Somehow Emoticons Are Part of My Life Again

And I'm not happy about it.

Prior to moving to Buenos Aires, there was very little Microsoft in my computing life. After working on Macs for years and buying a Powerbook of my own a few years back, I thought I had more or less rid myself of clunky, virus-prone PCs and the nasty MSN universe. I even stopped using Internet Explorer. All was right with the world.

(Admission: I did continue to use Microsoft Office. Let's conveniently ignore that fact for the remainder of this post.)

When it comes to online chatter, I use what seemingly everyone uses - Gchat. In recent years it seems like young adults everywhere have switched to Gmail and Gchat for their online communication. Things like AOL instant messenger and MSN messenger were for old people and little kids, right?

Not in Argentina. Here, PCs rule and most folks are just fine with that. After all, Mac prices are even more exorbitant in Argentina than they are in the United States. Even iPods are crazy expensive. In an economy still recovering from a severe economic crisis, it is no surprise that Macs have not caught on.

Without a groundswell of Mac popularity, the anti-Microsoft sentiment which is so common in the United States is practically nonexistent in Argentina. Most computer users plod along happily on PCs using Internet Explorer and Hotmail and whatever other software comes prepackaged with their machines. When it comes to online chat, young Argentinians are all about MSN Messenger.

I tried to avoid it. Really I did. But as the months passed and more locals asked me about chatting online, I realized that communicating with some people here is nearly impossible without MSN Messenger.

This week I finally caved and downloaded a Mac Messenger program. Sure, chatting with Argentinian pals is fun but I am not happy about plugging back in to the Microsoft monopoly. Part of the fun of buying and owning a Mac is the ability to turn your nose up at PCs and become a total computer snob. Now that I have Messenger, a little bit of that fun has died.

Even worse, Messenger is basically an emoticon factory. It actually comes with a pull-down menu for selecting the right emoticon. I can barely tolerate the old-school, hand-typed emoticons. It was bad enough when Gchat started animating them. But Messenger takes emoticons to a whole new level with its endless parade of idiotic animated yellow smiley faces. Why are adults using these monstrosities? Where is the shame? I'm going to be sick.



Oh no. It might be too late for me already.

Busy Week for Zurita

For most people, a successful DJ set at one of Buenos Aires' coolest nightspots would be enough for one week. Apparently Zurita is not most people.

After delivering a simply blistering set as one half of Banana Clip at Zizek on Wednesday night, Zurita is capping off the week with a show from one of his other endeavors, Buenas Noches. With only a 2002 EP (download that here) and some unreleased tracks on myspace, this ambient space-rock project doesn't have much of a discography. However, at this point I'm pretty much willing to vouch for just about any Zurita-related project I can find.

Yes, the Banana Clip DJ set was that good.

Buenas Noches is playing Friday night with fellow Buenos Aires space rockers Go-Neko at the Moloko-Velocette two-year anniversary party. The whole thing kicks off around 23:00 at the Moloko-Velocette studio, Malabia 767.

Buenas Noches - Granero 3am

Riot!

Up until Monday night, Buenos Aires was having a pretty good week in terms of soccer. Last Wednesday, Boca Juniors - Argentina's most celebrated team - won the 2007 Copa Libertadores tournament. On Sunday club president Mauricio Macri was elected the new mayor of Buenos Aires in a landslide victory.

All in all, things were looking pretty good until Monday night when a riot broke out during a playoff game in the suburb of Mataderos between Tigre and Nueva Chicago. Apparently the hometown Nueva Chicago fans stormed the field after Tigre scored its second goal and took the lead. One person was killed and at least 14 were seriously injured in the melee.

Here's some footage:



Nueva Chicago fans threw rocks, swung metal pipes and even tore the clothes from Tigre players on the field.



Angry fans also broke into the Tigre section of the stands to directly attack the visiting fans. At Argentinian soccer games the visiting team's fans are always seated in a fenced-off area designed to protect them from exactly this kind of incident. Usually the barbed wire and heavy security is enough to keep people safe. However, Monday night saw Nueva Chicago rioters not only throwing large advertising signs into the Tigre seating area,



but also managing to bust through the fences entirely.



