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, useful information pages, classified adverts, services, forum and other pages. So read on and we hope you enjoy the newsletter. As always if you have any comments, such as what you'd like to see more or less of on the site or newsletter, 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 for the whole of Brazil. We are particularly interested in hearing from people outside of São Paulo city, specifically Rio de Janeiro and the Northeast, so if you would like to write about your experiences or any topic related to Brazil see our request for "Article Writers" below.
If you're interested to know the origin behind the site name, then read the "Dear Gringo" article here by Dr. G.


The American Society of São Paulo

Are you an expat - American, British, German, French, or other - living in São Paulo? Join the American Society and enjoy our expat get-togethers (pub nights, hiking trips, eggnog parties, etc.) as well as our monthly 16-page Forum magazine, while helping contribute to the Society‘s community assistance programs in the city. AmSoc is great way to meet new people: families and singles. We are a civil, non-profit association with no political or religious affiliations. To join, visit www.amsoc.com.br.


Around Brazil: São Luis

By Ricky Skelton
April 26, 2007
São Luis is a city that I‘d never heard about before arriving in Brazil. Now it is probably my favourite one (after Rio obviously) and I‘m not 100% sure why. While travelling around a new country, every experience you have of a place will be subjective - it all depends on when you arrive, who you meet, the mood you‘re in, and many other factors including luck and what went wrong. As well as being only three hours drive from Barreirinhas, the gateway to the most beautiful place in Brazil, Lençois Maranhenses, the city has a charm that reminds me of Salvador. Or at least reminds me of what I expected Salvador to be like, but with its roots taking a detour via the Caribbean on the way back to Africa. Every city has a slogan to sell itself and make itself feel important. São Luis is the ‘Reggae Capital of Brazil‘, which isn‘t the worst for me as I love reggae far more than the axé and MPB prevalent in other cities of the North-East.
…click here to read the rest of the article>>


Navel Gazing in Brasilia - Largesse in São Paulo

By John Fitzpatrick
April 29, 2007
One of the most depressing aspects of Brazilian politics is the way many - if not most - of issues being dealt with at official level have nothing to do with unleashing the country´s potential and ending its social inequality. For example, the business community has been warning for about a year that Brazil faces a realistic prospect of another energy blackout in 2009. However, instead of being treated as an emergency, this issue is being kicked around like a ball. President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva finally showed interest in this matter because it could jeopardize his package of measures which he hopes will increase Brazil´s GDP growth to 5% a year by the end of his term. He put the blame on the environment minister, Marina Silva, for delaying the approval of a power project over an Amazon fish called the "bagre" which breeds in the area. She responded immediately by announcing that the agency responsible for environmental protection (IBAMA) would be split into two areas - one to issue licenses and the other to protect and monitor the environment. This unusually speedy decision looks more like a panic response to criticism than a well-formed plan and the threat of a black-out still remains.
…click here to read the rest of the article>>


Brecht, Weill & Buarque: The Brazilian Play's the Thing! Part 3

Here is the third and final part of Joe‘s article. To read the previous parts please click the relevant link at the end of the article.
First of all, the German word Morität has an unusually pertinent etymology, in that it denotes a "song about the dirty deeds of criminals." It was intoned throughout the Continent as far back as medieval times and was still cranked out by barrel-organ grinders in the Weimar Republic period of the early 1920s. Without missing a beat, composer Weill picked up on and used the genre's repetitive, drone-like quality as a continuous link between the scenes of Brecht's wicked wordplay.
The "vastly watered-down" English version of the ballad, soft-peddled to easily-shocked New Yorkers of the mid-1950s, is shorn of two of the original's patently suggestive stanzas: their graphically explicit content exposes Mackie as more than just a dashing, Victorian-era rogue ("a cute rat-pack gambler," as author Peter Gutmann eluded to, in the Classical Notes website), but a vicious and brutal thug, arsonist and rapist-more akin, in type, to the disreputable Jack the Ripper:
…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, specifically Rio de Janeiro and the Northeast, although other areas as well. 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

Thanks to those who responded to our request for interviews. We've almost run out though, 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!


Gringoes Poll

Last week's poll was suggested by our resident Portuguese tipster, Teacher Claudia. How often did you want to see Portuguese tips on the site, once a week, or more? Clearly there are a lot of budding students out there, as far in the lead was "everyday" with 66%, and "once a week" with 27%.
This week's poll is on who you prefer to hang out with, the local Brazilians, or other expats? If you haven't yet voted go to our homepage and look for the poll in the left-hand column.
If you can't stand our poll ideas and have better ones, or are curious about some aspect of the Gringoes.com readers, then send your ideas to us at mark@gringoes.com with "Poll Idea" in the subject. If we choose your poll you will get a credit in the newsletter, as well as the satisfaction of seeing what the answers are!

