mvan1

- Unexpected outcome. Click on the below link to see a surprise - http://safeshare.tv/w/kLlmcNCGBk -

For those who will be in Rio this weekend, you might want to visit Copacabana and view the parade that will take place on Avenida Atlantica - Here is a little more information about the parade: http://riotimesonline.com/brazil-news/rio-politics/20th-edition-of-rio-pride-parade-to-take-place-in-copacabana-november-15th/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheRioTimes+%28The+Rio+Times%29 -

We don't need a news report for us frequent visitors to know the obvious. See this: http://riotimesonline.com/brazil-news/rio-business/brazil-registers-highest-inflation-rate-since-1996/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheRioTimes+%28The+Rio+Times%29 -

- Apparently, Brazil is the world's leader for cloning of ATM cards and stealing money from U.S. banks, via ATMs and credit cards. Even Russia (notorious for dishonest activities) doesn't even get honorable mention. Here is one article that reports Brazil's propensity for ripping off American banks via cloning ATM cards and credit cards (Google will produce many more articles). My own ATM rip-off experience, together with reading countless articles in connection with ATM cloning, makes it clear that I will have to be more cautious in the future when using Brazilian ATMs. The fact that my ATM card is chip and pin made no difference - it still got cloned. Check out this article, which is not complimentary of Brazil: http://krebsonsecurity.com/2014/10/replay-attacks-spoof-chip-card-charges/ -

Thank you very much for your post and its related content. Based on the information you provided, it certainly appears that I could be wrong in my assumption that a bank employee was involved in the cloning of my ATM card. I read your article and also did a Google search on "skimmers" Based on the numerous articles that appeared from the Google search, I must say that I am shocked that a skimmer is so small. The small size of a skimmer is why I did not notice it, if one was attached to the ATM machine I used at Bradesco Bank. I am still unclear on how my password was obtained. The Google articles show various small skimmers and how they are nearly undetectable when attached to an ATM machine. The articles say that in addition to the skimmer, a small video camera is placed "near by" which photos the customer entering the password. I always cover my hand when I enter my password and, because I play the piano, I am able to use different fingers and also change the direction of my fingers in a way that it would be next to impossible for a camera to guess the actual password I entered while my other hand is covering the fingers that enter the password. In addition to the above, I also learned from the Google search that it is possible to purchase an ATM skimmer. Incredible! Here is a link on how and where to buy an ATM skimmer and how much they cost. Incredible! What has happened to our world? http://www.dhgate.com/product/sl-bezel-atm-part/211507189.html?utm_source=pla&utm_medium=GMC&utm_campaign=dotogether&utm_term=211507189&f=bm|211507189|011015-RetailServices|GMC|Adwords|pla|dotogether|US|011015002-PointofSaleEquipment|c||0HRF|&gclid=CjwKEAjw8NaxBRDhiafR-uvkpywSJAAxcl6faYSEDNJ5X-1lRXAf-f-Nfd5H-EJ4DyvsA8LOm3GIHhoCCHjw_wcB -

- In a recent post I mentioned my preference for Sao Paulo over Rio. A friend e-mailed me a while ago about an upcoming trip he has planned to Sao Paulo and his intent to visit, among other places, a hustler bar I recommended and have visited many times. The hustler bar is called Bar Fama which is located in Centro - Sao Paulo. For those who might be a little tired of Rio, here is a couple of u-tube clips of the typical gogo guys seen at Bar Fama and links to directions to the bar. http://www.dailyxtratravel.com/brazil/sao-paulo/sao-paulo/bar-fama?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1 https://kekanto.com.br/biz/bar-fama There are two negative things about Bar Fama that I think deserve mention. Number one is it opens only late at night. The doors open around 11:30 at night but the place does not get busy until after midnight. The second thing is the drag shows. The drag queens sing and talk very loud. They put their microphone almost inside their mouth and then howl while singing and/or talking. This makes it difficult to carry a conversation with the garotos (hustlers) and friends. People tolerate or get used to the loud noise (shows). Many people actually say that they like the shows, even though I doubt people go to the bar solely for the shows. Clearly, the hustlers are what really draws the people. There are also gogo dancers, many of whom are available as hustlers when they are not dancing. During the week, Bar Fama has a fair turn out of hustlers, but Friday and Saturday are the busiest. The hustlers available at Bar Fama are some of the same guys that you will find at the saunas earlier in the evening. However, there are some (perhaps half) of the hustlers who do not go to the saunas and have never been. These non sauna guys are usually more mellow and less pushy to set up a meeting. I don't recall ever seeing steroid type hustlers at Bar Fama. Although I was told that there are rooms available at Bar Fama, I have never used them. In fact, I was never curious enough to see them. There are many hourly hotels within walking distance of Bar Fama. I assume an hourly hotel would be more comfortable to “visit” with a hustler because the hourly hotels do not have the loud screaming drag queen “music” playing as loud as possible. Try Bar Fama. You might like it. -

