News from down under Latin style

A few days ago, I watched the transit of Jupiter behind the moon. The nights here are still clear enough to watch the stars....

Jupiter, a few minutes after it re-appeared from behind the moon.

Another tango class, private, concentrated, in depth learning and practising. Despite airconditioning one's body feels the work out, unless of course, one has a teachers constitution...they work 12-14 hour days, with the ladies in impossible high heels, and male teachers hiding knee braces under their long tango pants....

Paula, my teacher, after the lesson, fresh as can be, and ready for another full day of teaching.

That's more my feeling after a tango class....


The following photos: With thanks and recognition to Clarin, the local newspaper,whose published them on their web site.



Good news for the zoo lovers, it will be around for a little longer...subsidies are forthcoming.



A little more crowded than British Columbia beaches, here is Mar del Plata during Summer vacation and school holiday season.



A local kindergarten has been closed down, after it operated for years without a license. A concerned parent (why was his child in here??) hid a video camera in his child's backpack. It captured quite a noisy and physically aggressive interchange between a kindergarten attendant and a few little one - ranging between 1 month and 5 years old. The populace responded angrily and published their thoughts via spray can and most local TV stations.



Ah,m the never ending Saga of the Malvinas, Falkland Islands.
Argentine representative Timerman is in England and wants to discuss the Island's fate without the Islanders having any say in it. He requested, that he should be 'taken seriously'.
England of course refuses, awaiting the Falkland's referendum decision.
Argentina now states, that one of their reasons for insisting on taking over the Malvinas is to 'improve the Islander's living conditions'.
In the meantime, the Falklands are rallying, responding with cyber space messages which proclaim, that, given the debacle of Argentine's economy and other serious problems, there is more chance that Argentina will plant itsNational Flag on the moon within the next twenty years than it would have, planting its flag in Stanley, Falkland  Islands - Malvinas.
Quick repartee from the Argentinians: there is a strong smell of oil in the British argument.
I wonder whether the Argentinians have perceived the same smell, given their interest in this little place in the South Atlantic.
Argentine now threatens to fine any country that develops natural resources in the South Atlantic...now that is going to be a challenge, especially after another couple of Argentine Navy vessels did not quite overcome the challenges of the deep sea.

In the meantime - there is Carnival in Rio de Janeiro...

and this little guy is waiting for his costume to arrive...

What else keeps the locals on their feet?

Chilean Navy sailors ran through the streets of Lima singing: We will kill Argentinians!
Great outrage in both countries Argentina and Chile about xenophobia etc, .
Today, Argentinian Navy sailors run through the streets singing: We will kill Chileans!
An eye for an eye - Latin Style....

Maxima, the Argentinean born future nominal Queen of the Netherlands, will have her coronation without her parents present: the Dutch Parliament refused their participation, as daddy was quite active during the last military dictatorship here....

Kristina, la Presidenta, is announcing further improvements to the railway system here. However, the new A line subway cars from China proved to be a little too wide for the tunnel corners and the station platforms - not sure who measured them, but the blame is flying around freely. What gives now? The width of the tunnels or the width of the subway cars?
A highly touted new subway station in the works since a year, has been abandoned overnight - alternative arrangements are going to be discussed. Maybe the newly created hole in the ground will be made into a pond, who knows.

Congress received another 21% salary increase. Local teachers and professors asking for 30% - the government considers that too high and will not pay it. Inflation has to be kept under control.

Messi, Argentinean born soccer hero, now scoring tons of goals for Barcelona, Spain, just extended his contract with said club.
Sixteen Million Greenbacks per annum for the Pulga, the flea.
The Nation rejoices for his native son.

Food prices as well as electrical kitchen utensils, to the surprise of local manufacturers, producers and growers, have been frozen until 1 April by governmental decree. Shortages of food are expected...

And the blue dollar keeps creeping up and up in price of equivalent pesos. Real Estate sales are now down 85% from a year ago.

Wine seems to defy any upward pressure in price - and Quilmes beer remains at $2 (9pesos) a litre.
Just as well, as another heat wave is in the making, weekend temperatures will raise up to 36 degrees again.
Cheers!