Free Republic

In the early 20th century, Argentina was one of the richest countries in the world. While Great Britain's maritime power and its far-flung empire had propelled it to a dominant position among the world's industrialized nations, only the United States challenged Argentina for the position of the world's second-most powerful economy. It was blessed with abundant agriculture, vast swaths of rich farmland laced with navigable rivers and an accessible port system. Its level of industrialization was higher than many European countries: railroads, automobiles and telephones were commonplace. In 1916, a new president was elected. Hipólito Irigoyen had formed a...

COLUMBIA, SC (WCSC) - South Carolina's first lady is filing for divorce. In a statement issued Friday morning, Jenny Sanford said she is filing for divorce from Gov. Mark Sanford, who disclosed an extramarital affair with an Argentine woman after staff reports of a hiking trip on the Appalachain Trail fell apart under scrutiny. The memo states: "As so many of us know, the dissolution of any marriage is a sad and painful process. It is also a very personal and private one. Because Mark and I are public figures, we have naturally had less privacy with which to deal...

South Carolina's First Lady Tells Barbara Walters About Decision Not to Stand Next to Husband Gov. Mark Sanford During Press Conference Jenny Sanford, wife of embattled South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, told Barbara Walters in her first television interview about her husband's affair that she wouldn't have stood by his side when he publicly admitted the affair even if he had asked her to. Sanford, who has moved out of the South Carolina governor's mansion with the couple's four children, openly discussed the heartbreak behind the headlines of their breakup.

Dec 2, 2009 — Field geologists have revisited a site Darwin visited on the voyage of the Beagle, and found that he incorrectly interpreted what he found.  A large field of erratic boulders in Tierra del Fuego that have become known as “Darwin’s Boulders” were deposited by a completely different process than he thought.  The modern team, publishing in the Geological Society of America’s December issue of the GSA Today,1 noted that “Darwin’s thinking was profoundly influenced by Lyell’s obsession with large-scale, slow, vertical movements of the crust, especially as manifested in his theory of submergence and ice rafting to...

A federal judge in Buenos Aires has barred same-sex “marriage” from taking place in the Argentinean capital this week, overturning a decision by a lower court judge who had previously ruled it to be unconstitutional to prohibit marriage between two persons of the same sex. Judge Martha Gomez Alsina ruled that the lower court judge did not have the jurisdiction to rule on the country’s Civil Code, which states that marriage is a contract between one man and one woman. The lower court ruling had struck down two articles of the Civil Code as unconstitutional for prohibiting marriage between two...

A 38-year-old former Miss Argentina has died over the weekend from complications resulting from cosmetic surgery, friends say. "This woman who had everything is dead because she wanted to have a slightly firmer ass," said Roberto Piazza, a fashion designer and close friend of Solange Magnano. Magnano, Miss Argentina 1994 and a married mother of eight-year-old twins, went under the knife on Thursday at a plastic surgery centre in Buenos Aires. She was rushed to the hospital on Friday suffering from a pulmonary embolism, and died on Sunday, her friends said.

Note: The following text is a quote: Former State Department Official and Wife Arrested for Serving as Illegal Agents of Cuba for Nearly 30 Years Couple Allegedly Conspired to Provide Classified Information to Cuban Government A former State Department official and his wife have been arrested on charges of serving as illegal agents of the Cuban government for nearly 30 years and conspiring to provide classified U.S. information to the Cuban government. The arrests were announced today by David Kris, Assistant Attorney General for National Security; Channing D. Phillips, Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia; Joseph Persichini, Jr.,...

Argentina's government said over the weekend it would not appeal a recent court ruling that authorizes marriage between two men. So on Monday the first gay couple went to Buenos Aires' civil court to make their marriage a reality and become the first gay married couple in Latin America.

When Islamists made their roots south of the border... Venezuela's dictator: H. Chavez that "sees" only money, oil and Anti-Americanism-Power, does "serve" the Islamic Iranian Republic well, giving out passports to anyone. From that "port" it is quite easy for an Islamic Iranian AGENT to arrive into any other Latin American country as a... "Venezuelan". A "random" different case (of a Muslim trying to "blend" into Latin America), a year ago, a Jordanian Arab that "met" a Costa Rican (Tica) girl in Spain (she vouched for him in CR, asw this man came from the area in Jordan where a...

SNIPPET: "Lula and Chavez have established a "strategic relationship," and recently agreed upon a joint Brazilian-Venezuelan oil venture worth billions of dollars. Lula and Chavez have joined with Daniel Ortega, the returned Nicaraguan Marxist dictator, to form an anti-U.S. Latin American military alliance - all with Russian assistance - funded by the region's abundant oil reserves. Brazil is engaged in its own arms build-up and Lula is determined that Brazil will become at least a first-rate regional power. Unfortunately, Lula is establishing Brazil as an anti-American military power by aligning with nations hostile or potentially hostile to the U.S. Lula...

