Why Argentina?
October 30, 2007 | Filed Under Argentina | No Comments
I need some help here, dear readers. If you could, explain to me the attention that La República is getting in the angloparlante press (I admit that I don’t follow the presse, Press, stampa, or even the prensa outside of América.)
We’re a relatively small country with little impact on the world stage. The government at Buenos Aires comes in 3rd or 4th in influence even here in South America.
So why the sudden scrutiny?
The admittedly “tin” parts of my hat started to buzz a little with the widely reported “bloodbath” in the Argentine bond markets over the Kirchner creativity with inflation figures.
There’s no way the Yanq would last a day as a bond trader… but even a dope like me would have dropped RA bonds like a hot potato months ago when the K’s started in to tweakin’. That the crash and/or it’s reporting would come during […]
International Literary Quarterly
October 30, 2007 | Filed Under Argentina | No Comments
Fellow BA expat Peter Robertson has released the first issue of a new literary journal, The International Literary Quarterly. I’ve been hearing about the development of this journal from Peter for months and I must say that it exceeds expectations. Great job, Peter!
A couple of pieces of particular interest for readers of this blog are a story by Lydia Davis, mostly known these days as a translator of Proust. Davis wrote the story in 1966 during a summer stay in Buenos Aires.
And then there’s a poem by Suzanne Jill Levine, who is the translator of Bioy Casares and Manuel Puig.
I’m meeting Peter for coffee tomorrow afternoon in Palermo to chat about the new journal and will be posting a follow-up.
The desire to travel
October 30, 2007 | Filed Under Argentina | No Comments
Why do we travel? Why do we have that desire, that yearning, to visit far away places?
What is it about our lives that we seek to fulfill elsewhere? Perhaps, it’s as simple as a curiosity about the world.
We’re faced with the appealing belief that there is more to life than the everyday encounters in our hometown, no matter how large. Tourists view Buenos Aires as an exotic destination, though porteños may twitch their noses, wondering why so many foreigners come here. Likewise, the curious porteño fills pulled elsewhere, possibly the very humdrum towns that we’ve gladly left behind. We all want to go somewhere else.
If travel is not about curiosity, experiencing a different culture, learning more about the world (and possibly ourselves), then is it nothing more than checking off a list of accomplishments - been there, done that?
For some, (many, most?), travel may manifest itself in that competitive […]
Waiting for my camera / Esperando mi cámara / Aguardando a minha câmera
October 30, 2007 | Filed Under Argentina | No Comments
I haven’t got my camera repaired yet but at least there is good news: it seems that Canon is paying for the repair. In the meanwhile, I’m posting some pictures I took in the past months. The house covered with ivy is on Honduras St. The other photo was taken on Nicaragua St. I hope these buildings will survive the construction boom.*Todavía no recuperé mi cámara pero la buena noticia es que parece que Canon se hace cargo del arreglo. Mientras tanto, coloco aquí un par de fotos que tomé hace unos meses. La casa cubierta con hiedra está en la calle Honduras. La otra foto fue tomada en la calle Nicaragua. Espero que sobrevivan al boom de la construcción.*Ainda não recuperei a minha câmera, mas parece que a Canon vai pagar o conserto. Enquanto aguardo, coloco aqui algumas fotos que fiz meses atrás. A primeira foi na rua […]
more CIAE goodness
October 30, 2007 | Filed Under Argentina | No Comments
If you’ve missed what the CIAE is, you can catch up here. Otherwise, read on for the good stuff…
Like any barrio in Buenos Aires, Barracas has lots of substations scattered around. Whether big or small, seeking them out is always worth it… I’ve not been let down yet. Although this one is small, in the middle of nowhere & deteriorating as you read this, no one can say that it isn’t fontalicious:
Just the opposite, this substation is large & well-maintained but rather plain. The side bay window is a nice touch, but it’s the gate that really got my attention:
But even the oversized eagles & Holocaust Museum of previously photographed CIAE structures didn’t prepare me for this… a funky tower & a crowned snake:
The snake seems to be shedding its skin, so there may not be much left soon except a steel support. I hope someone has taken molds of […]
“Borges and I” & the philosophy of self and language
October 30, 2007 | Filed Under Argentina | No Comments
John Perry, a professor in the philosophy department at Stanford, recently gave a lecture at Amherst College titled “ ‘Borges and I’ and ‘I’ ”. (via Perlocutionary).
