Edition 24 - Curitiba In English

Curitiba in English
Curitiba in English - N° 24 - July 2010 - Brazil
www.curitibainenglish.com.br
Volvo Curitiba Competing for The
Production of Hybrid Buses
lation of the Volvo unit in CIC,
in 1977. The first articulated bus
left the production line in 1979
to operate in the recently created
bus lanes
Photography by Volvo buses
The Volvo plant in Curitiba
(CIC) is competing with the
units of the company in Mexico,
China and India, for an investment of US$ 30 million for the
production of hybrid buses. The
model, which will be used in the
urban transport, is moved by
a diesel or biodiesel engine together with an electric thruster.
In September, before the official
decision of the company, however, the streets of Curitiba will
be converted into test tracks of a
unit of this new model, projected
and manufactured in Sweden.
The Urbanização de Curitiba
S/A (Urbs – Urbanization of Curitiba), administrator of the public transport in the capital city,
confirms that the Interbairros
(inter-district) line was chosen to
test the bus, which will integrate
the city’s fleet for a period of 30
days.
The new president of Volvo
Bus Latin América, Luiz Carlos
Pimenta, believes that the capital of Paraná has great chances
of being chosen as the location
for the first manufacturing plant
of Volvo hybrid buses outside
Sweden. “Besides manufacturing
[the hybrid model], we also want
to project it in Brazil. As it deals
with advanced technology, bringing the project to Curitiba means
creating employment for good
thinkers”, he affirmed.
According to the business
executive, being pioneer in the
implementation of the BRT [Bus
Rapid Transit], an urban collective transport system, projected to
Saving
run in corridors (exclusive lanes),
is a differential for the city. The
model, created in Curitiba in the
1970s, coincided with the instal-
The hybrid system results in
a saving of 30% in terms of fuel
consumption and, when in operation, the bus’ electric engine
reduces greenhouse gas emissions
by 90%. The technology was developed by Volvo in association
with the Clinton Foundation,
which belongs to the former
North American president, Bill
Clinton, which supports initiatives that reduce the emission of
pollutants. The electric thruster
does not need recharging, because
it is activated by a battery system
that is charged from the energy
generated by the brakes. Thus,
the bus can operate with electric
and diesel engines individually or
simultaneously.
The company wants to expand
the system of ‘corridors’ (exclusive bus lanes)
Besides the Brazilian market,
Volvo is looking at Latin American countries interested in the
implantation of the BRT transport system, of exclusive ‘corridors’ for buses. According to the
new president of Volvo Bus Latin
America, Luiz Carlos Pimenta,
the region is world leader in the
use of this model.
“In comparison to the subway,
this is a very ideal system. As we
are poor countries in comparison
to European countries, this is a
cheaper option, since the ratio
of expenditure is 5 to 100, per
kilometer of built up areas”, he
defends.
Besides Curitiba – pioneer in
the BRT model – the cities of
Bogotá (Columbia), Lima (Peru)
and Santiago (Chile) have also
implanted the bus system of high
density operating in the “corridors”.
The new president
of Bus Latin America
is from Paraná
On taking on the command
of Volvo Bus Latin America
on 1st August, Luiz Carlos Pimenta, from Paraná, the first
Brazilian to take on the role,
wants to participate in the new
transport systems implanted
in preparation for the World
Cup, in 2014, and to bring
to Curitiba the production of
hybrid buses. “We are more
Curitibano
than Swedish.
We want to participate in the
progress of the city, which has
got what it takes, once again,
to be the reference of a sustainable city”, he said.
Curitiba in English
Curitiba in English - N° 23 - June 2010 - Brazil
Letter from the Editor
Internationalisation, that
is the point.
It is a little bit difficult to explain
as there are so many theories
about international activities.
But if you keep in mind that you
need to expand your culture,
to understand and learn about
other peoples’ habits, education,
interests, needs, laws, religions,
production, services, business
practices, etc; it may help you
understand the importance and
fundamentals of internationalisation even if only through common sense. Internationalisation
has been on my mind for many
years and that’s the reason why I
Dear readers,
Become a member of the “Curitiba in
English”.
Receive your issue of Curitiba in
English on time, by sending us a request
including your name, telephone, e-mail
and full adresss. Our marketing department will contact you to make sure you
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studied English. In this edition of
Curitiba in English I’m proud to
say I have somehow contributed
to the launching of the Curitiba
Internationalisation Board. The
idea of setting up the Board came
up at breakfast, on June 16th,
2010 shortly after my presentation of the Curitiba in English
project to ACP members and
entrepreneurs present in a meeting between FESP, FCU, ACP,
CONCEX and some local businessmen. I feel that it lit the fuse
for Mr. Portigliatti to provoke the
ACP directors into incorporating
the idea of partnership in a International Board with both local
and Orlando members. I hope it
results in increased efficiency, allowing our people to participate
in global economic opportunities.
Cheers !!!
Nelson Santos
[email protected]
Contact us by e-mail:
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Or Write to : Curitiba in English
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Curitiba in English
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s/1107 - Cep 80010-200 Curitiba –
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Type: Monthly newspaper
Journalist: Claudia Queiroz
Graphic Design: area41 Design
Printed By: Gráfica Capital
Circulation: 10,000
Editor: Nelson G. Santos
Collaboration : The articles below
were translated into English by
James Bruce Bell
Take Control And Course Correc-
tions
A Sisterhood Agreement Between
Curitiba and Durban
The Mountaineer
by John Punchard
Volvo Curitiba Competing for The
Production of Hybrid Buses.
by Alan Martin Jones
How Do You Get From Curitiba’s
Airport To The City Centre?
Ukraine Square Street Market
Policy Geared to the Environment
Curitiba Internationalisation Board
Miles in Alto da Rua XV
All articles revised by Mr. Michael
Rubin
CITY COUNCIL
Policy Geared to the
Environment
Considering the great benefits
that the city’s trees bring the population, Curitiba’s councillors
request specific services of City
Hall. “We believe that pruning
should be treated as a priority
by the Municipal Secretariat for
the Environment in the interests
of maintenance and security, in
order to avoid the rains carrying dry leaves into the drains and
causing flooding,” says the chairman of the legislature, Joao Claudio Derosso.
