people live with tons of other people for instance and are accustomed to a lot of noise and have an ability to shut it out, which is likely the case for these kids. It's been very good for me to not let myself go to anger as I would in the US in similar circumstances.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">(also reading an interesting novel by Vargas Llosa ... <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Storyteller-Novel-Mario-Vargas-Llosa/dp/B003JTHUUW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1307972351&sr=8-1-spell">http://www.amazon.com/Storyteller-Novel-Mario-Vargas-Llosa/dp/B003JTHUUW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1307972351&sr=8-1-spell</a> ....about the Michaguenga people of the Amazon..they believe anger is the worst thing and upsets the balance of the universe). When one tries a different tack, the results are encouraging: My practice has been to note I'm annoyed, then to think about what I'm grateful for, how lucky I am, how short this trip is, how it's a learning experience -- including this noise-- and the anger tends to fall a way. Not asking for too much is really what this is about. I ask for too much back home because I feel on some level I have a right to it, that I've been conditioned to ask for it. But that's why Americans are an increasingly angry annoyed people as I see it. Hope I can hold this thought back in LA traffic! So, gracias annoying Indian boys, and thanks for at least being handsome about it :) There's always a silver lining somewhere...find it!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Sq0JbwEQLzmHwSgnMH_cT0zBOsJIl1EPof14OCtIgLPQvkdIKRPL7h2CIiil9XOpbYwSH5qpM0B2fZSV7ku5MzIOPOjcuNgog-uYbuYHsbZpKq4DW9-slUou4vvfJYfmqseCg-Apzg/s1600/IMG_0884.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Sq0JbwEQLzmHwSgnMH_cT0zBOsJIl1EPof14OCtIgLPQvkdIKRPL7h2CIiil9XOpbYwSH5qpM0B2fZSV7ku5MzIOPOjcuNgog-uYbuYHsbZpKq4DW9-slUou4vvfJYfmqseCg-Apzg/s320/IMG_0884.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Speaking of being a guest, I present Nathan, one of the few Americans I've met down here (don't know where they all are, but we discussed that Americans seem to be less and less adventurous--plus they only get short vacations (we are the drudges of the first world), or when they are, they're high-end about it. You rarely meet them in hostels which is a shame as in many ways it's where the next generation is connecting across borders with each other--well the next educated, middle class generation anyway...but they are the people who end up decison-makers so it's worth noting. But like Nathan pointed out, if you're an American everyone rags on you for Iraq, Bush, etc. But that's always been so, it happened about Reagan and Grenada and his shameless drug dealing when I was traveling in Europe. The cost of empire I suppose, but it's really tiring listening to Europeans judge Americans when the US is basically their offspring, their protector and far less racist in my opinion. It doesn't help that Americans tend to have a weak grasp of history/politics generally, but we at least deal with racism....look no further than the suburbs of Paris or Berlin to see how Europeans handle the issue. Or the new film <i>Biutiful </i>from Spain which confronts the issue of African immigrants. OK, not to get all Estadounidense, but I find delusion disturbing. Latin Americans have far more reason to hate the US historically, but the smart ones all know it's a mixture of US pressure and their own internal dark side that has produced some of the horrors of recent history (both dictatorships here for instance). Anyway, back to Nathan...he worked for two months on a ranch in Patagonia, is from Alaska, and has worked on political campaigns from Siberia to Ukraine to Iowa. Very accomplished for his 25 years and heading to law school in the fall. His Spanish was interesting as he learned it while working as opposed to the usual method of studying in classes. I notice these type learners talk faster and just slam through, unconcerned by mistakes, which is great on one level in terms of confidence but has its drawbacks obviously. We had an interesting discussion about 'asking questions'. He asks tons of questions...why can't I use the bathroom? why are you closed, is it siesta? I find too many questions 'muy estadounidense' and feel it's best to accept answers given while traveling. Like why do you need to know why you can't use the bathroom? The case in point: the Indian mucama, or maid, was afraid of her boss finding out since the place was closed. I totally understand that, so I went next door. Anyway, it's this whole American thing of challenging everything, which is of course our strength and our weakness. Nathan said something funny: I work in politics, it isn't about listening, its about talking. So true. Anyway, this is also my own pride. I don't like coming off typcially 'American' and you really ARE an ambassador for your culture when you travel, and I think it's a big responsibility--and can be fun...I like surprising people...in the end, you do have to concede the US is a pain in the ass, but it's a better pain in the ass than the empires that preceded it...for most people anyway. We could certainly do better, and the disappointment in Obama is noticeable...I always say, 'he's intelligent, he's the best we have, and after Bush, you have to realize how important that is. He's not a