Introduction

Welcome to the Gringoes.com email newsletter!
This newsletter pulls together some of the articles, photos, polls and other information that has been published on the Gringoes.com web site over the last week or so. Don't forget to visit the Gringoes.com site to checkout our article archive, information pages, classified ads, services, forum and other pages. So read on and we hope you enjoy the newsletter. As always if you have any comments don't hesitate to contact us at gringoes@gringoes.com. Please note that although we are based in São Paulo, the site and newsletter are intended to be for all of Brazil. If you live in an area other than São Paulo, and would like to write about your experiences there, then see our request for "Article Writers" below. Also if you're interested to know the origin behind the site name, then read the "Dear Gringo" article here by Dr. G.


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Website: www.emba.pitt.edu


Gringoes.com October Meet Up (São Paulo)

Thanks to all those who replied with their interest in a meet up! We've now set a date for it on October 14th, at 7pm, at the famous pizza restaurant Margherita, in Jardins (www.margherita.com.br for the resaurant's details). Margherita is famous for its great pizza of course, and it also has plenty of space, isn't expensive, is relatively easy to get to, and somewhat central to the city. We'll meet in the restaurant lobby, and I'm sure it will be easy to spot the group of foreigners! As mentioned before, partners and friends, Brazilian or otherwise, are welcome. Attendance is open to anyone who wants to go along, no tickets or pre-registration are required.
Apologies to those who are travelling and can't make it, due to the Nossa Senhora holiday on October 12th. Don't worry though as we're sure to host another meet up soon. If anyone has any queries drop us a line at mark@gringoes.com.
If you'd like to organise a Gringoes.com readers meet-up in your town or city then just drop us an email and we can advertise it for you.


Brazil: São Paulo Entertainment Guide

Apologies as there's no enertainment guide this week, but it will return next week.


Postcards from Brazil Part 6

By Stephen Latham
This is a series of articles written by Stephen which date back to May 2005, and recount the transition of his life from the UK to Belo Horizonte, Brazil. To read the previous parts click the link at the end of the article.
I started writing this latest episode on my first anniversary, 8th May 2006, of my move to Brazil. However due to a computer problem (some idiot forgot to save the first draft!), I doubt I'll finish writing it on this day.
February and March were quiet months with very little news to write about apart from some limited success on the work front.
In late February I replied to an advert in a local paper from a local language school called Greenwich looking for people to teach English to businessmen. After a written test, interview and two half days of training I was feeling reasonably confident that I would be working soon. However, there was no real developments until the beginning of April when I was asked to teach one of their more advanced groups of teenagers. These lessons are at a school a few kilometres away twice a week. In the interim I was contacted by a man who wanted some English classes specifically from a native English English speaker! I have now been teaching him for a couple of months with a view to helping him pass an IELTS exam required for entry to British universities. He is planning on applying to study for a PhD at a UK university next year.
…click here to read the rest of the article>>


Doing Business In Brazil: Part 5 - Acquisitions, Investments and Joint Ventures

By Robert Eugene DiPaolo
Up to this point in our discussion about doing business in Brazil, we have focused on organizing a new company through which you can operate a business, buy an existing business or invest in Brazil, and some of the obstacles related thereto. In this discussion we are going to shift gears a bit, and approach our discussion from the perspective of a person, generally a foreign corporation, that wants to acquire, invest in or enter into a joint venture with an existing Brazilian company.
There are several areas in which you need to focus when considering the acquisition of, an investment in, or joint venture with an existing Brazilian business. The first area of focus should be due diligence. You will want to conduct, or have conducted on your behalf, both financial and legal due diligence. For our current discussion we will focus on legal due diligence.
…click here to read the rest of the article>>


Brazil: Boats on the Amazon

By Ricky Skelton
Everything is relative. Nothing is ever a complete truth. People say that when travelling on the passenger boats up "The Big River", the best place to sleep is in the middle of the middle floor if possible. When you arrive on board, the first thing you do is find the best spot for your hammock (assuming you haven't bought a cabin. As the cabins are sweaty cupboards with no breeze, this is not as sensible an option as it sounds). The boats are normally triple deckers. The cheapest place is the bottom floor with the engine. It is noisy, dirty, smelly and sometimes full of petrol fumes if the boat has an engine problem. Also on this level is the kitchen. If you have 90 Brazilians travelling up river for 2-7 days, they need a lot of meat. This meat is usually stored next to the engine, hanging from the roof in carcasses. Everything else transported is stored downstairs too. Including livestock such as the goat tethered out front.
The third floor (if it exists) is usually the bar/tv area. This means people watch novelas and films, or have some incredibly tasteless music playing, always at the volume that Brazilians like to have while standing around their cars drinking beer at the beach.
…click here to read the rest of the article>>


Article Writers

Are you a "Gringo" (foreigner) living in or travelling around Brazil with experiences you would like to write about, or with advice to offer? Are you a Brazilian who would like to explain about Brazil to foreigners, and help give advice on what to do, and where to go? Perhaps you just write a frequent blog about Brazil, and would be interested in publishing some of this on our site. If you are interested in writing an article, or series of articles, or posting your blog content on Gringoes.com we are interested in hearing from you! Don't be shy! All we ask is that the articles are focused on Brazil, will be of interest to foreigners either travelling or living here, and are written in English.
We are particularly interested in hearing from people who want to write about areas other than São Paulo. If you are unsure about a topic then drop us an email or a draft article. Send your articles or any questions to gringoes@gringoes.com with "articles" in the subject.