The Obama administration's un-American attempt to vilify Fox News only increased the network's popularity. But this White House debacle can't be judged in isolation: There's a global leftwing assault on the freedom of information. Intense leftist sentiment in most of the international media isn't enough. Extremists seek total control. The one thing leftists just can't bear is criticism. (Mass murder's fine, but don't stray from the party line.) As early as the French Revolution, the left grasped that a free press is inherently subversive to its doctrines. The Obama administration's aborted Fox hunt simply aligned our government with the hounds...

A couple traveling along the river in the area north of Rosario claimed having seen an animal being abducted by a flying saucer. "Later, the both vanished," they said. The likelyhood that cows could fly was always relegated to the province of the impossible. But to Sergio and Laura, this changed last Monday afternoon, when they traveled along the coast near Puerto Gaboto, and believed that they saw a cow in the sky, abducted by a UFO. The couple told the story to journalist Guillermo Brasca in a report transmitted by the Telenoche program on Channel 3. They provided photos...

The leaders of Libya and Venezuela have called on Africa and South America to create a new alliance to counter Western dominance. They were speaking at the second South America-Africa (ASA) summit held in the Venezuelan island of Margarita, attended by nearly 30 leaders. Venezuela's Hugo Chavez called on the two continents to unite to secure prosperity for future generations. Libya's Muammar Gaddafi said he was in favour of a military-style pact. The summit agenda covers hunger in Africa, the global economic crisis, energy, and the creation of a joint investment fund between Africa and South America. The leaders agreed...

I always wondered how the people survived in Argentina's currency melt down. Here is a video with the answer. It is very interesting and inspiring.

SNIPPET: “Throughout the day the Prime Minister’s Office, when asked about Netanyahu’s whereabouts, said only that he was on a tour. After hours of speculation, and numerous inquiring phone calls, the PMO finally released the following laconic statement Monday evening: “The Prime Minister’s military attaché reports that the prime minister is visiting a security installation inside Israel.” Netanyahu was accompanied to the installation by National Security Adviser Uzi Arad and the military attaché, Meir Kalifi.”

The president’s approval ratings are going down. The economy is stagnant, and the president’s efforts at jump-starting it have met with little success. After rushing through a series of bailouts and company takeovers, the president's Marxist advisors recommended a slew of vast, draconian “reform” policies. But the public has grown increasingly skeptical. Consumer confidence is at an all-time low. The president’s detractors on the airwaves have become more numerous and more vocal than ever before. And it’s no longer just the conservatives. The mainstream media have also begun to criticize the president's policies. Something must be done, and quickly. The...

Iran's newly nominated defense minister "should be arrested" for his alleged role in a 1994 Buenos Aires bombing that killed 85 people, Argentina's top minister Anibal Fernandez said Monday. The "red notice" on Ahmad Vahidi approved in 2007 by Interpol's general assembly makes his arrest "mandatory in any country," Cabinet Chief Fernandez told reporters.

As Argentina deals with its latest economic crisis, [Candace Piette admires the tango industry's ability to survive through good times and bad.] Tango is about national identity and every note of its music, every gesture of the dance, contains within it their history All correspondents who come to Buenos Aires have to do a story about tango and this was going to be mine. The reason for doing this one was the huge drop in income the tango business was experiencing, because of the global economic downturn. Fewer tourists were coming to the city, and many of the tango shows...

A wealthy investment banker and prominent fundraiser for President Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and other top Democrats was arrested Tuesday on charges he lied to get a $74 million business loan that -- once confronted by authorities -- he hastily repaid. Prosecutors accused Hassan Nemazee of giving Citibank documents showing he owned millions of dollars in collateral. They said the documents were "fraudulent and forged." A Clinton spokesman didn't immediately return an e-mail message seeking comment. The chairman and chief executive of Manhattan-based Nemazee Capital Corp. served as national finance chairman for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign in 2008, and later...

The supreme court in Argentina has ruled that it is unconstitutional to punish people for using marijuana for personal consumption. The decision follows a case of five young men who were arrested with a few marijuana cigarettes in their pockets. But the court said use must not harm others and made it clear it did not advocate a complete decriminalisation. Correspondents say there is a growing momentum in Latin America towards decriminalising drugs for personal use. The Argentine court ruled that: "Each adult is free to make lifestyle decisions without the intervention of the state." Supreme Court President Ricardo Lorenzetti...

