Oatmeal Applesauce Craisin Muffins

All the rain of late has had me baking.  Check out my effort to please Luiz and excuse to use more of our never-ending supply of craisins.

The recipe is over on Danielle's Cooking in Brazil blog.

Yum!  I'm having one with my coffee right now.

You know you are in Brazil when

You know you are in Brazil when the political candidate in the country's most populous state who got the most number of votes is actually (really, actually) a near-illiterate clown.

Running on slogans like “It can’t get any worse” and “What does a congressman do? The truth is I don't know, but vote for me and I'll tell you," Francisco Everardo Oliveira Silva, better known by his clown name Tiririca, received more than 1.3 million votes in Sao Paulo state in Brazil's presidential and congressional elections. (That was more than double the votes for the second place candidate.)

Looks like he just got a pay raise.

Ahhh – Brazil.

To be fair, the elections in the States this time around have a few clowns as well, but they come dressed as politicians.

UPDATE: Today on the radio I heard that Tititica has ten days to demonstrate an ability to read and write or he will lose his opportunity to serve in Congress.  Comedians are having a field day.  People are joking that he's going to take a mni course to just get over the bar.  As Ray points out in the comments, if this guy serves he will then be entitled to a government pension for life.  Crack those books Tiririca!

Understanding the Brazilian Political System - w/ music

Speaking of the elections in Brazil… for those unfamiliar with the Brazilian political system here is a terrific and entertaining overview of how the system works and how a little self confidence among the Brazilian people might help make things better over time.

Enjoy the music. The Caipirinha Appreciation Society is a real treasure.

For my US friends on Election Day in Brazil

Today, Sunday, is Election Day in Brazil (note to the United States: more people might actually cast ballots if you held elections on a day when not everyone has to work all day. Duh. - Oh, that’s right, the Republicans don’t want regular working folks to have the opportunity to vote.)

Anyway, while Brazilians are touching the voting machine screens for who they hope will be the lesser of the two evils in federal office races, my friends back in the States are grumbling about how disappointed they are in President Obama and how they might just sit this election out, come November.

Nobody can disappoint like a friend and ally (remember Bill Clinton?). But as pointed out in this clip, there is a big difference between a disappointing friend and a deadly enemy. Get over yourselves and get out and vote to keep the Democrats in office.

Don’t make me come up there and pull your ear!

For a little comic relief check out Bill Maher’s “New Rules” segment from a recent show where he channels President Obama’s alter ego “Barry Whitehouse.” (NSFW)

Women in Brazilian Politics

I have made a decision to keep Brazil's electoral politics out of this blog for a variety of reasons.  Tempers flare when I stand up for the political values and strategies I embrace in the face of the widespread cynicism and hoplessness Brazilians feel toward their elected officials.  My optomism is quickly dismissed as naivaté.  It's not worth the stress.

But I did come across this piece recently that I think speaks to some of the changes afoot in Brazil.  It was originally posted at globalpost a terrific international news website.  Check it out.

Blogging education

OK – so I’ll admit it: I check my blog stats frequently to know who is visiting and from where. Mostly I post to keep my friends and family back home informed about Luiz and my progress/situation. But I have definitely forged some really fun online blogger friendships that really warm my heart.

I’m not a professional blogger – by far. I just do my thing. But every once in a while I am taught a lesson by the stats reports that make an impact on me.

For example, I made a post almost two years ago about a fun and free event in Copacabana that families might be interested in. It was entitled “Disney Magic Moments Parade in Copacabana.” Well – who knew? Apparently the words in that title are super popular among Google searches.

To this date that post is the most frequented of all my posts (like by a factor of almost 3)! And it was just a friendly referral to a fun day in Rio. It’s certainly not the post I hope most folks will read.

The internet is a funny thing. Blogging is a weird universe all its own. While I am not eager to monetize my blog – I am learning little tidbits about how to promote traffic.

Mostly I’m just commenting on my experience and sharing the fun with others who find themselves in similar circumstances.

Google Street View is up in Brazil

As of today you can snoop around the streets of Rio, São Paulo and Belo Horizontes with Google Street View.

Just go to Google maps, zoom in on the area of Rio (or São Paulo, or Belo Horizontes) you want to view and then drag the little yellow man on the upper left over the street you want to check out (photographed streets are the ones which turn blue when the "little man" is dragged over them).

We’re still waiting for the chance to show you the front of our apartment in Niterói, but that will have to wait. I’ll let you know.