The mayhem actually spilled out of the stadium and into the surrounding area, causing a major traffic jam before police ultimately got the situation under control. Here's some footage of that:



Not surprisingly, a court quickly ordered the closure of the Nueva Chicago stadium and soccer officials are saying the club will likely face the maximum 30 point penalty next season (essentially crippling the team in the standings).

Incidentally, Tigre was awarded the victory, resulting in their promotion to the country's top division for the first time in 27 years. Nueva Chicago's loss dropped them from the first to the second division.

Of course, all that seems a little trivial when someone died.

Zurita + Oro11 = Banana Clip

I realize that this blog sometimes reads like a commercial for Zizek, but they've seriously been bringing out all of the Buenos Aires heavy hitters over the past month or so.

This week is no different, as both Daleduro (whom I have already gushed about) and Marcelo Fabián will be behind the decks. Marcelo happens to be one of Buenos Aires' top producers and one of the key guys responsible for bringing cumbia back to fashionable dance floors across the city. A future post dedicated to his work is definitely on the way, but in the meantime check out his myspace page for a taste of what he's done.

Even more exciting is a live performance from Banana Clip, a new project from Oro11 (another guy I have written about before) and Zurita, another Buenos Aires DJ/producer in the cumbia/hip-hop mold. Always repping for his beloved San Telmo neighborhood, he has put together some cool mash-ups that can be found on his myspace page. He also happens to be a member of synth band Human Brain and space rock outfit Buenas Noches.

But this Wednesday is all about Banana Clip, a collaborative project Zurita and Oro11 have been working on for several months after they initially met online. Banana Clip doesn't have any official recorded material, but the duo is promising a hard-edged gangsta sound. Apparently lots of gun-related sound effects are involved. They have also enlisted the skills of a local MC from Ghana whom Oro11 met when he used to run a weekly DJ night at the Nigerian Social Club.

Between Marcelo Fabián, Daleduro, Banana Clip and the promise of an Ghanaian MC on stage, Zizek should be pretty amazing this week. Those readers who cannot attend are encouraged to take solace in the Zurita mp3 I've posted below, a killer mash-up of Method Man's "P.L.O. Style" with a cumbia track from Grupo Sonador.

Zurita - El Gigante del Style

Don't Drink and Vote

Tomorrow is another election day in Buenos Aires. Three weeks after the first round of voting, mayoral finalists Mauricio Macri and Daniel Filmus are squaring off again. Yawn. Macri is expected to win easily, much to the dismay of the city's left wing, not to mention President Kirchner.

Oddly enough, the issue plaguing much of the city's expat population has nothing to do with voting. They're upset because later this evening the sale of alcohol will be temporarily suspended. In accordance with national electoral law, the sale of alcohol is prohibited on election day. The mini-prohibition actually kicks off 12 hours before the polls open and lasts until three hours after they close. The law stipulates that people caught violating the law can be imprisoned between 15 days and six months, a stiff penalty that makes alcohol pretty much impossible to purchase.

Apparently the election-day alcohol ban is one of several measures taken to prevent election-day violence. Voters are banned from carrying flags or other symbols supporting a particular candidate, party or position. All public gatherings, including sporting events, shows and theater performances, may not include any sort of reference to the election. Argentina takes this stuff seriously, as election law even spells out that carrying a gun on election day is prohibited. Candidates and political parties have their own restrictions to follow, as they are required to stop campaigning 48 hours before the election.

It's a safe bet that alcohol sales are fairly brisk today. Several people have already commented to me on the need to "stock up" ahead of time. And of course, anyone who feels the need to walk around with a gun should get that out of their system today.

El Hijo de la Cumbia

El Hijo de la Cumbia is a producer from the Buenos Aires suburb of San Martín. While some artists who live in the cosmopolitan confines of Capital Federal dabble in cumbia as a sort of retro-novelty, this bedroom producer comes from an area where traditional cumbia is basically the official soundtrack for parties and dances. As such, he has gone out on quite a limb by mixing in hip-hop and dancehall elements with his music.

