Argentina's presidential election

“WE WILL devote all our efforts to ending the suffering of all Argentines,” declared Alberto Fernández, Argentina’s president-elect, before a vast crowd in Chacarita, a working-class neighbourhood of Buenos Aires. “We will be the Argentina that we deserve to be.” Mr Fernández was celebrating his victory over the incumbent president, Mauricio Macri, in Argentina’s presidential election on October 27th. But Mr Macri raised similar hopes after his election four years ago, which ended 14 years of rule by the Peronist movement to which Mr Fernández belongs.

The victory by the Peronists—who secured 48% of the vote against Mr Macri’s 40% with most of the votes counted—was narrower than expected but large enough to avoid a run-off vote in December. The question is whether they can do a better job of resolving the country’s chronic economic troubles than Mr Macri did.

The election offered voters an unappetising choice between two failed models. Mr Macri’s supposedly business-friendly presidency is ending with a shrinking economy, a falling currency and with rising prices. But the years of populist rule by the Peronists that preceded it were equally calamitous. The author of that disaster, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, was Mr Fernández’s running mate (but is no relation) and will now be vice-president. When it became clear after a primary vote in August that the Fernández duo would probably win, the peso plunged by 25% and inflation surged.

The confirmation of their victory will do little to settle nerves. Even as the winners were chalking up the votes on October 27th, shopkeepers were marking up prices, anticipating further devaluation and higher inflation. Mr Macri, conceding defeat, invited the president-elect immediately to the Casa Rosada, the presidential palace. The hope is that the two can agree a “transition package” to steady the markets until Mr Fernández takes office in December. They have already signed off on tighter currency controls, announced by the central bank, limiting dollar purchases to just $200 a month, compared with the $10,000 limit imposed in September, to limit a run on the peso.

The election result did not resolve the question of which Fernández would truly succeed Mr Macri: Alberto, the president-elect, or Cristina, the charismatic former president who elevated Alberto from backstage operative to presidential frontman. “The unknown is what is going to be the real relationship between the two of them as the Peronists come back,” said Eduardo D’Alessio, a pollster.

Mr Fernández served as the cabinet chief of Néstor Kirchner, Cristina’s late husband and Argentina’s president from 2003 to 2007. That government oversaw a robust recovery from the default and distress of 2001-02. It strong-armed most of Argentina’s creditors to accept a deep discount in the value of their bonds, repaid the IMF early and boasted a string of budget surpluses. It is now known as “Good Kirchnerism”.

Mr Fernández’s running mate, however, is associated with the bad sort of Kirchnerism. Having succeeded her husband as president, Ms Fernández presided over years of economic mismanagement, culminating in a bloated public sector, gaping fiscal deficit and an inflation rate that was so alarming her government refused to measure it properly.

Which kind of Kirchnerism won Sunday’s election? The early signs are mixed. In the closing days of the campaign, Mr Fernández insisted he and his running-mate were inseparable. “But that was the candidate speaking,” said one of his inner circle, as the president-elect celebrated his victory. “He knows he has to cut the cord if he is to stabilise this economy, and win time for recovery from this economic mess.”

One clue to his intentions will be his choice of treasury minister. The two leading candidates, Matías Kulfas and Guillermo Nielsen, are both veterans of the Kirchners’ long rule. But their economic reputations differ. Mr Nielsen has encouraged bondholders and the IMF to show patience with the new government. He cites the example of Uruguay, which repaid its creditors after its 2002 crisis slowly but fully, without subjecting them to a “haircut”. The model may not work in Argentina given the size of its debts (approaching 90% of GDP, according to JP Morgan, a bank) and weakness of its currency. But investors have welcomed the sentiment.

Mr Nielsen, who led Argentina’s negotiations with the IMF from 2003 to 2005, may have to reprise that role as Argentina seeks to manage its debts, including its existing $57bn loan from the fund. With Mr Nielsen likely to focus on debt management, Mr Kulfas appears to be the favourite for the top economic job. Those who know him describe him as a traditional Peronist in his economic thinking. “So expect protectionism, interventionism, strict currency controls to limit capital flight,” said a former senior official.

