Reality Observer

On When Two Polarities Meet - The Forums

2012-01-26T18:36:00.002-02:00

It's that time of the year again.

That's right. That's when two polarities, in warp and woof, meet in vastly different parts of the world to talk about Economics. Namely: The World Economic Forum - an independent international organization committed to improving the state of the world by engaging business, political, academic and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas - on one hand; on the other, the World Social Forum (WSF) - an annual meeting of civil society organization which offers a self-conscious effort to develop an alternative future through the championing of counter-hegemonic globalization. This year with the theme "Capitalist Crisis - Social and Environmental Justice."

The second was first held here in our neck of the woods, Porto Alegre, way back in 2001 and is just about starting with some UN big shot up on the podium blah-blahing on how to bring food to the poor, and the first, is to begin tomorrow in the snowy, money-reeked (i swear there's no pun here) Davos in Switzerland.

The second one with young people coming from far and wide to set up camp along the banks of the Guaíba lake, now shimmering with the baking sun and, with their hearts full of hope and idealism, with the absolute certainty that another world is possible; the first one, with old people in swanky abodes and what not, in snow-clad chalets to meet and find ways on how to reaffirm their hegemony.

You see, those polarities will continue eternally. Meawhile, we watch the news on TV and shake our heads at what we see.

On When Old Mindsets Are Shattered

2012-01-02T16:01:00.000-02:00

Image by Sunset Parkerpix via Flickr

What a year 2011 was. The Age of Transformation at full blast.

Lots happened: both here in our neck of the woods and all the way over across the Rio Grande; and over across the pond; all the way across in the Arabias. And lots happening still. Who knew?

From a fruit vendor igniting a spark that has transformed the landscape to a vanguardist speech at the UN vis à vis LGBT rights.

We have also seen the rise of the Occupy movement in the United States with offshoots reaching all across the world, to phone-tapping schemes to fish out lurid details that sell newspapers being brought to light.

It seems like people, prior to this, the sheeple, are waking up. A rude awaking?

Maybe not. People are beginning to feel that life has more to it than meets the eye. Life is more than the consumerism prevalent, especially, where most of my readers come from. Life has substance. A different one.

Obviously the Establishment was not counting on the effect their ill-advised policies and decisions had on people. Luckily, now, those who are on the receiving end are saying enough is enough, we are cop to your jive. The sheeple, pardon! we, the people, are getting our message across. We know they are listening.

Still, activists have their hands full with their work cut out for them only to realize that their plates are overflowing with all sorts of injustices that have to be addressed. Will it ever end?

Hope, still, is what keeps people going. Hope fuels their drive. Hope. Hope. Hope! Perhaps this is what the Mayans were predicting: the world, as we know it, is coming to and end. Here's to a new cycle, then. A good one! Still...

On Holiday Wishes

2011-12-23T13:44:00.005-02:00

Ever since Time was chopped up into segments, Humanity has felt the need to apportion subjectivities, and Absolute Truths, to various periods: the need to celebrate Wintertime; the need to celebrate Summertime; the need to celebrate sowing and harvesting; and there was a time to kill, and a time to live.

Time, then immaterial, became objective, tangible. You can now almost touch it. Do you own It?

Many of you, i know, are unalloyed atheists and agnostics and you could not care two hoots about this or that celebration. Some of you are Spiritual. Some of you are just humans without an agenda.

Regardless of how you view Time, i thought it would be okay to wish you happy holidays and that the next segment, be It and end or a beginning, be filled with attainments and achievements, quantic and otherwise, and that you feel you have evolved a notch or two towards whatever you think is your personal Evolution.

Whatever you've been drilled into, make sure you make the most out It. Once It's gone by, It can never be retrieved.

Many cheers!

On Puppy-Killing Human Beings

2011-12-17T09:39:00.002-02:00

We unalloyedly hate to air our dirty laundry for all and sundry to see and talk about. It pays to turn our sight inwards now and then. Things we will dig up...

But then, these are shocking scenes, scenes of a heartless creature killing another...

The video speaks for iself, so any words we say will only serve to cloud your judgement. This has happened recently in Goiania - Go, inland Brazil.

It just goest to show that if you ever plan on having a pet, be sure you have the emotional intelligence plus other stuff one thinks is necessary to handle anything that happens, perhaps that pee puddle on the floor, or the little thing doing its business behind the sink counter and you having to clean it up afterwards. We are just speculating.

But still... You see, just watch.

On When Interracial Couples are Banned From Churches

2011-12-03T10:40:00.001-02:00

Image via Wikipedia

In this day and age, it is simply unconscionable.

People are so enmeshed in their religious dogma that the mere thought of having something disturb the bliss that it generates is heresy.

It's long until people have the strength to think for themselves and grow out of the mental cages in which they have been placed.

There is much happening in the universe. There are other galaxies out there, there are other suns out there.

Of course, mentioning the universe and Astronomy is next to criminal in societies who take their religious and philosophical beliefs to heart.

Should we counsel outcast couples to take the higher road (?) and move on to other communities where they are accepted or should they bite the bullet and stay right where they are to show folks on mainstreet that hey! the sky is not going to fall for their, in the eyes of others, perversity?

Now, were that to be the case, Latin America, and quite frankly, most of the United States of America would not exist. We are all mutts, curs, mongrels. Mixed breeds. And proud of it!

Our skies shine ever so bright, day and night.

On When the Gays Get to Have Their Own Country Club

2011-11-28T18:42:00.004-02:00

Well, it's true. And it's in Rio de Janeiro! Well, leave it to Rio...

The property is located on the Ligação Road, Taquara, in the Jacarepaguá neighborhood. It's called the Rainbow club.

It's a 12 thousand square meter (or 129166.925 square ft) affair featuring a swimming pool, two barbecue grills, three bars, tennis courts, pool tables, football-tables, storage lockers and an infirmary among other things.

It's said that more facilities are on the board and they hope to get them on the ground by next year.
We promise to post the photos when we have them.

The O Globo reports that the project is a parnership between two major organizers of the LGBT nightlife in Rio.

If you become a member, you will have access to one-off events. They say the place holds up to 3 thousand people.

Copacabana, Ipanema, and now, a country club. Those folks really do know how to have a good time.

On When the Sweet Hand of the State is There for you

2011-11-23T17:17:00.003-02:00

Vidigal Favela - Stunning views for dwellers

Police presence in Rio's slums brings hope to a people long inured to neglect. Carrot and stick?

Because it has not always been like this. It has always been like it was before we heard it on the news. Misery, death and destruction. And people without hope.

As of last week, the heavy hand of the State rolls in bransishing its just sticks and bringing along with it sheaves of carrots. And those with forlorn lives now breath a sigh of relief.

Some don't! Some are escorted out and carted off to be put away where they can do no harm. Some manage to break away only to blend into Rio de Janeiro's countless slums. Perhaps to perpetuate the cycle? Hopefully not.

The inhabitants of Rocinha and other slums in Rio de Janeiro should have been granted "order and progress" long ago, way back before being driven onto the hills. The State is now tasting its bitter medicine.

Mindful of the repercussions, and in preparation for two important events to happen in the country in 2014 and 2016, the governement of Rio de Janeiro was swift to implement changes on years of official neglect.

Surely they have to give those people some time to get used to what is perceived normal in other areas of town and, in fact, of the country.

We choose to believe that things will improve for those in Rio's most infamous urban territories. They've got to!

On When There is Engagement in The Fight Against Killer Diseases

2011-11-14T15:10:00.008-02:00

Poverty is a scourge anywhere, but it is the cause of death and disease in the United States and the rest of the world where immunological disorders are prevalent.

We've recently come across a piece in The Advocate about how a former NBA superstar, Magic Johnson, is faring well 20 years after going public with his HIV status. We've even commented on Facebook, solely by looking at Mr Johnson's plus-size physique, that "Aids is the poor man's disease". Could that be the case?

In the story, we read that instead of discouragement at the lack of progress in the discovery of a cure or a vaccine: "He instead was concerned with bringing infections down, especially in the African-American and Latino communities. The latest numbers from the Centers for Disease Control paint a harsh picture, especially for blacks. Though they only make up 14% of the population, African Americans account for 56% of all people in the country living with HIV. They also represent nearly half of all new Infections each year." The Advocate

In the link, there was also the news that the sportsman had been handed a one-million dollar check for his foundation, "which provides scholarships, housing, and access to HIV testing in disadvantaged communities."

