World Wonders

"Christ Redeemer (1931) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

This statue of Jesus stands some 38 meters tall, atop the Corcovado mountain overlooking Rio de Janeiro. The statue took five years to construct and was inaugurated on October 12, 1931."

The Best Places in the World to be on New Year’s Eve - by COURTNEY BOYD MYERS

(http://thenextweb.com/shareables/2011/12/25/the-best-places-in-the-world-to-be-on-new-years-eve/)

The Best Places in the World to be on New Year's Eve

25TH DECEMBER 2011 by COURTNEY BOYD MYERS

In April of this year, we reported on Oyster.com, a commerce meets editorial travel site much like Jetsetter and the lesser known, but locally rich Jauntsetter. Oyster is full of curated information to provide inspiration for wanderlust travelers, along with planning help that will put the traditional travel agent out of business.

The Travel Channel invested $7.5 million into Oyster.com and promotes Oyster on television and online in exchange for revenue share on trips booked on the site. And like many brands are trying to do online, the station is positioning itself as a lifestyle brand. The deal provides The Travel Channel with a new revenue stream in addition to advertising and cable subscription fees.

We caught up with the travel experts at Oyster just before the holidays to ask them where they thought we should go for New Year's Eve. Should we usher the New Year before the rest of the world in Sydney? See the ball drop at Times Square? Party like a fist-pumping rock star in Vegas? Or gulp down twelve grapes before the last chime of the clock in Madrid?

Check out Oyster's selection of the best places to be on New Year's Eve and get ready to hop on the next flight to your favorite destination.

NEW YORK CITY

Few NYE celebrations are as famous as New York's. While thousands of people brave the cold on Times Square waiting for the six-ton ball to drop, millions follow the events from home, hotels or clubs. Celebrations begin at 6 p.m. with the lighting and rising of the NYE Ball, followed by several musical performances (Pitbull, Hot Chelle Rae, Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga and more will keep partiers going this year), and finally the countdown. After midnight, parties continue with open bars, music and dancing till well after 2 a.m.

STAY: Marriott Marquis New York– to be in the heart of Times Square

LAS VEGAS

Every year hundreds of thousands of people visit Las Vegas in New Year's Eve, so it's no wonder nightlife operators plan the events months in advance. Venues andhotels secure huge headliners that spice up the last night, and charge an average cover of $150, which generally includes a two- or three-hour open bar and a midnight toast. Add the traditional gambling, wild bashes, gorgeous pyrotechnics shows, the Bellagio's dancing fountains and overall party ambiance, and you have one of the world's best NYE celebrations.

STAY: Bellagio—to have the dancing fountains outside your room and two of the biggest parties an elevator ride away.

LONDON

The New Year's Eve fireworks are always spectacular, with hundreds of thousands of people flocking to the London Eye to watch them. But this year London is not only gearing up for the Olympics, but also for the celebrations of Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee, and so the city is getting all dressed up for the big day. On New Year's Day, the celebrations will kick off with a 3-hour parade featuring marching bands, 10,000 performers representing 20 countries worldwide, and concerts.

STAY: St. James's Hotel and Club—to be within walking distance to the New Year's Day Parade.

DISNEY WORLD ORLANDO

For a NYE with the kids, few places deliver as Disney World does. The theme park opens an hour early on the 31st (at 7 a.m.) for Disney Resort guests in preparation for the day-long celebrations, which include live entertainment throughout the day and the evening, and impressive fireworks at midnight. Parties and activities go on until 1 a.m. in most parks, with video games, dance parties, confetti drops, Champagne toasts for adults, and Cirque Du Soleil performances for all.

STAY: Disney's Wilderness Lodge—for a Disney-fied family vacation.

HAWAII

Wrap up the year in one of the last places to bid goodbye to 2011. Hawaii offers dozens of activities, gorgeous beaches and beautiful landscapes, aside from the traditional midnight fireworks. Cruises, restaurants, and hotels have special packages for that night, with open bars, dance parties and activities for the whole family. The great thing about spending New Year's in Hawaii is that whether you want to spend the night in a booming club or away from it all in a remote location, you're sure to find what you're looking for.

