Volunteer Brazil | Blogs and Blags

2008-08-23T03:36:00.000-07:00

Half-Price Volunteer Programs for Sept/Oct 2008

Be quick to end your year on a meaningful high!

Half price Volunteering in Brazil is only available on 2 and 3 week programs. To apply and reserve your place complete our quick online application now - Quick Application

Some things you could do:

If you like sport, particularly soccer - go here

Do you fancy teaching? - go here

How about helping kids? go here

Be quick before the half price offer is GONE...GONE...GONE....gon...go....g...g.....

2008-07-24T21:32:00.000-07:00

Are you NUTS about Brazil ?

44 lb of Brazil Nuts shipped to your door...

2008-07-14T21:47:00.000-07:00

Hello,

Just a quickie...

We are starting to get some serious enquires regarding Carnival in Brazil - Even though the annual bash doesn't start until February 2009 , if you want to play, get your skates on, Brazil Carnival 2009

A couple more updates:

Don't forget in addition to Brazil , volunteer Brazil have partnered with organisations in Peru and Costa Rica, we will also very shortly be changing our current partners in Africa to a South African based Conservation Organisation - check back here for updates.

We are also currently expanding our Brazil program to include more cities, particularly in south and north west Brazil - again check back here for updates.

On the other hand, due to various factors we are reducing our programs in Sao Paulo and Fortaleza.

And finally, it's always nice to get feedback and a brief note from former volunteers, and as I write this blog entry , Tom Ireland from England wrote. Tom volunteered on one of our partner projects in Recife(June and early July 2008)

¨Hi Alan, I just wanted to email and say that I am now home in England. Thank you for letting me experience Brazil. Brazil is a great country and it was great to work with the children that I met at the day centre. I will be back in Brazil for sure¨...

Thank you Tom, see you again , very soon...

2008-07-01T04:55:00.000-07:00

Fantastic opportunity to own and develop a piece of the action in Brazil.

Brazil is quite probably one of the most exciting and potentially lucrative investments of the decade.

If you want to own 94 hectares of prime land in Gravatá, Pernambuco, north-east Brazil, contact us TODAY, information@volunteerbrazil.com

If you would like to learn more before contacting us – read on…

Gravatá in Pernambuco is one of the most exciting land opportunities in north-east Brazil.

Gravatá is both a well established city and a frightfully underdeveloped region. It is however, firmly, very firmly in fact, an established and popular weekend destination for not only Recife city dwellers but middle-class Brazilians from all over Brazil who flock to the region escaping the day-to-day grind of busy big city life.

The Opportunity:

The 94 hectares of land enjoys a private road, a barrage, fresh water and electricity supply in addition to a luxury condominium community with heated swimming pool and other amenities, all set in a landscape below a hill of 360 degrees (which you will also own) with breathtaking views over the Serra das Russas.

The land is ready to develop, some suggestions for you; golf course, tennis courts, hotel or luxury resort, leisure and or residential facilities – the sky’s the limit, the choice is your’s …

Do you want to own this land? Contact us TODAY information@volunteerbrazil.com

Further information:
Google Map of Gravata

Economy of Gravata is currently driven by the following activities:
Tourism
Rustic Furniture making
Vegetable, fruit and flower growing
Horse breeding

Purchase this land before it’s too late: information@volunteerbrazil.com

PS: Guide Price is R$8.000.000,00 OR 4.9 Million United States Dollars ( 3.1 Million Euros or 2.4 Million Pounds)

2008-05-18T05:28:00.000-07:00

Volunteer with kids at Santa Cruz FC

The Training School at Santa Cruz Football Club - Recife - Brazil.

This is an exceptional volunteering opportunity to get involved with street kids, orphans and abondoned children on a joint volunteer program with Santa Cruz Football Club and the State Government of Pernambuco.

You will have an enthusiasm for sport, in particular, soccer. You will have a desire to help extremely disadvantaged children and be able and willing to turn that desire into practical support and encouragement. In addition to acting with care, patience and understanding.

You will be involved in the day to day development and care of the children and be involved with their general well being, training and sports school schedule, both at Santa Cruz Football club (Arruda) and the shelter where the children live.

Santa Cruz Futebol Clube currently play in the Brazilian 3rd Division - but are fully expected to be promoted back into the 2nd Division in 2008.

They play at Arruda in Recife, Brazil. The ground has a capacity of 70,000 fans.

Santa Cruz's most famous Brazilian footballer is Vitor Borba Ferreira, otherwise known as Rivaldo. Rivaldo also played in Europe, for Spanish Club; Barcelona and Italian Giants; AC Milan.

To volunteer on this great sports program opportunity - contact Volunteer Brazil ;

http://volunteerbrazil.com/booknow.html

2008-05-09T21:43:00.000-07:00

Hello, Good Morning...

Haven't posted for a while, been so busy setting-up new programs and other new developements regarding volunteer and cultural exchange programs - not to mention other stuff!

Anyway, we are really getting choc-a-bloc for the summer period, with no current vacancies available in Rio de Janeiro or Sao Paulo, we do however have spaces in Recife, Olinda , Salvador and Porte Alegre.

Rio and Sao Paulo will be good for June onwards - it's just May which is now fully booked.

A bit of a change of subject for all you Brazilian Football fans - the Brazilian Soccer Season starts today (Saturday 10th May)...

I have penned a Brazilian football articles about Serie A...

Série A (Brasileirão) is where the big boys play, there are currently 20 teams in the league, who play the usual one home and away against each other - the objective besides winning it, of course, is to avoid the drop into the wilderness that is Serie B - but 4 teams will ultimately, at the end of the 40 games have to face that humiliation.

One of the things to realize about Brazil is the huge geographical area it covers, and an away game can take a few flying hours - this however, doesn't usually affect the teams, but what it does do is ensure that home crowds are partisan - this is lessened in games involving teams from the same state, because there will be some away fan presence.The teams that tend to dominate the top-half of Serie A are the Sao Paulo and Rio De Janeiro sides.

Below, you will find the teams in the Brazilian Serie A this year, the 4 teams in red were promoted from Serie B.

Atlético Mineiro MG
Atlético Paranaense PR
Botafogo RJ
Coritiba PR (promoted from Serie B)
Cruzeiro MG
Figueirense SC
Flamengo RJ
Fluminense RJ
Goiás GO
Grêmio RS
Internacional RS
Ipatinga MG (promoted from Serie B)
Náutico PE
Palmeiras SP
Portuguesa SP (promoted from Serie B)
Santos SP
São Paulo SP
Sport PE
Vasco RJ
Vitória BA (promoted from Serie B)

You will notice a series of 2 letters after the football team name, this indicates the State the team is from, there is a key below:
State Key:
RJ = Rio de Janeiro
MG = Minas Gerais
PR = Parana
SC = Santa Catarina
GO = Goais
SP = Sao Paulo
RS = Rio Grande do Sul
PE = Pernambuco
BA = Bahia

You will note from the above , that there are only 9 states represented in Serie A - actually a third of the countries states - of course , all 27 states are madly and passionately in love with football, but they are just not currently good enough for Serie A.

Naturally, with promotion and demotion at seasons end, this can change , year-on-year.Here follows a map of Brazil, with all states marked clearly, along with their capitals.

If you intend following Serie A this season, it will pay you to familiarize yourself with the geography - in addition to noting the Rio and Sao Paulo teams.

Both principalities account for 8 of the 20 teams:

Rio teams are; Flamengo, Fluminense, Botafogo and Vasco.

Sao Paulo teams are; Sao Paulo, Santos, Palmeiras and Portuguesa.

Recife, Pernambuco, in the north-east has 2 teams, Nautico and Sport.

Also from the north-east , Bahia has 1 team; Vitoria.

Minas Gerais which borders Sao Paulo and Rio has 3 teams; Atlético Mineiro, Ipatinga and Cruzeiro.

Whilst the southern state bordering Argentina, Rio Grande do Sul, also has 2 teams in the shape of; Gremio and Internacional.

Parana, also has 2 teams , Atlético Paranaense and Coritiba.

Santa Catarina and Goias each have one representative, Figueirense and Goiás, respectively.

If you have already studied the map and team location you would have noticed that most of the teams in Serie A are from the southern part of Brazil, the teams furthest north this season are Nautico and Sport in Recife, Pernambuco.

There are states in Brazil which are bigger than some European countries, - and as in all regions of the world, football rivalry is no different in Brazil.

It's worth noting that there are two layers and primary aspects of rivalry in Brazilian football. The first is the obvious rivalry between teams from the same state and city, but just as intense , is inter-state rivalry.

Hope you enjoy following Brazilian Soccer and Serie A this season...

PS: Go Nautico -

2008-01-22T17:04:00.001-08:00

Last Friday I told you about the volunteer Brazil testimonials which we had received from past volunteers.

Well it's fair to say that after almost 6 years and more than 2000 volunteers (directly and indirectly) we have had some hairy experiences. We do make checks on all volunteers who apply, and follow up references etc.

It's a case of having to, as many of our projects are working with children, women at risk and other vulnerable people - Nevertheless, we sometimes don't know quite enough about volunteers before they arrive in Brazil - and mistakes are made - but fortunately we have been able to protect the vulnerable children and communities from missfit applicants ( for the most part anyway).

Here follows some incidents involving volunteers who came to Brazil on a program, who really shouldn't have come (due to one thing or another).

We recently had a volunteer from Calgary who came to work on a health project in Brazil - when he arrived everything seemed fine - it would wouldn't it. His resume stated that he was seeking admission to Medical School at the University of Calgary. And also stated he was currently under the wing of Dr **** (to protect the Doctor's reputation, I won't name him) on an open studies program.

Anyway, to cut the chase, this self employed-subcontracter for an Architectural Finishing System Company in Calgary turned out to be a very unstable man who behaved rather odd, so odd in fact that the the staff of the health project were concerned about admitting him to the program.

Initially, we thought this his behaviour was due to culture shock, but after a week got really concerned when he threatened to cut the throat of one of our domestic employees (a gesture made to her in an elevator)...

She was terrified and traumatized by the incident - and is still shaken over the incident.

To be frank I was going to call the police, but refrained from doing so, by the way , his account of this incident was that he meant it as a joke - some joke, eh!

Needless to say, we had no alternative but to terminate his placement... And he now has the audacity to send us abusive and disgusting emails (using his name and an alias)...

I'm running out of time on this blog, but just very quickly... We also had a volunteer who had used all her fundraising monies having a honeymoon with her boyfriend - 3 others who were mentally unstable (they hid this from us on their application and references)...

So, if you are intending to apply for a volunteer program abroad, please don't come to get away from your problems (it never works), don't come if your medical advisor advises against it or because you think it will look good on your resume - Oh, and don't lie on your application , you will be found out - and don't give false references...

Happy Days.....catch you soon...

2008-01-18T03:45:00.000-08:00

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to Volunteer in Brazil with Volunteer Brazil?

Rather than me tell you, I thought it may be a good idea for volunteers to tell you about their experiences volunteering in Brazil...

This first testimonial about volunteering in Brazil is from 2 sisters, Ujali and Deepali - (they are from the United Kingdom)...

I only received their testimonial a few weeks ago (Jan 5th 2008), so am pleased to be able to post it here:

My experience through volunteer Brazil has been life changing. Working with thechildren we worked with and seeing what brazilian culture was really like was extremely endearing. The children and teachers welcomed us with open arms andto see how grateful the children were for our time made every moment worthwhle. Our home stay was just the same. We had the pleasure of staying with alovely lady who made us feel extremely welcome. The experience was a fantastic way to combine travelling with giving something back to the country. I'd recommend this experience to anyone and encourage everyone to welcome it with open arms as it will truely give you the greatest self satisfaction possible.

Ujali & Deepali.

The second Testimonial from Brazil, was written by Chris, Chris is from England and in November 2007 volunteered with Street Children.

Hey Alan things are amazing! its amazing here and i would recommend it anyone. the kids are amazing and each of them is so happy and playful. everyday we play and have fun. im starting to get the launguage aswell being constantly surrounded by it. its okay if someones talking directly to me but if their talking around me it goes over my head.

But its okay tho because i know whats going on most of the time. but like i said everything is amazing, the scenery, the kids and the staff are also really good. they really help me and help explain things if needs be.

Had a massive futsol tournament last night and im paying for it now. my feet are in pain but it was worth it. am really enjoying my experience here just cant believe how quick the days are going. hope everything is well with you. and thank you for this, i cant describe how happy i am here.

Chris.

Testimonial number 3 is from Emily. Emily is from The United States and volunteered with her daughter in October and November 2007.

Volunteer Brazil provided me and Afton with very appropriate accommodation for my situation. The location in Recife was excellent, with good access to everything.

The beaches around the Recife coast are beautiful, and we went there quite a lot with the orphanage girls.

I will be coming back, for sure - thank you Alan ,Mirian and staff of Volunteer Brazil , so much for your hospitality.

Emily

The following Testimonial is from Sara Pironti. Sara is from Los Angeles...

I just recently got back to Los Angeles....all is well here and i am writing to thank you for helping me havesuch a wonderful experience. I keep thinking of the boys at the orphanage...i really miss them!!I would love to recommend the experience to anyone whois interested in volunteering in Brazil through your programs.

I thank you again for all your help and for giving me the opportunity to have such a wonderful experience. Please keep in touch....

Sara.

Here is what Danielle from California, said...

I just wanted to say thanks for your help and that I had a wonderful volunteering experience while in Brazil. The children at the center were amazing, as were Brazilians in general.

Danielle.

The following is a testimonial from a volunteer's mother - she wrote thanking us for providing her daughter; Annabel with good accommodation in Brazil.

I would like to say how fantastic the family you chose for her (Annabel, my daughter) have been and also what a superb experience working in the orphanage has been for Annabel. Many thanks.

Hilary.

I could go on all day here, but think I had better stop for now - the final testimony is from Geraldine of Dublin...

What fantastic kids, appearing to have nothing at first glance but laughed, smiled, sang and danced all the time and in my opinion had a richness in their life that we simply seem to have lost in the western world with our hectic lifestyles.

Adios meu amigos.

Geraldine.

And to quote, Geraldine...

Adios meu amigos.

Alan Thomas...

2008-01-14T03:38:00.000-08:00

BOOK NOW for CARNIVAL - Due to cancellation we have 4 nights bed and breakfast for only 200.00 USD (100 Pound) per person...

4 Nights - From Friday 2nd February through Wednesday Morning 6th February (Carnival period is Saturday 2nd February through Tuesday 5th February)

Olinda stands proudly as an UNESCO World Heritage City...

Authentic, Uncomercialised and Unspoilt! The world famous Carnival of Olinda, in Brazil, is considered to be the most authentic, the most beautiful, and the most spontaneous of its kind.
And considering that over 1 million people take to the streets each day in this UNESCO World Heritage Town, it remains an amazing fact that the WORLDS GREATEST STREET CARNAVAL is not yet comercialised.

Olinda and Recife have many, many delights for the visitor, but the Olinda and Recife Carnavals deserve a very special mention. Of course Brazil is world renowned for its annual Carnaval events, but when Brazilians want to party, when they want to experience an authentic carnaval , they come to Olinda, and Recife.In actual fact, Olinda is considered to be the most authentic, democratic, Carnaval in the whole of Brazil.

Whilst Recife holds pride of place in the Guiness Book Of Records as having the largest street Carnaval group (bloco). It takes a whole year for Brazilians to prepare for Carnaval, and the Olinda and Recife versions are certainly worth waiting for....