- I left Rio LAST NIGHT and arrived home this morning. As I was entering my house, my phone was ringing. The call was from one of my bankers who advised me that my ATM card had been used TODAY to make a series of five maximum withdrawals from an ATM machine in a Brazilian shopping center. I was told that the five withdrawals were successfully made, all within a few minutes of each withdrawal. The bank said the withdrawals were initially honored because I have a long history with the bank and often make ATM withdrawals in Brazil. The bank said a fraud alert was created because I never previously made a series of withdrawals like was made today. The bank opened a fraud claim and will reverse the bogus ATM transactions. Let my ATM experience be a warning to those who use ATMs in Rio. I used my card only once while in Rio. I made that one withdrawal, INSIDE a branch at Bradesco Bank. I covered my hand as I entered my password. There was nothing on the ATM machine nor in the bank to indicate that anything or anyone suspicious was lurking. In view of the fact that my one use of my ATM was as described above, it is obvious that a bank employee or someone connected with the bank was involved in having a clone made of my ATM card. I suppose the bank could have been “hacked” by an outside interloper but if it had been, the breach would have been ongoing and would be known to the public. Therefore, I contend that the ATM clone was done by a bank employee or was aided by a bank employee. Aside from the above discussed bank issue, I found Rio rather disappointing this trip. The bank theft occurred after I left Rio. Therefore, the bank issue had nothing to do with my less than enjoyable Rio visit. Clube 117 was fun last Friday and Sunday nights, but not stellar, as it usually is. However, Tuesday night was awful. Tuesday is generally a busy night at Clube 117 because the sauna is closed on Monday and there are “free suites” available on Tuesday. This past Tuesday, Clube 117 had only about half the usual number of garotos. Of approximately 25 - 30 garotos present on Tuesday night, about two-thirds of them were heavily muscled and appeared to be steroid users. Their muscles were not natural in appearance. Some of the garotos had huge over developed torsos and legs that looked disproportionate. I realize that some people are attracted to that type garoto but that type does nothing for me. There were a few very young twinks, but twinks are not for me either. There were a few good looking non-steroid guys but they were in high demand by other clients because of the scarcity of good looking garotos on Tuesday. I could see the same good looking garotos go up and down the stairs with different clients. I was not interested in joining a caravan of clients seeking the same repeatedly used garotos. This past Tuesday was my first and only time in countless visits to Clube 117 (over more than twelve years) that I did not hook up with a garoto. Thus - don’t always assume that Tuesday at Clube 117 will be a fun and fulfilling night. Meio Mundo on Monday was fairly busy. Most of the garotos there are not like those heavily muscled garotos found at Clube 117, but there were a few muscle freaks there. Many of the garotos at Meio Mundo are more of a “guy next door” type garoto. Most are unassuming and friendly. My only dislike for Meio Mundo is the lack of privacy for clients. Garotos stand around the supposed “client locker area” and sometimes enter even though they are told to stay out of the client area. The lack of privacy makes retrieving money from a locker awkward because garotos flock around the locker area. In other words, they can see where you keep your money in a supposed private locker. The locker area is an open area with one large entrance and another entrance and/or exit that leads to a hall. The design and structure of Meio Mundo would never pass building inspection codes in the U.S. nor probably in any other industrialized country. Even with Brazil’s easy going laws, I suspect the building would have problems with passing inspection, particularly the steep stairs at Meio Mundo. Those dangerous and loose and steep stairs are an accident waiting to happen. It was nice to visit Rio again after a short absence. However, my comfort zone for Brazil lies in Sao Paulo, Porto Alegre and Recife. I return to Sao Paulo next week, where I feel more at home while I am away from home. By the way, in all my visits to Sao Paulo, I have never had my ATM card cloned in that city. -

