They have been talking about 'Help' closing for years now.... I believe it when it happens!

Expropriating private property--I didn't think that happened these days in Brazil. So anything the governor doesn't personally approve of, he can just seize the property from its owners. So much for rights.

"because this night-club has got only whores and gringos." WTF? I didn't do anything wrong!-CFK

As the song says. It's been the ruin of many a poor boy
And God I know I'm one

The drink prices aren't anywhere that high unless they've tripled in price since I was last inside a year and a half ago.

There's only a few thousand hookers working Copa at any given time, I'm sure they'll all go work at the museum now.

A local (Rio) business owner friend of mine says that the owner of HELP is bowing to pressure from civic and political groups wanting to "clean up" Copcabana. But never fear - according to him, the owner of HELP is making plans to open at an alternate location (but not in Copa) that is a little less conspicuous and will cause less of a "stir" than HELP currently does. In fact, the new place may open BEFORE the doors close at HELP.

God, I hope he doesn't move it out to Barra.......
The cab fare will kill me.

Maybe that is what is needed. Move all the prostitution out to Barra , sort of like all the action of Pattaya outside of Bangkok. If done, Copacabana will decline further. Who do they think Brazilian or foriegner will travel all the way to Rio to see a damn museum.

Without prostitution all Copacabana has is a beach with little waves that gets shaded over by 3 PM. They are not going to get the family friendly groups coming until they get a better image on security and crime.

Grownd zero,

don't forget about Bob"s and all the revenue THAT place brings in!

Strange as it may sound mongers are an extremely small part of the tourist business in Rio. IF Help were to close Copa would be just fine. The garotas would move on to other places, which I think would be good and bad. There would be no more Ground Zero, so the crime around the 2-block or so radius from the corner of Atlantica and Miguel Lemos would thin out. Then again, for those of us who don't venture out to TA/Help much these days, that just means that the pickpockets and muggers will spread more evenly around Copa, meaning that everywhere else gets a bit more dicey at night.

LOL...Bob's will die w/o Help. Only putas and drunk gringoes stumbling out of Help ever eat there.

If the Rio Museum of Sound and Image is anything like the one in SP, this is a pity. I'm no fan of Help, but I like the nightly show on the Terraço, and the SP museum completely sucks. A real waste of space. Haven't been to the one in Centro, but no local I know has ever suggested it's worth a visit.

Hotels in Centro are going to look more attractive to the hard-core monger.

BTW, the governor who's doing this is an evangelical Christian. It's not bad enough that this cult has fucked up the US; they are now going after the rest of the world. Their deepest fear is that someone, somewhere, is enjoying life.

Yeah it's really sad. It's as though us mongers are under assault on every continent. 2am bar close times imposed in Bangkok, Amsterdam is planning to get rid of half the RLD, Rio getting rid of Help. This is insanity.

Your right Bwana, they are a cult. So many serious problems in this world and these self righteous fascists goe ape shit over the activities of consensual adults.

Enjoy these places while they last. I'd say that within a generation the odds of getting pussy in Rio will be the same as trying to get it in Miami.

Almost Help-less

Like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, I’ve found that hiding out in South America has a few minor drawbacks. But rather than dwell on the negatives, I would prefer to discuss the positive
side of my current adventure—namely Help. Ah Help, that wonderful place by the sea that is teeming with friendly woman who are willing to get friendlier for a price. In an effort to keep you
guys up-to-date, I’ve been conducting some research on what goes on in there. Like all my reports, you have to read through a lot of bull shit to get to the real information. Just keep reading; you might find some valuable information hidden in it somewhere.

Contrary to what some of you might think, my exile hasn’t been all bad. For example, Wolf and I have actually become better friends because of it. Our daily hourly sessions used to cost $200, but because they are now done over the internet via Skype, I’m saving a lot of money. How you might ask? Well, just keep reading. Over Skype, I get billed $12.60 per hour (2.1 cents per minute.) And since I don’t ever plan on paying him while in Brazil, I calculate my savings at exactly $187.40 per hour. Not Bad!

