Upcoming events in Buenos Aires, news, concerts, art, exhibitions, tango. All about Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Relatively unspectacular, officially the sales of Apples iPhone 3G has begun.
Since the prices were a bit higher than in the U.S., it is only interesting for a upper salary class .
At the moment, telephone companies such as Claro and Movistar offers the iPhone in different cities (Buenos Aires, San Miguel de Tucman) of Argentina.
A offer of Claro for example is 119 pesos each month for a 18 months contract period and 1600 pesos for the Apple iPhone itself.
Michael
The obelisk of Buenos Aires you find at the avenue 9th of July. When you see the news on television, it always starts with a view of the Obelisk.
The Obelisk at night
The obelisk was built in May 1936 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the first founding of the city.
It is located in the center at the spot where the Argentine flag was flown for the first time in the capital . Its total height is 67 meters (220 ft) and its base area is 49 square meters (530 square feet). Architect Alberto Prebisch designed it and its construction took barely four weeks.
The obelisk is one of the main icons of the city, and a venue for various cultural activities (usually sponsored by the city government) and other events. It is the traditional gathering spot for sports fans to celebrate when their favorite team wins.
Lines B,C and D of the subway have stations near the obelisk, and are connected by a number of underground passages with commercial galleries, a true “tunnel of time” if you wish to see how Buenos Aires looked like 50 years ago…
Next Monday 18th of August will be a National Holliday to remember San Martín’s death, therefore the office will be closed.
José de San Martín (25 February 1778 – 17 August 1850), was an Argentine general and the prime leader of the southern part of South America’s successful struggle for independence from Spain.
In 1812, he set sail for Buenos Aires from England, and offered his services to the United Provinces of South America (present-day Argentina).
After the Battle of San Lorenzo in 1813, and some time in command of the Army of the North during 1814, he started his plan to attack Lima. This involved first creating an army in Cuyo, liberating Chile, and then attacking Lima by sea.
In 1817, he crossed the Andes from Mendoza to Chile, and prevailed over the Spanish forces after the Battle of Chacabuco and Battle of Maipú (1818), liberating Chile. San Martín seized partial control of the viceroyalty’s capital (Lima) on July 12, 1821 and was appointed Protector of Perú. Post closed-door meeting with fellow libertador Simón Bolívar at Guayaquil, Ecuador on 22 July 1822, Bolívar took over the task of fully liberating Peru and declared its independence. San Martín unexpectedly left Perú and resigned the command of his army, excluding himself from politics and the military, and moving to France in 1824.
Together with Simón Bolívar, San Martín is regarded as one of the Liberators of Spanish South America. He is the national hero of Argentina. The Order of the Liberator General San Martin (Spanish: Orden del Libertador General San Martín) in his honour is the highest decoration in Argentina.
Macana [f] 1 a bad thing to happen, an inconvenience, a pity (quite standard and accepted by now); 2 a bad thing that has been done, a screwup, a mistake (esp. in the phrase mandarse una macana).
Macanudo/a [adj, interj] (nothing to do with macana) very good (esp. a deal, an arrangement), nice and friendly, open (a person).
Mango [m] 1 fig. a unit of currency, esp. in the phrase No tener un mango ‘Not have a (single) mango’. Etymology uncertain, probably related to the fruit of the same name (though not widely known in Argentina at present). 2 [fixed phrase] al mango (of a machine, a domestic appliance, a car, a recorder) at the maximum possible setting (at full speed, at full volume, etc.); saturated, at the most, al palo.
Ma’ qué [interj?] [not polite] surely a rapid speech-form of mas, ¿qué…? ‘but, what…?’. Difficult to explain except with an example: –Fuimos al shopping y… –¡Ma’ qué shopping, si es un supermercado grande! ‘–We went to the mall and… –What mall? It’s a big supermarket!’. Note: if you can explain this better, tell me! This phrase is plain Italian, though its usage is somewhat different.
Metejón [m] a passion for an object, person or issue; a strong yearning. From meterse ‘to get oneself into [a place]’ = ‘to fall hopelessly in love’. Used as tener un metejón con ‘to have a yearning with = for’.
Meter [vt] [fixed phrase] meter la pata ‘to get one’s leg in’, to do something stupid, to make a mistake, to manage a situation badly. Can be completed with hasta el fondo ‘down to the bottom’ for emphasis.
Continue reading ‘Some Buenos Aires’ slang & expressions (Part 3)’
Dedo [m] lit. finger; hacer dedo hitch-hike; a dedo (appointed) by the will of someone in power, without consulting with anyone else or following criteria for selection (as if merely pointing at the person with the index finger) — as is routine for the designation of non-elected political officials; A la mitad de la Corte Suprema la puso Menem a dedo ‘Half of the Supreme Court was appointed by (former President Carlos) Menem…’. Journalists popularized the cult alternative digitar, lit. ‘to key in with a finger’ for the same meaning.
