Posted in 2016 Olympics, Activities, News, Rio de Janeiro on 30. Jun, 2011
Hi all, Wow, that’s a mouthful! International Military Sports Council Games. These games are held every 4 years, one year before the Olympics. This year they will be held in Rio, in about 2 weeks. The games are generally called the CISM Games. CISM stands for Conseil International du Sport. Why they gave the games [...]
Posted in Brazil Facts, News, Rio de Janeiro on 17. Jun, 2011
Hi all, Not to sound like a dinosaur, but I am frequently amazed by the unstoppable progression of technology. I received an e-mail my my good friend Greg this week. Greg is a convert. I brought him to Brazil years ago, and he fell in love with the place same as me. We returned together [...]
Posted in News, Rio de Janeiro on 02. Jun, 2011
Hi all, This Saturday the government of Rio de Janeiro state (the state in which the city of Rio lies is also called Rio de Janeiro) launches the Renda Melhor (Better Income) program. The ambitious three-year, billion-real (US$638 million) program is intended to eradicate extreme poverty in RJ. 340,000 families will benefit from the program. [...]
Posted in News, Rio de Janeiro on 24. May, 2011
Hi all, Most weekdays I catch the metro, and most weekdays I grab a Destak (which would translate as something like “highlights”), a free tabloid newspaper distributed outside many of the metro stations. Destak allows me to kind of keep up with the news while sharpening my Portuguese. Most of the headlines are of the [...]
Posted in Random Musings, Rio de Janeiro on 15. May, 2011
Hi all, Well, this was a great weekend, despite intermittent heavy rains. I discovered a great restaurant near where I live, I met some friends at a jazz festival in Leblon (next post!), and today I went to see the movie, Rio. First, I have to say that it’s amazing what they can do with [...]
Posted in Brazil Facts, Random Musings, Rio de Janeiro on 11. May, 2011
Hi all, You know you’re really on the map when Paul McCartney comes to your town to play. For a long time, Rio seemed to be a bit off the beaten path. Or sure, everyone’s heard of Rio, and knows a bit about it – or believes that they do. (By the way, Rio is [...]
Posted in Activities, Rio de Janeiro on 28. Apr, 2011
Hi all, Recently I wrote about hostels here in Rio as a cheap and fun alternative to hotels if you plan to visit Rio. Should you decide to try a hostel, I hope that you will use the services of my friends over at www.HostelBookers.com. Recently HostelBookers.com featured a guest post by me in their [...]
Posted in Brazil Facts, Holidays & History, Rio de Janeiro on 22. Apr, 2011
Hi all, Yesterday was a national holiday here in Brazil, Dia do Tiradentes, literally, “Day of the Toothpuller”. The history of Brazil, like that of the US, is populated with some interesting folks, and Joaquin Jose Da Silva Xavier was one of these. His beginnings were humble. He was born in 1746 in the state [...]
Posted in Activities, Rio de Janeiro, Tips for Travelers, Travel Recommendations on 20. Apr, 2011
Hi all, I’m a little embarrassed. I’ve lived in Rio for 2 1/2 years now, and visited a number of times before moving here. And yet I had never been to Parque de Lage until this past Sunday. Even then, it was really owing to chance. Last Wednesday or Thursday, I met Nathalia on the [...]
Posted in Brazil Facts, News, Rio de Janeiro on 09. Apr, 2011
Hi all, Just recently I wrote here that violence in Rio is largely confined to the favelas and is “rational” in the sense that it is primarily driven by the profit motive, as rival drug gangs battle for control. (See post “You think Brazil is dangerous?“) While I will stand by those words, senseless violence [...]
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