Good. It is better than nothing. Also, one would expect that those in the know ought to expand the view that education AND nutrition are important factors in bolstering people's immune systems. Especially, as we read elsewhere that: "Poverty is a major contributor to the HIV and Aids epidemic among African Americans. Poverty and a disadvantaged upbringing often cause young people to drop out of school early, preventing them from gaining access to well-paid and stable employment or causing them to lose a sense of self-worth and be drawn into illegal or socially unacceptble activities (such as drug use) that may put them at direct risk of HIV", according to Avert.Org.

One might add other illnesses as well, like the monstrous heart disease, which accounted for 49,353 deaths (35%) among black American women in 2007 out of a population of 20,257,139! This is in the CDC's Deaths: Final Data for 2007, vol. 58, # 19 (May 2010).

We are not communists in the slightest - we happen to think that there is virtue in merit - why not start collective farms where people have the chance to learn farming techniquers to apply in their own backyards? When we say farming, we mean organic farming.

Surely where there is a will there is a way. In Cuba (!), pardon me, they have vegetable gardens everywhere... It's called Urban Agriculture. Meanwhile, till they get that vaccine or cure, or that farm, fresh and green, watch the video below for surprising insights.

Related articles

On when Doctors Meet Celebrities

2011-11-08T08:43:00.002-02:00

And vice versa. The result is death. Some doctors, some celebrities, that is. When doctors take their Hippocratic Oath to the letter, the result can only be kosherness and ethics.

Sadly, this is not what we have been reading about on the Internet. The recent case of the doctor who's been sent to a place where he can collect his thoughts is an example. While there are those out there willing to cater to celebrities' whims and forget that the road to riches is not in some fancy bedroom should expect to be reprimanded in the strongest terms.

The people, in this case, have decided that there has got to be responsibility and that human life is sacred. Whosoever-so's life. Surely we all know that there is much, much more than meets the eye in this so infamous trial but, still, proper consideration should be given to what has just happened. Writing prescriptions for tormented souls just because they are yapping at your feet is simply wrong. The quick bucks you make are just that: quick, swift, and transient!

On another level, legal substance abuse, locals tell us, is a way of life in that big country up to the north, more especifically in that area of the country where the tyranny and, most importantly, the pressure of the showbiz industry takes its toll on its victims. Substance abuse is big business. What is it that keeps the cogs of the machinery well-oiled and functioning properly?

The crux of the matter is that, and we say this without being judgemental in the negative sense, when people (anyone!) resort to strong anesthetics, applied in the operating room, "to go to the valley of death and back" is simply because those people are already semi-dead. The will to live is no longer there.

What whirlwind of emotions has breathed life into that song we like? Do you know?

On When People Are Burned Alive

2011-10-29T19:44:00.003-02:00

i apologize in advance for posting such horrific scenes on the blog, but can anybody confirm the authenticy of the claim? What is going on in the world? Muslims burning Christians in Nigeria? Or anywhere? Or vice-versa? No, i don't live under a rock. i just don't know what to think.

'Christians burnt alive by Sunni Muslims in Nigeria'

On Book Fairs and Porto Alegre

2011-10-27T18:27:00.001-02:00

Visitors at the Book Fair - A crowd drawer

Gay Pride Parades, beautiful parks, beautiful people, all the amenities found in the best capitals all over, and a book fair to boot?

Yes, Porto Alegre has a book fair. An annual event held every year towards the end of October, beginning of November.

It is one of the oldest in the country. This is all because one porto-alegrean had visited one such fair in Rio de Janeiro and inspired, he came up with a similar event in Porto Alegre. That was in 1955.

What they wanted was to make books available to the masses and since they would not come to the books why not take the books to the them? That is what they did back then.

Alfândega (Customs) Square was a busy corner in Porto Alegre in the 50s and 400 thousand people inhabited the Merry Harbor. So, on November 16th, 1955, the first Porto Alegre Book Fair was set in motion with 14 wooden stalls around a monument to an important general. From then on, as you can imagine, the fair idea caught on and goes on until today.

Jane Tutikian - This year's Honoree

With all the success, at the occasion of the eleventh book fair, the tradition of adopting one Honoree – a Guest of Honor, so to speak – to represent the scope of the fair, began. And to him or her homage is paid every year. The Honoree, more often than not a writer or an important personality connected to books or to academia, is always busy granting interviews and making clear his vision of the world.

This year’s fair will be held from October 28th to November 15th , 2011. Sold? Catch that flight and visit the fair.

Photos:

On Same-sex Marriage in Brazil

2011-10-25T20:05:00.002-02:00

A quick note just to let everyone know that The Superior Court of Justice, Brazil's highest appelate court in the country, has just ruled on a 4 - 1 vote that Same-sex marriages are now LEGAL.

Gay folks can now, well, get married. Marriage certificate and all, thus laying to rest fears of ever having to be rejected by registry offices, and this that and the other....

Bigots and such like are now left with a catch in their throat.

It all happened earlier this afternoon, October 25, 2011. Meanwhile, congrats are in order. Who's next?

On How to Talk About Your Feelings

2011-10-25T11:52:00.003-02:00

By Dráuzio Varella*

If you don't want to fall ill, talk about your feelings.

Pent-up emotions and feelings, when repressed, end up causing diseases such as gastritis, ulcers, back pain. Eventually, the repression of feelings, sorrow, sadness and disappointment turn into cancer.

So, let us confide in others, vent and share our deepest desires, intimacy, our sins. Talking is a powerful medicine.

If you do not want to fall ill, make up your mind.

The undecided are always in doubt, in anxiety, in anguish. Indecision accrues problems, worries, agression. Human history is made of decisions. To make up your mind, you have got to renounce, know how to miss out on advantages and values to win over the other. The undecided are victims of nervous and gastric diseases and skin problems.

If you do not want to fall ill, seek solutions

Negative people can not see solutions and make their problems bigger. They resort to lamenting, to murmurings, pessimism. It is better to light up a match than lamenting the darkness. We ARE what we THINK. Negative thinking generates negative energy that becomes disease. The smallest bee makes the sweetest honey.

If you do not want to fall ill, don't wallow in sadness

Good humor, laughter, joy, all of these bring back health and bring long life. The joyous person has the gift of lighting up their surroundings.

If you do not want to fall ill, do not live off appearances

People who conceal their reality, pretend and project the impression of being well or want to show themselves off as perfect and goody two shoes, are accummulating tons of weght... A bronze statue with feet of clay.

If you do not want to fall ill, accept yourself

The rejection of your own self, the absence of self-esteem makes us all victims of ourselves. To be YOURself is the core of a healthy life.

"Be Yourself, No matter what they think"

Sting.

* Brazilian M.D. and Awareness Coach

-------------------------------------------

Original text in Portuguese

Fale de Seus Sentimentos

Se não quiser adoecer - "fale de seus sentimentos".

Emoções e sentimentos que são escondidos, reprimidos, acabam em doenças como gastrite, úlcera, dores lombares, dor na coluna. Com o tempo, a repressão dos sentimentos, a mágoa, a tristeza, a decepção degenera até em câncer.

Então, vamos confidenciar, desabafar, partilhar nossa intimidade, nossos desejos, nossos pecados.

O diálogo, a fala, a palavra é um poderoso remédio e poderosa terapia.

Se não quiser adoecer - "tome decisão".

A pessoa indecisa permanece na dúvida, na ansiedade, na angústia. A indecisão acumula problemas, preocupações, agressões.A história humana é feita de decisões. Para decidir, é preciso saber renunciar, saber perder vantagens e valores para ganhar outros. As pessoas indecisas são vítimas de doenças nervosas, gástricas e problemas de pele.

Se não quiser adoecer - "busque soluções".

Pessoas negativas não enxergam soluções e aumentam os problemas. Preferem a lamentação, a murmuração, o pessimismo. Melhor acender o fósforo que lamentar a escuridão. Somos o que pensamos. O pensamento negativo gera energia negativa que se transforma em doença. Pequena é a abelha, mas produz o que de mais doce existe.

Se não quiser adoecer - "não viva sempre triste".

O bom humor, a risada, o lazer, a alegria, recuperam a saúde e trazem a vida longa. A pessoa alegre tem o dom de alegrar o ambiente em que vive.

Se não quiser adoecer - "não viva de aparências".

Quem esconde a realidade, finge, faz pose, quer sempre dar a impressão de estar bem, quer mostrar-se perfeito, bonzinho etc. Está acumulando toneladas de peso... Uma estátua de bronze, mas com pés de barro.

Se não quiser adoecer - "aceite-se".

A rejeição de si próprio, a ausência de auto-estima faz com que sejamos algozes de nós mesmos. Ser eu mesmo é o núcleo de uma vida saudável.

On Violence Against Children

2011-10-19T09:30:00.004-02:00

The previous post and a promo for a documentary on the abuse of children to premiere on an international news channel has triggered this blogpost.

