Notes from Paradise

JK Bridge

2009-06-27T18:55:00.000-03:00

Named for the founder of Brasilia and former Brazilian President

Patos de Minas

2009-06-27T18:49:00.002-03:00

It was Damn Hot

Sexy feet!

Street side bar

At the end of Asa Norte there lives a Gringo....

2009-06-11T12:42:00.003-03:00

Commercial block near my house

2009-06-11T12:37:00.001-03:00

Views from my Window

2009-06-11T12:25:00.002-03:00

Maceio, Brazil in the Northeast

2008-11-26T08:54:00.000-02:00

The View From My Living Room

2008-11-25T09:34:00.001-02:00

Pontao on Lago Sul

2008-11-24T09:23:00.000-02:00

Good News from Venezuela via the AP

2008-11-24T08:38:00.000-02:00

Opposition makes gains in Venezuela vote

By CHRISTOPHER TOOTHAKER – 21 minutes ago

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — President Hugo Chavez's opponents made important gains in Venezuela's local elections, capturing the Caracas mayor's office and three of the most populous states, but his allies won a strong majority.

With more than 95 percent of votes counted, pro-Chavez candidates held on to gubernatorial posts in 17 states, while the opposition won five states. Chavez trumpeted his party's domination of Sunday's vote as "a sign" for him to continue driving Venezuela toward "21st-century socialism."

"The people are telling me: 'Chavez continue down the same road,'" he said, hinting that he has not abandoned plans for constitutional changes that would expand his powers, push the economy doward socialism and allow him to run for re-election indefinitely.

Voters rejected the president's proposed overhaul of the constitution last year.

Tibisay Lucena, president of Venezuela's election council, said the opposition won in the two most populous states — Miranda and Zulia — as well as Nueva Esparta, Carabobo and Tachira. Opposition candidate Antonio Ledezma defeated a close Chavez confidant to become the next mayor of Caracas, the South American nation's capital and largest city.

"I'm delighted, and a bit surprised, that our candidates won in some of the most important states," said Delsa Perez, a 45-year-old housewife who voted for Ledezma because she was fed up with the capital's garbage-strewn and potholed streets.

Chavez faced an emboldened opposition aiming to break his party's near total control over local offices. Although the president's allies held on to a majority of posts, the results of Sunday's vote showed that his dogged political adversaries are gaining ground.

Chavez's brother, Adan, won a tight race to succeed their father as governor in the president's home state of Barinas.

Turnout topped 65 percent among the 16.8 million registered voters, a new high for a local election in Venezuela, Lucena said.

Chavez faced an emboldened opposition aiming to break his party's near total control over local offices and win back power in key states and cities and the results of Sunday's vote could force him to cooperate with political rivals.

Ledezma called for cooperation between Chavez's government and opposition mayors, saying "I invite the president of the republic to work together to rescue Caracas" — a city blighted by crime, trash and crumbling infrastructure.

A similar invitation was offered by Henrique Capriles, who defeated one of Chavez's closest confidants to become the next governor of Miranda state, which includes part of Caracas.

"What's important is that the map of Venezuela has started to change," said opposition leader Manuel Rosales, calling the victories important gains for the anti-Chavez camp.

Chavez party spokesman Alberto Muller played down the opposition's resurgence.

"We are the country's foremost political force," said Muller, flanked by other red-clad Chavez allies. "We don't see an opposition victory on a political map painted red."

In 2004 state elections, Chavez allies swept all but two of 23 governorships and a majority of local offices. In this vote, 22 governorships, 330 mayoral posts and other offices were up for grabs.

After a decade in office, the president still enjoys solid popularity, but last year's defeat of his attempt to abolish term limits energized the opposition, which has also sought to capitalize on complaints about unchecked corruption, rising crime, deteriorating public services and double-digit inflation.

At least 106 people were detained by authorities during the vote, many for destroying balloting materials such as voter receipts, the attorney general's office said. Six were arrested in Guarico state for allegedly attacking voters.

One person also was stabbed in a clash between government supporters and opponents in Bolivar state, but authorities said the vote largely went smoothly.

Associated Press writers Fabiola Sanchez and Jorge Rueda contributed to this report.