Anyway, Wolf has been a tremendous help by keeping an eye on my house, picking up my mail at my PO Box, and not complaining one bit about it. I guess I should take that back because he did bitch about getting my mail. He even insisted that I sign a Power of Attorney just so he wouldn’t get in trouble if he didn’t forward all my junk mail to Brazil. He’s also gave me valuable advice on how to maintain a low profile. Out are my Santoni and Cole-Haan tassel loafers, and so are my wing collared, pleated Tux shirts. Also, when it comes to the color “pink,” I’m now considered a “minimalist.” Bet you never thought you’d hear me say that, did you? Ironically, going light on “pink” saved my life the other night as well as one of my least favorite but necessary body parts; but more about that later when I cover Lapa.

Let me get back on topic, which was? Oh yeah, Help. Part of keeping a lower profile means not going into Help nightly, which also means I have trouble keeping up with the ever-changing market there. While in exile I’ve managed to go there only twice, once with Lucy and once with Travelsrr, a former board member. I anticipated that going in there with Lucy would keep me away from the “market,” but things turned out quite differently. Inside we ran into Travelsrr, Nugget and a newbie fresh from Iraq. No you idiot, he wasn’t Sadaam’s grandson or anything like that; he was one of our soldiers who had just mustered out and was in need of some quality R&R. Okay, the five of us are in Help up by the stage and I’m trying to figure out how I can find out what the girls are asking without pissing off Lucy. Within seconds, the answer practically falls in my lap when the newbie asks Lucy to help him translate. Before she knew it, she was in the middle of intense negotiations with a beautiful part-asian brasileira from Sao Paulo who was demanding R$400.

According to Lucy, the bitch would not budge off R$400 so our dejected newbie went looking for another prospect. Several more negotiations followed with the exact same results; the girls would not budge off R$400. In one instance our newbie went up to R$350 without success. Even Lucy was baffled by their behavior, saying, “Why not take R$350? At least you make good money.” Mind you, Lucy is a non-pro who works ten hours a day five days a week for the princely sum of R$500 per month. Yep, that’s R$500 per month! Fortunately for our newbie, Travelsrr was able to eventually negotiate R$200 for a somewhat pudgy black girl that our newbie found attractive. We watched girl after girl leave Help empty handed despite numerous offers. Given the fact that there are tons of women in Help and few gringos, it is amazing that the girls are not willing to negotiate off of R$400. So much for that Keynesian supply-demand equation that works so well everywhere else in the world except Brazil.

My next foray into Help occurred the other night when I got a pass from Lucy. Her mom had some minor surgery and Lucy asked if it would be all right if she spent the night with her mother. Trying to hide the smile on my face, I replied, “Okay, if you have to.” No sooner had she left the apartment than Travelsrr and I were making plans. Unfortunately, right after our vigorous planning session over a huge lunch at SpaccoNapoli, we both went to our respective apartments; promptly fell asleep and completely fucked up our plans.

Okay, so we slept through a Vila Mimosa tour and planned visits to cut rate termas in Centro—all was not lost. We just moved on to plan B. Plan B was simple-have dinner at Terraco Atlantico, sit around and watch the crowd develop, and then decide whether to go into Help or go to Vila Mimosa.

At that point an economic consideration came to the forefront. This was the last night before Carnaval that you could still get into Help for R$23; the following night it went up to R$50 and stayed there for the duration of Carnaval. Considering the savings, we figured we could go in and drink all night for what it would cost us just to get in the next night. Unfortunately, one of us fucked up our budget by offering to buy a beautiful tall Brasiliera a drink. She ordered a Black Label with Red Bull costing R$24. Remember, never, repeat never, buy any garota a drink with Red Bull in it, they cost a fucking fortune. Anyway, all night long Travelsrr would bust my balls by pointing at a beautiful garota and saying, “Why don’t you buy her a hedgee-bull, too?” Fuck him, he’s not perfect either.

