Discovered by an Arab serving King Roger II of Sicily in 1154, the Azores were colonised by the Portuguese in 15th Century, after they had been visited by the English, Dutch, Spanish, Belgians and French... essentially, as they were seen as a stopover point between America and Europe. Whale hunting quickly became an essential resource for the inhabitants, who acquired a reputation around the world with many moving to California, Brazil, Bermuda and Nantucket, as Herman Melville explained in Moby Dick.
The greatest seafarers passed through Horta (island of Faïal), and it became a tradition for each boat to leave its mark in paint on the quayside. All the sailors had to drink a glass at Peter’s, in the famous bar opened in 1918, which is both a mailbox for sailors and a sort of museum of scrimshaw. Apart from this friendly welcome from the locals, the islands are worth visiting because of their astonishing sights, with their amazing floral displays, partly down to the climate and partly due to the fact that travellers brought plants there: araucaria from China, tulips from Virginia, Brazilian rosewood, Japanese camphor, and kapok and guinko trees. It is a genuine garden in the middle of the ocean, where pineapples, tobacco, vines, pomegranates and bananas grow in amongst azaleas and hydrangeas. Black sandy beaches, hot water springs and bubbling mud can be found alongside whitewashed houses made of black basalt, churches with their stone sculptures, creeks with high cliffs and small fishing ports.
A volcanic island
800 miles from the coast of Europe, the Azores offer a range of landscapes. The sea was a source of riches with whale hunting, but also brings in the visitors. There are more visitors arriving by sea than by plane to visit these green islands with their jagged coastline. There are in fact three main centres spread out over a distance of more than 200 miles. The islands are of volcanic origin and were formed relatively recently (4 million years ago) and indeed the volcanoes are still active, as the Capelinhos peninsula in Faïal only emerged from the ocean fifty years ago!
Located in the middle of the Atlantic, where the seas are 3000 metres deep, these are massive peaks, which culminate at 2352 metres on Pico. Located between 37° and 40° North and 25° and 31° West, they benefit from a mild, wet climate, which is not so very different from Brittany with average minimal temperatures of 8° and maximum temperatures around 25°. The best season to visit is therefore the summer, when the Azores high is well established.
In the middle of the Atlantic
Furthest east, Santa Maria was the first to be colonised and was used as an aircraft base in the 2nd World War. It is famous for its long beaches of fine sand and its many fossils buried in the sediment. The largest and most heavily populated island, Sao Miguel has towering cliffs and is entirely volcanic. With its many churches with their fine sculptures and blue mosaic work (azulejos), there are many hidden exotic gardens, where the waters of the Seven Cities keeping alive the legend of Atlantis, feed two lakes, one green and one blue in the bottom of a huge crater.
The lilac island, Terceira, tells the story of the islands, their struggle for independence and the conquests. You can find many imperios there. These tiny bright-coloured chapels are said to be home to the food offered to the Holy Ghost, and it is there too you find the Biscoitos vineyard, where each vine is surrounded by a small wall of violet lava. Pico is the name of the 2352 metre high volcano, which is still in activity and it is here that the old whaling ports of Lajes do Pico and Sao Roque are located. Sao Jorge is an island resembling a ridge rising out of the water, and measures 25 miles by just 4. Graciosa, the Island of Grace, is brightly coloured with its white windmills with red tops.
Faïal, the blue island, so called because it is covered in hydrangeas, has long been an attraction: Lindbergh and Slocum stopped here, along with whale boats. It is home to the weather centre and the telephone cable centre between Europe and America. Almost a thousand boats a year moor up in Horta, the main port on Faïal, which has a well equipped marina, which is both sheltered and friendly. The local paper publishes the name of each boat that stops there, as the arrival of a boat in the Azores is always an event for the 240,000 Portuguese inhabitants, who are off the beaten track and essentially have lived on farms since whaling ended.
Florès is one of the most beautiful botanical gardens with 850 plants and a yellow covering over all the paths. Finally, Corvo is the most isolated of the islands, where just 500 people live in an autarky. The nine islands, which have avoided tremors and earthquakes keep their traditions and religious festivals, while like all those that live by the sea, remain very open to others.
http://www.vendeeglobe.org/en/magazines/8709/the-azores.html
Monday, January 26, 2009
Rio de Janeiro neighborhood blooms
Over the past decade and a half when she visited her nephew in Lapa, Geni Aparecida Martins saw little change in the downtown Rio de Janeiro neighborhood.
''No one came around here,'' she said on a recent January afternoon.
But since the Sao Paulo native set up a small thrift shop here more than a year ago, she has watched the neighborhood boom. A few blocks down from her shop, the immense Cores da Lapa development dwarfs nearby colonial facades. Still under construction, its 688 units sold out in two hours, according to the developer's website, and the smooth brick-and-stucco structure sports a pool inside its gates and palm trees planted into the sidewalks outside of them.
The neighborhood is rising with it; since the launch of the project in the end of 2006, real estate prices in the rest of the neighborhood have risen between 10 to 20 percent, according to the newspaper O Globo.
The next block tells a different story.
POLICE RAIDS
Municipal guards with batons and shields recently heaped dollies and drink coolers into a garbage truck; residents heaped curses onto them from broken windows in the graffiti-covered high-rise above them.
