08/04/2008
Exhaustion
Monday, August 4, 2008: I have never felt as exhausted as I do now,never in so much need of rest, deep, deep rest. Just let everything go and sleep.
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07/24/2008
New York Storm
Thursday, July 24, 2008: It just poured and poured and wouldn't stop and I shivered in my wet clothes--my black top and my jeans. I watched all night as the water came down. Futile. No way to stop it.
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07/18/2008
Link
Friday, July 18, 2008: Yes, link to me in this hour of great need. Link and be kind. Be helpful. Be real. Let my situation be seen by one and all.
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07/14/2008
$21
Monmday, July 14, 2008: I saw him standing over me. Here, Miss, this is a subway ticket, he said. Something in me didn't believe him. I sat on the steps of St. Bart's on Park Avenue and 50th. Quickly checking my purse, I discovered that my wallet was missing. The man ran away and I chased him down Park and then over to Lexington and the subway station. Police! Police! I shouted. Who would hear me at 3 in the morning? But I persisted and went after him. On one of the steps going to the trains, I saw my brown leather-like wallet open, face down. By some miracle almost everything inside it was still there. The thief had been a small time, cowardly thing.
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07/10/2008
Subway Tile
Thursday, July 10, 2008: Today, early this morning, I fell on my face when I woke up from my subway naps. Hit my nose and my forehead.
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07/07/2008
A Shower
Monday, July 7, 2008: All I want rightnow is a shower. I haven't been able to take a shower since Monday of last week and frankly, I stink. A shower, a bed and new clothes. That'd be great.
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07/03/2008
Lauchita in Manhattan
Thursday, July 3, 2008: In spite of our tremendously bad circumstances, Lauchita seems to love Manhattan. Today she lay in the sun. I got her out of her carrier and she discovered grass near us. That is her new favorite place--purring, purring away.
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07/02/2008
Homeless in NYC
Wednesday, July 2, 2008: I am homeless in the Big Apple. Last night I slept (or tried to) at Grand Central. One of the strangest experiences ever. Now I am a homeless female, so is Lauchita, my cat.
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06/28/2008
Nowhere Woman
Saturday, June 28, 2008: I feel like a nowhere woman, a woman without anchor, without a place that belongs to her and only her.
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06/25/2008
No Sister
June 25, 2008:Have not heard from my sister. Must be out there on the road to CA.
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06/21/2008
Tuned Out
Saturday, June 21, 2008 I have been tuned out bymy dear brother Alex in California. He asked about my plans, then tuned out. Haven't heard from him since last week.
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06/16/2008
Jersey City
Monday, June 16, 2008: Jersey seems to be my next destination. How to get a ride there? Don't have money for a plane ticket, Greyhound and Amtrak don't take cats.
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Jersey City
Monday, June 16, 2008: Jersey seems to be my next destination. How to get a ride there? Don't have money for a plane ticket, Greyhound and Amtrak don't take cats.
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06/07/2008
Again
Saturday, June 7, 2008: In all honesty, I cannot abandon my cat. I need a home, that's true, but she's not a disposable thing that I can let go of. I cannot forget how great my cat is and has been. She's my family, the only one I can relate to.
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05/19/2008
Deadline
Monday, May 19, 2008: I have been given a deadline to move out of my sister's house. ASAP. I am afraid of having nowhere to go and I don't relish the thought of dealing with her husband, Dave. He has never liked me, though I have never done anything to him. What will I do? It's got to be very soon. Very soon.
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05/10/2008
Dominion Ceremony
Saturday, May 10, 2008: I watched the graduation ceremony later, on the 11 o'clock news. When my brother in law graduated, I was not a member of the family. The dog and the cats kept me company.
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05/03/2008
Rescuing Me
Saturday, May 3, 2008: How can I rescue myself from this ungodly situation? What is the best way? I have been racking my brain trying to figure that one out. And there is hardly any time left. Very, very little time.
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04/30/2008
Priorities
Wednesday, April 30, 2008: What is important to me? Kindness. I have not seen a lot of it lately. Different Flags and the story I narrate in my novel. I feel that I need to work harder to get it out there because it would help a lot of people, women who have been in my situation. My little cat is extremely important, too. Lauchita has shown me love and affection.
Justice also matters. I would like to see it in my mortgage fraud/predatory lending case. I feel that I was defrauded by the realtor and loan officer in GA and that was the main reason why my condo in Atlanta foreclosed.
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04/26/2008
Shame
Saturday, April 26, 2008: It is a shame that complaints to government agencies don't solve the consumer's problem. If you don't have a lawyer, you're out of luck. This has happened to me with my mortgage fraud issue. I have gotten in touch with several of these agencies, but have not had a satisfactory response from them. It's always: This is a legal matter and we don't handle individual cases. Frankly, I have been disappointed. Had I been financially able to hire a lawyer, I would have done it a long, long time ago. This problem has harmed me in many ways and I just don't have the means to hire anyone.
I was very naive to think that just because I am an American citizen, a taxpayer and a consumer, somebody would listen to me and help me punish the real estate professionals who defrauded me.
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04/19/2008
The Big Give
April 19, 2008: Giving up isn't easy and it is not what I want. Where will I be if I say: To Hell with it? What will happen to me then? This financial hardship situation is very hard to endure. It is pushing it uphill, where I could slip and fall. Go down, all the way down.