Despelote [m] a mess, an occasion of great confusion, an organizational disaster. Etymology: from the privative preffix des- (English des-, de-, dis-) and pelot- ‘ball’ (fig. ‘testicle’). The ending -e is curiously found often in words of occasion with a negative connotation (see embole and despiole).
Embole [m, usu. sing] (a place, lapse of time, or activity involving) boredom.
Engranar [vi] to become angry; lit. the action of a gauge (engranaje) setting others into motion. The corresponding noun is engrane. The etymology, though, must be related to grana ‘red, crimson’ (whence granada, the fruit, and Granada, the Spanish city).
Engrupir [vt] [becoming old-fashioned] to deceive, usually by using nice words; to get someone to buy into a not-so-good idea.
Escrachar [vt] to ruin the cover of, to uncover in public, to show (someone) as having an illegal or evil behaviour. This word has been lately applied to demonstrations (escraches) of some human rights groups in front of the houses of officials of the last military government. These demonstrations are intended to increase the public awareness towards the impunity of the crimes of these officials and denounce their places of residence. People next door of these criminals and collaborationists sometimes don’t know of their past. Etymology: probably imitative/onomatopoeic.
Continue reading ‘Some Buenos Aires’ slang & expressions (Part 2)’
Año verde [m] [fixed phrase] lit. ‘(the) green year’ an imaginary time where extraordinary things happen; usually in the phrase Argentina año verde. (This would need pages of explanation. In short, suppose the country is ruled by honest politicians and all public services work fine; that’s Argentina año verde.)
Apoliyar [v]: to sleep. (Proper spelling, I think, should be apolillar, from polilla ‘moth’; the verb apolillarse [ps-ref] means ‘(of clothes) to become old-looking and unwearable because of being eaten by moths’ and by extension ‘to become decrepit’, and it may have something to do, but is not directly related in meaning.)
Arriba [n, adv] above, the place above; fig. the higher spheres of power; [fixed phrase] de arriba free of charge, esp. granted by someone one doesn’t know or expect, or through sheer luck (lit. ‘from above’).
Atorrante/a [adj, m, f]: (being) a scum, a good-for-nothing, someone who leads a useless life (generally meaning not working, not studying, just going to parties and having fun). When used of women: easy, whorish, a whore (in figurative or literal sense), esp. one who is ‘known’ by every men wherever she goes. When said of children or young boys, the word can even be appreciative and friendly (un atorrante as ‘a cute little imp’ or ‘a sharp boy’ à la Bart Simpson in a good day).
Autobombo [m, uncountable] self-advertising. Etymology: from auto- ’self-’ and bombo, a kind of big drum used a lot in public demonstrations, strikes, etc., presumably to call for attention.
Baboso/a [m, f, adj] a skirt-chaser (also the same sense applied to women), lusty, crazy about (the opposite) sex. Lit. ‘drooly’.
Continue reading ‘Some Buenos Aires’ slang & expressions (Part 1)’
What about making a nice warm soup today?
If you need to buy some uncommon spices, you can go by train straight to Belgrano neighborhood and next to the train station you will find Buenos Aires’ China Town, with a lot of chinese specialized supermarkets. Just nice to do on a cloudy or boring cold winterday and get back to your apartment in Buenos Aires and explore your kitchen! Underneath I suggest the cosmopolitan recipy of the famous Russian red beet soup, called borsch (or borsj).
Enjoy the trip and the meal (with the horseradish you bought in the mentioned neighborhood).
RUSSIAN BORSCH:
Peel the red beets and chop into bite-sized pieces. Heat the oil in a pan and brown sliced onions and garlic. (if you re thinking about the meat version, add the sliced pork/beef cubes at this stage and brown properly). Add the cumin seeds and the chopped vegetables. Coat well and fry over low heat until the veggies are soft, but crispy. Add the broth to cover the vegetables. Bring to boil, cover and let cook until soft. Add the black pepper and salt to taste and squeeze in the lemon juice.
Pure half of the soup (unless there is meat in it) and bring back to the boil. Mix in the parsley leaves and serve.
Shred the horseradish very finely and mix in with the sour cream. Serve the soup with a slice of rye bread and a good dollop of the spicy sour cream dip.
It’s a great soup to to serve with a good Argentine wine. A warm heartening excuse to invite your family or friends in your “own” flat in Buenos Aires and show them how you fill being a local in the city.
The parade will start at 6PM at Plaza de Mayo and will end at the Congress square.
When: November 17t, 6PM
The festival will have the presence of the most talented film production companies, distributors and cinemas for adults as well as national and international directors and actors.
When: November 15th through 18th
Where: Costa Salguero
Address: Avenida Rafael Obligado y Jerónimo Salguero
With the motto “dancing tango without linking the roles to the gender of the dancers”, the first festival aimed at everyone who fosters the respecto for the diversity will take place. There will be tango lessons, milongas, shows and conferences.
November 26th through December 1st