The apartment building, occupied by the Movement of Roofless Workers, housed supplies for unauthorized street vendors, which the new city government has been cracking down on as part of its ''shock of order'' actions in city that began with the new year.
''Now [Lapa] is in a phase of transformation,'' said Caví Borges, co-director of the 2007 documentary L.A.P.A., about the area's rap scene.
The neighborhood sits next to the skyscrapers of Rio's downtown and has a central role in the city by linking the wealthy beachside South Zone to the more residential, economically depressed North Zone. The area attracts both international tourists and local samba street musicians.
It's ''the most democratic place in Rio,'' said Borges, 33. ``[It's] as though it were the beach.''
At the beginning of the 20th century, Lapa's reputation was unsavory; many Rio residents still won't visit the area. Though it is the musical heart of the city, it remains a low-income neighborhood, according to local businessman Leonardo Feijó, who owns several commercial properties in the area.
Still, in recent years, Lapa has become an established nightlife favorite of tourists and a ubiquitous entry in the online guide and book Rio for Partiers.
OPTIMISTIC FUTURE
Feijó, 34, thinks the neighborhood could be rebounding, fueled by the growing club scene and the new economic development.
''It could be that in 10 years you have people from the middle class [living here],'' he said.
Stoking this notion of an economic boom, Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes recently announced details for a neighborhood improvement project called ''Lapa Legal'' -- ''legal'' in Portuguese meaning both ''lawful'' and, colloquially, ``great.''
The goal is to develop Lapa's tourism, cultural and economic potential and includes measures to organize street vendors and regulate the hours of shows in open spaces.
But informality and disorder are characteristic of the neighborhood, and having the state step in could destroy that, said Micael Herschmann, a professor at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.
''It was the society, the businessmen, the artists, that drove the history of Lapa,'' said Herschmann, who published in 2007 Lapa, Cidade da Musica, a history of the neighborhood's development. But he said certain aspects of the neighborhood, like its parking, could be improved by state assistance.
He said the neighborhood's revitalization to the mid-1990s, when the first of several new show venues, Arco da Velha, opened.
The entrance of these high-price music venues and bars is changing the scene of the Brazilian Bohemia. It used to be a place where people partied in the street and spent little money, according to filmmaker Borges.
But now it is becoming more elite, he said, and it brings ``people from the South Zone to there to pay 30 to 40 reais ($17-$23) for a show.
THREE-FLOOR CLUB
The popular Rio Scenarium, a three-floor dance club, bar and show venue in Lapa, costs 25 reais ($14) on weekends -- a cover charge that in Rio would buy at least four pratos feitos, the beans, rice and meat plates that are a standard dinner for many.
Entrepreneur Feijó says that when he set up Teatro Odessia in 2004, it was before the boom and risky to invest there. Feijó now owns four bars and show venues in Lapa, though he says its two main problems are street vendors who sell drinks for cheaper than the established clubs and the lacking infrastructure in the area.
''The new city government, I think it's going to solve it,'' said Feijó, adding that the streets needed cleaning and the street vendors needed to be removed. ``It's not possible for [the businesses] to do it all.''
But Elza Francisca da Cruz, 85, was born on the same street in Lapa, where she now sells sodas and water from a cooler, She wants to see more security around her to suppress crime, but she sayscracking down on vendors leaves them without livelihoods.
''If I don't work, I don't eat,'' da Cruz said.
Martins, 52, has seen business grow in her small thrift shop since setting it up a year and a half ago, and said she is of two minds concerning the efforts at urban cleaning.
When she sees the street vendors losing their jobs, her side that thinks with her heart ''is dying of pity,'' she said. But, she added, her ''side of reason'' thinks that it is better to clean up and secure the area.
``For my business, my thrift shop, it makes it more valuable.''
http://www.miamiherald.com/business_monday/story/869849.html
''No one came around here,'' she said on a recent January afternoon.
But since the Sao Paulo native set up a small thrift shop here more than a year ago, she has watched the neighborhood boom. A few blocks down from her shop, the immense Cores da Lapa development dwarfs nearby colonial facades. Still under construction, its 688 units sold out in two hours, according to the developer's website, and the smooth brick-and-stucco structure sports a pool inside its gates and palm trees planted into the sidewalks outside of them.
The neighborhood is rising with it; since the launch of the project in the end of 2006, real estate prices in the rest of the neighborhood have risen between 10 to 20 percent, according to the newspaper O Globo.
The next block tells a different story.
POLICE RAIDS
Municipal guards with batons and shields recently heaped dollies and drink coolers into a garbage truck; residents heaped curses onto them from broken windows in the graffiti-covered high-rise above them.
The apartment building, occupied by the Movement of Roofless Workers, housed supplies for unauthorized street vendors, which the new city government has been cracking down on as part of its ''shock of order'' actions in city that began with the new year.
''Now [Lapa] is in a phase of transformation,'' said Caví Borges, co-director of the 2007 documentary L.A.P.A., about the area's rap scene.
The neighborhood sits next to the skyscrapers of Rio's downtown and has a central role in the city by linking the wealthy beachside South Zone to the more residential, economically depressed North Zone. The area attracts both international tourists and local samba street musicians.