The name El Hijo de la Cumbia translates to "The Son of Cumbia" and he certainly lives up to the title. Rejecting the repetitive loops of Argentinian cumbia villera, El Hijo de la Cumbia instead pulls heavily from Mexican and Colombian cumbias. Anchored by thick and varied percussion, his music also has a somewhat psychedelic quality. Imagine a producer like Dan the Automator putting together some cumbia tracks and you're getting close to the world of El Hijo de la Cumbia.

In a country where financially surviving as an independent artist is nearly impossible, El Hijo de la Cumbia manages to scratch out a living as a DJ and producer. Amazingly, he has been enlisted to produce tracks for a number of Mexican artists who discovered his talents online. Although making beats for other people might pay the bills, next month El Hijo de la Cumbia is releasing an album of his own entitled Freestyle de Ritmos. The album cover is above.

Tonight El Hijo de la Cumbia is bringing his talents to Zizek for the first time. Those who don't make it should sample the tracks below.

El Hijo de la Cumbia - Soy El Control
El Hijo de la Cumbia - La Mara Tomaza

www.myspace.com/elhijodelacumbia

R.B.I. Baseball

Honestly, this post has nothing to do with Buenos Aires, although it is a prime example of just how much free time the expat lifestyle can afford. With no regular job here in Buenos Aires, I've sometimes found myself getting creative in finding ways to pass the time. One of those ways has been the rediscovery of Nintendo classic R.B.I. Baseball.

No, I did not drag an antique Nintendo Entertainment System with me to Argentina. (I did bring a Playstation 2, but let's not get into that just now.) Instead, I downloaded a NES emulator, basically a program that allows users to play old video games on their computer. I also downloaded a bunch of ROMs, which are files with the programming code for individual games. The programming from these older games was so simplistic that the files are usually quite small and can be downloaded in seconds.

One might think that my appetite for old games would be satiated after all this. However, I found myself increasingly sucked in by R.B.I. Baseball. After awhile, simply honing my skills and consistently beating the game was no longer sufficient. I wanted more.

Apparently, I wasn't alone because I found an entire online community devoted to R.B.I. Baseball. With discussion forums, FAQs, gameplay tips, statistical breakdowns and more, these folks have managed to completely dissect the game. And it doesn't stop there. One fanatic who calls himself Nightwulf hacked into the original programming code and created an online R.B.I. editor that allows just about anyone to easily create their own version of the game. The editor allows users to change team names, player names, team colors, stadium colors, team logos, player statistics, player abilities and more. The possibilities are endless and R.B.I. Baseball fans have taken advantage, unleashing an endless series of hybrid games, most of which are available online for download.

Yes, this is all extremely dorky. However, the DIY aspect of taking an established product and altering it into something completely different is extremely cool. It's something of a parallel to the world of mash-ups and just another example of how technology is changing the dynamic between consumers and manufacturers.

If your nerd tolerance isn't already on overload, here is another piece of R.B.I. Baseball trickery that made the rounds on the internet last year. Some guy recreated the end of Game 6 of the 1986 World Series (the Bill Buckner game) using R.B.I. baseball and the original TV commentary. The whole thing is pretty amazing.

A Great Moment for Argentinian Sport?

That's what the Argentinian announcers were saying last night when the San Antonio Spurs won the NBA title.



Although interest in the NBA finals hit record lows in the United States, the event was big news here in Argentina. As the only NBA squad with two Argentinian players on its roster, the San Antonio Spurs have been adopted as Argentina's favorite team. News reports throughout the season detailed the play of both Manu Ginóbili and Fabricio Oberto, often bumping high-profile players like Tim Duncan and finals MVP Tony Parker from the headlines. Coverage often refers to "The Spurs of Manu and Oberto" and breaks down even lackluster performances from these players.



Today's Clarín has an article with the headline "Ginóbili and Oberto were fundamental for San Antonio's new consecration" and text citing passages about the Argentinian players from news outlets like the New York Times, Los Angeles Times and USA Today.

