tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22553742665929698922024-03-19T10:13:01.940-07:00s b a r t h e l e m y...from rio to boston to paris to manhattan back to the marvelous city and now on to the worldSamantha Barthelemyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995426823636022242noreply@blogger.comBlogger56125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2255374266592969892.post-51212146145067480222013-02-09T11:30:00.001-08:002013-02-09T11:30:27.108-08:00é carnaval<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Há muito tempo não escrevo. Talvez por "falta de tempo", talvez porque não soubesse exatamente o que escrever. Mas hoje, sábado 09 de fevereiro de 2013, sábado de Carnaval na cidade do Rio de Janeiro, senti-me inspirada. Há alguns dias - ou desde o "fim" das festas de Reveillon - o Rio de Janeiro gira em volta dos preparativos e realizações carnavalescas. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Mesmo aqueles que não apreciam o Carnaval têm de concordar que todos têm o direito, e muitos precisam, se divertir, "colocar para fora", se fantasiar, agir "como se não houvesse..." ou como "se não fosse", se reunir com os amigos, beber, pular as noites e dias inteiros, enfim, aproveitar. Milhões, sim, milhões de cariocas e turistas brasileiros e estrangeiros descem às ruas festejar, contagiar com alegria e amor e celebrar a vida. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Mas... não conseguimos ainda 10.000 para marchar em protesto contra a corrupção.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">O problema não é o Carnaval. Mas o ânimo e mobilização que tomam a cidade e o país nestes dias de festa chocam-se contra a paralisia e apatia característica de nossos foliões nos outros meses do ano. É impossível não parar para refletir. Permitimos as eleições com larga vantagem de <a href="http://oglobo.globo.com/pais/renan-calheiros-eleito-presidente-do-senado-com-larga-vantagem-7460119">Renan Calheiros</a> à Presidência do Senado e <a href="http://oglobo.globo.com/pais/henrique-alves-eleito-presidente-da-camara-7485074">Henrique Alves</a> à Câmara. Permitimos que <a href="http://oglobo.globo.com/pais/stf-deve-cassar-mandatos-de-parlamentares-condenados-pelo-mensalao-6949945">condenados</a> do <a href="http://www.economist.com/news/americas/21568722-historic-trial-those-guilty-legislative-votes-cash-scheme-draws-close">julgamento histórico</a> do mensalão permaneçam nas articulações políticas. Permitimos ao excesso de feriados em dias de semana levar à uma <a href="https://www.google.com.br/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CC4QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.firjan.org.br%2Flumis%2Fportal%2Ffile%2FfileDownload.jsp%3FfileId%3D2C908CEC357F704F0135826A91DC0C8B&ei=YJ4WUcLXHIXM9QTT1YGYBg&usg=AFQjCNELInNAmINA3mnB-Pfe2OYdsZ52Fw&bvm=bv.42080656,d.eWU">perda estimada em 5,3%</a> do PIB industrial do estado do Rio - o suficiente para cobrir quatro vezes o investimento estimado para a construção da linha 4 do Metrô. Permitimos que a perda estimada para este ano fique <a href="http://www.mdj.com.br/pt/publicacoes/boletim-mdj/298-boletim-460ix.html">em R$10.59 bilhões</a>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Permitimos verdadeiras barbaridades contra nosso povo, nossa cidade, nosso país e nossa dignidade. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Que continuemos pulando e aproveitando as belezas da cidade maravilhosa. Que continuemos felizes, cobiçados e elogiados por povos de todas as partes do mundo. E que façamos isso com responsabilidade e com a mente e coração tranquilos, na certeza de que com ainda mais energia que festejamos em fevereiro, nós lutamos - cada um a sua maneira - para transformar o futuro em uma realidade mais digna. Uma realidade da qual possamos verdadeiramente nos orgulhar e pela qual teremos amplos motivos de festejar. Sejamos cariocas e brasileiros foliões em todos os dias do ano. </span></div>
Samantha Barthelemyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995426823636022242noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2255374266592969892.post-5509243668654253232012-06-07T11:24:00.000-07:002012-06-07T11:24:24.018-07:00sensibilizar para formar - escolas do amanhã digital<br />
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<b style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; font-size: 1em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Encontro estreita laços de estagiários com a cultura digital e suas comunidades</span></b></div>
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<span class="font-size-2" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.2 !important; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Reportagem: Rafael Argemon</span></span></div>
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<span class="font-size-2" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.2 !important; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Edição: Sônia Bertocchi</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Com a participação de representantes da Secretaria Municipal de Educação do Rio de Janeiro, Unesco e Fundação Telefônica Vivo, aconteceu no dia 17 de abril, no Centro de Artes Calouste Gulbenkian, região central do Rio, o Primeiro Encontro 2012 de Formação Presencial de Estagiários das Salas de Informáticado Programa Escolas do Amanhã.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">O evento faz parte do projeto <a href="http://escolasdoamanhadigital.ning.com/page/projeto" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; color: #0099cc; font-size: 1em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_self">Escolas do Amanhã Digital</a>, uma iniciativa da Fundação Telefônica Vivo que tem por objetivo formar estagiários para atuar junto aos professores das escolas integrantes do programa e ampliar o <span style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; font-size: 1em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">uso qualificado dos laboratórios de informática.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><a href="http://escolasdoamanhadigital.ning.com/" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; color: #0099cc; font-size: 1em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_self"><img class="align-left" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-nuwdBvfu99I/T4Z3HpzTLbI/AAAAAAAAAEM/VfIBrj52rSM/s306/amanh%25C3%25A3%2520digital%2520logo%2520novo5.png?width=150" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; display: inline !important; float: left !important; font-size: 1em; height: auto; margin: 5px 25px 10px 0px !important; max-width: 737px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;" width="150" /></a>Após uma apresentação sobre o papel de cada um dos parceiros do projeto, os estagiários participaram do lançamento da Comunidade Virtual do Projeto Escolas do Amanhã Digital (<a href="http://escolasdoamanhadigital.ning.com/" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; color: #0099cc; font-size: 1em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">http://escolasdoamanhadigital.ning.com</a>): uma nova plataforma exclusiva para que formadores e estagiários interajam de forma mais direta e segura. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">E o encontro foi um sucesso. Parceiros e estagiários saíram gratificados da experiência, que será repetida nos meses de junho, agosto, outubro e dezembro de 2012. <i style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; font-size: 1em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">"Foi fantástico! Acho que foi um dos melhores encontros. Muito boa a dinâmica realizada, e ainda fomos apresentados à nossa ferramenta nova"</i>, relatou o estagiário José Pontes em um post no Facebook logo após o evento.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Opinião compartilhada por Samantha Barthelemy, da Secretaria de Educação:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><i style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; font-size: 1em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">"A<a href="http://api.ning.com/files/xorPYQRorQVl*tISSzcsfXZ6NMt*QDP2tECRAY3tb*JnZmMkhVxjUfECTYldXboxKd1U9D2xTzV6PQZpasdWg8NHe0Uzystt/SamanthaBartehelemy.jpg" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; color: #0099cc; font-size: 1em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_self"><img class="align-right" src="http://api.ning.com/files/xorPYQRorQVl*tISSzcsfXZ6NMt*QDP2tECRAY3tb*JnZmMkhVxjUfECTYldXboxKd1U9D2xTzV6PQZpasdWg8NHe0Uzystt/SamanthaBartehelemy.jpg?width=200" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; display: inline !important; float: right !important; font-size: 1em; height: auto; margin: 5px 0px 10px 25px !important; max-width: 737px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: right; vertical-align: baseline;" width="200" /></a> comunicação entre nós e os estagiários é fundamental para o bom andamento do programa. Por isso, u</i><i style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; font-size: 1em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">m encontro com a participação de todos é tão importante. Os estagiários têm seu papel valorizado, </i><i style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; font-size: 1em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">entendendo o tamanho do projeto e de como o trabalho deles tem um impacto positivo na vida dos estudantes. E nós temos o feedback de que precisamos. Foi um dia de muito aprendizado e diversão também."