Despite the fact that Help was packed with women making it a buyer’s market, prices remained high. Travelsrr negotiated, starting at 4AM, with 3 girls. Two wanted 400, one wanted 300, and none of them would budge one bit. He figured that maybe one, even two, may have just not liked him, but odds are that all 3 would not consider him that much of a reject, especially that late. He would have expected at least one to negotiate but none would. More perplexing is the fact that he saw them all leave alone, essentially losing money on the evening. With the Sao Paulo girls flooding the market because of Carnaval , it’s amazing that the Cariocas have not cut prices, but then again, this is Brazil and normal economic laws do not apply.

Jag

If this is the start of a trend, it's pretty scary. Compare NYC in '70s to NYC today. A lot can change; in fact, everything can change.

So one disco that has gone from great to shit in three years is possibly going to close down, and all of a sudden 20,000 GdPs in Rio are going to be out of work?

Yup!

Jag

One disco isn't "closing down." It, and it's surrounding properties, are being nationalized by the government to suit the whims of an evangelical politician.

My point is that a city and country's culture can change over time, and this is an ominous step in that direction. Here we have an evangelical mayor nationalizing private property to pursue his personal moral agenda. To me, somehow, this seems new and significant. Maybe some members of the board, like Bwana dik, with more knowledge of Brazil than me, can tell me if I'm mistaken in thinking that. Is the immediate aftermath that there will be no GdPs in Rio? Of course not. The immediate aftermath is they will spread out to other places. But what would be the long term result if this measure is met with approval by the Brazilian public. Do you think it's safe to assume that this mayor and the people that follow him in office will necessarily stop at closing Help? I hope so, but there's no logical reason to expect that. The termas are legally hanging by a thread as it is, as I understand it.

My analogy compared what took place in another city over the course of 30 years, not with the closing of one venue. (For that matter, the long range change in NYC likely started in the 70s with the city closing down one particular venue or another.) There has been a big cultural shift toward religious morality in the US in the last 30 years, and I don't think it's impossible that a similar shift could take place in Brazil. I just hope not.

Sorry to be Mr. doom and gloom. The bright side is that Rio is what it is right now--I'm planning on continuing to enjoy it as often as I can, depreciating dollar or not.

I think the one thing we gringos can do to try to keep this from becoming the start of a trend is to be on our best behavior as tourists, meaning treat the locals with respect and keep our hobby as low key as possible. Sex tourism needs to be seen as a positive thing in Rio by the locals, not a negative thing. If the popular feeling is that we are improving the character of the city along with its economy, as opposed to being a blight on its reputation, the population might be more likely oppose some of these measures.

Obviously I love Help, but I have often heard stories from Carioca's about how much Copa has changed over the years and many blame Help nd Gringos. I think it has nothing to with religion or changing attitudes, but rather with the fact that most Brazilian's that live in Copa would rather not have GDP's in front of their apartment along with all the crime that it attracts. Brazilian's are tolerant, but the scene is to much out in the open. Many long for the old days when Copa was the Ipanema of Rio. Our main attraction for Rio are the GDP's, but you certainly cannot blame everyday Copa resident's for not particularly approving of the scene today. Personally I will always love Rio - with or without Help. The girls will simply shift to another place....probably the scene will be smaller, but I have a hard time believing it will dissappear completely.

That's what I'm hoping--that the fact that the termas are discreet might mean that the politicians will leave them alone. The less visible the scene is, and the less it impacts on the residents, the better. Let's hope it's more of a quality of life crusade for the mayor than a moral crusade. The fact that he's an evangelical who's expropriating private property is still worrisome to me, however.

Rioguy,

Do you equate Brazilian evangelicals to US evangelicals? I honestly don't know where this paranoia is coming from. The US is the only country that I know of where prostitution is explicitly both illegal in all forms (except parts of Nevada) and socially unaccepted. It is neither in Brasil. And as far as a single mayor/governor taking over public property, there are rules to be followed in Rio the same as anywhere else.