In Councillor Ramos Marcelino’s view, there is no denying the
contribution of Curitiba’s trees.
However, “so that they do not
create more problems than they
solve, they should be pruned
more frequently.”
Recently, the councillor forwarded a service request to the
Regional Administration of Boa
Vista, for an operation focused
on 17 neighbourhoods in the
North region. He reminded the
Council Chamber that the North
region is densely wooded in both
public and private areas and has
several parks. These locations
contribute to the purification of
air, by trapping dust and toxic
gases. The same woodlands act
in the recycling of these gases
through photosynthesis, improving the climate of the city, retaining soil and air moisture, creating shade and reducing wind
velocity. However, the councillor
stated that “expert technical advice suggests the winter season as
the most suitable for pruning, because there is less damage to the
2
structure of the trees.”
Basically, maintenance pruning eliminates the older, dead
or dry branches, which have lost
their function in the tree. These
branches may in some circumstances, be of considerable dimension, making the job harder
than in pruning to shape the
tree. Safety pruning, usually carried out to protect power lines,
should usually be performed on
live branches or those not previously prepared for cutting.
It is important that the secretariat’s forestry engineers guide
pruning services adequately,
preventing branches, twigs and
leaves from accumulating in gutters, thus clogging the city’s rainwater drainage channels.
“We believe that
pruning should be
treated as a priority
by the Municipal
Secretariat for
the Environment
in the interests of
maintenance and
security, in order
to avoid the rains
carrying dry leaves
into the drains and
causing flooding,”
says the chairman of
the legislature, Joao
Claudio Derosso.
www.curitibainenglish.com.br
Curitiba in English
www.curitibainenglish.com.br Curitiba in English - N° 23 - June 2010 - Brazil
ECONOMICS
Could This Be The End?
Could we be approaching the
end of the capitalist world as we
know it? As harsh as it may sound,
pessimists do not disconsider this
possibility. We have not even fully recovered from a near “Knock
out” caused by the American subprime crisis of 2008 and another
collapse comes to hit us. Careless
credit supply, pushed by ambitious bankers was the center of an
American financial crisis which
contaminated the whole world.
Now, European government debt
has become the villain of a new
potential breakdown. Greece and
its hasty state spending took the
front line. Right behind it came
Portugal, Ireland and Spain, in
a sad confession of irresponsible
financial planning that has dug a
whole from which they can not
crawl out by themselves. This
made them the “PIGS” (Portugal,
Ireland, Greece, and Spain) of
the world. Of course government
spending was aggravated by the
crisis of 2008. In that occasion,
governments around the world
were the ones who paid the dues,
bailing out the careless ambitious
bankers previously mentioned.
We have lately seen an Euro (€)
collapse that nearly doomed it to
its end. Stock indexes around the
world have not been able to keep
pace with the economic growth
shown by most companies and
most emerging countries. Fear has
been pulling investors back and
panic has haunted, more often
than not, most investment pros.
From my multiple screen computer, I observe stock and economic indexes around the world,
and I have watched the ups and
downs of capitalism. I have seen
speculative activity that seriously
challenges ethical boundaries and
watched policy makers poorly deciding the pathway of humanity.
Therefore… after all… considering all these crises and problems,
I observe stock and
economic indexes
around the world,
and I have watched
the ups and downs
of capitalism. I have
seen speculative
activity that
seriously challenges
ethical boundaries
and watched
policy makers
poorly deciding the
pathway of humanity.
Therefore… after
all… considering
all these crises and
problems, the end of
the capitalist world
as we know may not
sound too bad.
the end of the capitalist world as
we know may not sound too bad.
But relax, the economic wheel
still goes round. The economy
and the investment world are
part of a zero sum game. For one
to profit, another has to lose, and
as long as someone is profiting, it
will all keep going. It is just up to
you to decide on which side you
fit, and I hope you choose the
profitable side.
Paulo Kubis, majored in Bus.
Administration and minored in
Economics at the University of
Science and Arts of Oklahoma
(USA), and specializing in Capital
Markets at FAE Business School.
Doubts or questions: [email protected] .
Take Control And Course Corrections!
Following the “Cake recipe for 2010 and for the rest of your life ...”, Step 6 says:
TAKE CONTROL AND
COURSE CORRECTIONS!
Adjustments to the course are
necessary. Part of the process
will be to manage your budget
and assimilate the course adjustments. From time to time review
your priorities and reorganize
your budget.
Perhaps after listening to an
interesting story or a movie such
“A Good Year” starring Russell
Crowe or “Under The Tuscan
Sun” with Diane Lane, you’ve
thought of changing your life,
a radical change, dropping everything and building a little
inn on a sunny beach ... But is
it possible or just dream? Everything is possible! Now that you
have followed the recipe and
have prioritized your expenses,
you no longer spend more than
you earn. You’ve eliminated your
debts, produced various sources
of income, and learned to invest.
You’ve managed to reset your priorities and made a healthy habit
of constantly reprogramming
The technique of
budget control is
cruel and necessary,
account by account,
expense by
expense, revenue by
revenue, investment
by investment:
everything should
be considered! Don’t
lose focus, the focus
being your life.
3
your budget.
The best definition
of savings that I’ve
heard until now is
“Money saved that
will allow you to
change the course of
your life at any time.”
The possibility of a change in
my life motivated me
much more than
the money
itself. What
matters is
the
end
and not
the means.
Money is the
means and never
the end. Over the years our priorities change, the family begins
and grows larger, outgrowing the
house. Decisions are no longer
individual and plans are made
collectively. The day-to-day routine swallows us up and months
and years pass like hours. The
technique of budget control is
cruel and necessary, account by
account, expense by expense, revenue by revenue, investment by
investment: everything should be
considered! Don’t lose focus, the
focus being your life. What are
you going do with it? Remember
that on journey there’ll be thunder and lightning, and must be
prepared for these obstacles. The
uncertainties are part of the process; part of the path. Emotional
intelligence weighs more heavily
on our choices than the rational,
but rationality in our budget
helps create the map as we define
the path to life that we dream
about.
