Category Archives: Leisure & Entertainment

FIFA 2014 World Cup Brazil: Who are the Real Winners?

29 Sunday Jun 2014

Posted by in Brazil, Leisure & Entertainment

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A boy walks in front of graffiti painted against infrastructure work for the 2014 World Cup at the Metro Mangueira slum in Rio de Janeiro“Destroying my Community for the World Cup”
Favela Metrô Mangueira – Rio de Janeiro – June 2012
Source: Reuters/Sergio Moraes

 

When FIFA elected Brazil to host the 2014 FIFA World Cup, I shared the elation of the Brazilian people. I saw it not only as an opportunity to showcase Brazil’s economic growth, but also the warmth and hospitality of its people.

At the time, Brazil’s then Minister of Sports of President Lula’s government promised the people: “The stadiums for the World Cup will be constructed with money from the private sector. Not a cent of public money will be used for the stadiums.” (UOL Copa do Mundo)

Almost a year later, the global economic crisis changed our world. Even though Brazil recovered faster than many other economies, the world market for its products had changed. Private funding shriveled. Of the twelve host cities for the World Cup football (US soccer) games, only three cities – São Paulo, Curitiba, and Porto Alegre – raised private funds for their construction projects. Even then, those cities depended upon financing from state banks and government fiscal incentives.

According to figures released in May 2014, Brazil’s total investment in the World Cup amounted to US$11.6 billion (R$25.6 billion). More than 83 percent came from taxpayers’ money (see details).

Thanks to corruption at all levels of the government, construction costs overshot the goal. A study done by Brazilian sports business consultants, PluriConsultoria, revealed that the medium cost per seat of Brazil’s new stadiums is 15 percent higher than the 66 stadiums constructed worldwide since 2004. In figures, that’s equivalent to US$6,720 compared to US$5,841 per seat.

Government corruption and excessive spending for the World Cup infuriated the Brazilian people. They took to the streets. Their government was squandering money needed for more schools, hospitals, housing, and transportation.

Anger grew, too, with the displacement of residents from favelas (poor, working class communities) to make way for new sports facilities, parking lots, bus routes, and improvements in tourism infrastructure. Families living in those communities for decades were devastated (see video below).

On the Way to the World Cup 2014 – Demolitions & Displacement of Families
(with English subtitles)
12 June 2014

Since falling in love with Brazilian football, I have cheered and agonized while watching my favorite teams play in the last six World Cup games. This year, the great year for Brazil football, is different for me. Football has lost its enchantment.

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Brazil FIFA World Cup 2014: Safety Tips

18 Sunday May 2014

Posted by in Brazil, Leisure & Entertainment, Urban Violence

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Brazil World Cup Poster 2014Brazil World Cup 2014 Poster
Photo Credit: Portal Brasil

 

While football (American soccer) fans in North America, Europe, and other regions worldwide prepare to travel to Brazil for the FIFA World Cup 2014, just twenty-five days away, Brazilians continue to protest in the streets.

Working class Brazilians are angry. The government has spent billions on preparations for the World Cup: money needed for schools, hospitals, housing, and transportation. Discontent is rife among residents of favelas (slums) in Rio de Janeiro where police and military forces are indiscriminately cracking down on criminal elements, to ensure the security of millions of tourists arriving for the games. Increase in rents in the neighborhood surrounding the new World Cup stadium in São Paulo is yet another source of conflict.

To prevent violent protestors from disrupting the games and counter any terrorist threat, the Brazilian government, with the assistance of American and other foreign expertise, has beefed up security. When deployed in the twelve host cities, the proposed 150,000 heavily armed police and military security forces will also serve to inflame the already angry local population.

World Cup fans can stay safe by steering clear of the street protests. They’re likely to turn bloody.

Latrocínio (robbery followed by death), a common crime in Brazil’s most violent cities, is another serious threat. In their safety guide, for distribution to tourists arriving at the airports, the São Paulo Civil Police warn: When robbed, “don’t react, scream or argue.” Robbers who are armed and under the influence of drugs, when countered, do not hesitate to use violence.

The case of the young woman, out jogging one morning along the seaside promenade in Fortaleza, left a lasting impression on me. She lost her life for refusing to hand over her running shoes to the robber.

Reduce the risks to your security by moving about in groups when visiting selective tourist attractions, night clubs and bars. Be alert when walking along city streets. Observe if you’re being followed. Get lost and you set yourself up for trouble. The person offering assistance may actually be part of a scheme to rob you that could end in violence.

