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Produced by the British & Commonwealth Society of<br />
<strong>Rio</strong> de Janeiro for the English-speaking Community<br />
Vol XVI - NOV 2010 the.umbrella@terra.com.br<br />
BCS<br />
Beatles/BCS Anniversary p.4<br />
AMERICAN SOCIETY<br />
Curry & Butterflies p.5<br />
SAS<br />
Caledonian Ball p.5<br />
RBL<br />
Poppy Gala Ball notice p.6<br />
WDA<br />
Christmas Bazaar notice p.7<br />
Commonwealth Games p.9<br />
Dutch Amazon p.13<br />
Elections Guide p.14
2<br />
FROM THE EDITOR<br />
BEACHES<br />
Guess which Brazilian beach is the only<br />
one to rank in the world’s Top 10? You’re<br />
wrong – according to Beachesworld.com,<br />
it’s Fernando de Noronha! Ipanema and<br />
Copacabana only show up as sixth in<br />
the world’s Top 10 nudist beaches … but<br />
that 2009 website admits that it’s open<br />
to discussion. The only beach in the<br />
USA on the World Top 10 list is Honolulu,<br />
but 4 of America’s top 10 beaches are in<br />
Florida. One not listed among those,<br />
but which should be, is Siesta Key<br />
Beach in Sarasota, Florida, where we<br />
were lucky enough to spend some time<br />
last month.<br />
Siesta Key beach is remarkable for the<br />
quality of its sand -- fine like talcum<br />
powder, it is actually cool to walk on in<br />
the heat of the midday sun, and does<br />
not cling to feet and towels like the<br />
sand of the <strong>Rio</strong> beaches, so can be dusted<br />
off your toes without needing water.<br />
It is soft above high water mark, harder<br />
where wet – and it doesn’t squeak! The<br />
public beach with huge carpark has 5<br />
lifeguard stations, wooden huts on 4foot<br />
stilts painted red, blue, yellow etc.,<br />
largely unattended, with a board on<br />
each giving the temperature and the<br />
time of low tide. There are lots of beach<br />
volley courts available. But walking a<br />
<strong>Societies</strong> INFO<br />
The British & Commonwealth Society of <strong>Rio</strong> de Janeiro - Rua Real<br />
Grandeza 99, Botafogo, 22281-030. Secretary: Gaynor Smith. Office hours:<br />
Mon to Fri from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm - Tel: 2537-6695 - Fax: 2538-0564 -<br />
bcsrio@bcsrio.org.br - www.bcsrio.org.br<br />
The American Society of <strong>Rio</strong> de Janeiro - Tel: 21 2125-9132<br />
Contact: www.americansocietyrio.org email contact@americansocietyrio.org<br />
International Club of <strong>Rio</strong> de Janeiro - General Inquiries:<br />
inquiries@incrio.org.br - President: president@incrio.org.br<br />
www.incrio.org.br<br />
The British School - BOTAFOGO: Rua Real Grandeza 87, 22281-030.<br />
Tel: 2539-2717, Fax: 2266-5040 URCA: Av. Pasteur 429, 22290-240,<br />
Tel: 2543-5519, Fax: 2543-4719. BARRA: Rua Mário Autuori 100, 22793-270,<br />
Tel: 3329-2854 - http://www.britishschool.g12.br<br />
Emails: edu@britishschool.g12.br and admissions@britishschool.g12.br<br />
The American School - Estrada da Gávea 132, Gávea,<br />
Tel: 2512-9830 - www.earj.com.br - admission@earj.com.br<br />
Our Lady of Mercy School - Catholic American School in Botafogo -<br />
Rua Visconde de Caravelas 48, Botafogo - Tel: 2266-8282 / 2266-8250 /<br />
2266-8258 - www.olmrio.org<br />
The St Andrew Society - Rua Real Grandeza 99, Botafogo, 22281-030 -<br />
President: Jimmy Frew - Tel: 2586-3413<br />
jhf@scotbras.com.br - www.standrewrio.com.br<br />
Christ Church - Rua Real Grandeza 99, Botafogo, 22281-030 -<br />
Tel: 2226-7332 chchurch@terra.com.br - http://christchurch.no-ip.org<br />
The Royal British Legion - www.britishlegion.org.uk<br />
www.bcsrio.org.br/activities/rbl.asp<br />
JACK WOODALL<br />
few yards north or south you can get<br />
right away from the crowd, and have a<br />
long stretch of sparsely populated<br />
strand to enjoy. The beach is 3 and a<br />
bit miles long from one end of the Key<br />
to the other, and is wider from water’s<br />
edge to shore vegetation than<br />
Copacabana, with no seaweed but<br />
patches with lots of small cockle shells.<br />
Sand -fine<br />
like talcum powder,<br />
cool to walk on<br />
and does not cling<br />
The bird life was impressive. The pelicans<br />
cruised along at wave height, then<br />
flew up and did their dive-bomber bit<br />
into water so shallow I was afraid they’d<br />
end up impaled by their beaks, tails up<br />
in the air – but they always bobbed back<br />
up safely. Little seagulls flew hopefully<br />
out to them after their dives, waiting for<br />
them to drop their catch by accident.<br />
There were a couple of different kinds of<br />
seagulls, Royal Terns with their black<br />
crests, and Black Skimmers, white with<br />
slender black wings and long, thin black<br />
beaks that were bright orange near the<br />
eyes. They flew along the edge of the<br />
Siesta Key Beach<br />
incoming tide, skimming the water for<br />
little fish with the longer bottom part of<br />
the bill. They are the same species you<br />
see on the Amazon.<br />
These birds were completely used to<br />
humans, flying nonchalantly in between<br />
joggers, strollers and cyclists, and hardly<br />
bothering to move out of the way<br />
from where they were standing on the<br />
beach. A bunch of gulls decided to<br />
have their sunset bath, dipping their<br />
heads and fluttering their wings dry,<br />
just like pigeons in a fountain or sparrows<br />
in a puddle. Little sandpipers<br />
scuttled around between the sand and<br />
the water like clockwork toys. Flocks of<br />
hundreds of gulls sat on the sand facing<br />
west, waiting for the signal to go off<br />
to their roost in the mangroves up the<br />
coast. A little boy ran gleefully through<br />
the middle of them, but they flew off<br />
just ahead of him until he flopped,<br />
exhausted – then they circled round and<br />
landed back where they were. The sun<br />
sank, blazing redly down into the horizon;<br />
the sky was cloudless, so there<br />
was no afterglow, but the boost to the<br />
spirit from walking, feet in water, along<br />
the tide’s edge remained.<br />
Disclaimer: The editors of The Umbrella accept no responsibility for<br />
claims made either in the ads or the classifieds, and the opinions expressed<br />
in the articles published are those of the writers, and not of The Umbrella.<br />
The Umbrella is published monthly by the British and<br />
Commonwealth Society of <strong>Rio</strong> de Janeiro. Print run: 900<br />
copies. Deadline: second to last Monday of the month<br />
Editor: Jack Woodall jackwoodall13@gmail.com<br />
Graphic Design & Desktop Publishing:<br />
Marcia Fialho marcia@marciafialho.com.br<br />
Films & Printing: Gráfica Falcão.<br />
Cover: Ken Davis<br />
Society articles are the responsibility of each society.<br />
The Umbrella is distributed free to all members of the <strong>Rio</strong><br />
de Janeiro BCS, American Society, St. Andrew Society,<br />
Royal British Legion & British School staff.<br />
Classified ads: Gaynor Smith at the BCS office: Tel: (21)<br />
2537-6695, Fax: (21) 2538-0564. E-mail: bcsrio@bcsrio.org.br<br />
Commercial non-classified ads:<br />
please inquire about technical procedures with<br />
Marcia Fialho. marcia@marciafialho.com.br
The BCS at 70<br />
70 YEARS IN BRAZIL: HAPPENINGS<br />
Brazilian soldiers capture Monte Castelo<br />
1945: Brazilian forces capture Monte<br />
Castelo, 21st February. Doing their part<br />
in World War II, the Força Expedicionária<br />
Brasileira (Brazilian Expeditionary Force)<br />
was sent to Italy where they eventually<br />
capture the Fort of Monte Castelo from<br />
the Germans. This helps to open a<br />
passage for the Allies.<br />
1950: Uruguay beats Brazil to win World<br />
Cup, 16th July. The Brazilian team lost to<br />
Uruguay in the final match for the World<br />
Cup being played in <strong>Rio</strong> de Janeiro.<br />
1957: Brazil beats Argentina in World<br />
Cup, 7th July, with the help of Pelé.<br />
Kubitschek statue in Brasilia<br />
1960: The national capital is moved to<br />
Brasília, 21st April. President Juscelino<br />
Kubitschek inaugurates the new capital<br />
city.<br />
Juan Peron of Argentina<br />
1964: Brazil returns Juan Perón to Spain,<br />
2nd December. Ex-president of Argentina<br />
Juan Domingo Perón was in Brazil<br />
attempting to return to Argentina when<br />
Brazil sent him back to Spain.<br />
1967: New constitution is adopted, 22nd<br />
January.<br />
Pelé after his 1000th goal<br />
