Music Education (For Adults Only)

I keep hearing all these songs on the radio. They all deal with the same topics.

-Money
-Power Struggles
-Sex

I listened to a CD the other day, and yes, Lupe Fiasco was just saying how we prostitute ourselves – money, power, sex. What makes this prostitution worse is that it’s on public radio – FM to be exact and the little impressionable kids get these messages repeatedly.

Now, people don’t even differentiate hooking up from sex, or sex from a real relationship. It’s all the same. The term hooking up has changed. My generation used to define it as making out or kissing. The younger generation defines it as sex. Back in the day, “we’re together” meant that is my man or woman, because we are steadily dating exclusively. Now “we’re together” has to be explained precisely because no one knows what that vagueness means. The 80s and 90s introduced the concept of casual sex. Now “I’m doing the nasty with him or her” means there’s no relationship and he or she is free for the taking, but you better stay away or get cut for even looking at him or her too long. So, present-day, sex has been confused for a real relationship. And relationships are being detailed to the point that they seem non-existent.

The newer generational sex campaign attempts to stop teens from spreading STDs. Since the beginning of time teens have been having sex. Some people try to act shocked that the peewees are preggers or victims of domestic violence and rape or have Chlamydia. As open and honest as sex has become in the last few decades, the sexually-vague media might want to consider impressionable kids. I enjoy the songs, but not when my eight year old cousin is in the car asking me what the words are. No. FM Radio and expletive nasty don’t really mix. Policy members of the FCC must not even listen to FM radio, but I bet they know what expletive nasty is and I doubt they want their kids doing it.

Like music? Check out www.rentfoodmusic.blogspot.com.

Brasilia/Brasile

I am Brazil nuts, so I consider it one of those seemingly unreachable but one day quite reachable fantasies. Ever since Snoop Dogg and Pharell’s “Beautiful”, I have wanted to go to the sprawling country and eat fruit in a hammock by the beach all day while in my skimpy bikini, accompanied by a golden-toned hottie. Thus it has caused a column on the possibilities in Brazil!

The Fruit
Tropical fruit tend to grow much sweeter in tropical countries. Tropical fruit grows in Brazil. Mangos, lime, guava, acai, and Brazil-specific fruit such as sapoti and jaca.
Oranges, passion fruit, tangerines, bananas and several other fruits can be made into juice drinks with blended ice, frozen pulps, ice cream and vitaminas which are juice with milk. Even sugar cane juice is sold. The coconuts are green and ready to drink from juice stands~ sucobars or the local markets~ feiras.

Sucobars: Fresh fruit bars where you can get blended fruit, ice and sugar as a drink or as frozen pulp in a bowl. Try the passion fruit~ maracuja, or lime~ limao.
The Hammocks
Cheaper hostels and pricier hotels are available. Hostels can provide visitors with immediate acquaintances and are great for lengthy stays. While hotels tend to be beachside or cozily nestled in the midst of the native’s ~ cariocas’ neighborhoods.
Try to keep away from the Brazilian ghettos ~ favelas. Unless invited by someone trustworthy and familiar with the environment, tourists are not able to go into them. In fact, just don’t because there tourist accommodations do not exist.

The Bikini
Think scarce. Think dental floss. Think two-piece. Purpose: tanning, blending in, and/or basking in the ambience.

The Beaches
Brazil is nearly surrounded by coastline. If you’re on the coast, there’s a beach. Pick one. Rio- The Marvelous City- has the most popular. They range from the ritzy Copacabana to the laid-back Ipanema.

The Hotties
- Alice Braga
You know her from the famous Ciudade de Deus poster and the movie I Am Legend.

Pic Credit http://weblogs.newsday.com/sports/watchdog/blog/pin-up-vanity-fair.jpghdog/blog/pin-up-vanity-fair.jpg

- Julio Baptista
You know him from AS Roma’s soccer (futbol) team, but he is originally from Sao Paulo.

Pic Credit http://www.juliobaptista.azplayers.com/pictures/Julio-Baptista-pictures.jpgobaptista.azplayers.com/pictures/Julio-Baptista-pictures.jpg

To meet my requirements for my trip, all I need is a hotel, Ipanema Beach, a green coconut, and a Julio Baptista. There are countless other great sights and forms of entertainment in Brazil. Every city and region is different. There are museums, historical buildings, the Amazon, Sao Paulo- which I hear is comparable to NYC, small towns, Carnaval, cathedrals, soccer games and stadiums, renowned mountains, the statue of Christ the Redeemer, and other places to see and experience there. And the artwork that is in the nature, the buildings, and on city walls is phenomenal in itself.

Check out http://www.braziltour.com/ or http://www.justbrazil.org/ for more information.