butcher or an ideologue and he's up against a conservative, misinformed and easily manipulated population.' It's also a little sad to see what American culture is out here in the world: Britney Spears, Coca Cola, Chevy, religious fundamentalism. There's all the rest too, but these are the most visible--or maybe just to me...we all see our through our own particuular lens. Sorry, that all must sound a bit curmudgeonly, but there is beautiful music in the world (right here), nice vino (right here) and Paso del Los Toros pomelo light soda!, cute Fiats and spiritual traditions with real depth (again, right here...Pachamama!). I suppose it's not just America, the world is going this way...and who knows what will come of it...maybe something good, you never know--but only if things ain't what they seem....which they aren't!!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Sq0JbwEQLzmHwSgnMH_cT0zBOsJIl1EPof14OCtIgLPQvkdIKRPL7h2CIiil9XOpbYwSH5qpM0B2fZSV7ku5MzIOPOjcuNgog-uYbuYHsbZpKq4DW9-slUou4vvfJYfmqseCg-Apzg/s1600/IMG_0884.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_4GWJvEV2F_oTMyfgOcZoS7Q6IzlTd4IKNnG0cfUaopnu3GFuY-q6pTddb9ZCWCGZUk9OKH0d_Kw66GbymvXBOdwTFmjKaRByDuAAad3jqEuHWJzDBdmY8xOhYSvPbpnLJCreS6qK0Q/s1600/IMG_0883.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_4GWJvEV2F_oTMyfgOcZoS7Q6IzlTd4IKNnG0cfUaopnu3GFuY-q6pTddb9ZCWCGZUk9OKH0d_Kw66GbymvXBOdwTFmjKaRByDuAAad3jqEuHWJzDBdmY8xOhYSvPbpnLJCreS6qK0Q/s320/IMG_0883.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Nathan and I hiked this canyon and got a ride back by one of those just wonderfully friendly and beautiful Argentine families who shared mate with us and showed exactly how to be a great ambassador of your culture. They should run workshops for everyone else on the planet! :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is anecdotal, but I hitchhiked for 20 mins in Chile with no ride, and in Argentina, I hitchhiked for 10 seconds, my thumb raised once and I made a whole group of new friends :) </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGjhGtfo4YWRXP7g-G9eoMl_hFd7_VnLMaz7kY67KnUhvlVGQOTOP0ly5S4kOg4vzETInhKJmTbtORlGZdXnW_veqE0kOrHXn5L229cjhQwrZukG-VTGFviDLUZfQ6AfPb_WcLNIuq5Q/s1600/IMG_0885.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGjhGtfo4YWRXP7g-G9eoMl_hFd7_VnLMaz7kY67KnUhvlVGQOTOP0ly5S4kOg4vzETInhKJmTbtORlGZdXnW_veqE0kOrHXn5L229cjhQwrZukG-VTGFviDLUZfQ6AfPb_WcLNIuq5Q/s320/IMG_0885.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Viva Argentinos! Los Amables!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">(Marco, in the middle is a mountain guide out of Mendoza)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Below is a beautiful old Jesuit church/estancia from the 18th c. Very chill or 'tranquilo' as they say here. I would definitely live there, and the bedsprings made from gut/sinew/tendons?? (someone tell me, I ain't no farmboy) were especially interesting.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKe20SXatXRE4eb2kAAdjwoM3IgP-Kkt7_dvioI4DT0VgFNVkL-cXsE2Ho5AKeuNaCjGaBsomzPsJAQfCxbmwnyl8kZLd0uFD-5_ibPJlqgBDUzz4l5mMgyt6Ojvn35U1n000dVBBlKQ/s1600/IMG_0896.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKe20SXatXRE4eb2kAAdjwoM3IgP-Kkt7_dvioI4DT0VgFNVkL-cXsE2Ho5AKeuNaCjGaBsomzPsJAQfCxbmwnyl8kZLd0uFD-5_ibPJlqgBDUzz4l5mMgyt6Ojvn35U1n000dVBBlKQ/s320/IMG_0896.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Pachamama, or an indigenous version of Mary in the church in Tafi</div><br />
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</div>Trebor Healeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08018039526428776529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65018506315454606.post-46758044267352289542011-06-10T18:08:00.000-07:002011-06-11T06:17:44.876-07:00Farewell Salta, but the mountains continue...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This has been a great stop, and I'll miss Salta</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtE5Er7IwHVEscOxqjnlNigVEH6AIkimrHIIk8YsKhCPxjQf7yqhzcos3zRHvtSzMlG6ib2uWWp5TgDK-LUtWckBuV3a9D1n09UjMRZMLVZYfTnopAtGqa39ufQX5_x6k22OoJQ-CwaQ/s1600/IMG_0869.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtE5Er7IwHVEscOxqjnlNigVEH6AIkimrHIIk8YsKhCPxjQf7yqhzcos3zRHvtSzMlG6ib2uWWp5TgDK-LUtWckBuV3a9D1n09UjMRZMLVZYfTnopAtGqa39ufQX5_x6k22OoJQ-CwaQ/s320/IMG_0869.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">a final beer</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">a final cafe...and I love how all apt bldgs are dominated by the gigantor cafe foundation on the first floor :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKGgRLMcg9lb3VCDuGwNTiHTckz7hl2_M3Kg9Rqb5mKvklDdrZFRJmZ3PHmLjOwgsq_LrQKREOcbvLifdNRtyQnDzbpHlKgglbMbwpWXOyPbMifSFYiPILAmYJtjPRfUe15uJ7JkXmeA/s1600/IMG_0872.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKGgRLMcg9lb3VCDuGwNTiHTckz7hl2_M3Kg9Rqb5mKvklDdrZFRJmZ3PHmLjOwgsq_LrQKREOcbvLifdNRtyQnDzbpHlKgglbMbwpWXOyPbMifSFYiPILAmYJtjPRfUe15uJ7JkXmeA/s320/IMG_0872.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A final stroll in one of their very Italian parks, with lots of cafes and parillas and boats, etc.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX310MtQwVcHkd4YNKp_Li6R61Jv1QKSUc9XxMR94poQVJ7rve-nCZBW5KmnH19EOL8BRO-ecY1542OF1Wykh_OL9m6GvovTAcGmQqigxmCMbI2VqAz1hwvYgX4-mdQMl5nR5aReo9dw/s1600/IMG_0871.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX310MtQwVcHkd4YNKp_Li6R61Jv1QKSUc9XxMR94poQVJ7rve-nCZBW5KmnH19EOL8BRO-ecY1542OF1Wykh_OL9m6GvovTAcGmQqigxmCMbI2VqAz1hwvYgX4-mdQMl5nR5aReo9dw/s320/IMG_0871.