1969: Pelé kicks his 1000th goal, 19th<br />
November, a penalty for Santos against<br />
Vasco da Gama.<br />
Iron Maiden at Rock in <strong>Rio</strong> 1985<br />
1985: The biggest rock concert of all time<br />
is held in <strong>Rio</strong> de Janeiro, 11th January.<br />
Participating bands included Yes, Queen<br />
and Iron Maiden.<br />
1985: President Tancredo Neves dies, 21st<br />
April. He was elected president in 1985, but<br />
was not able to take office due to failing<br />
health. After suffering seven operations, he<br />
passed away on this day and vice-president<br />
José Sarney assumed the presidency.<br />
Josef Mengele, “The Angel of Death”<br />
1985: The remains of Nazi war criminal<br />
Josef Mengele are exhumed near São Paulo.<br />
1988: Promulgation of the eighth Constitution<br />
of the Federative Republic of<br />
Brazil, 5th October.<br />
1991: Brazil signs free trade agreement,<br />
26th March. An agreement to establish a free<br />
trade zone by 1995, called the Southern<br />
Cone Common Market, is signed by<br />
Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay.<br />
1994: Brazil wins its fourth world cup,<br />
17th July.<br />
Ex-President Collor today<br />
1994: Vice-President Itamar Franco<br />
succeeds to the presidency following<br />
accusations of corruption against President<br />
Fernando Collor, 2nd October.<br />
1996: The Brazilian team beat Portugal to<br />
get the Olympic bronze medal, 2nd August.<br />
1998: Part of the Amazon gets protection,<br />
29th April. Plans are announced to protect<br />
a large area of the Amazon rain forest.<br />
Ronaldinho scores for Brazil in 2002<br />
2002: Penta! Brazil wins its fifth World<br />
Cup championship, 30th June. In the<br />
final game, Brazil scores 2 goals and<br />
Germany has no score.<br />
2002: Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is elected<br />
president of Brazil, 27th October.<br />
Source: South American Way<br />
<br />
3
4<br />
4 corners<br />
and more...<br />
BRITISH & COMMONWEALTH<br />
SOCIETY<br />
Beatles 50th/BCS 70th<br />
Anniversary Party<br />
Excited audience: clockwise from top left: Moira<br />
McLauchlan, Patti Campbell, Suzan Carter, Jane<br />
Anderson<br />
The big double anniversary has come<br />
and gone. It certainly went off with a<br />
bang! An overflow crowd of both BCS<br />
members and the general public<br />
filled the Jubilee Hall on 24th<br />
September on a balmy night, happily<br />
free of rain until the end. The<br />
evening featured just over 10% of the<br />
Fab Four’s 288 compositions, played<br />
and sung on a wide variety of<br />
instruments – including David Chew’s<br />
cello – from solos to massed choir,<br />
including The British School’s Class 6<br />
band with a trio of girl singers.<br />
The programme opened with Hard<br />
Day’s Night by The Midnight Hour Band,<br />
led by Neville Thorley, with Emerson<br />
Ribeiro, Gustavo Camardella, Marcos<br />
Cardoso and Rodrigo Borba, with<br />
special guest Robin Brown on guitar<br />
and guest singer Christine McNeal<br />
singing Lady Madonna. It continued<br />
with the SCM Beatles Choir, conducted<br />
by Martin Hester, with Inês Rufino on<br />
the piano, singing a medley with Tell Me<br />
Why and four other songs including<br />
an arrangement of Something by Martin.<br />
This was followed by <strong>Rio</strong>’s own<br />
Rice’n’Beans, Peter Napthine and<br />
Mark Archer playing Honey Pie and I’ve<br />
Just Seen a Face. Then The Midnight<br />
Hour returned, with guest singer<br />
Kevin Wick giving his rendering of<br />
favourites Yesterday and Ticket to Ride,<br />
and other classics.<br />
After an interval in which the<br />
audience was able to eat pizzas they<br />
had ordered, or hot dogs from a stand<br />
in the courtyard, and replenish their<br />
drinks from the bar in the cloisters -efficiently<br />
run by Robin and Ana Evans<br />
and helpers – The British School Class<br />
6 Band gave spirited renderings of Eight<br />
Days a Week, Come Together and Let It Be.<br />
The Midnight Hour band then played<br />
the Beatles’ version of Happy Birthday,<br />
with audience participation, to celebrate<br />
the double Beatles 50th/BCS 70th<br />
Anniversaries, followed by a few<br />
appropriate words from our energetic<br />
MC, Steve Rimmer. The evening wound<br />
up with 9 Beatles classics to which<br />
everyone danced enthusiastically. The<br />
unforgettable evening ended with Hey<br />
Jude, with both performers and<br />
audience having matado saudades (an<br />
untranslateable Portuguese expression<br />
referring to feelings of nostalgia).<br />
Very many thanks are due to Norma<br />
Hester, Gaynor and Monica from the<br />
BCS office on the gate (the office did<br />
a lot of the arranging for tables and<br />
setting up of the Jubilee Hall and the<br />
bar), and Monica again for serving<br />
salgadinhos – and, of course, to our<br />
MC, Steve Rimmer and events chair<br />
and one-man committee, Henry Adler.<br />
[See a selection of photos of the occasion by<br />
Fiona Brown on p.8 & in colour on the<br />
BCS website]<br />
Marilene Oliver – Artist Talk<br />
Orixá by Marilene Oliver<br />
Marilene Oliver is a visual artist from<br />
the UK (currently living and working<br />
in <strong>Rio</strong> de Janeiro) who uses digital<br />
medical imaging as source material<br />
for making artworks. Since 2001 she has<br />
worked with MRI, PET and CT to create<br />
print based sculptures and installations<br />
that have been recognized and<br />
exhibited internationally. In 2003 she<br />
made a life size 'Family Portrait': a series<br />
of four life size sculptures of her<br />
immediate family made up of MRI<br />
scans printed onto sheets of clear<br />
acrylic stacked in order, resulting in a<br />
row of ghostly floating figures. Since<br />
working in <strong>Rio</strong> de Janeiro her work has<br />
been heavily influenced by Brazilian<br />
folklore and religion and she has<br />
started to include seed beads and<br />
ostrich feathers in her works.<br />
Marilene Oliver will give an Artist Talk<br />
presenting a selection of works made<br />
since 2001. She will present the works,<br />
explain the ideas behind them and<br />
share the complex processes that<br />
allow scientific data to be transformed<br />
into thought provoking art objects.<br />
BCS Christmas Party<br />
“Christmas comes but once a year” –<br />
and so does the BCS Christmas Party.<br />
This year’s party will be similar to last<br />
year’s – you don’t change a winning<br />
team – you improve it!<br />
Like last year, it will be a family event<br />
for both adults and children. There’ll<br />
be a special programme for the kids<br />
so Mums, Dads and other adults can<br />
enjoy the fun without worrying about<br />
the kids. And the kids won’t have to<br />
worry about their parents …<br />
The entertainment will feature<br />
Christmas music and, new this year,<br />
music for Christmas! Like last year,<br />
there’ll be carols around the piano<br />
with Martin leading the singing.<br />
Martin and his singers will also do<br />
some performing of their own. New<br />
this year will be a series of invited<br />
guest performers including Christine,<br />
Head of Music at the British School,
and some of her students who’ll give<br />
their own version of Christmas favourites.<br />
There may be some surprise guests<br />
too who you’ll find out about – and<br />
hear – on the day, all doing their own<br />
Christmas thing!<br />
Another key ingredient in the “mix”<br />
is the food. Last year we had a buffet.<br />
This year we think you’d enjoy more<br />
English fare. We’d like to offer you<br />
and your guests as close to an English<br />
tea as we can make in <strong>Rio</strong>. Plus all the<br />
Christmas trimmings of Christmas cake,<br />
mince pies and Christmas pudding.<br />
Want something stronger than coffee?<br />
No problem, there’ll be a cash bar.<br />
The most important part of the show<br />
is you! We had well over 120 people last<br />
year. If you enjoyed that party, please<br />
come again. Bring your friends, your<br />
kids and their friends. If you missed<br />
out last year, make sure you make it<br />
this year. You have been warned!<br />
Here are the details:<br />
Where: Jubilee Hall, Rua Real<br />
Grandeza, 99.<br />
When: Sunday, 28 November<br />
Time: 17.00 – 20.00h<br />
Parking: on site behind the Hall<br />
Cost: R$20 for BCS members; R$35<br />
