Current Argentine Events

This is surely an eventful country. Last Monday, a member of a far-left party (Partido Obrero) was shot to death and others were wounded while attempting to block railway tracks in support of contracted out railway workers. The Partido Obrero blamed "thugs from the Railway Union" for this shooting. The Railway Union claimed the Partido Obrero members shot first. Investigations are ongoing.

Yesterday the former president of Argentina, husband of the current president of Argentina, died suddenly, no further medical details yet available. There seems to be no suggestion that this was other than a naturally or medically caused event, despite a tabloid press that can be quite excitable.

Also yesterday, unbeknownst to us, a National Holiday had been declared because the National Census was being conducted. The streets were almost completely deserted, and all the stores and restaurants were closed when we went out for a morning coffee. We went back to our apartment, and some time later a census -taker knocked and we muddled through the forms with him (yes, they do have the long-form, and, as in Canada, there seems to be little or no groundswell of opposition to filling it out). We are now officially an infinitesimal part of the Argentine statistical record, and we have a "Gracias por responder" sticker to prove it.

We'll keep you posted on these and other developing stories as they happen...