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">a lovely corner</div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">the door to Casona del Marino, which I walked out of at 1 am. There are tragic stories in Zamba too (the name of Salteno folklorico) as I learned from Naomi when we passed a statue in Jujuy of a man named Jorge Cafrune ..<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jorge_Cafrune">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jorge_Cafrune</a>...murdered by the dictatorship for refusing to not sing his song Zamba de mi esperanza ....<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOWEl0c7ypI&feature=fvst">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOWEl0c7ypI&feature=fvst</a>....murdered for singing about hope...these guys were the worst, these friggin Argentine generals....very Pinochetista of them...see story of Victor Jara in my Chilean posts...he was also murdered for daring to give people hope in a rightwing bastion of keeping the poor in their place. At least I've never met anyone who defends Videla, though I'm sure they're out there.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The music survives and the dictatorship is dead.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And the mountains are forever as my trip to Cafayate illustrates. And what an amazing ride....</div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">One of many hippie settlements along the highway, complete with dred-locked denizens who got on and off the bus as we traveled along. Sweeter still, a little Indian boy hopped on the bus, and a few miles later, hopped off. The driver picks him up everyday and drops him off to walk 3 hours up into the canyons where lives. He looked like a happy kid...it's a memorable childhood he's living....</div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Cafayate is wine country...most famous for Torrontes, a dry white I haven't tried yet because I generally don't like white wine. I'm in a cafe now writing this enjoying some Argentine company and an American girl from Boston who has settled here.</div><br />
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</div>Trebor Healeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08018039526428776529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65018506315454606.post-13060954340256602232011-06-09T09:56:00.003-07:002011-06-10T18:16:51.361-07:00Music, Mountains, My Drug Habit<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It's true, I've fallen for the coca leaf. But don't worry, you'd need a kilo and a load of chemicals to turn it into the contraband drug that has destroyed millions. The leaf is more like tea, and tastes great...sort of like artichokes. I really like it and you can buy it all over, though it's illegal to cultivate it in Argentina. It's not even legal to have the leaf in the US, so I won't be able to bring any back with me, and let's hope there isn't a leftover leaf in my luggage or I'm cooked good. You basically use it the same way you use chewing tobacco, but it's far mellower (that stuff should be illegal and is definitely a drug) and you don't have to spit as it tastes great and you swallow the juice.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4BSdnZHwBCNPUd1VS6MAE_uCDeLV-1Phe6xtHQYAtfZYq4O_qiNcCnNjiX5qUK6Q8r7Ha8w_-HQop_PiRMrsR1fF3ZQraCv_9h4ai4VE7ht0yx7Bi1ceRm8dYBt6IL90lvcYoZgBmow/s1600/IMG_0796.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4BSdnZHwBCNPUd1VS6MAE_uCDeLV-1Phe6xtHQYAtfZYq4O_qiNcCnNjiX5qUK6Q8r7Ha8w_-HQop_PiRMrsR1fF3ZQraCv_9h4ai4VE7ht0yx7Bi1ceRm8dYBt6IL90lvcYoZgBmow/s320/IMG_0796.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is the amazing Rodrigo, who I met at a folklorico place called Casona del Marino, an old mansion that hosts drop-in musicians. I've been here 3 nights running as it's simply amazing. Very low-key, great food (I spend $5 for a pile of tamales, humita and empanadas with the hottest salsa I've found thus far--Mexican-style, yes!), vino and great people like Rodrigo who befriended me my first night there and has been a pal since, introducing me to his poet friends and other musicians. Below is a video of him playing, and you'll see why I'm so impressed. He's very good:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And here are some more songs he played for me by other artists:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOBhtkqx9AQ">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOBhtkqx9AQ</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbstnLLqFnE&feature=fvst">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbstnLLqFnE&feature=fvst</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">He also works at a mountaineering store where I started this blog today.....only in Argentina: a mountaineering store complete with espresso and wine bar :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Yesterday I went up the valley to Pumamarca, Tilcara and Humahuaca, indigenous towns on the road to Bolivia. Rodrigo's mother is Bolivian, and many people here are more mestizo than the rest of Argentina due to the large indigenous population. Rodrigo's folklorico music is the perfect accompaniment to this amazing and colorful dry mountain landscape, land of rugged gauchos and home to Fede who you met in my Cordoba entries and who I will see next week.