I had the second eye operation Thursday .... the main computer was serviced also
and is back online. Lots of problems!

Donald


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

.
Thanksgiving has come and gone (for us Americans anyway).  It’s one of my
favorite holidays for all kinds of reasons, but I really like to hit the
‘pause’ button for a few days to be grateful.
.
For nonprofits, it should always be Thanksgiving.  We should always be thanking
someone for their support of our work.  Year-end is a great time to thank
members, donors and volunteers.
.
Donald

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Tomorrow (Tuesday) all of us working with the ONG will be attending a special
concentrated course at the Technicale Institute in Currais Novos for two days.
This course will familairize us to work with thousands of projects  sponsered by
SEAPAC/ASA, a special agency associated with Catholic Church in the semi-arid
sertao region of Rio Grande do Norte.

Working with Social community projects requires us to stay updated on all the
regulations and laws.

Donald

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
--------------------------
Note: Many NGO/ONGS in Brazil (and the Brazilian government) are active and
concerned with the situation in Malawi,
one of the poorest countries in Africa. Madonna has a project - Raising Mlawi -
and the group Mandlla has offered to emplant mandallas to feed the thousands of
orphans in Malawi. This is not a project in Brazil but as our associated ONGs
are envolved, hence this report. This week I will be posting a video (in
Portuguese and English) on our BLOG).

Donald
.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
--------------------------
.
MCHINJI DISTRICT, Malawi — The Home of Hope orphanage provides Chikodano
Lupanga, 15, with three nutritious meals a day, new school uniforms, sensible
black shoes and a decent education.
The New York Times
.
A cash transfer project helps families in Mchinji District.

Her orphaned cousin Jean, 11, who balked at entering the orphanage and lives
with her grown sister, has no shoes, raggedy clothes and an often-empty belly.
Repeating third grade for the third time, Jean said she bitterly regretted that
she did not grow up in the orphanage where Madonna adopted a boy. Had she
stayed, she whispered, “I would have learned to read.”
.
In a country as desperately poor as Malawi, children placed in institutions are
often seen as the lucky ones. But even as orphanages have sprung up across
Africa with donations from Western churches and charities, the families who care
for the vast majority of the continent’s orphans have gotten no help at all,
household surveys show.
.
Researchers now say a far better way to assist these bereft children is with
simple allocations of cash — $4 to $20 a month in an experimental program
under way here in Malawi — given directly to the destitute extended families
who take them in. That program could provide grants to eight families looking
after some two dozen children for the $1,500 a year it costs to sponsor one
child at the Home of Hope, estimated Candace M. Miller, a Boston University
professor and a lead researcher in the project.
.
Experts and child advocates maintain that orphanages are expensive and often
harm children’s development by separating them from their families. Most of
the children living in institutions around the world have a surviving parent or
close relative, and they most commonly entered orphanages because of poverty,
according to new reports by Unicef and Save the Children.
.
“Because there’s money in orphanages, people are creating them and getting
children in them,” said Dr. Biziwick Mwale, executive director of Malawi’s
National AIDS Commission.
.
The Home of Hope’s founder, the Rev. Thomson Chipeta, 80, said children needed
the orphanage because their families were so poor. “If the children can be
given the privilege of a home like this one, it’s much better,” he said.
.
Madonna’s charity, Raising Malawi, pays for most of Home of Hope’s operating
budget and also supports community centers where orphans who remain with their
families can go for food and services, said the charity’s executive director,
Philippe van den Bossche. He said orphanages were not the best solution but were
needed when families could not or would not care for children.
.
In Madonna’s video on AIDS orphans in Malawi, “I Am Because We Are,” she
says she was drawn to the country when she was told such children “were
everywhere, living on the streets, sleeping under bridges, hiding in abandoned
buildings, being abducted, kidnapped, raped.”
.
But across Africa, demographic data shows that even the poorest extended
families usually take in children whose parents have died. And while AIDS has
worsened the orphan crisis in Africa, the United Nations recently estimated that
of 55.3 million children in sub-Saharan Africa who have lost at least one
parent, AIDS accounted for 14.7 million of them.
.
The Joint Learning Initiative on Children and H.I.V./AIDS, which brought
together dozens of international experts to review hundreds of studies, this
year strongly endorsed programs that give the poorest families modest financial
support, including cash transfer programs like Malawi’s.
.
More than a billion dollars in foreign aid has been spent over the past five
years for orphans and vulnerable children, but some major donors cannot break
down how their contributions were spent. Researchers say donors need to weed out
ineffective, misconceived programs, scrutinizing those that are managed by
international nongovernmental organizations or governments but reliant on
volunteers in villages to do the work.
.
“An enormous amount of money is going into these efforts with very little
return,” said Linda Richter, who runs the children’s programs at South
Africa’s Human Sciences Research Council.
.
Here in Malawi, hundreds of community groups have won small grants to start
small labor-intensive businesses and are expected to donate all the profits to
orphans. Pauline Peters, a Harvard University anthropologist, and Susan Watkins,
a sociologist at the University of Pennsylvania, who have independently done
years of field work in Malawian villages, say orphans have received few benefits
from the millions spent.
.
“The donors have fantasies of the way things work — that you can mobilize
villagers to care for children who aren’t theirs without paying them to do
it,” Professor Watkins said.
.
In Kandikiti, where Jean Lupanga’s family lives, a group of 20 villagers won a
$4,000 grant last year to start a pig farm to help orphans. The group bought
nine pure-bred hogs, built them a residence nicer than those of most people and
posted volunteers to guard it round the clock. They also bought 10 bicycles,
vaccines for the pigs and paid their members to attend training sessions.
.
More than a year later, they have not sold a single one of the white,
floppy-eared, European-bred pigs. In a village where scruffy local pigs trot
freely among the huts, the group’s leader fell silent when asked who could
afford such expensive pork.
.
“We’ve never done this before,” said Selina Sakala, 47, chairwoman of
Mmasomuyere Orphan Care.
.
Malawi’s cash transfer experiment, financed by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS,
Tuberculosis and Malaria and supported by Unicef, directly helps destitute
families who care for many children or have no able-bodied adult to earn a
living. Children whose families got the grants were healthier, better fed and
clothed and more likely to be in school than children in families that got none,
according to a randomized community trial conducted by Boston University and the
University of Malawi and paid for by Unicef and the United States government.
.
Professor Miller said the program had yielded “fabulous benefits” but
cautioned that the country needed better safeguards to prevent corruption and
fraud in the future.
.
Throngs of Malawians gathered one recent day under shade trees to collect the
cash. Many grandparents had walked miles on bare feet as cracked and parched as
the earth. Officials in plastic chairs checked photo identity cards. Recipients
unable to read or write left an inky thumb print, then twisted the precious
bills into the hem of a skirt or tucked them in a pocket.
.
Children at the Home of Hope in Malawi's Mchinji District get three meals a day,
school uniforms and a basic education.
.
Families who have been collecting the grants for a year or two say they have
made a difference. Velenasi Jackson spends the $20 she gets each month on staple
foods and clothes for the 10 orphaned grandchildren who share her two-room mud
hut in the village of Nyoka. They no longer go whole days with nothing to eat,
she said.
.
“A gift is never too small,” she said.
.
Here in the Mchinji District, the Home of Hope looks after 653 children, from
infants to teenagers. Its founder, Mr. Chipeta, leaning on a hand-carved wooden
staff, gestured to each building on a tour of the grounds and proudly named the
donor who paid for it. Among them were churches and individuals from the United
States, Canada, Britain, the Netherlands, South Korea and Germany.
.
In a letter Mr. Chipeta gives visitors, he says the home needs their prayers,
love and support — with the phrase “See Our Budget” in parentheses.
.
Chikodano Lupanga has lived at the home since she was 6. Her house mother,
Enelesi Chiduka, 59, said she was responsible for looking after 80 girls, making
sure they showered twice a day, attended daily prayer sessions and did their
chores.
.
Quiet and serious, Chikodano said her family could never have afforded to send
her to high school or to give her a diet that included chicken and fish. “I
have lots of friends, and the other needs not met at home are met here —
school fees, clothes, shoes,” she said.
.
Nine years ago, Chikodano’s cousin Alice, now 31, took her and Jean to the
Home of Hope. Chikodano went quietly, but Jean, only 2 or 3 years old and deeply
attached to her big sister Alice, sobbed inconsolably and remained with Alice.
The family has recently started getting the monthly cash grant, but it is too
soon for it to have made much impact.
.
Jean, a shy, expressive girl with a heart-shaped face, lives the arduous life
common to poor rural children across Africa. She fetches water, pounds maize and
cooks over smoky fires. At last glance, she was scrubbing Alice’s little boy
with soapy well water sloshed from a plastic bucket.
.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

