Brazil and the double edge sword that is the World Cup

I love this logo.

The Expat Blog Police just sent me a final notice. They are going to take away my membership card if I don’t post about the World Cup coming to Brazil.

Everyone has done it. Some bloggers have posted wicked (good and bad) critiques of FIFA and Brazilian politicians who are milking taxpayers for money they don’t have to line their pockets in the name of futebol. Other bloggers have tried to stay positive and posted videos and news bits about players, teams and home town pride in the lead up to the contest. One big theme has been the massive public response in Brazil against the wasteful spending on soon-to-be white elephant mega stadiums (some built in cities that don’t even have a home futebol team!) at the expense of improvements in healthcare, education, urban development and other proper priorities.

My commitment to myself here at Qualidade de Vida has been to keep it positive. Living abroad, living in Brazil, struggling to learn a new language and to adapt to new cultural norms – it’s not an easy road. While there are a ton of really fun and cool things that come your way, there are also some pretty challenging realities that wear on you. The internet machine is full of very vocal people griping about how crappy their life has become since they moved to Brazil and had to turn in their minivan and their dream of a GE Profile PFE29PSDSS refrigerator that automatically fills your water glass without spilling. Truth be told, there are some realities in Brazil worth griping about. But that makes for a lousy blog post, in my opinion.

If you know me you know that I am not a futebol fan. I don’t know the rules of soccer. I have never watched a basket ball game through in its entirety. The gratuitous violence in so many hockey games turns me off. The cultural grip American football has over the social construction of masculinity in the United States makes me sad. Sports have never been my thing. But hey, I get it that others go bonkers over this stuff. It’s all good. Go for it. But please don’t be stupid.

It seemed to me that the World Cup coming to Brazil was potentially a really good thing. Brazilians live and breathe futebol in such an all-consuming way that is difficult (perhaps impossible) to imagine if you don’t live here. This was an opportunity to put that passion on a world stage and really shine. It was an opportunity for Brazilians, the vast majority of whom have relatively little to nothing in terms of daily comforts, to focus on national pride and escape the hardships of their normal waking hours. Somewhere in here was an opportunity to leverage preparation spending to benefit locals in the long run.

But the World Cup is actually a big business venture. Oh yeah, they have international sports heroes play some games and all, but at the end of the day the event – the actual nuts and bolts of the event – is a venture capitalist’s wet dream. And the politicians that get to play with other people’s money? Well they are like pigs in slop. The television networks will make their money. Coca-cola, Budweiser and Visa will reinforce their brand to their followers. And large developers will make a killing on slip shod building projects that shine in the short term and then sit to decay when the cameras shut off.

Are we surprised? Is this unique to Brazil? Sadly no. FIFA has been leaving messes like this in their wake for a generation. The Olympic Committee comes to mind as another culprit of capitalizing on the public’s need to escape our daily drudgery if only for a short while. The Super Bowl folks in the States play this game, selling struggling communities the “privilege” to wave tax policies and local environmental ordinances to build unnecessary stadiums with money they don’t have on the promise of future glory which never comes… blah, blah, blah.

For me the good news is that this kind of corporate greed and political malfeasance is so in your face that the public gets awakened from their sleep and digs in for a chance to speak their mind. The communities displaced by developers making papier mâché facilities stand up and demand to be heard. Tax payers who may typically let a little corruption with public funds go unanswered suddenly say “enough.” A population is reminded who is supposed to be in charge and asserts itself to reestablish that order. Sometimes there is progress. Often times not. But at least people come alive for a short while and new activists are born.

Brazilians all across the country have been speaking up to say “enough.” There is a long political tradition here, like in so many developing countries and elsewhere, of deeply entrenched corruption.  It is endemic in the worst way. The population has largely been beaten into submission and share a feeling of hopelessness when it comes to politicians actually doing anything honest or truly good for the people – without also stealing a boat load of money in the process. But there is also a strong tradition of rebellion. Brazilians are fighters. Don’t forget it was just 30 years ago, in 1984, that widespread, organized, public pressure resulted in the brutal dictatorial government of Brazil surrendering to a popularly installed democratic administration. The taste of people power still lingers in the mouths of many present day citizens.