It often goes unnoticed to us here in the Western Hemisphere, and when it happens we all go mad as hell about it, the fact that the world is chockfull of nations that treat their children like dogsbodies and disposable pack animals.

Many, to our eyes, unenlightened creatures around the world, especially as we move towards south Asia and Asia (!), Africa seem to regard their children simply as chattel, soldiers or promissory notes for bonded labor. Many, still, favor one gender over another, which for us is horrifying.

We are not saying that things are paradisiacal here in our neck of the woods and further up across the Rio Grande. There is much room for improvement all over the Americas.

However, the video below has left us all speechless and wondering whether that was a montage or the real thing. It happened in China. A child being run over by a vehicle and then being left behind for dead...

"In the disturbing video captured on a surveillance camera, a toddler named Yueyue is hit by a white van in Foshan, China, near a busy market. The van pauses, then lurches ahead."

The child, unfortunately, has died in hospital. Food for thought.

Explore:

ABC - Toddler Struck Twice by Hit-and-Run Vehicle

On Children Gone Missing

2011-10-13T12:20:00.006-03:00

We all dread the disappearance of our kids from under our very eyes. Nobody likes it. It is a harrowing experience whichever way you choose to split it.

Our hearts go out to this little girl's parents. We would not to want to be in their shoes.

With that in mind, will anybody in the United States (Or perhaps on Earth?) be willing to help to locate the whereabouts of this 5-year old girl, Jahessye Shockley, from Arizona?

Photo reblogged from friends on Facebook and Missing Kids

JAHESSYE SHOCKLEY
DOB: Apr 1, 2006 Missing: Oct 11, 2011 Height: 3'5" (104 cm) Eyes: Brown Race: Black	Age Now: 5 Sex: Female Weight: 55 lbs (25 kg) Hair: Black
Missing From: GLENDALE - AZ - United States
Jahessye was last seen wearing a white t-shirt, blue jean shorts, and pink sandals.

Thank you very much for your good deed.

On When the Sad Realities of Life Come Crashing in

2011-10-03T18:20:00.005-03:00

Life and its paradoxes: Amanda Knox and her boyfriend, Rafaelle Sollecito, have been cleared of murder charges in the death of the British girl, Meredith Kercher on Nov. 1, 2007.

A weight, a huge weight has been lifted from their families' shoulders. Now, another huge, huge weight has been placed on the murdered girl's family in the form of horrible doubts and disbelief. What, can anybody tell me, were the involved up to that fateful night? Sounds hollywoodian, but it is real life.

Parents are usually left in the hands of destiny when they send their children abroad to study. Or quite frankly, even in their own backyards their worst nightmares rear their ugly heads.

Parents have the best of intentions and they never expect that they children are or will be party to horrible acts, such as crime and murder. We people who have had young people under our guidance know very well the challenges involved in laying down the law and explaining to recalcitrant children that course of action A is better than course of action B. Sometimes, we do lift up our hands and say: "we give up". Understandable.

Surely, we know, children do have to fly away from the family nest and build lives of their own. Sometimes we are relieved, sometimes we have a huge weight in our hearts. We do not know what is going to happen down the road, or up in the skies.

Surely bad luck has befallen the families involved in this huge abnormality for, it is evident, they have been through hell. We cringe at the thought of ever having to go through such a horrific experience...

Shakespeare wrote, "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio / Than are dreamt of in your philosophy". (Hamlet, Act 1: Sc. 5 line 166 - 167)

That explains the mystery before us, especially now that they are "back to square one", quoting one the murdered victim's family members. Or does it?

On Humankind and Inane Comments on Social Media

2011-09-20T16:20:00.004-03:00

We would all profit by doing some research, with bona fide sources, before posting comments on Social Media. Words are like tossed stones. Once in the air, they can never be retrieved.

Also, people should focus on people's hearts and not on what they do with their lower abdomens. Humankind, scientists tells us, has been walking this Earth for a good 200 thousand years. Way, way before current monolithic philosophical ideologies came into place. Homo Sapiens, then, must have had all sorts of experiences...

Sad to see, in our opinion, unenlightend comments about the repeal of DADT, the long-awaited-for Equality policy signed by the American government. DADT had been "the official United States policy on homosexuals serving in the military from December 21, 1993 to September 2011. The policy prohibited military personner from discriminating against or harassing closeted homosexuals or bisexual service memebers or applicants, while barring openly gay, lesbian, or bisexual persons from military service."*

It's true people in this hemisphere have their relative freedoms and, especially in the United States, folks are able to express their opinions freely regardless of what you or the next person might think. That is an exercise in Democracy. Not many can say what they think, unfortunately.

It's also clear to many that the United States Army is an All-Volunteer-Force and that, apparently, people are there because they want. And are paid for it!

There is a solution, though, for those who dislike the current vanguardist shift within this specific military organization, to wit: they should brush up on their skills and move on to other jobs where, perhaps, they will find shelter for themselves and their outdated opinions.

On When There is Nothing to Rant About

2011-09-14T10:15:00.002-03:00

We have been looking for something interesting to write about while living out our lives in slow-news days.

Some of you will beg to disagree saying that there is lots happening both here and up there and over the Oceans. Sure there is.

Now, thing is we are all so jaded with all the bomb blasts, train crashes, speculative news on the economies of Europe, the republican candidates in the United States and the possible electability of the incumbent and the mad scrabble towards the resuscitation of the American economy for you see if "them yanks ain't buying, we ain't selling" and what with them getting poorer. True!

There's more: U.S. bikers getting "unwittingly" lost in that country and then being freed and then..., the dream of statehood in the Holy Land (?) and we could go on...

There was the Miss Universe thingy going on in São Paulo and this stunningly beautiful (of course!) girl from Angola (!) taking the crown. She really does light up the blog post, does she not? Now, THAT is a change, right?

Meanwhile, behind closed doors (who are we kidding?), "leaders" meet up to decide the fate of the world.

We grin and bear it...

On When They Go A-rioting - Is There a Plausible Cause?

2011-08-23T12:27:00.009-03:00

This blog's comments on the (race?) riots in England.

Why? Because: "They were al doomed to remain on the spot, like sheep in a pen, till they were sold; they have no apartment to retire to, no bed to repose on, no covering to protect them; they sit naked all day, and lie naked all night, on the bare boards, or benches, where we saw them exhibited."

(The Guardian)

That's in Brazil where an estimated 4 million Africans, yanked out of their lands and herded onto slave-ships to be paraded in "meat markets" like the Valongo Wharf in Rio de Janeiro, were subsequently fattened and carted off to work in coffee and sugar plantations "between 1550 and 1888, when slavery was officially abolished."

Obviously, those in the riots are mostly, but not exclusively, connected in some way with what might have been instead of what is. Demographics long inured to being the "Other" and when thinking that different dreams were in store for them in the Main Island, were only too aware that no, it ain't so.

It's the same story in the United States: the sixties and the fight for black visibility did little to change what was and what is. The riots we have seen are eerily reminiscent of what happened in Los Angeles some time past. Plus, we all have seen the Katrina Effect.

In England, one hopes, a major rethink in their sociological policies is of the essence. Hope for the future and jobs are to be materialized today and not to be left to policymakers to quarrel over in public debates on BBC. Education, education, education for their "disenfranchised youths" is what everyone expects. Now!

Lastly, but not leastly, community leaders in the worst hit areas are strongly advised to spread the message that wanton destruction is not the answer. The rule of law will have to take precedence for order's sake, for who is going to pay for the damages inflicted on businesses? The deaths? The heartbreak? And the lingering stereotypes?

Those folks and their "dysfunctional families" have a tough row to hoe ahead of them. We feel for them.

Related articles

On When Straights DON'T Get a Pride Day

2011-08-15T14:47:00.002-03:00

This deserves our attention. See post below.

The mayor of São Paulo, after giving it much thought, we think, decided this past week not to sign the ignominious bill (the one that gave straights their Day in the calendar) into law and things get back to what they used to be prior to this inanity coming to light. Phew! That's in less than ten days.

He is quoted as saying that it makes sense that women, blacks and other racial minorities who have suffered brutality and abuse have a red letter day in the calendar for it reminds us of "tolerance and peace."

Activists and the world say "Thank you, Mr Mayor, for you have done a good deed."

So do we!

On When the Straights Get a Pride Day

2011-08-05T10:51:00.002-03:00

It's to happen very soon in Brazil. I am not kidding. The São Paulo City Council has recently approved legislation to designate the third Sunday in December as Heterosexual Pride day.

Activists are all up in arms denouncing the inanity for the obvious reasons: why do straights need a Pride day if they are not the ones who are suffering discrimination from left and right, high and low? There is a petition by Change.Org on the Internet asking people to plead with the mayor of São Paulo not to sign the ignominious bill into law.

