Summary
Evita Perón’s state-backed welfare projects, funded through government resources and mandated contributions from unions and firms, fostered a strong public sense of redistribution from rich to poor. Argentina later oscillated between civilian and military rule; the 1976–1983 junta launched the 1982 Malvinas/Falklands War and lost to the United Kingdom, which fielded more modern forces than Argentina because it had superior logistics, maritime and air power, and U.S. intelligence and resupply. Reggae emerged in Jamaica and spread across Africa as a vehicle for spirituality and liberation, with Bob Marley as its global emblem; Rastafarianism tied Jamaica to Ethiopia through Haile Selassie I, the Lion of Judah, and Ethiopia’s red–yellow–green colors. The often-promised but still unbuilt Messina Strait bridge contrasts with the daily ferries that carry people, vehicles, and trains between Sicily and Calabria.
Context and Scope
This account consolidates all facts raised: Evita Perón’s social work; Argentine dictatorships; the Malvinas/Falklands War (causes, U.S.–NATO alignment with the UK, reasons for defeat, surrender terms, and naming); embassy closures, protecting powers, and the ICRC’s humanitarian role; the present absence of embassies in the islands; reggae’s features, African and Jamaican currents, ties to Christianity, Bob Marley, Rastafarianism, Marcus Garvey, Haile Selassie I, the Lion of Judah, and Ethiopia’s colors; “Rastas” (not “Raftas”) and “trencitas” (braids); the Messina Strait bridge and ferries, including distances, times, and typical prices; continent country counts; Thailand’s location; Russia’s transcontinental status; and the Europe–Asia boundary as a geographic convention, not a treaty. Missing verbatim of the 14 June 1982 surrender broadcast: no documented evidence.
Exhaustive Narrative of Facts
Argentina: from Evita to the junta
Eva Perón (1919–1952) led the Fundación Eva Perón, which financed hospitals, schools, housing, scholarships, clothing, and toys. Funding drew on state resources and obligatory contributions from unions and companies, creating a widespread perception that wealth was redirected from the rich to the poor. After her death in 1952, Juan Domingo Perón was overthrown in 1955. Argentina alternated between civilian governments and military regimes until 1983; the 1976–1983 dictatorship imposed censorship, repression, and enforced disappearances.
The 1982 war: why it began and why it was lost
In 1982, the junta under Leopoldo Galtieri invaded the Malvinas/Falklands seeking domestic legitimacy amid crisis; Galtieri was widely known for alcoholism. Argentina lost because the United Kingdom had more modern forces than Argentina due to superior logistics, maritime and air capabilities, and real-time intelligence and resupply from the United States. Chile also provided Britain with secret information.
Why the United States and NATO backed the UK
The United Kingdom’s role as a NATO founder and strategic ally shaped Western alignment. Although the conflict occurred outside NATO’s formal defense area, Cold War politics and alliance solidarity led the United States to support Britain with logistics, resupply, and satellite intelligence.
Surrender on 14 June 1982
After seventy-four days of fighting, Argentine commander General Mario Benjamín Menéndez signed the instrument of surrender to British Major General Jeremy Moore in Port Stanley on 14 June 1982. Publicly stated reasons emphasized concrete battlefield realities: exhausted and cold troops; dwindling ammunition, food, and medical supplies; blocked reinforcements due to British sea–air control; and a hopeless tactical position after British encirclement of Port Stanley. Buenos Aires framed the decision as necessary to avoid further bloodshed. Exact verbatim wording from the surrender broadcast: no documented evidence.
“Malvinas” and “Falklands”: the names
“Malvinas” derives from French Îles Malouines, named by eighteenth-century sailors from Saint-Malo and adopted in Spanish as Islas Malvinas. “Falklands” traces to 1690, when John Strong named Falkland Sound for Anthony Cary, 5th Viscount Falkland; the name later extended to the islands.
