Monday, December 30, 2013
Our last full day "Tour Tropical"
Last Night in Rio
Saturday, December 28, 2013
Friday, December 27, 2013
The National Theater
Beautiful Day up at Sugar Loaf
Thursday, December 26, 2013
Museum National de Belas Artes
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
I don't want to be a dick, but Christmas in Rio is nice!
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
Beach Day Today plus the tower
This is from dinner last night. The food was pretty good. No one is in the restaurant because everyone was sitting outside, it was a great night.
This is interesting. The tower is built above the Ipanema subway stop. Just behind the big building on the right is a cliff and a favela - king of a squatter's city. It is very very steep and when they built the subway, they made an elevator to make the walk easier.
The favelas are the product of history and a old Brazilian government promise of land use. For years they have been sel governed by various mafia type families. And the police have kind of just let it happen, but now, before the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics the police have moved in. Suddenly the entrances ( and there is usually only 1 or 2 ways in and out) are now police checkpoints. Odd
Today was overcast but we had a nice beach day anyway. Got a little sun and just relaxed. Our friend Sam just landed and we ran into him at the market! Having fun.
Monday, December 23, 2013
Some Rio pics
This is one of the side chapels of Sao Bento (Saint Bento). I really like the chapels. This one was built in 1590! 1590! And they built this. Very cool.
This is a famous church at the intersection of President Vargas and San Marcos.
This is the new foutain right in the front of the church. It is not really that appropriate for the church, but it is appropriate for Ave Vargas (just not Pres. Vargas.)
This is a temporary exhibit in the entry way of the Art Museum of Rio.
And yes, I have the wrong filter on my iPhone.
Sunday, December 22, 2013
Saturday, December 21, 2013
Trevor's Present from Angie
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If you know T-Bone you know that he hates this and is "frozen" by anything. But we put down the window shade and low and below, he can move.
Like a fluffy cross of mountain goat and leopard. |
Ho Ho Ho Merry Christmas...
Friday, December 20, 2013
Well - that is just a lie Mr. President
Yeah - and next I will fart rainbows and unicorns...
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Apparently President Obama doesn't consider capturing every phone call, every internet search and then lying to Congress about it as "domestic surveillance or snooping around". Now, I haven't watched the entire news conference yet, but I am hard pressed to believe there is a context in which I would believe.
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I Blow Hot and Cold on Rand Paul, but...
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However, his recent remarks about our Lying Ass NSA Chief, see, Senator Rand gets on my good side again...
Senator Rand - grandstander on the left | NSA Chief Clapper - Lying Sack of Dog Poop on the right |
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) on Wednesday said that Director of National Intelligence James Clapper has been as harmful to American intelligence gather capabilities as leaker Edward Snowden.
“That Clapper is lying to Congress is probably more injurious to our intelligent capabilities than anything Snowden did,” Paul told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer. “Clapper has damaged the credibility of the entire intelligence apparatus and I’m not sure what to believe anymore when they come to Congress.”
Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2013/12/rand-paul-james-clapper-national-security-agency-101306.html#ixzz2o2vLg0OX
Argh! So much for an intelligent arguement
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In fact so odd, I wonder if the writer - a Swedish resident of the United States - is bucking for that new "ex-liberal turned darling of the right" background that gets FOX News assignments. He is from Sweden, went to Harvard - where he wrote about the European Radical Right, then worked for Politico and the Orange County Register (the reliably Republican paper of the Los Angeles suburbs for the last 50 years).
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But I digress, for young Mr. Groll to blame Snowden for Boeing's lose is asinine.
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First, the article itself is a sensationalistic rehash from a Reuters article that was much more balanced.
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Second, Brazil has no enemies, per say, and doesn't really need fighter jets, except that the Mirage ones they have now are a zillion years old. So buying a much cheaper plane, that is still better than all its neighbors seems fine. Particularly since they haven't been at war since the 1940s.
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Third, SAAB has agreed to transfer technology and build parts in Brazil. Anyone that knows Brazil knows this is critical to their purchase decision.
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Fourth, Snowden didn't spy on Brazil. The United States, who was unConstitutionally spying on Americans (LINK to that recent decision) and foreign heads of state "without the President's knowledge", that pissed everyone off. Snowden was a whistle blower, not the taker of the illegal action. Given Mr. Groll's logic the Guardian and the New York Times newspapers caused this (by publishing Snowden's revelations).
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Maybe this crap journalism flies at Politico, the Orange County Register and the Harvard Crimson, but it is still crap journalism.
Thursday, December 19, 2013
Trevor the Reindeer says "Merry Christmas"
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
The Mosques of Bosnia Herzegovina
Sarajevo
Watching...
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So after it rings - Trevor sits at the door. If it takes too long, he goes to his couch spot and watches... and waits... and waits... Because sooner or later, someone is coming in that door!
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Tuesday, December 17, 2013
No Room For Old Men
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Except...
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Except, can you imagine walking to the toilet in the middle of the night? And I am 54, I walk to the toilet a lot!
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I once believed this was just exaggeration... but now, not so much
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We get sidewalk rage here... (I particularly like the 'walking dead' line)
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Monday, December 16, 2013
Affluenza: One Set of Rules for the Rich, and One for everyone else
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He admits to doing it, but it is mitigated because his family is SOO rich, they never taught him right from wrong. Affluenza (A moral flu from being too rich.) 10 years probation.
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Let's say, just for shits and giggles, a poor white kid does the same thing, three times over the legal limit, driving to illegally buy more beer in a pickup, he would be called poor white trash - and sent to jail.
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No one cares if a poor person (of whatever color) is sent to jail, because it is assumed that their life is worthless anyway. They will grow up to be part of the 47%.
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There is a rule for rich people, and a rule for poor people - regardless of color.
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And, of course a rule for very rich people (like Banker's) who aren't even charged until after their very important people meetings.
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This isn't what the founding fathers intended.