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You will be enthralled by Buenos Aires from the moment you arrive. This expansive capital city of South America is so colorful and opulent that it almost looks like Paris, I thought. or Madrid, or Mexico City. But wait until you see Buenos Aires' abundance of interesting activities. You are going to love the amazing food, amazing culture, and exceptional value! Tango performances aside, there are other reasons to visit Buenos Aires: the city's top-notch art museums, amazing live music, and art and culture in general. It is a culinary destination as well; steak is the specialty, of course, but there are also alfajores, empanadas, and a thriving international food scene. Furthermore, Buenos Aires is a fun city with lots of interesting and quirky bars, late-night dance clubs, and exciting live events. Buenos Aires is among the best-value major cities in the world due to its abundance of affordable options and surprisingly low prices. I went to Buenos Aires for the first time on my own when I was twenty-four years old, and I recently went back for a longer visit over fifteen years later. Has the city undergone changes? Has it ever happened? I have also changed. I cannot wait to tell you about the top activities in Buenos Aires. Come with me as we examine! Contributors to this post include Dale Peterson and Adventurous Kate. It was published in March of 2024. Buenos Aires is so much more than this picture suggests! through Shutterstock. Activities in Buenos Aires Examine Buenos Aires's Various Neighborhoods Discovering each of the many neighborhoods in Buenos Aires is one of my favorite things to do while visiting the city. You could visit every neighborhood in Buenos Aires for months and still not see them all. One of the best ways to explore lots of neighborhoods is to take the hop-on, hop-off bus tour. From above, you will be able to see all the best locations in the city and have a comprehensive overview of everything. However, if you’re short on time, this private walking tour takes you to several of the city’s best neighborhoods in one day. These are the top neighborhoods in Buenos Aires that I suggest you prioritize if you have more time to spend there: Palermo Palermo is a trendy, upscale neighborhood with some of the best restaurants, bars, and clubs in the city. It’s actually a huge neighborhood divided into sub-neighborhoods (including Palermo Chico, Palermo Soho, and Palermo Hollywood.) If you’re familiar with the neighborhoods of Mexico City, you’ll understand what I mean when I say that Palermo reminds me a lot of Roma Norte and La Condesa. In New York, Palermo would be a massive East Village. Palermo is home to many of my favorite restaurants in Buenos Aires, including Sacro (vegan), Don Julio (steakhouse), Mishiguene (Jewish Argentine cuisine), and La Carnicería (Argentine meat). In Palermo Soho, you’ll find many of the coolest spots in the city concentrated around the lively Plaza Serrano. In Palermo Chico, the oldest part of the neighborhood, you can explore some of the city’s best museums, like the Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires (MALBA). To learn more about Palermo, check out this graffiti and street art walking tour. Accompanied by a local guide, you’ll learn about Palermo’s history and the political origins of its street art. Keep an eye out for Conan O’Brien’s mural with Lionel Messi and Pope Francis—it cracked me up! El Caminito in La Boca, via Erwin Widmer on Shutterstock. The Boca Historically, one of Buenos Aires' most diverse neighborhoods has been this vibrant, working-class area. When immigrants came to Argentina in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, La Boca was the main port of entry, much like New York City was for them entering the United States. La Boca's most well-known location is El Caminito, a vibrant street dotted with old conventillos, or boarding houses. This street is featured in any photo you may have seen of La Boca. Benito Quinquela Martín, a local artist, spearheaded the neighborhood's revitalization beginning in the 1950s.

To truly understand La Boca's history, I highly suggest taking a guided tour of the area. An excellent method to thoroughly explore La Boca is with this guided walking tour. Remember that pickpocketing and minor crimes make La Boca one of the neighborhoods in Buenos Aires where you should be even more cautious. The most elegant street in Recoleta is Avenida Alvear. via Shutterstock user AlexCorv. Recupe y Retiro Strolling around Recoleta and Retiro, you could honestly wonder if you were in Paris or Latin America. Several of the buildings in these posh neighborhoods are reminiscent of the Haussmannian architecture of Paris and are home to upscale stores and hotels. The Cementerio de la Recoleta, one of the most distinctive and exquisite cemeteries on earth and, in my opinion, a must-see attraction in Buenos Aires, is located in Recoleta. The enormous clock tower known as the Torre Monumental honors Argentina's independence and is located in Retiro. The nearby park is a well-liked gathering spot for the community. Buenos Aires' San Telmo is a bohemian neighborhood! The San Telmo Another European-style neighborhood that, in my opinion, could just as easily be placed in Madrid or Rome is San Telmo. The outdoor Feria de San Telmo market is held on Sundays, which makes this artsy, bohemian neighborhood very popular. Weekends are a great time to watch at the bustling Plaza Dorrego, which is a popular place for street tango. Because there are so many exciting late-night bars in San Telmo, it is also the ideal location for going out late. But San Telmo is another neighborhood to be on your guard because of an increased number of small-time crimes, such as pickpocketing at the bustling market. Puerto Madero skyscrapers, sourced from Shutterstock. Madero Puerto Situated near Buenos Aires' main port, Puerto Madero is a chic and contemporary neighborhood that makes for a pleasant stroll. It is the newest area of the city, full of gleaming skyscrapers, and it is close to San Nicolas, home to many of Buenos Aires' most significant landmarks. For a really unique experience, you can enjoy a sunset cruise with an open bar in Puerto Madero. For an hour, as the sun sets over the water, you will sail down the Rio de la Plata and enjoy views of the city. The US has the White House; Argentina has the Casa Rosada! See the Most Important Sites in San Nicolas, Buenos Aires You can spend an afternoon touring the many significant landmarks in San Nicolas, a historic neighborhood. The Casa Rosada, also known as the Pink House, is the most well-known. It serves as the president of Argentina's official office. It is situated on the large Plaza de Mayo, which also houses the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Cathedral and other significant buildings. The Obelisco, a colossal monument honoring Buenos Aires' founding, and the Avenida 9 de Julio, one of the world's broadest avenues, are also located in San Nicolas. These are Buenos Aires' main attractions! One of the most important things to do in Buenos Aires is to see a tango show! via Shutterstock via Gary Yim. Explore Buenos Aires' Tango scene. Tango is an experience that should not be missed while visiting Buenos Aires. The tango is the national dance of Argentina and a mainstay of Buenos Aires culture. There are numerous ways to enjoy tango in the city. Attending a tango performance is the first step. These events primarily serve tourists and are held in stunning historic locations throughout Buenos Aires. La Ventana is a popular tango show, or you can catch a performance at Teatro Astor Piazzolla. Going to a milonga is an additional option. The locals go out to dance for fun on these tango evenings. To learn about upcoming milongas, check local forums or ask around, as they are not very publicly announced in English. I attended one once, and I had some of my best people-watching experiences ever. Tango performances are also available in real time on the streets of Buenos Aires. The Sunday market in San Telmo and the El Caminito neighborhood of La Boca are two of the best places to do this.

Although it is free to watch street tango, do not forget to tip the dancers! At last, you can become a proficient tango dancer! Take a private tango lesson to learn the basic steps of the tango from a pro. Visiting Recoleta Cemetery is one of the best things to do in Buenos Aires. Go to Recoleta Cemetery. Even if you are not usually into cemeteries, I highly suggest visiting Recoleta Cemetery, as it is one of the most famous cemeteries in the world. This city of the dead, with its rows of massive stone mausoleums, is well worth a visit. Numerous well-known Argentines are buried there, notably Eva Peron (her grave is easy to miss!). Taking a guided walking tour is highly recommended to get the most out of the cemetery. You will discover more about the past of the graveyard and the individuals interred there. The cost of the walking tour is $10 USD, and cemetery admission is also an additional expense. Due to the unstable Argentinean currency, the admission fee varies, but it is approximately $7 USD and can only be paid with a credit card. Because this is a well-known tourist destination, you should be on the lookout for pickpockets. You can bet that when I got back, I kept a close eye on my bag because I had actually been pickpocketed near the cemetery back in 2008. The Ateneo Grand Splendid was amazing! What a memorable encounter! See the Grand Splendid, El Ateneo El Ateneo Grand Splendid is one of the most beautiful bookstores in the world. This 1919 theater, converted into a magnificent bookstore, is a sight to behold on Instagram. Bibliophiles should not miss this magnificent bookstore, which features multi-tiered balconies, frescoed ceilings, and exquisite original details. I was overjoyed beyond measure! The books are mostly in Spanish, with a tiny amount in English. In addition, there is a cafe and lots of comfortable spots to read. Recoleta Cemetery and El Ateneo Grand Splendid are both close by, so I recommend taking a look at both while you are in the area. Experience La Bomba de Tiempo La Bomba de Tiempo is a performance like no other, and one of the wildest nights out I’ve ever had! If you’ll be in the city on a Monday night, you can’t miss this energetic performance. It’s an incredible live percussion show, and it’s popular with locals and tourists alike. Every performance is unique because it’s based on improvisation between the conductor and the musicians. And everyone is dancing and jumping around to it all! The show takes place at the Ciudad Cultural Konex. Tickets are 3,200 ARS ($4 USD) and can be purchased online. Art on display at MALBA, my favorite museum in Buenos Aires, via Brester Irina on Shutterstock Visit Buenos Aires’s Many Museums Buenos Aires is a city of incredible museums. If you’re looking for an indoor activity to do on a rainy day or a day when it’s too hot outside, you can easily spend a few hours browsing one of these great museums. The MALBA (Museo de Arte Latinamericano de Buenos Aires) is my personal favorite, housing an impressive collection of Latin American art. Another must-visit museum for art lovers is the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, which features noteworthy works from artists including Picasso, Van Gogh, El Greco, and more. A smaller museum worth a visit is Museo Evita, which is dedicated to the life and works of Eva Perón. This museum will give you more insight into one of Argentina’s most polarizing historical figures and features some really cool exhibits, including many of Evita’s iconic outfits. She was tiny! Some other museums to check out are the Palace of Running Waters (an offbeat museum housed in a historic water pumping station) and the Museo Nacional de Arte Decorativo, which is housed in an opulent early 20th-century mansion. San Telmo Market gets so busy! Visit San Telmo Market on a Sunday One of the best things to do in the bohemian San Telmo neighborhood of Buenos Aires is visiting its famous Sunday market. The indoor Mercado de San Telmo is open every

day of the week, but on Sundays, a large outdoor market called the Feria de San Telmo takes place, filling the streets around the market hall with hundreds of stalls. It’s a great time, with plenty of opportunities for shopping, dining, and watching live tango on the street. You can also explore the antique shops and art galleries on the surrounding streets in San Telmo. The streets around the market get very crowded on Sundays, so be extra careful about watching your belongings, as it’s a popular spot for pickpockets. Our steak at Don Julio, absolutely beautifully done. Eat at a Fine Steakhouse Buenos Aires is home to some of the best steakhouses on the planet, and if you’re a meat-eater in the least, you need to try it! Two of the best spots in town are Don Julio and La Cabrera. I’ve been to both steakhouses, and most recently ate at Don Julio. This meal was expensive (honestly, the only significantly expensive meal in Buenos Aires, even though we ate at lots of nice places), but the steaks, the sides, the wine, and the atmosphere were top-notch. Don Julio is an experience, from the tomato vines covering the restaurant to the sparkling wine they serve you while waiting for your table. My top recommendation is to make a reservation VERY early, because they go fast. And if you’re not a meat-eater, have I got the place for you — Sacro. Charlie and I ended up at this high-end vegan restaurant on a whim, and SURPRISE — it was the best meal we had in Buenos Aires. Frank’s in Palermo Hollywood is a cocktail bar worth visiting! Cocktail-Hop at Buenos Aires’s Unique Bars Buenos Aires is filled with quirky and unique cocktail bars, especially in Palermo. If you’re looking for a fun night out, cocktail-hop your way through the neighborhood! Nearby in Palermo Hollywood, you’ll find Frank’s, a speakeasy-style bar with hidden rooms and passageways, all outfitted in dark wood and crystal chandeliers. It feels like you’ve time traveled to a mafia den during the prohibition era! A few other bars I enjoyed were Tres Monos, which is dark and has a tiki feel to it, and Backroom Bar, which has cool cocktails and jazz shows. Both of these bars are located in the trendy Palermo Soho neighborhood. Palacio Barolo in Buenos Aires, via Walkabout Photo Guides on Shutterstock Tour Palacio Barolo Palacio Barolo is one of the most distinctive buildings in Buenos Aires due to its eclectic architectural style that combines Art Nouveau, Art Deco, and Gothic elements. This historic office building, which was inspired by Dante’s Divine Comedy, opened in 1923. Today, Palacio Barolo is still home to offices and businesses, but it’s also open for guided tours. This 1.5-hour guided tour will allow you to learn more about the history of this building and explore various spaces, including the upper balconies, which offer some of the best views you’ll see in the city. For an even more unique experience, this evening tour offers a chance to see Palacio Barolo by night and enjoy a glass of wine as you explore the building with a knowledgeable guide. Boca Juniors Football Fans, via Katarzyna Citko on Shutterstock Watch a Football Game One of the top things to do in Buenos Aires is seeing a football game (meaning soccer, my fellow Americans). Argentines go wild for fútbol, and watching a match is an experience you won’t soon forget. There are numerous football teams in Buenos Aires, but Boca Juniors is one of the most popular. You can watch Boca Juniors play at La Bombonera, a famous football stadium in the neighborhood of La Boca. I wouldn’t go solo to a game or even buy tickets on your own unless you have a local who knows what they’re doing. It’s difficult to score tickets, and scams abound. Instead, I’d recommend joining a tour, where they will make sure you have the best experience possible. Know that games can get pretty rowdy! This tour company is best for getting tickets to a Boca Juniors game. They also have tickets for other teams in Buenos Aires, including River Plate and San Lorenzo.

