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Map of South America, with the pampas encompassing a south-eastern area bordering the Atlantic ocean.

The Pampas (from Quechua pampa, meaning "plain") are fertile South American lowlands, covering more than 750,000 km² (289,577 sq mi), that include the Argentine provinces of Buenos Aires, La Pampa, Santa Fe, Entre Ríos and Córdoba, most of Uruguay, and the southernmost Brazilian State, Rio Grande do Sul. These vast plains are a natural region only interrupted by the low Ventana and Tandil hills near Bahía Blanca and Tandil (Argentina), with a height of 1,300 m (4,265 ft) and 500 m (1,640 ft) respectively. The climate is mild, with precipitation of 600 mm (23.6 in) to 1,200 mm (47.2 in), more or less evenly distributed through the year, making the soils appropriate for agriculture. This area is also one of the distinct physiography provinces of the larger Paraná-Paraguay Plain division. These plains contain unique wildlife because of the different terrains around it. Some of this wildlife includes the rhea, the pampas deer, several species of armadillos, the pampas fox, the White-eared opossum, the Elegant Crested Tinamou, and several other species.

Climate[link]

Pampas landscape, at eye level

The climate of the Pampas is generally temperate, gradually giving way to a more tropical climate in the north, and to an arid climate on the west and the south. Summer temperatures are more uniform than winter temperatures, ranging from 20 °C (68 °F) to 32 °C (90 °F) in the north, 17 °C (63 °F) to 30 °C (86 °F) in most of the areas, and from 15 °C (59 °F) to 27 °C (81 °F) along the Atlantic coast. Extremely hot days might reach over 40ºC/104F.

Fall arrives gradually in March, and peaks in April and May. In April, highs will range from 20 to 25 °C (68 to 77 °F) and lows from 9 to 13 °C (48 to 55 °F). The first frosts arrive in mid-April in the south, and in late May or early June in the north.

Winters are generally mild, although cold waves do occur. Normal temperatures range from 12 to 19 °C (54 to 66 °F) during the day, and from 1 to 6 °C (34 to 43 °F) at night. With strong northerly winds, days of over 25 °C (77 °F) can be recorded almost everywhere, whereas during cold waves, high temperatures can be only 6ºC (43F). Frost occurs everywhere in the Pampas, although it is much more frequent in the southwest, and less so around the Parana and Uruguay rivers. Temperatures under −5 °C (23 °F) can occur everywhere, whereas values of −10 °C (14 °F) or lower are confined to the south and west. Snow never falls in the northernmost third, and is rare and light elsewhere, except for exceptional events where depths have reached 30 cm (12 inches).

Springs are very variable, it is warmer than fall in most areas (especially in the west) but significantly colder along the Atlantic. Violent storms are more common, as well as wide temperature variations: days of 35 °C (95 °F) can give way to nights of under 5 °C (41 °F) or even frost, all within the same week.

Precipitation ranges from 1,200 millimetres (47 in) in the northeast, to about 500 millimetres (20 in) in the southern and western edges. In the west, it is highly seasonal, with some places recording averages of 120 millimetres (4.7 in) monthly in the summer, and only 20 millimetres (0.8 in) monthly in the winter. The eastern areas have small peaks in the fall and in the spring, with relatively rainy summers and winters that are only slightly drier. However, where summer rain falls as short, heavy storms, winter rain falls mostly as cold drizzle, so that the amount of rainy days is fairly constant. Violent thunderstorms are common in the spring and summer, bringing heavy rain, hail, winds and even tornadoes.

Vegetation[link]

Frequent wildfires ensure that only small plants such as grasses flourish, and trees are rare. The dominant vegetation types are grassy prairie and grass steppe in which numerous species of the grass genus Stipa are particularly conspicuous. "Pampas Grass" (Cortaderia selloana) is an iconic species of the Pampas. Vegetation typically includes perennial grasses and herbs. Different strata of grasses occur because of gradients of water availability.

The World Wildlife Fund divides the Pampas into three distinct ecoregions. The Uruguayan Savannah lies east of the Uruguay River, and includes all of Uruguay and the southern portion of Brazil's state of Rio Grande do Sul. The Humid Pampas include eastern Buenos Aires Province, and southern Entre Ríos Province. The Semi-arid Pampas includes western Buenos Aires Province and adjacent portions of Santa Fe, Córdoba, and La Pampa provinces. The Pampas are bounded by the drier Argentine espinal grasslands, which form a semicircle around the north, east, and south of the Humid Pampas.