Let's start a line on whether or not Help will be open for Reveillion on Dec 31, 2008. I'll put down 999-1 that it is, thats how small a chance I see it's closing as happening. There's no legal basis for it - there's no sex on-site, the club charges everyone the same prices, there are no EWR/barfines to get a girl out of there, basically it is not an actual venue for prostitution in any way. All IDs are checked, all the patrons are of age, it's just a club that a lot of hookers and mongers hang out together in.

Catocony,

Yes, I'm equating Brazilian evangelicals to US evangelicals. If there is a self-evident difference that I don't understand, it would be helpful to me if you would explain it, because I'm not familiar with evangelical politicians in Brazil. I'd be happy to learn that there is some fundamental difference between the two, and that the Brazilian variety poses no threat to freedom, as they do in the US. What's disturbing to me is that, as you say, there is no legal basis for what is alleged to be happening. Your conclusion is that, therefore, it won't happen. My understanding from the article is that it already has happened. Maybe the article is wrong. I don't know that. According to the article, the mayor allegedly "has expropriated and declared state property" what is private property. This is not some mundane procedure that happens everywhere with some standard set of rules--in fact, the standard set of rules in a free or semi-free country is that it is outside of the province of what a government can do. For example, when mayor Gulliani wanted to close down adult bookstores in NYC, he didn't have the power to simply seize the property from its owners--he had to come up with some convoluted zoning scheme, which violated the owner's rights, but they at least remained owners.

I'm not some paranoid saying that this is the end of prostitution in Brazil. I'm saying that it is something new to me, and that I hope it is not the start of a wider trend.

Cat-
I have to side with Rioguy on at least part of this. The BR evangelicals are every bit as scary as their US kin. They have a moral agenda and are happy to push it through politics, just like the Bush clan. They are organized and working to expand their influence in politics. There's been a lot written in the BR political science literature about the growth in power of the evangelicals. I do find it scary. IF Help is closed, it won't be the first success the evangelicals will have had, but it would embolden them to push even harder.

It's classic that the locals do complain about the mix of putas and gringos being the source of problems in Copacabana, but that is so clearly self-delusional thinking. The problems in Copa--and Rio--and Brasil--have more to do with the huge masses of poor and disenfranchised living cheek-to-jowl with the relatively wealthy, and with the disparity between the extreme wealth of the few and the poverty of many. Add to that a horrendously substandard public education system and you have the ingredients for continued poverty, hopelessness, and violence. It's what the non-delusional brasileiros call the "questão social."

As to whether Help will close, we'll know more over the next three months. There is actually a legal basis for what's happening. Brasil does have a law similar to our "eminent domain" law which allows the government to seize property for purposes deemed important by the government, as long as the owners are fairly compensated. The government doesn't have to make any arguments about the former use of the property; they can just argue that they have a use for the property that serves the public interest.

The governor of RJ has presidential aspirations. Shutting down Help appeals to his base in the same way that Bush's policies on stem-cell research appealed to his. Help is a visible target, unlike little casas de fast foda or termas. There's virtually no downside for the governor on this. The putas are not a political force and the gringos count for nothing.

This action doesn't necessarily mean that the termas are next or anything of the sort. Termas and privês will pop up in new locations no matter what. And the rationale used for closing Help (need the space for a museum) can't be used for every little whorehouse in Rio. Help's problem is that it was too successful and too visible, and became a symbol of negative social change for the old residents of Rio.

But the growing power of the evangelicals, especially in Rio and SP--which, of course, represent the political and economic power centers of the country--is very worrisome. The sky is not falling yet, but I'm keeping an eye on it.

Latest news is that they are moving the operation to the old Bingo Hall in Arpoador.

It's supposed to be somewhere on Rua Francisco Otaviano.

