USA/Brazil currency rate

[Guest cigarboyee]

The dollar continues to climb against the Real. One US $ is now worth three Reals.

http://finance.yahoo.com/m5?a=1&s=USD&t=BRL

Which means that that sauna session now costs less than $17 USD. Amazing....

I'm heading to Rio over Thanksgiving (Nov. 25 to Dec. 3). Anyone going at that time?

[Guest SeaGuy]

I can only hope for your sake that the political situation, to say nothing of the social situation, in Brazil is conducive to tourism. Though you may not realize it people who actually live in Brazil are not benefitting from the financial crisis. :o

[Guest Tomcal_]

That means a session in the suana now costs $16.63 (50. Reyas) ! Makes it very hard to hire a escort here in the states after you have been to Rio and had sex with gorgeous guys for under $20. I am heading down on Aug. 7th, so will post new reviews then.

[Guest cigarboyee]

There was no inferential gloating in my taking note of the currency rate. I really don't get your point...

 

Further, a rise in one currency against another does not necessarily portend a financial crisis in the country with the deflated currency. The relationship between Canada and the USA is an example.

 

I sincerely doubt most Brazilians are even aware of the exchange rate, let alone burning Americans in effigy in front of the Copacobana Palace hotel. If anything, countries with sinking currencies benefit from the influx of dollars which tourists provide. Back to Econ 101 for you...

[Guest Tomcal_]

>>

>""""Further, a rise in one currency against another does not

>necessarily portend a financial crisis in the country with

>the deflated currency. The relationship between Canada and

>the USA is an example

>I sincerely doubt most Brazilians are even aware of the

>exchange rate, let alone burning Americans in effigy in

>front of the Copacobana Palace hotel. If anything, countries

>with sinking currencies benefit from the influx of dollars

>which tourists provide. Back to Econ 101 for you..."

 

I agree with you completely, but remember, someone on the boards will always feel like they have to add a negative comment to any post.

[trilingual]

Brazilians certainly know the exchange rate with the dollar. After all the years of hyper-inflation, they're very attuned to matters financial and all the tricks of surviving in that kind of environment. However, even in those extremely difficult years there was no animosity towards Americans because of the economic situation (Brazilians knew perfectly well it was of their own doing) and the same is true now. Also, at the moment hyper-inflation hasn't reared it's ugly head again, so for the average Brazilian the change in the exchange rate mostly translates into an increase in the price of imported goods (which can be substituted by less-expensive locally-made products) and vacations abroad. Prices for gasoline have gone up, because they're driven by the world market, but on the whole things have remained the same.

 

Some of the recent increase in the value of the dollar against the real is due to the periodic uncertainty that arises every time Brazil is facing a presidential election. Investors start getting nervous and that affects the value of the currency. It's also not high tourist season, when the country tends to be awash in dollars brought in by foreign tourists, so that also tends to drive up the value of the dollar. It's quite possible that after the Brazilian elections in October the real will strengthen somewhat, although I doubt that it will go much below $2.80 to the dollar. So, unless I'm wildly off the mark, Brazil will remain cheap for those of us with dollars or euros. Ditto for Argentina.

[Guest SeaGuy]

My post wasn't meant to berate you or your comment but to point out the difficulty of the situation in Brazil where an economic and possibly political crisis looms on the horizon that will rival that of Argentina, where grandmother have been reported recently as having entered the escorting trade to help feed their families. :-(

 

An excerpt from an article;

 

Doomsday for Brazil

 

A crisis of proportions potentially rivaling those of the past year in Argentina now lurks on the horizon for Brazil.

 

Brazil’s internal and external debt has risen to 55 percent of GDP. Its main debtors for both the internal and external debt, unlike Argentina’s, are Brazilian institutions. Over the last two months, the interest rate on the combined public debt has risen to 18.5 percent, despite an inflation rate of less than 6 percent.

 

This means that the government is paying 12 percent in real interest charges, whereas countries like Mexico and Chile pay less than 3 percent. A large chunk of Brazilian debt is also indexed to the dollar, raising the specter of higher interest rates and a higher share of debt in relation to GDP. Brazil is expected to face default on one or both of its internal and external debts in the first quarter of 2003.