It's ''the most democratic place in Rio,'' said Borges, 33. ``[It's] as though it were the beach.''
At the beginning of the 20th century, Lapa's reputation was unsavory; many Rio residents still won't visit the area. Though it is the musical heart of the city, it remains a low-income neighborhood, according to local businessman Leonardo Feijó, who owns several commercial properties in the area.
Still, in recent years, Lapa has become an established nightlife favorite of tourists and a ubiquitous entry in the online guide and book Rio for Partiers.
OPTIMISTIC FUTURE
Feijó, 34, thinks the neighborhood could be rebounding, fueled by the growing club scene and the new economic development.
''It could be that in 10 years you have people from the middle class [living here],'' he said.
Stoking this notion of an economic boom, Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes recently announced details for a neighborhood improvement project called ''Lapa Legal'' -- ''legal'' in Portuguese meaning both ''lawful'' and, colloquially, ``great.''
The goal is to develop Lapa's tourism, cultural and economic potential and includes measures to organize street vendors and regulate the hours of shows in open spaces.
But informality and disorder are characteristic of the neighborhood, and having the state step in could destroy that, said Micael Herschmann, a professor at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.
''It was the society, the businessmen, the artists, that drove the history of Lapa,'' said Herschmann, who published in 2007 Lapa, Cidade da Musica, a history of the neighborhood's development. But he said certain aspects of the neighborhood, like its parking, could be improved by state assistance.
He said the neighborhood's revitalization to the mid-1990s, when the first of several new show venues, Arco da Velha, opened.
The entrance of these high-price music venues and bars is changing the scene of the Brazilian Bohemia. It used to be a place where people partied in the street and spent little money, according to filmmaker Borges.
But now it is becoming more elite, he said, and it brings ``people from the South Zone to there to pay 30 to 40 reais ($17-$23) for a show.
THREE-FLOOR CLUB
The popular Rio Scenarium, a three-floor dance club, bar and show venue in Lapa, costs 25 reais ($14) on weekends -- a cover charge that in Rio would buy at least four pratos feitos, the beans, rice and meat plates that are a standard dinner for many.
Entrepreneur Feijó says that when he set up Teatro Odessia in 2004, it was before the boom and risky to invest there. Feijó now owns four bars and show venues in Lapa, though he says its two main problems are street vendors who sell drinks for cheaper than the established clubs and the lacking infrastructure in the area.
''The new city government, I think it's going to solve it,'' said Feijó, adding that the streets needed cleaning and the street vendors needed to be removed. ``It's not possible for [the businesses] to do it all.''
But Elza Francisca da Cruz, 85, was born on the same street in Lapa, where she now sells sodas and water from a cooler, She wants to see more security around her to suppress crime, but she sayscracking down on vendors leaves them without livelihoods.
''If I don't work, I don't eat,'' da Cruz said.
Martins, 52, has seen business grow in her small thrift shop since setting it up a year and a half ago, and said she is of two minds concerning the efforts at urban cleaning.
When she sees the street vendors losing their jobs, her side that thinks with her heart ''is dying of pity,'' she said. But, she added, her ''side of reason'' thinks that it is better to clean up and secure the area.
``For my business, my thrift shop, it makes it more valuable.''
http://www.miamiherald.com/business_monday/story/869849.html
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Brazil Expands Investment in Offshore Drilling Projects
Brazil’s state-controlled oil company, Petrobras, announced a crisis-busting investment plan Friday to spend more than $174 billion over the next five years, much of it for prodigious deep-water oil and gas exploration.
The investment covers the 2009-2013 period and represents a rise of 55 percent over the $112.4 billion the company had vowed to spend on development between 2008 and 2012.
This investment is “very robust and very important for the continuity of Petrobras’s growth,” José Sergio Gabrielli, the company’s chief executive, told reporters Friday at a news conference in Rio de Janeiro.
Petrobras, whose full name is Petróleo Brasileiro, had promised to unveil its spending plans in September but delayed the announcement several times because of the world’s financial turmoil.
In 2007 and 2008, Petrobras and partners including Repsol YPF of Spain and the BG Group of Britain discovered vast deposits of oil under more than 4,000 meters of water, rock and salt.
Although the finds are at previously untapped depths and will be costly to extract, they hold an estimated 8 billion to 12 billion barrels of oil, according to Petrobras figures. Company officials and oil experts say that other reserves of that size could be nearby.
One of the finds alone, named the Tupi, holds the equivalent of 5 billion to 8 billion barrels of light crude oil and is the world’s biggest new field since a 12-billion-barrel find in Kazakhstan in 2000.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil has said repeatedly that developing these oil reserves is vital to the country’s future, and Petrobras has set aside $28 billion to that end.
In all, new drilling could produce 219,000 barrels a day by 2013, 582,000 barrels a day by 2015 and 1.82 million barrels a day by 2020, he predicted.
Natural gas extraction would rise from 7 million cubic meters a day in 2013 to 40 million a day in 2020, the company added.