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04/14/2008
After the Pizza
Monday, April 14, 2008: After the new pizza rejection episode yesterday evening, I am not surprised. I need to move between now and mid June and I have no idea how, where, with what money. This scares me, as it leaves me very vulnerable. I have felt like this before, but this time is the most poignant, the worst. What will I do? Where will my cat and I go? That's all I think about.
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03/22/2008
Different Flags Excerpt
April 17, 1987: When my mother calls from San Francisco, my Tia puts on her mask. Everything's fine, she tells her. We are not rich, but Ani and I are doing too bad considering. Considering what?, my mother asks. Bueno, this is still Argentina. Strange things happen here. Strange things? I can imagine my mother's alarmed face as she holds on to the receiver. No, no, nothing to worry about. I meant to say that the economy is not like the one you have over there in NorteAmerica. They chat for a few more minutes. Then, after I have talked to my mother, we hang up the phone. That's when my Tia's mask com es off. It's only for a little bit, a minute or two, but it's enough. I can see how sad and tired she really is. She's been protecting people all her life and now she's protecting me--and herself.
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03/11/2008
Spitzer and his Fall
Tuesday,March 11, 2008: NY Governor Elliot Spitzer's sex scandal reminds me of John Profumo the Secretary of State for War in the England of the early 60s. Profumo met a London showgirl at a party, had an affair with her, then broke it off. He resigned after lying about it to the House of Commons, I think. I feel for Governor Spitzer, who seemed to have it all. Something must have been missing from his life to risk everything for this. I feel for his wife, who was at his side yesterday during the too-short news conference. She must have been crying inside, screaming for all of it to stop. And his 3 daughters, too. I can imagine what they must be facing.
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03/07/2008
The Pizza Slice
Friday, March 7, 2008: I sat down to dinner with my sister and her family. A few minutes earlier I had seen her take 2 small pizzas out of the freezer. I looked at them and wondered: Will I get one this time? After a few minutes in the oven, the pizzas were put on the kitchen counter. Can I have one?, I asked, looking at her husband Dave as he bit into a slice. No, there's not enough, was her answer.
Whatever happened to sharing?
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03/04/2008
Getting Away
Tuesday, March 4, 2008: Isn't it normal for people to want to get away from what's painful? Isn't it normal for them to want to be somewhere else if their place is uncomfortable? I have tried to have that happen to me, but without much success. The thing is that I have to come back to what I know is not good.
I remember when Rubio was ill and I wanted us to live in another building. Miguel, the portero is a sly, sleazy sort of person. He smiles right at you, but you can't trust him. I know he speaks about me behind my back. And when Rubio was very ill, he was mean to him. It was like hitting someone who was dying of cancer. He did it with words and gestures.
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02/28/2008
No Responses
I feel for those who get no responses. I feel for myself too. I have had an extremely hard time with my foreclosure/predatory lending/mortgage fraud mess. I am not giving up, but it is very difficult to go on. Sometimes you have no answers and it takes a long time for a person to find a light at the end of the tunnel.
I feel that the people who are famous were not always successful. They were regular human beings before they got their big break. Let's hope that we get ours as well.
At this point of my life my two main concerns are mortgage fraud and priestly Celibacy. Mortgage fraud happened to me very recently. The priestly celibacy issue touched me very deeply a number of years ago.
I also empathize with those people faced with no options or bad options. That type of situation makes you feel powerless, with nowhere to turn.
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02/19/2008
Believing
In spite of the setbacks, the stumbling blocks, the delays, I believe that my novel Different Flags, has meaning and that other women who have gone throygh a similar experience can relate to it. It is not simply about falling in love with a priest. It is also about discovering a whole different worl, about seeing yourself for the first time as you really are. It's about giving birth to yourself.
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02/12/2008
The Wondering Suitcases
February 12, 2008: Where? The suitcases want to know. This woman is going somewhere, but where? We don't know and we care. We really do. It's our life. She's dragging us with her again, can you believe it? Us, with all that heavy stuff that we have inside. Revolution! Her life calls for just that. We have to do something. She's got to be stopped. Now.
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02/04/2008
Resume
Eugenia Maria Renskoff
936 Larchmont Crescent
Norfolk, VA 23508
www.differentflags.com
haedo1881@yahoo.com
1960s--Present: Travel Experience: Extensive travel in North America, Latin America and Europe. Places visited include: most of Hawaii; most of Northern and Southern California; New York City; Connecticut; Baltimore, Maryland; Annapolis, Maryland; Boston, Massachusetts; Washington, D.C.; Norfolk, VA; Monticello, VA; Charlottesville, VA; Alexandria, VA; Williamsburg, VA; Miami, Florida; North Carolina; South Carolina; Key West; New Orleans, LA; Texas; Arizona; New Mexico; Wyoming,
New Jersey; Alabama; Atlanta, Georgia; Savannah, GA; Philadelphia, PA; London, England; Paris, France; Lyon, France; Grenoble, France; The French Alps; Monaco; Geneva, Switzerland; Rome, Italy; San Remo, Italy; The South of France; Acapulco, Mexico; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Buenos Aires and Greater Buenos Aires, Argentina; Mar del Plata, Argentina; La Plata, Argentina; Cordoba, Argentina; Corrientes, Argentina; Misiones, Argentina; Bariloche, Argentina; The Iguazu Falls on three sides: Argentina, Paraguay, Brazil; Montevideo, Uruguay; Punta del Este, Uruguay; Caracas, Venezuela.