If you aren’t able to make a game, you can still take a tour of La Bombonera, as well as El Monumental, the stadium of the River Plate football team. This five-hour guided tour is the perfect experience for football enthusiasts. Cyclists in Buenos Aires, via Sandra Moraes on Shutterstock Explore Buenos Aires by bike Buenos Aires is a huge city, so exploring by bike makes it easier to cover more ground. The city is quite flat, and there are plenty of bike lanes, so it’s accessible even to beginner cyclists. This half-day bike tour is a great way to discover the city on two wheels. You’ll explore several important neighborhoods in Buenos Aires, including San Nicolas and La Boca. You’ll also cycle through the Reserva Ecologica, the largest park in Buenos Aires, which is located along the waterfront, before finishing the famed Plaza de Mayo. Come early to Cafe Tortoni, or you’ll be waiting in line forever. Grab a morning coffee at one of the “Bares Notables” Buenos Aires is home to a collection of historic cafes called “bares notables” that are beautifully preserved and just as popular today as they were decades ago. In these cafes, time stands still — in the best way. The most famous of the bares notables is Cafe Tortoni, a French-style cafe dating back to 1858. However, this cafe is extremely popular and it always has a line — either go right when they open for the day, or hit up a lesser-known cafe for something special. Las Violetas is a great cafe to check out for a cup of coffee and some sweet pastries or a slice of cake. You can find a full list of the historic cafes in Buenos Aires on this website. Alfajores, like this chocolate raspberry pistachio alfajor, are essential to any Buenos Aires food tour! Go on a Buenos Aires Food Tour The best way to experience the cuisine of Buenos Aires is on a local food tour! A food tour offers a great introduction to the delicious cuisine you’ll find all across the city. Most people think of steak when they think of Buenos Aires, but there’s so much more to Argentine food than that! This food tour will take you through the trendy Palermo neighborhood, stopping along the way at multiple eateries, from local hole-in-the-wall spots to fine dining restaurants. You’ll try eight different dishes, as well as plenty of Argentine wine! Another unique activity is the Argentine Experience, an interactive cooking class and tasting. You’ll learn how to prepare empanadas, mate, and alfajores, some of the most popular food and drinks in Argentina. You’ll also enjoy a steak dinner paired with four local wines. You can’t out-meat an Argentine! Try authentic Argentine asado An asado is a traditional Argentine barbecue with LOTS of meat. It refers to both the dish itself and the way the meat is prepared. If you want to try a typical Argentine asado, this is a great experience to book. Come hungry because over the course of several hours, you’ll enjoy a huge meal including appetizers, various cuts of meat, and dessert, all accompanied by local Malbec wine. Another cool experience is this rooftop asado in Buenos Aires. You’ll learn about what goes into the preparation of each of the dishes you’ll enjoy, including several types of meat, empanadas, and dulce de leche cake for dessert. And you’ll get to enjoy a great ambiance as you dine outdoors on a rooftop in the trendy Palermo neighborhood. One more option is this asado experience that takes place in the garden of a local family’s home. You’ll get to help the grill-master chef prepare your asado for dinner, as well as learn the secrets of making the perfect chimichurri sauce to accompany it. Mate and medialunas — that’s what Buenos Aires does! Via Shutterstock. Sample Argentinian mate If you’re wondering what those pots people are sipping from throughout Argentina, it’s mate (MAH-tay). Mate is a caffeinated herbal beverage that is extremely popular in Argentina. You’ll see people drinking it all day long from little gourd-like cups and metal straws.

Mate is a bit of an acquired taste, but it’s something you must try while in Argentina! This unique mate tasting experience will teach you exactly how to prepare mate like a real Argentine and give you a taste of this traditional beverage. Get ready for the strong, dark reds of Argentina! Go wine tasting Argentina is famous for its wines, especially deep, intense reds like Malbecs. If you can’t make it to the wine hub of Mendoza on this trip, go wine-tasting in Buenos Aires instead! There are plenty of ways to experience Argentina’s wine without straying far from the capital. While it’s true that most vineyards and wineries are located in the central part of the country around Mendoza, there are also several just outside Buenos Aires. This full-day tour takes you to Bodega Gamboa, a popular winery on the outskirts of Buenos Aires. It’s perfect for Malbec aficionados, as you’ll get to sample several varieties of this full-bodied red. You’ll also enjoy a picnic lunch in the vineyards with delicious local cheeses. Or you can try this tango lesson and wine tasting in Buenos Aires. You’ll spend an hour learning about Argentina’s national dance and practicing the basic steps of tango. Then, you can sit down and enjoy a one-hour tasting of local wines, with some freshly-made empanadas to snack on. A show at Teatro Colon is one of the truly special things to do in Buenos Aires. Via T photography on Shutterstock. Visit the Magnificent Teatro Colón Teatro Colón regularly ranks among the best opera houses in the world. This opera house in Buenos Aires opened in 1908 and is renowned for its opulent architecture and interiors. It’s also said to have the best acoustics in the world for performing opera. While in Buenos Aires, touring the theater is a must if you love visiting beautiful spaces. You can only visit the theater on a guided tour, which you can reserve tickets for here. On a guided tour, you’ll learn more about the history of the building and what makes it so special. You’ll have a chance to explore several halls inside the opera house, as well as the auditorium itself. For an even better experience, you can attend a performance at the Teatro Colon. You can see what’s currently on and purchase tickets to performances on the theater’s website. Centro Cultural Kirchner, via Brester Irina on Shutterstock Attend a Cultural Event in Buenos Aires As a world-class capital city, Buenos Aires is home to some great venues where you can attend cultural events for free or cheap. One of the best such venues is the CCK (formerly Centro Cultural Kirchner), which is one of the largest cultural centers in the world. The center hosts regular concerts and other performances. All events are free, but you will need to reserve tickets online (and spots fill up quickly!) Usina del Arte is another cultural center located in the vibrant La Boca neighborhood. The cultural center, which is housed in a former power plant, also has a regular schedule of concerts, performances, and art events. Almost all events are free. For something a little different, head to a horse race at Hipódromo de Palermo. This historic venue hosts horse races several days per week. Horse racing has been very popular in Buenos Aires since the 19th century, and attending a race is a unique cultural experience. You can attend races for free every Saturday at the Hipódromo de Palermo. Polo is surprisingly popular in Argentina! Via Shutterstock. Learn about polo While football may be the most popular sport in Argentina, you might be surprised to learn that polo is also hugely popular, especially in Buenos Aires. This is due to the prevalence of horses and the influence of gaucho (cowboy) culture in Argentina. The Campo Argentino de Polo is a massive polo field located in the heart of Palermo. This venue hosts some of the most important polo events in the country. You can play polo yourself on this half-day tour from Buenos Aires, where you’ll learn about polo from a pro and have a chance to saddle up and hone your skills.

Or, if you’d prefer to watch from the sidelines, this tour includes admission to a nighttime polo match plus unlimited drinks and snacks. Learning to make Argentine empanadas is a souvenir skill you can enjoy forever! Via Shutterstock. Take an Argentine cooking class If you want to learn how to cook some staples of Argentine cuisine while you’re in Buenos Aires, take a cooking class! This is a great way to learn more about the history and culture of Argentina and its food. You’ll also get to try your hand at preparing some classic dishes (and, of course, taste-test the results!). In this 3-hour cooking class, you’ll learn how to prepare empanadas and alfajores, two of the most common snacks in Argentina. Empanadas are made with flour and stuffed with cheese, meats, corn, or other fillings. Alfajores are delicate cookies filled with dulce de leche, a sweet caramel-like sauce that decorates many a sweet dish in Argentina. This class is a great introduction to Argentine cuisine. For a more in-depth experience, consider this 4-hour cooking class. You’ll prepare a multi-course meal with dishes like chipa (a yuca-based cheesy bread), corn stew with veal, and dulce de leche crepes for dessert. With both of these experiences, you’ll work alongside a local chef who will show you the right techniques for crafting these delicious dishes while also explaining their history and significance. A pretty garden in the Recoleta neighborhood. Wander the city gardens While there are several green spaces throughout Buenos Aires, you’ll find the biggest and the best in Palermo. Here, there are multiple interconnected public parks and gardens to explore. The locals of Buenos Aires love this area, which is known as the Bosques de Palermo (Palermo Woods), for walking, cycling, and roller skating. The Japanese Garden is a must-visit. This tranquil oasis opened in 1967 to celebrate a visit from Japan’s emperor and his wife. There’s a small admission fee of 1,500 ARS ($1.85 USD), but it’s worth the cost to stroll around this relaxing garden. There’s also a Japanese cultural center and restaurant inside the garden. Nearby, the Parque El Rosedal is also worth visiting. This sprawling, elegant park is filled with flowers, including numerous varieties of roses. While you can visit year-round, it’s most beautiful in the summer when the roses are in bloom. You can also check out the Buenos Aires Botanical Gardens while you’re in the area. This is a smaller garden, but it’s perfect to visit on a hot day because there’s plenty of shade. Planetario Galileo Galilei, via Andres Conema on Shutterstock Stargaze at Planetario Galileo Galilei After you’ve discovered the parks and gardens of Buenos Aires, head over to the Planetario Galileo Galilei for some stargazing. This planetarium is located close to the parks, and it resembles a giant UFO. You can purchase tickets to a stargazing show inside the planetarium for 3,000 ARS ($3.68 USD.) It’s a 45-minute show, and it’s important to note that it’s all in Spanish. There’s also a small museum with exhibits at the planetarium. The Tigre Delta is full of surprises, via Shutterstock. Take a day trip to the Tigre Delta One of the best day trips from Buenos Aires is the Tigre Delta. If you ask my friends in Buenos Aires, they will always recommend this as their top day trip from the city. The Tigre Delta, one of the largest natural deltas in the world, is just a 1.5-hour boat ride away from Buenos Aires. It’s home to cute little towns, buildings with interesting architecture, and low-lying wetlands. This day tour from Buenos Aires will take you by boat to the Tigre Delta, with stops in historic San Isidro and Tigre where you’ll be able to explore local markets and sample homemade empanadas. A day trip to Colonia del Sacramento is one of the best things to do in Buenos Aires! Take a day trip to Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay Did you know that you can visit another country on a day trip from Buenos Aires? The town of Colonia del Sacramento in Uruguay is just one hour and 15 minutes by ferry from Buenos Aires.

This charming small town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is well worth a visit, with picturesque cobblestone streets, colonial architecture, cute cafes, and artisan shops. You can visit Colonia del Sacramento on your own (I recommend booking ferries in advance using DirectFerries, as the ferry company wouldn’t accept foreign credit cards) or with a group tour. This group tour to Colonia del Sacramento includes hotel pick-up and drop-off, ferry tickets, and a two-hour walking tour in Colonia. You’ll also have a professional guide with you all day. If you’re visiting Colonia on your own, I recommend giving yourself five hours for exploration in town, and you’ll want to get an early start — lines for passport control in both Argentina and Uruguay can take a while, and you’ll have to pass through them twice. Scenes from an Estancia, via Shutterstock. Take a Day Trip to an Estancia Another one of the best day trips from Buenos Aires is visiting an estancia, or cattle ranch, in the countryside. Gaucho (cowboy) culture is a huge part of Argentine life, yet most visitors to Buenos Aires have no idea this even exists. This day tour from Buenos Aires is a great option if you want to visit a ranch. You’ll head out to the Pampas, or plains of Argentina, and visit a traditional ranch where you’ll be able to go horseback riding, watch a folklore show, and enjoy a typical asado lunch of grilled meats. You’ll also have the chance to watch gauchos at work and visit the small, historic town of San Antonio de Areco. Inside the Mercado de San Telmo. Watch your back for pickpocketing here! Is Buenos Aires Safe? Is Buenos Aires a safe city to visit? How safe? Well, to start, the vast majority of travelers go to Buenos Aires and have a great time, with no bad incidents. But this is a city where you need to be more vigilant about pickpocketing and theft. I liken Buenos Aires to Paris or Barcelona — a great city, but absolutely crawling with pickpockets, and you should expect them to be among you at any time. Keep an eye on your belongings, use a good purse that zips, and you may prefer taking an Uber at night rather than public transit. (And be sure to check out my top travel safety tips for women.) You might have noticed that I mentioned that there are some areas in town where you need to be especially vigilant: San Telmo (especially at the market on Sunday), La Boca and El Caminito, and the area around Recoleta Cemetery (where I myself was pickpocketed on my first day of solo travel EVER in 2008). Another big issue is that Argentina is going through economic and political instability. The value of the Argentine peso fluctuates continuously, so much that restaurants sometimes change their prices on a daily basis. There are two separate exchange rates, and you as a tourist can get a better rate for your money. ATMs and credit cards will give you good rates, but you can only take out a small amount of cash at a time. It’s a good idea to check in on the local news before and during your trip, just so you can be aware of what’s going on. Like any other city, if there’s protest or political event taking place, avoid that neighborhood. I’ve safely traveled during times of protest in Thailand, France, Greece, and the US and life is usually normal away from the protest areas. Just stay informed. I saw this mural in Palermo, was perplexed, found out Conan O’Brien had it commissioned for his visit to Buenos Aires, and then I couldn’t stop laughing! How Much Time to Spend in Buenos Aires How much time should you spend in Buenos Aires? Honestly, more than you think you need. I most recently spent a week in Buenos Aires and wish I had spent much longer. Even with seven days, there was so much I didn’t have time to do! For that reason, I recommend spending at least three full days in Buenos Aires proper so you have time to explore the city properly. If you have a fourth day, that would be a nice opportunity to visit Colonia del Sacramento or the Tigre Delta — or continue exploring the city.

