Letters

Portuguese
Spoken Here

If it is possible to write to or e-mail Ms A. Fabres, who wrote an article on the differences between the Portuguese of Portugal and Brazil, I would like to find out more about learning the language of Brazil. I have a course that I recently purchased titled Portuguese Brazilian, and it is very interesting. I learned Spanish as a second language and I thought it would be fairly easy. I don't think that it is though. So that's why I would like to write to her to find out her idea of the best way to learn the language without taking a trip to Brazil.

Mike Tracy
Sacramento, California
ycart@jps.net

Guinness
Wants
to Know

Can you please tell me how do you rate Globo network as the top rated /most watched TV program-8.40 PM novela for 20 years? Do you have any viewing figures? I look forward to hear from you.

Lina Liu, Records Researcher
Guinness Book of Records
London, United Kingdom

Teacher
Will Travel

Please send a copy of your magazine. We are anxious for any news of Brazil. Last year we had a foreign exchange student from Mato Grosso (through Rotary) and when he went back home my son accompanied him and visited for five weeks. He loved it. I, too, am anxious to go. I'd love to go for a year or half year and work—I'm a teacher of English. Know of any programs that need teachers—especially in Mato Grosso or the Mato Grosso do Sul area?

Joanne Curtis
jcurtis@coredcs.com
Custer, Wisconsim

Philippines
and Art

I was one of the artists at the 23rd São Paulo Bienal in 1996, along with other Asian artists in the Universalis part of the exhibit organized by the Japan Foundation. I was just wondering if there were any reviews about the exhibit?

Coincidentally, Mr. Yanagi, also one of the artists of the Universalis from Japan, is presently here in the Philippines for an exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum in Manila, also organized by the Japan Foundation and curated by Ms. Naomi Koyama, who was also with us in Sao Paolo. I read about the unfortunate event with the rain that happened during the Bienal last year. But I know how very efficient the Bienal staff is and I'm sure everything went on smoothly.

Charlie Co
Negros Occidental, Philippines

The Internet
and Us

Congratulations for this delightful magazine! I am a journalist of the Brazilian magazine Internet.br and I am going to write an article about how the North-Americans see the Brazilian Web designers and the Brazilian conquests on the Internet. Have you already written any article about the "Brazilian Way of Internet" or anything similar? If so, I'd love to read it. What does Brazzil think about the Brazilian Websites?

Adriana Lutfi
Internet.br - www.internetbr.com.br
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Calling
Padre
Marcelo

We would like Brazzil to forward this message to pop sensation Father Marcelo: "Padre Marcelo, Nos gustaria que visite la Argentina, y nos bendiga. Tambien quisieramos tener las letras de los canticos. Estamos a su disposicion. Gracias." Jovenes de la parroquia del P.Farinello

Pascual Gabbanelli
puertodock@infovia.com.ar
Argentina

That's
Not Us

For God's sake what has happened to your Website? Every time I try to download, instead of getting your formerly great site, I get some software legal garbage that goes on forever. Like a dog barking to keep me out of your site. Will someone please tell me what is Liveupdate Crescendo? And why should I care? Does this mean I can't enjoy the Brazzil site without high pressure to buy something? That is the worst of the United States attitudes. Your site used to open with a beautiful welcome, now it's an unwelcome legal contract. I still like your magazine, but for me the Website is finished.

Bernie Borok
Via Internet

From
London
to Recife

It was a pleasure to read Bruce Gilman's so nice article on Mestre Ambrósio. (Brazzil, January 1999). I am away from Recife and currently living in London. So I don't hear much about them. Reading your article made me go straight away to listen to Mestre Ambrósio's CD. Please, let us know when you have more information on Mestre Ambrósio's tour in Europe.

Roberta Uchoa
England

Content
Content

The contents of the magazine are impressive and I'm amazed at how good the subjects are. I'd like to get a sample and then figure out how to pay for a subscription, since I can't send a check from here. I still have an account in the U.S., I was wondering if I could have it debited from it.

Leda Rodrigues Demboscki
Dialogus Assessoria em Idiomas
Santo André, São Paulo, Brazil

So Far
Yet
So Close

I'm now a good 8000 miles away (in Hollywood) from the American Society gatherings at the Jockey Club and the terrace bashes at John Weinkopf's pad in Leblon, but my spirit is still Carioca. What a great surprise to pick up my first copy of Brazzil magazine since I've returned and recognize the author of one of the articles, John Miller.

Since leaving Rio in August I've settled back into LA. I'm the director of a SCORE education center for kids 4-14 and also am gearing up for voiceover work in the LA area. To matar a saudade, I just went to the Rio Carnaval at the Hollywood Palladium last Saturday. It's a drop in the bucket compared to the real thing, but it's a drop nonetheless, and should tide me over for a little while.

