October 1, 2009
Here's another example of the long arm of branding in the Estados Unidos (United States, which by the way when they write our initials—U.S.— their version is EEUU because when it's plural they do the letters twice):

A very strong cover in either language. Notice that the logo is larger in the Spanish version. What's interesting to me is the U.S. version is only 102 pages (sans cover) and the Spanish version is 130. More ads? Certainly more coverage, little of which I can read. Ha. Although the Spanish version does run a comic strip: "Lo Que No Importa Esta Aca". Translation please. It's not that important now?

Price? In The U.S. it's $4.99, in Argentina it's $11,90 (yes, they use commas, not decimal points, and yes, it drives me crazy!), in Uruguay it's styled as $u130, in Bolivia it's Bs 17 and Paraguay is Gs 12,000 (I think that's Guaranee, and this is the country where I told you it's 4,000 to one U.S. dollar so by my math that would make it about $3 US, excuse me, EEUU buckaroos.)

Although I bought my Spanish copy of RS in Buenos Aires (I saw a bus stop billboard for it, then sought it out on the newsstand. Yes, advertising does work, senor), coincidentally, those are all the countries we visited—Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Bolivia.

“One half of the world cannot understand the pleasures of the other.”
—Jane Austen