A little more conversation
Other election results will also have a bearing on the struggle for power within the Peronist movement. The province of Buenos Aires, home to almost 40% of Argentina’s population, elected Axel Kicillof as governor. A former minister of the economy under Ms Fernández, he will have an influential voice. And it is not an entirely reassuring one. “The economic situation we inherit today represents scorched earth, the ultimate failure of neoliberalism,” Mr Kicillof declared at the Peronists’ victory celebration, using the sort of language that scares markets.

Even so, other results suggest those scorching “neoliberals” may still have a say in how Argentina is governed. A member of Mr Macri’s party won re-election as mayor of the city of Buenos Aires by an overwhelming margin. And the populous provinces of Córdoba, Santa Fe and Mendoza also gave decisive support to Mr Macri’s alliance. As a consequence, his coalition looks likely to form the largest group in the lower house (although Mr Fernández’s alliance will control the senate).

“The good news is we have two broadly based coalitions coming out of this,” concluded Sergio Berensztein, a political analyst. The Peronists will have to seek allies rather than berate their enemies. With luck, Mr Macri will have left a political legacy of “conversation, not conflict”, Mr Berensztein notes.

From The Ecomomist

Solitary confinement

Part A -   Please read the article so as to get the main ideas

Tony Medina is polite man with heavily tattooed arms. Like all those confined at the Allan B. Polunsky Unit, he is dressed in white. The prison’s grey buildings hold 214 death-row convicts.

He was convicted in 1996, aged 21, for a drive-by shooting that killed two children at a new-year party. Since then, for 23 years, he has been awaiting execution. In Texas the death penalty is applied to those found guilty of a heinous crime who are also judged to be a threat to others.

At first he shared a cell. Then, after other prisoners tried an escape in 1998, all death-row inmates were shifted to solitary. He complains that this is agony. “I wasn’t sentenced to solitary confinement. I was sentenced to death.” Every day since, for 19 years, he has been alone for 23 hours inside a concrete box measuring 7 feet by 11 feet. Guards pass trays of food through a slat in a door.

In his cell he reads (at the moment a series about survivalists), writes or sometimes paints. Relations and volunteers, mostly European women, visit and send messages. Inmates shout to each other, cell-to-cell. But Texas, unlike some states, denies solitary prisoners any physical contact, other than frequent body inspections by guards. He says he last touched a relative, hugging his mother, on August 1st 1996.

Other states with the death penalty, and federal prisons, have less strict conditions. In many, young inmates and those with mental-health problems are no longer isolated for long.

Mr Medina believes Texas goes on isolating its death-row prisoners out of vindictiveness, not because of security. He calls the practice outright “torture”, “cruel and inhumane”, a means of “intimidation to break a person mentally” before his execution. On average a death-row prisoner in Texas waits nearly 11 years before being put to death; the longest wait was 31 years.

Many inmates suffer mental deterioration, and some turn to suicide, says Mr Medina. Prisoners grow anxious from isolation and sensory deprivation and obsessed by what they see as official malevolence.

His response echoes the words of Albert Woodfox, a prisoner kept in solitary confinement in Louisiana for 40 years who was released in 2016, aged 69, after eventually proving he had been wrongfully convicted. Mr Woodfox recently published a book, “Solitary”, in which he writes that “the fight for sanity never goes away” and says he “shut my emotional system down” to cope with being locked away alone.

At issue is not whether to punish the guilty. It is whether America should treat even its worst offenders like this.

Part B -   Join the two sentences using linkers

1. Tony Medina has never liked white clothes. He must wear them in prison
2. He was convicted in 1996, aged 21. He had killed two children at a new-year party.  
3. At first he shared a cell. Then, after other prisoners tried an escape in 1998, all death-row inmates were shifted to solitary.
4. Texas denies solitary prisoners any physical contact. There are frequent body inspections by guards.
5. Albert Woodfox, a prisoner kept in solitary confinement in Louisiana for 40 years, was released in 2016, aged 69. He eventually proved he had been wrongfully convicted.

