mvan1

Lots of folks in Sao Paulo at parade - Some demonstrations http://riotimesonline.com/brazil-news/rio-politics/thousands-gather-for-gay-pride-parade-in-brazil/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheRioTimes+%28The+Rio+Times%29 Also see this related article http://riotimesonline.com/brazil-news/rio-politics/international-day-against-homophobia-raises-issues-in-brazil/ Based on the above articles, the gay scene in Brazil is not what many Americans think it is. -

If it took only about 20 minutes for you to pass through security, it is still about 15 minutes longer than it took before the silly shoes off (now belts also) requirement began this year. Monkey see, monkey do. The U.S. did it first, then the others follow. Accomplishing nothing productive, in the process. Another thought, since unemployment rate is so high in Brazil, the excess number of security employees at the airports help, in a small way, to expiate for the high unemployment.

Do you mean the Marriott on Avenida Atlantica in Copacabana? Whenever I go to Rio, I stay at the above Marriott. Over the years, I have stayed there countless times. I never had a visitor refused access to my room. Sometimes I or the visitor got questioned by a security person near the elevators but after a brief explanation, there was never a refusal for the visitor to come to the room. I am usually with the visitor when we enter. Often we go to the elevators from the hotel restaurant rather than walking directly to the elevators. I also have "elite" status at Marriott which shows on a card issued by Marriott. I used that card a few times with security people near the elevators. The above factors might account for why I have not been refused having visitors at Marriott. Back in 2003 and 2004 I used to stay at the Atlantico. I stayed there because of their liberal visitor policy. However, I would never stay there again.

Confucius Say. Sex is same as bank account. You put it in, you take it out....you lose interest.

Confucius Say.... Kiss is merely shopping upstairs, For merchandise downstairs.

c Confucius Say - Man with broken condom Often called Daddy

Even though the service is available in many parts of the world, the company was started in Rio de Janeiro - See this: Founded in August 2011 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Easy Taxi became a pioneer in online taxi services in Latin America and beyond. Currently available in 32 countries and 160+ cities (and counting), the app has globally redefined taxi booking. Why Easy Taxi? ✓ Book a cab anytime, anywhere. ✓ Secure, cashless payments. Just slide your finger across the screen to confirm payment once you've arrived. ✓The app automatically finds an ideal taxi for you. Just confirm your location and watch the cab approaching you, tracking it in real-time with map display. You can even call your driver to confirm timely arrival. I downloaded the app and plan to use it next month when I return to Brazil. -

I believe that you are correct. After looking at the video, it is seems clear that it is the electrical rods being repaired and changed and adjusted, not the lighting on the statue. The title of the video (written in Brazilian/Portuguese) says the work being done is repair to the lighting which is just a goof in translation from Portuguese to English.

This is quite some video - https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/VxlKZereog0?rel=0

A little old man shuffled slowly into an ice cream parlour and pulled himself slowly, painfully, up onto a stool. After catching his breath, he ordered a banana split. The waitress asked kindly, "Crushed nuts?" "No," he replied, "Arthritis."

A man was telling his neighbor, "I just bought a new hearing aid. It cost me four thousand dollars, but it's state of the art It's perfect." "Really," answered the neighbor. "What kind is it?" "Twelve thirty."

Three old guys are out walking. First one says, "Windy, isn't it?" Second one says, "No, it's Thursday!" Third one says, "So am I. Let's go get a beer ."

An elderly gentleman had serious hearing problems for a number of years. He went to the doctor and the doctor was able to have him fitted for a set of hearing aids that allowed the gentleman to hear 100%. The elderly gentleman went back in a month to the doctor and the doctor said, "Your hearing is perfect. Your family must be really pleased that you can hear again." The gentleman replied, "Oh, I haven't told my family yet. I just sit around and listen to the conversations. I've changed my will three times!"

A very elderly gentleman, (mid eighties) very well dressed, hair well groomed, great looking suit, flower in his lapel smelling slightly of a good after-shave, presenting a well looked-after image, walks into an upscale cocktail lounge. Seated at the bar is a handsome young escort. The gentleman walks over, sits alongside of him, orders a drink, takes a sip, turns to him and says, "So tell me, do I come here often?"

