UruguayLiving.com » History http://www.uruguayliving.com The best lifestyle in the world for the price... Fri, 19 Feb 2010 11:39:35 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 Memorial Day Thoughts http://www.uruguayliving.com/2008/05/24/memorial-day-thoughts/ http://www.uruguayliving.com/2008/05/24/memorial-day-thoughts/#comments Sat, 24 May 2008 14:31:52 +0000 The Southron http://www.uruguayliving.com/2008/05/24/memorial-day-thoughts/ Monday is the Memorial Day holiday in the United States. It is a holiday which honors those who gave their lives fighting in America’s wars.

Even though I am NOT a fan of post Ronald Reagan America, I cannot help but wonder what kind of world we would live in, even here in Uruguay, without the sacrifices made by those brave men and women honored by this day.

(For those of you whose roots are NOT in the USA (or CSA), this may be of little interest to you–but since mine are, as are those of many of my readers, I hope you will indulge me.)

I have often said that Americans should sing the last verse of The Star Spangled Banner to remind them of what the US is supposed to be about. That verse bears repeating here:

Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war’s desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav’n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: “In God is our trust.”
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

I suspect most of you have neither heard nor seen those words before.

One cause that was undoubtedly “just” (except to a few ultra-conspiracy aficionados) was the war against Hitler’s Nazi Germany. If you read history closely, you will find that Nazi Germany had a huge influence here in South America. If you don’t believe me, you simply need to remember Juan Peron, the Argentine fascist who learned his trade in Berlin.

We probably would not have a safe and free Uruguay to live in had not men and women from the US and its allies fought and died destroying Nazism!

While I hate what America has become, I will not forget, nor allow to be forgotten, the America that was “A Shining City on a Hill”. It was made thus by freemen, both in war and peace whom we should honor.

May God bless them and may their memory be eternal! Vicnaja pamjat!

But all that is in the past and we must live in the NOW.

And so we move on with our lives in this new land–embracing all that is good here, while bringing the good things from our heritage with us…and leaving the bad behind.

God bless and preserve Uruguay; and keep her in peace so we never need to celebrate a Memorial for our war dead here!

]]> http://www.uruguayliving.com/2008/05/24/memorial-day-thoughts/feed/ 1 Do they have the 18th of July in the United States? http://www.uruguayliving.com/2007/07/18/do-they-have-the-18th-of-july-in-the-united-states/ http://www.uruguayliving.com/2007/07/18/do-they-have-the-18th-of-july-in-the-united-states/#comments Wed, 18 Jul 2007 16:17:34 +0000 The Southron http://www.uruguayliving.com/2007/07/18/do-they-have-the-18th-of-july-in-the-united-states/ I posed that question to a cultural attaché in the Yankee Embassy this week.  Her response was, “No, we have the Fourth of July instead”.  At that point I could not resist asking her, “What day do you have between the 17th and the 19th?”

Today is Constitution Day  which is a major national holiday here. In the Oriental Republic of  Uruguay it is the 177th anniversary of the “swearing in” of the Constitution —“Jura de la Constitución de la República Oriental del Uruguay”. 

The importance of this day is shown by the naming of major commercial streets after it, both here in Montevideo and other cities in the country.  However, unlike the Anglo tradition, such streets are NOT called Constitution Avenue (as in Washington), but rather July 18th Avenue—Avenida dieciocho de Julio.

I would like to write more about the Uruguay Constitution, but will have to wait until my Spanish is better or I can corral a professor to explain its history and development to me.  I can tell you this at least.  It is an American-style constitution in that it provides for a President and not a prime minister, it has a two house legislature, and a Supreme court.  In other ways it is very different in that Uruguay is basically a unitary government, not a federal one:  the 19 departamentos have very limited devolved power.

The most important thing about today however, is that it is a holiday.

Uruguayans love their days off more than any other people I have ever known.  If the weather is even half-decent they will be out and about.  This point was driven home this morning when I looked out my window and saw an entire flotilla of sailboats moving out of the puertito (small port) despite the cloudy, gray, 8C (46F) weather.  (When the weather is too bad for them, they party indoors—but they always party.)

Initially my stern Swiss-German genes were a bit taken aback by such frivolity, but I have come to realize that carpe diem applies to fun as well as to business.  So, without any reservations whatsoever, I am happy to say to you:

¡Feliz dia de la Constitución!