Winters are cool to mild and summers are very warm and humid. Rainfall is fairly uniform throughout the year but is a little heavier during the summer. Annual rainfall is heaviest near the coast and decreases gradually further inland. Rain during the late spring and summer usually arrives in the form of brief heavy showers and thunderstorms. More general rainfall occurs the remainder of the year as cold fronts and storm systems move through. Although cold spells during the winter often send nighttime temperatures below freezing, snow is quite rare. In most winters, a few light snowfalls occur over inland areas.

Central Argentina boasts a successful agricultural business, with crops grown on the Pampas south and west of Buenos Aires. Much of the area is also used for cattle and more recently to grow vineyards in the Buenos Aires wine region. These farming regions are particularly susceptible to flooding during heavy rainfall.

View of the northern Pampas grain belt

Lake Gómez, near Junín, in the heart of the Pampas grain belt. The Pampa extends from the foothills of the Andes Mountains on the west to the Atlantic Ocean on the east. The region is peppered with finger lakes, holdovers from the last Ice Ages.

Al Este Bodega y Viñedos in Médanos, located in the Southern tip of the Buenos Aires province 40 km (25 mi) away from Bahía Blanca.

See also[link]

• Humid Pampa
• Dry Pampa
• Pampas Republic
• Gaucho
• Médanos wines
• Médanos (dunes)
• Estancia
• Rio Grande do Sul

External links[link]

• Encyclopaedia Britannica
• The Pampas
• Encyclopedia.com
• Climate Impacts
• Centres of Plant Diversity
• Climate Guide to South America
• Humid Pampas (World Wildlife Fund)
• Semi-arid Pampas (World Wildlife Fund)

Coordinates: 35°S 62°W / 35°S 62°W / -35; -62

v t e Subfields of physical geography Biogeography Climatology / Paleoclimatology Coastal geography Edaphology Geomorphology Glaciology Hydrology / Hydrography Landscape ecology Limnology Oceanography Palaeogeography Pedology/Soil science Quaternary science

Marco Antonio Mazzini is a Peruvian clarinetist.

Mazzini received a degree in clarinet from the National Conservatory of Peru, and a master's degree from the Ghent Conservatory.^[1] He has performed as a soloist with the Lima Philharmonic Orchestra, Gents Universitair Symfonisch Orkest (Belgium), Camerata Orchestra (Guatemala), National Peruvian Younth Orchestra, Artis Dulcedo (Belgium), Philharmonic Orchestra of Costa Rica and the National Symphony Orchestra of Peru, and has represented Peru at the World Clarinet Festival.^[2] He was the bass clarinetist in the 2009 YouTube Symphony Orchestra.^[2] He was also the principal clarinetist of the Ostrava International Orchestra.

As a recital soloist, concerto soloist, chamber and orchestral musician, he has performed internationally in such prestigious places as Carnegie Hall (New York), Tama Center (Tokio), Paleis voor Schone Kunsten (Brussels), Bijloke Concert Hall (Gent), Gasteig Cultural Center (Germany), FilmMuseum (Amsterdam), Museo de la Nacion (Lima) and the Paris Conservatory. He has also appeared in concert halls in Spain, Luxembourg, Italy, USA, France, Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Poland, Slovakia, Peru, Colombia, Bolivia, Argentina, Mexico, Costa Rica and Guatemala.

He is the founder of the Peruvian Clarinet Orchestra, the Lima Clarinet Ensemble and Kinsa trio. He is also the founder and director of Clariperu, the biggest and most important website dedicated to the clarinet in Latin America and the world. He is also the founder of the new Red Latinoamericana de Ensambles de Clarinete (REDLEC), a innovating project to create and promote clarinet ensembles in all Latin America.

In November 2008 he was awarded with a "Golden Chaski" by the Peruvian Ministry of Education and declared "Hijo Predilecto" of the San Luis city in Lima. He is currently the chairman for Peru for the International Clarinet Association. Marco Antonio is the first Latin American clarinetist to become a Buffet Crampon Artist (2011) and is also a Vandoren artist (January 2012).

References[link]

• Official Blog (in Spanish)
  
• Clariperu - el clarinete en Latinoamérica official site
  
• Red Latinoamericana de Ensambles de Clarinetes
  

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (March 2011)

Gustavo Santaolalla
Gustavo Santaolalla, March 9, 2007
Background information
Birth name	Gustavo Alfredo Santaolalla
Also known as	Moviola
Born	(1951-08-19) 19 August 1951 (age 60) El Palomar, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Genres	Latin rock, Electrotango, movie soundtracks
Occupations	Musician, film composer, producer
Instruments	Guitar, charango, singing, piano, bass
Years active	1967–present
Associated acts	Bajofondo

Gustavo Alfredo Santaolalla (born 19 August 1951) is an Argentine musician, film composer and producer. He has won two Academy Awards for Best Original Score in two consecutive years, for Brokeback Mountain in 2005 and Babel in 2006.

