Our son Seth, the Brazil correspondent for Globalpost.com wrote from the town of Primavera this week. He went to the Amazon, away from his usual post in Sao Paulo, to check out education in Brazil's biggest state (Amazonas). He will be writing about how education works in a region where there are few roads, and kids go to school by boat (I hope Seth will forgive this simplified or possibly inaccurate account of his purpose there.) From Primavera this week, he wrote about the town's electrical system. When there is gas for the generator, everyone watches soaps and/or soccer on the town's few TV sets. See "Soccer and Soap Operas in the Amazon" at globalpost.com.
More than 3,000 miles away and in a different hemisphere, his brother Jeremy launched a web business this week. I think the idea came to him and his friend about a month ago, and it's up on the Web already. He didn't have to worry about a generator. (I hope Jeremy will forgive me if I oversimplify what this business is about.) Jasmere.com will offer discounts of up to 70% from specialty web businesses—it's a shopping site, with a different angle. If you like bargains, you might want to sign up.
How unbelievable is it that two brothers are 3000 miles apart yet the news from both this week is about technology. Two very different technologies.
P.S. to Loren in Maryland, I really, really do like raking leaves.
Judy, Love for raking leaves seems to run in your family. Jeremy had a great day raking his yesterday. Maybe some day I'll find the joy in that task. For now it just makes me really sore the next day!
Posted by: Loren | November 08, 2009 at 10:18 AM