</i> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Para ler na íntegra acesse <a href="http://escolasdoamanhadigital.ning.com/page/sensibilizar-para-formar">Escolas do Amanhã Digital</a> </span></div>Samantha Barthelemyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995426823636022242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2255374266592969892.post-89040737480598652752012-03-17T15:59:00.001-07:002012-03-17T15:59:59.241-07:00children see. children do.<span ><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHi2dxSf9hw">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHi2dxSf9hw</a></span>Samantha Barthelemyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995426823636022242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2255374266592969892.post-47932515134343167362012-03-17T15:57:00.000-07:002012-03-17T15:59:04.958-07:00the girl effect - video<span ><a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/girleffect">http://www.youtube.com/user/girleffect</a></span>Samantha Barthelemyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995426823636022242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2255374266592969892.post-57062942379924827752011-10-19T18:44:00.000-07:002011-10-19T18:45:54.347-07:00a short-term goodbye<p style="text-align: justify; font-family: courier new;"><span style="font-size:100%;">RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – One month after a poorly maintained Santa Teresa <em>bonde</em> (trolley car) <a href="http://riotimesonline.com/brazil-news/rio-daily/accident-with-bonde-kills-5-in-santa-teresa-daily-update/" target="_blank">derailed and flipped killing five people and wounding nearly sixty others</a>, Rio de Janeiro witnessed another avoidable tragedy.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify; font-family: courier new;"><span style="font-size:100%;">On October 13<sup>th </sup><a href="http://riotimesonline.com/brazil-news/rio-daily/explosion-in-centro-rio-kills-three-daily/" target="_blank">an explosion completely destroyed Filé Carioca</a>, a restaurant in downtown Rio’s newly renovated Praça Tiradentes, killing three people and injuring nearly twenty more.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify; font-family: courier new;"><span style="font-style: italic;">For the complete version of this article, please visit </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://riotimesonline.com/brazil-news/opinion-editorial/opinion/a-short-term-goodbye/comment-page-1/#comment-45400">The Rio Times</a><span style="font-style: italic;">. </span><br /></p>Samantha Barthelemyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995426823636022242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2255374266592969892.post-75226395026577737362011-10-05T18:47:00.000-07:002011-10-05T18:49:17.881-07:00conquering the enemy within<p style="text-align: justify; font-family: courier new;">RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Every once in a while a scandal comes along to remind us that despite the soon-to-be-hosted <a href="http://riotimesonline.com/brazil-news/rio-business/rio%E2%80%99s-world-cup-and-olympic-legacy-economics/" target="_blank">2016 Summer Olympics</a> and the successes of the 3rd <a href="http://riotimesonline.com/brazil-news/rio-daily/guns-n-roses-close-2011-rock-in-rio/" target="_blank">Rock in Rio Festival</a>, “all is not well” in the <a href="http://riotimesonline.com/brazil-news/opinion-editorial/opinion/violence-in-the-marvelous-city/" target="_blank">Marvelous City</a>.</p><p style="text-align: justify; font-family: courier new;">Rio State’s Security Secretary, <a href="http://riotimesonline.com/brazil-news/rio-politics/favelas-feel-upp-progress-in-some-areas/" target="_blank">José Mariano Beltrame</a>, says he is losing sleep. Well, he is not the only one.</p><p style="text-align: justify; font-family: courier new;"><span style="font-style: italic;">For the complete version of this article, please visit </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://riotimesonline.com/brazil-news/opinion-editorial/opinion/conquering-the-enemy-within/">The Rio Times</a><span style="font-style: italic;">.</span><br /></p>Samantha Barthelemyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995426823636022242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2255374266592969892.post-31156011532388404192011-10-01T05:38:00.000-07:002011-10-01T05:39:47.526-07:00and the r$1 trillion goes to...<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: courier new;">RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – São Paulo’s Commercial Association (Associação Comercial Paulista) announced that the sum of taxes paid by Brazilians since the beginning of 2011 reached one trillion reais 35 days earlier than last year. So where is it all going?</span> </div><p style="font-family: courier new; text-align: justify;">Welcome to the land of the highest taxes and corruption rates in the entire world.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: courier new;">For the complete version of this article, please visit </span><a style="font-family: courier new;" href="http://riotimesonline.com/brazil-news/opinion-editorial/opinion/and-the-r1-trillion-goes-to/"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Rio Times.</span></a><br /></div>Samantha Barthelemyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995426823636022242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2255374266592969892.post-7137530557684883302011-09-07T05:12:00.000-07:002011-09-07T05:13:23.841-07:00you can put the blame on...<p style="font-family: courier new; text-align: justify;">RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – I guess over here you can put the blame on whomever or whatever you want – the key is to not be held responsible, let alone be punished, for <em>anything</em>.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: courier new;"> </span> </div><p style="font-family: courier new; text-align: justify;">Unavoidable accidents do happen – as do avoidable ones. But how a society and its authorities react to it (in no way an inevitable feat of life) says a lot about its character.</p><p style="font-family: courier new; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-style: italic;">For the complete version of this article, please visit <a href="http://riotimesonline.com/brazil-news/opinion-editorial/opinion/you-can-put-the-blame-on/">The Rio Times</a>. </span><br /></p>Samantha Barthelemyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995426823636022242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2255374266592969892.post-14966650216328297612011-08-23T19:31:00.000-07:002011-08-23T19:32:51.106-07:00living in the marvelously expensive city (part deux)<p style="text-align: justify; font-family: courier new;">RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – I was quite surprised and truly pleased with the response to my last article on the <a href="http://riotimesonline.com/brazil-news/opinion-editorial/opinion/living-in-the-marvelously-expensive-city/" target="_blank">soaring costs of living in our marvelously expensive city</a>, Rio de Janeiro.</p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: courier new;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify; font-family: courier new;">I absolutely loved the nearly 200 Facebook “Likes” and comments! Thank you!</p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: courier new;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify; font-family: courier new;">But surprise and pleasure aside, I got to thinking about some articles I wrote on <a href="http://riotimesonline.com/brazil-news/opinion-editorial/opinion/elite-what/" target="_blank">public security policies</a>, <a href="http://riotimesonline.com/brazil-news/opinion-editorial/opinion/creating-a-new-tomorrow-for-rio-de-janeiro/" target="_blank">public education</a> and <a href="http://riotimesonline.com/brazil-news/opinion-editorial/opinion/the-%E2%80%9Ctragedy%E2%80%9D-of-corruption/" target="_blank">government corruption</a>.</p><p style="text-align: justify; font-family: courier new;">For the complete version of this article, please visit <a href="http://riotimesonline.com/brazil-news/opinion-editorial/opinion/living-in-the-marvelously-expensive-city-part-deux/">The Rio Times</a>.