Interviews

Our interview queue is running dry again, so if you would like to be in our Brazil Through Foreign Eyes, or Foreigners Through Brazilian Eyes series please send us an email. As you can see it doesn't matter if you're a foreigner to Brazil, or Brazilian, we're still interested to hear from you. The interview series is a fascinating look at how real people are enjoying Brazil, and equally how Brazilians really see foreigners. They also give various tips on what to see in Brazil, and how to survive here.
The interview itself is a set of around 15 easy-to-answer questions, and ideally we like a digital photo of you as well we can place with the interview.
So if you're interested, don't be shy, send a blank email to mark@gringoes.com with "Interview" in the subject. We will then send you the questions, and instructions on how to complete. We'd love to hear from you!

A gentle reminder to those who have been sent questions. Please don't forget to complete and return them!


Book Donations

If you are leaving Brazil and/or have any unwanted books, and are happy to donate them, then Gringoes.com would be glad to receive them! We are considering setting up a book club for Gringoes.com readers if we can get sufficient interest. For details of how to donate your books then please contact gringoes@gringoes.com with "Book Donation" in the subject.
A special request: we've had an offer of around 200 books from a Gringoes.com reader in Belo Horizonte, but we are unable to get the books to our office in São Paulo. If any readers are travelling between São Paulo and Belo Horizonte, and are able to help with transport, then please contact us at gringoes@gringoes.com


Gringoes Poll

Unfortunately there's no change in the poll this week until we can resolve if there is an issue with the database system.

Please send this email to anyone you think might find it interesting. If you have not yet registered with gringoes.com and would like to receive future newsletters click here. If you have mistakenly received this message, or would no longer like to receive mail from us, then please reply to this email with the word 'take out' in the subject line. If you are unsubscribing because the newsletter doesn't meet your needs then please let us know how we can improve it.

Weekly Quiz

Last time's quiz question, from John Fitzpatrick, was: which archetypal Englishman who made his fame as a cricket commentator began his career in Santos? Clearly it was a tough one, and John stumped the readers, as we had no correct answers. The answer from John is: Brian Johnston (1912-94), known as Johnners, who began his working life in the family coffee business in Brazil before taking up broadcasting and becoming a legend over 40 years. He was famous for his gaffes including the 1976 classic during an England-West Indies match when Michael Holding was bowling to Peter Willey and Johnston announced that "The bowler's Holding the batsman's Willey."
This week's quiz question, from David Longman, is: Barra da Tijuca is built up now. In the 1950's you took a country road across a small bridge to get there. What was sold from the bridge? On the Barra there were automobile activities (learning to drive, racing, and loving) and of course beach activities. There was one more activity, later to become famous under JFK. What was it? Don't forget to answer both questions! Send your answers to mark@gringoes.com with ‘Weekly Quiz’ in the subject line.
Thanks to all those who've been sending quiz questions, we've built up our reserves a little but more are always welcome! Do you think you can stump the Gringoes.com readers, then please send them to mark@gringoes.com with ‘Weekly Quiz Ideas’ in the subject line. Don't forget to send the answer to the question also! Remember it needs to be relatively difficult, and not something that can be found from a simple Internet search.


Photo of the Week

The photo of the week is Where's the Beach? and was taken by Manfred Teubner at Ipanema beach, Rio de Janeiro.here to see the photo. If you have a funny or unusual photo depicting life in Brazil please send to gringoes@gringoes.com with ‘Photo of the Week’ in the subject line. Ideally we are after photos that are of something a little different, not normal shots such as beaches and sunsets. Try to send relatively high resolution images (0.5 Megapixel / 640 x 480 or bigger), and let us know where you took the photo and if you have a title for it.


Tip of the Week

This week's tip comes from Ricky Skelton, to accompany his article Boats on the Amazon. If you ever travel on the Amazon boats, take a spare hammock to tie up above your head & keep your valuable articles/bags in that one. If you leave them on the floor underneath you, there is a very good chance (it happened) your bags will get slashed and valuables stolen. The boat crew will pretend to try their best to find the culprit but they know they don't have a chance.
Is there something you wish you had known while travelling, or something that makes life easier while living here in Brazil? Then share it, and let our readers know. Don't worry about the subject, it can be either a big or small piece of useful information. Send your tips to mark@gringoes.com with ‘Tip of the Week’ in the subject line. This was the last tip we've been sent, so please send more!


