Tuesday, December 15, 2009
i don't really know
I really don't know who to talk to about this, or even if i'd be able to formulate what i'm thinking right now, but I need some sort of outlet. Ever since I was little I've been really close to my grandparents. They've always lived in New Jersey so it'd be a 2-3 hour drive either way to see them, but I grew up with them. Last year my grandfather took ill and was nearly on his deathbed. My brother and I, both at Pittsburgh for school at the time traveled about 5 hours to see my grandfather for what we thought would be the last time in our lives. Miraculously he pulled through and he's even able to walk by himself now. Unfortunately, tragedy struck our family again during this time. My grandmother also was diagnosed with cancer, except this kind was malignant and just a few minutes ago my brother called me and told me she might not make it past christmas. I don't even know what to think or do now. I feel like i'm rambling, but I just can't believe that in a matter of days she'll be gone. My brother and I are going to make the trip as soon as possible to see her, but I'd give anything just to see her okay... When I saw my grandfather on the verge of death, it was almost too much to handle. His body was frail and it looked like he was fighting just to breath... The worst part of it all was his cognition. My grandfather is the smartest man I know and the fact that he didn't seem all there scared me. I don't want to see my grandmother or my grandfather like that again... I remember everything they've done for me... Holidays, birthdays, any occasion worth mentioning in my life they were a part of it. From the second I was born, to my Bar Mitzvah, to my high school graduation, they were there. Every christmas, hannukkah, thanksgiving, passover, or anything memorable, they were there. To sleeping over their house and waking up to my grandma's "special" pancakes (they were really just the bisquick pre-made kind but they were still my favorite) to playing poker to eating my grandma's brisket (it was horribly dry but once again, i still loved it) to just everything about them... It's going to end. She was going to go to my graduation! She was going to go to my wedding! She should be there for my first child! She doesn't deserve this. My grandma always said that being a grandparent was the best thing in the world since she doesn't have to discipline her grandchildren or have them be mean to her. And that's how I'll always remember her, as THE best grandmother. I swear, everytime I would visit she would tell me how much taller and skinnier I got. That's the kind of person she is... I don't know why I'm typing all this out, I know only Emily actually reads this (sorry for the rambling). I just needed some way to keep my memories in order. Keep my mind from going chaotic... I just wish I didn't have to be here when my family needs me the most. I'm not a very religious person, and I know my grandma isn't either, but I really do hope that when she goes, she won't be afraid... and I hope someone or something out there will be there for her...
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Eventful weekend to say the least.
G20 was held in Pittsburgh this week. 20 world leaders came together to discuss the world's current financial situation. This was a huge event for Pittsburgh, a city that reinvented itself from a failing economy in the 80's to one of the most livable cities in America. 20 world leaders brings thousands of riot police and hundreds of protesters. For the most part the protesters were civil and peaceful and those that had permits did not have any trouble with the police. It was the handful of anarchists denouncing capitalism that caused destruction of many businesses, some even local ones(they hit Pamela's, home to some of the best damn pancakes you'll ever have). These handful of ill-informed twenty-somethings incited the wrath of hundreds of police with tear gas, pepper spray, rubber bullets and police batons. Curious college students, wanting to see first-hand the importance of G-20 and why thousands of policemen in riot gear have invaded their campus, got caught in the mix.
On thursday night, after being reminded many times that people outside were part of an unlawful assembly and must disperse, a large group of students seeing their campus overrun by police and protesters were gathered on their dorm patio. The police were apparently tired of waiting for the students to disperse so they stormed the patio, causing students to flee towards the locked doors of their dorms. Those too slow were slammed to the ground and arrested, no questions asked. It was a frightful night, the police acted quickly and with excessive force, but over 10 businesses had their windows shattered due to unruly protesters and some action had to be done. It was the next night where things really got out of hand.
Friday night a peaceful protest was held at 10 pm in Schenley plaza, a common meeting place for college kids. Some protesters were playing duck duck goose, or as they called it anarchist anarchist cop. At around 10:30, the police declared it an unlawful assembly and called for immediate dispersal. What followed was students and protesters alike in the streets of their own campus, getting trapped, gassed, shot at, pepper sprayed, beaten and arrested. The show of excessive force on Friday night by the police against students on their own campus is something that should not be overlooked.
These ireports and other videos will show you how brutal these policemen really were. Sorry for a not-so-funny post, Emily.
http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-333876
http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-333897
http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-333880
http://www.pittnews.com/node/20100
On thursday night, after being reminded many times that people outside were part of an unlawful assembly and must disperse, a large group of students seeing their campus overrun by police and protesters were gathered on their dorm patio. The police were apparently tired of waiting for the students to disperse so they stormed the patio, causing students to flee towards the locked doors of their dorms. Those too slow were slammed to the ground and arrested, no questions asked. It was a frightful night, the police acted quickly and with excessive force, but over 10 businesses had their windows shattered due to unruly protesters and some action had to be done. It was the next night where things really got out of hand.
Friday night a peaceful protest was held at 10 pm in Schenley plaza, a common meeting place for college kids. Some protesters were playing duck duck goose, or as they called it anarchist anarchist cop. At around 10:30, the police declared it an unlawful assembly and called for immediate dispersal. What followed was students and protesters alike in the streets of their own campus, getting trapped, gassed, shot at, pepper sprayed, beaten and arrested. The show of excessive force on Friday night by the police against students on their own campus is something that should not be overlooked.
These ireports and other videos will show you how brutal these policemen really were. Sorry for a not-so-funny post, Emily.
http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-333876
http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-333897
http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-333880
http://www.pittnews.com/node/20100
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
The title of my post goes here.
