Mais uma do Larry Rohter, aquele "simpático" correspondente do "The New York Times" que adora falar mal do país. Ele disse que o Brasil enfrenta uma epidemia de obesidade e que o novo perfil da garota de Ipanema é de mulheres obesas. Detalhe: Ele enviou um fotógrafo até o Posto 9 para comprovar tal fato, mas o fotógrafo tirou fotos de mulheres Tchecas que passavam uma temporada no Rio !!!!! A jornalist who works for The NY Times has written a controversial article about "The Girl from Ipanema". He mentioned that Ipanema´s girls now are not as slim as they used to be, and so people could rely on his words, he had a photographer come over and wander around taking some snapshots  on the beaches . The guy did take photos of some overweight girls, but NONE OF THEM were Brazilians!! Isn´t that amazing?

LARRY ROHTER
No Rio de Janeiro

John Maier/The New York Times Estudo do governo aponta epidemia de obesidade no Brasil

Brasileiros gordos? Numa sociedade consciente do corpo, que deu à cultura global o biquíni "de tanga", a Garota de Ipanema, Gisele Bündchen e outras modelos, a idéia parece herética. Mas um polêmico estudo do governo, divulgado em dezembro, acusa: o Brasil sofre uma epidemia de obesos.

Segundo o relatório, conduzido pelo Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatísticas (IBGE) e divulgado assim que o verão chegou e as pessoas começaram a tomar as praias em trajes minúsculos, pouco mais de 40% da população adulta do Brasil está acima do peso. No geral, 1 adulto entre 10, ou mais de 10 milhões de pessoas, é obeso, em comparação com menos de 4 milhões que são considerados desnutridos.

 Todos sabem que o Schwarzenegger é Austríaco e governador da California. Mas a situação dele na Califórnia está complicada pois ele vem defendendo a pena de morte e os Austríacos estão furiosos com as suas atitudes e querem que ele perca sua cidadania. Leiam:

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger should be stripped of citizenship in his native Austria for approving the execution of a convicted killer, a leading Austrian politician said Saturday.

The demand, by a top official from the environmentalist Green Party, had little chance for success, but it underscores how Schwarzenegger has lost popularity in his homeland over his support for the death penalty. Most Austrians — and many other Europeans — abhor capital punishment as cruel and inhumane.

Peter Pilz said Schwarzenegger broke the law in Austria — where capital punishment is illegal — and is no longer worthy of citizenship because he allowed the execution of Donald Beardslee's execution to go ahead last week.

"Schwarzenegger is possibly the most prominent Austrian abroad, and he shapes the picture of Austria," Pilz said. "I don't want that picture shaped by someone who commits state murder. That does not correspond to the political culture of this country."

Cool word!!! - To abhor: verb [T not continuous] -rr- FORMAL to hate a way of behaving or thinking, often because you think it is immoral:
I abhor all forms of racism.

abhorrent   adjective FORMAL morally very bad:
an abhorrent crime / Racism of any kind is abhorrent to me.

Our friend BUSH starts his second term:

Prayer service starts work of Bush's second term: WASHINGTON (AP) — President Bush, head bowed in prayer, on Friday opens an ambitious second term in which he boldly promises to reshape Social Security and spark democracy in the Middle East. His Republican allies say they're eager to begin, while Democrats vow to resume their fight against "extreme" GOP policies.

		The first couple had a busy night yesterday, stopping off at many inaugural balls before heading home.
		By Jamie Squire, Getty Images

Four days of celebrations surrounding Bush's inauguration were to culminate Friday with an hourlong National Prayer Service, following a tradition set by George Washington. The service, Bush's second visit to church in two days, was to bring together 3,200 invited family, dignitaries, administration officials and other guests in the majestic Gothic-style sanctuary of the Washington National Cathedral.

Some explanations:

head bowed in prayer: He bowed his hair so as to pray. (To bow: bow (BEND) verb to bend your head or body forward, especially as a way of showing someone respect or expressing thanks to people who have watched you perform)

To spark: verb [T] to cause the start of something, especially an argument or fighting:
This proposal will almost certainly spark another countrywide debate about how to organize the school system.
The recent interest rises have sparked new problems for the Government.

To vow: verb [T] to make a determined decision or promise to do something:
[+ (that)] The guerillas vowed (that) they would overthrow the government.
[+ to infinitive] After the awful meals we had last Christmas, I vowed to do more of the cooking myself.

 Tongue Twister - try saying them quickly:

 I do hope I manage to make up for being away for such a long time.   Dear readers, enjoy the idioms:

Definition:	A great love for candy and sugar.
Example:	1) Susan's sweet tooth is unbelievable - she ate four chocolate bars in one hour!
Etymology:	This is an old phrase, dating back to the 1300s. In the phrase, 'tooth' refers to appetite or the thing that is chewed, rather than the tooth itself.