Daily Life in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Recent Articles of Interest

Wallpaper Magazine has issued its Fab 40 featuring 40 reasons to stay (or head to Brazil). They did lists for 10 different areas of which Canada was another. Of particular interest to me on the Brazilian side were a bunch of places and things I've never heard of, there's always more to experience and see in this country, it's more than just the corcovado, sugarloaf and the foz...  click here for the list. 

My mom sent me this article which is about Stockwell Day's time in Brazil recently. Funny enough, he met with Mr. DRL on one of his trips. The article doesn't say much, but here it is anyway.

An article I'm sure that would be dear to Mr. DRL's heart... further complications to the already atrocious to navigate taxation in Brazil. This article focuses on a new 2% tax on foreign investment in Brazil. Article here, from the Wall Street Journal.

Random Ramblings

Just some of what rolls around in my brain...

1) Spotted along Viero Souto on Saturday: something that I doubt you'd often see in Canada - two guys in hardhats, on a construction site, hugging. Heartwarming stuff. And it had to be about 33 degrees too, nothing was stopping these guys.

2) WTF (but "who" instead of "what") are these freaks? Did you hear about the spider stealer they caught trying to smuggle 1,000 spiders out of Brazil over the weekend? EEEk. I am not really a scared-of-bugs kind of girl but this wigs me out a bit. Wasn't there a movie about snakes on a plane a few years back...?

3) If you want to send Christmas cards from Brazil, you have to be DEDICATED... I just spent over an hour and a half affixing postage to my Christmas cards. Those suckers had better not get lost in the mail. Note that I also spent about 40 minutes in the post office obtaining said stamps. But the stamps oh they are soooo cool.  I LOVE the stamps here!

Busy News Week in Brazil

Brazil has sure had its share of press coverage this week with the BLACKOUT, a visit from Madonna, and a spread in the Economist. 

I find it a bit suspect that Brazil had its first big blackout in a long time just days after 60 minutes reported on hackers causing the ones in 2005 and 2007... but anyway.

The blackout was definitely interesting. Mr. DRL has been working horrendous hours so Canadoca and I were at home on our own when the lights went out. At first I figured it was just my place  (and fault, as I was running MAD AC! It's been sooooo hot here the past couple weeks) but then I looked out the window and quickly realized it was not. Mr. DRL called me from the office and said he was leaving (about 10:40 or so). I was a bit nervous about this, being that you never know what kind of ruckus might be kicked up in the streets with the power out and all but he told me to relax, it would probably take him no time, and not to worry about it because at night no one pays attention to the traffic lights anyway. Touché. 

He was home in record time (minus having to climb the stairs as the elevators didn't work) full of reports of which hotels in town had generators and therefore lights.

Where were YOU when the lights went out? I am personally just glad that I was not one of the many people who were IN AN ELEVATOR!!!

Air France Flight 447

Recently, on the birthday of my friend who passed away in the Air France crash, I thought I'd find out what the latest is on the investigation. There wasn't much news, other than that Air France does intend to continue looking for the black box, and that the families have filed suits.

Then, this weekend, there was a memorial held for the victims, here in Leblon. Apparently several people at the event wore black armbands to protest the lack of transparency of the French authorities in the investigation. Article here.

A glass plaque was also erected in memory of the passengers on board. 228 birds, one for each passenger. Canadoca and I will go for a walk there this week to see it.

Like Family

I think that Rio and I are now like family. In the sense that it's okay for me to say how it is, and reveal its negatives, but I sure don't like it when other people do...

On the Oprah episode.

I will preface my comment by saying that I think that Oprah has gotten awfully used to getting what she wants. Can't blame her, really. But it sure seems as though she has sour grapes over this lost Olympic bid. I was also watching SNL the other day and there was a sketch where "Obama" wishes the Olympic committee good luck with Rio with a bit of an eye roll. I'm not sure if that sketch was based on an actual event or not but it indicated he was a bit bitter as well.

Anyway! On the episode of Oprah about women around the world, I have the following comments to share:

1. It seems a bit absurd to even attempt to "show how people live" in 5 different countries in a span of an hour. Lofty goal at best. I've been here almost 2 years and every day I feel as though I have it LESS figured out.
2. I felt that Oprah was unnecessarily negative about Brazil, compared to how she was about other countries. Given the fact that she gushed on and on about the bread in Denmark (who cares?) and then basically only asked questions about Rio that referred to the negative aspects such as favelas and plastic surgery. I liked the woman they chose to "represent" Brazilian women, and thought it very interesting that they also went in to the favela.
3. I watched the "after the show" extra footage on Oprah's web site and was disappointed to see that her negativity continued towards Rio. The subject at hand was how long children remain living at home, and the woman's children were still living at home in their early 20's, which she said she loved. Oprah's comment was that in her country that would be considered to be mooching off of the parents. I think if you look at statistics, this is actually becoming more the norm in North America as well, while young adults are still going to University, etc.
4. It wasn't just the Rio portion that irritated me about this episode. Oprah did not seem to be paying attention in the least. For example, she asked questions that had already been answered five minutes earlier in the pretaped segments, and then had a very difficult time wrapping her head around a simple concept of cost of living and pay/taxation being different in Denmark and Dubai. This may not seem like a big deal, but when you are trying to portray what "life is like" in another country in such a short period of time, repeating questions is a total disservice to the viewer.
5. The reason her attitude towards Brazil is so disappointing is because most people who watch her show will never make it here themselves, rather this is just one glimpse for them which will likely form their opinion, and hers is based on having lost a competition, not even her own experiences here as she hasn't even been here. 

Brazil in the News

As I haven't done one of these posts in ages, some of these news items are a bit old but have been in the back of my mind to share for awhile... I'll start with newer items and end with older ones.

• Perhaps the craziest news I've heard out of Brazil in awhile; Futebol on the praia (beach soccer) is being BANNED as of December 1! Article here. Apparently hundreds of police will be enforcing this law. Don't get me started on that use of resources... this is part of our new mayor's mandate to clean up Rio. I wonder when he plans to get started on the public urination problem? This is right up there with stopping people's household good shipments because of a lone jar of peanut butter but then letting a container of automatic weapons go through. Which is by the way something that happens like every day...  Maybe I should write him a letter. And for those who think it is not a problem in Rio any more than anywhere else, I have to tell you that my husband's auditors were in Rio last week and it was one of the only things that they commented on about Rio! (the xixi).
• Brazil is expected to publish a list of trade sanctions against the US tomorrow, in retaliation for Washington's cotton subsidies. Article here. 
• Curious about what the view is like from the Penthouse in the Copacabana Palace? Click here to see, part of an article on luxury resorts in RIo. 
• Madonna is expected to come back to Rio tomorrow, and is rumoured to be staying at Fasano. Portuguese article only, here. 
• 60 Minutes reported that a series of power outages in Brazil in 2005 and 2007 were caused by cyber attacks. Article here.
• Lula has an impersonator on the radio...
• There have been a number of large-scale international investments in Brazil's real estate sector lately, click here for more details. 
• The BBC reports on walls going up around a number of Rio's favelas here.
• It looks like Woody Allen's 2011 project will be shot and set in Rio. Should be interesting! Article here.