1990--Present: Literary Experience: My novel Different Flags came out to excellent reviews a few years ago. I have completed the screenplay in Spanish and am finishing the English version. I have written short stories and have finished a second novel. In addition I have attended writer’s workshops in Argentina and the US.
I was interviewed on the radio and in print regarding my novel Different Flags.
1980s--Present: Work Experience: Translation and interpreting assignments in CA, NYC, GA and Buenos Aires, Argentina. I have translated newspaper articles, pages of dialog, legal documents, letters and business brochures. I have taught English to students in Buenos Aires and Spanish to students in NYC, VA and GA.
1980s--Present: Volunteer Experience: I have worked for Catholic Charities as well as the De Young Museum in San Francisco, CA. I have also done pet rescue work. I have helped elderly friends and neighbors.
Hobbies and Interests: Film; travel; art; literature; architecture; the elderly; pets; geography; antiques; interior design, foreign languages; other cultures; fine jewelry; Art Deco jewelry pieces.
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02/03/2008
Starving
February 3, 2008: At this point, I am starving for an answer. Have no idea where that lies, where I can possibly find it. Most doors are closed. New ones will not open.
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01/31/2008
Intolerable
Thursday, January 31, 2008: I have no idea how or when. That's what worries me. But deep down I know that this intolerable situation cannot continue. It's causing me too much stress. The energy I spend and/or waste trying to put up with it is endless.
Something for me. Something just for me. Not just anything, either, but something special, ultra special. Where? How? When? Don't know. Just got to have it!
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01/20/2008
Life In Norfolk
Sunday, January 20, 2008: There isn't much to say about my new life here. The weather is cold and I prefer it hot. The future, as always, is very shadowy and blurry. I have no idea till when that will be, and that is very unnerving. There is a feeling inside me that says I'm sick of these indefinite, undefined things. I want something I can hold on to, something I can grab and do something with. Yes. I have made mistakes, but who hasn't? The problem is resolving them. If and how. Those are the biggies, the questions that need answering.
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01/09/2008
My Day In Court
January 9, 2008: I showed up at the Federal Building in Norfolk, VA, just after 8:30 A.M for the 9 A.M. hearing. It was my first time. I have never been sued before. The lawyer for Bank of America was about an hour late. She was not really prepared because when I asked her for an itemized list of what I was supposed to have bought with my card, she didn't have anything. I asked for a continuance. The judge granted it and I was given a sheet of paper for me to fill out. It's my defense against this debt claim. Will the fact that I have no money to pay, if it is true, be good enough? I doubt it. But I am not lying.
Anyway, I am glad I will be mailed the list by the plaintiff's attorney. Only fair.
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12/10/2007
Presidenta
Monday, December 10, 2007: Today Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner becomes the new President of Argentina. She is the first woman elected to lead the country. There was nother woman president Isabel Martinez de Peron, back in the early 70s, but she inherited the presidency when her husband Juan Peron died. Isabelita, as she was called, was a disastrous presidenta.
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12/05/2007
Birthday
Wednesday, December 5, 2007: Today would have been her 93rd birthday. She was a feisty, strong and resilient woman. When she died, I realized that there people who are irreplaceable, indispensible. My Tia was one of them. Her strenght and her love I will remember even I am no longer here.
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12/02/2007
Place
All he wants is a place to lie down, a little bit of food and fresh water. I look at him with his head resting against the front door and I understand him, my new old dog. He must have lived in a really nice place, with lots of kids running around. My small apt. must be quite a change for him.
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Underage Drinking
Sunday, December 2, 2007: Kids in Argentina start drinking as early as 13 and this has begun to worry authorities. The emergency rooms of hospitals receive many kids in a state of total unconsciousness. They are taken to the hospitals by their friends, to be patched up until the following weekend. Two or three years ago the average kid would initiate himself into the drinking world at 16 or 17.
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11/17/2007
Cartonera Cinderella
Saturday, November 17, 2007: A 15 year-old ex cartonera has won a modeling contest and will be traveling to Turkey in January. This Cinderella has been signed by an agency that once handled Claudia Schiffer´s career. Her mother is no longer looking through garbage cans to find things to sell in order to survive.
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11/07/2007
Helpful Cabbie
Wednesday, November 7, 2007: A woman with a little kid took a taxi. When she got to her destination, she could not pay the fare. Her wallet had been stolen. The taxi driver loaned her 20 pesos, waited outside the dental office and drove her and her grandkid back home. Two days later, the woman paid him the fare and returned the 20 pesos. The cabbie´s helpfulness prompted her to write a letter to the newspaper. She was even interviewed on the radio. With the high crime rate in Argentina today, someone who goes out of their way to help stands out.
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10/29/2007
Presidenta
Sunday, October 28, 2007: Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, the first lady of Argentina, is the new presidenta of the country. Her victory was expected. She will be sworn in for her 4-year term on December 10th.
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10/16/2007
Sued Far Away
Tuesday, October 16, 2007: Today I had a court date in Norfolk, VA. I was sued by Jormandy, LLC, a collection agency. They bought an old credit card debt from Bank of America. The amount of the debt was around $1200. Because I have no way of getting back to the United States, I was able to go to court at 9 A.M. I wrote the General District Court in Norfolk a letter asking for a continuance.
