As Belgrano Byrnes...

The comeback of Juan Martin Del Potro

2010-10-15T11:14:00.001-03:00

Argentina Legalizes Gay Marriage

2010-07-20T11:53:00.002-03:00

The Pale Blue Door

2010-03-12T14:13:00.009-03:00

I enjoyed an delightfully unusual dining experience last evening. British artist Tony Hornecker (above) invited me to the opening night of his Pale Blue Door exhibition, a vagabond restaurant slash art installation that he’s set up in an abandoned old home in the heart of San Telmo.

Hornecker -- who has worked with Stella McCartney, Bat for Lashes and the late Alexander McQueen -- has already conquered London and Santiago, Chile with this show, and plans to be here in Buenos Aires for the next three weeks.

Upon arrival, we worked our way through a dark corridor until we were greeted by the eponymous Pale Blue Door which opened onto a courtyard of tables, stages and stairs made of plywood and pulleys and flanked by antique bicycles. Our small, candlelight table was tucked away in a side room, and set with vintage dishware and cutlery. Despite the derelict surroundings, it all worked to create a, dare-I-say, romantic setting. That was until a drag queen appeared on-stage and began lip-syncing Tina Turner tunes.

The food was surprisingly good, considering it wasn’t even prepared in a real kitchen. Greek salad followed by a rare-as-hell Roast Beef with horseradish sauce, potatoes and red cabbage. It’s a meal I ate countless times as a kid at my Irish grandmother’s house, and this was nearly as good. A superb peach cobbler finished things off nicely.

The Pale Blue Door is a truly multi-national operation: Tony is a Brit, the chef is from Austria, the waiters are from Chile, and the aforementioned transvestite hails from Greece.

A weird, entertaining and enlightening evening for sure. I’d recommend it.

Covering the Chile Quake

2010-03-06T15:53:00.021-03:00

I was the first reporter on the scene in Chile for CNN following the Feb. 27th earthquake and one of the first international correspondents to report live from near the quake’s epicenter in Concepción. Here's an account of my journey to the quake zone.

When the phone rang at 5:30am on Saturday, I was still slumbering with the sounds of the Coldplay concert I had attended a few hours earlier, so it was a quick change of gears when the CNN International Desk in Atlanta alerted me that there had been a major earthquake in Chile, and that I was to begin reporting on the story immediately.

I quickly learned that an 8.8 magnitude quake had hit south central Chile and that tremors had rattled cities as far away as Buenos Aires, where I live, although I didn’t feel any. I soon began monitoring Chilean media online and did a few live phone reports for CNN International about the developing situation. I then started making plans to get into Chile. It wouldn’t be easy. The Santiago airport was closed, so I considered my quickest bet would be to fly from Buenos Aires to Mendoza, the wine-growing city in western Argentina that lays 180 kms east of Santiago. That option would require an overnight odyssey crossing the rugged Andes Mountains on a high-altitude road full of switchbacks. A few hours later, I was on a plane, and by midnight I had made my way through the Cristo Redentor tunnel and to the border crossing at 3,500 meters. The air was cold, and the road was curvy, but fortunately a full moon helped guide our way and at 2am on Sunday morning -- less than 24 hours after the quake -- cameraman Juan Pablo Lanciotti and I were in Santiago, where darkness blanketed neighborhoods for miles and where we saw people camping in tents in front of roaring fires.

Highway overpasses had collapsed and it was nearly impossible to drive on certain sections. In the posh neighborhood of Providencia, the steeple of a 120-year-old church tethered precariously over a main thoroughfare. We made our way to a budget hotel to meet up with CNN en Espanol’s Guillermo Fontana and cameraman Ivan Slodky, whom had arrived a few hours earlier. Dozens of guests were sleeping in the hotel lobby; too terrified to sleep in their rooms, as aftershocks were still rampant. We immediately got to work sending the video that we had shot on our trip, but a glacier-slow internet connection meant it took us three hours to upload the material to Atlanta, and before we had time to even close our eyes for a minute’s sleep, the sun was up, and we were outside again, preparing for what would be the first of some two-dozen live reports I would do in the coming days.

We were then on the road again, heading south towards the epicenter in Concepción. As we drove down the Pan-American Highway (Rt. 5) we quickly realized that the damage was severe to the road. Much of the highway was cracked, with deep, fault-line crevices in the asphalt. We had to take detours onto rural routes and into small villages. In a town called Hospital, I saw scores of one-story adobe homes that had been flattened like pancakes. One woman grabbed me to show me the damage to her neighbor’s home, saying that the family had fled on foot and not been seen since. I spotted two nuns searching unsuccessfully for water at a small market. When we reached the Rio Claro in the Maule region, we saw that a huge section of the Rt. 5 bridge had crashed into the water below. An overturned passenger bus sat on the side of the highway, close to mangled power lines. Nearby, a 3-story metal silo looked like a crushed beer can. Lines at roadside gas stations stretched for half-a-mile. We passed a funeral procession; the battered hearse glided cautiously over the damaged road; I still wonder if the deceased was a victim of the quake.

About four hours from our destination, our luck started to sour too. Our two-car convoy became one when the engine of our van ceased up. We had to abandon it and scramble to consolidate all our gear and pack five tired, sweaty and anxious men into a small sedan for the final stretch into Concepción. When we arrived around 8pm, what I saw truly shocked me. Thousands of people were running in the streets, looting stores and scavenging for water inside a dirty public fountain. At gas stations, people were dipping long tubes into tanks below, siphoning fuel to power their cars, water pumps and generators. Dusk was setting in and the 9pm curfew was just minutes away. It was clear that authorities had zero control over the city. As we approached the Rio Alto Building, I quickly recognized it from the cover of the morning’s papers; it was a 15-story apartment building that collapsed with more than 100 people inside. I knew that CNN Chile had their satellite truck stationed nearby and I was anxious to get on the air as soon as possible to report all that I had seen. With the wrecked building and busy rescue workers as a backdrop, I went on the air on CNN International in the 7pm ET hour on Sunday night and described the destruction that I had been witnessing all day. I reported live throughout the night and into the morning and following afternoon, speaking to CNN U.S., CNN International and CNN affiliate stations throughout the U.S. and Canada.

Early Monday morning, other CNN crews began showing up, all of whom had also had long and difficult journeys arriving to Concepción. Everyone looked ragged, but they soon set out to tell the story of the earthquake’s devastation, traveling to neighborhoods in Concepción city and to coastal villages wiped out by the ensuing tsunamis.

In downtown Concepción, the street fronting the collapsed Rio Alto building quickly turned into a makeshift media center, with journalists from around the globe descending there to do live reports and get updates from Chilean officials. The CNN team has had to live exactly like the residents of Concepcion, without electricity, running water or heat. No toilets or showers has meant that hygiene has taken a hit, and we’ve had to subside on granola bars, tuna and water.

As Chile continues to dig out from the wreckage, more sad and also inspiring stories are being revealed. Many media outlets have insisted on comparing Chile’s earthquake to the one that occurred in Haiti the month before. I don’t think this is necessary or fair. Each tragedy deserves its own reporting, analysis and response. Chile is a strong country, but it needs the world’s help to respond to this crisis; I think CNN is doing its part to let the world know just that and I am proud to be a part of it.

Argentine Novias, Pt. 2

2010-02-01T18:16:00.009-03:00

As previously noted here, Argentine women possess a certain charm that has seduced even the most eligible of bachelors, many of them from the world of entertainment. Now add to the list two guys from opposite ends of the musical spectrum, but both of whom are are known around the globe.

First, Canadian crooner Michael Buble, who just announced his engagement to bubbly Argentine actress/model/former teen starlet/purveyor of products Luisana Lopilato, who he met during a tour stop in Buenos Aires, then picked to star in one of his videos, and then asked to be his wife. Apparently, neither of them speaks the other’s language very well (yet, at least) but I’m sure they’ll figure it out. Congrats.

The second in James Hetfield of Metallica, who I just found out is married to an Argentine women. (I’m surprised I didn’t know this earlier; it’s exactly the kind of useless information that I have a knack for retaining). Hetfield is married to Francesca, a former wardrobe designer for the band, whom he married in 1997 and is the mother of his three kids. Los Hetfield spent the holidays in Punta del Este, Uruguay in December before Metallica embarked on the first leg of their Latin American tour, which ended Sunday in Sao Paulo. Metallica played two shows here in Buenos Aires (I didn't attend, but I have seen Metallica live before) and in this clip you can hear Hetfield getting the crowd fired-up during “Seek and Destroy” with an impressive locals-only pronunciation of Buenos Aires ("Let's make some history Bwanoss Ayress!"); clearly he’s had plenty of practice.

Sex Sells (Duh)

2010-02-01T15:43:00.006-03:00

As someone who reports on Latin America for international media outlets, I can attest to the fact that it is often a struggle to get people interested in the happenings of this region. Ask any of my colleagues and they’ll tell you the same. Thankfully, I think we succeed more than we fail in getting the good stories out there. However, I’m starting to get a bit f-ing tired of stupid stories from this region generating more headlines than ones of substance. This is a global news trend these days, as people seem to be getting stupider, and worse, reveling in their increased apathy. In my own experience, there have been several instances recently where important stories that I covered had to compete with more salacious ones for headlines.

The most recent example occurred last week when President Cristina Kirchner grossed out the world when she announced that “eating pork can make your sex life better.” I don’t really know what to say to that (and many others have already commented) but if Argentines often wonder why their country is not taken seriously in some circles, the fact that their head of state gushes publicly about bacon and boffing could be a possible explanation.

Anyway, in the same days that that pork story was making its way through the news cycle and blogosphere, there were at least two other important stories happening in Argentina that actually did have international relevance. First, the ongoing saga of the Argentine Central Bank and second, the plight of Argentine families trying to get their adopted Haitian children out of Haiti, without the assistance of the Argentine government. I reported on the latter for CNN. Did my story get good feedback and response? Yes. Did it help bring those orphans home? That remains to be seen. Did the Haiti story garner as many headlines as Cristina’s pork posturing? No, of course not. And therein lies the problem. Dumb and sex sells. And that really sucks.

The same thing happened back in December when two gay Argentine men were planning their wedding in Buenos Aires, which would have made them the first same-sex married couple in Latin America. Again, an important story. What happened? A 38-year-old former Miss Argentina, Solange Mognano (above), died from complications from ass-enhancement surgery the same week. Guess which one got more attention on Google News?

And then of course, there is South Carolina governor Mark Sanford and his tryst with Argentine Maria Belen Chapur. Yes, it was newsworthy because a state governor disappeared for several days and then admitted he was having an affair. But did it deserve the all-out media frenzy that it received (and is still receiving) in the U.S. and worldwide? Definitely not. I got more damn phone calls from American media outlets asking me to work for them on that story than any other story in years. Crazy. I did one day of work reporting on Ms. Chapur and then essentially made myself scarce as the stakeout for her continued. I’m not a paparazzi.

I think the real issue here is that many U.S. and European-centric media have a hard time distinguishing between the varied cultures and politics of Latin America, and therefore when a story breaks that eliminates the need to explain these differences (read:sex), then hey, let’s just cover that. I find it insulting and infuriating. And I’m sure it’s only gonna get worse.

Sandro has left the building....

2010-01-12T14:23:00.013-03:00

Roberto Sanchez, better known as "Sandro" died on Jan. 4th from complications from heart and lung transplant surgery. He was one of Latin America's most beloved singers, known for his hip-shaking moves, black hair and love ballads, all of which earned him the title the "Elvis of Argentina."