]]> http://www.uruguayliving.com/2007/07/18/do-they-have-the-18th-of-july-in-the-united-states/feed/ 0 Bigger and even more important news! http://www.uruguayliving.com/2007/03/11/bigger-and-even-more-important-news/ http://www.uruguayliving.com/2007/03/11/bigger-and-even-more-important-news/#comments Sun, 11 Mar 2007 13:53:53 +0000 The Southron http://www.uruguayliving.com/2007/03/11/bigger-and-even-more-important-news/ After months of waiting, the printed version of “The Southron’s Guide to Living in Uruguay” is finally available online at: http://www.lulu.com/content/579686.

This is a full-sized, 8½ x 11 inch paper back, with color covers and black-and-white inside. Because of its large size is much easier to read than the pocket-sized edition produced locally.  The price for the full-size paperback is the same as the retail price for the e-book, US$30. For payment, lulu.com accepts Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express and PayPal.

One other note: there was a Yankee Naval vessel holding station a few kilometers offshore for my house–obviously they were here in connection with that politicians visit.  I didn’t mind the ship that much, until I noticed that as I went from room to room its weapons readjusted accordingly…

]]> http://www.uruguayliving.com/2007/03/11/bigger-and-even-more-important-news/feed/ 0 Well, I done gone and done it… http://www.uruguayliving.com/2006/10/28/well-i-done-gone-and-done-it/ http://www.uruguayliving.com/2006/10/28/well-i-done-gone-and-done-it/#comments Sat, 28 Oct 2006 12:55:27 +0000 The Southron http://www.uruguayliving.com/2006/10/28/well-i-done-gone-and-done-it/ It may not be a tough as giving birth, but it sure was a lot of work. The file was created on 22 July 2006, at 11:25:02. The last modification was made this morning (I hope). In just a few days less than 100, The Southron’s Guide to Living in Uruguay has been written.

My plan is to self publish–we already have an ISBN number for the book and we are talking with a few big places about selling it. But before we can get to that, we need to do two things: set a price, and find a way to get paid. Paypal seems to be the answer to the second question, and I am hoping you can help me with the first.

To help you better make that judgment, you can download the first part of the book, the cover page through the entire first chapter from this post. This includes a very detailed table of contents for you to study.

Free Intro to The Southron’s Guide to Living in Uruguay

(From MS Internet Explorer right click on the above link and select Save Target As… and copy to your computer. You will need the Free Adobe Reader to open the file. You can get it at http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html)

Or go here:  http://www.uruguayliving.info/free.htm 

My plan is to also offer the book at a reduced price to retirees on limited incomes. I also will provide free updates during the first year to all registered purchasers. AND the book will be set up to allow printing at 120dpi.

I hope you will help me price this fairly. The “Owner’s Manual” published elsewhere is being sold for US$69/on sale for US$51. If this edition of The Southon’s Guide is successful, I hope to write a far more complete 2nd edition next year.

Feel free to post a comment or email me privately.

Thanks!!!

]]> http://www.uruguayliving.com/2006/10/28/well-i-done-gone-and-done-it/feed/ 6 Thank you Columbus! http://www.uruguayliving.com/2006/10/16/thank-you-columbus/ http://www.uruguayliving.com/2006/10/16/thank-you-columbus/#comments Mon, 16 Oct 2006 22:48:52 +0000 The Southron http://www.uruguayliving.com/2006/10/16/thank-you-columbus/ Today Uruguay celebrated the effective discovery of America by that intrepid Italian Navigator Christopher Columbus.  I remember, when I was a boy, he was a hero.  But that was before the forces of political correctness went after him.Thank God there doesn’t seem to be any of that here.  Leif Ericson may have found the America’s first, be he didn’t do anything useful with the discovery–kind of like the Mayans using the wheel for a calendar instead of on a cart.

It also took faith and courage on the part of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella to finance such an improbable mission as the one proposed by Columbus.  Don’t forget that they had just completed the Reconquista after more than 700 years of Moorish occupation, and had every reason to believe the Moors might try to return.

For good or bad, Columbus is a key figure in the history of our world, and I, for one, am very glad that he did it, otherwise I might have grown up in my ancestral home of Switzerland, which would have been great, but with the French as next door neighbors, which would have been horrible.

Like every great hero, Columbus had great faults–but they pale when compared to his achievements.

]]> http://www.uruguayliving.com/2006/10/16/thank-you-columbus/feed/ 1 Día del Patrimonio – Heritage Day in Uruguay http://www.uruguayliving.com/2006/10/07/dia-del-patrimonio-heritage-day-in-uruguay/ http://www.uruguayliving.com/2006/10/07/dia-del-patrimonio-heritage-day-in-uruguay/#comments Sat, 07 Oct 2006 14:26:13 +0000 The Southron http://www.uruguayliving.com/2006/10/07/dia-del-patrimonio-heritage-day-in-uruguay/ Today is Uruguay’s Día del Patrimonio. Every year during this weekend, Uruguayos celebrate their prized old buildings, plazas, historic sites, statuary, light houses, gardens, homes of famous people, antigue cars. churches, national monument–all of the things that endow this small country with its very rich history.

