My friend Allison sent me this article about what's going on in São Paulo. There's apparently been a ban on outdoor media (billboards, neon signs, etc.) since the beginning of 2008. Truthfully, I had no idea, and it's certainly not going on here in Rio. We're as cluttered as ever.
I love the idea of repurposing, though I can't say I'm that creative. And what a perfect idea for São Paulo, especially since SP is quickly becoming a world name in fashion. I wish that we would get wise to the idea around here. I would love to see buildings, mountains, and sky without billboards.
27 March 2008
26 March 2008
Public Service Announcement
Kill mosquitoes. Use repellent (DEET, if possible). Check to make sure there is no standing water anywhere in your general vicinity. Don't take aspirin, just in case it's the bleeding kind.
Dengue fever is back with a vengeance in 2008, and I heard last night that the number of cases in the city of Rio from January 1 until yesterday IS GREATER THAN THE TOTAL NUMBER OF CASES FROM LAST YEAR. Yes, last year. And yes, 26,688 is greater than 25,107. We're not even 3 months in. 31 people have died, I personally know 2 people who have gotten sick this time around, and it's not pretty. There aren't enough doctors or hospital beds, though the government is conceding more. Compared to the enormous lines outside the hospitals, it is little. How will it help?
While dengue is equal-opportunity, health care here is not. It makes me sad and overwhelms me to think about; the least of reasons is that there are some out there who think national health care (socialized medicine, whatever you want to call it) will solve the health care crisis in the US. It doesn't work in a country the size of my home state (Great Britain is roughly the size of Georgia), it doesn't work here in Brazil, and it certainly won't work in the US. A solution has to be out there somewhere; the trick is finding it.
Dengue fever is back with a vengeance in 2008, and I heard last night that the number of cases in the city of Rio from January 1 until yesterday IS GREATER THAN THE TOTAL NUMBER OF CASES FROM LAST YEAR. Yes, last year. And yes, 26,688 is greater than 25,107. We're not even 3 months in. 31 people have died, I personally know 2 people who have gotten sick this time around, and it's not pretty. There aren't enough doctors or hospital beds, though the government is conceding more. Compared to the enormous lines outside the hospitals, it is little. How will it help?
While dengue is equal-opportunity, health care here is not. It makes me sad and overwhelms me to think about; the least of reasons is that there are some out there who think national health care (socialized medicine, whatever you want to call it) will solve the health care crisis in the US. It doesn't work in a country the size of my home state (Great Britain is roughly the size of Georgia), it doesn't work here in Brazil, and it certainly won't work in the US. A solution has to be out there somewhere; the trick is finding it.
24 March 2008
Som do Céu
I had the opportunity to celebrate my Easter weekend with 300 of my closest Brasilian friends (and if you're Brasilian, that's how many close friends you have) in Minas Gerais. Every year, Easter weekend (here it's a holiday weekend lasting from Thursday to Sunday), Youth for Christ (Mocidade para Cristo) in Belo Horizonte hosts a music festival. This was year number 24, and the music was, as always, of excellent quality.
Christian (Evangelical) music here in Brasil has had sort of a sordid past. Missionaries came here with their hymns and didn't bother to put them into a style that the Brasilian people would understand or enjoy. As long as they did that (and sometimes still do), evangelical music would never be Brasilian. It would always be music that the foreign missionaries brought. If we are so concerned about getting the gospel into every language, spoken or written, so that people can hear it in their own language, shouldn't we be encouraging them to write hymns and choruses that fit their culture? I don't know about you, but I quite enjoy the updated tunes of Indelible Grace. A nordestino (a Brasilian in the northeast) hearing the gospel in their own dialect and storytelling style and songs in their own cultural context is much more likely to listen to the person who is talking or singing. The people in Goiânia are likely to listen to evangelical music if it's música caipira (sort of a Brasilian style of bluegrass music). And so forth. Yet the local evangelical church for so long has snubbed culture as a means to communicate the gospel. I think we are scared that the culture will infiltrate the church. That just goes to show that we have it wrong. We, the church, should be infiltrating the culture, using what people know to share the gospel. Jesus did it. Paul did it. We should do the same.
