Art and Antiques Travel Guide for Buenos Aires and all Argentina

Thursday, 19 August 2010

Argentina’s official language is Spanish
Topic: Argentina

Argentina

Language

Neorealist Argentine authors Jorge Luis Borges, Beatriz Guido and Marta Lynch enliven a Buenos Aires caf in the 1960s.

Argentina’s official language is Spanish (here usually named castellano’ *Although Castellano is the form of Spanish spoken in Spain*’). There are many variations of Spanish in Argentina and every province has its own accent.

Rio de la Plata Spanish is the variation used in all cities near the Rio de la Plata river, the most well-known characteristic being the use of “vos” instead of “t” (”Voseo”). Some immigrant communities retain their own language as a badge of identity and languages such as Italian, German, English and French are spoken. The Welsh community of Patagonia have held an Eisteddfod, as well as the Basques, Arabs and Ukrainians. Recent immigrants from China and South Korea, who have established themselves in large cities like Buenos Aires and Rosario, also speak their own language among themselves, and some communities publish small-circulation newspapers in them.

Most Argentines can understand simple spoken Italian and Portuguese, due to their similarity to Spanish.

There are about 23 native languages spoken in different parts of the country, including Quechua, Mapuche, Guaran, Toba and Wich.

Posted by bob frassinetti at 12:00 PM

Share This Post

Post Comment | View Comments (1) | Permalink

Tuesday, 20 July 2010

Art Argentina
Topic: Argentina
Malba –Museum of Latin American Art- of Buenos Aires is one of the finest examples of a top notch quality show featuring outstanding works. It’s careful selection of Latin America’s finest art was conceived as part of a bigger wholesome that of the art concepts prevalent during the last century. This private Art museum of modern Buenos Aires had customize designed the building to further an integral art-show concept. This is the first museum construction in the city that was intentionally built to suit a museum’s needs. Seductive modern prismatic lines, clean and clear stones matching and framing enormous windows surrounded by a rich green garden, the modern avant-garde exterior finely complements the eclectic Latin American style and feel of the stupendous artwork inside. Shape and content, form and essence, is a duality conception of Art that has fired and heated endless debates within the artistic world, and Malba –in many ways- takes upon the challenge of blending them both into a greater unity.

Malba-Constantini Collection -born in September 2001- is a museum that enters the cultural institutional world with a special social and historical approach, seeking to structure an organic concept and panorama within the art history of the past century. Malba collects and preserve at the same time that its institution develops insightful art studies and shows all major Latin American Art throughout the 20^th century to our days. This fabulous museum began as a project of the Constantini Foundation back in 1998 when the foundation board developed the museum’s concept: preserve and exhibit their own patrimony featuring over 200 works by the finest modern and contemporary Latin American artists. The collection began in 1971 when Eduardo F. Constantini started his own private collection. Nearly 30 years after that first stepping stone was set, he decided to open his private collection to the pleasure and joy of the city and its visitors. As in every other art collection, defining and labeling art is a complicated and not always useful task, for some things need no titles… All and all, we can point out that whilst including some precursor artists, the large majority of the works show the awakening of the artistic Latin American vanguards of the 1920s. The collection is completed with more contemporary pieces dating of the 1940s, 1950s, 1960s and even more recent works. At the same time, we need to emphasize on the wholesome concept, for the collection is finally completed combining the permanent show with alternative and alternating shows featuring local and international artists and concepts. The permanent collection gathered throughout years of passion and love for art by Mr. Constantini is rich in aesthetic, cultural and historical terms. Among the most outstanding works we can point out a Frida Kahlo self portrait, Diego Rivera’s masses, Antonio Berni multifascetic work, Pedro Figari’s Uruguayan everyday lifestyle, Cândido Portinari, and Antonio Sigui… the list goes on with Roberto Matta, Wilfredo Lam, Juan Batlle Planas and Remedios Varo just to name some... Many of the works confront social issues and explore questions of national identity that would have a deep influence during the coming years of these nations’ history. One of the most impressive collections of Latin American art anywhere, temporary and permanent exhibitions are mind blowing, strong and carefully organized for the visitor to enjoy and discover to the greatest extent the power within the art.

Malba is not just a museum; it’s a dynamic and open space in which several cultural and educational activities take place. From classic film shows, to writers groups, lectures, workshops and special visits organized for children and alternative museum experiences for blind groups… No doubt about it, Malba has become a reference name and point for the Latin American and Argentine cultural circles opening a world of fine arts in a “revolutionary” way. The Art show is the nucleus around which other artistic expressions gather and develop. Unlike the most of the museums due to Malba’s constant evolution and innovation within the offer, this is not just a place to visit once; it’s a hot spot part of the daily and monthly cultural agenda of locals and visitors.

