Good Morning Buenos Aires

Fact Sheet: Democrats Abroad Argentina

noreply@blogger.com (WynnsWoods) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 12:40:00 +0000

Democrats Abroad Argentina (DA AR) is the official Democratic Party for the thousands of Americans living in Argentina. It is the goal of DA AR to advance the principles of the Democrat Party here in Argentina.

In specific DA AR works to keep Americans here advised of their rights, encourage involvement in the electoral process, assist the facilitation of voter registration regardless of party affiliation, and host events so that interested people can get together to meet and discuss their opinions of important issues.

Admitted into the worldwide congress of Democrats Abroad on February 5, 2008 as the 35th Country Committee and 7th in the Americas, DA AR represents all Democrats within the national borders of the Argentine Republic. In February 2008, Democrats Abroad Argentina participated in the first worldwide US presidential primary in which more than 100 votes were cast by Democrats residing in Argentina. This is the first time Americans in Argentina we able to do so with the support of a Country Committee.

Democrats Abroad itself is the overseas branch of US Democratic Party. We are Americans living in more than 100 countries around the globe with country committees in over 30 countries. Democrats Abroad works to keep Americans abroad informed of critical issues at home and abroad, inspired to build a better world through our own active participation and through involvement at every level of the political process – from overseas voting to serving on the Democratic National Committee with 11 delegate votes at the 2008 nominating convention in Denver, Colorado.

Leadership:
Samuel W. Warde: Chair
Heidi Mathews: Vice-Chair
Bill Hammond: Treasurer
Deby Novitz: Acting Secretary
Eamonn J. Donovan: Acting Counsel

noreply@blogger.com (WynnsWoods) — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 01:30:00 +0000

I spend entirely too much time on Facebook. That being said, I have noticed a lot of disturbing status updates recently dealing with the elections in the USA yesterday. Instead of complaining and adding my own “two cents” directly on Facebook, I decided to address some of my concerns here, where among other things I have more space. So without further ado, here are some of my thoughts:

I think that the problems confronting the United States require a collaborative effort to solve. Personally, I am sick and tired of labels (liberal, conservative, conservative compassion, liberal pity, neocons, neoliberalism, whatever…) and I am even more distressed by the ongoing partisan nature of politics and its associated public engagement in contemporary American life.

Any moron should see that it took a collaborative effort to get us into this mess. A rather small leap of logic should indicate that working together is the only way out of it. And mind you, I am not singling anyone out in particular or pointing any fingers. It is just that a lot of recent status updates are concerning me as they are demonstrative of just how pissed off and separated from one another that Americans have become. I would have hoped that by this point in our lives that we would have evolved beyond simple name calling, the use of inflammatory language designed merely to inflame others, and behaviors which serve only to create divisions amongst ourselves.

The answer to our societal ails be they moral, philosophic, cultural or economic do not lie in the promulgation of unnecessarily hateful language, vengeful statements and other negative rhetoric. Those actions only serve to divide us as a people and to perpetuate the mental masturbation created by regurgitating the problem. I would prefer we talk about solutions for the more we wallow around in the problem the greater it becomes….

Clearly our current economic crisis is the number one issue confronting our country with the lack of an adequate health care system running a close number two. People can whine all they want to about socialism and health care; however, that merely serves to muddy the water. The fundamental responsibility of any government is to provide for the safety, the welfare and the quality of life of its citizenry and there is nothing more vital to the quality of life of each and every American citizen than the ability to enjoy a high standard of economic prosperity coupled with good health.

Enjoying good health and an adequate income is fundamental people. Don't you get it?

And you know what, the United States government, although of the people and by the people, has failed in providing improvements in our quality of life standards for a very long time (certainly the expanse of our own lifetime).

To single out any particular political party is ill-informed to say the very least considering that these quality of life issues have existed our entire lifetime. Those of us in the “40-something” age group are the first generation that was unable to enjoy the same quality of life most of our parents had. Most of us have smaller incomes (at least decreased buying power with what we earn), we have less job security, our wives are unable to stay at home and raise our children as any quality of life requires 2 incomes now… the list goes on and on.

These quality of life issues saw their creation long before we were born, and throughout our lifetime they have been gradually eroding through the course of 4 Democratic administrations spanning 18 years so far (5 and part of an additional year if you were alive during the end of JFK’s life) and 4 Republican administrations spanning 28 years.

Indeed, using a quantitative analysis alone one could reasonably argue that since the Republicans have held power for nearly 61% of our lifetime more of the blame falls on them than the Democrats. (Of course such an analysis his horse-shit, but an interesting point to consider nevertheless.) And if you want to look at the flipside using a qualitative perspective, the two greatest periods of economic prosperity in our country’s history occurred during our own lifetime and were presided over by first Ronald Reagan and then Bill Clinton.

There is a wealth of empirical evidence demonstrating that our overall quality of life to include our economic prosperity, our level of accessibility to adequate healthcare and our job security (if you have one) have been eroding at a consistent pace throughout our lifetime with very few "timeouts". Additionally, there is an equal showing that this gradual decline has continued regardless of which party was in control along the way.

I have been observing this election closely, or more specifically its impact on us as a people who engage with one another either in person or online, and I find myself increasingly saddened by the never ending negative rhetoric on both sides. As children we are taught that “united we stand and divided we fall”. We are taught the “Golden Rule” - to treat others with the same compassion and understanding we hope to receive in our own lives. Yet, when it comes to politics both of those seeming “self-evident truths” fall by the wayside and to me that is the most distressing issue our country is facing in the long run. Times of economic prosperity come and go. Times of social unrest come and go. Times of military conflict come and go. But those qualities that make the human experience worthwhile are timeless: love, compassion, understanding, sympathy, empathy…..

Along with our jobs, our economic prosperity and our potential for continued good health are we to forfeit those qualities which bind us as humans as well? My hope is that we can get out collective heads out of our asses. My hope is that we can see the results of this election for what they really are: a cry for help coupled with a mandate for change. My hope is we can halt this petty "schoolyard bully" mentality that has prevailed for all too long. For I truly believe that united we just might stand a chance to create a brighter future for us all. However, I am convinced that divided we will sure fail and fall!