I feel that this lawsuit is most unfair. If the debt was really mine, I could not pay it because my financial situation is very serious. And I am totally alone. There is no one who could have loaned me the money. There is no family member who could have offered to speak with this collection agency on my behalf. This morning all I thought about was what must have gone on in Norfolk. Did the judge read the letter? Was the continuance granted? I will call this afternoon and find out.
This incident is a new example of the GA tragedy. This personal tragedy came about because of my unfortunate trip to Atlanta in 2002. I hate myself for having gone there, though I obviously did not know that the condo I was going to buy would be foreclosed or that I would become a victim of predatory lending and mortgage fraud.
It is very ironic that someone can sue me for a relatively small amount of money, but that no government official is doing anything to punish the people I dealt with in Atlanta. I was misinformed by them and I feel totally abused. I feel abused morally, financially, psychologically. Because of this GA tragedy my life has become a financial nightmare.
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10/08/2007
El Che
Monday, October 8, 2007: Tomorrow will be the 40th anniversary of Che Guevara´s death. He has become an icon all over the world. What is not generally known is that this Argentine/Cuban revolutionary came from an aristocratic background. One of his ancestors was the richest man in Latin America in 1860 and another held an important government position in Peru. The movie The Motorcycle Diaries chronicles some of the reasons why he became who he became.
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10/07/2007
Tigre Strays
Sunday, October 7, 2007: The Tigre train station in the Northern part of Greater BA is home to countless stray dogs. Most of them are very well behaved and most of all, hungry. Very hungry. The other night, I went to feed them and later, when I went to the bathroom to wash my hands, several dogs followed me. I had no more food and it was too late to buy anything anywhere. I have been told that there are volunteer animal activists feeding the dogs but people abandon more and more pets and so the dogs keep multiplying. Some of them are not spayed or neutered. It breaks my heart to see these animals on the street. Their eyes look at the people coming out of the train station, hoping one of them will look their way or maybe take them home. That almost never happens.
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Little Cartonera
Sunday, October 7, 2007: There are little girls and boys looking through garbage with their cartonero parents. I have seen them several times. To them, maybe 3 or 4 years old, it is a game, but in a few years it will become another way to survive. There are many kids in this situation. In fact, it is said that over 50% of children under the age of 18 are cartoneros in Buenos Aires.
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09/23/2007
Incredible
Sunday, September 23, 2007: Now, over 4 weeks later, it is clear that I probably made a mistake when I let my new dog go. He was a puppy and puppies are a handful, but this feeling of missing him surprises me. I never expected it to last this long. I know he´s doing well because I went to see him the other day, but it does not satisfy me. I want his life force, his vitality again.
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09/22/2007
Kid Crooks
Friday, September 21, 2007: Groups of kids, the oldest not even 13 years old, the youngest around 6, are doing their crooked little thing in the trendy barrio of Palermo. Something straight out of Oliver Twist, with a 21st century Fagin? Maybe.They move around Avenida Santa Fe cross street Bulnes and they hold up pharmacies, dress shops and other businesses. It is said that their leader is an adult, sometimes referred to as Tio, but he may not be their real uncle. He, neighbors suspect, tells them which stores to go into, how much to take from the cashier, what to do with the owners and/or employees. If these kids are on drugs, like the notorious and cheap paco, that is no longer an excuse for their deeds.
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09/17/2007
Colectivo Express
Monday, September 17, 2007: 12:45 P.M. Last Friday, on the number 17 colectivo, a passenger asked a 21 year old guy for directions. How do I get to such and such a street? The guy gave him an answer, but instead of hearing the word gracias, he was asked to get off the colectivo with his fellow passenger. The colectivo was crowded, but nobody paid much attention. Before getting off, the thief took the guy´s cell, his wallet and was disappointed to discover that he didn´t have an ATM card. So, the thief asked him to call his parents, who just happened to be away in Bariloche. The kid didn´t tell them what was happening, but they understood anyway. And they gave him the ATM pin number. Then the thief´s accomplice appeared and they took as much of his ATM money as they could.
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09/16/2007
Rain
Sunday, September 16, 2007: Today is just very grey and coldish, but the rains started coming down earlier this week, Wednesday and Thursday. There was the usual thunder and lightning, the usual window rattling, the wind blowing hard and treating people like puppets on a string. Spring doesn´t want to come on the 21th. Looks like it´s playing hard to get.
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09/10/2007
Fake Kidnap
Monday, September 10, 2007: The kidnapped 9- month mother to be in the provincia of Santiago del Estero was not kidnapped after all. It turned out that she, her husband and a friend concocted the plot to get money from an aunt. It seemed strange that she was able to use her cell phone freely while supposedly hidden somewhere by her kidnappers. The sum of money that she requested was about 10,000 Argentine pesos, about 3,300 U.S. Dollars. Now all 3 have been arrested.