Explains the fear of Halloween?

This article is crazy. Maybe this explains why Halloween is so disliked here - the dead walk in Brazil on a normal day, why would we need a special day for it. Click the link but the gist of the story is that there was a man falsely identified by family members as being killed in a car wreck. He later showed up at his own funeral.

The key question that comes to mind: I wonder how much "paperwork" will be required to clean this mess up?

Tonight, On Oprah...

If you are here in Rio, try and catch The Oprah Winfrey Show on GNT at 8 pm. It will feature a segment on Rio de Janeiro. As Oprah runs about 2 weeks behind here in Brazil, I've already heard different things about this episode from a number of people back home, and therefore have had to try not to form too many opinions about what was featured until I see it for myself...  it is an episode about women around the world, and apparently a woman from Ipanema and her maid were interviewed for the Rio portion. To view some "after the show" questions asked, click here.

Also on Oprah's site about Rio - a guide to traveling here (there is one for each of the Olympic 2016 Candidate cities) 

I'm hoping some of you come back and let me know what you thought of the episode and how Rio and its women were portrayed. Can't wait to watch!

Making Headlines

Despite the fact that I have tried to move this blog away from the direction of reporting on scary news items, I can't NOT mention this weekend's gang war here in Rio, particularly because it was yesterday's top story internationally. Can you say: "All because of the Olympics?"

Although a police helicopter being shot down does make this story a bit more interesting, 12 people dying in a gun battle in Rio is not normally international-headline-grabbing news. It is not exactly a slow day in Rio, either, but, well, you get my drift.

Now the headlines scream: Rio, host city of the 2016 Olympic games, is home to a gang war. Um, yeah. Did anyone really think that a 7 year halt had been called on that situation the minute that Brazil won the Olympic bid?

The Guardian published a decent article on the situation, click here to read it.

Parabens, RIO!

Well, Rio, you did it! I think I am still in shock. I am the first to admit when I am mistaken and in this case I certainly was - I did NOT think that Rio would be awarded the games, but I sure am glad it was.

I had a tear in my eye as I watched - up until the part when I saw Lula, red faced, bawling uncontrollably into a handkerchief, at the press conference and then at that point I switched to laughing... So cute. Brazil certainly brings the passion!!! I wish I could have been down on Copacabana with the masses, celebrating.

Now comes the hard part, and it will be interesting to see how Rio pulls it off. No matter what the outcome, the 2016 Olympics are sure to be picturesque, entertaining and one of a kind. I hope this brings about changes for the better for Rio.

Today's the BIG DAY!!!

I am anxiously awaiting the result of the IOC vote today - where will the 2016 Olympics be held?

According to what I've been reading, against all odds, Rio is now considered a frontrunner... who would have thought?

I remember how emotional I was the day that Vancouver was selected to host the 2010 games, and I think if Rio is selected this will be even moreso the case for me - it would just bring about so many opportunities for Rio and Brazil in general, and give it some exposure to the world. There are so many misconceptions about Brazil and this would help educate people on what it's really all about. I hope it would also result in the improvement of many living conditions and infrastructure in the city - much needed.

I've been a bit vocal about my disapproval of the amount of money spent on what seemed like a long shot bid, considering that Rio wasn't initially intended to make the final ballot (Doha was vetoed by the committee because of its hot climate, despite scoring higher than Rio in preliminary rounds of city selection). Recent crime sprees in the Zona Sul while the world's eyes are on any news coming out of Brazil also make me curious if this is sort of a demonstration of protest coming from the city's less fortunate - one could hardly blame them for thinking the money could have been spent elsewhere, considering the price tag of the bid and the lousy living conditions for many in Rio.  Considering how many issues first world countries have in preparing a city for the frenzy of the games, I've often wondered how on EARTH Rio could ever get it together - but when it comes down to it, I hope Rio gets the games.  I wish I were in Rio today to head on down to Copacabana for the big announcement - but I am still traveling.

Eu Quero!

Rio 2016 video

I knew this would be good. Here is Rio's little promo video as part of the submission for hosting the 2016 games. I remember when I watched Vancouver's a few years back and it brought tears to my eyes it was so beautiful. Rio's doesn't disappoint. One observation I do have is that it seems incredibly tranquil - and given Rio's reputation internationally, I venture to guess that this is deliberate. Check out the video, it's beautiful, and I am proud to say that I've been almost everywhere that is featured.

Happy Happy

Rio: the world's happiest city?

Flying to Brazil these days....

doesn't seem so fun. Maybe it is not such a bad thing that Canadoca and I are stuck here!

This week alone there have been three disconcerning incidents:

1) A 15 year old girl died in-flight from the US to Brazil, supposedly of gripe suine (swine flu).

2) A Delta flight from Rio to Atlanta encountered issues and turned back to Rio late last week.

3) Sunday night's Continental flight from Rio to Houston made an emergency landing in Miami after encountering severe turbulence (to the point where there were several injuries and people were taken to hospital).

Around the web - travel in Brazil

Since becoming Canadoca's mom I have neglected reading a lot of the blogs I normally enjoy. Which means I haven't been passing some of the interesting stuff I find on to you. So here are a few (and some are not so new but that's why!) interesting articles and tips on travelling around Brazil.

Great posts from "Brazil for Insiders" - including:

• Pre Catalan in Rio - Sofitel - which I also recently visited and quite enjoyed. 
• A Tiradentes weekend - great looking pousadas.
• A review of Conde Nast's top beaches in Brazil - and why it might be off-base. Here is a more complete list on the same site. 
• This post is a must for anyone heading to Salvador, Bahia, as is this one from The Moment blog.

From the "Gringo Times"

• Hiking in Rio - fantastic way to see some of Rio's sights in an active manner!
• Some coverage of Trinidade - a little beach community near Paraty that we visited with my inlaws back in November. 
• Or, for a weekend in Rio, check out Markets in Rio in case you are sticking around here... or head to Santa Teresa for the weekend (something I am actually tempted to do on a regular basis since there are so many amazing hotels and dinner spots there!)

