#montevideo challenger

[stateofsport211]

Montevideo Ch F: Tristan Boyer def. Hugo Dellien [5] 6-2, 6-4 Match Stats

📸 ATP official website

T. Boyer had a dominant start to the match thanks to his aggressive play, driving the flow more from his forehand side. He could also be found moving forward sometimes, and despite H. Dellien's best efforts to pass him in the middle of the second set, the unseeded American still nailed the flow as he responded deeper and controlled his rhythm well. This way, T. Boyer created 8 opportunities to break, converting 3 of them while H. Dellien was unable to convert his sole break point, which came due to T. Boyer's forehand error.

Besides, T. Boyer also had more solid service games throughout the match. Scoring 2 aces than H. Dellien's 1, the unseeded American stood out as he won 72% of his first serve points, 12% more than H. Dellien, which helped him alleviate some problems as the fifth seed stepped up. Somehow, while T. Boyer's 4 double faults might have increased his second serve vulnerability, but he was still able to win 75% of his second serve points, 18% more than H. Dellien throughout the match.

This marked T. Boyer's third Challenger-level title of the year (this time, without dropping a set), propelling his rank to 130 live by the end of the tournament as he steadily rose through the ranks. Fairly enough, both players decided to end their season as T. Boyer also withdrew from the Sao Paulo Challenger, and in his case, ending it on a high before kicking off the new season all the way before the Australian Open qualification rounds. What a pride to end this season with!

[artbyblastweave]

Something I find interesting about the Lizard League is that these guys are supervillain supervillains, costumed in the classic mold- Salamander with the impossibly-skintight patterned-cloth costume, Iguana with the tight-tights-and-animal-headpiece combo, Komodo with that 70s-style strongman cowl-and-jersey, King Lizard with the Baron Strucker-style double-breasted greatcoat. These guys are unrepentant in their design. And in the comics, where the Sequid arc didn't happen till around issue 40, these guys were part of this established stable of villains who'd show up as fodder for montages and one-off fights where they needed to have a hero beating up someone who's clearly a supervillain, never mind who. That meant that their eventual escalation to nuclear terrorism after 30+ issues of low-rent stuff, and the ensuing clusterfuck, actually parsed as a meaningful escalation from the established status quo. These guys are breaking the rules. Supervillains do stuff like this sometimes, sure, but not this kind of supervillain- these guys are doing MCU-style unmarked-Kevlar terroristic supervillainy when they should be doing lizard-themed gimmick crimes or Super-friends stuff!

Well, no, that's not quite true. It feels true, but honestly there are plenty of examples of campy big-two villains doing flat-out nuclear terrorism pretty early on, actually. Just to pick some examples from X-Men, Magento did it in his first appearance, and the ANAD lineup's first real outing was to stop Count Nefaria from hijacking NORAD. Screwing around with the military's world-ending shit is downright commonplace for supervillains, once you start tallying it up. But between the goofy kid-gloves approach of a lot of early silver-age comics and the sheer volume of Stuff that's happened in the Marvel and DC continuities, the impact of attempted nuclear terrorism inevitably gets sanded down, it just becomes one more data point in the endless ebb and flow- hell, it can result in actual nuclear detonations, and eventually it's going to get sanded over. In the nineties, Vandal Savage actually nuked Montevideo using depreciated USSR stock. Is that salient, these days? This event that would have reshaped geopolitics had it happened in our world? So yeah, supervillains make a run on the nukes all the time- but it doesn't count if you do it in a onesie with your initials stenciled on it.

But Invincible, as a self-contained continuity, actually has the ability to maintain perspective and appropriately weigh a grab at the nuclear arsenal - it's very much not business as usual, it's not part of the typical cops-and-robbers runaround. It's not stealing a priceless diamond, it's not a bank job, it's not even rampaging through the city center with a giant robot. It's a credible attempt to end the world, it's a challenge to government power that they won't let stand, costumes or no. It's the government sponsored super team coming in guns blazing trying their damnedest to kill you from the word go, and its you trying to kill them equally hard because there's really no coming back from this if you lose. And it ends up that treating this situation with a commonsense level of gravity acts as a deconstructive backhand against every similar situation in the comics that ends with the villain shaking their fist and escaping at the last minute.