There have been six
major steps, each with
a technical foundation, BUT without
the SEVENTH
they’ll be all for
nil, which
is why
I intentionally left
for the seventh and
most important
for last. DO
YOU WANT
TO
KNOW
WHAT IT IS?
Don’t miss the
next issue!
Carlos
Eduardo de Athayde
Guimarães
Master’s Degree
in Finance
at Universidad
de Extremadura-UEX / Spain
Professor and Financial Director at
FESP-PR - www.fesppr.br
Curitiba in English
Curitiba in English - N° 23 - June 2010 - Brazil
www.curitibainenglish.com.br
TECHNOLOGY
The Broadband Internet Access
Stock Exchange and
Computers
Due to the difficulty in providing
broadband service in all
Brazilian cities, with low
cost, especially for
low-income
families,
the
government is
considering an
investment plan called
National
Broadband Plan to be
announced
soon, providing the use of existing
fiber networks
with the state’s participation in the
implementation of policies that achieve the goal of mass broadband,
either through a state-owned operator, or through subsidies to
private enterprises.
The Internet is one of the technologies that most people cling
after the cell phones. However,
less than 50% of the population
in Brazil can afford the privilege
to have high speed Internet at
home, or even to have Internet
access, mainly because of the lack
of investments in infrastructure
and because of the high taxes.
Even so, year after year the number of people having the broadband Internet access is increasing, not as fast as other countries,
but the government already has
signaled its concern about having
a plan of investment for the next
years.
The reason of the investment
is because Brazil has one of the
highest prices of broadband Internet in the world, creating a
huge barrier for the most disadvantaged people to access the
Internet. Nevertheless, over 60%
of the population has contracted
less than 1 Mbps (Megabit per
second) speed, which makes the
service one of the lowest Internet
speeds comparing to other countries where the average speed
reaches 10 Mbps to 60 Mbps,
like Japan. Recently, the USA
and Australia have announced an
investment plan to have an average speed of 100 Mbps access.
Due to the difficulty in providing broadband service in all
Brazilian cities, with low cost, especially for low-income families,
the government is considering an
investment plan called National
Broadband Plan to be announced
soon, providing the use of existing fiber networks with the state’s
participation in the implementation of policies that achieve the
goal of mass broadband, either
through a state-owned operator,
or through subsidies to private
enterprises. The government also
argues about the need or not
of government intervention to
democratize Internet access in
Brazil. As one of the possibilities
of the plan is the reactivation of
Telebrás, state agency established
in 1972 responsible for standardizing and modernizing the telephone services in the country.
A World Bank study analyzed
the influence of expansion of the
Internet in 120 countries and
concluded that each 10% of improvement in broadband services
automatically generated a 1.3%
increase in economic growth of
a nation. From this study, we
can note such importance of the
National Broadband Plan for the
country and how much Brazil
still has to expand in the next
years.
Alexander Burbello
Graduated in Computer
Science.
System Engineer
[email protected]
4
Stock exchange is a common
way for companies to raise capital to invest in their expansion.
It’s also a mechanism that people
use to achieve better profits, negotiating shares issued by these
companies. Stock exchange has
its origins in the XIII century
in Europe, and in 1602, “Dutch
East India Company” was the
first company in the world to
issue shares, on the Amsterdam
Stock Exchange. Since these
times, the stock market has experienced frequent crisis. The most
famous was the Great Depression
in 1929, when a huge stock market crash took place in USA and
quickly spread all over the world.
Recently, in 2008, another crisis
in USA affected the economy
in almost every country in the
world, making the whole stock
market drop substantially.
In the late 1960’s, a peculiar
crisis took place in Wall Street,
which led to a revolution in the
overall stock market. The “Paperwork Crisis” was the worst since
1929, but it was not caused by
economic problems, on the contrary, the prosperity was the reason. Since all the transactions in
the stock exchange were made by
hand on papers, with the increase
of negotiations, it became impossible to process all these papers
fast enough, and Wall Street had
to shorten the trading day and
even close at Wednesdays, otherwise the clerks couldn’t update
all the positions. Many brokerage
firms went bankrupt due to the
inability to process all the transactions.
However, everything has
changed with the introduction of
computers in the stock exchange
in the 1970’s: millions of papers
were eliminated and all the transactions were processed instantly.
Curiously, this high speed processing caused a new problem:
in 1987 a crisis known as “Black
Monday” made stock exchanges
drop dramatically in many countries, very quickly. As a result,
new programs called “Circuit
Breakers” were implemented to
interrupt trading and prevent
panic and excessive losses in
stock exchanges. But computers
also allowed evolution and diversification of the trading activity:
nowadays we can trade by ourselves, negotiating shares from
anywhere through the Internet.
The concept of “Home Broker”
became very popular because of
the independence from the stock
brokers, allowing investors to
trade whenever they want, wherever they are, from a computer
or even a cellular phone. As we
can see, technology is bringing
new types of investments closer
and accessible to everyone, creating opportunities to increase our
incomes experiencing the exciting (and risky) world of the stock
market.
Raul Hiromu Sumiya
Graduated in Computer Science
Business Analyst
mailto: [email protected]
Curitiba in English
www.curitibainenglish.com.br CULTURAL INTELLIGENCE
NEW SISTER CITY
modernisation push that Brazil
was facing at that time.
Football nowadays - and particularly during international
events - goes far beyond the
match on the lawn and the spectators on site. Additionally, there
are millions of viewers that follow every single movement of
their team on TV or on the radio.
Today football has to be seen in
the context of mass media on the
one hand and individual feeling
on the other.
The mass media stimulate a
feeling of a shared experience by
creating a feeling of belonging
to a national community. More
than highlighting the common
denominator “football”, they emphasize national values and fall
back to stereotypes. It is common
to conventionalize the national
teams and its performance as
symbols of the national identity.
For example, the Brazilian way
of playing football is presented
as a micro cosmos of Brazilian
life-style where samba is the central logic of all actions: Brazilian
players “dance” with the ball, they
touch it “tenderly”, they are “passionate” and so on. Contrary to
this, the German way of playing
football represents the “typically
Brazilian players
“dance” with the
ball, they touch it
“tenderly”, they are
“passionate” and
so on. Contrary to
this, the German
way of playing
football represents
the “typically
German” virtues:
discipline, efficiency,
dedication, effort,
order and coldbloodedness.