Since the lecture is by a philosopher and it’s about Borges, you can be certain that it talks about the philosophy of language and “self”. If you’re not into epistemological discussions then you might think that it will be rather tedious listening, but it’s aimed towards an undergraduate audience and Perry wades into the topic rather slowly. Much of the talk is on the simple ways that we use language everyday, such as how we introduce ourselves at a party or how we ask for salt at the dinner table, the usage that we give to proper names and pronouns.
If you’ve not read “Borges and I” then it’s worth a reading or even a re-reading. It’s a short piece, less than […]
Immigration Limbo: From Residency to National Identity Card
October 30, 2007 | Filed Under Argentina | No Comments
I continue to live in immigration limbo here. . . with no end in sight.
Why?
Because I have no national identity card, just a 2-page Dec 2006 letter of residency from the Rosario delegation of the Ministry of Interior.
As a former proud card-carrying member of the American Civil Liberties Union (www.aclu.org), renowned for its stand against national ID cards, I am distressed to report on my recent visit to the official psychological torture chamber known as the Civil Registry, which I hope will grant me just such a card. The Civil Registry is the official police-state agency which documents all citizens, their whereabouts, marital status, and family connections. Until the CR issues you a “National Identity Document,” (called a “DNI”) you have no legal identity in Argentina. And if they make a mistake, you pay for it!
Without your DNI, you cannot open a bank account, get a driver’s license, or […]
Iguazu Falls Video Clip
October 30, 2007 | Filed Under Argentina | No Comments
You need to a flashplayer enabled browser to view this YouTube video
It’s difficult to fathom the extraordinary quantities of water that flow over Iguazu Falls and into the deep unknown. Words can only do so much; it is one of those places you have to see to believe.
So here’s a new perspective. Perhaps this short video clip gives you an inkling of the magnitude of the Devil’s Throat at Iguazu falls and the mesmerizing effect of being there. In order to appreciate all that Iguazu has to offer we recommend spending 2 full days in the park.
Rule Cristina
October 30, 2007 | Filed Under Argentina | No Comments
To those who thought my post-election post was depressing, I have a few bits to justify my despair. This is from an interview with Joaquín Morales Solá, reprinted in La Nación — the first Cristina Fernández de Kirchner has given since she was elected, and in fact one of the very few interviews she’s ever given to anyone.
Cristina’s dreams: “I’d like us to be an exporting country like Germany.” (Yes, Cristina, and I’d like to be a tall golden-haired Germanic god and drive a Mercedes. I think you got Botox into a place you shouldn’t.)
About inflation: “There was an overreaction to the issue, to be expected during an election season.” (The opposition bought up all the tomatoes in the country to make the price go up, I guess.)
The interviewer asks: “Were you disappointed at the vote of [people in the large] urban centers?”. Cristina: “I think an urban center par […]
less than pleased
October 29, 2007 | Filed Under Argentina | No Comments
…but not at all surprised by the presidential election results. Anyone who has read this blog for some time knows that I’m 110% anti-K. When polls closed at 18:00 yesterday, I decided to wait until 22:00 to turn on the tv & see what the first numbers looked like. I was just in time to hear Cristina’s acceptance speech… with only 11% of the votes counted… oh goody:
Still used to election results in the US taking what seems like forever to be reported thanks to 4 time zones spread across the nation, the speed here always takes me by surprise. One time zone, little waiting. But to celebrate victory with only one-tenth of the votes tallied seems arrogant beyond belief:
I’m thrilled that a woman has finally been elected to the top spot. But I’m less than pleased that it’s Cristina… it put me in a funk all day. Even though […]
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