Sandro's passing was big news in the region, and I'm happy to say that CNN deemed it worthy of international coverage. I reported live from outside the Argentine National Congress, where Sandro's body lay in repose the day after his death and where tens of thousands of people lined up to pay their final respects to him. It was a hot, chaotic day, made more challenging by technical difficulties with our equipment. During the first live shot, I had no audio, which means the anchor could hear me, but I couldn't hear the anchor. So after some scrambling and unsuccessful attempts at fixing the problem, we did it the old-fashioned way: a CNN en Espanol producer listened to the on-air audio over a cell phone and when the anchor "tossed" the story to me, he pointed his finger and I just started talking. Much to my surprise, it turned out well, with only a 1-second delay. You can watch that report here.

So as not to push my luck, I decided to retreat to the CNN bureau and do the second live shot from there, which went off without a hitch. Later, I wrote a tracked a package report about Sandro, using interviews we had conducted that day (including with some Sandro inpersonators) and archive footage. That report is here.

I'm definitely not a big fan of Sandro's music, but his impact on popular music in the Spanish-speaking world is undeniable, and by all accounts, he was a good guy too.

RIP, Sandro.

Exclusive: Interview with Ricardo Darin

2010-01-03T20:38:00.021-03:00

I wrote an article for this week's Newsweek International about the fantastic Argentine film "El Secreto de sus Ojos" (The Secret in Their Eyes), one of the most successful Spanish-language films in recent memory. For the article, I interviewed director Juan Jose Campanella (above left) as well as actor Ricardo Darin (above right). Both men were endlessly gracious and generous with their time. I admire both of them tremendously. You can read the article here.

Scoring the interview with Darin took a long time. He is one of the most in-demand actors in Latin America. But it was well worth the wait. I was only able to use one quote from Darin in the Newsweek article, but I wanted to publish the whole interview here, because he is such a smart, honest and funny guy. So below is our chat almost in its entirety, translated from Spanish to English. Enjoy.

Why do you work with Juan Jose Campanella so often?

I work with him for two reasons: one, he always invited me to work with him on his projects and two, I always enjoy working with him. Every time he invites me I know I am guaranteed to have a good time, and express myself as an artist. Plus, it’s great to spend time with him. We are good friends, but we don’t get to see each other that often, normally just when we work.

Campanella told me he thinks you are the best actor to fill his roles, primarily because they are often reflections of himself. Do you agree?

He is very generous when he speaks about me, and in general. He seems to be more concentrated on my career than I am! I owe a lot of my career to the fact that he always thinks about me. And I try to return the favor when I work with him. He is a pleasure to work with always, because he enjoys the interaction with actors, which is not common. As an actor, this is the ideal situation to try and create a new character. When I work with Campanella it’s an easy process because, as he told you, he often thinks about me when he writes. If it is a writer always writing different characters, it would be different, but I know with Campanella his point of view will almost always be from someone who is a common Argentine citizen. In each story and each film, he tries to present a different point of view, but it will always be coming from his experiences and knowledge, which are similar to mine. But with other directors, like Fabian Bielinsky -- who was a great director and a dear friend with whom I worked with several times and who unfortunately died a few years ago -- I now realize since he is gone that the things he wanted me to do as an actor are completely different from the road that I take with Juan Campanella. Bielinsky always looked for my dark side. Campanella looks for my bright side. So working with these two great directors always forced me to look into different aspects of myself.

Why do you think “The Secret in Their Eyes” is such a big hit?

I think it is for a variety of reasons. It is an interesting story, well-written, with very good characters. The second is that it is well-directed and well-produced. Third, and this has to do with the audience, but I think there are social ideas and issues that the film deals with, both directly and indirectly, that are very important to all Argentines, and are a part of our social climate, and our recent past. So these factors have made it successful, and made all Argentines, myself included, proud that a movie of this quality could be made here in Argentina by Argentines.

Forgive my need to compare you to an American, but in many ways you remind me of Tom Hanks. What do you think of that comparison?

First, thank you for the comparison, because Tom Hanks is one of the actors that I most admire. In addition, I think your observation is very intelligent and I agree. But I don’t want to sound like a jerk when I say this, but I am just looking for a technical way to explain why I agree with you. For me, Hanks is an actor that I admire a lot for his sense of humor and intelligence. I have always liked his subtlety. He can do anything as an actor. He can do a drama or comedy just as much as an action film. There are good actors, and bad actors. And then there are comedians! They can do anything. Tom Hanks is one of those. You made my day with that compliment. Thank you, Brian.

What did you think of “Criminal,” the U.S. remake of “Nueve Reinas?”

I don’t have a good opinion of it. And I’ll tell you the reasons why. We were very anxious and excited to see the film. We really wanted to see how they interpreted our film. The first problem is where they choose to set the film. The story takes place in a chaotic urban city, and when they chose Los Angeles, I think they were wrong. It’s a urban story about people who get around on foot, who walk the streets, not who drive around in cars and, as we all know, Los Angeles is a car city. It would have been better in New York or Chicago. The two main characters are not the brightest guys, they are just street thieves. So this was the first error. The second is the casting. I admire John C. Reilly a lot and also Diego Luna. But in this particular case, my character needed to have more of a shady face, and the other character needed to have an angel face, and I don’t think with these actors they chose well. So there were complications. And we really had high hopes for this big American production.

Another thing that called my attention was that after Bielinsky sold the right to “Nueve Reinas” to make “Criminal” -- even though he didn’t gain hardly any money from it because he had already sold the rights to the producer -- he didn’t have any rights as the writer. But one detail that called my attention was that he wasn’t allowed to go visit the set in Los Angeles. He wanted to go and help collaborate with the crew. He spoke and wrote English very well, so he wanted to offer his help with the project. But the response he got from the producers was no. Not only did they not authorize him to visit the set, but they also told him not to even go near it! He couldn’t believe it! So I think after everything I just told you, you can understand why my opinion of the film isn’t very good.

Photos courtesy of 100 Bares.

The "Backstory" on Juan Pablo Escobar

2009-12-13T21:04:00.009-03:00

I was interviewed by CNN anchor Michael Holmes this week for the show "Backstory" about my experience spending time with Juan Pablo Escobar, now known as Sebastian Marroquin, the son of the infamous Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar. We spoke about the day I spent with Marroquin, watching the documentary about his life, and the article I wrote about it for Newsweek. You can read my Nov. 15th blog post about that day below.

It was an unusual position for me to be in; I am usually the one asking questions, not answering them. But I think the "Backstory" segment turned out very well. It was the lead story on Friday's show. You can watch it here.

Going Green: Sustainable Bamboo

2009-12-09T21:20:00.009-03:00

My report for CNN's "Going Green" week about sustainable bamboo practices aired this week. I got to spend a lovely day in Tigre, Argentina filming the story. My on-air report as well as my "Reporter's Notebook" and a photo slideshow are available here.

And you can watch the "Backstory" (and watch me eat bamboo) here.

Photos by Brian Byrnes.

The Gay Marriage That Wasn't (yet)

2009-12-06T12:48:00.013-03:00

It was the historic wedding that wasn’t. Jose Maria Di Bello (l) and Alex Freyre (r) were set to become Latin America’s first same-sex married couple on December 1st in Buenos Aires, but an 11th-hour ruling by a federal judge in Argentina halted the ceremony. That wasn’t going to stop them from a good fight, however. The couple -- decked out in black suits, matching silver ties and wearing bright red sashes over their shoulders -- showed up at the Civil Registry in Palermo on Tuesday intent on getting hitched. Hundreds of others were there as well: friends, family and scores of journalists, including myself. Argentina’s gay community was out in force, carrying banners, waving rainbow flags and chanting “Equality, Equality!”

A small group of police in riot gear were also on hand, but wisely stayed a half-block away. A friend told me the police had originally set-up right in front of the courthouse entrance, but a city official yelled at them to get the hell away. The way she saw it, there was no reason for them to be there; it would only cause problems. And there weren’t any problems, save for two young men that yelled “putos” (“homos”) at the crowd, and those two were quickly arrested.

Despite noisy protests and many, many, many speeches by supporters inside the sweltering lobby of the courthouse, Alex and Jose Maria were not permitted to marry. The city of Buenos Aires decided not to challenge the challenge to the earlier ruling, which brought jeers and boos for Buenos Aires Mayor Mauricio Macri, despite the fact that he was the man who had essentially opened the door for the marriage (see below) in the first place. It’s scary how quickly a politician can go from hero to enemy, and on that day Macri was called every name in the book. I think the criticism was undeserved, though, because at that point it really was out of his hands, legally speaking.

On the morning of the planned ceremony, I did several live shots for CNN International talking about the issue, including this one with CNN anchor Natalie Allen.

In the week leading up to Tuesday’s scheduled ceremony, it seemed that every media in the world wanted to speak with Freyre, 39 and Di Bello, 41. They had to send phone calls straight to voicemail, ignore emails and leave texts unanswered. Such is the territory that comes with making history.

The proposed marriage came about because Freyre and Di Bello challenged Argentina’s constitutional ban on same-sex matrimony. When a Buenos Aires city court judge agreed with their claim last month, it allowed them to request a marriage license. Soon after, Macri decided not to appeal the decision, and the ceremony was quickly scheduled for December 1st -- World AIDS Day, a symbolic day for the two HIV-positive men to become husband and husband.

“This is very important for people in general, not only gay, lesbian and transgender people….it’s a human rights question,” Di Bello told me.

I had arranged for CNN to have the first interview with the couple on the day they spoke to media outlets from around the globe. When I was done, the Associated Press interviewed them, followed by media from Brazil, Germany, Spain and the U.K. Originally, I wanted to interview Alex and Jose Maria at their home, and we had arranged to do that, but after receiving literally dozens of international interview requests (in addition to non-stop appearances on local TV and radio programs) they thought it best to do them all in one place, at one time. I could hardly blame them. They chose the Axel Hotel Buenos Aires, the city’s first gay hotel, which also has locations in Barcelona and Berlin. The Axel Hotel markets itself as “hetero-friendly” but it caters almost exclusively to gay men. When we arrived at the hotel, their press handler tried to persuade us to do the interview in front of the Axel Hotel logo; I declined, I wasn’t looking to promote a hotel; I just wanted to interview them. You can see some “Backstory” material on that here.

Needless to say, the proposed gay marriage caused quite a stir, not only in Argentina, but throughout Latin America, where the Catholic Church is still highly influential. Buenos Aires Archbishop Jorge Bergoglio criticized the development, and had especially harsh words for Macri, who he said “failed gravely at governing.” Macri had announced his decision not to appeal the verdict via a 1:45 video posted on YouTube, a move that angered many, even his staunchest supporters.

“We have to live together, accept this reality, and recognize that the world is moving in this direction,” Macri says in the video.

I spoke to one congressman from Macri’s conservative PRO party, who was furious that the mayor didn’t alert his party members about the decision.

“He took everyone by surprise with that one, and many our constituents are not happy,” he told me.

And indeed, despite Buenos Aires’ reputation as a progressive Latin American capitol – it was the first city in the region to legalize same-sex civil unions in 2002 – there are still many people here who are angered with this development. All across the city this past week, there have been bright yellow posters plastered on walls with an image of two men kissing and the words, “Did you vote for Macri for this?”