I see a lot of people allot just a day or two to Buenos Aires — often when planning a trip to Patagonia or Antarctica — and if that’s you, consider adding on a few more days. How to get to Buenos Aires How can you get to Buenos Aires? As one of the largest cities in South America, Buenos Aires is a major air hub with plenty of international flights from North America and Europe. There are two airports in Buenos Aires — EZE hosts primarily international flights with some domestic options, and is an hour’s drive from the city, while AEP is within the city (it took us 25 minutes to get there from Palermo) and mainly offers domestic flights. There are also ferries from the cities of Colonia del Sacramento and Montevideo in Uruguay, and plenty of buses to further destinations in Argentina and beyond. (Just keep in mind that Argentina is a huge country, and bus journeys can be quite long!) Stay in Palermo to enjoy views of Buenos Aires like this one. Where to Stay in Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, as you well know by now, is a huge city with tons of different neighborhoods — so it’s important to choose a good one. My personal favorite neighborhood to stay in is Palermo, with tons of fabulous restaurants and bars, gardens, cool shops, and a lot of buzzing energy. The following properties are the top-rated options in Palermo. Top-Rated Luxury Hotel in Palermo: BE Jardin Escondido By Coppola is a luxurious boutique hotel in Palermo Soho where Francis Ford Coppola stayed while shooting a movie in Buenos Aires. Top-Rated Mid-Range Hotel in Palermo: The best mid-range hotel in Buenos Aires is Magnolia Hotel Boutique, which offers chic and comfortable rooms in the heart of Palermo. Top-Rated Budget Hotel in Palermo: Palermo Bridge is a solid budget hotel in a great location just a short walk away from Buenos Aires’ sprawling city gardens. Top-Rated Hostel in Palermo: For budget travelers and backpackers, PH Palermo Hostel is an affordable place to stay in a fun, lively area. You can visit Buenos Aires year-round, but rain is always a possibility. Best Time to Visit Buenos Aires When should you go to Buenos Aires? I feel like there’s never a bad time to visit Buenos Aires – yes, the seasons are flipped from the northern hemisphere, but the city has mild winters that are great for exploring. The climate is a bit more like Houston than Boston, so to speak, so don’t expect any snow in July. Keep in mind that Buenos Aires’s high season is during the summer months — December to March — and this can often be a hot and humid time to visit. While the city is on the Río de la Plata, you don’t get the cool breezes that you get in coastal cities. You might want to time your trip for the shoulder season (March to May or September to November) for nicer weather with fewer crowds. I love El Ateneo Grand Splendid — and Buenos Aires! Is Buenos Aires Worth It? Are you kidding me? Buenos Aires is incredibly worth it! I absolutely love this city, and I was most recently reminded of why I love it so much. The culture, the nightlife, the incredible food, all for surprisingly reasonable prices — it all adds up to a world-class city! I’m already trying to get myself back to Buenos Aires for a third time. We’ll see how that goes. As for you — I hope you have the best time in Buenos Aires! There’s nowhere else like it. More on Argentina: More on South America: Have you been to Buenos Aires? Any suggestions? Share away! You will be enthralled with Buenos Aires from the moment you arrive. This expansive capital city of South America is so colorful and opulent that it almost looks like Paris, I thought. or Madrid. or Mexico City. But wait until you see Buenos Aires' abundance of interesting activities. You are going to love the amazing food, amazing culture, and exceptional value! Tango performances aside, there are other reasons to visit Buenos Aires: the city's top-notch art museums, amazing live music, and art and culture in general. It is a culinary

destination as well; steak is the specialty, of course, but there is also alfajores, empanadas, and a thriving international food scene. Furthermore, Buenos Aires is a fun city with lots of interesting and quirky bars, late-night dance clubs, and exciting live events. Buenos Aires is among the best-value major cities in the world due to its abundance of affordable options and surprisingly low prices. I went to Buenos Aires for the first time on my own when I was twenty-four years old, and I recently went back for a longer visit over fifteen years later. Has the city undergone changes? Has it ever happened? I have also changed. I can not wait to tell you about the top activities in Buenos Aires. Come with me as we examine! Contributors to this post include Dale Peterson and Adventurous Kate. It was published in March of 2024. Buenos Aires is so much more than this picture suggests! through Shutterstock. Activities in Buenos Aires Examine Buenos Aires's Various Neighborhoods Discovering each of the many neighborhoods in Buenos Aires is one of my favorite things to do while visiting the city. You could visit every neighborhood in Buenos Aires for months and still not see them all. One of the best ways to explore lots of neighborhoods is to take the hop-on, hop-off bus tour. From above, you will be able to see all the best locations in the city and have a comprehensive overview of everything. However, if you’re short on time, this private walking tour takes you to several of the city’s best neighborhoods in one day. These are the top neighborhoods in Buenos Aires that I suggest you prioritize if you have more time to spend there: Palermo Palermo is a trendy, upscale neighborhood with some of the best restaurants, bars, and clubs in the city. It’s actually a huge neighborhood divided into sub-neighborhoods (including Palermo Chico, Palermo Soho, and Palermo Hollywood.) If you’re familiar with the neighborhoods of Mexico City, you’ll understand what I mean when I say that Palermo reminds me a lot of Roma Norte and La Condesa. In New York, Palermo would be a massive East Village. Palermo is home to many of my favorite restaurants in Buenos Aires, including Sacro (vegan), Don Julio (steakhouse), Mishiguene (Jewish Argentine cuisine), and La Carnicería (Argentine meat). In Palermo Soho, you’ll find many of the coolest spots in the city concentrated around the lively Plaza Serrano. In Palermo Chico, the oldest part of the neighborhood, you can explore some of the city’s best museums, like the Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires (MALBA). To learn more about Palermo, check out this graffiti and street art walking tour. Accompanied by a local guide, you’ll learn about Palermo’s history and the political origins of its street art. Keep an eye out for Conan O’Brien’s mural with Lionel Messi and Pope Francis—it cracked me up! El Caminito in La Boca, via Erwin Widmer on Shutterstock. The Boca Historically, one of Buenos Aires' most diverse neighborhoods has been this vibrant, working-class area. When immigrants came to Argentina in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, La Boca was the main port of entry, much like New York City was for them entering the United States. La Boca's most well-known location is El Caminito, a vibrant street dotted with old conventillos, or boarding houses. This street is featured in any photo you may have seen of La Boca. Benito Quinquela Martín, a local artist, spearheaded the neighborhood's revitalization beginning in the 1950s. To truly understand La Boca's history, I highly suggest taking a guided tour of the area. An excellent method to thoroughly explore La Boca is with this guided walking tour. Remember that pickpocketing and minor crimes make La Boca one of the neighborhoods in Buenos Aires where you should be even more cautious. The most elegant street in Recoleta is Avenida Alvear. via Shutterstock user AlexCorv. Recupe y Retiro Strolling around Recoleta and Retiro, you could honestly wonder if you are in Paris or Latin America.

Several of the buildings in these posh neighborhoods are reminiscent of the Haussmannian architecture of Paris and are home to upscale stores and hotels. The Cementerio de la Recoleta, one of the most distinctive and exquisite cemeteries on earth and, in my opinion, a must-see attraction in Buenos Aires, is located in Recoleta. The enormous clock tower known as the Torre Monumental honors Argentina's independence and is located in Retiro. The nearby park is a well-liked gathering spot for the community. Buenos Aires' San Telmo is a bohemian neighborhood! The San Telmo Another European-style neighborhood that, in my opinion, could just as easily be placed in Madrid or Rome is San Telmo. The outdoor Feria de San Telmo market is held on Sundays, which makes this artsy, bohemian neighborhood very popular. Weekends are a great time to people watch at the bustling Plaza Dorrego, which is a popular place for street tango. Because there are so many exciting late-night bars in San Telmo, it is also the ideal location for going out late. But San Telmo is another neighborhood to be on your guard because of an increased number of small-time crimes, such as pickpocketing at the bustling market. Puerto Madero skyscrapers, sourced from Shutterstock. Madero Puerto Situated near Buenos Aires' main port, Puerto Madero is a chic and contemporary neighborhood that makes for a pleasant stroll. It is the newest area of the city, full of gleaming skyscrapers, and it is close to San Nicolas, home to many of Buenos Aires' most significant landmarks. For a really unique experience, you can enjoy a sunset cruise with an open bar in Puerto Madero. For an hour, as the sun sets over the water, you will sail down the Rio de la Plata and enjoy views of the city. The US has the White House; Argentina has the Casa Rosada! See the Most Important Sites in San Nicolas, Buenos Aires You can spend an afternoon touring the many significant landmarks in San Nicolas, a historic neighborhood. The Casa Rosada, also known as the Pink House, is the most well-known. It serves as the president of Argentina's official office. It is situated on the large Plaza de Mayo, which also houses the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Cathedral and other significant buildings. The Obelisco, a colossal monument honoring Buenos Aires' founding, and the Avenida 9 de Julio, one of the world's broadest avenues, are also located in San Nicolas. These are Buenos Aires' main attractions! One of the most important things to do in Buenos Aires is to see a tango show! via Shutterstock via Gary Yim. Explore Buenos Aires' Tango scene. Tango is an experience that should not be missed while visiting Buenos Aires. The tango is the national dance of Argentina and a mainstay of Buenos Aires culture. There are numerous ways to enjoy tango in the city. Attending a tango performance is the first. These events primarily serve tourists and are held in stunning historic locations throughout Buenos Aires. La Ventana is a popular tango show, or you can catch a performance at Teatro Astor Piazzolla. Going to a milonga is an additional option. The locals go out to dance for fun on these tango evenings. To learn about upcoming milongas, check local forums or ask around as they are not very publicly announced in English. I attended one once, and I had some of my best people-watching experiences ever. Tango performances are also available in real time on the streets of Buenos Aires. The Sunday market in San Telmo and the El Caminito neighborhood of La Boca are two of the greatest places to do this. Although it is free to watch street tango, do not forget to tip the dancers! At last, you can become a proficient tango dancer! Take a private tango lesson to learn the basic steps of the tango from a pro. Visiting Recoleta Cemetery is one of the best things to do in Buenos Aires. Go to Recoleta Cemetery. Even if you are not usually into cemeteries, I highly suggest visiting Recoleta Cemetery as it is one of the most famous cemeteries in the world.

This city of the dead, with its rows of massive stone mausoleums, is well worth a visit. Numerous well-known Argentines are buried there, notably Eva Peron (her grave is easy to miss!). Taking a guided walking tour is highly recommended to get the most out of the cemetery. You will discover more about the past of the graveyard and the individuals interred there. The cost of the walking tour is $10 USD, and cemetery admission is also an additional expense. Due to the unstable Argentinean currency, the admission fee varies, but it is approximately $7 USD and can only be paid with a credit card. Because this is a well-known tourist destination, you should be on the lookout for pickpockets. You can bet that when I got back, I kept a close eye on my bag because I had actually been pickpocketed near the cemetery back in 2008. El Ateneo Grand Splendid was amazing! What a memorable encounter! See the Grand Splendid El Ateneo El Ateneo Grand Splendid is one of the most beautiful bookstores in the world. This 1919 theater, converted into a magnificent bookstore, is a sight to behold on Instagram. Bibliophiles should not miss this magnificent bookstore, which features multi-tiered balconies, frescoed ceilings, and exquisite original details. I was overjoyed beyond measure! The books are mostly in Spanish, with a tiny amount in English. In addition, there is a cafe and lots of comfortable spots to read. Recoleta Cemetery and El Ateneo Grand Splendid are both close by, so I recommend taking a look at both while you are in the area. Experience La Bomba de Tiempo La Bomba de Tiempo is a performance like no other, and one of the wildest nights out I’ve ever had! If you’ll be in the city on a Monday night, you can’t miss this energetic performance. It’s an incredible live percussion show, and it’s popular with locals and tourists alike. Every performance is unique because it’s based on improvisation between the conductor and the musicians. And everyone is dancing and jumping around to it all! The show takes place at the Ciudad Cultural Konex. Tickets are 3,200 ARS ($4 USD) and can be purchased online. Art on display at MALBA, my favorite museum in Buenos Aires, via Brester Irina on Shutterstock Visit Buenos Aires’s Many Museums Buenos Aires is a city of incredible museums. If you’re looking for an indoor activity to do on a rainy day or a day when it’s too hot outside, you can easily spend a few hours browsing one of these great museums. The MALBA (Museo de Arte Latinamericano de Buenos Aires) is my personal favorite, housing an impressive collection of Latin American art. Another must-visit museum for art lovers is the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, which features noteworthy works from artists including Picasso, Van Gogh, El Greco, and more. A smaller museum worth a visit is Museo Evita, which is dedicated to the life and works of Eva Perón. This museum will give you more insight into one of Argentina’s most polarizing historical figures and features some really cool exhibits, including many of Evita’s iconic outfits. She was tiny! Some other museums to check out are the Palace of Running Waters (an offbeat museum housed in a historic water pumping station) and the Museo Nacional de Arte Decorativo, which is housed in an opulent early 20th-century mansion. San Telmo Market gets so busy! Visit San Telmo Market on a Sunday One of the best things to do in the bohemian San Telmo neighborhood of Buenos Aires is visiting its famous Sunday market. The indoor Mercado de San Telmo is open every day of the week, but on Sundays, a large outdoor market called the Feria de San Telmo takes place, filling the streets around the market hall with hundreds of stalls. It’s a great time, with plenty of opportunities for shopping, dining, and watching live tango on the street. You can also explore the antique shops and art galleries on the surrounding streets in San Telmo. The streets around the market get very crowded on Sundays, so be extra careful about watching your belongings, as it’s a popular spot for pickpockets.