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09/09/2007
Amor Prohibido--Forbidden Love
Hola Programa Todo Por Hacer, Para mi lo prohibido fue un amor que tuve con un cura hace años. En muchos aspectos lo senti como algo maravilloso e inolvidable. Tan inolvidable que he escrito una novela basada en ese amor. Eugenia Renskoff
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09/05/2007
Kidnapped
Wednesday, September 5, 2007: In the provincia of Santiago del Estero, a 9-month pregnant woman was kidnapped by 4 or 5 people. A call to her family demanded a payment of 10,000 pesos (about 3,300 USDollars) for her release.
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08/31/2007
Repercussions of High Crime
Thursday, August 30, 2007: This afternoon I went to walk a dog in a nice neighborhood. He was rescued by animal activists and they raised enough money for him to live temporarily in a doggie hotel. The dog had one of his legs amputated and gets tired easily. When I brought him back to the pensionado, I asked the man if I could go inside and sit with the dog for a while. The man looked stunned and pointed to a park nearby. I told him that the dog was tired. In fact, the dog sat there on the sidewalk and would not move.
A few years ago, I would have been invited in, specially since I know the animal activists who rescued the dog and have gone to the pensionado with them. But now it´s like you can´t trust anybody. Argentina has changed very much in the last few years and this one of the saddest changes I have noticed.
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08/21/2007
Garage Sales
Tuesday, August 21, 2007: Garage sales are all the rage in Buenos Aires. The neighborhoods where people can find bargains and some unusual items are: San Telmo, Pompeya and Palermo.
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08/20/2007
Crummy Student
Monday, August 20, 2007: Once, about a month ago, I went to a student´s house for an English lesson. When I got there, she wasn´t home, so I left a message with a neighbor for her to get in touch with me. When this student, by the name of Rosana called, she was most apologetic. I told that that I would have to charge her for the lesson, since she had not informed she was not going to be home. No problem, she said. Can we meet next Thursday instead of Saturday? Yes, I answered. We were supposed to meet at 7:30 P.M. But she wasn´t there and I rang and rang the bell until finally a woman about to walk her dog came out. I explained that I was Rosana´s English teacher and she let me go up to put a note by her door. Sweet Rosana never got in touch with me. If she did not want any more lessons from me, why not say so? Why have me go all the way to Villa Crespo, about an hour from her I live by bus? Obviously these people need to learn manners, among other things. I cannot waste my time, knowledge and skills on them. Simply not worth it.
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08/17/2007
Out on Bail
Friday, August 17, 2007: Carlos Carrascosa, the man convicted of cover up in the brutal murder of Maria Marta Garcia Belsunce, will spend the rest of his 5 and a half year sentence in almost complete freedom. His friends have paid the 100,000 pesos(about $33,000 U.S. Dollars) bail set by the court. His new home will be the posh house of a friend living in a gated community. With friends like these, who needs justice? And who cares, who will ever discover, why Carrascosa´s wife was killed?
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08/12/2007
Children´s Day
Sunday, August 12, 2007: Today is Children´s Day in Argentina and to celebrate the occasion, toy prices have gone up between 15 and 25%. People still buy stuff for their kids, nephews and nieces, grandkids, but consumer protection organizations are filing complaints.
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08/07/2007
Señor Chavez
Tuesday, August 7, 207: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has come to Buenos Aires. He arrived yesterday, where he was received by his counterpart Nestor Kirchner with great joy. They are very chummy and will do business together.
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08/03/2007
Old Kids
Friday, August 3, 2007: There is a new trend here in Argentina. Some grown up kids don´t want to leave home. Even if they are working, they prefer to stay with Mom and Dad. Mom washes their laundry and cooks for them, while Dad keeps paying the bills.
There are cases where kids go back home with their own children and let Mom support them. All very convenient and a far cry from the days when kids could not wait to leave the nest.
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07/30/2007
Naked
Monday, July 30, 2007: A woman in the provincia of Mendoza was forced to walk naked down the street after being robbed. The crime rate is so high in this part of the country that a priest urged his parishioners to gather on the streets and demonstrate. In his sermon, the good father said it is time people stopped being victims of threats against their persons and property.
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07/29/2007
Business
Sunday, July 29, 2007: After remembering the 55th anniversary of Eva Peron´s death on the 26th, after the dollar shot up to 3,20 pesos earlier in the week, it´s back to business as usual. The President of Argentina and his wife, Senadora Cristina, are in Mexico to drum her up as his succesor after the elections in late October.
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07/21/2007
Presidenta
Saturday, July 21, 2007: It certainly would be good if a woman were elected President of Argentina, but it would be even better if she knew how to run a country. Cristina Kirchner is the current president´s wife and a senator as well as a woman who knows how to dress extremely well. She looks glamorous and fashionable. Women envy her and she is intelligent. Argentina still has many poor people, many villas de emergencia or projects. Some like La Cava are infamous and crime is a way of life. A very profitable way of life. If she is elected (and the government is doing everything within its power to make it happen), will she really help the poor? And get rid as far as it is humanly possible of the drug traffic?
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07/20/2007
Amigo
Friday, July 20, 2007: Today is Dia del Amigo in Argentina. It is the day when most cell phone services work overtime as people call their friends to tell them how much they care about them. Most restaurants and coffee shops will be crowded and there will be people waiting in line out on the sidewalk. This day was the idea of a man who, after the 1969 landing on the moon, said: Why not have a Day to celebrate that thing called Friendship?