Peace... out.

Eva Peron Dies: From the BBC, July 26, 1952

noreply@blogger.com (WynnsWoods) — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 02:04:00 +0000

Eva Duarte de Peron, wife of the president of the Argentine Republic, has died from cancer, aged 33.
She passed away at 2025 local time at the presidential residence in the company of her husband General Juan Domingo Peron.

Her death was announced by the Subsecretariat of Information at 2142.
The President of the Chamber of Deputies, Dr Campora, immediately submitted a bill to Congress, declaring 26 July as a national day of mourning from now on.

The government has announced that it will observe official mourning for 30 days.

'Brilliant and devoted'

The Queen sent a message of condolence to the Argentine president.

It read: "I extend to you my deepest sympathy and that of my people for the tragic loss which you and the Argentine people have suffered in the premature death of your brilliant and devoted partner."

Argentina's most famous first lady, who was recently proclaimed "spiritual chief of the Argentine nation" by Congress, was born Maria Eva Duarte on 7 May 1919 in the village of Los Toldos.

She was the youngest of five children born to Juana Ibarguren and Juan Duarte. Her father died when she was seven and the family struggled to make ends meet.

Before she was 20 Eva had moved to Buenos Aires to pursue her theatrical aspirations.

She met the then Colonel Juan Domingo Peron in 1944 when he was vice president and secretary of war and the couple were married in 1945.

The following year General Peron became president. His wife devoted her time to the poor, or the descamisados (shirtless ones), of Argentina and over the next seven years brought the working classes into a position of political power never witnessed before.

She organised mass political rallies and spent millions of pounds of public money on the poor. She got women the vote and legalised divorce.

But the Peronist years were controversial.

Although hailed a social champion and adored by the working classes, Evita, as she became known, was feared and loathed by the military and the upper classes. They regarded her as a threat and believed she was using her public position to further her own personal aspirations.

In 1951 she was nominated for vice-presidency but was forced to withdraw after pressure from the military.

Her last public appearance was on 4 June this year when she stood beside her husband in an open motor-car during the inauguration ceremonies for his second presidential term.

Her body, dressed in a white evening dress, has been taken to the Ministry of Labour and Welfare, where it will lie in state for two days.

It will then be transferred to the General Confederation of Labour.

On Frank Almeida of Sugar & Spice

noreply@blogger.com (WynnsWoods) — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 23:21:00 +0000

As many of you may have noticed, I have remained silent on the recent posts by and about Frank Almeida of Sugar & Spice that have been popping up on local forums, blogs, websites and social networking sites. I have since decided that I want to share a few words with you regarding my thoughts on Frank, his company and his involvement in the community. In my opinion, there are three types of people involved in a community: those who are members of a community, those who participate in a community and those who help create a community. Frank clearly falls into all three of those categories. However, when I think of the last group, those who strive to build something greater than themselves, Frank immediately comes to mind as both a leader and a pioneer.

I know from firsthand experience that Frank has striven to contribute in a significant way to assist both the local and the expatriate communities. As many of you are aware, I am involved with several organizations here in town working within both the expat and local community. Frank, along with Sugar & Spice, has been there nearly every step of the way. He has offered encouragement, support, time, energy and on several occasions has either catered events or offered items for raffles which were intended to promote a greater community than the one we arrived to participate in.

Throughout history there have been those who have cared about the world around them. There have been those who wanted to create a better community, a greater world. There have been those who have tirelessly given of themselves, their time, and their talents. And unfortunately, throughout the ages these people have met strong resistance. However, I believe in people and in the power of community. And I also believe in the power of light to conquer the darkness.

In the instant case, I am reminded of the words of Haile Selassie excerpted from a speech he gave before the United Nations in 1968:

“...until bigotry and prejudice and malicious and inhuman self-interest have been replaced by understanding and tolerance and goodwill; until all [of us] stand and speak as free human beings, equal in the eyes of the Almighty; until that day, [we] shall not know peace. We ... will fight if necessary and we know that we shall win as we are confident in the victory of good over evil.”

Frank is one of the best men I have ever had the privilege to call friend. I admire Frank. He has my respect. And he has my full support and that of those who I hold most dear.

Witness - World and the Underworld - 08 Oct 08 - Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (WynnsWoods) — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 02:37:00 +0000

Political Economies: Explained Using Cows

noreply@blogger.com (WynnsWoods) — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 16:09:00 +0000

United States: You have two cows. The government pays you subsidies not to milk your cows. Imports of dairy products from South America increase.

China: You have two cows. The government takes both cows and shoots you.

Iraq: You have two cows. They end up in Guantanamo Bay, but receive excellent medical care.

India: You have two cows. You worship them.

Poland: You have two bulls. You get killed trying to milk them.

Russia: You have two cows. You drink vodka and see four cows.

Argentina: You have two cows. Néstor and Cristina Kirchner take the milk and export it. They tax you 44%, leaving you without enough money to cover production costs. Too bad! On the plus side Cristina is able to pay for Botox injections and pays off some political cronies.

Seeking Operación Cóndor Information

noreply@blogger.com (WynnsWoods) — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 22:06:00 +0000

I am working on a research project which involves U.S. State Department and intelligence services through the research of documents spanning back to the mid 1970's that have been released through the FOIA, Freedom of Information Act.

While the focus of this project is the involvement of the USA in the Southern Cone of South American during this period, I would also be interested in accounts from people who were here, or had family here at that time. The nationality of the individuals is of no importance, nor is the ability to speak English.

Specifically, I was wondering if any of you out there had any first or secondhand knowledge of Operación Cóndor, or if you had any first or secondhand experiences relating to that period in history. More specifically, I am interested in accounts of life in Buenos Aires during the period between about 1972 or '73 up until around 1983. Memories, stories, letters, photos, etc. are all of interest. And of course, anyone with info relating to other member countries of Operation Condor is of interest as well.