Our steak at Don Julio, absolutely beautifully done. Eat at a Fine Steakhouse Buenos Aires is home to some of the best steakhouses on the planet, and if you’re a meat-eater in the least, you need to try it! Two of the best spots in town are Don Julio and La Cabrera. I’ve been to both steakhouses, and most recently ate at Don Julio. This meal was expensive (honestly, the only significantly expensive meal in Buenos Aires, even though we ate at lots of nice places), but the steaks, the sides, the wine, and the atmosphere were top-notch. Don Julio is an experience, from the tomato vines covering the restaurant to the sparkling wine they serve you while waiting for your table. My top recommendation is to make a reservation VERY early, because they go fast. And if you’re not a meat-eater, have I got the place for you — Sacro. Charlie and I ended up at this high-end vegan restaurant on a whim, and SURPRISE — it was the best meal we had in Buenos Aires. Frank’s in Palermo Hollywood is a cocktail bar worth visiting! Cocktail-Hop at Buenos Aires’s Unique Bars Buenos Aires is filled with quirky and unique cocktail bars, especially in Palermo. If you’re looking for a fun night out, cocktail-hop your way through the neighborhood! Nearby in Palermo Hollywood, you’ll find Frank’s, a speakeasy-style bar with hidden rooms and passageways, all outfitted in dark wood and crystal chandeliers. It feels like you’ve time traveled to a mafia den during the prohibition era! A few other bars I enjoyed were Tres Monos, which is dark and has a tiki feel to it, and Backroom Bar, which has cool cocktails and jazz shows. Both of these bars are located in the trendy Palermo Soho neighborhood. Palacio Barolo in Buenos Aires, via Walkabout Photo Guides on Shutterstock Tour Palacio Barolo Palacio Barolo is one of the most distinctive buildings in Buenos Aires due to its eclectic architectural style that combines Art Nouveau, Art Deco, and Gothic elements. This historic office building, which was inspired by Dante’s Divine Comedy, opened in 1923. Today, Palacio Barolo is still home to offices and businesses, but it’s also open for guided tours. This 1.5-hour guided tour will allow you to learn more about the history of this building and explore various spaces, including the upper balconies, which offer some of the best views you’ll see in the city. For an even more unique experience, this evening tour offers a chance to see Palacio Barolo by night and enjoy a glass of wine as you explore the building with a knowledgeable guide. Boca Juniors Football Fans, via Katarzyna Citko on Shutterstock Watch a Football Game One of the top things to do in Buenos Aires is seeing a football game (meaning soccer, my fellow Americans). Argentines go wild for fútbol, and watching a match is an experience you won’t soon forget. There are numerous football teams in Buenos Aires, but Boca Juniors is one of the most popular. You can watch Boca Juniors play at La Bombonera, a famous football stadium in the neighborhood of La Boca. I wouldn’t go solo to a game or even buy tickets on your own unless you have a local who knows what they’re doing. It’s difficult to score tickets, and scams abound. Instead, I’d recommend joining a tour, where they will make sure you have the best experience possible. Know that games can get pretty rowdy! This tour company is best for getting tickets to a Boca Juniors game. They also have tickets for other teams in Buenos Aires, including River Plate and San Lorenzo. If you aren’t able to make a game, you can still take a tour of La Bombonera, as well as El Monumental, the stadium of the River Plate football team. This five-hour guided tour is the perfect experience for football enthusiasts. Cyclists in Buenos Aires, via Sandra Moraes on Shutterstock Explore Buenos Aires by bike Buenos Aires is a huge city, so exploring by bike makes it easier to cover more ground. The city is quite flat, and there are plenty of bike lanes, so it’s accessible even to beginner cyclists.

This half-day bike tour is a great way to discover the city on two wheels. You’ll explore several important neighborhoods in Buenos Aires, including San Nicolas and La Boca. You’ll also cycle through the Reserva Ecologica, the largest park in Buenos Aires, which is located along the waterfront, before finishing the famed Plaza de Mayo. Come early to Cafe Tortoni, or you’ll be waiting in line forever. Grab a morning coffee at one of the “Bares Notables” Buenos Aires is home to a collection of historic cafes called “bares notables” that are beautifully preserved and just as popular today as they were decades ago. In these cafes, time stands still — in the best way. The most famous of the bares notables is Cafe Tortoni, a French-style cafe dating back to 1858. However, this cafe is extremely popular and it always has a line — either go right when they open for the day, or hit up a lesser-known cafe for something special. Las Violetas is a great cafe to check out for a cup of coffee and some sweet pastries or a slice of cake. You can find a full list of the historic cafes in Buenos Aires on this website. Alfajores, like this chocolate raspberry pistachio alfajor, are essential to any Buenos Aires food tour! Go on a Buenos Aires Food Tour The best way to experience the cuisine of Buenos Aires is on a local food tour! A food tour offers a great introduction to the delicious cuisine you’ll find all across the city. Most people think of steak when they think of Buenos Aires, but there’s so much more to Argentine food than that! This food tour will take you through the trendy Palermo neighborhood, stopping along the way at multiple eateries, from local hole-in-the-wall spots to fine dining restaurants. You’ll try eight different dishes, as well as plenty of Argentine wine! Another unique activity is the Argentine Experience, an interactive cooking class and tasting. You’ll learn how to prepare empanadas, mate, and alfajores, some of the most popular food and drinks in Argentina. You’ll also enjoy a steak dinner paired with four local wines. You can’t out-meat an Argentine! Try authentic Argentine asado An asado is a traditional Argentine barbecue with LOTS of meat. It refers to both the dish itself and the way the meat is prepared. If you want to try a typical Argentine asado, this is a great experience to book. Come hungry because over the course of several hours, you’ll enjoy a huge meal including appetizers, various cuts of meat, and dessert, all accompanied by local Malbec wine. Another cool experience is this rooftop asado in Buenos Aires. You’ll learn about what goes into the preparation of each of the dishes you’ll enjoy, including several types of meat, empanadas, and dulce de leche cake for dessert. And you’ll get to enjoy a great ambiance as you dine outdoors on a rooftop in the trendy Palermo neighborhood. One more option is this asado experience that takes place in the garden of a local family’s home. You’ll get to help the grill-master chef prepare your asado for dinner, as well as learn the secrets of making the perfect chimichurri sauce to accompany it. Mate and medialunas — that’s what Buenos Aires does! Via Shutterstock. Sample Argentinian mate If you’re wondering what those pots people are sipping from throughout Argentina, it’s mate (MAH-tay). Mate is a caffeinated herbal beverage that is extremely popular in Argentina. You’ll see people drinking it all day long from little gourd-like cups and metal straws. Mate is a bit of an acquired taste, but it’s something you must try while in Argentina! This unique mate tasting experience will teach you exactly how to prepare mate like a real Argentine and give you a taste of this traditional beverage. Get ready for the strong, dark reds of Argentina! Go wine tasting Argentina is famous for its wines, especially deep, intense reds like Malbecs. If you can’t make it to the wine hub of Mendoza on this trip, go wine-tasting in Buenos Aires instead! There are plenty of ways to experience Argentina’s wine without straying far from the capital.

While it’s true that most vineyards and wineries are located in the central part of the country around Mendoza, there are also several just outside Buenos Aires. This full-day tour takes you to Bodega Gamboa, a popular winery on the outskirts of Buenos Aires. It’s perfect for Malbec aficionados, as you’ll get to sample several varieties of this full-bodied red. You’ll also enjoy a picnic lunch in the vineyards with delicious local cheeses. Or you can try this tango lesson and wine tasting in Buenos Aires. You’ll spend an hour learning about Argentina’s national dance and practicing the basic steps of tango. Then, you can sit down and enjoy a one-hour tasting of local wines, with some freshly-made empanadas to snack on. A show at Teatro Colon is one of the truly special things to do in Buenos Aires. Via T photography on Shutterstock. Visit the Magnificent Teatro Colón Teatro Colón regularly ranks among the best opera houses in the world. This opera house in Buenos Aires opened in 1908 and is renowned for its opulent architecture and interiors. It’s also said to have the best acoustics in the world for performing opera. While in Buenos Aires, touring the theater is a must if you love visiting beautiful spaces. You can only visit the theater on a guided tour, which you can reserve tickets for here. On a guided tour, you’ll learn more about the history of the building and what makes it so special. You’ll have a chance to explore several halls inside the opera house, as well as the auditorium itself. For an even better experience, you can attend a performance at the Teatro Colon. You can see what’s currently on and purchase tickets to performances on the theater’s website. Centro Cultural Kirchner, via Brester Irina on Shutterstock Attend a Cultural Event in Buenos Aires As a world-class capital city, Buenos Aires is home to some great venues where you can attend cultural events for free or cheap. One of the best such venues is the CCK (formerly Centro Cultural Kirchner), which is one of the largest cultural centers in the world. The center hosts regular concerts and other performances. All events are free, but you will need to reserve tickets online (and spots fill up quickly!) Usina del Arte is another cultural center located in the vibrant La Boca neighborhood. The cultural center, which is housed in a former power plant, also has a regular schedule of concerts, performances, and art events. Almost all events are free. For something a little different, head to a horse race at Hipódromo de Palermo. This historic venue hosts horse races several days per week. Horse racing has been very popular in Buenos Aires since the 19th century, and attending a race is a unique cultural experience. You can attend races for free every Saturday at the Hipódromo de Palermo. Polo is surprisingly popular in Argentina! Via Shutterstock. Learn about polo While football may be the most popular sport in Argentina, you might be surprised to learn that polo is also hugely popular, especially in Buenos Aires. This is due to the prevalence of horses and the influence of gaucho (cowboy) culture in Argentina. The Campo Argentino de Polo is a massive polo field located in the heart of Palermo. This venue hosts some of the most important polo events in the country. You can play polo yourself on this half-day tour from Buenos Aires, where you’ll learn about polo from a pro and have a chance to saddle up and hone your skills. Or, if you’d prefer to watch from the sidelines, this tour includes admission to a nighttime polo match plus unlimited drinks and snacks. Learning to make Argentine empanadas is a souvenir skill you can enjoy forever! Via Shutterstock. Take an Argentine cooking class If you want to learn how to cook some staples of Argentine cuisine while you’re in Buenos Aires, take a cooking class! This is a great way to learn more about the history and culture of Argentina and its food. You’ll also get to try your hand at preparing some classic dishes (and, of course, taste-test the results!).

In this 3-hour cooking class, you’ll learn how to prepare empanadas and alfajores, two of the most common snacks in Argentina. Empanadas are made with flour and stuffed with cheese, meats, corn, or other fillings. Alfajores are delicate cookies filled with dulce de leche, a sweet caramel-like sauce that decorates many a sweet dish in Argentina. This class is a great introduction to Argentine cuisine. For a more in-depth experience, consider this 4-hour cooking class. You’ll prepare a multi-course meal with dishes like chipa (a yuca-based cheesy bread), corn stew with veal, and dulce de leche crepes for dessert. With both of these experiences, you’ll work alongside a local chef who will show you the right techniques for crafting these delicious dishes while also explaining their history and significance. A pretty garden in the Recoleta neighborhood. Wander the city gardens While there are several green spaces throughout Buenos Aires, you’ll find the biggest and the best in Palermo. Here, there are multiple interconnected public parks and gardens to explore. The locals of Buenos Aires love this area, which is known as the Bosques de Palermo (Palermo Woods), for walking, cycling, and roller skating. The Japanese Garden is a must-visit. This tranquil oasis opened in 1967 to celebrate a visit from Japan’s emperor and his wife. There’s a small admission fee of 1,500 ARS ($1.85 USD), but it’s worth the cost to stroll around this relaxing garden. There’s also a Japanese cultural center and restaurant inside the garden. Nearby, the Parque El Rosedal is also worth visiting. This sprawling, elegant park is filled with flowers, including numerous varieties of roses. While you can visit year-round, it’s most beautiful in the summer when the roses are in bloom. You can also check out the Buenos Aires Botanical Gardens while you’re in the area. This is a smaller garden, but it’s perfect to visit on a hot day because there’s plenty of shade. Planetario Galileo Galilei, via Andres Conema on Shutterstock Stargaze at Planetario Galileo Galilei After you’ve discovered the parks and gardens of Buenos Aires, head over to the Planetario Galileo Galilei for some stargazing. This planetarium is located close to the parks, and it resembles a giant UFO. You can purchase tickets to a stargazing show inside the planetarium for 3,000 ARS ($3.68 USD.) It’s a 45-minute show, and it’s important to note that it’s all in Spanish. There’s also a small museum with exhibits at the planetarium. The Tigre Delta is full of surprises, via Shutterstock. Take a day trip to the Tigre Delta One of the best day trips from Buenos Aires is the Tigre Delta. If you ask my friends in Buenos Aires, they will always recommend this as their top day trip from the city. The Tigre Delta, one of the largest natural deltas in the world, is just a 1.5-hour boat ride away from Buenos Aires. It’s home to cute little towns, buildings with interesting architecture, and low-lying wetlands. This day tour from Buenos Aires will take you by boat to the Tigre Delta, with stops in historic San Isidro and Tigre where you’ll be able to explore local markets and sample homemade empanadas. A day trip to Colonia del Sacramento is one of the best things to do in Buenos Aires! Take a day trip to Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay Did you know that you can visit another country on a day trip from Buenos Aires? The town of Colonia del Sacramento in Uruguay is just one hour and 15 minutes by ferry from Buenos Aires. This charming small town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is well worth a visit, with picturesque cobblestone streets, colonial architecture, cute cafes, and artisan shops. You can visit Colonia del Sacramento on your own (I recommend booking ferries in advance using DirectFerries, as the ferry company wouldn’t accept foreign credit cards) or with a group tour. This group tour to Colonia del Sacramento includes hotel pick-up and drop-off, ferry tickets, and a two-hour walking tour in Colonia. You’ll also have a professional guide with you all day.

