Sorry to bother you but...

...it ain't over yet.

If you voted during the last US presidential election from Argentina, you know how tough it was ...and how many people it took to help you do it.

Now that Dems have a majority (CONGRATS, AL FRANKEN, btw!), however, we have a good chance to make the process much easier for US expats next time around.

This is big.

Would you please write your Congressperson if I could make it easy for you?

What the recent HR1739 is trying to do is... build on the framework that Republicans passed for US military personnel ...but DIDN'T extend to expats.

Democrats Abroad, as you might guess, is very involved in "harmonizing" the rights of everyone that finds themselves outside the US on any given election day. They're working for you ...could you write a letter or send an email or make a phonecall to help them out?

Not only do the Democrats want to help you vote from abroad no matter what party's candidate you want to vote for... they want to enact a law that requires that you be notified if your registration or ballot is rejected for whatever reason. That's pretty sweet, don't you agree?

On the 4th of July, I'll be at the annual 4th of July event held at the Argentine/US Cultural Institute's (ICANA) downtown headquarters ...there'll be more info for you there and I'd love to help you draft a letter of your own to Congress supporting HR1739.

But, please, make a point of contacting your congressperson no matter if you come to ICANA on the 4th or not!

Please write me here to find out how you can break some of the last barriers to voting in the US.

Your calls and letters to these 2 guys are especially important:

Hon. Robert A. Brady
Chairman, Committee on House Administration
U.S. House of Representatives
1309 Longworth Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515

Hon. Daniel Lungren
Ranking Member, Committee on House Administration Republican Office
U.S. House of Representatives
1313 Longworth Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515

Help yourself ...and help a fellow US citizen. Write a letter (they take snailmail much more seriously!)

Los K lose in their hometown?

A new political map says Clarin.
Update: Kirchner loses control of congress.

Michael Jackson, RIP

Of all the fascinating and historic-first stuff that Michael Jackson's career was chockfull of, I hope you'll forgive me for having this particular favorite: his purchase of the ATV song catalog in 1985.

ATV contained the entire Northern Songs catalog which itself contained about 97% of every Beatles song ever written ...plus gobs of other signature tunes from Elvis, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, &c.

Jackson competed against other bidders (including, famously, Paul McCartney) but came out on top with the enormous sum of $47,500,000. They say that Michael was personally involved in the deal from start to finish.

People laughed at the amount as overspending at the time ...but only ten years later, he sold a half-interest to Sony for $90 milski. Sweet.

It was a world-shaker and a game-changer, made a lot of news back in the pre-internet days and consequently many of the details weren't widely disseminated. So I started to look around at what a google search would do today.

I found this 1985 article from The Los Angeles Times that I would have loved to have read the day it was published. From everything else I glean, it reads like it's still the definitive account.

Expats Vote Tomorrow?

Yep. More than 10,000 foreigners in Buenos Aires will cast votes for city offices.

If you have a DNI and you have registered at the Tribunal Superior de Justicia, Cerrito 760, you can vote even if you're not a citizen. I seem to remember that you can't register until 2 years after you receive your DNI.

It's in the city constitution and is a centuries old tradition here in town.

If you live in Comuna 1, I just might see you at Av. de Mayo 757!

The Argentine Firecracker

My buddy Jesse and I, given enough fuel, would inevitably would reach a point in the evening's conversation wherein we would wonder, "why hasn't anyone looked up ol' Wilbur Mills' flame?" Certainly, notoriety awaited the person that brought back that story to a press that seemed to be starving for any stories from Buenos Aires.

Well, too late for that now. And, besides, Paul Krugman writes today that on the subject of Gov. Sanford, he gots two words for ya: Fanne Foxe.

Had some enterprising angloparlante sought her out a year or two ago, he'd be all over TV right now.

Update: Guv's luv could be illegal under SC law.

SC called. Their Governor is missing.

"The mystery of the missing governor has taken another plot twist.

A South Carolina newspaper is reporting that Republican Governor Mark Sanford said he has been in Buenos Aires, Argentina, since Thursday, not hiking the Appalachian Trail, as his staff had told reporters."

Update: 16:56...
Guv's gots sum luv... here in the Paris of the Palmtrees
(hats off to David M!)

“I developed a relationship with what started as a dear dear friend from Argentina,” Gov. Sanford said.

¡Che, las Argentinas!

¡Baires to El Bolsón, luv 'em right or leave 'em alone!

Sunday is Election Day

"We'll have to wait until 2011, but this is a first punch and a first step for people to get involved," said Ignacio Bastanchuri, president of the Navarro rural society branch.

Navarro farmers still have until July, but even if they do decide to plant wheat, production may be further hit by lower spending on fertilizers and other agrochemicals.

"If the weather improves a bit, people are going to sow, but they're going to cut costs," said Rodolfo Bonnin, who runs a small ranch with his wife, Estela Natalini. They dedicate part of their land to crops to make up for losses from the cattle.

Natalini, whose family has reared cattle near Navarro for three generations, said times have never been harder.

"I'm producing food, but we get no help at all," she said in her modest farm house kitchen. "It's very upsetting."

