The AmSoc Blog

From the April issue of Forum

In this occasional section, Forum recommends books in English that will improve your understanding of Brazil.

This Month’s Pick:
The Accidental President of Brazil: A Memoir

By Fernando Henrique Cardoso, with preface by Bill Clinton
PublicAffairs Books ©2006
304 pages

Summary
Fernando Henrique Cardoso received a phone call in the middle of the night asking him to be the new Finance Minister of Brazil.

As he put the phone down and stared into the darkness of his hotel room, he feared he’d been handed a political death sentence. The year was 1993, and he would be responsible for an economy that had had seven different currencies in the previous eight years to cope with inflation that had run at 3000 percent a year. Brazil had a habit of chewing up finance ministers with the ferocity of an Amazon piranha.
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From the April issue of Forum

By Alan Blau, AmSoc board member

We’re in the early stages of planning a four-day trip to Buenos Aires, from June 11-14.

Organizers are taking a poll of members to know if this date is can draw up to 45 members (adults and children), since the dates are very close to school vacation break and we want to verify if most of you would be in Brazil during that period.

The trip would include air travel, airport transportation, hotel accommodations, city tour, shopping, lunch and dinner at fine restaurants, shows, a day trip for the kids, and Portuguese and English-speaking guides.

Please e-mail or call the office if you’d be interested in these dates, and if there’s enough interest, we’ll be publishing an article in the May Forum providing more details. Your e-mail will also serve as a reservation list. Write to amsoc1@americansociety.com.br or call 5182-2074.

From the April issue of Forum

AmSoc members can attend a wine tasting at the Grand Hyatt on Tuesday, May 26, from 8-10 p.m..

Participants will be able to sample wines from several countries, and bottles will be available for purchase at reduced prices. There will also be a buffet of cheese, cold cuts, and selected finger foods.

“Our first wine tasting at the Hyatt Wine Club sold-out quickly,” AmSoc board member and event organizer Simone Kliass said. “We are offering this event again so more AmSoc members can learn about wines from different regions, and purchase a bottle or two if they want.”

The Grand Hyatt’s renowned wine library, located at the front of the hotel’s restaurant complex, houses a two-story wine wall containing more than 2,500 bottles from North and South America and Europe.

While this Hyatt Wine Club event is open to the public, AmSoc members will pay a discounted price and have an English-speaking member of the Hyatt staff accompanying their group. Spaces are limited, so reserve your spot soon by calling the AmSoc office at 5182-2074, or e-mailing amsoc1@amsoc.com.br. Ticket prices are: R$ 45 (members), or R$ 65 (non-members).

From the April issue of Forum

Every month we feature a local pet that one of our AmSoc members knows is in need of a good home. Take a look at this guy:

Name: Cookie

Age: Almost 7 years
Color: Chocolat and white
Sex: Male
Fleas: None
Ticks: None
Size: Medium
Kilos: About 20
Farts: He’s polite
Housebroken: Needs a walk!
Hobbies: Likes to play
Vaccines: Ok
Neutered: No
Quirks: He needs a house, where he could be the “only dog”
Injuries: Skin and ear infection, but under treatment
Found: He use to live in a house with two adults, in a small part of the apartment
Ability to walk on a leash: Good
Level of perfect goodness for a nice family: High
What if I don’t find him a home: He’s staying at a pet hotel, but looking for love and caring home.
Cost to you: Free
Applications: Being accepted at carol.kliass@uol.com.br

From the April issue of Forum

By Marlene Chumo Rubeiz, AmSoc president

I hope all of you enjoyed the St. Patrick’s/Welcome Back party on March 19. It was a tremendous success. During April we have planned the Children’s Easter Party, and restaurant night at P.J. Clarke’s, a New York clone here in São Paulo.

One of the most important ways we can guarantee the continuing success of the American Society in vue of the world’s current woes is by getting the support of our membership and corporations. The more members and corporate sponsors we have, the more money we have to help us plan great activities and guarantee our future, especially for the charity organizations we support.

Help us get new members.
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From the April issue of Forum

By Heloisa Garman, AmSoc member

Having to live in a very different culture from our own is a far greater challenge than we think at first. The initial excitement of being in a different environment soon becomes overwhelming. Nothing works like at home, and the simplest tasks such as mailing a letter or even getting things fixed can become a hurdle.

On top of if all, our usual ways of acting don’t usually get the expected responses. Does this sound familiar? Don’t be discouraged, culture shock happens to most ex-pats, but it can also become a window of opportunity for growth.
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From the April issue of Forum

By Bill Hinchberger, AmSoc member

A visit by Brigitte Bardot in 1964 sparked the transformation of Armação de Búzios (its official name) from an isolated fishing village into the St. Tropez of South America. A better comparison perhaps might be with the Spanish island Ibiza, but in any case the ambiance on this amoeba-shaped peninsula is more reminiscent of the Mediterranean than anywhere else in Brazil. (more…)