Reserve Your Place FOR 2008 - Click Here!

PS: Accommodation is in Recife...

2008-01-12T16:34:00.000-08:00

Porto Alegre (The Joyous City) is in south Brazil, and is the state capital of Rio Grande do Sul.

Porto Alegre is an important economic and cultural city in Brazil which developed mainly through the work of immigrants, especially from; Germany, Italy and Portugal, and this strong European connection is evident today - although there are also strong indigenous and afro-brazilian communities present too.

We have many projects in Porto Alegre, and besides volunteering work the following places and buildings are well worth a visit...

Palácio dos Açorianos” (The Palace of the Azoreans)
Museum of Art of Rio Grande do Sul
Piratini Palace
Ilha da Pintada (Pintada Island)
Chico Mendes Park
Lami Biological Reserve
Guaíba Lake and the archipelago; comprised by 28 islands

Porto Alegre has a very efficient transport system and also boasts a very busy international airport.

Would you like to Volunteer in Porto Alegre? - We have projects in the following areas:

Conservation...
NGO Functions in Porto Alegre...
Teaching English...
Community Work Projects in Porto Alegre...
Teaching Skills to the Youth and Adults of Porto Alegre...

Apply - Volunteer in Porto Alegre...

Brazil Serie A

2008-01-09T04:32:00.000-08:00

Hello and Happy New Year...

Just a very quick note to let you know of a very important development...at Volunteer Brazil

We understand that some of you are more independent than others - regarding your lifestyle and travel objectives, particularly volunteer and cultural travel.

With this in mind, we are launching a special volunteering program option for the more independent volunteer traveller.

YOU PAY JUST: (US $325) (170 Great Britain Pounds)(225 Euro)- - - - For your volunteer program with us.

What you get:

Your volunteer program/project work (Brazil only)...
Pre-departure help and advice...
Post placement recognition/reference (if required)...

Please note, does not include; flights, travel insurance, food or accommodation.

We haven't yet put this on our website (but will do so in the coming weeks), so to take advantage of this, please contact us through email , or via our online application; here:

http://volunteerbrazil.com/booknow.html

Please mention independent volunteering when you apply.

Have a great year, kind regards, Alan Thomas.

Volunteer Brazil | Blogs and Blags

2008-01-06T03:29:00.000-08:00

Volunteer Brazil Blogs and Blags

2007-12-27T03:45:00.000-08:00

IMPORTANT ADDITION TO OUR BRAZIL CARNIVAL PROGRAM...

All Carnival bookings have the option to participate in Carnival parades (blocos) - 1st - 6th Feb 2008...

It is rare for non-Brazilians to participate and be a part of Carnival Parades - you can if you wish, help out and be a part of some of the parades in Olinda and Recife - this is exclusive to Volunteer Brazil bookings...

So here's the deal -

5 nights bed and breakfast from 400.00 USD (200 Pound) per person...
5 Nights - From Friday 1st February through Wednesday Morning 6th February (Carnival period is Saturday 2nd February through Tuesday 5th February)
Price includes - 5 nights bed and breakfast in Recife or Olinda & hotel pick-up.

It is reccommended that you book this very, very quickly - it won't be available for very long....

email: alan@volunteerbrazil.com

Or Book here: http://volunteerbrazil.com/booknow.html

2007-12-18T03:46:00.000-08:00

SKILL SWAP

Good Morning (It's morning as I write)...

I have a skill swap proposal:

I am looking for someone who can translate one page (my main page) of one of my travel websites into the fololwing languages; German, Dutch, Italian and French.

IN RETURN:

If you have a website I can do any of the following in return:

i) Analyze and evaluate your website index page (main) and up to 2 other pages of your website.

The evaluation will be solely about Search Engine Optimization (SEO), and a brief synopsis on how you may improve your search engine rankings/traffic on the pages evaluated.

ii) Translate one of your webpages from English to Portuguese.

If you can help - please email me: alan@volunteerbrazil.com

2007-12-15T05:30:00.000-08:00

THE LAST CALL FOR CARNIVAL - PROBABLY...

We have reduced our Carnival price to....

BOOK NOW for CARNIVAL - 5 nights bed and breakfast from 400.00 USD (200 Pound) per person...

5 Nights - From Friday 1st February through Wednesday Morning 6th February (Carnival period is Saturday 2nd February through Tuesday 5th February)

2007-11-27T03:07:00.000-08:00

Study English in an English College

If you want to study English, there is no better place to learn the language than in England itself - Quaint, fashionable, historic, with sprawling countryside and very appealing villages. With towns and cities, boasting unrivalled architectural diversity, whereby, history and tradition meets modernity.

This is a wonderful opportunity to study English in the traditional home of the language - Living, studying and working amongst English native speakers, in their own cultural environment will be an invaluable aid in helping you to achieve your objectives.

Your College location

You will be based in Brighton, on the south coast of England, amid beautiful, sprawling Sussex countryside, and as a welcome bonus, your college is less then 50 minutes from London.

Some important points about your English course:

You will be taught by professional teachers.
Class sizes are a maximum of 12 students.
All students are over 16 years old.
Your teachers will offer counselling sessions, and ask about accommodation and your life in England.
The college has a self study centre to help you improve your English outside classes.
Academic and Administration staff will help you apply for a university place - and advise you.
Regency College is acreddited by The British Council.
In addition to your chosen Cambridge English examination qualification (or other) Regency College will present you with a certificate at the end of your course.

Your Accommodation

Your accommodation is going to be an integral part of your English cultural experience, with this in mind, you have a wide-ranging choice of accommodation options.
Your accommodation options:
Homestay with a local English family.
Self catering flat in Regency College.
Local hotel or guest house.
Private rented accommodation in Brighton.
You may choose to have a single or shared room, the choice is yours. You may also decide whether you want to have your meals included in your accommodation choice, or to be more adventurous and take care of your own eating arrangements.

Got a Question?
please don't forget, if you have a question, want advice on the best option(s). Or perhaps you would like to talk to a native English speaker about what its like to live and study in England - Ask us, Here!

You can check it out ; here: http://unitedkingdom.volunteerbrazil.com/

2007-11-19T04:25:00.000-08:00

Bed & Breakfast Accommodation in Brazil

Bed and Breakfast Accommodation in Recife, Brazil

Are you looking for bed and breakfast accommodation in Recife?

Room RateTariff

R$ 60 per person per night (around US $ 34 – 16 United Kingdom Pounds – 23 Euros)

Airport pick-up is available for US $ 35 (up to 3 people)

Please email: bedandbreakfast@volunteerbrazil.com

Or make your reservation here: Reservation (please let us know your dates, how many nights accommodation you require and if you want airport-pick-up).

Or call us:
0055 81 32692793 (regular line)
005581 88798877 (mobile).

Both English and Portuguese speakers are welcome at our bed and breakfast.

Local information
Your bed and breakfast is only a short bus ride to down town Recife and the beach area of Boa Viagem. The exquisite resort of Porto de Galinhas is less than an hour on local transport and the historic and UNESCO site of Olinda is less than 5 miles away.

Recife has a tropical climate and is a hot sunny city, light clothing and shoes are reccomended. The city is served by Recife Guararapes International Airport, and domestic flights can be easily arranged to the Amazon in the north or Rio de Janeiro in the south. The fourth largest city in Brazil derived its name from the Portuguese word for Reef, and being protected by a long coastal reef you will find some of Brazils best beaches along its coast, in particular, Porto de Galinhas which is considered to be the second most beautiful beach in Brazil.

(in actual fact the beach considered to be the most beautiful is also in Pernambuco - on the island(s) of Fernando de Norohna). Recifes deep cultural roots are notable, and the citys cultural program should not be overlooked. You will find many fine restaurants, a pulsating nightlife, and rich places to explore art, craft, music and dance. Traditional handcrafts to look out for are clay figuerines, wood sculptures, leather goods and woven straw which you will find at markets and shops hidden away in the citys narrow streets.

2007-11-18T04:05:00.000-08:00

Make a difference to a child this Christmas -

Donate Today

Donate to Volunteer Brazil - Brazil Donations

If for whatever reason you are unable to volunteer or come to Brazil - you can still help by making a donation...

Why not make a donation?

There are 2 ways you can make a donation:

By making a regular monthly or annual donation...

A one-off donation...

Either way you will be contributing to a very, very worthwhile, much needed and greatly appreciated cause - moreover, you will recieve initial and regualr information and feedback about your oen and other donations...
You may either make a monetary donation using your American Express card or by sending a contribution direct to our bank account using the SWIFT bank transfer facility.

Some points to consider regarding donations...

You may donate as little as US $50 (50 Euro or 25 GBP)...

You can choose a generic project for your donation...

You will receive an acknowledgement and details of where and on what your donation has been used - with regular updates...

If you choose to donate monthly, you will recieve a monthly donations newsletter - for one-off donations, this will be quarterly...

You may donate clothes, books, school supplies, IT equipment - in fact almost anything which maybe needed or useful to our projects in Brazil - please contact us for our delivery address in Brazil.

If you have a question, want more information or would like to donate, please contact us today! Contact us

To make a donation using your AMEX please call us on 00 55 81 32692793 (Office) or email us @ information@volunteerbrazil.com

We will need your card number; name on card, expiry date and 4 digit security number (on the front of your card), and of course the amount you wish to contribute (and whether it is a one-off contribution or monthly/annual).

For a contribution direct to our bank in Brazil - Please contact us for our banking information - information@volunteerbrazil.com

Thank you for reading and hopefully, donating - see you soon...

2007-11-17T03:40:00.000-08:00

Brazil Carnival 2008 - The Greatest Show on Earth...

Book NOW - 5 nights bed and breakfast from 600.00 USD (295 Pound) per person...

Come and join us for the Worlds Greatest Carnival Party - Early Booking is Strongly Advised!

5 Nights - From Friday 1st February through Wednesday Morning 6th February (Carnival period is Saturday 2nd February through Tuesday 5th February)

Reserve Your Place FOR 2008 - Click Here!

Price includes - 5 nights bed and breakfast in Recife (in a homestay) & hotel pick-up. (hotel accom available @ extra cost - but will only be available until December at the very latest - hotel accom is almost fully booked...

2007-11-13T04:45:00.000-08:00

Brazil hosts web policy forum

More than 2,000 people who oversee the workings of the net around the world are gathering in Brazil

Policy makers, activists and officials are gathering in Rio de Janeiro for the second Internet Governance Forum.

The UN-backed body aims to give those developing policies for the net a place to air problems and hear about others who have succeeded.
Sessions at the four-day forum will debate security, international domains and control of core net functions.

Debating chamber
The Internet Governance Forum (IGF) grew out of the World Summit on the Information Society meetings which were held in 2003 and 2005.

The forum is intended to be a debating chamber that, among other things, helps to keep the UN Secretary General up to date with pressing net issues.

The IGF was also created to be a "neutral space" in which policy makers, concerned citizens, lobby groups, educators and companies can debate and swap ideas without the need to produce recommendations or decisions.
But this lack of measurable success has led some critics to decry it as little more than a talking shop.

"Using 'talking shop' as a negative suggests communication is a bad thing," said Emily Taylor, director of legal and policy at UK domain name overseer Nominet, who will be attending the meeting.

She said it was one of the few times that those involved with overseeing the net get a chance to gather.

"I know from working in the industry for a few years that an awful lot can be learned from your peers," she said.

Theresa Swinehart, general manager of global and strategic partnerships at net overseer Icann, said one of the most positive aspects of the IGF was that lack of pressure to produce decisions and policies.

"One of the big issues at the WSIS was the importance of sharing information and addressing issues that may not be under the jurisdiction of one particular organisation," she said.
In some senses, she said, the IGF could already be judged a success because it had put in touch people around the world working on the same thorny net problems.
"It's already demonstrated benefits because people are aware of the issues and have information about how to solve them," she said.

Ad hoc working groups have emerged from the first IGF in Athens and many are expected to report what they had been doing at the 2007 event.

Sessions at the IGF will debate how to improve net security and ways that governments have tackled rising cybercrime. Other sessions will look at linguistic diversity online, the move to IP version 6, the number system for all online devices, and how to protect free speech.
Ms Taylor said the debates typically involved the sharing of success stories, recounting of the mistakes some made and policies that did and did not work.

She said: "Often you learn as much from what went wrong as from what went right."

Report taken and made by the BBC

2007-11-11T01:50:00.000-08:00

Volunteer in Argentina - Travel and Tango!

Argentina is an extremely pleasurable experience, so unexpectedly diverse, yet paradoxically, what you would expect from the second largest country in South America. It has one of the most diverse terrains on the planet - with a variety of climates. From subtropical to subpolar, in fact the highest temperature recorded is 49 Degrees Celcius, whilst the lowest recorded is - 39.

You will be based in Godoy in the region of Sante Fe, 60 kms from Rosario.
You may either Teach English to children and adults or teach or help with sporting activities (all types of sport). You may if you wish combine both activities and can also help the local authority in Godoy plan new programs for now and the future.

You will volunteer 5 days a week ,for a minimum of 4 hours per day. This allows you plenty of time to explore and immerse yourself in Argentinian Culture.

Your accommodation will be with an Argentine family who will serve you 3 meals per day.

Apply to Volunteer in Argentina

2007-11-09T00:52:00.000-08:00

CARNIVAL FEB 2008

What will you be doing between

Feb 2nd through 6th 2008?

6 Nights - From Friday 2nd February through Wednesday 6th February (Carnival period is Saturday 2nd February through Wednesday 6th February)

6 nights of frenzied partying, 6 days of glorious sunshine - the ultimate , the best, the most famous of all Carnival's await's you. Do not delay much longer, as Carnival period in Brazil is booked-up very quickly, and accommodation can be problematic if you leave it too late.

You can book for Carnival in Brazil through Volunteer Brazil - check-out the Carnival Brazil page ;here: http://volunteerbrazil.com/myPictures/carnaval.html

You may choose from the following:

Carnival in Olinda

Carnival in Rio de Janeiro

Carnival in Recife

Carnival in Bahia

Please state your preference on your application form, you will find it here; http://volunteerbrazil.com/booknow.html

And finally - WHY NOT VOLUNTEER DURING THE CARNIVAL PERIOD - IF EVER THERE IS AN INSTANCE OF KILLING 2 BIRDS WITH ONE STONE - THIS IS IT!

Go here: http://www.volunteerbrazil.com/

Have a great day......

2007-11-08T04:18:00.000-08:00

20% off all Volunteer Programs in Brazil...

Have I got news for you - Volunteer Brazil are giving a very, very generous 20% discount off all their Volunteer Programs in Brazil - the only stipulation is that you must volunteer in Brazil, Argentina, Peru or Africa before December 31st 2007.

Check out the available volunteer programs;here:

http://volunteerbrazil.com/projects.htm

BRAZIL TESTIMONIAL

Here is a recent (so recent, Chris is still in Brazil) testimonial about Volunteer Brazil's Street Children Project

In Chris' own words....

hey Alan things are amazing!

its amazing here and i would recommend it anyone .the kids are amazing and each of them is so happy and playful. everyday we play and have fun.

im starting to get the launguage aswell being constantly surrounded by it. its okay if someones talking directly to me but if their talking around me it goes over my head. but its okay tho because i know whats going on most of the time.

but like i said everything is amazing, the scenery, the kids and the staff are also really good. they really help me and help explain things if needs be. had a massive futsol tournament last night and im paying for it now. my feet are in pain but it was worth it.

am really enjoying my experience here just cant believe how quick the days are going. hope everything is well with you. and thank you for this, i cant describe how happy i am here.