[tomorrowusa]

Not all election news this month is bad.

Uruguay's leftist opposition candidate, Yamandú Orsi, became the country's new president in a tight runoff Sunday, ousting the conservative governing coalition and making the South American nation the latest to rebuke the incumbent party in a year of landmark elections worldwide. Even as the vote count continued, Álvaro Delgado, the presidential candidate for the center-right ruling coalition, conceded defeat to his challenger while surrounded by sullen-looking family members and colleagues. [ ... ] As initial exit polls began showing Orsi, 57, a working-class former history teacher and two-time mayor from Uruguay's Broad Front coalition, holding a lead over Delgado, cheers rang out across Montevideo's beaches. [ ... ] He struck a conciliatory tone, vowing to unite the nation of 3.4 million people after such a tight vote. "Let's understand that there is another part of our country who have different feelings today," he said, as fireworks erupted over his stage overlooking the city's waterfront. "These people will also have to help build a better country. We need them too." With nearly all the votes counted, electoral officials reported that Orsi won 49.8% of the vote, ahead of Delgado's 45.9%, a clear call after weeks in which the opponents appeared tied in polls. The rest cast blank votes or abstained in defiance of Uruguay's enforced compulsory voting. Turnout in the nation with 2.7 million eligible voters reached almost 90%.

A 90% turnout and people cheering election results on the beaches – this sounds like an alternate reality.

After such a suspense-filled, close race, Orsi said his win gave him a "a strange feeling that I think takes a while to come to terms with." "Starting tomorrow, I'll have to work very hard," he told The Associated Press from the glass-walled NH Columbia hotel, thronged exuberant friends and colleagues. "There's a lot to do."

[totaldramacruisecontrol]

Last Time On Total Drama Cruise Control: Another Quali-tea Challenge!

CHALLENGE 10: - Montevideo, Uruguay ______________________________________________

“Can you believe that your trip is halfway complete already? This is the 10th Challenge, congratulations to everyone who has made it here! Hopefully everyone isn't getting sick of partying, because the party is really starting to heat up now!” “In today's challenge, you will have to rollerblade down the strip, talking to locals and collecting three items to make Yerba mate. These items are: A calabash gourd The Yerba mate Tea Leaves Hot water

“You will then rollerblade back and give your ingredients to a fourth teammate to prepare the drink. Now, to make Yerba mate it requires the person to pack the tea powder very carefully, or else it will become clumpy and undrinkable. I recommend picking someone with delicate hands for this. The three skaters should also have a good of balance and smarts to traverse the city and communicate to the locals. I expect you all to be friendly and speak to the locals in Spanish. Anyone who already speaks it, I expect you to not speak at all. To make things fair.” “You all have 5 minutes to pick your three skaters, and your brewer!” ______________________________________________

Tapirs Skaters: Wayne, Raj, Lightning Brewer: Courtney Beavers Skaters: Harold, Jo, Amy Brewer: MK ______________________________________________

Wayne VS Harold - Find the Calabash Gourd!

“O-Oh….umm, hola?….calabash-a for favor?…” That makes sense, right?! "Calabash gourd…" Harold sniffles, sliding around.

The locals give Harold a very confused, concerned look. They take a step back…

For Wayne, the local smiles and nods. They respond in Spanish, handing him the gourd! Harold sniffles more. Harold sniffles and scoots around…a local does take pity, pulling him aside speaking in Spanish. They hand him the gourd….

______________________________________________

Raj VS Jo - Find the Yerba mate tea leaves!

“Um…Hola! Yerba mate? Por favor? No…no habla español.” Jo brakes roughly in front of them. “Thé? Yerba mate? Por favor?”

Jo's sheer force allows a local to shakily hand her the tea leaves. They aren't sure what she is saying, but it's in an angry enough tone for them to give it up….

The local gives Raj a shy smile, she says something in Spanish….you don't understand it, but she eventually points at the sign in the building. Raj. This is a bank. She does point at another location.

He skates away, going in the direction the local had pointed. After aimlessly skating around Raj did find the tea leaves!

