setecentos quarenta e nove rua joaquim murtinho

I should have been compiling this photo diary of Brazil during my time in Brazil, but with so much going on around me and a shitty internet connection, it was hard to find time to sit down while I was there. I flew into Rio at about 9 am after two grueling flights; the first from Seattle to Houston and then an overnight flight from Houston to Rio de Janeiro. Almost 15 hours total spent in the air, with only half an hour of sleep and the rest of the hours spent fidgeting in my seat with my eyes adhered to the screen in front of me. After landing and a quick slip through customs I was picked up along with another volunteer, Aaron from Los Angeles, who arrived about half an hour following me and together we were taken to our new home in the house on the hill, the bohemian neighborhood of Santa Teresa. The house was four stories total and had two kitchens and an elevator and we had a total of 20+ people living inside from all corners of the world. It was like being on the Real World with most of us in our early 20s. Fortunately each room was equipped with a full bathroom.

beijos xx

Favela On Blast

Philadelphia-based DJ Diplo and Brazilian director Leandro HBL made a documentary about funk carioca that’s coming out on July 20th, called Favela on Blast. A little description from the BS Blog (which stands for Baller Status, mind you): “The upcoming film documents the culture surrounding “Funk Carioca,” a musical rhythm that mixes the American electronic funk of the 1980s with the most diverse influences of Brazilian music. It is one of the most interesting musical movements in the world and it comes from one of the most violent and poorest places too: the slums of Rio de Janeiro. Bombastic rhythms coming from the Miami Bass and loops and samples are united to powerful rap vocals using Brazilian slang.”

I’m very interested in watching this documentary to see the finished product, especially since it was also made by a Brazilian (whose friend coincidentally happens to be an acquaintance of mine). It will also be interesting to see if it garners a greater interest in funk amongst gringos and/or influence American musicians in any way.

Interview with Diplo:

Save Tigers Now

Humans need to take more responsibility in ensuring the existence of all life-forms. I’m an ardent supporter of wildlife conservation, if you didn’t already know. It breaks my heart that so many animals are on the brink of extinction because of human activity- whether it’s poaching, habitat destruction, or human encroachment upon wildlife habitat. Every SINGLE species matter.

In this moment, there are as few as 3,200 tigers left in the wild. Leonardo DiCaprio has recently partnered up with the World Wildlife Foundation in a campaign to double the wild tiger population by 2022. The campaign will kick off with a journey to the remote tiger Habitats in Asia, and DiCaprio will be joining with a group of experts, to see the threats against tigers first-hand.

“Threatened with Extinction

* In the past 100 years wild tiger numbers have declined 97%. There may be as few as 3,200 wild tigers left in existence, the lowest number ever recorded.
* Three tiger subspecies (Bali, Javan and Caspian) have already gone extinct and a fourth (the South China tiger) is on its way.
* Tiger and PugmarkIllegal poaching is the primary cause of the tiger’s decline, driven by black market demand for tiger skins, bones and organs.
* The wild tiger once roamed throughout much of Asia. Today, this magnificent cat remains in just 7% of its original habitat.
* Shrinking tiger habitat is becoming increasingly fragmented due to logging and commercial plantations.
* If tigers and their habitats continue to decline at the current rate, a world without wild tigers could be a tragic reality in just a few short decades.

Why Save Tigers Now

* This apex predator has a vital role in maintaining the natural balance of tigerlands that hold some of the richest biodiversity in the world, from the mangroves of India to the edge of the Siberian Taiga down to the island of Sumatra.
* Tigers are an “umbrella species,” and protecting their habitat benefits hundreds, even thousands, of other species in the process, including people.
* Stopping the poaching of tigers can help save other vulnerable species, strengthen local communities, improve law enforcement and solidify regional cooperation.” — World Wildlife Foundation

Visit http://www.worldwildlife.org/savetigersnow to find out how you can help.

