Parker Meek and Mike Moraity arrived in Rio de Janeiro on June 9 and have settled in for an extended stay. I was able to meet them for weekends and to travel around the various areas of Rio.
Created in 1984, the Movement of Rural Landless Workers (MST) is the largest grassroots organization in Brasil. One of the many outcomes of the movement was land reform. The joy expressed when agreements were reached--on the Cuiaba plantation in Sergipe, Brasil--for landless workers to have access to land is captured in this photograph by the great photographer, Sabastao Salgado. Please do visit his website, which captures the challenges faced by the “majority world.” http://www.terra.com.br/sebastiaosalgado/ I was introducted to the work of Salgado in a wonderful way, this is one of three Salgado photos that are prominantly displaced in the office of Professor Pedlwoski.
Today (May 29) an important conference was held at the federal Technical Institute that included local field workers and social movement leaders that stress the lack of rights for field workers. The increased production of sugar cane for ethanol will likely place many at risk if these issues are not addressed. The photo is of some workers walking the street of Campos before the session began.
My class in UENF is interdisciplinary, with students from the College of Natural Resources and the Center of Human Sciences. The course examines forms of public participation with examples from environmental management. This class is characterized by its strong engagement over these important issues.
Pope Benedict XVI ended his visit in Brasil today after arriving on May 9. This historic visit has come with mixed reviews as the Church traditions are questioned and many have left the church for alternatives. Brasil is home to the largest Roman Catholic population in the world but it is reported that membership is declining with Pentecostal and Protestant membership increasing. On Firday, the first native-born Brasilian was canonized, Farther Antonio Galvao.
On this Mother's Day I was thinking of Christine and wrote this on the sand in Farol de San Thome, a town som 40 kilometers from Campos. Happy Mother's Day Christine!
Upon the late afternoon, the fisherman return to port in Farol de San Tome. Because there is no port, they run their vessel on to the sand, where a tractor is waiting to pull them ashore to ground above the sea.
Domingo (Sunday) brings futebol in Brasil. This day was the final for the state of Rio de Janeiro. The two teams playing are neighborhoods next to each other in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Flamengo and Botafogo. These teams played in famed Maracana stadium and the stadium was full to capacity. The winner was Flamego in penalties. In this photo, a Botafogo player realizes the loss despite hitting the then go ahead goal at the 70 minute mark.
This Domingo took me to Atafona, a small town where the Paraiba do Sul meets the Atlantic Ocean. Atafona is a fishing village. Small restaurants are located on the river serving the local catch of the day. 
The area that surrounds the town of Atafona is confronted with the erosion of the coastline where many homes have fallen way to the encroaching sea.
May 1 is the world’s national holiday celebrating the laborers and workers (the US version is labor day in the fall). Campos had the added pleasure of celebrating the partial opening of a new bridge that crosses the Rio de Paraiba do Sul connecting North Campos (Guarus) and Campos Downtown. The gala was attended by the past governor (Rosinha Garotinho) and current governor (Sergio Cabral) of the state of Rio de Janeiro and the mayor of Campos. 
The new bridge was needed as one previously collapsed and an additional bridge was in need of repair. This new bridge, named after Rosinha Garotinho, connects with roads north of Campos bringing more traffic. This photo was taken May 2 where the congestion on the bridge is already noticeable. My rides to work are now more complicated.
We flew to Buenos Aires, Argentina and have been filling our days with a tour of the city, shopping, and eating tasty, yet inexpensive food. Traffic is something to be dealt with, whether in a taxi, bus or walking. The pedestrian does not have the right-of-way, so we need to beware! The Avenida 9 de Julio is very wide, and usually congested – 22 lanes at the widest point!
Casa Rosada sits on the end of Plaza de Mayo. It is from a balcony of the north wing that Eva Peron addressed the adoring crowds of Argentine workers in the late 40’s. The Argentine president works here – and he was working this day, indicated by the small flag flying above the building.
We’ve done a lot of window-shopping as we walk the streets. Some Tango dancers performed for a many on-lookers on an outdoor stage. Maybe she buys her shoes here?
Taking a jeep tour up the 2,330 foot hill of Corcovado to view the Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer) was quite an adventure - the statue standing an impressive 125 feet tall. It is a beautiful site, and the 360 degree view of the city was stunning, even though we endured very gusty winds. We continued our jeep trip through a section of the Parque National da Tijuca where we saw some monkeys and a 5-6” blue butterfly flit by (and learned it only lives for 24 hours).