I don't feel like making this post cohesive so here are random statements about stuff. Every damn night starting around 1 am there is loud construction noises that keep me up at night. This equals very little sleep and a very grumpy Jonny. I missed out on getting tickets to see Duff Goldman(dude from Ace of Cakes) speak to the school and that makes me sad as well. Everyone at Pitt seems to be getting swine flu and it's only a matter of time till I catch it. Here's hoping it comes and goes. Anyway, I gots work to do. Farewell Interwebs!
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
New school year, new blog.
So I'm going to start writing in this thing again. I believe only Emily will follow it but who knows, maybe my witty remarks and classic good looks will bring in more readers. But please (this is mainly your responsibility Emily) make sure I do not turn this into a xanga. Last thing I want or anyone wants is to read about how boring my classes are or how lame my day was. Only interesting, insightful thoughts here (except for this post). So anyways, another school year has begun and so far so good. No classes tuesday or thursday sounds pretty good to me. Insert closing comment here.
Friday, May 15, 2009
May 14th
Oi! Sorry for the delay on this post. I don't feel like putting up another lame school oriented blog post so instead I'm just going to say I love Brazil so much, BUT I need some sleep and I have not been getting any of that here. Anyways, i'm tired as hell so I will just leave this here for you. Enjoy!
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
May 13th
Today we returned to Cubatao and visited two companies. We visited Petrobras and carbocloro. We took a bus tour of the facilities at Petrobras first. There we saw only a small glimpse of the nearly 6 square kilometer facility. Petrobras is the 8th largest petroleum company in the world and helps produce and refine much of Brazil's oil. The entire refinery was strewn with pipes carrying liquids such as water and petroleum. There was also an entire waste management facility much like the one we witnessed about a week ago in Mongungua, only on a much larger scale and with waste from the plant itself. We saw many of the oil towers that burn the extra gas such as methane at the top of the tower so as to reduce the amount of pollution. The facilities were huge and the amount of machinery and manpower needed to operate the plant was astounding. Engineering of all disciplines, mechanical, civil, chemical, bio, etc. must be applied here in order to keep the company running smoothly.
After the tour we had one of the spokespersons there give us a presentation on the company. The presentation told a lot about the history of Petrobras and showed a lot of graphs and data about the world's need for energy. There was a lot of emphasis on the fact that Petrobras is leaning away from just being an oil company and is now becoming an energy company. They plan to increase the amount of natural gas they produce, research and implement more alternative energies such as solar and wind power, and are constantly keeping the environment in mind. The information presented to us really opened my eyes to see how much energy the United States uses and how much it produces. We are the leaders of consumption, yet we produce very little energy ourselves. It seems like we need to diversify our energy grid just like Brazil and Petrobras seems to be doing now.
We then went to another company visit, carbocloro, one of Brazil's leading chlorine gas producers. Chlorine gas is used to clean water for drinking, soaps, shampoos, and other cleaning products. This company visit was sort of a surprise for all of us since the Cosipa steel mill currently has many of its employees on strike due to wage negotiations. The tour of the facilities of carbocloro was pretty interesting. We all had to wear safety goggles, hard hats, and have an emergency respirator (just in case). We walked around the facilities and saw many wildlife preserves on the work site. The attention they pay to the environment is astounding in Brazil. They keep animals found in the wild who need rehabilitation at the facility and nurse them back to health. We toured around the zoo section a little bit, and then we started looking at the bigger machinery. The amount of pipes, tubes, and gas/liquid containers were impressive. The only problem was that I could not hear our tour guide very well and I did not get a real clear picture of what all the machinery did. Nonetheless we were able to see much of the plant and afterwards we had a nice conversation with our tour guide about the differences between America and Brazil.
After carbocloro, we once again visited the favellas in Cubatao, but this time we actually entered them. We had a news crew follow us around as we walked through the slums of Cubatao. Words really can't describe my experience walking through the slums. These slums/communities are built by people who can't afford to pay property tax and don't have other options. These communities have nearly no safety measures, no plumbing or sanitation, and use stolen electricity and cable. One shouldn't be quick to judge though, most of these people have jobs but just can't afford to live elsewhere. They have families to feed and sometimes this is the only thing they can do. The government is offering housing to some of them, but many are reluctant to leave since, even though they live in desolate conditions, it's still the home they grew up in, raised their kids in, etc. The kids in the slums were all very friendly and excited that we showed up, but many of the adults seemed resentful. The kids may look up to the luxury that we have and see that as a goal, while the adults may despise us because we're able to waltz through their town and leave and go home to luxury.
The sights we saw there is something that you won't see in America. Their water source, a small river, is also where they defecate and throw their trash in. The smells of certain portions of the favella was comparable to the waste water treatment plant. During our visit in the slums we met a radio newscaster who interviewed a few of us, as well as some teachers who spoke very good english. We conversed, laughed, and talked about the issues facing everyone there. After experiencing the slums for myself, I can see why the Brazilian government is so active in relocating these people. These living conditions are really not up to standard and no one deserves to live in their own filth. However, despite the unsanitary conditions and the poverty, the people their still make the best of things. They really are people just like us, and I applaud the Brazilian government for seeing that as well...
Damn, today was real tiring. It was hot as hell, but I learned a lot and experienced poverty firsthand. It reminded me a lot of my trip to the Philippines a few years ago. They too have villages like the ones I saw today and it really is hard to imagine living like that. Makes you really appreciate what you have, but for me at least it makes me want to do something about it. Whether it will be through charity or somehow through my future work, I want to be able to improve the lives of these people. Anyway, that's it for today. Tomorrow we tour a military facility. Exciting! Thanks for reading!
After the tour we had one of the spokespersons there give us a presentation on the company. The presentation told a lot about the history of Petrobras and showed a lot of graphs and data about the world's need for energy. There was a lot of emphasis on the fact that Petrobras is leaning away from just being an oil company and is now becoming an energy company. They plan to increase the amount of natural gas they produce, research and implement more alternative energies such as solar and wind power, and are constantly keeping the environment in mind. The information presented to us really opened my eyes to see how much energy the United States uses and how much it produces. We are the leaders of consumption, yet we produce very little energy ourselves. It seems like we need to diversify our energy grid just like Brazil and Petrobras seems to be doing now.
