The Fight for Amazonia – Raids in the Rainforest to be aired in Ireland tonight

Amazon heron by Ibama

According to Rosg Comhlacht Léiriúcháin, TG4 is going to broadcast The Fight for Amazonia – Raids in the Rainforest tonight at 22:30.

The 52 minute film by Thomas Wartmann tackles the work of biologist Ana Rafaela who started managing The Campos Amazonicos National Park in January 2008. She and a team of 20 researches studied the impact of man in this Amazon region, which has led to the decline of illegal fishing in the Roosevelt River and stopped the opening of new tin mines. 

Other problems have also been addressed in The Fight for Amazonia, such as illegal logging, cattle breeding and a drugs route in the middle of the 870 thousand hectares park.

If you're interested in visiting protected parks in Brazil do see Protected Planet. Source: O Eco

Best of Irish Music 2010 - we7 - Playlist by Nialler9

No Banjo

Nialler9 was asked by we7 to compile a playlist of Irish songs of 2010 to demonstrate what Irish music is now available on the recently launched Irish version of their site. There are 50 songs in the playlist altogether, including tracks from my favourite newly discovered bands Adebisi Shank, Sweet Jane and Two Door Cinema Club. It's a great way to discover prominent artists that cannot be missed. Galway's No Banjo - previously known as The Cartoon Thieves - is not on the list, but should definitely be checked out as well. 

Free music - Best of Irish 2010

Have you downloaded REM new song yet?

Luckily REM have made one of the tracks of their new album Collapse Into Now available for download for free. All you have to do is register below to receive a link to Discoverer. The new album will be out in mid March, but can be pre-ordered at Amazon, iTunes or at the band's site. Unlike Oh My Heart, below, Discover isn't a ballad, but a piece of REM's unique rock n' roll. 

A British and a Brazilian approach to poultry (2 videos)

In Brazil we normally season the poultry in advance and store it for about a day in the fridge so it can absorb the ingredients like you see on the second video with Brazilian journalist Ernani Lemos from Madruga em Claro, while Pete prefers to stuff it right before cooking. Ernani used water, sea salt, black pepper and herbs to marinate the turkey for a day and a half. Aftewards he used a paste with butter, garlic, salt and fresh herbs.

Top 2 Christmas drinks

Last year the end-of-the-year festivities were mainly accompanied by wine, but this time we tried something different. Here are my top 2 favourite drinks this Christmas:

1) Harveys Bristol Cream:  It tastes like nuts and raisins and has a subtle spicy finish. I had a sip 2 years ago and never forgot it, so hubby got it for Christmas this year. It's a fine sherry and gives Frangelico a good run for their money. Even someone like me who'd fall asleep after drinking a glass of whiskey wouldn't need to dilute it in water to enjoy it. This fine sherry is imported from Spain and blended by John Harvey & Sons of Bristol. It's not too sweet, so men tend to like it as well.

2) Carolans:  Although it's been produced for 40 years I'd never had this Irish cream liqueur before. It's as tasty as Bailey's, but has a more distinct bottle. Served on the rocks is how I enjoy it best. The UK online shop DrinkShop.com says it's the second biggest selling cream liqueur. It could well be in Ireland too.

Bailey's has 17% alcohol by volume whereas Carolans has 14.5% to 17%, which makes the latter more attractive to me. The less alcohol the better for me as I can drink longer. 

I haven't had any of the Bushmills yet, so I can't judge it. Funnily enough, when I talked to my family on Skype, my brother who visited me last year had a pint of Guinness in his hands. I myself don't drink Guinness at home. I only do so at selected pubs because I like it creamy. I normally drink Bulmers Irish Cider these days. It has replaced the traditional pint of Carlsberg with lime. It seems like as most women I always go for a bit of sweetness when I drink.

Looking for a Lady Diana/Kate Middleton blue sapphire ring replica?

I volunteered to write a post for this lady under the name earlybird913 on ebay because it was a smooth and pleasant experience buying this product from her. Not only she was very courteous and speedy but she also took several trips to the post office to sort out the problem with the tracking number. Although UPSP provided a mistaken number for my delivery, which was no fault of her own, the item arrived in only 7 days. Considering Christmas is just around the corner it took no time at all for this to arrive from the US. Keep an eye on her online shop and check out other lovely products like the moonstone sterling silver rings. They're gorgeous!

Update - 20 June 2011: She has a new Diana ring size 10 available at the moment.

Rio Style by Brazilian Fashion Journalist Leticia Ribeiro

Leticia Ribeiro

Brazilian fashion journalist Leticia Ribeiro prepared a special post to Connection Rio's podcast listeners on her blog Canal Moda and I thought my readers who are planning to visit Brazil would benefit from learning about the carioca fashion style. Cariocas are the native people of Rio.

She also gives tips on social etiquette for the night time and how not to look foreign, which is a great way to avoid attention from sellers on the beach. Also if you can get a fake tan before going it would help in this regard. 

To see the pictures taken by the Brazilian street style website Rioetc that Leticia selected click here. Here is the podcast hosted by Dennis Asche from Connection Rio: