Who Needs Disney When you Have Favelas

Photo by: http://noticias.r7.com/rio-de-janeiro/

Who needs Disneyland when you have a favela? At least that is how Dilma feels.

Apparently the government of Brazil has announced their plans to turn the Complexo do Alemao Favela into a tourist destination. I totally had this one called the moment I posted the video about the cable cars! Not wanting to be a total pessimistic biotch, I didn't say anything at the time. It did, however, seem doubtful that the government would drop millions and billions on something just to improve their citizens' commute. Dude, this is Rio! It's the same deal as the elevator/tower in Ipanema. It does improve the quality of life for residents but also makes for a unique tourist attraction.

And that's all well and good. I'm all about the co-scratching of backs. Anything to get the government to actually take care of its people. What I did think was a bit ridiculous was that it took potential tour groups to get new houses, new schools, and family clinic built. Hey, at least it's there. From what Dilma says, she's doing this for the community as a means to improve their lives.

While I don't buy that 100%, I'll accept it as it will improve their lives.  Maybe the next stop could be improving public education and the availability of it as a whole. I guarantee that if you scratch that back you'll get a whole body massage in return!

What do you think, is it wrong to sell an entire community as a tourist attraction?

Twitter hates Nordestinos?

So there is a new twitter hate campaign out there and it's focused on the Northeast of Brazil.

Apparently there are quite of few Brazilians, who shall remain nameless (Damn Paulistas... oops), that are blaming the people of the Northeast for Dilma's win. 

It's a total smear/hate campaign calling them ignorant, poor, stupid, and saying they shouldn't be able to vote because they aren't educated enough in the first place. 

First of all, all the stats show that Dilma would have won even if you didn't count the Northeast. So go suck on that you pseudo-intellectual, "educated" people. 

And who are you to talk shit about another group, especially one who didn't grow up with a knock off Lojas Americana's silver spoon being put into his mouth by his nanny, who raised ya, and who is from the Northeast in the first place!

North easterners are feisty survivors who speak a Portuguese I have no chance in hell of understanding! And it does not matter how long I've lived here. They are the forgotten step children of this country. 

Go on, claim corruption. Right, like that has never been a problem in this country. That's like blaming the pizza instead of the deliveryman for it arriving late.  It is not going to work if the system doesn't. Everyone will, and does, steal because the system allows it.  And if you high and mighty figure out a way to fix it, bottle it up and sell it to the rest of the world. Maybe you'll be able to bump yourself up to real silver. 

The thing is, I know all kinds of people from the northeast and they aren't just doormen, they are family and close friends. They are the feistiest, smartest, and best survivors out of everyone I've yet to meet. Hell, we city folk panic when we can't get our Brazilian passports on time or our maid doesn't show up one day. OH MY GOODNESS! Who will raise my children, wash my dishes, and what on Earth are we going to eat?!

It comes down to this.  Brazil would survive my presidency without a problem.  This country has had it's fill of drama.  Dilma is not going to kill it. If Bush didn't kill my country, and he sure did try, Dilma is not going to kill yours. And why hate your brothers from other mothers?  They were only trying to pick a lesser of two evils.  Apparently the vast majority of Brazil, and the world, disagree with you.

Deal with it. Start a blog. I know I did.  Oh wait, maybe that's what you are doing with twitter in the first place.  Well then just shove it.  No one wants to party with the pity partiers, and if they do, they are no better. 

I swear, I'm going to start an island for countries to send their prejudice bastards. Sadly, my Grandma may have to go too. I'd hate to see her go but I'm no hypocrite, most of the time.

A First

Election day completed, more or less, and the first woman president of Brazil has been voted in!  Many are celebrating, and quite potentially, just as many are drowning their sorrow in some chopps.  It happens.

It brings me back to Obama.  I celebrated.  I wanted him in.  Regardless of the happiness and the disappointments I feel in him, it was a needed first.  He was our first black president, and for that I am damn proud! And he has not accomplished everything he promised, and we hoped, but he is merely a man working against a machine.

While that is not excuse, it is something to keep in mind when you bitch. There is a limit to what one person can do.  If we really want to change things, we need to Spanish style protest those bastards.  Sit in the middle of NYC and close the city down for an entire day.  No one go to work in São Paulo and that kind of thing.

But we are also a part of the machine and there is never a day where there's not too much work to be done.  Or you really don't want to miss pilates... wait a minute, is that me?  No, I'd never say that...

So Dilma is our new president.  She is a first and that is something to celebrate. Any breaking down of stereotypes is a reason to celebrate!  And now, what's done is done.  Let's all hope, for the sake of the country we may or may not call home, she does an exemplary job.  Because people, seriously, it doesn't matter if you didn't vote for her. She's there. It's a fact. Her success is ours.

That being said, I have no personal opinion about the matter. I have enough stress thinking about the crap in my country. If I start worrying about corruption here I'm going to die of a heart attack!  Yeah, I know, not even my glass of red wine a day will save me from stressing about politics in both the US and Brazil! I could be a freakin' vegan yoga meditation master and I'd still keel over like a that 4000lb man who asks for the diet coke with his super sized McDonalds.

Abortion in Brazil?

Abortion has been the topic of conversation ever since Dilma (presidential candidate) voiced her disapproval of the procedure. The kicker, 3 years ago she was quoted as being for abortion. 

The gossip is that she switched to gain votes as the population of Brazil is highly religious. 

The country does allow abortion under extreme circumstances and/or when the mother´s life is in danger.  That being said, there are places to have the procedure done if you are willing to pay. It´s a two step process where you pay at one location and then are given the address of the next.

This one is tough for me. I, personally, have never nor will ever have an abortion.  On the other hand, I´ve never found myself in a seriously difficult position in my life. Really.  My hardship was having to switch schools because my father was in the military. That´s quite different from not having enough food, being 13 years old, or something like that. 

Thus I feel it´s not my place to decide for a woman and, as much as I know it is a life, I can not imagine it necessarily being a good thing to bring a child into a home where they are not wanted, will not get the care they need, and will have to fend for themselves. Should that be the case.

Another on the other hand, I do not think that abortion should be a form of birth control.  Hells to the NO on that one! 

So if I were Brazil, which I´m not, I would open Planned Parenthoods in every neighborhood. Depending on the neighborhood, maybe 2. I would give out 6 months worth of free birth control pills at a time and that special free little baggie of condoms. Ah hell, let´s throw in some lube.

For those who say you are only encouraging them, have to seen the baby situation in Brazil? Baby´s babies are having babies. It´s out of control!  They are going to have sex. No one is making sure the kids are at home watching an after school special. We need to teach them how to protect themselves. 

Only when this is in place would I legalize abortion... but not late term. Nowhere in my head can I rationalize that one.

It hurts me to think about someone getting one. It breaks my heart now that I have kids.  But I´m not going to judge. I´m not that woman or that family. I have no idea what is going on in that home, in her heart, or in her head.  Everyone has to follow their path and sometimes it´s not a pretty one. Sometimes it just has a couple of clouds.  The thing is that it´s their path.  Their life lessons. I´m not one to tell anyone how to live or learn.

What are your thoughts?  How do you feel about Abortion and Dilma´s change of political heart?