Announcing a death on Facebook

This afternoon, I was on Facebook and I saw that an acquaintance of mine (friend on Facebook, professor at an another department in my institution with whom I rarely talk in real life) had announced on Facebook that hir father had passed away last night. I was slightly horrified. Is it OK to announce a death in Facebook? Is that post for people like me, who otherwise would have not find out in quite some time? Am I supposed to leave my sympathies on hir wall, call hir or send hir a card? I've never quite grasped what you should do or not as far as courtesy goes in the United States, and Facebook and other social media outlets are just complicating it even further. So what should I do?

How to adapt to living in a foreign country.

Clarissa has written a post where she explains what she has done to adapt to the United States, and asks her readers what they've done. I left my comments there, but I also wanted to write about what I have done to adapt while maintaining my culture and interests. Here are (copy and paste) the comments that I left on Clarissa's blog (you should read the whole post to see the context):

1) I pay taxes religiously. I was told before emigrating to fear the IRS more than any other federal agency. I do it.

2) I reserve my leg showing skirts only for the weekend. When I was in grad school, one day I went to teach after spending the night at a guy’s place,so I didn’t have time to change. Form fitting black skirt, black tights, black turtleneck and knee high boots. Nobody said a word throughout the whole hour, and I later learned that I had been nicknamed the “German dominatrix”. I got great evaluations, though.
-I finally gave up and got my drivers license at age 32. The first day I drove, I proceeded to go the wrong way on a one way street in a really rough part of town. Later, I turned out to be an excellent driver, provided I don’t listen to music or the radio (I can only hyper-focus on one thing at the time).

3) I confess that if I have to print work-related things at home, I will take paper for the printer from work. And won’t return whatever is left after I do the printing. But that’s the extent of what I do.

4)I learned that when people ask me “How are you?”, they are not really expecting an answer. So I say “Fine, thanks”, instead of getting into a five minutes explanation of how I am.

5) I started following the baseball team in my current city. I’ve even gone to bars to watch games, and I occasionally get tickets to the stadium.

6) I try to stay up to date as much as I can on popular culture, so I can relate better to my students. It’s an impossible task, though, but I do what I can.

7) I’ve learned to use certain stereotypes about Hispanics to my own advantage. So if I’m too loud or passionate about something, I just attribute it to my “hot Latina blood”.

8) I tried going to the Unitarian Church. I lasted one day, since I couldn’t see myself waking up early on a Sunday to go to Church just for the sake of having a social network. The synagogues in my town are really far away and very conservative, so that’s not an option either.

However, there are things that are an integral part of who I am, but would not necessarily go too well in the United States. So here are other things I've done:

- As you know very well, I'm a political junkie. So I keep myself informed of Argentine politics daily. At the same time, I've learned as fast as I can about American politics, and, also, local politics. So I can name all the city councilmen or councilwomen, and I know what are the big local issues that affect my city and I've become involved in advocating a few of them.

- I let everybody know that as much as I like and appreciate the United States, I'm from Argentina and that's what has shaped who I am (the positive and the negative). This is particularly important in the classroom, since it allows my students to realize there are different perspectives about the world, and that people negotiate them daily on different contexts.

- On a similar vein, I've learn to observe the places I live in and, in that way, I've realized that reality is more complex than my stereotypes. I've dispelled or modified quite a few of them.

- I have refused to buy a house. I've been told countless times that I should do it. Financially, it would make sense. At the same time, I know I'm incapable of tackling DIY fixing projects, and so is my husband. I have no intentions of changing that. So home ownership could turn into a nightmare. However, we are considering buying some overpriced apartment (that we would still be able to pay) in our city downtown if I get tenure. Financially, it doesn't make much sense (for that money, you can buy twice as much space in some decent neighborhoods), but it would get as closer to a certain feeling of city living that we both miss. So while I am careful with my money, I don't let it be the only rationale behind a decision.

So I've adapted to the United States pretty well, and I intend to get the citizenship as soon as it's legally possible. But deep down at heart, I'm an Argentine and will always remain so.

Alain Delon

Beautiful. Ice cold. Bad person. Right-winger. Great actor under the right director. All these statements are true about one of my favorite actors, Alain Delon. He is one of the few actors I would watch a movie because he was in it. Specially the ones he made between 1960 and 1975.

Alain Delon worked in some of the best movies of the second part of the XXth century. He became famous playing Rocco in Luchino Visconti's Rocco and His Brothers (1960) and The Leopard
 

His personal life was always controversial. He had a son with German singer Nico, and he refused to recognized him. Because of Nico's personal problems, Delon's parents raised the kid. Alain Delon did not speak to them for years because of it. Because of his right-wing ideas, he starred in Joseph Losey's Mr. Klein to prove he was not a Nazi.

In Jean Pierre Melville's Le Samourai, he had an on-screen aura only achieved by legends like Greta Garbo or Marlene Dietriech. I've probably seen the movie 7 times (or more). Every time it showed on an art-movie theater in Buenos Aires, I would attend. In fact, a friend once went to a showing not because he was interested in the movie, but because he needed to reach me urgently. He knew I would be there. He also fell in love with the movie, and with him. You need to watch it to understand what I'm talking about, but here is a trailer:

I'm back!!!!

I finally arrived safe to the heat wave of the Midwest. I came close to a heart attack last night when the plane almost did not depart (first class had already boarded and they made them exit the plane). The captain said very clearly that he would not fly that plane. They finally decided to screw the people flying to Dallas and they re-routed them through Miami, my flight. So I'm back!!!

Buenos Aires travel tips and curiosities

As I'm waiting for hours in Chile for my flight to depart to the US, I put together some recommendations and curiosities about Buenos Aires. Since I'm in a hurry, I will post some links later:

1- Best chain bookstore in Buenos Aires: Prometeo

2- Most beautiful bookstore in Buenos Aires: El Ateneo Gran Splendid

3- Curiosity: In Buenos Aires, you can live on the corner of Palestina and Estado de Israel. Both are streets that intersect.

4- Local drink that is definetely an acquired taste: Fernet con Cola. It's both bitter and terribly sweet. Some people hate it, some love it. I'm among the former.

5- Best bar to have drinks at night: Milion

6- Wacky tourist destination: Tierra Santa (post coming up soon)

7- Less wacky tourist destination: Jardin Japones (it's actually a beautiful place, but the fishes look radioactive because of their size)

8- Most outrageously expensive items in Buenos Aires: clothes and shoes. They cost more than in the United States, and the concept of sale means a 10% discount

9- Items to buy in Buenos Aires: leather handbags and Malbec wine

10- Foods to try: steaks (of course), empanadas, milanesas and dulce de leche.