Petrobras produced a daily average of 2.18 million barrels of oil and gas last year.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/25/business/worldbusiness/25brazil.html?_r=1&ref=business
The investment covers the 2009-2013 period and represents a rise of 55 percent over the $112.4 billion the company had vowed to spend on development between 2008 and 2012.
This investment is “very robust and very important for the continuity of Petrobras’s growth,” José Sergio Gabrielli, the company’s chief executive, told reporters Friday at a news conference in Rio de Janeiro.
Petrobras, whose full name is Petróleo Brasileiro, had promised to unveil its spending plans in September but delayed the announcement several times because of the world’s financial turmoil.
In 2007 and 2008, Petrobras and partners including Repsol YPF of Spain and the BG Group of Britain discovered vast deposits of oil under more than 4,000 meters of water, rock and salt.
Although the finds are at previously untapped depths and will be costly to extract, they hold an estimated 8 billion to 12 billion barrels of oil, according to Petrobras figures. Company officials and oil experts say that other reserves of that size could be nearby.
One of the finds alone, named the Tupi, holds the equivalent of 5 billion to 8 billion barrels of light crude oil and is the world’s biggest new field since a 12-billion-barrel find in Kazakhstan in 2000.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil has said repeatedly that developing these oil reserves is vital to the country’s future, and Petrobras has set aside $28 billion to that end.
In all, new drilling could produce 219,000 barrels a day by 2013, 582,000 barrels a day by 2015 and 1.82 million barrels a day by 2020, he predicted.
Natural gas extraction would rise from 7 million cubic meters a day in 2013 to 40 million a day in 2020, the company added.
Petrobras produced a daily average of 2.18 million barrels of oil and gas last year.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/25/business/worldbusiness/25brazil.html?_r=1&ref=business
Brazil: The Greatest Party on Earth!
The Rio Carnival Starts to Heat Up
When carnival season hits Brazil in February, Rio de Janeiro is the destination for backpackers.
The four day celebration is one of the most vibrant and colourful parties on the planet.
And for those yet to experience this blend of hedonism and noise at first hand, nothing else will come close to matching the frenetic atmosphere on show.
The carnival, which is traditionally a major celebration of the excesses before Ash Wednesday, will see the city bustling with tourists and natives alike, all ready to immerse themselves in the glamorous festivities.
It's a good idea to plan your trip carefully, though, to help you take full advantage of a trip to Brazil without missing the best of the carnival.
Find Perfect Accommodation
If you arrive before Sunday's main parade, there's lots of time to explore the city and check-in to one of the many great hostels available in Rio. The centrally located Surf n' Stay Backpackers provides a fantastic location for those also wanting to enjoy the waves during their trip. Macumba Beach is situated just 100 meters from the hostel in Copacabana, while the local shopping center is the ideal site for picking up souvenirs.
See a World Famous Attraction
The statue of Christ the Redeemer sits high above the heaving streets of Rio de Janeiro and is the city's most iconic sight. One of the New Seven Wonders of the World, it is located on the peak of the Corcovado Mountain and can be accessed from a mini-train that ascends from the Cosme Velho District. The summit will not only provide a stunning view of Rio (and the carnival chaos below), but will literally have you standing at the foot of one of the world's most spectacular sights.
Eating Out
Experiencing the best in local cuisine is one of the joys of backpacking, whether it's simple snacks or massive main courses you're after. Brazil is well known for the snack empadinha, which is a pastry pocket stuffed with various fillings and ingredients. Popular due to its size and wide availability, this snack is perfect for on-the-go eating, as you party through the streets till dawn.
Carnival Capital
When Sunday arrives, the parade kicks off celebrations and the carnival has well and truly begun; all the events of the day before lead up to a great explosion of colour and sound emanating from the 'Sambadrome'.
Brazil's love for dance is celebrated in all its glory during the evening parade, as thousands of people gather to enjoy the spectacle of seeing various samba schools 'compete'. The fantastic blend of music, floats, dancing and flamboyant costumes make for an unrivalled experience, as backpackers can sit back and soak in the culture and traditions that Brazil has to offer.
For those travelers on too tight a budget to make it into the Sambadrome (unfortunately, tickets can be expensive), there are a host of other events taking part all over the city. Carnival balls, street parties and the very popular samba beach parties all take place outside of the purpose-built arena, meaning everyone can enjoy the amazing atmosphere of the carnival season.
Great Weather
The carnival takes place in February; a peak time to enjoy Brazil's weather and beaches, while also soaking up the carnival atmosphere, that will make this a trip you'll never forget.
http://www.gringoes.com/articles.asp?ID_Noticia=2231
When carnival season hits Brazil in February, Rio de Janeiro is the destination for backpackers.
The four day celebration is one of the most vibrant and colourful parties on the planet.
And for those yet to experience this blend of hedonism and noise at first hand, nothing else will come close to matching the frenetic atmosphere on show.
The carnival, which is traditionally a major celebration of the excesses before Ash Wednesday, will see the city bustling with tourists and natives alike, all ready to immerse themselves in the glamorous festivities.
It's a good idea to plan your trip carefully, though, to help you take full advantage of a trip to Brazil without missing the best of the carnival.