Find more safety tips in an article published in the Diário do Nordeste of Fortaleza, Ceará, in March 2014.

Stay safe. Enjoy the games.

My Neighbor Benny

01 Sunday Sep 2013

Posted by in Leisure & Entertainment, People, United States

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Ben Mitchell - New York Glam Rock Band Lead Guitarist - Portrait by Phillip AcevesBen Mitchell – Glam Rock Band Lead Guitarist
New York/USA – 1970s to 1990s
Portrait by Young American Artist, Phillip Aceves

My neighbor Benny Capasso is a soft-spoken, unassuming man. His thick black hair falls over his forehead and ears. I’ve seen him come and go, carrying a black guitar case. In May 2013, graduating with a Bachelor of Music (Honors) degree, he was happy that his studies were over.

In July, Phillip Aceves posted the above portrait of Benny on his Facebook page. Imagine my surprise! Benny was a former Glam Rock Band lead guitarist who had played with the best in rock at clubs in the Lower East Side of New York City where he was born. During his days in the limelight, people asked to take photos with him. Such public recognition still amazes him.

Influenced by his first generation Italian-American father, a photographer and swing dancer, Benny began playing the clarinet at eight years old. After playing the clarinet for nine years and learning to play the piano, Benny fell in love with the guitar.

In the late 1960s when he joined the Grindle rock band, Benny, then known as Ben Mitchell, embarked on his journey to success as a lead guitarist. Performing in New York’s top concert venue and popular clubs pushed him into the limelight. When the band went defunct, he played an active role in the emerging 1970s New York Glam Rock.

The Magic Tramps Glam Rock Band - New York 1980sThe Magic Tramps Rock Band – New York 1980s
(Ben Mitchell in the far back)

After guitarist Rick Rivets founded The Brats in the early 1970s, Benny became one of their lead guitarists. While the band played in the New York clubs, they shared billings with Joey Ramone, Blondie, Wayne County, Street Punk, and other acts. Benny also jammed with Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons of Wicked Lester, which later become known as KISS.

In the 1980s and 1990s, Benny performed with several other bands, including The Magic Tramps, another successful Glam Rock band, Maximum Overdrive, Goldie Locks, the Rocket Project, and Strange Love. With the loss of their star drummer, Strange Love floundered: a great blow for Benny. Later, cancellation of his audition for the Ozzy Osbourne group left a deep wound. The music within him died.

Maximum Overdrive Rock Band - New York Late 1980sMaximum Overdrive – New York 1980s
(L to R: Ben Mitchell, Marky Ramone, Franky Gibson)

Then, the September 11 attack on the World Trade Center changed his life. As the toxic dust settled over his neighborhood, Benny’s lungs were no longer the same. In 2004, he moved to Los Angeles for a new beginning.

After his years of dedication to obtain his degree, Benny is ready for the new phase in his life as a music teacher of guitar and classic guitar. With his years of performance in New York’s rock bands, he has much more to offer his students than technical training, music theory, and musicianship.

For young musicians seeking a career in music, Benny offers this advice: “A personal desire to pursue the Arts is a valid reason for you to do so, regardless of what obstacles life presents to you.”

In contact with former Strange Love band members, Benny plans to get the group together again for recording some of their old hits. Stay tuned.

Strange Love Rock Band - New York 1990sStrange Love – New York 1990s
(Ben Mitchell on the left)

Friday Night “Happy Hour” in Brazil

24 Sunday Feb 2013

Posted by in Brazil, Leisure & Entertainment, Working Life

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Toast with Mugs of Beer

Toast with Mugs of Beer

Source: jangadeiroonline.com.br

 

Brazilians love cervejas (beer). Women are beer drinkers on a par with men. With the high demand for beer, the national production of 13 billion liters places Brazil in third place worldwide, after China and the United States (CervBrasil). Happy hour on Friday evenings after work was not only the time for friends to get together after a week of hard work, it was also time for enjoying your favorite beer and trying out new brands.

About a year after joining the staff at Ceará Importers,* the other three female department heads invited me to join them for a happy hour at their favorite barraca on the beach, Praia do Futuro, a fifteen-minute drive from our workplace. Fátima* was a widow with a fifteen-year-old daughter. Regina* was a young married woman with a toddler. Tatiana* was single, with a boyfriend who kept track of her movements by frequent calls to her cell phone. They encouraged me to try a beer.