A Good Place to Live

2008-10-18T15:51:00.001-03:00

No I don't know how to say "hey, stop that bus" in Portuguese

2008-06-07T23:52:00.005-03:00

Here we can see my bus driving off without me. It's just as well really, as one tends to flail about the moment you enter Grande Circular, the overly eloquent name for my route that just means "Big Circle".

Travel tip: as soon as you enter a bus in Brazil, hold on to something, even if its the leg of an old lady, as the driver will not wait for you but will take off with the door still open, so maybe you can fall out. When exiting the bus, move rapidly, or you may end up with fewer limbs than you had upon entering.

Our apartment, a public telephone or "the big ear"

2008-06-07T23:17:00.000-03:00

Familia

2008-06-07T23:14:00.001-03:00

Election in England

2008-05-01T22:08:00.001-03:00

A good day for the Tories, a great day for England and finally some hope from Europe that the West still has some life there. The Mayors race in London is as yet undeclared, but if the polls hold, one of the last Communists and a radical islamist fellow traveler will be heading off to retirement with his pal Fidel.

A good day to be a conservative. And a great day for freedom.

News From Today IV

2008-03-29T00:20:00.000-03:00

Wall Street Journal

Cuba Lifts Curbs on Cellphone Use
Associated PressMarch 28, 2008 10:18 a.m.

HAVANA -- President Raul Castro's government said it is allowing cellphones for ordinary Cubans, a luxury previously reserved for those who worked for foreign firms or held key posts with the communist-run state.
It was the first official announcement of the lifting of a major restriction under the 76-year-old Mr. Castro, and marked the kind of small freedom many on the island have been hoping he would embrace since succeeding his older brother Fidel as president last month.
Some Cubans previously ineligible for cellphones had already gotten them by having foreigners sign contracts in their names, but mobile phones are not nearly as common in Cuba as elsewhere in Latin America or the world.
Telecommunications monopoly Empresa de Telecomunicaciones de Cuba S.A., or ETECSA, said it would allow the general public to sign prepaid contracts in Cuban convertible pesos, which are geared toward tourists and foreigners and worth 24 times the regular pesos Cuban state employees are paid in.
The decree was published in the Communist Party newspaper Granma.
The government controls well over 90% of the economy and while the communist system ensures most Cubans have free housing, education and health care and receive ration cards that cover basic food needs, the average monthly state salary is just 408 Cuban pesos, a little less than $20.
A program in convertible pesos likely will ensure that cellphone service will be too expensive for many Cubans, but ETECSA's statement said doing so will allow it to improve telecommunication systems using cable technology and eventually expand the services it offers in regular pesos.
The statement promised further instructions in coming days about how the new plan will be implemented, and there were no lines of would-be customers mobbing ETECSA outlets as they opened for business.
ETECSA is a mixed enterprise that operates with foreign capital from the Italian communications firm Italcom.
Copyright © 2008 Associated Press

News From Today III

2008-03-29T00:08:00.000-03:00

Peru Says Chavez Backs Domestic Revolt
Mar 22, 4:06 AM (ET)By ANDREW WHALEN

LIMA, Peru (AP) - Hugo Chavez has been accused of using Venezuela's oil riches to meddle in Colombia, Argentina, Bolivia and Nicaragua. Now, Peru's president says the Venezuelan leader may be doing it here by funding militants and anti-poverty centers that preach populist revolution.

In recent weeks, Peruvian police have arrested nine people the government alleges are militants bankrolled by Venezuela. And the head of a Congressional investigatory committee accused Venezuela of supplying funds to outreach centers he says agitate against the government.

News From Today II

2008-03-29T00:03:00.001-03:00

The Economist
The Kirchners v the farmers
Mar 27th 2008 BUENOS AIRES

CLANK, clunk, clank, clunk. The sound of a cacerolazo—Argentina's signature style of protest, in which people pour into the streets banging pots and pans—had not been heard in Buenos Aires since the depths of the country's economic collapse in 2002. Yet on March 25th, after five years of breakneck economic growth that has left the slump a distant memory, the steady clanging of kitchenware returned to Argentina's main cities.