Find Perfect Accommodation
If you arrive before Sunday's main parade, there's lots of time to explore the city and check-in to one of the many great hostels available in Rio. The centrally located Surf n' Stay Backpackers provides a fantastic location for those also wanting to enjoy the waves during their trip. Macumba Beach is situated just 100 meters from the hostel in Copacabana, while the local shopping center is the ideal site for picking up souvenirs.
See a World Famous Attraction
The statue of Christ the Redeemer sits high above the heaving streets of Rio de Janeiro and is the city's most iconic sight. One of the New Seven Wonders of the World, it is located on the peak of the Corcovado Mountain and can be accessed from a mini-train that ascends from the Cosme Velho District. The summit will not only provide a stunning view of Rio (and the carnival chaos below), but will literally have you standing at the foot of one of the world's most spectacular sights.
Eating Out
Experiencing the best in local cuisine is one of the joys of backpacking, whether it's simple snacks or massive main courses you're after. Brazil is well known for the snack empadinha, which is a pastry pocket stuffed with various fillings and ingredients. Popular due to its size and wide availability, this snack is perfect for on-the-go eating, as you party through the streets till dawn.
Carnival Capital
When Sunday arrives, the parade kicks off celebrations and the carnival has well and truly begun; all the events of the day before lead up to a great explosion of colour and sound emanating from the 'Sambadrome'.
Brazil's love for dance is celebrated in all its glory during the evening parade, as thousands of people gather to enjoy the spectacle of seeing various samba schools 'compete'. The fantastic blend of music, floats, dancing and flamboyant costumes make for an unrivalled experience, as backpackers can sit back and soak in the culture and traditions that Brazil has to offer.
For those travelers on too tight a budget to make it into the Sambadrome (unfortunately, tickets can be expensive), there are a host of other events taking part all over the city. Carnival balls, street parties and the very popular samba beach parties all take place outside of the purpose-built arena, meaning everyone can enjoy the amazing atmosphere of the carnival season.
Great Weather
The carnival takes place in February; a peak time to enjoy Brazil's weather and beaches, while also soaking up the carnival atmosphere, that will make this a trip you'll never forget.
http://www.gringoes.com/articles.asp?ID_Noticia=2231
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Brazil unemployment rate at 7-year low
Brazil's unemployment rate dropped to its lowest point in seven years, officials said Thursday — but analysts warned joblessness is expected to rise as businesses struggling to obtain credit in a global financial crisis begin laying off employees.
The government took steps to address those concerns: Finance Minister Guido Mantega announced on Thursday that the government would pump $42 billion in new funds into Brazil's National Development Bank, or BNDES.
The jobless rate stood at 6.8 percent in December, compared to 7.4 percent in December 2007, Brazil's IBGE statistics agency reported. The rate was 7.6 percent in November 2008.
December's reading was the lowest unemployment rate since 2002, when the government began using the current method of calculating joblessness.
The low rate comes despite the loss of 654,000 full-time jobs last month — but is largely due to the hiring of temporary holiday workers, analysts said.
Forecasts are for increasing unemployment as those part-time workers lose employment and as Brazil's economy slows in the midst of the global crisis.
"Those lost jobs in December will be reflected in January's unemployment figures," said Thais Zara, chief economist for the Sao Paulo-based economic consulting firm Rosenberg & Associados.
Zara had no forecast for how much unemployment would rise, but said it would be "substantially worse."
On Wednesday, Brazil's central bank issued its biggest interest-rate cut in five years, slashing its benchmark rate to 12.75 percent.
Credit has been tightening for Brazil's biggest companies, which have been signaling that layoffs could be coming soon if they cannot find financing.
"Businesses that count on resources from the international market and are not finding them because of the global financial crisis will be able to fall back on the BNDES," Mantega said.
According to the minister, the BNDES will have $166 billion at its disposal this year to loan to Brazilian businesses that are not able to find credit on the international market. Last year, the bank lent $37.5 billion.
Economists surveyed by the central bank have revised their 2009 growth forecasts to 2.5 percent from 4 percent in recent months. Some analysts predict an even greater slowdown as the world crisis stalls demand for the commodity exports on which many Brazilian companies rely.
Exporters of everything from cars to minerals to food have been laying off employees, while others have sent workers on paid vacations and idled plants because Brazilian labor laws make firings too costly.
Mantega told reporters Thursday the BNDES would put a priority on loans for the gas and energy sector, along with industry and the government's infrastructure projects.
Especially important is the ability of state-run oil company Petroleo Brasileiro SA to continue development of massive new offshore oil discoveries, which could hold up to 80 billion barrels of oil and could require up to $600 billion over the next 30 years.
"It's important to us that Petrobras' entire plan remain viable," Mantega said. "If it isn't possible with external resources, we'll make it happen with internal resources."
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g9ep4hNDgPwvJZwiW2_kn2HLk6rAD95SD4BG0
The government took steps to address those concerns: Finance Minister Guido Mantega announced on Thursday that the government would pump $42 billion in new funds into Brazil's National Development Bank, or BNDES.
The jobless rate stood at 6.8 percent in December, compared to 7.4 percent in December 2007, Brazil's IBGE statistics agency reported. The rate was 7.6 percent in November 2008.