______________________________________________ Lightning VS Amy - Find hot water!

"Oh no… How can Lightning catch up?"

"Hola! Hola… agua? Soy… uh." She glances around. "Agua, no fría. Por favor, caliente. Gracias."

Lightning isn't doing much better. Every local either gives him a confused look, or tries to give him everything but the water. Fruit….flyers…..a bottle of iced tea?

Amy is lucky and after only a few tries a old woman offers her a kettle of hot water. Careful!

Lightning points at the Hot water one more time! Lightning, you nearly crash into a fruit stand, causing the owner to cuss at you in Spanish! He does thrust the kettle at you as a way to make you go away! ______________________________________________

MK VS Courtney - Brew the tea!

MK and Courtney....the two of you make your drinks. Courtney has it justttt right, only for the powder to flop to the bottom. It is a mushy, undrinkable mess.

MK WINS IT! BEAVER WIN!

______________________________________________ ELIMINATION: It was Trent who was served the Mocktail of Misery and walked the Plank of Shame.

"Okay, you know what?" Trent stands up, positioning himself in front of everyone. "Fuck all of you guys. Bunch of pieces of shit. I'll tell you guys what I think of you. Wayne and Raj? You guys are actually cool. Whatever. But everyone else? Full of bullshit. Total assholes. I never liked any of you guys. Not Courtney, not Lightning, not even Alejandro. Yeah, I wasn't fucking in love with him. I just did it for fun. And, hell, I don't even like Amy either! I didn't even think of Harold as my friend, or Sugar as my best friend." He takes off his shirt, revealing his freaking noco and aletrent tattoos ^_^ "And look at what I fucking have. What for? Just so I can get voted off? I did all of this just so I can fit in with you guys."

He pauses, catching his breath, before pointing at Wayne and Raj. "Alejandro is playing you guys and you don't even know it. You think just because he seems like he changed, he won't manipulate you. He hasn't changed, not one bit. You know, maybe he was right! Everyone leaves him for a fucking reason. You guys are just so naïve that you can't see Alejandro in his true nature! But I know. I fucking know it."

Maybe he's rambling, but whatever, right? He's eliminated anyways. "All of you guys are disgusting. The way you play this game makes me so fucking mad. I hate all of you. The beavers are fucking included." He raises his middle finger, stepping off the plank. ______________________________________________

> Courtney tells Raj about World Tour & that Alejandro is manipulating him! > Courtney gets angry with Ripper for leaving a wooden skull he won in their hotel room, a reminder of her ex. Ripper promises her that they'll burn the skull and a hair tie he has from Julia together. When they eventually do, Courtney admits that she wants to drop law and go into show business instead. Ripper tells Courtney his most important use for the money, which is to take his nonna back to Italy and help complete her bucket list with her. She is dying, and she is the only member of his family that matters to him. > The day after Wayne comes out to Raj, both Ripper and Wayne admit they have feelings for each other. They kiss on the bow of the ship and turn it into a challenge. (Because of course they did.) > Wayne carries Raj around with a piggyback ride while they discuss Alejandro possibly betraying them. Wee! > Raj gets mad at Lightning for lying to Wayne! Lightning promised he would vote for Courtney and did not. > Alejandro, Amy, and Ripper get cross faded together. Ripper discusses his abusive family life. Amy brings out the Alejandro puppet and he is thoroughly delighted by it. > Lightning is having an inferiority complex arc! > Ripper and Alejandro go wine tasting together. It appears Ripper knows a little more than Alejandro does for once. -Ripper brought a bottle back for a date with Wayne by the pool. > Wayne and Ripper break into one of the ships kitchens to bake a cake together. > Jo and Brick have a little wine date. Brick talks about his secret about fashion school (He almost failed, and Jo kept him motivated.) ...Then got wine drunk. > MK and Jo are trying to scam people with a slot machine. > Harold voted for Alejandro (an alliance mate) in the previous elimination and thinks no one knows about it...but Alejandro knows. Chris told him that he and Amy both had two votes. > Harold and Scott have their first ever interaction and immediately become enemies. Harold has been peeing on Scott's pillow in rat form ever since. > Amy happens upon Zoey. They throw insults back and forth and scribble on each other with sharpie. > Everyone prepares for the next challenge! They are provided with materials to make costumes. This includes glitter, feathers, and little fake gemstones. Raj and Wayne get into a glitter fight. Ripper gets caught in the crossfire. Brick attempts to help Courtney in making a costume.