<br /></p>Samantha Barthelemyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995426823636022242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2255374266592969892.post-80505290498996189372011-08-20T06:45:00.000-07:002011-08-20T06:46:40.326-07:00zero hora bets on hyperlocal content and younger audiences<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: courier new;"></span><span style="font-family: courier new;">Marcelo Rech, the first general director for products at RBS Group, sees the future in hyperlocal news and a proactive and innovative online strategy to engage younger audiences.</span></span>
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<br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: courier new;"> Zero Hora, the group’s flagship title, is Brazil’s sixth largest newspaper by circulation, with 4.37 percent of the national market and an annual average circulation of 186,157 daily copies, according to Brazil’s circulation body, Instituto Verificador de Circulação.</span></span>
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<br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: courier new;">For the complete version of this article, please visit </span><a style="font-family: courier new;" href="http://www.newsbizblog.org/2011/08/zero-hora-bets-on-hyperlocal-content.html">NewsBizBlog.</a><span style="font-family: courier new;"> </span></span>
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<br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: courier new;">Silvio José Genesini Júnior sees the future of print in a stronger and more credible product. To adapt to a changing media market, the newspaper’s main strategy is to use its offline and online content, together, to solidify its traditional brand, says the chief executive officer of Grupo Estado, which publishes Brazil’s fourth largest newspaper, O Estado de São Paulo.</span></span></span>
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<br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: courier new;">For the complete version of this article, please visit </span><a style="font-family: courier new;" href="http://www.newsbizblog.org/2011/08/estadao-bets-on-stronger-brand-for.html">NewsBizBlog. </a></span></span>
<br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></span></div>Samantha Barthelemyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995426823636022242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2255374266592969892.post-68991075132172836642011-08-10T10:19:00.000-07:002011-08-10T10:20:41.561-07:00living in the marvelously expensive city<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: courier new;">RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Everyone is talking about the soaring costs of living in Rio de Janeiro – the 12th most expensive city in the world for expats according to Mercer’s 2011 Worldwide Cost of Living Survey.</span>
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<br /><span style="font-family: courier new;">We are all feeling the pain.</span>
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<br /><span style="font-family: courier new;">I moved back to Rio in July – after years of living between New York and Paris, the 32nd and 27th most expensive cities in the world, respectively – and am shocked at the price of everything.</span>
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<br /><span style="font-family: courier new;">For the complete version of this article, please visit </span><a href="http://riotimesonline.com/brazil-news/opinion-editorial/opinion/living-in-the-marvelously-expensive-city/"><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: courier new;">The Rio Times</span></a><span style="font-family: courier new;">. </span></span>
<br />Samantha Barthelemyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995426823636022242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2255374266592969892.post-31594384511416240892011-07-27T15:34:00.000-07:002011-07-27T15:36:57.100-07:00the "tragedy" of corruption<p style="text-align: justify; font-family: courier new;">RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Worse than having a government plagued by corruption – a problem <a href="http://riotimesonline.com/brazil-news/opinion-editorial/opinion/herding-cats-iv-or-transports-of-delight/" target="_blank">by no means exclusive</a> to the Brazilian society – is denouncing corruption and then allowing it to remain unpunished.</p><p style="text-align: justify; font-family: courier new;">We are becoming complacent, conformed. Under the anesthesia of successive corruption scandals little seems to shock us, and nothing spurs us to action.</p><p style="text-align: justify; font-family: courier new;"><span style="font-style: italic;">For the complete version of this article, please visit </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://riotimesonline.com/brazil-news/opinion-editorial/opinion/the-%E2%80%9Ctragedy%E2%80%9D-of-corruption/">The Rio Times</a><span style="font-style: italic;">. </span><br /></p>Samantha Barthelemyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995426823636022242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2255374266592969892.post-86008772060525339742011-06-29T08:26:00.000-07:002011-06-29T08:28:22.790-07:00making smart use of the brain gain<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: courier new;">RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Moving to the United States seemed an obvious path to many of my generation. If you were among the lucky ones with the opportunity to study and work abroad – where higher salaries and a better quality of life were a certainty – why not take it? I did.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: courier new;">Now thousands of compatriots once in search of the American dream are coming back to be a part of the new Brazilian reality. And we are not alone, as foreign investors and residents follow suit.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: courier new; font-style: italic;">For the complete version of this article, please visit </span><a style="font-family: courier new; font-style: italic;" href="http://riotimesonline.com/brazil-news/opinion-editorial/opinion/making-smart-use-of-the-brain-gain/">The Rio Times</a><span style="font-family: courier new; font-style: italic;">. </span><br /></div>Samantha Barthelemyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995426823636022242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2255374266592969892.post-75216922330476553012011-06-27T07:25:00.000-07:002011-06-27T07:39:52.922-07:00eight ways to change the world<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEher7wNzRU9OI4V_JpEr9tq8h8TvYXi7UfiOMmTPQufnQIrCUbyRkjxw0zcJiY27FtRRoieyQjAiZrmFBthbN-MWkfs4F58GSLtPXf4P3zV3C5FeVafVKMRVuVpRfZ-NvqMIEIp2z-3M4o/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-06-27+at+11.36.43+AM.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 471px; height: 137px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEher7wNzRU9OI4V_JpEr9tq8h8TvYXi7UfiOMmTPQufnQIrCUbyRkjxw0zcJiY27FtRRoieyQjAiZrmFBthbN-MWkfs4F58GSLtPXf4P3zV3C5FeVafVKMRVuVpRfZ-NvqMIEIp2z-3M4o/s320/Screen+shot+2011-06-27+at+11.36.43+AM.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5622908614010070754" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Cambria; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin-top:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:10.0pt; margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; 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mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0in; text-align: justify; font-family: courier new;font-family:courier new;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">TOGETHER: YES, WE CAN!</b></span></p><div face="courier new" style="text-align: justify; font-family: courier new;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0in; text-align: justify; font-family: courier new;font-family:courier new;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><u><span style="text-decoration:none"> </span></u></i></b></span></p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: courier new;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0in; text-align: justify; font-family: courier new;font-family:courier new;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">“Let us be clear about the costs of missing this opportunity: millions of lives that could have been saved will be lost; many freedoms that could have been secured will be denied; and we shall inhabit a more dangerous and unstable world.”