Watch Out for Argentina's Peso Crisis of 2001 -- It Still Packs a Wallop

The Peso Crisis of 2001 when Argentina defaulted on its debt left

its currency worthless and housewives beating on pots and pans --

trade literally stopped -- reduced to a barter economy. This bus

careening toward this pedestrian and labeled '2001' for the peso

crisis is literally 'out of control' -- and even in 2006, it

represents the forces of the 'devaluation' which still rules

everyday life in Argentina (A HUGE steak in a wonderful restaurant

costs about $5.00 with sauces and fine service, less if you plan

ahead.) (This photo, taken through a taxi window was my first in

Buenos Aires). Your ratings and critiques are invited and most

welcome. If you rate harshly or very critically, please submit a

helpful and constructive commentary/Please share your superior

knowledge to help improve my photography. Thanks! Enjoy! John

(BEST VIEWED LARGE)

Argentinians and those from Buenos Aires who've seen this photo didn't need any story -- they saw this photo and immediately 'understood' it.

The 'devaluation' has ruled their lives -- there are impromptu demonstrations on an ongoing basis, petetioners demonstrate before the country's highest court so that there are permanent barriers outside, and waitpersons often are happy for a 70 cent tip where a few years ago they once were haughty, and then meals cost $15.00 to $35.00 for a steak, and then it often took hours to get served, with the dollar then pegged one to one with the Argentinian Peso.

Now it's stabilized at 3 to 1, pesos to dollars, and seediness has overtaken Argentina, imports are virtually frozen out as Argentina has 'stiffed' its creditor nations so it gets few if any imports, but it has huge natural resource wealth, and Argentinians are being forced to 'make it themselves'

Home of 'Evita' and the 'tango' -- and the most white population in South America (because their forebears massacred the Indians), Argentina once thought it might stand on a par with the United States, and some people blame the US for its downfall (no wonder, it's the birthplace of Che Guevara), no matter how ridiculous that is.

It's a country famous for interesting governments/first for a military dictatorship (now gone) that 'disappeared' maybe 30,000 citizens, mostly student-age youths after torturing them.

Later it attacked what it calls the Maldives and the British call the Falkland Islands (start a fight in Argentina if you call them 'Falklands'), and got 'whupped' by the British.

It's now a democracy; and 'free speech' reigns, and while people complain of the Latin American scourge -- corruption, I'm in no position to say -- not being an expert on such things, and having had no personal encounters that suggest such a thing.

John (Crosley)

Nice shot, John. And I remember all the events you describe. Caused lots of folks to move to Chile, as I recall, as well.

Well, whatever they do or don't have in Argentina, they have artists - obviously aggravated ones. Hope you enjoy that steak.

Best Regards,

Barry

Steak here is, if you excuse the turn of words, the lingua franca, of Argentina, as they have more cattle here than New Zealand has sheep (Plus Australia, which I recall has more sheep than New Zealand, as I was told on my last trip there).

And this place is a gold mine for street shooters, although the ratings would seem not to bear me out, but if I wanted to cater to the raters, I have plent of stuff that would garner sure fire high ratings -- I m just looking to show my own interpretation of things.

Look for photos of a tatooed guy -- he stands out in the crowd so to speak.

Thanks for the kind words.

And how does this score low on originality? You know the answer, of course.

John (Crosley)

I've given up trying to explain the ratings game, John. I normally don't rate anything any more - just comment on the ones I like, interact with friends, and make new ones. If you get a photo that has a few high rates, someone will notice and come by to lower the average.

At least, that seems to be how it works.

But surely this must be pretty original.

Best,

Barry

It is always nice to stop by in your page. This one may look very nice in ''Glosy'' paper.

The History; I am from Mexico and we use to have similar ''Devaluaciones''

Best regards

Jose

Ps. I am at this moment in my 50'birdth day.

I may be a little late, depending on where you are at the moment (time zone I mean.)

I recall the many devaluaciones of 2001, and benefitted greatly from the one in Thailand -- $28 whiskey there went for $8 a bottle -- fine Scotch whiskey in supermarkets as the wholesaler went belly up, trying to scramble for cash to finance his next venture as the Thai Baht crashed and businesses everywhere went bad.

I missed the one in Argentina (until now) because there literally was NO currency at all -- a wheelbarrow full of the old currency had NO VALUE at all, the government stopped supporting it because it used up all its reserves trying to prop up the peso at a 1:1 ratio with the US dollar and eventually just defaulted -- it just gave up the ghost and still is giving up the ghost.

The result -- huge platters of meat on restaurant tables for prices that would make McDonald's at home blush, they're so cheap (but hotels aren't so cheap, as tourists have rushed here, because of low prices.) I hear it's a good place to buy custom-made leather -- those steaks were dressed in leather up to a few days before they hit the table, and somebody's got to do something with the hides. ;-))

I think you may be right about 'glossy' paper, and I may give it a try, or go back and try to find the place, stand across the calle (pronounced 'caije' -- Argentine style), and try for a new one, not from behind a taxi passenger window, all blacked out.

Thanks for the comment.

John (Crosley)

They must be passing out good ol' 'horse sense' there in Oklahoma. I saw a photo of a monkey tonight on the rate recent and it had 16 perfect 7s for aesthetics, and it was pretty ordinary. I had to click on it to discover even what it was. I was tempted to rate it 4/5 for originality and aesthetics to be honest, but I don't want to be swarmed by a bunch of 'killer bees' since my folders have taken a beating lately, but then I guess so has everybody else's who don't make 'pretty picures'.

Well, I'm not in the pretty picture game, usually, though sometimes, when I want to, I do make those photos too.

But when I post what I think is one of my 'masterpieces' of 'street photography' and somebody rates it 3/3 right out of the chute, I sometimes wonder, and then I don't have any wonder at all why Balaji first stopped submitting for rating and then left Photo.net for all intents and purposes a while back.

And he had wonderful stuff -- a true 'street artist'.

But I get millions and millions of views and God knows where they all come from, even though I seldom rank high on the rate recent ranking engine. But I also notice that Photo.net's most highly watched person, John Peri, also seldom gets high ratings, but he is one of the most viewed artists on Photo.net -- go figure.

And I know he is not attached to some mate rating game. He occasionally drops by for a comment on my photos -- always interesting -- and who knows if he rates, but I like it when he stops by. And who knows who else drops by just to read the commentaries under the photos because, coupled with the photos, they're interesting. (Like this one.)

Watch for the tattoed guy -- the guy's interesting. I posted one, maybe another and I may contact him again.

He's the kind of guy Avedon would have drooled over, and I'm kind of drooling too.

And I have 3 SB800 Nikon flashes and three flash stands, but no roll paper or holders. He's pretty friendly and probably could use a portfolio, so who knows?

Watch this space . . . as the billboard says.

Addendum: I saw the monkey photo late yesterday in the 'rate recent' and it had dropped far more than a 'notch' and was stripped of its '7s', but had a bunch of 5s and 6s for aesthetics.

It appears someone had probably created 'bogus accounts' and was rating it -- but Brian Mottershead can find bogus accounts by tracing computer processor ID numbers and similar things, and he simply deletes suspicious rates where he does inquire and a slew of suspiciously high ratings is sure to have someone tip him off - and he did right thing -- another case of where the Administration does good things for which it does not get credit by the general membership -- I want to give credit where credit it due, and permanently, so people late won't think I'm kissing rear if I mention it at a later time in some other context. I like it when things get 'fixed' automatically like that; it's part of the reason I stay, also.

May 17, 2006 end of addendum

John (Crosley)

(thanks for the nice, friendly comment)