STAY: Four Seasons Maui— for a top-notch getaway

SYDNEY

Sydney is the world's first big city to greet the New Year. The fun starts at 6 p.m. with an aerial and water show at Sydney Harbour, followed by the "Acknowledgement of Country" event, a smoking ceremony from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander vessels to cleanse the harbor of negative spirits. The 8-minute Family Fireworks are designed for kids and are a prelude to the impressive fireworks display to follow at midnight, followed by thousands of people both live and on TV. The most spectacular part of the celebrations is when dozens of vessels switch on their lights and begin the "Harbour of Light Parade".

HONG KONG

Victoria Harbour is the main stage of the huge New Year's celebrations in Hong Kong. The party begins with a countdown and ball drop at Times Square shopping mall, followed by fireworks from different parts of the waterfront. Several cruise companies offer NYE packages on their ships, which generally include dinner and exclusive views of the pyrotechnics. If you can't be there, the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) will provide satellite feed of the entire event for use by television broadcasters worldwide.

EDINBURGH

A street party including DJ's, outdoor bars, giant screens and fireworks are only the beginning of a four-day festival to mark the beginning of the new year—Edinburgh's famous Hogmanay. Expect everything from performances, traditional Scottish music, and dance lessons, to the Queensferry Loony Dook annual splash in the freezing River Forth, candlelit concerts in St Gile's Cathedral, and the New Year Games.

PARIS

The City of Lights offers plenty of options for those lucky enough to greet the New Year there. Most Parisians spend the last night of the year with their families—but after midnight, the city becomes alive with celebrations. However, those who want to get a close-up view of the action head to the Champs-Elysees and the area surrounding the Eiffel Tower to see the magical fireworks displays. Clubs, restaurants and entertainment venues put on their best dresses to welcome the New Year, most of them staying open until the wee hours.

MADRID

Grab twelve grapes and head to Puerta del Sol square if you want to experience first-hand how Spaniards usher the New Year. Thousands of people gather around the clock tower and eat a grape for every chime while a golden ball drops. After midnight, everyone takes to the streets and heads to mass parties in clubs and hotels, where they dance the night away before putting the cap to the celebrations with the famous chocolate con churros (hot chocolate and churros) well after 8 a.m.

Em 2011, Brasil se tornou passagem obrigatória para produções classe A de Hollywood

(http://cinema.uol.com.br/ultnot/2011/12/30/em-2011-brasil-se-tornou-passagem-obrigatoria-para-producoes-classe-a-de-hollywood.jhtm)

30/12/2011 - 17h02

Em 2011, Brasil se tornou passagem obrigatória para produções classe A de Hollywood

ROBERTO SADOVSKI 
Colaboração para o UOL

• 

  Cena da animação ''Rio'', dirigida pelo brasileiro Carlos Saldanha

"O roteiro original tinha uma sequência inteira no Brasil", contou o produtor de "Missão Impossível: Protocolo Fantasma", Bryan Burke, durante passagem pelo Brasil para promover o filme com Tom Cruise no início de dezembro. "Mas você sabe como roteiros são, de tanto mexer terminamos cortando essa parte." A confissão confirma uma tendência vista em peso no país em 2011. De "Rio" a "Velozes e Furiosos 5", passando por "A Saga Crepúsculo: Amanhecer - Parte 1", as paisagens tropicais brasileiras se tornaram, se não passagem obrigatória, ao menos cenários seriamente considerados para produções classe A de Hollywood. É o mundo vendo o Brasil – em particular o Rio de Janeiro – sob uma ótica completamente inédita. E que promete se tornar mais e mais comum.

• 

  A atriz Anne Hathaway na pré-estreia mundial da animação "Rio" no Cinépolis Lagoon, no Rio de Janeiro (22/3/2011)

 
Rodar filmes estrangeiros no Brasil não é novidade. Mickey Rourke seduziu Carré Otis no esquecível "Orquídea Selvagem", dos anos 1980. Antes disso, Roger Moore, na pele do superagente James Bond, combateu o gigante Dentes de Aço em cima do bondinho do Pão de Açúcar em "007 Contra o Foguete da Morte". Mas as novas produções que usam o Brasil como cenário inserem o país na trama de forma menos caricata – e economicamente mais esperta.

Como uma recente pesquisa apontou o Brasil como a sexta maior economia mundial, à frente da Inglaterra, é natural que investidores e prestadores de serviço tragam seus negócios ao país, inclusive o cinema. Não por acaso, o casal apaixonado de "Amanhecer - Parte 1", que teve cenas gravadas em Paraty, no litoral fluminense, também encontrou tempo para passar rapidamente pela Lapa, no Rio, mas foi o suficiente para encaixar uma bela tomada de cartão postal do Cristo Redentor no filme, um dos maiores sucessos de bilheteria mundiais do ano.