Morris, an 82 year-old man, went to the doctor to get a physical. A few days later, the doctor saw Morris walking down the street with a handsome young man on his arm. A couple of days later, the doctor spoke to Morris and said, "You're really doing great, aren't you?" Morris replied, "Just doing what you said, Doc: 'Get a hot mamma and be cheerful.'" The doctor said, "I didn't say that. I said, 'You've got a heart murmur; be careful.'"

Couple in their nineties are both having problems remembering things. During a check-up, the doctor tells them that they're physically okay, but they might want to start writing things down to help them remember. Later that night, while watching TV, the old man gets up from his chair. "Want anything while I'm in the kitchen?" he asks. "Will you get me a bowl of ice cream?" "Sure." "Don't you think you should write it down so you can remember it?" she asks "No, I can remember it." "Well, I'd like some strawberries on top,too. Maybe you should write it down, so's not to forget it?" He says, "I can remember that. You want a bowl of ice cream with strawberries." "I'd also like whipped cream. I'm certain you'll forget that, write it down?" she asks. Irritated, he says, "I don't need to write it down, I can remember it! Ice cream with strawberries and whipped cream - I got it, for goodness sake!" Then he toddles into the kitchen. After about 20 minutes, the old man returns from the kitchen and hands his wife a plate of bacon and eggs. She stares at the plate for a moment and says - "Where's my toast ?"

Hospital regulations require a wheel chair for patients being discharged. However, while working as a student nurse, I found one elderly gentleman already dressed and sitting on the bed with a suitcase at his feet who insisted he didn't need my help to leave the hospital. After a chat about rules being rules, he reluctantly let me wheel him to the elevator. On the way down I asked him if his wife was meeting him. "I don't know," he said. "She's still upstairs in the bathroom changing out of her hospital gown."

An elderly couple had dinner at another couple's house, and after eating, the wives left the table and went into the kitchen. The two gentlemen were talking, and one said, "Last night we went out to a new restaurant and it was really great. I would recommend it very highly. The other man said, "What is the name of the restaurant?" The first man thought and thought and finally said, "What is the name of that flower you give to someone you love? You know... the one that's red and has thorns." "Do you mean a rose?" "Yes, that's the one," replied the man. He then turned towards the kitchen and yelled, "Rose, what's the name of that restaurant we went to last night?

Although crime in Brazil has increased, so has the rate of those put in prison. This means fewer criminals remain on the streets. We should increase our caution while in Brazil but the danger is obviously less because many of the offenders are currently imprisoned. New figures concerning Brazil's prison statistics were released today as shown in the below cited article. http://riotimesonline.com/brazil-news/rio-politics/brazils-prison-population-grows-by-74-percent-in-seven-years/ -

You did not say which sauna in Sao Paulo this event occurred. If this happened at Lagoa and if you are there again and that same garoto is present, you should tell the owner, Rodolfo, of the scam pulled on you. If you let Rodolfo know what happened, the garoto will be expelled from the sauna and will not be allowed to return until Rodolfo decides when he can return. Even if you believe the garoto's argument was valid in that you did not agree on a price in advance, it was not reasonable for the garoto to insist on being paid five times the normal rate. That is why Rodolfo should know what the garoto did to you, a client at his sauna. If it happened at Fragata, you don't have much recourse as that place is not run the same way as is Lagoa.