December 3, 2009 in Travel Related Consumer Reports
.
Airline ticket prices expected to increase worldwide(Forimmediaterelease.net)
According to the ITB World Travel Trends Report, commissioned by the world’s
leading travel trade show and compiled by the consultancy IPK International, a
short- to mid-term rise in the price of airline tickets is to be expected
worldwide. Travelers will have to bear the cost of anticipated increases in
taxes and charges by paying extra for tickets, according to the report.
.
The ITB World Travel Trends Report states that in order to become profitable
again, airlines will have to significantly adjust their ticket prices. The
findings are based on the assessments of 60 tourism experts from 30 countries,
on a special IPK International trend analysis undertaken in leading source
markets and on core data supplied by the World Travel Monitor®, recognized as
the largest ongoing survey of global travel trends in some 60 source countries.
The report notes that “current airline prices are clearly too low to allow
airlines to become profitable again."
.
Despite the worldwide recession, the ITB World Travel Trends Report expects
commercial aviation to grow dynamically over the next two decades. The Chinese
market is predicted to expand annually by around 8.4 percent, followed by the
Asian-Pacific region (6.9 percent), and South America (estimated at 6.4
percent). The European market is forecast to grow by 3.4 percent, lagging
significantly behind the expected global average growth rate of 4.9 percent.
.
Dr. Martin Buck, vice president, CompetenceCenter Travel&Logistics, Messe
Berlin, stated: “The currently unanswered question facing the world’s
airline industries is whether price-conscious consumers will continue to drive
the downgrading trend we are seeing in bookings or whether we will witness a
return to the situation we had before the worldwide economic and financial
crisis began. It also remains to be seen whether companies will limit their
business travel to a minimum and how video conferences and other new forms of
communication technology will influence travel behavior."
.
According to Dr. Martin Buck, the recession has already had a positive effect,
“The over-capacity of the world’s airline industries has been reduced and
older planes, which consume large amounts of kerosene, have been taken out of
service." In the short term, a full recovery of demand is unlikely. Describing
the situation he added that “flat is the new growth."
.
From December 15, 2009 the ITB World Travel Trends Report 2009/2010 can be
downloaded free of charge from www.itb-berlin.com/mediacentre/publications .

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

We all get old ... computers, too .... the main server at the ONG will be
offline for the next week or so while undergoing a reform and upgrade. I will be
checking from LAN HOUSE    Internet cafe, and from laptop for the duration of
the repair.

Now is one of the times we really need your help, donation, or membership fees.