"Our heroes are teachers, not futebol players."

The current repulsive examples of corrupt politicians, greedy investors, entitled corporations and crony media networks has once again awakened a sleeping giant in Brazil. Students, urban residents, parents, religious leaders, artists, native peoples, labor unions… you name it. Look around – folks are pissed. Some say we are in for another round of people power that will result in real, lasting and proper changes for the better. Others just sigh and try to go back to sleep. We’ll see…

But the World Cup is coming. Billions have been spent. Sports broadcasters from around the globe are settling in for a fun ride. Fans are hoping for the best. And Brazilians still stand among the most enthusiastic fans once their team takes to the field. Politicians be damned – let’s play some futebol!

Don't put your hand where your arm can't reach

My husband taught me this simple but powerful lesson when we first met.

Luiz has never had credit card debt. His father was a gambler by 'profession' so Luiz learned hard lessons about money from an early age.

Paying off my student loans was his mantra to me when he discovered I owed thousands.

Luiz and I have not had debt for more than 10 years.

Now we are hearing that the banks (aka: thieves) and stores in Brazil are "offering" such easy credit that more than 50% of Brazilian families struggle with debt. It seems easy to buy that plasma TV, or that first car, or those Nike sport shoes. But the deception is "just R$35 a month for six months" but if you were to pay in cash it would be just R$175. Sounds good, but you wind up paying R$35 more... [for example - more, obviously, for cars and electronics]. Even the credit card companies cooperate by automatically slicing your total purchace into pieces and not charging you at once, but rather, in monthly installments.

I am glad the growth of the economy in Brazil has helped so many people rise out of destitute poverty -- but to then get saddled with debt, well, that's another struggle.

Just keep repeating to yourself: "Don't put your hand where your arm cannot reach!"

Focus on the positive

OK, OK, so those of us expats who live here are sometimes frustrated. But I think the secret to making it through is to stay focused on the positive. I love living here - but it is not without it´s disadvantages...

Let´s look at the good side:

Brazilians LOVE their children. For better or worse, kids rule.

Coconut milk makes everything taste wonderful.

Extended families heal all boo boos.

While you may spend too much time in a bank line, you will certainly make a new friend in the person next to you.

The commercial competition between Cacau Show and Kopenhagen benefits all of us!

Traffic sucks, but when you ride the bus you can put it all aside.

Traditions open your eyes to a totally new world.

Some foods and flavors are not imaginable until you are served them by your "aunt".

The beach is not a place -- it is a culture.

Expats insist on the best - and try to find it no matter what. (Share your secrets.)

Tell me your secrets...

Down but not out

I´m back --- sorry for the delay. But we had an unwanted intruder enter our apartment at 4:30 in the morning who stoled my computer, two cell phones, our digital camera, and my wallet. Plus he took Luiz´s backpack and my canvas bag to carry out the loot.

All this while Luiz and I were sleeping in the next room.

This post is a bit off key for my blog. I have a rule not to go negative when it comes to living and thriving in Brazil. But in this case it feels a bit hollow NOT to report on what just happenend.

Not to make too fine a point, this was a crime of opportunity, for sure. For whatever reason, our neighboring building left their gate open, which led to the rear area of the building. (They later said they had gotten a delivery of natural gas tanks for the building and failed to secure the gate. Very unusual.) It is an easy jump from their back area to ours. This thief saw the opportunity.

Luiz and I live on the third floor, and as such have thought little about barring our windows for security. Who would climb so high to steal? Well, now we know it is possible. Bars will be installed this week. The now-famous thief is being referred to as "Spider Man" in the press. He is a repeat offender.

It is shaking to be intruded upon (especially while you are asleep) and it is a drag to have several thousand Reais of goods stolen - that will need to be replaced.

Thank the gods there was no violence.

So now we have contracted a man to construct simple but effective bars over our rear windows, I have bought a new computer (with a painfully small screen), cell phones will be replaced with "credits" from previous expenditures, and we will wait for a friend to visit from the USA to have them bring a new digital camera (which can be more than three times the price here).