German” virtues: discipline, efficiency, dedication, effort, order
and cold-bloodedness.
On the micro level, the broadcasting of matches of other
countries’ national leagues is so
popular that fans show a “postnational” feeling. Simultaneously, you can be a fan of Bayern
München, Arsenal London and
support Brazil at the World Cup.
Whenever the German team has
an important match, you should
see how colourful “Germany”
is: white, brown, black, yellow,
red. All of a sudden, it does not
count where you are from, but
where your heart is. Once Brazil
is on the bid, and each time Brazil plays there will be thousands
of people believing that it is “O
Melhor do Mundo”. Football is a
lot more than one ball, two goals
and twenty-two players.
Carolina Franco, Vanessa Bachofer and Maryori Vivas mv@
gugin.com
5
A Sisterhood
Agreement Between
Curitiba and Durban
Photography by Rodolfo Buhrer
Photography by fifa.com
Imagi-Nations – playing global,
feeling national?
As the FIFA World Cup has
just ended, we decided to dedicate this article to the sport that
the past four weeks made the
world go round – football. In
South Africa gathered teams
from 32 countries and thousands
of fans from all over the world. A
sport that has the power to move
millions of people before and behind the TV has to be special.
In the collective memory of
each country, besides the official
political and historical dates, you
will also find reminiscences of
important football matches. For
Germany, the world cup final of
1954 in Bern is such a crucial
match that helped redefine the
self-perception of the Western
German nation. Being the winner
of the world cup was not only an
athletic success but more important a political success: It was the
rebirth of Western Germany as a
Democratic country in the international community. Some might
even call it the unofficial delayed
founding“ of Westernv Germany.
For Brazil, the lost final of 1950
in the Maracanã stadium was
not only a defeat on the football
field. It was totally contradictory
to the national euphoria due to
the economic development and
Curitiba in English - N° 23 - June 2010 - Brazil
“With this agreement, we will establish
partnerships in the areas of environment and
biodiversity, among others,” said Ducci.
The mayors of Curitiba, Luciano Ducci, and Durban (South
Africa), Obed Mlaba, signed on
Wednesday, July 7 a sisterhood
agreement between the two cities. The signing took place at
City Hall in Durban, which is
one of the seats of the World Cup
in South Africa. "With this agreement, we will establish partnerships in the areas of environment
and biodiversity, among others,"
said Ducci. "Durban was a major World Cup 2010 host city,
holding one of the semifinal games. Durban’s experience in the
World Cup will be shared with
Curitiba during our preparation
for the World Cup in 2014 " he
said. The mayor of Durban said
that Curitiba has received international awards in the areas of
environment and sustainability.
"The city of Curitiba is a model in this area and can pass on
this successful experience," said
Obed Mlaba. After the signing,
the mayors unveiled a totem of
sister cities in Durban, in which
was already inscribed the name
Curitiba. Balloons were released
in the square opposite Durban
City Hall: a tribute to Curitiba.
Curitiba in English
Curitiba in English - N° 23 - June 2010 - Brazil
www.curitibainenglish.com.br
TOURISM
How Do You Get From Curitiba’s Airport To The
City Centre?
Among other
information available
on the website is a
map of the minibus
route, which also
shows the hotels
near the main stops.
By Silvia Oliveira
Photos: Raul Mattar
Special Minibus
A regular line of executive
minibuses
(www.aeroportoexecutivo.com.br) connects Afonso
Pena International Airport, in
Sao Jose dos Pinhais, to the centre of Curitiba. There are various
strategic stops along the route:
the Bus and Train Station, the
Guaira Theatre, the Inland Revenue, the Public Library, the 24
The airport-centre
journey takes around
25 minutes. It is
quick, handy and
cheap. In my view, it
is the best option.
Hour Street and Shopping Estacao. The airport-centre journey
takes around 25 minutes. It is
quick, handy and cheap. In my
view, it is the best option.
It is also possible to stop at
any bus stop along the route – as
long as you do not have bags in
the luggage compartment. The
minibus is air-conditioned and
runs every 20 minutes during
the week and every 25 minutes
on Saturdays, Sundays and Bank
Holidays. The airport stop can
be found in front of the Arrivals
terminal. Tickets can be bought
from the driver: the fare is
R$8.00. Among other information available on the website is a
map of the minibus route, which
also shows the hotels near the
main stops.
Mass Transport
For the tight-fisted amongst us
there is the option of the “Ligeirinho Aeroporto”, or Airport Express, a public transport bus line
that was given its name because
it makes less stops than ordinary
buses. However, I once made
the mistake of boarding the very
same and took an hour and a half
to reach the city centre. I do not
know if it was the traffic, my bad
luck, or what. I only know that
I never took the “Slowcoach”
again! Anyway, this line is part
of the Integrated Transport Network, which means that if you
disembark at one of the terminals, you can catch another bus
to your final destination included
in the same fare. A mere bagatelle
at R$2.20.
6
Taxi
The one and only time I took a
taxi from the airport to the centre
was in 2007, having just flown in
from Paris on a flight that arrived
in the wee small hours of a cold
Curitiban night. At that time of
day there is no other option; it
is either a taxi or a taxi. It cost
me R$65.00. It almost gave me
a severe heart attack! During the
day you may only experience angina: a trip from the airport to
the centre costs around R$40.00
to R$50.00.
Curiosity
Fast Sleep
For those who do not wish to
leave the airport, but have a long
wait there, there is the Fast Sleep
service (www.fastsleep.com.br).
It is a kind of “hotel” comprised
of cubicles for sleeping and showering in, where you can stay for
a maximum of 12 hours. The
cubicles have central air-conditioning, broadband Internet, TV
and telephone. Cost: the first
hour runs to R$40.00 and the
following hours R$15.00 each.
From 8 hours onwards there is
a one-off charge of R$100.00.
There is no minibar, but a towel,
shampoo and soap are included
in the price. Children of up to
6 years old accompanied by their
parents in the same cubicle sleep
free of charge. Fast Sleep is situated inside the airport building,
on Level 3. Hours are from 7am
to 11pm. Telephone: (41) 33811313.