Chris, Recife, November 2007 (Street Kids Program)

2007-11-07T04:32:00.000-08:00

Why is Brazil Real Estate attracting so Many Overseas Investors?

Overseas property investors are heading to Brazil for a multitude of reasons; even famous move stars and footballers are investing in Brazil real estate.

Here is a 100% themed website BRAZIL REAL ESTATE dedicated to increasing awareness and exposure about the Brazil real estate investment market is receiving a lot of interest and has even been featured in the UK national press.

The site is focused on the North East state of Rio Grande de Norte as being the investment hotspot and they have even produced a free 76 page country and buyers guide with detailed information about the area, tourist attractions, economic growth and other property investment related information.

The site highlights the importance of tourism growth being a key factor for all the investment activity.

Tourism development

The Brazilian government for the North East are and have been actively encouraging tourism growth and inward foreign investment especially in the north-eastern state of Rio Grande do Norte.

The northeast is full of flavours and vibrant colours. Music, dance, folklore, religion and regional culinary delights all abound with as many different delicacies as there are states and accents. It is an all year round paradise for those in search of perfect beaches, equally perfect weather and dramatic landscapes, all seasoned with a large dose of culture, history and folklore.

Exceptional Tourism Growth and Potential: Brazil had 5,358,000 visitors in 2005, an increase of 4% since 2004, placing them as the fourth greatest tourist destinations in the Americas. The amazing and diverse landscapes from Rio de Janerio the tropical city metropolis , the quintessential sandy beaches of the North East, to the Amazon Jungle mean Brazil has a wealth of varies attractions and a wide range of tourist activities.

However the main area for tourism development in Brazil as mentioned earlier is the north east region.This has originated from a large public investment programme which was initiated around 10 years ago: the Tourism Development Programme in the North East, PROSETUR / NE.Over 670 million dollars have been invested through this programme on;
- Transport- The environment- Infrastructures- Tourism management bodies
The success of this has resulted in the implementation of PRODETUR / NE II with an estimated investment of 400 million dollars.

Between 2002 and 2005, the number of international passengers at Brazilian airports increased by 50%. The north east of country, the main leisure destination in Brazil, saw a 160% increase in travellers within the same time period, this trend is predicted to continue.

This investment activity has encouraged international property developers to set up shop and start building a selection of top quality residential tourism resorts in the area.
4 new residential tourist developments worth mentioning are; Grand Natal Golf - Located only 20 minutes north of Natal the capital of Rio Grande do Norte; the sunniest and safest region of Brazil you will find this residential development that is absolutely respectful with the ecosystem, the unspoiled landscape, and the people living in the area.

The development will feature five golf courses, a heliport, a residential complex, tennis and paddle courts, a riding club, spa facilities, a health and aesthetics centre as well as a thriving commercial and recreational complex all surrounded by tropical gardens, pools and perfectly landscaped grounds.

Sol Do Atlantico - Only 150 meters from the shore-line is a beach lover’s paradise – the sophisticated, development has a front line, elevated position ensuring all properties come with exceptionally stunning views. Pipa Paradise - peace and tranquillity; the development is situated directly behind the ‘Chapadão’ a rocky plateau and conservation area located above the ‘Praia do Amor’, the Love Beach with some of the most spectacular sea views available anywhere in the world. Porto Brazil – apartments on a luxury secured gated community located only 12 km from the centre of the city of Natal with superb views over the surrounding area. It is a resort with a complete leisure, relaxation and amusement infrastructure including a range of services from tourist trips to rental management schemesTo view these developments then check out this site which has been designed to specifically showcase these 4 developments in all there glory, with floor-plans and areas and property pictures and investment points.

Here is the BRAZIL PROPERTY INVESTMENT site with all 4 developments.

In summary Brazil is a rising start for both Tourism and because of the massive investment now real estate investment is also growing in popularity.

We would like to point out that if you are looking to buy Brazil property make sure its in the right location including facilities and tourist attractions as well as making sure it’s a quality build and attractive type of property i.e. front line beach. This is just a quick guideline article and
This article is for information purposes only and you should consult independent professional advice before making any decisions or buying Brazil property.

Visit our web site where you can download your free 76 page country and buyers guide which is a must read before you buy Brazil property.

You can download the country and buyers guide which will help inform you with more detailed information about The North East and Tourist attractions and should help you decide on what area and type of property when looking to BUY BRAZIL PROPERTY

2007-09-23T06:19:00.000-07:00

Get involved in Conservation in Bahia, Brazil....

Our conservationpermaculture project in Bahia aims to contribute towards the sustainable development of the semi-arid region of Northeast Brazil, disseminating - through politico-environmental education and the strengthening of the local ('Sertanejo') popular culture - practices and alternatives based on the principals of permaculture; aimed at living in harmony with this semi-arid climate.

You will be based in Irecê, in the central part of the State of Bahia.

We want you to help us develop and spread the use of agricultural practices most appropriate to the semi-arid climate of the region founded on the principles of Permaculture. (the creation of an ecological farm based on diversified, year-round agricultural production and the use of natural renewable resources such as solar energy and the capture of rainwater, etc), to combat the rural exodus of young people, students and farmers agricultural labourers through enviro-political education and organisation, and to revitalise traditional regional culture through the study, recording and promotion of cultural groups and the organisation of cultural events.

Are you up for this? Apply Here…

Permaculture is about designing ecological human habitats and food production systems. It is a land use and community building concept which strives for the harmonious integration of human dwellings, microclimate, annual and perennial plants, animals, soils, and water into stable, productive communities. The focus is not on these elements themselves, but rather on the relationships created among them by the way we place them in the landscape. This synergy is further enhanced by mimicking patterns found in nature.

Information about Bahia

Bahia's capital is Salvador, or more correctly, São Salvador da Bahia.
Bahia is the chief locus of the early Brazilian slave trade, and is considered to possess the greatest and most distinctive African imprint in Brazil.

Bahia is the birthplace of many noted Brazilian artists, writers and musicians. There also are indigenous tribes, such as the Pataxo and the Tuxa.

Have a great day......

2007-07-07T15:23:00.000-07:00

Just take a look at Gerbrand...

Gerbrand volunteered with us in June, and as I write is still here on our NGO Volunteer Program.

I think he was quite amused and surprised to be voted The King of The Corn during the festival of St John - in all fairness to Gerbrand , he played along with it, and in fact did a magnificent job, too.

(Gerbrand is from Holland but is currently studying at the University of Wales in Cardiff....)

Some further information and a delicious sweetcorn recipe:

On 23rd June is the celebration of São João (St John The Baptist) the most popular saint in northeast Brazil. Fires are burnt in front of the houses, quadrilha is danced ( from French folklore) , all this is to give thanks for the good harvest, traditional meals are eaten and it is a great excuse to have fun...

Recipe for Canjica Pernambucana
Ingredients: · 25 spikes of sweetcorn· 1 cup of thick coconut milk· 4 litres of thin coconut milk· 3 cups of refined sugar· 1 soup spoon of butter· 1 soup spoon of salt· 1 cup of sweet herbal tea· 50 grames of butter cheese (optional – use a mincer if you have one)

Preparation and Method:

Grate the sweetcorn spikes and wash the mass with part of the light coconut milk through a thin sieve. Place mixture in a mincer machine or a liquidizer.
Add the rest of the thin coconut milk and boil it, always stirring it with a wooden spoon.After one hour and a half of boiling and stirring, put all the other ingredients and the remainder of the thick coconut milk.

Boil it on a low heat, always stirring it with the wooden spoon. Place it in a crosspiece plate or small plates and sprinkle with cinnamon…..
Hope you enjoy it!

PS: Thank you to, Mirian Machado-Thomas for writing about the June Festivals and providing the recipe for the delicious canjica...Obrigado Mirian...

If you have a question about the June Festivals or would like more Brazilian recipes , you may contact Mirian here

See you soon...

2007-06-10T13:37:00.000-07:00

Missing Children

Can you imagine what it must feel like to find your child has gone, been taken away from you , taken from their bed, has failed to return from an errand – has just simply disappeared...

Think about it for just one moment – and one moment only, because if like me, you find it unbearably hard to imagine – be thankful, very thankful…

But somewhere in the world this nightmare happens each and every day, in fact thousands of times per day – very thankfully some of these disappearances are accounted for very, very quickly, but sadly not all.

Missing Children Myth

According to the organization; connect for kids, posting pictures of missing children is the single most important tool for locating children who are missing. Further, law enforcement agencies concur and many police forces throughout the world cite photographs of the missing are the vital link between the public and the eventual solving of the disappearance.

If you want more information on missing children in your country, go to http://www.missingkids.com/ , for Brazil only go to http://br.missingkids.com/

To conclude I want to highlight the disappearance of Madeleine McCann. The disappearance of Madeleine has received extensive European news coverage. Indeed most countries outside Europe has to a lesser or greater degree given Madeleine’s disappearance some coverage.

Madeleine went missing on 3rd May, she was taken from her bed by a person or persons unknown in the Portuguese holiday resort of Praia de Luz in the Algarve. Madeline was holidaying with her mum and dad, and twin brother and sister.

Madeleine McCann is only 4 years old, and somebody, somewhere, has knowledge of her whereabouts.

If YOU know where Madeleine is, if you know anything at all about her disappearance , please. Please , please get in touch with your local police immediately. Alternatively you can call the Portuguese police on 00351 282 405 400 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

For more information please visit the official Madeleine McCann website, here: http://www.findmadeleine.com/

Lets hope Madeline is found safe and sound very soon…

2007-05-18T03:57:00.000-07:00

Over 2 million children are forced into sex slavery each year.

If you think you can’t make a difference, think again...

My name is Kiren, I am volunteering with Volunteer Brazil in June of this year (2007). For 5 weeks I will be volunteering on the women at risk program in Recife.

As a Master’s Degree student in psychology at New York University, I have earned the opportunity to help the victims of sexual trafficking in Recife, Brazil with Casa de Passagen (House of Passage) for five weeks starting June 2007. Brazil is among the top three countries with the highest number of sex trafficking victims (some as young as six years old). UNICEF estimates that the number exceeds 500,000.

Casa de Passagen is a project based in Brazil that works with the city council, local authority, police, courts, judges, and other social service agencies to assist street prostitutes and sex slaves. Casa de Passagen rescues, rehabilitates, and empowers these women and children through shelters, counseling, education, various types of therapy, job skills and training, and recreational activities.

I am currently the on-site counselor for ECPAT-USA (End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography, and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes), running a program that gives young adults an opportunity to educate, raise awareness, and develop and implement projects that address this increasing problem. I also have relevant counseling experience, especially working with diverse communities. I hope to use my education, skills, and experience to support these victims in starting a new life. In addition to the psychological services I can provide, my passion for raising awareness about the horrors of prostitution and trafficking will enable me to educate others throughout Brazil.

All programs are run solely on volunteer contributions, and therefore each program has a fee. To be able to participate in this program, I need financial assistance, which I hope you can help provide. If possible, I am asking to be sponsored for at least one day of my program ($111.11). However, any donation that you can contribute would be greatly appreciated. Checks can be sent to the address below.

I encourage you to visit http://www.volunteerbrazil.com/ to learn more about the program.

I thank you in advance and I look forward to sharing this experience with you. Kiren Shingadia.

Help me Fundraise!

Contact me:
email: Attention of Kiren: information@volunteerbrazil.com

2007-04-23T02:48:00.000-07:00

With a Little Help From my Friends

My name is Lacey, I am Canadian and volunteering with Volunteer Brazil in July of this year (2007).

For 5 weeks I will be volunteering at an orphanage in Recife.

I was born and raised in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Although I have grown up in Thunder Bay, I have spent a number of months overseas on school exchange, as well as personal travel throughout North America. It is not vacationing which I love so much as traveling to experience different cultures and languages. Having recently graduated from Lakehead University's Teacher's College and wanting to experience more of the world, I havedecided to embark on a volunteer adventure in Brazil.

I have been very fortunate with the life I've had here in Thunder Bay, and I want to give back to those children who have not had the privileges I have had. During my time at the orphanage I will be helping in the everyday lives of the children.

I will be providing them with love and attention, playing games and helping them get ready for school, complete homework, and teach them informal english lessons. I want to have the opportunity to share some things with the children/youth of Brazil, while at the same time have them teach me something about their diverse culture. I had no doubt that this is what I wanted to do once I completed school, and by helping meraise funds you can help me reach my goal. In total my 5 week volunteer placement will cost me approximately CAD $3000.00.

This is broken down into program fee (which includes language training and living expenses for the duration of the 5 weeks), flight, visa, as well as traveler's insurance. My goal is to raise as much of that as possible. I will be approaching friends, family, and local businesses in search of any type of support. I am asking for funds; however, I will also be accepting services and donations which may help in my fundraising goals.

I am in the process of setting up a number of fundraising projects which will soon be posted on this site.

Thank you for your support!

Fundraising Events:

Yard Sale @ Evangel Church (Thunder Bay) on Saturday 5th May...

Car Wash @ Jones and Associates (Thunder Bay), day and time to be arranged...

BBQ, location, day and time to be arranged...

Ongoing fundraisers:

Mom's Pantry sales (please contact me for more information on how to order)Flower Pens ($3-on sale throughout the community)

Thank you to my sponsors...

Cozy Corner Store.

Jones and Associates Insurance.

Contact me: Lacey Dagenaisemail: lacey@volunteerbrazil.com

2007-02-04T02:45:00.000-08:00

LIKE A VIRGIN...

I doubt if these guys are being ¨touched for the very first time¨

Today marks the first day of many days of debauchery in Olinda.

Mothers, wives and girlfriends send their sons , husbands and lovers to do battle in this UNESCO World Heritage Town.

Bidding farewell to their men is not the usual anxious, heartwrenching wonderment and hope filled goodbye associated with battle - Indeed , mothers, partners and sisters have helped considerably with the battledress of short skirt, lipstick, stuffed brassiere and nail polish...

Freudian fear dictates that the females do not worry whether their men come back alive and victorious, but whether they come back as, well, er....men...

Like most Latin American males, Brazilian men are essentially macho, and prima facie, there are only 3 phrases or verbal attacks which can send a Brazilian man into a frenzy...

1) Telling him that he is a ¨corno ¨... (corno, means horn, signifying that he has grown horns, meaning that his wife or girlfriend is having an affair).

2) Calling his mother a prostitute...

3) Calling him gay... (meaning homosexual)...

It is with amusement then, this weekend, we will see thousands of Brazilian macho men, cross-dessed, flaunting themselves as desirable, delectable, female virgins...

Apparently, Dia das Virgens, or Day of the Virgins came about by a group of men from a Bairro Novo family (a district of Olinda). They decided it would be great fun to become, transvestite, for a day...(no surprise that the virgins wiggle their bits the 2 weekends before Carnival).

This tradition caught on very, very quickly and is now a major and significant event in the Olinda calendar...

Flaunt your bits at Olinda this year, only a few places remaining for our main carnival event...

Check it out, here: http://volunteerbrazil.com/myPictures/carnaval.html

Have a great weekend, whatever your doing...

Alan (or is that Alana)...

2007-01-20T17:17:00.000-08:00

AS MAD

AS A MARCH HARE

No beating around the bush, no spiel, no sales-talk...