Check our membership page www.andetur.org/membership_en.htm

Donald


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Will be checking the forums and BLOGS from Internet Cafe for the next 3 - 4 days

Donald


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Associated Press - 2009-11-30
.
Organizers say 350,000 people showed up to watch a Walt Disney parade on
Copacabana beach.
.
Sunday's parade was the first of a series being organized by Walt Disney Co. in
Latin America's largest nation.
.
Disney fans of all ages packed the famous beach to watch their favorite
characters along a 4-kilometer (2.5-mile) stretch, Globo TV's G1 Web site
reported.
.
About 400 local artists participated in the "Magical Moments" event, which
followed the standards of Disney's spectacles at its theme parks around the
globe.
.
Organizers say parades are planned for the cities of Vila Velha and Sao Paulo
later this month.
.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

ANI     Monday 30th November, 2009
.
Budapest (Hungary), November 30 : A team of Hungarian marine archaeologists has
found the wreckage of a Dutch cargo ship that sank near the Brazilian coast over
three centuries ago.
.
Voetboog was a three-mast flyboat, which left the port of Batavia (now Jakarta)
for The Netherlands with a 109-member crew on board, the expedition leader
Attila K. Szaloky told MTI, a Hungarian news agency.
.
Owned by the Dutch East India Company, the Fluyt ship carried silk, spices, tea,
Japanese and Chinese porcelain as well as nearly 180,000 pieces of Dutch golden
ducats.
.
"The estimated value of the wreckage is about 1 billion dollars," said Szaloky.
.
Sailing on the Atlantic, the ship was probably caught by a storm and its only
chance to get home was to stick close to the Brazilian coast.
.
For reasons unknown, however, it sank near the coast of Pernambuco state on May
29, 1700.
.
The team of Octopus Association for Marine Archaeology found the wreckage in
October 2008, but announced the discovery only after the first phase of
examinations came to an end.
.
The objects found in the depths suggest that it is indeed the wreckage of
Voetboog, which is lying on the seabed under several metres thick of sediment.
.
"Over the past 309 years, the ship has virtually disintegrated," Szaloky said.
.
The finds will be brought to surface and conserved in line with Brazilian law.
.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Return to lender: US hotel owners, like home owners, going delinquent on debt
.
     * By Travis Reed, Associated Press Writer
     * Saturday November 28, 2009
.
MIAMI (AP) -- Like many home owners, hotels are starting to drown in debt.
.
They have been enticing travelers all year with sweet deals: credits for
in-house spas and restaurants, up to 50 percent off five-star rooms, even free
nights.
.
But all that discounting hasn't stopped occupancy from dropping an average of 10
percent. The result? Hotel loans have begun falling into delinquency faster than
any other kind of commercial real estate debt.
.
The rising defaults paint a grim picture for an industry with increasingly more
rooms than guests, and more hotels still opening every day. It's a problem that
could get worse before it gets better, with demand expected to remain weak and
ambitious new projects planned before the meltdown worsening the room glut.
.
The oversupply means room rates should stay low for at least another year, good
news for consumers but not so great for hotel owners and the banks that lent
them the cash to build or buy.
.
The rise in delinquencies is sharp. Five times more hotel loans are behind on
payments this year than in 2008, according to mortgage data firm Trepp LLC,
which tracks those traded by investors. In October, 8.7 percent were distressed,
compared with 1.5 percent last year.
.
That's almost double the 4.8 percent rate for commercial property and the 4.5
percent rate for stores.
.
"Right now is an absolutely horrible time to be in the hotel business," said Ben
Thypin, senior market analyst for market research firm Real Capital Analytics.
.
What happens when a hotel loan goes bad? Banks are much less willing to seize
them than houses because running a hotel requires know-how. But some hotel
owners are just handing back the keys where property values have plummeted.
.
In most cases, it is investment funds falling behind on payments, not major
hotel companies. They generally don't own much property, instead franchising
brands and earning a percentage of sales.
.
Most of the 1,231 U.S. hotels and casinos with troubled financing are remaining
open. So, in the short term at least, consumers can expect to see deals on room
rates for at least another year. Executives at STR Global, the hotel research
firm, expect demand to rise 1.6 percent in 2010, but average rates to drop 3.4
percent.
.
Not in the 20 years the firm has collected hotel data has supply and demand been
so far apart -- not even in the early 1990s recession or after Sept. 11, 2001.
.
In July, even the posh California resort where American International Group
employees vacationed after the company got bailout funds -- inciting a wave of
populist rancor -- was taken over by a lender. Franchisor Starwood Hotels &
Resorts Worldwide Inc. is still operating the St. Regis Monarch Beach, but such
upscale resorts are still struggling without Wall Street bus
iness.
.
Extended Stay Hotels LLC filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in June,
with $7.6 billion in debt across 681 residence hotels that also depend on
business travelers. And Red Roof Inn Inc. defaulted in June on $361.4 million in
loans on 131 properties.
.
Most of the distressed debt is on new or newly renovated high-end resorts built
from 2005 to 2007 on dreams of corporate meetings and cocktail hours. Luxury
projects approved before the recession are still opening this year and in 2010
-- including three Ritz-Carltons.
.
And even more new hotels are on the way. Because outside investors have to
secure the loans and take the biggest risk, hotel chains intend to keep growing
-- even at the high end.
.
Starwood is adding 45 luxury and upscale hotels to its U.S. portfolio this year,
and about 23 in 2010. InterContinental Hotels and Resorts is signing a contract
every day to add to its more than 4,300 properties, the world's largest by room
count, said Jim Abrahamson, the British company's leader in the Americas. This
year, 335 of the company's new hotels are in the U.S.
.
Starwood CEO Frits van Paasschen brushes off critics, saying "rumors of luxury's
demise are greatly exaggerated."
.
"As you look back on the excesses of the 1980s, 'The Bonfire of the Vanities,'
the run-up in prosperity around the Internet boom -- even going to Pompeii and
seeing the way people were being pampered 2,000 years ago," he said. "I think
luxury, taking care of yourself, taking care of your family and those around you
is so fundamental to the human experience."
.
________________________________________________________________________________\
________________________
.
OBS: The same thing in Brazil .... we have loads of pousadas and hotels 'for
sale' ............ because they are not
getting the tourists. Good deal for club members.
.
Donald

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hello,

This email message is a notification to let you know that
a file has been uploaded to the Files area of the brazilian-travel-club
group.