11- Best bargain in Buenos Aires: bus rides (they cost aproximately $0.35 dollars), and they run all night long.

12- Best thing about Buenos Aires: you can walk 5 miles a day without even noticing. In the United States, I have to go out for a walk to achieve 10000 steps a day, as they recommend. In Argentina, I can do it without even trying.

Stuck in Buenos Aires

...due to volcano ashes. I feel so European right now. I might take off tomorrow, or not. American Airlines 1-800 customer service sucks. Their airport organization is even worse. Continental and Delta rescheduled the flights, American Airlines gives you a local number to call to (with more than 500 people trying to call), and then closes its airport ticketing service. If the next day you go in person to a sales office in the city, you get better results. But you need to live in a city for that to happen. Grrr.....

Glenn Beck and the Israel Right-Wing

Dear Israeli right winger:

I support the State of Israel and its right to existance. I believe that these fundamental right is being attack by many fronts. But Glenn Beck is not your friend. He is a dangerous nutjob. You shouldn't admire and invite him to Israel. It only de-legitimize your cause. He did liken the Norway victims to the Hitler youth. Glenn Beck

described the attack "as a shooting at a political camp, which sounds a little like the Hitler Youth. I mean who sends their kids to a political camp?”

If you don't believe me, as it happened when I told you that in Facebook, here is a link to the Jerusalem Post with Beck's words. Remember, Glenn Beck is not a friend of Israel. He is a dangerous nutjob, a bigot that has done a lot of damage in the United States.

Yours,
a liberal Jew.

Buenos Aires in film

In the late '90s, Hong Kong director Wong Kar-Wai traveled to Argentina. Wong Kar-Wai is known for his improvisational mode of working. It can produce masterpieces like Fallen Angels or failures (Ashes of Time). Wong Kar Wai is a big admired of Argentine writer Manuel Puig. Although he didn't have a definite script, he wanted to shoot a movie called "The Buenos Aires affair", in honor of the writer. Of course, he didn't think about such pesky things as copyrights. So when the brother of Manuel Puig found out about it, he asked for money in exchange for copyright permission. The brother never got the money. Instead, Wong Kar Wai developed a script about a gay couple from Hong Kong that goes to Buenos Aires trying to make their relationship work and break up there. The result is Happy Together, one of the saddest and most beautiful depiction of Buenos Aires on film. Here is the trailer for the movie, as an advance:

Post I have coming...

Ok, it's my last day in Buenos Aires, so it's really crazy. Here are two remaining post I'll write when I go back to the US, related to my visit:

1) Visit to another telo
2) Visit to Tierra Santa

I write this as a reminder to myself and so readers push me if I slack off. Is there anything else you would like me to write (whether it's about Buenos Aires, Argentina, or just the regular topics of my blog)?

Watching TV on Sunday night

It's 11 at night and I'm watching the returns of the election for governor of the Province of Santa Fe (the second more important after the Province of Buenos Aires). The socialist candidate is 0.5 ahead of the right wing candidate. It's nailbiting. I'm a political junkie, and I'm in paradise tonight.

Don't argue with me in the mornings.

This post is inspired by my comment to Nicoleandmaggie's post today. Actually, I'm copy and pasting it because I am too lazy.

I'm staying with my parents in Buenos Aires. They finished the coffee and forgot to tell us (me and husband). So this morning, I had to walk to the coffee house to buy whole bean coffee, in the worst possible mood. A waitress asks somebody how does kilos convert to pounds. I said automatically 9 kilos equals 20 pounds. A man drinking his coffee on a table starts arguing with me over that. Finally, I just look at him and said: "Listen, I live in the US, so I know. I do the calculation every day". He says: "You are wrong. One pound equals 300 grams". My answer: "You are wrong, it equals 450 grams". I got my Ipod and showed him. It's great to be right when you are asleep and grumpy.

Overheard at a Buenos Aires coffee house

- "I had to change therapists. He preferred Borges to Cortazar (sic in Spanish)" - two mid-30s intellectual looking women sitting behind me.

This reminded me of the story of an Argentine acquaintance of mine who was doing hir PhD in the US. S/He had found a good therapist, and was happy with him. But one day s/he told me: "Yes, my therapist is very good, but I realized the limits of going to therapy in the US when I told my therapist that one of the biggest issues in my entire life has been that my father was a hard-core peronist, and the therapist didn't understand why that could be so life-changing". It goes to show the limits of adjusting.

The Creation Museum's poll

I just saw on Pharyngula's blog this amazing entry, and I couldn't help but repost it. The Creation Museum is having a Facebook poll to name a new exhibit... you can suggest new names, and so far, the results are hilarious... Go to Pharyngula's blog for the link to the Creation Museum's poll and read the comments. It will make your day.

Buying summer sandals... I need my readers help and suggestions

Ok, I know it's a little to late to be buying summer sandals, but I wore off the ones I had before coming to Argentina, and it's winter here. Also, it's impossible to buy sandals in Argentina in July. So now I'm going back to the US, and trying to buy sandals. Throughout the years I've found out that it's better to buy shoes online (unless they are dressy shoes for a special event), because the selection is ten times better and usually so are the prices. I've made the ocassional mistake, but returning the items for a refund is easy. So the issue here is:

I need to buy summer sandals that I can use to work but also with a casual dress (since I have really long legs, I only wear pants to work, I leave the dresses for the sexy night out). And I am a really boring person. The type of sandals I tend to buy is:

that I found here. In fact, I already bought a pair. They are good, comfortable, decent quality, on sale... and boring.

What I would like to buy are good, comfortable sandals, that are a little more sassy. Now, these are some requirements I need:

- Since I have some arch problems, I don't like flats. On the other hand, I am very clumsy, so I can wear high heels. I usually wear between 1' and 2 and a half inches heels.

- Black is great. I don't like pastels. I do like green, red, grey, etc. Also, I hate brown. But I like metalics: silver, bronze, etc. I can even be convinced of a bright orange.

- I wear a size ten regular. However, since my feet are pretty big, sandals that are too strappy tend to make my feet look huge. So I like a little more cover.

-With all due respect to my readers, nothing that looks too hippy.

- If possible, something with some kind of back strap, I have a tendency to twist my ankle with slides.

- If they are worth it, I'm willing to pay up to $120 (give it or take). Of course, I would prefer less, but I have no problem paying money for something that will last me more than one season.

As you see, it's not an easy task. But I know that beyond our academic, intellectual conversations, there are a lot of fashionistas out there. Have you seen anything lately worth looking at? I know I have a lot of restrictions, but help a professor in need!!!! Post links or descriptions of things you have seen in stores lately. Thanks!!!