SODIS

Get an empty, clear plastic water bottle. Tear off a label and fill it with water from a creek, puddle, or standpipe (as long as the water isn’t too muddled) and lay the bottle on a piece of metal underneath the full sun. Wait six hours. The UVA rays over the six hours will disinfect the water, killing any viruses, bacteria or parasites. Thus, making the water safe to drink. This process is called SODIS and is used globally to provide drinking water for approximately four million people.

Bringing Colour to Rio

I present you all to a video, featuring artist Selaron (originally from Chile) and Lapa artist Mimi, about the “Let’s Colour Project” in Rio de  Janeiro, Brazil. fyi: Selaron was the person behind this. More about the project here: http://www.letscolourproject.com/

Feminism.

I know many women support equal rights for women, but refrain from labeling themselves feminists because of the possible negative stereotypes that can be associated with that term. You know, like all feminists are masculine, don’t shave, hate men, etc. I realize that there is so much more to this problem than just the surface “women who hate men” idea. Feminism has never been about that, and I think that people who use that as a way to distance themselves from the movement are just selling themselves short.

I definitely am a feminist. I believe in equal rights for everybody. Feminism is not about male oppression; it’s about having no guilt or shame in simply being a woman. Feminism is about equality. It’s about being a woman and feeling entitled to our rights (whether or not we are granted them in our cultures)… and unfortunately it’s safe to say that most women still don’t feel entitled to those rights. More often than not, gender differences are still stacked up against females. Patriarchy still exists. Male privilege still exists. Rape culture still exists.  How can you not call yourself a feminist when women are having their genitals mutilated, their faces disfigured from acid attacks, are only able to prove rape by a certain number of male witnesses, or are killed just for wanting to work and ameliorate their economic situation (women of juarez)? The list could go on here…

I know the term is problematic for some people but there’s really no point in discarding every single term that gets abused at some point. I think the term feminism is important because there is still so much work needed to be done worldwide, and I think it’s up to us to educate ignorant people in what it actually means. I just want people to understand that there is a difference between feminism and reverse sexism, and that they shouldn’t automatically tie a negative image to the word.

Nina Simone

Nina Simone (February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003) – A woman of my heart, for sure.

“I would like a man now who is rich, and who can give me a boat – a sailboat. I want to own it and let him pay for it. My first love is the sea and water, not music. Music is second.”

anti-intellectualism

I’m frightened by the mass waves of anti-intellectualism that appears to be taking over middle America. Thanks to a certain news network, of course. The fact is that it is frightening that there’s a pretty large portion of Americans who are fed these rumors and inevitably end up coerced (by these rumors and those that dispense them) into fear, which leads them to unleash their fury. Yet, they resist processing evidence and rational arguments. Thanks Fox News!

corrupção

Mais corrupção = menos educação. more corruption = less education.

party for the rich in Sao Paulo

From O Buteco:

basically, an MTV Brasil Host ventures into a ritzy Sao Paulo night club to investigate how the rich are using their money. Keep in mind, in Brasil the minimum (monthly) wage is R$465, or about US$256 at the current exchange rate.

Before entering, he asks the hostess if poor people are allowed in, and she shakes her head and says no and giggles. Once inside, he asks random people how much they typically spend during a night out, and many say about R$150 while another says R$350. The reporter also asks how much people compensate their maids, and they either pretend not to hear or just flat out refuse to answer. Then when he asks how much people spent on their drinks, with one guy saying he spent R$10 (again, keeping in mind the minimum wage), and the reporter asks him if spending that much on a beer is something an idiot or a rich guy would do. The man responds, “An idiot.” Countering his response, the reporter asks the man if he thinks he’s an idiot, and the man replies, “well, no.” Another guy admits to paying over R$300 on a bottle of vodka. At the end, one of the people shreds R$150 and tosses its bits into the air.

Regardless of what country you’re in, it’s terrible that people are literally throwing away so much money when there is hunger and poverty in your own backyard.