[elbiotipo]

Railway Empire is very, very fun. The South America map is great, I had a lot of fun connecting Argentina and now I'm COMING TO BRAZIL slowly making my way up through Río Grande do Sul

It's also unrealistic in the sense that while it does project kinda well the expenses of crossing the Andes, it doesn't really do the same with the Paraná/Paraguay/Uruguay rivers, crossing those have always been challenges and bulding bridges over them really should have been great achievements. But hey, BUENOS AIRES - MONTEVIDEO DIRECT EXPRESS CHOO CHOO

My other complaint it's that it's a little too jarringly supportive of manifest destiny. I know you ARE supposed to play as a railroad baron (even the Argentina scenario has you under the supervision of a English oligarch... Sorry I bretayed you all) lines such as TAMING THIS WILD LAND are still ehhh

Still, it's a good choo choo game. And Simutrans doesn't have the same appeal to me.

[superncvaas]

( macarena achaga, cis woman, she/her) have you met alba ripoll yet? you know, the 25 year old graduate student majoring in art history. ring a bell yet? every time i walk past their dorm i hear she's electric by oasis blasting through the door. everyone who meets them say they’re free-spirited but can also be a little rebellious. guess when you meet them you’ll figure that out yourself. —

basic info.

full   name.   alba isabel ripoll betancor

age.   twenty-five

date   of   birth.   february 11th, 1998

major.   art history

clubs. art and media

sports. lacrosse

orientation   bisexual

background.

born into the opulence of the ripoll family in montevideo, alba ripoll was destined for a life of privilege. the ripolls were renowned for their wealth amassed through generations of successful business ventures.

alba's childhood was adorned with the finest things, but she yearned for more than the gilded cage of her family's mansion.

rebelling against the expectations of high society, she found solace in the world of art, a realm far removed from the ballrooms and gala events.

determined to forge her path, alba left the comfort of her family's estate at 18 and set out on a journey of self-discovery. miami, with its vibrant art scene, became her canvas. she immersed herself in the eclectic mix of cultures, finding inspiration in the city's kaleidoscope of colors and stories. although her family disapproved of her chosen path, alba was unyielding in her pursuit of artistic expression.

embracing her rebellious nature, alba used her privileged background to fund her artistic endeavors. she attended prestigious art schools, surrounded by aspiring creatives from diverse walks of life.

her rebellion wasn't a rejection of her roots but a quest for individuality within the confines of privilege. alba's passion for art blossomed, and her family, begrudgingly accepting her choices, couldn't deny the brilliance emerging from their free-spirited daughter.

as she cultivates her own artistic expressions, she has discovered a newfound passion for art restoration. this led her to relocate to new york, where she enrolled in a graduate program and actively seeks an internship at a museum.

personality.

alba ripoll is a contradiction, a rebellious spirit draped in elegance. her demeanor is a delicate dance between refinement and nonconformity. while she appreciates the luxuries her background affords her, she refuses to be confined by societal expectations. alba's rebellious streak is evident in her choice of art; she gravitates towards pieces that challenge conventions and provoke thought.

in her social circles, alba is both the sophisticate and the provocateur. she effortlessly navigates high-society events, her poise belying the spark of defiance in her eyes. yet, when the night falls, alba transforms into the fearless explorer of new york's underground art scene. she revels in the pulsating energy of the city's contemporary art galleries and is known for hosting secret gatherings that blur the lines between the conventional and the avant-garde.