Christian (Evangelical) music here in Brasil has had sort of a sordid past. Missionaries came here with their hymns and didn't bother to put them into a style that the Brasilian people would understand or enjoy. As long as they did that (and sometimes still do), evangelical music would never be Brasilian. It would always be music that the foreign missionaries brought. If we are so concerned about getting the gospel into every language, spoken or written, so that people can hear it in their own language, shouldn't we be encouraging them to write hymns and choruses that fit their culture? I don't know about you, but I quite enjoy the updated tunes of Indelible Grace. A nordestino (a Brasilian in the northeast) hearing the gospel in their own dialect and storytelling style and songs in their own cultural context is much more likely to listen to the person who is talking or singing. The people in Goiânia are likely to listen to evangelical music if it's música caipira (sort of a Brasilian style of bluegrass music). And so forth. Yet the local evangelical church for so long has snubbed culture as a means to communicate the gospel. I think we are scared that the culture will infiltrate the church. That just goes to show that we have it wrong. We, the church, should be infiltrating the culture, using what people know to share the gospel. Jesus did it. Paul did it. We should do the same.
18 March 2008
Talk about a waste!
Advance warning and disclaimer: The author is not responsible for how much time her readers waste by clicking on the link below. She is only responsible for her own time.
The NY Times Freakonomics Blog is currently on my bad list for this post, which contains this link.
I really should be doing other things.... Any brainstorming help with the puzzle would be appreciated! (Should have been more specific to begin with, though I probably will work on a limerick to post for the contest over at Team Redd)
The NY Times Freakonomics Blog is currently on my bad list for this post, which contains this link.
I really should be doing other things.... Any brainstorming help with the puzzle would be appreciated! (Should have been more specific to begin with, though I probably will work on a limerick to post for the contest over at Team Redd)
09 March 2008
Today's top 10
The top 10 list is a rare occurrence on my blog. Usually because I can't think of anything that would precipitate a list of 10. So today, I'm using someone else's. I came across this top 10 from the Internet Monk. If you are a blogger and don't find his post funny, you're probably included in that list somewhere....
H/T to Google Reader (sometimes their recommendations are worth it).
H/T to Google Reader (sometimes their recommendations are worth it).
07 March 2008
Rodízio heaven
Jenna's birthday was yesterday, and she had a blow-out party at Le Brants in Flamengo. She spoke highly of it and did some good promo for them in telling us about it. It's a creperia and pizzeria. You can order pizza, crepes, and pasta, but the best deal they offer is a rodízio for R$20,90 (with the dollar the way it is these days that's about U$13) of pizza, pasta, and crepes. They also have what they call "refill" (all you can drink -- usually drinks are ordered, served, and paid for by the can or bottle) for R$6,50.
On to the dinner portion of our event (and a little bit of explanation): a rodízio is a style of serving where you don't have to get up to go to the buffet. The waiters bring it to you! So, the waiters bring around pizza and pasta. I wasn't sure how the crepe part was going to work. Turns out, you order whatever kind of crepe you want and they bring it to you -- made right when you order it! They have at least 100 different options for dinner crepes (I had one filled with chicken, corn, heart of palm, and catupiry cheese, and another filled with chicken and heart of palm). Oh -- they have quiche also. Cheese, palm heart, mushroom, codfish, etc. The best part of the evening was the dessert portion. Pizzas and crepes. Crepes are still special order. They have everything from doce de leite (my American readers are probably more familiar with the Spanish spelling, "dulce de leche") to coconut to banana, honey, and cinnamon, to NUTELLA. Have I mentioned that I love this place? Doce de leite with coconut was one of my options, and Nutella with sweetened condensed milk (Eagle Brand milk for those of you truly from the south) was the other. They almost had to roll me to the metro station.
I will definitely be going back. Here's to hoping it's sooner rather than later.
On to the dinner portion of our event (and a little bit of explanation): a rodízio is a style of serving where you don't have to get up to go to the buffet. The waiters bring it to you! So, the waiters bring around pizza and pasta. I wasn't sure how the crepe part was going to work. Turns out, you order whatever kind of crepe you want and they bring it to you -- made right when you order it! They have at least 100 different options for dinner crepes (I had one filled with chicken, corn, heart of palm, and catupiry cheese, and another filled with chicken and heart of palm). Oh -- they have quiche also. Cheese, palm heart, mushroom, codfish, etc. The best part of the evening was the dessert portion. Pizzas and crepes. Crepes are still special order. They have everything from doce de leite (my American readers are probably more familiar with the Spanish spelling, "dulce de leche") to coconut to banana, honey, and cinnamon, to NUTELLA. Have I mentioned that I love this place? Doce de leite with coconut was one of my options, and Nutella with sweetened condensed milk (Eagle Brand milk for those of you truly from the south) was the other. They almost had to roll me to the metro station.
I will definitely be going back. Here's to hoping it's sooner rather than later.
04 March 2008
It's the most wonderful time....
