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.


Brazil: A Dream Turned Concrete

By Jason Bermingham
May 8, 2007
Another unusual article from Jason, that offers an interactive element. Read the page below, then click on the links to decide what you will choose to do, and have a chance at exploring Brasilia.
Image: Oscar Niemeyer projected the National Congress with a dome over the Federal Senate and a bowl over the Chamber of Deputies. The twin 28-story towers in the background are government office buildings.
THE ELEVATOR DOORS open to an observation deck mounted on a TV tower. When you step outside, gentle sunlight greets you. Mowers drone on giant lawns 75 meters below, and the breeze carries up the smell of freshly cut grass.
…click here to read the rest of the article>>


Around Brazil: Hang-Gliding Over Rio

By Marilyn Diggs
May 8, 2007
One morning while strolling to Praia do Pepino in Rio de Janeiro, I looked up to see colorful wings circling in the sky. Under the two delta-shaped wings, two people strapped side-by-side, drifted down, down and then their feet hit the grass running. Within a few meters, they slowed to a fast walk coming to a stop as the kite tilted, stopping on the ground.
The two 20-something men shook hands. One, dressed in jeans and an "I love Rio" t-shirt, removed his helmet and still smiling waved goodbye. The instructor proceeded to wrap the kite around its metal frame. After strapping it atop the bed of a pickup truck, he sauntered my way. "Want to go up?" he asked. "The clouds have lifted and the wind is perfect today."
…click here to read the rest of the article>>


Understanding Brazil: Mosquitoes

By Ricky Skelton
May 8, 2007
I guess it isn‘t a problem exclusive to Brazil, or exclusive to me for that matter, but the fact that most beds in the country don‘t have mosquito nets attached does cause me some problems. Especially as most of the houses that I have stayed in have been somewhat open to the elements. And just like the ladies of the country, the mosquitoes of Brazil prefer the blood of exotic gringos*. I react very nicely to bites - I can wake up in the morning with my back looking like the top of a cake iced in pink and covered in white chocolate buttons. Because of my delicate gringo nature, I need to check the room before I go to sleep. It goes something like this:
I scan the room with hunter‘s eyes and I shake all the dark spots, high and low, that they like to hide. If one appears, I chase him around the room, climbing the bed, moving furniture, slapping, clapping and flapping until I lose him in a dark corner. Half an hour later, I‘m still stalking and apologising to Blondie for being so pathetic.
…click here to read the rest of the article>>


Brazil Underfoot

By Bernard Morris
May 7, 2007
Walking is not the sport of kings, but it should be, and the walking kings should visit Brazil often. I have been going there once or twice a year for several years now and have found walking to be a very satisfying way to explore the country (that is, São Paulo and Jarinu, mainly). I do not hike; nature-loving I am, but Brazil offers a rich exploring experience even in its cities to anyone who wants to develop a personal relationship with areas of interest. Brazil is replete with such areas.
In April of this year, my wife and I returned to both Jarinu and São Paulo, and in both places, I walked to my heart‘s delight. I recommend such an activity, which not only enriches the spirit but burns the calories, to any active person of good sense. I say "good sense" because on this trip more than before, our friends and family kept warning me to be careful, especially since I walk with an iPod plugged into my ears. Those concerned for my safety thought I was strange to want to walk in the sunshine and foolish to do so with an iPod. One friend was emphatic: "You will not return with your iPod!" (she speaks fluent English). I have the normal American male‘s supply of machismo, or maybe it is just pride, so I pooh-poohed their concern and struck out, but their warnings were repeated with such force and regularity that I began to be more than a little careful. The more I walked, the greater my concern grew.
…click here to read the rest of the article>>


Brazil: Surviving The Air Traffic Controllers Strike Part 2

By James Denison
May 7, 2007
Here is the second and final part of James' article about how he was affected by the air traffic controllers strike. To read part 1 click the link at the end of the article.
Since we absolutely adore the work of Oscar Niemeyer, this part of the crisis turned out to be the silver lining for us. His white buildings are lit up spectacularly at night. The architecture looked stunning and tourists were out taking pictures, even that late at night. We passed by the Palacio do Planalto (we later learned from the TV) where government officials were deciding what to do about the crisis. One element of the Brazilian capital that struck me as very different from the United States capital is that there are no fences and is very little visible security. It feels as if people have more access to their government in Brazil, at least in terms of its architectural design. Even when we drove by the President‘s mansion there were only three orange cones set up at the end of the driveway to prevent access to the president.
…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

This week's poll is on who you prefer to hang out with, the local Brazilians, or other expats? Currently the leader by a large margin is "Brazilians and Gringoes" with 65%, with "Brazilians only" in a distant second of 31%. 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