AFONSO PENA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT | CURITIBA
Av. Rocha Pombo s/n°
Sao Jose dos Pinhais –
Parana
Telephone: (41) 33811515 | Fax: (41) 33811127
Site: www.infraero.gov.
br | Distance from the
centre of Curitiba: approximately 18km.
Curitiba in English
www.curitibainenglish.com.br Curitiba in English - N° 23 - June 2010 - Brazil
TOURISM
The Nocturnal Market in Ukraine Square.
As an avid night owl, another
characteristic that attracts me to
the market is that it starts at 5pm
and ends late at night. I always
take the opportunity to buy some
tomatoes to take home, but I really go there to eat, and boy, do
I eat!
There is acaraje, cod patties, rösti, pamonha, sweetcorn,
meat-on-a-stick, Chilean pasties
and even the classic pastel. All
cooked fresh, at honest prices.
For dessert, everything that is
guaranteed to make you fat; such
as filled sweets and cornbread
with condensed milk. It is better
than the traditional June party:
because it happens every week,
throughout the whole year!
The Ukraine is a country in
Eastern Europe, but here in Curitiba it is close to my house, in a
wooded square, where every Friday night a gastronomic festival
that even the nittiest of nitpickers
could not find fault with is held.
I am talking about the nocturnal market in Ukraine Square.
Different to the Largo da Ordem street market – which sells,
almost exclusively, handicrafts
– this feels more like a greengrocers: it sells fruit, vegetables,
shoots and roots of the season.
Nothing exotic, just those
things that we eat every day, like
pineapples, bananas, apples, peppers and manioc or cassava. It is
precisely a delicacy made of the
latter that is responsible for a
good part of the weekly event’s
charm: a manioc patty filled
with jerked beef. It costs R$3.50
on Dona Cecilia’s stall. In cold
weather like this we are currently
experiencing, the smart thing to
do is eat the patty accompanied
by a generous cup of mulled wine
(quentão). Mulled wine and
manioc patty... this should become Paraná’s traditional dish.
In cold weather like this we are currently
experiencing, the smart thing to do is eat the
patty accompanied by a generous cup of mulled wine (quentão). Mulled wine and manioc
patty... this should become Paraná’s traditional dish.
7
Information:
Day: every Friday
Venue: Praça da Ucrânia, between Padre Anchieta and Padre
Agostinho Streets - Bigorrilho.
Hours: from 5pm to 10pm
City: Curitiba - PR
By Silvia Oliveira
Photos: Raul Mattar
Curitiba in English
Curitiba in English - N° 23 - June 2010 - Brazil
www.curitibainenglish.com.br
TECHNOLOGY
Curitiba Internationalisation Board
In June 2010, Florida Christian
University of Orlando, joined an
Interbusiness seminar held by
FESP in Curitiba.
Internationally
renowned
speakers talked about Career Internationalisation. Management,
Emotional Intelligence, Cases
of North American companies,
Coaching, among other topics
of interest to those who want to
grow professionally in the competitive corporate market, were
discussed. The lectures were presented in FESP’s auditorium and
were assisted by qualified personnel through the use of electronic
and audio-visual resources. It
was a success.
But that is not all.
The workshop’s organisers took
advantage of the opportunity to
create the Curitiba Internationalisation Board.
The idea of setting up the
Board came up at breakfast on
17/06/10, at ACP, in a meeting
between FESP, FCU, CONCEX
and some local businessmen.
“Curitiba in English”, which has
been in circulation for nearly two
years, was represented by its editor, Nelson G. Santos, who spoke
to all present about the tabloid’s
objectives. “Curitiba in English”
is focused on disseminating Curitiba internationally as a city
with the best quality of life, beautiful natural woodlands and sustainability projects, where large
multinational companies have
chosen to establish themselves.
“I believe it appropriate for all
entrepreneurs to use a newspaper in English, as a tool for developing international language
skills, global communication and
cultivating business opportunities,” said the editor. Then Mr.
Anthony Portigliatti, the dean of
the American university congratulated the publication’s initiative
and endorsed it to those present,
declaring himself an avid reader
of “Curitiba in English” via the
website. He stressed his admiration for Curitiba and said, “the
city can not just be a world model in terms of sustainability and
quality of life. Curitiba has the
poise and overall ability to be a
benchmark in negotiations with
the overseas market. It can not
continue to be a market test site”,
he stated emphatically.
As the Internationalisation
theme was on the table, Mr.
Portigliatti went on to provoke
the ACP directors into incorporating the idea of partnership
in an International Board with
both local and Orlando members and the idea was promptly
accepted. On the same day, at
night, an agreement was signed
between the three entities, establishing the creation of the Board.
Just as quickly, CIN, upon perceiving the dimension of the
agreement and the possibility
of internationalising Curitiba’s
business, supported the idea.
The next day, during a lunch at
FIEP at which were present the
Interbusiness speakers, invited
businessmen and FESP’s directors, FIEP’s chairman, Rodrigo
8
da Rocha Loures, confirmed the
entity’s participation in the Curitiba Internationalisation Board.
On Friday the 18th, during the
opening of the second night of
Interbusiness, the president of
FESP, Antonio Carlos Morozowski; FESP’s chief financial officer and CONSEX advisor, Carlos
Eduardo Guimaraes; the dean of
FCU, Anthony Portigliatti; Vicepresident of ACP and CONCEX
coordinator, Sinval Zaidan Lobato Machado; the chairman of
FIEP and CIN, Rodrigo Costa
da Rocha Loures; and other witnesses signed the agreement that
sealed the establishment of the
Curitiba
Internationalisation
Board.
Carlos Eduardo Guimarães
was chosen as the Board’s overall
coordinator and ambassador in
Curitiba, and therefore in Brazil,
for having worked over the past
decade to create and strengthen
bonds between Paraná, Curitiba,
and the institutions participating
in the agreement, and U.S. cities.