   File        : /ABelezaPotiguar.ParteI.BM25(2).pps
   Uploaded by : andetur <andetur@...>
   Description : PowerPoint slides (fotos) of Natal, RN (second)

You can access this file at the URL:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/brazilian-travel-club/files/ABelezaPotiguar.ParteI\
.BM25%282%29.pps

To learn more about file sharing for your group, please visit:
http://help.yahoo.com/l/us/yahoo/groups/original/members/forms/general.htmlfiles

Regards,

andetur <andetur@...>

Hello,

This email message is a notification to let you know that
a file has been uploaded to the Files area of the brazilian-travel-club
group.

   File        : /NatalRN.pps
   Uploaded by : andetur <andetur@...>
   Description : PowerPoint slides (fotos) of Natal, RN

You can access this file at the URL:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/brazilian-travel-club/files/NatalRN.pps

To learn more about file sharing for your group, please visit:
http://help.yahoo.com/l/us/yahoo/groups/original/members/forms/general.htmlfiles

Regards,

andetur <andetur@...>

A message to all members of AMERICANS LIVING IN BRAZIL and the BRAZILIAN TRAVEL
CLUB

Hello,
.
I am writing today to ask for your help. Please help us spread the love and take
the time to invite 10 or more friends to our community who you think would
benefit from the information and support found on our forums and BLOGS.
.
Inviting friends is easy when you import your address book from other email
services you use. You can also manually type in addresses if you prefer.
.
Please only ask those you feel would appreciate the energy on our site and would
be open to the empowered approach to living in Brazil we advocate.
.
Join the Americans Living in Brazil BLOG.
http://americanslivinginbrazil.ning.com/  Add pictures, comments,  and join
sub-blogs, groups or forums, announce events in your community.
.
Help grow your community and you will reap the benefits as more special souls
join us in cyberspace to share the lifestyle, spiritual growth, experiences --
and the day-to-day blahs! -- that can come with serious economic problems in our
world  back home and in Brazil.
.
Join the Brazilian Travel Club (Our NGO/ONG Association ABTC-BRAZIL in Brazil).
Your memberhip fees and donations help us continue these services and our
community social projects. Until Sunday night, we are still offering a
discounted special Silver Membership for $ 100.00.
.
If you don´t feel like joining, at least donate something, anything helps.
.
Sending much love out to you all, and thanks for helping to rebuild our
membership
.
Visit the forum or BLOG at:  http://americanslivinginbrazil.ning.com/
.
Donald

  Capt. Donald Reid - Projetista registered IBAMA (1982) – Ministério do Meio
Ambiente – as (como) Técnico Federal N° 235492 “Uso de Recursos Naturais
/utilização do patrimônio natural; Turismo / complexos turísticos e delazer,
inclusive parques temáticos”

Ande Turismo Ltda and NGO/ONG Association ABTC-BRASIL - a non-profit
organization dedicated to furthering the exchange of information among travelers
and promoting responsible travel and sustainable family agriculture in Brazil
and South America.


CONSULTOR DE VIAGENS
CENTRO DA RESERVAS - ACARI E SERIDÒ, RIO GRANDE DO NORTE
Tour Operator - EMBRATUR, SINDETUR, ABAV, IBAMA
Permaculture & Sustainable Agriculture, MANDALLAS e AGRONEGOCIOS
SCHOOL (ESCOLA) PERMACULTURE - Acari, Rio Grande do Norte
www.acari-rn.com.br/permaculture.htm  www.acari-rn.com.br/permacultura.htm

Mobile (84) 9609-0751 (Temp)

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

.
Northeast Brazil is the only setting today where you'll find so much opportunity
in the same place…on the same stretch of coastline
.
Whether you're retiring …investing…buying a second home…or you just want
to start life anew in one of the world's most fascinating countries, it's all
here…in one place.
.
Brazil's choices are endless. From small tropical islands, to modern cities with
gleaming highrises…from green, rolling gentlemen's farms to hideaways in the
cool mountains.
.
If you can imagine your dream setting…you can find it in Brazil.
.
Brazil has some of the world's best real estate options … at the world's
lowest prices.
.
There is nowhere in this hemisphere that you'll see beachfront values like those
in Northeast Brazil today.
.
And Brazil has even more to offer than this year's best beachfront deals...
Bright city life on the water…colonial cities…rolling green
hills…refreshingly cool mountains .
.
Many retirees, investors, and second home buyers prefer city life—I mean
quality city living. They're looking for easy access to shopping … fine dining
… movies and theater. They appreciate a social scene…nightlife, and maybe
the company of fellow expats too.
.
And there's no better place for good city living than the gleaming cities of
Northeast Brazil.
.
The restaurants and nightlife are unparalleled. Whether you're looking for a
fine dining experience…an upscale sushi bar…or an old-world sidewalk café
where you can sip cappuccino and read the paper…you'll find it in the capital
cities of the Northeast.
.
4 Reasons Why You'll Love Brazil
.
# One of the world's best climates, with breathtaking scenery, fresh ocean
breezes and pleasantly warm weather all year.
# One of the world's richest and most delectable cuisines, with fresh, exotic
tropical fruits and vegetables, mouth-watering seafood and sizzling meats.
# Brazil 's culture is one of mankind's most colorful and fascinating. And the
people are warm, welcoming and friendly.
# You'll be eligible for free public health care; or private care for under $120
per month
.
Modern shopping malls and brand name stores will give you access to everything
you need to make life comfortable, too.
.
And the best part is—you don't have to choose…you can have it ALL!
.
In cities like Fortaleza, João Pessoa, Natal and Recife, you'll have all the
amenities close at hand—plus you'll enjoy beautiful beaches at your doorstep.
You can enjoy the best the city has to offer…and still be on the beach.
.
And that's not all … Northeast Brazil has even more lifestyle choices to
offer.
.
What's even more amazing is that Brazil isn't experiencing the kinds of problems
that the real estate markets in North America are facing...
.
Today's investment opportunities in Northeast Brazil are like nothing we've ever
seen before With easy financing terms — unheard of until now. There's a frenzy
of buying activity in this northeast corner of Brazil.
.
I've seen hot markets before, in places like Panama and Nicaragua. But they
don't compare to what we're seeing in Brazil this year.
.
And what makes it possible are the almost unheard-of credit terms, even in the
midst of today's credit crisis. On two occasions, I've seen condos sell with
less than 1% down, and easy developer financing.
.
Contrary to the old stereotypes, investors today view Brazil as a “safe
haven”…a land of opportunity. According to The Economist, Brazil 's economy
will continue to grow in 2009, despite the worldwide recession…while the US,
UK, and many of the “first world” economies will shrink.
.
Good, affordable health care……for less than $120 per month.  With the
spiraling costs of US health care—and the sagging quality—obtaining good,
affordable care is important to many of us. Quality health care…starting at
less than $120 per month…and just $75 per month if you're under 50.
.
Don't want to pay for health insurance? No problem. You can use the free health
care system.
.
Some of Brazil 's best benefits are those you can't see

