READERS WRITE
IMMIGRATION IN ARGENTINA
Welsh descendants celebrate the 156th anniversary of their arrival in Patagonia’s lower valley of the Chubut River and their commemoration is historically accurate and culturally inclusive as they pay homage not only to the first settlers but also to the Tehuelches, the indigenous people who got involved in the process of helping the newcomers blend with the wilderness and a pristine nature. The fact that the Welsh immigrants befriended the Tehuelches reminds me of the Pilgrim Fathers who had settled in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620 and who had learnt from the native Americans how to grow crops and how to fertilise the soil with dead fish. This commemoration also reminds me that Argentina attracted a lot of immigrants from Europe in the latter part of the 19th Century. In The Dubliners, written by James Joyce in 1914, there is a character by the name of Eveline, who with her boyfriend decides to escape poverty and Ireland’s sordid reality at the time by sailing to Buenos Aires, a most promising destination. It is with a heavy heart that we Argentines have to accept that, despite having been one of the richest economies in the past, our country has gradually declined to become what it is today, a nation in tatters, not because of a twist of fate, but because of the mistakes of different administrations that caused a country with a golden past to become poorer and poorer.
Adrian Insaubralde, Santa Fe
ONCE AGAIN
Everybody has heard of Albert Einstein’s Theory of Relativity but, unfortunately, no one at all knows my Absolutivity Theory, so here it goes: K=NIX. Translated into our common alphabet, these symbols mean that the actions and words of a Kirchnerite leader equal ABSOLUTE lies.
Bringing up this theory today has as an objective the need to call your attention to the fact that, once again, the K deception machine is hard at work. For instance please observe how suddenly, while Kruella De Vil shuts up and disappears from public view, Albert the Small starts licking the boots of of the US government. It’s the classic pre-election method once again at work, with the intention of wooing moderate undecided middle-of-the-road voters. Of course, once the voting is over they will of course immediately return to their radical way of handling things in the most atrocious of manners.
So folks, for heaven’s sake, don’t let yourselves be beguiled by these characters, or by false middle-road parties, because we are faced with ABSOLUTE liars who will always continue along the same disastrously corrupt path they have been on since 2003. Please remember to vote properly taking into account K=NIX, even if on polling day you have a 42-degree fever, because “It’s the Republic, darn it”!
Harry Ingham, City
VANITY FAIR CAMPAIGN
Ready, steady, go! The race has begun! All candidates showing their best profile, promising lavishly, smiling broadly, begging for interviews, making believe that each one of them is the best possible choice at the PASO primaries on September 12. There’s no hugging, kissing or holding poor children in their arms, due to the pandemic. Truth to tell, the opposition leaves much to be desired. There are internal feuds, ego trips, unnecessary divisions. They don’t seem to rise to the occasion. If this is so, they will be missing the chance of their lives.
In the meantime, President Alberto Fernández admits he might have made some mistakes, but denies having made dirty tricks (“pillerías”) or wilful misconduct. I wonder, though – all those visits to Olivos, the birthday parties, the dog trainer, the VIPS who were vaccinated jumping the line, the barbecue with Moyano, Maradona’s massive funeral, while all of us were isolated and locked up. How would you qualify all that? Do what I say but not what I do? I know, I know. It’s what it is.
Our only legal weapon is our vote. Let’s use it properly. Sigh…
Irene Bianchi, Ringuelet, La Plata
THE JOY OF FOOD
It was a cold day last Sunday, and rain was threatening. So, I invited my wife to a well-known Armenian restaurant on the edge of Palermo, which had been recommended to me by an Argentine friend. I have lived here for over 10 years, but had never tasted Armenian food in this country. We arrived at 12.30pm, and the place was heaving! We waited for 15 mins before a table became available. We had a superb meal, and got home just before the heavens opened. We’ll return soon, no doubt.
These days, many people are on a diet, weight loss is the fad. Live like an Argentine, enjoy good food, but be a little careful.
Patrick Newton, Capital Federal
BATTLE OF THE BULGE: PART 156
Dear Sirs,
Oh, dear. Uncle Albert is now posing as a revolutionary, Che Guevara-lynch style. He’s travelling back to the ‘searing 70s, when life was real rough around these parts, and the ‘Ruskies’ were doing their very best to infiltrate all of South America with their nefarious doctrines and practices. However, according to the newspapers, he was actually on t’other side, at the time. Remarkable transformation!
Retail inflation panned out at three percent, last month, and this is hailed as a great victory by the powers that be. It is undeniable that the recent monthly trend is negative, but then, rates are frozen and most other prices are being squeezed downwards, including the official greenback. The battle of the Bulge, once more. Droll!!! Uncle Albert – a man for all reasons!!!
David Parsons, via email