 

The real has dipped to its lowest point against the dollar since its creation in 1994. Foreign investment is slowing too, as Brazil’s country risk is now second only to Argentina’s in Latin America and has climbed as high as Nigeria’s. This creates a chokehold on the world’s eighth largest economy. The lurking scenario is a familiar one: capital flight, a falling currency, and a collapse of the banking system-all propelled by the expectation of debt default.

 

********

 

The substantial lead held in the polls by Luis Inácio Lula da Silva, the presidential candidate of the Partido dos Trabalhadores (PT, Workers Party), is adding fuel to the fires of economic uncertainty in Brazil. Lula is perceived by Wall Street and the IMF as someone likely to increase government spending. To calm investors’ fears, Lula has promised the international financial community that he will service the external debt and observe fiscal responsibility.

 

Lula and the PT also support Brazil’s participation in the U.S.-led Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA). Yet a major Brazilian campaign against the FTAA over the next few months is scheduled to culminate in a people’s plebiscite on the FTAA in September. Three years ago 6 million votes were cast in a similar plebiscite on canceling external debt payments-with 95 percent voting to repudiate the debt outright. Investors fear that the results of the FTAA plebiscite may pressure Lula to move back towards a more cautious position on hemispheric economic integration.

[trilingual]

This thread is getting far afield from an "Escorts South of the U.S.A." topic, and heading for a "Lounge" discussion. So I'd like to nip this in the bud, if I may. Before doing that, though, I'd like to say that I'm not aware of any plebiscite on the FTAA scheduled for September, or any similar one about foreign debt three years ago. I'm not sure Brazilian law allows for such things. Keep in mind, Brazil is a country almost as large as the U.S., geographically, with 175,000,000 people. Nationwide elections are monumental efforts, and as far as I know Brazil doesn't hold national plebiscites. Too difficult and expensive. Whether or not Brazil should be involved in the FTAA (or ALCA as it is known in Spanish/Portuguese) certainly has been a major topic of discussion these past few years, and undoubtedly will be one of the issues in the current presidential campaign. Maybe that's what the author of that article is thinking about. (The presidential election is in October.) But I don't know about the accuracy of the rest of the article, given the inaccuracy about the non-existent plebiscites.

[trilingual]

It's getting better/worse depending on which side of the equation you're sitting. Today the real closed at R3.26 to the dollar! That means R50 = US15.33.

[trilingual]

And today the real went to R$3.46 to the dollar. If this keeps going on, expect prices in Brazil to start adjusting upwards in real terms. That R$50 roll in the hay may soon start running R$100! That would still only be US$30. I'm not saying that it'll happen overnight, but be prepared for prices (all prices) to start increasing. Fuel and gas prices are set by the world market, and they influence the cost of other things, like food. Meat and grains are also commodities traded on the world market, so all of those prices will be going up for Brazilians, sooner, probably, than later. The guys have to help support themselves and their families, so when bus fares and prices at the supermarkets go up, you can be sure theirs will, too.

 

Reports on sauna prices (and other changes) from visitors in the coming months as the currency situation develops will be welcome here!

[Barry]

RE: Economic Crisis Swells in S. America

 

The exchange rate may continue to make the dollar worth more but in what other ways will the current situation effect travelers to Brazil? Just a question.

 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A28776-2002Jul31.html

 

Barry

[+ Lucky]

RE: Economic Crisis Swells in S. America

 

And it's a good one, IMHO. While we might get juiced at $15 hour sauna boys, the overall picture could change quite dramatically. I hope I am wrong, but economic turmoil could take a lot of the thrill out of Rio.

[Guest SeaGuy]

RE: Economic Crisis Swells in S. America

 

I feel my post has been somewhat vindicated by the last posts. I can't answer the question of whether or not Brazil is worth visiting for a cheap fuck primarily since I'm not in the least an advocate of sex-tourism to begin with. It would be nice if people took along a little social and political consciousness and cultural curiosity to accompany their desire for a cheap lay. The same goes for tourism to any of the worlds more impoverished countries (i.e. Thailand which is another popular sex destination) where we may go in search of cheap thrills. It's not a pretty sight to watch a whole country be reduced to whorehouse status. :o

[trilingual]

RE: Economic Crisis Swells in S. America

 

