O Fenômeno

Apparently greatness never dies. Ronaldo, O Fenômeno ("The Phenomenon"), is back. After scoring the most goals in World Cup history and amassing one of the greatness resumes in all of football, Ronaldo blew out his knee about a dozen times, has been intermittently overweight for the past few years, and most recently was blackmailed by transvestite prostitutes in Rio de Janeiro. However, the man who was once on top of the world in Barcelona, Milan and Madrid is back plying his trade in Brazil. He's on my favorite team from Sao Paulo, Corinthians, and apparently had a pretty good week. Check out his first goal in a loooooooongg time. And check out the ridiculous/awesome/scary celebration and crowd reaction.

And to make this story even better, Corinthians, one of the biggest clubs in Brazil, is actually back in the country's first division this year after being embarrassingly relegated to division two in 2007. Looks like 2009 is the year of the comeback.

The Special Ones

Today there are some pretty exciting football (soccer) matches on television. I am most looking forward to the Champions League match-up between Manchester United and Inter Milan. Both teams are leading their respective domestic leagues (England and Italy) and their rosters are full of incredible talent and very interesting personalities.

Today the New York Times featured Inter's manager/coach, Jose Mourinho, the "Special One." He's brash and flamboyant, and brings a unique style to the science of winning. The article is actually titled: "A Coach Cloaked in Armani and Confidence" He has definitely mastered the art of attracting and molding media attention. NYtimes.com also featured him earlier this month in this Q&A session.

There are also some exciting things going on in the American world of soccer. The MLS season is about to start in a few days and the league is going to announce the two new cities that will have teams in 2011. According to most reports, it sounds like Portland and Vancouver will be on the receiving end of the new franchises. They will join Seattle Sounders FC who will be entering the league this season and the yet unnamed Philadelphia team which will play their first game in 2010. I typically try and keep up with all the new gossip and hearsay at MLS Rumors.

Also - in another story of international intrigue David Beckham will be staying with the Italian team AC Milan for the rest of the season but will rejoin the LA Galaxy in the summer - in the middle of the MLS season. I'm sure a lot of Galaxy fans are pretty upset about this. But I'll admit that David Beckham is still awesome. He's been able to succeed in all of the world's greatest leagues and turn himself into an international icon who transcends his own sport at the same time. Check out this promo he put together with Kevin Garnett for Adidas.

I am Calabar

I still have some Carnaval recap material to post, but I also wanted to remind people that Brazil is more than just music and parties. Two new friends of mine, Rodrigo and Igor, have been doing some amazing work in their community, the neighborhood of Calabar. They both work and study full time, but also lead the local residents association and youth group, and helped build and now run a public library for the residents of their community. They coordinate activities for children in the neighborhood and are true catalysts of social change. They are also very generous hosts and my friend Davidinho and I took a tour of their community as well as a look at the work they are doing at the independently organized community school and library. And on this day everyone was celebrating Igor's birthday and having a despedida, a going away party, for a Canadian English teacher that had been volunteering in the community. Also, to learn more about Calabar, its history, and the work being done in the community, definitely check out Rodrigo's blog, "Calabar Sou Eu" (I am Calabar).

The video is in Portuguese, but I'm planning on embedding some English subtitles ASAP. I also plan on expanding this post.

Recession? What Recession?

Recession. Job loss. Economic insecurity. The news hasn't been very positive lately. But I have noticed that no one in Brazil is talking about recession. Brazil obviously has its own serious problems, but there's an undeniable optimism (and not just post-Carnaval glow) in Salvador and in the Brazilian national media, an optimism that seems to be all but extinct in the States.

Even during my time in Salvador, explicit forms of poverty seem to be subsiding. There are less children performing and begging in the streets. And people in general seem to be very excited and energetic about the future. Obviously my observations are very unscientific, and I would be very curious to see if any other people that have visited Brazil multiple times in the past couple years have noticed any trends.

A recent story in Time commented on the strength of Brazil's economy during the global recession and takes an interesting look at the fiscal and social policies of the country's current president. Brazil seems to be a very interesting model to study in a world working through struggle and looking for new ideas and innovation.