While notes and/or recordings might upon occasion be used to insure the accuracy of the project, personal information can and will be withheld from others upon request.

I will provide some brief background for those of you unfamiliar with Operation Condor, Operación Cóndor in Spanish. Operation Condor was a shadowy Latin American military network created in the 1970s whose key members were Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay. This group was later joined by Ecuador and Peru. The operation was a covert intelligence and operations system that enabled the Latin American military states to hunt down, seize and execute political opponents across borders. Refugees fleeing military coups and repression in their own countries were "disappeared" in combined transnational operations.

Of particular interest is the fact that Operation Condor was not only the result of the joint work of intelligence and security services of those member nations, but it also received direction, support and financing from the USA through its State Department, intelligence and security services.

Thoughts on Today's Inauguration

noreply@blogger.com (WynnsWoods) — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 12:23:00 +0000

I find it interesting the changes I have seen in the USA in my own life time, although the election of a black man to the presidency is a far cry from completion of the battle for equality.

I grew up in Texas and still remember mandatory busing, banning of blacks from certain places, events, opportunities.

My mother died weeks before Clinton's first inauguration and I am sure she would have been proud to see this day as well. Since that time, my father has entered into a long term relationship with a black woman.

My father and I always love sitting around and reminiscing about the "good ole days". A topic of frequent discussion is places, restaurants, events from years gone past. It is interesting when my father and I engage in one of our "blast from the past" talks and his girlfriend is around. My father and I excitedly discuss things from the past and she remarks: "we were not allowed to go there", "we could not attend", "we could only sit in the balcony of Wednesday nights"......

We have certainly come a long way in recent years, but there is yet much work to be accomplished.

What the hell is up with the cast from The Sopranos?

noreply@blogger.com (WynnsWoods) — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 14:12:00 +0000

It is interesting how life sometimes mirrors fiction. I was looking at the news this week and read about Lilloo Brancato Jr.’s murder acquittal and was thinking about the fact that this is not the first time I have seen someone in the news from The Sopranos lately. Here is a quick rundown of what has been going on since the show began a few years ago:

In 2008 John Costelloe was found dead, apparently of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Lilloo Brancato Jr. was acquitted of the murder of a police officer, but found guilty of the lesser charge of attempted burglary for a botched robbery involving drugs 3 years ago. . (One might also note that he was arrested a few years ago for heroin possession.) Also Joe Pantoliano spoke out about depression while promoting an organization he founded two years ago to address the stigma attached to mental illness. His group is called: “No Kidding, Me Too!”.

This was all preceeded by the arrest of John Ventimiglia on charges of DUI and cocaine possession in 2006 and the arrest of Louis Gross same year for assaulting a Manhattan merchant.

In 2005 Vincent Pastore plead guilty to assaulting his girlfriend. Not to be outdone, Louis Gross found himself in trouble with the law for breaking and entering.

In 2002, Robert Iler, who plays Tony Soprano’s son plead guilty to robbing tourists.

Possibly most interesting, Tony Sirico, who played Paulie Gualtieri has been reported to have been an associate of the Colombo crime family prior to working as an actor. While that is not a proven fact, it is well known that he has a record including 28 arrests and served 13 months in prison for felony weapons possession.

So I have to ask myself once more: “What the hell is up with the cast of the Sopranos”.

Turks apologize for Armenian massacres

noreply@blogger.com (WynnsWoods) — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 03:49:00 +0000

You might wonder why I would be bringing this up in a forum for people in Buenos Aires. Although the United Nations acknowledge the genocide of the Armenians in 1973, calling it "The first genocide of the 20th century" and U.S. Presidents Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan acknowledged it, in 1985 Argentina became the first country to acknowledge the genocide of the Armenians by the Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1917. Additionally, as of 2007 there are about 130,000 Armenians living in Argentina making it the 8th largest group outside of Armenia.

Here is an article I read this evening:

Turks apologize for Armenian massacres
Prominent intellectuals show regret online for World War I-era atrocities

ANKARA, Turkey - A group of about 200 Turkish intellectuals on Monday issued an apology on the Internet for the World War I-era massacres of Armenians in Turkey.

The group of prominent academics, journalists, writers and artists avoided using the contentious term "genocide" in the apology, using the less explosive "Great Catastrophe" instead.

"My conscience does not accept that (we) remain insensitive toward and deny the Great Catastrophe that the Ottoman Armenians were subjected in 1915," read the apology. "I reject this injustice, share in the feelings and pain of my Armenian brothers, and apologize to them."

The apology is a sign that many in Turkey are ready to break a long-held taboo against acknowledging Turkish culpability for the deaths.

Historians estimate that, in the last days of the Ottoman Empire, up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed by Ottoman Turks in what is widely regarded as the first genocide of the 20th century. Armenians have long pushed for the deaths to be recognized as genocide.

While Turkey does not deny that many died in that era, the country has rejected the term genocide, saying the death toll is inflated and the deaths resulted from civil unrest during the Ottoman Empire's collapse.

Online apology
Nearly 2,500 members of the public also signed the online apology, giving their support to the intellectuals.

Nobel Prize-winning author Orhan Pamuk was prosecuted after he commented on the mass killings in 2005. Hrant Dink, an ethnic Armenian journalist was shot outside his Istanbul office in 2007, following his prosecution for comments he made about the killings of Armenians.

Turkish nationalists have criticized the online apology and on Monday a group of some 60 retired Turkish diplomats described the move "as unfair, wrong and unfavorable to national interests."

"Such an incorrect and one-sided attempt would mean disrespecting our history," the diplomats said.

Devlet Bahceli, the leader of the Nationalist Action Party said: "No one has the right to insult our ancestors, to present them as criminals and to ask for an apology."

By late Monday, there were no public threats of legal action over the petition.