Sometimes it's the intangible side of life in a foreign country that really tips
the balance in its favor. Here are a few things that will really impress you
about Brazil :
.
     *  It's a strong, proud, and independent country. Brazil makes its own
products, from cars, to TV sets to airplanes.
.
     * The culture is rich, diverse and exciting …unlike anything I've seen in
the world.
.
     * The food is fantastic—from the mouthwatering seafood…to the deep rich
stews…from the excellent sizzling meats…to the fresh tropical fruits and
vegetables. The cuisine alone is enough to draw most people to Brazil.
.
     * Brazil has a strong economy that is well-positioned to withstand the
present world recession, thanks to their traditionally responsible credit
policies.
.
     * Brazil is home to lots of expats. It may be uncharted territory to North
Americans, but Brazil has long been a haven for others around the world. The
English, Dutch, Norwegians and Portuguese have been enjoying Brazil 's treasures
for years.
.
     * Brazilians are a joy to be with. They're warm…friendly…welcoming
people and you couldn't ask for better hosts.
.
     * Finally, it's simply more exotic than its Latin American neighbors. The
melodious language…the sultry dances…the samba music and the Brazilians
themselves— give Brazil an exotic and vibrant air that you just won't find
anywhere else in this region.
.
We can show you the best options for getting to the Northeast, and some great
hints for traveling in-country. You'll hear about some of our favorite cities,
restaurants and attractions…and get the real story on what we found to be
over-rated.
.
We can also cover details about owning a car, money-saving tips, and some
important insights on how the dollar's exchange rate can affect your lifestyle
and the simple steps you can take to protect yourself.
.
What's more, you'll gain insights into Brazil 's business world and get a good
overview of the economy to round out the full picture of life in Brazil.
.
Hard facts are valuable…but personal experience is indispensable.
.
You'd invest several years of your time and thousands of dollars to compile this
first-hand information on your own.
.
Discover northeast Brazil : The one place where you can have it all… at prices
we can all afford
.
You can enjoy life and be spending with real-life budgets starting at $932 per
month.
.
The rush to Brazil is underway. Please don't wait and be left out of today's #1
opportunity
.
Consider what Northeast Brazil is offering:
# Beautiful beachfront property at fire sale prices
# A remarkably low cost of living with a high quality of life
# Glorious weather all-year-round…with plenty of beaches to enjoy the climate
# Today's hottest investment market…with lots of opportunity just waiting for
you.
.
But today's prices and opportunities won't be around long.
.
Join the Brazilian Travel Club today! Just $100.00 until Sunday Night.
.
Donald

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

US$ 1.00 = Euro  0.66 - Argentina 3.82-  Bolivia 7.04 -
Brasil  1.72 - Chile
498,20        -  Colombia
1.964,92 - M�xico  13.00 - Paraguay 4.870  - Per� 2.80-
Uruguay  22.55 -
Venezuela 2.14

Courtesy Donald - Andetur


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

.
Well, I guess the party (Thanksgiving) is over and the news talks about Black
Friday, supposedly the biggest shopping day os the year, especially in the USA.
In Brazil the shoppers are out too.
.
We are settling in the new office and ag store in Acari. Family Agriculture.
Christian is naming the store 'Oasis por Todos' (An Oasis for everyone) which
recognises the project done by Peirre Rahbi (French) in Africa. They have
managed working farms for over 100,000 people). (If you can read Portuguese ...
report posted ... join the BLOG Comunidade Mandlla and follow our projects 
http://comunidademandalla.ning.com/notes/Peirre_Rahbi)
.
Note that we have a new supporter with the Agency PINC on our BLOG AMERICANS
LIVING IN BRAZIL, subtitle under
http://americanslivinginbrazil.ning.com/opensocial/ningapps/show?appUrl=http%3A%\
2F%2Fopensocial.pincgiving.com%2Fsocialgiving%2Fmodule%3Fning-app-status%3Dnetwo\
rk&owner=2n7axiocbbcsi
.
Our extended SILVER CLUB membership ... US$ 100,00 will end Sunday! Memberhip
fees and donations can still be made on PayPal (www.paypal.com) by sending to
the ONG email address abtc.brasil@...
.
Supporters in the USA can donate via the FOCUS CONSERVATION FUND, is a
501(c)(3), tax-exempt non-profit organization based in Santa Fe, New Mexico,
USA.  All donations are tax deductible to the limit allowed by law.
http://andetur.org/Focus_Conservation.htm

.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Thank you for your Thanksgiving wishes Capt Reid,

Jim, John and I are approaching the climax to completion of the phase of project
preparation which will allow us to then continue on to Brazil without having to
go back and attend to current vital business activity. As soon as we're able we
will be traveling to Natal Brazil to fulfill our commitment and begin our
project (the development of disaster-proof homes) there.