Learning Argentine Spanish

My husband has an high-intermediate level of Spanish (although he doesn't believe it). He has studied it in college a long time ago, he has come to Argentina 3 times, has taken classes in Argentina, goes over all my textbooks and grammar books I have. He is the kind of person that feels he needs to be really good at something before he really dares to put it in practice. Before his trip, he decided something else. He realized that one of the things that confused him the most was not only that Argentineans can speak really fast, but also that he didn't know the slang very well. As a result, he bought the book Che Boludo! A Gringo Guide to the Argentines.


Although it has some body expressions, it has mostly slang words or expressions to learn Argentine Spanish. It's written by an American who fell in love with an Argentine woman and moved South. I went over the expressions, and they are not 100% accurate. However, the book is good enough. As a way of improving and learning Argentine Spanish, husband put the expressions on a flash card application on his Ipod, and practiced daily.

I noticed throughout the trip that his listening comprehension had improved. Today, he told me very happy: "The book was really useful. Thanks to it, I didn't spend 10 minutes last night wondering why you and your friend were talking about mangos, a fruit that doesn't even exist in Argentina". For those who don't understand, "mango" is not only the fruit but Argentine Spanish slang word for "money". I was elated at seeing him so happy.

Getting scooped

This week, thanks to Girl Scholar and Nicoleandmaggie, I got introduced to the concept of "getting scooped". I had honestly never heard of the concept before. As I wrote in a comment to Nicoleandmaggie's post, I have abandoned, early on in my career, working on a novel because somebody close to me was working on it too. But that novel is now a central part of my book project. Now Girl Scholar is an historian, and NM work on the social sciences. Is the idea of "getting scooped" common in the literary studies field, or we just repeat ourselves endlessly? Can you give me examples?

Teaching Business Spanish - Ideology in the Classroom

Last week, Dr. Crazy had a post about scholarship and the market economy. In the post, she writes:

One result of the glutted job market in literary studies is that literary criticism becomes a function of that market. Either one writes literary criticism to get a job, or one writes literary criticism to keep a job, or one writes literary criticism to get a raise. Literary criticism becomes, in effect, a product within capitalism, a product bought and sold in the business of higher education.

Although I didn't comment on that specific blog, I found it very interesting because I sometimes feel something similar, but applied to my teaching, not to my scholarly writing. Maybe I am lucky and do something that is "trendy" (although I doubt it), but I've never felt constrained in my research. Teaching, on the other hand, is a completely different issue.

It is not exactly breaking news how U.S universities are closing down foreign languages programs, citing economic reasons (when they actually do offer an explanation). Professor Zero posted Michael Bérubé's report on the situation of University of Louisiana system. Bécquer Medak-Seguín at Hispanic Studies Forum has an excellent post on how the MLA tries to fight the closing within the neoliberal free-market rationality. Except for the few PhD graduates that find a job at a R1 university, most Spanish professors are required to teach language courses and/or "language for the profession" type courses. It's teaching "language for the profession" courses where I fight between my own beliefs and the feeling I am being functional in reproducing neoliberal market worldview.

First of all, I don't believe that it's possible to leave ideology out of the classroom. Just the act of selecting certain materials implies a subjective choice on the professors part that decides what to include and what to leave out. This can be less clear in an Intermediate Spanish language class, but is pretty obvious in Literature, Civilization and/or courses like Business Spanish. In fact, Business Spanish was the only class I ever taught where I felt absolutely unconfortable, to say the least.

There are two basic ways in which Business Spanish is taught: as a 300-level very specific language course (with a cultural content), or as a cultural, case-based approach, without going over grammar concepts. Whichever option one chooses, a portion of the students are going to complain. In addition to making that decision, I had to decide what cultural content I would offer my students. I've blogged here and here how important critical thinking is for me in a classroom. It is as important in a Business Spanish course, because of the historical relationship of the United States with the Spanish-speaking world and power dynamics. The book Cultural Studies in the Curriculum: Teaching Latin America, edited by Danny Anderson, one of Jonathan's colleagues in Kansas, provided me a useful first step. Danny Anderson wrote a chapter on teaching Business Spanish from a Cultural Studies perspective. I don't have the book with me now, but it's something like "how to teach an anti-imperialistic Business Spanish course". It's full of useful suggestion.

So I made a syllabus choosing a textbook, and trying to incorporate some of Anderson's suggestion into the syllabus. Some worked better than others. The first part, on getting students to recognize stereotypes in "Cross-cultural communication" textbooks went smoothly. However, for a non-tenured professor in an institution were teaching evaluations are essential, I didn't have the courage to include Foucault and power dynamics into the syllabus. The problems started when I gave Ds and Cs to students in group presentations (scheduled a month into the semester), because they spoke about such things as "Neoliberalism in Argentina in the 1930s". Business Spanish is usually the most crowded course to teach. You have a full class and people on the waiting list. It happened to me. A month into the semester, half the class dropped. I went from having 22 students to having 11. And then, the dynamics changed. I gave up, and just tried to survived. The students had a good attitude, so at least I didn't feel hostility every time I went to teach. In the end, I think they learn a lot of vocabulary, how to write formal letters, and a little of the damage that neoliberalism has done in Latin America. Since I work in a religious institution, I tried to bring up the Pope's writing on the neccesity of a more human capitalism. It was impossible. They couldn't bring themselves to admit the gap that exists in the United States between private morals and the imperative to succeed at all costs in a Business environment, between a public discourse that makes an emphasis on "family values" and the fact that you are considered lazy if you don't work at least 50 hours a week.

In the end, I failed at making them think critically. I really dread the possibility of teaching that course again. But maybe, when I'm tenured, I'll give the course another shot. The evaluations were very good, if you didn't take into account that half the class dropped out. And if you are teaching a Spanish course, and want to explain your students about Argentine non-sensical sense of humor, show them the commercials "La llama que llama". They were done for a telephone company, and it plays with the words (llama in English means both 'lama' and 'to call'). I showed them the YouTube clips for a few classes in a row, right before the students evaluations, and they went crazy over them. Here is an example:

 There are over 20 more of these commercials, and each of them is a gem in itself. I didn't make them think critically, but at least I made them laugh. I guess that's something.

Now, I've written about a particular situation when teaching a Spanish course where you feel that you are contributing to reproduce the market economy logic. Can you give me examples of similar situations in other disciplines? What was the course, and how you approached it? I would really appreciate it.

Open thread: Third World Buenos Aires

And the lights came back!!!! Only 24 hours after the electricity went out! Thanks to a suggestion in the previous post of the always brilliant Profacero, I'll start the Open Thread named "You know you are in the Third World when..."

