No, this is not a Internet-wide marketing campaign. It´s a SINGLE BANNER in a not-that-popular website, www.paraiba.com.br, with a meek 208.667 Alexa ranking.

It´s not the first time, last year they aired the banner, too. But charged ONLY US$25.000,00 A MONTH for their trouble.

The entire transaction is online:

Link to the details of the operation - Brazilian Senate Website, translated by Google.

Oh, it´s not the only contract, looks like the R$48.000,00 monthly fee is standard to the Brazilian Senate: http://www.senado.gov.br/sf/contratos/empresaContratada.asp?o=1&e=R%C1DIO+E+TV+PARAIBANA

Now the questions. Is that Earth? I DON’T KNOW.

But it looks like it. Well, check for yourself, a quick-and-dirty panorama. Looks familiar? Is that the Brooklin Bridge?

You know the drill. Click to enlarge.

Last Wednesday, June the 4th, I was travelling from Rio de Janeiro to São Paulo, a 6 hour bus trip, nice to relax in a wide, 1st class seat, when the in flight, I mean, in drive movie started.

The movie? Check the video below:

Can’t play video? Have some pictures:

Yes, Virginia. They played Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

On a crappy 14" rounded-screen CRT TV, mono sound, a bootlegged copy without ending credits and opening ones in German. Of, dubbed in Portuguese.

They RUINED my experience. I was planing to watch the movie in a big real theatre, next weekend. I’m not a saint but I believe some movies deserve to be enjoyed on a REAL cinema screen. Some others are just POSs we watch to kill time, and those can be watched via YouTube. (I’m talking to you, Uwe Boll).

Specially, if I pay for a movie, if it’s included in my ticket price, I think it should be fair to watch a REAL movie, not a pirated, US$5 copy.

I’ll watch the movie today, after lunch, but it will not be the same. Great work, Autoviação 1001. You guys ruined a 20-years wait.

Hope Paramount take your company to the Courts and rip you a new one.

The guy in the photo is Luciano de Almeida, he stabbed his 16 years old girlfriend back in February. The newspaper reporting his arrest says the victim was "shreded" and the killer drunk her blood.

Looks like he is a literal "hacker".

Source: Charles

Yes, Commander Adama, you´re on your own. All you have is that crazy blonde biatch to guide your rag-tag fleet, don´t count on Microsoft WorldWide Telescope.

No, you can´t go back home, either. And no, Mr Gaeta, we´re not there yet.

I think the MS Telescope does not reach the farthest planet from the bright center of the Universe.

Oh come on, not even the Capital of the Empire? What are you rebelling against, Microsoft?

Another nice planet (well, if you´re some warmonger, anyway) Microsoft chooses to ignore. They never listen to anyone, should change the address to "This island, Redmond".

I see. No love for jocks wearing fur speedos. Pretending they don´t exist will not make teh ghey go away, Microsoft.

Ming will not be pleased.

To be fair the planet is gone, but the Telescope should be able to show a debris cloud, lots of dirty diapers and Kirstie Alley´s lost hotness…

I CAN HAZ THIRD EARTH?

OK, that one I do not blame Microsoft. The world is a better place if we pretend Highlander 2 never existed.

When the police arrived, they were still fighting. Sooo… the cops decided that it was time to make peace, or better, make love, not war. Ordered to make out, they had no choice, after all Brazilian police can be very persuasive, with arguments from .38 to 9mm, not to mention the .380 ones.

Someone, possibly a cop filmed the whole love scene, using a cell phone. Yes, they french-kiss a little, and one of the guys really looks like he’s enjoying the whole thing.

Will someone be arrested? Other than the two lovebirds, no one, but I think a lot of NGOs will raise a little hell about the story.

Is it a sign of a new, softer Brazilian police? Nahhhhhh…. but it’s still way better than the on-site executions so popular back in the 80s among the Death Squads.

And what about those fanatics immolating themselves?

Your dear Khomeini is dead? I don’t give a fuck, and I think his beard was silly, too. Thousands slashing themselves, bleeding like goats? That’s plain old barbarism. Please, dear islam, evolve. The 12th century welcomes you.

Oh, BTW: The rest of the world don’t think the prophet Mohammed is the rat’s ass, either, and we will not suck-up him all the time. YOU can brownnose him as much as you like, but do not ask US to do the same. I don’t ask you to worship Scarlett Johanson. And you should. Man, you should.

Look at those infidel’s mellons. Too bad she’s not a virgin.
Not good enough to you, my terrorist friend, am I right?

And no, I don’t care about jihads. Feel free to pay me a visit, this infidel’s home is at 22°47′40.93″S 43°12′0.45″W. Please aim your WMDs carefully.

FRACK, FRACK, double FRACK.

A few years ago (ok, more like 10) it was easy to get a US Visa. All one needed to do was show enough juice to  pay for the tickets and a reasonable proof he/she was not going to stay as an illegal alien. Usually a moderately fay paycheck was enough.

But all good things must come to an end, and after 9/11, the red tap only multiplied. Now one can no longer apply for a Visa in a week’s notice. The process crawls for months, everything must be scheduled, sometimes the face-to-face interviews are only available in 60 days.

The Visas expire really fast, too. I remember, back in the 80s, people with +10years Visas. My last one was valid for 3 months only.

Guess what? My own US Visa IS long gone. Now my Editor-in-Chief comes with an Indecent Proposal: An invitation from a big software company to travel to the Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas, all expenses covered.

Can I go? No, because the farking show is 1/08, and no farking way I can get a Visa in such a short notice.

Frack. Fracking terrorists. Hate those guys.

At last for me.

I ordered a few hundred dollars of merchandise, from all around the globe (ok, USA and Hong Kong) right in the middle of the holidays, including my first eBay purchase. Yes, I’m not longer a virgin! oohrrah!

Only one seller replied with a shipping confirmation. Unfortunately, the cheapest and less useful (and desirable) item. I’ll not mention it, don’t want to hurt the seller’s feelings.

Now, let’s see if the Old Ninja Trick of ordering small packages and low-priced things work as a tax-avoidance maneuver. I really don’t want to pay taxes over some chinese crap, even if that chinese crap IS highly desirable.

Oh, no. My orders do not include a chinese bride. I think it’s very tempting, but I don’t speak chinese, the girls most likely will not speak portuguese. What would we do, if we can’t talk about our feelings and discuss our relationship all the time?? :):):):)

OK, chinese brides are expensive, that’s the real reason.