Seaguy, if there's a pill for political correctness and preachiness, you oughta pop a few! I know you mean well, but if you read some of the posts here you'll actually see that many of the posters have mentioned quite varied cultural interests and efforts to see things in Brazil beyond the confines of the saunas! Obviously, given the nature of this site, the main focus is going to be on sex-for-pay. After all, this isn't the World Opera Lover's site, or the International Wildlife Admirer's site. But that doesn't mean that our readers and contributors are unidimensional, and it's unfair of you to assume that the ONLY thing they're interested in is picking up cheap tricks. And, by inference, that you're the only person with sufficiently enlightened mentality and morality lurking here that you'd be entitled to throw stones at everyone else. NOT a good way to win friends and influence people.

 

Moving right along: From past experience with Brazil's economic roller-coaster, if the real continues plunging prices will briefly be dirt cheap for North Americans and Europeans. However, prices in local terms will start rising and before long will reach and maintain their former values (in dollar terms). In other words, inflation (or, God forbid, hyperinflation) will be back, and some form of price indexation will come back into play, whether it's formal or informal. For example, during the years of hyperinflation, the prices of things might change daily or, at its worst, even hourly, but in dollar terms they stayed fairly constant. So you might have paid 1000 cruzeiros for your hotel room one day, and 1200 the next, but in dollars it came to $50. The same was true at the saunas; the prices in local currency would change, but the cost of a "programa" with one of the guys would always be the equivalent of US$20 - $30. Taxi meters could never be reset fast enough to keep up with the changing value of the currency, so fares were determined by using the meter and then converting the meter reading to the exact fare by a fare-conversion table ("tabela"). Of course, this sometimes led to rip-offs, because tourists could be shown phony tabelas and wouldn't know the real prices. However, I have to say that never happened to me in Rio, although I have friends who ran into that in Buenos Aires during the hyperinflationary years in Argentina.

 

Bottom line is that by North American and European standards, the cost of living in Brazil and Argentina will still be considerably lower than in the U.S. However, the amazingly dirt cheap prices caused by the sudden crashes of currency are aberrations and are unlikely to last very long. Prices will soon begin to move up towards their former levels. Also keep in mind that some of these wild fluctuations aren't necessarily based on much of anything besides speculation. For example, the real was 3,47 yesterday and back to 3,15 today. I've seen estimates from respected economists that its true value is in the 2,70 - 2,80 range, so it's very possible that if Brazil makes a deal with the IMF soon, and the dust starts to settle after both the Brazilian and American elections in the fall, the currency will start to firm up around that range. The Argentine peso, which had been fluctuating wildly, has now settled down and has been trading for weeks at around 3,60, even though their political and economic situation is much more uncertain than Brazil's. So the real is probably going to find its level, also, and then stay there for some time.

 

You'd think I had a background in economics from the foregoing. I don't. If anyone has better insights into this, please weigh in!

;-)

[Guest SeaGuy]

RE: Economic Crisis Swells in S. America

 

I plead guilty to the charges of preachiness and sanctimonious behaviour. However, I do hope you will indulge me a bit and should the proverbial shoe fit by all means feel free to wear it. It is only that I have gotten the impression from a number of posts, and only an impression, that people are booking flights to Brazil based primarily and almost solely on information they have received on this site. Various comments made with regard to the "shags per dollar" quotient in Brazil (my phrase, no one else's) have not parlaid these impressions. So in an effort to provide a somewhat different point of view that will hopefully lead to a fuller understanding of the situation I have made these posts, which I realize are somewhat out of place within the context of this website and forum and its dedicated subject matter; a subject matter, I may add, of which I am very fond. My motive for doing so is solely the hope that others realize that there is a cost that is paid for things, sex included, which is neither included nor reducible to a price quoted in reales and converted into dollars. :o

 

In addition let me add something which is probably evident to most of you anyway, our beloved Bruno Gaucho, just to pick my favorite example, is 23 year old student with hopes, dreams, and ambitions outside of the world of escorting. It would be nice if the living he made at it offered him the opportunity and means of realizing these dreams and ambitions.

[Guest SeaGuy]

RE: Economic Crisis Swells in S. America

 

In the spirit of my last posts I figured I would post this article about Luis Ignacio da Silva ("Lula"), the presidential candidate in Brazil who is causing quite a stir. Mind you it's a pretty safe bet that if he wins, should he get even that far, he'll be assassinated by the usual suspects(those who know anything about South American politics and history know who those are).