From Ben in Rio:

• I don't know where this is but that waterfall waterslide looks like so much fun! 

From Expat American Living in Brazil:

• Pantanal via Train

Finally, with all these great destinations we need some cheap flights! Apparently Brazil's airline industry is going through some deregulation.

Escape to Brazil?

Although this has not happened to me personally, apparently expats here are frequently asked if they are here because they are running from something. I guess it's no secret that it can be a good place to hide out - be it avoiding a custody case, like the David Goldman case, or jail time (Brazil does not extradite the parents of Brazilian born children to other countries).

So, it's no wonder that there are pop culture references alluding to Brazil as the perfect escape. I recently caught an OLD episode of Beverly Hills, 90210, around the era where Dylan McKay was getting ripped off by his "family" - where did they head once they had his money? Brazil.

This season Desperate Housewives featured a character who planned a murder followed by - you guessed it, a quick escape to Brazil.

Is it any wonder that some people are scared to even visit here?

Sad

As expats, we rely heavily on the airlines. They connect us with our families, and get us home. This morning, an Air France jet that left Rio last night went missing over the Atlantic on its way to Paris. While any air disaster involving a plane departing from or intended for Brazil would hit close to home, this one does especially so, being that two of our good friends were on board. Still in shock. Life is precious.  As I heard the news, I was waiting to hear if my mom & sister's plane had yet landed.  Today is certainly bittersweet - my mom and sister's first meeting with my little one, along with dealing with the news of lost loved ones. 

Reading Rio's News in English

The Gringo Times is one way to read news about Rio in English. They even have an RSS feed you can set up (also available for this site, folks!)...

I also read online news in Portuguese but then usually take advantage of Google Translate on my toolbar to make sense of it all.  Helps a lot!

Interesting...

Last night Mr. DRL was watching an interesting show on the National Geographic Channel about expats in Dubai. Being that I am currently the most restless person on the planet I watched for about 10 minutes with him, decided it was interesting, and wandered over to the computer to see if it was part of a bigger series on expats around the world. Couldn't really find anything on the website (again, restless...) but I DID find something else that looks interesting, Locked Up Abroad, a show about people from different countries in jail abroad. There's an episode about a group of men who were locked up in Brazil - airs May 6th on the National Geographic Channel. Check it out.

Where is all of the ACAI???

I make Mr. DRL morning smoothies that probably have enough "good stuff" ie) antioxidants & fiber in them to last him the whole day and make up for god knows what else he ends up eating at the office. I send trail mix to work for him all the time but know that there are a ton of unhealthy quick food options for him near the office and let's face it the guy is busy and works long hours. So I do what I can.

In case you are wondering, the smoothie recipe is below, at the end of the post.

One of the main ingredients of his morning smoothie is ACAI. I like to buy the ICEFRUIT brand, it's just the pulp of the fruit with no sugar or guarana added, and comes in convenient, portioned little plastic bags. Super easy. I also buy lime, passionfruit, peach, strawberry, pineapple, and guava this way and they are great for making drinks or smoothies (having these on hand for caipirhinha's is a good idea!). 

However, lately, I can't seem to source the acai very easily. Sometimes there will be one single bag of it at the store, other times none at all. I like to stock up. I've never had a problem with this before...

I can't help but wonder if this is somehow related to the ACAI storm that seems to be sweeping North America. There are advertisements for it everywhere as everything from an energy booster to a weight loss aid. I recently saw an ad in a parenting magazine for fruitcups with acai in them.

It's even turning up in people's facebook statuses:

"x started the new acai juice program today (tasty)...hope to feel a difference in a week or so... I'll keep you posted!"

and I have to admit seeing an ex-boyfriend from highschool's status about his and his wife's acai woes made me laugh:

"y is p*ssed off...try a free trail of acai-aslim and now the are charging sh*t to our credit card!!!!!"

Ahhh classy...

So now I am curious, is there an acai shortage back here in Brazil? It's good to know that it will be readily available to us back in North America now as I'd really miss it but still!

As an aside, I'm not sure how healthy acai juice is for you anyway - my understanding is that it's the seeds and pulp that pack the antioxidant punch, much like with the whole goji berry juice situation... which goes for any fruit, really. You can't expect to get the same nutrients out of a manufactured juice as from the whole fruit itself.  Once again, North America takes something that is good for you and turns it into something that isn't... not exactly the first time. As a result, acai is now getting a bit of a bad name in North America but I believe it's because of how it is being processed and delivered to the consumer.

Anyway, enough ranting!

Mr. DRL's morning smoothie:
1 sleeve frozen acai (see above)
2-3 Tbsp goji berries (these are available at asian stores even here in RIo)
2-3 Tbsp ground flax seed
2 Tbsp Hemp protein powder
1 sleeve frozen fruit pulp (this is where I break up the monotony - you can basically use anything)
1/2 small banana
Top up with fruit juice (again I vary the types so it doesn't get boring. Cranberry, orange, fruit cocktail)...

Blend.
Thank goodness for the Magic Bullet!

Back to Rio de Janeiro

The situation in Rio this week has started to hit the international media...

• The Washington Post's "Day in Photos" - See Photo 28.
• BBC News' "Day in Photos" - see Photo 1.
• Trend News Agency reports on a ton of marijuana being seized from Rocinha.
• The shoot-out in Copacabana on Monday was reported by The Press Association.

More Ways to Get Here!

Options are a good thing, methinks...

US Airways is poised to start service between Philadephia and Rio de Janeiro this fall.

Continental has tentative approval to resume its direct service between Rio and Houston, this time it would be daily and year-round. Link here. Potentially starting this summer.

More Wonders of Brazil than Anyone Ever Could Have Imagined...

Such as...

• A woman with no fingerprints - check it out on Eyes on Brazil.
• A town of twins, supposedly naturally-occurring (38 pairs of twins in a town of 80 families) - in a small German-speaking Brazilian area, see the story here.  Sidenote - pair or pairs?
• Back to tudobeleza at Eyes in Brazil to read about Recife, where there are 12 women to every man!?
• Double digit interest rates.

And finally, the Backstreet Boys eating chicken hearts at a churrascaria in Sao Paulo.  Wonders surely will never cease.

More on the Brazilian Economy

According to TIME, Brazil might be the only country to avoid the recession. Click here to read more.

Dengue Fever in Brazil

Just as a sidenote, most of my guests who have visited travel doctors back home were advised to get Yellow Fever vaccinations to visit Rio, something that is NOT actually required!