Just a change in the scenery.

Arpoador bingo isn't that big, and the location is in a heavy traffic area. Certainly no sitting outside at tables or anything of the sort, then again not much crime up there. Of course Arpoador bingo was the rumor of choice for relocation during the last three annual "Help is closing" pantomimes.

The questao social will certainly not be answered by closing Help, but self delusion is a pesky universal malady suffered by 1st world mongers engaged in 21st century sexual arbitrage (its the new imperialism!) as well as local carioca burghers concerned about their neighborhoods quality of life.

It really shouldnt come as a surprise that people trying to raise families in copacabana arent doing cartwheels of joy because there is a world famous and humongous putaria in their backyards. Gringos who havent picked up the occasional negative vibe from copa locals just arent paying attention.

Evangelicals arent my favorite people but it is not like they just erupted up out of the sidewalk. The dramatic inroads evangelicals have made in brazil are a manifestation of widespread dissatisfaction with the status quo. Almost by definition you cant push anything through politics that doesnt have popular support. Its not just a cabal of prigs and busybodys. The locals have a legitimate beef. Remember, it is after all, their country. Not ours. Plus Help is a skank depot. Im having a hard time understanding why anyone would miss it anyway.

Dogface-

I couldn't agree more.

"Plus Help is a skank depot. Im having a hard time understanding why anyone would miss it anyway."

All I will miss is the amusement found in watching the bizarre assortment of characters gathering nightly at the Terraço Atlântico. That Feliniesque scene provided me with hours of amusement.

Up until around 1998 Help was a very different place than it is today. You still had a mixed crowd of couples coming in to dance and putas and mongers searching for one another. Lots of the putas--maybe even a majority--were part-timers who either had a day job, were students, or were visiting from elsewhere in Brasil and financing their vacations by working evenings at Help. That's all changed dramatically over the past 10 years, and one can only speculate as to why. But the place did become more and more of a shit hole. Fights became more common, hard core druggie pros took the place over (scaring off the others), scams became more frequent, prices climbed to absurd levels.

I have some fond memories of Help from my early years in Rio, but if the place burned down tomorrow I wouldn't miss it. We'll find other favorite drinking spots with better eye candy (perhaps not candy that can be purchased...). It's been years since I pulled a girl from the Terraço, so that's no loss at all. There are a million other options.

As to Help moving to Bingo Arpoador, well, anything is possible I suppose, but I find that scenario rather unlikely. Bingo Arpoador is surrounded by some very high-end luxury apartments. Caetano Veloso lives in one just a couple of doors away. I find it hard to believe that the Arpoador residents, who are FAR wealthier than their Copa brethren, would put up with a Putateca in their midst.

Bwana-

I will climb off my high horse for a moment and confess to having enjoyed the scene at terraco atlantico on a number of occasions. I too love to watch the louche goings on. Help itself, not so much. Its dark, its loud, its crowded, and I look stupid dancing. Im sorry I missed Helps glory days. There is nothing like an adventurous shop girl. It sounds like it was a lot more exciting than it is today but its just too over the top and I feel for the locals. Consider yourself lucky to have been in the right place at the right time. Help closing may be a good thing for the mongering scene in Brazil. Maybe we can bring back a taste of the good old days for those of us who missed them at a brand new venue.

Good points, DF. I'd like to be an optimist and believe that Help's closing might improve the overall scene in Rio, but I fear the opposite. The termas might become even more crowded with the knuckleheads who arrived in droves over the past decade and contributed to the downward spiral at Help.

Hopefully I'm wrong about that. Maybe without the pull of a place as significant as Ground Zero, more of the idiots will drift off to other countries. That would be a big upside to this.

I will forever miss the R$150 all-nighters with Paulistas and Gauchas and Mineras and Curatibanas and every other population of hot college girls from out of town who used to go there on weekends to earn cash. Especially when it was 3.x - 1 on the exchange rate. Then again, I've been missing both - the cool college girls and the exchange rate - for over three years now.