FCU’s dean, Anthony Portigliatti, will be the overall coordinator and ambassador in Orlando,
Florida, as well as throughout
the United States, being well
“I believe it
appropriate for all
entrepreneurs to
use a newspaper
in English, as a
tool for developing
international
language
skills, global
communication and
cultivating business
opportunities,” said
the editor.
versed in business in Brazil and
having mastered the Portuguese
language. The overall coordination of Educational Projects
and Personal Development for
the Curitiba Internationalisation
Board will be the responsibility
of SESI’s superintendent, Jose
Antonio Fares, for his expertise
in human resources and personal
development. The other coordinators will be defined over the
coming days.
Goal
The main objective of the Curitiba Internationalisation Board
is to promote technical and scientific cooperation, international
trade, and educational programs
among the partner institutions of
the project. “Through this, one
has the intention of developing
activities focused on trade, education, research and extension;
favouring the cultural-commercial exchange of professionals
and academics in areas of common interest,” said Guimaraes,
emphasising that there will be
growth in the production of programmes and projects in related
areas.
Curitiba in English
www.curitibainenglish.com.br FLAVOUR
SPORTS
Coffee
Regular coffee, espresso, cappuccino, mocha, latte, macchiato. If you like at least one of these
beverages, you appreciate coffee
itself somehow. To understand
where this delight came from,
we have to go back six centuries ago, in Yemen, where first
evidences of coffee drinking were
found. In London, the first coffee
house was opened in 1652, and
there were over 2000 of themby
the 1700’s, due to their popularization as centers of intellectual discussions -called “penny
universities”, where people were
charged one penny to enter a
coffee house, where they would
drink a coffee, mingle with other
people and have intellectual conversations. Coffee also has an
extreme importance for humanity because relevant events took
place “around” it: the first ballot box appeared in London in a
coffee house in 1669, for people
anonymously to express opinions
over political discussions; in New
York, the NYSE (New York Stock
Exchange) had its origins in a
coffee house.
And how about Brazil? Our
country is simply the biggest coffee producer in the world, as well
as one of the largest consumers.
Curitiba in English - N° 23 - June 2010 - Brazil
Coffee was introduced here in
the 18th century, and now we
provide one of the highest quality coffees in the world. Paraná
(the state Curitiba is the capital)
was the biggest coffee producer
in Brazil a few decades ago,
however, due to a heavy frost in
1975, all coffee plantations in
Parana were devastated. As coffee
is produced in different regions
in Brazil, different climate and
soil conditions apply, leading to
different classifications for our
coffee, such as cerrado baiano,
cerrado mineiro, paranaense, sul
de minas, etc. Each one is very
unique and differ from each other by bitterness, sweetness, acidity and aroma. However, if you
want to try something with a special touch, there are coffees with
a wide gamut of artificial aromas
like chocolate, caramel, almonds,
vanilla, etc. Do you want to go
beyond? Koppi Luwak, from Indonesia, is a delicacy whose beans
are collected from the faeces of an
animal called Civet and roasted
afterwards. Brazil didn’t fall behind and also created its own version, the Jacu Coffee, made with
beans obtained from feaces of a
bird called Jacu. At the Municipal
Market in Curitiba you can find
Coffee also has an
extreme importance
for humanity
because relevant
events took place
“around” it: the first
ballot box appeared
in London in a coffee
house in 1669, for
people anonymously
express opinions
over political
discussions; in
New York, the NYSE
(New York Stock
Exchange) had its
origins in a coffee
house.
all this variety of tastes in specialized coffee houses, where you can
either drink a fresh coffee or take
out the powder or roasted beans.
Coffee is ubiquitous, it’s a beverage that fits any occasion - no
matter what’s the subject that surrounds a cup of coffee, it’s amazing how this beverage is present
in our lives, from a simple small
talk to important business deals,
or even for lone relaxing moments. In Brazil, it’s very common to invite friends for a visit
saying “come to my home to have
a coffee”; in business, clients are
always offered a cup of coffee before starting negotiations; or coffee can be just an excuse to take a
break and relax. So, how about a
coffee now?
Raul Hiromu Sumiya, a coffee
lover
Graduated in Computer Science
mailto: [email protected]
9
Rugby and Football: Two
Sports, same DNA
History claims that Rugby
was created accidentally during a
football game in the 19th century at Rugby School, a traditional
school in the United Kingdom
made famous by this fact. The
story is that a student Willian
Webb Ellis caught the ball and
run to the other side of the field
with the ball in hand. Even if the
evidence of this story is doubtful, the plaque unveiled in 1895
stand at the Rugby School as a
symbol of the genesis of Rugby
Football nowadays just Rugby.
Between 1863 and 1871 Rugby and Football were the same
sport. That’s because in 1863
Football Association (FA) was
formed unifying English football
and Rugby football rules. But in
1863 an important club member
of FA named Blackheath took a
decision to leave the organization by dropping two rules of
Football Association, tackles and
carrying the ball with the hands.
In 1871 after almost a decade, it
was formed the Rugby Football
Union splitting the two sports.
In same year in March 27th took
place the first international Rugby match between England and
Scotland. Years later Wales and
Ireland now have representative
teams, which helped in the development and growth of the sport.
So it’s not surprise that a rugby
field has the same size of football
field and similar concepts like
offside, kicks and line outs. Of
course since the creation these
two sports had a natural and different evolution but the DNA is
the same.
Rugby became widespread in
the southern hemisphere countries primarily through visits by
English teams such as the British
Isles who visited New Zealand
and Australia in the early twentieth century. Another interesting
thing about this sport is that it
was an amateur sport until 1995
when the IRB (International
Rugby Board) removed restrictions on payments to players.
Nowadays, Rugby World Cup
is the premier rugby competition. The tournament is one of
the largest international sporting
events in the world, surpassed
in scale only by the FIFA World
Cup, the Summer Olympics
and the Tour de France. The
importance of this tournament
especially for South Africa is portrayed in the film Invictus which
was recently in theaters in Brazil.
In Curitiba we have
the legacy of this
sport represented
by a club named
“Curitiba Rugby
Clube” founded
in 1981 by Mauro
Callegari and
Eduardo Laguarrigue.
More information
you can get in www.
curitibarugby.com.
By Igor Christopher Seibel a sports
enthusiast
mailto: [email protected]
Curitiba in English
Curitiba in English - N° 23 - June 2010 - Brazil
www.curitibainenglish.com.br
MUSICIANS
By Roberto
Muggiati
It was 1957.