It's Dengue season again - Expat American Living in Brazil has a travel alert/update on the situation - check it out here.

Luckily Rio is not yet affected.  Thank goodness for me because pregnant women's oxygen-rich blood is apparently a magnet for mosquitoes!

In the News & On my Nerves

I believe these stories are meant to hit a nerve... mission accomplished.

From the BBC, on Saturday.... A nine year old Brazilian girl is pregnant with twins, after alleged abuse by her stepfather. She is legally allowed to have an abortion, as Brazil does permit abortions in certain situations, such as when there are risks to the mother, or in cases of rape.  The mother & doctors who came to this nine year old girl's aid have been ex-communicated from the Catholic church... and the vatican is now defending this move.  Sick.

President Obama uses a teleprompter. A lot. I think this is a big SO WHAT? I mean, doesn't the guy have better things to do than memorize a million speeches? He represents his country well when he speaks.  Read more here.

Check out RioGringa's blog for the latest on the Goldman saga, aka "the other side of the story"... poor David Goldman!

Vanity Fair explores the world of plastic surgeons... by having an attractive 27 year old 5"9, 120 lb woman go to three of them to see what she "needs" - check out the recommendations.  Unreal!

Expats + The Recession

So... how are expats affected by the recession?

Well, it depends on the expat. In our situation, we feel pretty well-positioned. For the time being my husband has job security in that he has a contract for at least the next year, yes our portfolio has taken a hit, but we're young, yes his company recently went through a bit of turmoil but it is weathering the storm.  He makes US dollars and so the weakening of the Canadian dollar is good for us (and good for exporters and most of Canada, too).  Our living costs are covered, so fluctuations are not an issue... we feel very lucky. That said, my husband has worked VERY hard and continues to do so. One item we may potentially be affected by in a big way is our home in Canada - we decided to keep it, and my sister and her boyfriend are currently living in it. We said right from the start that we probably would not move back into it once we repatriate, as we may even change cities.  We'd decide then what to do, it is in a very desirable area so renting it out could be a good option.  Now with the baby coming, moving back into it is looking even less likely.  We do like having our stuff stored there and cared for and it is certainly convenient to stay there when we are visiting Canada, also my sister has a great place to live at a significantly lower cost to her than she would find anywhere else.  However, being that it was probably worth at least $100,000 more when we left than it is today, we probably should have sold it!

This week there was an article in the Independent (UK) entitled "Move Abroad to Beat the Recession Blues" - encouraging Brits to move abroad. Interestingly enough, Brazil was the first destination mentioned in the article. Other recommended locales: New Zealand, China, Malaysia, Abu Dabi, Qatar. The article also features a "where not to go" - Spain, Australia & Dubai. I love how articles like this just make it sound so easy. I can see why this article came to be, though. It's tough to beat the expat lifestyle right now.

However, it's not all sunshine and rainbows. Other expats are not as lucky.  Some projects are being shut down due to cost cutting, and people are being sent home. It is not surprising, as expats are very expensive for companies. I often joke that shareholders should be enraged, then I am reminded on a daily basis of why we are all here when I hear stories from the offices...

The International Herald Tribune recently published an article about expats in the banking industry losing their jobs and being forced to return home.  The article discusses the trickle effect of losing these expats, for example the impact on private schools, as this is a very common perk in expat packages - private schools for children. In many cases where an ex-pat loses employment, they cannot afford to stay in their city as the cost of living is simply too high once they are paying for their own costs. This would certainly be the case for us!

So expats, what do you have to say? How is the recession affecting you? Do you feel more affected or less affected than you would back home? How so? Are you like me and sorry you didn't sell your house back home???

Canadians pick up Goldman story

Click here to watch Canada AM featuring David Goldman.

Monday Night at the Sambodromo

We scored some pretty sweet tickets (in a box) for Monday night. Which was the ideal way to watch the show for this "gestante" (prego). The only drunk sweaty person I had to worry about rubbing up against me, well I'm married to him... haha!

The service was pretty good - we had a fridge fully stocked with beer, wine, champagne, agua de coco, water, carbonated water, various soft drinks, etc.  The food kept coming all night long - sushi, fruit platters, salgados, pizza... kept us going, that's for sure!

We also had our own private bartender who would make drinks, etc.  Mr. DRL enjoyed many a caipiabacaxi... (pinapple caipi).

My favorite performance on Monday night by far was Portela.  That said, we missed the first parade. Not only for this reason, but partially because the driver (who had been waiting outside our door for THREE hours before our scheduled pick-up time) had no idea how to get to the Sambodromo.  Is it just me or if a person had three hours to kill before their one task they needed to complete for the night, might it occur to them to take 5 minutes to ensure they would be able to execute that task correctly? Like, I don't know, glance at a map? Unreal!  haha....

Here are some photos from the shows. One of my girlfriends described it as a "feast for the senses" and I can't think of a better way to put it. I swear that my eyes were sore yesterday (more likely from sheer exhaustion but...) from looking at all the beautiful colors.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Below is a photo to keep the men coming back to the blog - some good old Brazilian T&A for you. Hopefully this makes up for all the baby posts?

 

 

More eye candy... I hope I am scoring some good bonus points here for all of this Brazilian booty!

 

 

 

Loved the mermaids!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This wolf was a BIG HIT with our crowd

 

 

 

Loved these birds! They were very well-choreographed!

 

 

Shout out to Canada! Check out the maple leaves...

 

I don't know who this girl is (above) but she is a big deal, judging by how many paparazzi were on her while she was dancing!

Portela had a focus on technology  - as seen above & below

 

 

 

 

Hope you enjoyed it!

Rio & The Olympic Bidding Process for 2016

Each city bidding on the Olympics has an Edge...

For Tokyo: The Government will take on all cost overruns. And the games will be green! The plan is to install large solar panels on the stadium.

Madrid: Claims to be the safest choice, as 77% of the facilities and venues it would require are already built or currently under construction. Makes sense. "Madrid deserves the Games for three reasons: unanimous support from its citizens, nearly all of the installations are finished and organizational experience," former IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch said.

Chicago: Word has it Obama wants it there... which alone could even get your average Brazilian to vote for it being there, seriously! (Not that they get a vote, of course... I'm just sayin').  Other bonuses - it's charming lakefront, US olympic games typically garner more funds raised by sponsorships, TV money, etc.