It looks like we may find out what would happen if there was no Help. Maybe a number of smaller locations, each with a somewhat different feel. Its hard to believe that all that economic activity will just simply cease to exist. The top of my wish list would be a high cover charge cafe photo* type of place. Sartre had it only partially right - Hell is other North Americans.



* a vaguely ridiculous wish considering I have never been to Cafe Photo.

As a relatively newcomer to Rio and Help, April/07 was my first of three trips, I felt a marked difference in Help from April to October.
So much so I went much less on my last trip compared to my first. If Help does close, I believe the GDP's and part timers will eventually find another venue to ply their wares and that can be a good thing. Possibly ending what I believe to be collusion on the part of the programmas to set prices higher and apply pressure to other gdp's to adhere. If they scatter and lose their power base I think it can be a good thing.

where are the cool college girls going to be found in Rio nowadays?

Those garotas at VM,casas and low end termas are not exactly beauty queens or what most mongers travel thousands of miles to pay to fuck.Nobody seems to wish they would close as well. As a monger it makes no sense to wish or hope a place closes. Those who didn't like Help simply did not go since there are other options. Thats one of the things that make Rio a great mongering destination.Not everyone goes there for the termas only, there is something for everybody.Who cares wether you will miss it or not.

Like it or hate it Help was a good night option for many vets and newbies.For everyone who says that it's a shit hole, there are just as many people who would say otherwise.Yes help may not be as good as it used to be ,but the same could be said about the Rio scene(terma,beach,cafe,etc) in general IMHO.

The point I'm trying to make is why rejoice in the closing of one more mongering option.I'm pretty sure the garotas and johns will find an alternate spot in no time, but Help was /is located at a great spot(beach front) and like someone else said ground zero.I will admit that I'm not a big fan these days, but I have had some great and memorable pick ups from that place.These days I go there mostly to check out the show and occasionally pull out a garota if the garota and the price is right.

If Help closes I think it will mostly affect the night scene as far as location for everyone to go. But that will only be temporarily, the scene will adjust itself and be the same old shit. These garotas are there for $$$ and mongers are there for poon. The closing of Help is not gonna change that fact. It is definitely going to be an interesting few months,assuming anything happens at all.

"The top of my wish list would be a high cover charge cafe photo* type of place."

Dogface 10 - That would certainly bring a different crowd. While I have never been to Cafe Photo either, I met a girl in a bar in Leblon a few weeks ago who told me she used to work there. From what she described, it's a pretty upscale place with a pretty pricey cover. Not to mention the 4 star restaurant.

She went on to say that Rio has nothing that even comes close. She thinks that Barb's is a CF wanna-be, but is a sad attempt. She told me she worked there twice and threw in the towel in disgust. Now she's a high end escort who was waaaaaaaaaaay out of my price range.

Hard to imagine that kind of place getting much of a foot hold in Rio. Mind you, if the location were right..... perhaps. but when you consider who frequents CF, it would be hard to find a location that is convenient yet discreet enough for the "rollers" who would be regulars there. Maybe way out in Barra or tucked away in Botafogo somewhere.

Nice thought, but I don't see it happening any time soon.

Brazil has more pressing social problems than Help disco. Friends of mine who teach in areas all over Brazil are all ways saddened by the the high percentage of pregnancy in female children under the age of thirteen. The money and energy directed at closing one disco, would be better used helping the thousands who need it. Just another trick to divert anger away from the real issues.

I agree with you Ee2002. I dont quite understand the logic of the mongers who have the "good riddance" attitude towards Help.

As far as I know, Help is the only place in Rio where very single night of the week, you have the ability to look over and choose from 1-300 women!!

What else can a guy ask for from a nightclub?

