Strike..historical!

Take the meat away from the average Argentinian, and you fuck up his soul as well.
Coming back from Chile, we had this craving for a nice lomo to go with the excellent duty-free wines we brought back.
But all the butcher could offer was a few chicken breasts, some morcilla and chorizo - and wiener sausages. The usually overflowing store was nearly empty. I had completely forgotten the dairy and meat-strike which started well before Easter.
After 13 days of strike, now business is getting serious. Neither government nor farmers are willing to reduce an inch. Prices are sky-highing and supplies are drying up. The world's laziest president didn't even comment on the conflict this afternoon (although she made a statement tonight). Propably she had an appoinment with the hairdresser or stylist and could't get away. And when she finally attended her duties at the Casa Rosada at four in the afternoon, business hours were over anyway, so why bother.
Doing groceries was a very sad thing. Around me people looked freneticly and in vain at the meet counter, as if they were going anemic overnight. Reluctantly they had to leave with bags of cereals, roots and vegetables. No proper food neither for man nor beast.
Son muy triste los Porteños ahora, sin su carne.
Tonight at the news the farmers announced that the strike will continue. The Pampas is vast and the cattle can, without a thought in mind, carefreely and indefinetely, chew away on their green, and recently, well irrigated grass.
Outside our window - and in my block - people are making cazelrolazos (casserole-orchestra) - eccoing throughout town - demanding "we want meat". Supporting the farmers. And history shows that the Argentinians know how to rice up when necessary.
As I write, pictures on the TV tell me that Plaza de Mayo is filling up with people showing their discontent. And that the uprising is nationwide. These people, however, are well dressed, upper middle class. I don't get it.
Suddenly new actors appear on the scene. The workers, the average man, Los piqueteros "K", fronted by Luis D'Elía come marching up Calle Defensa from the poor southern barrios in suport of the government's relentlessness. As he declares their statement, a different context is drawn: Some 6000 families control more than 70 % of farmland. Who said class struggle is over. The piqueteros do not support more subsidies to these rich farmers, they need food on their table at prices they can afford.
The confrontation is inevitable. I would be very nervous was I a police officer tonight.
Poor Brasilian businessman we met in the smokers corner at the airport yesterday, looking forward to dig into the exellent Argentinian meat...

Kids from poor Pompeya and Parque Patricio.










Police guarding the Presidential palace, la Casa Rosada.

Last exit to Santiago de Chile

At least we got across the Andes. Not much to see, except clouds and clouds. But descending rapidly to Chile's capital, I got the sensation of literally having been sky-high.






Bomb threat in our square.







Ash Thursday relax.







Mercado Central. Fish market. Oysters and Chrardonnay. Local 87 and fish soup..






School girls taking a break with their gitar.







Easter is a time for contemplation. It is also a time for hypocrats to attend church to receive absolution. Saturday night we watched a middle-class couple driving up, a little late for midnight mass, in a hurry to park their car. The only "available" spot at the plaza was already occupied by a homeless having gone to sleep. So they started to park their car on him. "What are you doing?" Deaph ears. Finally by making a scene in front of the church, we (..) made them drive away and park their car in a different spot. So much for Jesus. I get sick.

But Santiago also has Café con Piernas, or coffee with legs. Bikini-clad chicks with high push-up-factor and even higher heels serving coffee during bursiness hours, a common lunch alternative for businessmen and an ancient (..) Santago tradition. My old man found this a real treat..

Me and our daughter beeing left behind on the pavement, however, were treated even nicer by the workers who observed us: Do you chicas really allow your father to go in there? ho-ho..

The world wants to be deceived..

