Monday, September 29, 2008

VP Debate this Thursday



Ready for round 2? After a full house last Friday, DAA is back at El Sacramento, this time for the VP debate between Fearless Joe and Painful (to listen to) Palin.

Everybody expects this to be a route, but to tell you the truth, I'm worried. Why? Well, what does Palin have to lose? If you have seen her interviews, especially the last one on CBS with Katie Couric, that inspired the equally funny SNL skit,




she has set the bar so low that everyone expects Biden to sweep the floor with her. John McCain has been forced into heroic efforts to divert the public's attention from his running mate. But given Biden's history of putting his foot in his mouth and the easier debate format insisted upon by the McCain campaign, I think Palin may escape unscathed and maybe even have a shot at a hail mary.

Who do you think will get the best of the VP debate?

Monday, September 22, 2008

Let's get ready to ruuumble! DAA's Debate Watching Party this Friday


This friday at 8pm at The Sacramento on El Salvador 5729 in Palermo Hollywood, Barack "Any time, Any where, Bring it on!" Obama takes on John "Go ahead...Make my day" McCain in a rated P for Presidential, smack down debate.

Democrats Abroad Argentina is organizing the Debate Watching Party as a fundraiser so there will be a very reasonable entrance charge of 10 pesos which includes 2 screens one in English, (the other in Español so invite your Argentine friends to learn about our electoral process ) Proceeds will also go towards their continued efforts to register voters and in particular fund printing for "No Postage Necessary" envelopes for the Federal Write-in Absentee Ballots. As an extra they are also helping people take advantage of FedEx's "election special" which will get you a rate of $15 rather than their usual $50.

Due to the late conventions, if you want to have your vote counted this year you will very likely need to go the FedEx route to have it arrive in time. If you are on the fence on whether you should go through this effort, give yourself extra motivation and check out the NYtimes Election map and see where your state stands on your candidate. Your vote can really make a difference in this election!

Also in between watching Obama and McCain swap elbows, cloth-lines and body slams and enjoying a beverage at the bar, consider volunteering your time for this event. They need help to greet people at the door, register voters and sell Obama buttons and shirts.

This is one of those golden opportunities for expats that I've written about previously. If you are new in town, it's a great way to meet folks. If you are not so new in town, like me...it's a great way to expand your network. I've already volunteered myself! For more details on how you can volunteer, contact Maria Ramirez of Democrats Abroad Argentina or let me know and I'll put you in touch.

And in case you are wondering...yes, that is Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka my favorite from way back when. I think he even invented the move off the top rope. (photo from the wrestlingmuseum.com)

Who was your favorite WW(F) wrestler?

Friday, September 19, 2008

Moving Abroad? Get insider info from expats on the ground anywhere

I'm not sure if this counts as part of one's 15 minutes of fame, but I got interviewed for expatinterviews.com. No lights, no camera, just a little action: a pleasant email from a woman named Lizza asking me to fill out a questionnaire about living in Argentina that would be posted to their website.

Getting random emails from people who you don't know, asking you to spill your guts about a place and yourself, to be published on somebody else's web page can be emotional. I felt surprised when I received the mail, followed by a little suspicious, then curious and finally convinced. All in less than 10 minutes. What a roller coaster!

What convinced me to do it was:

  1. The quality of interviews already published and information available about the owners of the site
  2. The overall value this site gives to those looking to move abroad (not just Argentina, but anywhere)
  3. Link Love
  4. The fact that a couple of the interviews are with expats I know here to be good peeps
This site is a must read for anyone looking to move abroad. Though my responses and my shout out links for other interesting sites in Argentina were pared down , none of my thoughts, opinions or recommendations were changed. Multiply this by the hundreds of interviews from hundreds of countries and you have some fascinating insight into taking your next step.

Check out the full interview at: http://www.expatinterviews.com/argentina/jonathan-harada.html

What other sources would you recommend for wanna-be or gotta-be expats?

Update 9/23/08: After reading this post, Lizza sent an email to me apologizing for the missing links explaining it was an oversight and that she had made the corrections. In my opinion, this is yet another reason why expatriotinterviews.com deserves your participation. Thanks Lizza for your follow up.