MetaFilter posts tagged with Argentina

Secret Supper. Shhh!

jontyjago — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:17:00 -0800

The owners of Casa Saltshaker in Buenos Aires have compiled a list of venues in what they refer to as the Underground Dining Scene. The Puerta Cerrada (Closed Door) restaurant is becoming more and more popular with travellers and locals alike. Offering a restaurant-like experience in a private home, and also known as Secret Supper Clubs, Salon Dinners or In-Home Restaurants, the idea has been around for years, but new ones are popping up all over the world as travellers seek more and more "local" experiences. Fancy setting one up in your house? Here's how to do it.

Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch (In Patagonia)

Len — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 11:08:46 -0800

A few years ago, Gruff Rhys, lead singer of fabulous Welsh pop oddballs Super Furry Animals (Cymraeg/English) set out to make a film about the search for his uncle, a 1970s Argentinian pop star called René Griffiths. The result is Separado!: part travelogue, part music film, and part history of how a small band of idealists set out to establish a Welsh colony in the Argentinian part of Patagonia. The settlement was the idea of Welsh Congregationalist minister Michael D Jones (pic of his fabulous beard here), and the first settlers left Liverpool, bound for Patagonia, on a rickety tea clipper called the Mimosa in May of 1865. 153 passengers were aboard – including the Rev. Abraham Matthews, whose family travelled on this ticket. The Mimosa landed at Puerto Madryn and over the subsequent decades, its passengers and their descendants established a thriving Welsh community in the Chubut River valley. The settlers had been promised that Patagonia was much like lowland Wales, but they soon found it a harsh and unforgiving environment. Despite this, the colonists built both churches and what may have been Argentina's first system of artificial irrigation, as well as towns like Trelew and Gaiman, many of whose Welsh shops and tea houses survive to this day. (Small gallery of contemporary Gaiman and surroundings here.) Glaniad – a joint Welsh/Patagonian project – has original documents relating to Welsh emigration to Patagonia, including printed material extolling the virtues of the settlements, the culture of the settlements, and the everyday working lives of the colonists.

The House on Garibaldi Street

reenum — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:35:26 -0800

The capture of Adolf Eichmann is one of the more daring spy operations in the post WWII era. The story spans 17 years, beginning with Eichmann's clandestine escape from the Allied forces and the Nuremberg trial, and ending with his hanging in Israel. After WWII, Eichmann was able to escape the Nuremberg trials and the subsequent efforts of Nazi hunters in Europe. He worked as a farmer for 5 years, before he was able to gain passage to Argentina with the help of an organization that helped ex-Nazis defect to South America. However, Nazi hunters like Simon Wiesenthal never forgot about Eichmann and the crimes he had committed. After years of chasing false leads, the Mossad finally found Eichmann and assembled a team to capture him. This team included Rafi Eitan and Peter Malkin. The team followed Eichmann and planned his capture, which ended with the Israelis smuggling a drugged Eichmann aboard an El-Al plane and making two transcontinental flights that pushed the plane's limits. The operation caused embarrassment for some of the world's superpowers. But, the trial went on nonetheless. Subsequent generations have studied this capture and the impact it had on the world as a whole. You can find repositories of Eichmann related documents here, here, here and here.

Early Animated Films, Lost and Found

filthy light thief — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 13:02:23 -0800