"Many in Turkey today, in good faith, believe that nothing happened to the Armenians. For many years, the official line has been that this was a secondary event that occurred in the conditions of World War I. But the truth is not so," Cengiz Aktar, a professor at Istanbul's Bahcesehir University and one of the petition's organizers told Vatan newspaper in an interview.

Voice from the conscience
"It is a voice from the conscience. Those who want to apologize can, those who don't want to don't have to," he said.

Gila Benmayor, a journalist and columnist for Turkey's mass-circulation Hurriyet newspaper said she signed the petition because she believes "the time has come for change."

"Some things need to spoken, need to be discussed and expressed in an open way," she told The Associated Press.

She said she did not hesitate to sign the petition because the wording was not controversial.

"The words were carefully chosen so as not to upset any side," she said. "We are not betraying anyone. We are merely telling the Armenians that we share their grief."

The apology comes at a time when Turkey and Armenia have taken steps toward repairing ties. The two neighbors have no diplomatic relations and their shared border has been closed since 1993, when Turkey protested Armenia's occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh. Turkey backs Azerbaijan's claims to the disputed region, which has a high number of ethnic Armenian residents but is located within Azerbaijan's borders.

In September, however, President Abdullah Gul became the first Turkish leader to visit Armenia, where he and Armenian President Serge Sarkisian watched their countries' football teams play a World Cup qualifying match.

Argentine Strikes Destroying Tourism?

noreply@blogger.com (WynnsWoods) — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 18:24:00 +0000

Well it seems that a blend of the world's economic times, routine Kirchner government incompetence and public revolt are now destroying the stability of the tourism industry here.

Strikes in particular are expected to create many issues with tourists. On Thursday the U.S. Embassy in Buenos Aires advised tourists to take the massive demonstrations here into account when making travel plans.
As many of you know, yesterday the subway workers were on strike for higher wages. Gas station owners and over 100,000 bank employees are expected to go on strike next week. Taxi drivers have announced that they are going to strike on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

With the seizure of the nation's pension fund, inflation sitting just about at 30% and annual growth of only about 1.5% (as contrasted to the 8% the last several years) and an estimate by UBA economist Jarvier Kulesz that the economy will only grow by about 0.3% next year, I would imagine that this is merely the beginning.

Hang on, it should prove to be an interesting ride. In the mean time I hear the beaches in Uruguay are great this time of year, and guess what.... no Kirchners, no D'Elia and no strikes.........

John McCain's Palin: A Collage of Perspectives

noreply@blogger.com (WynnsWoods) — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 16:56:00 +0000

The Republican Perspective

Colin Powell, President Bush’s former Secretary of State, said that her unreadiness to be president was a significant factor in his endorsement of the Democrat last week. Ken Adelman, a Republican hawk and former close friend of Dick Cheney who has become disillusioned with the Bush Administration, is backing Mr Obama. He said that the choice of Mrs Palin had made him switch sides.

The Ethical Perspective Part 1

The Governor of Alaska spoke hours before giving a sworn deposition in the Troopergate inquiry in a hotel in St Louis, Missouri, as a second investigation opened into whether she abused her office by trying to have a state policeman fired to settle a personal score. A first report issued earlier this month concluded that she violated ethics laws in attempts to get her former brother-in-law sacked.

The Voter Perspective

A Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll on Wednesday asked voters what concerns them about the Republican ticket, and Mrs Palin was the No 1 worry for them; 47 per cent had a negative impression of her, while only 38 per cent saw her in a positive light. Her inexperience and faltering responses to foreign policy questions has also helped to erase the “Palin bounce” that boosted the ticket in the fortnight after she was chosen: 55 per cent now think that she is unqualified to be president, a troublesome number given Mr McCain’s age.

The Ethical Perspective Part 2

Meanwhile a Republican election worker who claimed that a black man had carved a “B” into her cheek after seeing a McCain bumper sticker on her car has confessed that she invented the story. Mrs Palin telephoned Ashley Todd, 20, a white college student from Texas, expressing her concern. Last night Pittsburgh police arrested and charged the woman with making a false report.

The Venezuelan Perspective

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said US vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin is a confused "beauty queen". "I saw the vice presidential candidate, there she was talking about 'the dictator Hugo Chavez.' The poor thing, you just feel sorry for her," he said during a televised broadcast. "She's a beauty queen that they've pulled out to be a figurehead. We need to say as Christ did: Forgive her, she knows not what she's saying," he said.

The Ethical Perspective Part 3

New reports of Palin's misspending government funds for personal financial benefit emerged from an Associated Press investigation this week. Palin charged taxpayers over $20,000 to pay for her daughters to travel with her to events to which they were not invited, including 64 one-way and 12 round-trip tickets, as well as the girls' own expensive hotel rooms. In all, previous reports have estimated Palin charged taxpayers more than $43,000 in travel expenses for family members.
If that weren't enough, it seems Palin lied on official reimbursement forms, saying the girls were invited when, according to organizers of the events, they were not. But it doesn't stop there. Apparently, after she was tapped as Sen. John McCain's running mate, Palin went back and amended the expense reports with language to make the travel sound like official business, as is necessary for reimbursement under Alaska state law.

The United States as a Union Perspective

The Alaska Independence Party calls itself the third largest organization in the United States. Its platform calls for the defense of "states rights," to "seek the complete repatriation of the public lands, held by the federal government, to the state and people of Alaska in conformance with Article 1, Section 8, Clause 17, of the federal constitution." Basically, the AIP wants a vote on secession. The AIP says that Gov. Sarah Palin used to be a member of the party. Earlier this year, Palin recorded a welcoming address to the AIP's convention. At the AIP's meeting, the AIP's vice chairman, Dexter Carter, extols Gov. Palin's virtues. He went on to recall Palin's service as a member of the party.