10 Years of the Brooklinfest

October 7th and 8th sees the annual celebration of the Brooklinfest, in the Brooklin area of São Paulo. This year is a particularly big celebration as it's the tenth year of the festival.
The Brooklinfest was started by the CLB (Clube Lojista Brooklin, the Club of Shop Owners in Brooklin) and had around 50 artesans in its first year, with a festival open to the public. There was a particular homage to the Germans that colonised and predominate in the region.
…click here to read the rest of the article>>


Brazil: Lula Pays the Penalty for Complacency

By John Fitzpatrick
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva´s failure to win the election in the first round by a mere 1.5% was a welcome sign from the Brazilian electorate that there are limits to its tolerance of corruption and subterfuge. By refusing to give Lula the first-round victory he had craved and expected, electors were telling him that he should not take their support for granted. If he is to win the run-off against the PSDB´s Geraldo Alckmin, Lula will have to make amends and convince a large part of the electorate that he deserves its vote on his merits rather than assuming that it is his by right.
Lula´s approach to the election campaign was similar to his approach to government - accept the plaudits and sweep any problems under the carpet. He was always ready to use any opportunity to stand up and make a speech in front of an audience of supporters or hand-picked guests. He refused to discuss any policy in detail, confront a hostile audience or talk to the media. He even failed to turn up at the last moment for a televised debate with the other main candidates three days before polling day. He chickened out of this encounter by claiming that his opponents would have turned the confrontation into a personal attack on him. He spent part of the following day, the last in which canvassing was allowed, handing out pamphlets at auto plants in the ABC region of São Paulo where he started his public life as a trade union organizer. How pleasant it must be to preach to the converted.
…click here to read the rest of the article>>


Brazil: The Love Motel

By James Turner
In feverish, exciting Brazil, the word "motel" conjures up many images, but a good night's sleep is rarely among them. Though definitely not the familiar, utilitarian double bedded room, which in the US line the interstate highways by the generic thousand, Brazilian motel guests do most frequently arrive by car. It's just that one sees little of what awaits during the approach. In the case described here, a short, tree shrouded tunnel passes through high, impenetrable walls. Your car glides in, coming to a stop at the imposing gate. A darkened window whooshes open in the small hut on the driver's side. A woman's face peers out, the parties agree upon two hours. She accepts payment in advance and hands over the key, asking for no ID. The gate swings open; the car moves forward magnetically.
You look for your apartment number outside the individual garages, all smack next to each other as part of a long, two story building. A thick, opaque vinyl curtain hangs from ceiling to ground in front of each cubby holed parking space. Quite a few of these curtains are closed, keeping prying eyes from identifying any particular vehicle. You quickly deduce that open curtains indicate unoccupied apartments. One empty garage beckons with a slight leer, the one with your number. The car comes to a stop inside, and without getting out, the driver reaches through the window to pull a rope and pulley device on the adjacent wall, closing the car-hiding curtain. Only then does the couple step out. The aiding and abetting of stealth has been well thought through.
…click here to read the rest of the article>>


Brazil: Film Review

By Mark Taylor
I recently watched Eu Tu Eles (Me You Them), directed by Andrucha Waddington (who had the recent hit Casa de Areia, House of Sand), written by Elena Soarez, and supposedly based on a true story.
The film is set in a poor backwater in the arid north-east of Brazil, and stars Regina Casé as Darlene. The film opens with Darlene cycling, in a wedding dress, and pregnant. It becomes obvious that she‘s cycling to her wedding, as he arrives at the church. It then becomes clear that there‘s no husband there to greet her and she has been jilted, and this sets the tone for the film.
Without trying to give away too much of the story, or at least the detail of the story, Darlene is approached by an old bachelor in the town, Osias (Lima Duarte). Osias is dressed up in his Sunday best, and asks Darlene to marry him, with the rather blunt offer of his house. Initially Darlene seems as if she will refuse, she‘s young and he‘s a lot older for starters. Then she asks for a day to think it over, and the next we see of them is their wedding reception.
…click here to read the rest of the article>>


Discussion Forum

If you've not had a chance yet then pop over to our web forum, register, and start joining in the discussion about Brazil. There are many forum areas such as Living in Brazil, Teaching English, Visas and Documentation, and even a place to Vent Your Frustrations! There's also a forum which allows you to comment on Gringoes.com, either with your views about past articles, areas of the site, or to make suggestions for future articles and content.
Each week in the newsletter we will choose a Post of the Week to give you some idea of what's happening in the forum, and a good thread to visit and read. This week we recommend the post "Telecommuting for an Australian Company" started by the user Victoria2005 in our "Investing in Brazil" forum. The post is discussing the issues with remote working in Brazil.
If you have a recommendation for the best Post of the Week then send an email to mark@gringoes.com with "Post of the Week" in the subject.
On a serious note, foul language and abusive posts made in the forum will not be tolerated. The forum is intended to be a constructive and lighthearted place for discussion about Brazil.

Forex

There's been little movement over the last two weeks, and the dollar is now trading at R$2.17, versus R$2.16 two weeks ago. The Euro has followed a similar trend, now at R$2.75, against R$2.74 two weeks ago. The British Pound has also followed a similar trend, and is now at R$4.09, versus R$4.08 two weeks ago.