[oliviab-scstudyabroad]

Last Day, Best Day! + Some Updates (Part III)

Hey everyone! Here is Part III of the camping trip, what you all have been anxiously waiting for 😉 On Friday, the last day of the trip, we all woke up, packed up pour things, and had breakfast. The kids had hot chocolate and tostados (toasted bread with butter and jam- a classic Uruguayan breakfast), and I drank some very-much needed coffee. The students then had the opportunity to refine their lyrics and choreography for their team song and dance so that the counselors could judge and award tokens to the group with the best performance. I helped the green group again, and I suggested that they add a more “complex” line in English to impress the judges. They thought of “we are win”, and I had to explain to them how it would be “we will win” because it’s in the future tense. This proved difficult for them to wrap their heads around because they had not learned the future tense in class yet. When they finally performed, they all forgot the phrase and instead cheered “we are win”, but I had to laugh.

The first activity of the day was called “Scavenger Hunt”. The students were given a sheet with things that they had to find and collect, such as an open pinecone, a smooth stone, etc. After gathering all the items, they had to ask me in English how old I am, where I’m from, and what my favorite food is. The first team to present all the items to a counselor and write down my answers to their questions would win tokens. They had the most trouble finding a four-leaf clover, so most of them just drew a four-leaf clover and showed me the drawing.

After the scavenger hunt, the students had free time. All of the boys rushed to the futból field, and the girls played four square. We then had a quick lunch before completing the last activity of the day, which was a group reflection. The kids passed around a large poster board and had to write a word or a phrase in English that described their favorite part of the camp. Most of the boys said “futból” which didn’t surprise me one bit, but I was surprised at how reflective a lot of them were. It was then time for what everyone had been waiting for… the final token ceremony! The counselors counted the tokens, and we announced the teams in third and fourth place before declaring the winner… it was the green group! They won a huge box of alfajores (like a whoopie pie), and the other groups each got a bag of sweets. We all then boarded the bus to head back to Montevideo, and I slept like an angelito that night.

Although it was challenging to counselor a bunch of fifth graders and encourage them to speak in English, by the end of the camp, I could tell that they were less timid about talking to me and that they lit up when they could get their point across. I’m glad that I could give back to the community in that way, and I hope that I left the students with the realization of how fun and enlightening it is to interact with people who come from distinct countries and speak different languages.

I also wanted to give some updates about what I’ve been up to recently:

Constantly going to the supermarket and buying water. In Uruguay, it’s generally safe to drink the tap water, but because there has been a historical lack of rain recently, the country is experiencing it’s first drought! Instead of distributing water from their reservoirs, providers are taking water from the Riverplate and adding salt to purify it. As a result, the tap water is extremely salty! Everyone has been buying gallons of water from the stores, but most stores have now placed a limit that one person can only buy at most 4 gallons of water at a time.

Playing voleibol! I joined ORT’s club volleyball team at the beginning of the semester, and I’ve been going to practice every Wednesday. It’s been a great way to meet locals and work out!

Checking things off the bucket list. In the past few weeks, I’ve been to the zoo, saw a movie, watched people dance tango in the street, and played pool with friends! I always try to do at least one new thing every weekend so that I take a break from studying and discover more about Montevideo.

That’s all for this post! Nos vemos pronto!

[whenthepwn]

🕯️ + nicomila

have a “no electricity” date night, starring camila & nicolas.

There was a time that summer, in Camila's life, brought a feeling that she almost dared to describe as heavenly. She couldn't help but spend the whole year waiting for December to hit. Spending the days sunbathing and enjoying her father's hard work at the grill, bleaching her already imperceptible body hair because that was what cool girls were supposed to do, exploring the beaches she knew by heart since childhood, watching the foolish tourists come and go: summer was the time to be in Uruguay, to live in Montevideo. Idyllic, truly.

She had never been as depressed as in her first summer in Korea, the first of her life. Going to the beach right in the beginning of the Korean winter was an unthinkable idea, and she knew from her grandmother's furled eyebrows that her ideas were far too bold from the Korean point of view. Grandma was sick and it would be good for her to get to meet her mainland and reconnect with her roots (that's what her parents said, at least), but what else could she do? Nothing but sitting down and desperately wait for college to end, or her grandma to drop dead and pray for a miracle to happen so the great Universidad de la República could accept her as a transfer undergraduate student.

Her grandma died, her parents went back, she stayed to finish her studies. Damn studies. Camila cried day and night, made her mother's life a hell on Earth and cursed her father for leaving his babygirl alone in a country she barely knew, and while that made them feel guilty and more likely to open their pockets whenever she wanted. Three years at most. In Korea.