About Bob Frassinetti, art collector and antique dealer and free lance journalist from Argentina, Buenos Aires, working on the web, writing both for pleasure and work on art, antiques and collectibles, in and on Buenos Aires, Argentina as well are neighboring countries, Chile and Uruguay. “I’ve written for several Travel Adventure, Art & Antiques Magazines on and off the web and have researched Toys made here in Argentina, as well as Travel Adventure from Route 40 and Lighthouse Adventures along the Atlantic and Pacific coast, Dakar Rally 2009, 2010 and now for a 3erd time, 2011, and now we are “Building a Gallery Museum in the Province of Cordoba” Real Estate Investment …….. Travelling for Art and Antiques” and I have been on line since 1996
Living with art and antiques and travelling the south of South Amercia. Argentina, Chile and Uruguay
San Telmo, Buenos Aires 2010
Argentina
ph: +54 911 6965 1955
alt: +54 911 44753983
admin@frassinetti.com

Buenos Aires, Agentina

Posted by bob frassinetti at 1:58 PM

Share This Post

Post Comment | View Comments (1) | Permalink

Saturday, 8 May 2010

Follow News on and About Argentina
Topic: Argentina

Follow News on and About Argentina: Read all about Argentina in the News from English International source here on this link: . Press here to read Google TimeLine NEWS on Argentina:Daily NEWS Updates on Argentina from A to Z for Buenos Aires and all Argentina.

Email: Bob Frassinetti.

Timeline: Argentina

A chronology of key events from :1916 - Hipolito Yrigoyen of the Radical party is elected president. He introduces a minimum wage to counter the effects of inflation. Yrigoyen is elected again in 1928.

1930 - A coup involving all services of the Argentine armed forces and led by General Uriburu overthrows Yrigoyen. Civilian rule is restored in 1932. 1939 - Outbreak of World War II. Argentina proclaims its neutrality. 1942 - Argentina, along with Chile, refuses to break diplomatic relations with Japan and Germany after the Japanese attack on the US Pacific fleet at Pearl Harbour. 1943 - Military regime seizes power. It is known to favour Japan and Germany. One of its leading figures is Colonel Juan Peron. 1944 - Argentina breaks diplomatic relations with Japan and Germany and declares war on them in 1945. The Peron era1946 - Peron wins elections for the presidency. He had promised workers higher wages and social security. His wife, Eva Peron - 'Evita' - is put in charge of labour relations.

1949 - A new constitution strengthens the power of the president. Congress - dominated by Peron's supporters - passes legislation providing jail terms for anyone showing disrespect for the government. Regime opponents are subsequently imprisoned, independent newspapers are suppressed. 1951 - Peron is re-elected president with a huge majority. 1952 - Peron's wife dies of cancer. Peron's support begins to decline. 1955 June - An attempted coup by the Argentine navy is crushed as the army remains loyal to Peron. 1955 September - Coup by all three branches of the armed forces succeeds after three days of fighting, during which thousands are killed. Peron resigns and takes refuge on a Paraguayan gunboat. He subsequently goes into exile in Paraguay, and later in Spain. The federal constitution of 1853, based on that of the United States, is restored. 1966 - Military rule is imposed again with a coup led by General Juan Carlos Ongania. The return of Peron1973 - The Peronist party wins elections in March. Hector Campora is inaugurated president. Argentina is wracked by terrorist violence. Peron returns to Buenos Aires in June. Campora resigns and Peron becomes president in September.

1974 - Peron dies in July. His third wife, Isabel, succeeds him. Terrorism from right and left escalates, leaving hundreds dead. There are strikes, demonstrations and high inflation. 1975 - Inflation rises to more than 300%. 1976 - A military junta under General Jorge Videla seizes power. Parliament is dissolved. Opponents of the regime are rounded up in the 'Dirty War', which is to see thousands of people 'disappear'. 1981 - General Leopoldo Galtieri heads the military regime. The Falklands War1982 April - Argentine forces occupy the British-held Falkland Islands, which Argentina calls Islas Malvinas and over which it had long claimed sovereignty. The United Kingdom dispatches a force to re-take the islands, which it does in June. More than 700 Argentines are killed in the fighting. Galtieri is replaced by General Reynaldo Bignone.

