And what else makes the News in Paris of the South?

Buenos Aires News Channels have been airing footage and interviews of the half submerged cruise ship Costa Concordia almost 24 hours a day. A very sad and totally avoidable event, resulting in preventable loss of life for so many crew and passengers. Now, news coverage is reduced somewhat to snippets of conversations and statements of Caption Schiottini, as well as the New Battle Cry of Italy and around social media: Vada abordo, cazzo! Everyone knows the translation by now.

Progress in environmental clean up around the ship is reported daily.

Talking about environment....below is the impression Argentinians have of the 'environmental efforts' of Barrick Gold and Osisco (?), Canadian Mining Companies, who plan to mine gold in an open pit mine in Famatina, a small town in a pristine agricultural Valley.

10 tons of cyanide a day, 300.000 cubic meters of fresh water. Each gold ring generates the equivalent of 18 tons of toxic waste. All that nice stuff is going into the ground and river water of the entire valley, ruining agriculture, orchards, lake fishing, drinking water and tourism. The waste will travel more or less across Argentina flooding downstream in converging river currents. The Natives are Restless - and rightly so.

'Agressive' development by Global Business in poorer countries, where environmental controls are weak or non existent, really show how hypocrisy of First World countries about 'protecting the environment' works. Yeah, sure, we care about the environment - but only at home! As long as we mine 'within the law' and with 'governmental permission' (which can be bought) in countries like Zambia, Chile and Argentina, we just quietly mess up the environment ...keeps production costs low.

Rumour has it, that Kristina, la Presidenta, secretely signed permissions for this mine, the local Provincial Governer was apparently elected on a promise to stop the development (which he promtly reneged after his succesful election). Demonstrations all over the country...

Open Pit Gold Mining by Canadian company, as perceived by Argentinians.

La Boca and Rivers hold a long awaited soccer match - 1 policeman to each 10 fans. One stays away...

Militant members of one fan club, revenging a beating up of a member of another fan club, just made an 'invasion' of a local hospital - past the birthing room and several nurses and attendants - to give another fan, who underwent medical treatment there, a licking. Security videos of the event show the whole attack, with a girl leading the charge. Police is looking for male suspects...

Calle Florida, without the Manteros. New flowerpots instead of blankets selling mostly cheap junk (excepting the Artesanos, which are in a separate and less militant camp, and who do sell their personal creations). I wonder if the Mafia charges protection money per square foot of blanket, as the Manteros had to do.

The Manteros have not yet given up on their quest for 'space': now, some of them chain themselves to each other, lay on their blankets in a part of Calle Florida and go on a hunger strike.

Second page....

A race horse threw his rider in the City Hippodromo and escaped into Avenida Libertador, high traffic artery several lanes wide. It galloped amongst the crazy traffic for 10 blocks, and was finally captured at the Monumento de Espanoles (probably needed a calming drink from the fountain by then). A handler picked it up and walked it back to the race course.

And a colourful rooster wandered around the downtown lawns of El Congresso, so rare it made prime time news as well...pictures of him pecking away at bits of arid lawn.

The heatwave is over, hey, important enough to make TV footage of lighting and downpours in and around the City and Province of Buenos Aires. Open Air Folkloric Festival of Cosquin, in Province of Cordoba, was overcome with a deluge of rain and hail. Fans stuck around, dressed in garbage bags and dollar store rain coats, or they took their shirts off which they then whirled above their heads, or snuggled under umbrellas. The whole dripping sodden crowd kept dancing to the music, umbrellas bouncing in unison, huge smiles on their faces and singing along with the performers, cheering on the (very good) musicians, who had retreated to the dry part of the stage - enthusiasm not diminished at all!

Chinese New Year in Barrio Belgrano

The Year of the Dragon, my year...
A sizeable Chinese Community has made it's home in the Belgrano Neighbourhood of Buenos Aires. The only ethnic group, that appears not to be absorbed into the multi-ingredient Ethnic Stew that makes an Argentinian.
The Glorieta Park, normally only dedicated to weekend open air tango, was transformed into a combination show stage and open stall vending fair. Tango in the gazebo, of course, co-existed quite peacefully with Tai Chi performed on a temporary stage.


Year of the Dragon...2012


Strings of red balloons spanned distances between trees and light posts.

There were a few 'galletas de fortuna' fortune cookies, but most of the stands were rather 'global' - here a Japanes Sushi stand.

Even Austria made it into the Chinese delicacy line-up, with genuine apple strudel (Strudel de Manzana)and a pot of goulash on the go. With 36 degrees temperatures, the Cafe Helado (Iced Coffee) must have been a hit.

The stand owner, from Graz in Austria, gave me a perfectly modulated mountain Yodel, when I greeted her in German.

