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Reading this thread I keep thinking of Italy, always on the brink of disaster, afflicted by constant strikes, corrupt politicians, the Cosa Nostra, and other assorted calamities. Yet the Italian people perdure and even prosper, and seem quite cheerful and reasonably satisfied with their lot ...

I'm one such repatriated Argentine, and have learned to keep my mouth shut. To draw comparisons, or disparage Argentina serves no useful purpose and alienates the locals. Most Argentines know full well they live in a Third World country, but feel it's their lot, their homeland - they have...

The fact that 170k people read Cristina's twitterings doesn't necessarily mean they agree with her - they may read it just for laughs. She has a 28% approval rating, and about an 80% "revulsion" rating - people who get irritated just by looking at her picture. Perhaps 8% approve of her...

I'm sorry you had such a bad experience in Argentina - perhaps you should move on and see whether you can feel happier somewhere else. In the meantime, it might be advisable to share your opinions about "this mafia that passes for a country" only with other expats. Such extreme views are...

There IS crime in Colonia: my rural home was broken into in spite of having two full-time caretakers in their own house, a little uphill from mine. Luckily there was nothing valuable to steal - in fact, pickings were so slim that the thieves ended up taking the iron, the toaster, and the...

I split the year between a farm in Colonia and my home in suburban BA. Right now Uruguay is about 30% more expensive than Argentina, and its bureaucracy is much, MUCH worse. Hard to believe, but it is true. On the plus side, there's little crime, and it's very quiet. On the minus side, it's...

I couldn't make the link work, but I believe it's an article I read last week. Take it with a spoonful of salt - the author is Uruguayan, and the piece paints far too rosy a picture of the country. I'm familiar with some of the people quoted in it - they are heavily influenced by...

Great link...! There's even a picture of the Mappin y Webb store, where for decades the classiest Porteños went to buy wedding presents. A Mappin y Webb silver cigarette box was a sure sign that someone had "arrived".

After twelve solid years of convent school, I wasn't about to miss a show like that. :):):) .

Give those kids a break - they probably lived with their parents, did not have the price of a hotel room, and were overpowered by their hormones. If that happens again, just switch tables, look the other way and let them enjoy themselves. Once I saw a couple making love - not making out - at...

I have lived through four stockmarket meltdowns, and every time our portfolio recovered and ended up even higher than before. With enough staying power, the stockmarket is a good bet. People have been forecasting the downfall of the US ever since I remember. But, as Mark Twain put it: "The...

Perry, shares may be a useless asset in a crisis, but they are what companies issue to raise capital and produce goods and services. If no one buys shares, how do you expect those companies to go on providing you with the necessities of life? I mean small things like flour, soap...

I read somewhere that rare coins and stamps are the best investments ever. You can't eat them, either, but at least they are more interesting to look at than plain gold bars.

Thanks for making my point so much better than I did.

My relatives had borrowed money from siblings, aunts, etc.. -- Informal family loans with no papers, repayable in dollars. That's why they got in trouble. However, they eventually managed to settle their accounts without throttling each other. No small feat, that. By the way, that's how...

Most Argentines have lived in a state of crisis all their lives. They have survived revolutions, military coups, meltdowns, the Rodrigazo, innumerable devaluations, Martinez de Hoz, Menem, "pesificacion", street chaos, the debt default, the Tequila effect, the Kirchnery dynasty - you name it...

If everyone kept 90% of their money in gold there would be almost nothing to barter it for, as productive enterprises would starve without capital to grow and generate goods - not to mention jobs. As I said, a barren investment.

If everyone kept all their savings in solid gold the world economy would come to a screeching halt. Gold may keep its value, but it's a barren investment producing nothing: it generates no jobs, no products -- nothing at all. Remember King Midas? Try eating gold when all farmers have gone...

You sound very knowledgeable. Would you elaborate a bit further? In a PM, if you want. I'd like to understand exactly what you mean by "monitizing" debt. Last week the ATM dispensed only brand new hundred peso bills - in the past that has been a sign of really bad trouble ahead.