The Ethical Perspective Part 4

Gov. Sarah Palin is campaigning as a budget watchdog eager to shave frivolous government spending. That image took a hit Tuesday when The Washington Post reported the governor charges the state for travel expenses while living at her Wasilla home, and the Palin camp defended her conservative credentials. The newspaper reported that Palin billed the state for meal money while spending more than 300 nights at her Valley home during her first 19 months in office. The money is supposed to be used for when an official travels on state business, not for a commute from an Anchorage office to a home in Wasilla.

The Cosmetic/Hairstylist/Garment Industry Perspective

After Sarah Palin came under scrutiny for her wardrobe expenses, new details have emerged, which show that US Republican presidential candidate John McCain's campaign paid 3 makeup artists a total of $52,000 over 6 weeks.

It also emerged that the highest-paid McCain staff member for the first two weeks of this month was Mrs Palin’s make-up artist. Amy Strozzi, who once did make-up work on the television show So You Think You Can Dance?, received $22,800 for that fortnight, more than the candidate’s chief foreign policy adviser.

Palin's traveling hair stylist Angela Lew, the fourth highest paid individual during that time, was paid $10,000 over two weeks in October for what the campaign called "communications consulting."

Palin has come under scrutiny this week when it was disclosed the Republican National Committee spent $150,000 on her wardrobe at high-end department stores like Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue. Palin argued the clothes were bought for the Republican National Convention.

Karma bites O.J. Simpson in the Ass

noreply@blogger.com (WynnsWoods) — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 11:20:00 +0000

Instant karmas gonna get you
Gonna look you right in the face
Better get yourself together darlin
Join the human race
How in the world you gonna see
Laughin at fools like me
Who in the hell do you think you are
A super star
Well, right you are

John Lennon, "Instant Karma"

Karma is one of the Eastern World's mystic concepts that is most known in the Western World. Karma is defined by Wikipedia as the concept of "action" or "deed" in Indian religions understood as that which causes the entire cycle of cause and effect (i.e., the cycle called samsāra) originating in ancient India and treated in Hindu, Jain, Sikh and Buddhist philosophies. Sir Issac Newton demonstrated the concept through his Third Law of Motion which states "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction". It has been encorporated into American idiom through the saying "What goes around comes around". Saint Paul spoke of it to the Galatians: "whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap". Boy George sang of it in "Karma Chameleon", David Bowie in "Karma Man", Alicia Keys in "Karma".

If anyone looked at the AP Newswire Service from October 4, 2008 they would find a fine example of "Karma in Action" through the following:

Thirteen years to the day after being acquitted of killing his wife and her friend in Los Angeles, O.J. Simpson was found guilty of robbing two sports-memorabilia dealers at gunpoint in a Las Vegas hotel room.

The 61-year-old former football star was convicted of all 12 counts late Friday after jurors deliberated for more than 13 hours. He released a heavy sigh as the charges were read and was immediately taken into custody.

Simpson, who went from American sports idol to celebrity-in-exile after his murder acquittal, could spend the rest of his life in prison.

Worldwide Cost of Living Survey 2008

noreply@blogger.com (WynnsWoods) — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 04:06:00 +0000

Moscow is the world’s most expensive city for expatriates for the third consecutive year, according to the latest Cost of Living Survey from Mercer. Tokyo is in second position climbing two places since last year, whereas London drops one place to rank third. Oslo climbs six places to 4th place and is followed by Seoul in 5th. Asunción in Paraguay is the least expensive city in the ranking for the sixth year running. Dublin remains the world's 16th most expensive city and Europe's 8th most expensive.

Mercer’s survey covers 143 cities across six continents and measures the comparative cost of over 200 items in each location, including housing, transport, food, clothing, household goods and entertainment. It is the world’s most comprehensive cost of living survey and is used to help multinational companies and governments determine compensation allowances for their expatriate employees.

Buenos Aires ranked as the 138th cheapest city for expats in the world (with only 5 cities coming in as cheaper than here).

source
source

Argentina's Uncertain Economic Future

noreply@blogger.com (WynnsWoods) — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 21:45:00 +0000

El Presidenta is going to have several problems to deal with moving forwards. Obviously a lack on industrialization in this country is going to continue to plague the country but unfortunately the problems confronting Argentina are far more serious than that.

The government is spending up its foreign reserves at an alarming rate to keep the peso artificially low. They are having a bit of a reprieve currently since the dollar is weak, but they are still spending a fortune to keep it as high as it is here. Looking at this in the long term, internationally the dollar has depreciated by more than 40% since 2001. Here in Argentina an increase of 300% was realized.

La Nacion recently talked about the lack of investor confidence and the necessity to continue this pattern of purchasing dollars to devaluate the peso: "The loss of confidence has been enormous; the loss of banking deposits and the increased purchases of dollars shows the authorities’ limitations, and in any case the odds increase of Argentina selling reserves to make the dollar go down because they cannot do anything else”, according to another businessman.

Then you have to consider Argentina’s decision to limit its food commodity exports on items such as meat, wheat, corn and the like. The intended result was the containment of internal inflation, yet Argentina now has an inflationary problem far worse than they had two years ago. This situation in turn has been exacerbated by the fact that they no longer have the export revenues they once did due to this policy.

Investments have all but dried up in the country and recently it was given the investment grade of a country “not to be trusted”. According to La Nación: “The uncertainty with respect to the evolution of this situation in Argentine has affected businessmen at the highest levels. `Curiously, nobody in the highest levels of government seems to know what will happen in next the 12 hours', says an executive that used to have good rapport with the administration of the Kirchners”.

And to top all of that off, the country actively engages in publishing false statistics regarding the state of the economy and inflation in particular. This in turn has deteriorated investor confidence to the point that virtually no one wants to invest any money here.

So what does the government intend to do? The Economist noted that rather than moving to correct the problems, the Kirchners have simply “whitewashed the effects of inflation” by canceling the publication of official poverty statistics. The Economist’s Intelligence Unit has also observed that Cristina has continued her husband’s “commitment to a weak currency policy... and to heterodox measures such as price caps, cross-subsidies and export taxes”. On June 10th Argentina updated the method by which it determines its Consumer Price Index. According to this new system every time a product’s price rises too sharply, it will simply be removed from the index on the theory that consumers will switch to other goods after being deterred by the new cost.

