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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In all honesty, I wasn’t really looking forward to my Ride The Ducks special press tour yesterday. I thought it was going to be another dumb, touristy ride and really thought I knew most everything about San Francisco. WRONG…and on so many levels.It turned out to be the most fun I’ve had on dry land in some time, and the wet part wasn’t too shabby either.

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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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November 13th, 2008 by Susan - NWA WorldVacations

A honeymoon is a very special time for a happy couple. Typically, the couple seeks a place to travel where there are no crowds, and no other people around to interrupt their special world of celebration. This unforgettable honeymoon travel experience is what NWA WorldVacations® brings to honeymoon travelers. These trips are tailor-made for couples who want to escape to a world of their own.

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ZAGREB: A CULTURAL AND LITERARY HISTORY book by Celia Hawkesworth, Foreword by Sonia Wild Bićanić:

Situated at the foot of a range of hills on the edge of the great Pannonian Plain, for most of its history Zagreb has been a small town to which things happened. Administered from 1102 by Hungary and later absorbed into the Habsburg Monarchy, Zagreb was under threat from the advancing Ottomans until the late sixteenth century. In 1918 the Croatian lands joined their immediate South Slav neighbours in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, later renamed Yugoslavia. Following Yugoslavia’s violent collapse, in 1991 Zagreb became the capital city of the new independent Croatia.

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A meeting of the European Federation of Campingsite Organizations and Holiday Park Associations (EFCO and HP), an organization established in 1979 and bringing together around 25 thousand European campingsites and camp resorts, was held in Umag in late September.

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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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In a post-Borges era, Malba has created a festival to demonstrate how writers from around the world still love Buenos Aires.  They describe the event as “uniting the public with emergent writers, thinkers and artists.”  The event will run tomorrow the 12 until Sunday, November 16th.  The first festival has drawn writers more than 30 renown guests, such as Juan Villoro, Gianni Vattimo,  Arnaldo Antunes and Mario Bellatin.  There will be daily readings, debates and interactive video displays. Lectures will be held at Malba, Avenida Figueroa Alcorta 3415 and entrance will cost 12 pesos.

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Newly appointed Argentine coach Diego Maradona has said that midfielder Javier Mascherano is reconsidering accepting the captaincy despite initially rejecting the offer.  Javier Zanetti is the current captain, but Maradona told La Red Radio that “what he [Mascherano] brings to the field can be contagious.”  Maradona has been on a tour of Europe, talking with players like Lionel Messi, Fernando Gago, and Gonzalo Higuain.  Since being appointed coach a week ago, his coaching dream team has been under wraps.  He will announce his selections later this week before his first game against Scotland in Glasgow on Nov. 19.

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Swiss company Syngenta announced that it will acquire Argentine company SPS.  SPS is located in the Buenos Aires province and was established in 1972.  With around 50 employees, they reported sales this year close to 15 million dollars.  Argentina is the world’s third largest soybean producer, supplying 21% of the world’s soybeans. In 2007, roughly 48 million tons were harvested, mostly for export to Asia and Europe.  Syngenta is a multinational agriculture business devoted to the production, marketing and sales of seeds such as soy, corn and sunflower, in addition to the research of seed technologies.  The transaction has yet to be approved by Argentine financial authorities.

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