Ah, a conservative councillor, the one responsible for the measure, (and i am not naming him..) says he does not want a parade with all the bells and whistles but he felt he should help to preserve Brazil's eroding "morals". Apparently, gays commit a lot of excesses and he should be the one to put the kibosh on it.

LGBT activists are not happy with the whole thing and are busy, very busy, doing their utmost to toss the bill in the waste bin.

A man's work is never done... Vey iz mir!!

Congrats! It's Been Two Years.

2011-07-25T09:05:00.002-03:00

That's right! It's been two years now.

The first of twenty? Thirty? Hopefully (okay to say "hopefully" grammarwise?) it will be. My eternal optimism in things life.

Congrats to myself and to all my readers and blog followers. You all mean a great deal to me.

Here's for another year! Cheers!

Don't overdo it... You know there's hell to pay later...

On When the Sad Realities of Life Jolt us Back to Our Senses

2011-07-09T10:56:00.004-03:00

Most of us young or old enough to write blogs are very well aware of hunger problems in Africa. Actually, most of us came of age eating up the food on our plates because our mothers were always there to remind us that "Hey, What about those kids in Africa?".

Now, you see, in this day age, when most of us are dying of heart disease and other ills because we stuff ourselves to a ball particularly, we read, in the south of the United States where most of my readers reside. Sadly, again, we hear of skeletal human beings migrating from point A to point B in the horn of the Old Continent.

Quite frankly, I thought we had grown past that small detail in geopolitics. But, hello! we haven't.

While we know billionaire foundations based in the U.S., or maybe elsewhere, are busy providing pharmaceuticals (of course!) to the dispossessed in those arid lands, we see little in the way of relief organizations bringing about education and the wherewithal to make people in that parched neck of the world aware of their surroundings and perhaps give them hope for a better world. Perhaps knowledge on how to grow crops and manage resources, if any, for unrainy days.

(The) BBC informs us of a mother, gaunt and tired, who dragged herself and her SEVEN stick thin children to a camp in another country (!) where help and nourishment is being offered. Most of the children's arms, the slightly overweight reporters tell us, are no thicker than my elegant middle finger.

Meanwhile, we watch the horror scenes in disbelief and we wonder whether this will ever be a thing of the past. We could go on...

On When Gay Inmates Are Allowed Conjugal Visits

2011-07-04T10:32:00.005-03:00

This is the link

Globo.Com

In my translation:

'Gay inmates in Brazil to be allowed conjugal visits.'

According to Wikipedia, "A conjugal visit is a scheduled extended visit during which an inmate of a prison is permitted to spend several hours or days in private, usually with a legal spouse. While the parties may engage in sexual intercourse, the generally recognized basis for permitting such a visit in modern times is to preserve family bonds and increase the chances of success for a prisoner's eventual return to life outside prison. Additionally, the incentive of conjugal visits means that inmates are strongly motivated to comply with the various day-to-day rules and regulations of the prison. As a result, inmates consciously avoid any infringement which might disqualify them from having a conjugal visit.
Our repartee:
Excellent! Exclamation marks and everything! Authorities are now making official what everyone knows happens in creative corners in prisons ALL over the world. From the antiseptic maximum security facilities in North America where we read there are ethnic hierarchies and all to the crammed, dilapidated storehouses in this country. By the way, it happens in hostels, too. Not only gay, but pansexual activities are the norm. You see, all those very hormonal young people backpacking around the world... Yours truly has witnessed it firsthand. Not in prison! In hostels!!! It is perfectly all right to have sex and we think it is a healthy practice once you engage in it responsibly. By the way, powerful people are very sexually active. Power and sex. Sex and power. And circumstances... It is said that that if they aren't they stick nails on their flesh... Sex is useful.Back to the news at hand: "The move, to be enforced as of today, invalidates a previous resolution that did not include gay relationships and advises prison administrators to allow couples to meet at least once a month."
Great!

On The Victorious Vote in The State of New York

2011-06-25T10:53:00.003-03:00

Image by wallyg via Flickr

We have a winner!

Equality has finally made it to the state of New York. We all know the drama and the waiting activists and LGBT folks had to endure till the the 33 Yays settled the matter for good. "33". Third time is a charm.

The usual nay-sayers were on hand to throw spanners in the whole machinery as they are wont to do when Vanguardism threatens their hegemony. They are everywhere.

They are here, too. Did you know that the philosophical basis for many in our neck seeps down from the United States? Yes, they read (is that the word?) your books. Plus, it is frightening the amount of influence they have in the corridors of power. Miraculously (can we use that word?), for New York, the bill passed and has been made into law.

Miraculously (that word, again!), the huge monolithic block of established philosophical ideologies is collapsing and soon to be turned into mere dust... May the Gods be listening!

Now, with a huge sigh of relief, gay folks will be able to celebrate their unions in 30 days' time, if they so wish (and their divorces when time comes...). Till then, we hope they start sending us invites... and first-class tickets to attend their wedding cerimonies. We want to fly in style.

Congrats, Albany!

On When Tobacco Does Not Stand a Chance

2011-06-21T12:29:00.002-03:00

Image via Wikipedia

Will the new graphic cigarette warnings to be placed on cigarrete packs be of any help?

Bloomberg:"Canada, the U.K. and Brazil are among countries that require graphic cigarette warnings. One in five Canadian smokers reported smoking less as a result of the graphic labels in a 2004 study of more than 600 people."

It's entirely up to you to make the decision to stop smoking. Health labels and other goings-on to make you wake up and smell the smoke, erm, coffee, is doomed to fail if you, yes, you yourself don't reach way down into the farthest of yourSelf and quit it.

We have heard, in not so common channels, that those who smoke tend to smell horribly in many levels. .. That's right. We are told they smell of carrion in the Astral Plane. Of course, some of you will most definitely consider that a bucketful of swill.

So, for the very reasons you think that smoking is kosher for you, others will think that listening (and accessing?) to Quantum-physical stuff is kosher for them... Can we argue either for or against?

Your call.

Ah, I don't smoke. Plus (TMI), I love the smell of fresh soap and clove (not the cigarette!) and a two-day stubble breathing down my neck...

On False Lesbian Blogs and Assorted Hoaxes

2011-06-14T11:37:00.000-03:00

Image via Wikipedia

Dear Readers,

I hereby acknowledge that I am who I say I am.

I am no Lesbian either from the north of the Rio Grande, nor am I a Lesbian from across the vast Atlantic Ocean. Nuh!

I am what I am. No need for introductions! I gather most of you are what and who you say you are...

Now, it is your call to decide whether the false lesbians are to be "indicted" on their bad, bad, bad deed. I find it reprehensible. Trying to personify somebody you are not by dint of a good cause does not quite cut it. It does not because we all know what people in "those parts of the world" go through. Also because we do not like hoaxes. We militate against them.

Also, in "these parts of the world", folks have a long row to hoe when it comes to LGBT rights. While they are not buried alive or stoned to death (are they?), folks are tired of dodging ideological, religious literature thrown at them. Zing!

Related articles

On How Brazilians Could Help the U.S. Economy

2011-06-09T12:57:00.000-03:00

Image via Wikipedia

Time: "Tourists from Brazil are the freest spending travelers in the world. So why does the U.S. make it so difficult for them to visit?"

Beats me, darling! This blog, commenting on a document released by Wikileaks, says that they classify us under The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, in reference to a famous flick known widely around the world.

Plus the fact, we have learned, that they make a good bunch of us grow roots and endure with jobian patience while waiting for our "Visa$"...

I would vote for our changing our travel destinations and go "samba-ing" in other necks where our hard-earned cash is wanted. What says you?

On How to Beat Drug Use

2011-06-04T08:54:00.006-03:00

Drug use is a scourge. Nobody can deny it.

Will the decriminalization of drugs be the answer those impacted by and afflicted with drug-taking are looking for?

The more we look for answers, the deeper we seem to wallow in lack of hope. Granted, some people do drugs because they want - of their own volition.

Recently, we have read in the British press that one young man had died for taking drugs bought in a night club he had gone to. He was underage. His father blamed the 'hedonistic drug culture' prevalent in modern societies for his son's death. Was it really? How much responsibility do parents have?

What about the abuse of legal drugs (pharmaceuticals)? We all have read and been appalled by reports of gruesome deaths either in the hands of doctors purportedly administering the drugs to their celeb patients or by the celebs themselves who live in a world of make-believe.

That is why the likes of Judy Dench and Richard Branson et al. are saying a review of current methods to tackle the drug problem is to be carried out. Are they responding to the fact that, according to a report, the 'Global War on Drugs' has been a failure?