 

"O Brasil estava na trama original, mas encontramos tantas facilidades que ampliamos nossa produção no Rio de Janeiro", conta o produtor Kevin Feige, que trouxe "O Incrível Hulk", da Marvel, para as favelas cariocas. Cidades próximas à antiga capital federal também "dublaram" a Guatemala e um vilarejo do México.

A verdade é que tanto São Paulo (que foi palco de "Ensaio Sobre a Cegueira", filme decididamente internacional dirigido por Fernando Meirelles) quanto o Rio possuem técnicos e equipamentos que rivalizam os encontrados em cidades com maior tradição em grandes produções, e o crescente profissionalismo ajuda a aumentar a procura. Às vezes, isso termina em confusão, como as declarações equivocadas sobre o Brasil feitas por Sylvester Stallone, que filmou seu "Os Mercenários" por aqui – embora a ação se passasse num país fictício.

• 

  Vin Diesel recebe camisa do Flamengo durante passagem pelo Rio para divulgar "Velozes e Furiosos 5" (15/4/11)

"Acho que 2011 é um ano excepcional. O Rio entrou no mapa do cinema internacional. E isso é um reflexo do crescimento do nosso mercado. Representamos R$ 1,3 bilhão de receita", conta Sérgio Sá Leitão, diretor-presidente da RioFilme, distribuidora estatal que tem ajudado a negociar a vinda das produções para o país e promete investir R$ 31 milhões em incentivo a realização de filmes e lançamentos no Rio em 2012.
 
A vez do Brics
Não estamos sozinhos nesse novo radar de Hollywood. Os países emergentes que formam o Brics (grupo político de cooperação internacional formado por Brasil, Rússia, Índia, China e África do Sul) estão cada vez mais presentes em produções americanas, que hoje contam com a bilheteria internacional como grande responsável por seu sucesso. Assim, o novo "Missão Impossível" foi rodado em Dubai e na Índia, a China bancou boa parte da produção da recente refilmagem de "Karatê Kid", e Moscou é palco da invasão alienígena de "A Hora da Escuridão", que estreia no mundo todo nas próximas semanas.
 
Ter o Brasil como cenário e como parceiro de negócios também animou os grandes estúdios a incluir o país no calendário de lançamento de suas produções mais ambiciosas – em outras palavras, cada vez mais astros, diretores e produtores incluem o Brasil em sua agenda de viagens para divulgação dos filmes.

Carlos Saldanha, que ambientou a animação "Rio" em pleno Carnaval, trouxe todo seu elenco internacional, que incluía Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway, Jamie Foxx e will.i.am, para divulgar o filme.

Já Vin Diesel, quando conversou com a reportagem do UOL em dezembro de 2010, em Nova York, garantiu que traria todo mundo para o Brasil para o lançamento de "Velozes e Furiosos 5" – promessa cumprida quando o diretor e todo o elenco do filme,  ambientado no Rio de Janeiro, passou duas semanas sob o calor carioca em uma longa maratona de entrevistas que culminou com o tapete vermelho e a cobertura da imprensa de entretenimento internacional.

Em seguida, "Transformers: O Outro Lado da Lua" trouxe o diretor Michael Bay e a musa Rosie Huntington-Whiteley ao país. Também vieram Jim Carrey ("Os Pinguins do Papai"), Antonio Banderas e Salma Hayek ("Gato de Botas") e, no início deste mês, Tom Cruise, com o novo "Missão Impossível".

E as visitas não parecem ter hora para terminar. Nem bem 2012 começou e Robert Downey Jr. já se encontra a caminho do Rio de Janeiro para divulgar "Sherlock Holmes: O Jogo das Sombras". E os produtores na capital carioca ainda sonham em trazer Woody Allen para que o diretor possa transformar o Rio em cenário de uma fantasia romântica como "Meia-Noite em Paris". É um sonho que deixou de ser impossível.

SPFCpedia - CA São Paulo - Foto de treinamento

SPFCpedia

---

CA São Paulo - Foto de treinamento Posted: 29 Dec 2011 02:07 PM PST A única foto conhecida por mim, e acredito que de modo geral também, do São Paulo em 1935, com os jogadores posados desta maneira. Bom, na verdade não é o São Paulo FC, mas o CA São Paulo, que existiu brevemente entre as duas fases de vida do São Paulo FC, naquele fatídico ano. Vê-se no canto direito a única figura que reconheço: Porphyrio da Paz.