When the first gay civil-union took place in Buenos Aires in July 2003, I was there, covering it for various media outlets. In the days prior, I had filed several reports, including this one for NPR and this one for the Christian Science Monitor. On the day of the civil unions ceremony, scores of journalists were trying to cram into the small room in the downtown government building where it was taking place. When it was complete, the two men, Marcelo Suntheim and Cesar Cigliuitti, exited the building in a raucous hail of rice, confetti and music. I had my microphone and MiniDisc recorder and -- like every journalist there -- was trying to get some words from the men. In the chaos, a television cameraman from a local news station kept chopping me in the back and accusing me of getting in his shot. Truth is, the pandemonium was the problem, not me, but he chose to take his frustration out on an easy target: a young foreign journalist. After he smashed his lens into the back of my skull, I shoved him, and started cursing at him in Spanish with words that I didn’t even knew that I knew. I think this surprised him more than intimidated him, but he looked ready for a fight, and frankly, so was I. That was until two of his co-workers got in my face too and I realized that this was a losing battle. So I quickly peeled away from the scrum, and got some words from the couple from another angle. That’s the only physical altercation I’ve ever had as a journalist. At a huge street party surrounded by men in dresses. Go figure.

Thankfully, there was no violence this week. But the issue is still a raw one. There was a palpable sense of anger from the gay activists I met on Tuesday. I think the fact that they came so close to having the first gay marriage only to have it snatched away at the last minute really pissed them off. And I can understand why. Despite the legal limbo, I think the writing is on the wall. The Argentine Supreme Court is now examining the case, and I suspect they will rule in favor of it soon.

Photos by Brian Byrnes

The "Backstory" on Argentina's Forensic Anthropology Team

2009-11-22T13:53:00.032-03:00

There have been many, many stories told about Argentina’s horrific 1976-1983 “Dirty War,” when the military ruled the country with an iron fist, squashing any dissident voices. At least 10,000, and perhaps as many as 30,000 people, “disappeared” during this dark era. I have done several reports over the years on a variety of topics related to the “Dirty War,” from amnesty laws being overturned in 2003, to the public opening of a former detention center in 2004, to the (still) missing witness from a trial in 2006. As more and more former military leaders appear in court on human rights abuses, and more and more victims are identified, the issue continues to be a very important one for many Argentines. When I learned about the work of the Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team (EAAF, in Spanish) and their tremendous success in identifying and reuniting family members with the remains of their loved ones through the use of science, I immediately wanted to do a story about them.

From the initial inquiry I made with the team until I got my profile of them on-air on CNN this week, 11 months passed. I normally don’t have the time (or patience) to wait that long to make a story come together, but something told me that this would be worth waiting for. And it was. The nearly year-long process was a result of several factors, like scheduling conflicts and weather, but chief among them was getting permission to film at an exhumation site. Understandably, some people are hesitant to allow cameras into an area where their loved ones presumably spent their final, violent, moments. After much back-and-forth with the EAAF team, I was invited in October to visit a cemetery with them in La Plata, Argentina. First, though, I would need to send an official written request to a Federal Judge’s office to ask permission. When I was told this, I immediately thought it was a lost cause; the Argentine judicial system works at a snail’s pace (at best) and I figured it would be months, if not years, before I had a ruling. To their credit (and my enormous surprise) they had an answer for me within a week, faxing me an 8-page opinion signed by all seven judges from the La Plata federal jurisdiction.

Unfortunately, the answer was no.

For the aforementioned reasons, they denied my request to enter the cemetery and film. I also learned that French television network, France 2, was seeking access as well; our requests were denied simultaneously. I think the EAAF team could sense my frustration, so they quickly suggested another site in the neighborhood of Merlo where they felt it would be easier for us to enter. And they were right. I didn’t need to file a written request; I was told that the judge would just meet me there. And indeed he did. On the day we went to film, the judge and his two assistants showed up, along with the provincial prosecutor, his handlers, a local TV news crew, police and several others. The EAAF team told me that they were all there looking for a little fame on international TV, because normally they don’t draw such a large crowd. And while I would have liked to have included all of them in the story, the simple fact is that there is not enough time on-air to interview every single person. Moreover, this was a story about the efforts of the EAAF team, not about the specific grave that was being exhumed that day. I politely explained this to them, and they seemed to understand. I did get all their email addresses, and sent the story link to them; the only one who responded so far was a young provincial police officer who was monitoring the exhumation that day.

The Santa Monica cemetery in Merlo is huge. I don’t know how many people are buried there, but just from looking at it, I would say tens, if not, hundreds of thousands. This was definitely a provincial cemetery in a humble part of town; no grand, ornate mausoleums like you see in Recoleta cemetery where Eva Peron and other Argentine dignitaries are buried.

After we arrived to the cemetery, we watched EAAF team members -- Mariana Segura, Analia Simonetto and Alejandra Ibanez (pictured above)-- get their tools arranged and get ready for the dig. Truth be told, most of the grunt work of shoveling the grass and dirt was done by the cemetery workers. But once they had access, the EAAF team got right into the graves and got dirty, meticulously separating dirt from bones. It was fascinating, and a bit disturbing, to watch. The first grave that they exhumed was of a person who had died in 2001, so they had to locate that body, remove it, and then search for the body of the person they suspected was killed by the military in the late 1970s that was buried underneath. That whole idea blew my mind: Someone who died eight years ago was buried on top of another person – a possible victim -- and in order to confirm that, they needed to remove the other body. That, of course, requires permission and notification of next-of-kin, and sure enough, two relatives of the person buried on top were present, monitoring the process. Those bones were removed and will be put in a more communal grave (as opposed to an individual plot). I was told that even if the EAAF team didn’t request the exhumation of that grave, that removing and relocating skeletons after a period of at least five years is a common practice at cemeteries in Argentina, because of limited space. If a family has the money to re-bury the body, they can do so in another private plot, but if not, it goes to a communal spot. All the bones of each individual are still separated and stored apart from the others, but they likely do not have a private plot. This surprised me as well. Is that common in other parts of the world too?

As the exhumations continued under a hot sun, I interviewed Sara Cobacho, (above) the 78-year-old secretary of the Human Rights Office in Buenos Aires province, who is also a member of the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo. Sara lost six family members to the dictatorship, including two of her sons, 23-year-old Enrique in 1977, and 28-year Oscar in 1978, and she herself was detained in a illegal detention center for six months in 1976. I could see the years of pain and anguish on her face. I could also sense her strength and determination. She now works closely with the EAAF team during their digs, although the remains of her two missing sons have yet to be recovered. I don’t know if she showed up that day because she wanted to be on CNN, but I didn’t really care. She was an important person to speak with, and had some very intelligent things to say during our interview. I feel privileged when I meet a person like Sara.

Next, I interviewed Mariana and Analia of the EAAF. We did the interviews first in English, then in Spanish. Both women continually apologized for their English skills, but there was no need for them to do so; they both spoke very well. When preparing a report for CNN, I always try to find people who speak English, as I feel it makes the story just a little easier to understand, since you are hearing the words directly from their mouth. Of course, in this part of the world, not everyone speaks English, so I often end up translating and then doing English-language voiceovers. Regardless, even if someone does speak English, I always ask them questions in Spanish too, so that my colleagues at CNN en Espanol can use the material to put together a report in Spanish.

After that, I shot my “stand-up” -- the part of the story where you see the reporter talking to the camera. I wanted to have the movement of the EAAF workers in the background, and show as much of the cemetery as possible. Cameraman Eduardo Aragona and I had to seek out a few locations where it would be possible for me to walk-and-talk (without tripping over a gravestone, which I did, twice) while also having the proper sunlight and background. We did about seven takes, and got two keepers, one of which we used in the final report. Throughout the day, I also shot more informal “stand-ups” for the CNN International show, “Backstory” which takes viewers behind the scenes of a story, and whose format I am attempting to emulate in print here. Here's that report.

After we finished shooting, we started saying goodbye to everyone, which took awhile, because there were about 25 people there at that point. We drove an hour back to Buenos Aires city and headed to the Almagro neighborhood to have a late lunch before our meeting with Ana Feldman later that afternoon. Ana’s 18-year-old sister, Laura, was “disappeared” by the military in 1978. The interview with Ana was equally emotional as the earlier ones, as she told me about her sister and her long efforts to locate and receive her remains. She was able to accomplish that thanks to the work of the EAAF. Ana is the first person we hear from in my report. The photograph I took of her below, holding a photo of her late sister, was displayed prominently last Tuesday on the homepage of CNN.com, which helped make it one of the site's most popular stories that day.

We then left Ana’s apartment and returned to the bureau. I was tired and sunburned, but satisfied knowing that we had the material to tell an important story, and tell it well.

Photos by Brian Byrnes.

Anatomy of an Article: Riding with Pablo Escobar's Son

2009-11-15T08:56:00.018-03:00

I was in a car on the Panamericana Highway in Buenos Aires last week with two men I had just met, both of whom I was interviewing for a story I was working on for Newsweek. One of them, Nicolas, asked me where I grew up, and when I told him Baltimore, he veered the conversation (as many often do) to “The Wire.” We both agreed that it was one of the best television series ever made. The other guy, Sebastian, had never seen the show, so I starting breathlessly telling him how the writing, acting and photography were unmatched, and how it portrayed the modern urban American experience so vividly, and how it gave viewers laser-sharp insight into the inner workings of inner-city drug cartels.....

About 45 seconds into my fawning discourse, I recognized the sheer absurdity of the situation: the man I was glorifying the American drug culture to was the son of the world’s most famous drug dealer, Pablo Escobar.

Yes, I was talking drugs with Juan Pablo Escobar, who now goes by the name Sebastian Marroquin. Thankfully, I stopped myself just short of offering to lend him my DVD copies of Season 1-5. Now, that would have been weird. I don’t think Marroquin would find “The Wire” particularly entertaining. At least I hope not, especially since the reason I was in the car with him and director Nicolas Entel was the new documentary film they just released called “Sins of My Father,” essentially a 90-minute apology from Marroquin to the Colombian people for the many gross, violent and bloody acts committed by his father when he was the richest, most powerful and ruthless drug kingpin on the planet.

I was the only journalist in the world invited to watch the film with Marroquin and Entel. It would be the first time either of them had seen the final cut on the big screen. There were literally only seven of us in the theater, all of whom were associated with the production, except for me. Sitting next to Marroquin and stealing glances of him as he watched his life story play out onscreen was emotional, indeed.

At first, I wasn’t anxious to write this story. Several other international media outlets had already interviewed Marroquin by telephone and published stories. But through some hustle and some luck, I managed to get something no one else did: I had met Marroquin personally, shook his hand, watched him as he watched himself. That was my story, and what would set my article apart from the others. When I told my editor in New York this, she was excited, and we agreed that I would take the somewhat unusual (although increasingly common) step of writing myself into the story, using a few, sparing first-person accounts. She also decided to turn this from a one-page article to a two-page spread in the magazine, using several photographs, and including a sidebar Q+A.

I can state unequivocally that Escobar’s offspring is a nice guy. Quiet. Shy. A hulking presence, similar to his father’s, I assume. He also looks just like him. All he is missing is a moustache, as I noted in my Newsweek article here.

Admittedly, describing how ice-cool Avon Barksdale is to Pablo Escobar’s son is sort of stupid. Or surreal. Either way, it reminded me why I do what I do, and why I love it so much.

You can read excerpts from my conversation with Marroquin in Newsweek here. Not all the questions made it into the magazine, so I offer more from our conversation below:

Brian Byrnes: Do you still speak with your relatives in Colombia?

