Stenciled on the side of one of the yellow concrete benches across the street in Parque Lezama is 'They come for THE WATER' in bright blue paint with a big US tank below.
Once we stop fighting and profiting over petroleum in the name of freedom and democracy (and isn't it ironic that amidst soaring gasoline prices state-side, a dirty war in Iraq and an increased US Military presence here in Latin America, Texas-based Exxon announced the highest profit ever by a US corporation - 32 Billion for 2005... read the British account here). After there are no more fossil fuels we'll fight over plain 'ole water, just like Mandrake thought of the Ruskies in Kubrick's 'Dr. Strangelove, or How I Tried to Stop the Bomb and Save the World'.Now we're cooking
Live better, be happier, EAT healthier. I've been culinarily inspired and have renewed my interest in becoming a good little gourmet foodie like most of those privileged friends of mine that actually take/make the time to shop/cook/eat well. And I've met a few folks down here that are on that same program, independent of budget or resources. My chilaquiles were a hit with the flat (thanks again mew mew and Dave for bringing all of the Trader joy's tortillas). Now I have to make my own corn tortillas from scratch. The guacamole has also been very well received, never lasting more than about 20 minutes in the bowl when set on the table with freshly fried torridly chips. (And to me its funny to come all the way to Argentina and want to cook only Mexican food where you can't get a lot of the basic Mexican ingredients). Finally there is the its-all-you-Marina summer salad - fresh corn, tomtatos, peas, hard boiled eggs and some sauce. Simple, refreshing, healthy and DYN-O-MITE!
Who's your daddy?
No longer do I have the luxury of being called Papa or Papi in reference to my age compared to the rest of the European kids in our Real World flat, minus Lee who is 33 and Australian-American. Now they call me Abu - short for Abuelo which in Spanish means grandfather. But the way I see it is that you have 40 prime years to live full-on and they are between 20 and 60. Before 20 you are still young, innocent, growing. After 60 you move a bit slower perhaps, take it a bit easier, enjoy life with a new perspective. You begin to slow down... or at least most seem to. And at 38 years of age I am just a mere two years shy of my prime mid-life peak. And... "its never too late to have a happy childhood," or at least that's what SDSU Political Science professor Jack Soule once told me after our trip to Nicaragua in 1990.
I want to be President of Argentina!
Incidentally, the top three contenders for next years presidential election is something straight out of central casting.
1. - Nestor Kirchner, the current president, probably the front runner and perhaps Argentina's best hope for staying course, he is a left-of-center moderate with the majority control of the Peronistas labor-based party of fifty years ago.
2. - Carlos Menem, ex-president who is usually seen as the main culprit for the 2001 economic melt-down by most Argentines, he currently lives in a lavish security mega-compound out-fitted with private paved runway long enough to land a 747 in one of the poorest provinces where he was once governer - La Rioja. (Before the demise of his presidency he was reportedly secretly funding the construction of his future hideout with government funds under the guise of 'donations and contributions from foreign private investors).
3. - Eduardo Dualde, another ex-president who currently lives in Lomas de Zamora six train stops from here to the South. Many say that he is the kingpin of the South American drug trade and was attributed to the murder of a local photographer only a few years back. But he also maintains a position in the Argentine political limelight controlling a small and dwindling portion of congress and see by many in the Provinces as a hero for his public works programs.
For more on this there's a decent article in The Economist
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