(http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/bbc/1027990-cientistas-fazem-cocegas-em-gorilas-para-estudar-gargalhada.shtml)

30/12/2011 - 12h24

Cientistas fazem cócegas em gorilas para estudar gargalhada

DA BBC BRASIL

Cientistas britânicos estão estudando como primatas reagem a cócegas para descobrir mais pistas sobre a evolução da gargalhada.

	BBC
	Cientista faz gorila rir para estudar evolução da gargalhada entre os primatas

Pesquisadores da Universidade de Portsmouth monitoram o comportamento de gorilas em um zoológico em Kent, na Inglaterra, com a ajuda dos tratadores dos animais.

Um das estrelas do estudo é a gorila Emmie, com 19 anos de idade, que tem mostrado reações muito parecidas às de humanos.

Os pesquisadores também estão encontrando grandes semelhanças entre os sons das gargalhadas de primatas com as risadas de seres humanos.

Para os cientistas, a gargalhada pode ter nascido há 30 milhões ou 60 milhões de anos.

World Wonders

"The Pyramid at Chichen Itza (before 800 A.D.) Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

Chichen Itza, the most famous Mayan temple city, served as the political and economic center of the Mayan civilization."

SEINFELD "The Best Sitcom Ever" Series - "The Couch" SEINFACT

Seinfeld

"The Couch" SEINFACT:

The exterior of the convalescent home where Kramer visits Poppie while he recovers from his gastrointestinal maladies is actually Building 5 on the CBS Studio Center lot. This is the building which housed Seinfeld's production and writer's offices.

Seinfeld

Anyway, sorry again about the...the...the...the...

Plot

Kramer plans to start a "pizza business where you make your own pie" with Poppie (Reni Santoni). Jerry and Elaine's discussion of the abortion issue causes trouble at Poppie's restaurant when it turns out Poppie is pro-life. 

George joins a book club to impress his girlfriend and is assigned to read Breakfast at Tiffany's, but tries to rent the movie instead, saying "If it's not about sports, I find it very hard to concentrate!" Elaine dates the hunky man (David James Elliott) who delivered Jerry's couch. George ends up watching the movie at an apartment with a man named Joe and his daughter Remy (who would later make a brief appearance in the episode "The Diplomat's Club").

 

Meanwhile, Poppie pees on Jerry's new couch, and Jerry is forced to get rid of it. He takes his old couch back from Elaine, who took it when Jerry got his new couch. George accidentally spills grape juice all over the family's couch and is kicked out of their apartment before he can see the ending of the movie. 

Later, Elaine falls in love with the moving man. Jerry casually asks her what his stand is on abortion. She asks him and breaks down in tears after finding out that he, too, is pro-life. She is forced to break up with him, since she is pro-choice. 

Kramer's pizza business with Poppie ends because Poppie objects to Kramer putting cucumbers on his pizza. Poppie and Kramer get into an argument that alludes to the theme of abortion in the rest of the episode, where they disagree over whether a pizza becomes a pizza when it comes out of the oven, or when you first start to make it. Elaine offers her ex-boyfriend something to drink while he is in her house getting the couch back to Jerry's. She throws grape juice over to him, but the bottle breaks and spills all over the couch. During the last scene, the book club is meeting and George, not having read the book or seen the end of the movie, says that Holly Golightly got together with George Peppard. Realizing his mistake, he quickly changes to calling him Fred, but George's girlfriend just looks at him and says, "George... Fred's gay."

• Quotes

  
  
  • George: If it's not about sports, I find it very hard to concentrate. Jerry: You're not very bright, are you? George: No I'm not. I would like to be, but I'm not. 
  • Jerry: (admiring his new sofa) What do you think Lainey? Elaine: Well, I don't know. I'll have to sit on it. Jerry: Oh no. I don't want anyone sitting on it. 
  • George: (to Jerry) I got a feeling I'm going to be much smarter than you pretty soon.
  • Jerry: Poppie peed on my sofa! 
  • 
    
  • George: You know what I love? How there's two nuts named after people: Hazel and Filbert. 
  • Jerry: (on Elaine's boyfriend) What is his stand...on abortion? Elaine: Well, I'm sure he's pro-choice. Jerry: How do you know? Elaine: Because he, well...he's just so good-looking. 