EXCEPTIONAL LOW COST VOLUNTEER PROGRAMS...FOR MARCH 2007

1 WEEK VOLUNTEER PROGRAM FOR $550 US DOLLARS (280 Great Britain Pounds 430 Euros)

2 WEEK VOLUNTEER PROGRAM FOR $715 US DOLLARS (362 Great Britain Pounds 552 Euros)

3 WEEK VOLUNTEER PROGRAM FOR $880 US DOLLARS (445 Great Britain Pounds 680 Euros)

4 WEEK VOLUNTEER PROGRAM FOR $1100 US DOLLARS (558 Great Britain Pounds 850 Euros)

The only condition(s) which apply to our MAD MARCH HARE OFFER are as follows:

1) Your volunteer program must be 1,2,3 or 4 weeks in duration.
2) The first day of your program must commence in March 2007.
3) We are capping the offer to 30 volunteer program places.

Go and check-it out! MAD MARCH HARE OFFER

2007-01-18T06:14:00.000-08:00

Study

English

in an

English

College.

If you want to study English, there is no better place to learn the language than in England itself - Quaint, fashionable, historic, with sprawling countryside and very appealing villages.

With towns and cities, boasting unrivalled architectural diversity, whereby, history and tradition meets modernity.

You will be based in Brighton, on the south coast of England, amid beautiful, sprawling Sussex countryside, and as a welcome bonus, your college is less then 50 minutes from London.

This is a wonderful opportunity to study English in the traditional home of the language - Living, studying and working amongst English native speakers, in their own cultural environment will be an invaluable aid in helping you to achieve your objectives.

Some important points about your English course:

You will be taught by professional teachers.
Class sizes are a maximum of 12 students.
All students are over 16 years old.
Your teachers will offer counselling sessions, and ask about accommodation and your life in England.

The college has a self study centre to help you improve your English outside classes.
Academic and Administration staff will help you apply for a university place - and advise you.
Regency College is acreddited by The British Council.
In addition to your chosen Cambridge English examination qualification (or other) Regency College will present you with a certificate at the end of your course.

Your Accommodation

Your accommodation is going to be an integral part of your English cultural experience, with this in mind, you have a wide-ranging choice of accommodation options.

For more information, check out this page: http://unitedkingdom.volunteerbrazil.com/

Or, contact us directly, here:
http://unitedkingdom.volunteerbrazil.com/studyinenglandapp.html

2007-01-18T02:59:00.000-08:00

GOOGLE BOT MAKES FALSE ARREST!

Hi,

Haven't been able to post for a week or so...

My blog was placed under house arrest by the google bot...

The blogger team sent me an email - here it is:

Dear Blogger user,

This is a message from the Blogger Team. In order to maintain a free, high qualityservice, we use an automated classifier to identify spam blogs.

[1]This system has detected that your blog has characteristics that resemble spam.Since you're an actual person reading this, your blog is probably not a spam blog.Automated spam detection is inherently fuzzy, and we sincerely apologize for thiserroneous result.

You won't be able to publish posts to your blog until we review your site and verifythat it is not a spam blog. To request a review, please fill out the form foundhere: http://www.blogger.com/unlock-blog.g?blogID=22981200

We'll take a look at your blog and unlock it in less than four business days. Pleasenote, if we don't hear from you, we will remove your blog within 20 days.

If the blog at http://volunteerbraziltravel.blogspot.com/ does not belong to you,then no action is necessary on your part. Any other blogs you may have will not beaffected. By using automated classification systems we've been able to dedicate more storage,bandwidth, and engineering resources to users like you instead of spammers.

Thanksfor your understanding.Sincerely, The Blogger Team

Fortunately, the humans at Google, have now recognised, and acknowledged the megalomaniac tendencies of their ¨virtual bouncers¨...

The human sent me this:

Hello,

Your blog has been reviewed, verified, and cleared for regular use so thatit will no longer appear as potential spam.

If you sign out of Blogger andsign back in again, you should be able to post as normal. Thanks for yourpatience, and we apologize for any inconvenience this has caused.

Sincerely,The Blogger Team

See you soon, Tchau ....

Check-out my new Brazil Travel Board - here:

http://travelbrazil.proboards52.com/index.cgi

2007-01-05T05:33:00.000-08:00

New Project in The Amazon Rainforest.

Our Amazon project is deep in the western section of the rainforest, in the state of Acre.

Acre has the Bolivian border to the south, and the Peruvian border to the west.

Due to illegal logging and other devastating activities, 45% of the rainforest in Acre is protected by the Brazilian government, and the remaining 55% is very, very, closely monitored.

There are hundreds of plants, fauna and trees under threat of extinction, perhaps none more so than the Mogno tree, which, primarily, over the past 150 years has been illegally cut down and sold as the sought after, wood; mahogany.

The Mahogany was a much sought after commodity, particularly in the British and North American markets. It was ultimately this desire for mahogany, the once favored wood for furniture making (amongst many other traditions) which today threatens the species.

Our project then is to replant and protect the most endangered trees, plants and rainforest fauna. We do this by collecting seeds and fruits from endangered species, and replanting them in a nursery environment. The nursery stage is usually about 3 months in duration, after which the plants and seedlings are replanted in the Amazon Rainforest.

The project objective is to replant some 50,000 hectares per year, we are currently only managing 2000 hectares per year - less than 5% of target..……This is why volunteers are needed

More Information about your location.

Acre, lies in The Amazon Basin, and 93% of the state territory is covered with tropical rainforest. And despite the deforestation , Brazil, remains the most bio-diverse country on the planet (Indonesia is second).

Some of the trees are gigantic, such as the "sumauma" which can attain a height of 160 feet, or the water lily, named by a British Victorian explorer as "victoria regia" on account of the lily being ¨fit for a queen¨, spanning more than 6 feet across.

There are Brazil-nuts , copious amounts of exotic fruits, innumerable species of insect, birds of paradise, parrots, marine life, snakes, turtles, monkeys, jaguars, panthers and possibly other species waiting to be discovered.

Indigenous peoples of your location.

The known Indian peoples of the Amazon Basin, are divided into 6 linguistic groups:

Tupi, Karib, Tukano, Jê, Pano and Aruaque. However, there are also isolated groups who have little no contact with other groups. Notwithstanding, previously unknown indigenous Indian groups are sometimes discovered.

The first immigrants to the area

By the end of the 19th century the first wave of immigration took place, this was due primarily, to the European and North-American demand for rubber.

Rubber companies were set-up, called "Seringalistas" . The "Seringalistas" appropriated large areas of rain forest for rubber extraction (latex). The Amazon Indians tried in vain to resist, but their bow and arrows were no match for the guns of the rubber companies sponsored gunmen. The gun wielding "Correrias" were mostly bachelors, and usually killed only the male Indian, and taking the Indian women as wives. In addition to this , many of the Indians died from diseases such as tuberculosis and measles, hitherto unknown in the region.

The Indians were forced into labour, constructing roads and rubber-tapping.

The rubber boom brought great wealth to the Amazon cities of Belem and Manaus. However, this was to end, under dramatic and infamous circumstances.

Biopiracy is not new to Brazil, indeed the Portuguese colonizers were the first biopirates to set foot on Brazilian soil. However, the decline of the Brazilian rubber industry is infamously attributed to an Englishman; Henry Alexander Wickham, who in 1876 stole rubber tree seeds.

He was originally in negotiation with the Brazilian government to establish a rubber industry in the Amazon region. When the parties could not agree terms, Wickham hid the rubber seeds on his ship, stashed between banana leaves.

Ironically , Brazilian officials organized a farewell party for Wickham, and proceeded to give him a most generous send-off, not knowing of course, that he had hidden seeds on board his ship.

Wickham and his pirates sailed for the British colonies of Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and Malaysia and established the region as the worlds main latex production and exporters. Which devastated the Brazilian rubber-tapping industry.

Wickham was subsequently knighted by King George V, and loathed by Brazils rubber barons, who called him ¨the executioner of the Amazonas¨.

If you would like to volunteer on our Amazon Project, please contact us by either , clicking here:

http://volunteerbrazil.com/booknow.html

or by emailing us: alan@volunteerbrazil.com , mention, Wickham the rubber-tree pirate in your email, for 15% discount off the program cost.

2006-12-24T00:34:00.000-08:00

Christmas in Brazil...

In the main , Christmas in Brazil, follows the European traditions - particularly, those of Portugal.

It is essentially a time when families get together, most notably for Christmas supper, which is eaten at Midnight on December 24th (although, lots of families eat earlier than this - but most notably on Christmas Eve, as opposed to Christmas Day.

The Christmas Supper will consist of turkey, chicken, pork, ham, rice, fresh vegetables and fruit dishes. However, poorer Brazilians, usually have to make-do with rice and chicken.

Traditional Catholic families may attend; Mass at Midnight (on the 24th), the Mass ends at 1.00am, and is known as The Rooster Mass or; Missa do Galo.

TRADITIONS OF CHRISTMAS

One of the main traditions is the nativity scene or; Presépio The Presépio was introduced in the 17th century by a Franciscan friar named; Gaspar de Santo Agostinho. Most interestingly, he was from Olinda, which is also considered the birthplace of Brazilian nationality.

Father Christmas, or; Papai Noel is the unsuprisingly, traditional gift bringer, originally hailing from Greenland (according to legend), notwithstanding ,the Papai Noel concept came to Brazil during the 1950s, originating from The United States, - and subsequently commercialised in the 60s and 70s.

The decorated Christmas tree is an important Christmas ingredient, as are coloured , flashing electric lights, both adorn the main living room of houses and apartments, with the flashing lights, particularly popular draped across and over balconies of the many millions of apartment buildings.

Fireworks can be heard all hours of the day and night (mostly at night - and sometimes all through the night), and this typically Brazilian, pyrotechnic dimension to festivities, will continue until January 6th, otherwise known as Three Kings Day, which symbolizes the Three Wise Men , taking gifts to The Baby Jesus.

Happy Holidays...May you find joy, peace and contentment, and I sincerely hope that 2007 will be a memorable, and very special year, for you!

Take care, Alan Thomas.

2006-12-20T10:38:00.000-08:00

Take A Walk On The Wildside...

Have you ever wanted to go to the Amazon Rainforest?

We are launching 2 wonderful opportunities for 2007...

Take A Walk On The Wildside 1
............................................................

Would you like to help us with reforestation in The Amazon? This is a great opportunity to help breathe new life into the ¨lungs of the world¨.

Come and help us replant some of the rare and most vital trees and plants in the Amazon.

Interested? Please drop us an email - to: alan@volunteerbrazil.com , mention, Walk On The Wildside 1, and we will give you 15% discount, off your program cost.

Take A Walk On The Wildside 2
....................................................

Deep in The Amazon ,we have an environmental art project, whereby, children and Amazon natives make the most beautiful art from their environment. Using natural materials which fall from the jungles plants and trees, materials taken from the Amazon River and the forest floor...

Interested? Please drop us an email - to: alan@volunteerbrazil.com , mention, Walk On The Wildside 2, and we will give you 15% discount, off your program cost.

2006-12-18T04:43:00.000-08:00

Portuguese,

in Brazil.

If you are considering coming to Brazil, be it as a tourist, for business purposes, backpacking or on an organised volunteering or cultural exchange program, you will need to learn some Portuguese...

WE CAN HELP YOU!

Our Portuguese Courses in Brazil have been prepared and are delivered by qualified Professional Educators.

We have 3 Portuguese Courses to choose from...

Portuguese Course 1 (Starter)

This course is ideal for beginners and will help you survive in everday situations.
Our Portuguese Course uses a very much eclectic approach. Our objective is to give you the confidence and competence to develop your basic, oral Portuguese in a variety of situations.

Portuguese Course 2 (Intermediate)

Our second Portuguese course logically follows on from the first course. If you have existing Portuguese language skills, or have already taken Course 1 - then this is the course for you!

Our objective is to enable and empower you to express yourself in Portuguese, in more sophisticated ways, addresing a variety of circumstances.

Our Intermediate Portuguese Course is again geared towards everyday, practical usage. However, there is more attention to grammar this time.

Portuguese Course 3 (Advanced)

Our Advanced Portuguese course logically follows on from the Starter and Intermediate Courses.

Our objective is to enable you to express yourself in Portuguese, both orally and in writing.

Our Advanced Portuguese Course is again geared towards everyday, practical usage. However, there is more attention to grammar, written form, and being able to partake in conversation.

Are you up for it?

Only US$300 (175 GBP) Per Course

Whats Included:
7 nights accommodation with a Brazilian family either in Recife or Olinda
4 hours of Portuguese classes each day
20 hours of Language
Tour of Olinda or Recife
Shopping Trip
2 meals per day
Airport pick-up
Course materials

CONTACT US TODAY:

0055 81 32692793(Office)

information@volunteerbrazil.com

Mention Language Course Blog for 15% Discount.

2006-12-16T04:22:00.000-08:00

BRAZILIAN

CARNAVAL

2007

OLINDA...

Olinda is considered to be the birthblace of Brazilian nationality, mother of the Republic! In 1537 Duarte Coelho Pereira who had been granted the Pernambuco Captaincy declared from the top of the hill.

"Oh linda situação para uma Vila" What a beautiful place to build a city.

This is the fabled origin of the city name Olinda.During the XVI Century Olinda was the most prosperous city in Brazil, entirely through the plantations of ¨white gold¨ (sugar).

Olinda has many, many delights for the visitor, and a particular mention has to be given to the Olinda Carnaval. Of course Brazil is world renowned for its annual Carnaval events.

Most of the worlds media are guilty of displaying the fabulous images of Carnaval in Rio de Janeiro and its resident samba schools. But when Brazilians want to party, when they want to experience an authentic carnaval , they come to Olinda and Recife. It takes a whole year for Brazilians to prepare for Carnaval, and the Olinda and Recife versions is certainly worth waiting for....

Nothing more expresses the spirit of Olinda than going up and down the hills of the Cidade Alta. Walking along its narrow streets, visitors can see the traditional churches and old houses that characterize the city. Brazil’s first School of Law was founded in Olinda, as well as several monasteries, convents and schools.

Lying only six kilometers from Recife, Olinda is home to innumerable artists, the builders of Olinda today, considered by Unesco as Historical and Cultural Heritage of Mankind. Among the artists that have chosen the city as home are many musicians, who enliven Olinda during Carnival, when the City already known for its intellectuals, historians and painters, also becomes the Olinda of clowns, pierrots and masquerades.

COME AND JOIN THE PARTY -

CONTACT US:
TEL: 0055 81 32692793 (office)
(mobile) 0055 81 88798877
information@volunteerbrazil.com (e-mail)
http://www.volunteerbrazil.com/ (website)

2006-12-14T12:27:00.000-08:00

BRAZIL

CARNAVAL

2007

Come and join us for the Worlds Greatest Party...
From Only US$500 / £250

The world famous Carnival of Olinda, in Brazil, is considered to be the most authentic, the most beautiful, and the most spontaneous of its kind.

And considering that over 1 million people take to the streets each day in this UNESCO World Heritage Town, it remains an amazing fact that the WORLDS GREATEST STREET CARNAVAL is not yet comercialised.

Olinda and Recife have many, many delights for the visitor, but the Olinda and Recife Carnavals deserve a very special mention. Of course Brazil is world renowned for its annual Carnaval events, but when Brazilians want to party, when they want to experience an authentic carnaval , they come to Olinda, and Recife

.

Reserve Your Place FOR 2007

5 Nights - From 16th February to 20th February

(Carnaval Period is 16th - 20th February)

(Friday through Tuesday, you leave Wednesday morning)

Early Booking is Strongly Advised!

SEE YOU THERE!