Some governments are diametrically opposed to the suggestion that legalizing some drugs and making money out of them will stop people from using them. Cigarettes and alcohol? Is there a way out?

It's Like It's Been Blown Off by The Big Bad Wolf

2011-06-02T10:48:00.001-03:00

But no. It's the Mother of all Bitches. She has been at it, again. We gotta take Her seriously.

No more paper and wood housing in Tornado Alley, or wherever the hell Her fancy strikes. Remember Japan?

Ah, no use invoking deities when She is hell-bent on razing you to the ground. Be smart. Beat Her, if you can. Ah, Yes! You Can!

Here in Springfield, MA.

And in Joplin, MO.

On When Girls Don't Stand a Chance of Making it Out of Their Nine-Month Abode

2011-05-23T19:10:00.002-03:00

Image via Wikipedia

Shine

"India's 2011 Census reveals a serious problem: a big decline in the number of girls younger than 7 years old, a sign that the practice of aborting female fetuses may be on the rise."

Half a cent's worth.

You see, while most of us may think this is unconscionable, if you come to think of it, it may very well be a blessing in disguise.

We all know that, culturally, India has an endemic problem with poverty and we all shake our heads in utter disgust when we see pictures on major TV channels, and we think they do this on purpose, when their "photo-journalists" point their cams to things we would rather do without. We also see images of million-rupee marriage cerimonies and islands of progress where people are multilingual and are bedecked in golden jewellery. Unfathomable.

Also, on this very subject, one Indian politician, commenting on this worrisome trend, is quoted as saying that in the future, if you don't stop the offing of girls, "there will be no girls to marry and we'll all become gays." All very well, we say. We live in a modern world, where even in Brazil, top courts are now recognizing same-sex relationships. I know most of you are in the U.S. and you are hopscotching through the issue of same-sex civil unions and all...

For most of you out there, it is the same discourse we hear in more conservative niches in our own societies where "ideologies" hold sway. We could make the case that education education education would turn-change the wheels of fate...

There's got to be a beginning somewhere.

On Botox Children and Their Mad Parents

2011-05-18T12:20:00.006-03:00

Image via Wikipedia

Time

Obviously an anomaly. It is high time those in the know and in the power put the kibosh on this insanity.

People have very short memories. Were it to be otherwise, they would remember an excruciating tale of murder which will forever be in the dark. One such child, in those very United States, was taken out of this world for the very reason, we assume, her caretakers did not think clearly and were just drifting unconsciously in this sea of beauty madness.

Children are children and should be protected under lock and key from the apparent hunger some in this distorted cultural industry prevalent in modern countries, where people literally bend themselves out of shape, have for pageants and such like.

Children are beautiful the way they are and they do not need enhancements of any kind.

It is unfathomable how some, led by illusions of perfection and greed, will go to any length to advance their unhealthy agendas.

If you must keep with the game of using your children and other people's children for gains and the Sun knows what else, do please incorporate strict rules. Law-abinding rules. And then, only then, knock yourselves out.

Let us be away from this maddening crowd. Oy vey!

On Planetary Alignments and Writer's Block

2011-05-15T10:32:00.004-03:00

Image via Wikipedia

Writer's block seems to have taken over me therefore rendering me unable to write about anything meanwhile people who are reading me and peek into this blog expect to find a little something which is hard by the way because it is not always easy to write the way i am used to writing which makes people stop and think especially those in the know.
Is it the new planet alignment on the cosmic agenda for may twenty first this year that is making me feel this way or is it my own soul tired of all the shit it has been witnessing in those parts of the world and what with powerful bankers trying to rape chamber maids in fancy locations in fancy cities in the world well what with powerful men being sexually active? Nah, maybe i will come up with something suitable for these pages as soonuhs i get a grip and wield the sword of knowledge and valiantly tread the loom of storytelling and make something out it with meaning and substance which is hard to acquire and no this is not a veiled message my very saying so says the contrarian view and poor souls will not devote a second to these ramblings they are busy with their own shit.

Brazilian Top Court Says Yes! to Gay Civil Unions

2011-05-06T09:15:00.007-03:00

60 thousand gay couples have won a major victory. Their unions have now become equal before the law.

Ten of the 11 Top Justices at the Brazilian Supreme Court said yes to two cases that had been brought to them.

One of the Top Justices was not allowed to vote because he had been the attorney in one of the very cases being discussed today.

When the legislative omits the Supreme permits.

Which country is next?

So, There's Hope for Same-sex Couples in Brazil?

2011-05-04T19:56:00.001-03:00

Yes, there is. Top Justice Carlo Ayres Britto (pictured), writing for the court, said this afternoon that, of course, gay unions are legally binding. So, his is the FIRST vote.

Tomorrow afternoon, in another plenary session, we are going to hear from the other Justices in the panel.

Why? "Due to the lateness of the hour and because Justice so-and-so had to excuse himself...", and with our hearts in our throats, we will have to wait till tomorrow afternoon for their final decision. That is, if none of them requests a further review of the case. God (very secularly!) forbid!

This writer begs your pardon for he is unable to write in Legalese.

Can we start celebrating? I favour Veuve Clicquot.....

On When Terrorists Are Taken Out of The Picture

2011-05-02T12:41:00.010-03:00

When we think there is nothing of substance to see on TV, boom! there comes the breaking news bit heralding that this, that, or the other has happened.

So there was! Last night, the American president went live on TV to announce what many had given up for yesterday news. Yes, the location and elimination of a notorious terrorist which had been looming very large in many a mind, especially in the West. Ah, for many reasons...

What seems incredibly strange is where the bad guy was hiding out. In plain sight by the way, under their very noses, in a million-dollar compound, virtually a stone's throw from a major military academy, miles removed from bombed out caves as previously publicized.

Enough to feed conspiracy theorist's baskets with tales of, well, conspiracies...

Evidence of the deed - the one bullet through the head (and the body!) - has been forever buried in the vast reaches of the deep blue sea... "tipped off the deck of the USS Carl Vinson in a white weighted body bag with Islamic religious rites"... Way somewhere... In the North Arabian Sea.

Related articles

On the Storm Tossed Southern U.S.

2011-04-30T09:32:00.006-03:00

Image by alpoma via Flickr

Unrestrictedly, our thoughts of compassion go out to those affected by the whirling twisters in the south of the United States.

Despite our efforts to defeat Mother Nature with technology, She always finds a way to pummel us with Her long, almighty arm.

This blog has written on the subject of natural disasters before. By the way, "disaster" means not being connected to the "stars". Precisely on that point, we have used a bit of sarcasm and irony in our "repartees".

However, when we see it on TV the heartache and pain people experience when they lose the last nail on their houses, we cannot help but feel touched.

We are glad, though, we have not read bible-thumpers and the like, especially as the region is famously/notoriously known for, to have come forward with their tales of fire and brimstone. If they have, we are not particularly keen on learning so.

The good thing, we read in American online sources, is that volunteers are stepping in to help those most afflicted. Community at its best. Nice going, we say!

Capping it off, we would think that building sturdier housing on the well beaten hurricane/twisters path, capable of withstanding the brunt of the storms (this is where the authorities come in), so that folks would be able to preserve that beloved photo they hold dear to their hearts, is an alternative to beating Mother Nature at her own game.

On Gay Unions in Brazil - Are They Going to Happen This Time? Yes!

2011-04-26T17:36:00.008-03:00

It's now official!

The Brazilian top court - Supremo Tribunal Federal - is to decide on May 4th, 2011, in a plenary session, whether gay unions are legally binding. Two cases have made it onto the list of trials for the day.

STF

The LGBT community is ecstatic in that if this miracle should ever happen, their lives will become a lot easier.

Judges' lives as well.

Our magistrates find themselves having to resort to acrobatics to recognize same-sex unions and they have a particular hard time when it comes to the division of assets, inheritance, plus this, that and the other.

Same-sex relationships are a fact of life and there is no denying that gay folks need all the help they can get when push comes to shove and they find themselves in legal problems.

There are state courts all over the country, already on the forefront, which have given same-sex couples the support they need.

Writing for the STF, Justice Carlos Ayres Britto - in response to one such case brought to the court by the governor of Rio de Janeiro - has recently told the

O Globo newspaper that we are in for a nice surprise.

You will get a cookie if you guess who is trying to throw a monkey wrench (some of you say spanner...) in the works...

On Young Lives Gone Down the Drain

2011-04-20T20:34:00.007-03:00

Image via Wikipedia

A grand jury in Middlesex County, New Jersey, handed down a 15-count indictment on Wednesday charging former Rutgers University freshman, Dharun Ravi, with bias intimidation and other charges connected to his roommate Tyler Clementi's suicide.

