Julia Michaels
Declaraçâo de missão / Mission Statement
IS IT GOING TO LAST?
I want it to. And to this end I’ll deliver information, independent and objective, bilingual and multimedia, about the momentous transformation that began in 2008 in Rio de Janeiro.
Is it just a mask? In 2017, should we expect the BMWs to revert to pumpkins and the politicians to turn back into myopic rats?A BLOG WITH AN AXE TO GRIND
I want it to last. I want the changes to be deep and real. I can see that the way cariocas are thinking and talking about favelas and their residents reveals new tolerance, concern and solidarity.
The more we know about what’s going on, the more we can contribute to the process, whether we are cariocas born and bred, transplants like me, onlookers, investors, tourists, transients, or cynics.
I will give you links, original reporting, questions, ideas, images, sounds, reflections, answers and more questions. No bullshit. You won’t have to read between the lines. My only agenda is I WANT IT TO LAST.This is Rio Real, a blog created in 2010 by Julia Michaels, an American writer, editor and journalist who has lived in Brazil for more than thirty years.
If you speak both languages, I suggest you read both texts. I’ll be providing more context in English and more detail in Portuguese.
We’re still pinching ourselves. Only five years ago you couldn’t walk in Ipanema and talk on a cell phone, for fear someone would snatch it off your ear. Now everyone has a cell phone, everyone walks and talks. You thought cariocas were a relaxed sort.
But only now are they finally starting to chill!
Construction is booming, favelas have an increased police presence (and more social services as well) rents and real estate are up, jobs and income are on the increase, education indicators are heartening, frozen yogurt is everywhere, health and sewage are getting serious attention for the first time possibly ever, the Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas is being cleaned, new restaurants and shops are opening, Brazilians are moving here from other cities, the beaches are policed, drunk driving is almost nonexistent, the Olympics are coming, the metro is expanding and best of all, key parts of the city are safer than since just about any carioca can remember. Politicians are buddies: President Lula da Silva, elected in 2002, and then President Dilma Rousseff, after 2011; Governor Sérgio Cabral, reelected in 2010 and mayor Eduardo Paes, reelected in 2012, are working in concert to turn around the decadence that set in back in 1960 when the capital moved to Brasília.
But will it last, will the politicians persist and businesses invest?
Please tell me what you want to know about. Meanwhile, I’ve got tons of questions…VAI DURAR?
Quero que dure. Para que dure, me lanço mar adentro pelas águas da mídia social para fazer oferenda à Iemanjá: informações, independentes e objetivas, bilíngues e multimídia, sobre a transformação histórica que começou há quatro anos no Rio de Janeiro.
É apenas uma máscara? Em 2017, os BMWs irão voltar a ser meras abóboras e os políticos, ratos míopes?UM BLOG POSICIONADO
Quero que dure. Que as mudanças sejam profundas e reais. Constato que os cariocas pensam e falam das favelas e de seus moradores de maneira diferente do passado, que revela uma nova tolerância, consideração e solidariedade.
Quanto mais informações tivermos sobre o que acontece, mais poderemos contribuir, quer sejamos cariocas da gema, adotivos como eu, observadores, investidores, turistas, flaneurs ou cínicos.
Vou postar links, reportagens minhas, perguntas, ideias, imagens, sons, reflexões, respostas e mais perguntas. No bullshit. Nada de entrelinhas. Minha única agenda é QUERO QUE DURE.Chegou Rio Real, um blog criado em 2010 por Julia Michaels, escritora, editora e jornalista americana que mora no Brasil há mais de trinta anos.
Se você fala tanto inglês como português, sugiro que leia os dois textos. O inglês terá mais contexto e o português, mais detalhe.
A gente ainda não acredita. Apenas cinco anos atrás, não se podia caminhar em Ipanema e falar no celular –apesar dos seguranças fortões da Richards e da Mr. Cat— pois um assalto era certeza.
Agora, todo mundo tem celular, todo mundo se dá ao luxo de perambular e fofocar. O carioca tem fama de ser relax, mas só agora a noia está começando a se dispersar.