If you’re visiting Colonia on your own, I recommend giving yourself five hours for exploration in town, and you’ll want to get an early start — lines for passport control in both Argentina and Uruguay can take a while, and you’ll have to pass through them twice. Scenes from an Estancia, via Shutterstock. Take a Day Trip to an Estancia Another one of the best day trips from Buenos Aires is visiting an estancia, or cattle ranch, in the countryside. Gaucho (cowboy) culture is a huge part of Argentine life, yet most visitors to Buenos Aires have no idea this even exists. This day tour from Buenos Aires is a great option if you want to visit a ranch. You’ll head out to the Pampas, or plains of Argentina, and visit a traditional ranch where you’ll be able to go horseback riding, watch a folklore show, and enjoy a typical asado lunch of grilled meats. You’ll also have the chance to watch gauchos at work and visit the small, historic town of San Antonio de Areco. Inside the Mercado de San Telmo. Watch your back for pickpocketing here! Is Buenos Aires Safe? Is Buenos Aires a safe city to visit? How safe? Well, to start, the vast majority of travelers go to Buenos Aires and have a great time, with no bad incidents. But this is a city where you need to be more vigilant about pickpocketing and theft. I liken Buenos Aires to Paris or Barcelona — a great city, but absolutely crawling with pickpockets, and you should expect them to be among you at any time. Keep an eye on your belongings, use a good purse that zips, and you may prefer taking an Uber at night rather than public transit. (And be sure to check out my top travel safety tips for women.) You might have noticed that I mentioned that there are some areas in town where you need to be especially vigilant: San Telmo (especially at the market on Sunday), La Boca and El Caminito, and the area around Recoleta Cemetery (where I myself was pickpocketed on my first day of solo travel EVER in 2008). Another big issue is that Argentina is going through economic and political instability. The value of the Argentine peso fluctuates continuously, so much that restaurants sometimes change their prices on a daily basis. There are two separate exchange rates, and you as a tourist can get a better rate for your money. ATMs and credit cards will give you good rates, but you can only take out a small amount of cash at a time. It’s a good idea to check in on the local news before and during your trip, just so you can be aware of what’s going on. Like any other city, if there’s protest or political event taking place, avoid that neighborhood. I’ve safely traveled during times of protest in Thailand, France, Greece, and the US and life is usually normal away from the protest areas. Just stay informed. I saw this mural in Palermo, was perplexed, found out Conan O’Brien had it commissioned for his visit to Buenos Aires, and then I couldn’t stop laughing! How Much Time to Spend in Buenos Aires How much time should you spend in Buenos Aires? Honestly, more than you think you need. I most recently spent a week in Buenos Aires and wish I had spent much longer. Even with seven days, there was so much I didn’t have time to do! For that reason, I recommend spending at least three full days in Buenos Aires proper so you have time to explore the city properly. If you have a fourth day, that would be a nice opportunity to visit Colonia del Sacramento or the Tigre Delta — or continue exploring the city. I see a lot of people allot just a day or two to Buenos Aires — often when planning a trip to Patagonia or Antarctica — and if that’s you, consider adding on a few more days. How to get to Buenos Aires How can you get to Buenos Aires? As one of the largest cities in South America, Buenos Aires is a major air hub with plenty of international flights from North America and Europe. There are two airports in Buenos Aires — EZE hosts primarily international flights with some domestic options, and is an hour’s drive

from the city, while AEP is within the city (it took us 25 minutes to get there from Palermo) and mainly offers domestic flights. There are also ferries from the cities of Colonia del Sacramento and Montevideo in Uruguay, and plenty of buses to further destinations in Argentina and beyond. (Just keep in mind that Argentina is a huge country, and bus journeys can be quite long!) Stay in Palermo to enjoy views of Buenos Aires like this one. Where to Stay in Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, as you well know by now, is a huge city with tons of different neighborhoods — so it’s important to choose a good one. My personal favorite neighborhood to stay in is Palermo, with tons of fabulous restaurants and bars, gardens, cool shops, and a lot of buzzing energy. The following properties are the top-rated options in Palermo. Top-Rated Luxury Hotel in Palermo: BE Jardin Escondido By Coppola is a luxurious boutique hotel in Palermo Soho where Francis Ford Coppola stayed while shooting a movie in Buenos Aires. Top-Rated Mid-Range Hotel in Palermo: The best mid-range hotel in Buenos Aires is Magnolia Hotel Boutique, which offers chic and comfortable rooms in the heart of Palermo. Top-Rated Budget Hotel in Palermo: Palermo Bridge is a solid budget hotel in a great location just a short walk away from Buenos Aires’ sprawling city gardens. Top-Rated Hostel in Palermo: For budget travelers and backpackers, PH Palermo Hostel is an affordable place to stay in a fun, lively area. You can visit Buenos Aires year-round, but rain is always a possibility. Best Time to Visit Buenos Aires When should you go to Buenos Aires? I feel like there’s never a bad time to visit Buenos Aires – yes, the seasons are flipped from the northern hemisphere, but the city has mild winters that are great for exploring. The climate is a bit more like Houston than Boston, so to speak, so don’t expect any snow in July. Keep in mind that Buenos Aires’s high season is during the summer months — December to March — and this can often be a hot and humid time to visit. While the city is on the Río de la Plata, you don’t get the cool breezes that you get in coastal cities. You might want to time your trip for the shoulder season (March to May or September to November) for nicer weather with fewer crowds. I love El Ateneo Grand Splendid — and Buenos Aires! Is Buenos Aires Worth It? Are you kidding me? Buenos Aires is incredibly worth it! I absolutely love this city, and I was most recently reminded of why I love it so much. The culture, the nightlife, the incredible food, all for surprisingly reasonable prices — it all adds up to a world-class city! I’m already trying to get myself back to Buenos Aires for a third time. We’ll see how that goes. As for you — I hope you have the best time in Buenos Aires! There’s nowhere else like it. More on Argentina: More on South America: Have you been to Buenos Aires? Any suggestions? Share away!

#Beautiful #Destinations #Discover #Travel #Vacation #Aires #Argentina #Buenos #Fun

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masterofd1saster · 2 years

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CJ current events 16mar23

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Outstanding article: https://www.thefp.com/p/why-the-mental-health-of-liberal

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Ted's a dirty bird

Former cardinal Theodore McCarrick, 92, filed a motion in a Massachusetts court claiming he is “legally incompetent” to stand trial for sex abuse charges, citing “significant, worsening, and irreversible dementia.”

McCarrick is charged with three counts of indecent assault and battery on a person over the age of 14 relating to allegations that he sexually abused the teenager who was a family friend at a wedding ceremony in the 1970s at Wellesley College in Wellesley, Massachusetts.

McCarrick, laicized by Pope Francis in 2019, held one of the highest offices in the Catholic Church and has been accused of serially abusing his priestly authority by sexually abusing minors and seminarians.

The state of Massachusetts told CNA that it wants an opportunity to examine McCarrick’s competency to stand trial.

McCarrick’s motion to dismiss the charges comes about a month after his legal team said a neurological exam of him was being conducted by Dr. David Schretlen, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

That exam remains unavailable to the public, as Schretlen’s final report includes “extensive confidential information” about McCarrick’s health and personal life, and would be “harmful” to McCarrick if it were available to the public, one of McCarrick’s lawyers, Daniel Marx, said in a separate court document.*** https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253756/ex-cardinal-mccarrick-asks-for-dismissal-of-sex-abuse-case-against-him-citing-dementia

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He's there left-wing mayor

The Prince George’s County Police Department’s Child and Vulnerable Adult Abuse - Internet Crimes Against Child Unit arrested a College Park man this morning for possession and distribution of child pornography. The suspect is 47-year-old Patrick Wojahn.

On February 17, 2023, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children notified the PGPD that a social media account operating in the county possessed and distributed suspected child pornography. The image and videos had been uploaded to the social media account in January of 2023. Through various investigative techniques, PGPD investigators discovered the social media account belonged to Wojahn.

On February 28, 2023, PGPD detectives served a search warrant at Wojahn’s College Park home. Investigators recovered multiple cell phones, a storage device, a tablet and a computer. Following additional investigation, PGPD obtained criminal charges against Wojahn and investigators took him into custody early this morning.

Wojahn is charged with 40 counts of possession of child exploitative material and 16 counts of distribution of child exploitative material. He is in the custody of the Department of Corrections.***

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If someone tells you American criminal justice is sexist, the only proper response is "no poo, Sherlock."

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) - A 31-year-old woman who admits to having sex with a 13-year-old boy and then becoming pregnant with his child, won’t face any jail time under a plea deal with prosecutors.

Andrea Serrano of Fountain was facing sexual assault charges after her arrest in 2022 but accepted this new plea deal to stay out of prison earlier this year.

Serrano gave birth to the baby boy after she admitted to having sex with the 13-year-old. The mother of the victim told 11 News she is not happy with the deal offered to a woman she says ruined her son’s life.

“I feel like my son is robbed of his childhood. Now he’s having to be a father. He’s a victim, and he’s going to have to live with that for the rest of his life,” the victim’s mother, who we are not identifying, told 11 News.

She questions why Serrano won’t face prison time.

“I feel like if she was a man and he was a little girl, it would definitely be different. They would be seeking more. I feel like because he is not a woman, they are not. They are having compassion for her,” the victim’s mother said.*** https://www.kktv.com/2023/03/02/colorado-woman-who-admits-having-sex-with-13-year-old-having-his-baby-wont-face-jail-time-under-plea-deal/

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Suzi Weiss writes

→ Goodbye, Lori! No one’s favorite mayor, Chicago’s Lori Lightfoot, is out of a job. Lightfoot conceded Tuesday night, telling her supporters, “Obviously, we didn't win the election today. But I stand here today with my head held high.”

Lightfoot won only one term as the Windy City’s head honcho, but what a term it was. The homicide rate is up 40 percent since she took office in 2019; public transit ridership has plummeted; and O’Hare has become a homeless shelter. There’s also a new casino. TGIF will miss Lori!

The race is now between two opposing visions for the future of the Dems: Paul “Proactive Policing” Vallas and Brandon “Defund the Police” Johnson. The runoff election will be in April.

→ ‘Thank God for Bubba’: In the closing arguments of the Murdaugh murder trial—where now-disgraced Good Ole Boy Alex Murdaugh stood accused of murdering his wife and son—the prosecutor reminded the jury of one central figure to this alarming case: Bubba, the family’s golden retriever. Murdaugh swore he was nowhere near the dog kennels the night his son Paul and wife Maggie were shot, but it seems he was outfoxed by a dog. In a Snapchat video taken by Paul minutes before he and his mother were murdered, you can hear other voices in the background, including Maggie commenting that the dog might have a bird in its mouth. One of the voices was “100 percent” Alex Murdaugh, according to witnesses. Maggie and Paul were killed minutes later.

When they played the video in court, Murdaugh began to cry.

None other than O. J. Simpson predicted that Murdaugh would go to jail for stealing money, but “it wouldn’t surprise me in the least if this guy beats this case.”

O. J. was wrong: Murdaugh was convicted of the murders at around 7 p.m. last night. ***

→ Can she speak with the manager? In a bid to get her sex trafficking conviction thrown out, Ghislaine Maxwell is claiming that she was kept under inhumane conditions at the Brooklyn Detention Center while awaiting trial. Maxwell says she was held in solitary confinement and that she was “malnourished,” which, I think for British former billionaire socialites, just means there wasn’t a full English and savory pudding every morning. Her attorney is saying that by the time of her trial, Maxwell was too exhausted and deflated to contribute to her own defense.

Maxwell is now being kept at a correctional facility in Tallahassee in Florida—not quite the Palm Beach spread she’s used to—where she’s expected to serve out her 20-year sentence. There, the joke goes, she wakes up every morning shocked that she didn’t commit suicide. ***

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Personal responsibility? That's crazy talk, fella.

Kia Boys, Quantified

In 2020, 4,507 stolen cars were reported in Milwaukee, giving it the 66th highest rate of motor vehicle theft among American cities. In 2021, the city surged to eighth on the list, as stolen car reports more than doubled, reaching a staggering 10,477. Two-thirds of the cars stolen in 2021 were Kias or Hyundais, despite the two companies accounting for just 7% of all cars owned in America. And Milwaukee is only the tip of the iceberg.