We then went to another company visit, carbocloro, one of Brazil's leading chlorine gas producers. Chlorine gas is used to clean water for drinking, soaps, shampoos, and other cleaning products. This company visit was sort of a surprise for all of us since the Cosipa steel mill currently has many of its employees on strike due to wage negotiations. The tour of the facilities of carbocloro was pretty interesting. We all had to wear safety goggles, hard hats, and have an emergency respirator (just in case). We walked around the facilities and saw many wildlife preserves on the work site. The attention they pay to the environment is astounding in Brazil. They keep animals found in the wild who need rehabilitation at the facility and nurse them back to health. We toured around the zoo section a little bit, and then we started looking at the bigger machinery. The amount of pipes, tubes, and gas/liquid containers were impressive. The only problem was that I could not hear our tour guide very well and I did not get a real clear picture of what all the machinery did. Nonetheless we were able to see much of the plant and afterwards we had a nice conversation with our tour guide about the differences between America and Brazil.
After carbocloro, we once again visited the favellas in Cubatao, but this time we actually entered them. We had a news crew follow us around as we walked through the slums of Cubatao. Words really can't describe my experience walking through the slums. These slums/communities are built by people who can't afford to pay property tax and don't have other options. These communities have nearly no safety measures, no plumbing or sanitation, and use stolen electricity and cable. One shouldn't be quick to judge though, most of these people have jobs but just can't afford to live elsewhere. They have families to feed and sometimes this is the only thing they can do. The government is offering housing to some of them, but many are reluctant to leave since, even though they live in desolate conditions, it's still the home they grew up in, raised their kids in, etc. The kids in the slums were all very friendly and excited that we showed up, but many of the adults seemed resentful. The kids may look up to the luxury that we have and see that as a goal, while the adults may despise us because we're able to waltz through their town and leave and go home to luxury.
The sights we saw there is something that you won't see in America. Their water source, a small river, is also where they defecate and throw their trash in. The smells of certain portions of the favella was comparable to the waste water treatment plant. During our visit in the slums we met a radio newscaster who interviewed a few of us, as well as some teachers who spoke very good english. We conversed, laughed, and talked about the issues facing everyone there. After experiencing the slums for myself, I can see why the Brazilian government is so active in relocating these people. These living conditions are really not up to standard and no one deserves to live in their own filth. However, despite the unsanitary conditions and the poverty, the people their still make the best of things. They really are people just like us, and I applaud the Brazilian government for seeing that as well...
Damn, today was real tiring. It was hot as hell, but I learned a lot and experienced poverty firsthand. It reminded me a lot of my trip to the Philippines a few years ago. They too have villages like the ones I saw today and it really is hard to imagine living like that. Makes you really appreciate what you have, but for me at least it makes me want to do something about it. Whether it will be through charity or somehow through my future work, I want to be able to improve the lives of these people. Anyway, that's it for today. Tomorrow we tour a military facility. Exciting! Thanks for reading!
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
May 12th
Today we spent the entire day touring the city of Sao Vincente. We started off the day by meeting the vice mayor of Sao Vincente. He welcomed us and encouraged us to enjoy the many sites and activities the city has to offer. We had tour guides accompany us throughout the city as well as a cavalcade of police officers following us. Apparently we were that important to need police escorts throughout the day.
The tour guides guided us through many of the city's public parks, monuments and we even drank from the natural spring. They say that those who drink from the spring are destined to return to the city. The city was very beautiful and had a great beach along with a fisherman's wharf. We walked on the wharf and saw a few fisherman catch some very very shiny looking eel-fish things.
After the fisherman's wharf, we visited a small recreation of what the city of Sao Vincente was back in the 1500's. There were people dressed in old colonial dress as well as native brazilian dress. We stayed there for a little bit and then had lunch at a nice buffet restaurant.
After lunch we traveled up in two separate vans up to a monument for one of the most famous architects in Brazil. The monument was sort of a platform with a big arch above it, sort of in the shape of the Sydney opera hall. We looked over the peak, took some pictures and then headed to the landfill!
The landfill was actually renovated in the last decade or so to be a recreation place and for sustainable greenhouses. The entire area used to be covered in trash but now it has playgrounds, greenhouses, and recycling areas. Brazil makes many efforts to clean up the environment and provide safe areas for people to inhabit and this is one of the many municipal projects that Brazil has worked on.
After visiting the landfill we visited a zoo which also acts as a water reservoir, adult education center, and a children with disability teaching center. We got to see all the little monkeys, hippos and birdies flying around. Out of the like twenty zoos we've visited already this one was probably the best.
One last thing to do before the end of the day (twas a long day). We took some two seated lifts up to the top of a cliff where they have para-gliders. A handful of us (not me, i ain't got no money) paid the 100 real to jump off with them. They all landed on the beach and said it was a crazy experience. And that was the end of our day. It was tiring, very very hot in our "business casual" clothes, but it was also pretty cool and entertaining. Now tomorrow is packed with company visits, no lunch and no breaks. Yay?
^ that was the regular blog post again. But anyways, yeah EC if you're reading this, you somehow knew we'd be jumping off cliffs. Like literally, they jumped off a motherfuckin' cliff! I completely would have but unfortunately I don't have the money for that right now. I can't believe it's pretty much their winter/fall here. It was at least 85 degrees out and sunny as hell. I can't imagine what it's like in the summer. I'm tired as hell and think i'm going to call it an early night soon. Thanks for reading and have a pleasant tomorrow!
The tour guides guided us through many of the city's public parks, monuments and we even drank from the natural spring. They say that those who drink from the spring are destined to return to the city. The city was very beautiful and had a great beach along with a fisherman's wharf. We walked on the wharf and saw a few fisherman catch some very very shiny looking eel-fish things.
