2005 General Reports

[Yankee 617]

I just completed a trip to Brazil. As usual, I obtained all my cash from ATMs using my credit card. Below are my five transactions.

All transactions drawn on my USAA Gold Mastercard which has no annual fee and has no cash withdrawal fees. In addition, I typically overpay my last statement before I travel to establish a positive cash balance thereby avoiding interest charges. I believe this represents the best reasonably predictable value that I can get for currency exchange.

Transaction Date: Dec 9, 2005*
Settlement Date: Dec 12, 2005
ATM: BANCO DO BRASIL
Amount Withdrawn: R$300.00
Amount Charged: (US$135.33)

Transaction Date: Dec 2, 2005*
Settlement Date: Dec 5, 2005
ATM: BANCO DO BRASIL
Amount Withdrawn: R$400.00
Amount Charged: (US$183.38)

Transaction Date: Nov 27, 2005*
Settlement Date: Nov 28, 2005
ATM: BANCO DO BRASIL
Amount Withdrawn: R$400.00
Amount Charged: (US$181.05)

Transaction Date: Nov 25, 2005*
Settlement Date: Nov 28, 2005
ATM: BRADESCO
Amount Withdrawn: R$400.00
Amount Charged: (US$180.92)

Transaction Date: Nov 22, 2005*
Settlement Date: Nov 23, 2005
ATM: BRADESCO
Amount Withdrawn: R$400.00
Amount Charged: (US$182.60)

Does anyone think they can do substantially better than this?

PS) Note that a few ATMs (notably certain ATMs at the Sao Paulo airport) try to charge an additional fee. When this occurs, I simply cancel the transaction and move on to ather ATM.

[James Howard]

The real is at 2.26 and weakening further in response to slowing growth and the likelihood of another rate cut from BCB. What ever happened to the self-proclaimed genius Lucio's prediction of 2.11? Didn't somebody bet him a L'uomo entrance?

Time to collect.

[Akatakyie]

Where can I stay or get a nice apartment "not COPA" for a decent price?

[Java Man]

SD:
only reason this is news is because an "american" is involved. and by "american" they mean US citizen. they like reporting on americans f*cking up in there country. only way the local media will report a GDP getting beat up by a brasilian is if she winds up dead...maybe. i'm surprised that only O Dia pick-up the story.
blackmail, I find that unlikely. one thing is certain, it's gonna cost this bonehead a lot more $$$$$$ to make this go away.

[Capt Ajax]

For the Portuguese languaged challenged, I've translated to the best of my abliities:

Sunday, dec 4, 2005 11:42a

Tourist beats prostitute over expensive program

A prostitute was beaten in Rio by an American who refused to pay for the program, alleging a very high price. She gave a deposition today at the end of the morning at the Special Tourist Police station (Deat), in Leblon.
According to a friend of the victim, she met the tourist at dawn this sunday in a boate, in Copacabana. He invited her to go to his apartment.
The two spent the night together, but, in the morning, he refused to pay for the program and started to attack the woman. She cried out and was helped by neighbors.

She musta been new to this, next time she'll have a knife.

Since she did not have a knife this might be a blackmail scam. She asks for more money, he refuses, and then she claims she was beaten. As a tourist a foreign jail is the last place you want to be. Now, if he did beat her then the fool deserves everything he is going to get.

[Sal Dali]

Good conversational interp, Chingon. BTW, if said "tourist" is a reader of this site (and reading now) . . . you're probably an idiot. ("probably" = Always leaving room for another explanation. Absent a good alternative explanation, you're an idiot.)

(BTW, do you think that by "American" the writer meant "U.S. Citizen?" They harp so much about being American too . . . so it was a little confusing.)

SD

For the Portuguese languaged challenged, I've translated to the best of my abliities:

Sunday, dec 4, 2005 11:42a

Tourist beats prostitute over expensive program

A prostitute was beaten in Rio by an American who refused to pay for the program, alleging a very high price. She gave a deposition today at the end of the morning at the Special Tourist Police station (Deat), in Leblon.
According to a friend of the victim, she met the tourist at dawn this sunday in a boate, in Copacabana. He invited her to go to his apartment.
The two spent the night together, but, in the morning, he refused to pay for the program and started to attack the woman. She cried out and was helped by neighbors.

She musta been new to this, next time she'll have a knife.

[Java Man]

For the Portuguese languaged challenged, I've translated to the best of my abliities:

Sunday, dec 4, 2005 11:42a

Tourist beats prostitute over expensive program

A prostitute was beaten in Rio by an American who refused to pay for the program, alleging a very high price. She gave a deposition today at the end of the morning at the Special Tourist Police station (Deat), in Leblon.
According to a friend of the victim, she met the tourist at dawn this sunday in a boate, in Copacabana. He invited her to go to his apartment.
The two spent the night together, but, in the morning, he refused to pay for the program and started to attack the woman. She cried out and was helped by neighbors.

She musta been new to this, next time she'll have a knife.

[Fido Dido]

"American Tourist Beats a GDP Because She was too Expensive".

Well. Finaly an American who is sensible.

[Member #4156]

Taken from the O Dia. If you can translate it, it's kind of disturbing.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Domingo, 4 de dezembro de 2005, 11h42
Turista espanca prostituta por achar programa caro

Uma garota de programa foi espancada no Rio por um americano que se recusou a pagar pelo programa alegando preço muito alto. Ela prestou depoimento no fim da manhã de hoje na Delegacia Especial de Atendimento ao Turista (Deat), no Leblon.

De acordo com uma amiga da vítima, ela conheceu o turista na madrugada deste domingo em uma boate, em Copacabana. Então ele a convidou para ir até o seu apartamento.