</i><a style="" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2255374266592969892&postID=7521692233047655301&from=pencil#_ftn1" name="_ftnref" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="">[1]</span></span></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0in; text-align: justify; font-family: courier new;font-family:courier new;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a style="" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2255374266592969892&postID=7521692233047655301&from=pencil#_ftn1" name="_ftnref" title=""></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0in; text-align: justify; font-family: courier new;font-family:courier new;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a style="" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2255374266592969892&postID=7521692233047655301&from=pencil#_ftn1" name="_ftnref" title=""></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0in; text-align: justify; font-family: courier new;font-family:courier new;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2255374266592969892&postID=7521692233047655301&from=pencil#_ftn1" name="_ftnref" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote"><br /></span></span></a></span></p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: courier new;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0in; text-align: justify; font-family: courier new;font-family:courier new;"> </p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: courier new;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0in; text-align: justify; font-family: courier new;font-family:courier new;"><span style="font-size:100%;">With these words in mind, let us develop on the United Nations Millennium Development Goals 1 and 2, children and the case of Brazil. A sustainable end to world poverty as we know it, as well as the path to peace and security, require that citizens in every country be empowered to make positive choices and provide for themselves and their families.<a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2255374266592969892&postID=7521692233047655301&from=pencil#_ftn2" name="_ftnref" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character:footnote">[2]</span></span></a><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0in; text-align: justify; font-family: courier new;font-family:courier new;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" face="courier new" style="margin: 0.1pt 0in; text-align: justify; font-family: courier new;"><span style="font-size:100%;">As stated by the current Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, education plays a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">key</i> role for reaching the eight targets for slashing poverty, illiteracy and all other major socio-economic ills by the year 2015.<a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2255374266592969892&postID=7521692233047655301&from=pencil#_ftn3" name="_ftnref" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character:footnote">[3]</span></span></a> We have had ample evidence that education improves individual incomes, economic growth, child and maternal health, families’ well being, equality between the races, classes and sexes, resistance to diseases and environmental practices.<a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2255374266592969892&postID=7521692233047655301&from=pencil#_ftn4" name="_ftnref" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character:footnote">[4]</span></span></a> Closing the education gap is the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">only</i> way to ensure that children everywhere in the world will receive the education they deserve and put individuals and countries on a sure footing towards a stable future.<a style="" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2255374266592969892&postID=7521692233047655301&from=pencil#_ftn5" name="_ftnref" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="">[5]</span></span></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0in; font-family: courier new; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2255374266592969892&postID=7521692233047655301&from=pencil#_ftn5" name="_ftnref" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote"><br /></span></span></a> </span></p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: courier new;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0in; font-family: courier new; text-align: justify;"> </p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: courier new;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; font-family: courier new;font-family:courier new;"><span style="font-size:100%;">What is unique about this work is that it goes beyond a country analysis into the development of a project proposal to be implemented in Brazil in partnership with United Nations local agencies – such as UNDP, UNICEF and UNESCO – and local NGOs. In general terms, the objective is to utilize what has been learned throughout the course of the academic semester, throughout this extensive research and through the received feedback to inform and to strengthen Brazil’s youth. We want to teach children about the United Nations, an institution we admire greatly, about the Millennium Development Goals and their rights and duties as citizens of this world.</span></p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: courier new;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; font-family: courier new;font-family:courier new;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Holding the fundamental conviction that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">everything</i> starts at the base, at the very roots, we have chosen to tackle MDGs 1 and 2, with a focus on children, for we believe children are the basis for change and that the fight against poverty, hunger, violence, inequality, diseases, environmental degradation or any other issue facing our world, will only be achieved effectively and sustainably through education. In a search for change, we are looking to influence attitudes and mentalities.<a style="" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2255374266592969892&postID=7521692233047655301&from=pencil#_ftn6" name="_ftnref" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="">[6]</span></span></a></span></p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: courier new;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; font-family: courier new;font-family:courier new;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2255374266592969892&postID=7521692233047655301&from=pencil#_ftn6" name="_ftnref" title=""></a>Even though all eight Millennium Goals are essential to ensure a stable and sure future, no objective can be successfully attained if we do not combat poverty, hunger and the lack of education <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">first</i>.<a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2255374266592969892&postID=7521692233047655301&from=pencil#_ftn7" name="_ftnref" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character:footnote">[7]</span></span></a> Evidently, we cannot ask for universal education if people do not have the minimum necessary to survive – which is the freedom from extreme poverty and the freedom from hunger. After all, how can we expect those who are going hungry to learn how to read or write, and how can we expect those who cannot read or write to fight for their and others’ rights? Let us not forget, education <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">beats</i><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"> </b>poverty and gives people tools to help themselves.<a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2255374266592969892&postID=7521692233047655301&from=pencil#_ftn8" name="_ftnref" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character:footnote">[8]</span></span></a><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; font-family: courier new;font-family:courier new;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; font-family: courier new;font-family:courier new;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Raising our voice, and raising awareness, we can make education a reality for the millions of boys and girls who remain out of school in Brazil.<a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2255374266592969892&postID=7521692233047655301&from=pencil#_ftn9" name="_ftnref" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character:footnote">[9]</span></span></a> Thus, we are looking for a long-term solution to what we consider to be a “generational transmission” of poverty, hunger and inequality plaguing our beautiful and vibrant society.<a style="" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2255374266592969892&postID=7521692233047655301&from=pencil#_ftn10" name="_ftnref" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="">[10]</span></span></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; font-family: courier new;font-family:courier new;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a style="" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2255374266592969892&postID=7521692233047655301&from=pencil#_ftn10" name="_ftnref" title=""></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; font-family: courier new;font-family:courier new;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2255374266592969892&postID=7521692233047655301&from=pencil#_ftn10" name="_ftnref" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character:footnote"><br /></span></span></a> </span></p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: courier new;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;font-family:courier new;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; font-family: courier new;font-size:100%;" >This text is an excerpt from a long and beautiful research project (01 - 08/2010) on the Millennium Development Goals 1 & 2 in Brazil. If you have any interest in seeing the rest of the material, please contact me directly.