Although the desire to cheer their countrymen is completely understandable, one can't help but notice the irony of Argentinian sports fans rooting for a team from San Antonio. In a country where little pot-shots at the United States are commonplace, Ginóbili and Oberto have become superstars by playing in Texas of all places.

Fútbol still reigns supreme in Argentina, but interest in basketball and the NBA in particular is on the rise. Last year one fan started a blog called "Argentinians in the NBA" which details the trials and tribulations of all five Argentinians in the league. If current trends continue (not to mention highly dubious racially-motivated conspiracies), NBA basketball is sure to become a permanent staple of the Argentinian sporting diet.

It is also possible that Argentinians just want to watch Tony Parker's girlfriend Eva Longoria on the sidelines.



Desperate Housewives is popular here too.

Mayoral Candidates Won't Play Nice

Yesterday frontrunner Muricio Macri announced that he will not debate challenger Daniel Filmus before the June 24th runoff election.

The candidates had been negotiating debate terms since last week. Apparently, even Filmus' willingness to include the candidates for deputy mayor in the debate and sign a "non-aggression agreement" were not enough to placate Macri. An article in today's Clarín included this exchange (with my translation):

"Are you going to attend the debate?," asked Clarín after a campaign stop at café Tortoni.

"In this context of aggression and dirty campaigning, it makes no sense."

"But they have already set the guidelines.."

"We have all seen that there is no change in attitude. Monday after the election, Filmus called me and told me that he was going to have a respectful campaign; two hours later he was at an event with the President insulting us."

Macri has a point. After the center-right candidate won a near-majority in the first round (46%, more than 20 points ahead of Filmus), President Kirchner quickly moved to openly attack Macri. It is no surprise that the President supports Filmus, whom he hand-selected for the race, but he's also seeing the picture where Macri's strong showing represents a viable threat in the upcoming October presidential election. Barring some kind of catastrophic mistake by the Macri campaign, Filmus and Kirchner realistically can hope for little more than a respectable showing. As such, it is more important to attack Macri and his PRO party by constantly linking them to the disastrous neoliberal open-market policies of the 1990's that led Argentina into crisis.

The President's negative campaigning and willingness to drudge up these not-so-distant economic ghosts reflects the government's new-found sense of vulnerability, something largely absent since their election in 2003. Kirchnerism once seemed invincible, with the Argentinian president often cited as the "most popular leader in South America" while sporting approval ratings of 75% or higher. However, in light of recent struggles, that rating has dropped to 57% and created a potential opening for presidential challengers. Opposition groups have even begun to discuss unifying against Kirchner in October.

In the meantime, the second round of Buenos Aires mayoral campaigns continue. Filmus has already asked Macri to reconsider debating, but that is unlikely given that one of Macri's advisors was quoted as saying "there is more to lose than gain."

Even if a debate somehow happens, I'm guessing that Kirchner won't be a happy camper anytime soon.



No wonder he's thinking about not running for re-election and letting his wife run for president. After all, history shows that "President of Argentina" is somewhere near the top of the worldwide "impossible jobs" list.

A Foggy Notion

Fog has arrived in Buenos Aires, and its presence is not welcome. Reducing visibility all over the city, the fog has disrupted transportation all over the city. Flights have been delayed or cancelled, major roads have been closed or clogged and the ports of both Buenos Aires and La Plata are closed. Apparently the fog hasn't been this bad for more than 25 years.

On top of all that, the miserable state of the Jorge Newberry Airport (which handles domestic flights to and from Buenos Aires) has gone from bad to worse. Yesterday Aerolineas Argentinas cancelled 28 flights after passengers attacked airline personnel. As the article states (with my translation),

"The workers were attacked with words and fists in recent days due to the flights delays caused by the fog. For example, yesterday a passenger threw a phone at an employee..."

Today airline employees initiated a work slowdown, vowing to continue until the company could guarantee their personal safety. Although an agreement was brokered at the Labor Ministry, delays continue as employees are being notified and reintegrated into their usual routine. Continued fog is not helping the situation. As a result, the airport is full of scenes like this:



And this:



Just another exciting day in Buenos Aires. Who knew a little fog could cause so much mayhem?