After the fisherman's wharf, we visited a small recreation of what the city of Sao Vincente was back in the 1500's. There were people dressed in old colonial dress as well as native brazilian dress. We stayed there for a little bit and then had lunch at a nice buffet restaurant.
After lunch we traveled up in two separate vans up to a monument for one of the most famous architects in Brazil. The monument was sort of a platform with a big arch above it, sort of in the shape of the Sydney opera hall. We looked over the peak, took some pictures and then headed to the landfill!
The landfill was actually renovated in the last decade or so to be a recreation place and for sustainable greenhouses. The entire area used to be covered in trash but now it has playgrounds, greenhouses, and recycling areas. Brazil makes many efforts to clean up the environment and provide safe areas for people to inhabit and this is one of the many municipal projects that Brazil has worked on.
After visiting the landfill we visited a zoo which also acts as a water reservoir, adult education center, and a children with disability teaching center. We got to see all the little monkeys, hippos and birdies flying around. Out of the like twenty zoos we've visited already this one was probably the best.
One last thing to do before the end of the day (twas a long day). We took some two seated lifts up to the top of a cliff where they have para-gliders. A handful of us (not me, i ain't got no money) paid the 100 real to jump off with them. They all landed on the beach and said it was a crazy experience. And that was the end of our day. It was tiring, very very hot in our "business casual" clothes, but it was also pretty cool and entertaining. Now tomorrow is packed with company visits, no lunch and no breaks. Yay?
^ that was the regular blog post again. But anyways, yeah EC if you're reading this, you somehow knew we'd be jumping off cliffs. Like literally, they jumped off a motherfuckin' cliff! I completely would have but unfortunately I don't have the money for that right now. I can't believe it's pretty much their winter/fall here. It was at least 85 degrees out and sunny as hell. I can't imagine what it's like in the summer. I'm tired as hell and think i'm going to call it an early night soon. Thanks for reading and have a pleasant tomorrow!
Monday, May 11, 2009
May 11th
Today we visited a Catholic University in Santos that specializes in physical therapy, nutrition, and pharmacy. The facilities were extremely clean, organized and professional. All the equipment in the labs seemed state of the art and there was definitely more emphasis on the undergraduate curriculum rather than the graduate curriculum. We visited chemistry labs, physics labs, health labs and even saw a few dead bodies (one too many if you ask me). We even attended an actual class. I sat in a Psychology class that was going over the way the brain interprets pain, at least I think. The lecture style was very relaxed, students were having many side conversations and many students also left class for one or five smoke breaks. We said our goodbyes to the class and then headed out for lunch.
After lunch we returned back to the University to do an engineering project. We built a small motor in one of the physics labs. I tried and failed kinda miserably, but I did see what I did wrong and learned from it. Actually building the motor helped me relate back to the turbines in the hydroelectric plant. Instead of turning a turbine to induce a current, a motor uses electric current to turn the shaft.
Having experienced the differences between college facilities and classes in Brazil and the United States helped me gain a better perspective of how Brazilians learn and eventually how they will work in the real world. This experience will hopefully help me be more accustomed to the way different cultures get educated.
Yup, another verbatim school blog entry. Today was definitely interesting but considering I'm trying to be a mechanical engineer and I couldn't even build a simple motor is kind of disappointing. Hopefully this was just one minor setback. After all that scheduled crap we went to the beach and stuff and now I'm about to eat with some cool kids. It's crazy how I didn't know even half the people on this trip a week ago and now I feel like they're my best friends. Good stuff. Well thanks for reading, if you want to leave comments on what you REALLY want to read about just let me know!
After lunch we returned back to the University to do an engineering project. We built a small motor in one of the physics labs. I tried and failed kinda miserably, but I did see what I did wrong and learned from it. Actually building the motor helped me relate back to the turbines in the hydroelectric plant. Instead of turning a turbine to induce a current, a motor uses electric current to turn the shaft.
Having experienced the differences between college facilities and classes in Brazil and the United States helped me gain a better perspective of how Brazilians learn and eventually how they will work in the real world. This experience will hopefully help me be more accustomed to the way different cultures get educated.
Yup, another verbatim school blog entry. Today was definitely interesting but considering I'm trying to be a mechanical engineer and I couldn't even build a simple motor is kind of disappointing. Hopefully this was just one minor setback. After all that scheduled crap we went to the beach and stuff and now I'm about to eat with some cool kids. It's crazy how I didn't know even half the people on this trip a week ago and now I feel like they're my best friends. Good stuff. Well thanks for reading, if you want to leave comments on what you REALLY want to read about just let me know!
May 10th!
Free day!!! We got back from Rio around 4 am. I slept most of the bus ride so I slept only until 9:30ish in the hotel. From 10:30 till around 2 some friends and I stayed on the Santos beach. We swam, laid out, and played american football. Most of the Brazilians just stared at us when we were tossing around the football but it was still fun. After that most of us waited from 3:30 to 5:30 for some Brazilian students to come pick us up for a Brazilian barbeque party. They were supposed to arrive at 3:30 but we ended up getting there around 6. Besides the ungodly wait, the party itself was extremely fun. We got back around midnight then hit the hay for the night. Sunday was a good day.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
May 9th
City skyline
More Scenery!
One word. RIO DE JANEIRO! Err three words. All I can say, is that Rio is officially my favorite city/beach/place of all time. We had a 7 hour bus ride from about 12 am till 7 am and I actually slept pretty well. After the bus ride we took a trolley/train/whatever you want to call it up to the top of the "Christ the Redeemer" statue. The view from that peak was breathtaking. I have never seen anything so ridiculously scenic. The view was almost a perfect 360 degree view of the city and ocean. After hanging out at the top for awhile and exhausting at least 50 some pictures, we headed back down the hill. After that we visited H.Stern, one of the largest gemstone companies in the world. We took an in depth tour which actually included watching the gemstone makers at work. Some of the pieces of jewelry we saw were incredible and incredibly expensive. However, the prices they offered us on the jewelry are probably at least one half the price you'd pay in America.