Thank you for your continued interest in Strategic Alliance Homes capt Reid. And
thank you for continually keeping us up to date through the Brazilian Travel
Club a-Letter. I hope that all is ok now with your eyes and that you are blessed
with good health.

We plan to travel to Natal for our scheduled visit as soon as possible. Please
keep in contact with Jim and John on continual basis. My necessary travels will
be completed soon here in the United States and we will then be planning our
trip to Brazil. Take care Capt Reid and may God bless and be with you always.

Warm regards,
Michael Boudreaux

Cc: Jim McCosh, John Baker


--- On Thu, 11/26/09, Donald R <andetur@...> wrote:

From: Donald R <andetur@...>
Subject: [brazilian-travel-club] Happy Thanksgiving!
To: brazilian-travel-club@yahoogroups.com
Date: Thursday, November 26, 2009, 7:12 PM







 









       Dear forum member,

.

It's Thanksgiving in the U.S.  I've something important to tell you. I know I
speak for every far-flung contributor to these daily forums...…Troy, Bob,
Eric, Guy, Mike, my sister Shirley, J.C. and Christian…when I say "Thank you."
Whether you're a new reader of this e-letter…or you've been with us since we
published the first e-mail edition over nine years ago…or you've shared the
journey .... thank you for sticking with us.

.

Wherever you find yourself today, we hope you're among friends and family,
sharing a very Happy Thanksgiving.

.

Donald Reid

Forum moderator - President of the NGO/ONG Association ABTC-BRASIL

and owner-manager of Andetur Agency

.

























[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Ever have the feeling the other side isn't listening?

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

At� o dia  30 de novembro, pessoas f�sicas e jur�dicas podem aderir ao novo
programa de parcelamento, institu�do na Lei 11.941, de maio.

O programa � considerado o mais benevolente com o devedor dos que foram lan�ados
nos �ltimos anos e j� foi apelidado de "Refis da crise".

O d�bito poder� ser parcelado em at� 180 meses, com redu��o de juros, multas e
encargos sociais. O contribuinte que j� aderiu a outros programas (Refis, Paes
ou Paex) poder� fazer a migra��o para as novas condi��es.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Dear forum member,
.
It's Thanksgiving in the U.S.  I've something important to tell you. I know I
speak for every far-flung contributor to these daily forums...�Troy, Bob, Eric,
Guy, Mike, my sister Shirley, J.C. and Christian�when I say "Thank you." Whether
you're a new reader of this e-letter�or you've been with us since we published
the first e-mail edition over nine years ago�or you've shared the journey ....
thank you for sticking with us.
.
Wherever you find yourself today, we hope you're among friends and family,
sharing a very Happy Thanksgiving.
.
Donald Reid
Forum moderator - President of the NGO/ONG Association ABTC-BRASIL
and owner-manager of Andetur Agency
.

The War on Christmas vs. the War on Thanksgiving
Contact: Christian Newswire, 202-546-0054
OPINION, Nov. 25 /Christian Newswire/ -- The following is submitted by Gary
McCullough, director of Christian Newswire:
.
Throughout history there exists an ongoing battle over what cultures celebrate
and why.  In recent American history the battle lines are often described as pro
and anti-Christian.
.
America once was content in allowing civil authorities to select and define its
holidays. With the increasing influence of groups which use the courts to
challenge any comingling of religion and the function of government, the
definition of the some of the nation's holidays have become a war zone.
.
And while most Americans think of Thanksgiving, Easter and Christmas as
Christian holidays -- history is clear that Easter and Christmas were originally
pagan celebrations, stolen and redefined.
.
This leaves Thanksgiving as the one American holiday originating within
Christian culture. It is a holiday created to remind a nation to thank God. So
while talk-show hosts expound upon a war on Christmas -- let's not ignore the
war on the one true Christian holiday, Thanksgiving.
.
In President Obama's 2009 Thanksgiving Proclamation, he points to President
Washington encouraging thankfulness to God, followed by President Lincolns'
desire to see a nation healed from war,  to his, President Obama's, wish that
"we observe traditions from every culture, Thanksgiving Day is a unique national
tradition we all share. Its spirit binds us together as one people, each of us
thankful for our common blessings." In a short couple of centuries, we have gone
from President Washington's call to "unite in most humbly offering our prayers
and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations," to "a time for us to
renew our bonds with one another, and we can fulfill that commitment by serving
our communities and our Nation throughout the year (also from President Obama's
2009 Thanksgiving Proclamation)."
.
Thanksgiving originally honored God for His deliverance and providence. That
deliverance came in the form of a people being blessed for obeying His teachings
found in the Old and New Testaments. God's providence was demonstrated when the
Pilgrims discarded socialism after a year of absolute failure and embraced
capitalism; read Governor William Bradford's journal. America's history is clear
that when those who disembarked from the Mayflower applied God's law to their
society they were blessed -- and for this they wished to thank God, not their
neighbors, not each other.
.
The war over Thanksgiving as a holiday began when a generation was taught that
the holiday's first setting was Pilgrims being saved from starvation by Native
Americans. This war continues with a President that defines it as a time to
thank each other.
.
Thanking your neighbor or Native Americans for teaching Pilgrims to fish and
grow crops is not un-Christian. Redefining Thanksgiving as anything other than a
call to give thanks to the one true and living God is an attempt to remove God
from America's one true Christian holiday.
  .
So before we reenlist to defeat the war on Christmas, take this one day to win
the war over Thanksgiving by forgetting what President Obama said and
remembering what President Washington said.
.

