On Stepping Down As The Bubble’s Managing Editor
A little more than a year ago, I began working as The Bubble’s managing editor. When I first signed on, little did I know just how much a niche publication primarily destined for English-speaking expats could grow. And it’s amid the occasional difficulty, both on a personal and societal level, that we can see the importance of levity. Working at The Bubble, there is no doubt that laughter often proved to be our most valuable weapon against drudgery, anxiety, fear — you name it. I’m stepping down to pursue writing full time, including on these pages, and will stay on in Argentina for the next few months.
Source:The Bubble
August 23, 2016 21:11 UTC
Teatro Ciego: The Buenos Aires Show That Keeps Audiences In The Dark On Purpose
Waking up at the same time, delighting over the same coffee morning ritual, dozing off to the same Netflix queue. It’s a weekday and you don’t want to break away from that comfy rut you’ve found yourself in, we get it. You need a legitimate reason to let go of the routine – but wait for it … we just happen to have one. In the Abasto neighborhood, a show is messing with the conventions people hold on what theater is all about. Teatro Ciego (blind theater when translated literally) puts on five different shows that all play with audience members’ senses by putting on performances in spaces completely devoid of light.
Source:The Bubble
August 23, 2016 19:07 UTC
Human Rights Groups Alarmed That Dictatorship Repressor Is Granted House Arrest
Although he remains in prison for the time being due to other charges pressed against him, human rights groups and are raising alarm bells. However, Judges Germán Castelli and Jorge Michelle voted otherwise and gave Etchecolatz house arrest due to age and health issues. The Secretary of Human Rights, Claudio Avruj, has said that the government is evaluating whether or not to appeal the new ruling. According to Argentine law, judges have the power (but are not legally bound) to order house arrest when the convicts are over 70 years old or suffer from health problems. Government numbers indicate that almost 44 percent of those arrested for crimes against humanity do their jail time under house arrest (462 out of a total 1,056).
Source:The Bubble
August 23, 2016 19:07 UTC
Urban Escape: Things To Do In Buenos Aires’ Ecological Reserve
Buenos Aires’ Ecological Reserve is an oasis of green for burnt-out city dwellers, located along the coast of the River Plate in Puerto Madero. Once a month, on the Friday closest to the full moon, a guided tour of the reserve takes place at night. Those interested in taking the nighttime tour need to reserve a spot by emailing visitasguiadas_recs@buenosaires.gob.ar on the Monday prior to the walk. Approximately 307 species of birds can be found in the reserve, and participants have the chance to observe them in their natural habitat. Reservations can be made by sending an email to the email address above–once confirmed, participants meet at the Viamonte entrance to the reserve at 9 AM.
Source:The Bubble
August 23, 2016 18:33 UTC
Lower Division Clubs Threaten To Not Play In Argentine Football Tournament
Over 3,500 lower division Argentine football clubs (yes, there are that many), yesterday sent a letter to FIFA President Gianni Infantino denouncing important “irregularities” committed by the “normalizing committee” currently administering the Argentine Football Association (AFA) and requesting he “take matters into his hands so as to make sure they do what they were appointed to.” First division clubs didn’t sign the letter. Before looking into why these clubs are upset, let’s recap a bit to remember what this normalizing committee is and how AFA got to its current state of chaos. The judge also found enough evidence to determine that several representatives from football clubs were also embezzling part of the money they did get in FPT TV rights. However, it seems that clubs, especially lower division ones, are less than happy with the way the committee is running the association and warned they will not play in the Argentine football tournament next Friday if things don’t change. I read the other day that they were already fighting, that they actually had a fist fight and one of the committee’s member got kicked in the head,” she added.
Source:The Bubble
August 23, 2016 17:03 UTC
Vidal Says She Is Not Intimidated By Threats, Will Fight Police Corruption
After she received multiple death threats and found a rifle shell in her home’s garage, Governor María Eugenia Vidal today publicly stated that she will continue her work in Buenos Aires Province, including fighting police corruption. The National Security Ministry has maintained that the threats are politically motivated and according to the provincial Security Minister, Gustavo Ferrari, the death threats made against Vidal are “because of the governor’s decision to fight against corruption and the mafia.”However, Vidal has not shown any signs that the threats have affected her. Macri also tweeted his support for Vidal along the same lines: “We support [Vidal] in her work towards progress in Buenos Aires province. They will not stop us.” “Acompañamos a @mariuvidal en su tarea de sacar adelante la provincia de Buenos Aires. Despite Vidal brushing off the death threats, security around the governor may have to tighten even more, especially since this is not the first time that Vidal has been the victim of a security lapse.
Source:The Bubble
August 23, 2016 16:30 UTC
Fruit Producers Give Away 10 Tons Of Pears And Apples In Act Of Protest
Apple and pear producers from Río Negro Province today are giving away 10 tons of fruit on the Plaza de Mayo to draw attention to the severe crisis the fruit sector is currently undergoing. We get between AR $2 and AR $2.50 for a kilo of apples. In fact, consumers boycotted supermarkets on two different occasions in April and May to protest inflated prices under the rallying cry #SuperVacíos (#EmptySupermarkets). Imagine that a competitive price for a kilo of fruit in the international market is about US $1. “Usually, the country places between 480,000 and 500,000 tons of fruit overseas, between pears and apples.
