So there’s this new campaign in the country headed by the Ministry of Health called “Sin triki triki, no hay bang bang,” which means, “Without triki triki, there’s no bang bang,” which basically means, “If you don’t use a condom, don’t have sex.” Its aim is to convince youngsters to use protection when they engage in reproductive acts to stop unwanted pregnancies and to prevent the spread of STDs (read this article; it’s in Spanish, but use Google Translate if you’re español illiterate). Check out the music video:
I like the song! It’s pretty catchy, especially if you understand the lyrics. I actually heard a guy whistling it on the subway two days ago. Go to the web site and click “Bajate el mp3″ to download it if you absolutely love it.
Based on their choice of cumbia, I’m guessing they’re aiming the campaign towards the lower classes, who are at a higher risk for HIV/AIDS than their more well-off counterparts. Cumbia, like hip hop back in 1980s America, is particularly popular among the poor and disenfranchised in Argentina, especially those that live in the massive slums surrounding the capital. Nonetheless, I’m sure the message does everyone some good.
Although the campaign has a funny name, it’s probably more effective than the dry, not-so-catchy ad campaigns in the US that attempt to raise awareness of the dangers of STDs.
My friend Dan, an American studying in Buenos Aires, accidentally sent this e-mail yesterday to our public policy teaching assistant, who teaches the discussion section of the course:
Hey,
Ok, so I’m guessing we’re presenting on Thursday, so we need to get prepared. I***** hasn’t replied to my e-mail where I asked her when we’re presenting (I’ve sent her a total of three e-mails this semester, and she has yet to answer one). Can you e-mail her to confirm?
The Huntington reading is 38 pages long. I suggest we split it up into two parts: I’ll do 92-111, and you do 111-30 (or vice-versa, if you want). Both of us should definitely read everything, but this is just that so one of us can focus on a particular section.
Let’s meet Wednesday afternoon to get everything together. Does that work for you?
- Hasan
PS - Ugh, and we have that project. We definitely have to get started next weekend. Can you e-mail and ask her if our topic is okay and if we can write the paper in English? Explain to her that all the sources are in English and that we’re really busy and writing in English would be much easier for us. I would write to her, but she never responds.
He did what I asked and e-mailed the teacher with my questions. The thing is, he replied to my e-mail to contact her while BCCing it to me and forgot to delete what I said! Crap. You know how when you reply to e-mails it shows the past messages? We don’t know if she saw my comments about how she never responds to my e-mails and my lack of desire to do the project (”Ugh, and we have that project”). Maybe we’ll find out tomorrow in class.
The teacher responded to Dan’s e-mail in less than twenty minutes (and why did she not answer mine, even though I sent it six days ago?) and answered our questions: yes, we are presenting the Samuel P. Huntington reading tomorrow, and yes, we can write our paper in English. However, she CCed the e-mail to the twenty-four people in the class (wait, I thought there were only twenty—maybe the others dropped but still remain on the mailing list), which means everyone could have read it. And everyone, including the teacher, knows English, so they surely have the ability to read my words.
Oh well. Dan, the other two Americans in our class, and I had a good laugh over the fiasco over lunch today. It could be worse. All I said was that the teacher never responds to my e-mails. Nothing bad. At least I didn’t call her a bitch or anything.
We couldn’t figure out why she responded to our e-mail by sending it to the entire class when it doesn’t pertain to them. We theorized that she wanted to prove to everyone that she does indeed respond to e-mails.
It’s not like me to put up so many short posts, but I just have to share this hilarious music video that was originally aired on September 29 on NBC’s Saturday Night Live:
Fantastic Mahmoud Ahmadinejad impression.
Oh, and I just love this part:
We can take a trip to the animal zoo
And laugh at all the funny things that animals do
I’m totally using that line on a girl one day.
“Iran So Far Away” is actually a pretty good song, despite it’s comically odd, homosexual subject matter. Andy Samberg, you’re a genius.