Argentinian parrilla (B-B-Que) fare, with a French name of brochette, and Argentinian prices - equivalent of about Can $ 2.50 per shishkebab.

Made in China items appeared to be almost absent - except for a few paper umbrellas and silk trinkets.

A couple of female Argentinian Tango dancers dressed in Chong San dress, although their partners stuck to iconic Tango vests...

With a multitude of very hot people mingling around the park, good old 'Argentinian' icecream was another 'hot' item. It must be said, though, that the REAL Argentinian icecream, sold in small Heladerias all over town beats the fake packed stuff by a mile...absolutely a must try - creamy, tasty and seductive.

Spectactors of all persuasions...

Lounging under shady trees to watch the show on a stage below...

What - no RED??

Tai Chi - most of the performers were Argentinian, except for the Grand Master, who was Chinese. This act was followed by - guess what - a Tango Show.

Neighbours discussing the 'Espectaculo'

Happy New Chinese Year of the Dragon!

Tropillas - Gauchos and their Tropillas

Not a nod, but a reverence to the outstanding skills of horsemanship of the Argentinian Gaucho.
His home is the Pampa, vast expanses of almost flat land covered years ago in high Pampas grass, baked by summer heat, drenched by violent thunderstorms, and chilled by icy winds in winter. For a long time - empty of man or domesticated beast, except for wild running cattle, and wild running horses - detrius after the Spanish Conquistadores. And - the Gaucho: a loner with only his mount and dog for company, free, hardened to suffering, given to poetry and song, with fierce pride and sometimes hair trigger temper, poor and often enslaved either by army or estancia owners, subsisting exclusively on meat (wild cattle, ostriches, hares, wild fowl) water, and mate, fugitive and above all, a centaur, who seems to be part horse either on the ground or mounted in the saddle.
The horse was his friend, transport, and working tool - as well as his life saver.
The Gauchos ambition was and still is, to own a team of matched Criollos (descendants of Andalusian horses brought in centuries ago) which form his 'Tropilla'. With his tropilla he roamed the Pampa in search for work on estancias (he needs more than one horse to complete a day's hard work with cattle).
His tropilla is trained to adher like glue to a 'madrina', herd mother, often of a different colour than his tropilla. She wears a bell, which acts like a homing device for the individual animals.
This allows the gaucho, to let his team move and graze overnight in the open Pampa, without tying it up or fencing it in. He lead the 'madrina' by her halter from horseback, and his tropilla surrounds her within minutes, neck to neck and flank to flank. Even from a large mixed herd, they extradict themselves to follow the bell of their herd mother.
And he needs his loyal and well trained tropilla, as the Pampa - without a reliable horse - can be deadly.


"La pampa, señor, es como la serpiente..., lo magnetiza al hombre, lo encanta y lo adormece, y al fin se lo devora". (G.E. Hudson)
The Pampa, Sir, is like a serpent....she attracts man, she enchants him and makes him sleepy, and finally she devours him.


Some Gauchos have few horses (here the herd mother is a dark bay), some - especially today's working gauchos - have often much many more than a dozen.

Con tropillas entabladas
el hombre acortó distancias.
A bolas, facón y lanza
se hizo esta Patria sagrada.
El gaucho en cada jornada
unió la pampa y los cerros
y al chocar de los fierros,
al crujir de los cañones
fueron música y canciones
los relinchos y cencerros.
Tropilla, sos y serás
baluarte en las tradiciones,
orgullo de esos varones
que nos dieron libertad.
Tropilla gaucha: jamáste vi en mi Patria encerrada
porque vos no sos mandada...
Y antes que echarla al corral
muere el patrón y el mensual
y la tropilla entablada.
Publicado por gauchoguacho en 14:17
Etiquetas: Baguales, Julio Secundino Cabezas

With matched tropillas
man shortens distances.
With Bolas, knifes and daggers
he made this sacred Country.
Each day, the Gaucho unites
the Plains and the Mountains,
when steel meets steel,
and cannons blast,
neighing and madrina bells
were music and chant.
Tropillas, you are and will be,
bulwarks of tradition, the pride of those men,
who gave us liberty.
Tropilla of a Gaucho:
Never will you be seen shut in in my Country
because we will not force you...
And before being driven into a corral
master, servant and tropilla would die.

A gaucho holding the madrina by a lead shank, and the tropilla standing by - in a city scape.

Today's competitions between rivalling Estancias are held during many festivals.

Gauchos participate with their tropillas, each counting 8-15 or more horses. The tropillas enter the field (or huge ring) at a gallop, criss cross each other at full speed, turn tightly around poles, never moving away from the side of their respective madrina. They horses (apart from the gaucho's horse and the madrina) wear no halters - quite a spectacle to see so much horseflesh racing arond a large area, without ever crashing into each other or getting lost in the chaos. Little close-knit teams working totally absorbed within their own herd, oblivious to distractions.

