rio de janeiro

(Wikipedia)

I have a confession to make. While my recent article entitled “Between Two Favelas” was an accurate portrayal of exactly what the title suggests, it is far from living in a favela. For the last week, I’ve been doing just that, living in one of Rio’s 1,020 favelas (albeit, a pacified one). In a two-part series, I’d like to share what it’s like living here on a daily basis, starting with my first day. READ MORE>

(Source: Bianca Ferrari)

I live in between two favelas and I’d like to share what it’s like to live here. At no time have I felt like my life was in danger but I’m told it’s not smart to go walking at night where the favelas end and the “regular part” begins. In fact, once I was standing next to my then-girlfriend waiting for a late-night bus to drive by and she told me to keep vigilant and to not stand close to her so we don’t look like a couple. I suppose the thinking behind that is that one ‘target’ is easier than two. That being said, I’ve never felt threatened in the 12-13 months of my life I’ve spent here. READ MORE>

Several miles across the bay from Rio de Janeiro is the modern city of Niterói, aka the "Smiling City". Those who move there find it to be a refreshing change of pace from the often hectic lifestyle found in Rio, yet its proximity is also one of its attractions. Niterói also boasts the best HDI (Human Development Index) rating for the entire state and third best in all of Brazil. Such a ranking translates to great life expectancy, education and overall standard of living. READ MORE>

 For all you Carnival fans unfortunate enough not to be in Brazil right now (like me), YouTube is streaming Carnival live. It also features a live Twitter/Facebook stream below. To shout out your Carnival excitement, just make a status update on one of those services with the word #ytcarnaval - Check it out! http://www.youtube.com/carnaval?feature=ticker READ MORE>

As many of you may already know, Rio is having horrible days of terror since this last week. The police has received the help of the Army to fight the wave of violent attacks promoted by the drug traffic leaders.

What seems different to me this time is that the violence now has happened in response to some reaction (finally!) by the government/police in handling the issue. READ MORE>

(Source, with Two Brothers in the background)

Ask any beach-going Brazilian that has been to Rio de Janeiro what images come to mind when they think of Rio and I'd bet Biscoito Globo is one of them. The famous doughnut-shaped powder biscuits are as common a sight as the sunbathers in Ipanema applauding the beautiful sunsets, silhouetted by Two Brothers hill. Speaking of brothers, three from São Paulo deserve some applause, too, as they are responsible for another pleasing sight, one that can be sweet, like catching some rays, or salty, like the sea itself. READ MORE>

Oi galera,

I found this video on YouTube... American journalist Seth Kugel is interviewed by  vejapontocom (Veja is a Brazilian magazine and Vejapontocom is its YouTube channel) . Seth graduated in Political Science in Yale and has a master's degree in Public Politics from Harvard. He has been writing for the New York Times since 1998, and also works as Brazil's correspondent for the Global Post Agency.

The interview is divided in 3 videos: READ MORE>

READ MORE>