Last week's quiz question came from our resident Brazilian political expert John Fitzpatrick: 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? Congratulations to Jacques Allain who was first to reply with Philip Parris Lynott (1949-1986), and his link to Brazil is his father Cecil Parris, who was Brazilian.
This week's quiz question comes from the Gringoes.com staff: which town in Ireland has a quarter of its population made up of Brazilians? 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 Bin Man and was taken by Bernard Morris. 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'd recently been troubled by my phone line bill being boosted to enormous levels by internet use (broadband is regrettably not available at our location). This has now been solved by a cellular connection. Originally we contracted Amazonia Celular which seemed to be the most economical (Rs109/gigbt) unfortunately the Nokia phones they use have a software fault which made them unreliable and unworkable for internet. This phone is still back with the service agents and despite their written guarantees for restitution or money back they are failing to honour their contract. A heated discussion with the manager ended in the police station with them being reprimanded but no money so far. They are insisting I pay for the connection time I could not use and threaten me with a termination charge if I cancel! They are looking forward to receiving my lawyers bills.
A friend advised me that an old model Motorola V186 was a reliable workhorse for internet connection, it's a bit of an old model, and I spent days locating one, eventually at a shop that's computer showed it didn't have one, I found one on display. They were very helpful and with a small surcharge sold it to me without a contract. Its now happily installed on the TIM network, albeit a little dearer at R$149/gigbt. the coverage now extends to the upper regions of the Rio Negro where our expedition boat Alyson sometimes ventures.
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.


São Paulo Part 1: My Overall Observations

By Gary Bembridge
May 7, 2007
Depending on whom you listen to, or where you are reading, São Paulo is either the 3rd biggest city on the world, or the 5th based on population. No matter which it is the mere fact that it is right up there near the top was a huge surprise to me. And perhaps it is to you as well. For unlike the others in the top like New York and Tokyo it does not seem to get the sort of publicity that those cities do. This, as I will discuss later, may be due to the fact that São Paulo is not really on the global tourists circuit.
I have never thought of São Paulo as one of the "mega-cities", but found that with at least 11 million people in its metropolitan area it is the biggest city in the Southern Hemisphere.
It is, of course, well known for the terrible traffic jams, and now knowing that it is one of the biggest cities in the world helps to explain that to me a bit more! The traffic can be quite terrible. It can mean that a simple 8 block journey can take up to an hour and a half as it did for us on a trip one evening by bus going to dinner.
…click here to read the rest of the article>>


Where is the Biodiesel in Brazil?

By Tim Cowman
May 7, 2007
Biofuels are in the news and Brazil is consequently taking centre stage. As Lula flirts with both Bush and his fellow South American leaders the debate rages on as to the rights and wrongs of the position of this country in the market. It is clear though, that as global demand rises, biofuels are here to stay and accordingly practical debate should not centre on its pros and cons but more importantly on how it can be developed in the most sustainable manner possible.
Biofuels in Brazil are not solely restricted to the much publicized ethanol but biodiesel is also an emerging energy resource growing rapidly in stature. Vast agricultural regions in this South American giant are being turned over to rapeseed, castor oil plants and sunflower, rather than sugar cane, in pursuit of the production of this environmentally friendly diesel and the government is shaping the process through various incentives. It appears though that, through his policy making, Lula has been caught in two minds.
…click here to read the rest of the article>>


Brazil Through Foreign Eyes

May 4, 2007
Meet David McLoughlin, from Ireland, who has lived in Brazil for around fifteen years. Read the following interview where he tells us about some of his most memorable experiences from Brazil and gives some useful advice to newcomers.
1. Tell us a little about yourself, where are you from, what do you do etc.?
I'm from a military camp in Ireland - the Curragh, famous for soldiers, sheep and shite. I was on the backside of the tail-end of that final generation that couldn‘t get a job in the country. Got a degree in Communications and ended up selling music in Tower Records in Piccadilly Circus, London. I used to buy jazz, blues, country and world music for the store, including Brazilian music which was taking off at the time - Tom Zé, Sepultura, lambada. In Brazil I've worked for the local independent record companies (speak English? OK, you'll be the international manager); nowadays I work for a digital aggregator The Orchard, supplying iTunes etc. with Brazilian music; I also work with the BM&A, a trade organization that helps promote Brazilian music abroad; and I've a company, RN-14, that provides various services within the music industry. I've a wife who has an incredible talent for spending money - so I need to keep myself busy.
…click here to read the rest of the article>>


Brazil: Weekly News Roundup

May 4, 2007
Rio / São Paulo Rail Link Investigated
Feasibility studies have begun to investigate a potential R$20bn rail link between Rio and São Paulo. Flight traffic between the two cities has increased enormously, to the point where planes are often taking off every 5 minutes. The plan for the train is that it would mostly run underground, taking around 90 minutes and costing R$100. Although a rail link between the two cities has been under discussion for decades.
AIDS Drug Issues With Merck
Talks between Brazil and the pharmaceutical company Merck broke down at the end of last week, following demands from the government that they pay the same price for the Efavirenz as Thailand. If talks fail then Brazil will break the patent on the terms of public interest.
…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 "Anyone know about Joao Pessoa?" started by the user London Lad in our "Living in Brazil" forum. The post is discussing the pros and cons of living in Joao Pessoa.
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 earlier in the week the US dollar remains only slightly up, at R$2.03 versus R$2.02 a week ago. The Euro has fallen slightly to R$2.74, against R$2.75 a week ago. The British Pound has risen slightly over the week from R$4.02 to R$4.03.