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: courier new;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; font-family: courier new; text-align: justify;"> </p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: courier new;"> </div><div style="font-family:courier new;"><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: courier new;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></div><hr style="margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; font-family: courier new; height: 3px;" size="1" width="33%"><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: courier new;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family:times new roman;" id="ftn"> <p class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2255374266592969892&postID=7521692233047655301&from=pencil#_ftnref" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character:footnote">[1]</span></span></a></span><span style="font-size:78%;"> </span><span style="font-size:78%;">Kofi Annan, former United Nations Secretary-General, in the Foreword to The Millennium Development Goals Report, 2005.</span></p> </div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family:times new roman;" id="ftn"> <p class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2255374266592969892&postID=7521692233047655301&from=pencil#_ftnref" name="_ftn2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character:footnote">[2]</span></span></a></span><span style="font-size:78%;"> End Poverty 2015: <a href="http://www.endpoverty2015.org/goals/universal-education">http://www.endpoverty2015.org/goals/universal-education</a>. </span></p> </div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family:times new roman;" id="ftn"> <p class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2255374266592969892&postID=7521692233047655301&from=pencil#_ftnref" name="_ftn3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character:footnote">[3]</span></span></a></span><span style="font-size:78%;"> Ibid.</span></p> </div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family:times new roman;" id="ftn"> <p class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2255374266592969892&postID=7521692233047655301&from=pencil#_ftnref" name="_ftn4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character:footnote">[4]</span></span></a></span><span style="font-size:78%;"> Ibid. </span></p> </div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family:times new roman;" id="ftn"> <p class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2255374266592969892&postID=7521692233047655301&from=pencil#_ftnref" name="_ftn5" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character:footnote">[5]</span></span></a></span><span style="font-size:78%;"> Ibid.</span></p> </div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family:times new roman;" id="ftn"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2255374266592969892&postID=7521692233047655301&from=pencil#_ftnref" name="_ftn6" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character:footnote">[6]</span></span></a></span><span style="font-size:78%;"> We share the fundamental belief in the importance of diffusing information about the United Nations and its Millennium Development Goals. As we have already discussed, societies in developing countries, such as Brazil, suffer significantly from the lack of education and information provided to its people. The MDGs campaign has increased awareness of the issues and problems facing the world’s most destitute. And, the more people are aware of a problem, the more populations, governments and organizations can assist in tackling global issues such as poverty and extreme hunger. </span></p> </div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family:times new roman;" id="ftn"> <p class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2255374266592969892&postID=7521692233047655301&from=pencil#_ftnref" name="_ftn7" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character:footnote">[7]</span></span></a></span><span style="font-size:78%;"> Millennium Development Goals Report, 2009: 15. The large numbers of out-of-school children is specially worrisome because of the impact it will have on other MDGs. Evidence shows, for instance, that an increase in the share of mothers with a primary or secondary education is associated with a reduction in child mortality rate, and that educated parents have better nourished children. Parental literacy also plays a role in whether children attend school. Education has been shown to have a positive effect on the success of HIV prevention and increases the probability of accessing decent employment.</span></p> </div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family:times new roman;" id="ftn"> <p class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2255374266592969892&postID=7521692233047655301&from=pencil#_ftnref" name="_ftn8" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character:footnote">[8]</span></span></a></span><span style="font-size:78%;"> Ibid. </span></p> </div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family:times new roman;" id="ftn"> <p class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2255374266592969892&postID=7521692233047655301&from=pencil#_ftnref" name="_ftn9" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character:footnote">[9]</span></span></a></span><span style="font-size:78%;"> Ibid. </span></p> </div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman;"> </div><div style="mso-element:footnote" id="ftn"><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2255374266592969892&postID=7521692233047655301&from=pencil#_ftnref" name="_ftn10" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character:footnote">[10]</span></span></a></span><span style="font-size:78%;"> We are not advocating for grand realizations, but we believe that without this basis guaranteeing the elimination of poverty and hunger and the access to education, we cannot and will not achieve the other Millennium Development Goals. How can we ask for the implementation and enforcement of rules and laws if our country’s population, which is supposed to respect and be protected by these same rules, is not aware of their most basic, inalienable, rights? Those who cannot read or write are more likely to be unaware of their rights and unaware of the actions they can take to fight for what is rightly theirs.<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; font-family:courier new;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; font-family:courier new;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /><span style="font-size:10pt;"></span></p> </div> </div>Samantha Barthelemyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995426823636022242noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2255374266592969892.post-4618347841772297382011-06-26T15:46:00.001-07:002011-06-26T15:47:37.098-07:00coming soon<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: courier new;">opinion, published by <a href="http://riotimesonline.com/">The Rio Times</a>, on how Brazil should make better use of the new "brain gain."</span><br /></span></div>Samantha Barthelemyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995426823636022242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2255374266592969892.post-75617286754839637992011-06-26T14:29:00.000-07:002011-06-26T14:30:32.856-07:00<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:courier new;">"we cannot change the direction of the wind... but we can adjust the sails."</span></span><br /></div>Samantha Barthelemyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995426823636022242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2255374266592969892.post-26501118967110602712011-06-15T09:54:00.000-07:002011-06-15T09:56:30.725-07:00pt history repeats itself<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: courier new;">RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – This has been a turbulent month for </span><a style="font-family: courier new;" href="http://riotimesonline.com/brazil-news/front-page/brazil-elects-dilma-rousseff-as-president/" target="_blank">Dilma Rousseff’s</a><span style="font-family: courier new;"> government. As </span><a style="font-family: courier new;" href="http://riotimesonline.com/brazil-news/opinion-editorial/opinion/herding-cats-ii-or-deus-ex-machina-or-along-came-jones/" target="_blank">commented on by the Curmudgeon</a><span style="font-family: courier new;">, former Chief of Staff and “de facto Prime Minister” Antonio Palocci, the president’s right-hand man, increased his net worth by some R$20 million between 2006 and 2010, when he was a federal congressman.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: courier new;">Without any credible explanation for the sudden accession of wealth “from political consultancy” (not that we really expect one), the Palocci affair is nearing a pretty anti-climatic and all too familiar ending.