After our company visit we all went to Copacabana beach. The sand was amazing. The sun was amazing. The water was amazing. Everything was amazing at that beach. The waves were a little too strong to go out swimming too far but they were still ridiculously fun. We laid out in the sun and swam in the ocean for about 2 hours, and despite very poor food service at the beach, it was one of the best beaches I've ever experienced.
After wiping the sand out of places that will remain unnamed, we traveled to Sugar Loaf, a two hill tourist destination which gives a very scenic view of the city. We all packed into the lifts which took us high up into the air. The view once again was amazing and we even saw a few wild monkeys hopping around. More and more pictures were taken at the top of sugar loaf as we watched the sunset over Brazil. This was another one of those breathtaking moments you can't describe just with words. The view of the city got even more beautiful as the sun set and the city skyline was illuminated with lights. Once again, more pictures were taken!
We capped off our visit to Rio with a trip to the largest mall I have ever been to. The amount of stores, people, and food courts were astounding. We wandered around looking at as many stores as we could for the 2 hours we were given but I don't think we even scratched the surface of this mall. Beats the hell out of the York Galleria Mall. After the mall we all hopped back on the bus for the 7 hour bus ride back home. Rio was definitely my favorite part of this Brazil trip so far and I will most definitely visit again in the near future!
Friday, May 8, 2009
May 8th
Today we loaded onto the bus around 7:30 A.M. to visit the town of Itatinga. The bus ride was about 45 minutes to an hour and we had to go from the bus, to a boat across a small body of water, then on a small train to the town. After copious amounts of waiting for the boat and train, we finally made it to the town. This town houses a hydroelectric plant that provides all the power that the Santos Port uses. This plant is over one hundred years old and still has some equipment from that time. The plant is currently upgrading equipment with more modern and reliable equipment, but the amount of energy the hydroelectric plant provides for the port and some of the city is tremendous.
We took a tour of the plant itself and saw all of the generators generating energy through the use of the natural body of water located 750 meters above the actual plant. Similar to the water treatment plant, this facility uses the height of the body of water to provide the force to spin the turbines which are connected to a shaft that has a number of magnets. Brushes change the polarity of the magnets as they spin and create a change in magnetic flux. This change in magnetic flux induces a current and this is where they get the energy.
Budny thought it was a good idea to show us what they do when something goes wrong and they have to flush the water going through the turbines. Big splash is what happened. After the first splash he instructed everyone to stand in a certain spot to avoid getting wet. He also went, but this was actually just a kamikaze attempt as the REALLY big wave hit everyone. That sneaky man...
After the tour we had a lunch of ham and cheese sandwiches... very umm not filling. Then we trekked up the jungle to a waterfall. We all jumped in and enjoyed the very very cold water. After that we headed back and now we're going to be going to Rio in a few hours. Ciao!
We took a tour of the plant itself and saw all of the generators generating energy through the use of the natural body of water located 750 meters above the actual plant. Similar to the water treatment plant, this facility uses the height of the body of water to provide the force to spin the turbines which are connected to a shaft that has a number of magnets. Brushes change the polarity of the magnets as they spin and create a change in magnetic flux. This change in magnetic flux induces a current and this is where they get the energy.
Budny thought it was a good idea to show us what they do when something goes wrong and they have to flush the water going through the turbines. Big splash is what happened. After the first splash he instructed everyone to stand in a certain spot to avoid getting wet. He also went, but this was actually just a kamikaze attempt as the REALLY big wave hit everyone. That sneaky man...
After the tour we had a lunch of ham and cheese sandwiches... very umm not filling. Then we trekked up the jungle to a waterfall. We all jumped in and enjoyed the very very cold water. After that we headed back and now we're going to be going to Rio in a few hours. Ciao!
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Brazil May 7th
Today we started out with a trip to the Santos Port. One of the managers of the Port gave us a lecture about the history of the port, what they import, export, the size of the port itself, the importance of the port, how the port works, and current projects. The port is the largest and most important port of all Latin America. They export a number of items such as petroleum, airplanes, grains, soybeans, coffee, sugar, corn, fertilizer, cars, and so much more. The port itself stretches along both sides of the canal and is about 7 miles in length. The port has about 12,000 workers and 4,000 will work at a time. The port is also powered by its very own hydroelectric plant which produces about 15,000 kW of power. There are many logistical difficulties with the port such as connecting the two sides of the canal for easier transportation, reducing traffic of incoming supply trucks and the deepness of the canal itself. One of the many projects the Santos port is working on is making the canal itself deeper. Creating a deeper canal will allow more boats to pass through and therefore increase the amount of imports and exports. The port is continuing to expand by creating more container lots, making the port length longer, and increasing the number of strips in the nearby airport just to name a few. The manager was extremely informative and answered questions with thought.
After the port visit we took a 1 hour boat ride along the port itself. Here we were able to see all of the ships docking, loading and unloading, container lots, and warehouses from the canal. It was breathtaking to see the magnitude of the machinery used to load and unload the cargo. The boat ride itself was very nice too. It was sunny and warm but with a slight breeze. A lot of us took off our business casual clothes and changed into shorts/bathing suits and just enjoyed the sun and the water.