 

A political upheaval may be about to occur. Luis Inacio da Silva, (Lula) looks set to win Brazil's presidential elections in October.

by Roger Burbach

 

 

Rio de Janeiro -- Luis Inacio da Silva, the left-leaning candidate of the Workers Party, has taken a commanding lead in the upcoming October presidential elections. A victory by da Silva, commonly known as "Lula", would have political repercussions that resonate throughout the Western Hemisphere. Brazil is the largest country with the biggest economy in Latin America. It borders on three nations in the throes of turmoil and political uncertainty -- Argentina which is experiencing an economic implosion, Colombia, the scene of an expanding civil war, and Venezuela, where rightist and traditional political parties backed by the United States recently tried to overthrow President Hugo Chavez. Moreover, da Silva's reservations about the US-backed Free Trade Area of the Americas and his independence on foreign policy issues like Cuba and the civil war in Colombia mark him as an adversary of the Bush administration.

 

Brazil's president Fernando Henriquez Cardoso is constitutionally ineligible for reelection. His centre-right coalition has been unable to find a scandal-free candidate to confront da Silva, the result of government corruption linked to neo-liberalism and the privatisation of public enterprises. The ruling coalition's first choice, Roseana Sarney, was forced to step aside when police seized a half million dollars in cash in her residence that allegedly came from a bankrupt private enterprise she helped set up with state funds. Now her replacement, Jose Serra, is embroiled in scandal because his political fundraiser stands accused of taking $15 million in bribes to help sell a multi-billion dollar state steel enterprise to a private consortium.

 

Da Silva has run unsuccessfully for president three times in the past as head of the Workers Party (PT), but today enjoys almost twice as much support as his nearest presidential contender in pre-election polls. Significantly, Lula's negative ratings have dropped, with only 38 per cent declaring they would not vote for him under any conditions, a number lower than any of the other major presidential aspirants. This figure bodes particularly well for Lula in the runoff election in late October between the two top contenders, assuming no one wins 50 per cent in the first round. Recent polls show Lula decisively beating any of the presidential candidates who may face him in the runoff.

 

Concerned by a possible Workers Party presidential victory, major investment banks including Morgan Stanley Dean Witter and Merrill Lynch started downgrading their ratings of Brazil in early May, touching off a financial crisis. The country's currency, the real, began to drop in value and the stock market plummeted.

 

The meddling of the investment banks has provoked strong reactions. "These banks have led the neo-liberal sacking of our country and now they are trying to scare people into perpetuating a political order that serves only their narrow interests," fumed Reinaldo Gonzalvez of the Economic Institute of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.

 

Even the Financial Times labeled the banks' reactions a "mistake", noting that should da Silva become president, his economic policies would likely be moderate. In several Brazilian cities Workers Party governments "have proven to be good administrators", said the Financial Times. In the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul where the Workers Party has been in power for a decade, the government has improved social services while helping stimulate agricultural and industrial production, making the state one of Brazil's most prosperous. Some thirteen per cent of the state's production is publicly or cooperatively owned.

 

Support for Lula breaches class lines. Even sectors of the economic elite are beginning to believe that his policies may offer the best hope for the country. Since the Asian economic crisis of 1997, Brazil's economic performance has been anaemic, with growth rates sometimes failing to keep pace with the population increase. The neo-liberal policies of Cardoso, such as the free flow of speculative "hot money" in and out of the country at the whim of investors, have favoured financial interests over Brazil's substantial industrial base, much of which is geared to production for the big internal market. "Even some foreign interests with investments in the country's industry look with favour on Lula's policies" says Gonzalvez. Lula first rose to national prominence in the 1980's when he built the Workers Party from his base among the trade unions in Brazil's large metallurgic and automotive industries, which produce for domestic and international markets.