Part C -   Ask questions so as to get the underlined answers  

1. The prison’s grey buildings hold 214 death-row convicts.
2. Medina was convicted in 1996, aged 21, for a drive-by shooting that killed two children at a new-year party.
3. Since then, for 23 years, he has been awaiting execution
4. At first he shared a cell. Then, after other prisoners tried an escape in 1998, all death-row inmates were shifted to solitary.
5. For 19 years, he has been alone for 23 hours inside a concrete box measuring 7 feet by 11 feet. 
6. In his cell he reads, writes or sometimes paints.
7. Texas, unlike some states, denies solitary prisoners any physical contact, other than frequent body inspections by guards. 
8. Other states with the death penalty, and federal prisons, have less strict conditions. In many, young inmates and those with mental-health problems are no longer isolated for long.
9. Medina calls the practice outright “torture”, “cruel and inhumane”, a means of “intimidation to break a person mentally” before his execution.
10. On average a death-row prisoner in Texas waits nearly 11 years before being put to death. 
11. The longest wait was 31 years. 
12. Prisoners grow anxious from isolation and sensory deprivation.

From The Economist (edited)

Using soccer to foster normality (TED Talk)

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Always is taking the female symbol off its packaging

Transgender activists publicly urged Procter & Gamble to redesign its Always pad wrapper without the gender symbol, a circle atop a cross. Their arguments were that not all people who menstruate are women and that not all women menstruate.

Procter & Gamble, Always' parent company, announced that Always sanitary products will remove the Venus symbol, historically used to represent the female sex, from its products to be inclusive of transgender and nonbinary  customers.

"For over 35 years Always has championed girls and women, and we will continue to do so," Procter & Gamble said Tuesday in a statement. "We're also committed to diversity & inclusion and are on a continual journey to understand the needs of all of our consumers."

The change is the latest in a series of actions companies and governments  are taking to affirm the identities of transgender people as transgender equality activism surges. Companies including Lyft, Mastercard and Tinder  are making similar moves.

Procter & Gamble has not said when the design change will happen.

"We routinely assess our products, packaging, & designs, taking into account consumer feedback, to ensure we are meeting the needs of everyone who uses our products," the company's statement said.

However, not everyone was happy with the change.

Feminist campaigner Julie Bindel said: "Removing the female symbol from sanitary towel packaging is basically denying the existence of women.

"We’re now moving towards the total elimination of women’s biology. The women’s symbol has been used by feminists for decades. This is pure cowardice and virtue signalling from these big corporate brands who are capitulating to the trans agenda."

Lizzi Watson, added: "Biological women should just boycott the brand, then they might realise real women have feelings too, which they have somehow ignored."

 

From CNN (edited)

Yoga Instructors Are Unionizing (audio)

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A smart apron (video)

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Revamped Empire State Building

On Saturday, a glass observatory deck will open on the 102nd floor of the Empire State Building that will offer 360-degree views of the city. The opening marks the beginning of what designers call the “Observatory Experience,” the result of four years and $165 million in renovations aimed at solving nagging complaints — long lines, big crowds, congestion — about the building’s exhibit space and observatory decks, and making the visit more engaging. After entering the building, now through 34th Street instead of Fifth Avenue, visitors pass by enthralling art deco architecture and a 24-foot model of the building before entering into the 10,000-square-foot exhibit space. The digitally driven, dynamic exhibition helps usher visitors toward elevators that transport them, in 55 seconds, to the 86th-floor deck. Visitors can go to the 102nd floor by paying an additional $20 on top of the package cost for the exhibit and trip to the 86th floor. An assortment of perks, like private tours and skip-the-line passes, are also available in packages that cost up to $460. The changes are likely to make the revamped observatory a "must-see even for native New Yorkers". “It is, simply, a sight unmatched,” Jean-Yves Ghazi, president of the Empire State Realty Trust, the company that owns the building, said on Thursday as he stood next to a window pane on the 102nd-floor observatory. “We are the pin on the map that holds this city together,” he added. “There’s a lot of meaning here. The height isn’t the marker; it’s about the iconic status of this place.” The perch on 102nd floor will offer groups of about 55 people a chance to view New York from  the highest 360-degree panorama in the city. The observatory is completely transparent. Those who dare can look directly down to the streets below. But really, the best views are straight ahead. Observers can see each of the boroughs and the surrounding areas.