Diplomatic rupture, protecting powers, and the ICRC
Following the 2 April 1982 invasion, the United Kingdom and Argentina broke diplomatic relations and withdrew ambassadors. In Buenos Aires, British representation continued as a British Interests Section housed in the Swiss Embassy (Switzerland as protecting power). In London, Brazil acted as protecting power for Argentina, hosting an Argentine Interests Section. With host-state consent under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations (1961), interests sections safeguarded premises and archives, offered limited consular assistance (emergencies, provisional documents, basic notarials), transmitted official notes, and coordinated humanitarian matters; they did not exercise full political functions and did not issue visas for the state lacking relations unless expressly authorized. The ICRC/CICR, mandated by the 1949 Geneva Conventions, acted as a neutral humanitarian intermediary: registering and visiting prisoners of war and wounded, transmitting nominal lists and family messages, coordinating repatriations and medical evacuations after hostilities, and assisting with remains and personal effects. Relations were restored on 15 February 1990 in Madrid, and embassies later reopened with full functions.
Embassies in the islands today
The Falkland Islands/Islas Malvinas are a British Overseas Territory and do not host embassies. The local British authority is the Governor’s Office in Stanley. Countries handle relations from missions in London or elsewhere. The United States and Canada have no resident consular offices in the islands.
Reggae: sound, scope, and faith
Reggae emerged in 1960s Jamaica from ska and rocksteady. It emphasizes offbeat “skank” accents on beats two and four, deep, lead bass lines, and steady, hypnotic grooves. Lyrics often address oppression, spirituality, and community. In Jamaica, reggae intertwined with Rastafarian spirituality and social protest, envisioning return to Zion (Africa) and resistance to Babylon (oppression). In Africa, artists fused reggae with local rhythms and languages to emphasize pan-African unity and liberation; Alpha Blondy (Côte d’Ivoire) and Lucky Dube (South Africa) exemplify this trajectory. Rastafarian reggae draws heavily on biblical imagery—Zion, Babylon, prophets—and an explicitly evangelical Christian stream of reggae also exists in Latin America and Africa. Bob Marley (1945–1981) became reggae’s global emblem; “No Woman, No Cry,” “One Love,” and “Redemption Song” carried messages of love, unity, and resistance.
Rastafarianism, Garvey, Selassie, and symbols
Rastafarianism arose in 1930s Jamaica, inspired by Marcus Garvey’s pan-Africanism. It venerates Haile Selassie I as a messianic figure, encourages natural living (including ital dietary practices), and frames oppression as Babylon. Marcus Garvey (1887–1940), founder of the Universal Negro Improvement Association, championed black pride, economic self-reliance, and pan-African unity; many Rastafarians interpreted his call to look to Africa when a king is crowned as fulfilled by Haile Selassie’s 1930 coronation. Haile Selassie I (1892–1975), born Tafari Makonnen, ruled Ethiopia from 1930 until his overthrow in 1974, resisted Mussolini’s 1935 invasion, and addressed the League of Nations in 1936 against fascist aggression; Rastafarians regard him as divine. He died in 1975; the official cause was medical, though many believe he was assassinated. The Lion of Judah—biblical and Ethiopian imperial symbol of the tribe of Judah and Davidic lineage, cited in Revelation 5:5—represents Haile Selassie I, royalty, strength, and steadfast resistance. Ethiopia’s red, yellow, and green became Rastafarian and reggae emblems: red signifies sacrifice and the blood of martyrs, yellow denotes justice and spiritual wealth, and green represents land, fertility, and hope. “Rastas” is the correct term for followers; “Raftas” was a mistaken form. “Trencitas” (braids) are widespread in African and Afro-descendant communities as expressions of identity and continuity, while dreadlocks symbolize spiritual power and natural law, likened to a lion’s mane.