While some might believe that Walt Disney had the first feature-length animated film with Snow White and the Seven Dwarves in 1937, the Disney film is the fourth animated feature-length film, and was two decades late for first place. The first two animated feature-length films were directed by an Italian in Argentia in 1917 and 1918, though all prints of those films are presumed lost or destroyed. The third animated full-length feature, Die Abenteuer des Prinzen Achmed (The Adventures of Prince Achmed), came out the same year that the first two were lost to fire. This third animated film was a silhouette animation made by a German artist named Lotte Reiniger. The original negatives are considered lost, but a supposedly first-generation positive (from the camera negative) remains and the film has been restored from this stock (full film with limited subtitles, 5 minute preview with English subtitles and the full film viewable with Veoh plug-in). More information and videos inside. The first animated feature film was El Apóstol, followed by Sin dejar rastros, both written and directed by Quirino Cristiani. His career in film was limited to 27 years in film (1916-1943), but rather notable for early animation firsts. Cristiani's last major film, Peludópolis, was the first full-length animated motion picture with sound, presented with sound-on-disc. The only known prints of his first films were destroyed in a fire in 1926, and his final work was also lost to fire, this time in 1961, giving Cristiani two films on a list of Top 50 Lost Films of All Time. Lotte Reiniger was born in 1899, and she was fascinated by Chinese silhouette puppets from an early age (shadow puppetry previously). She created her first shadow theater at the age of six, and ultimately had a career that spanned 60 years (1919-1979, not counting her early credits going back to 1916) and some 70 film credits to her name. Her most recalled accomplishment was creating the first German animated film, Die Abenteuer des Prinzen Achmed. The animation was made with cardboard and thin sheets of lead, and color tinting. Reiniger wrote about the process of creating and restoring the film (PDF, Google html cache), and she noted that the complete original Wolfgang Zeller accompanying score was preserved in the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. Silhouette puppetry of a sort lives on in a new mini-series, The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello. The series currently consists of four episodes (called "voyages") that are set in a the world of steampunk aeronautics, utilizing a silhouette animation style that has been likened to The Adventures of Prince Achmed. The first voyage, Jasper Morello and the Lost Airship is on YouTube in full (previously). Unlike Anthony Lucas' earlier stop-motion animation, the Mysterious Geographic Explorations are a mix of 3D computer graphics, photographic composition and miniatures. The Gothia Gazette has more information on the series. This rambling journey through early animation and silhouette work was set off by Tor Books, who have laid claim to October as Steampunk Month on their website. The Jasper Morello video was one of three animations, the other two being shorts (#2: The Aeronaut {also on mtvU with sharper sound, but also watermarks} by Nicholas Lombardo; #3: Komedi - A Gentelan's Duel, by Blur Studios, who were mentioned previously twice). Selections from the List of Lotte Reinger works 1920 - Das Geheimnis der Marquise (MP4) (The Marquise's Secret) for Nivea skin cream 1954 - Cinderella (10:29), The Little Chimneysweep (9:53), The Frog Prince (10:24) 1955 - Hansel and Gretel (10:32), Jack and the Beanstock (from the beginning, missing the first minute, and a bit of the end) 1971 - The Art of Lotte Reiniger (17:02), featuring Ms. Reiniger herself, creating silhouette puppets and describing the process Extra links Previously: steampunkery, Czech animator Karel Zeman, German animator Hans Fischerkoesen Etcetera: Bullet Bill and Bob-Omb as Victorian gentlemen Bonus video: Grand Drive "Firefly" (4:05), music video with shadow-puppet animation inspired by Lotte Reiniger, produced by Trunk Animation

R.I.P. Mercedes Sosa

lunit — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 21:44:06 -0800

Mercedes Sosa, a beloved Argentinian folk singer, passed away today. Argentine President Cristina Kirchner has ordered an official period of mourning. Known as the "voice of the voiceless ones" and affectionately as "La Negra", her music was deeply political. Over the course of her career, she produced over 70 albums and helped to popularize Nueva Canción (previously on Metafilter), a movement in Latin American music that combines folk music with contemporary influences and political lyrics.

I, for one...

Navelgazer — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 16:04:54 -0800

Introducing Our New Ant Overlords. Argentine Ants (Linepithema humile) have spread to every continent aside from Antarctica, forming Supercolonies such as stretching 3,700 miles (6,000km) of the Mediterranean. Once thought to be independent of one another, scientists now have cause to believe that the disparate Supercolonies in fact make up one global Mega-Colony. They are highly invasive, attack native animals, thrive in fast-growing, high-density colonies, and have an increased capability for cooperation. "The enormous extent of this population is paralleled only by human society," the researchers claim...

The rise and fall of El Pollo Justiciero!

Iosephus — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 12:38:00 -0800

Another day in a regular city in Argentina, another thief looking to score a car in a city well fed-up with a high crime rate. Or it would have been, except for the enterprising chicken-suit wearing guy that was promoting a nearby shop, who gave pursuit and captured the would-be car thief. Yes, the local reporters were enjoying themselves, how not to. And soon was born the new superhero El Pollo Justiciero, thanks to Facebook. Much rejoicing and autograph signing follows, not to mention the increased sales in the chicken place the suited one was promoting. Until the police let everyone know that was some other valiant passerby the real hero, and the shop owner claimed credit when he saw the reporters around. Oh how the Facebook rage now foams... To add further injury, the chicken guy was found to be an ex-con with a sentence for robbing his clients while peddling umbanda healing. [All stuff in Spanish, sorry. Google Translate at your pleasure, or whatever works for you. Thanks for your patience!]

