Argentine poet Juan Gelman, born and raised in the Villa Crespo neighborhood of Buenos Aires, was honored yesterday by the Cervantes Institute in Austria.  Gelman was an activist and writer before being exiled from Argentina after the coup in 1976.  He fled to Europe, where he translated and penned many pieces against the government in relative safety.  Last year, he was awarded the Cervantes prize and this year the enormous reference library was named for him.  It contains over 30,000 volumes of spanish literature.  The 80 year old writer described the distinction as “the ultimate honor I have known.”

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Fundacion Proa presents a solo exhibition of French artist Marcel Duchamp’s work in their new art space in La Boca.  The exhibition is titled “Marcel Duchamp: una obra que no es una obra ‘de arte,’” (Marcel Duchamp: a work that is not ‘a work of art’).  Duchamp is best known for his investigation of the “ready made,” which theorized that common, every day objects were themselves works of art.  He most famously presented a urinal to an exhibition, titled it “Fountain” and signed the name “R. Mott.”    He lived in Paris for most of his life, but escaped WWI to Buenos Aires for a brief period.  The exhibition will be the first of its kind in Latin America and will jointly host a debate on the impact of the artist’s work.  Paul Franklin, the editor-in-chief of Etànt donnè, will moderate.  The show opens on November 22nd and will run until February 1st at Avenida Pedro de Mendoza, 1929.

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Friday, November 21st, will be the last edition of the Palermo Wine Tour.  Nearly a dozen fashion and interior design stores will participate in the event, with tasters hopping from shop to shop.  Alimentactika will reprise its “jellied wines” and artist Luis Casanovas will paint a piece of artwork using the vinos sampled throughout the evening.  The wineries taking part, largely from Mendoza, are as follows: Las Perdices, Fincas Flichman, Bodegas del Desierto, Weinert, Estancia Mendoza, Nómade, Misterio, among others, and Colomé from Salta, Xumec from San Juan, and Familia Schroeder from Neuquen.  The tour will take places between El Salvador and Honduras on Malabia Street from 7-10pm.  To imbibe, wine tourists must purchase an Italian crystal glass for 45 pesos and unlimited tastings.

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More than 454,000 people attended Saturday’s “Night of the Museums” event, sponsored by the Ministry of Culture.  The event was so successful, they are already announcing the date of next year’s, Saturday, November 21st.  Boedo, Caballito and La Boca were the most visited neighborhoods.  The main event, which was a screening of Fritz Lang’s “Metropolis” was viewed by approximately 28,732 people.  The event was supposed to last from 7pm until 2am, but many places closed late.  The Recoleta Cultural Center received 28, 828 visitors and finally closed its doors around 3am.

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Photo by Tiffany Fotter

Some people believe that weeks were made for the weekends- present party included.  I’d like to call this edition the “Dapper Edition” because you just might find someone sporting a tuxedo…

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Argentina’s lower house voted to approve President Christina Kirchner’s plan to nationalize $26 billion in private pensions.  A 162 to 75 vote by legislators will send the bill to two senate committees for consideration next week.  A full senate vote will take place on November 20.   The plan has been controversial, sparking protests and discussion all over the country.  Nationalizing the funds would give the government a surge of continuing revenue at a time of uncertain economic growth.  Javier Kulesz, an economist at UBS Pactual in Buenos Aires, said the plan would allot $4.5 billion in new contributions next year.

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Telecom Argentina reported a 4% drop during the third quarter due to inflationary pressures.  The Buenos Aires-based company’s records put net income at $69 million in the quarter ending Sept. 30. That’s down from $71.8 million from last year.  However, the telephone company is reporting net profits of $263 million from January to September, 35% higher than the same period in 2007.  Inflation was cited as the cause for the drop, as the peso fell significantly against the U.S. dollar during the third-quarter.

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This year marks the 35th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Argentina and Vietnam. The two countries celebrated this friendship by creating two stamps, one with the Vietnamese lotus and the other with the Argentine palo borracho flower. Each flower plays an important role in the identity of the respective countries. The lotus symbolizes the Vietnamese soul while the palo borracho flower represents Argentina’s beauty. The launching ceremony was held in collaboration with the Argentina ’s National Postal Company (ANPC) and the Vietnamese Embassy. A sister ceremony took place in October and was hosted by the Vietnam Post and Telecommunications Corp.

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Currently, laws prohibit online gambling, but Mayor Mauricio Macri is looking to change that for sports enthusiasts.  Greek company Intralot is the leader for the license, according to several reports. In Argentina, individual provinces may issue gaming licenses, but remote gambling is banned.  The National Lottery, additionally, handles all sports betting, according to Federal regulations.  The bill being proposed will revise land-based gaming and allow it to expand to websites and betting terminals.  The head of the Provincial Lottery and Casino Institue, Luise Peluso, has submitted it to several legislators.  It’s mainly opposed by religious leaders, who feel it is harmful to Argentine familys.

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My Buenos Aires Travel Guide reports the coming of the Polo and Art charity exhibition to Buenos Aires.  Between November 15th and December 6th, 30 statues of polo horses will be presented along Avenida Alvear, Quintana, Posadas, and Arroyo Street.  The statues will be adorned by artists such as Marino Santa María, Nora Iniesta, Martiniano Arce, Ernesto Pesce, and Mireya Baglieto.    The pieces will be auctioned off December 9 at Tango Porteño, in aid of the Fundación Hospital Fernández.  During the exhibition period, 8 of these pieces will remain at Casa de la Cultura, Avenida de Mayo 575.

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