for everyone else. No charge for kids<br />
under 11 years.<br />
How about bringing a small gift for the<br />
BCS to donate to kids at the charities<br />
it supports? That would be a nice touch,<br />
eh! Please label them Boy or Girl and<br />
age range.<br />
P.S. Yes, of course, Father Christmas will<br />
be there. A bilingual one, to boot!<br />
P.P.S. And, yes, Uncle Stan will be<br />
leading the fun. Who else!<br />
AMERICAN SOCIETY<br />
Ilha Grande Trip: October Holiday Weekend<br />
Aquele abraço<br />
…and a warm welcome to American<br />
Society <strong>Rio</strong>'s newest members: Dina<br />
Cipollaro & Christian Silva Bielecke;<br />
Christianna Galaves Brisbane &<br />
Tomas Mariani Lemos; Katrin & Res<br />
Fraenkl; Julie Elizabeth & Ivor<br />
Charles Gray; Harry John Maurer;<br />
Xochitl Quesada-Lerma; and George<br />
T. & Sonia B. Yapuncich. With a bevy<br />
of year-end activities taking place, it's a<br />
great time to join (at half-price regular,<br />
annual dues) and take advantage of<br />
all the discounts that come your way<br />
by being a member. It's never been<br />
easier to do, just visit our website<br />
w w w. r i o s o c i e t i e s . c o m . b r / a m s o c /<br />
ismember.asp.<br />
Speaking of Events...Recent<br />
2010 has been one of American<br />
Society <strong>Rio</strong>'s most active in recent years.<br />
Just within the past several weeks we<br />
led a merry bunch of folks on a 4-day<br />
holiday weekend excursion to Ilha<br />
Grande; inaugurated a new tradition,<br />
Games Night, where members and<br />
friends got together to share conversation,<br />
drinks, and some friendly<br />
competition as informal teams played<br />
their favorite board games (e.g. Trivial<br />
Pursuit®, Scrabble®) or perhaps a hand<br />
or two of bridge; the new Museum<br />
Visits Series had its third, monthly<br />
outing, paying a visit to Petrópolis<br />
and the Museu Imperial; and the<br />
annual Halloween Party scared up a<br />
big crowd of creepy carousers.<br />
More events... coming up,<br />
up, up<br />
American Society <strong>Rio</strong>'s Curry Night<br />
will be held on Saturday, 6th November,<br />
starting at 8:00 pm in Jardim<br />
Botânico. From mild to hot, colorful<br />
and aromatic, we hope you'll join us<br />
for an evening sure to delight your<br />
senses. Various chefs will be serving up<br />
a wide variety of curries, so everyone<br />
is guaranteed to find something to<br />
please, including vegetarians. Come<br />
as you are or dressed to impress in a<br />
fine, new sari or kurta (maybe just yank<br />
that Nehru jacket outta the back of<br />
your closet and go retro). R$60 for<br />
members, R$90 for non-members,<br />
includes soft drinks, caipirinhas and<br />
beer. But you need to HURRY! Space<br />
is limited, first-come, first-served.<br />
Reservations required at events.amsoc@<br />
gmail.com and payment for those with<br />
reservations must be made by<br />
Wednesday, 3rd November. Thereafter,<br />
we will confirm and provide full<br />
details on location and directions.<br />
As of this writing, we are putting the<br />
finishing touches on plans for our<br />
annual Thanksgiving Day Dinner at the<br />
J.W. Marriott Hotel in Copacabana.<br />
As always, it'll be a traditional meal<br />
with all the trimmings. No one ever<br />
walks away unsatisfied or less than<br />
stuffed. Of course, it will take place,<br />
just as it will all across the United<br />
States, on Thursday, 25th November.<br />
If you'd like to attend or would<br />
simply like to know more, please send<br />
an e-mail to events.amsoc@gmail.com<br />
and we'll be happy to talk turkey.<br />
On the morning of Tuesday, 23rd<br />
November, the Museum Visits Series<br />
will make its way to the Fundação<br />
Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz) in Centro, whose<br />
grounds feature a Moorish castle, the<br />
Museum of Life, a Science Tent and<br />
(are you ready for this?) the recently<br />
inaugurated “borboletário” with 84<br />
square meters of enclosed space in<br />
which visitors can walk around and<br />
get up close and personal with<br />
numerous types of gorgeous flying<br />
insects and the plants on which they<br />
feed. If you’re lucky, some farfalle,<br />
schmetterlinge, mariposas, papillons,<br />
sommerfugl, dagfjärilar or vlinders may<br />
settle gently on your shoulder and<br />
make friends! Following the tour, the<br />
group will have lunch, nearby, at the<br />
Centro de Abastecimento do Estado da<br />
Guanabara (CADEG), where folks can<br />
also buy fresh flowers and produce.<br />
Go ahead! Take a chance... or<br />
three... or more<br />
Raffle tickets for American Society<br />
<strong>Rio</strong>'s year-end extravaganza will also<br />
be on offer at ALL Society events from<br />
now until the date of our December<br />
Eggnog Party (winners need not be<br />
present for the drawing). Big prizes,<br />
so far, include:<br />
1) a round-trip ticket to the continental<br />
USA by American Society <strong>Rio</strong><br />
Platinum Sponsor American Airlines,<br />
as well as weekend getaways at either<br />
2) the fun-filled Club Med in <strong>Rio</strong> das<br />
Pedras (four nights) or<br />
3) the stunning Cachoeira Inn in<br />
Armação dos Búzios.<br />
Ya can't win it if you're not in it!<br />
Here comes the pitch<br />
Cary Dwyer (who organized the<br />
softball games at American Society<br />
<strong>Rio</strong>'s America's Day 2010 festivities in<br />
May) is arranging a friendly softball<br />
tournament for a weekend in November.<br />
Several people have already volunteered<br />
to put together teams of 9 to<br />
10 players, but Cary would like to<br />
<strong>4corners</strong><br />
and more...<br />
5
<strong>4corners</strong><br />
and more...<br />
6<br />
find a few more who are ready to play<br />
ball. If you’re interested, drop him a<br />
line at usanomad-softball@yahoo.com.<br />
Even if you don’t want to get out on<br />
the field, you’re still invited to come<br />
watch and root, root, root for any ol’ team<br />
you choose! Why not bring some<br />
lawn chairs and a picnic basket up to<br />
the Escola Americana's Gávea campus<br />
and enjoy seeing a bunch of folks<br />
trying to play like they were kids<br />
again? It certainly won’t be any kind<br />
of World Series, but it’ll be fun. And<br />
remember, you’ll always be safe with us!<br />
ST ANDREW SOCIETY<br />
Sword Dance, as performed by the award-winning<br />
Petrópolis Highland Dance Group at the<br />
Caledonian Ball<br />
The word “clannish” implies by<br />
definition “a closed group which<br />
excludes outsiders.” There may have<br />
been an element of truth in that, at<br />
one time, in the days of warring Clans.<br />
This year at the Caledonian Ball in the<br />
Copacabana Palace Hotel it signified<br />
exactly the opposite, as the St. Andrew<br />
Society welcomed guests from all around<br />
the globe to a truly international<br />
celebration of music and dance. The<br />
gentlemen, resplendent in tartans,<br />
representing a cross section of Scottish<br />
Clans ancient and modern, were<br />
Australian, American, Canadian, Argentinean,<br />
Brazilian, English and Scots.<br />
United by a common bond, they<br />
gathered together in <strong>Rio</strong> de Janeiro<br />
and shared experiences of Hong<br />
Kong, Singapore, Djakarta, Houston,<br />
Freemantle, Aberdeen, Macaé, Buenos<br />
Aires and a couple of dozen other<br />
locations around the world from the<br />
exotic to the mundane. Clannish we<br />
are, and proud of it, but the net of the<br />
Scottish diaspora is open ended for all<br />
who care to enter.<br />
Iain MacPhail and his band flew in to<br />
<strong>Rio</strong> straight from the annual Gillies’<br />
Ball at Balmoral Castle, hosted by<br />
Queen Elizabeth and the Royal Family.<br />
After supplying the music at the<br />
Caledonian Ball, Paissandu Ceilidh<br />
and Macaé Ceilidh, he flew out again<br />
on his way to Japan. Such is the scope<br />
of Scottish Country Dance music in<br />
the world today.<br />
In the elegant Golden Room of the Copacabana<br />
Palace Hotel we were entertained<br />
with a display by the Petropolis Highland<br />
Dancers and members of the Pipe Band.<br />
These are all Brazilians who have received<br />
tuition in Scotland, supported by the<br />
St. Andrew <strong>Societies</strong> of <strong>Rio</strong> de Janeiro<br />