FALKLANDS WAR

1983 - Argentina returns to civilian rule. Raul Alfonsin becomes president. Argentina begins to investigate the 'Dirty War' and charge former military leaders with human rights abuses. Inflation is running at more than 900%. 1989 - Carlos Menem of the Peronist party is elected president. He imposes an economic austerity programme. 1990 - Full diplomatic relations with the United Kingdom are restored, with Argentina still maintaining its claim to the Falklands. 1992 - Argentina introduces a new currency, the peso, which is pegged to the US dollar. A bomb is placed in the Israeli embassy, 29 people are killed. 1994 - A Jewish community centre in Buenos Aires is bombed. 86 people are killed and more than 200 injured. 1995 - Menem is re-elected. 1996 - Finance Minister Domingo Cavallo is dismissed. Economic hardship leads to a general strike in September. 1997 - A judge in Spain issues orders for the arrest of former Argentine military officers on charges of participating in the kidnapping and killing of Spanish citizens during the 'Dirty War'. Argentine amnesty laws protect the accused. Recession bites1998 - Argentine judges order arrests in connection with the abduction of hundreds of babies from women detained during the 'Dirty War'. Recession starts.

1999 - Fernando de la Rua of the centre-left Alianza opposition coalition wins the presidency, inherits 114 billion-dollar public debt. 2000 - Strikes and fuel tax protests. Beef exports slump after an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease. Soya exports suffer from concerns over the use of genetically modified varieties. The IMF grants Argentina an aid package of nearly 40 billion dollars. 2001 February - Argentina recalls its ambassador to Cuba after President Castro accuses Argentina of 'licking the yankee boot'. Castro made the remarks in an apparent reference to Argentina's support for US condemnation of Cuba's record on human rights. Argentina and the United Kingdom agree that Argentine private aircraft and vessels may now visit the Falkland Islands again. 2001 March - President de la Rua forms a government of national unity and appoints three finance ministers in as many weeks as cabinet resignations and protests greet planned austerity measures. 2001 July - Former president Carlos Menem is charged with heading an 'illicit organisation' that violated international arms embargoes against Croatia and Ecuador in the early 1990s. A court throws out all arms trafficking charges against Menem, freeing him after five months of house arrest. 2001 July - Much of the country is brought to a standstill by a general strike in protest against proposed government spending cuts. Country's credit ratings slip. Return of the Peronists2001 October - The opposition Peronists take control of both houses of parliament in Congressional elections.

2001 November - President de la Rua meets US President George W Bush in a last-ditch attempt to avoid an economic crash in Argentina. Share prices reach record lows. 2001 December - Economy Minister Cavallo announces sweeping restrictions to halt an exodus of bank deposits. The IMF stops $1.3bn in aid. 2001 13 December - A 24-hour general strike is held in protest at curbs on bank withdrawals, delayed pension payouts and other measures. 2001 20 December - President Fernando de la Rua resigns after at least 25 people die in street protests and rioting. 2001 23 December - Adolfo Rodriguez Saa named new interim president. He resigns on 30 December, citing a lack of support within his party. 2002 1 January - Congress elects Peronist Senator Eduardo Duhalde as caretaker president. Within days the government devalues the peso, ending 10 years of parity with the US dollar. 2002 April - Banking and foreign exchange activity suspended; Duhalde says the financial system could collapse. 2002 June - Two killed in anti-government and IMF protests in Buenos Aires. The protesters, known as 'piqueteros', are highly organised groups of unemployed who block the main road bridges into the capital. 2002 July - Duhalde calls early elections for March 2003, later put back to April, to try win public support for the government's handling of the economic crisis. 2002 November - Argentina defaults on an $800m debt repayment to the World Bank, having failed to re-secure IMF aid. The World Bank says it will not consider new loans for the country. Kirchner sworn in2003 May - Nestor Kirchner sworn in as president. Former President Carlos Menem gained most votes in first round of elections but pulled out before second round.

Iguazu falls in the north-east are surrounded by rainforest

2003August - Congress, Senate vote to scrap laws protecting former military officers from prosecution over human rights abuses during military regime. 2003 September - After weeks of negotiations Argentina and IMF agree on debt-refinancing deal under which Buenos Aires will only pay interest on its loans. 2004 April - Judge issues international arrest warrant for former President Carlos Menem, over allegations of fraud. 2004 September - Court clears five men accused of involvement in 1994 bombing of Jewish centre in Buenos Aires. 2004 December - Former President Carlos Menem returns from self-imposed exile in Chile after two arrest warrants are cancelled. 188 people are killed and around 700 are injured in a fire at a Buenos Aires nightclub. 2005 March - President Kirchner declares the restructuring of the country's debt to be a success. Argentina offered to exchange more than $100bn in defaulted bonds.