Folktastic

Look! International artists are coming to town and playing at a reasonably-sized venue! It's a miracle.

Perhaps miracle is a bit of an overstatement, but anyone in Buenos Aires who enjoys seeing credible artists play somewhere besides a mega-festival should take note. Nuevos Aires Folk 07 is something curated by local experimental folkster Juana Molina, about whom I gushed a few months back.

Juana will be headlining the final night of the festival. Another headliner is Swedish-born singer/songwriter José González (whose parents are Argentinian), best known for his cover of the Knife's "Heartbeats" which showed up a while back in this delightful commercial.



González has also put his own spin on songs from artists like Joy Division, Bruce Springsteen, Bronski Beat, Massive Attack and Kylie Minogue. While the covers get most of the attention, most of his work is original. Also coming down to play is San Francisco band Vetiver. Although they have toured with artists like Devendra Banhart and Joanna Newsom, they've never been especially popular in the United States so it's a little odd to see them on the bill.

Some Argentinian acts will also be playing, including Axel Krygier and Coiffeur. All the details are on the official (yet clunky) Nuevos Aires Folk website, but a better rundown can be found here. All the shows will be happening at La Trastienda Club (Balcarce 460) in San Telmo.

Porteños should take advantage because these kinds of shows don't happen too often in Buenos Aires. Maybe if Nuevos Aires Folk is a success more international indie acts will make there way down here.

My fingers are officially crossed.

Better Late Than Never

Yesterday local paper La Nacion ran not one, but two articles about reggaeton in Buenos Aires. The first is basically reggaeton 101, mostly paying attention to international heavy hitters like Daddy Yankee and Calle 13. The second has more local flavor, shouting out locals Princesa, DJ Nim, Maestroshao and Cinba along with weekly parties like Zizek and La Cueva del Flow.

Not surprisingly, these articles aren't especially informative or groundbreaking. Even I wrote a blurb about reggaeton back in January when I barely knew my way around the city. But can we really expect the local center-right newspaper to have their finger on the pulse of the underground music scene? At least they mentioned it.

What I do find especially enjoyable is that the author calls the signature reggaeton beat tupá tupá. What is it with Argentinians and onomatopoeia when it comes to describing music? The term punchi punchi is a well-established synonym for generic techno and the cumbia beat has been described as shickishin. Apparently now tupá tupá is also in the mix.

Sure these terms make sense when you take the time to sound them out and compare them to the actual music, but doesn't anyone else feel a little silly? Tupá tupá?

I think I'll just stick to calling it reggaeton.

Last Minute Fun

Yes, this is pretty last minute. But anyone looking for something to do on Friday night might want to check this out. Click below if you actually want to read the details.


In short, Wicked Buenos Aires is throwing a little party to celebrate their second issue. Juana Molina won't be there, but she is on the cover of the new issue. Although I'm far less exciting than Juana Molina, I will be there DJing alongside Villa Diamante. It's all happening this Friday night at Casa Brandon, Luis Maria Drago 236.

Be there or be someone with something better to do on a Friday night.

Douster

Although the folks at WhatsUpBuenosAires told me about "this French kid mixing crunk and cumbia" a few weeks ago, I must admit that I only started paying attention yesterday when this post showed up on the excellent Discobelle blog.

Douster is another expat living in Buenos Aires who combines cumbia with modern hip-hop and electronic sounds. Check out this impressive little mix to really get a feel for what he's doing.

Douster - MIXITUPBORDERLINECUMBIA

He is also spinning this Wednesday, June 6 at Zizek.

Buenos Aires Puppy Scam

Attention users of Craigslist Buenos Aires! Beware of this puppy.



Yesterday my girlfriend spotted a Craigslist ad looking for someone to adopt this critter. Given her severe weakness for baby animals, she sent them an e-mail looking for more information. (My girlfriend actually had no intention of adopting the puppy and was probably just looking for a way to hug and cuddle the little guy, but that's a separate issue.)

Today, she received this response. I've left the spelling and spacing intact.