and São Paulo. The buffet dinner was of<br />
the high quality which only the<br />
Copacabana Palace Hotel can provide.<br />
The dance floor was filled to capacity<br />
all night for reels, jigs and strathspeys<br />
by the Iain MacPhail Scottish Country<br />
Dance Band interspersed with bursts of<br />
popular music for all ages from Serginho’s<br />
disco. [See more photos by Jimmy Frew on<br />
p.11 & in colour on the BCS website].<br />
The format for the <strong>Rio</strong> Caledonian<br />
Ball has remained the same for many<br />
years. Judging from the number of<br />
enthusiastic youngsters who were still<br />
up on the floor to join hands for “Auld<br />
Lang Syne” at three in the morning on<br />
the 3rd October, there’s no need for us<br />
to meddle with it. In a land of instant<br />
gratification and new trends that don’t<br />
last more than a few days, an annual<br />
Caledonian Ball may no longer be<br />
fashionable to some. Nevertheless,<br />
with the kind of support it has been<br />
receiving from the Copacabana Palace<br />
Hotel, York Research, Macaé Oilmen’s<br />
Golf Association, IRM Services, TSC<br />
Offshore and Rig Project Solutions,<br />
our next generation -- the future of the<br />
Society -- has been rediscovering what<br />
was almost about to be lost; the value<br />
of tradition.If the 2010 Caledonian Ball<br />
improved attendance was a welcome<br />
shot in the arm, the traditional “end of<br />
the dancing season” ceilidh with the<br />
Iain MacPhail Band at the Paissandu<br />
Club was absolutely jam packed. For<br />
an evening of exclusive Scottish<br />
Country Dancing, it was further proof<br />
that the Society can still draw in the<br />
crowds and we look forward to the<br />
weekly Tuesday nights at the Paissandu<br />
Club, starting again in April 2011.<br />
The 2010 week of Scottish events with the<br />
Iain MacPhail Band ended with the<br />
5th annual golf match in Búzios<br />
against our friends of the Macaé<br />
Oilmen’s Golf Association. The score<br />
now stands at 4-1 to MOGA. This year<br />
the golf was sponsored by IRM Services<br />
and the prizes were donated by Philip<br />
Healey of RILI/PECUS Seguros.<br />
After a buffet lunch around the bar at<br />
the clubhouse, to the music of Iain and<br />
the band, we all set off for the<br />
Sheraton Hotel in Macaé for the 4th<br />
annual Ceilidh. Every year this event<br />
has become more and more popular.<br />
In fact, some of the <strong>Rio</strong> committee had<br />
been teaching Scottish Country<br />
Dancing in the Sheraton Hotel the<br />
previous evening, such is the<br />
enthusiasm in Macaé. Once again, the<br />
dance floor was never empty all night,<br />
with the Eightsome Reels, Strip the<br />
Willow, Dashing White Sergeant and<br />
the Gay Gordons setting the pace,<br />
interspersed with Serginho’s all time<br />
hits. The 25th Iain MacPhail Band<br />
South American Tour is already<br />
guaranteed for October 2011.<br />
We are now preparing for the next event,<br />
which is the ever popular Quaich golf<br />
tournament at its traditional home, the<br />
Teresópolis Golf Club, on 20th November.<br />
For further information, contact<br />
Robin Brown at robinbrown@br.inter.net<br />
or Philip Healey at phil@rili.com.br.<br />
Many thanks to all who made the 2010<br />
Scottish Week such a great success:<br />
Robin Brown, Susan Reid, Fiona<br />
Brown, Suzan Carter, Audrey Hieatt,<br />
Philip Healey, Cristina Nogueira,<br />
Ana Campbell, Margaret Frew, Rob<br />
McInnes and Pete Campsie. Thanks also<br />
to Philip Carruthers, Nick Walker and<br />
Robert Shinfield.<br />
ROYAL BRITISH LEGION<br />
Annual Poppy Gala Ball (Dinner Dance):<br />
This prestigious event will take place at<br />
the world renowned Copacabana<br />
Palace Hotel on Friday 12th November<br />
2010. Cocktails 7:30pm, Dinner 9pm.<br />
The final details of this complex<br />
undertaking have been worked out<br />
and the advertising machine will swing<br />
into action shortly. However, it seems<br />
our few words to date and the Events<br />
Calendar entry have already stirred<br />
some into enquiring about ticket<br />
availability for this not-to-be-missed<br />
occasion. Clearly the message is “buy<br />
as soon as you can” when the tickets go<br />
on sale. Insider information tells me it<br />
will be an outstanding night.<br />
Remembrance Service: Don’t forget<br />
either that our Remembrance Service<br />
will be held at Christ Church on Sunday<br />
14th November 2010 at 10:30am, even<br />
more poignant this year as it will be the<br />
last conducted by our Welfare Committee<br />
Chairman, Reverend David Weller.
THE INTERNATIONAL CLUB<br />
Executive Board<br />
At the General Meeting on 29th<br />
October, after The Umbrella went to<br />
press, elections took place for the<br />
InC’s Executive Board for 2011.<br />
Results in the next issue.<br />
WOMEN’S DIOCESAN<br />
ASSOCIATION<br />
Christmas Bazaar<br />
Saturday 4th December, commencing<br />
2 pm. Jubilee Hall, Christ Church,<br />
Rua Real Grandeza 99, Botafogo,<br />
Parking will be available in the grounds.<br />
White Elephant Stall: This is our last<br />
opportunity to appeal for donations for<br />
the White Elephant Stall. By the time<br />
you receive this edition in November,<br />
there will only be a few weeks left before<br />
the event takes place. We would be very<br />
grateful therefore if you could please<br />
take another quick look around the<br />
house for any items you no longer need.<br />
On this stall we like to offer items that<br />
are almost new and in good condition<br />
that can be sold as Christmas gifts or for<br />
personal use. Household items<br />
including ornaments, children’s toys,<br />
games, jigsaw puzzles etc. will all be<br />
welcome.<br />
Deliveries can be made any day during<br />
the week to Karen, secretary, Christ<br />
Church, telephone 2226-7332, from<br />
11am. to 2 pm. or to the BCS secretary,<br />
Gaynor, telephone 2537-6695 between<br />
8.30am and 4.30 pm. Please remember<br />
that between 2 pm. and 3.30 pm. when<br />
the school finishes, cars are not allowed<br />
into the grounds.<br />
There will be other attractions at the<br />
Bazaar, such as :<br />
Handicraft Stall: The talented ladies of<br />
the WDA produce the majority of the<br />
items displayed on this stall. They are<br />
currently very busy embroidering a<br />
varied selection of articles such as hand<br />
towels, tea towels, etc. that make very<br />
nice Christmas gifts.<br />
Swiss Lottery: This is a lot of fun for the<br />
family. Every number wins a prize and<br />
depending on your luck, it could be a<br />
very good one!<br />
Christmas Crackers: Colourful boxes of<br />
Christmas Crackers will be decorating<br />
our shelves again this year but without<br />
the traditional snaps. Anyone wishing to<br />
buy them should arrive early as they<br />
soon disappear from the shelves.<br />
Christmas Cakes and Puddings: The<br />
WDA ladies make these very popular<br />
products from traditional recipes.<br />
Homemade mince pies will also be on<br />
sale and for those of you who like to<br />
make your own, jars of mincemeat will<br />
be available.<br />
Marmalades, Jams, Pickles and<br />
Chutneys: All the ingredients are<br />
natural and are made from English<br />
recipes.<br />
Snack Bar: Homemade refreshments,<br />
beer and soft drinks will be available at<br />
the snack bar.<br />
The WDA ladies work voluntarily all the<br />
year round to make this annual event as<br />
successful as possible. At the end of the<br />
year, all the profit goes to charity and<br />
donations are made to a medical clinic<br />
for those in need (Ambulatório Praia do<br />
Pinto), to an orphanage (Santa Rita de<br />
Cássia in Jacarepaguá), to the Instituto<br />
Pro Criança Cardiaca, as well as to<br />
Christ Church. We do hope that we can<br />
count on your support and look<br />
forward to seeing you all on the 4th<br />
December.<br />
<strong>4corners</strong><br />
and more...<br />
7
BEATLES 50TH/BCS 70TH ANNIVERSARY PARTY<br />
SCM Beatles Choir Midnight Hour Band with David Chew & Robin Brown<br />
Rocking to a Beatles beat MC Steve Rimmer in full cry<br />
The next generation of Beatles fans<br />
Christine MacNeal with Rice'n'Beans<br />
Conductor Martin Hester shares a joke with his choir TBS Class 6 band
DON'T BELIEVE THE CYNICS. THE INDIANS LOVED THE COMMONWEALTH GAMES<br />
WILL HEAVEN<br />
I do enjoy the Indian sense of humour.<br />