I am a big Brazil booster. I do not like to report the negative. But forgive me -- this time it cut close to the bone.

We are on the mend. All is fine. Things are getting back to normal.

And a final advantage is that I spent a lot more time in the past few days reading a terrific novel than I did watching an old TV show on the computer...

Gay Pride vs "Straight Pride" in São Paulo

The poor oppressed straight people in São Paulo are asking for a little relief. They want some time to stand in solidarity against the horribly oppressive (and supposedly powerful) LGBT lobby. They have been fighting for a so-called “Straight Pride” day. Poor things.

Like so many other indignant bigots, they want to change the subject from common-place violence against LGBT folks (which is at record levels in Brazil) to the terrible inconvenience of actually discussing diversity and tolerance in a civil society. They are so unhappy about having their “freedom” to impose their ignorance and blatant discrimination (often coded into law) over LGBT folks limited that they are taking to the streets.

And the São Paulo government has just co-signed their tirade, issuing a permit for the “parade”.

The good news is that the LGBT pride parade in São Paulo is the largest in the world, attracting something like 3 million participants every year. I’m pretty confident that, in spite of the news coverage, this effort by small-minded straight folks will not get much traction (even though the so-called Evangelicals are the fastest growing organized religious dogma in the country).

On the flip side - don’t forget that the Niterói Gay Pride March is August 21st and the Rio Dyke March is Sunday, August 28th.

History tells us that justice and freedom will win in the end. I just hope I get to see it. It is tiring to be always pushing back against the bigoted majority…

Keeping things real in the USA

Even though I maintain a blog in Brazil, I keep an eye (albeit wearied) on the politics in the USA. In that regard, let’s take a look at the lie that is the Republican’s idea that they are economic conservatives and Democrats are the party of spending. (Barf.)

Just a simple graphic reminder.

 The Conservatives/Republicans have a communication machine that feeds ideas into the general public’s mind – but they are lying, based on the facts.
My cardiologist is so happy I live here. If I had to confront this felony of truth and/or stupidity on the TV every day – I would not be as tranquil as I insist on being…

Good luck my US American friends (and I also vote).

What if you could turn off the TV in a restaurant?

OMG -- Now you can!  I cannot tell you how many times I have been in restaurants or bars in country after country where the blaring TV is seen as a necessary addition to the ambiance.  URRGGGHHHH!!!

Luiz understands my aversion to this rediculous noise and always sits on the side of the table that faces the TV - so I can sit facing the other direction.

Check out this video that shows how to make it all go away.

Brazil top in recycling aluminum cans

It sounds like a good story, but wait…

We’ve all been there: you are enjoying a beer on the beach and a young boy or an elderly woman comes to your table and asks if they can have your empty beer can. Sometimes you are asked three times by three different people before you can even empty the can. Such is the trade in aluminum recycling.

At street fairs there are people dressed in rags crushing cans under their flip-flop-clad feet. It is impossible to walk the streets without seeing a person tipping open the trash containers strapped to light poles looking for discarded cans. People partying in the street don’t think twice about tossing their empty cans onto the ground because they are certain they will be picked up in only moments by a soggy poor soul dragging a large plastic bag filled with cans.

On one hand, being the country with the worldwide highest aluminum can recycling rate for the past nine years might be a good thing. But on the other it can be understood as a symptom of the intense poverty that affects so many families here.

In 2006, aluminum can recycling in the U.S. was only 52%. During the same year, it was 94.4% in Brazil. This comparison reports more than just an enthusiasm for recycling. Read more here.

President Dilma vs. President Obama

Making our way into 2011 I feel a huge gulf between US politics and Brazilian politics. 

My hopes for a strong policy turnaround in the United States have faded.  The obstructionism demonstrated by the obstinate, purely partisan and ethically challenged Republicans, combined with the run-from-their-shadow, strategy-less and forever politically calculating Democrats in Congress have made reading the morning news nearly intolerable.  I do, in fact, feel demoralized. 

Now here comes the emboldened Republicans with their whacko so-called Tea Partiers sure to begin anew with the fear mongering to repeal some of the little progress made.  Get ready for show trials on the taxpayers’ dime.