- You know you are in the Third World when...

a) You send your "gringo" husband to a pharmacy to buy a prescription medication. You don't have a prescription, only an empty box of the medication you want to buy. He comes back with the medication without any trouble

b) When citizens of the country don't have to look into a dictionary to know what a "public intellectual" is. When you discuss with cab drivers about politics. When the public sphere, even when the results of recent elections are not what you would have liked, is alive and well.

Feel free to contribute...

Thirld World Buenos Aires

I've been gushing about Buenos Aires for three weeks. Now, I will write about the reverse of the coin. If some of you wondered why I hadn't yet replied to any comment, it wasn't because I was too busy. Yesterday rained in Buenos Aires, and the power went off in the whole block where my parents live. According to them, it happens every time it rains. Some electricity box gets wet, and there goes the power. It can take between 24 hours and a week to get the power restored. So now, I'm on an Internet cafe curing myself from my withdrawal syndrome after spending almost a day without access to a computer. Next, I'll reply to comments. I hope the power comes back soon.

Spanish Teaching Materials

As a contribution to Spanish Language instructors everywhere, here is a YouTube video that is also teaching material with wonderful pedagogical potential. Stringer Bell alerted me of its existence on the comments on this post. It has become a YouTube hit in Argentina and the Hispanic world. And it has even been subtitled into English. It's the famous "Tano Pasman" video (with English subtitles in this version). What is it about? A man watching the first leg of a 2 game series to define who descends to the soccer Second category: River Plate or Belgrano de Cordoba. The man is a fan of River Plate, also the most popular team. His family is afraid of his reactions every time he watches a game, so they tape him while he watches the game in his living room, so he can see himself. River lost the game, and the man goes absolutely nuts throughout it. What's its pedagogical material for teaching Spanish?

a)If you are brave enough to try to teach your students how to cuss in "Argentino", this is everything you need.
b) It's also an example of the passions that soccer can arise in South America, specially in Argentina and Brazil. In fact, as a personal anecdote, soccer was the only time I almost got into a fist-fight, 15 years ago. I had a River Plate shirt, and some woman started teasing me badly (the day River lost the final of the Individual Teams World Cup) in the building of my college. They had to stop me.

As a warning, the video has a lot of profanity. It is also fascinating, disturbing, horrifying and hilarious. And just to reassure my readers, I love soccer, but I don't suffer so much with it. Here is the video:

Gothic Buenos Aires - Palacio Barolo

Here is a link to some beautiful photographies of the Palacio Barolo by night. Palacio Barolo is a building in Buenos Aires that was designed according to the cosmology of Dante's Divine Comedy. Palacio Barolo has

22 floors, divided into three "sections". The basement and ground floor represent hell, floors 1-14 are the purgatory, and 15-22 represent heaven. The building is 100 meters (328 feet) tall, one meter for each canto of the Divine Comedy.

I found the link in an Argentine blog, and the photos are stunning, better than anything I would be capable of. Click on the link, you'll love them. And you don't need to speak Spanish to appreciate the photos of the Palacio Barolo by night.

Open debate: what is the political limit you would tolerate in your spouse/boyfriend/girlfriend/partner?

Since I suck at controversies, I propose this more like a debate. My question is: what is the political limit you would tolerate in your spouse/boyfriend/girlfriend/partner? Of course, I don't expect my husband to agree 100% in his political opinions with me. But I have my limits. An acquaintance of mine got married to a Tea Partier six month ago. She is very liberal. The guy is nice, and in social situations keeps his mouth shut. He even tolerates gentle teasing. However, you see his Facebook posts, and it makes any liberal puke. I know that I would not be able to marry somebody like that.

I've heard about how opposites attract, about the importance of great sex above all, about how one should be respectful regarding politics, and a lot of other theories regarding a good marriage/partnership. My husband is very different from me in a lot of ways. I'm not going to get into sex, but no complaints in that regard. He is also a liberal. In a sense, he started paying attention to politics after he married me, a political junkie. Before, he was more of the "bohemian" liberal type, who didn't exactly know very well what was going on. I know I could marry a fiscal conservative, and have disagreements over those issues. But I could have never married a conservative on social issues. That is my political limit. Somebody who does not support women's right to choose, somebody who opposes gay marriage. That, for me, is intolerance towards other group of people. Now, I don't want to argue over your own political beliefs. I would like you to tell what would be the limit you could not tolerate when choosing a long-time partner.

Breastfeeding in public

Because I don't have enough controversy in my blog (I am too polite), I will write a post about a topic I know nothing about and I have no personal experience whatsoever: breastfeeding. I've occasionally followed controversies about breastfeeding in blogs. I have no opinion about the breastfeeding vs. formula issue, and that is not what this post is about. One comment that appears over and over again in these debates in the need for "privacy" for the mother who is breastfeeding, and the difficulty to achieve it.

I understand it when it comes to the workplace. However, I've never understood the reluctance to breastfeed in public in the United States, both from the mother and from the people that is put in to position to see a mother breastfeeding. If you travel throughout Latin America, you will see a lot more women breastfeeding in public, in places that can range from public buses to cafes or restaurants. And I find it amazing and absolutely natural. What can be less controversial than a woman breastfeeding? In the United States, though, I've heard more than one woman with impeccable progressive and feminist credentials say that they would be gross out if a woman started breastfeeding in a restaurant. I find it puzzling. What are you grossed out by? A female breast? And if you are the woman breastfeeding, how do you exactly need privacy? I admit that in the United States, breastfeeding in public can provoke uncomfortable stares (while in Latin America is a much more naturalized situation that wouldn't raise eyebrows). But isn't those stares what a true feminist should be fighting against?

Ok, let's the debate begin

New Argentine Cinema

Since 1995, Argentine cinema has been going through a period of steady growth in importance and quality, which consolidated the reputation of Argentine productions among specialized cinematographic circles around the world. This group of films has been labeled "The New Argentine Cinema". Some of the most famous directors, who are very different in style, content, affiliations, affinities, are Adrian Caetano, Lucrecia Martel, Lisandro Alonso and Pablo Trapero. Three excellent books about Contemporary Argentine Cinema are New Argentine Film: Other Worlds, by Gonzalo Aguilar; Crisis and Capitalism in Contemporary Argentine Cinema , by Joanna Page; and Desintegración y Justicia en el Cine Argentino Contemporáneo, by Gabriela Copertari.

