Allard ... is that Dutch?
Hugenot actually, yes. My paternal grandmother Jans.
He grins fraternally but it might just be the drinks although he´s still very much in control. I haven´t bothered asking him when he moved to Toronto in order to avoid coded complaints about South Africa´s current condition. I have a sale to make and this suit feels strange. We bought it and dry cleaned it all in a couple of hours to get the new suit smell out. The shirt as well. The shoes are a livelier version of Birkenstock Kensington black leather oxfords and Isa hated them on site but I insisted. So she´s here with Me, Diego and Cagnazzo at the Hotel Dora chatting with some geologist ( I think ) from St. John´s who works out of Vancouver. Having watched several hundred Pesos go towards these shoes she had to be recompensed. And she looks amazing in a lovely black cocktail dress that just fits her swelling midriff. The men, and some of the women, are melting over her. Good. Cagnazzo and me have dispensed with cravats and I begged Diego to come ¨casual elegant¨. His hair is in a ponytail and we bought him a leather windbreaker so he sort of fits in with the wandering-geologist-too-busy-to-look-sharp look. Plus it´s his land.
Jans is talking about Mansfield Mineral´s property in Salta. I gently finger the skin under my eye where the bruise has been covered up by a touch of make up applied by Isa an hour or two ago. She had to do both eyes and quite enjoyed herself. Ori laughed lustily and Diego grinned a fair bit. Glad to have entertained them all. I nod and try to follow Jans; he doesn´t dwell too much on the jargon although he clearly knows a fair bit. Is he a biz grad or is he a mining engineer? Or a geologist? Or just another veteran stock promoter? I nod again and ask what he thinks of the north of the province of Cordoba.
Well Allard, that´s where your property is I believe, yes?
Yes! Near Cruz del Eje.
He grins at my enthusiasm - a slightly disconcerting grin that lets me know he´s seen it all before and not to bullshit him. He´ll take care of the bullshitting. But I have more than just enthusiasm for Jans. When the four of us entered the lobby, Cagnazzo was immediately greeted by a confident older woman - Dra Mazz, profesor of geology at Universidad del Sur in Bahia Blanca. How did he know her? As she had guided us to the bar, making some introductions along the way, she had turned to me and said,
Perdon por no mandarte el estudio preliminar. La tengo aca.
She handed me a large envelope. A preliminary study? When did she do this? And why the hell does Cagnazzo delight in keeping me off balance? Can´t he realize that we need to look like a team if we´re going to make a sale!!??
Cuando estuviste en Cruz del Eje Doctora??
No no Allard. Mi asistente, Baldemo Cuiti, hizo el viaje y junto los datos preliminares para despues analizarlos aca conmigo.
Ah bien. El es candidato doctoral?
She grins at my Spanish but nods her head. I had leaned forward anxiously and asked her quietly,
Y algunas ... digo las posibilidades son interesantes no?
She had paused and surveyed me carefully. Then a smile and.
Son interesantes si.
I´m grateful she had spared me the jargon. Cagnazzo and Diego had then joined us and we had quickly assigned roles there and then with me trying not to hiss angrily at Cagnazzo and Diego looking a little bored. My role was to talk up any junior mining executives who might be interested in leasing the property from us; Dra Mazz would be ( and was ) the local expert; Cagnazzo would be ( and was ) the political fixer and lawyer and Diego the bored landowner. And Isa the beautiful wife. People were friendly and casually curious as to what I was doing here in Mar del Plata and I kept it as simple as I could - bringing in Mazz and Cagnazzo to shake hands on occasion and pointing out Diego now and then as well and answering questions about my ¨beautiful wife¨ and trying not to look irritated as I did so. I sipped my scotch and soda carefully and tried not to feel like a fool. But I slowly realized that the exploration industry is built on faith and optimism and somehow we were all in this together. We had a property and it might even be worth a good look. I circled amongst the attendees and finally Jans seemed familiar with the north of the country ( as well as Patagonia ) and I decided he was the one to make the sale to.
So here I was with Jans. He listened while I sketched out the rough details, throwing me some precise questions that I answered as best as I could. Finally, he pointed at the envelope and said,
Allard, it might be helpful if you let me read that report. Who put it together? That profesor?
Yes, yes. Doctora Mazz. And her assistant Cuiti.
Good. Well, from what you´ve told me we might have something here.
He´s already opened the envelope and is quickly shuffling through the report. It´s mostly in Spanish but there´s a summary in English. He pauses at the photographs, especially the aerial ones.
Good ...
I can translate if you want Jans ...
Not necessary. I have contacts here Allard. It looks good ... yes. We can build on this, yes ... good.