 

Domestic interest rates are at 18.5 per cent and rising as part of Cardoso's effort to keep finance and banking capital from fleeing the country. The international debt of Brazil now stands at about $210 billion while the government has roughly another $250 billion in domestic liabilities. Although Brazil sometimes runs a trade surplus due to its diversified exports of coffee, soybeans, beef, orange juice, sugar and manufactured goods like automobiles, its payments on its international debt and the outflow of profits to foreign investors means that there is consistently a deficit in Brazil's annual balance of payments. This has driven the country ever deeper into debt as it seeks new loans to service the debt and cover the deficit. To deal with this fiscal problem and to appease international financial interests, Cardoso during his rule has followed the neo-liberal agenda of slashing social expenditures and services, thereby increasing social unrest, violence and crime throughout the country. Small wonder that George Soros, a prominent international investor with interests in Brazil, recently stated, "a crisis is brewing in Brazil which could be terminal."

 

When the international firms downgraded Brazil's credit rating, Da Silva, in a slap at Cardoso's economic policies, declared that the best response to the banks is to "combat speculation with production. Every investor will look to Brazil when there is an infrastructure that supports the flow of production, a highly trained workforce and a market that really consumes because there are strong wages."

 

There is a broad base of support for Lula among the social movements of Brazil, particularly within the ranks of the Landless Movement, or MST (Movimento Sem Terra). For a decade and a half, the MST has seized idle lands throughout Brazil, particularly large landed estates. The MST has a committed and skilled leadership that runs the organisation along democratic centralist principles similar to many of the older revolutionary and communist organisations of Latin America. However the MST's centralism has not prevented it from putting down deep roots in some of Brazil's most remote communities.

 

The MST and the PT were initially very close and even had cross militancies when the MST was founded in the late 1980s. But in recent years differences over tactics and strategy have evolved as the PT has concentrated on winning political office while the MST focuses on building a social movement among the country's poorest. At times Lula has publicly refrained from endorsing some of the MST's land occupations.

 

But in spite of their differences, the MST rank and file remain clearly supportive of Lula and the PT in the upcoming elections. The two organisations face common and deadly adversaries. Three Workers Party mayors have been assassinated in recent years while MST militants have also been murdered and many others arrested and abused in prison. A Lula victory would clearly open up enormous space for the advance of agrarian reform in Brazil and an end to repression. The PT itself has internal differences that are often ardently debated. The most controversial decision in this election campaign has been the decision of the PT leadership to select Senator Jose Alencar of the Liberal Party as Lula's vice-presidential candidate. The Liberals are a centrist party that in the past has been aligned with the ruling coalition. Alencar himself is a textile manufacturer from the relatively prosperous state of Minas Gerais with a personal fortune estimated at close to a $500 milion. However, Alencar is viewed as a progressive entrepreneur whose employees organise independent unions and receive decent wages by Brazilian standards. In many ways Alencar epitomises the domestic manufacturing bourgeoisie that Lula is attempting to align himself with to buttress his government and Brazil against the speculative and international financial interests that will almost inevitable try to ruin his government if he takes office.

 

Another major debate in the party is over whether or not to recognise the more than $200 billion dollars in international debt that past Brazilian governments have incurred. The Jubilee 2000 organisation in Brazil -- a broad based ecumenical movement that enjoys the support of the Brazilian National Bishops Conference -- asserts that Brazil and other Third World countries cannot and should not pay the debt, especially those parts of it that were incurred under corrupt regimes in the past. However, Lula, in an effort to avoid scaring the financial markets even further, has stated in recent weeks that he will recognise the international debt.

 

In other arenas however, the PT envisions a fundamental transformation of the government and its relationship to society. Based on its experience in running state and municipal governments over the past decade, the Workers Party platform proposes two innovative breakthroughs for Brazil at the national level -- "participatory management of the state" and "strategic management of the state". According to Marcos Arruda, an economic adviser to the Workers Party and the director of Policy Alternatives for the Southern Cone, a research organisation that works with trade unions and cooperatives, "participatory management would be achieved by setting up local and regional councils that would involve representatives of civil society and non governmental organisations." They would discuss and make proposals for economic, social, political, cultural and environmental policies. They would oversee the implementation of public policy and directly relate to the appropriate agencies in the central government in Brasilia. Sectoral chambers, comprised of technical experts as well as productive and civic interests, would also be set up to discuss policies and priorities in specific economic arenas, such as agriculture, transportation, education, sanitation, etc.