CONTACT US:
TEL: 0055 81 32692793 (office)
(mobile) 0055 81 88798877
information@volunteerbrazil.com (e-mail)

2006-09-08T07:58:00.000-07:00

PAID...

TEACHING ENGLISH OPPORTUNITY...

If you are intent on coming to Brazil, and are available from November 15th through December 23rd. We have 3 paid English Teaching positions available.

The Details

Teaching English on a residential immersion course in South Brazil.

Accomodation and food is included, you stay at a five-star hotel.

Return flghts to destination are included (we would prefer you to be already in Brazil - but will consider covering international flights for suitable candidates).

Compensation paid is 600 United States Dollars.

Male or female, preferred age, 18 to 32 years old.

If you are interested , please send me your CV: alan@volunteerbrazil.com, or call me...

Take Care, Kind regards, and have a great weekend...

Alan Thomas.

Volunteerbrazil.com,
Volunteer Programs and Cultural Exchange,
Rua Muniz Tavares – 81 – 602, Jaqueira, Recife,
Pernambuco, Brazil.

005581 32692793(office),
005581 99716843 (mobile)
005581 88034177(mobile).

www.volunteerbrazil.com (website)

2006-08-21T02:36:00.000-07:00

SÃO PAULO

An Unique Opportunity to savour Sao Paulo from two perspectives...
Volunteering with Sao Paulo, orphans, is a challenging and rewarding experience - combine this with the fact that your volunteering program is based in the Worlds 2nd largest City (largest in the southern hemisphere) and you have an almost unique opportunity to experience and help with a project that few will ever embark upon.

Are You Up For This?

If you can give, love, support and positive direction to boys, girls and babies - from 1 week old to 17 years of age and spend time playing with them, getting them ready for school, helping to cook meals and snacks for them, help them with their homework and such like.

If you can act as a mentor, role - model and parent figure for these kids, most of whom have never known their natural parents then this project is for you! You will be based in a delightful location in Sao Paulo with other International volunteers and Brazilians who volunteer and work at the orphanage.

About 20 million people live in the Greater São Paulo metropolitan area.

The city and state of São Paulo are so economically relevant for the patterns of South America that they are considered a separate region of Brazil when international competitiveness rankings are formulated. Concerts, plays, film festivals, fashion shows, and international sports events, São Paulo disputes, with Rio de Janeiro the title of Brazil's capital of culture and sports.

Ros, from Dublin, looks like she maybe Dancing in the Street...

Sao Paulo Information

Sao Paulo has an almost unique ethnic diversity, not found anywhere else in the World.

São Paulo is famous for its varied and sophisticated gastronomy, ranging from Chinese to French, from fast food chains to five star restaurants. Its night life is animated by thousands of bars, pubs, lounges, and discos which cater for a variety of music tastes and many are open all night.

For More Information On This Unique Opportunity For Volunteer Travel, Visit Volunteerbrazil.com

This Specific Opportunity is ; here VOLUNTEER IN SAO PAULO

2006-06-11T07:27:00.000-07:00

SAMBA, SAMBA, and more SAMBA...

Samba, The Classical, National Style of Brazil

Samba is one of the most popular forms of music in Brazil. It is widely viewed as Brazil's national musical style. The name semba most probably comes from the Afro Brazilian “lundu”( XVIII century), also known as umbigada or batuque: a mixture of African rhythym brought from the slaves of Angola who lived in Bahia state.

When the slaves were transferred to Vale do Paraíba (XIX century) to work on the coffee plantations, they brought the semba with them. Later they moved to the National Capital – Rio de Janeiro with the abolition of slavery where semba gained its own identity. Living at the cariocas districts of Gamboa and Saúde they introduced the African rhythym semba to the Royalty. It used to be danced in the houses of Bahia’s black ladies like Amélia, Ciata and Prisciliana.This rhythym soon developed into what we know today as Samba, mixing with polca, maxixe and xote.

The title "samba school" ("escola de samba") originates from samba's formative years. The term was adopted by larger groups of samba performers in an attempt to lend acceptance of samba and its performance; local campuses were often the practice/performance grounds for these musicians and "escola" gave early performers a sense of legitimacy and organization to offset samba's somewhat controversial social atmosphere.

"Pelo Telefone" (1917), by Donga (Ernesto dos Santos) and Mauro Almeida, is generally considered the first samba recording. Its great success carried the new genre outside the black ghettos. Who created the music is uncertain, but it was most probably the work of the group around Tia Ciata, among them Pixinguinha, João da Baiana, Mauro de Almeida e Sinhô (José Barbosa da Silva- knew as the King of Samba). This song was really created in a “roda de partido alto” by a group of high quality samba composers.

After the recording Samba would conquer the phonographic market and with the inauguration of the radio in 1922 the music would reach the media class in Rio.The new style brought the talents of media class composers like the medical student Noel Rosa and the law student Ari Barroso Ari Barroso is famous for composing ''Tarzan, the son of the taylor '' and ''Aquarela do Brasil''.

With the radio other talented people like Francisco Alves, Orlando Silva and Carmen Miranda became great samba idols in Brazil.

In 1929, a group of musicians led by Ismael Silva founded the first Samba School, Deixa Falar, in the neighborhood of Estácio de Sá. They transformed the musical genre to make it better fit the carnival parade. In this decade, the radio spread the genre's popularity all around the country, and with the support of the nationalist dictatorship of Getúlio Vargas, samba became Brazil’s "official music".

In the following years, samba has developed in several directions, from the gentle samba-canção to the drum orchestras which make the soundtrack of carnival parade. One of these new styles was the bossa nova, made by middle class white people. It got increasingly popular over time, with the works of João Gilberto and Antônio Carlos Jobim. In the sixties, Brazil was politically divided, and the leftist musicians of bossa nova started to gather attention to the music made in the favelas. Many popular artists were discovered at this time. Names like Cartola, Nelson Cavaquinho, Zé Keti and Clementina de Jesus recorded their first albums.

In the seventies, the samba got back to the radio waves. Composers and singers like Martinho da Vila, Clara Nunes and Beth Carvalho dominated the hit parade.
In the beginning of the eighties, after having been sent underground due to styles like disco and Brazilian rock, Samba reappeared in the media with a musical movement created in the suburbs of Rio de Janeiro. It was the pagode, a renewed samba, with new instruments, like the banjo and the tantan, and a new language, more popular, filled with slang. The most popular names were Zeca Pagodinho, Almir Guineto, Grupo Fundo de Quintal, Jorge Aragão, and Jovelina Pérola Negra.

Their typical instruments are: repinique, caixa, surdo, chocalho, agogô, pandeiro.

Nowadays, samba is still one of the most popular musical genres in Brazil.

Thank you to Mirian Thomas, who helped with this article on Samba.

If you are interested in learning about, and volunteering on a Music Project in Brazil - please check-out the following link: Music Education In Brazil

2006-05-28T19:54:00.000-07:00

Capoeira , Dancing For Defense…

During the Portuguese colonization of Brazil , more that two million Africans were brought to the territory as slaves.

In the main they were taken to what are now the states of Pernambuco, Bahia and Rio de Janeiro. It is thought that the slaves from Angola, were the first to bring Capoeira to Brazil in the 16th century.

Capoeira was initially developed as a self-defense technique based on traditional African dance rituals. The slaves practiced during their free-time and in their living quarters , away from the prying eyes of the landowner master (often a sugar plantation).

Whilst doing this the slaves were training their body and mind for combat situations. And as any martial art was strictly forbidden, they ingeniously cloaked their training , making it look like an innocent looking recreational dance.

Capoeira was further perfected by slaves who had escaped, escaped slaves founded a number of quilombos, which were hidden slave-governed territories. The first of which is believed to have been in 1850 , in Serra da Barriga.

During the Dutch invasion (1628-Fernando de Noronha), of Pernambuco, consisting of 37 ships and 3000 soldiers. The Portuguese gave freedom to slaves in order to help them fight against the Dutch’s invaders.

Not surprisingly, many of them absconded and settled in Palmares (south from Recife) they established the Quilombo of Palmares. They declared a free African nation with a government similar to their ancestral homes in Africa. The largest colony was governed by Princess Aqualtume (daughter of the King of Congo) and was succeeded by her son, King Kanga Zumba then his nephew Zumbi.

They fought a decade-long war against their colonial oppressors, but Zumbi was eventually captured.

On 20th of November 1695, he was captured and killed by Domingos Jorge Velho a bandeirante from São Paulo who was assisted by Bernardo Vieira de Mello (with the troops of Olinda) and
Sebastião Dias along with other troops, sent by Souto Maior the governor of Pernambuco (1686).

He was decapitated and his head was taken to Recife to be exposed in a public square to serve as an example to other slaves.

Capoeira was used not only in direct combat, it also inspired the battle strategy itself; feigning retreat, thus luring the over-confident enemy into remote territories only to strike back at an unsuspecting place and time.

The slaves also introduced the African religious music and dance to the Capoeira making it less suspicious.

Prohibition of Capoeira remained even after slavery was abolished in 1888. It was nevertheless practiced by the poorer population on public holidays, during work-free hours and similar occasions. Riots, caused by police interference, were common. By the 1920s, persecution and punishment were almost successful in eradicating Capoeira from the "streets" of Brazil.
In spite of the ban, Master Bimba and Master Pastinha founded the first Capoeira schools in Salvador, Bahia. Master Bimba created a new style, the "Capoeira Regional" (as opposed to the traditional "Capoeira Angola" held by Master Pastinha) .

Essentially it was by incorporating new moves and techniques which helped Master Bimba convine the authorities of the cultural value of Capoeira, thus ending the official ban in the 1930's.

Berimbau is the main instrument for Capoeira. It was brought to Brazil from Angola with the music of the slaves. It is made from a wood called biribá and has a small percussion instrument called caxixi (a big basket shaker).
Some of the most famous Capoeira movements are: armada, au, benção, macaco, martelo, meia-lua de compasso, queixada, rabo-de-arraia.

If you would like to learn more about capoeira or volunteer or intern in Brazil, please contact either Alan or Mirian: HERE

2006-05-26T14:46:00.000-07:00

Don’t Miss The Forró Train

Pernambuco, in north-east Brazil is preparing for its most popular folklore festivals, which are traditionally celebrated in June.

The month of June signifies the preparation and celebration of some of Brazils most popular folklore festivals (especially Pernambuco) in honour of Roman Catholic saints and the sweetcorn harvest.

The12th of June, Dia dos Namorados (Valentine’s Day) is followed on the 13th by Saint Anthony’s Day.

Saint Anthony was Portuguese and is a very popular saint in Brazil. In actual fact he is the patron of all lovers. One intriguing custom is; if a girl wants to find a husband she makes a promise to Santo Antônio.

For instance, a young single woman may promise Saint Anthony that she will give bread to the poor, or even attend church each Sunday – in exchange for a husband…sounds a good deal to me,,,(yikes).

So, on Santo Antônio’s Day all girls are making “adivinhações” to guess or to predict who is going to be their husband.” At midnight the girls go to a banana tree with a ¨virgin¨ knife and lunge it into the banana trunk. The following morning the girl will make a bee-line for the tree, to hopefully discover the initials of her husband-to-be.

June also sees some traditional meals being prepared and eaten.

Typical food for the June Festivals are primarily made of sweetcorn, such as canjica, pamonha, bolo de milho and pé-de-moleque.

The party for the season is the popular “forró”. According to Câmara Cascudo , the most famous Brazilian expert in northeast folklore, forró came from” forrobodó” which means “divertimento pagodeiro" fun popular party.

This type of party has typical northeast dances such as (forró, baião, coco, rojão, quadrilha, xaxado, xote).

Another version of origin, states that forró has its origins in the English denomination of; “for all” a party which was very common, and created by engineers of the Great Western Railway in Pernambuco and other states, to entertain employees during the weekends.

The Pernambuco accordion composer, Luiz Gonzaga do Nascimento creator of the rythym Baião (1912–1989) was the first person to record a disc called “Forró de Mané Vito” in 1949 in partnership with Zé Dantas.

The city of Caruaru in Pernambuco (considered the capital of forró) is famous for the best and biggest June parties, which attracts thousands of people from all over the world, during the Festivals of June. These are held at the Vila do Forró.

On 23rd June is the celebration of São João (St John The Baptist) the most popular saint in northeast Brazil. Fires are burnt in front of the houses, quadrilha is danced ( from French folklore) , all this is to give thanks for the good harvest, traditional meals are eaten and it is a great excuse to have fun too

On the 29th Saint Peter ends the June cycle of the most popular parties in the northeast of Brazil…….

Are you coming ? – don’t forget it is ¨for all¨ Forró………

Recipe for Canjica Pernambucana

Ingredients:
· 25 spikes of sweetcorn
· 1 cup of thick coconut milk
· 4 litres of thin coconut milk
· 3 cups of refined sugar
· 1 soup spoon of butter
· 1 soup spoon of salt
· 1 cup of sweet herbal tea
· 50 grames of butter cheese (optional – use a mincer if you have one)

Preparation and Method:

Grate the sweetcorn spikes and wash the mass with part of the light coconut milk through a thin sieve. Place mixture in a mincer machine or a liquidizer.

Add the rest of the thin coconut milk and boil it, always stirring it with a wooden spoon.
After one hour and a half of boiling and stirring, put all the other ingredients and the remainder of the thick coconut milk.

Boil it on a low heat, always stirring it with the wooden spoon.
Place it in a crosspiece plate or small plates and sprinkle with cinnamon…..

Hope you enjoy it!

PS: Thank you to, Mirian Machado-Thomas for writing about the June Festivals and providing the recipe for the delicious canjica...Obrigado Mirian...

If you have a question about the June Festivals or would like more Brazilian recipes , you may contact Mirian here

2006-05-25T20:42:00.000-07:00

Samba, Sauerkraut and Sensational Soccer!

In less than 3 weeks, the party begins...

It’s a universal truth to state that the Brazilian national side are the most successful football team in the World.

Currently preparing themselves in a Swiss lakeside hideaway for an outstanding attempt at winning a 6th FIFA World Cup.

The squad is brimming with celebrated talent, not least in the shape of the ¨fab four¨ ; Ronaldo, Adriano, Kaka and Ronaldinho.

The leading samba boy and captain; Cafu, already holds the record for the most appearances in World Cup Tournaments, and 2006 will be another record busting 4.

Notwithstanding, Ronaldo, is only 2 goals shy of equaling Germanys, Muller of World Cup goals (Mullers record is 14).

So all-in-all it could be a very, very, memorable 2006 for all things Brazilian.

The mood in Brazil.

Brazilians are very emotive people, very, very proud, yet fun and outgoing too. The mood currently, is neither euphoric , emotive or nervous, it is more an anticipating , quiet, respectful confidence.

Notwithstanding, this will all change upon the blowing of that first whistle in Berlin , on June 13th.................
Then my friends – its Showtime!