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Note the cemetery which looks like a mini town and is always placed above the town to bring the dead closer to the heavens</div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The ruins at Tilcara where the indigenous people fought off the Spanish...for awhile. The Incas were here as well and had a big effect on the culutre before the Spanish arrived.</div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">here you can see the wood inside a cactus</div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A marker for the Tropic of Capricorn for what it's worth. I have many Capricorn friends so it has sentimental value :)</div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Nice butt on this statue commemorating the area's importance in the struggle for independence</div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Our charming Argentine guide, Naomi. We had a great group of almost all Argentines. Many fun shouting discussions and mate passed about. These people know how to have fun :)</div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Magda, from Puerto Rico, and Atlanta more recently. We shared a bottle of Salta beer before she headed east on her bus...she was my helpful teacher on the tour (It was all Spanish and I kept up generally which is a nice change). Magda also kept me full up with coca leaves.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Below....All things Belgrano. </div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaXmK7XZ58hJu-OmaJwUk2NsQ28IwYNpxox5U2gxoZfUtUl3INImxV-BajAPsb-0VAJlscuIip-gCpxgBvMoygGy-UZBNHYkDNRr8beSEv7wknrcugQkBFx4vGjOzpQkW8cyJHa1BlpQ/s1600/IMG_0791.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaXmK7XZ58hJu-OmaJwUk2NsQ28IwYNpxox5U2gxoZfUtUl3INImxV-BajAPsb-0VAJlscuIip-gCpxgBvMoygGy-UZBNHYkDNRr8beSEv7wknrcugQkBFx4vGjOzpQkW8cyJHa1BlpQ/s320/IMG_0791.JPG" width="238" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Manuel Belgrano....<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manuel_Belgrano">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manuel_Belgrano</a>...is one of Argentine's founding fathers, and along with San Martin....<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_de_San_Mart%C3%ADn">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_de_San_Mart%C3%ADn</a>...is probably the most honored in plazas, streets, statues, etc. Belgrano and San Martin are sort of like the Ben Franklin and George Washington of Argentine. Both good guys with no personal ambitions who basically just did what was of the most service. Belgrano was an economist who was asked to be a general and ended up the hero of northern Argentina, driving the Spanish out of Salta, Jujuy etc. He was also instrumental in creating the constitution and a bunch of other stuff. It's also suspected he was gay...never married and he apparently always liked wearing his white pants, and many of his depictions are a bit on the nancy side. He also designed the Argentine flag, which is the prettiest flag on earth. The Union Jack may be cool, but the Argentine flag is still the prettiest and sweetest and has to be the most convincing evidence of Belgrano's gay soul. Me and Eze and Fede have joked about him a lot, but we like him when all is said and done....because he's a good solid guy, humble, who basically lived his life according to what his karma more or less threw in front of him. I now call any gay person who lives that way 'living la vida Belgrano' because we need a term for those who aren't closeted, and not on the down-low, but who live generally outside the gay scene. I've been living the vida Belgrano for quite some time, and most of my friends do as well :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Knock off the 'de' in the pic of the magazine above and that boy is living la vida belgrano!</div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Memorial in Parque San Martin with a poem by Neruda. Nice to see some Chilean/Argentine rapprochement. They're usually two completely separate worlds.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2m3RYmrfbGX39BYVVTd0xHcxYDzePB0HcTX1cvfhwqEYKBwUwRLXFnV4YJXzmMY1ZPrbTyhOi1Ra0WfF8K_cLWZeC9nINjqDwy8GYHTfI8aINA1UE84o4KW6SXrioau94otY3oczw9Q/s1600/IMG_0842%255B1%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2m3RYmrfbGX39BYVVTd0xHcxYDzePB0HcTX1cvfhwqEYKBwUwRLXFnV4YJXzmMY1ZPrbTyhOi1Ra0WfF8K_cLWZeC9nINjqDwy8GYHTfI8aINA1UE84o4KW6SXrioau94otY3oczw9Q/s320/IMG_0842%255B1%255D.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A rare statue of Juan Peron. This is the first I've seen in my travels. There's also an Evita statue in Plaza Evita Duarte de Peron of her leaning down to help a little kid...the usual sentimental benefactor rendering. It's weird you rarely see them honored like this when their presence is so huge in Argentina's history. Of course it's controversial. A President depicted in a statue with a military uniform on is hardly suggestive of the democratic ideal.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Below is the beautiful Parque San Lorenzo where Rodrigo sent me this afternoon, raving of its beauty. A short bus ride and I was in heaven. Lots of trees here in Salta...an odd climate. Very dry, but there are these clouds that sit in the canyons, Big Sur - like, and they create these mossy fern-full forests. Salta is really a beautiful place, possibly the prettiest city in Argentina...I find myself just walking around humming folklorico and whispering ..Salta, la linda...