Rio: Plans to use facilities from the 2007 Pan American Games as well as the new and renovated venues from hosting the 2014 World Cup. Brazil's claim it has not been hit as hard as other nations by the economic crisis.  The fact that the Olympics have never been held in South America. The natural beauty, youth, energy, diversity and splendor of the city.  Here's something funny from a member of Brazil's Olympic Commitee: "Barack Obama is more Rio than he is Chicago," Osorio said. "We are the ones saying 'Yes we can.' We are the city of change."

Of course, every venue or city has challenges as well!

Tokyo's: Include having hosted before (in 1964).

Madrid's: It is notable that Madrid recently bid on the 2012 games, which of course went to London, and would mean two consecutive summer Olympic Games in Europe.

Chicago's: The city won't provide international officials with the kind of safety net they want—a blanket government financial guarantee... I'm not sure that any of the cities are providing this, though.

Rio's are of course its infrastructure and crime issues.  The fact that Doha actually scored higher on the initial bid process, but Rio squeaked in by default as Doha was vetoed by judges because of how high the temperature is there in the summer. The high projected cost of Brazilian games ($14.4 BILLION)

The big decision/announcement of course takes place October 2!

Brazil - Come one, come all

Expat friends of mine in Rio were recently asked by a local they had met on the street if some sort of crime they had committed back home had attracted them to moving to Brazil.  A little offended, they answered no, job transfers had brought them here.

Recent cases in the media have made me realize that the question was not as off-side as we all initially deemed it to be.

Why?

Take the Goldman case.  A Brazilian woman living in the US, raising her child, an American citizen, married to an American, kidnaps her son, brings him here and the child's father can't seem to get custody back, even once the mother passes away.  Sounds like a safe haven for kidnappers to me... For more info, check out RioGringa's site as she has the full scoop on the background of this story and first introduced me to it.

Recently Brazil made the news for being involved in a legal battle with Italy, after Brazil refused to extradite an Italian militant that Italy describes as a "terrorist".  Brazil has granted this terrorist political refugee status. You can read more here.

Does it concern me for my personal safety living here that Brazil welcomes these types of people with open arms? Not particularly.  However, what IS frightening is how quickly the numbers of these types could multiply now that the word is out that Brazil makes it so easy for them.

I must also comment on the irony of how seemingly "easy" it is for these people to be here, considering how difficult it was for us and all expats to migrate here.   Have I mentioned that we don't have our Residence Cards yet?????  And if you are a longtime reader of this blog, you know how long it took for us to get our visa's...

David Goldman Link

Here is a link to David Goldman's interview with the Today Show after being reunited with his son Sean. Very moving!  This poor guy. I hope he gets to take his boy home.  Watching the video again is just so emotional, especially seeing how much this poor guy has aged from the stress over the past 4 years. Unreal. I also feel so sorry for the son, this must be so confusing for him.

Emotions running high....

I'm constantly checking the news and Bring Sean Home blog today, and the facebook group for the cause as well waiting to hear news...

And apparently, finally there was good news to be had... according to a news report, David Goldman did get to see his son today.  Hooray!!! A major feat but what this man deserves is to take his little boy home.

I was first introduced to the story from Rachel's RioGringa blog, she has been a huge support to David Goldman, and really helped get this story out (the Brazilian media has refused to cover the story).  For more background on the story, check her site out. David Goldman is the man who was featured on Dateline NBC last week for his absolutely infuriating struggle to see his child, who was kidnapped by his mother at age 4, brought to Brazil illegally, denied permission to see his father by his mother and now by his stepfather.  The boy's mother has since passed away, and still despite court orders, David Goldman had not SEEN his son in over 4 years, because Sean's STEP-father, a powerful lawyer, has him. It's absolutely tragic. Terrifying to see what powerful people can accomplish - keeping a child away from his only biological parent? It's horrific.

If you haven't heard anything about this story yet, watch the Dateline NBC hour-long interview with David and Meredith Vieira that aired about a week ago. It tells the story from start to finish and is very moving, yet frustrating to watch because this situation is so infuriating.  Watching over home videos and photos what an amazing father David seems to be makes it even more emotional. And emotional I am right now... watch the Dateline piece and you'll be, too...

Reminders

That life is not always a beach in Rio.
Yesterday at 10:30 in the morning in Ipanema, a British couple was robbed outside their hotel and STABBED by the assailant. The husband in the chest, the wife in the hand. He is still in hospital and expected to survive. A reminder that we can never be too careful here in Rio, and never to resist someone trying to rob you - it's not worth your life!

On January 2nd we heard of a couple who were robbed at a RESTAURANT in Copacabana within hours of landing in Rio, and according to this article, ten days ago, three men robbed two Italian tourists at knifepoint near Rio's Copacabana Beach.

Be careful!

Things I've Learned...

By actually reading my google alerts.
See, I've got a bit of time on my hand right now and am catching up on reading my google alerts, and even a few blogs. Warning: this is about as random as it gets, but most of it is either informative or amusing, so here we go...

• Looking to get a new car next year? Starting in August, the Brazilian gov't plans to equip new cars with anti-theft & tracking devices. Apparently a car is stolen every 12 minutes here in Rio and every 3 minutes in Sao Paulo. Here in Rio most of them wind up in the Zona Norte... click here to read more.
• Great article from the telegraph about how amazing a city Rio is to visit. 
• Canada is changing its immigration rules on babies born and adopted abroad - which at first glance scared the you know what out of me but on further review of the article I don't think that we will be negatively affected... article in the National Post.
• Further validation - taking on an international assignment - Canada's Financial Post reports that Canada's CEOs need more international experience. To quote the article: "With globalization of markets and supply chains, the job description of Canadian CEOs has altered dramatically. Today, they must fend off international competitors, tend to international customers and manage international suppliers of labour, materials, information and capital. All this while navigating regulations, business and social customs, public expectations and political environments in each country involved. Canadian companies are clearly finding themselves on a larger and more complicated playing field. Moreover, the pace of globalization is widely expected to accelerate, especially with new competitors in Brazil, China, India and Russia pressing forward."   It continues to say: "All this suggests that Canadian companies (wherever they conduct business) would do well to make sure their leadership teams have global experience. In fact, international work experience has surfaced as a key indicator of the global orientation that many boards seek in senior leadership teams."     This is a good one to send to those working abroad when they have had a rough day...
• Does Canada suffer from Narcissistic Personality Disorder? Hehe
• Gotta love when the country you live in comes up as one of the first ones mentioned in an article about business traveller safety and where to exercise caution... 
• Interesting article on the police occupation of the Dona Marta favela, which I believe is near Botafogo...
• As it has been mentioned by a commenter on my blog, Brazil granted political asylum to an Italian man, ex-Communist militant Cesare Battisti, enraging many.
• Mr. DRL & I were considering taking a short cruise from Rio at some point before the baby comes, but after reading this article about 340 people getting violently ill on board a cruise ship off the coast of Brazil, I think we'll do something else instead.
• Ok now I will switch to the positive and talk about what is "Better in Brazil" - there have been several articles published lately naming Brazil as the "winner" of the downturn, meaning who capitalized on the boom time the most, however this one in the Globe & Mail went that extra step further and talks about what that means on a grassroots level: 
• • Paid off debts to International Monetory Fund & operated finances on a constant-surplus basis, accumulating reserves to help weather the storm now - social spending will not need to be cut and deep debt will not be required either.
  • Achieved an investment-grade bond rating.
  • Infant mortality cut in half
  • Created the developing world's first universal social program which gives financial assistance to poor families, which resulted in cutting the infant mortality rate in half since 10 years ago, and had a significant impact on malnutrition rates in children.