Energy is going to be one of the largest issues plaguing Argentine stability. Nestor put a freeze on prices about six years ago in an attempt to level inflation in other areas he could not control. This prize freeze has had two long term effects:

• The industry has pretty much halted research & development and the expansion of facilities and services;
• Investment, particularly foreign, has dried up in that sector.

Next we have issues regarding the petroleum industry. The penguins have been actively controlling internal prices. Why? Again, they are trying to artificially manipulate inflation in the country by putting price caps on items they can control hoping that once the overall cost of living is averaged out inflation will remain at a manageable level. Of course this is not working out as well as hoped.

At the heart of this matter is the fact that the price for a barrel of oil is around U$S40 dollars internally while imported oil is going for nearly U$S 140. The only solution to this situation seems to be either raising the internal price of oil to match that of international rates or to raise taxes so that the government can subsidize the oil industry.

La Nación recently noted: “In Buenos Aires Province the situation has been repeated in several locations. In Bolívar, a town of 30,000 inhabitants 300 kilometers from Capital Federal, there are 12 service stations that have not sold any gasoline or diesel since last Sunday. In La Plata, as much as 90% of the service stations were out of fuel as of yesterday. Meanwhile, Mar del Plata is also experiencing fuel shortages. In San Juan the fuel shortage worsened with gas rising to about 30 pesos. Recently in San Salvador, a municipality of Jujuy, a state of emergency was declared regarding transportation services due to a lack of diesel. In Mendoza diesel is selling at the price of 30 to 50 pesos, and Tucuman is experiencing long lines in stations in the capital to purchase fuel, fuel that many stations no longer have. In many of the interior zones such as Santa Fe, Santiago del Estero and Chaco more than 50 percent of the stations are shut down”.

The interesting thing is that at a time of international food shortages and increasing prices, Argentina is potentially in the best economic situation it has found itself in for decades. Yet the political climate here is such that it is very probable that Argentina could find itself continuing its cycle of “boom or bust”.

I certainly hope not.

Cocktail Party July 30th

noreply@blogger.com (WynnsWoods) — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 05:09:00 +0000

Good Morning Buenos Aires is proud to announce it is hosting a cocktail party to show its appreciation to the International Community of Buenos Aires.

This is no cover charge for this event. Good Morning Buenos Aires does not profit in any way. No kick-backs, no inflated prices, no fuss, no muss, no wrinkles...

There will be drink and food specials until closing time and several items will be raffled for free.

Several organizations and companies are co-hosting this event to include: the BA Insider Magazine, Buenos Aires International Newcomers Downtown Group, CULTOUR turismo con identidad, Democrats Abroad Argentina, EleBaires Spanish Experience Program, Freak Restaurant and Cocktails, InterNations. org, Sugar & Spice, Wynn Woods Solutions, yanquimike. com. ar and more to be announced later....

For more information click here, or go to Good Morning Buenos Aires

- 2 for 1 drink specials all night
- 20% discount on all food items

- BA Insider Magazines
- Democrats Abroad Argentina membership drive
- InterNations.org membership drive

- A special Sugar & Spice raffle
- CulTour Cultural Tour raffle
- Raffle for dinner at Freak Resto*
- Raffling 10 free drinks at Freak*

more to be announced later

DATE: Wednesday, July 30th
TIME: 9 p.m. until closing
PLACE: Freak Restaurant
Fitz Roy 171, Palermo
@Honduras & El Salvador

I hope to see you all there.

regards,

samuel

*to be used on your next visit

A "Country in Crisis" or a bunch of "Twits on the Loose"?

noreply@blogger.com (WynnsWoods) — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 10:28:00 +0000

I think that the current farm crisis is a complex issue and one that has politics at its origins and not economics. So, I think to truly understand this conflict one has to look beyond the mere numbers.

However, if one does want to look at the numbers and the economics there are two clearly valid arguments. And I am not particularly taking a side in this matter either way. I see weaknesses not only regarding the positions of each side, but also in their methodology.

Going back a few years, Menem's government slashed farm taxes. In 2002 Nestor reinstated them starting them at 10%, and then quickly raised them to 24%, then 35% and now they sit at about 44%. So, certainly one can understand the frustration of the farmers.

The initial reason the government gave for the imposition of the new taxes was to avoid the "soyization" of the economy, meaning they were hoping that by increasing the level of taxes on soy, this would in turn compel farmers to turn to increased production of other commodities such as wheat, corn, dairy and meat. Now, the problem with this thinking has to do with timing. With Argentina as the number one supplier in the world of soy meal and soy oil, and number three in soybeans behind the United States and Brazil AND with international prices for soy on the rise, the question has to be asked: is this really the time to seek to limit soy production?

A couple of weeks ago, the government then changed its story and said the taxes were created to more fairly "redistribute the wealth" in the nation through Cristina's announcement a week ago last Monday of her "Plan for Social Redistribution". In an obvious ploy to manipulate public sentiment she announced the new taxes would be used to fund 30 new hospitals, erect public housing and make roadway improvements.

Now this raises several questions and Alfredo de Angeli, president of the Agrarian Federation in the Province of Entre Rios (and recent detainee) put it best when he raised the question: why was the government so determined to change things on March 11th through increasing the farm tax so dramatically if things were going as well as the government maintains. “Low unemployment, a multi-year cycle of economic growth, commercial and fiscal surpluses” seems to be the mantra of this administration.

The simple truth is that in this scenario, the only possible answer could be that this new "redistribution of the wealth" program is nothing more than an apparent need to have access to more funding to maintain political stability. The government itself has admitted that its claimed fears of "soyization" were not true. Will it step up and admit that this new "Plan for Social Redistribution" is a joke as well?

Okay, so let's take a look at the other side of the fence. And luckily this one is much easier to explain (or at least I am going to do so more briefly).