The best director of the bunch is, probably, Lucrecia Martel (some would argue Lisandro Alonso, but it's a question of taste). However, my favorite one is Adrian Caetano (again, a question of taste). His style comes closer to a notion of "popular" cinema that is not populism nor Hollywood entertainment. He is also the director who has the best grasp of Hollywood genres, which he uses in innovative ways in Argentine cinema, who at times could be very derivative and immitative of other national cinematographies. Cronica de una Fuga, for example, is the true story of the only group of prisoners from Argentina's concentration camps during the last dictatorship that managed to escape. The first part of the movie is pretty "traditional", it depicts with competence the kidnapping and torture that the prisoners suffer in the hands of the Army officers. The second part, however, is radically different from what you would expects. It narrates the prisoners plotting to escape using the conventions of "escape from jail" b-type Hollywood movies. Nobody in Argentina had dared to do something like that with a topic deemed so "serious", but Caetano does it brillantly. My favorite movie by him is Un Oso Rojo, an urban western with equal parts of genre experimentation and social criticism.

Yesterday, I bought and saw on DVD his last movie, Francia. It wasn't as well received as his previous movies, but it more than fulfilled my expectations. A family drama, it narrates the story of the descomposition of a lower-middle class family from the point of view of their young daughter. What is interesting about the movie is that it is not situated during menemismo, but after it, so as to show how the neoliberal decade continues to affect the country years after it supposedly ended. It has wonderful jabs to so-called progressives with well-paid jobs at NGOs saving indigenous tribes in the countryside, and, above all, is a great story of implosion of the horizon of expectations that this sector of society has had in the nation. The ending is a little dissapointing, but it doesn't overshadow an excellent movie at all.

Caetano will probably dissapoint me very soon, since he is directing a documentary on Nestor Kirchner financed by the State and supported by the Kirchner family. It's probably going to be annoyingly officialist. Too bad, because he would have been the best choice to direct an independent documentary on such a contradictory and complex figure as Nestor Kirchner.

Essay writing

Yesterday, I bought the new book by Josefina Ludmer, Aquí América Latina. Una Especulación. For those not familiar with Hispanic scholarship, Josefina Ludmer is a very famous scholar who retired from Yale University and went back to Argentina a few years ago. She has written a lot on Southern Cone literature. She has a lot of academic scholarly books. Of course, as with any serious scholar, she is widely read and widely criticized. But her new book is something else, something she had started with her previous book, El cuerpo del delito. Un Manual. It's written as essay, in the traditional form of the genre (as opposed to academic essays). It mixes reflections with the personal with scholarly ideas. I find some of the essays more interesting than others, but overall, I find the book refreshing. As academics, we are forced to write within very specific parameters that conform to scholarly writing. I don't complain, it's part of the game. But one thing I miss is reading essays by intellectuals. It is a genre that is still widely cultivated in Argentina (see Nicolas Casullo, Eduardo Gruner, Eduardo Rinesi and others), but I can't find in the United States. I don't mean just by people in my field, but by people in the Academia at all. Can somebody recommend me essays (in the sense that I've been talking about) written in the United States in the past 30 years?

Museo Policial - Police Museum of Buenos Aires

One of the most bizarre Museums I've gone to in Buenos Aires was the Museo Policial (Police Museum). I had no idea it existed, I got the tip from a tour guide appropriately titled Buenos Aires Bizarro. It's located on the 7th and 8th floor of a street in the Microcentro, the financial downtown of Buenos Aires. You will never find out its existence unless somebody tells you about it. Besides us, there were two Irish tourist and a police officer.

The most interesting thing about the Museum is its completely lack of narrative. Considering the fascist and criminal past of the Police force in Argentina, one would imagine a "law and order" type of exhibition, destinated to extall the glories of the force. What you find, instead, is an accumulation of objects and pictures, some very gruesome, with very detail explanations as to where they come from. Among the famous objects you will find the cape that José Lopez Rega, the sinister Minister of Social Welfare of the last government of Peron, used in its esoteric practices. You can also see the cover of the profanated coffin of Peron (it was profanated in the late 1980s, when unknown assailants open the coffin and cut Peron's hands. There is also the box where the guerilla group Montoneros put the dead body of Aramburu, the General they had just kidnapped and killed in retribution for his participation in the repression and murder of Peronist activists in 1956.

In the photo gallery, you see in great detail cases that involved dismembering of the body, anal lessions, decaying bodies, decapitated people, etc. It's definetely not for the faint of heart. There are also two scultures of the female pelvis: one of a virgin, and one who has been "deflowered". This is just a list of the oddities you can find in this museum. As somebody who is very interested in both politics and crime novels, I had to go. It was certainly worth the visit.

Weirdest search keyword...

Somebody got to my site with the following keywords: barackobama.com by jose luis romero


Can anybody explain them to me?

Freedom of religion in Austria

For everyone who is concerned about the restriction to civil liberties and how to mantain separation of State and Church while at the same time upholding the principle of freedom of religion, I'm happy to report that Austria is on the forefront of the world.

According to an article I read today from NPR, an Austrian man named Niko Alm won the right to wear a pasta strainer on his driver's license photo. Why?

Alm claimed he belonged to the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster and wearing the strainer was part of his religion.

In addition,

Alm now wants to apply for "Pastafarianism to become an officially recognised faith in Austria."

You really need to click on the link above, since it provides Alm's driver's license photo. Now, we can get back to fightings over the right to wear burkas on public, and similar contentious issues.

Weird English proverb

For me, the weirdest English proverb is "To have your cake and eat it too". It makes no sense. Why would you want to have a cake if it's not to eat it? As a foreigner, I see it as proof of American puritan mentality, but I might be wrong. Can somebody let me know?

RueLaLa is offering a $10 credit for a survey

I never do this, since I am not a money savings blog, but I'm doing an exception because I know a lot of my readers like fashion, and good deals too. The Flash Sales website RueLaLa is offering a $10 credit for a very short customer satisfaction survey. It's up right now, but I don't know how long it will last. Basically, the credit covers their outrageous shipping prices. I like the site and have bought things from them, but many times the shipping prices prevent me from doing so. Here is the link to the survey. I don't gain anything from it, I promise.

Choosing a telo in Buenos Aires - a trip to the Bat-Cave

First of all, I have to confess that planning telos visits as if they were tourist attractions is more complicated than I thought. You start feeling in the mood, and the idea of a 50 minutes bus ride to do the deed sounds utterly unattractive. So you go back to your routine. However, yesterday husband and I finally managed to go to the Bat Cave. And it was a failure, but not a worthless trip.