Below my last post ‘Vajra’ pointed out<br />
that, while there was indeed a stray dog<br />
wandering around the Jawaharlal<br />
Nehru stadium during the track and<br />
field events, in England we have naked<br />
streakers instead. So what’s the big<br />
deal? Another, ‘edinburghstoic’,<br />
pointed out that “the Brits themselves<br />
are hardly exemplars of efficiency. It’s<br />
just as well there are no German<br />
posters [to this blog] here to put us in<br />
our place.”<br />
In the interests of fairness, then – after<br />
some of my more critical posts last<br />
week – I thought I would share one of<br />
the great successes of the<br />
Commonwealth Games: the<br />
overwhelming enthusiasm of the<br />
Indian supporters. In Delhi last week I<br />
saw India thrash Pakistan in the<br />
THUMBS UP FOR PUBLIC TRANSPORT<br />
SIDHARTHA ROY & ATUL<br />
MATHUR<br />
The 12-day Commonwealth Games<br />
achieved what three decades of<br />
transport planning couldn't —<br />
Delhiites leaving their cars to endorse<br />
public transport. The chaos witnessed<br />
on Delhi's roads during the trial runs<br />
for the reserved Games lane projected<br />
a traffic apocalypse in store for<br />
motorists. This was enough to drive<br />
many car users to the Metro to avoid<br />
long traffic jams.<br />
The Games didn't see any traffic<br />
horror stories as Delhiites rediscovered<br />
public transport. From CEOs<br />
to college students, almost everyone<br />
traveled by the Metro or the sleek lowfloor<br />
buses of Delhi Transport<br />
Corporation when the Games were on.<br />
The Games managed to break the class<br />
barrier that makes many of us think<br />
that only those people use the public<br />
transport system who can't afford a car.<br />
The question is, can this become a way<br />
of life for Delhiites who even drive<br />
down to the neighbourhood grocery<br />
stores?<br />
"The reason I bought a car a few years<br />
ago was because I didn't want to travel<br />
in overcrowded buses or haggle with<br />
the autowallahs every day," said Tripti<br />
Sharma, who works at a private firm in<br />
Nehru Place. "I tried using the Metro<br />
during the Games to avoid the jams<br />
Indian hockey captain Rajpal Singh celebrates<br />
victory over Pakistan<br />
hockey, and the Indian women win the<br />
4×400m relay gold. At both events, the<br />
crowd went bananas. (In the case of<br />
the relay, I reckon they contributed<br />
massively to the victory.)<br />
Let’s be clear, these Games were far<br />
from a total success. They showcased<br />
the best and the worst of India, and<br />
sadly they will be remembered most of<br />
all for the shoddy organisation<br />
Delhi Metro<br />
and just loved it. Even the new airconditioned,<br />
low floor buses are pretty<br />
swank and I don't mind traveling in<br />
them if their numbers increase," she<br />
said.<br />
The Games has also managed to<br />
change the image of public transport.<br />
When they think of public transport<br />
buses, the rickety and overcrowded<br />
Blueline buses are what come to<br />
Delhiites' mind. With the government<br />
pulling nearly 1,600 Bluelines off the<br />
roads and increasing the number of<br />
low-floor buses, the picture has<br />
changed. The sleek new Bus Q shelters<br />
too are a world away from the drab,<br />
leaking bus stops Delhi was so used to.<br />
"Delhiites deserve a reliable and<br />
comfortable public transport system,"<br />
said Delhi Transport Minister Arvinder<br />
Singh Lovely. "We had committed to<br />
phase out Blueline buses and have<br />
already phased out 1,000 Bluelines,"<br />
he said.<br />
Indian women’s 4x4 relay gold medallists<br />
overseen by Suresh Kalmadi and<br />
others. But footage captured by me on<br />
a (very cheap) Flipcam, of India’s first<br />
goal against Pakistan in the hockey,<br />
proves that the rumours and stories of<br />
empty stadiums were not entirely true.<br />
[Will Heaven is an Assistant Comment<br />
Editor and the Deputy Editor of Telegraph<br />
Blogs. He writes about politics and religion<br />
and is @WillHeaven on Twitter.]<br />
Delhi: new low-floor bus<br />
Delhi autorickshaw<br />
The infamous autowallahs too<br />
behaved themselves during the<br />
Games. "We have received almost no<br />
complaints of overcharging or<br />
misbehaviour by autorickshaw drivers<br />
this month," said a senior Transport<br />
Department official.<br />
[Source: Hindustan Times]<br />
[Could the same happen in <strong>Rio</strong> for the<br />
World Cup and the Olympics? And could<br />
we also have autorickshaws? – Ed.]<br />
Commonwealth<br />
9
10<br />
Around<strong>Rio</strong><br />
• All Souls Day Service, English Cemetery, Gamboa. On<br />
2nd November, All Souls Day (Finados), Rev. David Weller<br />
will be conducting a service in the chapel of the English<br />
Cemetery at Gamboa. The small chapel is usually full on<br />
this occasion, and the service ends with the lighting of candles<br />
for those who have passed on, and their names read out by<br />
the chaplain as the candles are lit.<br />
Those who visit the cemetery will be impressed by the care<br />
taken with the graves, the grassy areas and the plants and<br />
flowers. The Trustees of the Burial Fund would like to<br />
thank all those who have made donations, some of which<br />
came from as far away as the USA and the UK, and more<br />
memorial garden benches have been sponsored to<br />
increase the comfort for visitors to the cemetery.<br />
Visitors to the cemetery today feel much safer than in<br />
times gone by. The Prefeitura has improved the whole<br />
Gamboa area, including the Morro da Providência (now with<br />
a UPP), with Samba City in front, an Olympic Villa and a<br />
brand new school. The road is wider and there is plenty of<br />
safe parking. The cemetery is open all week during working<br />
hours, and at the weekend by appointment: Tel: 2233-<br />
4237, Admin: 2286-7899.<br />
• The micos of RG99.<br />
A troop of little monkeys<br />
known as marmosets<br />
comes to the<br />
trees behind Christ<br />
Church when they<br />
are in fruit. They<br />
scamper around the<br />
rooftops and either<br />
leap from treetop to<br />
treetop or come<br />
down to the ground<br />
to pick up fallen fruit and travel from tree to tree. Wildlife<br />
in the middle of <strong>Rio</strong>!<br />
•Play in Portuguese with English songs. Journalist and<br />
columnist Michael Kepp presents his play Sonhando com<br />
Sotaque (Dreaming with an Accent) on the 12th, 19th and<br />
26th November, 21hrs, at the Contemporary Theatre Co.,<br />
Rua Conde de Irajá, 253, Botafogo. Price of admission:<br />
R$30 (R$15 for students and seniors). For more information,<br />
Tel: 2537-4068 or 2537-6638 or e-mail:<br />
mkepp@terra.com.br.<br />
Send articles with photos for publication in<br />
Around<strong>Rio</strong> at <br />
8
ST ANDREW SOCIETY’S CALEDONIAN BALL<br />
Margaret Frew, Nick Walsh, HMCG Paula Walsh, Jimmy Frew Mark Sharp, Suzan Carter, Marina Clarke, Denys Kisch, Moira & Chris McLauchlan<br />
Eddie McDougall, Iain MacPhail, Jimmy Frew, Stuart Forbes Jimmy Frew, Jack Woodall, Mary Crawshaw & Chris Hieatt<br />
Paissandu Ceilidh<br />
Aldair Rowland & Ana Campbell having a ball<br />
Macaé Ceilidh Macaé Ceilidh Girls
12<br />
Dear All,<br />
CHRIST CHURCH<br />
I am writing this month to let you know<br />
about a number of events happening soon<br />
at Christ Church to which you are warmly<br />
invited.<br />
Firstly on Sunday 14th November, as you<br />
can read elsewhere, it is our annual<br />
Remembrance Day service. The service<br />
starts at 10.30 am, and we will be welcoming<br />
many guests, including HM<br />
Ambassador to Brasilia and HM Consul<br />
General to <strong>Rio</strong> de Janeiro. There will also<br />
be representatives from other nations, and<br />
a Brazilian military band to play the<br />
National Anthems. The service will also<br />
IS YOUR “REMEMBERING HEAD”<br />
ON?<br />
DAVID WELLER<br />
include the playing of the Trumpet for the<br />
Last Post and Reveille.<br />
At the very heart of our service there will<br />
be the two minutes of silence as we<br />
remember and give thanks for those<br />
whose sacrifice enables us over sixty years<br />
on to live in peace. Thank God that the<br />
sacrifice of others enables our freedom of<br />
worship, and for services like this to happen.<br />
The following month on Sunday 12th<br />