The target was the country's president, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner. Barely three months after taking office, she has provoked a conflict with Argentina's farmers which has blossomed into her government's first real domestic political test. Ms Fernández was elected last year only after her husband, Néstor Kirchner, chose not to stand for a second term. To support her campaign, Mr Kirchner ramped up spending on pensions and public works. The new government is seeking to restore the fiscal surplus to rein in the resulting inflation. So it has raised the already steep export taxes it levies on most agricultural commodities. The rate on soyabeans, to take the most extreme example, has been hoisted to 40%, up from 27% last year.

Argentina's farmers have hit back with a campaign of strikes and roadblocks across the country. They launched similar protests under Mr Kirchner. But this time they seem more determined. They have vowed to continue until the taxes are cut. Some foodstuffs are running short: the meat racks in one supermarket in Palermo, a fashionable neighbourhood of Buenos Aires, are all but bare.

Farmers insist that the government has left them with no choice. Mr de Noailles predicts that the farmers are capable of leaving the cities without meat for up to two months. “It's tough to say how people will react,” he says. “Will they say it's our fault or the government's? But you can't ruin people's lives like this. If they don't back down, Buenos Aires will starve.”

News from Today

2008-03-28T22:28:00.000-03:00

Proposed Sudanese-Brazilian Projects

Sudan has presented a Brazilian delegation visiting the country a list of investment projects primarily in agriculture and food production, modern agricultural cultivation methods, irrigation and water harvesting as well as projects designed to increase Sudanese exports. There were also proposals for investment in banking and infrastructure.

There is no indication of any agreement on particular projects.

al-Sharq, Qatar, March 28, 2008

William F. Buckley Jr., RIP

2008-02-27T14:14:00.003-03:00

The man and his work taught me more than I learned in any classroom. Very few people will come close to his accomplishments.

Israeli Raid; Syrian/North Korean Ties

2007-09-17T14:45:00.000-03:00

Well, it seems our friends in Israel have taken steps that only they seem willing, and able, to perform. On an evening of September 5th-7th(reports on the specific date, like much else with this story, have been sketchy-though dawn on Sept 6th seems most likely), under strict secrecy, Israel attacked a Syrian target of clearly high import. What the target was has only been speculated at, though ties to shipments from North Korea have been made, leading many to believe the target had a nuclear weapons purpose.

The Israelis should be congratulated on having the strength to perform a daring move such as this, but perhaps the most satisfying part of the whole event has been the silence from Syria and her terror allies(othr than mild protests from Syria and North Korea). With the press being given hardly any solid information, and the apparent shock of our enemies, we have not seen the typical anti-Israel pronouncements from the usual suspects.

We should all be concerned about nuclear ties between North Korea and Syria/Iran, and should be grateful we have an ally in the Middle East willing to act decisively against these terror monsters.

some links on the story:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article2461421.ece

http://pajamasmedia.com/2007/09/what_did_israel_really_attack.php

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/903955.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/14/AR2007091402207.html

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1189411413583&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article2452356.ece

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/904009.html

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1189411415223&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

2007-07-10T16:43:00.001-03:00

Ponte JK, Brasilia

2007-07-02T16:13:00.001-03:00

Ana Costa Avenue, Santos

2007-07-02T16:12:00.001-03:00

Santos Bay, Ana Paula's Birthplace

2007-07-02T15:55:00.000-03:00

Cape Cod

2007-06-26T19:18:00.000-03:00

Ana Paula and I arrived back home(for me at least) on the Cape this past Thursday, coming back to Boulder on Monday. Had a great time at Vanessa and Chris' beautiful wedding, and seeing lots of old friends and family. It was especially good to see the Hanlons and the Spanos....this may be the last time on the Cape for me for a while, so it was a little sad for me to leave. Now that this is past, I am even more eager to head off to Brazil!