On the other hand Brazil has just sworn in its first female President who speaks in bold terms about assisting the poor, protecting the environment, and improving national services such as healthcare, education and domestic security. Nowhere in President Dilma’s inaugural address did she hint at tax cuts for the rich, executing wars, corporate welfare disguised as research and development assistance, or phony economic trickle down policies dressed up as  job creators.  Read her entire remarks here.

In fact, Dilma went out of her way to say that taking care of Brazil’s social commitments is expensive and the burden will be felt moving forward. (Duh!)

“It is [economic] growth, together with strong social programs, that will enable us to vanquish inequality in income and in regional development.”

“This involves high costs for the whole of society, but it also means that everyone is guaranteed a pension and universal health and education services.”

She reminded the titans of business that the national petroleum company, Petrobras, will remain guided by federal policies.  There was no talk of the wizardry of the private sector or the “logic” of lining the pockets of the rich so they can create jobs for the rest of us.

“The prime agent of [a modern policy of investing in research and innovation] was and is Petrobras, the historical symbol of Brazilian sovereignty in the production of energy and of petroleum.  My government will have the responsibility of transforming the enormous wealth from the Pre-Salt layer into a long-term savings account.”

Right on down the list Dilma spoke out for the neediest Brazilians.  There was no walking back campaign promises or gratuitously tossing conciliatory bone after bone to the opposition.

I did a few word searches on Dilma’s speech.  The results demonstrate the distance between what passes for liberal rhetoric in the USA and here in Brazil:

Woman – spoken 10 times

Poverty – spoken 9 times

Social – spoken 11 times

Health – spoken 9 times

Education – spoken 6 times

Commitment – spoken 7 times

Tax Cut – spoken zero times

I know, I know – this is just a speech.  Let’s see how it goes.  But you know what – I’ll bet a good sum that Dilma outperforms Obama in the toughness, fighting, and commitment categories.  Just sayin’.  (Sorry President Obama, I know you have done a lot, but nobody disappoints like a friend and ally.)

Eight years ago all my well-heeled Brazilian friends were decrying Lula’s election and warning that Brazil would go to hell in a hand basket due to his socialist policies.  (Cue the scary music.)

How did that work out?  (Text taken from here.)

Since his election in 2002 the middle class has grown by 29 million people (more than the population of Texas) creating a powerful new domestic consumer market. Another 20 million people — as many as in New York State— were pulled from poverty. The country that received a record $30 billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund as it neared economic collapse in 2002 now lends money to the IMF, making up to $5 billion available for loans to other nations.

The value of Brazil's currency has more than doubled against the U.S. dollar. Inequality has been reduced, as the income of the poorest 10 percent of the population has grown five times faster than that of the richest 10 percent (emphasis added). Inflation has been tamed, unemployment is at a record low and illiteracy has dropped. By the time Brazil hosts the Olympics, it is forecast to be the globe's fifth-largest economy, surpassing Italy, Britain and France.

President Lula left office with an 87% approval rating.

Conventional wisdom is that President Dilma will in large part continue the policies established by President Lula, with some tweaking around the edges.

Give me Brazilian “socialist” presidents over US “liberal” ones any day.  While I lament the opportunities lost by President Obama I see in Dilma the fighter we have longed for.  It is my hope that Brazil will continue to economically outperform most countries in the world so that stubborn (and often intellectually dishonest) conservatives have an opportunity to see Social Democratic economic policies triumph.  (Not that they would ever acknowledge this reality.)

I hate cops who shoot gay people

There is an unstated rule over here at Qualidade de Vida: “Don’t go negative.” If people want to hear crappy things about Brazil, or Rio, or Brazilians – they can look elsewhere. There are WAY too many positive things going on in our lives to focus on the down side. Our glass is definitely half full.

(Here comes the exception.) But I want to comment on an incident of homophobic violence that happened right after the Gay Pride parade last Sunday. In general I don’t repeat news stories on the blog, but this one strikes a chord with me.

When the cops shoot gay people for no reason I make an exception to my rules.

In short, three military sergeants from Copacabana Fort were out “patrolling” (?) and came across two gay men in a park. They were not boyfriends or a hook up situation. Not that that should matter – you should see the public displays of affection by straight couples in Brazil. In this case we had two gay friends, in a park.