The government has been artificially setting the rate of exchange of the peso low (deliberately devaluing it) to increase the desirability of purchasing Argentine commodities on the international market. I believe it was January of this year that the government purchased a billion US dollars to achieve that goal. I know last year they were purchasing dollars by the hundreds of millions to achieve this aim. Speaking metaphorically, dinner has been served and the bill has arrived. As the farmers have been eating at this table of plenty, the government (and with good cause) wants them to chip in on the tab. After all it is they, who have been benefiting the most from the demand for Argentine commodities stimulated by a deliberately weakened peso. Can they really cry foul in the face of high demand for their products, created by government spending to devalue the currency? If the farmers are not going to ante up, who then is expected to refill the coffers of Argentina’s foreign reserves?

Second point: Argentina is an agricultural based economy. There really isn't much other industry developed in the country at the present moment. Sure it seems unfair that historically the farmers have had to fund infrastructure. However, if they don't - who else is there that can pay that bill? There is a lack of any other viable sector in the economy that the government can turn to in regards to such costs. That is unless, GASP PANT PANT PANT, one wants to ask presidents and former presidents to open their foreign bank accounts. LOL

So is there a point to all of this? Probably not. LOL But if there is it is this: as with most arguments, debates, standoffs and crises there are at least two sides to consider. And more often than not, both merit serious consideration. That is why in the end "COMPROMISE" is the key to "saving the day". Hopefully “the forces that be” will come together and get something worked out... In the meantime I am grateful that they produce a lot of malbec wine here.

Argentina's Farm Crisis: I say “Basta”, meaning “Enough”

noreply@blogger.com (WynnsWoods) — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 22:50:00 +0000

Mahatma Gandhi once noted that “an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind”. In the United States we say “two wrongs do not make a right”. The grueling, 3-month-long fight between President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner and Argentina’s powerful farmers is a prime example of what happens when these principles are ignored.

And the most interesting thing is that Argentina is undergoing its best economic situation in decades, yet because of this stalemate the mood in the streets is one of gloom and doom. "This is the most gratuitous crisis in Argentine history," political analyst Rosendo Fraga noted. "We've never seen a crisis during such favorable world conditions. ... What the president needs to do is resolve this dispute with the farmers today and immediately start rebuilding her support."

So what has the recent stalemate between the government and the farmers created so far?

Well there are over 200 routes cut off in the country, no commercialization of grain, food and fuel shortages, increasing inflation, a rise in interest rates, the Central Bank’s foreign reserves have depleted more than U$S 1.5 billion the last few weeks.

Consumer confidence has decreased by 24% over that of last year. Domestic consumption has lowered by 20%. Real wages are now stagnant at best, and poverty and income inequality are on the rise. A recent poll, take last month by the University of Belgrano found that 69 percent of people in the capital, Buenos Aires, thought another crash was "very probable". Public services costs are on the rise; the national debt is a larger percentage of the country’s GDP than that of 2001, the year of Argentina’s last sovereign default.

This situation has, in turn, led to financial, economic and political uncertainty.

So what does the government intend to do? The Economist noted that rather than moving to correct the problems, the Kirchners have simply “whitewashed the effects of inflation” by cancelling the publication of official poverty statistics. The Economist’s Intelligence Unit has also observed that Cristina has continued her husband’s “commitment to a weak currency policy... and to heterodox measures such as price caps, cross-subsidies and export taxes”. On June 10th Argentina updated the method by which it determines its Consumer Price Index. According to this new system every time a product’s price rises too sharply, it will simply be removed from the index on the theory that consumers will switch to other goods after being deterred by the new cost. Yesterday, after months of blocked highways and food shipments coupled with peaceful demonstrations the Kirchner government responded with police brutality and arrests.

So what is going to happen? Your guess is probably as good as my own. One thing remains certain in Argentina: anything is possible. I personally say: “basta”, meaning “enough”. Instead of continuing its policies of handing out wasteful welfare state handouts and redistributing the wealth, Argentina should look to a combination of real and meaningful economic reform, better monetary policy and limiting the role of government. Until that day, Argentina’s former days of glory will remain ever out of reach.

But that is just my opinion. What do you think?

Thoughts on crime in the USA

noreply@blogger.com (WynnsWoods) — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 01:42:00 +0000

We talk a lot about violent crime here in Buenos Aires; and I think rightly so. Problems with the economy are increasing everyday and so are crime statistics. I was thinking about crime back at home (the USA) after reading a post on a forum here about McDonalds in shady areas. And I wanted to share some of my thoughts about life for me back at home.

Bob Dylan wrote a song on his first album entitled "Talkin' New York" in which he wrote the following line as an observation of the crime there:

A lot of people don't have much food on their table,
But they got a lot of forks n' knives, and they gotta cut somethin'.

I traveled for nearly ten years as project manager for Autozone, a "do-it-yourself" autoparts store. And guess where we put them all: in the worst part of the city. I have worked in South Central L.A., Harlem, Watts, on 8-mile in Detroit, etc.

In parts of Los Angeles you cannot go inside any of the fast food restaurants, convenience stores or service stations. They have armed guards on the premises and they hand you your food, etc. using either a bullet-proof glass turnstyle or something like a bank drawer.

In inner-city Chicago, you can go inside most restaurants and fast food places but they have bullet proof glass seperating the employees from the customers and a similar turnstyle.

In inner-city Detroit the McDonalds have razor wire around them and armed guards on the premise that time your visit there to about ten minutes and then throw you out.

There are other parts of the country that are similar, but these three cities seem the worst from my experience.

I have an interesting footnote to the above. I mentioned working for Autozone as a project manager. Like many companies, Autozone has a color scheme for their employees' uniforms. I worked out of the corporate office and wore white shirts to denote management, blue shirts for new store development, and black shirts for acquisitions and remodels.

In the regular Autozone stores the management also wore white and the hourly employees wore red shirts with black trim.