Sebastian Marroquin: Yes, I still keep in touch with my aunts and uncles in Colombia from my mother’s side. Not on my father’s side. They are very happy that we could demonstrate a face of the family that was always hidden. They said to me ‘Nephew, after so many years of a bad image, it is great that you can show our good side now.’ They understand that the message that we are trying to send to the world now is a positive one. They have a lot of hope, and so do I.

You now make a living as an architect in Argentina, correct?

I make money as an architect and I have money that family members left me.

Your father’s money?

No, this comes from my mother’s side. All my father’s money has been confiscated. I have absolutely zero knowledge or any access to any money, properties or cars that belonged to my father. It’s all in the hands of the government. The only thing that the family of Pablo Escobar still has is his surname.

Your younger sister did not participate in the film. Why not?

She was just a child when all this war was going on with my father. At a very young age, she was a prisoner to the situation. Despite the fact that she couldn’t even speak up to declare her innocence, she was imprisoned. And she really values her privacy now. She supported me all the way during this process of reconciliation. I can’t say that this helps lessen her pain, but she prefers to maintain a low profile and continue with her studies.

In the film, before you enter the room to meet the Galan brothers, you paused in front of the door. What was going through your mind at that moment?

I was remembering what I had written in the letter to them, and what it would be like to speak with someone whose pain was so acute. I was thinking ‘When I open this door, how do I begin the conversation? Would it be good to say “good afternoon”? Or would it be better just to say “hello?” What would be the right way to address people in this situation who were the victims?’ It was very difficult to choose the right words. It was almost impossible. Each one of the sons reacted in their own way. And it was really a noble act on their part to meet with me.

Photo courtesy of Sebastian Marroquin/Red Creek Productions.

Mark & Maria

2009-06-26T14:39:00.011-03:00

Argentina has been in the world spotlight this week, thanks to the indiscretions of South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, pictured above with Buenos Aires Gov. Daniel Scioli in La Plata, Argentina exactly one year ago today, June 26, 2008, apparently right around the time his affair with an Argentine woman, believed to be Maria Belen Chapur, started.

I have been working like crazy the last two days on this story. Nothing gets the U.S. press more worked up than a political sex scandal, and I've been getting calls from every media outlet imagineable, asking for my help in tracking down the alleged amante. So far, no one has had any luck speaking with her, or even seeing her. Local and international press have been staked out at her apartment in Palermo since Wednesday night. I was there that night, filming b-roll of the building and neighborhood for CNN. Yesterday, I did a live shot on the CNN International show "I-Desk" talking about the media frenzy, and Argentine's bemusement over American's obsession with high-profile affairs. As I said on-air, philandering politicians are the norm here.

Now that the King of Pop has passed, I'll be curious to see if the U.S. media's interest in this story stays strong, or fades away.....

Power Shift in Argentina?

2009-06-26T14:29:00.006-03:00

The campaigning officially ended last night, but Argentina is still at a fever pitch ahead of Sunday's mid-term Congressional elections, which have essentially become a referendum on Nestor and Cristina Kirchner (above), a situation created entirely of their own doing.

Here's a story I filed this week for CNN International on the possible power shift, and another, shorter item in this week's Newsweek International.

ArteBA 2009

2009-06-02T20:08:00.011-03:00

ArteBA is always one of my favorite cultural events of the year in Buenos Aires. It's full of fantastic art from around the continent, and it's glamorous too, but in a way that is accessible to everyone, not just the cultural 'elite.' As a result, it attracts an eclectic, and enormous, crowd every year. There's something to be said for that, because that is not the case with art fairs in many cities around the globe.

I've written about ArteBA before, in this article for ARTINFO in 2006. This year, I covered it for CNN International and CNN.com, but approached the story from a decidedly different angle, as the world's economic situation is much different than it was three years ago.

To my surprise (and theirs), every gallery owner I spoke with told me that sales were strong.

You can watch the CNNI report here and read the CNN.com story here.

And here's my behind-the-scenes report for "Backstory"

All photos by Brian Byrnes.

Barter Clubs are Back

2009-05-21T12:50:00.018-03:00

Barter Clubs are back in Buenos Aires.

Last Saturday, I visited one in the gritty rustbelt town of Isidro Casanova, about 45 minutes west of downtown Buenos Aires. I filed a report about it for CNN International and for CNN.com. You can watch the video here and read the article here. I also filed a 'behind-the-scenes' report for the CNNI show "Backstory" which you can see here.

As I note in the story, barter clubs are not a new phenomenon in Argentina. The network of clubs was first established in 1995, but it wasn't until after Argentina's economic collapse in 2001 that they really became popular. The founder I interviewed, Ruben Ravera, told me that in 2002, more than 2 million people used to participate regularly. That's a lot for a country of just 40 million. In recent months, more clubs have popped up, especially in the rural northern provinces of Argentina, and participation in urban Buenos Aires is on the rise too.

During the shoot, we met Nelly Vasquez (above, with her 6-month-old daughter, Antonella), a 29-year-old mother of two who lost her job at a clothing factory last year. She said she comes to the barter club every week because it's her only way for her to put food on the table. She brought bunches of wool, clothes and shoes and fortunately had some takers that day, as I saw her sell a blouse that she then traded for vegetables. Nelly wasn't enthusiastic about speaking to us on-camera, but once we chatted for awhile, she agreed to speak, and she had some great things to say. Antonella was mostly cooperative while we were rolling, although she did rip the microphone off her mother's shirt at one point. We cut, pinned the mic again, and started over. It happens.

After we finished shooting, we were introduced to Alberto Censi (above) who brings baked goods and booze to the club every weekend. He insisted, and I mean insisted, that cameraman Eduardo Aragona and I sample his homemade Gancia, which is a popular Argentine spirit. It tasted what I imagine lighter fluid tastes like, but I grinned and beared it, and finished my glass. All in a day's work.

I met some very nice people that day, although not everyone was nice. In fact, one woman yelled at me, really yelled in my face, because she felt we were taking advantage of the club members by filming them. She also accused me of being a politician who was trying to exploit the club for money. I had to politely explain to her that our intention was to show Argentina's current economic reality, nothing more. Needless to say, we steered clear of her table the whole day.

I really enjoyed doing this story, and hopefully we shed some light of what's happening in Argentina, and gave viewers/readers around the world some insight into how people in Argentina (who are very accustomed to instability) are coping with the global economic crisis.

Buenos Aires Book Fair

2009-05-08T13:56:00.029-03:00

I was invited by the U.S. Embassy to lead two chats at the Buenos Aires Book Fair about two books that I have worked on in recent years.

The first chat, which we called "Mixing Cocktails & Languages" was led by myself and Rodolfo Reich, author of "Cocteleria Argentina" - an awesome and informative book about the cocktail culture in Argentina. I did the English-language translation of the book, entitled "Mixology in Argentina."

The chat focused on the difficulty of translating Argentine expressions, as well as the names of liquors and ingredients used in popular local cocktails, from Spanish to English. I am not a translator, and had never done anything like this before, which is why we refer to the book as an "interpretation" not a "translation." I suppose I did something right because "Mixology" was recently nominated for a prestigious Gourmand World Cookbook Award in the "Best Translation" category.

You can read two reviews of the book here and here.

The second chat was about my experiences as a travel writer, specifically my work on the Fodor's Travel Guides to Argentina and Buenos Aires. I just completed Fodor's Buenos Aires 2nd edition, where I once again wrote the Hotels and Restaurant chapters, to be published in 2010. I still don't understand why it takes so long to publish a book. If a newspaper can be printed in one day, and a magazine in a week, why does a book need an entire year? It's endlessly frustrating because I know some of the places that I review will be completely different (or worse, closed) by the time the book is published. But I digress. The chats at the book fair went very well. Thanks to all who attended. Photos below by the talented Felix Busso.

Photos by Felix Busso.

Che Lives!

2009-05-08T12:42:00.011-03:00

I filed a report this week that aired on the new CNN International show called "Connect the World" about a new book about Argentine revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara. The book, "Che's Afterlife: The Legacy of an Image" by Michael Casey examines the iconic image of Che taken by Cuban photographer Alberto Korda in Havana on March 5, 1960 (see above). As I write in an accompanying article on CNN.com, these days the image is used by "communists and capitalists, Marxists and marketers" to sell ideas. It's a fascinating premise, and the book is a good read. Check it out.

Photo courtesy of Alberto Korda.

Will Ornette Coleman Please Stand Up?

2009-05-08T11:23:00.007-03:00

So I was watching local news last night and Canal Trece's "Telenoche" was reporting about jazz legend Ornette Coleman's Argentina premiere on Thursday night at the historic Teatro Gran Rex. Clearly, jazz fans (and there are many here) were ecstatic about his arrival.

The only problem was that until a few hours earlier, they couldn't find him.

Apparently, the 79-year-old sax player had disappeared at some point on Wednesday and had not been seen for 24 hours. Clearly, this was cause for concern, on several levels. According to Canal Trece, Coleman (which they repeatedly pronounced as "Col-ay-Mun") had eluded his bodyguards at the Panamericano Hotel in downtown Buenos Aires and was nowhere to be seen. It was not until early Thursday (the day of the gig) that he was found, passed out and alone on the street, in Tigre, a Buenos Aires suburb some 45 minutes from downtown. Let's just let that one sink in for a minute: He is 79-years-old, but apparently isn't too old to go on a bender and get himself lost somewhere in South America. I love jazz guys. They don't mess around. They get after it. Of course, maybe he just forgot to take his medicine and became disoriented and wandered off, but me thinks that if you are found sleeping on the street, well, then, it must have been a hell of a night. We've all been there, right?

Tough Stories to Report: Anti-Semitism in Argentina

2009-03-10T13:12:00.017-02:00

Over the past few weeks, I’ve found myself reporting a lot on anti-Semitism, unfortunately.

The ironic reality of this is that while Argentina is home to one of the world’s largest Jewish populations (some 250,000), it also served as a haven for Nazi war criminals, and was the site of two deadly anti-Semitic terrorist attacks in the 1990s. 114 people were killed in the 1992 and 1994 bombings. Both attacks remain unsolved.

In news related to the 1994 AMIA Jewish Center bombing, I wrote a story yesterday for CNN.com about Claudio Lifschitz, a former investigating lawyer into the AMIA attack, who says he was kidnapped and tortured last Friday by three masked men claiming to be agents of Argentina’s national intelligence agency.

As you can see from the photos above, which Lifschitz himself sent to me, his arm was burned with a blowtorch, and the word ‘AMIA’ was carved into his back with a knife. Scary stuff.

When I spoke to Lifschitz, he seemed calm, and almost resigned to the fact that these sort of things will happen to those who speak out against alleged government corruption in Argentina. This is a sad state of affairs.

You can read my full report on the incident here at CNN.com.

In February, I filed a series of on-air and on-line reports for CNN about Bishop Richard Williamson (above), the ultra-conservative priest who made comments denying the extent of the Holocaust in an interview with Swedish television. The interview was broadcast just two days after the Vatican decided to lift his excommunication, creating a major controversy for Pope Benedict XVI. When it was revealed that Williamson lived here in Argentina, media outlets from around the world scrambled to get an interview with him, including CNN. Nobody was successful (save Germany’s Spiegel, who did an email/fax interview with him), but we were able to speak to some residents of La Reja, Argentina, where the St. Pius X seminary that Williamson has led since 2003 is located. You can watch that report here.

