The other side of the Atlantic

Aquarius era

Not much happening this week other then going to Kew Garden – click here to see pix – with my work colleagues.

Today I signed up for the local gym so I should start exercising again.

Tonight I have a surprise party for a French friend & a leaving do for a friend who will be writing a book on wines.

Tomorrow another party & so far nothing planned for Sunday.

I’m thinking of setting up a fish tank in my office if my boss allows me & also, considering I haven’t been doing much climbing lately I might sign up for a painting class next term.

Have a nice weekend!

:: Postado por Patropi às 12h39
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Apologies for some mistakes I must have made on my last post. For some reason I had in mind that the Brazilian Jean Charles de Menezes had come from north London, which apparently is not the case. Either way, there is still a lot we don’t know for certain though the story is starting to unveil. As it turns out apparently Jean Charles de Menezes might have been an illegal immigrant and almost certainly he didn’t have the right to work in the UK. Even if he had the right to work, he’s be on a student visa, which would allow him to work part time only, meaning a maximum of 21 hours a week and most people in those visas do illegally work full time.

I feel sorry but also angry. All his family talks about is money… Apparently he was sending money to Brazil to help his father cancer treatment, which is nice but the family is talking about suing & money this, money that.

I also noticed from comments from Brazil that you don’t understand that England has already officially apologised for the mistake. This came as an official note first thing. So there’s no “Itamaraty begging for an apology” stuff.

I am sounding totally against the poor guy, aren’t I? Sorry, I am sorry for this incident but I think the Brazilian media is taking a strong view on the guy’s favour which is making me go and explain the other side more.

I do trust the police in here, I saw other cases in the past which made me feel confident and although we all know they made a mistake in killing the guy, I know the guy must be guilty of something, like not having a visa for instance.

Nossa esse carinha Jean Charles de Menezes ta dando no que falar!

Bom, primeiramente gostaria de pedir desculpas pq eu acho q me enganei quando disse q ele vinha do norte. Tem pedacos de historia q estao faltando, mas o carinha veio foi de la de perto mesmo.

Gostaria de explicar tb pelo q vejo de comentarios de vcs e de outros, a midia ai ta pintando o carinha de santo e por isso eu acabo falando mais pelo outro angulo.

O Itamarati nao tem q estar brigando por nada. A nota oficial com pedido de desculpas ja saiu faz tempo. Ta na internet, tem gravado, a policia ja pediu desculpas pelo erro antes mesmo de revelar o nome do pobre coitado.

A policia errou e tem ciencia disso. O q temos q entender e q eles nao foram inconsequentes, racistas, negligentes ou destreinados. Muito pelo contrario. Foram profissionais e agiram certo dentro das circunstancias so q infelizmente se deram mal ao atirar no carinha errado.

Como eu falei no post anterior, tinha certeza de q o carinha tinha culpa no cartorio e esta saga ja coneca a se desvendar. Parece q descobriram q o carinha estava ilegal no pais, pois o visto de estudante dele ja havia acabado. Este mesmo visto, se ainda valido, o daria direiro a trabalhar no maximo 21 horas por semana, mas mesmo assim muitas pessoas q tem este visto trabalham cargas muito maiores. Agora a familia so ta falando em querer recompensa... so querem se dar bem, isso sim.

Pra ficar mais claro, vou contar um outro caso... ha 1 tempo atras, ligaram pra policia falando q tinha 1 negao armado andando no meio da rua... se nao me engando o carinha trabalhava como fiscal de estacionamento de carros na rua, tipo um flanelinha da prefeitura, e acho q ele era Jamaicano. Por ele estar armado, chamaram a elite armada da policia. Abordaram o carinha por horas, pediram q ele se rendesse, q ele abaixasse a arma e tal... fizeram negociacoes e nada do cara se render ou entregar a arma. Ai, uma bela hora, o carinha fez 1 movimento qualquer e acabou levando bala. Descobriram mais tarde q o tal revolver nao se passava de um isqueiro. A galera dos direitos humanos caiu em cima, mas convenhamos, pq q o carinha fica tirando onda com a policia? E a policia agiu errado pq? Cara, eles bem q tentaram horas, o otario q ficou de onda e acabou se dando mal, infelizmente. E por essa desse caso entre outras q eu acredito na policia daqui, eles nao saem dando tiro de bobeira.

:: Postado por Patropi às 14h08
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Perguntas sem respostas nesta tragedia inesquecivel…

IN ENGLISH SEE POST BELOW

Acredito q vcs ja tenham ouvido falar q atiraram e mataram o brasileiro, Jean Charles de Menezes, na ultima Sexta feira quando o confundiram com um possivel terrorista.

Eu entendi que para parar um suposto homem bomba e necessario atirar na cabeca. Se atirarmos no corpo podemos detonar a bomba, e se atirarmos na perna o terrorista pode detona-la com as maos. Triste mas eu prefiro matar a morrer.