Thursday night we landed in Boston and arrived on the Cape in our 2007 Impala(rented)....went immediately to the Brazilian Grille to meet a half dozen or so friends...had some caipirinhas(a deceptively strong drink made with cachaca) and a collection of variouse meats as well as a large buffet...Friday morning had breakfast at Pancake Man and an Iced Coffee from Dunks, how i miss them! Then headed to Sara's where we assembled our numerous boxes of stuff she'd been holding for us and had them shipped off to Brazil...a cheap way of moving, it will take about 3 months for it to arrive....went to Sam Diego's for lunch, took Sara...didnt have time to go to Brax in Harwich......Our Hotel(Gull Wing Suites) inexplicably did not have a iron in our room, so we borrowed one from someone...made our way to the Flying Bridge restaurant in Falmouth for V's rehearsal dinner...great seeing V and C as well as Lilly and Chuckie!

Saturday morning was time for V's wedding at the Coonamesset Inn in Falmouth, the ceremony was outdoors during a beautiful morning....party was great.....Saturday night had dinner and drinks with Sara, Maggie and Becky at Gringoes on Main Street in Hyannis, then more dinner and even more drinks with Marilia and Junior....

Sunday morning had breakfast ala Dunkin Donuts, ate down at Bay Street overlooking the water where we spread my dad's ashes....saw alot of boats getting put in the water which was cool to see...we then took a stroll down Main Street Hyannis, picking up a Cape Cod bracelet for Ana and some gifts for Eric...headed to the new Macy's in the Cape Cod Mall...this used to be Filene's, which is where Ana and I met...so its really "our" store.....headed to lunch at Cooke's with Marilia...had a Lobster Roll and some fried shrimp!...Then on to Cape Regency where Ana used to work to see the girls...from there to the Powers' family compound in the Mills...great to see everyone is healthy and doing well...Sunday evening was at the Spanos, with Ana, myself, Brian and his girlfriend(Lela, from Brazil) Ant and his gf, and the parents Sue and Tom...as always, had a great time and a wonderful way to finish off our trip....Sunday night had some drinks with Carol and Aaron and then went to Noel's for a Corona before calling it a night....

Monday morning we could sleep in a bit before heading back to Logan for the trip back to Boulder....It was a great time, only wish we could have spent sometime in Boston, and see some friends there....I hope its not to long before we are back!

Brasilia Cathedral

2007-05-04T20:57:00.000-03:00

Semi Regular Book Review #1

2007-04-05T22:48:00.000-03:00

Balkan Ghosts by Robert Kaplan.

A book that at first helped lead President Clinton to avoid involvement in the war in Bosnia, precipitating only further chaos and bloodshed, despite the author's clear belief that only through the strength of US and NATO forces could the history of ethnic violence in the region be quelled; Balkan Ghosts leads the reader through the history, culture and passions of a little known, but historically vital region. (While showing clearly, once again, that the foreign policy of the Clinton Presidency was a haphazard, directionless result of the current conventional wisdom and scandal of the day.)

Through Croatia and Alexander's Macedonia, Romania, Bulgaria and Greece; the brutality of the long Balkan history comes across sadly through Kaplan's eyes and one is left to wonder how such an eclectic, faithful and vibrant people could be continually brought low by such small prejudices. In this way, the region is a glimpse into the mindset of a large part of our world. As Kaplan writes, while refuting charges that the Balkans are an exceptionally backward and dangerous region, "So what if the Balkans are a confused, often violent ethnic cauldron? Welcome to much of the world."

This travelogue provides a clear view towards dealing with eternal strife in a region that may always seem to contain such violence, as well as remind one of the dangers we face if we choose to withdraw and ignore such a place. It was the Balkans who produced the assassin who triggered World War I, It was the Balkans from where the origins of Nazism can be traced, and it was the Balkans who produced the 20th century's first terrorists, IMRO.

As Kaplan writes, "Here men have been isolated by poverty and ethnic rivalry, dooming them to hate. Here politics has been reduced to a level of near anarchy that from time to time in history has flowed up the Danube into Central Europe....a breeding ground of ethnic resentments..(where)...Hitler learned to hate so infectiously."

What is born and nurtured in such a place will inevitably grow large enough to threaten our own world, whether from the Balkans of the last century, or the present day Middle East. Kaplan writes that "the struggle for bare survival leaves little room for renewal or creation", something to consider seriously before we abandon an inflammable region under a false belief that our involvement only makes the situation worse and could not possibly help, leaving the "bare survival" of a potentially great people up to the terrorists and despots of our time, and giving no chance for renewal or creation, or our own peace.