But alone. And alone! The perfect background to romanticize and live the closest thing to the dream life she wanted she could have there, and she'd make sure to enjoy every single opportunity that came around.

She’s still enjoying, but the picture has changed a little bit, fortunately: now Camila has Nicolas by her side! Perfect lover, a devoted boyfriend who pleased himself by pleasing her, also foreign and bold enough to think big, do big. Even when she technically was working for the rival team, she, such a careful girl, couldn’t avoid being immediately smitten by him.

It wasn’t just because he was nice and played the part of worshiping the ground she walked on from their beginning. Their relationship might have started as a joke, but now she felt seriously overwhelmed at the merest deeper thought about them, about the things they would do together, the babies they would have. She knew that Nico had a huge potential from the start, let the truth be told, and she could help him be even better. A sleepy Mila from him was enough to wake her up in a good mood. God knows what she would have done if they didn’t meet! God knows what he would have done if they didn’t meet! They are lucky enough to not even have to imagine. Camila and Nicolas, tied together for the rest of their lives.

So when her parents called to say they wanted to spend the end of the year traveling as a couple, instead of swearing and making them find a way to get her a ticket, she let them go free, with the promise they’d send some money. It didn’t matter: she was going to spend Christmas with her boyfriend! The first and there would be so other many, she was sure.

Though it was freezing, Camila put on a nice dress, baked a dessert she liked so she could give a good impression and went to work: they celebrated it with his family on the 24th, loud and warm in a way only a latino family could provide, and she didn’t shy away from it. Daring to even drink and dance, she had fun like she hadn’t had in years, the type of gathering she had missed ever since leaving home, the night made even sweeter because her boyfriend was there, being as cuddly as always. You are so going to give me a baby, she whispered on his ear at some point, conscious that he had it as a challenge. The way they were, he’d remind her of it as soon as they got home.

The 25th was for the two of them only, and almost a reenactment of the first moments of their relationship: glued to each other in bed, so close that one could feel the other twitching and breathing, playing around with no traces of regret or shame. Weird enough, she wasn’t really fond of psychical contact before dating Nicolas, ironically turning into the too much public display of affection kind after they became a couple. Now looking for his hand to hold and kissing his cheeks now and then was a natural thing, doing without thinking twice.

And when electricity went off and saying they felt the cold in their bones wasn’t a joke anymore, the only thing they did was getting even closer, wrapping themselves in each other. The blankets suddenly weren’t enough, and with none of them interested in leaving their love nest, they remained that way, no rush to do something else.

[thoughtlessarse]

Uruguay’s leftist opposition candidate, Yamandu Orsi, has became the country’s new President after a tight run-off contest. Mr Orsi’s victory ousts the conservative governing coalition and makes the South American nation the latest to rebuke the incumbent party in a year of landmark elections worldwide. Even as the vote count continued, Alvaro Delgado, the presidential candidate for the centre-right ruling coalition, conceded defeat to his challenger amid muted scenes. In sharp contrast, Mr Orsi told crowds of supporters: “The country of liberty, equality and fraternity has triumphed once again. “I will be the president who calls for national dialogue again and again, who builds a more integrated society and country.” As initial exit polls began showing Mr Orsi, 57, a working-class former history teacher and two-time mayor from Uruguay’s Broad Front coalition, holding a lead over Mr Delgado, cheers rang out across Montevideo’s beaches.

continue reading

[idagnyheter]

Förre fotbollsstjärnan Diego Forlán gör debut i tennis på ATP-touren

Den nu 45-årige uruguayanen drog sig tillbaka från fotbollen 2018 och har sedan dess spelat internationella turneringar på tennisveterantouren. Nu är det dags att debutera i en ATP-tävling. Den äger rum i Uruguay Open i Montevideo i mitten av november, en tävling som är en del av Challenge-touren. Forlán spelar tillsammans med Argentinas Federico Coria, som är rankad 101:a i världen och som förra…

[stateofsport211]

📸 🎥 ATP official website

T. Boyer then had a solid start to the second set when his working smash paved the way to his earliest break point in the first game, but T. Boyer ended up breaking early to 1-0 before his forehand pass minimized the gap, but the unseeded American held his serves to 2-0. The next few games became another kind of test as H. Dellien mostly forced the deuce through his forehand pass, and even had a break point due to T. Boyer's forehand error, but the latter still held his serves to 4-2.