A great jazz trio
was formed in
Curitiba: myself on tenor
sax, Sergio Amaury Lustosa on
drums and Manoel Muzzilo on
the cello. The instruments were
awful. A junkyard-candidate São
Paulo-made Ubaldo T. Abreu
saxophone once bought by mail
order, a drum kit with flaccid
skins and flat cymbals (any saucepan lid would have been more
tuneful) and an ancient cello
amplified by a Heath-Robinson
tangle of wires. I particularly
remember one morning in Lustosa’s house, in Alto da Rua XV,
when we played “Boplicity”, the
theme of a series of recordings by
Miles Davis christened “Birth of
the Cool”, released on LP at the
time. “Boplicity” had been recorded only eight years before, in
1949. It was composed by Miles
and Gil Evans, under the pen
name Cleo Henry. It was many
years later that I learnt that it had
been a tribute to Cleota Henry
Davis, Miles’ mother, who once
played piano and encouraged
her son’s career. The complicity
with bop was a magical moment
in our lives. To this day, not one
encyclopaedia has ever registered
that unique moment in jazz history.
The pillow of sound
It was the mid-50s, in my
parents’ house at the top of
Carlos de Carvalho, on the corner
with Francisco Rocha. The road
ended there, giving way to a trail
that led through the woods to
the Juventus football pitch, with
its wooden stands. My first-floor
room looked out onto the sunset.
One cold night, twiddling with
the knob of the small radio on my
bedside table, I tuned in Voice of
America’s jazz programme and
a strange sound took my breath
away. Accustomed to the predictable improvisations of Dixieland
and Swing, I clung immediately
to Hard Bop, which had not yet
arrived in Brazil. One theme
in particular entranced me;
“Daahoud”, by Clifford Brown,
a tribute to the trumpet-player
Talib Dawuud (in protest against
racism, jazz musicians started to
take Muslim names). Poor Clifford, he was himself to receive
tributes in 1956, when he died
in a car accident at the age of 25.
Clean-living and totally dedicated
to his music, he was one of jazz’s
great promises. With my face
pressed to my pillow of sound, I
continued to listen to Brownie’s
beautiful trumpet improvisations
throughout the ‘50s.
Du côté de chez ney (at
ney’s side)
Jazz LPs started to appear in
Curitiba in the second half of
the ‘50s. They were brought
by friends or relatives who travelled abroad, or sold (never in
shops) by “record traffickers”,
who charged the Earth for their
merchandise. In order to enjoy
these new marvels of technology — in hi-fi or stereo — you
needed to have a top-of-the-line
record player, capable of revealing each detail of Miles’ muted
trumpet or the Bird’s squealing reed. Ney Macedo, known
as Neyzinho (which rhymed
with Reizinho), was the proud
owner of the best such equipment. A small “coterie” or group
of jazzophiles would gather in
his house, after having spent the
evening visiting Curitiba’s bars.
Late at night, we would install
ourselves in Ney’s living room, in
the Macedo clan’s Venetian-style
mansion in front of the Passeio
Publico. Sometimes we would
overdo it on the volume and the
enormous loudspeakers would
shake the house’s foundations.
Ney’s sister and nieces, who
observed normal hours, would
appear bewildered at the foot of
the stairs, imploring for a little
peace and quiet. However, we
didn’t only make noise inside the
house. In a recording made live at
Birdland, Art Blakey related that
Dizzy Gillespie had composed
“Night in Tunisia” in Texas on
the bottom of a dustbin: “I saw
it, I was there!” One night, in the
wee small hours, we found one of
these steel dustbins and began
drumming out “Night in Tunisia” on it. That was yet another
great moment in jazz history that
has never been recognised.
One cold night,
twiddling with the
knob of the small
radio on my bedside
table, I tuned in
Voice of America’s
jazz programme and
a strange sound took
my breath away.
Accustomed to the
predictable improvisations of Dixieland
and Swing, I clung
immediately to Hard
Bop, which had not
yet arrived in Brazil.
10
Musician Paulo Moura, 2000
Grammy recipient, dies at age 77
Photography from http://www.circularbr.com.br/3ed/3downloads.htm
Miles in Alto da Rua XV
Brazilian musician Paulo Moura died of cancer on Monday. He
was 77 and had been hospitalized
since July 4th.
Moura was raised in a family
of musicians and recorded 40 albums.
He played saxophone and clarinet with some of the best Brazilian musicians.
Born in São Jose do Rio Preto,
São Paulo, Moura was raised in a
family of musicians. At the age of
9, he started playing the clarinet
and by the time he was 14, he was
ready to join his father’s band.
Moura recorded the first of 40
albums in 1956. When he was already well known in Jazz circles,
he began to dedicate his time to
classical music, joining the Rio
de Janeiro Municipal Theater orchestra.
A versatile saxophonist, Moura
joined the very first Bossa Nova
group and played with great
names associated with Brazilian
Popular Music (MPB) such as
Elis Regina and Milton Nascimento.
A true master of instrumental
music, Moura contributed to the
popularity of genres such as gafieira, samba, forró and choro.
One of the most popular saxophone and clarinet players in Brazil and abroad, Moura reached
the pinnacle of world recognition in 2000. That year, he won
a Grammy Award in the United
States - the highest prize in the
music world.
Curitiba in English
www.curitibainenglish.com.br Curitiba in English - N° 23 - June 2010 - Brazil
NEWCOMER
The Women of the World Cup
by B. Michael Rubin
With Brazil’s loss in the 2010
World Cup quarterfinals against
The Netherlands, there were a
great number of people, every
Brazilian to be exact, who had an
opinion as to what went wrong
for the fabled soccer dynasty.
Even before the World Cup began, Coach Dunga had a multitude of critics. The fact that
Dunga was attempting to remake
the entire Brazilian team and
thereby change Brazil’s previously
successful aggressive or beautiful
“jogo bonito” soccer style was
challenged by those who assume
that some things should never
change and dynasties never die.