December's reading was the lowest unemployment rate since 2002, when the government began using the current method of calculating joblessness.
The low rate comes despite the loss of 654,000 full-time jobs last month — but is largely due to the hiring of temporary holiday workers, analysts said.
Forecasts are for increasing unemployment as those part-time workers lose employment and as Brazil's economy slows in the midst of the global crisis.
"Those lost jobs in December will be reflected in January's unemployment figures," said Thais Zara, chief economist for the Sao Paulo-based economic consulting firm Rosenberg & Associados.
Zara had no forecast for how much unemployment would rise, but said it would be "substantially worse."
On Wednesday, Brazil's central bank issued its biggest interest-rate cut in five years, slashing its benchmark rate to 12.75 percent.
Credit has been tightening for Brazil's biggest companies, which have been signaling that layoffs could be coming soon if they cannot find financing.
"Businesses that count on resources from the international market and are not finding them because of the global financial crisis will be able to fall back on the BNDES," Mantega said.
According to the minister, the BNDES will have $166 billion at its disposal this year to loan to Brazilian businesses that are not able to find credit on the international market. Last year, the bank lent $37.5 billion.
Economists surveyed by the central bank have revised their 2009 growth forecasts to 2.5 percent from 4 percent in recent months. Some analysts predict an even greater slowdown as the world crisis stalls demand for the commodity exports on which many Brazilian companies rely.
Exporters of everything from cars to minerals to food have been laying off employees, while others have sent workers on paid vacations and idled plants because Brazilian labor laws make firings too costly.
Mantega told reporters Thursday the BNDES would put a priority on loans for the gas and energy sector, along with industry and the government's infrastructure projects.
Especially important is the ability of state-run oil company Petroleo Brasileiro SA to continue development of massive new offshore oil discoveries, which could hold up to 80 billion barrels of oil and could require up to $600 billion over the next 30 years.
"It's important to us that Petrobras' entire plan remain viable," Mantega said. "If it isn't possible with external resources, we'll make it happen with internal resources."
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g9ep4hNDgPwvJZwiW2_kn2HLk6rAD95SD4BG0
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Denis Norden's heaven on earth: Rio de Janeiro
The writer and broadcaster Denis Norden on cuisine, culture and beautiful womenfolk of Rio de Janeiro.
I used to write speeches for corporate clients who were putting on conferences to reward their reps and one year I attended an event being held in Rio de Janeiro.
It's undoubtedly the most amazing place I've ever visited. The city has a wonderful location and boasts famous landmarks such as the Sugar Loaf Mountain and the Corcovado.
We stayed in a wonderful hotel on the beach, The Copacabana Palace (0055 21 2548 7070; www.copacabanapalace.com.br), which was positively luxurious; the guests all seemed incredibly glamorous, myself excluded.
The other part of town which is worth a visit is Ipanema – a short distance away – where I was struck by the colourful fruit on display at the juice bars on the street corners, where they sell the most delicious sucos (fruit juices).
If you want to try Brazil's national dish, feijoada (a beef or pork stew with beans), go to the Casa de Feijoada (2523 4994) in Ipanema. Feijoada may not be quite to everyone's taste, but it's certainly an experience.
Another thing that any red-blooded man visiting the city cannot fail to appreciate is Rio's womenfolk who really are astonishingly beautiful.
At the same time, it's undoubtedly a city of extremes and you're never more than a few miles from the favelas, the slums climbing the hills behind the city and a constant reminder that not all of the city's inhabitants enjoy the good life.
Going back to the conference, I remember that some bright spark heard that each year the city voted a local beauty as the 'Girl From Ipanema' in homage to the hit Sixties song.
To cut a long story short, the organisers managed to hire the very first girl from Ipanema – Heloísa Pinto (now known as Helô Pinheiro), who inspired the song – to appear at the conference. And lucky me – I got to dance with the her.
Rio really is the most fabulous holiday destination, whether or not you get to dance with the Girl from Ipanema.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/southamerica/brazil/4161167/Denis-Nordens-heaven-on-earth-Rio-de-Janeiro.html
I used to write speeches for corporate clients who were putting on conferences to reward their reps and one year I attended an event being held in Rio de Janeiro.
It's undoubtedly the most amazing place I've ever visited. The city has a wonderful location and boasts famous landmarks such as the Sugar Loaf Mountain and the Corcovado.
We stayed in a wonderful hotel on the beach, The Copacabana Palace (0055 21 2548 7070; www.copacabanapalace.com.br), which was positively luxurious; the guests all seemed incredibly glamorous, myself excluded.
The other part of town which is worth a visit is Ipanema – a short distance away – where I was struck by the colourful fruit on display at the juice bars on the street corners, where they sell the most delicious sucos (fruit juices).
If you want to try Brazil's national dish, feijoada (a beef or pork stew with beans), go to the Casa de Feijoada (2523 4994) in Ipanema. Feijoada may not be quite to everyone's taste, but it's certainly an experience.
Another thing that any red-blooded man visiting the city cannot fail to appreciate is Rio's womenfolk who really are astonishingly beautiful.
At the same time, it's undoubtedly a city of extremes and you're never more than a few miles from the favelas, the slums climbing the hills behind the city and a constant reminder that not all of the city's inhabitants enjoy the good life.