In recent months, street crime in Brazil (not just Rio) has markedly increased. Therefore, I believe that visitors to Brazil should learn as much as possible about street crimes in order to lessen their chances of becoming a future victim of those crimes. Increased street crime is blamed on high unemployment and Brazil’s out-of-control inflation, according to recent reports, social media and Brazilian economists, and of course, the police. Quite simply, when a man has no job and cannot earn money to support himself and/or his family, some men will resort to mugging and robbery to survive. That is just the way life is. I have visited Brazil many times for many years. I plan to continue visiting Brazil despite the current situation. At some time in the future, I might reassess my decision but for now, it is still a go. I believe that “knowledge is power” in that if I learn of when and where most street crime occurs, I can avoid those areas where I might be vulnerable. I checked with the U.S. State Department to see what changes and recommendations are found on its site with respect to Brazil. Most of the information found on the State Department site is self explanatory, including the recommendation not to carry one’s original passport when out and about. However, there is one item in the State Department recommendation that does not seem to coincide with the other items in connection with crime. That item is a recommendation that Americans carry proof of their health insurance. The health insurance proof recommendation appears rather ominous and implies that street crime involves more than merely a mugging and robbery of personal effects (cash, cell phone, et cetera). It implies that a victim could need medical assistance. Does anyone know (without guessing) why that recommendation is included along with recommendations of behavior while in Brazil? Below is a cut out of the pertinent portion of the State Department’s recommendations for Brazil: CRIME: Brazilian police and media report that the crime rate remains high in most urban centers, including the cities of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, and is also growing in rural areas within those states. Brazil’s murder rate is more than four times higher than that of the United States, and rates for other crimes are similarly high. Street crime remains a problem for visitors and local residents alike. Foreign tourists, including U.S. citizens, are often targets, especially in Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, and Recife. Although the risk is greater during the evening and at night, street crime also occurs during the day, and safer areas of cities are not immune. Incidents of theft on city buses are frequent. You should keep a copy of your passport with you while in public and keep your passport in a hotel safe or other secure place. You should also carry proof of your health insurance with you. http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/country/brazil.html

You previously posted that you canceled your scheduled July trip to Brazil out of fear for your life if you were to visit Brazil. Moreover, you repeat your concern often. It is one thing to come to an anonymous site and post comments (as you often do) about your fear of visiting Brazil. That is your right to post and to express your opinion of Brazil. However, it is quite another thing for you to come to an anonymous site and mock another poster, as you just did with your bizarre post about the mugging incident that happened to me on my last visit to Brazil. I posted about the one mugging out of 124 trips to Brazil to caution other visitors to Brazil. My caution was not intended as a tool for you to mock the event. Only a sick and pathetic person would resort to that sort of behavior. Your need to mock the incident with your comment "If you didn't want comments on your misfortune then you should not have posted about it." speaks volumes about the kind of person you are. I had messages from other forum members telling me to ignore you. One told me that you often have disputes with other members. It is just your way. The advice to ignore you is the best advice I had all day. That is what I will do when I see anything from you in the future.

While the saunas and the garotos in Brazil are great, there is more to do in Brazil for those who spend a lot of time in that country. In an earlier post, on a different thread, I mentioned about traveling art exhibits that occur in Brazil. Traveling exhibits occur fairly often in Brazil. Nearly three years ago, there was some renovation done to the Museum d'Orsay, in Paris, France. While the museum was partially closed during construction, many famous painting were sent around the world on tour. Two cities in Brazil were chosen to exhibit more than one hundred paintings that are normally housed at Museum d"Orsay. Sao Paulo and Rio were chosen to display the exhibit. If anyone is interested in art, here is a video clip of some of the paintings that were displayed in Brazil. In addition to the wonderful paintings, notice the beautiful building that housed the exhibit.

"There are more gay strip clubs on one street in Bangkok then there are in 50 states and 300 million people in the USA. Same in comparison with Brazil. If you don't like Saunas , Brazil has nothing to offer except Porte Allegre 2 nights a week. And there it is just a pick up bar." Brazil has nothing to offer? There is much culture in Brazil, away from the saunas. Sao Paulo, for example, has 80 museums plus live musical concerts and operas and other cultural events. There are also several art museums and traveling art exhibits from many parts of the world. In view of your misinformed opinion about Brazil, I believe that you made a good decision by cancelling your scheduled July trip.

"Bottom line, I think you like Thailand rather than Brazil. There is nothing wrong with that. We all like different things. If we were all the same and we only liked one thing, what a deadly dull world this would be." Attacked?