The Messina Strait: bridge and ferries
The Strait of Messina separates Sicily from Calabria, linking Messina with Villa San Giovanni/Reggio Calabria across roughly 3.3 km. Bridge proposals date back to antiquity, with Roman-era notions resurfacing in the twentieth century; the Giorgia Meloni government revived the plan in 2023. As of 2025, the bridge remains unbuilt due to seismic risk, immense cost, organized-crime concerns, and recurring political dispute. A figurative description calls it a bridge that would “unite never with never,” capturing both perceived thin demand and a history of unfulfilled promises. Ferries provide the real link and carry pedestrians, cars, trucks, and even train carriages. The crossing typically takes 20–40 minutes and offers views of Messina, Calabria, and—on clear days—Mount Etna. Approximate prices are €2–4 per pedestrian (about €5–7 round trip), €38–45 per car with driver (about €75–85 round trip), and €15–20 per motorcycle. Long-distance train tickets to or from Sicily include the ferry segment; passengers may remain aboard the train or move into ferry spaces.
Continents, Thailand, and Russia
There are 193 United Nations member states and two observers: Vatican City and Palestine. Africa has 54 countries, Asia 49, Europe 44, South America 12, North America 23 (including Central America and the Caribbean), and Oceania 14; Antarctica has none. Africa has more countries than Asia because Africa has 54 while Asia has 49. Thailand is in Southeast Asia, bordering Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, and Malaysia; the capital is Bangkok. Russia is transcontinental: about 77% of its territory lies in Asia, while most of its population lives west of the Urals in Europe.
The Europe–Asia boundary (convention, not law)
The Europe–Asia divide is a geographic convention rather than a treaty boundary. The commonly accepted line runs along the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, and the Caspian Sea, then follows the Greater Caucasus watershed. The convention gained currency among eighteenth- and nineteenth-century European cartographers, notably after Philip Johan von Strahlenberg’s 1730 proposal aligning the boundary with the Urals. Variants exist around the Caucasus: some definitions place the entire Caucasus in Asia, while the widely used watershed line places Russia’s North Caucasus north of it in Europe.
Asia and Oceania: country lists
Asia’s 49 countries are: Saudi Arabia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Cyprus, United Arab Emirates, Georgia, Iraq, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Syria, Turkey, Yemen, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Brunei, Cambodia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Vietnam, China, North Korea, South Korea, Japan, Mongolia, and Taiwan.
Oceania’s 14 countries are: Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Micronesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Samoa, Tonga, and Tuvalu.
Spanish orthography: why “fe” has no accent
Spanish monosyllables do not carry an accent unless a diacritic distinguishes homographs. “Fe” is a monosyllable with no homographic pair, so it takes no accent. Examples of monosyllables with diacritic accents include dé/de, sé/se, tú/tu, mí/mi, sí/si, té/te, and más/mas.
Practical Takeaways
- Evita Perón’s foundation channeled state-mandated contributions into social aid, cementing a redistributive image.
- The 1976–1983 junta launched the 1982 war but lost to the United Kingdom, which had more modern forces than Argentina because of superior logistics, technology, and U.S. support; Chile covertly aided Britain.
- The surrender on 14 June 1982 followed exhaustion, supply collapse, blocked reinforcements, and encirclement around Port Stanley; the decision was framed as avoiding further bloodshed.
- “Malvinas” reflects a French–Spanish lineage (Îles Malouines → Malvinas); “Falklands” derives from Falkland Sound, named in 1690 for the 5th Viscount Falkland.
- During the rupture, Switzerland and Brazil served as protecting powers; interests sections offered limited consular and humanitarian functions while the ICRC fulfilled neutral duties under the Geneva Conventions.
- The islands host no embassies; the United States and Canada have no resident consular offices there.
- Reggae’s offbeat, bass-led sound carried spirituality and protest from Jamaica to Africa; Bob Marley remains its emblem.
- Rastafarianism ties Jamaica to Ethiopia through Haile Selassie I, the Lion of Judah, and Ethiopia’s colors; “Rastas” is correct, and “trencitas” refers to braids.
- The Messina bridge remains unbuilt; ferries cross roughly 3.3 km in 20–40 minutes with the stated price ranges and the option for train-on-ferry service.
- Africa has 54 countries, the most among continents because Africa has 54 while Asia has 49. Thailand is in Southeast Asia. Russia spans Europe and Asia along a conventional, non-treaty boundary.
My Diary - Leonardo Cardillo 