Life and career[link]

Santaolalla was born in El Palomar, Argentina.^[1] His professional music career began in 1967, when he co-founded the group Arco Iris, an Argentine band that pioneered the fusion of rock and Latin American folk as part of 'rock nacional'. The band adopted the lifestyle of a yogic commune guided by former model Danais Wynnycka (known as Dana) and her partner, musician Ara Tokatlian. The band had a few hits, such as Mañanas Campestres ("Country Mornings"), and made inroads into different forms of expression (notably a ballet piece for Oscar Aráiz), but Santaolalla felt constricted by the strict requirements of Dana's teachings, which prohibited meat, alcohol and drugs. He left the group in 1975.

A year later, he assembled Soluna, in which he played alongside teenage pianist and singer Alejandro Lerner and his then-girlfriend Monica Campins. Together they recorded just one album (Energía Natural, 1977). Santaolalla left for Los Angeles, where he adopted a rock and roll sound and made the rounds with his band Wet Picnic, together with ex-Crucis member Anibal Kerpel. He briefly returned to Argentina in 1981, to produce Leon Gieco's Pensar en Nada and record his first solo album.

As a solo artist, he has recorded three albums. His first self-titled album, Santaolalla (1981), broke new ground by incorporating the "eighties" sound into rock in Argentina for the first time. He was joined by Lerner and the Willy Iturry-Alfredo Toth rhythm section, who were two-thirds of the band GIT. His second album, titled Gas, was released in 1995. His most recent solo album, titled Ronroco (1998), contained several tracks with the characteristic sound of the charango, a folk string instrument, that poured into what constituted his next significant endeavor: music for movies. Ronroco also contains his (nearly)-solo piece for charango Iguazu, which has been used in The Insider by Michael Mann, Collateral also by Michael Mann, Babel by Alejandro González Iñárritu, a 2007 Vodafone TV commercial, as well as the HBO TV series Deadwood. It also contains the track De Ushuaia a La Quiaca used by Walter Salles in his The Motorcycle Diaries.

Santaolalla aided the development of rock en español by acting as producer for Mexican acts ((Neón)), Maldita Vecindad, Fobia, Molotov, Café Tacuba, Julieta Venegas, the Colombian singer Juanes, Chilean rock trio Los Prisioneros, Argentine rock bands Divididos and Bersuit Vergarabat and León Gieco's "De Ushuaia a La Quiaca" (1 and 2), among many others.

Santaolalla transferred his efforts to film soundtracks in the late 1990s, producing albums for the films Amores Perros, 21 Grams and The Motorcycle Diaries. Currently based in California where he first moved in 1978, one of his more recent contributions has been to the instrumental music for the soundtrack to the 2005 Ang Lee film, Brokeback Mountain, from which "A Love That Will Never Grow Old" won the 2006 Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song. Santaolalla has received a 2006 Academy Award for Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score) for Brokeback Mountain. In 2007, he received his second Academy Award for the film score to Babel, beating out such composers as Thomas Newman, Alexandre Desplat, and Javier Navarrete. Gustavo dedicated the award to his father and to his country Argentina.

In addition to his film work, Santaolalla has acted as the producer of Gaby Kerpel's Carnabailito and co-produced the Kronos Quartet's Nuevo, an album which renders homage to the rich musical heritage of Mexico. He has also been part of the resurgent neo-tango movement, as prime mover behind the Bajofondo Tango Club collective. He is also mentioned as the co-producer of Calle 13's song "Tango del Pecado", from their upcoming album Residente o Visitante. In 2005 he received the Platinum Konex Award as best Argentine artistic producer of the 1995-2005 decade.

In 2008, Santaolalla composed the soundtrack for the Louis Vuitton film "Where will life take you?" directed by Bruno Aveillan, as part of the "Journeys" Campaign.

Recently, Santaolalla has recorded two songs on "All You Need Is Me", a single by British singer Morrissey. The tracks, "Children In Pieces" and "My Dearest Love" were recorded in Los Angeles with producer Jerry Finn.

Recently, he directed music for Aamir Khan's latest movie Dhobi Ghat, which was released on January 21, 2011.

Santaolalla has also collaborated with Argentine Composer Osvaldo Golijov on several projects commissioned by soprano Dawn Upshaw. These include the opera, Ainadamar, based on the murder of Spanish poet Federico García Lorca, and Ayre, a collection of folk songs, in which Santaolalla plays with a group that calls itself The Andalucian Dogs.