Going back to the conference, I remember that some bright spark heard that each year the city voted a local beauty as the 'Girl From Ipanema' in homage to the hit Sixties song.
To cut a long story short, the organisers managed to hire the very first girl from Ipanema – Heloísa Pinto (now known as Helô Pinheiro), who inspired the song – to appear at the conference. And lucky me – I got to dance with the her.
Rio really is the most fabulous holiday destination, whether or not you get to dance with the Girl from Ipanema.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/southamerica/brazil/4161167/Denis-Nordens-heaven-on-earth-Rio-de-Janeiro.html
Rio's Carnival: Why Just Watch, When You Can Join the Parade?
What is the latest trend at Carnival in Rio de Janeiro? Tourists are no longer just watching the parade. Nowadays, tourists don costumes, join a samba school for the night, and fully participate in the festivities.
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (PRWEB) January 9, 2009 -- Sure, you can watch Rio's Carnival from the Sambódromo, but parading is where the fun is.
The number of foreign tourists participating in Rio's Carnival parade has increased dramatically in the last few years.
"Joining the Carnival parade is definitely one of my top 3 experiences in life!" affirms Casey A. from San Diego, who participated in the 2007 parade in Rio. "Everything is so grandiose and exuberant, and you feel like the center of attention."
"It's like the difference between going to Pamplona and running with the bulls, as opposed to just watching. Obviously, the risk at Carnival is a lot lower," compares Josh M. from Wisconsin, who participated earlier this year.
Tour operators have started sneaking tourists into the middle of the thousands of samba school paraders. This is so they are not identified by the Carnival judges, who often penalize samba schools for marching with participants who are not singing or dancing according to the song. This rule does not discriminate against foreigners, but against anyone who is not fully participating. To make the tourists inconspicuous, tour operators have been forming small groups of a dozen participants and mixing them in with a large group of Brazilians.
"We teach our clients a few tricks to blend in, so they don't look like tourists. First we teach them to wave and throw kisses to the crowd. We give them bubble gum so they appear to be singing, and of course we make sure they learn a few dance moves," reveals Mauricio Bastos of RioCharm Travel Services, one of the tour operators offering Carnival parade packages. "It's amazing how ecstatic everyone gets afterwards."
The Carnival experience starts at the hotel, where participants don the Carnival costume, usually something large and sparkly. Once dressed, members of the group meet at a subway station in Copacabana and head towards the Sambódromo, a mile long stadium in the shape of a corridor, where the Carnival competition is held. There participants meet the rest of their samba school and wait for their turn while sampling caipirinhas and other traditional beverages. Fireworks go off to indicate it's time for the next samba school to go in the Sambódromo. In military style, 4,000 or so participants from one samba school get in line and wait for their turn to enter.
Once inside the Sambódromo, participants are encouraged to have fun, and reminded to not do anything touristy, such taking photos or greeting famous observers in the VIP balconies. Each of the 12 schools has 80 minutes to move their school through the Sambódromo. Once members exit the Sambódromo, they can buy tickets to watch the other schools parade, or they can continue on to Carnival parties happening throughout the city. Participants get to keep their costumes, which many think of as the ultimate Rio souvenir.
"How to actually participate in the Carnival parade is rarely mentioned in travel guidebooks," states Cristiano Nogueira, author of a travel guide to Rio de Janeiro. "We added parade coverage in the second edition of "Rio For Partiers." Now at Carnival time we get a flood of email enquiries from interested travelers."
The dates for the 2009 Rio Carnival are February 21-28. For photos, videos and to learn more about parading in Rio's Carnival, please visit:
http://www.rioforpartiers.com/carnival.html
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (PRWEB) January 9, 2009 -- Sure, you can watch Rio's Carnival from the Sambódromo, but parading is where the fun is.
The number of foreign tourists participating in Rio's Carnival parade has increased dramatically in the last few years.
"Joining the Carnival parade is definitely one of my top 3 experiences in life!" affirms Casey A. from San Diego, who participated in the 2007 parade in Rio. "Everything is so grandiose and exuberant, and you feel like the center of attention."
"It's like the difference between going to Pamplona and running with the bulls, as opposed to just watching. Obviously, the risk at Carnival is a lot lower," compares Josh M. from Wisconsin, who participated earlier this year.
Tour operators have started sneaking tourists into the middle of the thousands of samba school paraders. This is so they are not identified by the Carnival judges, who often penalize samba schools for marching with participants who are not singing or dancing according to the song. This rule does not discriminate against foreigners, but against anyone who is not fully participating. To make the tourists inconspicuous, tour operators have been forming small groups of a dozen participants and mixing them in with a large group of Brazilians.
"We teach our clients a few tricks to blend in, so they don't look like tourists. First we teach them to wave and throw kisses to the crowd. We give them bubble gum so they appear to be singing, and of course we make sure they learn a few dance moves," reveals Mauricio Bastos of RioCharm Travel Services, one of the tour operators offering Carnival parade packages. "It's amazing how ecstatic everyone gets afterwards."