Time

Perhaps this accusation of wrongdoing will preclude further acts of inanity. So much for videotaping room-mates in their intimate moments... Or anyone else for that matter unless categorically consensual.

It is high time we get in touch with our own sexuality and begin to educate and sensitize ourselves to the plight other people might be experiencing.

We have, absolutely, no right to engage in such selfish acts as if to self-aggrandize ourselves in the eyes of the community.

It is a pity, however, that such young lives have been ruined, for retrograde mentalities abound north (and south) of the Rio Grande. Hopefully this will teach us all a lesson. For what people do with their lower abdomens is none of our business.

Further, activists and other folks in various continents have their work cut out for them in an effort to bring more awareness to campuses and their society at large. Digressing slightly, tormenting others and bullying them into accepting our own monolithic paradigms may not be the best way forward.

Change, shifts in consciousness, elevations of souls, and societal evolution are facts. They are tidal. They are tsunamic. They will happen sooner than we can possibly contemplate. As in plate tectonics...

One life lost is one life too many.

On the School Shootings in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

2011-04-08T09:30:00.004-03:00

Pictured here is Wellington Menezes de Oliveira, aged 23, school shooter in Rio de Janeiro. It all happened on Thursday morning. He gunned down 11 children and left 13 wounded.

Top level authorities, The president of the country, inclusive, were on hand to lend their support to the bereaved. The nation is shocked.

He left a letter behind him. Translated by this blog, it says:

"Firstly, the impure shall not touch me without wearing gloves, only the chaste or those who have lost their chastity after marriage and who have not been involved in adultery are allowed to touch me without wearing gloves, rather, no fornicator or adulterer will have direct contact with me; nothing that is impure is to touch my blood; no impure is to contact a virgin without their permission; those who are handling my burial are to remove my clothing, bathe me, dry me and wrap me, unclad, in a white sheet which is located in this building, in a bag I left in the first room on the first floor; after wrapping me in this white sheet, they are to place me in my coffin.

If possible, I should like to be buried next to where my mother sleeps; my mother is Dicéa Menezes de Oliveira and she is buried in the Murundo Cemetery.

I need the visit of a faithful follower of God to my burial place at least once; I need him to pray before my grave asking God to forgive me for what I have done and ask Jesus, on his second coming, to awaken me from death to eternal life."

He goes on to say that he has left a house in such and such a place and that it should be donated to animal causes, "Animals are neglectected beings and they are in need of much love and affection, more than humans...." and he ends the letter by begging people to display common sense and do his bidding.

On How to Take a Beating*

2011-04-01T15:17:00.009-03:00

The video below showed *bully hitting gay boy at a public school in Mata Grande in the state of Alagoas, Brazil.

Put simply: the reason is that thee gay boy, named Lady Gaga, would have spread rumors that he and the bully had had "an affair" and everyone is talking about it (tongue-waggers all!). "Aren't they BOTH gay?" you may be asking. Yes, i'd say. Now, THIS is Latin America... Or, boys at this age want to have their cake and eat it, too...

The bully and the video shooter have been suspended. Outcry on You Tube: "Where were the school authorities?" We now know that after the suspension, the students will be attending school in different shifts... Imagine the tension...

Is this bullying or what? Should he take on somebody his own size? Or should they break up in public, (globally...), and then turn around and "make up" big time? I say: "make up" and then videotape it all, **age-appropriately (OF COURSE!), and let us all know. (Video's been removed for inciting hatred)

On Incest - Should it be Legalized?

2011-04-01T08:49:00.003-03:00

"In Genesis 19:30–38, after the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot's two daughters conspire to inebriate and seduce their father due to the lack of available partners. Lot had warned his children of the holy laws against their incestuous action, but was rebuked. In this same Book of the Bible, Lot is seen being spared from the punishment of perversion in Sodom and Gomorrah, rallying against incestuous marriage, and engaging in incest in the closest of genetic relationships. A possible resolution of this is that Lot was said to be unaware (asleep, presumably) during the repeated intercourse with his daughters. Genesis 19:34-35. Both had male children (their brothers, and sons) who were identified as progenitors of the Moab and Ammon people.

In one of the tales of a wife confused for a sister, Abraham claims that his wife Sarah is also his half-sister, on his father's side. However, in the rabbinic literature, Sarah is considered Abraham's niece (the daughter of his brother, Haran)." Wikipedia

Then we have the Greco-Roman gods...

Not that we (i love the editorial "we" - i sound professorial.) are being provocative, incest has kind of been in the airwaves recently so we thought we should scribble a few lines about it. We have kicked off, as you can see from the introduction, with the Bible, specifically the Old Testament (The Torah).

Even though we cringe at the thought of "sleeping with relatives as having a primarily biological motive - a human instinct to prevent defective genes being passed down" (BBC), many do engage in intrafamiliar sexual relations and don't make much of it (Ah, they do! They say it is love). They have kids. And they do (have been doing) it for yeeeeeears. Sounds like aeons...

In our neck of the woods, in the northeastern state of Maranhao, we read of a man who has fathered children with his daughter and then when about to father more children with his daughter's daughter, his daughter, his grand-daughter(?), he was caught.... Phew!

Elsewhere in this whole wide world, places like Austria, Britain, Germany, Ireland, Jamaica, Sweden, Switzerland, The U.S., they do it, too. Rich and poor.

Ah, they have even found a name for the "practice", it is called: Genetic Sexual Attraction. Genetic Sexual Attraction is an internet site as well.

Here's a Brazilian movie on the very topic: Shivers...

On Gay Unions in Brazil - Is it Going to Happen This Time?

2011-03-30T17:56:00.004-03:00

It's now official!

The Brazilian top court - Supremo Tribunal Federal - is to decide on May 4th, 2011, in a plenary session, whether gay unions are legally binding. Two cases have made it onto the list of trials for the day.

STF

The LGBT community is ecstatic in that if this miracle should ever happen, their lives will become a lot easier.

Judges' lives as well.

Same-sex relationships are a fact of life and there is no denying that gay folks need all the help they can get if push comes to shove and they find themselves in legal problems.

There are state courts all over the country, already on the forefront, which have given same-sex couples the support they need.

Writing for the STF, Justice Carlos Ayres Britto - in response to one such case brought to the court by the governor of Rio de Janeiro - has recently told the

O Globo newspaper that we are in for a nice surprise.

You will get a cookie if you guess who is trying to throw a monkey wrench (some of you say spanner...) in the works...

Happy Birthday, Porto Alegre!

2011-03-26T12:25:00.002-03:00

Photo: National Geographic

Timeline

The Pampas. The early inhabitants of South America. Portuguese and Spanish Colonization. Cattle rustling. The French Revolution. Positivism of Auguste Comte.

Massive European immigration: Portuguese from the Azores, Germans, Poles, Italians, Jews and African slaves. Julio de Castilhos. War heroes. Order and Progress. RS. Porto Alegre, 239 years old on March 26, 2011.

On How to Stop Bullying

2011-03-25T08:46:00.010-03:00

Craft unfinished text. Research.

We've all seen the alarming video by now. Are we glorifying violence?

While bullying is reprehensible is more ways than one, the scenes we have just witnessed give us all reason to rethink school-yard behavior.

As is clear in the story, the bullyed child had had enough of the daily abuse and decided to grab the bull by the horns. While most TV shows exploiting the video for ratings and fodder for their mostly ..., eye-brows are raised in more peaceful quarters.

Parents have to take a more hands-on approach when the push comes to shove (no pun!). How in the world could that child be enduring years of abuse without his parents taking action to stop what many view as...

Schools are apparently immune to criticism. Not anymore.

Steps have to be taken for schools to include more sports and other physical activities in their curriculum. Clearly those children need to vent all their pent-up emotions...

Is TV viewing to blame? The so-called Cultural Industry prevalent in Anglo-Saxon countries (Nope, globally, remember imports...) in which nitrogliceryn is the norm and violence is the daily bread. Gaming. Computers?

In Australia:

In Brazil, in Alagoas state.

On President Obama's Visit to Brazil

2011-03-22T18:19:00.005-03:00

Photo: Itamaraty

They agreed to cooperate in advancing democracy, human rights and freedom for all people bilaterally and through the United Nations and other multilateral fora, including ensuring respect for human rights in the context of the democratic movements and transitions; strengthening the UN Human Rights Council as recently demonstrated in the case of the creation of the Commission of Inquiry on Libya; promoting respect for the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals through the establishment of a Special Rapporteur at the OAS; and improving the conduct of free and fair elections regionally and globally, including through the promotion of human rights in the context of elections and increasing their accessibility to disabled persons. The White House

A post about two very important people meeting to discuss the fate of most of the Western Hemisphere is news whether you deem it so or not. Both Brazil and the United States of America are continentally big. When they move, people notice.