Team Brazil

Brazilian Coach: Carlos Alberto Parreira
Advisor/Assistant: Mário Jorge Lobo Zagallo

Squad for World Cup 2006:

Keepers:
1 - Dida (Milan/ITALY)
12 - Rogério Cenni (São Paulo/BRAZIL)
22 - Júlio César (International/ITALY)

Defence:
2 - Cafu (Milan/ITALY)
13 - Cicinho (Barcelona/SPAIN)
6 - Roberto Carlos (Real Madrid/SPAIN)
16 - Gilberto (Hertha Berlin/GERMANY)
3 - Lucio (Bayern Munich/GERMANY)
4 - Juan (Bayern Leverkusen/GERMANY)
15 - Cris (Lyon/FRANCE)
14 - Luisão (Benfica/PORTUGAL)

Midfield:
5 - Emerson (Juventus/ITALY)
11 - Zé Roberto (Bayern Munich/GERMANY)
17 - Gilberto Silva (Arsenal/ENGLAND)
20 - Ricardinho (Corinthians/BRAZIL)
19 - Juninho Pernambucano (Lyon/FRANCE)
10 - Ronaldinho Gaúcho (Barcelona/SPAIN)
18 - Edmilson (Barcelona/SPAIN)

Forwards/Attack:
8 - Kaká (Milan/ITALY)
9 - Ronaldo (Real Madrid/SPAIN)
7 - Adriano (Internazionale/ITALY)
23 - Robinho(Real Madrid/SPAIN)
21 - Fred (Lyon/FRANCE).

The Group (F)

BRAZIL
CROATIA
AUSTRALIA
JAPAN

(Please note that I have placed Group order in anticipated finishing position…)Smiley...

THE PLAY

Brazil v Croatia (June 13th, Berlin)
Brazil v Australia (June 18th, Munich)
Brazil v Japan (June 22nd, Dortmund)

Overview

Objectively, Brazil appear to have a relatively easy Group – and ought to qualify for the 2nd stage with ease.

The most difficult game is the opener against Croatia.....

However, suffice to say, its most unlikely that they will face Japan in desperation.

The Opposition

Croatia

Croatia deserve the utmost respect, they finished in 3rd place in 88 (France) , and perhaps more importantly for 2006, they qualified by topping their Group, pipping the Swedes on goal difference.

There are no real surprises in their squad – well exposed, but well respected is the order of the day – I think!

Australia

The Socceroos qualified with ease , winning all of their games, ending four previous play-off failures to boot. They will give Croatia a run for their money, and it could be a close call for second spot. The Aussies have a good coach in the shape of Guus Hiddink who has recently burdened Mark Viduka with the Captaincy , ahead of former Captain, Craig Moore.

Japan

Football in Japan is growing at a phenomenal rate , and Brazil has played no small part in the boom. Indeed, the enigmatic Brazilian ; Zico is their coach. In addition to this, Japan and Brazil have for many years had a ¨football¨ relationship, whereby Brazilians have played in the Japanese league and Japanese players are regularly involved in Brazilian league training sessions.

Zico suitably led them to qualify by topping their Group. Moreover, Brazilians have in mind two significant previous encounters. The first of which was the Summer Olympics of 96, when Tha Japs beat them 1 – 0. And subsequently held them to a 2 – 2 draw last year in the Confederations Cup.

The Outcome

Very briefly: I expect the Brazilians to top the Group, with Croatia and Australia running close for 2nd spot – with the Croatians possibly edging it….and the Japanese a gallant, a very gallant , last…

Keep your eyes peeled for future reviews as the final beckons -
COME ON BRAZIL.......

2006-05-23T15:28:00.000-07:00

Fancy A Brazilian Dish ?
Feijoada is the national dish of Brazil , there are two primary schools of thought regarding its origin.

The most common belief is that it was concocted by Brazilian slaves, who gathered and used the scraps from the mansion and literally transformed them into a slave-quarter delicacy.

The second school say adamantly, that the black turtle bean stew, is a Brazilian variation of the Portuguese dish, caldeirada and possibly the French; cassoulet.

Recipe For Feijoada

Serves 4 people
Preparation time: about 45 minutes
Cooking time: 2 hours and 40 minutes
Suggested beverages: lime batida or beer

Ingredients
800 grams of black beans
250 grams of dried beef
250 grams of salted pork ribs
1 pigs trotter
1 pig tail or ear
100 grams of smoked loin of pork
80 grams of smoked bacon
2 thick pork sausages
1 Portuguese sausage
1 onion
3 cloves of garlic
1 soup spoon of olive oil
2 bay leaves
1 orange

Preparation and Method

The day before you plan to have the feijoada, clean the pigs trotter and ear ot tail and soak them in cold with the pork ribs.

Soak the dried beef (cut into pieces), dont forget to change the water of both bowls a few times. (yikes).

Boil the salted meats in a saucepan, for about 12 minutes - drain, change water and cook...

Boil, drain and cook the dried beef, using the same method as above.

When the meats are tender, drain off the water, cut the pork ribs into smal pieces and put to one-side.

Cut the bacon into small pieces and slice the sausages.

Put the beans in a large saucepan - add water, bay leaves and the orange cut into 2 halves (remove the outer peel only).

Cook for about 45 minutes, then add all the meats and cook for a further 20 minutes.

Remove a couple of ladles of beans from the saucepan.
Chop the onion and garlic and saute in olive oil, without browning them.
Add the beans and cook for a couple of minutes, then return all ingredients to the main saucepan.

Give a damn good stir, taste and add salt if required.

Cook the whole lot again for about 20 minutes...

Serve with white rice, kale, manioc, and some fresh orange slices.

Notes:
The meats you use can vary - for instance, you dont have to use the pigs ear, if you dont want to (yikes).

During cooking, skim off the oily scum which gathers - you will need to do this quite a few times.

Very, very special note: Ensure that you havent got any important appointments a couple of hours after eating your feijoada - particularly, in enclosed spaces....smiley....

Enjoy - Catch you soon......

2006-05-21T18:20:00.000-07:00

Maternally Yours!

Volunteer Brazil have just forged an exciting new partnership with a pioneering hospital in Brazil.

The Instituto Materno Infantil Professor Fernando Figueira (IMIP) was founded in 1960 upon the basis of giving free health care to poor mothers and children.

They have come a long , long way in 46 years.
Take a look at just some of the institutes achievements:

In 1987, the hospital diagnosed the first patient with Aids in Pernambuco...
The Kangaroo Mother Unit; aka Premature unit has 18 beds and since 1994 has looked after more than 3000 premature babies...
There is a kidney transplant unit, the only one of its kind in north-east Brazil...
The cancer unit has 42 beds. 40% of cases are leukemia related, but thankfully 84% of all children treated are subsequently cured...
The emergency pediatric department attends to 350 cases per day, of which 50 result in hospitalisation...
The heart surgery unit has 18 beds and currently performs 30 heart surgeries per month - including transplant...

It was the first hospital in Brazil to be designated by UNICEF as a Hosptial Friend to Children.

In 2004, The Brazilian Ministry of Health and Education conferred the status of , Medical School Hospital in both pre-and post graduation medical training.

If you are a medical student, doctor, nurse or other qualified person - professional, and have experience in any of the following areas: You maybe able to help out on a unique project, affording you a unique experience in Brazil - to boot!

Pediatrics
Nursing
Pharmacy
Radiology
Midwifery
Dentistry
Gynecology
HIV Aids
Social Work Care
Psychology
Cancer Treatment
Physiotherapy
Laboratory Science Research
Dermatology
Neurology
Ortopedia
Nutrition
Speech Therapy
Oftamology
Otorrinolaringology

Check out the Project here: Womens and Childrens Health

Thanks for reading, catch you soon......

2006-05-18T08:25:00.000-07:00

Brazil, Bullets and Bollocks.

The recent violence and killing in South Americas biggest City hasn’t gone unnoticed in the international press.

However, as usual there has been a number of dubious reports and theories spouted, some of which are more fanciful than Dan Browns ¨The Da Vinci Code¨…

A starter for 10: The violence and killing has been almost exclusively between a notorious drug and arms (primarily) trafficking syndicate and police in the state and city of Sao Paulo.

First Command of the Capital (PCC) formally organized themselves in about 1993 under the auspices of forming a kinda union against maltreatment in prison. They are now inconsistent with this dubious genesis, and have degenerated into miscreants.

PCC is a syndicate of organized crime; aka Mafia…

They have learned how to carry out their criminal missions with military precision, due in no small part to the renegade training camps in various parts of Central America, particularly, Colombia.. And here lies another oft quoted misconception….

Some international press attach a kinda left-wing ideology to the PCC….THIS IS BOLLOCKS…..their activities are devoid of political action ……they are downright criminals…PERIOD!

The Sao Paulo State Government has refused Federal help, claiming they have the situation under control. This is arrogance, and a politically motivated refusal…As the State Government of Brazils most populated City, fear the acceptance of help as a clear indicator of political and civil management weakness…..

They could do worse than study north- American history for direction…particularly as to how the FBI and other agencies dealt with Mafia and organized crime in the 20s and 30s…..there are many parallels with mobs of the roaring twenties and PCC.

However, there are two distinct differences, and heightened difficulties which were not present 80 years ago…

1) Sharpened and sophisticated modern communication, facilitating easier, and swifter contact between gang members, consequently, affording better organization…This is in addition to the complicated web of financial resources available (primarily from narcotics and arms sales) – and more importantly there are plenty of places to hide and an abundance of people willing to launder the illicit funds….

2) The penchant of gangs, and terrorist groups for military training, and the relative ease and availability of training camps and skilled personnel to deliver the training, to boot…..producing disciplined and motivated renegades

The international press and those who have a political interest to do so – have labeled the PCC , a left-wing revolutionary group – THIS IS BOLLOCKS…

Sure – they use traditional revolutionary strategies to destabilize a regions political will and authority – target and attack the institutions thereof , and recruit on the back of a political or social change agenda , ultimately, using beguiling methods to produce a delusive faith.

And whilst my heart and condolences reach out to the loved ones, family and friends of the 140 something lives which have been lost in this murderous, terrorist like assault on the police , other public servants and Brazilian institutions of Sao Paulo State.

The state government of Sao Paulo must put their rhetoric and political bias to bed, and allow and agree to the Federal Governments offer of help in eliminating this criminal cancer, which permeates the prisons and shanty towns of Sao Paulo.

And finally, for now, do you know the really, real irony of all this murderous, criminal, bloodshed?

It is the poor Brazilians, some of whom live in blinding poverty who suffer the most – because it is essentially they, who are the victims of the drug trafficking, (either by becoming addicts or pushers) the arms dealing (the ease of obtaining and dealing in illicit weapons are ultimately used against them).

And last but by no means least , it is the prostitution of facts and the dogma of groups such as PCC which stagnates social change and growth and ensures that the have-nots will forever languish without!

2006-05-13T02:30:00.000-07:00

I’d Walk A Million Miles For One Of
Your Smiles...

Volunteering in an orphanage in Brazil…

Oh ! yes - today, the girls can afford a bigger grin than usual , thanks entirely to the generosity of Aoife Murphy, her mum, family, and the people of Cork, in Ireland…

Aoife (for the non-Irish amongst us, pronounced; eefa) took the girls shopping the other day – and being married and having daughters of my own, I know too well how much girls just love to shop.....(smiley)…

Fortunately , it was not my credit card being flaunted in downtown Recife...It was due entirely to the kindness and generosity of the Cork gang , the girls now have a whole new bunch of supplies at the orphanage...

Aoife, the girls, and the hard working and dedicated staff from the orphange, popped on their sun-hats and shades and trotted off to the shops.....to return, hours later, laden with goodies....

Take a look at this shopping list: New matresses and bedding, school and art supplies, crockery and utensils for the kitchen , games and toys , even a portable swimming pool, and naturally, some personal items, such as new clothes, shoes, toiletries and other girly, pink, like things (yikes) ........

When Irish Eyes Are Smiling....

¨Come into the parlour¨, and meet Aoife (left) and Camila (right)....Looks like a bit of an art class - with some English language thrown in to boot - naming body parts (urgh) - bet they did the "Okey-cokey" as well....you know the one...¨you put your left-leg in....¨dum de dum, and all that jazz..

Here is Maristela with one of the girls...
Maristela is the extremely efficient , Volunteer Co-ordinator for Recife.......She and her team work very hard to ensure that all volunteers get the most out of their experience...

Here is a group photograph, taken at the orphanage........Not everyone has managed to get in this one....However, I can spot Mirian Thomas (bottom- centre-right). Mirian is co-founder and Director of Volunteer Brazil. Aoife is there, Maristela too....and other members of the orphanage staff...

I think the smiles say everything there is to say - Don’t you ?

Would you like to volunteer in an orphanage in Brazil ?

Volunteer Brazil are currently looking for volunteers to join them in their work in north-east Brazil.

They need volunteers who are dedicated and willing to immerse themselves into sometimes difficult situations. You will have a love for children and be able and willing to give that love along with care, patience and understanding - up for it ? Got a question ? Ask Volunteer Brazil a Question; HERE

¨And girls they want to have fun¨......¨Oh girls, just want to have fun¨..........( Cant help humming that CYNDI LAUPER song).......Before we leave the orphanage, just want to say a BIG thank you.... sooooooo much, once again, to Aoife, mum and Cork.......The Top of The Morning To You! - We LOVE You xxx

Before I ¨Blog off¨ I want to mention the Volunteer Brazil,
Health Care Project...

In the far left of the photograph, stands Leanne - ¨Hello Leanne¨

Leanne is a nurse from Brighton in England, she is currently volunteering on a health placement in Brazil.

The volunteer Brazil Health Placement is quite unique and comprehensive, regarding the areas available to volunteer and intern.

If you are a medical student or a healthcare professional and would like to volunteer in Brazil - I would urge you to contact volunteerbrazil.

The organisation offers a unique opportunity to help and gain experience in all aspects of health care, in a wide-ranging environment. Check-out the following opportunities:

COMMUNITY HEALTH CARE(clinics, mostly in favelas(slums)
HEALTH AWARENESS AND PREVENTION OF DISEASE (community based)
DENTISTRY (community and centralised)
HERBAL/ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE
AIDS/HIV
MEDICAL RESEARCH
GENERAL MEDICINE
GENERAL HOSPITAL DUTIES (Recife or Olinda)
PHYSIOTHERAPY
NURSING
ACCIDENT AND EMERGENCY
MATERNITY
Other fields availbale if required: , Occupational Health, Nutrition,Speech Therapy and Pharmacy.

I am sure you agree, this is an awsome list of volunteer opportunities - which you wont find anywhere else..............if you do, let us know!

Have a greeeaaat weekend,

see ya on Monday - hopefully....

Oops, nearly forgot! Before I go, if you would like to link your blog or website to mine - please send me an email: alan@volunteerbrazil.com

I will of course, link back to you ....... post-haste...

2006-05-08T06:18:00.000-07:00

Not all that Glitters is Gold...

British, 70s Rock Star, Gary ¨paedophile¨ Glitter hits the news again. Fortunately, parents and children, particularly young girls, can breathe a sigh of relief - for the monent - As the sex abuser is currently, safely behind the holding bars of a Vietnamese jail.

There was public outrage in the United Kingdom last week, when the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) aired an interview with the ¨evil one¨.

Glitter has abuse convictions both in the UK and Vietnam, notwithstanding, numerous other abuse allegations against him; primarily from (but not limited to) developing countries in Asia.

It seems that the former Rock Star has a penchant for young, vulnerable girls...And he will subsequently sink to any depth to cover his tracks.

The Sex for Sweets Monster has in the past claimed...

¨I was only helping the girls with their english¨ Yeah - right...
a paedophiles preposterous preposition...

¨I invited her into my bed because she was afraid of ghosts¨ ..... Quips -the evil spirit..

The former Pop Idol, who had hits in the 70s, with such titles as "I'm The Leader Of The Gang¨ , ¨I Love You Love Me Love¨ , ¨ Always Yours¨ and ¨C'mon, C'mon¨ has appealed against his conviction in Vietnam, but he would wouldn¨t he...As he is so desperately trying to minimize the abuse convictions and allegations which currently dominate his evil resume:

Glitter¨s EVIL RESUME....

