Did you Vote?

If you were a member in good standing of Democrats Abroad before January 31, it looks like you did!

DA Argentina recorded 96 votes via internet and fax in the first-ever US Global Primary on Super Tuesday... and what a bunch of good press!

In case you're wonderin', the results were: 58 votes for Obama, 33 for Clinton, 2 for Edwards, 2 for Kucinich... and 1 uncommitted.

And those votes go straight to the convention, ladies and gents... making some very important history.

There's still a lot of history to be made. If you haven't joined DA yet: go here. If you want to support Democrats Abroad Argentina by throwing a few bucks in the pot: go here.

Saturday Morning Madness

Breakfast is king here in Buenos Aires, Argentina... especially if you're a yanqui!

Coffee and juice, of course... but eggs are the star of the show: Over-easy, sunnyside-up, poached, scrambled, shirred can be found at any cafe from 6:00 to, sometimes, all day long!

No self-respecting establishment serving desayuno in the tonier walks of Recoleta would dream of neglecting the stellar line-up of meats: smoked ham sliced by the hand of your mozo from the bone to your plate. Or well-smoked bacon sliced prosciutto-thin and cooked to your preference. "Proper bacon", as an Englishman might say, is always an alternative due to the strong British influence over the development of the city. Fresh pork sausage redolent of black pepper and sage is ground fresh each morning and served either in patties or in delicate casing links browned upon the ever-present grills. Spicy corned-beef hash is often seen supporting a poached egg.

Strong support from the various and ubiquitous breads as well: simple toast with butter and jam or light and fluffy biscuits hand-made with the deft touch of a fat middle-aged woman. Muffins and scones of all description, warm and piled high on shining platters. The city boasts the largest Jewish population south of the equator and it is supremely evident in the bialys and bagels which always arrive with a schmear of butter or good stout cream cheese (maybe a little onion, tomato, and a bit of smoked belly lox, if you like.)

Pride is shown in the always perfect hashed browned potatoes and/or home fries, sometimes with a little onion. There's a choice of white hominy grits slow-cooked with great care or yellow cornmeal mush fried to a crispy gold, slathered in butter and topped with maple syrup if you don't prefer stacks of fluffy pancakes.

Then... of course... I could just order a couple of medialunas and call it a morning.

Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?

A pretty good read on something that yanquis don't realize about themselves ... and something that is beyond belief for most of the residents of Buenos Aires and Argentina. The comments are great, too.

"The author of seven other books, she was a fellow at the library when she first got the idea for this book back in 2001, on 9/11.

Walking home to her Upper East Side apartment, she said, overwhelmed and confused, she stopped at a bar. As she sipped her bloody mary, she quietly listened to two men, neatly dressed in suits. For a second she thought they were going to compare that day’s horrifying attack to the Japanese bombing in 1941 that blew America into World War II:

“This is just like Pearl Harbor,” one of the men said.

The other asked, “What is Pearl Harbor?”

“That was when the Vietnamese dropped bombs in a harbor, and it started the Vietnam War,” the first man replied.

At that moment, Ms. Jacoby said, “I decided to write this book.”

...$10 wheat not high enough for you?

Try $10.93 a bushel on the Chicago Board of Trade and over $15 at Minneapolis... with global supplies at 60 year lows.

Bloomberg is reporting, "Higher prices usually encourage farmers to plant more acres. That may not occur this year because the prices of other crops also have risen, which may make them more profitable than spring wheat, said Jason Britt, an account executive at Central States Commodities Inc. in Kansas City, Missouri.

``The best fertilizer for any crop is higher prices, however, this year is a little different in that competing crops of corn and soybeans are also at historic highs,'' Britt said. ``Most of the time it is easy for a crop to buy the acres. This year, all crops are competing for acres with the higher prices.''

With grain prices being stimulated like this by ridiculous "bio-fuel" demand, you can kiss more than Argentine beef goodbye... tomato and potato farmers, as well as growers of some of your other favorite veggies are going to switch to this bonanza.

The government at Buenos Aires has halted wheat exports to keep the local supply high and prices down... but that won't last forever.

Democrats in Capital...

We'll be putting together the national map of Argentina's Democrats very soon. But in the meantime, where are all those Democrats that joined our newly inaugurated movement?

If you click on the map above, you'll get a clearer breakdown of where we spread across the official barrio boundaries.

If you're interested in who your liberal neighbors are... we might think about inviting "clusters" to come together for their own barrio events. Lots of great summer left for a block party!

January was busy...

January is not considered a busy month here in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

It is the month of vacations! The city traditionally empties-out for cooler or more leisurely climes. Many businesses close for the month ala France in August. The buses are emptier. Traffic is distinctively lighter. Cafe tables are more available.

But this past month has not been slow for the Yanq.

My apologies to all you readers for turning this site into an adjunct of www.democratsabroad.com.ar but the efforts of over a year to obtain for Argentina admission to Democrats Abroad and to bring some real political representation to yanquis here were top on my list. In the meantime, I got myself elected as chairman and we probably have about 200 US expat members from all across the Argentine.

(If you haven't yet joined... go here. If you are from the old country and need assistance in voting in November for whatever political party... please contact us, as well. We will be "tickled pink and proud as punch", as Hubert Humphrey used to say, to assist you with registering to vote.)

Over the next 10 days or so we will be assisting in the effort to actually cast votes in the world's first electronic primary election... no small task.

As a first-ever effort, we'll all learn a lot while we make a little history. Fortunately, we have an organization to help us, Everyone Counts. Those folks are widely regarded as the experts in electronic voting. The whole thing should go off without a hitch.

Thereafter, we'll be assisting all US citizens toward absentee voting in the elections in November. If you or any of your expat friends need help or just have a question... don't worry about it... just get in touch. We'll get you to the right place and make sure that it happens for you.

All along the way, I'll be tending my cows and expanding this site's exploration of this beautiful city and this marvelous country so that you can enjoy it better.

Much love from here in the Paris of the Palmtrees,
Mike