People notice even more when these important people are the first black man ever to reach the highest post on Earth and the first woman ever to be at the helm in Brazil.

So it happens that the American president landed in Brasilia last Saturday, March 19th. He came for trade talks. He brought along with him several of secretaries and business people eager for new opportunities. Ms Roussef, the Brazilian president, was on hand to greet him at the Planalto Palace.

Behind closed doors, we read, they agreed on several mutually beneficial trade agreements and to us, part of the LGBT community, the introduction on this post in italics.

That, laconically, is very important. Most of you will agree...

On Mother Nature's Ring of Fire, It Ain't Pretty

2011-03-11T08:18:00.012-03:00

The Pacific Ring of Fire (or sometimes just the Ring of Fire) is an area where large numbers of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur in the basin of the Pacific Ocean.

In a 40,000 Km - 25,000 mi - horseshoe shape, it is associated with a nearly continuous series of oceanic trenches, volcanic arcs, and volcanic belts and/or plate movements... Wikipedia

Yiikes! It's Mother Nature at it, again! This time in Japan. Tsunami alert in the whole Pacific region.

We have been witnessing Her awesome powers in the last few years. That we know of. Surely she has been at it since for ever. They ain't pretty. She has been squirming from the bottom of her womb, causing untold catastrophes to unfold in, but not exclusively, the Ring of Fire.

Double whammys she will pack on those not paying attention to her. For all the attention is called for. No use your praying and pulling your hair out and speaking in tongues to get her to stop (Sorry!). She won't. Ever.

Now, there is one little thing you can do. You might be the lucky one to beat her at her own game. You will have to hit the books and burn the two o'clock oil and see if you can devise ways and gadgets to decipher Her mysterious riddles, er, ways.

Oh, Mother, You're a Bitch! Would you allow us to build us a ship to get us out of here before you turn on Yourself?

The wonders of this and outer worlds...

On When it is International Women's Day

2011-03-08T09:02:00.007-03:00

No testosterone today. I pay homage to this pool of Estrogen that is part of my life. Congrats, gals, girls and gurls!

Here, on the Third Rock From the Sun, some of you are at the helm in nations near and far. Some of you have been enslaved in countries we rarely have a glimpse of in the news.

Plus, some of you are dying for lack of care. Some of you are fighting wars. Some of you are being abused and hacked to death. Some of you are carrying bricks in bonded labor in exotic countries to the East. Some of you are playing soccer on our side of the pond.

And still, some of you are cooking lunch and getting your kids ready for school. Some of you spend years of your lives picking up your kids from school.

Some of you are just taken for granted. Some of you don't even know you could be what you want to be.

As the Sun comes up every morning, may you accomplish much more than you have so far while keeping in mind that there are still some of you still under the yoke of tyrannies, ideological or otherwise.

Of course, some of you are not superwomen; it is written in songs, watch:

On When Hypocrites Fall

2011-03-02T14:58:00.004-03:00

So this is it: when we drink, we spew sewage. I'm talking about the fashion designer who's been shown the door for shooting crap and who has now "unreservedly" apologized for swallowing his foot.

Actually, our real Selves emerge when the cousciousness brake is disabled by virtue of too much drinking or consumption of other chemicals... So, think twice before you order it double on the rocks.

Also, no amount of bible-thumping and pushing will preclude the ill-effects of (to some) or make us immune to (most of us) our raging hormones. We read in the American press that one anti-gay pastor has recently fallen from Grace and bitten the dust. With a thud! He was seen masturbating at a park frequented by children in southern United States...

Sad though it is to see that sooner (rather) than later, we live to witness such proponents of do as I say but don't do as I do being carted off to the pillory for ill behavior, we say: we rest our case!

If you want to lead the sheeple, lead by example. We (others...) are all cop to your jive.

Good riddance!

On When People Have the Higher Hand

2011-02-21T16:14:00.007-03:00

This is a repost

Should we talk about the Arab Revolution unfolding under our very eyes or should we talk about another mine blast that has left 21 dead in Colombia?

Perhaps about another whistle-blowing website
which is now currently in the works to compete with the one we all know? The Royal Wedding of the century?

As to the Arab Revolution and the killing of protestors by mercenaries, we have noticed that the reaction by the Washington-London-Brussels axis is really, really strange. They are not sure whether they say Ay or Nay. Funny to watch. You see, leaders in those power zones have to come out and say something. Usually, very funny. Or not. THERE is a lot at stake...

Plus the fact that there is an endemic under-reporting of "substance" (spin!) here in our side of the pond... Why bother?

Mine blasts have become banal. We need not waste our breaths on the subject. New Zealand, China, Chile, Colombia, The United States...

Whistle-blowing web sites? There must be more than meets the eye. Let us think...

The Royal Wedding to which neither the Obamas nor Elton John have been invited. Folks over in the British Isles need the diversion. It is also a billion-dollar business in China: plates, spoons, and portraits...

Am I Following Your Blog?

2011-02-15T12:40:00.004-02:00

Am I following everyone following my blog? I hope I am. Do let me know.

I've been meaning to edit some of the blogs for quite some time now and I have just done so.

I have realized that I cannot hope to follow four hundred thousand blogs if I can't keep pace with them all and pay them proper homage.

If you can spare the time, you ought to check out the eclectic mixture of blogs I'm following. They all have something substantial to say (and to show!), I guarantee.

On Any Day of the Month

2011-02-13T09:48:00.000-02:00

Image via Wikipedia

Thank Heavens for public transportation. It makes my life a whole lot easier.

It's dawned on me, as it did to Machado de Assis, in 4th of July 1883, to list a few clauses, five to be precise, that aim to bring order out of the chaos that the excess of democracy brings to buses

Art I - On the Sad

Sad, depressed folks should not talk to their friend, the one that managed to grab a seat next to me, about matters arising from their quiet and sleepy little lives often laden with petty gossip. After all, there is always the chance that the batteries in my "Walkman" are not charged enough.

Art II - On the Hunky and Good-looking Guys

Handsome boys, it behooves me to warn you that it is forbidden for you to inch closer and touch my thighs which are yin in nature with yours which are strong and energetic, more yang, when you get a place near me, lest you raise incongruous behavior with the collective setting of the vehicle. I'm telling you!

Art III - On the Ill-humored

Will the grumpy ones please remain in their beds and do you not dare leave your pestilential cocoons to spread poison and thereby polluting the prana that I use to stay alive.

Art IV - On the Old and Sassy

It would be wise and for everyone's good that old folks stay in their rocking chairs in their yards, telling stories to their five-year-old grandchildren, reminiscing about what they could have done with their lives and did not do, rather than coming to take my favorite seat at seven o'clock in the morning. Have a heart! Banks open at ten.

Art V - On the Drivers and Collectors

To these it is vetoed the exchange of information relevant to their profession. It comes with a typical, unswallowable verbiage for people who think they are the queens of the black coconut brittle. Due to the distance from the driver's seat to where the collector sits, we, the passengers, will be left wondering why we are subjected to such drivel. Voice carries. Keep my mind free and my ears safe.

The other five articles are left to the reader's imagination which, I'm sure, has as much essence as does mine.

Pictured:

Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis (1838-1908).

Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis (Portuguese pronunciation: [ʒoaˈkĩ maˈɾiɐ maˈʃadu dʒi aˈsis]), often known as Machado de Assis, Machado, or Bruxo do Cosme Velho^[1] (June 21, 1839, Rio de Janeiro—September 29, 1908, Rio de Janeiro), was a Brazilian novelist, poet,playwright and short story writer. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer of Brazilian literature.^[2]^[3]^[4] However, he did not gain widespread popularity outside Brazil in his own lifetime.

Machado's works had a great influence on Brazilian literary schools of the late 19th century and 20th century. José Saramago, Carlos Fuentes, Susan Sontag and Harold Bloom are among his admirers^[5] and Bloom calls him "the supreme black literary artist to date."

Wikipedia

On When the Police Plays Dirty

2011-02-03T18:51:00.008-02:00

This has happened in Recife, in the northeastern state of Pernambuco, Brazil.

Folha de São Paulo

A video posted on the internet in which two men, in custody, are forced to kiss each other. The footage seems to have been made at a police station. In the background, a man in police uniform, with a hood on his head, is watching the whole scene.

Brazilian police forcing two suspects to kiss and taunting them with sentences like: "How Cute!", "Stick out your tongues!"; and halfway through the video, referring to them as "... These monkeys".

The Pernambuco chapter of the Brazilian Bar Association deplores the act and says it will look into the matter....