Aqui na Inglaterra nao e de costume usarem armas de fogo, a Policia normalmente anda desarmada e se necessario eles chamam este esquadrao especial q e a policia armada. Mas com essa de bombas, estamos vendo muitos policiais armados e com a ordem de atirar sem piscar duas vezes.

Pelo que soube, a policia seguiu este suspeito desde que saiu de uma casa q estava sob vigilancia em relacao aos atentados. A policia o seguiu de norte ao sul de Londres, numa tragetoria q tem q ter durado mais de meia hora. Quando ao chegar em Stockwell ele foi abordado, o pobre coitado reagiu. A policia nao pensou duas vezes e atirou 5 vezes.

Na minha opiniao, infelizmente a policia agiu certo, ninguem q nao tem nada a esconder vai reagir assim, e neste caso estamos falando de um possibel terrorista ou alguem ligado a este crime. O q eu nao consigo entender e por que 5 vezes?

Testemunhas falaram q ouviram 5 tiros. Isto na minha opiniao nao e nem um pouco profissional. Atirar 1 vez, ok, talvez se nao tivesse acertado em cheio atira-se a 2^a vez, mas a partir dai... mostra algum tipo de fraqueza... tipo, medo, incerteza, remorco, raiva, racismo? Nao sei mas nao gosto destes 5 tiros.

Eu sinceramente sinto muito q o brazuca tenha morrido, mas sinceramente acho q ele nao era tao inocente quanto estao tentando pintar... Pensem bem, vc e parado pela policia... por mais q tenha acabado de fumar umzinho e sabe q ta errado... Vc vai correr??? No Brasil vc sabe muito bem q se fizer isso vai levar bala. Eu nao correria da policia por ter fumado um ou por estar com algumas graminhas de cocaina (atencao, eu nunca toquei, experimentei ou vendi isso, so to usando como exemplo) na minha bolsa, vc correria?

Sei q rola um mercado negro de passaportes e documentos falsos aqui na Inglaterra. Conheco um caso de 1 dentista, super classe alta ai do BR q comprou estes documentos e no final a pegaram e a mulher foi deportada. Sera q este brasileiro nao estava vendendo estes documentos? Sera q ele estava ajudando os terroristas a escaparem pro Brasil? Nao existe lugar melhor no mundo pra um crimonoso se esconder q o Brasil. QQ pessoa de qq raca pode se passar por Brasileiro.

Nao estou acusando o pobre coitado de nada, estou questionando o q ele fazia em uma casa suspeita de envolvimento terrorista e pq ele correu ao ser abordado pela policia. Da mesma forma questiono os 5 tiros. Sinto muito o q aconteceu e pra familia gostaria de expressar minhas condolencias.

:: Postado por Patropi às 08h18
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Unanswered questions remains on this horrible tragedy…

You might have heard that a Brazilian, Jean Charles de Menezes, was shot dead last Friday after the 2nd suicide bomb attempt.

I understand that in order to stop a suicide bomber police must go for the head because if they shoot the body this might detonate the bomb & if they shoot the limbs, i.e. legs, the suicide bomber might choose to manually detonate the bomb, so that’s why they’ve got to go for the death kill.

In my opinion, this is horrible but better to kill then to be killed.

So, this Brazilian bloke comes out of a suspect house & acts in a suspecting sort of way. When approached by police he reacts. Police doesn’t think twice & reacts too. They’re there to save lives even if that means taking one away. Why would one react if they had nothing to hide? In my opinion this seems horrible but sensible. But what I cannot come to terms with is why 5 times?

Eye witnesses say that the guy was shot at 5 times. Police are trained to use guys. Police are psychologically trained to deal with those stressful situations. British tend to be a lot less emotional then the Latin blooded ones. So why to shoot 5 times? Ok, say they shot 1 & missed or partially missed & they had to fire again. Acceptable. Maybe a 3^rd time, already unlikely but acceptable, but 5 times??? To me that shows a bit of emotion. Anger, racism, fear, whatever. It shows some sentiment which shouldn’t have been there when they where dealing with the situation. Perhaps who shot did it 5 times almost as if regretting it because he wasn’t sure this was the correct attitude?

I am deeply sorry for the poor Brazilian bloke and I’d like to send my condolences for the family. Still, I think he was hiding something & the same thing would’ve happened if he was in Brazil. To the mistake wasn’t entirely the police but his when he run. Still I feel sorry.

What was he doing in a suspect house? Was he selling illegal documents? There’s a big market on fake passports & documents under the Brazilian community. I know for a fact that you can easily buy fake passports, names, social security cards (like the Brazilian carteira de trabalho), bank accounts. I came across people who did that. I met a Brazilian dentist. A well educated & nice upper class person who bought one of those fake ids in here. She was taken by police & deported to Brazil. This happens & it happens a lot. Maybe this guy was involved on something of the sort? I’m not accusing him, I didn’t know the poor fellow, I just think it is rather strange that he was seen where he was seen & that he acted the way he did, the same way I think it is strange that he was shot at 5 times rather then 1 only.