The real drilling is done in Toronto and Vancouver and Montreal and Calgary etc. Where you take core samples of investor enthusiasm and shift through market liquidity and try to extract some cash. And maybe even find a workable mine. It´s all in his face as he reviews Dra Mazz´s report. Maybe I´m not such a fish out of water here. I just need to observe a little and mostly keep my mouth shut. Jans looks up quickly at me and winks.
Where are they ... ?
I turn and Cagnazzo and Mazz are already heading towards us, the profesora excusing herself from the company of some bankers I believe with a crisp laugh. Isa manages to free herself from the Geologist ( the tales he´s told her ... we´re probably invited to dinner in St John´s when we return to Canada ... I wonder how much she understood ) and joins us as well. Jans shakes hands again and kisses cheeks and tucks the report tucked under his arm. We agree to meet tomorrow and I propose we eat lunch at Muelle Club de Los Pescadors - The Fisherman´s Wharf. It´s a faded but cozy tourist attraction with a seafood menu and everyone agrees. I had glanced at Jans for approval but Cagnazzo had nodded briskly taking control of things right at the end and so me Isa and Diego had headed back home. Cagnazzo had stayed behind with Dra Mazz and I wondered if maybe they had some other properties for rent. No matter. We had possibly made a sale to Jans.
On the drive back Isa had sat in the middle and Diego had driven a little more carefully than normal. The face of a righteous man and the rest of it serpent. And those who only cared for money tortured on the burning sand. Canto XVII full of fraud and avarice. Rome´s hatred of unbridled capitalism. Do the ghosts of indulgences past - those fees for salvation of souls - inhabit the marrow of modern punitive tax systems? R H Tawney´s Religion and the Rise of Capitalism is a wonderful survey of the Reformation and it´s effects on the business world. Yet capitalism had existed long before Luther nailed his 95 theses to the cathedral door in Wittenberg - as Tawney points out very clearly. It´s the Puritan winter that followed the tempestous autumn of the Reformation that undid the late summer of universal, Catholic Christianity that really distinguishes North America from Argentina ( and most of South America ). The metaphor is Tawney´s as well of course. So you use the same symbols semantically - accounting , geology, finance. But the language is different here. And I had to turn from Milton the Puritan to Dante as my guide. And the Devil is far less mobile and somehow less dangerous in the Divine Comedy. Strange, hadn´t thought of that. I stare out at the dark sea as we turn onto Strobel and double back towards our building.
Hugenot actually, yes. My paternal grandmother Jans.
He grins fraternally but it might just be the drinks although he´s still very much in control. I haven´t bothered asking him when he moved to Toronto in order to avoid coded complaints about South Africa´s current condition. I have a sale to make and this suit feels strange. We bought it and dry cleaned it all in a couple of hours to get the new suit smell out. The shirt as well. The shoes are a livelier version of Birkenstock Kensington black leather oxfords and Isa hated them on site but I insisted. So she´s here with Me, Diego and Cagnazzo at the Hotel Dora chatting with some geologist ( I think ) from St. John´s who works out of Vancouver. Having watched several hundred Pesos go towards these shoes she had to be recompensed. And she looks amazing in a lovely black cocktail dress that just fits her swelling midriff. The men, and some of the women, are melting over her. Good. Cagnazzo and me have dispensed with cravats and I begged Diego to come ¨casual elegant¨. His hair is in a ponytail and we bought him a leather windbreaker so he sort of fits in with the wandering-geologist-too-busy-to-look-sharp look. Plus it´s his land.
Jans is talking about Mansfield Mineral´s property in Salta. I gently finger the skin under my eye where the bruise has been covered up by a touch of make up applied by Isa an hour or two ago. She had to do both eyes and quite enjoyed herself. Ori laughed lustily and Diego grinned a fair bit. Glad to have entertained them all. I nod and try to follow Jans; he doesn´t dwell too much on the jargon although he clearly knows a fair bit. Is he a biz grad or is he a mining engineer? Or a geologist? Or just another veteran stock promoter? I nod again and ask what he thinks of the north of the province of Cordoba.
Well Allard, that´s where your property is I believe, yes?
Yes! Near Cruz del Eje.
He grins at my enthusiasm - a slightly disconcerting grin that lets me know he´s seen it all before and not to bullshit him. He´ll take care of the bullshitting. But I have more than just enthusiasm for Jans. When the four of us entered the lobby, Cagnazzo was immediately greeted by a confident older woman - Dra Mazz, profesor of geology at Universidad del Sur in Bahia Blanca. How did he know her? As she had guided us to the bar, making some introductions along the way, she had turned to me and said,
Perdon por no mandarte el estudio preliminar. La tengo aca.
