calvisson-leblon

  Prior to October 2025, when the scandal burst on the news, I was unaware of Banco Master, a small Brazilian investment bank.   In contrast, financial insiders knew the bank for its breakneck expansion, its above-market premiums and the extravagant parties hosted by its ostentatious boss Daniel Vorcaro (42).   However, still under the radar was Daniel’s extensive Rolodex which included many influential politicians, judges, bankers and religious leaders.   The scandal’s intrigue lies in this web of connections that may have enabled Vorcaro’s complex financial market manipulation schemes. “For Dummies” is a popular American series of instruction booklets designed to help beginners understand complex topics.   In a simple language and humorous style (I hope) I shall endeavor to explain this time bomb.   At the outset, I assure you I am not naïve; given Brazil’s history of fraud acceptance, or fatigue, the Master Bank scandal can well end up like the famou...

Move over grandma, I must make room for Buster!   In pet-mad Brazil, grandma’s coffin will have to be moved slightly to accommodate that of the family dog or cat in the family vault.   In February 2026, the conservative governor of the State of São Paulo granted pets a slot in the family grave.   The state law acknowledges “the emotional bond” between the household pet and his or her humans.   This law was inspired by a dog who spent 10 years living in the cemetery where his owner was buried.   Buster is an old-fashioned name which does not reflect dogs’ newfound role as a full family member.   Now, pet names have been “humanized” to Chico, Max or Lua to reflect this emotional bond.   The practice of burying pets alongside their owners is a time-honored tradition.   Notably, the oldest known wildcat pet was found buried intact next to the body of a young man, some 9.500 years ago in Cyprus.   Numerous Ancient Egypt tombs contain mummified p...

In November 2025, the world largest museum opened with a big media splash, in Cairo, Egypt’s capital. Solely dedicated to a single civilization that of ancient Egypt, the Grand Egyptian Museum, GEM is larger than the sprawling Louvre in Paris.  The museum’s inauguration has created a worldwide buzz beyond the world of culture.  A museum of superlatives: funded partly with Japanese loans, the US $ 1 billion project is architecturally grand, opulent, spectacular, user friendly, but also incongruous, marketing gimmick, out of place, and a waste of precious money.  Built over a twenty-year period, the museum building was purposely erected to highlight King Tut’s tomb treasures and Pharaoh Khufu’s afterlife barges.  Notably, the GEM’s goal is to boost Egypt tourism, a key source of revenue.                                                     ...

  A month ago in the Brazilian Pantanal, I got up close and personal with a randy jaguar couple.   I spent last week in the Brazilian Cerrado and met Savana (photo below), a relaxed female maned wolf ( Chrysocyon brachyurus, lobo guara in Portugues) near the lodge where I was staying.   She is the local matriarch and was surveying her territory; the Trijunçâo lodge stands in the middle of her playground. Since moving to Brazil, I have been puzzled by Chrysocyon brachyurus , a fruit eating Canidae.   It is Brazil’s largest Canidae and a symbol of the Cerrado , the world’s most biologically rich savannah.   Chrysocyon is an icon which graces Brazil’s largest note of R$ 200.   I had never heard of maned wolves until I read that Catholic monks were feeding them in their Caraça sanctuary in the state of Minas Gerais.   Up to two wild wolves visit the monks at night when they want to complement their usual critter catches with a treat of chicken and fru...

During a week, my friends and I explored Iguaçu Falls and the Pantanal wetlands.   They did not need much convincing to pay a visit to Brazil ‘s landmark, one of the 7 New Wonders of Nature and a designated UNESCO World Heritage site as well as to discover the wild side and exotic corners of Pantanal.  Moreover, these magnificent places are home to an incredibly diverse wildlife.  Iguaçu/Iguazu Waterfalls are naturally awesome; they are the largest waterfall system in the world.  During our stay, the water level was abnormally high due to heavy rainfall upstream.  There was so much water that the 275 individual waterfalls or cascades were all overflowing with milk-chocolate colored water.  On the walkways to the U-shaped Devil’s Throat Chasm, our flimsy raincoats did not offer protection, we were soaked to the bone by the water spray.  Information panels stated that the fall’s water had turned brown due to sedimentation resulting from deforestatio...

 Before repeated heat waves gripped the South of France, dipping in the pool was pampering, now it is a survival need.  I retired in 2003 in a pre-heatwave era, and I bought an apartment in Rio de Janeiro and a house in the south of France.  Having been an outdoor gal all my life, I wanted to enjoy my retirement in warm places with a celebrated outdoors culture like in Rio and Provence.   For the first twenty years, my plan worked out fabulously until climate change and global warming reshaped the previously balmy, sunny and easy-going Provence into a hellish spot where going out is potentially hazardous to one’s life.    One of the great delights of being in this part of France was the prospect of settling down at an outdoor café after exploring the picturesque village streets in the company of friends.   Temperatures now commonly reach 40 ºC (over 104 F), resulting in reduced outdoor activities and less social interaction.   I very much m...