Blogs...

• Pretty funny post by Tiago in Colombia about his hatred for tourists. Entertaining. It's further inspiration for me towards a post that's been floating around my head for awhile about living in another country vs. visiting it. Because there is a BIG DIFFERENCE and those who are "well traveled" seem to get defensive about this point but I stand by it.  Anyhooo..
• A reminder that yeah, I've got it good - "ExpatWifeStyle" - a blog which needs no further introduction than: Expat Wifestyle is a state of mind. You don't have to be married to be one, you just have to have the right attitude, spirit, and, and sense of adventure. Living overseas affords you the opportunity to lunch, spa, and mani/pedi everyday of the week. You can travel at a moments notice and being bored just isn't possible. Every year, thousands of women make the transition from teachers, editors, students, etc to living an Expat Wifestyle. C'mon...try it out and see how much fun we have!
• Funniest thing I read all day was definitely on Expat Experience, where the author of the blog had just finished watching a documentary on the Irish famine, "Fleeing the Famine" and commented that they could have perhaps delivered this key line a bit differently - the Irish famine victims had to make "an impossible choice: Death or Canada." bahahaha. I am making people read this post when they try to convince me that I MUST move back to Canada. No, I don't think that the famine is funny, rather than people would rather CONSIDER death vs. moving to Canada. It's not really that bad, guys. But yeah, it's cold. In fact, according to HSBC's latest data on expats and expat destinations, Canada is the most welcoming country in the world.
• I used to work with a few biotech companies, doing investor relations, and I can be a bit of a nerd about these things so I was excited to see that Brazil has a few interesting biotech companies, check out the Little Devices that Could blog...
• Found this blog because it had a posting about the best hotels in Leblon but it claims to be a complete listing of hotels and restaurants in Brazil. I will check out some places I've stayed and been and see if I agree. Here is the posting about the best hotels in Leblon.

Madonna in Rio

They say to thank god for unanswered prayers... I get it as I sure was happy we did not get tickets for Madonna's first show - Sunday night - as it poured rain that night and she even slipped and fell at one point, yikes!

Monday night's show was fantastic - cool weather for Brazil, which was welcome, in that crowd! We had floor "seats" so we were especially thankful for the lack of rain.  As we walked down the platform and I saw the huge glittering "M"s I admit I got a little choked up. I was so excited!!!!!  I figured I would cry when I first saw her (this was pre-pregnancy me thinking this... so I figured I was really in trouble now!) but I held it back until she sang "You Must Love Me" from Evita... loved that.

She opened (an hour and 37 minutes late - this is according to our friend who "wasn't watching his watch") with Candy Shop from her new album, and had a good mix of old & new, she played for over 2 hours.  Highlights for me were Borderline (she did sort of a rocker-style version, loved it), Devil Wouldn't Recognize You & Heartbeat from the new album, La Isla Bonita (which she really seemed to Brazilian-ize - went over really well!), especially with one of our friends, that was his one song he wanted to hear!  The Brazilian crowd seemed to love it most when she sang Human Nature, 4 minutes, Vogue, Ray of Light and Music.

I was shocked at how calm the crowd was, reportedly there were 70,000 people there and we were a bit timid to find a place to stand closer to the front as we didn't want to get squished (me especially!) but it all stayed quite civilized, which almost made me sad we hadn't gone up further.  Better safe than sorry, especially in my condition!

She closed the show by waving a Brazilian flag.

I can't even describe in words how much energy Madonna has. To be honest it's frightening in a way. I don't understand how she literally whips herself from one end of the stage for hours on end, day after day - it has got to be the most exhausting show ever to perform, and she does it for days on end at 50 years old. No wonder the woman is so ripped (and oh, is she ripped...) She seemed much more "Edgy" and maybe even hard is the right word, in person in concert rather than when I have seen her on television, had to comment on that as well (for example she called us motherf*...ers more than once... and yelled for people to "show the queen you love her" and staked a claim she will never leave).  She sure has been through a lot and it does show!

I was so grateful for the opportunity to see Madonna live, especially at Maracana, it was an experience I'll never forget. It was overcast that night but every so often I'd lift my head to look up and remember we were outside and the odd star would reveal itself from behind the clouds.  What a venue!  Great night.

Here is a photo of some of the madness outside the Copacabana Palace, where she is staying.

For updates on all things Madonna-in-Rio, the Made in Brazil blog has got it under control! Check it out there is even a video of her before-show prayer!

We didn't take many photos - mostly video (and if you've seen the soccer santa post, you'll forgive me as you'll know how terrible I am still at posting video...)

News Briefs

On Wednesday, the Real hit a 3 yr low vs. the US dollar (2.475) after hitting a 9 yr high in August.

UBS has named Brazil as its favorite pick for equity markets for 2009, citing that Brazil's shares are undervalued and the economy may expand faster than predicted. There's more... click the link.

Gazeta Mercantil is predicting that Brazil may produce more oil than Russia as early as 2014.

Apparently Lula is trying to fight off a recession by encouraging Brazilians to spend more money.  Ummm what? Because everyone can afford their interest payments here already, right? Even more ridiculous: on Nov. 6, Lula told Brazilians they needed to “lose the fear of buying a home, owning a car, changing the TV and buying the first bra.”  Interesting commentary - check it out.