Williamson was soon removed from his post at the seminary, and shortly thereafter, Argentina’s Interior Ministry told him he had ten days to leave the country, or face expulsion. Argentine authorities clearly did not welcome the added attention the country was receiving as a result of Williamson living here.

A few days later, Williamson was at the Buenos Aires Int’l Airport (EZE) where he was approached by a local television journalist with the cameras rolling. What transpired was truly amazing. The images captured by Argentina’s Canal 13/TN were sent out by Associated Press Television, and aired around the world, including on CNN International, where I did a “look-live" report from the Buenos Aires bureau. My report is not available online, but you can watch the video here of Williamson confronting the local reporter in all his dark-glasses-and-clenched-fist-to-the-face-and-elbow-to-the-groin-glory. Not very becoming of a man of the cloth, huh?

I would have loved to have been able to stakeout the airport and wait for Williamson to show up, but unfortunately, I don’t have the financial resources to fund that kind of operation. Thankfully, the local press was there. When Williamson arrived the next morning in London, he was met by an enormous crowd of media, as well as supporters and detractors. He is back in his home country now, and is likely to keep a low profile, but I don’t think we’ve heard the last of this case. Some countries may try to extradite and press criminal charges against him for denying the Holocaust. Stay tuned.

I discussed the Bishop Williamson case as a guest on “Beyond the Pale” a weekly radio show that airs on WBAI 99.5 FM in New York. You can listen to the interview I did with host Esther Kaplan here.

Photos courtesy of Claudio Lifschitz and AFP/Getty Images.

Trendwatch: I-Bankers Invade Buenos Aires

2009-03-04T16:06:00.013-02:00

This week’s sign that the apocalypse is upon us……

According to a “Trendwatch” report posted today on Gawker, Buenos Aires is now attracting a whole new slew of Ex-Pats: laid-off investment bankers. Fantastic!

I’m not questioning the veracity of this “trend” (in fact, I know one such person: a high school classmate of mine arrived here a few months ago after losing his I-Banking job in NYC), but the fact that vapid online Manhattan media outlets are devoting virtual ink to this has me bracing for the inevitable occurrence in the very near future when I overhear a wannabe Master-of-the-Universe in a button-down in Palermo marveling at “how fucking cheap it is here, man. This would cost like $200 bucks in the city.”

There’s been real ink shed on this topic recently as well: A New York Observer piece is what originally piqued Gawker’s interest, and The Washington Post also filed a similar, yet pointedly more academic, dissection of the trend in an A1 story last Friday.

But unfortunately, Gawker’s post will likely get the most eyeballs, and generate the most comments, because, hey, that’s the way things work in our quasi-journalistic online world these days.

Of course, I am guilty of writing a similar “foreigners are flocking to Buenos Aires” story, as are several of my BsAs-based colleagues, and that’s fine. We identified what we considered to be a legitimate trend, and we reported it. (My Newsweek piece on this topic was plagiarized by the New York Times last year, although they refused to acknowledge it despite overwhelming evidence.)

But to get this info from Gawker, and to know that it will be taken as gospel by many readers, is disheartening. To boot: Gawker's post today makes cheeky references to two well-known Buenos Aires landmarks, and gets them both wrong: the Teatro Colon has been closed for renovation for some two years, so it’s not likely that any visitor (I-Banker or not) has strolled through there recently, and last time I checked “Pablo Neruda’s old house” was in Chile, not Argentina. (I know, I know, it’s hard to keep track of these Latino literary legends. Neruda, Borges, Marquez....what’s the difference, right?)

**UPDATE** - My friend, the always reliably snarky Fernando Cwilich Gil, has also taken issue with this disturbing trend, and says so in a post today on BlackBook.

Fernando's been writing some really insightful and salty Buenos Aires-related posts these past weeks on BlackBook, be sure to check them out.

"United States of Argentina"

2009-02-03T10:38:00.012-02:00

An article appears in this week's edition of The American Conservative (a publication that I, admittedly, have never read) entitled "United States of Argentina."

The author, Philip Jenkins, draws some intriguing parallels between Argentina's perpetual economic misfortunes, and the current financial woes facing the United States. Essentially he makes the argument that the U.S. looks to be following remedies repeatedly employed by Argentina -- and that the country should avoid doing so at all costs.

I don't agree with all of Jenkins' comparisons, but the article is certainly worth a read, both for those with an interest in the utter complexity and absurdity of Argentine politics, and those trying to get their heads around how the world got into this mess, and ideas on how we might get out of it.

Campo in Crisis

2009-01-30T11:30:00.029-02:00

I reported two stories for CNN this week about Argentina's drought, the worst in half-a-century.

I witnessed the devastation first-hand on a visit to San Miguel del Monte, where I took these photos.

My first report aired on Tuesday, and examined the emergency decree declared by President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner to help farmers cope with the drought.

To get reaction from farm leaders, CNN en Espanol correspondent Javier Doberti, cameraman Eduardo Aragona and I staked out a meeting in downtown Buenos Aires on a sweltering afternoon. The farmers and the government are constantly at odds, so the back-and-forth between the two entities is always front-page news here, therefore any and all appearances by farming leaders is always covered "en vivo y en directo" (LIVE) by the five, yes that's right five, 24-hour news station based in Buenos Aires.

When Eduardo Buzzi of the Argentine Agrarian Federation arrived he took a few questions. I had to contend with an over-zealous cameraman, who kept pushing me to try and get a better shot. I know better than to be pushed around by shooters, so I stood my ground, kept the microphone steady, and we got the sound and pictures that we needed. Fortunately, Javier was able to grab Buzzi for a one-on-one interview immediately after (much to the consternation of the local press, but that's the benefits of working for CNN). The exclusive quotes from Buzzi are what we both used in our reports that day.

After gathering archive footage of the drought, as well as soundbites from Kirchner's announcement, I began writing my script, and once approved, I took a quick taxi ride with Javier and Eduardo to the Casa Rosada to shoot my "stand-up" which is what I used to "close" my report.

To get a better understanding of how the drought is affecting Argentine farmers, we traveled the next day to San Miguel del Monte, 65 miles southwest of Buenos Aires, where we met with local farmers Juan Cahen D'Anvers and Cesar Gioia, as well as the Argentine Rural Society representative, Lorena del Rio. Here's that report.

As you can see from the photos, it is ugly. Dead cows. Scorched crops. Bone-dry canals and rivers. Farmers are losing lots of money, and world supplies of commodities like soy, wheat, corn and beef could be threatened, as Argentina is one of the world's top exporters of these products.

Here's a report I wrote for CNN.com about the situation.

I hope for the farmers sake, and consumers around the world, that some rain is on the way.

No Way RDJ

2009-01-30T01:11:00.008-02:00

Robert Downey Jr. is pissed.

Sure, the whole film industry is congratulating him on his Best Supporting Oscar nomination for “Tropic Thunder.” And yes, the Academy should be praised for recognizing such an unorthodox performance (and it truly is a transcendent display of acting. So. Damn. Funny.) in a comedy, (one that skewers Hollywood, no less) but you just know that Downey is livid in London right now, freezing his ass off on set with the insufferable Jude Law, certain of the fact that he has no chance (NO CHANCE!) of winning the Oscar because he’s nominated in the same category as a dead man.

Heath Ledger will undoubtedly (and most say, deservingly) win for his role as The Joker in “The Dark Knight.” He’s already won a posthumous Golden Globe and SAG Award, and the Oscar is a sure thing.

So, however appropriate Ledger’s Oscar win will be, it will only serve to spite Downey Jr. and strengthen his long-standing hatred of the Academy.

You see, Downey Jr. lost his only other Oscar nomination in what was essentially a similar sympathy vote. In 1993, he turned in the performance of a lifetime as Charlie Chaplin in “Chaplin” but unfortunately for him, it was the same year that Al Pacino received two nominations -- in the Supporting and Lead Actor categories for “Glengarry Glen Ross” and “Scent of a Woman,” respectively. Pacino won the gold statue for the latter after having been overlooked on six previous occasions. So basically he won because voters could sense that his finest days onscreen were numbered, and roles like Lt. Col. Frank Slade would likely be few and far between. (And they were right; aside from memorable turns a few years later in “The Insider” and “Any Given Sunday,” all of his movies this decade have bombed. Did you see “Two for the Money” or “88 Minutes”? Neither did I.)

Downey Jr. has never really been able to let that loss go. I’ve read several interviews with him, including an incendiary one in the December 1997 issue of Playboy (which I can’t find online…anyone?) in which he slams the Academy for falling for that sentimental 'Pacino deserves to win this time no matter what' crap. The same is sure to happen for Ledger on Feb. 22, so Downey Jr. should just be prepared. Although perhaps now that he is clean, sober and a superhero, he’ll let it go. But I hope not. Sympathy should have no place in awards voting, even if it is the Oscars.

I, for one, am just waiting anxiously for “The Kirk Lazarus Chronicles” to hit the big screen. That needs to happen.

South America's Napa

2009-01-22T16:37:00.005-02:00

Mendoza, Argentina is the darling of the wine world right now, thanks to its sublime wines, beauty, affordability and perhaps because of articles such as the ones I wrote this week in Newsweek International that sing its praise.

The first article is a first-person account of my experiences in Mendoza, and my favorite places to visit there. The second talks about the very real possibility of owning your own vineyard, and the third about non-wine activities on tap in Mendoza.

No, I did not title the article "South America's Napa," a Newsweek editor in New York did, but I think it rings true.

Have you been to Mendoza? What are your favorite places there? Drop me a line and let me know.

Photo of Bodega Salentein in Valle de Uco by B.B.

Done with Dakar

2009-01-22T16:34:00.001-02:00

The Dakar Rally wrapped up here in Buenos Aires this past weekend. The balls-to-the-wall endurance race sent hundreds of cowboys roaring across the rugged landscapes of Argentina and Chile for two weeks. There was lots of dust, dirt, blood and a few deaths, but that’s par-for-the-course for the Dakar Rally, which took place here in South America for the first time after organizers deemed Africa too dangerous because of security threats.

The race dominated news here. Argentines and Chileans enthusiastically embraced the competition, and thousands lined up along the race route to cheer.

All the attention got me thinking about an idea that always pops into my mind every time I see images of racing cars: What’s the point? Or, more importantly, isn’t there something better we could be doing with our precious oil?

Don’t get me wrong, I admire the spirit of competition, and I am intrigued by the reality of pitting man, machine and nature against one another in extreme environments, but the whole idea of motor sports just seems like a big waste of the natural resources that are in increasingly short supply these days.

(Almost) the whole world seems to agree that we need to conserve our commodities and slow global warming….well, how about we stop encouraging races like the Dakar and tell these dolts behind the wheel to get another gig?

I’m not saying it doesn’t require talent, hard work, dedication, blah, blah, blah….but when I see 120,000 sunburned shoobs packed into bleachers in Talladega, or on the swanky streets of Monte Carlo, or in the deserts of Chile, I am truly perplexed. And, more to the point, I wonder why no one ever talks about how much oil is wasted to sustain these “sports.”

Sure, the argument could be made that every time the L.A. Lakers fly to Boston to play the Celtics they make a huge carbon footprint, or that countless quantities of energy and fuel are consumed to gather athletes together every four years for the Olympics and the World Cup, but once they get to Beijing or Berlin, the gas guzzling tends to cease, right?

So tell the Finnish rally car drivers, and the South African motorcycle studs, and the German Formula One champs, and the North Carolinian NASCAR knuckleheads that they are on notice, and that their sporting days may be numbered.