December is our annual Community<br />
Carol Service at 7pm, our theme this year<br />
is a Changing Community. I’m delighted<br />
to announce that once again we will have<br />
the superb trumpet playing, traditional<br />
carols, a presentation from the younger<br />
members of the Community and the lighting<br />
of the Nativity candle by one of the<br />
youngest of all. A magnificent traditional<br />
Christmas cake and drinks will be available<br />
to enjoy in the Hall afterwards.<br />
As a final thought, some words from my<br />
daughter when she had just turned four<br />
“I’ve got my remembering head on<br />
today”, as something she had seen months<br />
earlier was recalled in perfect detail. On<br />
Remembrance Sunday let’s all put our<br />
remembering heads on, and then look<br />
forward to playing our part in ensuring it’s<br />
a better future for all. As Christians we can<br />
look to Jesus Christ who not only shows us<br />
how to live our lives, but offers us all a new<br />
life and a new start. Now that’s also worth<br />
remembering!<br />
Yours ever,<br />
Rev. David<br />
Christmas at Christ Church 2010<br />
Sunday 12th December<br />
7.00 p.m. Community Carol Service with Candlelight<br />
Our theme this year is the Changing Community<br />
Friday 24th December<br />
7.00 p.m. CHRISTMAS EVE Crib Service<br />
Saturday 25th December<br />
10.30 a.m. CHRISTMAS DAY<br />
Family Holy Communion<br />
Sunday 26th December<br />
8.00 a.m. Holy Communion<br />
10.30 a.m. Family Holy Communion and Wellers Farewell Service<br />
You are all welcome to come and celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, and receive by faith his life changing gift of eternal life.
It’s just a short crossing to Suriname from<br />
French Guiana. You’ve left Europe behind<br />
and you’re back in Latin America. Wrong!<br />
The road to Paramaribo, capital of<br />
Suriname, starts out looking more like the<br />
Middle East – mosques, women in typical<br />
Muslim dress, some wearing the veil, men<br />
wearing long shirts down to their knees,<br />
roadside halal butchers, the call to prayer<br />
blaring out from loudspeakers. Another<br />
50km along the road and you could be in<br />
India. with Hindu temples and women wearing<br />
very colourful saris. Roll on another<br />
50km and churches of all denominations<br />
start appearing and all the kids coming out<br />
of school are in uniform. All this with a<br />
backdrop of rice paddies and sugar plantations.<br />
Rolling into town you see Buddhist<br />
shrines. Welcome to Suriname!<br />
Let’s Go Dutch<br />
It’s only in Paramaribo that you remember<br />
that it was a Dutch colony for centuries. The<br />
old historic centre of town is just like being<br />
in Holland several centuries ago, even<br />
though most of it dates back to the 19th<br />
century – many original buildings from the<br />
17th & 18th centuries were destroyed in a<br />
huge fire in 1821. It’s nonetheless a UNESCO<br />
World Heritage site and rightly so. Beautiful<br />
private and public buildings, well preserved<br />
or restored, are still in use and a complete<br />
contrast to the rest of the town. Walk 500m<br />
and you discover what made and still<br />
makes Suriname unique. First, the towering<br />
Roman Catholic St Peter and St Paul<br />
Cathedral, in need of repair but still the<br />
biggest wooden building in the Americas. A<br />
block up the road, looking like the White<br />
House, is the mid-19th century Central<br />
Synagogue. Right next door is the most<br />
important Mosque in the country. And all 3<br />
are in active use, not relics of the past!<br />
Where else in the world can you see this?<br />
Quite a Treat(y)<br />
Did you know that Suriname was originally<br />
settled by the British in 1630 to plant tobac-<br />
OFF THE BEATEN TRACK<br />
THE AMAZON THAT SPEAKS<br />
DUTCH<br />
HENRY ADLER<br />
co? All the colonial powers had a presence<br />
in Latin America except the Dutch, who’d<br />
just been ejected from NE Brazil. In 1667<br />
the Brits and the Dutch celebrated the<br />
Treaty of Breda; the Dutch got Suriname,<br />
Britain got a remote corner of the NE coast<br />
of America. Bad deal? Not so – today it’s<br />
called New York…<br />
The Dutch got their foothold and started to<br />
develop it. To join the native Amerindians in<br />
the interior and the slaves from Africa<br />
brought by the British, they brought<br />
negroes from the Caribbean and Europeans<br />
from many countries – thanks to the Dutch<br />
liberalism on religious matters – to set up<br />
and run the commerce, trading and ports,<br />
plus Jews to manage the plantations. You<br />
can still visit one of the old plantation settlements<br />
at “Joden Savanne” a couple of<br />
hours up river from Paramaribo. The<br />
remains of the synagogue and a large<br />
cemetery are mouldering away very atmospherically<br />
in the jungle. Tombstones have<br />
Dutch, German, Spanish, Italian, English<br />
and many Portuguese names. Did they come<br />
direct from Portugal to escape persecution or<br />
from NE Brazil, where the Dutch were being<br />
expelled by the Portuguese? Later on came<br />
indentured Hindu, Moslem and Chinese<br />
workers from their East Indian colonies.<br />
Today Suriname is an incredible melting pot<br />
where racial, ethnic and religious harmony<br />
seem to prevail – an example for the world.<br />
It also makes for great food. You could be in<br />
any English High Street with Indian and<br />
Chinese takeaways, plus Creole and<br />
Indonesian additions.<br />
The steam train to Brownsberg National Park<br />
is, alas, no more. Our 4WD went slowly up<br />
a slippery track through pristine rainforest<br />
overlooking a huge reservoir which fills the<br />
valley, but still has the trunks of many trees<br />
above the waterline. At sunrise, the morning<br />
mist clearing, it looks like something out of<br />
a Chinese print. On top, 500m above the<br />
lake, it’s cool and wet. We slung hammocks<br />
under a shelter to sleep. Luckily there was<br />
a bar next to the Park HQ. We hiked various<br />
trails for views and to visit streams and<br />
waterfalls, seeing a wide range of birds and<br />
lots of brightly coloured frogs and toads.<br />
We then headed out on the only road (for<br />
want of a better word) across the interior<br />
through hilly, forested country, with access<br />
to other National Parks. There appear to be<br />
just 2 industries – timber and bauxite. The<br />
only traffic was huge trucks, which<br />
explained why the dirt road was in such a<br />
poor state. You see lots of birds, small<br />
mammals and a few snakes on or near the<br />
road. Our aim was to stay in an old lodge<br />
right near the Blanche Marie Falls down a<br />
side track, just 10km off the main track. It<br />
took us 1½ hours! Imagine a never-ending<br />
series of ponds with muddy banks, then<br />
you’ll have a good idea of the track. The<br />
lodge was “closed for repairs” i.e. falling to<br />
pieces! We did see the very attractive Falls<br />
and hiked the forest before another 90 minutes<br />
of “fun” to get out.<br />
The rest of Suriname heading west to Brazil<br />
is virgin Amazon jungle; the only access is<br />
by light plane. No roads – rivers can’t be<br />
navigated upstream because of frequent<br />
falls and rapids.<br />
Curry and Rice-Beer<br />
We headed for Apura, a mining village on the<br />
Corentijn River, with Guyana on the other<br />
bank. Here you can organize a boat down<br />
river to Nickerie where the river meets the sea.<br />
We stayed with our boatman and his family<br />
in a beautiful spot on the river, full of birds<br />
morning and evening. We heard a lot about<br />
how Suriname had fallen on hard times<br />
with the recession closing mines and reducing<br />
trade. Even the Chinese had stopped<br />
investing and the road they were building to<br />
Nickerie had been abandoned. It took 6 hours<br />
to get to Nickerie by river with very few signs<br />
of life – human or animal – on either side<br />
of the river. It is a bustling town. Nearby<br />
Bigi-Pan reserve is a great place for birds<br />
among the mangroves on the river banks.<br />
We also spotted some huge, reddish-brown<br />
howler monkeys. Spotted, not heard!<br />
Time for one last curry, a cold Paramaribo<br />
beer made from rice and a look at the cricket<br />
before heading back across the river to<br />
Guyana.<br />
