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.


Forum and Site Problems

May 22, 2007
Apologies to forum users as unfortunately we have had to take the forum offline. This is due to issues with the size and type of database. We are very keen to find someone who can help with migrating forum data from Access to MS SQL, as well as helping with an upgrade of the forum to the latest version of the software.
We were also hacked again on Friday (18th May), and in the interim since the last time we were hacked have been hunting unsuccessfully for someone to help secure the site. If you can recommend a reliable web design company, ideally Brazilian, that can help with one or ideally all of these issues then please contact us.


Careful When Buying Pre-Construction Properties in Brazil!

By Jose Santiago
May 22, 2007
Buying pre-construction or off plan properties (known as "lancamentos" in Portuguese) in Brazil requires the same amount of homework needed when buying a regular piece of real estate, if not more so.
The regular title search needed to buy real estate, in this case should be more thorough. Besides checking for related title defects, such as, survey errors, title flaws, fraud, forgery, undisclosed liens and encumbrances, and a host of other problems, buyers shall request their attorneys to double check the financial and fiscal situation of the developer; because it is common to see newly opened development companies going bankrupt in the middle of the construction, leaving buyers with big damages and few legal recourses.
…click here to read the rest of the article>>


São Paulo Part 3: Sofitel Hotel

By Gary Bembridge
May 22, 2007
I was recently in São Paulo in Brazil for a week for work. Flew here on British Airways (which was a nice change after the terrible time I had on Virgin - and still no apology or news on what they plan to do). Here is my review of the hotel:
I liked this hotel. The rooms are large; the food is good and the staff all very helpful and friendly.
While the hotel basically overlooks an interchange it is very near to the large public park that locals can be seen streaming into on the weekend and makes for a very pleasant place to escape to near the hotel. The whole area the hotel is in is very well lit and it feels safe to walk about in.
The hotel does not look much from the outside and, like so much of São Paulo, is not an inspiring piece of architecture! It is somewhat of a surprise then when you walk into the hotel and there is a large open lobby with huge sweeping staircase that makes you feel like you are in a much more stylish and older building.
…click here to read the rest of the article>>


Understanding Brazil: Table Manners

By Laíze De Lima
May 21, 2007
Brazilians tend to have extremely good manners at the table, so be careful when visiting. Don't forget that Brazilians almost never eat with their hands. You can imagine - Brazil is a tropical country, therefore it is easy for anyone to get sick from eating with dirty hands.
We have a joke: "Only dogs eat with their hands" - this means that only very low class people would consider eating with their fingers instead of using a utensil, or even a stick.
It is amazing, but even very poor families have a set of silver. Children are taught from a very early age to hold and use a spoon and later are given (usually by their Godparents) a small fork and knife set.
…click here to read the rest of the article>>


The Brazilian Spirit of Song

By Charles Heck
May 21, 2007
From what I have seen here in Brazil, Brazilians have a very musical spirit. By musical spirit, I don't really mean that they all learn to play the piano at age 3, but rather nearly everyone knows a lot of song lyrics to be sung in the car or when hanging out with a group of friends. I would go so far as to say that Brazil is the singalong capital of the world, with Japan a close second. More than once I was asked "Do you know any songs you can sing?" I obliged with some Sublime and Queen, which earned me my stripes as an honorary Brazilian. As an American, the usual venue for this kind of thing is when camping or some other outdoors activity. What I have observed is that Brazilians like singalongs and to sing along to songs in all sorts of situations and places. From barbecue (churrasco) sing-a-longs to spontaneous song in the car, no Brazilian hesitates to belt out a few stanzas of a song. Not only that, but many Brazilians I have met know the lyrics to more songs in English than I am even familiar with. During Carnival in São Luis in SP, there were "blocos" every couple of hours with different songs, that EVERYONE knew the words to, as well as the corresponding dances (which are quite funny, lots of hip thrusting and girating-'rebola, rebola!'). This may be the speculative and historic origin of Brazilian musical participation, I don't know.
…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, continued from last week, is on how you access the Internet in Brazil. Are you lucky enough to have broadband at home, or are you forced to seek an Internet café? It appears the majority of you are fortunate enough to have home broadband, with a vote of 72%. Internet Café access is a distant second with 14%, and work Internet a distand third with 9%. 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 an Interview

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 an interview for our Brazil Through Foreign Eyes, or Foreigners Through Brazilian Eyes column by 30th May, from which we'll select a prize winner. Next fortnight we'll change the competition topic to something else.
Get a copy of the interview questions by emailing mark@gringoes.com with "interview" in the subject, then make sure to submit your answers before the 30th to mark@gringoes.com with "Competition" in the subject.


Weekly Quiz

Last week's quiz question came from Stephanie Glennon: what is the Brazilian connection with the recent Kentucky Derby? Congratulations to our resident quiz expert Jacques Allain who replied with: one of the entrants, Tiago, was named by its owner Jerry Moss for the son of his friend Sergio Mendes, the famous Brazilian musician.
This week's quiz question comes from Angel Juarez (thanks Angel!): two drivers have won the F1 Championship more than once at Interlagos. Who are they? Send your answer to mark@gringoes.com
with ‘Weekly Quiz’ in the subject line.
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 Sugar Loop and was taken by Brian Hazlehurst in Rio de Janeiro (see Brian's live webcam at http://SugarLoafRio.ww.com). 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 competition winner Laura Croll and is: in São Paulo if you fly with TAM to Congonhas there is a free shuttle that will take you to Guarulhos. This is much cheaper than a taxi! As well, it can save friends and family lots of time during rush hour, but make sure to get in line quickly. The bus holds about 50 people and it is first come/first served.
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.