Photo courtesy of AFP.

Girl Power

2008-12-03T10:51:00.006-02:00

There was a meeting of beautiful minds here in Buenos Aires yesterday.

Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner (center) arranged a brief encounter between the world’s most famous hostage and the world’s most famous hussy.

Ingrid Betancourt – released by Colombia’s rebel FARC group in July after six years in captivity – and Madonna – released in November by Guy Ritchie after eight years of marriage – exchanged greetings at the Casa Rosada (Pink House), the Argentine presidential palace where Cristina conducts business, and where Madonna sang her famous rendition of “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina” in the 1996 film “Evita.”

Betancourt was in town to thank Cristina for her efforts in trying to secure her release from the jungles of Colombia. Madonna is here to perform four sold-out concerts, beginning tonight. No official word on what Cristina and Madge discussed, but haute couture and botox may have been on the agenda.

According to the AP, Madonna arrived early for her planned meeting with Cristina. My guess is that this was no mistake; the calculating Material Girl knew a photo-op with roundly-admired Betancourt would likely garner more headlines than one just with Argentina’s fashion-conscious firebrand leader.

Madonna kicks off the South American leg of her “Sticky & Sweet” tour tonight at the 65,000 capacity River Plate Stadium. The shows will reportedly be filmed for a live DVD release next year; U2 (“U2 3D”) and The Police (“Certifiable: Live in Buenos Aires”) also filmed their River shows for live films. (I was in the crowd for both concerts; awesome).

After BsAs, Madonna moves on to Santiago, Chile for two concerts and then Brazil, where she’ll play a total of five shows in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo.

The four sold-out Buenos Aires dates are more than any other city on her world tour. That’s quite impressive, really, considering Argentina’s weak currency and low wages. As I’ve written before, people in Argentina truly appreciate a good show, and are willing to pay for it, both financially and emotionally, as long as they are rewarded once the music starts.

I’ll be there tonight; I'm anxious to see if Madonna can deliver the goods.

Photo courtesy AP/Argentine Presidency

Let's Drink to Crime!

2008-11-28T11:03:00.005-02:00

If you can’t laugh about your misfortunes, well then, what can you do?

That seems to be the prevailing sentiment of a automobile dealer in La Plata, Argentina, who has been robbed ten times (10 times!) in past months.

The most recent stick-up of his Renault dealership took place last week and involved a hooded thug, a Magnum revolver, and the loss of $900 USD, according to La Nacion.

So Ricardo Salome decided to do something about it: drink.

He took out an ad in the local newspaper and invited anyone and everyone in La Plata to a cocktail party to mark the unfortunate occasion.

Yesterday, with the red wine and orange Fanta flowing, Salome, along with employees and neighbors, made a tongue-in-cheek toast with hopes of calling attention to law enforcement's woefully inefficient efforts at stopping the rising rate of violent crime in the greater Buenos Aires region.

“We are very worried about this sad record that we reached. And for the lack of coherent answers from the national and provincial governments to stop this scourge of insecurity,” Salome said.

Sometimes a little humor is what it takes to change a situation. Let's hope that is the case here.

Photo courtesy of El Dia newspaper.

Argentine Novias

2008-11-24T19:17:00.018-02:00

It appears that yet another Hollywood bigshot is attached to an Argentine woman.

Perfil newspaper reports that "The Simpsons" creator Matt Groening is dating a 31-year-old Argentine artist named Agustina Picasso (great name for an artist!) and that they were seen snogging together recently at a London art gallery (see photo above).

Who knows how much truth there is to this rumor, but Groening now joins a distinguished list of American celebrities who have been entranced by the charms of Argentine women.

They include Robert Duvall, married to Luciana Pedraza, 41 years his junior (atta boy, Bobby).

Matt Damon, who is married to Luciana Barroso, with whom he has two daughters.

And Al Pacino, who's reportedly been dating actress Lucila Sola for the past two years.

In the big picture, this really isn't a big deal, but here in Argentina IT IS. This is the kind of stuff that makes the front page of the papers, and sparks countless hours of discussion and debate on daytime television.

You see, Argentines love to talk about themselves. To their credit, though, they do so in both a positive and negative manner. An Argentine will spend hours telling you what is wrong with their country, leaders, family, soccer team and body shape, but do so in a way that almost makes you envy their situation (and I've been here long enough to learn that this is by design, not coincidence). It's like their pain is a privilege.

So when Argentine women "conquer" powerful American men -- despite all the aforementioned problems -- well, then, that's cause for celebration in some circles here.

As a man who has also been "conquered" (seriously, that's the word they use here) by an Argentine women, I can only concur with an expression heard commonly in Buenos Aires (and apparently in Los Angeles too):

"Las mujeres Argentinas tienen algo especial, pero es dificil decir que."

Photos courtesy of Perfil, Stephen Lovekin, startraksphoto.com and AFP.

Palermo Polo Open

2008-11-24T15:26:00.020-02:00

The Palermo Polo Open is underway in Buenos Aires right now. It's the most important polo tournament in the world, and the Palermo field is considered the sport's "cathedral."

It truly is an impressive gathering.

I took these photos on Saturday during the La Dolfina vs. Indios Chapaleufu II match.

Polo players are rugged. They get after it on the field: elbows, mallets and insults fly like the wind.

Three-time defending champs La Dolfina won the match 17-12, led by captain Adolfo Cambiaso, the world's #1 polo player. (He's in the photo below from Saturday, far left, hoisting the Fasano Cup, not to be confused with the Palermo Open tournament, which continues in its elimination format until the final on Dec. 6th.)

It's fascinating to watch Cambiaso play; he is truly on another level. The best ranking you can achieve in polo is a 10 Handicap, and all the players on La Dolfina are 10s, making them one of the few teams with a combined 40 Handicap. But they really should consider changing the handicap system because as good as Cambiaso's teammates are, they are nowhere nearly as talented as he is. One pro player told me he thought Cambiaso should have a 15 Handicap. He's that good.

I interviewed Cambiaso in 2006 for a documentary I produced about polo in Argentina (you can watch a clip of it here, although this doesn't include the Cambiaso interview.) He was a very cool guy. Shy, but well-spoken, and with an obvious determination to change the sport that he loves.

Cambiaso is widely credited with bringing polo to the masses in Argentina. One way he's done so is by encouraging fans from his favorite soccer team, Nueva Chicago, to come to the matches. Nowadays you can see and hear them chanting shirtless in the stands. Needless to say, not everyone in Argentina was pleased with this development. ("They hated me for it. But I don't care," he told me.) Moreover, his buddy Diego Maradona -- not the posterchild for properness --can often be seen cheering him on, and one of the sponsors of his team is Marcelo Tinelli, the king of low-brow nighttime television in Argentina.

The Palermo fields are about 10 blocks from my home, and I pass by them often. Thankfully, the promenade got a much-needed makeover last year, and now it's in even better shape to host the eclectic international mix of jet-setters, socialites, polo junkies, gauchos, corporate executives, models and horse lovers who populate it each November and December.

It's quite a scene.

Davis Cup - Part Dos

2008-11-24T13:23:00.010-02:00

Well, Argentina really shit the bed on this one. They had everything going their way in the lead-up to the Davis Cup final against Spain this past weekend: two Top-20 players (including redhot Juan Martin del Potro), home advantage in the raucous indoor stadium in Mar del Plata AND the absence of the #1 player in the world (Rafael Nadal).

So how they managed to screw it up is beyond me.

As Argentines are prone to do, the players probably over-analyzed the situation and took too much solace in the fact that Nadal was a no-show.

David Nalbandian did his job on Friday, winning the first singles match, but then Del Potro choked in the second match, leaving the series tied 1-1 going into Saturday's doubles match.

Nalbandian and Agustin Calleri (who I've met; he's a tool) dropped the ball in a marathon doubles, and in my opinion, that sealed Argentina's fate. That left Jose Acasuso with the unenviable task of a must-win match on Sunday. I like Acasuso, I think he's a good technical player, but he doesn't seem to be mentally capable of finishing in big matches. He looks scared out there. (He also lost the deciding match in Argentina's 2006 Davis Cup final defeat to Russia. Ouch.)

Since Guillermo Vilas stopped playing in the 1980s, the top Argentine players have consistently failed at bringing home any of the major Grand Slam tournament trophies (with the exception of Gaston Gaudio at Roland-Garros in 2004, but he's since had a mental breakdown, and is not even ranked in the ATP Top 1000 right now) and as a result the people here have invested an emormous amount of energy supporting the increasingly competitive national squad. And they've rewarded them with some great performances in recent years.

But the fact that they blew it this year, at home, and with a stronger team, really makes it sting.

The mud-slinging has already begun in the local press. The coach is stepping down.

Who knows how this will play out.

I think it will be awhile before tennis fans in Argentina recover from this stunning defeat.

photo courtesy of Telam.

Argentina's Tennis Time Has Come ***

2008-11-20T18:05:00.013-02:00

*** MAYBE NOT*** (see post above)

Argentina has a chance to finally grab tennis' most prestigious team trophy this weekend when they face Spain in the Davis Cup final. The championship is being played indoors and not on the dusty clay courts upon which Argentine players have always excelled. Argentine officials decided to host the final in an indoor stadium in the coastal city of Mar del Plata, 250 miles south of Buenos Aires, because they feared facing the world's #1 player, Rafael Nadal, on clay, the surface on which he is most dominating.

They may now be regretting the move.

Nadal withdrew from the competition because of injury, but Argentina still needs to face the formidable Spanish squad on the fast indoor hardcourt.

I'm confident they can pull it off.

A Davis Cup victory would cap a unprecedented run of success for Argentine tennis over the past decade, which saw a French Open title (Gaston Gaudio, 2004), a French Open finalist (Mariano Puerta, 2005), a Wimbledon finalist (David Nalbandian, 2002), a Masters Cup champion (Nalbandian, 2005) and an array of other titles from players like Guillermo Coria, Guillermo Canas, Juan Ignacio Chela, and the emerging 20-year-old superstar Juan Martin del Potro, who just finished an incredible year ranked #9.

Argentina has a long and storied tennis history, whose players have done extraordinarily well despite their limited funds and the long distances and inflated costs they have to endure to compete in the world's top tournaments. It's a topic that I examined in a story I filed for National Public Radio (NPR) in 2004. This week, tennis writer Christopher Clarey also touched upon some of these same topics in the pages of the IHT and NYT.

Photo courtesy AFP.

Jerry Garcia Pic

2008-11-12T15:52:00.012-02:00

My colleague at The Hollywood Reporter reports today that a biopic of Jerry Garcia is in the works.

I don't know how I feel about this.

Of course, I'm thrilled that one of my favorite musicians will have his lifestory told on film, I'm just weary that it will be done in the right way.

According to THR, the yet-untitled film will focus on Jerry's early-life, before he became a household name. While I like this idea, and think it is chock-full of potentially intriguing film scenes (Jerry watched his father drown, had his finger chopped off by his older brother, and nearly died in a car crash - all before his 20th birthday) but I'm also hoping that someone, at some point, decides to tackle the colorful, chaotic and inspiring story of the Grateful Dead, the band I most admire for myriad reasons, and who I saw live in concert more than 25 times.