She handed me a large envelope. A preliminary study? When did she do this? And why the hell does Cagnazzo delight in keeping me off balance? Can´t he realize that we need to look like a team if we´re going to make a sale!!??
Cuando estuviste en Cruz del Eje Doctora??
No no Allard. Mi asistente, Baldemo Cuiti, hizo el viaje y junto los datos preliminares para despues analizarlos aca conmigo.
Ah bien. El es candidato doctoral?
She grins at my Spanish but nods her head. I had leaned forward anxiously and asked her quietly,
Y algunas ... digo las posibilidades son interesantes no?
She had paused and surveyed me carefully. Then a smile and.
Son interesantes si.
I´m grateful she had spared me the jargon. Cagnazzo and Diego had then joined us and we had quickly assigned roles there and then with me trying not to hiss angrily at Cagnazzo and Diego looking a little bored. My role was to talk up any junior mining executives who might be interested in leasing the property from us; Dra Mazz would be ( and was ) the local expert; Cagnazzo would be ( and was ) the political fixer and lawyer and Diego the bored landowner. And Isa the beautiful wife. People were friendly and casually curious as to what I was doing here in Mar del Plata and I kept it as simple as I could - bringing in Mazz and Cagnazzo to shake hands on occasion and pointing out Diego now and then as well and answering questions about my ¨beautiful wife¨ and trying not to look irritated as I did so. I sipped my scotch and soda carefully and tried not to feel like a fool. But I slowly realized that the exploration industry is built on faith and optimism and somehow we were all in this together. We had a property and it might even be worth a good look. I circled amongst the attendees and finally Jans seemed familiar with the north of the country ( as well as Patagonia ) and I decided he was the one to make the sale to.
So here I was with Jans. He listened while I sketched out the rough details, throwing me some precise questions that I answered as best as I could. Finally, he pointed at the envelope and said,
Allard, it might be helpful if you let me read that report. Who put it together? That profesor?
Yes, yes. Doctora Mazz. And her assistant Cuiti.
Good. Well, from what you´ve told me we might have something here.
He´s already opened the envelope and is quickly shuffling through the report. It´s mostly in Spanish but there´s a summary in English. He pauses at the photographs, especially the aerial ones.
Good ...
I can translate if you want Jans ...
Not necessary. I have contacts here Allard. It looks good ... yes. We can build on this, yes ... good.
The real drilling is done in Toronto and Vancouver and Montreal and Calgary etc. Where you take core samples of investor enthusiasm and shift through market liquidity and try to extract some cash. And maybe even find a workable mine. It´s all in his face as he reviews Dra Mazz´s report. Maybe I´m not such a fish out of water here. I just need to observe a little and mostly keep my mouth shut. Jans looks up quickly at me and winks.
Where are they ... ?
I turn and Cagnazzo and Mazz are already heading towards us, the profesora excusing herself from the company of some bankers I believe with a crisp laugh. Isa manages to free herself from the Geologist ( the tales he´s told her ... we´re probably invited to dinner in St John´s when we return to Canada ... I wonder how much she understood ) and joins us as well. Jans shakes hands again and kisses cheeks and tucks the report tucked under his arm. We agree to meet tomorrow and I propose we eat lunch at Muelle Club de Los Pescadors - The Fisherman´s Wharf. It´s a faded but cozy tourist attraction with a seafood menu and everyone agrees. I had glanced at Jans for approval but Cagnazzo had nodded briskly taking control of things right at the end and so me Isa and Diego had headed back home. Cagnazzo had stayed behind with Dra Mazz and I wondered if maybe they had some other properties for rent. No matter. We had possibly made a sale to Jans.
On the drive back Isa had sat in the middle and Diego had driven a little more carefully than normal. The face of a righteous man and the rest of it serpent. And those who only cared for money tortured on the burning sand. Canto XVII full of fraud and avarice. Rome´s hatred of unbridled capitalism. Do the ghosts of indulgences past - those fees for salvation of souls - inhabit the marrow of modern punitive tax systems? R H Tawney´s Religion and the Rise of Capitalism is a wonderful survey of the Reformation and it´s effects on the business world. Yet capitalism had existed long before Luther nailed his 95 theses to the cathedral door in Wittenberg - as Tawney points out very clearly. It´s the Puritan winter that followed the tempestous autumn of the Reformation that undid the late summer of universal, Catholic Christianity that really distinguishes North America from Argentina ( and most of South America ). The metaphor is Tawney´s as well of course. So you use the same symbols semantically - accounting , geology, finance. But the language is different here. And I had to turn from Milton the Puritan to Dante as my guide. And the Devil is far less mobile and somehow less dangerous in the Divine Comedy. Strange, hadn´t thought of that. I stare out at the dark sea as we turn onto Strobel and double back towards our building.
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