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Candidata
Friday, July 20, 2007: Yesterday, in her native city of La Plata, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner launched her candidacy for the presidential elections in late October. Her president husband and his entire cabinet was there to witness Cristina give her speech. Can she, if she wins, be a good presidenta? Who will be running against her? Who will dare? So far, she is the star candidate, the one with the most power and money. A Latin version of Hillary Clinton.
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07/18/2007
Doggie Outfit
Tuesday, July 17, 2007: Early yesterday evening there was an old man on the street pushing a supermarket cart in the swanky Recoleta barrio of Buenos Aires. He wore a dirty pair of trousers, dark tennis shoes and a torn sweater. A small dog walked next to him. The dog had a beautiful curly tail and a warm checkered red and blue winter outfit. He looked up to the man for guidance.
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07/17/2007
Out
Tuesday, July 17, 2007: Minister of Economy Felisa Miceli handed in her resignation yesterday. Things got very hot for the minister after a bag full of money was found in her private bathroom. Ms. Miceli explained that her brother loaned her the 60,000 or so U.S. Dollars, and while the President of Argentina apparently believed her, others did not. Her story does not convince the judges investigating her and her brother.
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07/15/2007
50 Pesos
Saturday, July 14, 2007: What will 50 pesos buy me? Will it buy me a smile, a short conversation with someone, anyone? That´s what it looks like. 50 pesos will go far in Argentina.
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07/14/2007
Etiquette?
Friday, July 13, 2007: The young woman was waiting for the colectivo. It was after 6 P.M. There was a long line and she cut in. Perdon, she said. Perdon, she repeated. I looked at her and could not believe my ears. A small thing, nothing to get angry about, but her attitude made me feel bad. There used to be a time here when people, at least most people, were polite and did not try to act like this person tonight did.
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In Jail
Saturday, July 14, 2007: Carlos Carrascosa, the husband of Maria Marta Garcia Belsunce, is spending the first days of his 5 and a half year sentence in jail. Earlier this week, he was acquitted of her murder back in October 2002. But, he was convicted of tampering with the evidence when she was found dead with 5 bullets in her head. He also paid to have the police not investigate the brutal way she died.
.
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07/11/2007
Anniversaries
Tuesday, July 10, 2007: They were sisters. One died on July 10, 1987, the other July 10, 1994. My aunt was the first to go. There was no one with her. She went to sleep and never woke up. No one to hold her hand, no one to be near.
We were with my mother when she got sick. The doctors didn´t want to tell us she was going, but we knew. I remember the emergency room, the faces of the nurses and the doctors as they tried so hard to save her life. We stayed with her body until the doctor told us it was time to leave.
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07/09/2007
Snow
Monday, July 9, 2007: Today is Independence Day in Argentina, and to make it even more special, snow is fa
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07/08/2007
Cacharel a la Moth
Sunday, July 8, 2007: The coat must at one time have been nice--a Cacharel 3 quarter lenght wool and cashmere thing. But the woman who wore it knew that its sleeves had once been moths´ favorite food. And now it was dirty. The coat´s light color could do nothing to disguise the stains.
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Old Beggar
Saturday, July 7, 2007: The woman is old, over 70. Her face is thin and flushed. Her body is wrapped in an old blanket. She sits on the sidewalk, with her back pressed against the wall of a clothing store. There is a sign hanging from her neck that says :Por favor, ayuda. Her hair is longish and very gray. She is always there at night, after 9. Does anyone put coins in the tin cup she holds in her hand? Who drives her to the trendy spot in the trendy barrio of Belgrano?
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07/05/2007
Cristina Presidenta
Thursday, July 5, 2007: Cristina Fenandez de Kirchner, none other than the President of Argentina´s wife, will be running for president. Elections will be held in late October. There are those who say she will win, though it is rumored that she and Kirchner are separated.
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Money Bag
Thursday, July 5, 2007: A brown paper bag full of money (mostly U.S. dollars) was found in the bathroom of Felisa Miceli. Argentina´s Minister of Economy said that the money was for a business transaction and that instead of about a quarter of a million dollars, there was only 60,000. An investigation is underway, and charges of corruption are brought against her.
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07/04/2007
Mink
Wednesday, July 4, 2007: On this same 152, there was an old lady wearing a 3 quarter lenght dark brown mink coat. I mention it because it is the first time I have seen anyone with a mink ride the colectivo here. The crime rate is very high and that is not a wise thing to do. The fur looked new and shiny.
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06/27/2007
Señora Governor
Wednesday, June 27, 2007:Mauricio Macri, the opposition leader won the mayoral race in Buenos Aires lasr Sunday. But that isn´t the only change in the political world of the country. Fabiana Rios, a 41-year-old former pharmacist, is the new governor elect of Tierra Del Fuego, a province in the southermost part of Argentina. She has already met with President Kirchner and they have agreed to work amicably.
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06/24/2007
Who?
Sunday, June 24, 2007: Today the citizens of Buenos Aires are voting again in the runoff election for mayor of the city. Who will it be--Mauricio Macri, the wealthy businessman and president of football´s Boca Juniors or Daniel Filmus, the President of Argentina´s hand-picked guy?
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06/20/2007
Middle Class
Wednesday, June 20, 2007: A middle class person makes about 4,000 pesos per month here in Argentina. That is around 1,330 U.S. Dollars. It is not much in the States, but it is not too bad here. Still, it is not what an upper middle class person earns, which could be 9,000 or so. 4,000 pesos is somewhere between the low and the middle middle class.