For the great crescendo - the gauchos herd their tropillas into a closed off area, usually behind a 'fence' of long Argentinian flags, held up by gauchos on foot. The riders and madrinas leave the enclosure - quite a feat in itself, as the rest of the herd wants to follow.

The hundreds of horses left inside the 'enclosure' are all excited being 'abandoned', and to add to the confusion, assistant gauchos mix them up until they are all one churning big whirlpool of animals circling and circling en masse - not a tropilla left intact.

On a signal the 'enclosure' opens, and several hundred horses burst free gallopping in search of their madrina.

The competing gauchos ride at high speed amongst the moving horses, leading their madrina, whose bell can scarcely be heard above the drumming of hoofs, and cheering crowd, and commentary over loudspeakers...but, within a few minutes, the horses are all re-united right behind their madrina, almost like one multi hoofed body. The gaucho whose completed tropilla leaves the ring first - wins.

As Criollo breed, comes in every imaginable colour of horse pelt, there are overos, blacks, whites, pintos, bays, chestnuts, dappled, and 'striped' ones. They are so agile, their ears short and mobile, aware and intelligent, quick and strong - like Boston Terriers of the horse world.

On Gaucho internet sites, some of these 'tropillas' are for sale - complete. The horses may all or partly be trained under saddle. Tropilla training predates mounted training. A rideable horse that runs away from his gaucho is not worth as much as an unbroken one that sticks with him - before and after saddle training.

Here are two videos - just click on the links below, and subsequently on the little arrow inside the first frame, and they will play.

One of the videos shows the open country tropilla training of the horses - done with love, unending patience, over a long time, without force, incredible skill in understanding horse mentality. There are no instant methods to teach a practially wild horse to trust a man, or learn to follow the specific sound of the bell of the tropilla madrina. The beauty, temperament and all over good looks of the animals in executing their free movements is breathtaking - at least for a horse lover.

The other video shows a competiton in San Antonio de Areco, an hour away from Buenos Aires, where each year in November, Gauchos from all the Provinces compete for honours, as well as mounting one of the most well known Traditional Fiestas in Argentina. One fo them - as each province seem to mount at least one competiton of Doma and Folklorico per year.

Doma (Training or 'dressage') is a rather quick and very dangerous undertaking. The gaucho jumps on, and stays on through every trick the untamed horse offers - some potentially fatal for the rider. But that is a subject for anothr day...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38fidDEWtj8&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDz4RWURTKk&feature=related

18 Jan 2012 - International News...

And the News....
Since the 13 January, local TV channels showed almost nothing else but terryfying footage of the tragic fate of the Costa Concordia. Much debate about the cowardly captain of the cruise ship, including the tape of the heated interchange between the Italian Coast Guard Captain and the Cruiser's Captain. Interviews with Latin American Survivors, footage of underwater rescue operations, satellite coverage of the ship's track, infra red videos of the midnight evacuation down the exposed side of the ship, films of flooding staircases and restaurants inside the vessel...Shocking, sobering. A tragic loss of many lives, caused by a moment of irresponsible show of bravado.

Now, almost a week later, Sisco (Canadian Mining Company) is under the public microscope. A small village of about 300 agricultural families, scratching out a simple but contented living, is protesting and demonstrating with the support of most of Argentina against the intended open pit gold mine. Well, the search for El Dorado, in process since Cortez set foot on this continent, is still in process - under a little more 'civilized' guise.
Almost the entire local water supply will be affected, not to mention pollution with a number of toxic chemicals used in the mining process. The citizens of Famatina, in the Province of La Rioja, don't want their environment and their very living space extinguished - it is their backyard, and their very livelyhood depends on clean water - orchards, fields, fishing in their lakes, drinking water...
It would be interesting to contemplate what the local reaction would be if this situation would happen in a pristine area of British Columbia.

And the Falklands (Malvinas in Argentina) are making news again, or better, the British Prime Minister's pronouncements about the Falkland situation. Argentinians consider the Malvina's their territory, never mind that almost every one of the Falkland residents is a died in the wool Brit, living in a pretty convincing facsimile of England - English idiom, red telephone booth, royal mailboxes, Thatcher Drive and all.
One Cruise Ship with Argentinians aboard was denied entry by the Falkland Officials. Argentina had mounted an embargo on ships flying the British Flag. Both countries blame each other for Colonialist maneuvres...