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.

Competition! Submit a Quiz Question

Thanks to all those who submitted tips for our competition. We'll be choosing a winner shortly. There's another chance to win our regular fortnightly competition, with a prize of a R$150 voucher for the Tabu Restaurant located in the Sonesta Hotel, in São Paulo.
To win the prize this fortnight you need to submit a quiz question for our Weekly Quiz column by 16th May, from which we'll select a prize winner. Next fortnight we'll change the competition topic to something else.
Send your photos to mark@gringoes.com with "Competition" in the subject.


Weekly Quiz

The quiz question this week comes from our resident Brazilian political expert John Fitzpatrick (thanks John!): there is a life-sized statue in Dublin of a well-known pop singer with a strong link to Brazil. Who was he and what was his connection? Send your answer to mark@gringoes.com
with ‘Weekly Quiz’ in the subject line.
We've run out of quiz questions, so a special request for some more! Do you think you can stump the Gringoes.com readers? If so then please send your quiz questions 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 titled Casa do Estêvão and was taken by Alex Miyoshi. Click here to see the photo.
Thanks to all those who've sent in photos based on our request, but we can always do with more. So if you have a funny or unusual photo depicting life in Brazil please send it 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 traditional shots of beaches and sunsets. Please 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

Our tip of the week again comes from John Chalmers (thanks John!) and is: I use a phone system provided by www.iconnecthere.com which enables me to make calls for US$0.02/min internationally through an Internet connected computer. I pay a little in advance by credit card. Another advantage of their system is that I can enter my password into my cellular on a freephone number and make calls internationally for about R$0.36/min. This facillity has made a dramatic difference to my life here and I'm grateful to the Canadian passenger who introduced me to it. I have now used it for over 3 years. For my purposes it's a bit better than Skype, another excellent alternative.
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.


Popular Brazilian Expressions Part 3

By Tamashin
Here is part 3 of Tamashin's article on popular expressions in Brazilian Portuguese that he has been collecting. To read the previous parts click the relevant link at the end of the article.
41. Quem ve a cara (ou o carro), nao ve o coraçao.
42. Vaso ruim nao quebra.
43. Pai rico, filho nobre, neto pobre.
44. Quem casa nao pensa, quem pensa nao casa.
45. Casamento e´ loteria.
46. A verdade incomoda.
47. Em terra de cego, quem tem olho e´ rei.
48. Argumento de bandido e´ xingar soldado.
49. Deus ajuda, quem cedo madrugada.
50. Pra baixo todo santo ajuda, pra cima a coisa ja muda.
…click here to read the rest of the article>>


Brazil: A Trip to the Pharmacy

By Pat Moraes
April 26, 2007
SAO JOSE DOS CAMPOS - In Brazil there seems to be a pharmacy on every corner, and in our downtown area there are often three at a busy intersection. The pharmacy is a great place to seek help and advice for those minor ailments that you might not feel you need to see a doctor for. I have recently received over the counter help (without a prescription) for a bladder infection, aches and pains, and a cough from a cold that I had.
Many years ago, back in late seventies, I was made aware that certain things that we take for granted back in the States, do not operate exactly the same here in Brazil. At that time when I would be visiting Brazil I would often get a case of diarrhea and I would routinely take a drug called enterovioformio. It worked wonders and it was quick. Then I read an article in "TIME" magazine about drug dumping in the third world. The drug featured in the article was the same enterovioformio. It was banned by the FDA for its rather severe side effects and fatalities, but the drug manufactures continued to sell the drug in other parts of the world.
…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 "Buying a lancamento" started by the user trizain in our "Buying/Renting Property" forum. The post is discussing the pros and cons of buying a lancamento property.
If you have a recommendation for Post of the Week then send an email to mark@gringoes.com with "Post of the Week" in the subject.
Note that foul language and abusive posts in the forum will not be tolerated. The forum is intended to be a constructive and lighthearted place for discussion about Brazil.

Forex

Despite a peak earlir in the week the US dollar remains unchanged over the week, at R$2.02. The Euro also rose earlier in the week, but has fallen slightly to R$2.75, against R$2.76 a week ago. The British Pound has also dropped slightly over the week from R$4.04 to R$4.02.