Among his more recent projects he has scored the upcoming film On the Road, produced by Francis Ford Coppola and directed by Walter Salles. He has also confirmed his involvement on the survival horror video game The Last of Us, Santaolalla's first experience in the video game industry.

Santaolalla currently lives in Los Angeles, California with his wife for over twenty-three years Alejandra Palacios and children Luna (b. 1995) and Don Juan Nahuel (b. 1999). His eldest daughter Ana (b. 1980) is from his previous relationship with Monica Campins.

Filmography[link]

• She Dances Alone (1981)
• Amores perros (2000)
• The Insider (1999) - features his song, "Iguazu".
• 21 Grams (2003)
• Salinas grandes (2004) (TV)
• The Motorcycle Diaries (2004) (The Motorcycle Diaries (soundtrack))
• North Country (2005) (see also North Country (soundtrack))
• Yes (2005) - features his song, "Iguazu".
• Brokeback Mountain (2005) Academy Award for Original Music Score (see also Brokeback Mountain (soundtrack))
• Fast Food Nation (2006) - features his song "Iguazu".
• Babel (2006) Academy Award for Original Music Score (see also Babel (soundtrack))
• Into the Wild (2007) - features his song "Picking Berries".
• I Come With The Rain (2009)
• The Sun Behind the Clouds: Tibet's Struggle for Freedom (2009)
• Nanga Parbat (2010)
• Biutiful (2010)
• Dhobi Ghaat (2010)
• On the Road (2012)
• The Last of Us (2012/2013) - video game

Awards and nominations[link]

Awards[link]

• Academy Awards:
  • 2005: Best Original Score – Brokeback Mountain
  • 2006: Best Original Score – Babel

• BAFTA Awards:
  • 2004: Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music – The Motorcycle Diaries
  • 2006: Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music – Babel

• BMI:
  • On June 13, 2008, Gustavo Santaolalla was honored as a BMI Icon at the 15th annual BMI Latin Awards. The BMI Icon award is bestowed on creators who have had a “unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers.”^[2]

• Golden Globe Awards:
  • 2005: Best Original Song – "A Love That Will Never Grow Old" from Brokeback Mountain

• Grammy Awards:
  • 2004: Best Latin Rock/Alternative Album – Cuatro Caminos (producer)
  • 2009: Grammy Award for Best Latin Pop Album: La Vida... Es un Ratico (producer)

• Latin Grammy Awards:
  • 2000: Best Rock Album – Revés/Yo Soy (producer)
  • 2001: Best Rock Solo Vocal Album – Fíjate Bien (producer)
  • 2003: Record of the Year – "Es Por Ti" (producer)
  • 2003: Album of the Year – Un Día Normal (producer)
  • 2003: Best Pop Instrumental Album – Bajofondo Tango Club (producer)
  • 2004: Best Alternative Music Album – Cuatro Caminos (producer)
  • 2005: Best Rock Solo Vocal Album – Mi Sangre (producer)
  • 2005: Producer of the Year
    • A Contraluz by La Vela Puerca
    • Bajofondo Tango Club Presenta A: Supervielle by Supervielle
    • Celador De Sueños by Orozco and Barrientos
    • Cristobal Repetto by Cristobal Repetto
    • Guau! by Arbol
    • Mi Sangre by Juanes
    • The Motorcycle Diaries: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
    • 13 by Javier García
  • 2006: Best Tango Album – Café De Los Maestros (producer)
  • 2008: Record of the Year: "Me Enamora" (producer)
  • 2008: Album of the Year: La Vida... Es un Ratico (producer)
  • 2008: Best Male Pop Vocal Album: La Vida... Es un Ratico (producer)

Nominations[link]

• BAFTA Awards:
  • 2005: Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music – Brokeback Mountain

• Golden Globe Awards:
  • 2005: Best Original Score – Brokeback Mountain
  • 2006: Best Original Score – Babel

• Grammy Awards:
  • 2007: Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media – Brokeback Mountain: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (producer)
  • 2008: Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media – Babel: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (composer)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Gustavo Santaolalla at the Internet Movie Database
• Gustavo Santaolalla at exclaim
• Myspace Page
• Bio at www.zimbio.com
• Interviews at NPR
• Tangled up in Tango: Gustavo Santaolalla's Bajofondo