You can also watch this CBS video by clicking HERE From The New York Times (edited)

Women allowed to attend a football match (audio)

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Saudi Arabia relaxes rules to boost tourism

Saudia Arabia has lifted some restrictions on women traveling in the ultraconservative Muslim kingdom.

The Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage posted the new requirements on Twitter on Sunday. The new guidelines will allow women to rent hotel rooms without a male guardian’s presence. Foreign men and women will be able to share a room without proof of marriage.

The easing of stringent regulations governing social interactions comes after Riyadh launched its first tourist visa scheme, as part of efforts to open up the country to foreign visitors and diversify its oil-reliant economy.

The move comes amid deep reforms over the past year by the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, who has lifted a ban on cinemas in the kingdom and the world’s only ban on women driving.

Saudi Arabia announced the new tourist visa scheme last week, saying it was aiming to increase tourism and hoping to push its contribution to GDP from its current 3% to 10%. For the launch of its new visa, the country was highlighting its five Unesco World Heritage sites, contemporary art sites and natural sites including the Red Sea, desert and mountains.

The one-year, multiple-entry visa scheme allows for stays of up to 90 days at a time and marks the first time the country is allowing foreigners to visit solely for the purpose of tourism. Citizens of 49 eligible countries can apply online or on arrival, while those from other countries will have to apply at their nearest Saudi embassy or consulate.

As part of the drive to attract foreign visitors, the kingdom is easing its strict dress codes for tourist women, requiring shoulders and knees to be covered in public but not demanding they wear the full-body black robe, or abaya.

From The Guardian (edited)

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Woman discovers masterpiece in kitchen

 "Christ Mocked" painted by Cimabue a.k.a Cenni de Pepo in 1280 

An early Renaissance masterpiece by the Florentine painter Cimabue has been discovered in a kitchen on the outskirts of a town north of Paris.

Christ Mocked, by the 13th-century artist who taught Giotto, is estimated to be worth €4m-€6m.

The work went unnoticed for years in the house of a woman in her 90s near the northern French town of Compiègne. It had been hanging between her open-plan kitchen and her living room, arousing little interest from the family, who assumed it was a standard religious icon. Although it was placed directly above a hotplate for cooking food, the picture was in good condition.

In June this year, when the woman decided to sell her house and move away, she contacted an expert to look at the contents, furniture and furnishings of the 1960s-built house in case some of it could be sold.

“I had a week to give an expert view on the house contents and empty it,” expert Philomène Wolf told Le Parisien.

Wolf said she spotted the painting as soon as she entered the house. “You seldom see something of such quality. I immediately thought it was a work of Italian primitivism. But I didn’t imagine it was a Cimabue.”

The auctioneer asked the woman to bring the painting, measuring 20cm by 24cm, to experts for an evaluation. She thought there might be a sale price of €300,000-€400,000.

Paris art experts gave their view on the painting’s origin and valued the painting at millions. About 100 other objects from the house were sold for around €6,000 and the remaining furniture and decorations were disposed of at the local dump.

The woman and her family have insisted on remaining anonymous. But they told the auction house that for years they had thought it was simply an old religious icon from Russia. The woman said she had no idea how the small painting had come into the family’s hands.

The painting is a rare work by the Florence-born Cimabue, also known as Cenni di Pepo, one of the pioneering artists of the early Italian Renaissance. Only 11 works painted on wood have been attributed to him, none of them signed.

The painting from the kitchen will be sold by the Acteon auction house in Senlis late this month.