Now back to business. After the boat ride we dressed up again and visited the town of Cubatao, another important industrial area of Sao Paulo and Brazil. In the town hall we met with representatives of a program that is building homes and communities for those who live in the favillas(sp?), or basically the slums. The people who live in these slums set up their homes whenever construction on a new project, such as a factory, occurs. Overnight these people will create communities in the newly plowed land. In doing this they ruin the local ecosystem, endanger themselves by living so close to factories, by having no sanitation system, and living in poverty. The people who live in these slums will often steal electricity and not have to pay taxes. What the city government, along with state and federal funding, is trying to do is set up communities for these people to live in. They are encouraging these people to come live in these communities, get jobs, pay taxes, and help encourage others to do the same. This project really showed me how much Brazil is different from America. The Brazilian government, along with its people, is actually trying to help others at their own expense. In the short term, it will be a financial burden, but after awhile living conditions will improve as well as the environment around them. We visited both the slums and the newly constructed communities. The slums were what you would expect, small, dirty, smelly and unsanitary. The government built communities seemed much better. With plumbing and electricity, the houses were much more safe and sanitary. The people living there were also very nice and very friendly. As Budny told us “The lesson here is they’re just people, like you and me. They all have dreams, needs, wants, wishes…” Oh yeah, and we were also being filmed by the local news. I guess we’re that important.
Today was very eye opening and very informative. We learned both about how an industry like the Santos Port works as well as social issues and what they’re doing about them.
After the port visit we took a 1 hour boat ride along the port itself. Here we were able to see all of the ships docking, loading and unloading, container lots, and warehouses from the canal. It was breathtaking to see the magnitude of the machinery used to load and unload the cargo. The boat ride itself was very nice too. It was sunny and warm but with a slight breeze. A lot of us took off our business casual clothes and changed into shorts/bathing suits and just enjoyed the sun and the water.
Now back to business. After the boat ride we dressed up again and visited the town of Cubatao, another important industrial area of Sao Paulo and Brazil. In the town hall we met with representatives of a program that is building homes and communities for those who live in the favillas(sp?), or basically the slums. The people who live in these slums set up their homes whenever construction on a new project, such as a factory, occurs. Overnight these people will create communities in the newly plowed land. In doing this they ruin the local ecosystem, endanger themselves by living so close to factories, by having no sanitation system, and living in poverty. The people who live in these slums will often steal electricity and not have to pay taxes. What the city government, along with state and federal funding, is trying to do is set up communities for these people to live in. They are encouraging these people to come live in these communities, get jobs, pay taxes, and help encourage others to do the same. This project really showed me how much Brazil is different from America. The Brazilian government, along with its people, is actually trying to help others at their own expense. In the short term, it will be a financial burden, but after awhile living conditions will improve as well as the environment around them. We visited both the slums and the newly constructed communities. The slums were what you would expect, small, dirty, smelly and unsanitary. The government built communities seemed much better. With plumbing and electricity, the houses were much more safe and sanitary. The people living there were also very nice and very friendly. As Budny told us “The lesson here is they’re just people, like you and me. They all have dreams, needs, wants, wishes…” Oh yeah, and we were also being filmed by the local news. I guess we’re that important.
Today was very eye opening and very informative. We learned both about how an industry like the Santos Port works as well as social issues and what they’re doing about them.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
May 6th
(This blog post will be the same as my other one. I'm a little too lazy to write two separate blogs right now)
Oi! Como Vai!
Today wasn't as great as yesterday obviously but we still did some interesting things. One of the students in our group had her camera stolen the other night and through some crazy stroke of luck (or actually competent police work) they found the guy and retrieved the camera. She spent a lot of the day dealing with that with the police, but after that ordeal we went to the Santos soccer stadium. In there they have a little museum showcasing the team's history and accomplishments. Pele, arguably the best soccer player who ever lived, was on this team and there was a whole Pele exhibit. We visited the locker room and in there they still have Pele's locker which is locked. They say he kept a good luck charm in there, but no one is certain. After visiting the soccer field we visited a small barbershop and met the barber who cut Pele's hair. A certain student decided it would be a good idea to get a haircut at this point. It would be a cool story to say you got your haircut by the same guy who cut Pele's hair, but we were on a tight schedule and we did not have much time to spare... especially around 30 minutes. It was a pretty warm day outside too... I did not approve, but oh well. After that ordeal we ate at a local restaurant and enjoyed some traditional brazilian food. Sausage, beef, ribs, chicken, rice, beans... all delicious!
After a very gooli gooli (don't ask) good lunch we visited one of Santos's zoos. It seemed more like a wildlife preservation center since the jungle and zoo was integrated with the walkways. There were birds, fishes, turtles, little rodent things and some spider monkeys. It felt less like you were in a zoo and more like someone preserved a natural habitat and let people pass through it.
After the visit to the zoo we visited one of the city government buildings and met the vice mayor. He talked a lot about tourism, the importance of the ports and canal systems and was very friendly and nice. The "meeting" was in a very elaborate room and done in a casual way. The brazilians in the room would often interrupt each other and have side conversations. After the visit to the Mayor's office we explored the coffee museum/shop.
Brazil's main export used to be primarily coffee and this museum told the history of the coffee business. It brought in a lot of immigrants and wealth to the Santos area. We walked around the building and saw how they used to make coffee, the people who grew and processed the coffee, and other coffee related things.
After the coffee museum we visited Santos' aquarium. When we arrived it had just closed, but through Professor Budny's connections (he said he had the mayor call and keep it open but i don't know...) we were able to get in. There were fish, moray eels, turtles, sharks, penguins, and sea wolfs (like a sea lion). We later found out that this facility actually rescues animals found on the beaches and nurses them back to health. They also conduct research on deceased animals to find out what killed them (usually from pollution) and then what they can do to reduce the amount of pollution. We were also taken behind the aquarium to see all the medical facilities and water pump systems. They actually use the water from the ocean and pump it into the aquarium to ensure a natural environment.