November 1999:
Glitter admits possessing 4,000 photos of children being abused. Sentenced to four months in UK prison for 54 offences of downloading porn from the internet and placed on the sex offenders register .....Bastard!

April 2002:
Questioned by Cambodian police after moving to the country. Government minister leads campaign to deport him as a "preventative measure"......Good Riddance Paedophile!

December 2002:
UK Foreign Office confirms Glitter has been detained in Cambodia over suspected sex offences. Deported but no specific reason is given and he later returns pending an appeal....Lock up your Daughters!

March 2006:
Jailed in Vietnam over child sex offences. Sentencing judge says: "His lewd acts have compromised the dignity of the Vietnamese people, law and common sense." ......Can someone please roast his nuts!

Like many paedophiles, Glitter preys on the vulnerability of young children in developing countries. He has embarked upon a sex tour of Asia looking for opportunities to ply and deliver his sick legacy of paediphilia.

Sex tourism, particularly child sex tourism is a major, evil problem in many parts of Asia and Africa...and something must be done about it!

High profile cases like Glitter¨s helps bring abuse to the attention of the general public - and whilst great care must be taken NOT to label innocent people as paedophiles - it is very hard for the likes of Glitter to turn around and say ¨It wasn¨t me¨ , I didn¨t touch her¨ or ¨She was like a daughter to me¨

When he is released, he will certainly be deported - to a currently unknown destination...One would hope that he is deported to the UK - where a couple of Scotland Yard Detectives are sooooooooo keen to talk to him, regarding fresh abuse allegations....

Glitter is deservedly on the way to hell...

I sincerely hope someone chops his balls off before he returns to London...

For more information on Child Prostitution and Child Sex Abuse, visit:

ECPA (UK)
ECPA (USA)
ECPA (CANADA)
ECPA (AUSTRALIA)
ECPA (IRELAND)

Not all that Glitters is Gold - Gary Glitter is a performing name - the monsters ¨real name¨ is Paul Gadd...
.............................................................

PS: IF YOU WOULD LIKE A RECIPROCAL LINK FROM MY BLOG TO YOUR BLOG/SITE...Drop me an email with your details... to: alan@volunteerbrazil.com

Or - you may contact me through my website:
Volunteering in Brazil

2006-05-03T07:05:00.000-07:00

Eyes To The Left Comrades...

President Evo Morales' of Bolivia demonstrated the many flavours of Latin American leftist politics on Monday - timed beautifully to coincide with the May 1st celebrations of ¨ Workers Day¨ .

To the great dismay of Brazil (and Argentina) Comrade Morales nationalised Bolivias¨ vast natural gas fields.

Prima facie no big deal, after all, Bolivia has a right to protect her own natural resources - but what if one had been assured that any outside investment in the Bolivian Gas industry was safe, protected and virtually free from internal meddling? And further, what if one had cut a deal with Bolivia regarding the protection of an investment totalling $1bn?

One word comes to mind - BETRAYAL - and this is how Lula and Brazilian investors must be feeling right now - BETRAYED - .

Brazil's state-owned oil and gas giant, Petrobras has invested rather heavily in Bolivia - notwithstanding Brazil relies on Bolivia for half of its gas consumption...

Seemed a fair kinda deal was set-up with Brazil and Bolivia sharing the mined gas resources...

Brazil invests and Bolivia produces - QUID PRO QUO -

Not When There's a RED in the bed

Seems ominous that President Morales had only a few days ago returned from a meeting with Fidel Castro - along with his crimson comrade - Hugo Chavez of Venezuela.

Seems the 3 of them spent last weekend brushing up on Comrade Karls¨ ¨The Communist Manifesto¨

They have obviously forgotten that Lula and Brazil are their allies and not their enemies - but I guess anything goes - all in the name of the revolution , of course.........

Castro and his legacy in Latin America

2006-04-27T18:50:00.000-07:00

Where's my mom?

The following account, is a true account, but for the sake of anonymity, and to protect those concerned , names and locations have been changed.

Linda, displayed the courage of a lion when she came to Brazil on one of our volunteer programs

¨I was born in Olinda¨ she had declared, with a glimmer of hope and a great sadness in her eyes.

¨But was adopted at 2 weeks old, by a British couple and taken to England by my adoptive parents¨. (who incidentally are loving , supportive parents and have supported Linda in her quest to find her natural mother).

When we received this information from Linda, it was at first a blinding shock to us!

It was her second day in Recife and she hadn¨t disclosed any of this information during the volunteering application process – indeed - and why should she have!

My wife very predicatably, was in tears on being told this, and before long both Linda and my wife were comforting each other, in a uniquely Brazilian way, which was uncanny, because Linda had had no contact with anything remotely Brazilian (at least in the flesh), for the 22 years of her life – save the 15 and a half days in 1983 , spent as an orphan in a Recife convent.

Linda asked us if we could possibly help her to find her ¨natural¨ brazilian mother - there was only one possible answer to this request!

Linda¨s adoption papers at least showed us her mothers name and also indicated that she had a brother. But hell ! A lot can happen in 22 years, particularly in a developing country such as Brazil.

Questions surfaced; persistent, pertinent and worrying!

Was Lindas mother alive ? If she was, would she still be in Recife ? What about her brother ?

All the negative statistics surfaced; the mortality rate for people living in favelas is much lower than the average, was Linda¨s brother one of the hundreds of thousands of street children in Brazil, and if he was, did he survive ?

Was Linda¨s mother one of the thousands of women who are forced into prostitution ? Is she among the ranks of the countless women who fall prey to the drug dealers ?

All of these things and more were telepathically circulating around us, and through us...

Linda and her adoptive English parents (who were not in Brazil at this time) had supplied us with the information they had about Linda¨s Mom.

The major problem, was the information was dated; 1983, a lot has happened in Brazil in the 23 years which have passed.

At least we had a name and an old black and white photograph to go on, however, our hopes dropped when we discovered that the orphanage was no longer an orphanage and the Brazilian man who had helped the British couple with the adoption had since died.

It was Linda¨s brazilian grandfather who had briefly met the adoptive parents at the orphanage in 83, fortunately , they had written in their diary the district where he had lived, this was a lead, albeit a longshot.

We drove to the district and started to flash the photograph around, the response led us up many blind alleys, including one which pointed us in the direction of a notorious red-light area.

We ventured into a twilight world of drugs and prostitution.There were 2 claims that Linda¨s mother had died; one violently by the hands of her pimp, and the other from drug abuse.

Also on the evidence of our old black and white photograph was the claim that she had been whisked away by a German client to a new life in Berlin.......

To Be Continued.

Note: The photograph above is in no way connected to this true account - it is however, indicative of our orphanage project

Here are some sites of interest - I do hope you may find them useful.

Link Market - Free Link Exchange, Link Swap and Link Trade Directory - Have you ever tried to exchange links, swap links, or trade links? Was it hard? Use link market instead; - it is easy to use, free and very smart. It will save you hours of work.

2006-04-27T06:48:00.000-07:00

Muito Prazer, Big Phil...

Scolari was spotted in Lisbon yesterday buying an English/Brazilian Portuguese - Brazilian Portuguese/English, phrase book...

Not that he will need it - as he already speaks better english than David ¨Spice Boy¨ Beckham...

¨Victoria Posh¨ has apparently, already enrolled in a West London Samba School in an early attempt to impress hubby¨s boss apparent...For sure - she will have her beady eye on Davey boy, ensuring that he doesnt get up to any ¨Phil¨andering tricks with Felipe¨s Rio, Ra Ra girls...

There is still work to do to entice the Brazilian Maestro through the Lancaster Gates, but it is clear he has been made an offer to manage England after the World Cup Finals this summer...

There seems to be a mixed reaction from the England fans, although the signs are that he has growing support, at least at grass root level...

However, the voices of dissent will come from the other (home grown) applicants and current managerial ranks (at club level) who will almost certainly take the appointment of Big Phil as a snub - which is clearly a sign that authentic managerial ability is somewhat lacking in England...apparently!

Philo¨s agent has already purchased a warm winter coat for his man - in preparation for the cold british winters......

Boa Sorte Felipe...

2006-04-25T11:56:00.000-07:00

HOLD YOUR BETS
- HOLD YOUR BETS...

It seems that due to the tens of thousands of blog surfers, who placed tens of thousands of pounds, on Big Phil Scolari getting his feet under the table at Lancaster Gate come end of summer...

Betting Guru (aka Village Idiot to some people ) John McCririck reported that the Magic Sign (Ladbrokes) are on a hiding to nothing should the Brazilian waltz into the West London Headquarters of the English Football Association come August.

Ladbrokes have cut Phily to 5/2 2nd favourite, whilst BET 365 go a miserly 7/4...

Only the most naive of supporters would bet on Big Phil at those odds - you would get more value investing in one of those Nigerian based email scams...

As usual though, the bookmakers are toying with the old adage ¨a fool and his money are soon parted¨

Notwithstanding they have a fairytale candidate in Scolari to fuel speculation, and thus attracting mug money....... dont fall for it...

Big Phil says ¨HOLD YER BETS¨......

Talking about Brazil and Summer in one sentence, reminds me; what are you doing this summer? You could easily be doing this

2006-04-24T08:44:00.000-07:00

¨Big Phil¨ Denies England Job Interview...

Felipe Scolari has denied speaking to the English Football Association regarding a possible move into the England Managers job, after the World Cup finals in Germany this summer.

Scolari, affectionately known as ¨Big Phil¨ on the European scene, is currently Manager of the Portuguese national side.

As ever, Philo was the perfect diplomat, He told a reporter...

¨I am coach of Portugal and I am only thinking and speaking about Portugal until the last day of the World Cup."

but his agent; Acaz Felleger, was much less cagey, when he told a reporter:

"He just needs to do a good World Cup and after this he might talk about his future. ¨

He continued...

"If the FA are really interested to sign him they should have been focused on their work for the World Cup like Felipe Scolari is at the moment. ¨

Of course, agent Felleger, neither confirmed nor denied the rumours - leaving the door of speculation ever so slightly ajar.

It would be a huge coup if England could bag Scolari, he has a mightily impressive curriculum vitae. But the word on the street is that the England fans want a home grown manager...

Will England go Brazilian ? Will Beckam become one of Big Phils Samba boys ? We shall have to wait and see...

Watch this space!

Football Betting Forum

Brazil Serie A

2006-04-21T16:15:00.000-07:00

Roll Over Mamma, Camilla is Coming!

Scandal rocked the Queens 80th birthday bash at Kew Palace, when Charlie boy, was rumbled plying his mother with copious amounts of dry London gin.

The heir to the throne and his long term ¨bit of stuff¨ ( aka the second wife), Camilla, had hatched a plot to get mummy drunk – so drunk – that they had hoped to fool her into signing an abdication document.

They were rumbled by a royal butler, who overhead Charles whispering in Camilla’s ear, ¨when mummy goes – Camilla comes¨

This was enough for the late Diana Spencer’s erstwhile butler, Mellors, to ¨äve a word¨ with Phil. Who quickly cornered Charles in the library, Charlie gave his dad a shamefaced explanation, weakly claiming it was all in the spirit of a birthday joke.

The Queen apparently served up revenge at the end of the night, by asking the resident DJ to play the Frank Sinatra version of ¨The Lady is a Tramp¨

I guess its just as well my invite was lost in the post – apparently the dance floor was chock-a-block with dogs…

2006-04-21T09:33:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Ma'am...

¨Lilibet¨, comes of age today, as the Queen celebrates her 80th birthday.

Eldest son and heir, Charles, is putting on a bit of a bash for Mamma tonight, at Kew Palace.

The Palace announced, the Queen, had received 20,000 cards and 17,000 e-mails.

British Prime Minister, Blair, gave her a china tea set (she must have hundreds of those things), which was made in the Staffordshire potteries.

The birthday girl emerged with a beaming smile from Windsor Castle this morning, before going on walkabout in the town, where she was greeted by more than 20,000 of her subjects.

I have my birthday suit ready, in tip-top condition, may I add , I am awaiting my invite for Kew this evening.

The mailman has already been, so I guess I shall have to wait by the phone all day!

Penblwydd Hapus, Mummy!

2006-04-19T14:52:00.000-07:00

Get your goddam arse back here, soldier... Sir! No Sir!

¨Get your goddam arse back here, soldier¨. ¨SIR! NO SIR!¨ This could easily have been a quote from the David Zeiger documentary "Sir! No Sir!" However, as far as I know it is not.

The film recounts the opposition to the Vietnam War that existed within the ranks of the United States Army at the time, and how it found its expression.

It screened in New York City last night, and I would be interested to hear comments from any one who saw it...(please post your comments below).

Here is a review by Manohla Dargis of the New York Times

He who dares - dissents...

Five
Zero
Three
Nine
Two
Six
No sir! No sir, not disporting tricks,
You must pay attention to our dissension,
To ignore our plea, would be disaster you see!

Wrong!
Wrong!
Wrong!
Listen Pentagon,
Mistakes be repeated, morale be depleted.

Excuse the stir
The blur
Concur
Sir! No! No! No! Sir!

Heed the deed, the patriots creed.
Defense!
Offense!
No Pretence!
No malfeasance
Moral credence!

New generation, question away,
No mistakes
No decay!
Lessons learnt, must adhere,
Join the ranks, free from fear,
The whistles blowing, the colors glowing,
Truth is growing, almost knowing!

Alan Thomas, April 2006

2006-04-18T11:20:00.000-07:00

Can a Socialist Revolutionary Leader and a Queen really have something in common?

When Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor was born (April 21st 1926) she was 3rd in line to the throne. No one could have predicted then that she would become Queen. Both fate and a scandal or two played their part in launching "Princess Lilibet" to the front of the line...

Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz was born on August 13th , 1926 and prima facie, was a most unlikely socialist revolutionary. Castro was born into a wealthy family, and despite his father having arrived in Cuba as an illiterate Spaniard from Galicia, the family owned a 23,000 acre plantation in Birán. Without a shadow of a doubt, Elizabeth and Castro are the two most important octogenarians of 2006.

Queen Elizabeth was born to be a leader, Fidel Castro was not. It is this fact which partly makes the Castro profile the most interesting - If I was to receive an invitation to the octogenarians respective birthday bashes, I would be heading for Cuba, giving Buckingham Palace the widest of berths.

Not only because I prefer good cigars, Daiquiri and Mojitos over cucumber and asparagus sandwiches, but life after Castro will have a greater significance and future impact on the World , than life after Queen Elizabeth.

Unless the United Kingdom experiences a constitutional disaster, the transition of heir apparent ought to be a smooth, painless affair. The most significant potential facing the House of Windsor is the Australians piling on the pressure to become a Republic, no big shake, they are all but this , save the formality.

On the other hand, the Castro succession is a difficult one to predict, notwithstanding, it is fraught with immense ramifications not only for the Americas, but for the World at large.

I will examine the possibilities, with an emphasis on the Americas - I will also touch on Castro’s influence in Brazil.

Castro first hit the international political arena as a student of law at the University of Havana. It was there that he joined the UIR, the Insurrectional Revolutionary Union. He later joined, the Party of the Cuban People, whose agenda included exposing government corruption as well as pushing for reform.

Castro used this platform to polemic, Fulgencio Batista (the de facto military leader who orchestrated a successful coup d etat in 1952) and vehemently opposed , US corporate and political influence in Cuba.