Paramaribo: mosque and synagogue, cozy neighbours Nickerie Cricket Club<br />
13
14<br />
ELECTIONS GUIDE FOR DUMMIES<br />
MIKE ROYSTER<br />
By the time Halloween (31st October)<br />
turns into All Saints Day, Brazil will<br />
have elected a President, 54 Senators,<br />
513 federal Deputies, 27 state<br />
Governors and around 1059 state<br />
Deputies. By the end of All Souls Day<br />
(November 2), the USA will have<br />
elected 37 state Governors, 36 federal<br />
Senators, 435 federal<br />
Congresspersons, and 6,125 state<br />
legislators. The electoral processes in<br />
the two countries vary tremendously,<br />
and we will here attempt to explain the<br />
most significant differences.<br />
Let's start with the fact that in Brazil,<br />
voting is obligatory for all citizens<br />
between ages 18 and 70, whereas in<br />
the US and most other countries, it is<br />
entirely optional — a right, not a duty.<br />
Brazil has no absentee or mail-in<br />
ballots, nor early voting options, as are<br />
common in many parts of the USA.<br />
Voters who are out-of-town on Election<br />
Day must “justify” their inability to vote<br />
in the locale where they are registered,<br />
or be subject to a small fine. Brazilian<br />
citizens who live or are traveling<br />
abroad have the option to vote, as do<br />
US citizens abroad, but only at a<br />
Brazilian embassy or consulate, and<br />
only for President. In the first round of<br />
elections, 15% of Brazilian voters did<br />
not show up at the polls, another 10%<br />
voided their votes, so the number of<br />
votes counted was 75% of the possible;<br />
in the USA, the voter participation on<br />
3rd November probably did not<br />
exceed 55%, although varying from<br />
state to state.<br />
Term limits<br />
The Brazilian Constitution prohibits<br />
Presidents and Governors from<br />
serving more than two consecutive<br />
four-year terms. Under the US<br />
Palacio da Alvorada, Brasilia White House, Washington DC<br />
Constitution, Presidents cannot be<br />
elected for more than two four-year<br />
terms, and some states (but not all)<br />
have similar rules for Governors. The<br />
big difference between them is the<br />
word “consecutive”. Lula was elected<br />
twice, consecutively, so he could not<br />
stand for the 2010 election — but in<br />
2014 he will be free to run again, as is<br />
Fernando Henrique Cardoso. George<br />
Bush and Bill Clinton were elected<br />
twice, so they can never run for<br />
President again.<br />
We next consider second round, or<br />
run-off elections for Executive Branch<br />
positions. In Brazil, if no candidate for<br />
President or Governor or mayor of a<br />
state capital receives one-half plus one<br />
of the valid votes cast in the first round,<br />
there must be a run-off election<br />
between the two candidates who<br />
garnered the most votes in the first<br />
round. That is why Dilma Roussef, who<br />
won almost 47% of the valid votes, was<br />
squared off against José Serra on 31st<br />
October, and why Marina Silva, who<br />
got 19% of the votes for President, is<br />
not running this time. Sergio Cabral,<br />
who won 61% of the votes cast for<br />
Governor of <strong>Rio</strong> de Janeiro, did not<br />
have to face a second round; however,<br />
7 Brazilian states and the Federal<br />
District did have run-off elections for<br />
Governor. In municipal elections for<br />
mayor, all state capitals and cities with<br />
more than 200,000 registered voters<br />
must have run-off elections; all other<br />
towns use the first-past-the-post system.<br />
American Presidents are chosen by the<br />
sui generis Electoral College system,<br />
and there is never a run-off election.<br />
One result is that a few US Presidents<br />
have been elected even though they<br />
received fewer popular votes than<br />
their adversary. Very few US States<br />
require a run-off election for<br />
Governor, using rather the “first past<br />
the post” system, so that in most states<br />
the candidate with the most votes wins,<br />
even if he received only a minority<br />
share of the total popular vote cast.<br />
The above lead us to another<br />
prominent difference between the<br />
electoral systems. The US system is<br />
actually not a single “system” at all. The<br />
US Constitution grants states the right<br />
to manage elections. Each of the states<br />
determines its own system, and many<br />
states delegate to their counties. This<br />
means that there are literally hundreds<br />
of systems being used simultaneously<br />
on Election Day, with no single<br />
standard to regulate them.<br />
Accordingly, all 50 states would have to<br />
adopt a single standard for voting to<br />
approach the Brazilian system (see<br />
below). Disputes over US elections<br />
must be resolved, first, in state courts,<br />
with appeals then going to the federal<br />
Supreme Court in rare instances —<br />
most readers will remember George<br />
Bush in 2000.<br />
Brazil does it better<br />
Brazil, on the other hand, has a<br />
completely federalized system,<br />
centered on a subdivision of the<br />
judicial branch — the electoral<br />
tribunals, with separate levels of courts<br />
— regional (“TRE”) and superior<br />
(“TSE”). The National Congress<br />
enacts electoral statutes applicable<br />
throughout the country, but the TSE<br />
regulates them and enforces the rules.<br />
If a party or a candidate wishes to<br />
challenge something, it must go to the<br />
electoral court, not to the civil courts.<br />
Decisions by TSE can be appealed to<br />
the Federal Supreme Court (STF).<br />
Because the law determines a universal<br />
standard applied across the country,<br />
all voters from Chuí in <strong>Rio</strong> Grande do<br />
Sul to Oiapoque in Amapá, use the
same machines and vote according to<br />
the same system. Brazil's electronic<br />
voting and tabulation system has<br />
received much praise around the<br />
world for its ease of use, efficiency and<br />
transparency — and, as we know, the<br />
definitive election results are known<br />
just hours after the polls close,<br />
avoiding protracted recounts and<br />
judicial battles.<br />
What about the system of legislative<br />
representation? In both countries,<br />
federal law determines the number of<br />
seats in the Senate (2 per state in the<br />
US, 3 per state in Brazil) and the total<br />
number of seats in the lower house<br />
(438 in the USA, 513 in Brazil). In<br />
both countries, the allocation of seats<br />
in the lower house is determined<br />
roughly proportionally by population,<br />
in accordance with the official census.<br />
There the similarities end. In the<br />
USA, Senators serve 6-year terms, with<br />
roughly 1/3 being elected every two<br />
years. In Brazil, Senators serve 8-year<br />
terms, with either 2/3 or 1/3 being<br />
elected every four years. In the US,<br />
members of Congress serve only 2-year<br />
terms, whereas in Brazil they serve 4year<br />
terms.<br />
In the USA, each state determines<br />
whether it will have one or two<br />
legislative houses (all by one have<br />
two), the length of the terms its<br />
legislators shall serve and when votes<br />
shall be held. In Brazil, federal law<br />
determines that states shall be<br />
Congress building, Brasilia The Capitol, Washington DC<br />
unicameral, meaning they have only<br />
one legislative assembly, not two.<br />
Furthermore, the number of seats in<br />
each state legislative assembly is<br />
determined by federal law, using<br />
arcane calculations based upon each<br />
state’s representation in the Chamber<br />
of Deputies. The same is true of<br />
elected city councils — federal law<br />
dictates the exact number of council<br />
members each county (município)<br />
shall have, once again roughly<br />
proportional to its population.<br />
The great difference<br />
By far the greatest difference, however,<br />
is that in the USA, members of<br />
Congress are elected from specific<br />
geographic districts. Each party can<br />
nominate only one candidate per<br />
district, and voters can only vote for<br />
the candidate in their district. In<br />
Brazil, there are no congressional<br />
districts, so voters select<br />
representatives on a statewide basis.<br />
There are no limits on the number of<br />
candidates each party can nominate<br />
(e.g. there were 27 parties and 821<br />