Unfortunately that took us to the end of the day around 6. It was too dark to go out to the beach so instead a couple of friends and I ate at one of the local restaurants we've eaten at before. Last time we tipped around 20 percent and the workers there went insane with gratitude so when we arrived there again they ran to us and gave us the best service they could. They were smiling like crazy and waited on us hand and foot. And that's about it. We're supposed to be exploring more of the industrial side of the city of Santos tomorrow. We'll be talking to Port officials, exploring the port itself by boat, and then visiting more businesses. Hopefully tomorrow will end a little earlier so we can have some free-time while the sun is still up. Pictures may be posted later but for now I'm trying to post a bunch on facebook. Ciao!
Oi! Como Vai!
Today wasn't as great as yesterday obviously but we still did some interesting things. One of the students in our group had her camera stolen the other night and through some crazy stroke of luck (or actually competent police work) they found the guy and retrieved the camera. She spent a lot of the day dealing with that with the police, but after that ordeal we went to the Santos soccer stadium. In there they have a little museum showcasing the team's history and accomplishments. Pele, arguably the best soccer player who ever lived, was on this team and there was a whole Pele exhibit. We visited the locker room and in there they still have Pele's locker which is locked. They say he kept a good luck charm in there, but no one is certain. After visiting the soccer field we visited a small barbershop and met the barber who cut Pele's hair. A certain student decided it would be a good idea to get a haircut at this point. It would be a cool story to say you got your haircut by the same guy who cut Pele's hair, but we were on a tight schedule and we did not have much time to spare... especially around 30 minutes. It was a pretty warm day outside too... I did not approve, but oh well. After that ordeal we ate at a local restaurant and enjoyed some traditional brazilian food. Sausage, beef, ribs, chicken, rice, beans... all delicious!
After a very gooli gooli (don't ask) good lunch we visited one of Santos's zoos. It seemed more like a wildlife preservation center since the jungle and zoo was integrated with the walkways. There were birds, fishes, turtles, little rodent things and some spider monkeys. It felt less like you were in a zoo and more like someone preserved a natural habitat and let people pass through it.
After the visit to the zoo we visited one of the city government buildings and met the vice mayor. He talked a lot about tourism, the importance of the ports and canal systems and was very friendly and nice. The "meeting" was in a very elaborate room and done in a casual way. The brazilians in the room would often interrupt each other and have side conversations. After the visit to the Mayor's office we explored the coffee museum/shop.
Brazil's main export used to be primarily coffee and this museum told the history of the coffee business. It brought in a lot of immigrants and wealth to the Santos area. We walked around the building and saw how they used to make coffee, the people who grew and processed the coffee, and other coffee related things.
After the coffee museum we visited Santos' aquarium. When we arrived it had just closed, but through Professor Budny's connections (he said he had the mayor call and keep it open but i don't know...) we were able to get in. There were fish, moray eels, turtles, sharks, penguins, and sea wolfs (like a sea lion). We later found out that this facility actually rescues animals found on the beaches and nurses them back to health. They also conduct research on deceased animals to find out what killed them (usually from pollution) and then what they can do to reduce the amount of pollution. We were also taken behind the aquarium to see all the medical facilities and water pump systems. They actually use the water from the ocean and pump it into the aquarium to ensure a natural environment.
Unfortunately that took us to the end of the day around 6. It was too dark to go out to the beach so instead a couple of friends and I ate at one of the local restaurants we've eaten at before. Last time we tipped around 20 percent and the workers there went insane with gratitude so when we arrived there again they ran to us and gave us the best service they could. They were smiling like crazy and waited on us hand and foot. And that's about it. We're supposed to be exploring more of the industrial side of the city of Santos tomorrow. We'll be talking to Port officials, exploring the port itself by boat, and then visiting more businesses. Hopefully tomorrow will end a little earlier so we can have some free-time while the sun is still up. Pictures may be posted later but for now I'm trying to post a bunch on facebook. Ciao!
May 5th
So this trip has been amazing so far. Today we went to Palm Island, a private resort island. The island itself was gorgeous. Water was warm, fishies were swimming, everyone was happy! From 9 to 5 we all did whatever we wanted there. Some people laid out in the sun, some people went exploring the neighboring jungle, some people enjoyed swimming in the ocean... and so on and so on. My friends and I basically tried to take advantage of the whole island and did all of the above and then some. We kayaked, dove off random things into the water, explored the jungle (bugs ate me alive there) and used the water slide. This water slide ruled. The Brazilians there working were so relaxed and cool. One last thing about this island is they fed us the most amazing Brazilian barbeque I have ever had. Pretty much, if I were on deathrow, I would choose this to be my last meal. Well here are some pictures to show you how amazing this island are. Enjoy!
Monday, May 4, 2009
May 2nd-3rd
May 2nd-3rd 2009, Jonny’s Daily Journal
We departed from Atlanta, Georgia at 9:20 PM and after an agonizing 8-9 hour plane ride (in which I had around 45 minutes of actual sleep) we arrived in Sao Paulo, Brazil. After going through customs we were greeted by Claudio and …… two of Professor Budny’s good friends. Their connection with Professor Budny is the reason there is a Brazil Plus 3 Program. Since our hotel in Santos was not ready, the 24 of us all got on the “Style Bus” and cruised around Sao Paulo. We visited a cultural art exhibit which had incredible works of architecture, sculptures, paintings, and other pieces of art all having to do with the rich culture of Brazil.
After the art exhibit, we hopped back onto the bus and travelled from the plateau in which Sao Paulo is located on down to the port city of Santos. Uncle Dan made sure we did not miss out on the beautiful mountainside view of the city of Santos. I noticed many things different and similar about Brazil from America. One difference was the amount of vibrant colors and cultural art in the buildings. Another difference was the option of ethanol fuel for the cars.