The armed military men began to harass the young guys (20s maybe) and demand documents, etc. Then they started with the homophobic insults and humiliation. Cops on kids. Nice. Then one of the brainiacs needed to make his homophobia known even more severely. He pulled his gun and shot one of the kids in the stomach. Two young guys in a park – one shot by a f**king a**hole in a military uniform.

The young man is ok. The bullet passed through his torso and missed all organs. He went to the hospital, then the police to report the incident. To their credit the military did a full investigation and brought the young man out to the fort to identify which men were involved in the incident. He identified the shooter and then after some questioning the guy confessed.

The military sergeant is spending some time in jail awaiting trial. Scumbag.

Unfortunately, there is an issue in Brazil with untrained military and police officers who live outside the rules. Don’t get me started. Glass half full…

But I had to smack down the authorities for their offense against my people.

Get your burrito plate for R$21

OK – so I am trying to not blow a gasket. Maybe I don’t understand. Perhaps I have it all wrong. Please – I hope I have it all wrong.

Many locals are subscribing to Peixe Urbano (no link, thank you very much!). It is an online super discount coupon service.

The “deal” of the day today in Rio is to offer a Mexican food dinner at a restaurant called MeXdilicía which includes one taco, one burrito and one enchilada. A combination plate. That’s the deal so put forth. The regular price is (sit down) R$42.50. [WTF!!] The super savings price (!?) is R$21.00 (remember: one taco, one burrito and one enchilada)

We’re talking about beans and rice. (If you are from the southwest of the US – the burrito on its own will insult your intelligence.) Trust me, if there is any meat (or other real substance) in any of this it will be an infinitesimal amount. Who makes up this stuff?  Oh – and just try a so-called margarita at a place like this. Enjoy your sour juice mix for R$12.

What a weird reality. The world of Mexican food here is elevated to chic cuisine, instead of the every-day food of regular folks. And what comes on your plate is still regular beans and rice… but much less than you remember. Who comes up with this pricing?

Please tell me I have it all wrong.

[I don’t usually do a rant but this got my goat.]

Get out the vote

Sorry for the political plug, but it looks to me like that light at the end of the tunnel there is actually the headlight of an oncoming train.  Don't be stupid America.

Don't panic people

Brazil just elected their first female president.  Dilma Rousseff is now reported to be the most powerful femal politician on the planet.  That sends shivers down some people's back.  It makes a lot of others very happy (apparently 56% of the people), and proud to be Brazilian.

For those who see the election as a lost opportunity to return Brazil to neoliberal rule, remember when Lula was elected and everyone thought the sky was going to fall?  How did that work out?  20 million Brazilians were lifted out of poverty and another 29 million joined the middle class over the past eight years.  Not bad for a radical leftist.

I know, I know, it's complicated.  Corruption.  I know. The PSDB (Social Democratic Party) is less corrupt... right.

Mostly it's complicated, not suited to blog posts.  But let me just say - relax.  Wait and see.  This story line turned out pretty well last time around.

Make an effort - VOTE on Tuesday

You remember this ad from the 2008 US elections. It still applies. It blows my mind that some folks think a return to Republican leadership is somehow a return to the good ol’ days. Hello!?



Sunday is Election Day here in Brazil to settle the presidential runoff between a politician who is center-left in his politics and a politician who is left-left in her politics.  (The latter is likely to win.)  Other issues aside, the choice is not all that different, policy-wise.

In the US, the Democratic politicians may suck at getting things accomplished, but the Republicans are down right dangerous. The choice could not be more dramatic.

Sigh. Train wreck. It’s gonna be a train wreck.

It totally gets better

Dan Savage is saving LGBT lives; plain and simple. If you have ever thought that one person could not make a difference, think again. I am referring to his recently launched “It gets better” YouTube video project that has exploded across the internet.

It’s rare that I repeat a topic or repost something. But some things just move me too much to stay quiet. Plus, I put all this effort into this blog so if I want to step up onto a soap box now and again – that’s my privilege. Right?