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoGOmdcVYnGWdrjr5vWzQBwcmamMDMkRw99-yx8in_gZhBXCIBrcqZcISiEXq3lPltmlSY60WwAL1N8P8Vo1H8qk-yj0F8dq1wxa0G7Yb7WNF_uCKwYEewkiIc6irHQXn4s1lfXk51mw/s1600/IMG_0844%255B1%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoGOmdcVYnGWdrjr5vWzQBwcmamMDMkRw99-yx8in_gZhBXCIBrcqZcISiEXq3lPltmlSY60WwAL1N8P8Vo1H8qk-yj0F8dq1wxa0G7Yb7WNF_uCKwYEewkiIc6irHQXn4s1lfXk51mw/s320/IMG_0844%255B1%255D.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A bird's eye view of Salta. In the foreground you can see some of the big homes of San Lorenzo where Salta's rich obviously live.</div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Well I'm craving tamales and jonesing for some Rodrigo tunes...off to Casona del Marino!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Trebor Healeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08018039526428776529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65018506315454606.post-285246428496576452011-06-07T05:49:00.000-07:002011-06-07T17:21:52.168-07:00Crossing Over<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This has got to be one of the longest mountain passes..there's like an entire world up top, with salt flats, long flat deserts, wild donkeys, and here and there some indigenous settlements.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Volcanoes below:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">As you can see, that snow is left over from the storm that left me trapped in San Pedro for two additional days waiting for it to open. It was actually a nice break for me and I wrote like a fiend and have almost completed a really good close-to-final draft of my novel <i>A Horse Named Sorrow</i>. I just holed up in a cafe with its great propietors, Ruben and Ivan and one other guy who had two sweet kids, Antoine 5 and Gaspar 1, Antoine having the honor of being the wifi password so he had some small fame among travelers. All the stranded came and went, jockeying for other methods of traveling, some heading south, others reserving with questionable outfits claiming other 'routes'. In the end, most of us ended up on the bus Sunday, and I'm glad I wasted no time looking for alternatives. Everything comes to he who waits the Tao would say. Of course, I'm under way less pressure than some of these folks on two-week vacations with reservations and flights imminent.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Anyway, we sort of grew into a little social circle, so that was sort of fun...a French woman, a Korean girl, a crazy Norwegian girl who was great fun, along with her Chilean friend, an interesting Canadian guy who studies physics and astronomy and who I had a lovely dinner with, the two ridiculously handsome, charming and sweet Argentine guys who work at Ezeiza (the main BsAs airport) and ended up missing work for a few days, and some other French and Belgians. Not meeting many Americans out here.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I sat next to Luke on the bus, a 24 yr old Australian who I think is going to get the most amazing traveler award if I had it to give after all these people I've met. Australians are just amazing travelers, and Luke was a perfect example. He travels completely without limits, hiking volcanoes, hitchhiking, renting bikes for a week at a time, one pair of jeans, sleeping anywhere, dodging land mines left over from the Chile/Peru Pacific War of a century ago (there are still lives mines left over in the desert), literally walking whole days to reach villages he wants to see. He met his girlfriend on top of a volcano and was going back to Salta to pick up his new bank card, the first having snapped in his pocket when he was doing a handstand. I first met him way up near the Antiplanico Lakes and then he reappeared at the bus. Quite a character, and a geologist to boot, and he had great tips for the Salta area so I've totally adjusted my trip to see some other places I'd likely not have visited. Thank you Luke!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Finally arriving in Salta, we all stumbled off in different directions. Luke hopped on a 30-hour bus to Rio to visit his girlfriend. And I've been enjoying Salta, writing tons, back in the cafe culture in Argentina...enormous cafes on nearly every corner, with superlative coffee :)</div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Lots of orange trees in Salta...everyone calls it Salta La Linda (Salta the pretty). It sort of lives in an eternal spring, never too hot or too cold. It's been fresca each morning with lovely sunny days. If my Dad ever leaves the US this is the place for him :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Behind this statue is the trail up to Cerro San Bernardo that I hiked. I wrote some more at the cafe up top. Great having this little tiny computer you can carry anywhere. So glad I brought it along.