I'll be casting my vote at the polls this Sunday! If you are a foreigner in Buenos Aires ...you might have the right to vote, as well.

IMAS can help you in this regard and many others. Reach out and get some help ...reach out and help someone with your area of expertise, too.

Hello? Madam Secretary?

"eight years of fear and lawlessness"

IMAS on the Radio...

I don't know if you had a chance to listen-in on the web or the radio tonight to some of the organizers of Buenos Aires' Immigrant Mutual Aid Society's (IMAS) founders.

We were discussing the truly unprecedented US immigration to Argentina with one of the honchos of all immigrant communities here, Horacio Daboul on RadioCadenaEco's program "Diplomacia Politica y Economía" at AM1220 and here on the web.

If you missed it, don't worry. We'll be back.

But if you didn't tune in, you missed Marta Motta! One of our activistas ...who truly deserves the title!

Pugnacious. I can't believe that Marta has ever shrunk from battle with any injustice that she's ever encountered ...and she's working for you now.

Marta's a veteran of political infighting in Nevada and California, social activism, community organizing, and just plain "making things happen that wouldn't have happened had she not been there"... wherever she's been.

She's working for you now. Tune in next time ...or come meet all of us (all of YOU) at IMAS very soon.

Immigration to Argentina

My buddy Bill Hammond and I explored the dreaded belly of the beast this morning, in search of the coveted DNI.

Bill, being the organized guy that he is, had all his ducks in a row and was ready, willing, and able at 07:00 waiting in line for the doors to open. I got there at 08:00 when the doors actually opened and ran for a couple of double espressos to fortify us.

The great old building at 25 de Mayo and Tte. Gral. Juan D. Perón doesn't have the sterile efficiency of its peers in yanquilandia but we were both impressed at the mass of humanity that was being processed during our almost 4 hours together. From 8am to about 11am, I'll bet that 1000 people got processed in some way, shape or form.

I'd been through the process a few years ago; the layout has changed a little but it's basically the same. Bill was putting some of the final touches on his DNI and volunteered his experience to aid the newly founded IMAS. Other than good basic navigation, the best thing we discovered is that anyone older than 62 can skip to the front of any line in the process. It took us about an hour of sipping good coffee and swappin' lies before we figured that out ...but once figgered, we pretty much sailed thru. One for the database. It is also a definite plus to have a friend along that can go explore the bureaucracy ...without you losing your place in line!

When it comes to DNI for retirees, Bill is IMAS' freshest gurú. 40 more working days and he should have his bright, shiny, and freshly minted DNI.

Care to share with anyone your own DNI experiences with your particular demographic? Do you need someone to share their DNI experiences with YOU? The place to go is IMAS. Think of it as our institutional memory. A database of colaborative living skills for Argentina.

There's no reason for anybody to have to go through it alone anymore.

Black Man Dies in Defense of Holocaust

"Perhaps this means nothing but I feel that I should acknowledge that a black man was killed on guard duty at the Holocaust museum. That may mean nothing. But I think it should be said."

Vulture Funds Circle Argentina

Mark Weisbrot
guardian.co.uk
Now comes Eric Massa, a freshman Democratic representative from Corning in the state of New York, introducing legislation on 20 May that would seek to punish Argentina by, among other things, denying the country access to US capital markets.

Diners feel the pain

Julieta Tarrés reporting for Diario Crítica

"The owners of most restaurants porteños bumped their prices between 25% and 50% in the first quarter of this year. They justify the increases by the cost of gas, electricity and food products. The adjustment is even more noticable in "table service", better known as el cubierto. This charge was doubled and in the most expensive it can be up to $11 per person. All this goes against the grain of the current crisis. In just four months, 425 restaurants closed and sales fell an average of 40 percent. Further increases are expected after the elections when joint negotiations close with food service unions. Currently, the union run by Luis Barrionuevo is negotiating with the Food and Hotel Business Federation (FEHGRA) for a pay hike of 27 per cent.

The director of the Center for Buenos Aires City Studies (BAC) of the Faculty of Economics, UBA, Graciela Bevacqua, who measured up to 2007 consumer prices in the INDEC, says that "meals outside the home contributed to higher prices in May." According to industry sources, the fall in purchasing power generated "a change in habits of food consumption. "People are not asking for appetisers and desserts. They are also being careful with alcohol purchases", said Luis María Peña, president of the Association of Hotels, Restaurants, Cafes and Confectioneries of Buenos Aires. He went on to say that the slowdown in the economy has further complicated the food business.

Between February and May, the cost of going out to eat a pizza or a platter of sushi is up 30%, but prices for these two categories grew 60% in the last semester. Prices at parrillas, in contrast, have not increased a the same rate: up just 40% during the first three months of 2009. Prices of grilled beef remained stable in recent months due to meatpackers not exporting their product. According to statistics from Guía Óleo, a sort of virtual catalog of restaurants across the country, over the past three months the minimum price for eating sushi in a restaurant went from $ 60 to $ 100 per person. The same happened in "popular" pizzerías and traditional parrillas where prices jumped from $ 30 to $ 50 and $ 35 to $ 45, respectively.