Well, in South Central L.A., as many of you know, there are major issues with street gangs and they also had colors: blue or black (or a combination of the two) for crips, red for bloods, etc.

So Autozone had to create an alternative scheme for their hourly store employees and they ended up with the same uniforms but in orange. And as a matter of corporate policy, I never wore my blue or black shirts. And believe it or not, they adopted this policy not as an overreaction to fear but as the direct result of so many employees being shot or killed while on the way to work.

I do not know if there is a point to this story, however it is something to consider when contrasting life in the States to life down here.

"Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will." Mahatma Gandhi

100 Year Occupation in Iraq? 1,000 Years, 10,000 Years?!?

noreply@blogger.com (WynnsWoods) — Sat, 03 May 2008 04:23:00 +0000

Get this one. The Democratic Party and Moveon.org are running ads criticizing John McCain for saying that he supports a 100 year occupation in Iraq.

"At issue is McCain's answer, in January, to a question about Bush's theory that troops could be in Iraq for 50 years.

McCain said: 'Maybe 100. As long as Americans are not being injured or harmed or wounded or killed, that'd be fine with me, and I hope it would be fine with you, if we maintain a presence in a very volatile part of the world where al-Qaida is training, recruiting, equipping and motivating people every single day.'"

source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24434071/

Veterans - The Falklands - 21 April 08

noreply@blogger.com (WynnsWoods) — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 08:56:00 +0000

One prominent Argentinian writer described the Falklands conflict as "two bald men fighting over a comb". But the war was anything but pointless to the men who fought in it and Al Jazeera met Argentinian veterans for whom the "Malvinas" as they are known, are still an obsession.

To see Part 2 click on the read more link below Part 1.

Veterans - The Falklands - 21 April 08 - Part 1

Veterans - The Falklands - 21 April 08 - Part 2

American Task Force for Argentina (ATFA): Co-Chair Robert Shapiro Talks

noreply@blogger.com (WynnsWoods) — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 04:45:00 +0000

Here are three great videos put out by the Argentine Task Force for Argentina that deals with a lot of the issues surrounding the Paris Group sovereign default by Argentina.

American Task Force for Argentina (ATFA) is an alliance of organizations united for a just and fair reconciliation of the Argentine government's sovereign debt default and restructuring. ATFA Co-Chair Robert Shapiro addresses the First German Bondholders' Society (IGA) in Frankfurt on April 24, 2007.

While you might note this press conference was nearly a year ago, there has been no progress in resolving the issues surrounding Argentina's sovereign default.

Click on the "read more" below to see parts 2 and 3.

American Task Force for Argentina Video: The Impact of Argentine Debt

noreply@blogger.com (WynnsWoods) — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 04:27:00 +0000

American Task Force for Argentina (ATFA) is an alliance of organizations united for a just and fair reconciliation of the Argentine government's sovereign debt default and restructuring.

for more information and videos click here

Fernando Peña vs. Luis D'Elía en "El Parquímetro"

noreply@blogger.com (WynnsWoods) — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 07:37:00 +0000

"Los odio con todo mi corazón"

Lo estás buscando, y Cynega lo pone a disposición de lectores, a continuación, el clip de audio que preparó la FM Metro a raíz de la discusión entre Fernando Peña y Luis D'Elía en el programa "El Parquímetro".

Clip "Fernando Peña vs Luis D'Elía"
Click here to listen

Cristina Fernandez and Luis D'Elia: A Match Made in Hell

noreply@blogger.com (WynnsWoods) — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 07:32:00 +0000

Argentine President Cristina Fernandez has taken an already explosive situation and aggravated it through a seemingly unholy alliance with Luis D’Elia.

City residents took to the streets last week with pots and pans in support of farmers whose tax revolt has paralyzed the country’s grain exports and caused food shortages. In her infinite wisdom, pro-government goons were sent out to confront protesters in front of the government palace. Of course the interesting thing was that the rain that arrived less than an hour later could have accomplished the very same thing without government created and sanctioned violence.

Leading the pro-government goon squad was no less than Luis D’Elia a former government official and close ally of the Kirchner Regime. As to be expected D'Elia denied any such connection saying he was moved to protest because of his visceral hatred for the oligarchy. Of course one must balance the fact that a night later Cristina seated him behind herself during a key speech she made defending higher export taxes on soy and other goods.

"A lot of Argentines just can't digest that much contradiction," wrote Eduardo van der Kooy, a Clarin newspaper columnist. In an editorial headlined “Bad Company” Argentina’s leading daily newspaper La Nacion noted that Cristina is risking her presidency by associating with D’Elia who is a throwback to former authoritarian traditions of using “shock forces” to control the opposition. "How can you tell the difference between the government and D'Elia if he is in charge of keeping public order with intolerably aggressive words and acts?" wrote La Nacion columnist Joaquin Morales Sola. The only official to rebuke D'Elia was the politically insignificant vice president, Julio Cobos.

The partnership of the Kirchners and D’Elia goes back to the 2001-2002 crisis when D’Elia first came to power as a leader of massive street demonstrations against the government. Nestor Kirchner then stepped into power in 2003 in part through forming alliances with leaders such as D’Elia. D’Elia would later go on to solidify Kirchner power by organizing government sponsored marches against companies that went against government price controls. It has been the style of both Kirchners to decree price control and tax policies then to enforce them with threats of boycotts and retaliation against business. Recently Shell was hit with massive daily fines for their initial refusal to lower gasoline prices to pre-October levels.

Nestor Kirchner named D'Elia deputy secretary for land reform during his administration only to fire him after he came out in support of the AMIA bombing (the worst terrorist attack in Argentine history). Interestingly enough media sources note that D'Elia still has an office in a government building to this day.

Fernandez says human rights, strong institutions and social programs are her central policies, but critics say she and her husband have centered power in the presidency, control congress and the judiciary and meddled with official economic data. In the capital, where support for the Kirchners is weak, D'Elia's role last week seems to have been to scare middle-class people who rallied in support of the farm strike.