I'm like most of you. I enjoyed the the fresh clean succulent talent that could be found at Help at the beginning of the decade. Remember the days when you would stroll through Help not knowing which one to pick? Now it's like trying to find a diamond in the rough among a plethora of road whores. What I would miss most would be evenings at the Terrace. Where you were sure to run into your friends , a virtual open air "Cheers". Still they made great pimieontese rice and medallion steaks. I remember back in '02 or '03 when we were all meeting each other for first time we would have 40 person tables set up. No matter what happens, I had great memories of the Terrace.

Anyone gonna be at Help tonight?

I'm sure someone will be there. I've seen slow nights, but have never seen it completely empty.

Last night was a good night!

One of the waiters at 'Help' told me that he thinks they still have a few more months before they will actually close. What I have heard now is that they will eventually reopen in the closed Bingo parlor in Arpoador, which apparently belongs to the owner's of Help. But I guess it all depends if on if they can get the necessary approvals.

I have been informed by my GF Shirley that Help is not completely closing. They have already located and purchased a new venue near Ipanema. I figured that Help would not completely shutdown because it is a part of Rio's financial tourism.

Guys, in no uncertain terms, the concept of a giant putaria opening in Posto 6, Ipanema or Leblon is wishful thinking on the part of Help fans. Those are nice neighborhoods where a new disco is not going to get built.

It took years for Help/TA to become what they are now. Help was not opened as a putaria, TA was not opened as a putaria. That combo took years to develop. If it disappears, which I really don't think it will, then that's it, on to the next thing. Picking the Arpoador Bingo, which is in a very nice neighborhood and is fairly small, is not a new version of Help. Homeowners and businesses in those neighborhoods are not going to allow it to happen.

If Help/TA were to close, what I would hope happens is that the bottom 50% of shit talent crawls back to the favelas, never to be seen again. The top 50% then gets dispersed amongst the other existing venues. Maybe Balcony gets a bit better. More girls will patrol Transa and La Maison and Rondonella and the other dozens of restaurants along Atlantica. Probably more street putas as well. But Help/TA, as is, is not going to be teleported anywhere, much less to some of the nicest neighborhoods in Zona Sul.

you are dead on cat. ipanema and leblon would never gonna allow a disco. the chicas will just spread out, and i would think this would be an ideal time to open a new terma. although i really like help, this situation might help bring the price down a bit

Help does not compete with termas, so there's no correlation there. The main late-night competition to Help are restaurants along Atlantica and the quasi red-light district of Lido. I've slightly converted to the Lido scene since I had an apartment near there for a year a couple of years back, so if anything places like Franks and Pussycats and La Cic will get busier.

hey cat,...i am planning a possible trip back soon(april or may).whats the general asaking price outside help and around ta?and how has the quality been?

JR,

you are asking the wrong guy on this one!
I can't wait to read the response!
Cat/Quality at TA & Help, holy crap-here we go...

well cf, whats your opinion?

JR,
ck back Monday, I am in the middle of more important things tonight! But I will give you my opinion!
CFK

Although Gov Cabral was a part of the former administration of the evangelical Garotinhas, there are indications he is not as doctrinaire as they, according to the article excerpted below from the State of Nature website:

"Still, Sergio Cabral’s tone has taken a sharp and stunning turn since investiture. His social commitment has been sound and solid. Apart from advocating a pro-choice position on abortion, he has also sparked debate on decriminalizing possession of pot, however modestly it must be said. If these are more than passing indications, Rio de Janeiro state might experience a break with the past eight years of disastrous, authoritarian evangelical rule. Cabral has held firm to a clumsily formulated joint action-plan to fight arms smuggling with fellow governors with neighboring states, even visiting Medellin to study its administration’s success in slashing homicides by almost half over a decade. There is little doubt legalization not just of pot but also of cocaine is necessary (please see the 12-point proposal below). Even voicing the mere possibility of such policy, as well as legalizing abortion, has pitted Cabral against religions. In turn, he has asserted the secular nature of the Brazilian state."
Of course the article says nothing about his views on GDPs.
http://www.stateofnature.org/whereToWithLula.html