The increase in the price of restaurant meals was not only due to hikes in utilities and food, the cost of table service nearly doubled from January to today, an increase from $ 3.5 to $ 7 on average. The restaurants association sets no established rate for this service and leaves it an unregulated charge. "Charging this kind of fee is a policy decision for each business location. It is a terrible mistake to raise this fee to cover expenses and future cost rises. But I see that they are doing it a lot and they are going hand in hand. In recent months, it increased a lot in high-end restaurants and those of high popularity.", said the director of a chain of Italian eateries.

Evidence of the increase in table service is clear in some Buenos Aires establishments. For example, just to sit at a table at Sette Bacco, an Italian restaurant in the heart of Barrio Norte, costs $6.60 per person. There, a dinner for three people without appetiser, no alcohol or dessert is at least $170, not including tip. At Justo Corrientes, a grill located in Puerto Madero, the price of table service rose from $7 to $9 per head. There, a three course lunch for five costs more than $500. An advantage is that there are discounts of up to 20% with some credit cards.

Esteban Brenman, director of Guía Óleo, said that his website updates prices "all the time." According to his estimates, inflation on the menus was 75% in the past year and a half, and an average of 28% between January and April. "The database recorded increases in all categories, mostly in pizza, but not so much at parrillas," said the founder of the guide that highlights data from more than 3000 restaurants.

425 restaurants have closed

Since Argentina's economy stopped growing, bars and restaurants in Buenos Aires started to feel the drop in sales. In only four months, 425 eating places closed. The rest of the 8,300 establishments in the Capital are complaining about the collapse of an average drop of 40% in profitability. But while some economists foresee a general recovery for the remainder of the year, the outlook for the sector is not good. This was revealed a report by Claves Consulting, that detailed how the local recession "could reach close to 1,800 of the 40,000 restaurants that exist throughout the country. According to analysts from Claves, the restaurant industry, which recorded sales of 38,429 million pesos in 2008 - expects to close 2009 with a contraction in consumption by 30 percent.

"In four years of economic explosion, there was an oversupply of restaurants in Buenos Aires. 40% were opened during this period and only 5 percent closed. 8300 establishments are now in Capital Federal," said Luis María Peña, president of the Association of Hotels and Restaurants."

...a usted a sus padres y a sus abuelos.

This year is the diamond anniversary of my particular favorite pizza joint ...in one of the world's great pizza joint towns: El Cuartito.

And curiously enough... even tho El Cuartito is only one block outside of Recoleta ...it was packed to the bejeezus at after 11pm tonight.

That contrasts with a Tuesday night a couple of weeks ago when I strolled from the Village cines down the main pedestrian drag to the taxi-stand at La Biela at about the same hour ...and found every single boliche stone-cold empty.

Parental Lifelines, Frayed to Breaking

The parents still wish they could help, Mr. Weinstein said, but “right now, they’re in a situation in their life where they need to ensure their own security.”

...I'm not sure that this is related but I sense something:

"If you’re the kind of person who prefers freedom to security, who feels more comfortable in a small room than a large one and who finds that happiness comes from matching your wants to your needs, then running to stand still isn’t where your joy lies."

I've praised and, also, taken issue with Pico Iyer before ...but I kinda like this piece from him.

Barracas in the NYT

Barracas, near the city’s old ports, means barracks or warehouses. Long since abandoned, many warehouses are being renovated into luxury housing and cultural centers.

One local artist, Marino Santa María, 59, whose studio is in the house he was born in at Pasaje Lanín 33 (www.marino-santamaria.com.ar) is credited with bringing attention to the district. He began transforming the street in 2000, layering each house with sparkling mosaics. In recent years, an open-air weekend arts festival sprang up on Lanín, running from July through December. Mr. Santa María lamented that though tourist buses visit, “a lot of maps don’t have Barracas on them.”

FLT447 - Buenos Aires Connection?

...from telegraph.co.uk

"Investigators will examine a bomb threat made against a flight from Buenos Aires to Paris just days before Flight 447 disappeared."

¡Che! ¡Que Bagelazo!

(Update: Order your bagels one day in advance
and get FREE delivery ANYWHERE in Capital!)

They're here... and the testimonials are coming in. Apparently, these babies are the real McHaye. "I just had a dozen bagels (still warm) delivered to my door!" "I just had an everything bagel with butter and am happy to report that this is the real deal - they're very good." Et cetera.

Have any of youse guys eaten one of them? Please let us all know. Give us a review ...I will too.

They seem to emanate from Almagro, the neighborhood with the only kosher McDonalds in the world. There's no shop to visit ...you just pick up the phone and dial (much like with dealers in other addictive substances!)

There is a blog page, however, and it's a beauty. You can buy them by the dozen with all your favorite exteriores ...and some strange ones, too: black sesame seeds, linseeds, hot pepper, and dried tomatoes!

They even slap together a wide assortment of sandwiches. Make mine a Salmón Total ...hold the eneldo!

♪♫Big kosher pickle and a cold draft beer...♫♪

(hat tip to Good Morning Buenos Aires!)