Video of the Day: Adorable little girls dancing samba at Rio Carnival

The scene outside the Sambodrome stadium on the first night of Rio Carnival‘s famed samba school parades was madness. Hordes of people moved in all directions while scalpers hawked tickets, street vendors fried food, and costumed paraders maneuvered in huge feathered costumes. As far as Fat Tuesday celebrations go, this was tops.

In the middle of the chaos, these two talented little girls attracted a crowd with their quick samba moves, coy winks, and adorable smiles. What showboats! If Rio’s samba schools are recruiting for future parades, they need look no further. These girls provided as much entertainment as the show inside the stadium.

Check out Gadling’s full range of Rio Carnival 2012 coverage here.

Video of the Day: Southwest hotpants

We came across this Southwest Airlines ad from 1972 and, well, we’re pretty speechless. It’s simple and to the point.

Remember what it was like before Southwest Airlines? You didn’t have hostesses in hotpants. Remember?

No wonder Southwest Airlines doesn’t charge to check bags. Luggage doesn’t take up much space when your clothing is that small.

Photo of the Day: Seaspan Sunset

This Photo of the Day comes from Gadling Flickr pool member James Wheeler. Using a Nikon D5000 camera equipped with a Tokina 12-24mm f/4 lens, James processed the photo with Adobe Photoshop, Photomatix and Nik Colo.

Wreck Beach is a popular clothing-optional beach located in Pacific Spirit Regional Park, just west of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. James says feel free to download the full size version of Seaspan Sunset from my blog for personal use.

James also tells us “Wreck beach gets pretty busy in the summer but on this clear December day there weren’t many people around.”

Upload your best shots to the Gadling Group Pool on Flickr. Several times a week we choose our favorite images from the pool as Photos of the Day.

Photo of the day – Lisbon’s winter light

Is Lisbon’s winter light a cure for the blues of the dark season?

It’s right about this time in the Northern Hemisphere that winter starts to feel like an imposition. It’s not getting measurably warmer, and even though it’s been getting lighter for almost two months, it’s not light enough, darn it. Not at all.

This is the time of year when it’s easy to forget that winter’s thin light can also very beautiful. Flickr user t3mujin reminds of this fact with the above Lisbon street scene, snapped in December just before the winter solstice. He nails the beauty of Lisbon’s winter light wonderfully, anchoring the image in the gaze of the lovers casting shadows on the street.

Upload your images of winter light to Flickr’s Gadling Group Pool. We choose our favorites from the pool to be Photos of the Day.

Photo of the Day: Duty free Flamenco

After many years of international travel, I’ve learned that duty free isn’t necessarily a deal. Unless you’re a smoker or live in a country where alcohol is heavily taxed (like Turkey), you won’t find much value among the jumbo-sized Toblerone bars or rows of designer perfumes. But I still enjoy the ritual of browsing through the shop, trying some free samples, and maybe taking home a tasty piece of whatever country I’ve just visited. Some airports really step up their sales technique, like a flash mob in Beirut, or this pair of Flamenco dancers in Madrid, Spain spotted by Flickr user TaylorMcConnell. Not sure what they are selling, but I hope it’s a good bottle of Rioja.

See anything fun at an airport? Add your pix to the Gadling Flickr pool for a future Photo of the Day.