Brazil is selling 100 state of the art radiation missiles to Pakistan. I realize I don't really know enough about this situation to comment but my first instinct is I don't really like the sounds of it...  But rest assured, Brazilian defense minister Nelson Jobim says that: "Brazil negotiates with Pakistan, not with Pakistani terrorists." For more info click here or here

Good news for the Americanos: The Brazilian & American governments have closed an agreement extending visas for visitors from 5 years to 10 years. The agreement is valid for Citizens of both countries.  Brazilian National Congress needs to approve the agreement to be effective.

On a lighter note, from Portuguese Blog (a great resource for those of us trying to learn Portuguese) - In an effort to promote wellness and fitness among seniors, the city of São Vicente (in São Paulo) organized a calendar of senior pin-up girls.  The calendar launches Dec.10 - for more info click here.

From "The Moment" - The National Museum, an Oscar Neimeyer design, was recently completed in Brasilia. Check out the post for some photos.

From "Eyes on Brazil" - some news on the stock market (ok this is getting a bit old but I only have so much time to blog with all these visitors, people!) - the quick version here, click the blog post for more details:

• Sao Paulo state lost 10,000 jobs in October.
• A trader shot himself in the chest on the trading floor of the bovespa...

A Brazilian research group has released some statistics on murder rates in Latin America. The results? Latin America has the highest homicide rate for young adults in the world, the Caribbean is a close second. Based on figures from 83 countries, a person age 15 to 24 is almost 15 times more likely to be murdered in Latin America than in Canada. El Salvador was found to be the most dangerous country. Want to live somewhere in the Caribbean that is relatively safe? Bermuda was found to be the safest fo young people and even recorded ZERO murders in 2002.  Elsewhere, Britain, Ireland and Japan were found to be the safest.

Weird Weather

I feel terrible for a reader who emailed me a couple of weeks ago because they were heading to Rio and the forecast called for nothing but rain and everytime they had checked it in the past few days it had said it was constant rain in Rio (which at the time, was not the case). I emailed them back and confidently said I doubted that it could possibly rain the whole time they were in Rio.

But I think it did.

As you know I have had company from Canada for the past 6 weeks straight in addition to 2 sets of visitors each here for 10 days or more a few weeks before that.  This last group has had terrible weather with the exception of today (so far so good!), Monday and Tuesday.

I must say this though: the international weather reports and forecasts seem like they are off. Before one group came down they'd been checking the weather in Rio online and it was claiming a high temperature of 23 Celsius which was far from the truth (at the time 27 - 28 would have been more accurate).

Advice for visitors (this is what I always tell my own): you never know with the weather here and frequently a beautiful morning does not last the day, and ends at noon. Just as a cloudy morning can clear for a gorgeous afternoon and sunset. So get your beach time in when you can and find things to do when it socks in with clouds.  Plus: go and do the "views" (Sugarloaf, Corcovado, Vista Chinesa) at your first opportunity because you just never know...

GPS in RIo

I strongly urge people to be careful if driving in Rio and relying on GPS. Ever seen the episode of the Office where Michael drives into a lake because the GPS tells him to? Well, let's just say you could get yourself into a lot more trouble than that in Rio.

Recently, three Norwegian men had their GPS set to "quickest route" on their way back to Rio from Buzios, the GPS led them into a favela, and their car was shot at, the driver was wounded but luckily survived.  The incident is being blamed on a faulty GPS system but I think it probably genuinely did show them the "fastest route"... not that it was a safe one!

Incidentally I know some people who were making the drive to Buzios and accidentally had their GPS set to "no tolls" so it directed them to go all the way around the bay rather than taking the Niteroi bridge. They quickly realized this and saved themselves several hours of travel in the process! (The toll is definitely worth it!!)

Randomosity

• Not sure who the director of communications is for Rio's 2016 Olympic bid but it seems odd to me that Rio is now sort of poaching Obama's words for its slogan and messaging when, um, Obama himself is expected to personally make an appeal as part of the marketing material and campaign for another city on the ballot.  You may have heard of it... Chicago??
• There must be dozens of Brazilians p.o.'d about pop disaster "Kelis" cancelling a show in Rio last week after claiming she feared for her safety. Although the paparazzi stalker media (because let's face it the actual media would NOT care about this, thank goodness) is criticizing her for this move, saying that she should have known the realities of performing in Rio before she booked this gig, I totally get it.  See, I fear for the safety of those around me if I ever have to hear her "milkshake" song again too...
• Petrobras' first platform built in entirely in Brazil, has left the shipyard in Angra dos Reis, on the southern coast of Rio de Janeiro, heading for Ilha Grande bay where it will undergo some tests and eventually be taken to the Campos offshore basin. It is expected to produce 180,000 barrels of oil a day (almost 10% of Brazil's entire national production), starting in January, and be hooked up to 19 wells.
• Christmas is here... and so come the first Christmas disasters... last year it was drug lords shooting at Santa who was trying to land in a favela in a helicopter to give kids gifts, this year Brazil is making Christmas headlines with the tragedy of four lives lost while constructing a 120 meter Christmas Tree in Sao Paulo. 
• And finally... back home up yonder... Canadians (namely, former finance minister and short-term former Prime Minister, Paul Martin... they are even calling this his legacy, silly me I thought it was the federal sponsorship scandal that cost taxpayers somewhere near $100 million...) are trying to take credit for the "G20 meeting" which actually included emerging countries such as Brazil! 

Does my blog GET any more random, you might ask yourself.... it is apparent that there is no limit to the randomness...

Brazil + Beauty on the Oprah Show

On the Oprah Winfrey Show on Thursday - an episode titled Beauty Around the World -  featured a segment on Brazil.

The segment said among other things that:

• The average Brazilian woman is 110-125 pounds
• Brazil is the biggest consumer of diet pills in the world
• Some women in Brazil spend up to half their income on beauty treatments (there is a spot featuring Rocinha!)

My comments:
I have a hard time believing the average Brazilian woman is between 110 - 125 lbs. I'm no expert at guessing people's weight or anything but.... I realize Brazil does not have the obesity issues North America does but just from my observations walking around for 8 months, I still don't believe this is the "average" here.  But really how accurate could those stats ever be? We don't even have a sure count on how many people live here let alone a mass weigh-in... 

On the other hand, I don't have a hard time believing that Brazil is a huge consumer of diet pills - every "health food store" in Rio is filled with diet cookies, diet pills, diet everything.  Diet cookies... oh and diet cheesecake too! Oh it just kills me! There is certainly a lack of education about proper eating and health, these so called shortcuts seem to be the preferred methods...

It is sad that any woman would feel the need to spend half their income on beauty treatments, but not really surprising given the hand-to-mouth attitude most people have about money here (and as I've addressed many times, having lived through so many inflation crises, why would Brazilians value saving their money?), not to mention the focus on vanity and beauty.

