Monthly Archives: April 2014

We went down to Ft Benning, Georgia to see Alex graduate from boot camp and infantry school.   He graduates tomorrow. Today he had his “turning blue” ceremony.  We got to give him his blue braid.  He lost some weight but … Continue reading →

Sometime I will read books on a Kindle or tablet, but not today.  I still prefer the paper versions.  I like the feel of the paper, the sound of turning the pages and the character an individual book can achieve, … Continue reading →

This year is the 100th Anniversary of the Rondon-Roosevelt expedition that explored what was then called the River of Doubt (since nobody was sure where it started or ended) and is now called the River Roosevelt.  Theodore Roosevelt undertook the … Continue reading →

Brazil has changed.  What was once a coastal country of Samba has become more of an interior country of Sertaneja, a type of Country-Western music that regularly tops the charts here.   But our resourced remain deployed mostly in the old … Continue reading →

I got to visit Embrapa in Boa Vista.  This was a treat for me. Embrapa is the Brazilian version of USDA. I enjoy visits at science labs and among them the agricultural ones are my favorites.  Some people think that … Continue reading →

  My first day’s schedule was disrupted by a drastic change in government.   They got a new governor on Friday and he fired almost everybody on Monday, at least those appointed politically.   Well, not fired strictly speaking.  They had to … Continue reading →

Boa Vista is a nice city and the airport actually had walkways, not something you always get at major airports in these days of pre-world cup preparations.  The city is laid out in a circle and spokes pattern, consciously imitating … Continue reading →

I walked from the Renaissance Hotel to the Fulbright venue.   It was a little more than three miles, which is a fair distance but not too far if you are doing it in the morning before it gets too hot … Continue reading →

Traveling broadens the mind … and the belly, especially if you travel for business as I do and your business is like mine.  It goes beyond the obvious temptations to eat the nice big breakfasts or munch on chips at … Continue reading →

 I try to spread out my travel, but I have to respond events and so I my travel has been concentrated.   I was in Rio last Sunday to address the opening of an IIE/Fulbright recruiting visit for U.S. universities.  After … Continue reading →