The Carnival experience starts at the hotel, where participants don the Carnival costume, usually something large and sparkly. Once dressed, members of the group meet at a subway station in Copacabana and head towards the Sambódromo, a mile long stadium in the shape of a corridor, where the Carnival competition is held. There participants meet the rest of their samba school and wait for their turn while sampling caipirinhas and other traditional beverages. Fireworks go off to indicate it's time for the next samba school to go in the Sambódromo. In military style, 4,000 or so participants from one samba school get in line and wait for their turn to enter.
Once inside the Sambódromo, participants are encouraged to have fun, and reminded to not do anything touristy, such taking photos or greeting famous observers in the VIP balconies. Each of the 12 schools has 80 minutes to move their school through the Sambódromo. Once members exit the Sambódromo, they can buy tickets to watch the other schools parade, or they can continue on to Carnival parties happening throughout the city. Participants get to keep their costumes, which many think of as the ultimate Rio souvenir.
"How to actually participate in the Carnival parade is rarely mentioned in travel guidebooks," states Cristiano Nogueira, author of a travel guide to Rio de Janeiro. "We added parade coverage in the second edition of "Rio For Partiers." Now at Carnival time we get a flood of email enquiries from interested travelers."
The dates for the 2009 Rio Carnival are February 21-28. For photos, videos and to learn more about parading in Rio's Carnival, please visit:
http://www.rioforpartiers.com/carnival.html
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Holier than thou? Rio's Christ statue has rival
A little-known Brazilian farming town with sugar cane wealth is set to upstage Rio de Janeiro by erecting a statue of Christ that will eclipse its famous equivalent atop Rio's Corcovado mountain.
The Christ statue in Sertaozinho, northwest of Sao Paulo city, will be 187 feet tall when perched on its 128 foot (39-meter) pedestal, Brazilian daily newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo said on Tuesday.
Rio's iconic statue overlooking the beach-side city measures up at 98.4 feet high, but its much shorter pedestal gives it a total height of just 125 feet.
"Far from a pretense of grandeur, we're thinking about visibility," said Nerio Costa, mayor of the town 206 miles from Sao Paulo which hopes to inaugurate the 1.5 million reais ($681,000) structure at Easter.
But those suspicious that Sertaozinho, with a population of just over 100,000, is trying to rival the country's top tourist city can cite other evidence.
The agricultural town also boasts a lake-side artificial 160-yard (meter) beach built at a cost of $3.64 million (8 million reais), Folha said.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUKTRE5053VM20090106
The Christ statue in Sertaozinho, northwest of Sao Paulo city, will be 187 feet tall when perched on its 128 foot (39-meter) pedestal, Brazilian daily newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo said on Tuesday.
Rio's iconic statue overlooking the beach-side city measures up at 98.4 feet high, but its much shorter pedestal gives it a total height of just 125 feet.
"Far from a pretense of grandeur, we're thinking about visibility," said Nerio Costa, mayor of the town 206 miles from Sao Paulo which hopes to inaugurate the 1.5 million reais ($681,000) structure at Easter.
But those suspicious that Sertaozinho, with a population of just over 100,000, is trying to rival the country's top tourist city can cite other evidence.
The agricultural town also boasts a lake-side artificial 160-yard (meter) beach built at a cost of $3.64 million (8 million reais), Folha said.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUKTRE5053VM20090106
Friday, January 2, 2009
US winery owner dies in Brazil
A German-born businessman who owned a New York winery has died while summing in the ocean off of Brazil, police said Friday.
Christian Wolffer, 70, suffered a deep cut while swimming on New Year's Eve near the colonial town of Paraty, about 150 kilometers (100 miles) west of Rio de Janeiro, said police investigator Luiz Carlos.
Authorities are investigating whether the cut was caused by a passing boat. It isn't clear if Wolffer drowned or died from the cut.
A former investment banker and venture capitalist, the native of Hamburg, Germany, owned the Wolffer Estate vineyard and winery — formerly known as Sagpond Vineyards — near Sagaponack, New York, in the Hamptons area of Long Island.
Before going into the wine business, Wolffer had founded Euro Investors Property, Inc. — also based in Sagaponack — and had worked for the German chemical company BASF in Mexico.
A woman answering the phone at Wolffer Estate offered no details but said the family would release a statement soon.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hgKOhOA0ZLewr_cAmy_wzQ1rtRLwD95F5JOG0
Christian Wolffer, 70, suffered a deep cut while swimming on New Year's Eve near the colonial town of Paraty, about 150 kilometers (100 miles) west of Rio de Janeiro, said police investigator Luiz Carlos.
Authorities are investigating whether the cut was caused by a passing boat. It isn't clear if Wolffer drowned or died from the cut.
A former investment banker and venture capitalist, the native of Hamburg, Germany, owned the Wolffer Estate vineyard and winery — formerly known as Sagpond Vineyards — near Sagaponack, New York, in the Hamptons area of Long Island.
Before going into the wine business, Wolffer had founded Euro Investors Property, Inc. — also based in Sagaponack — and had worked for the German chemical company BASF in Mexico.
A woman answering the phone at Wolffer Estate offered no details but said the family would release a statement soon.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hgKOhOA0ZLewr_cAmy_wzQ1rtRLwD95F5JOG0
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