Source:The Bubble
August 23, 2016 16:07 UTC
‘White Gold’ AKA Lithium Set To Take Off In Argentina
Used in batteries, lithium is found in almost every electronic device today and Argentina is at the epicenter of its production. Still, that figure seems paltry when compared to Australia and Chile, which produce around 13,000 tons each. According to Reuters, around 70 percent of the world’s reserves lie in the so-called “lithium triangle,” an area which covers North-Western Argentina, Northern Chile and Southern Bolivia. Still, Chile is already producing a lot more than Argentina, so why the late start? What is certain is that we’ll be seeing this metal make headlines more and more in the coming years.
Source:The Bubble
August 23, 2016 15:33 UTC
Buenos Aires Province Governor María Eugenia Vidal Faces Death Threats
Buenos Aires Province Governor María Eugenia Vidal received two death threats in 24 hours — the first on Sunday and the second on Monday night — via phone. These developments comes in a context of heightened government security surrounding public officials as several important politicians have received death threats in the last month. According to the provincial Ministry of Security, both phone calls were made to 911 and left as messages for Vidal. However, neither Vidal nor her ex husband Ramiro Tagliaferro (mayor of Morón, also in Buenos Aires province) have not lived in that house for weeks: she moved to the Palomar Air Base with her three children for security reasons. María Eugenia Vidal is the first woman and non-Peronist to hold the governor’s office of Buenos Aires Province since 1987.
Source:The Bubble
August 23, 2016 13:52 UTC
Public Hearings Regarding Gas Increases Postponed Due To ‘Citizens’ Interest’
The Macri administration today announced it will postpone the public hearings regarding gas increases for four days to make sure people interested in attending the sessions get to sign up. Read more: Macri Administration To Hold Public Hearing About Gas Increases in September“It’s advisable, in order to assure the intervention of all potentially interested persons, to set a new date for the hearing, thus extending the period to sign up,” the resolution reads. The process to sign up has not changed: Any person or company, public or private, who claims a right has been transgressed or is simply interested will be eligible to attend. Following last week’s Supreme Court ruling suspending gas bill increases for homes, the Macri administration called for a public hearing to, once again, present its proposal to raise gas prices. Hearings are intended to inform the public and are not legally binding, however.
Source:The Bubble
August 23, 2016 13:07 UTC
Britain likely to lose bid to curb executive pay
As a result, May has promised to overhaul corporate governance to try and close a wealth gap that sees bosses being paid more than 140 times what their staff receive. Across the FTSE All-Share index over the same period, 766 votes were completed, with just one failing to gain approval — suggesting fund managers were untroubled by the issue of executive pay. World leader BlackRock has a relatively large team of just over 20 corporate governance and stewardship staff globally, but most rivals have far fewer. “The thing I hear time and time again is ‘we’re stretched,’” said Oliver Parry, head of corporate governance at the Institute of Directors (IoD). May’s plans to disclose the pay ratio between bosses and their employees and bring staff on board mirror actions elsewhere.
Source:Bueno Aires Herald
August 23, 2016 04:05 UTC
Trump denies 'flip-flopping' on immigration
But in a meeting with Hispanic activists on Saturday, Trump indicated that he was open to considering allowing those who have not committed crimes, beyond their immigration offences, to obtain some form of legal status — though attendees made clear Trump has yet to make up his mind. Bramnick said he’d left the meeting “very encouraged” and “hopeful in anticipating the policy and language” Trump’s campaign is expected to release in the coming weeks. Any walk-back would mark a dramatic reversal for Trump, whose tough stand on immigration has been the driving issue of his campaign. Trump had been scheduled to deliver a speech on the topic Thursday in Colorado, but it has since been postponed. Hispanic business and religious leaders who would like to see Trump move in a more inclusive direction, have reported closed-door conversations with Trump in which they say he has signalled possibly embracing a less punitive immigration policy that focuses on “compassion” along with the rule of law.
Source:Bueno Aires Herald
August 23, 2016 04:04 UTC
New leak of 14,900 emails to trouble Clinton
Tuesday, August 23, 2016 New leak of 14,900 emails to trouble ClintonUS Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton speaks at a gathering of law enforcement leaders at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, last Thursday. The State Department could make public the first batch of emails in October, weeks before the Democratic nominee faces Republican rival Donald Trump in the November 8 election. State Department employees are due to craft a timeline for the release at a meeting on September 23. The Federal Bureau of Investigation found Clinton was “extremely careless” with sensitive information by using the private server but recommended against bringing charges against Clinton. Last week, The New York Times reported that Clinton told federal investigators that Powell had suggested she use personal email for unclassified email when the two spoke over dinner.
Source:Bueno Aires Herald
August 23, 2016 03:11 UTC
Travel insurance: Buy it or not?
Monday, August 22, 2016 Travel insurance: Buy it or not? Which is the coverage of travel insurance? For example, there are travel insurance plans specially designed for young travelers, who just need a basic coverage and not extra additives. Which travel insurance to buy and where? So if you’re about to go on a plane and flight to somewhere abroad, always be protected by travel insurance.
Source:Bueno Aires Herald
August 22, 2016 20:26 UTC
Salta Man Found Dead Five Years After Being Tortured By Local Police Forces
In 2012, a video released by La Nación and Clarín showed two young men being tortured in a police station in General Güemes, Salta Province. On Friday, one of the young victims, Mario Rodríguez, was found dead, hanging from a tree. Rodríguez, Martínez, and two other youths in Salta were accused of raping a young girl in 2009. A video that was leaked in the autumn of 2015 showed a police officer in Tucumán Province brutalizing a teenager in his cell. Former Interior Security Secretary Sergio Berni once blamed protestors for getting shot during a protest against layoffs on the Pan-American Highway.
Source:The Bubble
August 22, 2016 19:41 UTC