:: Postado por Patropi às 07h52
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the day after...

It’s statistically proven that you are more likely to die in a car crash instead of a plane accident. Still we are more scared of flying then getting a lift with a driver who drank a pint or 2 more then they should’ve.

In Rio de Janeiro, where I am from, you couldn’t have lunch sitting outside in the Aterro do Flamengo or Praca Nossa Senhora da Paz because you’d get mugged. You’re at a greater risk of “criminal death” there then in London.

Yes, there is a risk here too, yes it worries me. If you think that the Northen Line goes pass underneath my house & that the blast was between stations, potentially the explosion was directly below us. That is frightening. Still, I worry more that my family will fall victim of a “lost bullet” or something in Rio. Still I feel safer here then I’d feel if I where in Rio. If I die here, at least in here I was free to cycle to work without worrying that I’d be mugged, I sit in the park & close my eyes without fearing I’ll be mugged. I can go out & I can enjoy myself, things people can no longer do in Rio de Janeiro.

Enough of bombs, this blog was created for me to keep you updated on my “up 2’s”.

Yesterday I went to Iguacu Bar & had a drink with my friend Laure. Nice to catch up. We hadn’t seen in ages… B4 that, I stopped by a piercing shop & re-did my bellybutton. I love it!!! My belly looked so plain without a piercing I’m so happy!

Still debating what to do this weekend.

Enjoy yourselves & have a great time wherever you are!

xxx

:: Postado por Patropi às 09h49
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We're ok

Siamo bene

Estamos bem

:: Postado por Patropi às 10h58
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Quick updates…

Last Friday I went to Kew Gardens (The English Botanic Gardens) to an open-air concert. Buenavista Social Club – a Cuban Band was playing while we had our picnic & Champagne!

Saturday we went to a friend’s surprise party in the west end.

The weather in London has been great & I’ve been sitting outside a lot.

Yesterday I bought a nice little basket for my bike. Feeling even more continental!

Tomorrow I am meeting Laure for drinks & maybe going to Somerset House to se some dance performance @ 7:30

I miss Onno!!! He’s been on hols for 2 weeks & work is boring without him.

I got some nice pix, which I’ll be posting soon. I only have 1 UBS port which is being used to connect to the internet – at least that’s’ my excuse!!!

Depending on weather & on my husband’s fitness – he’s not well at the moment with the broken collarbone – we might go to a Polo match on Saturday.

AJ might be coming over for the weekend any suggestions as to where to take this American Tourist for the day???

Did you guys see our photos on the link provided on the last post?

Got to go… I’ll try to update this more regularly.

Beijos!

:: Postado por Patropi às 18h44
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2 minutes silence, condolences & rigoletto

London is not the same yet, people are trying to move on and get on with their own lives but it’s hard at times… The tube is not fully operational, which means the buses are packed, more people driving, walking, riding bikes, working from home.

But we are positive and though it hurts to see lots of police, police dogs, ambulances etc on the street we feel safe and strong.

Today is a week and to celebrate the event the country did a 2 minute silence at midday. I thought it would be nice to go to Tavistock Square – where the bus exploded – which I did with some colleagues at work. It’s all blocked though & we saw no sign of the bus. Instead we saw, police, police dogs and missing person posts. It was difficult not to cry.

If you’re interested, you can sign the Mayor of London's book of condolence online at

http://www.london.gov.uk/condolence/condolence_form.jsp

But moving on… Yesterday evening we went to the Royal Opera House to see Rigoletto (Verdi) later there will be some photos on http://www.red-snappers.com/btrigoletto/ (not yet upload at the time of my posting so maybe check out later if necessary) there should be some pix of Kevin & I with THE RIGOLETTO… the guy who’s very tanned & with very white hair.

That’s all for now, more news soon!

Have a great weekend all!

Baci, beijos, kisses!

Resolvi escrever em portugues tb...

Londres ainda nao e a mesma, apesar de estarmos tentando levar uma vida normal o metro nao esta fincionand odireito e com isso os onibus estao superlotados, muitos carros e bicicletas na rua e tb muita gente andando muito. Tb vemos muitos policiais, cachorros policiais (aqueles q sao treinados pra cheirar) enfim... e triste mas vamos levando.

Hoje faz 1 semana do atentado e para marcar esta data Londres (e talvez toda a Inglaterra) fez 2 minutos de silencio ao meio dia. Eu achei q seria importante celebrar este marco na Tavistock Square, onde explodiu o onibus, e e pra la q fui com colegas de trabalho.

