It’s that time of year again. The heat index is well over 100 degrees, and the humidity is the only topic of conversation. Unpicked tomatoes are rotting on the ground, inviting thousands of flies into our homes and favorite restaurants. And baby Loggerhead sea turtles are hatching by the thousands along South Carolina’s coast. Yep, it’s August. We are in the midst of everything we either love or hate about living in the Lowcountry.

For well over a decade now, I’ve been ranting and raving on this page. I’d like to believe the raves outweigh the rants – that I’ve shared more joy and humor with my readers than angst. But I’d have to go back and reread every column to prove it, and there are hundreds of them, and… well, talk about angst.

Recently London began a countdown to next year’s Olympics to be held in and near that city. Here’s that and a few more of the “tapas” of celebrations for 2012.

Carnaval in South America (18-21 February, 2012)

The Party Never Stops: Carnaval in Brazil is an all-around unforgettable experience and is celebrated all over the country. The dates change each year; it is celebrated 7 Sundays before Easter Sunday.

The celebration lasts 4 days, commencing the Saturday prior to Fat Tuesday with the crowning of the Fat King (King Momo, the Greek god of mockery).

More than six months ago, audiences at “Ben Speaks” raved about the world premiere of Steve Nousen’s humorous, enlightening, and touching one-man show.

So this August, writer, actor and Ben Franklin interpreter Nousen will bring Ben back to Beaufort’s ARTWorks black box theater in a production that is both encore and improvement, as he has revised the show based in part on his audiences’ input.