2005 June - Supreme Court scraps an amnesty law protecting former military officers suspected of human rights abuses during military rule between 1976 and 1983. 2005 November - Argentina hosts the 34-nation Summit of the Americas, an event accompanied by sometimes-violent protests against free trade and US President Bush. 2006 January - Argentina repays its multi-billion-dollar debt to the IMF. 2006 May - Citing environmental concerns, Argentina files a complaint against the construction of two pulp mills in neighbouring Uruguay at the International Court of Justice in The Hague. The court rules in July that the project can continue. 2006 October - Violence mars the reburial of former President Juan Domingo Peron at a new mausoleum outside Buenos Aires. 2007 January - Spanish police arrest former President Isabel Peron in connection with an Argentine investigation into the activities of right-wing paramilitaries in the 1970s. 2007 October - Former Roman Catholic police chaplain Christian Von Wernich is convicted of collaborating in the murder and torture of prisoners during the 'Dirty War'. Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner is elected president, succeeding her husband Nestor Kirchner in the post. 2007 December - Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner sworn in as president. 2008 April - A Spanish court rejects a request from Buenos Aires to extradite former Argentine president Isabel Peron, wanted for alleged human rights abuses. 2008 July - President Fernandez cancels controversial tax increases on agricultural exports which sparked months of protests by farmers. 2008 August - Two former generals are sentenced to life imprisonment for their actions during the period of Argentina's military rule - known as the Dirty War - during the 1970s and 1980s. 2008 November - Lower house of parliament approves government's controversial plan to nationalise pension funds. President Fernandez says the move is necessary to protect pensioners' assets during the global financial crisis. 2009 January - Government declares state of emergency over worst drought in decades. 2009 February - Farmers threaten to halt livestock and grain sales in protest at agricultural export taxes. 2009 July - Legislative elections result in President Fernandez's Peronist party losing its absolute majorities in both houses of parliament.

Posted by bob frassinetti at 5:44 PM

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

Sunday, 2 May 2010

Argentina Way
Topic: Argentina

How Argentina made it.

Greece still has a choiceIt could abandon the euro and default on the bulk of its debt. After all, it worked for Argentina

- George Irvin
- guardian.co.uk, Sunday 2 May 2010 20.00 BST
- Article history

In truth, Greece does have an alternative. Instead of submitting to the ferocious and pro-cyclical conditionality imposed by Germany and the IMF – cutting its budget deficit by 11% over three years in return for a €120bn (£104bn) loan – it could follow Argentina's example in 2001-02, and default on the bulk of its sovereign debt. This would mean abandoning the euro, introducing a "new drachma" and probably devaluing by 50% or more.Some weeks ago, I had a private exchange about this scenario with Mark Weisbrot of the Centre for Economic Policy Research in Washington. He favoured Argentinian-style default; I did not. But given Angela Merkel's politically motivated foot-dragging, the failure of the European Central Bank to deal with the problem at an earlier stage and the strongly pro-cyclical nature of the cuts required, I am having second thoughts.Eight years ago, Argentina defaulted on the major part of its sovereign debt and survived quite well. Many economists predicted that Argentina's debt default would result in currency collapse, hyperinflation and even greater economic contraction than it had endured during its 1999-2002 recession. Instead, after the 2001-02 debt default and subsequent devaluation against the dollar (from 1:1 to 3:1), GDP grew at over 8% per annum over the period 2003-2007 and annual inflation fell from over 10% per month in early 2002 to less than 10% per annum. By 2005, Argentina had sufficient reserves to allow President Néstor Kirchner to pay off its remaining $9.8bn (£6.4bn) loan from the IMF in full and discontinue its programme with them.European leaders would do well to read up on the Asian, Russian and Latin American financial crises of 1997-2002. The Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz famously published an open letter citing his reasons for resigning from his post of chief economist at the World Bank. Among his criticisms of the bank and the IMF was the imposition of drastic deflationary measures on Thailand and Korea in 1997, and on Russia in 1998, mainly to protect the balance sheets of private western banks. The conditionality imposed was paid for dearly by cuts in economic and social expenditure thrust on ordinary citizens.A central lesson of all this is that unless protective action is taken early, a country can rapidly be overpowered by the financial markets. Once traders start betting against a country's bonds or its currency, the herd instinct takes over. Greece's budget deficit is not particularly high by world standards – 13.6% versus 11% in the UK, and 12.3% in the US. But traders perceived its sovereign debt structure as too risky and prophecies of doom became self-fulfilling. There is a further problem. The spending cuts needed to meet the government's deficit target will undermine Greek government revenues. As an economist at London-based Capital Economics put it: "The key risk to its target is that deeper recession will lead to lower tax revenues, offsetting some of the savings that the government expects to make as a result of its fiscal tightening." In short, even though the bailout package has been agreed, the cuts may prove counterproductive and Greek recovery is far from assured.The ECB could have nipped this crisis in the bud several months ago, both by continuing to accept Greek government bonds as collateral and by quantitative easing. Although the ECB had used quantitative easing to bailout the EU banking system, it refused to do so for Greece. There are clear signs that contagion is spreading to Portugal, and possibly to Spain and Italy. Can the ECB really be counted on in future to prevent the gradual unravelling of the euro?As the French economist Jean-Paul Fitoussi argued in a recent interview in Libération, even if the Greek crisis is successfully contained for a time by an EU-IMF package, the financial markets will hope to profit by squeezing other European countries. Meanwhile, ordinary Greeks are taking to the streets to protest against further draconian austerity measures, while the EU's political class continues to focus entirely on its narrow domestic interests. Here in Britain, a bemused electorate apparently has not yet woken up to the nature and magnitude of the cuts we will almost certainly suffer as a result of the 2008 bank bailout. Most important, we have not begun to question seriously whether placating the financial markets by means of such cuts is unavoidable. Perhaps it's time to start thinking the unthinkable: namely, that financial markets should be our servants, not our masters.