SEINFELD "The Best Sitcom Ever" Series - "The Chinese Woman" SEINFACT

Seinfeld

"The Chinese Woman" SEINFACT:

Upon hearing that his parents are divorcing, George turns on the oven and puts his head inside. An alternate version in which he reacts by pouring a bottle of water over his head was also considered.

Seinfeld

You're Donna Chang?

Plot

Jerry and Elaine see George's father, Frank Costanza, with a man in a cape (Larry David), but don't say hello. Jerry talks to a woman, Donna Chang (played by Angela Dohrmann), on George's phone line after the wires get crossed and he gets a date with her, thinking she's Chinese because of her surname. Kramer goes to a fertility clinic. Elaine ruins her friend Noreen's latest romance with a "long talker." George's life is made miserable when the man in the cape is revealed to be Frank's lawyer and his parents are separating. Kramer discovers he has a low sperm count and must stop wearing jockey shorts. Boxer shorts make him feel uncomfortable, so he decides to go commando. Later, Jerry meets Donna, who is not Chinese, but actually shortened her last name Changstein to Chang while taking on Chinese stereotypes, such as displaying interest in acupunctureor on one occasion pronouncing a word with a Chinese accent.

Donna talks over the phone to George's mother, Estelle, convincing her not to divorce (by citing Confucius). When George introduces Donna to his parents, Estelle realizes she is not Chinese and doesn't acknowledge her advice, deciding to proceed with the divorce.

At the end of the episode, Noreen is standing on the edge of the Queensboro Bridgeconsidering jumping off when Frank Costanza's caped lawyer appears. She asks "Who are you?" to which he responds "I'm Frank Costanza's lawyer". He then leads her slowly and safely off the bridge.

  

Superman reference

• Jerry: You can't cast aspersions on someone just because they're wearing a cape. Superman wore a cape! And I'll be damned if I'm gonna stand here and let you say something bad about him.
• 
  

• • 
    

• Quotes

  
  
  • Kramer: (unhappy with boxer shorts) There's nothing holding me in place. I'm flipping, I'm flopping. 
  • Jerry: (about George) It's a shame his parents didn't get divorced thirty years ago. He could've been normal. 
  • Jerry: (to a polite smoker) No, go ahead. I second-hand smoke two packs a day.
  • George: (leaving a message on Jerry's answering machine) Hey, it's George. I got nothing to say. 
  • George: (referring to divorce) All right, let me just say one thing. There is no way this is gonna happen, you hear me? No way! Because if you think I'm going to two Thanksgivings, you're out of your mind! 
  • Estelle: You're not Chinese?! Donna Chang: No. Estelle: I thought you were Chinese! Donna Chang: I'm from Long Island. Estelle: Long Island?! I thought I was getting advice from a Chinese woman?! Donna Chang: I'm sorry. Estelle: Well, then…that changes everything! George: What?! Estelle: She's not Chinese, I was duped! George: So what?! She still gave you great advice! What's the difference if she's not Chinese?! Estelle: I'm not taking advice from some girl from Long Island!George: Wait a minute, you're-now you're getting a divorce because she's from Long Island?! Frank: You want a divorce?! You got one! 
  •   Donna Chang (played by Angela Dohrmann)
    
  • Jerry: Well, it looks like you've adjusted to the boxers. Kramer: Well, I wouldn't go as far as that. Jerry: You went back to the Jockeys? Kramer: Wrong again. Jerry:(realizing that Kramer is not wearing underwear) Oh, no. Elaine: What? What? Jerry: Don't you see what's goin' on here? No boxers, no Jockeys… (Elaine backs away from Kramer, disgusted) Jerry: The only thing between him and us is a thin layer of gabardine…Kramer, say it isn't so. Kramer: Oh, it be so. (Jerry turns his head in disgust) Kramer: I'm out there, Jerry, and I'm lovin' every minute of it. 
  • Kramer: You ever get a woman pregnant? Jerry: I'm sorry, Kramer, those records are permanently sealed.
  • George: I don't trust men in capes. Jerry: You can't cast aspersions on someone just because they're wearing a cape. Superman wore a cape, and I'll be damned if I'm going to stand here and let you say something bad about him. George: Alright, Superman's the exception. 
  • Kramer: Yeah, I need the secure packaging of Jockeys. (cupping hand gesture) My boys need a house.