</div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Beautiful pepper and jacaranda trees everywhere</div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">One of my dog friends. There are lots of stray dogs in South America as I've mentioned. Generally they are well-behaved and sweet-natured and I think now it's a better system than rounding them up and euthanizing them as we do. Yes, we have pet adoption, but for anyone who knows someone in dog rescue, you soon learn the reality that most are euthanized. These street dogs seem to find enough food and rarely beg. This dog, Oscar, hiked with me half the day (Oscar because he's dark--spanish word for dark is oscuro.) My last dog friend was an Alsatian named Salvador in Valparaiso. Eventually they wander off, but they are like other travelers I've met, friends for a short spell. I've grown fonder of dogs on this trip, blest by the kindness of perros callejeros.</div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A bad picture, sorry, but I promised Fede a pic of Salta Negra beer :)</div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And this one's for Ezequiel...my favorite soda in South America which I really miss...more or less like Fresca with only a touch of sugar, unlike the way too sweet bilz in Chile, though I do still like the bilz baby, my favorite mascot creature encountered thus far</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFvblJaP2ykqlWGZm_vL1VKmXbzOsPTVpRztSCkFmOLBa9sf2WnqsJC7NJrWqmQjLraYiA43RQ3c0oHsNb4t4oaH8Ha_CKUFrWB4fCtEdjB4IK2HVZx52NROSanoZYP1JzmTygsm8ZpQ/s1600/246830_1906233488354_1017284661_32154483_2208157_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFvblJaP2ykqlWGZm_vL1VKmXbzOsPTVpRztSCkFmOLBa9sf2WnqsJC7NJrWqmQjLraYiA43RQ3c0oHsNb4t4oaH8Ha_CKUFrWB4fCtEdjB4IK2HVZx52NROSanoZYP1JzmTygsm8ZpQ/s320/246830_1906233488354_1017284661_32154483_2208157_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I do love Argentina and feel very comfortable here. I think it's just that I'm more like these people personality wise. I like to talk to strangers, kids, basically see no reason not to be warm and friendly with everyone. People just smile here from ear to ear. Folks were very sweet up in San Pedro, and it reminded me how I really prefer the small towns of Chile to the cities where people are more reserved like American city people. Chileans are very nice generally as well, but you have to break through to them, and sometimes they seem impolite which is true I think of a lot of Americans and French. My anecdotal take on it anyway after 4 months walking these streets. What I really miss here in Argentina is that they don't just say hi, they smile and greet you with all they've got, and they don't just say thank you every single time and say your welcome, they effuse.....no, no, no, no, no, de nada!! That's basically the long Argentine your welcome...its like saying, of course, don't even think about it, anytime. People call it the Italian influence and that's likely the source.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">On the other hand, there's a dark side. While Chile is organized and straightforward, more or less US-style (really uncanny how similar Chile and US are on many levels. Any Estadounidense would be very comfortable traveling in Chile and I recommend it), Argentina is pretty rife with scandal and corruption, as evidenced anytime you pick up a newspaper, of which this article is a perfect example:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">(Say it aint so, even the arguably most saintly group of people, the Mothers of the Disappeared accused of money laundering, and they're tied at the hip to Cristina so it's just the operatic gossip mill of Argentine politics once again, which seems to be business as usual. Oh well, this is the land of Evita after all!)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://swineflu.nicheofpower.com/news/Mothers-of-the-Plaza-de-Mayo.html">http://swineflu.nicheofpower.com/news/Mothers-of-the-Plaza-de-Mayo.html</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A wider, South American issue is the effort to give Bolivia a port. The port it once had was taken by the Chileans in the War of the Pacific 100 years ago. The OAS (Org for Am States) discussed this the other day along with the Malvinas (Falklands) issue.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.bolivianstudies.org/journal/2001_07.htm#Same Space, Different Dreams:">http://www.bolivianstudies.org/journal/2001_07.htm#Same Space, Different Dreams:</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I'll add more pics here later today.....here they are!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9j2opnvVcW4A0sMhnUfspJjpiEQJVbtu3IBTAiKiPsi3iEXZVVD26-c0iqZZv3KkdBTKXq_ImFPq9Rhhapi1YNRhj9t1S6pUTuDdHdCrPwvOE1KrQdgJF4C9nwcANpZFzri2VfTbpUQ/s1600/IMG_0782%255B1%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9j2opnvVcW4A0sMhnUfspJjpiEQJVbtu3IBTAiKiPsi3iEXZVVD26-c0iqZZv3KkdBTKXq_ImFPq9Rhhapi1YNRhj9t1S6pUTuDdHdCrPwvOE1KrQdgJF4C9nwcANpZFzri2VfTbpUQ/s320/IMG_0782%255B1%255D.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirFmn8OvPKKfBGMyLpuq_Be-Op0rCCyIxsIvHcoE5JeP12RjenLLgQXHw_bUS97vXnv9WqqaLY8W9YiOM3hQRvuwa7RYHOzuXMn3twWM_RAQ1aEBsrFk1G97GcdtlYdN4vb_wnLxhbiA/s1600/IMG_0779%255B1%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirFmn8OvPKKfBGMyLpuq_Be-Op0rCCyIxsIvHcoE5JeP12RjenLLgQXHw_bUS97vXnv9WqqaLY8W9YiOM3hQRvuwa7RYHOzuXMn3twWM_RAQ1aEBsrFk1G97GcdtlYdN4vb_wnLxhbiA/s320/IMG_0779%255B1%255D.