Balkan Ghosts was written of a different region and a different, pre 9/11 era, but provides clear lessons for the challenges we face today and should be read by people who hope to understand the consequences of action, or more importantly, inaction, within the violence and strife of the Mid East.

-BMP

American Allies

2007-03-13T14:09:00.000-03:00

Columbia marked a change for Bush as he met with President Alvaro Uribe, a strong conservative ally. Traveling to Bogotá for a short visit due to security concerns, Bush and Uribe had a lot to discuss in a brief time. Columbia receives more US aid than any country outside of the Middle East and Afghanistan, with $700 million annually coming from “Plan Columbia”, a joint effort in the fight against Columbia’s drug traffickers. Importantly, the Presidents discussed trade agreements aimed at growing the economy in the areas of Columbia that are the main producers of cocaine, providing the opportunity for people to enter the legitimate economy.

From Columbia and on to Guatemala, Bush met with President Oscar Berger another of Latin America’s conservative leaders. Guatemala is fighting rampant corruption within its government and police force, which provides an avenue for the large majority of Columbia’s cocaine to pass through on its way to the States.

President Berger understands what must be done above and beyond receiving American financial and military assistance, as he states during a press conference with Bush, “we can have that American Dream in our own countries by promoting education, by improving infrastructure, by implementing CAFTA, which is a very interesting tool to produce and to export and also to attract investment and generate jobs. I believe that we are firm along those lines that the American Dream is going to be the dream for all the Americans living in the American continent.” (Quote from White House transcript)

"The Great Compassion of the American People"

2007-03-12T19:42:00.000-03:00

Following President Bush’s visit to Brazil, he continued on to Uruguay where he met with President Tabare Vazquez to discuss trade issues between the two countries. Vazquez is among Latin America’s leftist Presidents, and yet has shown a willingness to work with the US on important trade matters, and, perhaps more importantly, has the strength of character to oppose Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez. The Bush Administration has wisely moved past potential disagreements between the two governments in order to foster a growing trade partnership (in particular, beef and textile products), providing a key foothold into an area of geopolitical import for the United State’s presence in the Western Hemisphere.

During the press conference with the two Presidents, Bush discussed his Administration’s efforts in Latin America: “I would call our diplomacy quiet and effective diplomacy- diplomacy all aimed at helping people, aimed at elevating the human condition, aimed at expressing the great compassion of the American people.” (Quote from White House transcript)

"Protesting" the President

2007-03-12T19:11:00.000-03:00

The Mainstream Media in the US has made wide play of the supposed massive protests President Bush has encountered during his trip in Latin America. They trumpet the 6,000 who came out to protest his arrival in Sao Paulo, a city of over 11 million people. Not a word is mentioned of the nature of Brazilian politics, where protests are a common part of everyday politics. During a brief visit last summer I was in the capital, Brasilia, when an unhappy mob descended upon the Federal Government and crashed an SUV into the Capital Lobby. In fact the protests have been smaller than expected by the MSM, who none the less will stick to their story!

President Bush has been accused of "ignoring" our Western neighbors, when in fact this is his eighth trip to the region, more than any other President. His welcome has been mostly positive despite what we are being told in our newspapers and the evening news, especially in his meetings during the first half of his trip with leaders who come from the left.

Bush in Brazil

2007-03-11T21:28:00.000-03:00

President Bush began a tour of South America, Central America and Mexico on March 9th in Sao Paulo, Brazil, where he met with Brazilian President Lula da Silva.

While in Sao Paulo, one of the world's largest cities, Presidents Bush and Lula committed to an energy partnership focused on developing further advances in ethanol production. Brazil is among the most advanced ethanol producers in the world, and the United States would do well to lessen its ties to Middle East oil by adopting some of Brazil's energy practices.

I'll have more on President Bush's Americas trip.....

Kick Off

2007-03-07T22:02:00.000-03:00

Welcome to my Blog. I'll be posting occasionally while I'm still in Boulder, and then chronicling my time in Brasilia. NFP will report on politics, culture, sports and life. Thanks for visiting!