candidates for federal deputy on the<br />
ballot in the State of <strong>Rio</strong>). Voters<br />
resident anywhere in a state can vote<br />
for any candidate at all, regardless of<br />
residence. The extremely complex<br />
voting system can include coalitions of<br />
political parties so that, in each state,<br />
the total number of votes cast for a<br />
given coalition or party’s candidates<br />
determines what percentage of the<br />
state’s congressional delegation will be<br />
Only in the Congo…<br />
A small plane crashed into a house when making a landing approach, killing the co-pilot<br />
and 19 passengers, when according to the pilot -- the lone survivor -- a small crocodile<br />
hidden in a carry-on bag escaped and panicked all the passengers to run to the front<br />
of the plane. The croc also survived but was rapidly despatched with a machete.<br />
– AP 21 Oct 2010<br />
awarded to that coalition or party.<br />
Within the coalition, the candidates<br />
are ranked by the number of votes<br />
they garnered, regardless of party<br />
affiliation.<br />
Got that? If so, then you'll easily grasp<br />
that state assembly elections and<br />
municipal council elections are almost<br />
identical to those for federal deputies.<br />
There are no separate districts, the<br />
coalition or party list system prevails,<br />
and there is no limit on the number of<br />
candidates a party can register. To<br />
illustrate, in the State of <strong>Rio</strong> this past<br />
election, an astounding 1,643<br />
candidates ran for 70 seats in the state<br />
assembly. In the USA, each state has its<br />
own, distinct rules for state assembly<br />
positions or for county council<br />
elections.<br />
Now that we have mentioned counties,<br />
we are into the question of mid-term<br />
elections. In the US, these are<br />
elections for Congress and the Senate,<br />
held every two years in the middle of a<br />
Presidential term. In Brazil, mayors<br />
and municipal council members are<br />
elected for four-year terms, as are<br />
governors and state assembly<br />
members, but the municipal elections<br />
are always held in the middle of the<br />
Presidential term. Because President<br />
Obama was elected in 2008, the<br />
elections this November are mid-term.<br />
Because the Brazilian President was<br />
elected in 2010, the municipal<br />
elections will occur in 2012.<br />
15
16<br />
THE ROYAL BRITISH LEGION XWORDS<br />
Across: 8. Shameful (8); 9. Medicated ointment (6); 10. Wild plum (4); 11.<br />
Smouldering coal (5); 12. Annoy (4); 13. Same on each side (8); 16. Bring<br />
into submission (6); 18. Fabric shelter (4); 20. Quick look (5); 21. Component<br />
or piece of information (4); 22. Laid back (6); 23. Inspirational celebrity (8);<br />
26. By mouth (4); 28. To do with the moon (5); 30. Sometimes earned (4);<br />
31. Uncles son (6); 32. Demanding (8). Down: 1. Hire (6); 2. “ --- is tender”!<br />
(4); 3. Displeased? Its been sent again! (6); 4. Dagger thrust (4); 5. Could<br />
be outdoor grafiti (8); 6. Denotes bomb type (4); 7. Hair do (8); 14. theme<br />
(5); 15. Bumkin (5); 17. Scottish kiddy (5); 19. Outer part (8); 20. Abode (8);<br />
24. Holds bricks together (6); 25. Takes over from the King (6); 27. Grows<br />
from the lid (4); 29. Requirement (4); 30. Volts times amps (4)<br />
13
7<br />
LETTERS<br />
Godless Universe?<br />
The October Umbrella issue was the third this year in which the<br />
Editorial has focussed on "religious" issues -- (the other two –<br />
“Life and Death” (March), “Sex and the Churches” (May)) and<br />
one was hoping to read Editorial comment on the Presidential<br />
Election, but maybe the Editor felt that in these sensitive times<br />
any hint of "political " bias might unduly "ruffle feathers".<br />
In his latest book, to which your Editorial referred, Stephen<br />
Hawking said that..."science is on the brink of unlocking the<br />
elusive theory of everything and -- once this theory was tested<br />
and proved -- the idea of divine intervention in the Creation<br />
could be discarded...". The initial euphoria with which this was<br />
greeted by those who do not believe God exists was somewhat<br />
tempered when eminent physicists later declared that the Mtheory<br />
(...that, according to Hawking, there are eleven<br />
dimensions rather than four -- a Multiverse -- all created by the<br />
law of gravity...) would be impossible to test and prove "...unless<br />
physicists can build a particle accelerator the size of a galaxy..."<br />
Meanwhile, dear Editor, Stephen Hawking notwithstanding,<br />
can we expect to continue seeing you communing at Christ<br />
Church and on your knees in prayer?<br />
- Bryan Stanford<br />
In Memoriam<br />
Please send your letters to jackwoodall13@gmail.com<br />
Robert Sydney Arthur<br />
[It is disappointing to see that my attempt to balance Steven<br />
Hawking’s views by quoting the Archbishop of Canterbury’s response<br />
has been taken to show that I don't believe in God. I do – and yes, you<br />
will see me again in church down on my knees in prayer. However, I’m<br />
glad you do not contest my point that numerous wars waged in the<br />
name of God are afflicting us. - Ed.]<br />
Robert Arthur – Bob Arthur as he was normally known – was born in Algeria on 18th January 1926, deceased 4th October<br />
2010, the son of a British father and a French mother, missionaries in the mountain village of Azazga. At the age of 10<br />
he was sent to France to continue his studies in the Collège Cévenol in Chambon-sur Lignon (massif Central) – the second<br />
co-educational school in France, with a modern educational philosophy, which during the war hid Jewish children<br />
from the occupying Nazis. He had many adventures while in school and was expelled because of an act against the<br />
pro-Nazi mayor of the town, but that did not stop him from obtaining his Baccalaureat with the mention “Bien”. At the<br />
end of the war he was in Paris, studying Economics and English Literature at the Sorbonne. But his main desire was<br />
to become a British citizen and enter the Army. He joined the Duke of Wellington’s Regiment and was sent to Germany<br />
during the occupation. He was an officer, had many adventures there, including going to Berlin as lieutenant in the first<br />
convoy to reach British-occupied Berlin. Leaving the army, he joined the British American Tobacco Co. and arrived in<br />
Brazil on the 1st April 1951. Shortly after arrival he met Maryse Peter at the Paissandu Club parties and in April 1953<br />
married her. They had 57 years enjoying life together, have 3 children, 7 grandchildren and 3 great- grandchildren. In<br />
1954 Bob left BAT and joined Listas Telefonicas, where he stayed until retirement. Bob always remained a British citizen<br />
but loved living in Brazil. He is buried in the English Cemetery, Gamboa.<br />
17
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The "AmbulATório dA PrAiA do PinTo" wishes To ThAnk All Those<br />
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DEADLINE for our DECEMBER 2010<br />
edition is MONDAY, NOVEMBER 22<br />
Please send your ads, letters, articles.<br />
NOVEMBER<br />
02 Holiday: All Souls Day<br />
02 Christ Church Finados Service, Gamboa Cemetery<br />
04 American Soc. Happy Hour 7-9pm<br />
06 American Soc. Curry Night 6pm<br />
09 InC Cultural Tour Museum Chácara do Céu 11am<br />
09 BCS Marilene Oliver - Artist Talk 7pm<br />
12 RBL Annual Poppy Gala Ball 7:30pm<br />
14 RBL Service of Remembrance 10:30am<br />
15 Holiday: Proclamation of the Republic<br />
20 Holiday: Zumbi dos Palmares<br />
23 American Soc. Visit to Fundação Oswaldo Cruz<br />
18 InC Cafezinho 10am<br />
19 InC General Meeting 10:30am<br />
25 American Soc. Thanksgiving Day Dinner 8:00pm<br />
27 InC Holiday Party 7:00pm<br />
28 BCS Christmas Party 5-8pm (new date)<br />
DECEMBER<br />
02 InC General Meeting 10:30am<br />
04 WDA Christmas Bazaar 2:00pm<br />
07 InC New Members Gathering 10am<br />
11 American Soc. Holiday Party (Eggnog Party)<br />
12 Christ Church Community Carol Service 7pm<br />
16 InC Cafezinho 10:00am<br />
12 Christ Church Community Carol Service 7:00pm<br />
25 Holiday Christmas Day<br />
25 Christ Church Christmas Day service 10:30am<br />
26 Christ Church Weller Farewell Service 10:30am<br />
Watch out for December dates & times for:<br />
SCM Messiah Sing-along<br />
All Saints Niteroi Carol Service<br />
Calendar<br />
17