Israel's Defense Minister Ehud Barak slammed the appointment of a new government minister by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad over the weekend, noting that the new official had been involved in a terror attack on the Buenos Aires Jewish community center. “The world must learn from this incident, and look into the intentions of the Iranian government, especially its leader, which has appointment a terrorist as its defense minister,” Barak added regarding Ahmad Vahidi's expected appointment Sunday. Both Argentina and the United States have also criticized the appointment, which was announced Friday.

Argentina expressed outrage Friday over Iran's nomination of Ahmad Vahidi to the post of defence minister. Vahidi is wanted in connection with the 1994 Buenos Aires bombing of a Jewish community centre that killed 85 people. AFP - Argentina expressed outrage Friday over Iran's nomination of a man wanted in connection to a 1994 Buenos Aires bombing that killed 85 people as the next defense minister. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad tapping Ahmad Vahidi for the post is "an affront to Argentine justice and the victims of the terrorist attack" on the Jewish community center, the Foreign Ministry said in a...

The interim government of Honduras has ordered all Argentine diplomats to leave the country within three days. It said the move was in response to the expulsion of its ambassador last week by Buenos Aires, one of the strongest critics of June's military-backed coup. The Honduran ambassador was told to go because of her public support for the overthrow of President Manuel Zelaya. Mr Zelaya was ousted and exiled amid a power struggle over his proposals for a consultation on constitutional change. His critics said the move was aimed at removing the current one-term limit on serving as president and...

A failed, single term? The prospect of going the way of Argentina By Jeffrey T. Kuhner August 15, 2009 President Obama is on the way to joining an exclusive club. It is the club of failed one-term presidents. During the presidential campaign, Mr. Obama sold himself as a pragmatic moderate. In fact, he is the very opposite. He is an internationalist socialist whose policies will lead to ruin at home and defeat abroad. They will also doom his re-election efforts. He is flirting with political disaster. Despite his many flaws, former President Bill Clinton established the model for successful Democratic...

This tumultuous and boldly-titled documentary, La Dignidad de los nadies, focuses on the poor and dispossessed of Argentina and their recent increasingly successful battles against neo-liberalism and globalization, as well as the continuing severe problems with repossessed farms, enormous poverty, widespread joblessness, and a socialized health care system in chaos. Fernando Solanas, a man of the revolutionary Sixties, sprang to fame in his early thirties with his 1968 documentary trilogy La Hora de los Hornos/The Hour of the Furnaces, and other bright spots in his career include Los Hijos de Fierro/The sons of Fierro (1975), Tangos: El Exilio de Gardel/Tangos:...

Leftist leaders from Venezuela and Ecuador have angrily denouced a US military presence in Latin America, warning the "winds of war" were blowing across South America. Hugo Chavez, the Venezuelan president, led the charge, attacking Colombia's decision to host American forces at seven of its bases, a move also condemned by Rafael Correa, Ecuador's leader. Speaking in Quito at a regional summit, Mr Chavez said he was fulfilling his "moral duty" by telling fellow leaders that the "winds of war were beginning to blow," because of the July accord between Bogota and Washington. "This could generate a war in South...

Swine flu toll up sharply in Latin America Wed Aug 5, 12:19 pm ET BUENOS AIRES (AFP) – Argentina reported on Wednesday a sharp spike in deaths from swine flu as cases jumped across Latin America and more countries worldwide coped with their first fatalities. Argentinian officials said deaths from the A(H1N1) virus had more than doubled to 337 from 165 two weeks ago, which would put the country second only to the United States with 353 dead. "We have confirmed 337 deaths by A(H1N1) flu," Argentina's deputy health minister Maximo Diosque said. "We have a similar number, of around...

An intensifying arms race looms over Latin America because of copycat weapons buying triggered by recent military buildups in some countries and reactions of their neighbors, defense analysts said Wednesday. Heavy arms shopping by Venezuela, even before the war of words erupted over the June 28 Honduras coup and U.S. military facilities in Colombia, has followed bickering over cross-border arms trade, including Chilean military exports to Ecuador and other neighbors. As rearmament gathers pace, the continent's own defense industry has seen its markets challenged by overseas suppliers, especially China and Russia. Latin arms suppliers include Brazil's Embraer and Chile's Enaer....

A major and historic winter storm is underway at this Wednesday morning in Argentina. Snow is falling in many parts of the country and in many areas not used to winter precipitation. In Bahia Blanca, a coastal city in the Southern part of the Buenos Aires, the snow storm is heavy and local authorities describe it as the worst snow event in 50 years. Roads are already blocked by snow and ice in the regional. TN news channel reports some areas of the Sierra de La Ventana could pick up even 3 feet of snow, unimaginable to the region.