Anyway – I posted a while back about the “It gets better” project posting videos on YouTube targeting hopeful and reassuring personal messages to LGBT youth who are finding it so difficult to make it through another day of teasing, bullying and rejection that they are considering suicide.

I just checked in again with the project and was inspired by more videos. Hope and support are coming in from all corners. Congratulations Dan, you have quite literally changed the landscape for LGBT and questioning youth. Bravo.

If you have yet to link to this project on your Facebook or Orkut page, please do. It may save a life.

UPDATE: Looks who's joining the effort.  This makes me a proud voter for President Obama.  Thanks everyone who emailed me the link to this video within hours of it hitting the net.

For my US friends on Election Day in Brazil

Today, Sunday, is Election Day in Brazil (note to the United States: more people might actually cast ballots if you held elections on a day when not everyone has to work all day. Duh. - Oh, that’s right, the Republicans don’t want regular working folks to have the opportunity to vote.)

Anyway, while Brazilians are touching the voting machine screens for who they hope will be the lesser of the two evils in federal office races, my friends back in the States are grumbling about how disappointed they are in President Obama and how they might just sit this election out, come November.

Nobody can disappoint like a friend and ally (remember Bill Clinton?). But as pointed out in this clip, there is a big difference between a disappointing friend and a deadly enemy. Get over yourselves and get out and vote to keep the Democrats in office.

Don’t make me come up there and pull your ear!

For a little comic relief check out Bill Maher’s “New Rules” segment from a recent show where he channels President Obama’s alter ego “Barry Whitehouse.” (NSFW)

The "It Gets Better" project

My heart breaks telling stories like this one. But tell I must. How many of these reports must we read before we take action? This is from back in the good ol’ US of A. (There is a positive response in the end.)

I post this to encourage my friends (Brazilian or otherwise) to TALK with your family and friends and FORWARD a link to your young LGBT family members so this does not happen to other young people.

INDIANA TEEN COMMITS SUICIDE AFTER ANTI-GAY BULLYING AT SCHOOL

15-year-old Billy Lucas' suicide appears to have been inspired by anti-gay bullying at school.

"The 15-year-old never told anyone he was gay but students at Greensburg High School thought he was and so they picked on him.

'People would call him 'fag' and stuff like that, just make fun of him because he's different basically,' said student Dillen Swango.

Students said it was common knowledge that children bullied Billy and from what they said, it was getting worse. Last Thursday, Billy's mother found him dead inside their barn. He had hung himself.

Students said on that same day, some students told Billy to kill himself. 'They said stuff like 'you're like a piece of crap' and 'you don't deserve to live.' Different things like that. Talked about how he was gay or whatever,' said Swango."

"Friends of Lucas say that he had been tormented for years. 'Some people at school called him names,' Hughes said, saying most of those names questioned Lucas' sexual orientation, and that Lucas, for the most part, did little to defend himself. 'He would try to but people would just try to break him down with words and stuff and just pick on him,' Hughes said."

The creator of this project said:

"Billy Lucas was just 15 when he hanged himself in a barn on his grandmother's property. He reportedly endured intense bullying at the hands of his classmates—classmates who called him a fag and told him to kill himself. His mother found his body.... I wish I could have talked to this kid for five minutes. I wish I could have told Billy that it gets better. I wish I could have told him that, however bad things were, however isolated and alone he was, it gets better.

"But gay adults aren't allowed to talk to these kids. Schools and churches don't bring us in to talk to teenagers who are being bullied. Many of these kids have homophobic parents who believe that they can prevent their gay children from growing up to be gay—or from ever coming out—by depriving them of information, resources, and positive role models.

"Why are we waiting for permission to talk to these kids? We have the ability to talk directly to them right now. We don't have to wait for permission to let them know that it gets better. We can reach these kids."

OK – so to respond there is an amazing YouTube effort started by Dan Savage, the long-time sex advice columnist in Seattle, WA.

“It Gets Better”

Savage has encouraged everyone with an interest in intervening in the ongoing travesty that is bullying of LGBT kids in schools to post a brief video on YouTube reminding these kids that It Gets Better.

Take a look --- and pass this posts on to others in your network!