Invest in Argentina with Bob Frassinetti, Living with art and antiques and travelling the south of South Amercia. Argentina, Chile and Uruguay

Posted by bob frassinetti at 11:28 PM

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

Friday, 30 April 2010

India and the Bangalore in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Topic: Argentina

News on India and the Bangalore in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Argentina invites Indian investments in IT, infrastructure, tourism sectors.

New Delhi: Argentina is creating a mini-Bangalore in the southern part of the capital city of Buenos Aires. Stating this in his special address at the valedictory session of the 4th CII India-Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) Conclave organised in New Delhi during April 29-30, Mr Mauricio Macri, Head of Government of Buenos Aires, Argentina, said that Indian IT major TCS was the first company to set up operations in this area. Mr Macri acknowledged the significant advances that the Indian IT / ITeS industry has made globally and invited more Indian firms to invest in Argentina.

Mr Macri also pointed to Argentina’s comparative strengths in agriculture and urged Indian firms to invest in the south American country. He added that physical infrastructure development holds the key to Argentina’s growth process. With fresh investments in this domain, Argentina would be able to triple its industrial and agricultural output and exports. Mr Macri invited Indian infrastructure companies to consider participating in Argentina’s infrastructure projects.

He also focused attention on the opportunity for bilateral cooperation in tourism, which will again increase with better infrastructural support. “Come to Argentina and look for the opportunities,” he told the gathering at the Conclave.

Earlier, Mr Shubhendu Amitabh, Co-Chairman, CII LAC Committee and Senior President, The Aditya Birla Group, said in his opening remarks that the next CII India-Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) Conclave, 5th in the series, will be organised during February 24-25, 2011. The venue and location of the Conclave will be decided soon.

Mr Amitabh said that over 200 participants, representing the Indian and LAC ministries and government departments, business groups, financial institutions and social organizations, had engaged in interactive discussions at the Conclave and projects worth over US$10 billion were discussed. Also, proposals for M&As with total estimated value of $283 million were discussed, covering sectors such as IT/ITeS, Healthcare, Biotech, Agri-Business, Forestry, Auto and Steel.

Mr Praful Talera, Member, CII LAC Committee and Executive Director, Dynamic Logistics, presented the Conclave recommendations.

Monica Socolovsky, an Argentine fashion designer and entrepreneur, who has popularized the Indian hand embroideries and materials in her designs for the last 30 years, was felicitated at the event.

Bob Frassinetti: Living with art and antiques and travelling the south of South Amercia. Argentina, Chile and Uruguay
Buenos Aires 2010
Argentina
ph: +54 911 6965 1955
admin@frassinetti.com

And all about Antique Tours here in Plaza Dorrego, San Telmo and all Argentina, Chile and Uruguay

Posted by bob frassinetti at 4:18 PM

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

Newer | Latest | Older

«	September 2010					»

S	M	T	W	T	F	S
			1	2	3	4
5	6	7	8	9	10	11
12	13	14	15	16	17	18
19	20	21	22	23	24	25
26	27	28	29	30