Clearly, those law people were playing with Human Rights... Serious stuff!

What says you?

This video has been removed by user

What if Rio de Janeiro residents face more of the same next year?

2011-01-29T20:55:00.002-02:00

People in the state of Rio de Janeiro have seen their share of heartache and witnessed their labours washed down with the mudslides. They have been left with nothing but the clothes they have on. (Digital Journal)

Will Rio de Janeiro residents face more of the same next year? The opinion piece on Digital Journal (follow the link) asks?

Yes, they will. Sounds gruesome, i know, but it is the plain truth. Surely, the worst can be avoided if those in power recognize that they have a huge problem in their hands and rush to solve it. How? By removing people in high risk areas and relocating them off the slippery rocks where they build their makeshift homes.

Also by educating people as to the imminent risks they face when they build their illegal homes on nature's path.

As to the rest of us, we can help by donating our time, effort and money to see that the situation is never repeated. It's 850 dead, and counting!

On When They Kill Gay Rights Activists

2011-01-27T11:39:00.004-02:00

Art: Alexandre Spadari

Update: It has now been publicized that Kato was murder over a "personal disagreement"...
Feb 8, 2011.

The Guardian

Uganda be kidding me!

Ugandan gay activist, David Kato, killed savagely. Life cut short at 43.

Disgusting and unconscionable. In this day and age, people still act out of sheer sadism and brainwashery. They must have no idea/notion of their deeds.

Urgent action is needed to address hate crimes in those "fragile" nations.

RIP!

Is Ophiuchus a New Zodiac Sign?

2011-01-25T08:05:00.006-02:00

The confusion seems to be a result of Eastern vs. Western astrology. Most of us are familiar with tropical zodiac (Western), based on the seasons, which has not changed, though sidereal zodiac (Eastern), based on constellations, has different signs including a 13th. Is there a correct system? That's up for debate.

The Huffington Post

We have now learned that the Zodiac signs are not what we thought they were. There is Ophiuchus up there wreaking havoc in our old way of, literally, seeing things...

Actually it had been bypassing, some say, our field of vision but now it is very much there.

All right, all right, so i'm not a Pisces anymore. i'm an Aquarius. So what! Well, i've got to get used to the idea that what i thought was is no more.

Here are the new celestial alignments on the new claim for you:

Capricorn: Jan. 20-Feb. 16.

Aquarius: Feb. 16-March 11.
Pisces: March 11-April 18.
Aries: April 18-May 13.
Taurus: May 13-June 21.
Gemini: June 21-July 20.
Cancer: July 20-Aug. 10.
Leo: Aug. 10-Sept. 16.
Virgo: Sept. 16-Oct. 30.
Libra: Oct. 30-Nov. 23.
Scorpio: Nov. 23-29.
Ophiuchus: Nov. 29-Dec. 17.
Sagittarius: Dec 17 - Jan 20

Bottom line is: Is Astronomy debunking Astrology? So much for your watercooler discussions.

Is it Going to Happen This Time?

2011-01-23T09:44:00.015-02:00

It's now official. The Brazilian top court - Supremo Tribunal Federal - is to decide next February, in a plenary session, whether gay unions are legally binding. Gay people are ecstatic in that if this miracle should ever happen, their lives will become a lot easier.

Judges' lives as well.

Our magistrates find themselves having to resort to acrobatics to recognize same-sex unions and they have a particular hard time when it comes to the division of assets, inheritance, plus this, that and the other.

Same-sex relationships are a fact of life and there is no denying that gay folks need all the help they can get if push comes to shove and they find themselves in legal problems.

There are state courts all over the country, already on the forefront, which have given same-sex couples the support they need.

Writing for the STF, Justice Carlos Ayres Britto - in response to one such case brought to the court by the governor of Rio de Janeiro - has recently told the
O Globo newspaper that we are in for a nice surprise.

Ain't that something?

On Humanitarian Aid Flowing In

2011-01-16T09:30:00.009-02:00

On being Thankful.

Note to self: counteract the effect of the previous post by writing something positive about the humanitarian aid on display on tv screeens all over the country and how ordinary Brazilians are pulling themselves together to pitch in.

Let everyone know that donations are (pardon!) pouring in to help the victims of the landslides and flash floods in Rio de Janeiro.

Have a cup of coffee and toast and hope that the help finds its way to the right hands, cupped that they are, in these painful times. Do not in anyway criticize people's belief in the Divinity even if you think Divine Providence saw it fit to save some and **** others...

Of course i know She, All Powerful, in Her superiority, does not care two bricks about Who i address my prayers to... Geologists tend to agree with me...

Do not dare to speak your mind lest you provoke those who believe.

On the Driving Rains in Rio de Janeiro

2011-01-13T18:19:00.010-02:00

Image via Wikipedia

Update: About 809 dead and counting. Most of the deaths occurred in Nova Friburgo (391). There are also deaths in Teresópolis (327), Petrópolis (66), Sumidouro (22), São José do Vale do Rio Preto (2) and Bom Jardim (1). Primeira Edição on
24/01/2011 09:30

It is now a yearly occurence in Brazil, especially in the states of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, the driving rains that have little shacks crumble down from the rocky slopes where the little man thought was a safe haven to build his abode.

It is useless to turn in anger to Mother Nature.

The flimsy layer of topsoil that covers that rocks are no foundation for the tiny houses they erect out of makeshift construction materials.

This time the mudslides anf flash floods have taken their toll most forcibly on the populations at the foot of the hills. Heaping mud and debris.

One would have thought that the "Powers That Be" would be somewhat the wiser and by now have reached a consensus as to the relocation of those dislocated families. Naively, that is not the case!

Sharp contrast, though, when one juxtaposes images on international television and sees that even though the pain and heartbreak are the same, the surroundings are different. We mean Brisbane, Australia.

What to say of the monsoons in Sri Lanka?

Surely, one hopes, governments mindful that they are of the tragedies that are apt to happen when the skies open wide, would by now have a contingent plan for the dispossed. Sadly not the reality here in our neck of the world.

Will they just stop photo-opping and quit mouthing off platitudes and move to change the status quo?

On Gun Ownership North of the Rio Grande

2011-01-10T12:37:00.005-02:00

Image via Wikipedia

"After Tucson: Why Are the Mentally ill Still Bearing Arms?" goes the title in Time. Because it is easier to buy a gun in the States than it is to buy fresh vegetables.

"This time, the price for bureaucratic torpor was too high."

Indeed. It is too high. How many lives to be reaped by the grim statistics coming out of the U.S.? Many more.

Unless a complete rethink in the way they conduct their political business and discourse is in the works and given utmost attention, there is a strong probability that we will be seeing many more tragedies akin to the one in Arizona.

It is now proven, crystal-clearly, that the deranged influenced by the inflammatory rhetoric spewing from the mouths of smart (rogue?) politicians and ratings-minded media outlets, will take up their arms and take to the streets gunning down those they think are responsible for their country's woes.

The little man, often, has little or no access to real facts and ignores that the real cause/effect of their ills lies in the hands of a few plutocrats that run the country.

It is imperative that the country recalibrates (pardon the word!) its educational (spiritual?) system and bring about a shift in paradigm. Let this be a warning to politicians, Left, Right and Center, to tone down their political discourse, mindful that they are, surely, of the effects on the recipients of their messages.

Hopefully (and ironically), Representative Gabrielle Giffords, victim of the of this senseless attack will now, upon recovery, revisit her previous pride in gun ownership in hers and other states in the nation.

Oy vey!

As a post scriptum, it is obvious that banning guns will not deflect violence. People will resort to other lethal appendages to carry out their evil intents. We know, however, it is worth trying.

On When it Rains on Your Vacation in Rio

2011-01-04T10:26:00.008-02:00

Image via Wikipedia

I'm enjoying the rainy weather in Rio de Janeiro. I will be back writing as soon as I get back. Meanwhile, I've been learning new street slang.You see, Portuguese can be lots of fun, too.

I have seen the fires as well. Really something. I have renewed my resolutions. They've been the same for ever but then again it does pay to drill them into your Mind.

Rio de Janeiro is a beautiful city. You should come when possible. Remember to ask me for "pointers"...

Many cheers!

Happy Holidays

2010-12-24T16:53:00.003-02:00

Image by tipiro via Flickr

Happy Holidays, Everyone.

Let the Lights of the Season ring in all the Good (plus 10!) we have experienced all through 2010.

May we be afforded the opportunity to forget the bad we have witnessed and to learn from our mistakes.

May our thoughts be enlightened with Wisdom and Goodwill and let us all give ourselves the good stuff we deserve.

Thank you for reading my blogposts.

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