Cresce o número de construções, temos as UPPs e a ocupação social das favelas, esquenta-se o mercado imobiliário, há mais empregos e a renda cresce, os dados educativos são animadores, as lojas de frozen yogurt se espalham, pela primeira vez a saúde e o saneamento básico recebem atenção pra valer, a Lagoa está ficando limpa, abrem-se lojas e restaurantes novos, brasileiros de outras cidades chegam para morar no Rio, nas praias temos o choque de ordem de verão já adentrando o inverno, a Lei Seca pegou, os Jogos Olímpicos estão a caminho, o metrô se expande, e o melhor de tudo é que partes importantes da cidade estão mais seguras do que qualquer época que o carioca consiga se lembrar. Em todos os níveis governamentais, os políticos se tornaram amigos de infância: Dilma, Cabral e Paes estão trabalhando juntos para reverter a decadência que se instalou em 1960, quando a capital se transferiu para Brasília.
Mas vai durar? Será que os políticos irão persistir e as empresas vão investir— ou seja, se comprometer com o futuro a longo prazo?
Me diga o que quer saber. Da minha parte,tenho muitas perguntas...PESQUISA / POLL
-
Join 530 other subscribers
Twitter Updates
Tweets by riorealblog-
Click to get Facebook Rio news updates
Category Archives: Brazil
At risk: the world of politician/cattle breeder Jorge Picciani– and ours, too
[Update, 4-6-2016: according to an article in today’s Globo, the state Attorney General’s office has opened an inquiry in response to reports published in the paper in the last several days: “Public prosecutor Rubem Vianna, head of the Attorney General … Continue reading
Rio politics: small world, favor exchanges, big impact on revenue
Bombastic reporting, at a critical moment for the state of Rio Most Rio citizens make it a habit to mistrust politicians. It’s no small task to find and publish proof of fraud, traces of possible illegal monetary gain, collusion. And even when … Continue reading
Right-wing coup scenario off the mark: Rio information is wrong
Not this Nation Ah, Dave Zirin, this blogger has to argue with you. Right-wing and left-wing aren’t useful terms when it comes to Brazil. Politics here revolve not around ideology, but people. The alliances are fluid, constantly reevaluated and remade. … Continue reading
National crisis: the view from Rio
When’s the last time any of our elected officials discussed public policy in a meaningful way? Rio’s governor, Luiz Fernando “Pezão” de Souza, is in the hospital with an undiagnosed infection (and rumors of his death), while the state’s wage payments and … Continue reading
Mayor at last presents urban upgrade plan for Vila Autódromo
Residents and RioRealblog kept out Clique aqui, para português Yesterday at lunchtime, foreign and local journalists were invited to a press conference with Mayor Eduardo Paes, for that same day, to hear about his plans to upgrade what’s left of Vila … Continue reading
Rio is no Barcelona
[translation of an op-ed piece published March 6 in O Globo, by your blogger] The idea was to host mega events, to brand the metropolis, attracting tourists and investment. Barcelona was our model, even after Rio was chosen for the 2016 … Continue reading
Carnival 2016: more tolerance, more reflection
Despite budget cuts and disease-bearing mosquitoes, both street carnival and the carnival parades went off pretty much without a hitch this year. Last night however, there was a horrific battle (apparently without victims) between police and residents in Inhaúma, near … Continue reading
A troublesome mayor in Rio de Janeiro
Vila Autódromo reveals facets of institutions and officials You’d think the removal of residents in the path of the Olympic Games would be part of a public plan, with a clear and convincing rationale. Para Uma prefeitura difícil,em Rio de … Continue reading
Can Rio police come through, in an age of black swans?
In the offing for 2016: threats of terrorism, water and power shortages, extreme heat and the vagaries of mega-events Asked what he’s learned from Rio’s many mega-events over the last seven years, Rio’s security czar first mentioned fine-tuned agency integration, … Continue reading
Intelligent life in Rio, despite lack of funds
The War on Drugs, women and blacks, urban transportation, the water crisis: hot topics We get bad news daily. Nevertheless (or maybe because of this), Rio is seeing growing activity in the realm of ideas and beliefs. People are asking questions, expressing … Continue reading
Rio real
RioReal 