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: courier new;">For the complete version of this article, please visit </span><a style="font-style: italic; font-family: courier new;" href="http://riotimesonline.com/brazil-news/opinion-editorial/opinion/pt-history-repeats-itself/">The Rio Times</a><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: courier new;">. </span><br /></span> </div>Samantha Barthelemyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995426823636022242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2255374266592969892.post-57084243915713219582011-06-07T20:11:00.000-07:002011-06-07T20:15:35.252-07:00the bus that brings relief<h2 style="font-family: courier new; text-align: justify;" id="post-2096"><a href="http://mixingplatforms.wordpress.com/2011/05/21/the-bus-that-brings-relief/"><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>By Samantha Barthelemy, Tatiana Cabral-Schnurr, Paula Cerutti and Sankalpa Dashrath</strong></span></a></h2><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="font-family: courier new; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>THE BRONX - </strong>With a large cup of coffee in one hand and oversize Chanel sunglasses framing her delicate face, Alice Noriega could be just another New Yorker enjoying her Saturday morning. The hesitation in her every step and the dark clouds in the sky blocking out all sunshine are the only hints that something is amiss. Alice is blind and her path has not led her to a Manhattan café but to the free food and counseling services she receives at the Relief Bus.</span></p> <p><img style="width: 319px; height: 238px;" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-2099" title="IMG_0041 3" src="http://mixingplatforms.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/img_0041-3.jpg?w=300&h=224" alt="" /></p> <p style="font-family: courier new; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Alice has been coming to the Relief Bus since 2003. The Bus was an idea that bloomed in the arid Texas desert two decades ago. In 1989, Richard Galloway, a successful entrepreneur found his carefully constructed life crumbling around him. His addiction to alcohol and cocaine was taking a toll on his marriage and on his soul. Finding no solace in wealth, Galloway and his wife, owners of three houses and eighteen cars, decided to turn to God.</span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="font-family: courier new; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:85%;">“It was like God saying to me, ‘If you really want to know what I care about,’” Galloway describes, “‘this is it: set the oppressed free, share your food with the hungry, provide the homeless with shelter’” (Isaiah 58:6-12). So, Galloway left his life to move to New York and transform a yellow school bus into a mobile resource center to serve the city’s poor and homeless.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://mixingplatforms.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/20110423_reliefbus_0135.jpg"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-2097" title="20110423_ReliefBus_0135" src="http://mixingplatforms.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/20110423_reliefbus_0135.jpg?w=300&h=200" alt="" height="200" width="300" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: courier new;">A non-profit organization, the Relief Bus has fed over 3 million people, connected 120,000 to help and hope, and mobilized 30,000 volunteers. Staff members raise a large portion of their own financial support and the organization is funded through the generosity of private donors.</span></span></p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: courier new;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify; font-family: courier new;"><span style="font-size:85%;">“The Relief Bus connects people with different resources,” says 25-year old Lance Farrell, Outreach Team Leader<strong>.</strong> “We do shelter, we do free legal help, housing and immigration issues. We can get a free attorney, get someone to detox, get them into rehab. We connect them in that way. Pretty much any physical or spiritual need there is on the street, we try to meet. We try to get people on their feet. In whatever way that we can.” After 21 years of service, the Relief Bus now operates with two vehicles, alternating between three locations; Chelsea, South Bronx and Harlem.</span></p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: courier new;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: courier new;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify; font-family: courier new;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span id="more-2096"></span>It begins to rain as Alice reaches the South Bronx location, on the corner of Brook Avenue and East 148 Street, accompanied by her home attendant, Alma. As the rain pours steadily the bus comes to life. The day’s volunteers set up the bright red tent, makeshift tables and plastic stools that will later accommodate elderly residents sipping their soup and young children. Inside the bus, the steaming signature rice and vegetable soup is ladled into white Styrofoam cups and laid out on plastic trays; a line of hungry people is already forming outside.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://mixingplatforms.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/20110423_reliefbus_0054.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-2101" title="20110423_ReliefBus_0054" src="http://mixingplatforms.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/20110423_reliefbus_0054.jpg?w=300&h=200" alt="" height="200" width="300" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: courier new;">The soup and the fresh Portuguese rolls have travelled a long way from the Elizabeth, New Jersey, kitchen where volunteers get together at 7:30am to prepare the day’s meal. Most of those impatiently congregating around the bus live much closer. There are young children toddling with their tiny hands clasped in their mothers’, old grandmothers dwarfed by giant umbrellas as they huddle together to avoid the rain and men who walk with a slight droop of shoulders.</span></span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="font-family: courier new; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:85%;">The volunteers, a mix of Relief Bus staff and adolescents from an affiliated ministry, hand out clothes from the back of the bus; flashes of color on a gray, rainy day. Someone starts playing a song in a language somewhat foreign to America, but native to those gathering around. Keisha Pruer, a former drug addict and now Relief Bus volunteer, brings out some paint and brushes and soon the children are walking away with hot chocolates, and rainbows and butterflies painted on their faces.</span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="font-family: courier new; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:85%;">People stop by, some stay a while; they like the sense of community. Some arrive as early as 10:00am and stay until the Bus takes off at 2:00pm. Most come for the soup and bread and leave quickly. The South Bronx is the Relief Bus’ busiest location. By the end of the day, 300 to 500 people will have stopped by.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://mixingplatforms.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/20110423_reliefbus_0089.jpg"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-2100" title="20110423_ReliefBus_0089" src="http://mixingplatforms.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/20110423_reliefbus_0089.jpg?w=300&h=200" alt="" height="200" width="300" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: courier new;">Alice is not particularly fond of the soup. She prefers the sweet bakery goods that are specially set aside for her and the volunteers love her. Alice has come a long way from the first time she stepped inside the Relief Bus. “I’ve been coming ever since they began in this area. I just introduced myself one time and I got hooked,” Alice says. “Ever since 2003 or 2004 I’ve been coming every Saturday, except for the Saturdays when they are on vacation for the holidays and they take two Saturdays off.”</span></span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="font-family: courier new; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:85%;">A former teacher, Alice had to abandon her job when she lost her eyesight to Lupus, a chronic inflammatory disease that can affect various parts of the body. Along with this loss came another when her husband of 27 years abandoned her. “I became blind and I felt so alone. Because a lot of my friends — I thought they were my friends — turned their backs on me,” Alice recounts. “I wasn’t worthy anymore, of being their friend. They weren’t around for me. I never received a phone call. If I needed help with something, getting something, getting around, going to church or coming back, anything like that, they were not there for me.”</span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="font-family: courier new; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:85%;">And then Alice found the Relief Bus. “They received me with open hands and open arms. They don’t judge me, they didn’t judge me then and they don’t judge me now. I felt very comfortable. And I know that I could talk to them, whoever is here, about anything,” Alice says as a tear makes its way down her cheek.</span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="font-family: courier new; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:85%;">“People at the Relief Bus have given me a lot of advice when it comes to my problems with family issues. Like for example my son does drugs,” she adds. “He was almost killed with gangs. They helped me when he got stabbed, [with] the hospitalization. They’ve helped me with my diseases. Well ‘the’ diseases, I shouldn’t say mine. The diseases. Because I have [Multiple Sclerosis], Lupus, Scoliosis and Osteos.”