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB0GpjbjjxmSQTYoj1YZ2tSLMYdrVQU-l0RS1AAkw9CewfiK16i-dQaGWNdC1kQlaLSnTKzbcPocCYP6u29T5liscE83CPgqG-41mrrlhfUYjnklPWdCYkrRXY9SjabkiII2zIWUEJuQ/s1600/IMG_0784%255B1%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB0GpjbjjxmSQTYoj1YZ2tSLMYdrVQU-l0RS1AAkw9CewfiK16i-dQaGWNdC1kQlaLSnTKzbcPocCYP6u29T5liscE83CPgqG-41mrrlhfUYjnklPWdCYkrRXY9SjabkiII2zIWUEJuQ/s320/IMG_0784%255B1%255D.JPG" width="238" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRi5syiYDWW6_visOc-vguj6VbDfa2-g6T6_HPhnaQqjEtcL3b_zduUJPWPfI49kxVLzOXjHh7J0mXB4iq9PYpATHuvxLidNyCkwUMjPl4eqeHW2O3W_QbMP3VJj05NIuaytb6qAlVQg/s1600/IMG_0783%255B1%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRi5syiYDWW6_visOc-vguj6VbDfa2-g6T6_HPhnaQqjEtcL3b_zduUJPWPfI49kxVLzOXjHh7J0mXB4iq9PYpATHuvxLidNyCkwUMjPl4eqeHW2O3W_QbMP3VJj05NIuaytb6qAlVQg/s320/IMG_0783%255B1%255D.JPG" width="238" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnOqlsP-xtZMJxObUtHzectVL-KOLVFsynq4gC3rfdxYHVQH-mtnLdKZxg2_zx792b1CHMfLqk1nasbz4XD2V_33yqcZPYde7sLo5mvD84FfKVwtovnZDbstwl8sAVZae-6zF89Wl30g/s1600/IMG_0780%255B1%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnOqlsP-xtZMJxObUtHzectVL-KOLVFsynq4gC3rfdxYHVQH-mtnLdKZxg2_zx792b1CHMfLqk1nasbz4XD2V_33yqcZPYde7sLo5mvD84FfKVwtovnZDbstwl8sAVZae-6zF89Wl30g/s320/IMG_0780%255B1%255D.JPG" width="238" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6M_9saWa4m6jVjWfRfa2av-PImF8YLmkMCvIJDSdysEw8zejaeMytV39JYE9eZW-exif9kjqnKKAvVp8oAuz3QX8XCpqSm35WB9At6lFyw5aIULLePyY2vnARDkp_HUvj8lRokVHP1w/s1600/IMG_0781%255B1%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6M_9saWa4m6jVjWfRfa2av-PImF8YLmkMCvIJDSdysEw8zejaeMytV39JYE9eZW-exif9kjqnKKAvVp8oAuz3QX8XCpqSm35WB9At6lFyw5aIULLePyY2vnARDkp_HUvj8lRokVHP1w/s320/IMG_0781%255B1%255D.JPG" width="238" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQjvC2pLa_xpC_2pMR4dTvXeYvJsyYZcZGOt3cyJi5qCjCbM6ORGHwuOsievd7agDEXwD_Q38GV66_YDlhN_6Q2XaZmeCf1AUOGPzHhTFuojx1Gi96t-H-up8rSkyPhOLe0mX1t2rVeA/s1600/IMG_0785%255B1%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQjvC2pLa_xpC_2pMR4dTvXeYvJsyYZcZGOt3cyJi5qCjCbM6ORGHwuOsievd7agDEXwD_Q38GV66_YDlhN_6Q2XaZmeCf1AUOGPzHhTFuojx1Gi96t-H-up8rSkyPhOLe0mX1t2rVeA/s320/IMG_0785%255B1%255D.JPG" width="238" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Q-n3qWTvGyux8C2uVo-UjRHZ3u6_PpmRVzMJKdeQXXhpKLozZ2aXcxDlNR9hUBRhmqx-rcW4IZsNpOVVKnXrK6wrs0z1HOxuWk40k7aMMpQQX99F-8YQ3Hm4ew1Ll6Y08pIDE3o0Pw/s1600/IMG_0790%255B1%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Q-n3qWTvGyux8C2uVo-UjRHZ3u6_PpmRVzMJKdeQXXhpKLozZ2aXcxDlNR9hUBRhmqx-rcW4IZsNpOVVKnXrK6wrs0z1HOxuWk40k7aMMpQQX99F-8YQ3Hm4ew1Ll6Y08pIDE3o0Pw/s320/IMG_0790%255B1%255D.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I met Mercedes in a shop and she offered me mate...this is a great milestone...when a stranger offers you their mate, you must accept and it's an offer of friendship. She puts sugar in her mate which was a first for me and actually quite good.</div><br />
</div>Trebor Healeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08018039526428776529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65018506315454606.post-53602812278766579102011-06-03T11:52:00.000-07:002011-06-03T11:52:38.840-07:00Still in Chile<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #500050; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"></span><br />
<div>Well, I'm trapped in San Pedro for now...my bus was not allowed to cross the Andes after waiting 3 hours in the desert staring out at the snowy peaks. The stories kept changing....they're clearing it....there's too much ice....it'll open in a half hour. In the end, the Carabineros turned us back, and I rushed back to my hostal, hoping they'd have a room (this town is very crowded, with tourists pouring in and out daily). They had an open double, so I grabbed it. A few bucks more than a single, but it was that or the dormitory, which I'm just too old for at this point. So I'm in my third room at this hostal :) I like it a lot though, so all's well that end's well. Let's hope they let us across tomorrow...</div><div><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBoNj2ubEwzh7M5TEYfBk3AjhYmMdm4aZ9_QVd8TwEvt4UK6naWGOO3tlkEUujA6fhICqezD5uUKS255Uer-V4fuX379Ai1tliZrC86VdUltUs2QC8Q9UXqXyQGbV2cpQR1PWoCsR8xg/s1600/IMG_0742.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBoNj2ubEwzh7M5TEYfBk3AjhYmMdm4aZ9_QVd8TwEvt4UK6naWGOO3tlkEUujA6fhICqezD5uUKS255Uer-V4fuX379Ai1tliZrC86VdUltUs2QC8Q9UXqXyQGbV2cpQR1PWoCsR8xg/s320/IMG_0742.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">You've probably noticed my blog has suddenly become less political, now that I'm away from the city. But of course, history and politics exist everywhere, albeit stage left, or hidden as is so often the case in the desert. There's a new film coming out that was shot in this desert about the disappeared of the Pinochet era, many of whom were apparently secretly buried in the desert. See the below links...thanks Julie Connery for the heads-up:</div><div><br />
</div><div><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/17/movies/patricio-guzmans-nostalgia-for-the-light-to-open.html?ref=chile" style="color: #0000cc;" target="_blank">http://www.nytimes.com/2011/<wbr></wbr>03/17/movies/patricio-guzmans-<wbr></wbr>nostalgia-for-the-light-to-<wbr></wbr>open.html?ref=chile</a></div><div><br />