H1N1: 94 official deaths, unofficial figures say 100 The National Health Ministry reported there are 94 H1N1 influenza deaths in Argentina. Meanwhile, Débora Ferrandini, the vice Health Minister of Santa Fe province announced that there are 30 lethal cases in the province which would lead to an unofficial figure of 100 deaths in the country. Santa Fe's Health Ministry confirmed another H1N1 influenza death in the province, where there already are 26 lethal cases, and adds up to 100 deaths in Argentina since the swine flu outbreak in May. The province's authorities reported yesterday another three deaths, most of the...

Ecuador aligns itself with Venezuela, Bolivia, and Cuba In speeches against imperialism and neoliberalism, the presidents of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez, and Bolivia, Evo Morales, and the Ecuadoran President-Elect Rafael Correa, who should assume the government of his country Monday, expressed common ideological and political agreement Sunday. Chavez, Morales, and Correa, who also exalt the figure of Cuban leader Fidel Castro, met together in Zumbahua, an indigenous [Ecuadoran] locality 90 kilometers south of Quito, for a symbolic inauguration of Correa before the indigenous peoples [of Ecuador]. In a speech before a multitude congregated in the central plaza, Correa emphasized that "[Latin]...

Within minutes, six-year-old Rubjit Thindal went from happily chatting in the back seat of the car to collapsing and dying in her father's arms. "If we had known it was so serious, we would have called 911,'' Kuldip Thindal, Rubjit's distraught mother, said in Punjabi yesterday. "She just had a stomach ache -- she wasn't even crying.'' Rubjit was pronounced dead at hospital barely 24 hours after showing signs of a fever. Later, doctors told her parents she had the H1N1 influenza virus. She is believed to be the youngest person in Canada with the virus to have died.

WHAT'S IN STORE FOR US: Japan of the 90's or Argentina of 2002? by John Lee, CFA Portfolio Manager, Mau Capital July 2, 2009 Introduction The inflation / deflation debate in the US is still alive and well. In deflation camp, there is the rising star du-jour Nouriel Roubini and old timer Robert Prechter. They argue the debt collapse would cause price deflation and depress world economies for years to come. The inflation camp includes Jim Rogers and Marc Faber, who said on May 27 2009 that "I am 100 percent sure that the U.S. will go into hyperinflation "...

Thursday, June 25, 2009 Governor Sanford Flunks Geography of Argentina As almost everyone has heard over the past couple days, South Carolina’s Republican Governor Mark Sanford went AWOL several days last week, ostensibly hiking the Appalachian Trail, before being met at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport by an inquiring reporter from the Columbia daily The State. undefinedIn reality, Sanford had just returned from a "spontaneous" trip to “exotic” Argentina where, he said, he drove the scenic coastline alone. Several observers have pointed out, some with great hilarity, that the governor would first have had to drive several hours through hundreds of...

Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner's ruling Peronist Party was dealt a serious blow in Sunday's mid-term election with its loss of control of Congress. Her husband, former President Nestor Kirchner, was defeated in his race against wealthy businessman Francisco de Narvaez for a seat representing the populous Buenos Aires province. Voters cast ballots Sunday for representatives for half of the lower house of Congress and one-third of the Senate posts. Complete results have yet to be announced. Allies of President Fernandez have controlled the Argentinian Congress for six years. But recent polls indicated...

First official results in Argentina's mid-term legislative elections suggest President Cristina Fernandez's party has lost control of Congress. The results suggest the ruling Peronist party has lost its majority in both the lower house and the Senate. Ms Fernandez' husband Nestor Kirchner conceded a closely-watched battle to win the populous Buenos Aires province. The polls were seen as a referendum on the popularity of the presidential couple, our correspondent says. (snip) With most of the votes counted, Nestor Kirchner conceded defeat to a dissident Peronist, wealthy businessman Francisco de Narvaez. (snip) The elections took place against a backdrop of deep...

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Argentines cast ballots in congressional elections on Sunday and are expected to throw out allies of President Cristina Fernandez in a rejection of her interventionist economic policies and combative style. Fernandez, a center-leftist who in 2007 succeeded her husband ex-President Nestor Kirchner, has stagnated with a 30 percent approval rating as Latin America's No. 3 economy hits turbulence after a six-year expansion. Polls show Fernandez's wing of the ruling Peronist party will lose its majority in the 257-seat lower house and barely maintain control of the 72-seat Senate in the mid-term vote.