The movie will be produced by the guys responsible for "Election" and "Little Miss Sunshine" -- two very good films, so I am confident that they can tell a story, and well. But bio-pics, especially ones about rock stars, can easily fall into caricature, and portray their subjects as characters, not people (which I'm sure is how many of their fans view them, but still....) For every "Sid and Nancy" and "Walk the Line," there is also "Great Balls of Fire" and "La Bamba."

As far as rock bio-pics go, I think Oliver Stone's "The Doors" is probably the template most directors have followed since 1991. It was beautifully photographed, amazingly edited and mixed, and well-acted (let's face it, Val Kilmer was Jim Morrison, but he could also be accused of creating a character, not portraying a person). Regardless, as well-received as that movie was, it doesn't mean it was accurate. In fact, I interviewed Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek in 1999 and he told me he hated Stone's movie, and refused to have anything to do with it. I'd have to go back and review the tape for his exact quote, but I vividly recall him referring to the project as "a white-powder film" - which I took as a veiled reference to Stone's rumored coke habit.

Anyway, Jerry's life is hitting the big screen. What a story it will be. The guy was a genius. A lazy, morally lapsed and drug-addicted genius (aren't they all?) but truly an amazing musician.

It still bothers me that Jerry's legacy is unfailingly associated with the 1960s counter-culture era in which he thrived. Sure, hippies, acid, free love....it was all a part of the scene, but listen to the music, man. Just incredible. Thank you, Jer, for a real good time.

Fodor's Choice

2008-11-11T17:15:00.012-02:00

I received a pleasant surprise recently when I entered one of my favorite restaurants in Buenos Aires, Republica. As I was walking up the marble staircases to the 1st floor dining room, I saw a sticker in the window of the wooden door. It read: “Fodor’s Choice 2008: One of the world’s top establishments selected by the most discerning travel experts.” Well, I’m happy to say, that I’m the discerning dude who chose this restaurant as one of the city’s best in the recently published 1st edition of “Fodor’s Buenos Aires.”

I have worked on five edition of Fodor’s Guides, dating back to 2001. In every one, I have offered my favorite restaurants, hotels and sites in the “Fodor’s Choice” category, however, this is the first time I have ever seen a “Fodor’s Choice” sticker in Buenos Aires, which leads me to believe they are something new. I think it will provide a PR boost for the Fodor's brand in Argentina, where it is not well-known, despite the fact that they are the largest publisher of English-language travel guides in the world. I’ll have to check around town at my other top picks to see if they are displaying their stickers. If anyone sees one, let me know.

As for Republica, it is a wonderfully charming place for a fantastic meal. The relaxed atmosphere is provided by the constant presence of owner/chef Maria Jose Moretti (pictured above with her boyfriend and co-owner/chef Javier Hourquebie) whose shy sweetness and attention to detail are endearing.

What made my sticker discovery even more fun that night was meeting Gail and Daphne, two women from Chicago who were visiting Buenos Aires for the first time. We started chatting and I asked them how they had heard about Republica. Their answer: “Fodor’s. We live and die by its restaurant recommendations while on vacation.” Now, that’s what I like to hear.

Obama!

2008-11-06T13:19:00.011-02:00

Tuesday was an awesome day for the U.S., and the world. I am proud of Americans, and their wise judgement in choosing Barack Obama as our next president. Well done.

There were an bevy of activities on Election Night here in Buenos Aires. I was invited by the U.S. Embassy to the American Club of Buenos Aires to watch election coverage on CNN and CNN en Espanol.

It was a crowded affair that attracted politicians, businessmen, diplomats and lots of local and foreign press. There were hamburgers, hot dogs, french fries, chicken wings and mozzarella sticks (or, should I say, Argentine adaptations of these delicacies), and an open-bar. Jim Beam had a banner and bar set up, but I was told by a source they were charging for the Kentucky Bourbon; only rail booze was free.

We spent a few hours at the party, but then headed to a friend's house in Palermo to watch the real results start to pour in. It was nice to be surrounded by fellow Americans and Argentines on this historic night. It was clear to me that the outcome meant a lot to both.

Now the hard task is at hand. We need to restore America's faith in itself, as well as our image and relationships around the globe. I have no doubt that Obama is the right man to lead that charge.

Diego Be Thy Name

2008-11-05T16:44:00.010-02:00

Diego Maradona is a living legend. The former soccer star is the most revered athlete in Argentina, and admired around the world. His prowess on the field was truly inspiring, especially his performace during the 1986 World Cup when he single-handedly led Argentina to the title. His off-field exploits have also garnered headlines for decades: drugs, booze, women, tax evasion, mafia buddies, arrests, heart attacks, illegitimate children, fist-fights.....Diego did it all.

But it now seems that Diego is getting a shot at redemption: last week he was named the new coach of the Argentine national soccer team, a move that he called "a dream come true." The news made headlines around the globe. Many have said that Diego is too unprepared, unexperienced, and unstable for the gig (and I agree entirely), but I also feel that the guy deserves a chance. He's lobbied hard for the position, and judging from his attitude at the AFA press conference on Tuesday, he seems determined to do a good job.

I did a story about Diego's new appointment for CNN International, and we filmed some of the segment at the Church of Maradona's annual celebration here in Buenos Aires. Yes, there is a Church of Maradona. It has some 120,000 members worldwide. Essentially, they believe that Diego is GOD, and live their lives as such. You can get married, baptized and blessed in this church. As a sports fan, I find this amusing. As a journalist, I find it amazing. We met some great people at the celebration that night, and filmed some great footage of the procession and prayers.

The party was attended by about 300 people, and it seemed like there were as many journalists there as there were revelers. It was a total clusterfu*k: Photographers and cameramen tripping over each other to get their shots. They came out of the woodwork for this event: journalists from Italy, UK, Spain, Brazil, Chile, Austria, Sweden, and the U.S. were there.

You can watch my CNN story here.

I was just alerted that it was also posted on DeadSpin, the popular U.S. sports blog.

Personal Fest: REM, Bloc Party, Mars Volta

2008-11-05T15:54:00.009-02:00

Personal Fest was a great time again this year. A fantastic two-day line-up that (kind of) ran the rock gamut.

I went on Day 2 (Saturday) the day with the much stronger (imho) roster of bands. I had never seen R.E.M. before and was anxious to know if they could deliver the goods live. I’ve always admired their songwriting, command of differing genres, and lyrics, despite the fact that Michael Stipe takes himself waaay too seriously. He doesn’t strike me as a guy from Georgia. Seems more like a Connecticut Yankee to me. Anyway, they rocked. 30,000 people on a beautiful spring night. Stipe was doing his hip-shaking, intellectual Iggy Pop shtick, and the crowd loved it. Well done.

Bloc Party, one of my favorite bands to emerge in the past few years, also rocked. They have this nervous, frenetic energy on their albums, and thankfully that sound translated well to the stage. Although I have one critique, and it's aesthetic, not musical: These London boys need some fashion tips. The lead singer, Kele Okereke (above), was decked out in non-ironic jean cut-off shorts, and some sort of environmentally-conscious T-shirt of a crying wolf. Very 1991. And the drummer took his shirt off after two songs, and we had to look at his hairy beer gut every time the director cut to a close-up of him on the big-screen. Bro, if you’re fat, no one wants to watch you sweat and pound the skins; only Keith Moon was allowed to do that.

I also saw Mars Volta, the most bombastic, avant-guard prog-rock band to come around in a long while. Their albums and live shows are just one continuous jam; it’s not free-form, like jazz, but rather highly-structured, screeching, introspective noise. Their music is kind of like how people feel about cats: you either love it, or hate it; there’s absolutely no in-between. Personally, I think Mars Volta are amazing. They got a lower slot in the lineup this year, as opposed to last time I saw them at the same festival in 2005, which doesn't make sense to me. There was also a personel change: Drummer Jon Theodore (above) has left the band. Like me, Jon went to high school in Baltimore; I used to see him play in a Grateful Dead cover band at keg parties when we were teenagers. Those were the days....

Seeing a live rock show in Argentina is truly a special experience. The crowds here are super appreciative (sometimes unnecessarily so). It’s like they feel privileged just to have the artists in their country. But I think that attitude is a crock of shit; top-name international acts have been coming here for decades, and they are always blown-away by the reception (just ask Eddie Vedder), so I think the gratitude should come from the artists: they’re lucky to be able to play in Argentina.

Photos courtesy of Leo Liberman.

PBS Worldfocus - Story #2

2008-11-05T14:09:00.009-02:00

Here's another story I helped produce for PBS' "Worldfocus" which examines Argentines views of the U.S. presidential election, and their impression of the U.S. as a whole.

To set up this shoot, I arranged for us to visit Radio La Boca 91.9 FM in the heart of the working-class La Boca neighborhood. This is roots-radio at its best: a small group of dedicated people who broadcast to their friends, neighbors and co-workers from a humble home studio. Host Hugo Mayo could not have been more gracious and welcoming. He seemed thrilled to have American journalists on his show, and used the opportunity to grill myself and Edie Magnus on an array of issues. I was translating for both sides, so it was a lot of work for me, but it was a mutually-beneficial encounter for all.

Later that day we went to Palermo and spoke with political scientist Carlos Gervasoni (right), a professor at the Universidad Catolica Argentina, and a graduate of both Stanford and Notre Dame, and Sergio Kiernan (left), a journalist with local daily Pagina 12. Both men offered insight and ideas (in English!) about U.S./Argentina relations, and other topics, all with the constant din of late-afternoon cafe revelers around us. The soundwoman, Celeste Palma, and the cameraman, Guillermo Ciampichini, did a great job of making it all come together.

Pilfering Pensions

2008-10-24T11:25:00.005-02:00

As it is prone to do, oh....all the time, Argentina started a sh*tstorm this week that has regional and global implications.

President Cristina Kirchner announced plans for the Argentina government to take over $29 billion dollars in private pension plans, which will affect some 3.5 million retirees and workers. Cristina says it is a "strategic" move to shield Argentines from the global financial crisis.

The local Merval stock market plummeted on the news, dropping as much as 17% at one point on Wednesday; other markets in the region also slumped. Argentina's bond ratings fell, and its risk index jumped. Investors are worried about another 2001-like default. Many Argentines think the money will just go to stuff the state coffers.

It's another unusual and inexplicable political move by the Kirchners. As I said live on CNN International on Wednesday, people in Argentina have come to expect the unexpected; it's in their DNA.

I'm very curious to see how this latest move is greeted by citizens and lawmakers. I think people here are more than tired of government meddling in their affairs, and I don't think this initiative will have much support, or an easy road to approval in Congress.

"World Focus" on PBS

2008-10-09T15:51:00.006-03:00

PBS Television in the U.S. launched a new, nightly international news program this week called "World Focus," produced by WLIW and WNET in New York and hosted by former CNN/NBC correspondent Martin Savidge.

Its aim is to provide in-depth global news to American viewers, something that has been in shorter and shorter supply in recent years, as most U.S. television networks have scaled down their overseas reporting, shuttering bureaus just about everywhere but the hottest war zones. As someone who continually has to convince U.S. editors that Latin America matters, I welcome this new outlet, and I hope it does well.

I worked with a "Worldfocus" crew that visited Argentina in August, producing and translating on two stories for producer Bryan Myers and correspondent Edie Magnus. The first story is about rising global food prices, and how they are affecting Argentines.

You can watch it here.

Voting Day

2008-10-09T15:01:00.010-03:00

**UPDATE** Here's the link to the CNN story.

Yesterday, the U.S. Embassy here in Buenos Aires hosted "Voting Day" for U.S. citizens, who were able to cast their absentee ballots amid patriotic, non-partisan red, white & blue fanfare. Officially, 500 people showed up, but I would put the number even higher. I saw lots of friends and colleagues too.