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06/17/2007
Bribe
Sunday, June seventeen: It is said that the piqueteros protesting against Finland financed pulp mill in Uruguay, have been taking bribes to let regular people go from Uruguay to Argentina and vice versa. One recent case concerned a woman who had to pay the piqueteros two hundred and fifty pesos in order to be able to attend her mother´s funeral. There are many more that are not reported.
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06/13/2007
Freezing In Argentina
Wednesday, June 13, 2007: The fog is still here, doesn´t want to go away, and I am freezing. The humidity is so, so high that the cold penetrates the bones. Unbearable.
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06/10/2007
San Francisco in BA
Saturday, June 9, 2007: The fog phenomenom started Wednesday afternoon and it is still on. Yesterday it seemed to be lifting a little bit, but tonight it remains among us, making it difficult for people, cars and planes to circulate. This fog is very reminiscent of San Francisco, where I grew up. It is very charming and nostalgic, but not very safe. And not a common thing in Buenos Aires, either.
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06/08/2007
Guilty?
Friday, June 8, 2007: The 19 year old gay son of the woman murdered in Corboda late last year was charged with her murder. The detectives and those in charge of the judicial system in the town of Rio Cuarto say there is probable cause. There is a DNA match, among other things. Yet, unlike the painter/handyman who earlier this year was accused of killing her, Facundo Macarrone has not been put in jail.
Some people in Rio Cuarto say that mother and son did not get along, while others say that she did not object to his being homesexual.
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06/05/2007
Mayor
Tuesday, June 5: Elections for mayor of Buenos Aires were held on Sunday. There were three candidates: Jorge Telerman, the current mayor, Daniel Filmus, the minister of education and Mauricio Macri, a wealthy businessman. Daniel Filmus is Presidente Kirchner´s Chosen One. But to no one´s surprise, it was Macri who got a little over 45% of the votes. Now the runoff on June 24th will be between Macri and Filmus.
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06/01/2007
Forgotten
Friday, June 1, 2007: It os like I am far away and don´t exist anymore. Like I am all the way here, in Argentina, and therefore I am dead. At least dead in a symbolic way.
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05/22/2007
Upset
Tuesday, May 22, 2007: I must not get upset. I must take it in stride, but I can´t. The city can be beautiful, but Buenos Aires, when it gets too crowded, too full of people and cars, can be impossible. I feel like yelling: Get me out of here! I want some fresh air!
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05/18/2007
Juggling For Pesos
Thursday, May 17, 2007: It was a dark and cold night in San Isidro, Provincia de Buenos Aires. Near San Isidro racetrack traffic was very heavy. 2, maybe 3, small boys juggled in front of the cars waiting for the light to change. Dressed in rags, maybe a little dirty, they hoped their performance would earn them a few pesos, a coin here and there.
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Subway
Friday, May 18, 2007: Yesterday´s subway strike in the city of Buenos Aires left about a million or so passengers stranded, desperately looking for alternate ways to go to work, then get back home. Busses were more crowded than usual and there were not enough taxis to satisfy the demand. The strike is not not a new thing. It has happened over and over again ever since I came remember. More money? The lowest salary for a subway employee is about 2,400 pesos and the highest 4,200--4,300 for a six-hour day. This is not too bad in Argentina, where there are still millions of people without adequate housing and enogh food to eat.
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05/14/2007
Training
Monday, May 14, 2007: Training a German Shepherd mix puppy is certainly not an easy task. Most of the time it is very stressful and you have to spend long minutes, even hours, trying to make him do what you need him to do without getting nervous. The crime rate in Argentina is going up all the time and being protected is vitally important.
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05/11/2007
Hood Dog
Thursday, May 10, 2007: With most of his body wrapped in a doggie overcoat, the dachsund walked with a limp. His face was half covered by a hood. He smelled the sidewalk, looked up, looked down, almost hanging his head. Round in circles he went and I followed him. Then he was gone.
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05/04/2007
Little Beggar
Thursday, May 3, 2007: A little girl went into a delicatessen during lunch time and approached a couple of people waiting to be waited on. Would you buy me something to eat? she asked. No, they answered, not even bothering to look at her. She turned around and left. Funny, from the way she was dressed, she didn´t seem to be a beggar, a man said to his wife.
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05/01/2007
Madres
Tuesday, May 1, 2007: There was a celebration yesterday to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the famous Madres de Plaza de Mayo. This is a group of women who, during the 70s military dictatorship, grouped to find out what had happpened to their disappeared children. They were desperate to find out why they had been taken and what had been done with them. The government wouldn´t help the mothers and they struggled and overcome many obstacles. Some of these original 14 women were able to gather information and get closure, while others are still searching.
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04/27/2007
Workshops
Friday, April 27, 2007: More clandestine workshops have been discovered in the city. Its workers are mostly Bolivians living in slave -like conditions. Their exploiters are usually other Bolivians. These modern slaves work from the very early morning hours till about 10 or 11 P.M. There is one bathroom for 30 or 40 people and the food they get is not very good. Some illegal workshop also employ children.