We took bus 109 and headed towards O'Tello, the Bat-Cave telo. It took around 40 minutes to get there. It's located in a residential middle class neighborhood, with one story houses and a few shops. When we got of the bus, we realized we were hungry, so we found a parrilla (steak place) and ate there. Then, we headed to O'Tello, which is as inconspicuous as the neighborhood where it is located. I had to gather all my inner deadpan self to ask the front desk employee, without laughing, "La Baticueva, por favor" (The Bat-Cave, please). He looked at me and said: "No, we don't have it anymore. It's been years since we had it. It's not even on the hotel's website". I was stunned. And I cuss myself for not checking the website. But hey, we weren't going to let that stop us. Besides, we had traveled 40 minutes to get there. So we got a room, and it was a great surprise. For the same price of rooms in more centrally located neighborhoods, this was clearly more upscale. It had a whirlpool tub in the room. It was slightly tacky, but not too bad: the bed headboard look like a faded Venetian rug. Then, there were some rustic elements (like the chairs), mixed with prints on the wall depicting XVIth century romantic scenes. A lot of small mirrors with completely unmatched frames on another wall. And a separate space where you can have lunch, eat or drink (table and chairs). OVerall, we might be going back to spend the night there. I loved the whirlpool!!!!

Bathroom signs in a Buenos Aires restaurant

Here are the signs I found in the restrooms of a Buenos Aires restaurant. It took me a minute to figure out which one was Women and which one was Men.

Google Plus

I've received an invitation to join Google Plus. Has anybody checked Google Plus out? Is it worth spending a few hours researching it? How is Google Plus different from Facebook? Any comments will be appreciated.

What I don't like about Buenos Aires - Clothing stores

As you already know, I love my hometown. Its vitality, cultural offers, the possibility to walk and/or take public transportation everywhere, the telos, make it an unique blend. I know that city like the palm of my hand. There are, however, things I don't like about it. For example, I do not like the tyranny of the clothing companies.

There are great designers in Argentina. If you like the Betty Boop style, you can head over to "Las Oreiro" store, created by actress and singer Natalia Oreiro and her sister. I saw Natalia Oreiro mopping the floor of her store once (and she is very succesful as an actress), so I know she is involved in her creations. If you are more into the hipster-chic look, go to Maria Cher. For rocker-retro-chic, Ona Saez is still a good option. Tramando, by Martin Churba, is one of the most sought-after brands. I could go on and on. Cora Groppo, Chocolate , Kill and Awada are other options with different styles. So what is it that I don't like? The sizes.

Buenos Aires is one of the anorexia capital of the world. This is reinforced in multiple ways. Stores and companies discriminate against supposedly overweight job-seeker candidates. But above all, all those stores have only tiny sizes. In December 2009, Argentina passed a "size law", but it is not always enforced. I was reminded of this today, when I went shopping for clothing.

I am 5'10 and weight 185 pounds. I call my body type "an inverted triangle". In US sizes terms, I'm a size 14-16 on top, and a size 8-10 on pants. My bra size is a 38D. Finding good - fitting tops in Argentina is impossible. In Argentina, according to the recently approved law, every cloth has to have a tag with a description of sizes, from a size 40 to a size 48. A size 40 would be a size 4, a 48 a size 12/14. You are lucky if you come across stores that carry sizes 44/46. Most stores only carry until a size 42. If you ask for a bigger sample, they just tell you: "Sorry, in this model, we only carry up to size 42". Other stores just label X-Small, Small, Medium and Large, with a Large being a size 8 at best. The testimony of the women in this post is disturbing, but absolutely true:

María Pérez (pseudonym), a 34-year-old Argentine, works as a sales clerk in a clothing store in the capital of Buenos Aires, but she doesn’t wear the clothes she sells. She’s a size 46 (UK 18/US 16) and the largest size her store offers is 38 (UK 10/US 8). She told AnyBody, “The only clothes that I can find to fit are imported name brands like Levis but they’re really expensive, at least twice the cost of an Argentine brand. The problem is, I can’t fit into any Argentine brands. There aren’t that many speciality shops for larger sizes and even then the clothing is quite boring, not fashionable at all.” She deals with the problem by asking friends who travel to North America or Europe to bring her back the clothes she wants.

Kasandra Shay, a 40-year-old American living in the province of Buenos Aires wears a US size 6-8 (UK 10-12) and said, “it’s impossible to find anything that fits.” She told AnyBody that for the last three years she has resided in Argentina she only buys clothes when visiting the States. “I feel like if you aren't five feet tall and an absolute stick with twigs for arms and legs, (and no hips), then clothes just aren't for you.”

Luciana La Morgia, a 34-year-old Argentine residing in the capital of Buenos Aires, doesn’t know what her size is. Depending on where she buys her clothes, her size ranges from a 30 to a 40 (UK 2-12/US 0-10), sometimes even in the same store. She stated that it is challenging to find clothes that fit properly and said that women’s clothing in Argentina “is made for little dolls and girls without hips.”

When I lived in Buenos Aires, I used to feel fat (and I was weighting 165). I never had an eating disorder, but I knew a lot of women that did. When I moved to the US, I felt like I had encountered a paradise. I am not a particularly edgy fashionista. So I can go to stores like Banana Republic, Ann Taylor, Target, The Gap, The Limited, Express and similar ones, and find clothes!!! Believe it or not, moving to the United States had an amazing influence in my self-body image and self-confidence. I feel and behave sexier. I have choices. And that's invaluable.

New blog by a fellow Hispanist

Dear Readers:

Nazca Moron is a fellow Hispanist who just started blogging here. Bookmark the link, head over there, and say hi!!!

Argentina politics - the good, the ugly and the ???

THE GOOD: Almost a year ago, Argentina legalized same-sex marriage in an historic day where legislators from different political parties came together to vote for the bill. The process in itself, with the debates, the activism, the unity of LBGQT organizations was a model that should be studied in political campaign courses. For those who dismissed such an achievement (as I've read in many blogs in the United States) as "bourgeois", or the "Focus on the Family" transformation of the goals of this organizations, I can only say one thing: shame on you! Maybe you need to read a little more classical Marxist theory as to how the "revolution" could be achieved.

THE BAD: Yesterday, Mauricio Macri, the awful current mayor of Buenos Aires, came very close of winning his re=election in first round. He will have to face Daniel Filmus (who is not particularly good, but certainly much better than Macri) on the second round, but it's almost guaranteed he'll win without problems. There are good mayors, bad mayors, and then there is Mauricio Macri. His level of incompetence and laziness is extraordinary. He is the definition of a spoiled-rich kid who doesn't like to work to hard. Why did he win, you would ask? Many reasons. A lot of Macri's voters don't like him too much either, but it was a vote against the candidate of the current president, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner. Porteños are always weird in their voting pattern, and the political alliances politicians can form go beyond imagination. On the other side, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner will probably cruise to her re-election in October, because the opposition is worse than she is. So that leads me to my last point,

THE ???: Last night, I was ranting to my husband about the election, and the craziness of Argentine politics. The porteños re-elect an incompetent mayor because they want to send a message to the President, who, on the other hand, is all but sure to win easily her re-election in October. Who understands the electorate? My husband answers, only half-jokingly: "That's why we do not have a democracy in the United States. The elite was afraid of the masses". He then added seriously: "You should be thankful that you had more than six candidates, and three of them scored in the double digits. Also, because of your system, small parties have the opportunity to gain seats in the Legislature, and that's invaluable". I guess he is right. But Macri sucks, and four more years of him will deteriorate my magnificent city even more.