That said... yep a lot of these Brazilian women are hot mama's! Especially on the beach :)

Stockwell Day visits Brazil

Stockwell Day, one of Canada's most colorful politicians - and Canada's new International trade minister - visited Brazil this week (Sao Paulo & Rio).  Day is best known for antics such as arriving at a press conference via jetski (see photo, right) and his hard core Christian beliefs and support for the war in Iraq, among other things.

 The Canadian media has reported on Brazil & Canada's distant relationship, but the Government of Canada's official news release regarding the trip hinted that there would be an announcement to bolster this relationship...  so  what's the big announcement?

A signed framework agreement for cooperation on science, technology, and Innovation between the two countries.  Anagreement to increase bilateral research and development in the areas of (among others):

• nanotechnology
• biotechnology
• pharmaceuticals
• information and communications technology.

Brazilians in the news

How tragic is this?

A Brazilian woman was killed yesterday on her way to the cemetary to bury her husband - she was involved in a traffic accident which resulted in the coffin hitting her in the back of the neck, ending her life. She was in the front seat of the hearse, and passed away instantly. Click here for the full story. 

Making Headlines in Sul America

I found this on Adam's site, Eyes on Brazil - apparently the Brazilian government is now mandating how caipirinhas are prepared.  Because this is serious business, folks. They probably would not approve of the only version I've had at a bar in Canada - the kiwi version called "The Brazilian" at the Cactus Club (where, conveniently, I worked through college).

I guess I haven't seen anything yet ... because I thought there were a lot of motorbikes in Rio!

And finally, an article on Japanese-Brazilians from the International Herald Tribune.

Pretend You're In South America - in NYC

NY Magazine came out with an article in its travel section with ways to pretend you're in South America without leaving NYC.

On the Brazil front, they suggest:
"Look for a bright-yellow awning under the Williamsburg Bridge. That’s Miss Favela (57 S. 5th St., at Wythe Ave., Williamsburg; 718-230-4040), a tiny Brazilian joint with live samba and feijoada ($21) on Saturday. The traditional black-bean stew (one order feeds two) is made with pork ribs, sausage, and carne seca (dry beef) and cooked overnight. "

...and...

"Take the J train to Canal Street. Transfer to the Q and get off at 57th Street.

4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Learn to samba-reggae at the Ailey Extension ($16; 405 W. 55th St., at Ninth Ave.; 212-405-9500) with Rio native Quenia Ribeiro, who has her own instructional video of the sensual dance style, which merges rhythmic samba steps with torso undulations and graceful arm swings."

and - best of all - my favorite:

"The complimentary caipirinha will dull the pain of your Brazilian wax at Maria Bonita Salon & Spa ($48; 12 Prince St., nr. Elizabeth St.; 212-431-1520). Bossa nova godfather Antonio Carlos Jobim (not Enya) provides the soundtrack."

Merger

Unibanco and Itau are merging! Being that these two players are two of Brazil's biggest banks, the result will be the largest financial group in all of South America, and will be called Itau Unibanco Holding. Although the official reason for the merger is "to compete on the international stage with the biggest global banks", it's no secret that banks all over the world are going through similar (or much worse!) consolidation efforts in order to attempt to counter some of the effects of the current financial crisis.

Putting Brazil on the Map

Brazilian F1 driver Felipe Massa took second place in the Formula 1 Championship - Brazilian Grand Prix held in Sao Paulo yesterday.  We heard a lot of shouts and screams around the time of the end of the race as many thought he'd won the entire event, but apparently he did not.  They say he'll be back for that #1 spot in '09...

Meanwhile in New York, Brazilian Marilson Gomes dos Santos won the New York Marathon for the second time in three years.

News Roundup

What's been up in Brazil over the past little while...

• Brazil produced record amounts of average oil in September, up 1% over August and up 7% over one year previous.
• A Police vs police clash (investigators in in Sao Paulo have been on strike for a month, demanding better pay) at state government palace: 13 injured.
• Brazil's finance minister doesn't expect the real to return to it's all time high of R1.55 per US dollar anytime soon. Not that you will hear me complaining...
• Brazil has visions of becoming a superpower - this article highlights barriers and benefits alike. 
• The leaders of India, Brazil & South Africa met last week and are tired of the world's current superpowers turning the economy into a "gigantic casino".  They want a seat at the table, (like at the UN Security Council or G8) more influence so to speak on world issues.  They stated that the global credit crisis shows the need for reforming institutions like the UN, and blame rich countries for the crisis.  Lula was particularly vocal, stating: ""We run the risk of being victims of a financial crisis generated by rich countries. This is unjust," and continued with: "It is inadmissible that we'll pay for the irresponsibility of speculators that transformed the world into a gigantic casino. At the same time they gave us lessons on how we should govern our countries... Our countries should participate more directly in international coordination to confront the financial crisis."

Recent Headlines

• More penguins are showing up in Rio... 
• Important business person in Brazil? Better watch what you say... don't discuss important business on the phone, and watch for signs of wiretapping... the paranoia includes fear that cell phones are being activated remotely!
• Brazil has banned the import of Chinese food products, which is the fallout from the contaminated milk crisis China is currently experiencing.  The ban will last as long as there is a risk to the population.
• There is speculation that Brazil will fare better than the average country in the current worldwide economic crisis because it is well-diversified in a number of industries.  Anyone notice what the real is currently at? Although it does make Brazil more attractive for business looking to set up here...
• Chavez & Lula have commented on the crisis, according to an editorial in the Guardian last week, Chávez, the Venezuelan president, is hoping for a permanent shift in power in a region historically dominated by the US. "The world will never be the same after this crisis," Chávez said during a visit to Brazil. "A new world order has to emerge and it is a multipolar world. We are decoupling from the wagon of death."  Okey-doke. Taking a more sane diplomatic approach, Lula reportedly complained that Washington spent years telling Latin America how to get its economic house in order - and then ignored its own advice. Valid comment on Lula's part...
• During the elections last weekend, 5,000 soldiers in Rio kept things in line, and in Brasilia, a man was shot in the leg when attempting to break into President Lula's residence...

The Real

Living in Brazil has been much cheaper for the past couple of weeks as the exchange rate has been more around the 2:1 ratio.  Which means everything is officially half price again and we have regained about 35% of our buying power, pretty much overnight.  Which is actually kind of scary that currencies can fluctuate so quickly. 

My upcoming visitors are coming at a great time!

A lot of things (rent...) just got a LOT cheaper.