In 2022, Los Angeles saw an 85% spike in thefts of Kia and Hyundai vehicles. In St. Petersburg, Florida, more than a third of all car thefts last summer were linked explicitly to inspiration from TikTok videos. In Chicago, some jurisdictions saw month-to-month spikes in Kia and Hyundai thefts of over 800%. In November 2022, Atlanta Police reported that 40% of all car thefts in the city that year were of Kias and Hyundais. Kia Boys have popped up in Buffalo, Dallas, several cities in Ohio, St. Louis, Seattle, Memphis, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, San Antonio, the DMV area (DC-Maryland-Virginia), and Kent County, Michigan. The volume of local news reports on Kia and Hyundai thefts is seemingly infinite. ***

Is it somehow wrong to insist that children stealing cars is a problem, actually?

An interesting perspective, but the many lower-to-middle class victims who’ve been economically crippled by Kia Boy thefts tend to come at this subject from a different angle than millionaire celebrity actors. As do the Kia Boy parents who, having higher hopes for their children than a life of crime, are publicly begging law enforcement to step up and hold them accountable. And as does the president of the NAACP’s Columbus Chapter — that notoriously tough-on-crime organization — who has asserted “we can no longer have our children just running rampant in our community committing crimes, it’s got to stop.”

Unsurprisingly, beyond the insulated world of the wealthy, the basic tenets of working class solidarity, child-rearing, and community stewardship dictate we should not accept a wave of juvenile car theft as a mundane fixture of American life. The question is what to do about it. Lucky for us, the media is on it.***

https://www.piratewires.com/p/kia-boy-stolen-cars

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Parody or truth, you decide.

Chicago Honors Lori Lightfoot’s Legacy With 21-Murder Salute

U.S.·Mar 2, 2023 · BabylonBee.com

https://babylonbee.com/news/chicago-honors-lori-lightfoots-legacy-with-21-murder-salute

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DAs make life changing decisions

CV NEWS FEED // A talented high school volleyball player is battling for her life after being hit by a car driven by a released St. Louis felon – and now, officials in Missouri are working to remove George Soros-backed Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner because of her failure to put the criminal behind bars.

Janae Edmonson, 17, was hit by a vehicle and lost both her legs while visiting St. Louis with her team and family on February 18. The Tennessee volleyball standout had just accepted a scholarship to play at The University of Tennessee Southern, which the school says it will still honor despite the double-amputation that has effectively ended her career.

Records show 21-year-old Daniel Riley, who was out on bail awaiting a trial for a 2020 felony armed robbery, didn’t have a driver’s license when he was speeding, failed to yield, and caused the collision. ***

Riley had been set to go to trial last summer, but sources indicate Gardner’s office wasn’t ready or wasn’t willing to pursue prosecution. Instead, Riley was put on house arrest with a GPS tracker, which local news sources reported he violated more than 100 times in lead-up to the accident.

Following a public outcry, including calls from Democratic officials for Gardner to step down, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey gave her an ultimatum: resign or be removed.

“This is about a quantum of evidence that demonstrates her failure to prosecute cases, failure to inform and confer with victims in cases, and failure to file new cases that are referred by law enforcement agencies,” Bailey said.

“The driver of the speeding vehicle, Daniel Riley, should never have been in that car. He is a dangerous gunman who should have been in jail,” a statement from Bailey’s office said. *** https://catholicvote.org/blame-mounts-for-soros-backed-prosecutor-after-horrific-crash/

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Isn't there a 1st Amendment or something about that?

YAKIMA, Wash. – The Yakima Union Gospel Mission filed a federal lawsuit Thursday against Washington state officials to protect its constitutional right to hire employees who share the ministry’s religious beliefs. Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys represent the Christian ministry in its civil rights suit to protect its freedom to hire like-minded individuals who share and live out its beliefs and mission to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ through its homeless shelter, addiction-recovery programs, outreach efforts, meal services, and health clinics for the Yakima community.

The Yakima Union Gospel Mission will serve anybody, but it furthers its religious purpose by maintaining staff who are likeminded believers that agree with and live out the mission’s Christian beliefs and practices, including abstaining from any sexual conduct outside of marriage between a man and a woman. The Washington Supreme Court, however, recently reinterpreted state law to prohibit religious organizations, like the mission, from only hiring individuals who share its religious beliefs, and now state officials are threatening the mission with significant penalties for using its religiously based hiring practices.***

In the wake of the state’s new interpretation of the Washington Law Against Discrimination, the mission has received applications from people who openly disagree with, or are hostile to, its religious beliefs on marriage and sexuality. To avoid being penalized by the state, the mission recently removed an online employment posting for an IT technician, refrained from posting an operations assistant position, and has paused hiring for those two positions.

The Yakima Union Gospel Mission loves and serves all people “right where they are” in multiple ways. For example, the mission offers shelter for the homeless 365 days a year and provides a family shelter for families with children. From July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022, the mission provided a total of 30,167 nights of shelter to 881 different adults and 3,592 nights of shelter for children. Its Good News Café provides free meals three times a day to the public and shelter guests; the mission served 141,629 free meals in that same timeframe. Additionally, the mission’s New Life Recovery Program helps people recover from drug and alcohol addictions and homelessness, and its health clinics offer free or reduced-cost services.*** https://adfmedia.org/case/union-gospel-mission-yakima-v-ferguson

***

funny toon https://www.gocomics.com/speedbump/2023/03/04

***

Should have let his unit handle him

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Friday, March 3, 2023

Former U.S. Army Soldier Sentenced to 45 Years in Prison for Attempting for Murder Fellow Service Members in Deadly Ambush

A Kentucky man was sentenced today to 45 years in prison for attempting to murder U.S. service members, providing and attempting to provide material support to terrorists, and illegally transmitting national defense information.

Ethan Phelan Melzer, aka Etil Reggad, 24, of Louisville, pleaded guilty to attempting to murder U.S. service members, providing and attempting to provide material support to terrorists, and illegally transmitting national defense information on June 24, 2022, before U.S. District Judge Gregory H. Woods, who imposed today’s sentence. According to court documents, Melzer planned a jihadist attack on his U.S. Army unit in the days leading up to a deployment to Turkey and sent sensitive details about the unit — including information about its location, movements, and security — to members of the extremist organization Order of the Nine Angles (O9A), a white supremacist, neo-Nazi and pro-jihadist group.

“Today’s sentence holds Mr. Melzer accountable for an egregious and shameful act of betrayal against his own military unit and his country,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “The Justice Department will use all available resources to disrupt and bring to justice those who would aid foreign terrorist organizations and use violence to harm our men and women in uniform or any American anywhere.”

“Ethan Melzer infiltrated the U.S. Army in service of a neo-Nazi, white supremacist and jihadist group,” said U.S. Attorney Damian Williams for the Southern District of New York. “He used his membership in the military to pursue an appalling goal: the brutal murder of his fellow U.S. service members in a carefully plotted ambush. By unlawfully disclosing his unit’s location, strength, and armaments to other O9A members and jihadists in furtherance of this ambush, Melzer traitorously sought to attack the very soldiers he was entrusted to protect. Today’s sentence makes clear that Melzer’s brazen actions backfired and that this office — along with our partners in law enforcement and the military — will work tirelessly to bring traitors like Melzer to justice and to protect the safety and integrity of our armed services.”*** https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/former-us-army-soldier-sentenced-45-years-prison-attempting-murder-fellow-service-members

***

Fair point about separation of powers and minority rights.

*** America has a written constitution detailing citizens’ rights. It has two legislatures, the House and the Senate, and separate state elections and governments that further buffer citizens from federal power. Israel has none of those things. We have only one legislature, it’s controlled by the governing majority, and the single brake on majority power is the court. This is the only force that can stem the current paroxysm—and so it’s this force that’s now being removed, in what is being misunderstood by some as a simple “legal reform.” What’s actually happening is a takeover of Israel’s independent judiciary by the most extreme government in our history.

There is a good case for reform that would set the limits of court power with broad consent. That’s not what’s happening.

The new system, which is supposed to be set in law by next month, will allow the government to select judges and overrule the court’s decisions. If the reform passes and the government decides that there will now be elections every 10 years, for example, or every 20—there will be no force to rule otherwise. Israel, which has rightly prided itself as being the only democracy in the Middle East, will move closer to the model of Hungary or Turkey than of America.

Israel’s stable and internationally respected court system is one of the reasons for our economic miracle over the past few decades. (Another reason is Netanyahu himself, in his more responsible days). Several billion dollars are already believed to have left the country in the past month, a sign of a trend that could snowball. The tech CEOs of Tel Aviv, who need a liberal social ecosystem and strong courts trusted by foreign investors, are eyeing Palo Alto. There are warnings about our international credit rating, and the shekel has dropped. *** https://www.thefp.com/p/i-took-up-arms-to-defend-israel-now

***

Criminal Victimization in the 22 Largest U.S. States, 2017–2019***

***

When you define deviancy down, there's always someone saying "hold my beer."

After School Satan Club launching first Colorado chapter, but organizer promises “we are not devil worshippers”

***

Ex-NBC doctor gets no jail time after asking girl, 9, for nude photos

David Propper

An ex-medical correspondent for an NBC-affiliate station based in Los Angeles received no jail time after he pleaded no contest to asking a 9-year-old girl to send him “sexy and private” nude photos, according to a report.

Dr. Bruce Hensel, 74, apologized to the young victim’s family and even hugged her father — who is an acquaintance — as he entered his plea in an LA courtroom on Monday, the Los Angeles Times reported.***

The Emmy-winner was arrested in 2019 after he asked the girl for the sexually explicit photos through an online messaging app.

At the time, he worked as the on-air chief medical correspondent for the NBC station in LA, as well as for one in New York.*** https://nypost.com/2023/03/06/ex-nbc-tv-doctor-sentenced-for-asking-girl-for-naked-pics/

Remember, LA is the town that made Roman Polanski famous.

***

You going to believe your lyin' eyes?

Newly revealed surveillance footage from Jan. 6, 2021, shows two Capitol police officers escorting Jacob Chansley, the be-horned so-called “QAnon Shaman” who has come to symbolize the riot, through the halls of the Capitol and to the very door of the US Senate.

The footage aired on Tucker Carlson’s Fox News show Monday night shows the officers closely following Chansley as he wanders the corridors of the Capitol, bare-chested and wearing face paint and a luxuriant fur hat with Viking horns.

“Virtually every moment of his time inside the Capitol was caught on tape,” says Carlson, who was granted exclusive access by Speaker Kevin McCarthy to 40,000 hours of surveillance footage from that day inside and around the Capitol, which has never been seen before by the public.

“The tapes show the Capitol police never stopped Jacob Chansley. They helped him. They acted as his tour guides.”*** https://nypost.com/2023/03/06/jan-6-footage-shows-cops-bringing-qanon-shaman-to-senate-floor/

I have always thought Carlson is a blowhard fake populist, but the tape was definitely interesting.

***

Crime costs

*** Walmart is closing its last two locations in Portland just months after CEO Doug McMillon warned that rampant thefts would lead the company to raise prices or close stores in some locations. Residents in the neighborhoods of those two locations will have to shop elsewhere, and 580 employees will also be affected by the closures.

Violence has also caused trouble for businesses, with one real estate developer and lifelong resident of the city preparing to move out after discovering his office was riddled with bullet holes. And stealing has been a problem for residents outside of business closures and departures, with 2022 seeing a record increase in car thefts.

Portland police are now finally taking this seriously. Officers are conducting anti-shoplifting “blitzes,” arresting 64 people in a December operation that led to 10 stolen vehicles being recovered alongside three firearms and almost $9,000 in stolen merchandise. A February operation led to another 40 arrests, with officers recovering $2,000 in merchandise and handing out 32 felony charges and 28 misdemeanors. Another of these operations was carried out on Sunday.*** https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/portland-is-bleeding-businesses-thanks-to-years-of-soft-on-crime-policies

***

Don't fly w/ the insane?

*** Francisco Severo Torres, 33, was charged with one count of interference and attempted interference with flight crew members and attendants using a dangerous weapon. Torres was arrested last evening at Boston Logan International Airport and, following an initial appearance today before U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Dein, was detained pending a hearing set for March 9, 2023.

According to the charging documents, on March 5, 2023, Torres was a passenger aboard a United Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Boston. Approximately 45 minutes prior to landing, the flight crew received an alarm in the cockpit that a starboard side door located between the first class and coach sections of the aircraft was disarmed. Upon inspection, a flight attendant found that the door’s locking handle had been moved out of the fully locked position – approximately a quarter of the way towards the towards the unlocked position – and that the emergency slide arming lever had been moved to the “disarmed” position. The flight attendant reported this to the captain and flight crew after securing the door and emergency slide.

In subsequent discussions, a fellow flight attendant reported that he had observed Torres near the door and believed Torres had tampered with the door. A flight attendant then confronted Torres about tampering with the door, to which he allegedly responded by asking if there were cameras showing that he had done so. According to court documents, the flight attendant then notified the captain that they believed Torres posed a threat to the aircraft and that the captain needed to land the aircraft as soon as possible.