Disability and Employment in Argentina

aniola — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 20:25:49 -0800

Disability and Employment in Argentina: The Right to Be Exploited?

Life on the Block

netbros — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 08:40:04 -0800

A native of Barcelona, Spain, Adriana Lopez Sanfeliu moved to New York in 2002 to pursue a career in photography. Adriana has been capturing the lives of young Puerto Rican women and their families in Spanish Harlem, NYC. There is a hardness that characterizes Life on the Block. Other projects by Adriana include: Mississippi a Year After Katrina — Those that owned land placed the FEMA trailer on their property; the rest were placed into trailer parks. A year after the storm the majority of these families were still living in this temporary housing. Insurance fraud, lack of contractors and mismanagement of government grants postponed the recovery of this part of the US. A Gypsy Life: The Salazar Family The Tompkins — Douglas Tompkins was the founder and owner of the clothing company Esprit. His present wife, Kristine Tompkins, was the CEO of the outdoor clothing company Patagonia. After retiring, they each created foundations dedicated to Nature conservancy. The foundations have since purchased over 1.5 million hectares of land in Chile and Argentina. Ultimately, that land will become national parks.

yo cumbio

jester69 — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 08:54:46 -0800

Agustina Vivero, known also as Cumbio, a name derived from Cumbia Villera, a favorite music of hers. She is openly lesbian, 17, has a book, and is becoming quite famous, all from her photos.

The Widest Avenue on Earth

Cobalt — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 09:25:00 -0800

At 18 lanes and 110 metres wide, Avenida 9 de Julio in Buenos Aires, Argentina, is not only a beautiful example of urban design but is also apparently the widest major road on the planet. Wikipedia says: "Crossing the avenue at street level often requires a few minutes, as all intersections have traffic lights. Under normal walking speed, it takes pedestrians normally two to three green lights to cross it." If that were not enough, tomorrow it will be thronged with people because it will host the ceremonial start of this year's Dakar Rally.

"a story of great potential overwhelmed by a genius for acts of pointless economic self-destruction"

cortex — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 12:32:14 -0800

People with a keen strategic sense maintain a well-diversified hoard of coins and painstakingly build alliances with local shopkeepers or bank tellers, conspicuously proffering coins for one purchase or deposit in the hopes of being indulged when they're short of change at some point in the future. Argentina's coinage problem. Further, further, further still; previously.

"I can pin point the exact moment when the entire country realized what was happening"

mecran01 — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 11:07:07 -0800

Notes from an economic collapse. With the shaky state of the economy, some are modifying their retirement plans. Fortunately, we have helpful tips from survivors of other collapsed economies to help us weather the (possible) approaching storm. I have no idea if this is authentic or not, and it definitely reads like survivalist fan-fiction, yet I can’t quit reading it. SLYT of images from Argentina's collapse.

from Argentina to Alaska

maurice — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 06:06:35 -0800

Candelaria and Herman Zapp drove from Argentina to Alaska in a 1928 Graham-Paige. They wrote and self-published a book about their trip and are now planning a similar trip across Asia. An older version of their site with more English language text is here.

Dirty wars leave tough stains

Kattullus — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 08:12:11 -0800

Von Wernich signed the baptism certificate of a girl born in a clandestine prison, whose mother was murdered at his orders. He encouraged torture victims to "testify, for the sake of god and country," perverting the confession into an interrogation tactic. Under a Nazi flag, he witnessed the torture of Jewish journalist Jacobo Timerman [...] Von Wernich was convicted on nearly all counts "under the mark of genocide." The crowds inside and outside the courthouse broke into celebration, singing, lighting firecrackers, some burning effigies of the priest. After thirty years, the saga to bring Von Wernich to justice was over.

The Unending War — Argentina's quest for justice by Sam Ferguson is about how Argentine society is dealing with the legacy of the junta's Dirty War of 1976-83. Other articles by Sam Ferguson on von Wernich (in order of publication): Argentina's Struggle to Restore the Rule of Law Argentina's Dirty War Trials Continue Argentine "Dirty War" Trial Focuses on Priest Priest May Walk in Argentina's "Dirty War" Tribunal Seven Murders Probed in "Dirty War" Tribunal Priest Convicted in Argentine "Dirty War" Tribunal

El tango del siglo XXI

ruelle — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 09:03:29 -0800

Dancing tango to Eminem The tango that being reclaimed by the Rio de la Plate culture is neither your grandma's ballroom tango nor the neotango/neutango/tangoneuvo of the West. Popular music per el tango del siglo XXI is Bajofondo, Tanghetto, Narcotango and of course, Europe's own Gotan Project. Hollywood spoiled the tango for many -- JLo and Banderas are doing an interpretive dance here not a tango; ditto in this Moulin Rouge scene. But, kinda as expected, Al Pacino gets it just about right, as does the classic Argentinian movie Tango. Enjoy!