It is not summer in Brazil - It is Spring time. Don't forget, the seasons in Brazil are opposite of the seasons in the U.S. (Northern Hemisphere) because Brazil is below the equator while the U.S. is above. Autumnal Equinox – Fall Equinox Equinoxes are opposite on either side of the equator, so the autumnal (fall) equinox in the Northern Hemisphere is the spring (vernal) equinox in the Southern Hemisphere and vice versa. Equinoxes and solstices happen twice a year. Autumnal Equinox, Southern Hemisphere (Australia, New Zealand, South America, Southern Africa) March Equinox 2016: March 20, at 04:30 UTC Autumnal (Fall) Equinox, Northern Hemisphere (USA & Central America, Asia, Canada, Europe, Northern Africa) September Equinox 2016: September 22, at 14:22 UTC

The title of this thread speaks for itself. Brazil moves its time one hour forward, tomorrow, Sunday. For those vacationing in Brazil, you will lose one hour of fun. -

Although the above post might appear extreme to some, unfortunately, a lot of what is in the post is true. Unquestionably, Brazil has its share of bigotry and hatred toward certain groups (gays included). The Olympics, to be held in Brazil, are just around the corner. How will it all play out? Not even a fortune teller would dare venture a guess. Despite Brazil's high crime, poverty, economy in disaster and bigotry, I will continue my visits there. As a foreigner (Gringo) in Brazil, I am only superficially involved with its ugly side. By the way, the Brazilian real closed at 3.7961 tonight. The fact that the real is getting stronger does not mean that Brazil's economy is improving. Regard the fluctuation in the real as a seesaw i.e. - up and down. -

The link provided in the title of your post does not open. Is this the article or person you intended to mention? http://mario692.newsvine.com/_news/2015/10/14/34469791-the-most-dangerous-prisoner-in-brazil-seaside-freddy -

How gruesome it must be to see these "coffins" on the beach in Copacabana - "nearly 4,000 violent deaths which occurred in the state of Rio de Janeiro in the first ten months of the year" - Will the make shift "coffins" displayed at the beach stop the violent killings? http://riotimesonline.com/brazil-news/rio-politics/rio-protests-high-number-of-violent-deaths-this-year/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheRioTimes+%28The+Rio+Times%29 -

For those interested - The film is available for free watching on youtube at this web address: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0OGMzdlZP0 The run time is one hour seventeen minutes - -

Hi Solace - I remember Corujinha in Rio - what a fun place that was (about ten years ago). I met many a fine garoto at that place. The restaurant is still there but the hustlers are a mere faded memory. As to Bar Fama in Sao Paulo, I used to go there often several years ago. As time passed, I got to meet and know so many different garotos that I stopped going to Bar Fama and either went to the saunas or visited with the different guys I met over time. As to the better nights to go to Bar Fama, I don’t think my guess would be meaningful. I was there only three times on my last trip, after an absence of a few years. I went on a Friday and Saturday night then a week later, I went on a Saturday again. All nights were fun nights. I went there at the urging of one of my Brazilian friends who assured me the place would be fun, and he was correct. However, I think it takes more than three visits to predict probability for better nights. Considering you know the area, you can always go there and if it is not a night with lots of garotos, you can “call it a night” and return another night. I do not recommend this place over the saunas. Clearly, the saunas afford better opportunity to see what you get before you make a deal with a garoto. Again, this place opens late at night compared to saunas that have earlier hours. At Bar Fama, the guys are clothed but they are not timid. You have to rely on their apparent good looks and charm as compared to in the sauna when you rely on seeing the whole package (in more ways than one). Nonetheless, Bar Fama is “something different” to try while visiting Sao Paulo. Be aware, however, if you do not like drag shows, you are not going to like this place. Sometimes, the music is played so loud and the singing is so loud it is difficult to have a conversation with the garotos over the noise. On the other hand, if you don’t know enough Portuguese to communicate with the garotos, the noise (loud music) offers a comfort zone which will make it easier to negotiate with the garotos using hand signals and other methods. -