Shortly thereafter, it is alleged that Torres got out of his seat and approached the starboard side door where two flight attendants were standing in the aisle. One of the flight attendants saw Torres mouthing something that he could not hear. Torres then allegedly thrust towards one of the flight attendants in a stabbing motion with a broken metal spoon, hitting the flight attendant on the neck area three times. Passengers then tackled Torres and he was restrained with the assistance of flight crew. Torres was immediately taken into custody upon the flight’s arrival to Boston. *** https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/pr/man-arrested-attempting-open-emergency-exit-door-aboard-flight-boston

***

Hip deep in irony

An attorney at the Southern Poverty Law Center, a civil rights group known for labeling conservative and Christian nonprofit organizations as "hate groups," was arrested Sunday on terrorism charges after allegedly taking part in a riot where agitators threw objects, including Molotov cocktails, at a police training center near Atlanta.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation on Sunday arrested Thomas Webb Jurgens, according to Dekalb County Jail records. The name and occupation of the 28-year-old appear to match that of a staff attorney with the SPLC. He is facing one charge of domestic terrorism.

Jurgens was among 35 people detained after a violent clash between protesters and police at a construction site for the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center.***

“On March 5, 2023, a group of violent agitators used the cover of a peaceful protest of the proposed Atlanta Public Safety Training Center to conduct a coordinated attack on construction equipment and police officers,” Atlanta police reported Sunday. “They changed into black clothing and entered the construction area and began to throw large rocks, bricks, Molotov cocktails, and fireworks at police officers.”*** https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/courts/splc-attorney-among-23-others-facing-domestic-terrorism-charges

Interesting pic:

***

If you have a good plea deal, don't fornicate it up

Disbarred Denver attorney Steve Bachar skipped his sentencing hearing in his felony theft case Friday and is now wanted on a warrant, court records show.

Bachar, 57, was due to be sentenced for defrauding an investor in his business of $125,000.

It was not clear Monday why Bachar, who was out on a $25,000 bond, did not show up to be sentenced in Denver District Court. A call to his cellphone went straight to voicemail Monday and he did not return a message left seeking comment.

Bachar pleaded guilty in November to one count of felony theft and a second count of misdemeanor theft as part of a plea agreement in which he received a deferred judgment on the felony charge — that is, the felony will be wiped from his record if he meets court-set conditions for the next two years.*** https://www.denverpost.com/2023/03/06/steve-bachar-skips-sentencing-denver/

Accused of mishandling $2M - prolly should behave himself.

***

Excellent article about beliefs as status symbols

***

Really??

A Denver eating disorder doctor who has helped patients with anorexia nervosa obtain aid-in-dying medication is jolting the psychiatric community and sparking an emotional, national debate about the ethics of prescribing lethal drugs for people with mental illnesses.

Dr. Jennifer Gaudiani, an internal medicine doctor who specializes in eating disorders, published a paper in which she describes the deaths of three patients with anorexia nervosa. One 36-year-old woman died after ingesting the lethal doses prescribed by another doctor, with Gaudiani serving as consulting physician. Another 36-year-old woman died of severe malnutrition on the same day she planned to take aid-in-dying medication prescribed by Gaudiani.

In the paper, published in February in the Journal of Eating Disorders, Gaudiani advocates for allowing patients who are dying from anorexia to end their lives on their own terms. She writes that, although anorexia doesn’t have delineated levels of severity like cancer, which has stages of progression and a terminal phase, it can be brutally lethal. It is widely believed to have the second-highest mortality rate of all mental illnesses, behind only substance use disorders. *** https://coloradosun.com/2022/03/14/denver-doctor-gaudiani-aid-in-dying-aneroexia-patients/

***

Bank of America drops dimes to FBI

Turns out BoA gave FBI a list of all customers who had ever bought a firearm who were in the DC area on Jan 6. So if you bought a rifle in Montana in 1999, but you happened to buy gas in Silver Spring on Jan 6, BoA gave your name to the FBI. - Thanks, Margot. https://thefederalist.com/2023/03/06/whistleblower-fbis-d-c-office-tried-to-sic-local-agents-on-innocents-after-bank-of-america-volunteered-gun-records/

***

funny video

***

When policing stops

***Chris Waggett manages 70 acres at the corner of Broadway and Alameda, with a Safeway and Sam’s Club and a new apartment project that just opened. The site, known as Broadway Park, is a couple miles south of downtown, but Waggett said he always knows when the city breaks up a homeless encampment there.

“The big issue I’ve got is that when we do sweeps downtown or do pushes at Union Station, all it causes are people to push down the light rail corridors,” he said. “All we’re doing is playing Whack-A-Mole.”

Waggett said he’s lost three retail tenants, including an Ace Hardware store, because of crime and vagrancy. Employees are too scared to come to work, he said.

Waggett is now paying $500,000 a year for private security to patrol the property and try to deter vagrancy. But he said he regularly sees excrement, prostitution and open drug use. And his hired security is sometimes too frightened to confront drug dealers.

“We’ve had a very laissez-faire, permissive attitude and people don’t understand the economic consequence to the city,” Waggett said.

“We need leadership with a capital L: We need leadership not only in enforcing the law and addressing the three-pronged problem of homeless and drug use and mental health,” he said.***

“We pay a lot of taxes and we’re not getting services,” Isenberg said.***

He said a homeless man moved into a utility room at one property in Aurora and was discovered only because he was grilling food inside and the smoke wafted within view of Harris’ maintenance staff. Other property owners report similar problems with vacant buildings poised for development: squatters move in and other burglars strip the property of anything valuable, like copper.

Fires are also a common threat that can destroy an entire property and nearby ones, too, as BusinessDen has previously reported. Other business owners interviewed by BusinessDen watch security cameras and rush to their buildings when they see fires set outside their properties.***

***

Latest Oxford news

DETROIT–An appeals court on Tuesday grilled attorneys for James and Jennifer Crumbley, the first parents in America charged in a mass school shooting, about how the couple treated their son before he murdered four students and injured seven others in the November 2021 shooting at Oxford High School in Michigan.

The court focusedon why they bought him a gun despite his mental health troubles and why they didn’t take him home after seeing his note that read: “The thoughts won’t stop, help me.”

“There were warning signs all over the place,” Michigan Court of Appeals Judge Christopher Yates said during a one-hour hearing.

The appeals court is trying to decide if the Crumbleys should stand trial on involuntary manslaughter charges for the actions of their son, Ethan Crumbley, who pleaded guilty to murder charges last year. *** https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2023/03/07/james-jennifer-crumbley-oxford-michigan-court/11421222002/

***

Maaaaaybe

HOUSTON (AP) — Next month’s scheduled execution of a Texas death row inmate, whose attorneys say gouged out both of his eyes — each a separate incident — because of severe mental illness, was delayed by a judge on Tuesday.

Andre Thomas had been set to be executed on April 5, sentenced to death for fatally stabbing in March 2004 his estranged wife Laura Christine Boren, 20, their 4-year-old son Andre Lee and her 13-month-old daughter Leyha Marie Hughes, cutting out the hearts of the two children.

He later told police God had instructed him to commit the killings and that he believed all three were demons. The killings of Boren and her children shocked Sherman, a city of about 45,000 residents 65 miles (105 kilometers) north of Dallas.

State District Judge Jim Fallon on Tuesday issued an order withdrawing the execution date. Fallon’s decision came after Thomas’ lawyers had requested additional time to prepare for a court hearing to review his competency.*** https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/execution-delayed-for-death-row-inmate-who-cut-out-his-eyes/ar-AA18lwrs

***

100 Years of Unenumerated Freedoms Conference

In 1920, a school teacher was arrested and fined for teaching German in defiance of a state law. He took his case to the U.S. Supreme court and won, resulting in one of the most sweeping defenses of individual freedom in history. Join IJ for a conference to celebrate the centenary of this monumental moment for liberty and to explore the past and future of unenumerated rights. This event will take place on March 31st in Washington, D.C. For those outside of the D.C. area, it will also be streamed online. https://ij.org/event/100-years-of-unenumerated-freedoms-meyer-v-nebraska-at-a-century

***

Aren't unlocked doors problematic?

A 22-year-old man is behind bars after entering a California high school and sexually assaulting at least three teenage girls on Monday.

Burbank police said Patrick Nazarian, of Glendale, was arrested for kidnapping and sexual assault after he allegedly entered Burbank High School around 9 a.m. Monday.

Investigators determined he entered the school through an unlocked door in the student parking lot.

Nazarian is accused of approaching a 14-year-old girl, who was in a bathroom inside the school, and sexually assaulting her. Police said a "short struggle" took place between the two before he fled.*** https://www.foxnews.com/us/california-man-jailed-allegedly-entering-high-school-sexually-assaulting-3-girls

***

Didn't Lord Humungous tell you about tranq ~ month ago?

What drug users and people who work with them in Philadelphia talk about is the smell. The smell of rotting flesh from open infected wounds.

Some users say they feel ashamed of the state of their bodies, but more feel a sense of urgency. They need help. The wounds are killing them.

“It is absolutely horrible. That’s the reality, though,” said James Sherman, known as Sherm around Philadelphia’s Kensington neighborhood, where he once used drugs and where he now tries to help those still on the streets.  

The need for help has become more urgent over the last three years, as the animal tranquilizer xylazine, also called tranq, has become a bigger part of Philly’s street fentanyl supply. Xylazine can cause large wounds that won’t heal, no matter where you inject it and they can appear even if you snort it or smoke it. Infections are common and can even lead to amputations.  

“Some people aren’t ready to see that yet,” Sherman said. “It’s literally people’s flesh rotting, and you can smell it.”  ***

Tranq made its mark on Philadelphia’s street drugs about three years ago. That’s when doctors, users and those who try to help them saw a difference. 

Dr. Joseph D’Orazio, an emergency physician and addiction medicine specialist at Temple University Hospital, said patients started to have major wounds that were different from typical injection drug use. “These wounds were a lot deeper, a lot more severe, there were big necrotic areas,” he said. “They were deep down into tendons. Sometimes you can see the bones, and we were starting to see more patients that were requiring amputations.”  ***

***

Faint?

***

Gascon

Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon has already cost people their safety. Now, his egotistical power trip is costing taxpayers millions as well.

Deputy District Attorney Shawn Randolph won her retaliation lawsuits against Gascon and is to be given $1.5 million in taxpayer money as a result. Randolph alleged that Gascon effectively demoted her and denied her job opportunities after she spoke out against his policies, including the minimization of criminal conduct for juvenile offenders no matter how violent they are.***

There are 16 other retaliation lawsuits against Gascon from prosecutors, who Gascon treats more harshly than career criminals, gang members, and child molesters. ***

***

They said it tasted a lot like Peregrine Falcon

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement has opened an investigation into two suspected illegal immigrants who allegedly killed a bald eagle with the intent of cooking it and eating it for dinner.

According to the Stanton County Sheriff's Office in Nebraska, two men were found with "a dead North American Bald Eagle in their possession" last month. Officers were initially responding to a suspicious vehicle near the main Wood Duck Recreation Area.

The sheriff's office said an investigation found that the men had shot and killed the protected bird and had plans to cook and eat it for dinner.***

***

Evisceration & "arrest me" tat

On Wednesday, February 15, 2023, Deputies of the Bell County Sheriff’s Department responded to an address off Tallow Drive, in Central Bell County where a call was received of a stabbing victim. On Deputies arrival, they located a victim with an evisceration. ***

the Bell County Sheriff’s Department SWAT team assisted by members of the Temple Police Department K9 and Troopers of the Texas Department of Public Safety were able to locate Shawn Thomas Goodman today, March 7, 2023, and take him into custody on the warrant without incident. Goodman was transported to the Bell County Jail and is currently awaiting arraignment.***

***

Oklahoma might have passed if it weren't for those meddling cartels

***on Tuesday night, constituents in Oklahoma pulled the plug on a statewide effort to legalize recreational cannabis, meaning residents will still be required to have a medical license in order to enter dispensaries in the state, which is now home to more retail cannabis stores than Colorado, Oregon, and Washington combined.***

"Regardless of where one stands on the question of marijuana legalization, the stark reality is that organized crime from China and Mexico has infiltrated Oklahoma's medical marijuana industry," Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond, a Republican, told the Washington Examiner, saying he was "proud" that 63% voted against the measure. Drummond added that he'd "continue to focus on this serious threat to public safety by targeting the illegal grow operations throughout our state."

Last year, a man accused of killing four Chinese nationals at an illegal Oklahoma marijuana farm demanded employees give him $300,000 as a return for his "investment" in the illegal operation, prosecutors said. And just last month, a spokesman for the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics said people "tied to violent criminal organizations" had a Payne County growing site raided, resulting in the seizure of 28,000 plants and nearly 500 pounds of processed marijuana.***

***

U.S. District Judge Wetherell ruled in Florida v. United States, 21-cv-1066 (N.D.Fla. Mar. 8, 2023) that when 8 U.S.C. §1225(b)(1)(A) and §1225(b)(2)(A) say an illegal alien “shall be detained,” those laws mean what they say.

He vacated DHS's catch & release policy, but stayed enforcement for a week so the U.S. may appeal.

Rules on standing and political questions died an ignominious death in the Warren Court. This will not fix the border, but if it makes status quo untenable, I guess that's good.

MYFLORIDALEGAL.COM

***

There shouldn't be barriers?