How has the devaluation of the currency affected business? Is a chopp (draft beer) still $1?

Kari
Hollywood, California

Stirring
Memories

I haven't finished John Miller's article yet but just had to write and tell you what a laugh I got with his jackhammer start. ("Life Is Adventure", December 1998). I wrote an article for Brazzil a couple of months ago after spending nearly a year in the interior of Brazil working for an importer. I lived on one of the busiest corners of Presidente Prudente (400 miles due west of São Paulo) in rodeo country—and the noise, my God, the noise. The windows of my bedroom (in my boss' mother-in-law's house, designed by Oscar Niemeyer who was the architect for Brasilia and the whole thing was falling down with obsolescence) were directly across from an ATM at a bank. Traffic all night long - brakes, horns, boom boxes, men urinating on the curb, loud talk all night, clouds of carbon monoxide wafting in to hover over my bed which was a hard as this table.

Have you noticed Brazilians never sleep? That's because they suck on that coffee liqueur from dawn till dark. Half sugar, half bitter coffee. By the time they get to the office, they're wired awreddy. By three, their eyelashes are crimped and by five, their brows are furrowed and they're demonstrating severe paranoia and screaming at each other. High school kids' parties START at 11 PM or midnight. Parents stumble around to pick them up around 3:30 or 4:00 AM! I finally resorted to a "white noise" appliance which emitted the sounds of rain, train, or jungle with a circular, palm-sized speaker I could put on my pillow. Turned up full, it helped, but at no hour of the day could a conversation be carried on in my room.

Now, about diarrhea. (This is mother speaking.) You need to avoid Brazil's milk products. And tap water, of course. Go to the farmácia and get some Immodium D or some Pepto Bismol. Watch out for the animal fats that are in everything. Find an herb shop and get some "Erva Doce"—also available in the markets. Drink it instead of coffee three times a day at least. The dysentery can slip up on you (pardon the pun) and really take you out. Keep your liquid intake high - water and tea. No alcohol, that irritates the lining of the intestine. Plain mandioca or potato, boiled. Soft boiled eggs, ripe banana, plain Brazilian rolls—no butter or cheeses! If you can get it, stewed chicken not fried. And boiled fresh okra.

Jerine Watson
Texas

Helpful
Grandpa

I am writing to you for some information concerning some of the more famous buildings and structures that are in Brazil. My grandson has an assignment in school that requires him to write a report on these buildings and structures. From what his mother explained to me he needs this report completed by March 1, 1999. Any information that you could supply would be greatly appreciated.

Earl Ledoux Jr
Via Internet

Sure
Does

Does the possibility exist of getting or even of subscribing to Brazzil magazine in Germany?

Christian Rinne
Germany, Via Internet

Adventurous

I am going on an expedition to Brazil with some friends in 18-months time, and I am gathering information at present. Could you help me? Probably best to e-mail me.

James Burton
Birmingham, United Kingdom

From a True
Brazilian

Please continue my subscription to your fine magazine. My subscription expires this month and I don't want to miss an issue. I want to thank you for publishing an informative and enjoyable magazine for the next two years (at least). A Brasileiro at heart if not by birth.

Steven Wilkerson
Washington, DC

Fortunate
Us

How lucky you should feel for having a reader like me, from Turkey. I really enjoyed reading your magazine, especially that bossa nova story (December 1998). Keep going. Bonne chance!

Isik Pamir
Laguna Hills, California

Illustrator

Please renew my subscription and also add three personal American friends who would like to hear from Brazzil. Thank you and keep up with the good work. I personally think that your magazine not only "reports" as it "illustrates" the Brazilian culture.

Vladimir Bellemo
Fullerton, California

Recommending

Gente, parabéns pelo site... Está genial e é um prazer recomendá-lo aos amigos!

Eleuza Alves de Oliveira
Brazil

Missing
Info

Recentememte li os artigos publicados em sua revista sobre os problemas que ocorreram entre a empresa The Body Shop e os índios Kayapós. No entanto fiquei com uma dúvida sobre uma informação presente nos dois artigos. O Sr. Saulo Petean afirma que na campanha da American Express, Anitta Roddick aparece ao lado do cacique Pykati-re, pela qual ele teria recebido $600.000.

No artigo do Sr. Jon Entine ele afirma que a campanha com a American Express foi feita com índios mexicanos. Gostaria de maiores esclarecimentos sobre isso e por que não foi informado o e-mail nem fornecidas outras informações sobre o Sr. Blair Palese, no final de seu artigo de resposta.

Vander
dossan@orion.ufrgs.br 

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