Link your young LGBT family and friends to the It Gets Better Project for words of hope and reassurance. It may save their life.

Sports and social clubs

One common feature on the sports and social landscape here in Rio/Niterói is the prevalence of private clubs. They come in every style (read: class) and vary in focus from yacht clubs to tennis clubs to clubs associated with Schools of Samba. There is even a sports club near our house sponsored by the city (so the rest of us can enjoy a swimming pool and a maintained futebol field).

I’ll admit right up front that my working class bullshit detector goes off when I hear about or visit private clubs in Rio, Niterói or other places. I can’t help it. Maybe it’s me, but there is often an air of “we are better than those poor people (read: brown people) who go to the beach and swim in that nasty water.” Ok, maybe I’m being too harsh. I don’t think so.

Stopping short of a complete generalization I want to be clear that there are clubs for everyone, but they are definitely stratified by class. But alas, so much is so in Brazilian society. What’s the big deal? If class stratification were restricted to social clubs, then not much. But I fear the clubs are more an outgrowth of the gaping separation of the haves and have-nots in Brazil and that they reinforce and normalize this gap.

Sports and social clubs definitely have their perks and advantages and many, many are not only for the rich. They may bring swimming options to those living far from the beach. The grounds are safe for kids to wander and play on their own. Food and drink can be cheaper than on the street (since your monthly dues subsidize the environment). They are certainly a place to find tennis partners or to socialize with people self-selected as like you. They can be a quiet respite from the cacophony of the surrounding neighborhood.

That is all very reasonable. But at the end of the day, some of these places do not pass the smell test when it comes to self-selected class stratification – for whatever the reason. To suggest otherwise is to ignore reality.

Like I said, the hair goes up on the back of my neck. I flash on a memory of being the guest of a friend of mine in San Francisco for the annual LGBT physicians’ association dinner. We wandered the room meeting and greeting new colleagues and old. EVERYONE extended their hand to me first and introduced themselves. In turn I would introduce them to my host who had a PhD in psychiatry from Harvard, an African American man. We left early. Harold was worried that when it came time for people to leave they would be giving him their car keys and asking him to go fetch their BMWs.

On the other hand, I do enjoy going to some private clubs and having my class stereotypes contradicted by the openness and inclusivity shown by their members. And I have been to many clubs for us working class folk and they can put on one hell of a party.

Can we bury this controversy?

Ok - I know this is a blog about Luiz and my life in Brazil, but forgive me if I continue to feel the pinch of injustice against LGBT folks in my country of birth, especially in the state where we recently lived for the past 24 years.

Here is a great video that takes on the propoganda against gay marriage in California (and elsewhere).  Make no mistake, this battle has not been won.  Talk to your friends and family. Check it out.

Dare I say: Qualidade de Vida

Luiz and I enjoy a rather slow paced life. We have left behind the frantic 9 to 6 or 7 or 9 or 10:30 lifestyle we endured while working in San Francisco. With few exceptions nowadays neither Luiz nor I work a Saturday (never a Sunday). Outside of the ambient heat, I don’t think either of us has broken a sweat since we got here.

It is a different world. It is a world we anticipated, created and embrace. We did not move to Brazil to be frantic entrepreneurs seeking to make a gazillion dollars. Slow and steady wins the race down here.

Since every day seems like Sunday I do on occasion think “should I be working more?” but then I snap out of it and say “WHY?” That is the USA trap I have escaped from. I know who I am. I am not defined by my business accomplishments. Luiz is more than that which he might produce.

It has been hard for us to let go of the dynamic so endemic in the United States that defines you by your economic achievements, by your job, by your title.

Been there. Done that. Now we live here. Graças a deus. These are different times.

We worked hard to prepare for a different reality here in Brazil. The numbers are on our side. It is important that we not fall back into the stressful dynamic of our past – because the growing middle class in Brazil seems to be adopting these preoccupations and would encourage us to work, work, work to buy a side by side refrigerator.

We are happy. We got off that train a couple years ago. And we are doing just fine, thank you very much. No stress. More travel. Quiet afternoons. Much more beach time.

It is possible. Run the numbers. Just say no/yes.