If any travelers to Brazil want to try something different away from Rio, there is a nightclub/hustler bar in Sao Paulo that has become increasingly popular over the past few months. I mentioned this place last year or so in another thread. The place is called Bar Fama. It has been at its current location for several years. Recently, there has been a marked increase in garotos and their admirers. I assume, like many establishments, there are busy nights and fewer busy nights. I know that the three nights I was there recently, the place was fun and busy and exciting (except for the drag shows that I do not care for). Some of the garotos at Bar Fama are the same garotos that one sees at the saunas. While other garotos are those who do not visit saunas. There is a large selection of garotos not otherwise seen except for at this place. One negative factor about the bar is that it does not open until late, after the saunas generally close or die out, or around midnight or so. As mentioned above, there are live drag shows on premises. Considering that the place is a hustler bar, I suspect that most customers are not motivated to visit Bar Fama to see drag shows, although the shows do attract a large crowd. If anyone chooses to visit Bar Fama, due to the late opening hours, I recommend using a taxi to and from. The Metro is several blocks from the bar. Unless you know the area, it is too easy to lose your way in the dark. Furthermore, it is potentially dangerous to be walking around late at night in Sao Paulo, although the area is no more dangerous than many areas of Rio. Here is a link to Bar Fama: http://famainflama.blogspot.com/ -

More news about Uber in Brazil - http://riotimesonline.com/brazil-news/rio-politics/uber-service-controversy-in-brazil-heats-up/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheRioTimes+%28The+Rio+Times%29 -

Our laws currently allow DHS to confiscate our computers and telephones upon return to the U.S. A harmless foreign vacation or business trip can put a citizen in harms way for the type of treatment discussed in the article that I cited in my opening post. As quoted by the mayor (in the article), he said he had thoughts or Nazi Germany and North Korean as he was being searched and while he saw two others going through the same thing. Clearly, his thoughts are not unreasonable, given the facts of his incident. The mayor had done absolutely nothing illegal. He merely returned to the U.S. after a foreign trip. His confiscated computer and telephone still have not been returned to him. -

- What has happened to our rights as citizens? Incredible! http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Stockton-mayor-was-briefly-detained-on-return-6546419.php -

/ Cory Doctorow / 7:36 am Sat Oct 3, 2015 Mayor of Stockton, CA detained by DHS at SFO, forced to give up laptop password Mayor Anthony R. Silva was on his way back from a mayor's conference in China when the DHS border guards confiscated his laptop and phones and detained him, telling him he would not be allowed to leave until he gave them his passwords. He has still not had his devices returned. The mayor says that DHS officers told him that border confiscations of devices were common. The DHS will not acknowledge whether an investigation is underway, and will not confirm that they have the mayor's property. The DHS first disclosed its policy on laptop searches at the border in 2008, which amounted to "we can take your laptop, or anything else, for no reason at all, forever, and disclose anything we find to anyone we feel like feel like." This sparked fierce debate, calls for Congressional hearings and a lawsuit (as well as some self-help measures) at the time, but the DHS has not budged on its policy. In 2013, the 9th Circuit ruled that suspicionless laptop searches at the border were illegal, but a New York federal judge ruled for the DHS later that year. Border laptop searches are used by law enforcement to avoid the need to get warrants for other investigations; law enforcement agencies coordinate with border agents to identify people whose data they'd like to steal, but against whom there is not enough evidence for a warrant. When those targets cross the border, the DHS steals their devices, ghosts their drives, and turns the data over to local law-enforcement. Journalists are especially targeted using this method. “We can't control what the mayor or his representatives say ... but that won't dictate what we do or don't release to the media,” Schwab said. “Our priority is assuring the integrity of the investigative process and generally speaking we don't acknowledge that an investigation is underway ... unless or until charges are filed, arrests are made, or documents are publicly filed with the court that confirm a probe is taking place.” For his part, Silva said he’s “happy to cooperate and comply with these inspection procedures if they are in fact routine and legal.” Silva, however, raised several concerns with the incident. “I think the American people should be extremely concerned about their personal rights and privacy,” he said. “As I was being searched at the airport, there was a Latino couple to my left, and an Asian couple to my right also being aggressively searched. I briefly had to remind myself that this was not North Korea or Nazi Germany. This is the land of the Free.” Silva went on to say that he is “confident that any forensic search of my personal devices will never ever show illegal or inappropriate activities of any sort.”