The details of South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford's secretive trips to visit his lover in South America aren't just headline fodder or political kryptonite. They're also being scrutinized by law enforcement officials at the request of some lawmakers and watchdog groups who fear taxpayer money could have been misused on his affair. So far, no criminal investigation has been opened. On Thursday, Sanford agreed to reimburse the state for part of a more-than $8,000 tab that enabled him to see his mistress on an official economic development trip to Argentina's capital city. At a Cabinet meeting Friday, he told the...

Jackson, Sanford and weirdness Big government more or less guarantees rule by creeps and misfits In a lousy week, Mark Sanford had one stroke of luck: Michael Jackson chose the day after the governor's news conference to moonwalk into eternity, and thus gave the media's pop therapists a more rewarding subject to feast on – or at any rate one of the few stories whose salient points are weirder than Sanford's. Not that the governor didn't do his best to keep his end up on the pop culture allusions: "I've spent the last five days crying in Argentina," he revealed,...

"Magnificent gentle kisses" and "My heart cries out for you" made big news this week. The phrases are gleaned from the private e-mails written by South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford to his Argentine mistress, published Wednesday by the State newspaper, which built a bonanza out of the titillating revelations.

Republican Gov. Mark Sanford struggled to maintain political support Thursday, after acknowledging that he used state funds in 2008 to pay for an extramarital tryst with a woman in Argentina. After The Wall Street Journal sought comment from Mr. Sanford on records and interviews indicating the governor asked state officials to organize a trip to Buenos Aires in June 2008 during which he had a romantic encounter, the governor released a statement saying he would reimburse the state for the cost of that trip. *** "The purpose of this trip was an entirely professional and appropriate business development trip," Mr....

The attacks around Peninsula Valdes were first noted about 35 years ago but systematic studies have only recently begun. The proportion of whales attacked annually has soared from 1% in 1974 to 78% today.

We've been on the hunt in Buenos Aires, Argentina and found the bar where Governor Mark Sanford brought his mistress -- so how do you say PDA in Spanish? Carlos Soto, the owner of Guido's Bar, says he's seen Sanford and Maria Belen Chapur there several times over the last few months -- most recently last week. Soto says they were "all over each other" last week in his bar, "kissing, holding hands and drinking wine." Soto was impressed with Maria, saying she has "un cuerpazo'" -- translation: a banging body. Soto also said Maria has green eyes and dirty...

Below are excerpts of e-mails, obtained by The State newspaper in December, between Gov. Mark Sanford's personal e-mail account and Maria, a woman in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The State has removed the woman's full name and other personal details, including her address, e-mail address and children's names. McClatchy special correspondent Angeles Mase visited the 14-story apartment building in Buenos Aires Wednesday where the woman lives, according to the emails, which included her address. The woman at the address answered to the name in the emails and, at first, agreed to speak to a visitor, but she declined after the visitor...

Another day, yet another political sex scandal. Do we need any more reasons to begin a wholesale cleaning of our political house? How can we expect these people to make conscientious decisions? by Michael Naragon Mark Sanford’s admission of his affair on Wednesday prompted differing reactions from different people. Rush Limbaugh, in a rare moment, was nearly speechless upon hearing the announcement. My cynicism toward all politicians kept me from being shocked by the news. My reaction was one of anger, pure and simple. In a time when so many critical issues face the nation, and liberals–including their cohorts in...

South Carolina's U.S. senators today declined to defend Gov. Mark Sanford's mysterious trip to Argentina, both saying they simply didn't know the truth behind Sanford's decision to disappear for a long weekend without informing his family or top staff where he was going. "I'm trying to find out what really happened, and I don't know. I'm afraid to comment, because I don't know what the truth is," Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) told Capitol Briefing. "I don't know any more than I read," added Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.). Graham, elected to the Senate in 2002 as Sanford was elected governor, is...

Below are excerpts of e-mails, obtained by The State newspaper in December, between Gov. Mark Sanford and Maria, a woman in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The State has removed the woman’s full name and other personal details, including her address, e-mail address and children’s name. Sanford’s office Wednesday did not dispute the authenticity of the emails. McClatchy special correspondent Angeles Mase visited the 14-story apartment building in Buenos Aires Wednesday where the woman lives, according to the emails, which included her address. The woman at the address answered to the name in the emails and, at first, agreed to speak to...

Statement from First Lady Jenny Sanford I would like to start by saying I love my husband and I believe I have put forth every effort possible to be the best wife I can be during our almost twenty years of marriage. I believe enduring love is primarily a commitment and an act of will, and for a marriage to be successful, that commitment must be reciprocal. I believe Mark has earned a chance to resurrect our marriage.

Sanford Press Conference: Live Thread Video feed at link