Hincha muerto

The saddest thing happened this afternoon. Enjoying the lovely fall Saturday afternoon, waiting for my man to join me after soccer-match San Lorenzo-Vélez to attend the Dylan concert at Vélez' stadium, he sent me an sms. A young man, 21 years old Vélez hincha, was killed, or rather executed in front of (2000 feet from) San Lorenzo's stadium just as the the game was about to start. The players were already on the field, the judge about to whistle 'go'. Game suspended.
I hope Dylan says something in honor of the dead man.
The great peace-promotor playing in Buenos Aires, and then this happens. It's just sad.

Legalizing drugs

There is now a governmental proposition within the scientific committee to legalize all drug use in Argentina. The statistics are as follows (according to Clarin):

Of Argentinians 2,7 million have smoked marihuana at least once, 1,3 million have taken cocaine at least once, 249 thousand have taken extasy at least once, and 178 thousand (!) have smoked crack (my understanding of paco) at least once.

This adds up to more than 10% of the Argentinian population having taken drugs at least once. The main aim of this proposal is to elevate the drug addicts' life quality and give them rights to proper health care. There is also a supposition that all addictions are similar and in need of medical treatment before jail sentence. On behalf of the dealer, penalties will remain the same, or raise. Ley 109 is also behind this proposal. You can do anything which doesn't harm a third part or offend public moral.

Any women can have her boobs done in public hospitals, the clinics do breast surgery by the dozen. But taking her child to the hospital for drug treatment is impossible, regarding the legislation which will cause her child to be arrested in stead of treated.

I hope this sensible proposition will lead to legislative changes, although not every drug addict will want any treatment..

Thank you for the Music

Jane Birkin in la Trasdienda March 7th. Serge Gainsbourg's muse and feminine voice on "je t'aime". Beautiful. Tender. Political.






Interpol at Gran Rex March 8th. Excentric Indie-rock.







La Trastienda during Jarvis Cocker March 11th. Great venue.







Jarvis Cocker. Ex-Pulp. Absolutely exquisite. Rocky. Unique.







Hola, Bob. Vélez stadium March 15th.

Maid service

Maid service is nice, or..? Fortunately Reina in my house doesn't have to tidy up 'Guernica'.
(Drawing by Quino in Clarin)

Women's Day Women's Lives

One of my friends got pregnant. Neither she nor her boyfriend are yet prepared to become parents. Abortion is illegal. Some clinics will do it anyway, the price is about two months pay for an average worker. But then the odds of surviving and keeping your health is fairly decent. Most abortions, however, are done by 'wise women' and the like. As a consequense, hundreds of women in this country die every year.

Some factors complicate the scene. The church, of course, is strongly opposed to any discussion of abortion - or contraceptives. Keeping the women in place, that is, with their children in the kitchen, is far more tidy and morally controllable..for the church.

Another gross factor: Having sex without a condom is a declaration af 'true love'. Nice, when you are sixteen and in love... So the children start popping out quite early. Contraceptive pills are legal, however, but doctors are reluctant to inform the girls about their options.

One of my girlfriends' mother is a doctor. She attended a girl from one of the cities' villas (the poorest parts of town) when she was having her third child at the age of sixteen.
So the doctor suggested -why don't you try these contraceptive pills? The girl agreed and went home to a husband who refused to have sex with a condom. A few months later she came back, pregnant again. -So what happened? -I showed the pills to my girlfriends, they got excited and insisted that I shared them. We took one each...

So there you are stuck, not even grown up yourself. You are supposed to take care of a few toddlers you never wanted in the first place. And then there are the husbands and boyfriends. If at all they stick with you. One women is killed every day by her boyfriend, husband or ex-husband. With no resources to raise the children properly, poverty is reproducing itself...violence does, and so does the use of paco, poor man's drug.

I met a woman of less than humble means and even fewer resources. She couldn't afford food, but she could pay the paco. Her children, devastated from hunger, happily went to sleep when she made them take a few puffs...

Why is it that Cristina, with the power presidency holds in this country, doesn't take a grip on the issue of contraceptives, abortion and women's health and go against the church and the general machismo? The only explanation must be hypocrisy and cowardice.