In my initial post in this thread I expressed doubt that the Pope would meet with such a hateful and bigoted person as Kim Davis and applaud her behavior, as she and her lawyer claim he did. Supposedly, the Pope met with Davis in privacy with no one else around - sure they did Since the story first broke, more information was published that seemed to confirm that such a meeting actually took place between the Pope and Kim Davis. However, this afternoon, the New York Times released a long article concerning the controversial meeting and set the record straight. Clearly, the Kim Davis woman and her lawyer (a vocal anti gay attorney) severely exaggerated the superficial meeting that took place. In the below cited New York Times article is a link to a film of two gay guys (married to each other) having an audience with the Pope. These two guys were the only people granted an audience with the Pope. The Pope embraced the two men. The film of the event confirmed that the Pope did not treat the two married gay guys with any less respect that he would treat a straight couple. In fact, the Pope has been friends with one of the gay guys since the gay guy was a student of his many years ago. This long article tells the real story of what happened in the meeting that was blown out of proportion by the Kim Davis freak. Here is the article: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/03/world/europe/pope-francis-kim-davis-meeting.html?_r=0 The goodwill created by the Pope during his visit has been tarnished but not destroyed despite the efforts of Kim Davis and her attorney. -

Clearly, the latest message from the Vatican is self-serving. The meeting between the Pope and that jailbird bigot, Kim Davis, should never have taken place. The Vatican now realizes that fact and is trying to downplay the event because of the negative press that is occurring in the media over the inappropriate meeting. The Pope was a great actor, for a while. But, the mask slipped. He had many of us fooled into believing he was the "good guy" who would, among other things, reduce the bigotry in the church and bring back those who had left because of the intolerance taught in the church. The damage is done as far as the Pope's credibility is concerned . It is not possible to "unring a bell" or so the idiom goes. -

How disappointing - it appears to be true - the Pope actually knowingly and voluntarily met with that bigoted Kim Davis, the county clerk who refused to issue marriage licenses to gays. The meeting was confirmed by the New York Times article here: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/30/us/county-clerk-kim-davis-who-denied-gay-couples-visited-pope.html?_r=0 The Pope meeting with that convicted shoplifter, four-times divorced woman, certainly negates a huge portion of any goodwill that his trip to the U.S. created. In my opinion, the "nice guy" that he portrayed during his visit to the U.S. was just a facade. As I said, how disappointing. I thought he was "a shot in the arm" for his religion. Not so. -

I am not catholic. However, I thought the new Pope was a refreshing change from the former Nazi Youth, Ratzinger, who resigned for unknown but speculative reasons. The recent visit from the Pope seemed like such a good thing for the country but especially for the Catholic church. Unless the reported visit with Kim Davis is a false rumor, I think the Pope made a horrible mistake and negated a large portion goodwill that his trip created. Davis’ lawyer said the meeting took place but we all know that lawyers are notorious for not telling the truth. The Vatican “does not deny” that such a meeting took place. However, the Vatican also does not confirm that such a meeting took place. Logic would dictate that the Pope would know better than to meet with such a hateful and controversial person (Kim Davis) while the purpose of his U.S. trip was to create rapport and restore lost faith in his religion. If the meeting is confirmed, than, shame on the Pope.

Below is cited an UNSCIENTIFIC article/report. However, the article/report is based on facts. I found the article interesting reading. Maybe others will, as well. http://news.yahoo.com/flight-brazils-expats-080000038.html -

Thanks for the response. The key for Gringos being able to interact with the locals in Colombia appears to require the ability to speak Spanish or have a guide. This is my conclusion despite some other posts made to other threads in this forum. My one-city visit to Colombia (and other research) showed me that relatively few Colombians speak English. While in Medellin, I had the good fortune to meet a guy at Club Tobi who spoke Portuguese and, of course, Spanish. He ended up spending a good portion of time with me while I was in Medellin. I now understand how you were able to communicate via the medias (Chaturbate, Grindr / Hornet) that you mentioned in your opening post and why you plan a return trip. You know the language and can communicate with the locals. You said that if your Portuguese were half as good as your Spanish, you would greatly prefer Brazil over Colombia. Portuguese is about 40% Spanish. Therefore, you probably know more Portuguese than you realize. -