Oh, wait: that's Christmas.
Easter is quickly approaching and we all know what that means -- Easter candy! I have definitely taken advantage of the great variety of Easter eggs that we have here in Brasil (for an example of what they look like, go to Nestlé and click on "Ovos Nestlé"). They are hollow chocolate eggs, usually with a coating on the inside of the egg (like the white chocolate on the inside of a Kinder Egg). They also have snack size pieces of the candy that corresponds to the flavor of the egg. I have already eaten two (one from last year -- yay for refrigerators!) and have two more. I will probably buy more before the season is over.
As much as I like the Easter candy here, nothing, and I mean nothing, beats Cadbury eggs. If you're not familiar with them, well, I pity you. (For more information on Cadbury eggs, click here.) They sell them year-round in England, and if it were an option for me to live there, I would. Just because of the eggs. And the Cadbury vending machines in the Tube stations. Being in Brasil doesn't keep me from having (at least limited) access to these wonderful treats. AB is bringing me a few next week. She is my Easter hero. Behind Jesus, that is.
This is an egg I bought a couple of weeks ago -- milk chocolate with chocolate truffle candy inside.
This is what Sharon got me for Easter. I love the mini milk can and the old advertisements!
Easter is quickly approaching and we all know what that means -- Easter candy! I have definitely taken advantage of the great variety of Easter eggs that we have here in Brasil (for an example of what they look like, go to Nestlé and click on "Ovos Nestlé"). They are hollow chocolate eggs, usually with a coating on the inside of the egg (like the white chocolate on the inside of a Kinder Egg). They also have snack size pieces of the candy that corresponds to the flavor of the egg. I have already eaten two (one from last year -- yay for refrigerators!) and have two more. I will probably buy more before the season is over.
As much as I like the Easter candy here, nothing, and I mean nothing, beats Cadbury eggs. If you're not familiar with them, well, I pity you. (For more information on Cadbury eggs, click here.) They sell them year-round in England, and if it were an option for me to live there, I would. Just because of the eggs. And the Cadbury vending machines in the Tube stations. Being in Brasil doesn't keep me from having (at least limited) access to these wonderful treats. AB is bringing me a few next week. She is my Easter hero. Behind Jesus, that is.
This is an egg I bought a couple of weeks ago -- milk chocolate with chocolate truffle candy inside.
This is what Sharon got me for Easter. I love the mini milk can and the old advertisements!
03 March 2008
Dream a little dream
To those who have been keeping up with my sleep (or lack thereof) saga, just thought you might want to know that I am sleeping well again. I am even dreaming. Crazy dreams (that I think are a combo of No Country for Old Men, LOST, and the John Grisham book I'm currently reading), but I am dreaming. And that means good, deep sleep.
All things new (and white)
I could turn this into a really good post about how those who believe that Jesus is the Christ are made new, and will be made white (pure, clean, etc.) through His blood. But I've made my point. So I won't.
I got a new refrigerator today, and it makes me happy. It's not actually new, as I snagged it from some missionaries that left last year (they got it new last March or so). I didn't complain much about my old one, because it's what I had and what was available. My old refrigerator was a brown monstrosity, whose handles were hanging on by their last little piece of plastic. It didn't have a crisper. No place for meat and cheese. It wasn't frost-free. Mind you, frost-free refrigerators are a fairly new thing here in Brasil.
My new refrigerator, though not as big, is white, and makes my kitchen look at least a little bigger. It has a meat drawer and a crisper. And it is frost-free. What does that mean for me? That I don't have to clean the water out of the bottom of my refrigerator (at least) once a week. That I don't have to worry nearly as much about freezer burn. That I have a place to put my vegetables and fruits (and meat and cheese). That makes me happy. Call me superficial, but it does.
I got a new refrigerator today, and it makes me happy. It's not actually new, as I snagged it from some missionaries that left last year (they got it new last March or so). I didn't complain much about my old one, because it's what I had and what was available. My old refrigerator was a brown monstrosity, whose handles were hanging on by their last little piece of plastic. It didn't have a crisper. No place for meat and cheese. It wasn't frost-free. Mind you, frost-free refrigerators are a fairly new thing here in Brasil.
My new refrigerator, though not as big, is white, and makes my kitchen look at least a little bigger. It has a meat drawer and a crisper. And it is frost-free. What does that mean for me? That I don't have to clean the water out of the bottom of my refrigerator (at least) once a week. That I don't have to worry nearly as much about freezer burn. That I have a place to put my vegetables and fruits (and meat and cheese). That makes me happy. Call me superficial, but it does.
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