Sorry that I have been absent from writing, I got a case of food poisoning (not fun) last weekend and didn't really get much better until Wednesday. Needless to say, my weekend was not spent having fun outside the vicinity of my bathroom.

However, I did go to the zoo on Friday and took some pictures. A zoo is a zoo really no matter where you go, and this one was no exception. There were a few notable differences however: first, they have this awful idea where you can buy a bucket of food to throw to the animals (with the exception of the tigers and other animals that could kill you in a second). Little kids just chuck food everywhere and some of the animals get used to begging, which is not good behavior. Although it was a bit funny because there was this certain species of bear that kept jumping up on his hind legs so people would toss him a bite--kind of funny.

Also, it seemed to me that some of the more potentially dangerous animals were not contained securely enough. For example, the two lions were only separated by some reinforced glass and the white tiger (yes, there was a majestic white tiger which also majestically peed a few feet from us) was separated by the same. It was a good thing that they all seemed to be content with their lodgings, because I'm sure if they really wanted to breakout, the kitty snacks are only a paw swipe away.

Another neat thing, is that a lot of these animals actually are native to Argentina, or regions around the country because of the Amazon and diverse geography/geology.

Finally, we were looking at a group of about 6 baboons when one of the smaller ones starting taunting the biggest one. It was pretty funny until the big guy snapped and the whole cage went insane. These things were screaming and chasing after each other until the instigator finally ran to the far end of the cage--haha. Dinner and a show.









One thing I have been learning as I have been witnessing it, is that there are many protests on a weekly basis. Since my everyday route takes me next to the congress building, I end up seeing these protests EVERY time. Some of them are smaller, but some, like the other day, consisted of 5 different medical care groups all with a drum line, flashing ambulances, and extremely loud fireworks. They were of course, protesting for a salary hike. I'm told that everyone protests here, even the high school students when they feel school conditions aern't good enough. I also have learned that like Europe, there exists a gigantic (corrupt) union system here. There is a union for everything. If the subway drivers feel that they aern't being treated well, they strike; if the cabbies aern't getting good wages, they strike; if even the smallest organization feels that is is mistreated, it strikes. being the pro-capitalist, right to work person that I am, I would really like to be able to call these people bums, but I simply do not know enough about their actual situations to accurately judge.

Finally, I have found one of the best programs on television anywhere. it is called Show Match. It is very difficult to explain because the show does not really have a true format--but it is the most popular show in Argentina by a mile...or kilometer? The show is hosted by a super-rich entertainment star named Marcello Tinelli (in his forties, divorced, and has LOTS of money). The premise of the show is that there is a dance theme and there are roughly 6-8 pairs that dance and are then rated by a panel of 5 (ridiculous/flamboyant) judges. However, between each dance, there is always some random drama that is happening either on-stage or backstage amongst the members of the show or production team. Additionally, the show employs a bunch of (hilarious) gimmicks and side attractions to add to the mesh:

• a group of scantily clad women who take over for advertisements and intermissions
• a set of female twins who exist for really no reason, but are always there
• (my personal favorite) two men who always hysterically laugh at everyone and everything
• funny editing and goofy music transitions

Because this show is so sporadic, it lasts for like, 2 hours--3 days a week. I hope I can still watch it when I go home because it is really entertaining. I will have another post soon with some more stuff--and some pictures of Showmatch--it's so funny.