 

The concept of the "strategic management of the state" means that the PT would abandon the neo-liberal approach of the "minimalist state" and instead move to use the state apparatus to advance social and economic priorities that serve Brazilian society as a whole. A national development programme would be enunciated that committed the state to implement public policies that extended even beyond the four-year presidential term.

 

For example in the area of education, the Workers Party government would establish specific programs and time frames for eliminating illiteracy among approximately 25 million adult Brazilians. For everyone over 18 who is illiterate or simply wants to advance their education at the secondary or university level, a work-study program will be set up so everyone has the opportunity to engage in schooling while continuing some form of productive activity. Another arm of the PT's educational approach calls for a School Scholarship program in which families would receive a minimum subsidy in exchange for keeping their children in school and off the streets. This policy was launched by former PT governor Cristovam Buarque in the Federal District. Cardoso has even tried to coopt it by extending it to other parts of the country. A Lula administration would zealously implement it throughout Brazil. On a broader level, the PT maintains that scientific research and higher education need to be closely linked to the national development policies that are established by the strategic participatory councils.

 

While focusing on the national development of Brazil's resources and peoples, a PT victory would bolster the party's ties to international civil society and organisations that are resisting corporate dominated globalisation. The PT government in the state of Rio Grande do Sul hosted the World Social Forums in Porto Alegre in 2001 and 2002 that brought together tens of thousands of activists from around the world. These forums provoked rich discussions and debates that have reverberated throughout the Workers Party and the social movements in Brazil, as well as among the diverse international organisations that participated in the forums. Brazil, the PT and the country's social organisations are now an important planning and experimental base for an emergent global alternative to neo-liberalism.

 

The World Social Forum in 2003 will also be hosted in Porto Alegre. It may be inaugurated by a President Lula and symbolise a new age of change and transformation in the world. The PT has proclaimed that it goals are another type of globalisation, one based on the values of cooperation, complementarity, reciprocity and solidarity. Throughout Brazil, the Workers Party is intent on unfurling the banner of the 2002 World Social Forum: "Another World is Possible".

 

Ironically, the real plummeted to its lowest level ever on July 2 just as the country's world champion football team returned home to the cheers of millions. That date also marked the eighth anniversary of the introduction of the "Plan Real" by Cardoso. This plan, which he introduced as finance minister just months before he assumed the presidency, represents the inception of orthodox neo-liberal policies in Brazil. As Cardoso met the soccer team, he was ebullient, apparently hoping that some of its success would rub off on him and his anointed successor. But Cardoso mentioned not a word about July 2 being the birth date of the "Plan Real". Both Cardoso and Jose Serra have attempted to blame the recent speculative crisis on Lula, arguing that Brazil cannot have "irresponsible leaders" who will lead the country to "economic disaster". The conservative Brazilian press, lead by the O Globo media conglomerate, has joined in this attack, trying to turn the voters against Lula, just as it did in previous elections. But the anti-Lula orientation of the Brazilian media may be less effective than in previous elections. O Globo is suffering severe losses and is selling off its cable TV network. Even more importantly there is a sense at the grass roots among many who were duped in the past to vote for Cardoso that they are not going to be deceived this time by the lies and propaganda of the media and the ruling coalition.

 

Marcos Arruda of the Workers Party puts a positive spin on the financial crisis and the upcoming elections. He believes the crisis will lead to the defeat of the ruling coalition and that a Lula victory will be a "turning point", not only for Brazil but other countries in Latin America. "The government finds itself foisted on a neo-liberal petard of its own making," said Arruda. "A Brazil headed by President Lula could lead the country out of its economic quagmire, mobilise a broad popular base allied with sectors of the progressive middle class, and galvanise international allies. Brazil would serve as a productive and exemplary pole for other Third World countries caught in the trap of neo-liberalism and corporate-dominated globalisation."

 

 

:-(

[Guest YFSC]

RE: Economic Crisis Swells in S. America

 

Tri, you're doing fine. Keep it up. ;-)

[Guest cigarboyee]

RE: Economic Crisis Swells in S. America

 

I don't think you've been "vindicated" at all.

