January 2010
1 post
6 tags
I'm not a gymnast.
So I guess it’s been about a month since I updated, and it’s about time to get back on the horse. For those of you that check the site semi-regularly, sorry for being a terrible blogger, but many thanks for reading.
I have been trying to resist reading English news sources so I’m not going to touch on anything that is socially relevant to anyone in the US in this post, but I...
December 2009
2 posts
WatchLast Saturday I went to a San Telmo game with some friends from the barrio. San Telmo’s fútbol squad is a third division team whose stadium is out of commission, so went to the game in a neighborhood closer to my house. Above is a clip from the game. I think the experience is best summarized as “Lessons Learned”.
Lessons Learned:
Don’t wear ANY jersey while walking...
Expert Opinion. →
UM´s own Juan Cole with an opposing view on the new war. Check it out.
November 2009
6 posts
Piqueteros
Protests, or manifestaciones, are such an important part of the Argentine national identity that they are considered tourist attractions here. In class today, my teacher mentioned today’s protest as if it were a holiday. If a protest of thousands of feminist activists descended upon the White House, surely it would be a newspiece in the Washington Post. And yet on the front page of La...
The Future is Now. Or 2020, rather. →
“Surfing the web with the power of your thoughts.” Absurd.
If you're obese, don't go to Peru.
Well The Jaunt has been neglected for about two weeks now, and it’s time to bring it back to working order.
First order of business: I’m back in Argentina, living in Buenos Aires, where a miraculous shelter scenario has fallen into my hands. Ï’ll be staying, for at least a month, in my own house outside the city center. It’s a fairly large house, with beautiful a terrace...
2 tags
Lost Luggage?
I’ve always wondered why there aren’t more enterprising thieves doing this sort of thing. The NY Times writes:
Two people the police say stole up to 1,000 pieces of luggage from baggage claim carousels at Phoenix’s airport have been arrested.
I suppose one of the reasons why it doesn’t make sense for thieves to do this is that the suitcases are probably mostly filled with...
October 2009
10 posts
Misinformed Malthusians
An article in this week’s The Economist argues that population policy is not nearly as important as policy to make energy consumption more efficient, as the population dilemma theory provided by Malthus before the industrial revolution is, 200 years later, not surprisingly irrelevant.
As our briefing shows, the fertility rate of half the world is now 2.1 or less—the magic number that is...
Hostel Alternative. →
This website, where you can rent shelter ranging from a couch to a luxurious abode during your travels, is a pretty cool idea.
Freudian Argentina →
32% of Argentines have visited a therapist at some point, according to the WSJ, and the country leads the world in the number of shrinks per capita.
Blackmail and Capitalism
A piece in The New Yorker this week analyzes the philosophical conundrum behind blackmail in light of the recent Letterman case. The main argument, as stated by economist Walter Block, is:
…blackmail, like smoking, is “yucky” but should be legal. “He only threatened to be a gossip—maybe a screenwriter,” he said of Halderman. “Screenwriting and gossiping are legal. If it’s legal to do it,...
John Mayer →
Serious ‘tude from the Mayman.
GQ's Washington Power Brokers →
Number 33 is Jon Favreau, the Head Speechwriter for Obama not the actor, who seems to have it pretty made. Dating Rashida Jones, daughter of Quincy and actress on The Office, and writing speeches for the world’s most powerful man (at age 28) isn’t a bad gig.
Life in Medellin →
Fortunately Latin American culture is not absolutely contiguous, or perhaps Buenos Aires would be more like Medellin, which would be a scary thing. This article is about Columbian hitmen - whose stories are literally something out of a movie.
The Jaunt is back.
The author is moving back to Buenos Aires, Argentina, shortly, and therefore thought it fitting to re-launch The Jaunt in HI-FI for your viewing ears. In addition to an aesthetically mind-boggling interface, The Jaunt is now offering news updates, interesting articles, music babble, photography, and — of course — the terribly cliché flagship feature that is travel writing. Since we...
June 2009
2 posts
Trabajo Time.
I am now an intern at WUBA - whatsupbuenosaires.com and Zizek Records. Check them out.
Both of these companies, owned and directed by Grant Dull (DJ El G), have a ton going on. WUBA is the leading place to go in BsAs to find out whats going on artistically, culturally, musically and so on. Zizek is a small, but surprisingly international, record label that is a launch pad for artists in the...
Alive in BsAs.
So it has occurred to me that there are actually still a few visitors to The Jaunt, and that most of you who have visited at some point might like to know that I did make it to Buenos Aires and that I am, indeed, alive. I’ve had trouble trying to speak about Buenos Aires without using clichés, a testament to the fact that Business School doesn’t teach you to be a wordsmith, but I will tell you...
May 2009
50 posts
Vamo.
Unfortunately this has to be a short post, as I (Jack) am leaving for Buenos Aires in about an hour. Once I settle in a bit (which will hopefully only take a day or so), I’ll start taking Spanish classes at the University of Buenos Aires and looking for an apartment. I’ll be coming back August 2nd, and should be making some posts throughout the summer, so check back every now and...
WatchBlack Cat at Opiniao.
The Drums.
Beco, a club synonomous with the drums, tonight. Tomorrow we are going to be heading out of town for a few days to a small German/Italian town, called Gramado, a few hours away. Gramado is also home to what looks to be a fantastic achitectural contrivance called, “Mini Mundo.” Hopefully there are some other tourist gems in Gramado. Pictures below.
We won’t have access to a...
The Wolf.
Nyaaaa-heyyyyy. We wake up to breakfast c/o Jorge and hit the open road around 1. We travel through wine country, get lost a few times, and make it to the dirt path that leads to the Fortaleza canyons after a few hours. Navigating the dirt path in the Chevy Life is hell. It take more than a half an hour to make the safari-like journey to the foot of the hill overlooking the canyon. We sprint...
That’s the best sauerkraut…I EVA' HAD!
SAUERKRAUT FESTIVAL 2009! Never in my life would I have expected to attend a Sauerkraut Festival (don’t let the nomenclature mislead you, it wasn’t only a sauerkraut festival but rather a sort of German heritage party) in Brazil of all places. So when Fabricio invited us to go to SauerFest 09, I was a bit reticent. We wake up around 9 AM and head to Localiza Rent-A-Car to pick up a Chevy Life,...