Hi!!
This is David, thanks for the mail.Sorry for I'm presently in Cameroon for a field
trip.Betty is the little girl we're giving out for adoption.She is Brown accent super cute! She has very smooth fur over her body just like her mother! she is adorable!
Biography:She was given to My family by one late Mr.Nicolas Bilboa before he passed away.When we arrived Cameroon,we discovered the climate was different and we have been advised to give her out for adoption as soon as possible.
Personality She is the perfect mix of playful and mellow.She loves to be held and snuggled ,but also likes to chew on her bones and play with her balls. She is a real sweetheart!. Structure: Very nice coloring and very bullie looking ,great head and
nice shoulders nice a bulky lines. She's a beautiful girl!.If you can promise taking very good care of her and send to us pictures when she arrives then you can
go ahead and pay $450 for her rehoming fee ok.I have her registered with the shipping agency already with all her documnets so you'll only have to get an insurance paper for her .just let me know as soon as possible.Best regards.
David.

Can you say scam? Anytime requests for money and an African nation are involved, it's pretty clear that something bogus is going on. Is this little ruse really worth the $450 they're requesting? Who is going to send them money believing that someone in Cameroon is going to stick a puppy in the mail?

On the bright side, their e-mail did include some more adorable pictures like this one.



Awwwwwwww.

ESTARIA BUENO

Buenos Aires has an election happening this Sunday, June 3rd. Of all the positions up for grabs, the most important has to be Jefe de Gobierno, the mayor of Buenos Aires. Although the list of candidates is extensive, it has essentially come down to a three-way race. The leading candidates are incumbent Jorge Telerman, Daniel Filmus and Mauricio Macri. Telerman and Filmus are currently splitting the left, with Telerman backed by the Socialist Party and Filmus backed by President Kirchner. Only one of them is expected the survive the first round, as center-right candidate Macri is currently leading the polls.

Rather than comment on their individual merits, I'd rather focus on Macri's unusual campaign strategy, which obviously seems to be registering with some Buenos Aires voters. A few months ago, signs and posters like this started popping up all over the city:



"Estaría bueno Buenos Aires" translates to "It would be nice Buenos Aires" and has become the calling card for the Macri campaign. Here are some more examples:



The first says, "It would be nice if it didn't flood every time it rains. We're drowning in a glass of water." The second basically says, "It would be nice if we didn't throw papers on the ground in front of each other's houses."

Note that these posters make no mention of the election or Macri himself. The only concrete reference is the inclusion of the PRO political party and their website. Here are some more "Estaría Bueno" slogans from that website. These also appeared publicly as yellow and black posters.




These translate as "It would be nice if when we were patients they didn't make us wait for a month," "It would be nice to build a better city without construction everywhere," and "It would be nice if we learned that with more education there would be less insecurity."

Although these slogans are undeniably over-simplistic and are designed to prompt nostalgia for an imagined past when things were better, they are nonetheless remarkably progressive for a center-right candidate. Perhaps I'm tainted by the Jesus-loving warmongers currently running the right wing of the United States' political spectrum, but it is refreshing to see a campaign where the "conservative" candidate is speaking up for improved education, health care, flood control and basic quality-of-life issues. Throughout the race, Macri has left the negative campaigning to his opponents, instead choosing to steadfastly tout his list of proposals for the city. Taking into account that posters with his name and face only started showing up in the past month, Macri has certainly run a different type of campaign.

However, the "Estaría bueno" campaign is not without its detractors. Many Porteños find the posters silly. Someone even set up their own "Estaría bueno" online slogan generator, which has been used to make some pretty hilarious signage. Here's some of my favorite mock posters:



"It would be nice if the heat came back but the mosquitos did not," and "It would be nice if my boss didn't look at my tits while he talks to me."



"It would be nice if running a city were as easy as running a soccer team." (Macri is the chairmen of the Boca Juniors team.) Also, "It would be nice if Pro's advertising was original and not copied from Playstation."



"It would be nice...no, actually it wouldn't." Cynicism is alive and well in Buenos Aires.