From The Guardian (edited)
 Photograph: Philippe Lopez/AFP/Getty Images

A cat, Instagram and a success story (video)

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An old church, a new beer house.(captions)

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Sports competition for fans

The early stages of this year’s rugby World Cup provided one of the greatest upsets in the event’s 32-year history. On September 28th, the hosts, Japan, beat Ireland for the first time ever. The result sparked loud celebrations around the country. Japanese TV presenters bowed in front of images of the victors before reading the news. The commissioner of the Japan Sports Agency boasted that his country had rewritten sporting history.

The sport’s bosses are hoping that such standout events will attract more than its usual followers. Rugby and other games are increasingly concerned about their commercial future. Technology allows fans to watch any game at any time from anywhere. That, combined with a growing world population, means sports audiences are bigger than ever. But growth in revenues has slowed, according to PWC, a consultancy.  An annual decline of 3% in the number of minutes watched per game per sport per year is common.

This pressure is leading to increasingly intense competition between sports for fans’ money and attention. The stakes are high. Sport is a serious business, generating around $90bn a year.

Football remains indisputably the world’s favourite sport. It generates revenues of around $40bn a year, almost twice as much as the next most lucrative sport, American football, five times as much as basketball and 20 times as much as cricket. The women’s game has galvanised the sport still further - this year’s women’s World Cup was watched by more than a billion viewers. And football’s popularity has soared in China and America, especially among young people.

No sport will dislodge football. But others can learn from its success. Sports need to adapt to modern viewing habits. They need to break into new markets. Doing so involves more than simply staging matches in new countries—it means finding home-grown stars from these markets.

Sports can open international tournaments to new players. Since 2002 basketball has doubled the number of teams in the men’s World Cup to 32. Rugby is considering boosting its cup from 20 countries to 24. The rationale is simple: viewership in countries is inevitably higher when they compete in a world cup. “The more inclusive you make sports, the wider the market is going to be,” says Dave Berri, a sports economist from Southern Utah University. Football is, once again, the world leader in this regard. It recently expanded its World Cup to allow 48 teams to compete. The next women’s cup will include 32 countries, compared with 24 in the most recent one.

Holding such competitions in new markets also helps. Rugby has been cautious, but after taking the 2019 World Cup to Japan—the first time the event has been staged outside the sport’s traditional strongholds—it now intends to hold either the 2027 or 2031 tournament in America. Basketball’s next World Cup will be held in Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines.

Foreign star players are a powerful tool to keep fans watching. The success of basketball in China—which hosted this year’s World Cup—is an example.

Basketball’s achievements in China are partly down to one man. In 2002 Yao Ming became the first Chinese player to be the top pick in the NBA draft. That marked the start of a brilliant career in America. Finding a star always involves luck. But the NBA improved its chances through its grassroots work in China. It established offices there as far back as 1992. It has played exhibition games in China since 2004, long before any other professional American sports league.

The NBA has capitalised on Mr Yao’s popularity and used it to expand basketball’s reach still further. It now has three academies in China, as well as others in Australia, Mexico, India and Senegal.

Such investment helps explain why basketball players in America have become a markedly more international bunch. In 1980 the league had only four foreign players, from just four countries beyond America. By 2000 the league had 36 non-American players, from 24 different countries. It now boasts 108, representing 42 nationalities. The figure remains well short of Premier League football in Britain, whose players hailed from 64 countries last year. But it comfortably outstrips similar leagues in other sports.

Yet perhaps the biggest lesson of all from the NBA’s success is the extent to which playing a sport makes people watch it.  In new territories, people who participate in a particular sport are 68 times more likely to be committed fans. There are now 600,000 basketball courts in China, giving players plenty of places to dream of becoming the next Mr Yao.

Basketball has done better than its competitors at learning the lessons of football’s success. PWC reckons that among the big sports other than football, basketball will see the greatest increase in revenues in the coming years. The world seems to have settled on its second-favourite sport. 

From The Economist (edited)