Kindle: The #1 Bestselling, #1 Most Wished For, and #1 Most Gifted Item at
Amazon. Give the gift of reading.
.
At 10.3 ounces, Kindle is lighter and thinner than typical paperbacks, and fits
easily in one hand. Its built-in memory stores hundreds of titles. An optional
SD memory card lets you hold even more. From Melville to Morrison, your favorite
authors can always be with you.
.
In addition, a copy of every book you purchase is backed up online in Your Media
Library in case you ever need to download it again. This allows you to make room
for new titles on your device, knowing that Amazon is storing your personal
library, which can always be re-downloaded wirelessly. If you are out of
wireless coverage, such as traveling overseas, you can download books to your
computer from Your Media Library and transfer via USB to your Kindle. Think of
it as a bookshelf in your attic—even though you don't see it, you know your
books are there.

Check it out!
.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Kindle: The #1 Bestselling, #1 Most Wished For, and #1 Most Gifted Item at
Amazon. Give the gift of reading.
.
At 10.3 ounces, Kindle is lighter and thinner than typical paperbacks, and fits
easily in one hand. Its built-in memory stores hundreds of titles. An optional
SD memory card lets you hold even more. From Melville to Morrison, your favorite
authors can always be with you.
.
In addition, a copy of every book you purchase is backed up online in Your Media
Library in case you ever need to download it again. This allows you to make room
for new titles on your device, knowing that Amazon is storing your personal
library, which can always be re-downloaded wirelessly. If you are out of
wireless coverage, such as traveling overseas, you can download books to your
computer from Your Media Library and transfer via USB to your Kindle. Think of
it as a bookshelf in your attic—even though you don't see it, you know your
books are there.

Check it out!
.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hi All,

I want to move, bt I need to know if I can import my old car (1991 944 Porsche
Turbo owned sine 10+ years broken down) and my wine collection (1000+ bootles)
with out too many problems.
If there are problems what are they and what do I need to do?

��� Regards


��� Mike
  --------------------------------------------------------------

Mike,

Good morning.  You should post this on the Americans Living in Brazil forum on
YAHOO.

These questions you need to discuss with the Brazilian Consul. A lot depends on
your visa.

Donald

.
BECOME A FRIEND OF ONG ASSOCIATION ABTC-BRASIL! The ONG operates the forums
AMERICANS LIVING IN BRAZIL and the BRAZILIAN TRAVEL CLUB on YAHOO; and the BLOGS
by the same name .... you should join the BLOG AMERICANS LIVING IN BRAZIL at
http://americanslivinginbrazil.ning.com/
;
We also operate several sites and BLOGS in Portuguese related to the social
projects we sponsor.
.
It’s Easy To Be a FRIEND! Become a FRIEND by making a minimum annual
contribution of $30 and become part of a network of donors with access to
benefits and discounts offered by the Foundation’s business partners in the
U.S.
.
We hope you will join this growing community of FRIENDS who are helping provide
resources for innovative social development in Brazil. Since the launch of the
campaign in January 2007, ONG ASSOCIATION ABTC-BRASIL has made approximately 400
new FRIENDS. As a FRIEND you are playing a part in creating a more inclusive
Brazil.
.
Click here to become a FRIEND now!
.
BE A VOLUNTEER!
.
Donate your time and talent to ONG ASSOCIATION ABTC-BRASIL! Committees for
fundraising, events planning, program development and communications have been
established and welcome your help.
.
If you would like to volunteer or have comments you would like to share, please
send an email to abtc.brasil@... and someone from the Association will
contact you.
.
MAKE A DONATION!
.
Make a donation online, by check or by credit card to ONG ASSOCIATION
ABTC-BRASIL. You can donate by PayPal .... www.paypal.com and send to
abtc.brasil@...
.
By donating via the FOCUS CENSERVATION FUND and indicating the donation is for
the ONG ASSOCIATION ABTC-BRASIL offers tax advantages to donors in the United
States according to US Income Tax Law Section 501©(3). Your contribution is tax
deductible to the extent allowed by law. 
http://www.andetur.org/Focus_Conservation.htm
.
ONG ASSOCIATION ABTC-BRASIL also works with donors who want to designate funds
for specific projects within the Foundation's giving criteria.
.

  Capt. Donald Reid - Projetista registered IBAMA – Ministério do Meio
Ambiente – as (como) Técnico Federal N° 235492 “Uso de Recursos Naturais
/utilização do patrimônio natural; Turismo / complexos turísticos e delazer,
inclusive parques temáticos”

Ande Turismo Ltda and NGO/ONG Association ABTC-BRASIL - a non-profit
organization dedicated to furthering the exchange of information among travelers
and promoting responsible travel and sustainable family agriculture in Brazil
and South America.


CONSULTOR DE VIAGENS
CENTRO DA RESERVAS - ACARI E SERIDÒ, RIO GRANDE DO NORTE
Tour Operator - EMBRATUR, SINDETUR, ABAV, IBAMA
Permaculture & Sustainable Agriculture, MANDALLAS e AGRONEGOCIOS
SCHOOL (ESCOLA) PERMACULTURE - Acari, Rio Grande do Norte
www.acari-rn.com.br/permaculture.htm  www.acari-rn.com.br/permacultura.htm

Mobile (84) 9609-0751 (Temp)

Websites (Brasil):
http://www.andetur.com.br/ - Andetur agency site - Portuguese
http://www.andeturonline.us/ - Andetur agency site - English (USA)

http://www.acari-rn.com.br/ - Acari project site
http://www.andetur.biz/ - Brazil real estate site
http://www.andetur.info/ - Brazil travel info
http://www.andetur.org - NGO/ONG ABTC-BRASIL

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Again I am offering the SILVER MEMBERSHIP FOR $ 100.00.

Most forum members are aware that the prices for memberships were raised on the
first on November because of the devaluation of the dollar here in Brazil.
Because of the move to our new office, I have decided to allow one more week at
the old promotional price.