After the said massive hold, T. Boyer then created another break point thanks to his cross-court backhand winner, but H. Dellien saved it due to the former's forehand error before securing another massive hold to 4-3. Since then, T. Boyer had not looked back, where even if a match point was saved with H. Dellien's rare forehand return winner, the former still sealed the match with an unreturned serve to take the second set 6-4, as well as securing his third Challenger title of the year.

[asiarugby]

Hong Kong China Men Hope to Take Montevideo Form Into Munich

Hong Kong China head to Germany for the final round of the World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger 2024, on 18-19 May, aiming to qualify for the HSBC SVNS 2025 Play-off tournament in Madrid a fortnight later. Continue reading Hong Kong China Men Hope to Take Montevideo Form Into Munich

[allthebrazilianpolitics]

Argentina and Brazil “blocking” Mercosur's progress, Uruguayan President says

President Luis Lacalle Pou told his country's Parliament Saturday that Uruguay needed to open up to the world. In his last accountability for the year speech as head of state before Parliament, he also singled out Argentina and Brazil for “blocking” Mercosur agreements and insisted on the importance of achieving fiscal goals, low inflation, employment growth, educational transformation, and making the regional bloc more flexible.

 “Everyone knows that the advances in terms of agreements with blocs and other countries have not been what one would have liked,” Lacalle explained. “There is no doubt in my mind that Mercosur's challenge is to open up to the world,” Lacalle pointed out. Argentina and Brazil are “holding us back from advancing in bilateral agreements, for example with China,” he added.

Every March 2 since 2021, Lacalle spoke at the Legislative Palace in Montevideo even though this is not mandatory. In addition to sitting lawmakers, also present Saturday was former two-time President Julio María Sanguinetti of the Colorado Party, a key ally in Lacalle's Multicolor coalition.

Despite his differences with Argentina, Lacalle praised the understanding with the Libertarian administration of Javier Milei for the widening and deepening of the access channel to the Port of Montevideo to 14 meters. Regarding Brazil, “with the Bolsonaro government, we reached an agreement on free trade zones. And with Lula's government, we also achieved things.”

Continue reading.

[oliviab-scstudyabroad]

Welcome to English Camp! (Part I)

Hey guys! I apologize again for another late post; I’ve been extremely busy as usual! School has been taking up most of my time, as ORT is known for their course grades being heavily weighted on midterms and group projects. I haven’t had a single homework assignment here, but I do have tons of Zoom Meetings and study sessions with classmates. Last week, I had a parcial (miderm) for my Business Law class, and I got an 83%! I was proud of myself because not only is the class taught in Spanish, but it also discusses business law specifically in Uruguay. I also had a parcial for Uruguayan Economy and Society, and fingers crossed that that went well also! Although studying was tedious for that course, I enjoyed doing research and reading articles because it gives context for a lot of the conversations that my classmates have here. This weekend, I’m heading to Buenos Aires to blow off some steam and explore more of such a lively city.

A few weeks ago, I worked as a camp counselor for an English camp! I got the job because the academic coordinator at ORT forwarded an email from the academic coordinator of Escuela Integral, an elementary school that is affiliated with ORT because they’re both Jewish! At Escuela, the students are taught English and Hebrew, and Escuela is one of the only Jewish elementary schools left in the country. After an interview with the head camp counselor, I was hired! The camp lasted for three days, Wednesday to Friday, and it was in Atlántida, about an hour from Montevideo. At 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday, I arrived at Escuela with my things and met the other camp counselors. Two of them were Uruguayan, and one was American (from Boston). I also met the kids; they were fifth graders (10 years old), and they were already bouncing off the walls before we left, so I knew I was in for a long ride. We then boarded the bus and headed to Camp Floresta!