Why did some people support Barack Obama over Hillary Clinton?

One thing I really hate is people with selective memory. I was reminded of that watching the soccer match Argentina vs. Colombia, where Argentina's performance was so dismal that the crowd started cheering for the return of Diego Maradona. Now, only a year ago, Maradona was a complete failure as coach of the Argentine team, who was eliminated of the World Cup after being beaten 4-0 by Germany. As you may imagine, even though he is Argentina's greatest soccer star, people were not saying good things about him at that time. Quite the contrary.

Now, I have blogged about Barack Obama's presidency, and how it has been a dissapointment for many. A few days ago, Z wrote about Paul Krugman's take on Obama's presidency. There is a feeling that his "caution" (to put it mildly) could turn him into the next Hoover, and ruin the possibility of an economic recovery for a long time. This could be absolutely true. There are many other reasons why people feel betrayed by his actions as a president, and they are very valid reasons. One thing I can't tolerate, however, is the "I told you so" writings of Hillary supporters, who seem to assume that people who voted for Barack Obama just got duped into supporting an empty suit. Sometimes, it goes also along the way of a generational scolding, "young people" buying the rock star persona of Barack Obama. Many of those Hillary supporters also imply that if Hillary had been president, everything would have been very different. I really don't agree with this position, but since it's counter-factual history, it doesn't make much sense to discuss it.

What I would like to point out, though, is that there were reasons, besides his public charisma, why people chose Obama over Clinton. They might have been wrong or not, but Hillary Clinton was not a passive actor during the primaries. Yes, she was the subject of incredible sexism. But she was also an active participant in a primary that she lost. And she didn't loose it because she was not as "hip" as Barack Obama, but also because she made mistakes. The first one was choosing Mark Penn as her campaign director, somebody who did not seem to understand very well what caucauses were about. And please, save me the stories over fraud in the caucuses, I've heard them from both sides. Here are two other reasons why Hillary Clinton lost the primaries to Barack Obama:

1- The day she lost the vote of my Mexican-American husband, when she couldn't bring herself to say she supported then governor Spitzer plan to give driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants:

2- The day she lost the support of my middle-age Jewish female friend, over the "denounce & reject" Farrakhan issue. My friend thought it was really low from her to attack Obama on such an issue, when he was being so positive about the "touchy" subject of the relationships between the African-American and Jewish communities.

You might say that there were other times where Obama's attitude towards Clinton was nasty and sexists, and would have merit the opposite reaction. I would agree. But my point is that people had reasons to choose Obama over Clinton. They might have been wrong, but to pretend that it was just a bunch of delusional college students is disingenous.

Facundo Cabral shot and killed in Guatemala - (non) fiction crime II

A few months ago, I wrote a post about a real crime story in Guatemala, as reported by The New Yorker. Unfortunately, a similar episode happened today.

Argentina's folk singer Facundo Cabral was shot and killed in Guatemala, in something that looks like a mob assasination:

According to firefighters at the scene two black vehicles pulled up and opened fire on the singer's white Range Rover and the beige Chevrolet Tahoe following him.

Facundo Cabral seems to have been an additional victim. According to authorities, the target of the attack was the bussinesman that had hired him to play in the country, Nicaraguan-born Henry Fariña. Fariña was with Cabral during the attack, and was seriously injured in it. This man was in charge of a chain of night-clubs in Central America, which leads to the immediate conclusion that he was probably involved in something else. Furthermore, the American ambassador has indicated that they "might" collaborate in the investigation. Again, reality is grittier than fiction.

Professional Courtesy in Academia - a question for my readers

Ok, I have a question regarding professional courtesy in Academia. When I was in grad school, I was very close with another person in the same program, who shall be called X. We were roommates for a few years, we shared similar interests, etc. We had a fallen out in my last year, an episode that hurt me a lot, but that it's not what I want to talk about. Our relationship became cold, polite and distant. After I graduated (she did it a year later), I sent her an email around six month after I had moved to my new job, and she replied politely and ending up with something like: "I'm sure we'll run into each other at some conference". We probably trade emails twice a year, mostly for professional reasons.

Last year, in the course of my research for a project, I came upon a book by a not very well not author (except for those with a very specialized sub-field). I loved the novel, but I knew it didn't fit in my project and I wouldn't do anything with it, professionally. However, I also realized it fit perfectly on X research, and that she didn't know its existence. So I emailed her, telling her about the book, and how I thought she might find it useful in her research. She wrote back an email of the sort of : "Thank you very much for sharing the book, I'll take a look at it, have a good day". That was it.

Just by complete chance, I recently discovered that she just finished an article on the book and sent it to a journal for publication. Now, to make it clear: I only made her aware of the existence of the book. I didn't suggest ideas, approaches, criticism, anything. However, I'm a little offended that she did not have the courtesy to at least send me a brief email thanking me for the suggestion and informing me that it had been fruitful, since she had written an article about it. Am I being overly sensitive? Or am I just expecting the correct amount of professional courtesy?

The Argentine way...

Yesterday, I received a Facebook invitation for a "secret" playing of a fairly popular underground music band in Buenos Aires. I know a few of the guys who played there. I say "secret" because although the invitation said not to publicized it, it was sent to 2000 people on Facebook. The mechanism was the following: if you accepted, you had to send an email to X address where they would give you the physical location of the concert. I tried to do it, but GMAIL kept telling me that the email address did not exist. So I publish in the inviation Facebook Wall what was going on, and asked if somebody could please send me a private message with the location. So I received, in this order:

a) a private message with the same email address, saying to try again
b) a private message saying that the concert was on street Y at the 3000 street number. The person sending the message couldn't remember very well the address, "but if you go to that block, it shouldn't be hard for you to find the house where the concert takes place"
c) Finally, a private message of one of the guys who know me, greeting me, saying how happy he was I was in Buenos Aires, giving me the address and saying he would put my name and my husband's on the list of guest.

That's what I call the Argetine way. Everything takes a little longer to get accomplished, but it is finally done.

I'm a bit of a snob

As I briefly mentioned on another post, one of the good news I received upon my arrival to Argentina was that an article of mine had been accepted for publication with minimal revisions. I have enough time to do those revisions when I go back, but I wanted to start here (the article in itself has a long story so I want to be over with it as soon as possible).