Indeed, as I ponder it, Uruguay’s rich sense of history and purpose may well be a major contributing factor to its”niceness”! They neither have a chip on their shoulder nor do they have anything to prove! Perhaps those are also key elements in the sense of “normalcy” I find so attractive.

If you want to get a feel for just how important this day is, go to www.patrimoniouruguay.net/.

If you want ample eveidence of the depth of the heritage of this small place, download this spreadsheet which has a comprehensive list of all the heritage sites by category. Día del Patrimonio

Part of that patrimony is undoubtedly Uruguay’s National Anthem, “Orientales, la Patria o la tumba!” (Uruguayans, the Fatherland or Death!). It is generally considered to have the longest music of any national anthem (though Greece has more verses, 158 total).  To listen to it:  http://david.national-anthems.net/uy.htm

The National Anthem of Uruguay was officially adopted by a Government decree of July 27 1848. The music was composed by FRANCISCO JOSÉ DEBALI (1791-1859), a native of Hungary who came to Uruguay in 1838. The National Anthem of Uruguay is really an operatic aria with a bombastic instrumental introduction.

The text is by FRANCISCO ESTEBAN ACUÑA de FIGUEROA (1791-1862), a native of Montevideo, a poet and Chief of the National Library of Uruguay.

Maybe next year you will be here to enjoy it too!

]]> http://www.uruguayliving.com/2006/10/07/dia-del-patrimonio-heritage-day-in-uruguay/feed/ 0 The ORIENTAL Republic? http://www.uruguayliving.com/2006/04/19/the-oriental-republic/ http://www.uruguayliving.com/2006/04/19/the-oriental-republic/#comments Wed, 19 Apr 2006 20:54:00 +0000 The Southron http://www.uruguayliving.com/2006/06/03/the-oriental-republic/ The official name of the country is República Oriental del
Uruguay / Oriental Republic of Uruguay.
Contrary to popular thought, and unlike the West Indies, which Columbus thought were part of India, it is NOT based on a mistaken notion by an
explorer that he had found China
or Japan.

The term “oriental” is taken from the original name of the
area that has become Uruguay,
the “Banda Oriental”, is so called because it is on the Eastern (oriental)
shore of the Rio Uruguay which forms its Western border with Argentina.

Today is a holiday in Uruguay. It celebrates El Desembarco de los 33
Orientales / The Landing of the 33 Orientales.
Their heroism led directly to Uruguay’s independence.

On April 19, 1825, a group of
Uruguayan revolutionaries (the famous Thirty-Three Heroes) led by Juan Antonio
Lavalleja, reinforced by Argentine troops, crossed the Río de la Plata from Buenos Aires and
organized an insurrection that succeeded in gaining control over the
countryside. On August 25, 1825, in a town in the liberated area,
representatives from the Banda Oriental declared the territory's independence
from Brazil
and its incorporation into the United Provinces of Río de la Plata. Brazil declared
war on them. The ensuing conflict lasted from December 1825 to August 1828.

In 1828 Lord John Ponsonby, envoy
of the British Foreign Office, proposed making the Banda Oriental an
independent state. Britain
was anxious to create a buffer state between Argentina
and Brazil
to ensure its trade interests in the region. With British mediation, Brazil and Argentina
signed the Treaty of Montevideo at Rio de Janeiro
on August 27, 1828, whereby Argentina
and Brazil
renounced their claims to the territories that would become integral parts of
the newly independent state on October 3. However, Argentina
and Brazil
retained the right to intervene in the event of a civil war and to approve the
constitution of the new nation.

Argentine and Brazilian troops
began their withdrawal, while a constituent assembly drew up the constitution
of the new country, created its flag and coat of arms, and enacted legislation.
The constitution was approved officially on July 18, 1830, after having been
ratified by Argentina and Brazil. It established
a representative unitary republic–the República Oriental del Uruguay (Oriental
Republic of Uruguay), the word oriental (eastern) representing the legacy of
the original designation of the territory as the Banda Oriental.

You can read this and more
at: http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/uytoc.html

The “Liberty or Death” flag that they flew on this
day can be viewed at: http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/xl_33or.html. This site notes that it is still used on
ceremonial occasions along with the National Flag and the Artigas Flag.

So,
from the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, please accept my best wishes for a Happy
“Landing of the 33 Orientales Day”.

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