Barraca - Praia do Futuro - CearaBarraca – Praia do Futuro – Ceará

As an adolescent, after witnessing the violent behavior and human degradation of rum drinkers in my native land, I had made an oath never to consume alcoholic beverages.

“You have to loosen up,” Fátima told me. “Life is tough. We have to take advantage of the good things at our disposal.”

They filled up on six rounds of beers that had to be ice-cold. Fearful of getting tipsy and not getting home safely, I nursed one bottle of beer. I enjoyed our time together and joined them on subsequent occasions when I was not working late.

The last time we spent a happy hour together took place in an upscale restaurant and bar in Fortaleza. We talked about work, life, and our dreams. Our laughter grew louder with each new round of beers. Our waiter surprised us with a free round of beers, compliments of a group of handsome young men at a table nearby. With my self-limit of three beers, I remained totally alert.

We celebrated Regina’s new home-based marmita business venture: hot meals in round aluminum containers delivered to her customers at their workplace. Given the success during her first three months in operation, she invited us to partner with her to cater to the growing demand for her marmitas. Raising our glasses above our heads, we toasted our future together as entrepreneurs.

Our plan for becoming entrepreneurs was short-lived. Shortly afterwards, Regina was fired for embezzling the firm. It was an unsettling time.

Through our happy hours together, I had forged a bond with my female colleagues and was accepted as one of them. I smile on remembering the Friday night we stood on the beach and howled at the full moon.

*Fictitious Name

LEARN ABOUT BRAZIL’S BEER MARKET:

A Hot Summer Afternoon at the Santa Monica Pier

15 Sunday Jul 2012

Posted by in Leisure & Entertainment, United States

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Santa Monica Pier – Southern California – USA

 Source: http://www.48hourvisit.com

 

Now that summer is here, I enjoy taking weekend walks along the beach. Hot, sunny days are infectious in Los Angeles. Residents gravitate towards the ocean. For my Sunday afternoon stroll along the Santa Monica Pier, I am prepared for the merciless heat: cap with visor, sunglasses, sunscreen, and water to stay hydrated. Sunlight makes my spirit soar and burns away the darkness. Under a clear sky, with the ocean stretching to the horizon, the world seems limitless. My spirit is free to roam.

Standing at the stone banister overlooking the highway below, I gaze at the pier and amusement park, and the expansive sandy beach that disappears into the ocean. In the packed asphalted beachfront parking lot, sunlight bounces off glass surfaces and stabs me in the eyes. The ocean sparkles like liquid diamond. Sunbathers litter the beach near the water’s edge.

The roadway to the pier descends at a 45-degree angle. Protective railings along paved sidewalks, flanking the access road, prevent visitors from plunging to the highway below. The descent is no problem; the upward climb punishes my knees. When the roadway ends, the surface changes to wide wooden planks secured with large bolts.

On the pier, the mass of bodies is not as dense as it appeared from above. There is lots of space to move freely without bumping into others. Sharing the same space, under the same sky, among people seeking sun and diversion makes me one with humankind. Families and friends pose for photographs: happy moments spent together frozen in time. We are all travelers on our journey through life.

I pass the war memorial: a “temporary cemetery” of red and white crosses aligned in neat rows across the beach to my right. I do not dwell on this tragedy of war, destruction, and needless deaths. Today, I want to enjoy being a part of Earth’s life-giving sunlight, air, and water.

The seafood restaurant near the entrance of the pier is a popular eating place. There are people waiting at the door for a table. Food stands offer churros, pretzel, popcorn, candy, funnel cake, ice cream, and more.

A sign advertises a photo with a Hollywood star for only $6.00. I look on as a young girl smiles for her photo next to a life-size standup poster of Justin Bieber. For another small fee, you can get your name carved on a grain of rice. An artist transforms the face of a young man into a humorous caricature.

Pacific Park dominates the pier with its giant Ferris wheel, rollercoaster, and other rides. Children scream. A helicopter chops the air overhead. A young man beats out a discordant rhythm on upturned plastic buckets and metal containers. A crowd gathers to watch him perform.  Further ahead, a beautiful female voice, accompanied by recorded orchestra music, floats on the air.

I breathe in scents of ocean spray and grilled fish. Time lingers under a sunny sky at the beach.