Portuguese Tip: Regularity of Verbs in Portuguese - Exceptions

By Teacher Claudia
May 19, 2007
Dear readers, you did surprise me with the final result on my poll, How often would you like to read Portuguese tips on the site?, as 66% of you answered "Every week"! I knew, from the emails I get as feedback, that there were people already reading me in several countries, but I had no idea that they were actually following my tips.
As I live and die for my students, from now on you‘ll have a weekly tip, and I‘ll be a lot busier! Today we‘ll see the regularity of verbs in Portuguese, regarding the Special Cases of the First Conjugation.
Activity 1 - Introduction
Read a piece of the song "Olhos Certos", by Detonautas.
…click here to read the rest of the article>>


Brazil: Weekly News Roundup

May 19, 2007
End to Pope's Visit
The main story again this week was the end of the Pope's 5-day visit to Brazil, which finished last weekend. This included a visit to Aparecida, a drug rehabilitation center in Guarantingueta, and a Latin American Bishops conference. The expected million people at the Aparecida mass was a rather disappointing 150,000. The Pope decried the drug's trade, and said that those who traffic drugs will pay a heavy price. He also made comments about Indians who had been "silently longing" for Christianity when European priests arrived several hundred years ago. The comments angered Indian leaders who cited them as "arrogant and disrespectful".
Congress May Eliminate Visas
A congressional committee approved a bill to eliminate visa requirements for visitors from the USA, Canada, New Zealand, Japan and Australia, as a bid to boost tourism. Prior to this the visa requirements were reciprocal, meaning that a US visitor would have to pay US$100 for a tourist visa. No date has yet been set for a vote on the bill.
…click here to read the rest of the article>>


Look Out for the New BBC - the Brazilian Broadcasting Corporation

By John Fitzpatrick
May 17, 2007
On December 2 this year Brazilians should be able to switch on their TV sets and find a new channel, one that is refreshingly free of the endless smut, soap operas, game shows, football chats, evangelical rallies and advertising which mark the current offerings by the main commercial channels. This should be good news for discerning viewers, one of whom is apparently President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. In fact, Lula is so fed up the low quality of Brazilian television that he has decided to set up a new one. This is the downside of what should be good news. The dangers are that the government will manipulate the content of the new channel, ensure that only propaganda appears and waste taxpayers´ money. So far the government has not made a strong case that such a channel is really needed and, by setting such a close deadline, it has not given itself enough time to think out exactly how the station will work or be funded. The latter point is particularly important since the project will cost an estimated R$300 million - around US$150 million.
…click here to read the rest of the article>>


Bringing People Together: Electronic Voyages to Brazil Part 1

By Joe Lopes
May 17, 20007
Modern technology has been a fabulous boon to our get-it-now society. Just think of all the electronic wonders available to us, and within our easy reach: webcams, laptops, routers, BlackBerrys, iPods, designer cell phones... why, the list is endless and protracted.
Apparently, there‘s nothing better than state-of-the-art, cutting-edge devices to bring people from diverse backgrounds together. It‘s almost like taking an electronic trip to a foreign land, but without the discomfort and delay associated with our present-day air travel (ugh).
From a communications standpoint, though, one of the more practical innovations, and a blessing in disguise (to this writer, at least), is e-mail. It can also be a wolf in sheep‘s clothing to anyone who‘s ever opened an innocuous looking attachment by mistake, only to discover that the health of one‘s terribly expensive hard drive has been irreversibly compromised by some hidden virus or other-the high-tech equivalent of a mail bomb.
…click here to read the rest of the article>>


Do Foreigners Need Title Insurance in Brazil? Part 1

By John D. Markunas
May 17, 2007
The interest of foreign investors - individuals and commercial buyers, institutional lenders, multinational corporations and real estate developers, among others - in Brazilian real estate has been steadily increasing as Brazil has improved its climate for foreign investment. Capital market reforms that are raising the levels of financing available and other developments are resulting in a rise in acquisitions of all property types and an increase in real estate activity. By shaking off the old restraints of inflexible land-use policies, a bureaucratic regulatory environment, high interest rates and a lack of transparency, Brazil has laid the groundwork to accelerate real estate investment even further.
The real estate due diligence process in Brazil and the United States has both similarities and differences. One very important distinction has to do with the different systems in place in both nations for closing and transferring property titles. Title insurance is a uniquely American product invented to manage real estate investment risk. In the US, it has become a part of almost every real estate transaction and is the culmination of extensive title research and document examination.
…click here to read the rest of the article>>


Popular Brazilian Expressions Part 5

By Tamashin
May 17, 2007
Here is part 5 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.
81. Hospede de tres dias, da azia.
82. Mais vale um cachorro amigo do que um amigo cachorro.
83. De imprescindiveis o cemeterio esta cheio.
84. Quem nao e´ quadrado, se vira.
85. Quem parte e reparte e nao fica com a maior parte ou e´ burro ou nao tem arte.
86. Quem criar cobra vai ser picado.
87. Quem casa quer casa.
88. Nao aponte com o dedo sujo.
89. Quem tem rabo do palha, nao chega perto do fogo.
90. Marmela e´ fruta gostosa que da´ na ponta da vara, mulher que chora por homem nao tem vergonha na cara.
…click here to read the rest of the article>>


Discussion Forum

Unfortuately as the forum is offline there is no recommended post of the week.

Forex

Despite a drop earlier in the week the US Dollar has recovered and is unchanged over the week, at R$1.95. The Euro has faired similarly, and is slightly down R$2.64 to R$2.63 over the week. The British Pound has risen slightly, from R$3.86 to R$3.88.