 

Your original post implied a possible political and/or social unrest in Brazil due to the currency exchange rate. No one (not even you in your follow-up, quoting the lengthy news article) has suggested or shown that such unrest is occurring or will occur in Brazil. To the contrary, Brazil is the largest economy in South America as well as its most stable government. While the weak Real presents certain problems for the poorest Brazilian citizens, it really is rather haughty, racist, paternalistic, and downright wrong to suggest that transitory economic problems (brought about in part because of political uncertainty in an election year) might cause Brazilians to act unlawfully en masse. Brazil is not Prague in 1968. Even in Argentina, where the economic situation is worse than Brazil could ever imagine, tourists can still safely visit and US dollars help their tottering economy.

 

While I'm not visiting Brazil primarily for the purpose of "sex tourism", I will take advantage of the sauna culture, and your smug and condescending remark really indicates your real objection. But then I have to ask: what the hell are you doing on this board? If you disapprove of the sex trade in Rio, then you must surely disapprove of the same in New York. What's the difference? In both locations, the market is driven by locals, and supplied by an economic subclass, as it is everywhere. It's not the "oldest profession" for nothing. In Cairo, I visited a "hammam" that had to be 1000 years old. It was crowded, and I was the only American there. It was made clear to me who was available and what the price was. Yet, even with the instability in the Middle East, Cairo is one of the safest cities in the world. Ten million people and you can walk the streets at any hour and not fear for anything.

 

So, Seagirt, just what are you really trying to say?x(

[+ Lucky]

RE: Economic Crisis Swells in S. America

 

>"Cairo is one of the safest cities in the world. Ten million people and you can walk the streets at any hour and not fear for anything."<

 

Yeah, tell that to the 53 gays that just were subjected to trial and imprisonment there. They must not smoke cigars!

[Guest SeaGuy]

RE: Economic Crisis Swells in S. America

 

I never suggested, nor did I mean to suggest that there would be killing and beating of tourists , however "unlawful" (whatever that means, but I imagine you mean looting and riots such as are happening in Argentina and Uruguay at present or the beating and abuse of protesters, such as has happened in Argentina recently) actions, meaning actions taken against the state are known to occur at times of crisis such as a monetary or fiscal meltdown accompanied by staggering inflation. If you look in your history books you'll find a few examples of such instances.:-(

[trilingual]

RE: Economic Crisis Swells in S. America

 

>I plead guilty to the charges of preachiness and

>sanctimonious behaviour.

 

>In addition let me add something which is probably evident

>to most of you anyway, our beloved Bruno Gaucho, just to

>pick my favorite example, is 23 year old student with hopes,

>dreams, and ambitions outside of the world of escorting. It

>would be nice if the living he made at it offered him the

>opportunity and means of realizing these dreams and

>ambitions.

 

Apology accepted. And I'm sure that Bruno Gaucho is using the opportunities and connections he's gaining from escorting to advance his dreams, as have many other bright and charming guys who've escorted through the years. This is a good deal for a young man in Brazil, where unemployement is high and opportunities for young people are very limited. Bruno is undoubtedly sending money to his family back in Rio Grande do Sul (or wherever) and paying for his tuition in Aeronautics with his earnings. Even when he gets out of school and if he can find a job in his field, he'll probably continue escorting as a second job, while he can, because starting salaries are very low. Bruno doesn't strike me as being any kind of dummy, and I'm sure he'll do his best to benefit from his time as an escort.

[trilingual]

RE: Economic Crisis Swells in S. America

 

About the Brazilian elections:

 

While I don't think it would be a bad thing if Lula won, it's not a sure thing that he will. To win in the first round, Lula would have to win an outright majority, and it's unlikely that will happen in a multi-candidate race. At the moment, the center-left candidate Ciro Gomes is giving him a run for his money. If Ciro keeps this up, and the election goes into a run-off between Lula and Ciro, the odds for Ciro go up significantly, as voters from more conservative parties are more likely to vote for Ciro than for Lula, and even some PT supporters may waver, believing that markets and the economy may remain more stable if Ciro wins.

[trilingual]

RE: Economic Crisis Swells in S. America

 

The real closed today at R$3,01 to the dollar, so perhaps that economist who says that its true value is in the 2,70 - 2,80 range may be on the mark.

 

Also, according to today's Brazilian papers, Ciro has pulled ahead of Lula in the polls for the first time. If you decide to get interested in Brazilian politics, this should be an interesting presidential election!