Frog Farms and Helicopters

What do frog farms, plastic surgery, and helipads have in common? I just watched the documentary Manda Bala (Send a Bullet) that explores the links between political corruption and violent crime in Brazil and all the unbelievably odd industries that flourish in this absurd environment. Sao Paulo is home to huge private helicopter fleets and has more helipads than any city on Earth. The armored car industry is huge in Brazil and plastic surgeons in the country have pioneered new techniques for reconstructive plastic surgery: particularly that of the ear. This is all because Brazil's industrial capital, Sao Paulo, a city of 20 million people, has also become a hot zone for violent crime and kidnapping.

This documentary is pretty interesting. And crime in Sao Paulo is certainly staggering. But I have to admit that I never felt unsafe whenever I spent time in the city. However, just a few days ago, Globo was showing live footage of police climbing roof to roof looking for some criminals responsible for killing a fellow officer a few days earlier. My Brazilian brother remarked, "That stuff only happens in Sao Paulo." But whatever the case may be, the documentary is definitely worth a look. It features some very beautiful airborne shots of the city and weaves together a lot of interesting, and seemingly unrelated social and cultural peculiarities of modern Brazilian life, creating a single narrative exploring governmental corruption. Much of the film is from the perspective of federal Brazilian prosecutors who have spent much of their careers trying to bring one particularly notorious politician to justice.

I have embedded the trailer below. Definitely check it out. I watched the movie online using my Netflix subscription. Hooray technology!

Goals, Blogs and Cups

My most popular video so far has undoubtedly been my tribute to Esporte Club Bahia. Thanks for all the Bahia fans that have visited the site. Your dedication to Bahia is incredible and you are the reason why the team will undoubtedly be back in the Brazilian 1st division sooner rather than later. Check out the blog: http://www.baheaminhaporra.com, a site dedicated to the club that was nice enough to feature this gringos homage to his beloved Tricolor. Fan dedication like this is what helps sell-out game after game at the Fonte Nova, and now Pituacu, and is why Salvador deserves to be one of the host cities when the World Cup returns to Brazil in 2014.

Speaking of the World Cup, the lottery for tickets to the 2010 tournament in South Africa is officially open. You can register to enter the lottery until the end of the month - I know I will. There is no way that I am missing South Africa 2010 (or Brazil 2014!)

In non-Brazilian soccer news, a buddy of mine, Mike Fucito is in the land of tango, steak, and mid-1990 economic meltdown, Brazil's archenemy on the soccer pitch, Argentina. He is traveling with Seattle Sounders Football Club, a new expansion team in Major League Soccer, America's professoinal league. He is currently training with the team on their South American pre-season tour trying to win a spot for himself on the team. He was a teammate of mine in college but was recently picked up by Seattle in the MLS draft. And it looks as though he is doing very well for himself. He scored the game winning goal in the Sounder's most recent scrimmage in Argentina. And here is a pretty funny post-game interview with Mike that was on the Sounders website. Enjoy!



More Carnaval recaps are coming soon, along with new video. And guest bloggers!!!

Jorge Amado

Whenever I read travel literature about Salvador, I realize how different my perception of the city is than most people that visit. My understanding of the capital of Bahia is intensely wrapped around my Brazilian family - and this is something that has become more clear to me this time around.

Today I saw an older post in the New York Times about Salvador's most famous literary figure - Jorge Amado. A new travel buddy of mine was reading one of his novels and it made me realize how little of his work I had looked into. He is famous for his colorful depictions of life in Salvador, of its people - from all walks of life. His novels would certainly make for incredible travelmates while spending time in the city. But to date, I think I have only read parts, and seen the movie adaptation, of his most famous work, Dona Flor and her Two Husbands. Because I spend most of my time with my Brazilian family here, I think I often forget/neglect to experience the famous "staples" that come to mind for everyone else when they come to the city.

But everyone should definitely check out this Times article on Amado. Also, the article has a pretty solid accompanying photo slideshow.

To get some other perspectives on Salvador, I have invited some guest bloggers to share their perspectives on the city. Be on the lookout for it!