The comments were really good and helpful. One of the things a reviewer asked was more (Argentine) historical context. He/She made clear that a manual or a basic history book would suffice, it wasn't necessary anything too sophisticated. So yesterday, I went to a bookstore to buy some brief History of Argentina. There are many options, but none was OK for me. I felt that all the options were too superficial, and that the reviewers would laugh at me if I used that book as a reference (I need the book just to use as a reference, I could probably write what they are asking me without using anything, I know a lot about my country's history). So I went to 2 more bookstores until I finally found something that was brief and concise, but written by a serious historian. That's how I bought Breve Historia Contemporanea de la Argentina, by Luis Alberto Romero. It took me two hours, but I bought what I needed.

Spending the afternoon in Kansas City.

I have to confess that the location of my first alternative "telo" was determined not so much by my readers' comments but by logistics. I had arrange to meet with friends at a bar to watch Argentina's soccer game against Colombia. So I didn't have too much time for traveling. So Kansas City it was. Yes, that's the actual name, but no, it doesn't mean anything. It's not tematic. However, it wasn't dissapointing either.

First thing in favor of this place is that it had a sign outside (so much for the supposed "discretion") with the special offers. My favorite: half price off to couples UNDER 23 years old. An additional detail: the telo is located right around the corner of a Catholic university. I thought it was brilliant.

Room: mostly, it was a rather ordinary room. As all telos, it had mirrors in the ceiling, a small TV, and a small variety of lights. A queen size bed. The out of the ordinary was something that looked like a modified exercise bench with a few additions and adjustable metal bars (to have something to hold onto) on top of it. I think I still need to research its use a little more, but it was a very good first time. And I'll have a hard time (no pun intended) going back to my gym with a straight face.

Moral of the story: the game sucked, Argentina deserved to loose to Colombia (they tied 0-0), so I learnt that sex should be more important than soccer. Only that I'm in Buenos Aires, so a soccer is the only occasion where "Sorry, I had something "else" to do" doesn't work as an excuse. I'll be forced to watch the next game (OK, I'll do it out of my own will, I'm an Argentinean after all), and scheduled trips on other days.

Choosing a telo in Buenos Aires

I've already written about the importance of telos in Buenos Aires. Now, since I know there is nothing more appealing for an American to talk about than sex, I will ask my reader to help me with a decission. I've always gone to the same telo, because it's close to home, and the one I'm used to. As everything related to sex, there comes a time where you feel you need a change. It is becoming repetitive. So my husband and I decided to look on the tour guides and on the Internet for different options. As usual, there are too many (not a bad thing, obviously), so we can't decide. So, dear reader, which one would you choose?

1- The telo with a "Bat-Cave" room
2- The telo with the "African passion" room
3- The telo with the Sweedish minimalist room (???)
4- The one with the "Arab suite"
5= The one with "loft type rooms"
6- The one with the "Disco room"

Please, show me that Americans are not prudish when it comes to sex, and contribute to the discussion. I promise I'll blog details about the decoration of the room (nothing that implies TMI).

How did Obama dissapoint you?

Yesterday, Clarissa had an excellent post on why to vote for Obama on 2012. As I said very clearly in the comments, if I had the ability to vote in 2012, I would vote for Obama without doubts. Maybe I'm too much of a cynic or I'm too used to voting for the lesser of two evils, but it wouldn't cross my mind not to do it. That doesn't mean, however, that Obama hasn't dissapointed me. He has. A lot. But he has dissapointed me in ways that I think are different than what other people think.

I never thought that Obama was anything more than a centrist moderate. I am not surprised by his non-prosecution of Bush era war criminals. It is the United States, after all. IT's not the first time there are war criminals in a President's cabinet (hello, Henry Kissinger anyone?), and they have never been prosecuted. If you paid close attention to his campaign speeches, it was all about turning your back to the past and constructing the future. I am also not surprised by what he's done regarding the wars (and I don't think a complete sudden withdrawal would have been much better). By the way, I don't think Hillary Clinton would have been any better in any realm. If you want to think that way, it's definitely your prerrogative, but I believe it's wishful thinking. The way Obama has dissapointed me the most is that he turn out to be a lousy negotiator and strategist. After his campaign strategy, I really thought he was much better at that. I was wrong. You might argue that he negotiated the way he did during the health care reform bill because what we ended up with is exactly what he wanted. I do not believe so. I really think he was just awful at negotiating a better deal. He has always let Republicans frame the narrative. I wasn't expecting an attack dog (he was not that at the campaign), but I thought he was smarter at dealing with reality. He was not. For that, I believe Obama has been a real dissapointment.

How has Obama dissapointed you?

Overheard at a Buenos Aires bookstore

Buenos Aires' bookstores are like nowhere else in the world. It's one of the few cities in the world where you can still have employees that know something about literature (not always, but it happens). Two small anecdotes:

1- Last year, I went into a small bookstore and started browsing. A young woman came into the bookstore and asked the employee if he had a copy of Karl Marx's Grundisse in the edition of X publishing house. The employee explained her that Y publishing house was a much better edition. They got into a heated discussion, and the woman left without buying the book. The employee then turns around to another employee and starts ranting: "I'm so sick of those snobs that are studying literature right now. Because Professor A teaches the class, they all come and ask for X edition, when anybody knows that Y edition is so much better. It has a better preface and better comments".

2- Today, I went into a used bookstore and one employee was trying to get out of his next Sunday shift because he had to vote, so the buses schedule made it really inconvenient for him to come to work! (It's mayoral election next Sunday).

I love Buenos Aires bookstores.

Two thoughts on the Dominique Strauss-Kahn case

1- A rape is a rape. Even if the victim is a prostitute. Even if she later tried to get money out of the victimizer. If it falls within the category of sexual violence and rape as define by the law, it's a rape. It will be good if some day, a prostitute can accuse somebody of rape and her case be tried and not dismissed.

2- It would be good if Americans finally realize that there is something really wrong with their justice system. Many times, it's trial by public opinion. And I am not referring to the Dominique Strauss-Kahn only. In any city, there are always a few cases that stay local, only attract local news, but are still tried within the public opinion of that city. I can think of at least two in the city where I live. One required 3 trials to arrive to a decision (a hung jury and a veredict tossed out because of something one member of the jury had done). I still don't believe in the jury system and the idea of a "jury of its peers".

Arrived safe, and article accepted

It wasn't a bad first day in Buenos Aires. I made it home safely, although it took two hours to go through inmigration and customs, then at noon a friend showed up and told me that I was really lucky. They had just closed again the airport because of volcano ashes. Then, I checked my email and their was a article acceptance from a journal asking for only minor revisions!!! Then, I took a nap, a long walk, and watched Argentina's first game on TV. Can't complain.