Sergio Guzmán Silva (date of birth unknown) is a Mexican Luchador, or professional wrestler, who has worked for the Mexican professional wrestling promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) for most of his professional career. Guzmán currently works under the ring name Tigre Blanco and inidially worked as Kid Guzmán but changed identities in 1999. Guzmán’s real name was not a matter of public record until he lost his "Tigre Blanco" mask on September 18, 2009 where he announced his real name. Tigre Blanco is Spanish for "White Tiger", a name that is reflected by his mask, designed to look like the head of a white tiger.^[2]

Professional wrestling career[link]

Sergio Guzmán made his professional wrestling debut on February 2, 1995 under the ring name Kid Guzmán. Initially Kid Guzmán worked for the Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (AAA), winning the UWA World Welterweight Championship from Super Crazy in 1997.^{[3][Note 1]} Kid Guzmán held the title for just over a year before losing it back to Super Crazy.^[3]

By 1999 Kid Guzmán signed with Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) and was repackaged, changing his ring persona. He became an enmascarado, or masked wrestler, under the name Tigre Blanco, wearing an outfit and mask that was patterned after a White Tiger. Blanco made his first Pay-Per-View appearance mere months after changing his ring persona as he participated in CMLL's 1999 Ruleta de la Muerte PPV on July 18, 1999. The match saw Satánico, Zumbido, Valentin Mayo, Virus and Rencor Latino defeat Tigre Blanco, Starman, Astro Rey, Jr., El Orientál and Mr. Águila in an elimination match.^[4] On December 17, 1999 Tigre Blanco teamed with El Felino to win the second 1999 Tornero Gran Alternativa, defeating Máscara Año 2000 and Sangre Azteca in the first round, Ringo Mendoza and Ricky Marvin in the second round and Scorpio, Jr. and Fugaz in the finals to win the tournament.^[5] On March 17, 2000 the team of Arkangel de la Muerte, Dr. O'Borman, Jr., Último Guerrero, Zumbido, Rencor Latino, Mr. Mexico, Violencia and Rey Bucanero defeated Tigre Blanco, Máscara Mágica, Astro Rey Jr., Starman, Antifaz, Tony Rivera, Safari and Olímpico in an elimination match as part of CMLL's march 2000 PPV. Tigre Blanco eliminated Doctor O'Borman, Jr. but was himself eliminated by Zumbido.^[6] On April 17, 2001 Tigre Blanco defeated Karloff Lagarde, Jr. to win the Mexican National Welterweight Championship.^[7] Following his title win Tigre Blanco teamed with Ricky Marvin and Sicodelico, Jr., losing to Doctor X, Virus and Mr. Mexico on CMLL's 68th Anniversary Show.^[8] On December 14, 2001 Tigre Blanco made another PPV appearance, teaming with Volador, Jr. and Tony Rivera, in a loss against Venero, Dr. X and Hijo de Pierroth.^[9] In 2001 Tigre Blanco once again participated in the annual Torneo Gran Alternativa, teaming with Black Tiger, losing to Black Warrior and Sangre Azteca in the first round.^[10] Tigre Blanco held the Mexican National Welterweight title for almost two years, making only one title defenses in that time before losing the title to Doctor X on March 11, 2003.^[7] In 2005 Tigre Blanco participated in the inaugural Reyes del Aire tournament, eliminating Stuka, Jr. before being eliminated by Alan Stone.^[11] In 2006 Blanco was teamed up with Tigre Metalico (Metal Tiger) and rookie Rey Tigre (King Tiger) to form the group Los Tigres del Ring (The Tigers of the ring).^[12] The trio worked together throughout 2006 until Rey Tigre was repackaged as Eclipse.^[13] Tigre Blanco and Tigre Metalico kept teaming, working lower card matches together, the two even kept teaming after Tigre Metalico was repackages as Metalico. The Tigres del Ring officially disbanded in 2007 when Tigre Metalico changed his ring name.On October 18, 2009 Tigre Blanco lost his mask as he was pinned by Pólvora in a 12-man Luchas de Apuestas cage match. After the match he was forced to unmask and announce his real name per lucha libre tradition.^[14]

In wrestling[link]

• Finishing moves

• Cruceta Invertida (Reverse figure four leglock)

• Signature Moves

• Slingshot somersault senton plancha
• Spinning headscissors
• Slingshot corkscrew plancha

Championships and accomplishments[link]

• Asistencia Asesoría y Administración

• UWA World Welterweight Championship (1 time)^{[3][Note 1]}

• Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre

• Mexican National Welterweight Championship (1 time)^[7]
• Torneo Gran Alternativa: 1999 (II) – with El Felino^[5]

Lucha de Apuesta record[link]

Footnotes[link]

References[link]

Professional wrestling portal