And at the home front...
The manteros (street vendors) have divided into two camps - the Artesanios (willing to be relocated into a city park) and the true Manteros (illegally selling imported or mass produced wares, possibly with Mafia connections). The latter are drumming, whistling, waving flags, speechefying every day. The locale is changing, from the actual Pedestrian Calle Florida, to Avenida Corriente (a major city artery crossing Calle Florida). There, the demonstrators first blocked all of the many traffic lines, causing traffic chaos during rush hour. Now they are being contained to half of the street - lots of police and riot squad presence, and of course the local sensationalist TV channels are out with their trucks.


Deafening noise from drums, whistles, horns...


Police keeping the demonstrators restricted to one half of Avenida Corriente.

One of the manteros, sitting defeated on the now cleared out Calle Florida pavement.

Actually it is very pleasant now on the pedestrian street Florida, regular shop owners are relieved, and one can actually move from one side of the street to the other..the whole situation is less congested.

And the Subway - here one of the 1913 wooden subway cars - has been judged to be legally entitled to raise fares by 117% to 2.50 (55 cents). Buses and commuter trains are taking notice.

34 -36 degrees for the rest of the week - gasp! Now I understand why Argentinians are such icecream fans. 'Helado' shops, stands, bicycle vendors everywhere...

18 Jan 2012 - Mas Calor - More Heat...a Zoo!

It is definitely the height of summer in Buenos Aires, with another heat wave in the making. Temperatur predictions for the 'hottest week of the year' are between 32 and 36 degrees.


Well, the Zoo is only a couple of blocks away, why not join the animals and crowds of Porteno families on a day as caluroso as today?

'You are here'...in a Zoo that dates back to 1888. The design of the animal houses stays in line with architectural design of the times. Magnificent buildings, aviaries with ornate wrought iron enclosures, intricatre adornments on even the simplest stable, artificial lakes and fountains and a large variety of animals, who seem to enjoy themselves.


Many local animals, like llamas, vicunas and industrial strength rodents, the size of pigs or at least like large dogs.

These guys, a medley of rat, kangaroo, hare and squirrel hop around the entire zoo, totally at liberty. It is said they they are good eating...

Talking about food, apart from dozens of icecream stands, choripan (Argentinian hotdog) vendors, cold drink (including cerveza served in plastic cups) stands, there is the most important
nourishment: comida animal - animal treats. Every parent worth his or her salt, has to buy at least one of these little buckets....

And off we go. The Hippopotamo Anfibio just sits there with his tonsils in plain view, enjoying childrens' target practice using animal food. Bon Provecho - Bon Appetit!

The Zoo conducts a number of conservation projects for endangered species in Argentina, such as the Andean Condor. The huge bird, living here in a 15 story high birdcage, replete with rocky 'Andes', did not put in an appearance today. He and his mate were hiding from the heat, inside a suitable cave in the 'Andes' of th City.

Hand outs through little gaps in fences, specifically made accessible for just that purpose. None of the animals look exactly on the verge of starvation.

Paradise for little kids...

Many indigenous people spend their Sundays here, visiting the exhibits, resting in the shade, picnicking....

A Llama mother with her two little ones...fluffy, curious...

Big daddy, and I mean big, twice the size of the females. He was kept in his own pen, as he appeared to be rather more than slightly interested in the 'girls' next door.

Picnic in the shadow of a painted wall...

Picnic in the shade of a sunbrella...

Staying cool...

Definitely staying cool - a Carpincho, the pig sized rodent...also good eating...

Looking out....

....and about....

Urban Rhinos snoozing in the heat...but nevertheless seeking out a shady spot.

A long hot day, even for the most lively zoo visitor...

A short busride away is Belgrano, a barrio (neighbourhood) known for its tree lined streets, upscale apartment buildings, but most of all for La Glorieta.

Tango takes over on weekend evenings, when the smoothly tiled large Gazebo is an open air site for Milonga.

Dancers arrive, change into tango shoes, and then hang up their shoe bags INSIDE the gazebo, along the wrought iron enclosure. The enclosure is covered on the outside with thick netting, to discourage shoe thiefs, and on the inside it is covered with bags hanging from metal curlicues.

No seating of course, and dancers line the circumference, and sending cabeceos (nods) across the floor to invite a partner for a tanda (a set of 3-4 tangos of the same rythm).

Attendance and participation are gratis, and open to the public - four and two legged.

Despite a 'relaxed' dress code, a female is pretty well out of demand, unless wearing something 'sexy' and a pair of tango shoes. I arrived wearing my 'zoo' outfit (something loose to brave the afternoon heat) and a pair of rather flat 'dance practica' shoes...definitely not good enough. One turns invisible frorm the very word go...

Well, there is always a friendly and inviting sidewalk cafe, to contemplate the error of ones ways...