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Report Card: BA Government “Making Up For Lost Time”

On December 14, 2009, In arts & entertainment, competitiveness, culture, foreign investment, lifestyle, technology, visionaries, by InvestBA
All first graders in BA schools study English today; only 2 schools offered classes in 2001.

All first graders in BA schools study English today; only 2 schools offered such classes in 2001.

December is usually the time for making resolutions for the year ahead, but the Government of the City of Buenos Aires is looking back and celebrating the many achievements since December 2007 when conservative Mauricio Macri was elected Mayor. “In 2 years, we accomplished more than in the last 10,” declares the city’s microsite, “We’re making up for lost time.” The accomplishments are numerous and organized into eight broad categories including Health (20 new Health Centers, 35 new ambulances), Education & Culture (Broadband connectivity in 98% of schools, record attendance at Buenos Aires festivals), Economic Development (an emerging Technology District, the opening of an Investor Assistance Center for foreign investors), and Security (the new Metropolitan Police force, a state-of-the-art Urban Monitoring Center). Another noteworthy achievement is designed to prepare the next generation of porteños for a more competitive global environment: English as a Second Language is now being taught in all first grade classes in the City; second and third grades will be added in 2010 and 2011, respectively. The website is a shining example of transparency and accountability for a city government that has delivered on many 2007 campaign promises, is working today to improve the quality-of-life in Buenos Aires  and is preparing for Bicentennial celebrations in 2010. Hence, the new website’s tagline: Hicimos, Hacemos, Haremos (We Did It, We Are Doing It, We Will Do It).

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Animation Nation: History & Talent Define Argentina

On December 12, 2009, In arts & entertainment, foreign investment, visionaries, by InvestBA
Argentine animators were the driving force behind the brilliant Mama Lucchetti campaign.

Argentine animators were the driving force behind the brilliant Mamá Lucchetti campaign.

The best and brightest in the world of animation converged on Buenos Aires last month for the International Animation Festival, Expotoons. And while animation teams from Germany, France and the U.K. took home first prize in three of the Festival’s main categories, a talented Argentine team took home the gold in the Best T.V. Commercial category for the “Master of the Sopas” ad in the Mamá Lucchetti campaign. A celebration of hard-working, time-starved Argentine mothers, Lucchetti advertisements feature beautiful, bizarre-looking animated characters and the Muppet’s famous Manha-Manha song. The Madre agency and Pepper Melon studio in BA were the driving force behind the new look of Lucchetti, and their website features a fascinating overview of the character design process beginning with pencil sketches. Variety’s Charles Newbery says its the local mastery of this “old-school skill” that sets Argentine animation apart and puts Latin America in position to challenge Asia for a larger share of the global animation pie. This would truly make the late Quirino Cristiani smile. Cristiani was the Argentine animation director and cartoonist who directed the world’s first animated feature film using cardboard cutouts and political satire to oppose then-President Yrigoyen. Today, almost a century later, the current generation of Argentine animators are making their own mark, and according to Variety’s Newberrry, “international buyers, distributors and producers are taking note.”

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“If You Want A Bargain, Argentina Is It.”

On November 23, 2009, In foreign investment, lifestyle, real estate, tourism, visionaries, by InvestBA

Attendees at last month's Salon del Mercado Inmobiliario 2009 learn about various projects.

Attendees at last month's Salon del Mercado Inmobiliario 2009 learn about various real estate developments.

International Speculator sits down with global investor Doug Casey for a candid assessment of the global real estate market status quo and prospects for future growth and appreciation. The U.S. is definitely not high on Casey’s list, where he predicts the average American’s standard of living “will drop significantly” in the coming years…if it hasn’t already. And while he has personally had good timing with investments in Spain and Hong Kong, he’s not very bullish on Europe, Central Asia, Africa or the Middle East for reasons ranging from overvaluation to “voracious” governments to shifting demographics. So what options does that leave a real estate investing globetrotter in today’s environment? “South America,” says Casey, “I think it’s going to have its day in the sun. I think Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay are the places to be in South America. Brazil has gotten too expensive. Bolivia and Paraguay are too screwed up. I like the “Southern Cone” countries, and among them, for reasons we’ve discussed at length in the International Speculator, I think Argentina offers the best speculative opportunities.” And Casey finishes the interview with a more targeted plug for Argentina and Uruguay based on his own observations: “I see a lot of European immigration headed to Argentina. Europeans that come to Argentina, or Uruguay, for that matter, are going to realize that real estate costs a tenth of what it does in Europe. They’ll realize that this is the place to be for real estate, and lifestyle in general.” For more information on Casey Research, click here.

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Investing in Argentina & Faith in Santo Emiliano

On November 17, 2009, In foreign investment, tourism, visionaries, by InvestBA
A park bench in Plaza Intendente Seeber in the Palermo neighborhood of Buenos Aires

A park bench in Plaza Intendente Seeber in the Palermo neighborhood of Buenos Aires

William Bonner, author of The New Empire of Debt: The Rise and Fall of an Epic Financial Bubble, tells Daily Reckoning readers why they should diversify out of their home countries and shares a personal anecdote from Recoleta to restore your faith in humanity…or at least in city park workers in Buenos Aires. (Full article) Bonner says “the go-go finance-based economies of the Anglo-Saxon world have peaked out,” so investors should be looking at Latin America. He feels Argentina “will be spared the big problems” of the most recent global crisis, and investors should expect higher returns vs. the U.S. over the next 20 years. The second half of Bonner’s piece uses a friend’s travel anecdote to counter some lingering stereotypes about Buenos Aires. A random purse-snatching in Recoleta has a happy ending when the woman receives the following, painstakingly-translated e-mail from a City of Buenos Aires Public Spaces worker: “Hi good afternoon, my name is Emiliano, is that i work doing maintenance of parks and squares in the area of Palermo, and in one of the trash bins encontre a series of documentation to its name and among other things i could detect this mail…i leave my mobile Phone in order to combine a meeting so that you can restore their belongings, but more, i dismissal of you carefully.” Such a tale leaves you wondering just where would we be without good Samaritans, Google Translate and Santo Emiliano?

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Argentine Executives Searching for IDEAs

On November 3, 2009, In competitiveness, foreign investment, visionaries, by InvestBA
Attendees of the 45th Annual IDEA Conference in Mar del Plata seek answers on global competitiveness

Attendees of the 45th Annual IDEA Conference seek answers on global competitiveness

One of Argentina’s most prestigious—and probing—private sector gatherings took place last week at the 45th Annual IDEA Conference in Mar del Plata. Over 800 Argentine executives met in the coastal resort town to ponder one giant question: Why is Argentina not more competitive on the global stage? Electronic voting commenced on the Conference’s Opening Day…hands on buzzers…top five answers are on the board. And in a pro-capitalist blast across the bow of the ruling Kirchner administration, an overwhelming 60% of those in attendance said “Public policies that take the life out of macroeconomic gains” were the primary obstacles hampering Argentina’s global competitiveness. According to La Nación, another 30% of respondents shared the blame with their political rivals and chose, “The Inability of Politicians and Businessmen to Adapt to the International Environment.” The IDEA debate and self-criticism comes on the heels of the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report 2009-10 which ranked Argentina 85th out of 133 countries surveyed. According to the Report, the primary negative hurting Argentina’s overall ranking is the lack of confidence in the ethical standards of many of the country’s politicians.  Julián Rooney, VP of Public Affairs at Minera Alumbrera offered a positive spin at IDEA ‘09, “Argentina has incredible opportunities to keep growing. But we need to maintain clear (i.e., political) rules of the game in the long-term.”

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