It was in 1947 when Castro’s revolutionary leanings were practically exposed, when as a member of a failed group, who attempted to overthrow the government of the Dominican Republic. This however, was only a minor setback – a practice run - as it were. Because the following year he traveled to Bogota , Colombia, for a Pan – American Student Union Conference.

Now, I do not intend to be the exponent of conspiracy theories, but it is entirely possible that whilst there, Castro (with others) was involved in the assassination of the Colombian Liberal Party Leader, Jorge Eliecer Gaitan.

There appears to be little evidence linking Castro to the assassination, however, his links with the Colombian Communist Party, notwithstanding his certain participation in the insurgency and violence which followed – puts him squarely in the frame.

Events forced Castro to flee the country, and he returned to Cuba.

The stage was now set, splashes of paint already on the canvass, whether you believe the painting is a pretty one, depends very much upon your point of political departure. I will however, attempt objectivity , but do please allow me the occasional polemic.

For the past fifty or so years, there has been and remains a ¨Cold War¨ in the Americas. With Castro’s left-hand perpetually jabbing at the U.S., who have frequently counter-punched with a right - hook.

This ideological sparring will come to a head upon the death of Castro, who has ensured a certain legacy in Latin America, notwithstanding in Cuba itself. I will explore this legacy next time!

Till then!

2006-04-12T06:08:00.000-07:00

SAMBA BOYS

¨Dancing In The Rhine¨

Ronaldinho's shimmy will ensure that the FIFA World Cup Trophy is again inscribed with the most successful name in World Cup football.

Ronaldinho, FIFA's player of the year for the past two seasons, helped Brazil win a record breaking fifth world title in 2002, and it will take an outstanding side to stop the ¨samba boys¨ from samba-ing out of Germany with the trophy this summer.

The World champs find themselves in a relatively easy looking starting Group F, consisting of Croatia, Australia and Japan. It would be an almighty shock if they failed to get through to the second stage as winners, where they will meet the runner-up of Group E.The second stage is potentially trickier, but I would hope that the Italians win their Group, leaving either, Ghana (yeah right - smiley), USA or The Czech Republic to face Brazil.

On the 27th June, the Czech’s can enjoy a day out at the famous home of Borussia Dortmund; Signal Iduna Park (formerly, the Westfalenstadion).

I fully expect the Brazilian lads to checkmate the Czech’s, with some winning moves well before the whistle.

The Samba train will make it’s way to Frankfurt, for a Quarter-Final showdown with France, Spain or Switzerland. Assuming the French win their Group, the Brazilians will in all probability face the Spanish. The Spaniards are a damn good footballing side, but never seem to do well in World Cups, and to be frank, they have more chance of recapturing The Rock of Gibraltar from the British than outgunning the Brazilians in a Quarter-Final...A quick march south to Munich will see Brazil face either one of four formidable opponents; England, Portugal, Holland or arch-rivals Argentina.

I have a feeling it will be England...Now this prospect induces a cold sweat. Let me explain:

Cast your mind back to June 2002, England v Brazil, venue - Shizuoka, Quarter Final, World Cup...

I had not long arrived in Brazil with my new Brazilian bride, and upon meeting my father-in-law, whose welcome speech opened with the gambit;

¨there are no divorced women in my family; only widows¨ (yikes).

Guess whose house I was in on that day?

Guess who I ended up watching the game with?

Yes! You got it in one - ¨daddy¨ (yikes).

The fact is of course, I am not English, I am Welsh, but such trivia does not wash on foreign shores.

If you speak English, and you’re from the UK, then you’re English - end of story!

They kicked off - my father-in-law and I were seated at the dining table, some 20 or so inches from the television set and I thought I had successfully faked neutrality.

We were both enjoying the game, until the 23rd minute, when the atmosphere suddenly changed.

I looked over and smiled nervously as Michael Owen scored for England.... (yikes)...

He looked at me in a way that I had never been looked at before - his 76 year old eyes pierced my soul, shivered my timbers, notwithstanding, the steam coming out of his ears had contempt written all over...

It was half-time, and a quick exit to the bathroom, released the tension...

Upon my return, I was searching for something to say, when serendipity intervened in the form of Rivaldo, scoring less than a minute into the second-half to boot...Daddy looked at me smugly, a broad self-righteous satisfaction penetrated. I nervously clapped my hands, and congratulated him on a marvelous goal , the smugness intensified.

I vividly remember thinking that 1-1 would be the perfect result, until Ronaldinho¨s free kick put perfection to bed...He was rather harshly sent off some 10 minutes later for fouling Danny Mills.

England had thirty minutes against 10 men...Surely, Beckham, Scholes and co, could muster a couple of goals against 10 men... Not on your life they couldn’t - and at the final whistle it remained England 1 Brazil 2...

Thank the Lord for small mercy; I would never have gotten out of the house alive, if England had scored 2 more...

Where was I? Oh, of course!

Lets move on to Munich, its Wednesday 5th July 2006 - 2nd Semi-Final.Brazil v England (revisited) This is tough, tough, tough, nevertheless, I take the Brazilians to samba sweetly into the final against France, Italy or the hosts Germany...

On Sunday, The 9th July, every Brazilian will have the right to declare...

¨Ich Bin ein Berliner¨.

BRAZIL INFO

CARNAVAL 2007

SPORTS VOLUNTEERING PROJECT

On a lighter note: A buddy from Bristol, England, telephoned me the other day.

He asked my advice on which university course he ought to enroll on.

He said ¨ I have certain course criteria¨ he went on...

¨The course has to be extremely light in content¨

¨With very little to memorize for exams¨

¨With no big heroes or icons to biographize¨

¨And finally, no textbooks to buy¨

Of course, I replied without a moments hesitation...

¨It has to be the Bachelor of Arts, in French Military Victories¨

Read about the life and times of a footy punter: FOOTYPUNTS

2006-04-10T06:30:00.000-07:00

volunteering in Brazil|Volunteering opportunity

Volunteering

Opening the door of opportunity...

¨Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you...I have just this minute got in through the door, when the phone rang, it was the headmaster from the school, offering me the postion....I am sure that it was my time volunteering in Brazil that swung it...

The above is an extract from an email we received from Samantha in London.

Samantha spent a couple of months with us , volunteering on one of our childrens projects. She had graduated the previous summer, and was so unsure of what to do with her life.

Her placement, decided her direction...

When she returned to ¨London Town¨ it was, all- systems-go; phone calls, letters, more phone calls, and even more letters. Anyway, to cut the chase, she secured a post as a teaching assistant in one of the toughest inner-city schools in London (yikes - good luck, Sam).

And in her own words ¨I am sure that it was my time volunteering in Brazil that swung it¨

Of course, there are many good reasons to volunteer, and enhancing your resume/CV is just one of them.

Some may say that resume enhancement is one of the least noble motivators for volunteering - wrong - wrong - wrong - before a volunteering placement can be considered a success, all stakeholders must benefit.

Volunteering is a great way to help yourself, as well as helping others.

You maybe midway through a college or university course, even graduated. Perhaps you are bored with your current job, even ¨burnt-out¨ from it. Or your current situation may lack the intellectual challenge that you yearn for. Lets put it another way; if you would rather go to the dentist than go to work - I guess its time to move on...

The right kind of volunteering work, especially, international volunteer work (but any volunteer work is good) will provide you with excellent opportunites to learn new skills, to improve and diversify existing skills, to gain new perspectives. You may even find the personal fulfillment and satisfaction you deserve...

It is worth noting that potential employers will recognise that you are a self-starter (whatever that is - smiley) , motivated by the task in hand, and not by financial reward (you can always ask for the raise later). That you are open to new perspectives, new ideas, that you have kinda gone out of your way to gain new experiences to help yourself , in addition to helping others, and in an alien environment to boot...

Whatever you may do, wherever you may go, remember! Volunteering is not only about helping others - it¨s about helping yourself too...

If you are interested in volunteering in Brazil, you may contacy us through our website enquiry form, here: Volunteering Enquiry

I always try and end with a blag - spotted in a classified section...

FOR SALE BY OWNER: Complete set of Encyclopedia Britannica, 45 volumes. Excellent condition. $1,000 or best offer. No longer needed, got married last month. Wife knows everything.

2006-04-08T18:27:00.000-07:00

Brazilian comes back to earth with a bump!

On Sunday, 43 year old Brazilian Air Force pilot, Lt Col Marcos Pontes found himself on the Russian Steppes (Kazakhstan) at 0437 Moscow time.

Fortunately, it wasn’t much of a bump as "Soyuz has made a soft landing," said a mission control official in Moscow. Marcos’s comrades in flight were , American, Bill McArthur and Russian, Valery Tokarev

Congratulations are in order, as the Lt Col is the first Brazilian to venture into space. And after spending 9 days on the International Space Station, it took the guys only three-and-a-half-hours to get back.

This is a result for the Brazilian space program, which met with sad disaster almost three years ago, when a rocket exploded on the launch pad in north Brazil, killing 21 people.

I wonder if I could become the first Welshman in space! – I somehow doubt it, considering I’m afraid of heights (smiley)…besides, perhaps the money would be better spent, alleviating poverty…

Dan Brown Vindicated

A case I have been following with much interest, sees Brown ¨off the hook¨.

The authors of , Holy Blood Holy Grail claimed that Brown had nicked their central theme when writing his outrageously fanciful, The Da Vinci Code. But the High Court in London rejected the Plaintiffs claims, despite making some notable observations regarding an earlier work.

Under the UK, Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, the creators of literary, dramatic, musical and artistic works may enjoy protection for original work if they can establish " a degree of labour, skill or judgement" in producing it.

This snippet of the Act is and was crucial in Browns vindication, moreover, any lawyer worth his salt can use this peice of code to vindicate most plagiarisers, providing they dont blatantly , word for word produce a work without putting the effort in!

Personally, from a philosophic veiwpoint, I am pleased he was vindicated, because hardly anything is truely original. There are two points to consider:

1) Most of us share similar thought processes, we are bound to reach similar conclusions - sometimes - no matter how wild the claims maybe.
2) Knowledge is almost always produced from a previous occurence or work. We usually build upon what has been said, written or discovered.

On a lighter note, a guy in our class at Uni was a notoriously adept plagiariser, so much so, we named him xerox.

2006-04-08T13:34:00.000-07:00

My World - is Your World!

The following is a true account about one of our orphan boys, as reported and written by Mirian Thomas. Mirian is Executive Director of volunteerbrazil.com, and manages all of our field projects in Brazil.

It was during February…. Carnaval time, time of enjoyment and fun in Brazil that he was found in the Metro station. We called him “special child”. He is an autist who was brought by the police to the boys’ orphanage in Recife. We do not know his name, his age, his back-ground… We thought he was deaf, but Sara, an Italian volunteer in the orphanage noticed that he could hear after saying some sounds to him, that he would repeat afterwards. When he first came he could not socialize or interact with anyone- living in his own world full of barriers…

Liz, one of our English volunteers used to talk to him in English and he could repeat sounds and some words… Great he can talk! We had to take him to a doctor and we called him “Pedro”. During his bath he used to protect his face maybe because the parents who released him used to beat him?? We do not know- but we know that he was scared and afraid to touch people or let anyone touch him.

We solved this problem by giving him warm and loving hugs- “carinho” in Portuguese language. The special child in the beginning could not play along with the other boys at the orphanage. He would sit alone looking at us as if we do not exist, get to pronounce some screams and play totally alone…

Yesterday I went to visit as I go there weekly to see our volunteers and he made my day! The special child ran to my arms and jumped on me making some kind of joy sounds! Now he can play along with the other boys, say some words like water, fire, mother, father, house, etc. We taught him how to draw and what a good surprise, he was very capable to do it so quick. He grabs my hand or comes to sit in my lap and start talking to me through his own words… Every time I see “Pedro” I have tears in my eyes for his progress. He brightens my whole day, my whole week!

The volunteers are taking good care of him trying to stimulate him to come out from his private world and communicate with us. He is now a totally different child a miracle of caring and love!

You will find further information on autism here:
USA Organisation UK Organisation

2006-04-08T06:29:00.000-07:00

SIR! NO SIR!

In the 1960s, thousands of American GIs rebelled against the Vietnam War, changing the course of U.S. history and society.

David Zeiger has made a film about the movement, which has already receievd rave reviews...On the 17th April you can see a preview screening, in New York City.

Here are the details:

New York Preview Screening
MONDAY, APRIL 17th
With Jane Fonda and Vietnam GI Resisters From the Film Benefit for Iraq Veterans Against the War 7:45 PM and 9:55 PM Tickets: $20

The Venue
IFC CENTER
323 Sixth Avenue,
West Third Street
live box office: 212-924-5246
online at: www.ifccenter.com

Check out the SIR! NO SIR! website which was put together by James Lewes.

James partner, Abbe, represents us on the east coast, they live in Philadelphia.

If you go to the screening (or indeed, any of the previews), please post your feedback...

That will be all for now - SIR.......yeah, right!

2006-04-08T04:20:00.000-07:00

Preparing For Summer Volunteering...

Most Europeans and Americans are now preparing for their summer break, we know this without even consulting the calendar!

The proof is in the pudding; as it were, in as much as the recent influx of enquiries for Summer Volunteering Programs, is keeping our girl and boy Friday extremely busy...

Looks as if our orphans and street kids are going to have plenty of company this summer...Dont worry though if you havent applied - as our capacity hasnt yet been reached...

If you want that extra bit of encouragement - you can have 15% off the placement cost; check this out: A HOT AND SWEATY SUMMER

Thank you to the people of Cork, in Ireland!

When Aoife Murphy decided that she wanted to join our volunteer program in Brazil, she set about fundraising (with the help of her mum). They very creatively produced a batch of volunteer Brazil calenders, then went about Cork City selling them to raise funds for her volunteering project (orphanage for girls in Brazil)...

WOT A RESULT - Aoife and her enterprising mum raised over a 1000 Euros -

Hundreds of mantlepieces in Cork are now adorned with images from Brazil - Obrigado

My wife now has a couple of Irish themed fridge magnets, whilst I tucked into the Irish Cream liqueurs last night - yummy - thanks Aoife.

And finally , on an entirely different note... For those of you who enjoy spectacular sporting events; Aintree in Liverpool, England, is home to the famous Grand National Steéplechase, which is being run at 4.15pm BST. This is a gruelling 4 and a half mile test for some of the best hunter chasers in Britain and Ireland.

Lets hope most of them get around safely, and that those who dont managae to complete the course - suffer no ill effects...

I will be shouting on: HEDGEHUNTER, CLAN ROYAL and JOES EDGE...

Good Luck - And they're off! - and so am I,

See you soon...

First Post - On the eve of Carnaval

2006-02-24T16:18:00.000-08:00

Lets Rock n Roll - Or better still LETS Frevo and Samba...

It¨s that time of year again - It¨s showtime!

Carnaval in Brazil gets underway tonight, signifying one non-stop party until Wednesday of next week. Its a bit late to join us now for the Worlds greatest street party, nevertheless, I will blog little tit bits for ya, as the week progresses.

Most of the worlds media are guilty of displaying the fabulous images of Carnaval in Rio de Janeiro and its resident samba schools. But when Brazilians want to party, when they want to experience an authentic carnaval , they come to Olinda and Recife, (Salvador has a great Carnaval too). It takes a whole year for Brazilians to prepare for Carnaval, but the Olinda version is certainly worth waiting for....

See ya, I have a party to attend...

Recife Local Govt Site

Olinda Local Govt Site