Echoes of Latin America in José González's music

umbú — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 21:19:50 -0800

Guitarist and singer José González's myspace page mentions [lots of youtube ahead] Low and Elliot Smith. And no review of the Swede whose parents left Argentina in the 1970s is complete without a reference to Nick Drake. But what about the influence of styles from the hemisphere his parents left behind? After listening to González, Cuban Nueva Trova singer Silvio Rodriguez's early work sounds remarkably familiar, and Northeastern Brazilian rhythms picked on nylon-string guitar also resonate. Here are some examples by Gil berto Gil, Caetano Veloso, and Marisa Monte. Lyrically, however, in contrast to Rodriguez's poetic Marxism, and Gil and Veloso's dadaist Tropicália and subsequent MPB pop styles, González's new record "In our nature" is currently influenced by, yes, The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins.

Don't Look Now!

essexjan — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 03:03:32 -0800

Creepy, side-stepping gnome caught on video. A "CREEPY gnome" said to wander around a village at night is terrifying locals so much that many fear leaving their homes after dark, according to reports. Locals in the Argentinean town of General Guemes claim the "gnome" – which wears a pointy hat and walks sideways like a crab – has been seen walking their streets by many people, UK newspaper The Sun reported. What the ...? Knowing The Sun's disregard for hard facts over a good story, I'm not sure what to make of this, but the video footage of the 'gnome' definitely rates highly on the creep-o-meter.

RIP / QEPD

veggieboy — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 05:20:11 -0800

The biggest tourist attraction in Buenos Aires is a cemetery. El Cementerio de la Recoleta is the final resting place for some of Argentina's most illustrious and wealthy residents. (Yes, Evita is among them.) AfterLife explores the architecture, motifs, and history of this cemetery, as well as the stories of its residents. (As this Time magazine article from 1971 shows, Evita took a trip around the world before she came to rest in the cemetery. The magazine piece ends by speculating that Juan Perón would not return to Argentina, but of course he did. And so did Evita.) But Evita's story is far from the only interesting one, and her family's tomb is nothing compared to some.

The gift that keeps on giving

adamvasco — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 06:25:30 -0800

The quicker you succeed the better. Declassified documents show Secretary of State Kissenger gave a green light to the Argentine Junta, whilest Rev. Christián González aka Christián von Wernich, also leant a hand, showing that The Catholic Church's involvement with fascism and the Dirty War was far from dead. The Vatican was instrumental in witholding detail. The Desaparecidos probably exceeded 12,000.

Brilliant Innovator

parmanparman — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 13:49:12 -0800

Alessandra Sanguinetti The Adventures of Guille and Belinda and the Enigmatic Meaning of their Dreams (flash, a bit NSFW) All at once.

The Frozen Maiden

timory — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 07:52:56 -0800

The maiden, the boy, the girl of lightning: they were three Inca children, entombed on a bleak and frigid mountaintop 500 years ago as a religious sacrifice.

Carlos Gardel and the Tango

StrikeTheViol — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 13:29:54 -0800

Carlos Gardel was a singer who became a national icon of Argentina. He sang the tango among other styles, but would now be most famous for this, which was originally this. (Lyrics here.) For those of you who think this is all too romantic, listen to another side of tango...(Translation here.)

What's good for the goose.....

lalochezia — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 09:13:08 -0800

It's genital evolution day! Penis evolution. For my money, evolution reached it's zenith with the Argentine Lake Duck. Plenty more MeFi penis related shenanigans here , including the penis museum.

Pachakutic on schedule for 2012

airguitar — Thu, 13 Apr 2006 08:57:43 -0800

Latin America Turning Left? From the top: Lula da Silva *, Lopez Obrador, Nestor Kirchner, Hugo Chavez *, Alvaro Uribe, Michelle Bachelet *, Ollanta Humala, Alfredo Palacio, Oscar Berger, Leonel Fernandez, Oscar Arias, Tony Saca, Tabare Vazquez, Martín Torrijos, Evo Morales * Manuel Zelaya, Nicanor Duarte, Daniel Ortega, Rene Preval *.