Os dois passaram a noite juntos, mas, pela manhã, ele se recusou a pagar pelo programa e começou a agredir a mulher. Ela gritou e foi socorrida por vizinhos.

[Torujapan]

Hi All,

Looking for this prime GDP.

I had a pleasure of tasting this wonderful cherry, so sweet!

She worked in Barbarela, Help, Kilt, Bahamas, Love Story.

Does any one have a contact info or a storry to share?

Thanks

[Sal Dali]

Analysts predict bad news on Brazil GDP
>By Jonathan Wheatleyi n São Paulo
>Published: November 30 2005 02:00 | Last updated: November 30 2005 02:00
>>
Economists have predicted further bad news for the embattled government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva today when figures for Brazil's gross domestic product in the third quarter are expected to show the economy at best stagnating but probably contracting compared with the second quarter.

A contraction would follow eight consecutive quarters of growth and most economists say any downturn would be cyclical. But the slowdown - likely to be bigger than previously expected - would come at a bad time for the government, which is already dogged by a scandal over alleged vote-buying and illegal campaign finance.

Any setback would intensify calls for a relaxation of the tight fiscal and monetary policies championed by Antonio Palocci, the finance minister. His policies are credited with securing Brazil's economic stability over the past three years but have been attacked recently by ministers eager to relax public spending restraints.

Mr Palocci has been embroiled in an increasingly acrimonious and public dispute with Dilma Rousseff, the minister responsible for co-ordinating execution of government policy. He appeared to emerge strengthened on the weekend after Mr Lula da Silva called for a truce. But other ministers continued to attack his policies this week and bad news could further weaken his position.

The comparatively strong performance of the economy over the past two years has helped maintain popular support for Mr Lula da Silva in spite of public unease over the corruption scandal.

A study published this week shows that the proportion of the population living below the poverty line (those earning enough to consume 2,300 calories a day) fell to 25.1 per cent last year from 27.3 per cent in 2003.

Yet a downturn in the third quarter could erode popular support as campaigning approaches for next October's elections.

"The current slump may not exactly be a recession but it may feel a lot like one from where President Lula is sitting," notes Christian Stracke of CreditSights, a New York research firm.

The biggest impact on the economy has come from Brazil's high lending rates and from the strength of the real, which has risen from R$3.50 to the dollar when Mr Lula da Silva took office in January 2003 to about R$2.20 this week.

The strength of the real has been driven partly by the central bank's use of high interest rates to control inflation and by a surge in exports caused by strong global demand led by China. Exports are expected to reach $117bn (€99bn, £68bn) this year, producing a record trade surplus of $43bn.

But the high exchange rate is causing many exporters to lose their competitive edge. While the value of exports continues to rise, partly due to high commodity prices, their volume has been falling steadily since the first quarter.

For many manufacturers with costs or prices set by international markets, the strong real has also affected profitability at home. "The strength of the currency is causing manufacturers to delay investments," says Francisco Gros, a former head of the central bank and now president of Fosfertil, a manufacturer of fertiliser.

On Monday, Arcelor, the world's biggest steelmaker, said it had postponed plans to build a $3bn steel mill in north-eastern Brazil with Baosteel of China because of the strong real. It said the cost of building the plant in Brazil would be three times that of building it in China.

A survey by Brazil's confederation of industry found this month that the proportion of companies planning to increase investments in the year ahead had fallen from 40 per cent in October 2004 to 28.9 per cent today.

Consumer confidence is also low, although Celso Toledo, chief economist at MCM, a São Paulo consultancy, says spending may recover: "When interest rates are high but people think they will come down under stable inflation, they delay consumption, which is what they are doing now."

The question is whether the economy will recover in time to cement confidence in current policies by next year's elections. A recent central bank survey of market economists showed a consensus forecast of 3.5 per cent growth next year. But many economists expect growth of less than 3 per cent, raising the chances of a strong showing by a populist candidate for the presidency.

[CaptainNemo]

I hope that this can last.


SAO PAULO, Brazil, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Brazil's economy contracted 1.2 percent in the third quarter compared with the second quarter, marking its first fall in two years and leaving the government vulnerable to attack as 2006 elections loom.

[Double]

California, you may want to try Florinapolis, Recife, and Fortaleza.

I actually met two ladies from Fortaleza on my last trip. They had very tan skin - morena clara is what they called themselves. Very pretty, One had a Carmen Electra type complexions, with real long and straight hair, no extensions....they were both awesome.

Florinapolis is a place that I have not seen, but the ladies on the dating sites from that area are normally lighter, blonde to brunette.

One advantage you have in Rio is that there are ladies from all over the country. You will definately be able to find your type, no worries there....

Happy bunda hunting,

D

[Dick Hertz]

I am going to be in Rio in the middle of March and would like to know any good hotel that is girl friendly at the beach. Also any info on the women, night life and any thing that a first time visitor would need would be greatfully.

[Cachorro]

The North and North-East are mostly indio / native American look.

In Bahia there is a lot of Afro / black.

In Rio, Sao Paulo and Espirito Santo you can find plenty of mulatas, which is probably a type you'll like. There's nothing like a green eyed mulata, they're so gorgeous! Recife also has some good mulatas.

You can find other types in Rio and Sao Paulo. European look, and immigrants from other regions of Brazil.

Wherever you go, you'll have fun. You should know that most travellers are disappointed in the typical Fortaleza girls. Pot bellied and funny shaped heads is the stereotype. There are hot girls to be found, but it's no paradise.

If you get with a few Brasileiras then trust me, you'll quickly develop a taste for a little colour in the skin (which is not to say black as coal, but a little colour is always good).