Gente, muito triste, a praca esta muito bloqueada, nao da pra andar ao redor como na Russell Square. Tinha cachorro farejador e policia e tb muitos posters de “procura-se pessoa desaparecida”. Gente, foi dificil nao chorar.

Caso se interessem, a prefeitura de Londres esta com um livro de condolencias online

http://www.london.gov.uk/condolence/condolence_form.jsp

Mudando de assunto, ontem eu e o maridao fomos a Royal Opera House assistir Rogoletto (Verdi). Nos tiramos fotos com O Rigoletto (ele e o carinha bem moreno e com cabeleira toda branca) http://www.red-snappers.com/btrigoletto/ (atencao q as fotos ainda nao estavam no ar quando publiquei esta mensagem, talvez cxs tenham q voltar la pra ver mais tarde).

Acho q por hora e so. Fiquem com Deus e tenham um otimo final de semana!

Beijocas!

:: Postado por Patropi às 08h54
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Latest news…

First, thanks all for the visits, the messages, e-mails, phone calls… I meant a lot to me.

We’re well and life seems to go on here, people feel down, sad but not scared. The transport seems to be running but we see police everywhere. Roads are corded off, including Russel Square.

For a better understanding, the event happened on The north side of the square, while I cycle past it every morning from the south East to West, so that’s why I didn’t see the main bit but only the confusion. Though, if I go to work by bus, I’d be right in the centre of the confusion as I get the bus in north of Russel Square very near Tavistock Square, which is also is a short walk North of work.

So that you get a better view – click here – for the local map. The arrow shows where I work. To the right you see Russel Square. A bit North (up) you see Tavistock Square and almost out of the map (Up Right) is the Kings Cross Station, where things happened too.

Right now I am trying to work, but I am looking forward to a nice weekend with my husband & our friends who are visiting us in London.

:: Postado por Patropi às 10h11
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London Boom

As a way of communicating efficiently I find that this blog came rather useful today. You might already know that London is under attack today. True? Dunno…

All I can tell is that all my friends are well and safe. That today’s bike ride to work was difficult as pedestrians, cars and emergency vehicles where fighting for space on the road. From the moment I passed Waterloo I noticed the rather unusual movement which never ended. Chaos everywhere...

From my point of view they seem to be dealing with things efficiently. London is blocked up & people can’t get in or out now. On the roads all you hear is sirens of the emergency vehicles. They’re working hard.

Also the phones are not working properly so please don’t worry if you can’t get hold of me. I’ll be posting here & this will be the best place to find out about me.

Now I wonder how many people will be camping @ mine tonight, considering the transports are not working.

news update: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/default.stm

:: Postado por Patropi às 10h00
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Austria Trip - part 1

So, we went to Salzburg for a week summer holiday and we managed to have a great time. Mr Hubby’s collarbone is still not well so this meant I had to do the driving, the carrying luggage, & we couldn’t do much action stuff… I was looking at white water rafting but had to give it a miss… Next time!

Day 1: We stayed in a nice 3* hotel in the centre of Salzburg. And considering we decided to act like normal tourists we decided to go to this nice dinner advertised at the tourist information website. Basically they had locals dressed in Traditional costumes playing & singing Mozart while we had dinner. This was at this restaurant which we later found out is the oldest in Europe (does that mean in the world???) and this restaurant is in the grounds of one of the most important churches of the city. Nice!!!

Day 2: We headed to this 4* in a village called St Johan (ST John) ~ 1 hour drive from Salzburg, already in the (lower) Alps. Cool place & apparently a nice ski resort. We didn’t do much more then exploring.

Day 3 – Sunday: We took a cable car up the mountain, did a bit of walking & a lot of drinking.

continues...

:: Postado por Patropi às 16h39
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Austria Trip - part 2

Monday – More touristy stuff… Went to visit some waterfall (To see only). More drinking!

Tuesday – We went to this “Alpine Beach”. A lake where people go for tanning & a swim.

Wednesday – Not much. Went shopping & Stayed reading in a nice café we found in town.

continues...

:: Postado por Patropi às 16h39
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Austria Trip - part 3

Thursday – Hiking. Yep, we learned that there’s this Restaurant on top of a mountain so we took this 1 ½ hour hike & enjoyed a nice lunch with a nice view!

Friday – Back to the Alpine Beach. We learned that there would be a festival later that evening which I worked out (I tried asking but people weren’t sure) that since Friday, 24^th was the catholic St. John’s day they must be celebrating the Saint’s day.

Saturday – We headed back to central Salzburg but we stopped by to check out this “The biggest Ice Cave in the world” tour.On the way we stoppet to photograph some Castle. Really nice. Back to town for a coffee & back to London.

One of my best friends is in London at the moment so I am short of time to post, but I will blog again soon telling the latest gossips!

Hope you enjoyed the pix!

:: Postado por Patropi às 16h27
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