Tag Archives: argentina

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

Original Lager Beer Yeast came from South America, not Germany! Proof that Vikings made it all the way to South America?

Researchers from around the world have been looking for the source yeast used in Lager beers.  They found it, in Argentina!

Germany has laid claim as the creator of lager beers, more than 600 years ago.  But scientists realized that the yeast used, Saccharomyces Pastorianus, is not native to Bavaria.

Scientists combed five continents, and found only one source of origin: Patagonia, Argentina.

Now the question is how did Europeans get the yeast?  After all the first German Lagers were created decades before Columbus sailed the ocean blue.   Could it be those daring Vikings who got to North America 400 years before Columbus, made it all the way to South America, then back to Europe?

Business/Economics, International

Argentina has so much wheat they’ve released 450,000 tons from their surplus stockpile

The Argentine officials announced that they have plenty of wheat.  As a result of predicted high crop yields from upcoming harvests, the government decided to issue 450,000 tons of surplus wheat.

The surplus wheat will be split up among three provences of Argentina.  Those provences can then sell the wheat on the export market.  The action was encouraged by the Argentine Interior Commerce Secretary, Guillermo Moreno.

Argentina has a policy of maintaining large wheat surpluses, for food security.

International

Evita Peron’s crown jewels recovered

Former First Lady of Argentina, Evita Peron, died in 1952.  The Dutch Royal family gave Evita the jewels as a gift.  They’re worth about $9 million.

In 2009 her ‘crown jewels’ were sent to a Spanish jeweler, but were stolen by a Serbian base criminal organization.

Spanish and Italian police found the jewels in a Milan hotel.  The hotel was being staked out because police believed it was being run by the crime gang.  So far seven people have been arrested.

Business/Economics, International, Technology

Argentina bans Smokeless cigarettes, U.S. FDA will treat them as real cigarettes

Argentina has banned smokeless cigarettes (aka electronic cigarettes), because there is no proof they help people stop smoking real cigarettes.

Electronic cigarette makers say their product is not dangerous, but Argentina says some of the aerosols used in the cigarette actually contain nicotine.

In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration lost a court battle to regulate the e-cigarettes as “drug delivery devices”.  Now the FDA says it will regulate the e-cigarettes as if they were real cigarettes.

Some U.S. states have banned smoking the e-cigarettes indoors, because they can contain nicotine.

It seems the makers of the electric cigarette don’t understand the problem with real cigarettes; they contain nicotine and are addictive.  So how can they claim you can quite smoking if their product contains nicotine?

Business/Economics, International

Argentina warns South Africa: WalMart will destroy your economy

“WalMart does not take ownership of the goods until a product is sold.”-Sofia Scasserra, FAECYS

At a labor conference in South Africa, the Argentine Federation of Commerce and Service Workers ( FAECYS ) warned of allowing WalMart to set up shop.  The warning wasn’t about labor issues, but supply issues.  They claim that since WalMart was allowed to operate in Argentina, the affects on business supply has almost destroyed the business middle class.

In Argentina WalMart operates a “spot sale” deal with its suppliers.  Basically WalMart doesn’t pay anything for the products it stocks, until they sell.  On top of that, WalMart takes three months to pay suppliers.

Another trick WalMart plays; it ships its own products in from China.  First the the products go to Brazil, then Argentina, thus avoiding tariffs.

In the case of home appliances is was discovered that WalMart forced suppliers to sell below their cost, and even give them to WalMart for free.

The result is that Argentine suppliers are going out of business.  And the result of that, is that small manufacturers in Argentina are going out of business as well.

 

International, U.S.

Argentina says slave trade being run by U.S.

Argentina is demanding help from the United Nations, in helping to fight slave trades, run mainly by organizations from the United States.

Argentina claims that U.S. organized crime is using Argentina as a recruiting grounds, and transit point, for human trafficking.  Poor people are promised well paying jobs in the U.S., but end up working for little pay, if any, and long hours.

The workers, men, women and children, not only work in industries like textiles, but, according to the U.S. Bureau of Statistics 80% end up as sex workers in the United States.

Other countries that are destination points for human trafficking are Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Belgium, Israel, Japan and Thailand.

Business/Economics, International

Booming economy in Argentina creates more homelessness

The United Nations released a study which shows that violent evictions in Argentina has increased, despite a booming economy.  The reason is inflation.  Along with a good economy comes inflation, and the cost of housing is leaving thousands of people in Argentina with nowhere to live.

Most of the evictions are from what’s called “informal” housing.  The UN reported that despite Argentina’s attempts to balance the housing issue, demand for “formal” housing still outpaces supply.  This is keeping “formal” housing costs too high for the lower income earners, who turn to “informal” (illegal) forms of housing.

 

International, U.S.

German reporter banned from U.S. due to investigation of U.S. Official kidnapping children

“It seems to me that the attitude of the State Department has to do with my investigations in the U.S. National Archives.”-Gabriela Weber, investigative journalist

Gabriela Weber, known for investigating NAZI war criminals in South America, has followed a trail of illegal child adoptions right to the United States government.  And that has gotten her banned from entering the U.S. legally.

Weber discovered that U.S. embassy officials were involved with illegal adoptions of children belonging to people who were “disappeared” during Argentina’s “dirty war“.

U.S. officials refuse to comment on the grounds it would violate the privacy of those who were “adopted”.

Weber claims that she has evidence directly linking former U.S. military attache William Desreis to the illegal “adoptions” of Argentinian children, whose parents were “disappeared” by the military dictators of Argentina, at that time (1976-1983).

Weber tried to go to the United States in 2010, to follow the trail, and confirm her findings in Argentina, but she was thrown out after only seven hours, even though she had proper visa documents.

Fukushima

Argentina tells Japan to be Honest about Nuke Disaster, If they want more help

Officials from Argentina and Japan met in Tokyo, to discuss the ongoing nuclear, and now economic, crisis in Japan.

Argentina pledged more help, but only if the Japanese government starts being honest about how bad the nuclear crisis at Fukushima Daiichi really is.  Many international observers, by their own radiation readings, believe it is much worse than what the Japanese officials say.