The site was your typical summer camp site. It was complete with a cabin with bunk beds, a bonfire area, and a soccer field. We got a tour of the site and the counselors explained the rules of the camp. The main rule was to only speak English. We then did several ice breaker challenges, including “Line Up”, where the students had to (in English) put themselves in order based on their birthday and name. It was pretty adorable because when they asked me for help, they would speak to me in Spanglish. For example, when I asked one kid what his birthday was, he said “eleven of Julio” (July 11th). Although their English was questionable, I was still impressed that we could carry little conversations and that they weren’t timid about speaking to a native speaker. They also played “Try to Stand Up” where they had to form pairs, intertwine their arms, and try to stand up together, and “Human Bingo”, where they had to get signatures from their classmates if they had done that activity on the Bingo Sheet. For example, if a student had gone on a plane before, they signed their name in that square.

After the icebreaker activities, we had lunch. I was asked to sit with the students so that they could practice their English, and it was hilarious to hear the types of conversations that 10-year-olds have. One kid named Jeronimo (love that name) told me that he has an 18-year-old girlfriend named Flavia. He had this mischievous grin on his face, and the girl next to me (Lisette) said that he met her across the street. I then realized that he was the one waving at people walking by the camp and asking them what their names were! Flavia must live in the neighborhood hahah. Most of them only spoke to me in Spanish in the beginning. A lot of them thought I was Uruguayan, and although that’s a big compliment to me, I assured them that I wasn’t and that I “only knew English”.

After lunch, the class was divided up into four groups, and each was assigned a color (green, yellow, red, and orange). The counselors then explained that throughout the camp, the students would receive tokens for things that they had done well, such as cleaning up after lunch or speaking in English. The team who had the most coins at the end of the camp would receive a prize! Each team then had to create a team flag and make up a song and dance to present to the class. I was in charge of helping the green group. I suggested that they come up with their team’s name first and then base their song around the name. At first, they wanted to be called the “Green Group”, but I told them to come up with something more creative. They decided to be called the Grinches! I helped them draw a crown on their flag with lightning bolts, and they made up the choreography and lyrics. I tried not to laugh when they were coming up with the lyrics. They went something like this:

We are the Grinch, Grinch, Grinch

The best of teams, teams, teams

We are a group, group, group

The best of group, group, group

We are Grinch!

The Grinches then performed in front of the class. I had to take a video because they were so into it and serious about making sure everything was perfect. After, the kids had free time, so I helped them with getting on and off the zipline! We then had tea as a group, and then there was another activity. Each group had to sit together, and the counselors would ask them trivia questions. Some of them were “name five countries in Asia”, “who is the president of Chile”, and “what is the capital of France”. The kids were out of control at this point. I think they were antsy after having free time and exhausted from getting up early to board the bus, but the trivia game that should’ve lasted 30 minutes ended up lasting two hours. It made me have a deeper appreciation for teachers, because I certainly don’t have the patience to deal with rowdy kids for that long. After finally finishing the game (the winner got a few tokens), we had a dinner of milanesa and French fries (a typical Uruguayan meal).

While the students were finishing up dinner, I helped the other counselors to put up a disco ball, hang up neon lights, and create a playlist with English songs for a Neon Party! Each student received a “VIP” ticket to admission for the party, and once they entered the dance floor, we encouraged them to dance with their friends and sing the English songs (“Dynamite, “Tik Tok”, “Party Rock Anthem”, basically the hits from the early 2000’s). I also did face paint on some of the kids, and they loved that the colors were neon! A lot of the students were beat after a packed day, so we went to bed as soon as the music cut out and the lights turned off.

That concludes my first day at the camp; stay tuned for Part II!

[latinboxsports]

Moneo Tops Farias After a high caliber fight, the Uruguayan Maira “La Panterita” Moneo (12-1, 2 KO’s) from Montevideo, Uruguay prevailed against Erica “La Pantera” Farias (27-7, 10 KO’s) from Escobar, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Ten round by unanimous decision at the Casino Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Distrito Federal, Argentina. On Friday night. Moneo thus retained the WBA Fedelatin from her and becomes a challenger to Katie Taylor. Judges official scores 96-94 x 3. Photos: @BoxeroDePrimera (at Casino Buenos Aires) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cm2bm0Zu0Ob/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=