We are in the new office, thanks to a group of students from the local school
here in Acari. They cam to our office 'em masse' this morning and moved
everything. So here we are ... internet and everything.

More space ... better internet signal ... and we have been offered contract to
sell government publications on Family Agriculture and we are opening a store to
sell organic produce and plant medicine extracts (oils). We have created a
Virtual store on the BLOGS ... both the Americans Living in Brazil and the
BRAZILIAN TRAVEL CLUB BLOGS.

We also have a new staff member - Severina Pereira Neta (or simply CeCI) who is
not only a good secretary, but also a specialist in preparing official
documents, contracts, and company formation papers. She also has a BLOG -
http://revisoraoficial.ning.com/profile/SeverinaPereiraNeta . We also now
provide translations of documents in English and French.

We have two organizations in the USA that will process membership fees and
donations. The FOCUS CONSERVATION FUND - a 501(c)(3), tax-exempt non-profit
organization based in Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA, and PINC Social Giving which
can be accessed via our AMERICANS LIVING IN BRAZIL BLOG page
http://americanslivinginbrazil.ning.com/opensocial/ningapps/show?appUrl=http%3A%\
2F%2Fopensocial.pincgiving.com%2Fsocialgiving%2Fmodule%3Fning-app-status%3Dnetwo\
rk&owner=2n7axiocbbcsi

As usual fees and donations can be sent by PayPal (www.paypal.com) directly
addressed to abtc.brasil@...

For those that have already joined or sent donations, we wish to express our
sincere appreciation.

Donald



  Capt. Donald Reid - Projetista registered IBAMA – Ministério do Meio
Ambiente – as (como) Técnico Federal N° 235492 “Uso de Recursos Naturais
/utilização do patrimônio natural; Turismo / complexos turísticos e delazer,
inclusive parques temáticos”

Ande Turismo Ltda and NGO/ONG Association ABTC-BRASIL - a non-profit
organization dedicated to furthering the exchange of information among travelers
and promoting responsible travel and sustainable family agriculture in Brazil
and South America.


CONSULTOR DE VIAGENS
CENTRO DA RESERVAS - ACARI E SERIDÒ, RIO GRANDE DO NORTE
Tour Operator - EMBRATUR, SINDETUR, ABAV, IBAMA
Permaculture & Sustainable Agriculture, MANDALLAS e AGRONEGOCIOS
SCHOOL (ESCOLA) PERMACULTURE - Acari, Rio Grande do Norte
www.acari-rn.com.br/permaculture.htm

Mobile (84) 9609-0751 and (84) 9952-0658

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

http://verdeamarelo.ning.com/

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

We have a forum on Yahoo that offers a means for you to learn and practice both
English (if you are Brazilian) and Portuguese (if you are from else where). We
can discuss learning English or Portuguese, pronunciation vocabulary, any
grammar topic, culture, travel, schools, books and dictionaries.
.
Here we can also discuss translating English to Portuguese, and Portuguese to
English. It can be anything !
.
Ask the question and lets see if we can find the answer !
.
If you want to chat use the CHATROOM !
.
Portuguese is one of the romance languages that comes from latin and is in the
same family as Spanish, Italian, French, and Romanian.
.
It is spoken all around the world in Brazil, Portugal, A�ores, Madeira, Galiza,
Angola, Cabo Verde, Guin� Bissau, Mo�ambique, S�o Tom�, Pr�ncipe, Dio, Dam�o,
Goa, Macau, and Timor.
.
Visit and join the English Portuguese Forum
http://br.groups.yahoo.com/group/englishportuguese
.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

----- Forwarded Message ----

From: AMERICANS LIVING IN BRAZIL
Sent: Fri, November 20, 2009 1:34:39 PM
Subject: Donald's blog post was featured on AMERICANS LIVING IN BRAZIL BLOG.


The blog post "Possible Club Investment - how a small investment can benefit
both the NGO/ONG and the community farmers" was just featured on AMERICANS
LIVING IN BRAZIL.

To see the blog post featured, visit:
http://americanslivinginbrazil.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?promoted=1&xg_source=\
msg_feat_blogpost

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

.
We are conducting a serious fund raising drive to help us with our move to our
new offices in Acari and raise funds to create a small store for our ONG, and
training center Chris's farm. We will be selling books, manuals, and DVD s
supplied by EMBRAPA, Amazon COM, and DaTerra (a Brazilian store offering
agriculture educational material). Also we will be offering fresh organic
vegetables to the local markets and population. The training center in
Gargalheiras will offer two and three week courses to teach permaculture
(www.acari-rn.com.br/permaculture.htm) to both locals and immigrants looking at
the possibility of farming and raising their own food here in the northeast.
.
Again we are inviting everyone to share our new BLOG
www.americanslivinginbrazil.ning.com. Add your own pictures and share our many
videos. Be advised of events of interest in Brazil and add events in your local
if you are already living in Brazil. Join sub-groups and forums of interest.
.
We are asking everyone to consider donating almost anything. Even $ 10.00 helps,
but $10.00, 15.00 or even $25.00 really helps. As usual you can donate by PayPal
by sending to the ONG at email abtc.brasil@..., or donate via the Focus
Conservation Fund, a 501(c)(3), tax-exempt non-profit organization based in
Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA. All donations are tax deductible to the limit allowed
by law. http://andetur.org/Focus_Conservation.htm
.
Another way to donate is via Pinc, a new service we are using on our Americans
Living in Brazil BLOG.
www.americanslivinginbrazil.ning.com
.
LINK
http://americanslivinginbrazil.ning.com/opensocial/ningapps/show?appUrl=http3A%2\
F2Fopensocial.pincgiving.com%2Fsocialgiving%2Fmodule%3Fning-app-status%3Dnetwork\
&owner=2n7axiocbbcsi
or look for the subtitle under CONTACT.
.
Donald
.