→ The bar exam is not a bar: The state of Delaware has lowered the score to pass the bar exam, the test all lawyers have to pass in order to practice law. Explaining why, Delaware Supreme Court Justice Collins J. Seitz Jr. said: “The bar exam is not supposed to be a barrier to entering the profession.” Absolutely no notes there. https://www.thefp.com/p/tgif-i-hate-him-passionately

***

Not bad advice for the moment....

https://www.findlaw.com/legalblogs/practice-of-law/tips-for-catching-deepfakes-in-evidence

***

Crime has lots of dangers

***Officers were called on March 7 after the man, Matthew Eric Smith, 32, was found dead under a car, the Chatham County Police Department said in a release.

“Evidence at the scene indicates that the man was killed while he was illegally removing a catalytic converter from the vehicle, and the vehicle fell on top of him,” the release read.

Catalytic converter theft has skyrocketed around the nation in recent years, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, surging more than 1,200% since 2019.

The converters, which reduce pollution and toxic gas from a vehicle’s emissions, are relatively easy to steal and contain valuable precious metals such as palladium, platinum and rhodium.

Last year, federal, state and local law enforcement carried out a “coordinated takedown” of a multimillion-dollar network of catalytic converter thieves, dealers and processors that led to 21 arrests in five states, the Justice Department said in a November release.*** https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/12/us/georgia-man-death-catalytic-converter-theft/index.html

***

Good article: don't lie, deprive people of their rights, or train others to do so

tumblrstinkshttps://www.washingtonexaminer.com/restoring-america/fairness-justice/police-need-training-but-not-like-this

***

Anger issues?

An 8-year-old Florida boy was arrested after allegedly attacking another child at a home on Saturday.

Lake County Sheriff's Office responded to a Clermont home around 4:25 p.m. for a report of a child cutting another child on the throat, according to an affidavit obtained by FOX 35 Orlando.

Upon arrival, the deputy observed a juvenile outside the residence banging on the front door. The boy was crying and saying he did not want to be taken away. The child pulled away multiple times while attempting to be placed in handcuffs, the affidavit states. While the deputy attempted to put him inside a marked patrol vehicle, the boy allegedly kicked a master deputy and the patrol vehicle. *** https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/florida-8-year-old-accused-of-cutting-throat-of-another-child/ar-AA18BZnb

***

You can have my gas stove when you pry it from my...

Yes, the Biden administration is coming for your gas stove.***

The Department of Energy is conducting this gas stove grab through a rule that would impose extreme energy performance standards on residential cooktops. The department’s proposed rule sets requirements for gas cooktops at the maximum technologically feasible or "max-tech" level. Based on the Department of Energy's own analysis, gas cooktops at the max-tech level represent just 4% of current market share and exclude all conventional free-stand ranges.

Any rule that causes 96% of the products available today to be eliminated from the market is an extreme regulation. In fact, it is essentially an outright ban on gas stoves.*** https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/restoring-america/faith-freedom-self-reliance/biden-regulatory-move-to-ban-gas-stoves

***

google "26-year-old Nicholas Roske"

The United States Supreme Court has asked Congress to increase funding to help protect the Supreme Court justices.

The court’s budget request asks for $5,897,000 for the “expansion of protective activities” and a separate increase of $585,000 for new IT security positions in “cybersecurity, software development, and network engineering.”

“This request would expand security activities conducted by Supreme Court Police to protect the Justices,” the protective activities request says, before specifically citing the presence of threats to the justices.

“On-going threat assessments show evolving risks that require continuous protection,” the request continues. “Additional funding would provide for contract positions, eventually transitioning to full-time employees, that will augment capabilities of the Supreme Court police force and allow it to accomplish its protective mission.”*** https://www.dailysignal.com/2023/03/13/supreme-court-requests-additional-funding-to-protect-justices/

***

FBI blowing up on J6????

Defendant in United States v. Nordean, 21-cr-175 (D.D.C.) filed a notice on 9mar23 [Doc 678] that the FBI had hidden some evidence in the J6 case. https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/23699546/nordean-filing-on-fbi-testimony.pdf

DoJ is really bad at producing documents. This that should be redacted aren't; thing that shouldn't be redacted are....

***

Nawlins has problems

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, March 14, 2023

Former New Orleans Police Officer Sentenced for Sexually Assaulting a 15-Year-Old Girl

A former police officer with the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) was sentenced in federal court to 14 years in prison for sexually assaulting a 15-year-old crime victim in violation of her constitutional rights.

According to the court documents, in May 2020, Rodney Vicknair, 55, while working in his capacity as an NOPD officer, escorted a then-14-year-old girl, who had been sexually assaulted by another man, to the hospital to undergo a forensic exam, also known as a rape kit. Vicknair gave the victim his cell phone number and offered to be her friend and mentor. In the months and weeks thereafter, Vicknair and the victim spoke on the phone and exchanged messages on Snapchat. Vicknair, while in uniform, often stopped by unannounced at the victim’s residence. Over time, Vicknair made comments to the victim that were sexual in nature.

On the night of Sept. 23, 2020, Vicknair arrived at the victim’s house. By that time, she had turned 15 years old. He told her to come outside and get into his vehicle. She got into the passenger’s seat while Vicknair remained in the driver’s seat. Then, he locked the doors so that the victim could not leave. Vicknair leaned over toward the victim, and she feared for her physical safety. He then sexually assaulted the victim when he intentionally touched her genitals under her clothing without her consent. Vicknair admitted in court that he acted without a legitimate law enforcement purpose and that he knew his actions were wrong and against the law but that he engaged in such conduct anyway.*** https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/former-new-orleans-police-officer-sentenced-sexually-assaulting-15-year-old-girl

***Thurs

good sentence

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, March 14, 2023

Rhode Island Woman Sentenced to Federal Prison for Falsifying Military Service; False Use of Military Medals; Identity Theft; and Fraudulently Collecting More Than $250,000 In Veteran Benefits and Charitable Contributions

PROVIDENCE – A Rhode Island woman who never served in the U.S. Military but perpetrated a massive fraud scheme by falsely masquerading as a Purple Heart and Bronze Star-decorated United States Marine who claimed to have been wounded by an IED in Iraq and to have developed service-related cancer was sentenced today to nearly six years in federal prison, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.

Sarah Jane Cavanaugh, 32, whose near-daily criminal conduct over a period of five years is described in court documents as being “among the more reprehensible seen in this District from a fraud defendant,” defrauded veterans, veterans’ organizations, veterans’ charities, friends, and co-workers in a “methodical and calculated manner.”*** https://www.justice.gov/usao-ri/pr/rhode-island-woman-sentenced-federal-prison-falsifying-military-service-false-use

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Pardons & paroles means releasing people found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of sometimes heinous crimes

Families of Connecticut crime victims are outraged after 44 murderers had their sentences commuted, accusing the Board of Pardons and Paroles of amending its policy to favor the state's most violent criminals. ***

State Sen. Heather Somers, R., accused the board of acting "in the dark" to reduce criminal sentences after the policy shift post-pandemic.

"This is a policy that was done in the dark by the Board of Pardons and Paroles, which is appointed by our Democratic governor here in the state of Connecticut," Somers said. "They took it upon themselves, or they were given a nudge to revise this policy."***

"They are coming in front of this board of three and unknown to us as legislators, and they are shaving decades, not a few years, decades off of these sentences," she said. "Just last week, this board shaved off 67 years off of someone's 95-year sentence. It is outrageous. We are committed to making this stop."*** https://www.foxnews.com/media/families-connecticut-victims-outraged-state-commutes-44-murder-sentences-outrageous

*** Sex traffickers need exercise too

Ghislaine Maxwell exercises with buddy at Florida prison

https//www.foxnews.com/video/6314528433112

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St Louis blacklist

A retired St. Louis, Missouri, homicide detective says district attorney Kim Gardner led a 'concerted effort to break the system down' after he and other officers were placed on an 'exclusion list' which prevented them from carrying out police work.

Roger Murphey, who left the police force in 2021, said he had to ask other officers to file paperwork like warrants and subpoenas for him after George Soros-backed District Attorney Kimberly Gardner placed him on the infamous 'exclusion list'.

It is thought that around 75 police officers could be on Gardner's list which prevents them from bringing cases to her office and fulfilling the scope of their law enforcement work. They are also gagged from speaking out about the list.*** https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11853475/Soros-backed-DA-tried-break-placing-police-exclusion-list-officer-says.html ***

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Latest BJS pub https://bjs.ojp.gov/document/hivp21st.pdf

BJS says the latest rate - 2021 - of HIV in U.S. prisons is about 1,100 per 100k. In the general population in 2019 the rate was 431 per 100k. https://www.cdc.gov/nchhstp/newsroom/fact-sheets/hiv/hiv-in-the-us-by-the-numbers.html

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Are you free to choose 1) a straw? 2) a stove? 3) a washer?

New washing machine efficiency standards proposed by the Biden administration last month have sparked concern from some manufacturers and trade associations that fear the new machines could be less effective and more costly for U.S. consumers.

The Department of Energy said the new efficiency standards, which seek to reduce emissions from both washing machines and refrigerators, will save consumers an estimated $3.5 billion annually on energy and water bills. U.S. households will save an estimated $425 in utility bills over the lifespan of the appliances, DOE said.

But manufacturers and trade groups say these efficiency standards will not come without a cost, both literally and figuratively, for consumers.*** https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/energy-environment/new-doe-efficiency-rules-washing-machines-more-costly-less-effective-manufacturers-warn

Fornicate tumblr for removing all my links!!!

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Really good article about Santa Clara County, California surveilling a church.

https://www.thefp.com/p/a-church-the-state-and-a-holy-war

Not just physical surveillance and spying ---

According to Zweig’s piece, Santa Clara County hired the company SafeGraph, which “aggregates information from 47 million mobile devices across the United States,” to set up a virtual perimeter around Calvary Chapel’s property, allowing GPS to track exactly where churchgoers were congregating. Daniel Ho, a Stanford law professor and expert in public health data analysis, was allegedly hired for $800 an hour to analyze the results of the SafeGraph data, Zweig reports. (Officials who monitored the church were paid $219 per hour.)***

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Julius & Ethel Rosenberg were a better class of traitors

Hollywood has made a movie about the interrogation of Traitor Delusional Loser.

From a journalist’s point of view, one aspect of the story that was very important at the time was how The Intercept and Glenn Greenwald dealt with Reality’s leaked information, sending it to the FBI, which some claim gave them the clues that led to her arrest.

Reality believed that she was going to be anonymous and that she’d be protected. She truly did not comprehend or even realize until the FBI showed up that that was not the case. I don’t have anything personal to add to that, because I’ve never dealt directly with any of that. But it was definitely a really interesting part to play as a character in those moments as she started to realize something that she trusted in was not to be trusted at all.*** https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/sydney-sweeney-interview-nsa-whistleblower-reality-winner-film-berlin-2023-1235323097/

Remember, this turd ---

Winner had written in a notebook: “I want to burn the White House Down … find somewhere in Kurdistan to live. Ha-ha!”* during one of her jailhouse phone calls, which were recorded, Winner said she planned to “play that card: being pretty, white and cute.” AP. (June 8, 2017). Accused NSA leaker wanted to ‘burn the White House down’ https://nypost.com/2017/06/08/accused-nsa-leaker-wanted-to-burn-the-white-house-down/ Winner discussed Osama Bin Laden in another diatribe, deeming the terrorist leader "Judas" to the Taliban's "Christ-like vision of a fundamentalist Islamic nation.* "Look, I only say I hate America like 3 times a day. I'm no radical." "But you don't actually hate America, right?" the self-described "elder and wiser sister," Brittany Winner, asked. "I mean yeah I do it's literally the worst thing to happen to the planet," Reality answered. McMillan, T. (Sep. 28, 2021). Reality check: Adorable 'whistleblower' was an anti-American spy. Washington Examiner. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/reality-check-adorable-whistleblower-was-an-anti-american-spy

Why couldn't we trade her for Griner???? Or maybe Bowe Bergdahl??? Is it too late to trade???

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Alec Baldwin shooting case

The special prosecutor in the fatal October 2021 Rust movie shooting case announced her resignation on Tuesday, weeks after Alec Baldwin's legal team claimed her participation was unconstitutional.

Andrea Reeb is a New Mexico state representative, and by acting as a member of both the judicial and legislative branches of the state government, Baldwin's attorneys argued that "her continued service as a special prosecutor is unconstitutional."

"My priority in this case — and in every case I’ve prosecuted in my 25-year career — has been justice for the victim," Reeb said in a statement. "However, it has become clear that the best way I can ensure justice is served in this case is to step down so that the prosecution can focus on the evidence and the facts, which clearly show a complete disregard for basic safety protocols led to the death of Halyna Hutchins."

"I will not allow questions about my serving as a legislator and prosecutor to cloud the real issue at hand," Reeb added.*** https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/special-prosecutor-baldwin-rust-case-steps-down

Thought experiment: what if someone handed Baldwin a nail gun, told him it was empty, and Baldwin killed someone with it?

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Maybe carjacking a rich woman will change things...

The wife of CME Group’s Terry Duffy was the victim of a recent carjacking in the Windy City, the chief executive said in a podcast episode published Thursday.***

His wife "got carjacked right in the city of Chicago" around 3 p.m. in the afternoon last week, he said. It is "absolutely insane what’s going on" in the city, he added before saying a majority of carjackings there were done by minors.

"So the juveniles go in and they come right back out literally an hour later. So is that investing in our future?" he said. *** https://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/cme-ceo-terry-duffys-wife-carjacked-chicago-crime-crisis

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