After Professor Budny brought us to the hotel, Gonzaga Flats, he took us around the local streets and showed us the main area in which we will be living. He showed us a 24 hour grocery store, mall, various restaurants and of course, the beach! From around 3 to 7:30PM we were given free time. Budny suggested that we use that time to enjoy the beach so that’s just what me and some guys did. The beaches were pretty empty because it was cloudy, a Sunday, and the big game was on, but the water was fine and we swam in it for what seemed like hours. It turned out only to be maybe an hour and a half so we took the extra time we had to explore more on the streets. While me and one of my roommates were out searching for a churro, we encountered one of the wildest riots we’ve ever seen. The big Santos soccer game was on and everyone rushed the main city square. Flags were waving, people were chanting, cars were honking, and flares were being lit. A canister releasing some brown gas was actually thrown our way. I thought it was tear gas but it was actually just some colored gas thrown by a crazed fan. Later in the night a group of us went to a local night club and saw a band perform some modern Brazilian.music.
We departed from Atlanta, Georgia at 9:20 PM and after an agonizing 8-9 hour plane ride (in which I had around 45 minutes of actual sleep) we arrived in Sao Paulo, Brazil. After going through customs we were greeted by Claudio and …… two of Professor Budny’s good friends. Their connection with Professor Budny is the reason there is a Brazil Plus 3 Program. Since our hotel in Santos was not ready, the 24 of us all got on the “Style Bus” and cruised around Sao Paulo. We visited a cultural art exhibit which had incredible works of architecture, sculptures, paintings, and other pieces of art all having to do with the rich culture of Brazil.
After the art exhibit, we hopped back onto the bus and travelled from the plateau in which Sao Paulo is located on down to the port city of Santos. Uncle Dan made sure we did not miss out on the beautiful mountainside view of the city of Santos. I noticed many things different and similar about Brazil from America. One difference was the amount of vibrant colors and cultural art in the buildings. Another difference was the option of ethanol fuel for the cars.
After Professor Budny brought us to the hotel, Gonzaga Flats, he took us around the local streets and showed us the main area in which we will be living. He showed us a 24 hour grocery store, mall, various restaurants and of course, the beach! From around 3 to 7:30PM we were given free time. Budny suggested that we use that time to enjoy the beach so that’s just what me and some guys did. The beaches were pretty empty because it was cloudy, a Sunday, and the big game was on, but the water was fine and we swam in it for what seemed like hours. It turned out only to be maybe an hour and a half so we took the extra time we had to explore more on the streets. While me and one of my roommates were out searching for a churro, we encountered one of the wildest riots we’ve ever seen. The big Santos soccer game was on and everyone rushed the main city square. Flags were waving, people were chanting, cars were honking, and flares were being lit. A canister releasing some brown gas was actually thrown our way. I thought it was tear gas but it was actually just some colored gas thrown by a crazed fan. Later in the night a group of us went to a local night club and saw a band perform some modern Brazilian.music.
Brazil: May 4th
May 4th, 2009, Jonny’s Daily Journal
Today we woke up around 5:30 A.M. in order to leave to go to Mongungua(sp?) at 6:30 A.M. We enjoyed a very very early breakfast that included fresh fruit, ham and cheese sandwiches, various breads, and hot dogs. After the breakfast we all headed onto the bus and got a small nap until we arrived at the water treatment plant/park in Mongungua. We were greeted by two Brazilian students who helped translate and show us around. They were extremely helpful and were excited to practice their English with us. At the water treatment plant we saw how they used the water’s height in order to pump the water through the filters as opposed to a man-made pump system. This method is much cheaper. After the water treatment plant we visited the waste water treatment plant. Here we saw how the waste water is cleaned and then sent back through the rivers. One of the techniques used to clean the waste water was through aeration. Oxygen is pumped into the “sludge” which allows bacteria to grow and break down the waste. After visiting the waste water treatment plant we traveled to a small Native Brazilian village. Here the native girls and boys performed a song and dance for us. We gave them small gifts and in exchange they painted our faces. The Native Brazilians are protected under the Brazilian government and are also given permission to stay anywhere they want. However, the Brazilian government has set up permanent residences such as this village in hopes that they will make that their permanent home.
After the village visit we went to a small, privately owned restaurant where they raise their own livestock and fish. We were given plenty of chicken (which Budny told us was squirrel), fish, beans, rice, and potatoes. After lunch we visited more tourist attractions in Mongungua such as a small wildlife preservation where we saw exotic birds, fish, turtles and even monkeys! After around 7 or so we were given free time in which we enjoyed the local restaurants.
Today we woke up around 5:30 A.M. in order to leave to go to Mongungua(sp?) at 6:30 A.M. We enjoyed a very very early breakfast that included fresh fruit, ham and cheese sandwiches, various breads, and hot dogs. After the breakfast we all headed onto the bus and got a small nap until we arrived at the water treatment plant/park in Mongungua. We were greeted by two Brazilian students who helped translate and show us around. They were extremely helpful and were excited to practice their English with us. At the water treatment plant we saw how they used the water’s height in order to pump the water through the filters as opposed to a man-made pump system. This method is much cheaper. After the water treatment plant we visited the waste water treatment plant. Here we saw how the waste water is cleaned and then sent back through the rivers. One of the techniques used to clean the waste water was through aeration. Oxygen is pumped into the “sludge” which allows bacteria to grow and break down the waste. After visiting the waste water treatment plant we traveled to a small Native Brazilian village. Here the native girls and boys performed a song and dance for us. We gave them small gifts and in exchange they painted our faces. The Native Brazilians are protected under the Brazilian government and are also given permission to stay anywhere they want. However, the Brazilian government has set up permanent residences such as this village in hopes that they will make that their permanent home.
After the village visit we went to a small, privately owned restaurant where they raise their own livestock and fish. We were given plenty of chicken (which Budny told us was squirrel), fish, beans, rice, and potatoes. After lunch we visited more tourist attractions in Mongungua such as a small wildlife preservation where we saw exotic birds, fish, turtles and even monkeys! After around 7 or so we were given free time in which we enjoyed the local restaurants.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