It was a truly American day: jazz music filled the air, McDonalds food was scarfed, and the Starbucks coffee flowed like wine. Hell, there were even breakfast burritos available, courtesy of my buddy Jordan of California Burrito Co.

I didn't get to indulge in any of the treats, as I was working, not voting. I'm preparing a story for CNN International about Ex-Pat voters in Argentina, and I interviewed several from all walks of (American) life. I also conducted interviews in Spanish that are scheduled to air on CNN en Espanol. It was refreshing to hear so many different opinions and insights; meeting new people and hearing good (and bad) ideas on a daily basis is still the best part of my job.

Before I arrived, I was worried about finding supporters of both candidates at the embassy. In fact, the group was overwhelmingly pro-Obama, but there were McCain supporters there. It's immensely important to me to give both sides the chance to speak their mind, and I think I succeeded.

Photos courtesy of AFP & Charly Diaz Azcue.

Of Suitcases, Stocks and Sponsors....

2008-10-03T13:22:00.016-03:00

I have been busy reporting for CNN this past week. First, about the $800K Suitcase scandal that is currently playing out in a Miami courtroom. Today, the woman who discovered the suitcase stuffed with cash, the lovely Maria de Lujan Telpuk (above), is in Miami testifying in the case. Telpuk went from being a homely customs officer at the Buenos Aires domestic airport (where I am pictured below) to being a Playboy cover girl (after some surgical assistance, of course) and now a stand-by on an ice-skating competition show in Argentina. I didn't have time to mention Telpuk in my CNN report, (I would have LOVED to, trust me), but her role in this bizarre situation proves yet again that truth is always cooler than fiction.

On Black Monday, September 29th, I did my first "live shot" for CNN International from the CNN en Espanol bureau here in Buenos Aires. It was the first live report I have done in some 8 years, dating back to my days at WCAX-TV in Burlington. It went well, and as the global markets plunged deeper that day, it became apparent that the story was gaining importance worldwide. Consequently, I was asked to do two more live reports that evening for the CNNI shows that are anchored out of Asia, and again the next morning with the anchors in Atlanta. Considering my location, I had been concentrating my reports on the Argentine Merval and Brazilian Bovespa indexes, so I was a bit thrown when one of the anchors in Hong Kong asked me to talk about the Mexican markets. I mentioned the close relationship (geographical, financial, cultural) between Mexico and the U.S. and then (tried to) coolly segue back into South America news. I think I pulled it off.

I also attended a truly awesome MTV party this week, a "pre-fiesta" for the MTV Latin American Music Awards that will take place in Guadalajara, ("Oh no, Guadalajara won't do...") Mexico on Oct. 16th.

These days, most of the bands that MTV promotes kind of suck, but I have to say that I was really impressed with Uruguayan rockers No Te Va a Gustar who have a kind of Fishbone/Fabulosos Cadillacs-vibe going on....perfect for a warehouse full of twentysomethings wearing purple afro wigs courtesy of Yahoo, while sloshing down free Quilmes and Cuervo ......gotta love corporate sponsorship.

Stolen Lives and Stock Markets

2008-09-19T13:03:00.035-03:00

I reported two stories on-air this week for CNN, each very different from the other.

The first was a feature about "Stolen Lives," a popular Argentina soap opera based on the life of Susana Trimarco, who I interviewed in her apartment in Buenos Aires.

Susana has been searching for her daughter, Marita, since 2002, when she disappeared in Tucuman, likely at the hands of human traffickers. She is an amazing woman. Check out the foundation she started in Marita's honor to help victims of human trafficking.

I also visited the set of "Stolen Lives" ("Vidas Robadas" in Spanish) and interviewed actress Soledad Silveyra (in red dress, below), who portrays Trimarco on the show, and seems very committed to the cause and the character (although the day I met her she was out of character, because she was filming segments for her weekly journalism show, "Un Tiempo Despues," ). She was charming as hell.

To watch the feature on "Stolen Lives" click here.

To read the extended article I wrote for CNN.com, click here. (This article got more than 1 million page views the first day it was posted).

On Thursday, I reported from the Buenos Aires Stock Exchange about the volatile South American markets in the wake of the chaos on Wall Street. You can watch two reports here and here.

Busy Week....

2008-09-17T10:37:00.008-03:00

It’s been a busy week here in BsAs.....

Newsweek Argentina celebrated its second anniversary with a cocktail party, attended by various local and foreign dignitaries, including U.S. Ambassador Earl Wayne (below).

Newsweek U.S. Managing Editor Daniel Klaidman and Ron Javers, Managing Editor for Foreign Editions (there are nine, soon to be ten, when Newsweek Turkey launches later this year), were also present.

I spent time with both Dan and Ron during their visit and learned a lot from both of them. Dan had just attended both the Democratic and Republican National Conventions and had some great stories to tell from the Obama and McCain camps. Ron travels around the globe constantly meeting with the journalists of all the foreign editions. It's given him a unique perspective on news and culture; Ron is the kind of guy that could make fast friends at both the bowling alley and the ballet.

There was also wine to be imbibed at the opening night of the Vinos y Bodegas wine expo, the most important gathering of Argentina’s wine industry. Ballsy Argentine Vice President Julio Cobos was there to kick things off (check out the Wine Harvest Queens from Mendoza behind him in the photo).

I was invited to the “Alta Gama” section where Argentina’s top vineyards pull out their big guns and serve their finest wines. There were some awesome new Cabs, Malbecs and Syrahs. Oddly, it appeared to me that every wanna-be hipster in that VIP area seemed like they’d be more comfortable drinking a beer or Fernet and Coke. Money can buy access, but not knowledge, I suppose....

Friday night, the confidently ironic Swedish garage rockers The Hives were in town to film a special “MTV Live” concert at a studio in Almagro. The show was taped in HD and will be seen around the world soon. MTV’s Buenos Aires office is becoming a major player in the channel’s international configuration.

HelpArgentina

2008-09-08T23:18:00.008-03:00

HelpArgentina is a non-profit organization that functions as a bridge between donors from around the world and social organizations in Argentina. They do the middle-man work to make sure donations gets from point A to point B. It works.

I count amongst my friends several former and current employees of HelpArgentina, both Argentines and ExPats. I have learned from them, and seen myself first-hand, the very good work that this organization does in alleviating poverty, encouraging education and stimulating social development in Argentina.

The concept of transparency that HA promotes has long-been missing from the social sector in Argentina. HA thinks outside the box. And when it comes to philanthropy, that can only be a good thing.

HelpArgentina holds two important events each year: The HelpArgentina Award and the Noche HelpArgentina. The HA Award recognizes the efforts of “Social Ambassadors” around the world. In 2005, I nominated my friend Rachel Martinez for this award for her ongoing work with Airline Ambassadors in association with HelpArgentina.

The Noche HelpArgentina is a series of dinners held throughout the globe during the month of September that raise money for HA’s various member organizations. I have attended these dinners, and always enjoy the concept and company. My wife and I will be hosting one later this month at our home in Buenos Aires, as will my parents at their home in Baltimore.

I encourage anyone who has any connection to or curiosity about Argentina, and wants to make a difference for the country, to host a dinner in their home.

Anatomy of an Article

2008-09-07T14:08:00.013-03:00

I wrote an article in the Periscope section of this week's Newsweek International (Sept. 15, 2008 issue) about rising global inflation related to bad bookkeeping by governments around the world.

I learned a lot while writing this story, mostly because the final product is much different than what I had originally envisioned and pitched to my editors in New York.

I had heard that the employees of the national statistics agency, INDEC, had launched an online petition last week asking for more transparency in their organization, following 21 months of supposed meddling from Guillermo Moreno, the Kirchner-appointed crony who has been accused of cooking the books to mask a rapidly rising inflation rate here. I thought the fact that the INDEC employees had taken up their fight online (and received more than 11,000 signatures in a week) was a great way to begin an brief exploration of Argentina's ongoing (and seemingly constant) economic woes. My editors agreed. However, as is often the case with stories I write for Newsweek, they wanted to take a more global approach, and asked that I look for examples of other countries where leaders have been accused of fudging the numbers. They suggested I start with China and the U.K.

Admittedly, I knew nothing about how these nations (or any nations, really) tallied their inflation statistics, but a deadline loomed, so I began a frenzied search for information on the topic. I read scores of analytical pieces and articles, interviewed economist Howard Archer of Global Insight in London (whose obervations got cut from the final piece, unfortunately) and basically became an expert (sort of) on inflation statistics.

I went back and forth with my editors through at least five drafts of the article. On each draft they asked me for additional insight and analysis to help convey the 'big picture' of this issue.

Much of the copy was edited from the final piece, both for brevity and space reasons. (The articles in the front-of-the-book Periscope section are typically shorter than other articles). This is always a frustrating part of the editing process, especially when you work so hard to understand, and then explain, a topic to readers. But that's the way it works.

I imagine none of this is apparent to the reader when reading the final 230-word article, but I think it's interesting to note the long process and hard work that goes into producing (what I feel to be) quality and insightful journalism.

Leroi Moore - RIP

2008-09-02T01:03:00.016-03:00

I was bummed when I heard that Dave Matthews Band sax player Leroi Moore passed away on August 19th following complications from a June ATV accident. The news came just days after DMB announced plans for their first-ever appearance here in Argentina. I am planning to attend; as of now, the show is still scheduled for October 3rd.

Leroi was a brooding bad-ass with serious sax chops. Some say that Boyd Tinsley's harmonic violin licks gives DMB its unique sound, but for me it is Leroi's deep - and often dark - grooves that provide the groundwork for the band's most exploratory and exciting live moments. He will be missed.

Jeff Coffin of Bela Fleck and The Flecktones fame (also scheduled for an upcoming Buenos Aires visit) is currently filling in.

A bit of nostalgia now: Amongst my first -- and undoubtedly most exciting -- assignments as a freshman reporter for the UVM student newspaper, The Vermont Cynic, came in January 1995 when I covered the Dave Matthews Band/Big Head Todd + The Monsters show at Memorial Auditorium in Burlington. I got to interview Boyd, watch the show (with a surprise appearance by local hero Trey Anastasio) from the first-row, swig from a bottle of Jack Daniels with Dave and Trey in the green room afterwards AND my article was the cover story of that week's Cynic; not a bad first gig for an 18-year-old journalist. It was an amazingly exciting experience for me, and pretty much cemented my desire to make my living documenting what is happening around me.

Countless concerts, rock-star interviews and boozy backstage encounters have followed, and they've all been awesome, but that cold night in Burlington was what started me on this path. Leroi was a part of it, and now he's gone....a bummer, indeed.

Taming Timerman

2008-09-02T00:26:00.009-03:00

My first-ever post. Let's start with some politiKs.....

La Nacion reports that Argentine President Cristina Kirchner is super-pissed at her ambassador to the U.S., Hector Timerman, after he voiced his concerns over her gushing remarks about U.S. presidential hopeful Barack Obama during her first-ever press conference on August 2nd. Her praise for Obama was the only real substance that came out of the question posed to her by yours- truly about Argentina/U.S. relations in the wake of the $800K suitcase scandal (for which a trial starts this week in Miami). I was planning to ask her for additional details, but I was quite literally pushed away from the microphone by one of her handlers. Clearly, follow-ups were not on the agenda on this historic day of the Kirchner era.