For Az, Chrissy, Teo and Ghandi

I just finished watching "The Girl with the Dragoon Tattoo".
If you haven't seen it you all four need to watch it.
Az and Chrissy, you need to see it because it shatters Teo's ideas about women.
Teo and Ghandi need to see it for the same reason. lol

p.s. it doesn't hurt that it's the best movie I've seen in a year. Should have won the Oscar.

p.p.s. yella, if you're reading this then this is a movie you and "L" will enjoy watching together. You'll both love it.

It's the movie Hitchcock would make if he lived in our era.

I saw this movie, it is pretty good.

John,

I live in Brownsville. That has something in common with you living in Rio.
Both have their incredible beauty but the only thing which equals that is their incredible underbelly.
Can you tell me about Cidade de Deus? Have you been inside it and gotten to know it? Is it anything like how it was portrayed by Paulo Lins and Bráulio Mantovani?

Cidade de Deus is farther to the west of where I live in Rio, I live in Centro 3 blocks from the Sambodromo, that's where the big carnival parade is. Cidade de Deus is 1 of hundreds of favela's in Rio, I've been in a few favela's with my girlfriend but would not recommend going without a local. If you liked the movie Cidade de Deus, you would also like Tropa Elite 1 and 2, in english they would be called Elite Squad 1 and Elite Squad 2. they are just as brutal as City of God, but they are really good movies.

johndough wrote:Cidade de Deus is farther to the west of where I live in Rio, I live in Centro 3 blocks from the Sambodromo, that's where the big carnival parade is. Cidade de Deus is 1 of hundreds of favela's in Rio, I've been in a few favela's with my girlfriend but would not recommend going without a local. If you liked the movie Cidade de Deus, you would also like Tropa Elite 1 and 2, in english they would be called Elite Squad 1 and Elite Squad 2. they are just as brutal as City of God, but they are really good movies.

My god you really are living in Rio. What's your connection to Pensacola?

In the original version of the movie "The Day the Earth Stood Still", when Professor Barnhardt realizes he is in the presence of Klatu, Klatu asks him "do you have any questions?" And Barnhardt replies "Mr. Klattu, I have a million questions for you".

I have about a million for you too, johndough. And the first one is this. We hear that Brazil is really emerging as a world economy. Am I guessing right that this (in the form of your work) is what has taken you from the States to be living in Brazil? And what is your appraisal of the resurgence in Brazil we keep hearing about? And is there something the United States could learn from Brazil now that we're in a state of economic decline?

What brought me to Brazil was work, I am a chief engineer and am working for a large Louisiana offshore company when I got the chance to work in Brazil, that was in 2003, a few months later I ran into Livia and we bought an apartment in 2004. I still live in Pensacola where I lived most of my life. I am now working as the maintenance supervisor for Rio de Janeiro and Niteroi for the same company. I can't speak much about the rest of Brazil, but Rio-Niteroi is booming, the major problem is infrastructure, the city is old and the roads are in bad shape, In the downtown port area (Praca Maua)they are spending millions of Reals to make the area better, a lot of the buildings are being restored to their original appearance. It is also expensive to live here, going to the supermarket will cost about the same as in Pensacola and gas is also expensive, I put 16 gallons of gas in my ranger and it cost 190 reals or about 100 dollars.

johndough wrote: In the downtown port area (Praca Maua)they are spending millions of Reals to make the area better

Well by george it sounds like Rio and P'Cola are like sister cities, John, because Stooder is doing the same thing here. Only difference is U.S. money is becoming less and less "Real" every day. lol

p.s. what do you think of Ipanema Beach compared to P'Cola Beach?
And is Carnival better than Mardi Gras (in New Orleans)?
lol

I really don't see the attraction to the beaches here in Rio, Leblon, Copacabana or Ipanema. crowded, expensive and too many tourists. Carnaval is by far better than Mardi Gras, everybody should go at least once before they die.