</span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="font-family: courier new; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><em><a href="http://mixingplatforms.wordpress.com/2011/05/21/the-bus-that-brings-relief/">See a video and an audio slideshow about the Relief Bus</a>.</em></span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="font-family: courier new; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:85%;">“A couple of times I needed cash and they gave me 20 dollars if I had an appointment, to take a cab or something,” Alice continues. “They have helped me when I had a broken pelvis, they even drove me home and took me up the stairs, because I could hardly walk. I consider the Relief Bus part of my family.”</span></p> <p style="font-family: courier new; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Alice is one of the few who were assisted by the Relief Bus in such a way that they are now able to give back. She volunteers as a Spanish translator, an invaluable asset in the South Bronx location, where the majority of beneficiaries are of Latin descent.</span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="font-family: courier new; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Edwin Vega, a stout and affable 57-year old Puerto Rican with salt and pepper hair, is another Relief Bus beneficiary-turned-volunteer. Upon a closer view a visible glaze covers his eyes and a slurring of speech is apparent. Edwin has been involved with the Relief Bus ever since he graduated from the Hope Christian Center, where he spent time recovering from his crack addiction. He now works as a teacher and supervisor at the Center, which sends addicts to the Relief Bus as part of their rehabilitation process.</span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="font-family: courier new; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:85%;">“I like to help people that went through the same things that I went through, you know,” says Edwin. “Give by grace what by grace I received. If God did it with me then he can do it with them too. I tell the guys I teach in my program that as I was sitting in that seat as a student, it never came through my mind that I was gonna be here teaching now, you know.”</span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="font-family: courier new; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:85%;">“I got a picture of me when I came in and right now I show it to the guys, and they say ‘now I really believe in God,’ because they see the way that I was, I looked like an eighty years old man! I looked bad, all messed up,” Edwin recounts. “And now you see me, you see that there is an example that the transformation works.”</span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="font-family: courier new; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Alice and Edwin are exceptions. Most of those coming to the Relief Bus are still in no position to give back; they need all the help they can get themselves. “Last week, there was a gentleman who had seen the bus before, but never stopped by.” Lance says as he continues to fill out the day’s paperwork. ”He came up to me and said that he needed to get into rehab. He had been smoking crack for the better part of twenty years and just felt the need for radical transformation.”</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://mixingplatforms.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/20110423_reliefbus_0058.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-2105" title="20110423_ReliefBus_0058" src="http://mixingplatforms.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/20110423_reliefbus_0058.jpg?w=300&h=200" alt="" height="200" width="300" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: courier new;">“He was about to be homeless, he was just really down and out and just felt like he needed to go for change. So I talked to him and said, ‘you know, we have to assess whether or not you are ready.’ If they are not ready, we are not going to send them. But we encourage them, and love them until they are ready,” Lance says. “We cannot try to force any change. When people need help, they know where to come every single week. And we are here, just waiting and serving.”</span></span></p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: courier new;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify; font-family: courier new;"><span style="font-size:85%;">The Relief Bus’ success is assisting those in need comes in large part from the sense of trust and reliability they created in the South Bronx community. “We are at this same spot, every week, week after week,” says Lance. “Rain, snow, cold. This whole winter, brutal as it was, we only had to cancel once because it took four hours to dig out the bus.”</span></p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: courier new;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify; font-family: courier new;"><span style="font-size:85%;">“People come to rely on us, not just as a source of food, but as a source of hope, strength, and stability,” he adds. “That’s how we build a relationship with the neighborhood, by being steady and giving [it] a place of stability. People can count on us, no matter what. Whether they need food, whether they need a hug, need to get into rehab, or if they ever need a lawyer, anything like that, we are here, week after week.”</span></p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: courier new;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify; font-family: courier new;"><span style="font-size:85%;">For Alice and many other South Bronx residents, the Relief Bus Saturday visits are the highlight of their week. “I look forward to Saturdays just to come and say hello. I feel that I am missing something when I cannot come,” Alice says. “It’s like waiting for a Christmas present under a tree.”</span></p> <p><a href="http://mixingplatforms.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/20110423_reliefbus_0018.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-2106" title="20110423_ReliefBus_0018" src="http://mixingplatforms.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/20110423_reliefbus_0018.jpg?w=450&h=300" alt="" height="300" width="450" /></a></p>Samantha Barthelemyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995426823636022242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2255374266592969892.post-72524623645690574672011-06-02T12:27:00.000-07:002011-06-02T12:28:40.302-07:00schools of tomorrow<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: courier new;">RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – As an advocate for quality public education in Rio de Janeiro, I am pleased to read, daily, education-related news on Brazil’s mainstream newspapers and to watch, nightly for the past two weeks on Globo’s Jornal Nacional, special features on Brazil’s education system. It seems we have just recently discovered the subject.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">For the complete version of this article, please visit </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://riotimesonline.com/brazil-news/opinion-editorial/opinion/creating-a-new-tomorrow-for-rio-de-janeiro/">The Rio Times</a><span style="font-style: italic;">.</span><br /><br /><br /></span></div>Samantha Barthelemyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995426823636022242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2255374266592969892.post-56518362066040913042011-05-13T10:19:00.001-07:002011-05-13T10:19:42.155-07:00<h6 style="font-family: courier new; font-weight: normal; text-align: justify;" class="uiStreamMessage" ft="{"type":"msg"}"><span style="font-size:180%;"><span class="messageBody">"It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles. Then the victory is yours. It cannot be taken from you, not by angels or by demons, heaven or hell." - Siddhartha Buddha</span></span></h6>Samantha Barthelemyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995426823636022242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2255374266592969892.post-64907295946019614182011-05-03T19:39:00.000-07:002011-05-03T19:40:36.235-07:00how much do you know is known about you?<div style="text-align: justify; font-family: courier new;">RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Every day we spend hours online, reading the newspaper, checking our emails, wasting time, browsing our favorite blogs, communicating with friends, shopping and navigating social networking sites; instantly sending and receiving endless amounts of information.We have willingly surrendered to the wonders and usefulness of online tools. In fact, many of us are unable to operate without them.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">For the complete version of this article, please visit </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://riotimesonline.com/brazil-news/opinion-editorial/opinion/your-online-trail-in-brazil/">The Rio Times</a><span style="font-style: italic;">. </span><br /></div>Samantha Barthelemyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995426823636022242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2255374266592969892.post-74925988676521266732011-04-19T19:19:00.000-07:002011-04-19T19:20:28.059-07:00after the tragedy, which way forward?