Notes from Christine, the guest blogger. . . We choose from a colorful array of fresh fruit each morning: papaya, mango, honeydew, watermelon, pineapple, apples and bananas that complements eggs, breads, meats, cererals, and cafe (con leite for me!)
We stopped by the road for a refreshment of coconut water. A very simple, yet efficient system: a hole is cut into the top of the coconut, it is inverted on top of the container where the water drains into a coiled tube that surrounds a block of ice. The woman then turns the spigot to release cold coconut water into a plastic cup - all for one reais (about 50 cents) - delicious!
In the afternoon, I accompanied Jack, the university driver (Jackson), and Manuela on a drive to this agricultural area where she conducted interviews with five landowners. Manuela is a student at the university doing her senior project on the success or lack of success of the settlements. This area is located about 20 minutes north of Campos, each landowner applying a decade ago for 10 hectares on which to live and farm. They built their own homes and we saw great variety in style and sanitary conditions as we drove down the roads. Some we saw were well constructed (I noticed a precise tile roof, granite entry way and stained glass windows in one), and another was very make-shift (corrugated aluminum roof, small basic structure, trash and junk strewn throughout the yard). Manuela, a very kind and patient young woman, has 10 pages of questions to ask; for example, how many people live in the house? Do any of the children go to school? What crops are grown and are they sold? What livestock do they own and are those sold? Do they own a phone, TV, DVD player, bicycle, car, etc.? The landowners seemed candid in their replies (from what I could tell!), some willing to share stories, some sharing the fruits of their labor (oranges, guavas, coconuts, and manioc). The day helped to illustrate what I’ve read about Brazil: that there are two Brazils inhabiting the same space and living side by side. It is a country of great disparity where the richest 1% earns 12% of the country’s income, while the poorest 50% of the people earns just 10%.
Christine Arrives in Rio De Janeiro! After 24 hours of air travel in five cities!! After this nice stop, she had a three hour trip to Campos. Christine also had a short stop in San Paulo, the largest city in the world!
On March 26, I had the honor to share my research on public participation with 35 students and faculty at the Biological Science and Biotechnology Center at UENF. The seminar also had professors from the Center for Human Sciences at UENF as well as professors from a local private university (UCAM) where collaborative research is being considered. Professor Dora Villela is the Coordinator of the program in Ecology and Natural Resources and I was introduced by Professor Silvia Nascimento. Manuela Cordeiro translated my paper and provided translation at the seminar. She is pictured with me in this photo.
This canvas, one of my favorites, is in the hallway opening of the main conference hall at the Civic Center. Sessions on the future strategic plan of Campos was reviewed in the hall.
Colleagues and friends have been wonderful in Campos. Here Marcos (my host) is with Arthur (son of department colleague Paula) at a recent "festa" hosted by Cristina and Marcos.
Faculty from UENF (Teresa Faria on right), Jack, Luiz Pineda (from UCAM), Rodrigo Serra (from UCAM and far left) meet with the consultant from the Brasilian Institute of Municipal Administration after a Campos workshop.
Professor Teresa Faria is the laboratory director who has coordinated my visits with local administration events in Campos and is a specialist on urban planning.
Professor Luiz Pinedo is a specialist in urban management from San Paulo and is currently at UCAM (a nearby private university in Campos). This lecture covered the impact of some recent urban legislation.
The RUSH our traffic from downtown is a mix of walkers, bicycles, motor bikes, cars, vw vans, pick-ups, busses, and trucks. On my ride south to get the bike path, there are three bus passenger pick-ups to keep an eye upon.
TRAFFIC MIX is my favorite part of the bike journey. On the bike path, there are variations to the theme. In this case, horse drawn wagons are common, carrying needed sand, bricks and rocks to locals for building.
Governance in Brasil
The states are further divided into 5560 municipalities. Municipalities in Brasil are autonomous, independent federal units that have their own legislative councils and mayors. I live in the municipality of Campos dos Goytacazes, the 44th largest city in Brasil and located in the state of Rio de Janeiro. Campos has 430,000 residents and is part of the Northern Fluminense region. The governance of Campos, prefeitura municipal, includes a city hall that houses the chief executive, the mayor and the city council. The name Campos dos Goytacazes refers to the “Fields of the Goytazazes Indians.” This photo is of the main cathedral in Sao Salvado Square in the center of Campos.
