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And, yes, I DO take it personally

Monday, February 22, 2010

Poor Argentina... If it isn't one thing, it's another...

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most of us can't even imagine 30% inflation, but let me give you a small example of what i've experienced in the six years i've been living part-time in buenos aires... when i started coming to argentina in 2004, i paid 5 pesos ($1.50) for a haircut and usually threw in a one peso tip (not something the argentines do, i can tell you)... when i got my hair cut last month, it was up to 20 pesos ($5.50) and i threw in a two peso tip...

for those who are struggling to get by - and there are plenty of them in argentina - i simply don't know how they can make it...

Argentine consumers expect inflation in next 12 months to reach 30%

Argentines with the lowest income expect consumer prices to rise 30% over the coming year, up from the 20% increase they forecast in January, the Buenos Aires-based University said in an e-mailed statement.

[...]

A January survey of 56 economists by Argentina’s central bank forecast inflation of 10.8% over the next 12 months. The gap between the central bank and Di Tella is the result of the “scarce credibility that the official reports have,” the university said in the statement.

Economists and politicians including Vice-President Julio Cobos have questioned the government’s inflation reports since January 2007, when then President Nestor Kirchner began changing personnel at the national statistics agency.

Javier Paz, who tracks inflation at Buenos Aires-based Ecolatina research company said prices rose 2.2% in January from December. The government said prices rose 1% over the same period.

i posted earlier on the torrential rains over the past week in buenos aires... so, imagine dealing with prices rising into the stratosphere and then experiencing this at a railroad crossing...

Tsunami en Palermo Soho
(link to video clip)

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More crazy weather - two feet of snow in Reno...!

i've seen some heavy snows in reno but nothing like what hit them yesterday... it was evidently one for the books, shattering snowfall records that have stood since 1918...

the photo below was taken by my son off the back deck of his house where, due to the intensity of the snow coming down, it's almost impossible to see houses on the next street... i pitched in with a fair amount of shoveling when i was there before the holidays and i'm sorry i wasn't there this time to help out... i did do quite a bit of shoveling at my friend's place in suburban d.c. week before last so i guess i haven't escaped entirely unscathed...


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about 8 yesterday morning here in pristina, it started snowing so hard i thought it would be up to my waist in no time but it only lasted for less than 20 minutes...

i've got to figure something is happening with global climate change given the frequency and intensity of weather events seemingly happening everywhere...

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Sunday, February 21, 2010

Two major storms deluge Buenos Aires

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A lake forms at the intersection of Niceto Vega and Uriarte
Barrio Palermo, Cuidad de Buenos Aires


the weather everywhere seems to keep getting crazier... this past friday afternoon, for the second time in four days, buenos aires got nailed by torrential downpours and the last one caused disruption in subway and commuter train service... water was pouring down the stairs of the entrance to the lacroze subway station on the "d" line and shorted out the third rail of electrical service on several commuter lines... i can only imagine the chaos and even though i love big storms, i'm kind of glad i wasn't there...

see this article (in spanish) in the la nacion newspaper for more...

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Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Snow in Buenos Aires - REALLY!

i posted yesterday about the truly amazing snowfall in buenos aires... evidently, there was enough to actually stick... a friend emailed me this morning saying that, when he got up this morning, it was all over the trees and the cars... another friend, who flew in to buenos aires this morning from london, emailed to say that, when the aircraft broke out of the clouds on approach, all he could see was white...







supposedly, the last time buenos aires received snow was, are you ready...? 1917...

all photos courtesy of...


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Monday, July 09, 2007

Oh. My. God.

this is something i thought i would never see...



for the fahrenheit-challenged...



check the time... this was current as of 4 p.m., argentina regional time... also check the wind chill... those people are dyin', i can tell ya...

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