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04/17/2007
No Men
Tuesday, April 17. 2007: The men shortage crisis has reached a boiling point in Argentina. Women, all well dressed, their faces flawlessly made up, are meeting in groups in confiterias and restaurants to chat, to laugh, whatever. The men are only a few feet away, but in cases, there is no contact. Some say it´s a new and healthy trend. Very hard to believe.
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04/12/2007
My Grandmother
Wednesday, April 11, 2007: Today would have been my grandmother Ana´s birthday. She died long ago of cancer of the esophagus. My grandmother was a single mother at the age of 31. Her husband, my grandfather Manuel, died of a heart attack when he was just 35. My mother and aunt became unofficial maids, servants of their well to do relatives and my grandmother became a seamstress. She did not want to remarry because she feared that her new husband could get intimate with her daughters. I wish I knew more about her, but my mother is gone and I cannot ask her.
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04/09/2007
General Strike
Monday, April 9, 2007: The death of Professor Carlos FuenteAlba last week in Neuquen has provoked today´s general strike in Argentina. There have been incidents in the Northern provincia of Salta, but none in Neuquen. Banks will be closed for about an hour. Subways and busses will be on strike also. Schools are closed all day. Thousands of people have gathered around the Obelisco in downtown Buenos Aires and at the Casa de Neuquen, the Buenos Aires branch of the provincia.
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04/06/2007
Brain Dead
Thursday, April 5, 2007: Tonight, a 41-year old professor was declared brain dead. Last night there was a demonstration led by teachers in the provincia of Neuquen. The police used tear gas to try to repress them and the professor, caught in the middle, was badly hurt. Now it looks like there will be a national teacher strike on Monday. The professor´s fellow teachers are asking for the dismissal of 5 of the Neuquen government ministers incolved in this tragic incident.
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04/02/2007
25 Years
Monday, April 2, 2007: Today is the 25th anniversary of that useless and painful war to get back what are known here as the Islas Malvinas. The memories are sharp and vivid, and there will be events, both public and private, to remember the fallen soldiers.
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03/25/2007
Pen
Sunday, March 25, 2007: The colectivo was very crowded and people were sardines. A young guy offering pens and a tale of woe walked up and down offering pens. He asked for a donation, a small one, whatever the person wanted to give him. Before he had the chance to take back the pens that people would not pay for, a woman hid the pen that he had given her in a large bag and got off the bus. Nobody said anything.
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03/24/2007
31
Saturday, March 24, 2007: Today is the 31st. anniversary of the coup d´tat here in Argentina. The president, Isabel Martinez de Peron, was told by the military leaders that she was no longer president and that they were taking over. This act was the beginning of the Dirty War, of people disappearing and dying and being kept prisoner under horrible circumstances.
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Cell Baby
Saturday, March 24, 2007: A few days ago, while doctors were delivering a baby, there was a power shortage. They turned on their cell phones, and continued with their work. Both mother and baby son are doing well.
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03/20/2007
Moto Chorros
Monday, March 20, 2007: There is a new trick that experienced crooks are using in Buenos Aires. Two people are riding a motorcycle. One approaches a target, steals a purse, a bag or a wallet, gets on the motorbike again, then changes his or her clothes.
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03/19/2007
San Patricio
Sunday, March 18, 2007: For several years now, Argentina has been celebrating el dia de San Patricio, better known in the English speaking world as St. Patrick´s. In Buenos Aires, people gather in the downtown area to celebrate. There is lots of drinking, lots of pubs overflowing with patrons.
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03/17/2007
18
Saturday, March 17, 2007: The latest gated community robbery has one curious detail. The 3 (or was it 4?) thieves who entered the first house at the Village and Golf Country Club in Pilar, helped themselves to food and wine when they discovered it was empty. The owner came home and became the first hostage. Then, they went to 2 other houses where they stole jewelry, computers, and, of course, cash. They left the same way they had arrived--undisturbed by any of the security guards supposed to be in charge. This is robbery case #18 in the gated community scene.
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03/11/2007
Old Story
Sunday, March 11, 2007: It is not surprising that almost a month before Easter, plane and bus tickets are sold out. It happens every year without fail. When the economy is doing well, people want to get out of town and take a little vacation. When the economy is not so good, people still find the money for their escapades. Yes, every seat is taken for the 2nd and 5th of April.
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03/10/2007
Anti Bush?
Saturday, March 10, 2007: While President Bush is touring Latin America, President Chavez of Venezuela is protesting against him in Argentina. Last night, in Buenos Aires, about 40,000 people gathered in a football stadium to here him criticize and insult the American president, who had just arrived in Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay. At one point he called him a political corpse, a totally unimportant person. But Mr. Chavez does business with the U.S. and he receives U.S. Dollars for that business. Is he going to be against the American currency, too?
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03/09/2007
Instant Gratification
Friday, March 9, 2007: The 2001 crisis hit Argentines really hard. After President De La Rua up and left in late December, suddenly people´s savings disappeared. Now, the economy has improved. Supermarkets in the last few months have noticed a sharp increase in sales. There is a growing tendency not to save any money. The reasoning is: Why should I? Some minister of economy can make it all go away, it can vanish into thin air, if he or she feels like it. Cars are much in demand, new or almost new cars. The cheapest can cost around 30,000 pesos( about 10,000 U.S. Dollars). Some pay cash, others finance the purchase. Tengo, gasto is the new slogan of the recovering middle class. I have, therefore I spend.
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