</div><div>Guzman, as mentioned, shot the amazing Battle for Chile, mentioned in the above article, and previously in my blog. It's truly one of the most amazing documentaries I've seen as it basically follows the play-by-play of the Chilean revolution, leading up to the coup. Guzman had no idea he was shooting the end of an era, and when the coup happened, he was imprisoned, but his film was smuggled out and is now being shown to high school kids as the education system here is still more or less blacking-out what happened at that time, and people aren't always aware of how severe, unjust and criminal the coup was. People will still tell you openly that they support the coup happening, which is rather bizarre, but perhaps understandable among the right and the neoliberals who benefitted immensely from it, and who apparently are ethically corrupt. Where's the shame? They killed the president and destroyed a democratic tradition.....I've heard a lot lately about a lot of info surfacing that Allende was going to resign or call a new election, but the generals didn't want that as they wanted control, and democracy just couldn't provide it, so they preferred to go ahead with the coup. Scary.</div><div><br />
</div><div><a href="http://movies.nytimes.com/2011/03/18/movies/nostalgia-for-the-light-chile-documentary-review.html?scp=1&sq=%22Nostalgia+for+the+light%22&st=nyt" style="color: #0000cc;" target="_blank">http://movies.nytimes.com/<wbr></wbr>2011/03/18/movies/nostalgia-<wbr></wbr>for-the-light-chile-<wbr></wbr>documentary-review.html?scp=1&<wbr></wbr>sq=%22Nostalgia+for+the+light%<wbr></wbr>22&st=nyt</a></div></div>Trebor Healeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08018039526428776529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65018506315454606.post-22959018198026014342011-06-02T11:38:00.000-07:002011-06-02T11:42:01.191-07:00Los geysers<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">That's pronounced gay-sers, as in a gay geezer, which I'm fast becoming. This was a rough trip. Up at 4 am, then 2 hours on a bumpy dirt road, and well below freezing when we arrived, though we did get to climb into one of the steam baths for 15 minutes. It was also a larger group than yesterday and reminded me how much I dislike tours. I think here and there they are necessary...I could have never gotten to these places on my own...and they do provide good Spanish practice. But I always feel a bit trapped, and nature to me is about solitude.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_yrMQe98TxdZGL1HB5x046fOZQhDqao0UR45lViZwDK4eRzN-yVDPGEjr38y6bNpxmxE15oVHsKi3lWzjylk4HYay325P2lAT2Rn_QERCsz7Iieb31eZCmtVI2uvl3bZZ9WwfdtxAXw/s1600/IMG_0709%255B1%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_yrMQe98TxdZGL1HB5x046fOZQhDqao0UR45lViZwDK4eRzN-yVDPGEjr38y6bNpxmxE15oVHsKi3lWzjylk4HYay325P2lAT2Rn_QERCsz7Iieb31eZCmtVI2uvl3bZZ9WwfdtxAXw/s320/IMG_0709%255B1%255D.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn59rGgehG1zgTg9YgIDdTvKpIttfEiytEwxQ_H3EZEmrVZ1VymQAeVgbx3geWXF8_UTbJDXggF-8bCpuV-9UlRo2cDm3EogiIEfBfokrKaAL4N2QqOyY1YS0Ze6DE9uaF4bOM6-gZlQ/s1600/IMG_0710%255B1%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn59rGgehG1zgTg9YgIDdTvKpIttfEiytEwxQ_H3EZEmrVZ1VymQAeVgbx3geWXF8_UTbJDXggF-8bCpuV-9UlRo2cDm3EogiIEfBfokrKaAL4N2QqOyY1YS0Ze6DE9uaF4bOM6-gZlQ/s320/IMG_0710%255B1%255D.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT_ZZYSKsamUNfBARse5fhIvO7R-S-nSMiqWQXqDzkyvliKa_rnLiZRT-7jb95sOrVzVOvlpz1yIbVf37NCSn3hVskWH_rlRaGTKHqE1wF_nRkpt5gziNDFBVUp2RFlan9IAUet7xJUA/s1600/IMG_0719%255B1%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT_ZZYSKsamUNfBARse5fhIvO7R-S-nSMiqWQXqDzkyvliKa_rnLiZRT-7jb95sOrVzVOvlpz1yIbVf37NCSn3hVskWH_rlRaGTKHqE1wF_nRkpt5gziNDFBVUp2RFlan9IAUet7xJUA/s320/IMG_0719%255B1%255D.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">middle-aged hominid spotted near hot springs</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Below is a wetlands with some ducks</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSX18bHbKYl3oR-r3SgLB7zNYZpVxjRmhm3ywBP6PvZvIUpyzcxWTnzXoWX9uIZBu2KtiVWqytzc06hyqZ1N-htvxlAzn2Sfxj9CrTxYLOwq1DzynqEJIebjgjl2iApuFNgI245MEOpA/s1600/IMG_0722%255B1%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSX18bHbKYl3oR-r3SgLB7zNYZpVxjRmhm3ywBP6PvZvIUpyzcxWTnzXoWX9uIZBu2KtiVWqytzc06hyqZ1N-htvxlAzn2Sfxj9CrTxYLOwq1DzynqEJIebjgjl2iApuFNgI245MEOpA/s320/IMG_0722%255B1%255D.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="238" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">vicuna below, surrounded by volcanoes....we're at about 14k feet here</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_rbWr4e5nmw/TefMgZdfnXI/AAAAAAAAAbg/bTkxPLRPw2M/s1600/IMG_0718%255B1%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_rbWr4e5nmw/TefMgZdfnXI/AAAAAAAAAbg/bTkxPLRPw2M/s320/IMG_0718%255B1%255D.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Andean village: note crucifixes on each roof for spiritual protection, and the little protector spirit statue. There was the cutest little 5 yr old girl here and I asked her Mom if I could photograph as I know they don't necessarily think its good....sort of like stealing someone's spirit. She nodded NO vigorously. Adios, Elizabet, que tenga buena vida!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Llamas! And I don't mean Tibetans</div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Our tour group, deep in the cactus canyon: on either side of me are the Dutch tulip farmer (yellow hair) and a nice Chilean guy who I practiced my Spanish with. My Brit friend Eric is in sunglasses next to Dutchman.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I'm off to Salta, Argentina in the morning.</div><br />
</div>Trebor Healeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08018039526428776529noreply@blogger.com1