<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: courier new;">RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Residents of Rio de Janeiro state enjoyed February with the lowest rates of homicide since statistics started to be recorded in 1991. There were 368 killings in the second month of 2011, compared with 473 in February 2010 – a 22.1 percent drop, according to Rio’s </span><a style="font-family: courier new;" href="http://www.isp.rj.gov.br/" target="_blank">Institute of Public Security</a><span style="font-family: courier new;"> (ISP).<br /><br />For the complete version of this article, please visit <a href="http://riotimesonline.com/brazil-news/opinion-editorial/opinion/after-the-tragedy-which-way-forward/"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Rio Times</span></a>.<br /></span></div>Samantha Barthelemyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995426823636022242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2255374266592969892.post-20366363302384813132011-04-15T14:04:00.000-07:002011-04-15T14:06:35.736-07:00facebook... have we lost control?<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: courier new;">I remember being a freshman at Tufts University and having my best friend sign me up on this “really cool new thing.” In late 2004, Facebook was a private space for communication with a select group of friends. Suddenly it became a platform where our information was made public </span><i style="font-family: courier new;">by default</i><span style="font-family: courier new;"> – visible to our friends, their friends and their friends’ friends. Today, as a member, we have no choice but to allow certain information to be public and shared with Facebook’s partner websites.</span></div><p style="font-family: courier new; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://themorningsidepost.com/tmp/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Thumbs-down.jpg"><img src="http://themorningsidepost.com/tmp/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Thumbs-down-300x277.jpg" alt="" title="Thumbs down" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-9363" height="277" width="300" /></a></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="font-family: courier new; text-align: justify;">While Facebook is easy to use, and certainly brings simplicity to many of our casual relationships, figuring out our relationship with Facebook itself may be more complicated. One thing seems certain: we may not have as much control as we think we do.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="font-family: courier new; text-align: justify;">SIPA colleagues told <em>Communiqué</em> Facebook is “invasive,” “evil,” it has “no boundaries,” “no privacy,” and “I hate it – it’s the worst thing in the world.” But the technology is relatively neutral, right? And whatever “evil” it may do – isn’t that just a result of users’ behavior? Well, not entirely.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="font-family: courier new; text-align: justify;">You may think Facebook doesn’t know what you personally don’t tell it. Not true. The settings allow others<i> </i>to share information about <i>your </i>life and “tag” <i>you</i> to it – link your profile to whatever information they’re sharing, whether in a image, video or a status update – without your consent.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="font-family: courier new; text-align: justify;">One person told me of a friend, who a couple of hours after giving birth to her first child, saw pictures of her newborn on friends’ profiles (think about the fact that this baby will essentially grow up online, with photos from the day he was born). Another friend was distressed because pictures of her private wedding were broadcasted online <i>during</i> the party.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="font-family: courier new; text-align: justify;">Both women could take the unsympathetic route of “untagging” themselves – the images would no longer be linked to their account, but the information would still be accessible to others in the network. They could risk seeming paranoid or unreasonable by taking the extreme step of asking their friends to delete the photos.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="font-family: courier new; text-align: justify;">Finally, they could “report abuse” to Facebook (likely to no avail, since in a country where the law does not require the removal of unauthorized photos for privacy reasons, including the U.S., Facebook “will not remove unauthorized photos at your request.”).</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="font-family: courier new; text-align: justify;">What about the information you don’t know<i> </i>Facebook shares about you or allows others to share about you without your explicit consent? “We are building a Web where the default is social,” said founder and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg in 2010. This means much of our information is public <i>by default </i>and that we have to <i>opt out </i>if we wish to keep it private. Facebook just forgot to tell us about it.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="font-family: courier new; text-align: justify;">I recently went from having nearly 150 photo albums on my account to zero. After editing album by album to allow only friends tagged in the pictures to view them, my settings were magically changed to “everyone,” <i>twice</i>. For weeks, 500 million+ users had access to what I naively believed to be private.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="font-family: courier new; text-align: justify;">Maybe it was my fault. Maybe I should have read Facebook’s policies more carefully. But who knows how to navigate its settings? The site’s privacy policy has grown from 1,004 words in 2005 to 5,830 words in 2010 – longer than the U.S. Constitution, without amendments. Users need to navigate through more than fifty settings with over 170 options to effectively manage privacy settings. And even then, you may still not understand what is going on.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="font-family: courier new; text-align: justify;">Even if you change all of your settings to private, if you fail to check the right tabs (ie, “Applications and Web Sites” and “Facebook Ads”), Facebook allows your friends to share your name and personal information with third party web sites and applications. Did you know that?</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="font-family: courier new; text-align: justify;">I don’t want to delete my account – note that if you deactivate your account, Facebook saves your information “in case you want to come back at some point.” I want the reminder for my friends’ birthdays, the invitation to events and the connection to childhood friends, former bosses and professors.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="font-family: courier new; text-align: justify;">Here’s a crazy thought: why not make all information private<i> by default </i>and ask for <i>permission </i>prior to sharing anything about us? So if we feel a sudden urge to share everything with everyone we will actually have to work for it – navigating through fifty settings and 170 options.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="font-family: courier new; text-align: justify;"><em>This article first appeared in the April 12th issue of Communiqué.</em></p><p style="font-family: courier new; text-align: justify;"><em>Graphic Design: Michelle Chahine.<br /></em></p>Samantha Barthelemyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995426823636022242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2255374266592969892.post-85740759654885702092011-03-29T19:42:00.000-07:002011-03-29T19:44:16.496-07:00proudly brazilian<p style="text-align: justify; font-family: courier new;">RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – I’m half-Belgian, a fact most people don’t know about me. It’s not that I’m not proud of my European heritage, but saying “I’m from Brazil” is just so much cooler and always followed by “I love Brazil” or “I really want to visit.”<br /></p><p style="text-align: justify; font-family: courier new;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify; font-family: courier new;">I cannot empathize with American friends who tell of trying to conceal their nationality when traveling abroad. I’ve been fortunate to visit nearly thirty countries in the past twenty years and, every time, to be greeted with nothing less than smiles, open arms and praise for being Brazilian.</p><p style="text-align: justify; font-family: courier new;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify; font-family: courier new;"><span style="font-style: italic;">For a complete version of this article, please visit </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://riotimesonline.com/brazil-news/opinion-editorial/opinion/proudly-brazilian/">The Rio Times</a><span style="font-style: italic;">.</span><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify; font-family: courier new;"></p>Samantha Barthelemyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995426823636022242noreply@blogger.com0