With the hopes for Brazil’s
sixth title behind us, I confess it’s
fun, even for a foreigner like me,
to play “armchair quarterback,”
to borrow a phrase from American football. In retrospect, let’s
analyze the defeat of the fallen
heroes. Besides the vocal Dungahaters, many Brazilians placed
the blame on one player, Felipe
Melo, who managed to defeat his
own team by -- take your pick:
1) Facilitating Holland’s first goal
by blocking out the great goalie,
Júlio César, and actually getting
credited with the goal by Cup officials, thereby going down in the
history books as the first Brazilian
player ever to score a goal against
his own team in the 80-year history of World Cup play; 2) Neglecting to properly block Holland’s Wesley Sneijder, one of the
shortest men on the field, when
Sneijder headed a corner kick to
score Holland’s second goal; 3)
Failing to contain his emotions
after these two errors resulted in
Holland’s only goals, and then
committing a flagrant foul, which
caused him to be ejected from the
game and forced Brazil to play a
man down for the final 17 minutes. From the Dunga detractors,
Brazilians, however, have far greater
expectations for their team. Every store and
business, large and small, closed down to
allow the employees enough time to get
home and watch Brazil play on TV. Even the
banks closed 90 minutes before televised
game time. (The idea of all US banks closing
for a sports event being played on another
continent is incomprehensible.)
we also heard, “Everyone knew
Melo had problems controlling
his temper. Dunga should have
pulled him out of the game long
before he was ejected.”
Experiencing the World Cup
for the first time in Brazil, I was
not prepared for World Cup fever. I was happy to see the US
team even qualify for the World
Cup and very much surprised
they finished first in their group
in the First Round. Brazilians,
however, have far greater expectations for their team. Every store
and business, large and small,
closed down to allow the employees enough time to get home
and watch Brazil play on TV.
Even the banks closed 90 minutes before televised game time.
(The idea of all US banks closing
for a sports event being played
on another continent is incomprehensible.) Brazilian people are
bent on cheering for their country’s name, not only with their
vuvuzelas, but with economic
sacrifice as well. The financial
loss to shop-owners here during
the weeks of World Cup was in
the millions of reais, (except for
the guys selling vuvuzelas), yet I
didn’t hear any complaints about
the lost revenue, as nothing was
more important than supporting
the yellow-and-green warriors far
away in South Africa.
What struck me as exceptional
during World Cup fever was the
way Brazilian women came out
to support their team. In the US,
it’s a plain fact -- women do not
watch sports on TV. Perhaps this
illustrates that women in Brazil
pay more attention to whatever
their men are paying attention
to than American women. The
feminist revolution that swept
the US a few decades ago, driving American women onto a path
of independence, never reached
full fruition here, stymied by the
military government in power at
the time, among other factors.
Revolutions are never perfect;
for example, statistics show the
majority of American divorces
today are being initiated by the
wives. This dramatic fact is certainly a direct outcome of feminism, but divorce is rarely seen
as a positive indicator in any culture. I think women in Brazil are
changing as well, albeit with less
drama. Recent data suggest Brazilian women are getting married
later than in previous generations, postponing marriage to begin their careers and save money
for their future. But whatever
their attitudes towards marriage,
the Brazilian women were out in
full force in June and July blowing their mini-vuvuzelas with
the same World Cup fever as the
men.
Although some things have
not changed here, like World
Cup fever, Brazil is changing, and
11
probably faster than anyone had
imagined. In its embrace of the
future, Brazil has moved securely
from a third-world nation into
the “second world” as the BRIC
countries (Brazil/Russia/India/
China) are now referred to. Since
1980, the number of Brazilians
benefiting from running water
and public sewage increased from
50 percent to 75 percent. Similarly, the population with access
to electrical power at home expanded from 66 percent in 1980
to 90 percent in 1993.
With the recent discovery of
its vast deep-water oil reserves in
the Tupi oilfield, Brazil is poised
to bypass its new second world
status and move into the first
world. In the last census, 72.6
million Brazilians maintained a
first-world standard of life. Another 25.4 million constitute a
lower middle class on its way to
prosperity. As for the poor, their
numbers are still high, 48.9 million.
It remains to be seen whether
President Lula, or his possible
successor, Dilma Rousseff, will
be able to tackle the problem of
Rio’s favelas in time for the next
World Cup in 2014. (Perhaps
this scary blight on Rio’s beauty
will be dumped into the lap of
a different political party, one
with less scandals haunting its
past than PT.) Some Brazilians
I’ve spoken to are even speculating that without a rapid influx of
financial assistance from the federal government, FIFA, football’s
international governing body,
will take the World Cup away
from Brazil for insufficient stadium sites.
Maybe with a woman as president, Dilma or Marina Silva, Brazil would be in a better position
to shine on the world stage. It
might take a woman to recognize
the value of long-term planning,
which has never been a strong
point for Brazilians. Of one thing
I am certain: the future of this
country rests with its women.
Even if a woman is not the
next President, the women of
Brazil see what lies ahead. They
recognize that if Brazil is to continue its forward march, it must
conquer grand challenges that require long-term thinking. Additionally, Brazil must undergo the
psychological transformation that
has occurred in the US, EU, and
other developed countries. This
transformation includes facing
the reality of feeding and housing large families. Brazil’s women
are leading the way: While the
average childbearing number was
about six children per Brazilian
woman between 1940 and 1960,
it has dropped today to a more
sustainable number of 2.5.
Of course, there are greater
problems in Brazil’s future than
building new stadiums. There are
still 17 million Brazilians living
just above the starvation line. It’s
going to take more than a World
Cup victory inspired by 200 million vuvuzelas to end this sadness. The men of the Brazilian
football team must learn to play
with a more controllable strategy,
planning for the future the way
Brazil’s women are by lowering
family size to a more controllable
number. The team needs to play
a cleaner, more disciplined game
like the Europeans. Argentina,
too, learned this lesson in its
crushing defeat by Germany.
Hopefully, Brazil will learn.
After all, Dunga wouldn’t have
used the 2010 scapegoat, Melo,
except he needed a replacement
for Ramires, who was suspended
from playing in the Holland game
for his two yellow cards during
Brazil’s destruction of Chile. Like
Ramires, then Melo, Brazil fell in
bitter self-defeat. Without changing old habits, history has a way
of repeating itself.
Curitiba in English
Curitiba in English - N° 23 - June 2010 - Brazil
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