Natal Brazil

3G in Natal

2008-06-29T17:26:00.002-03:00

Last week, cell phone operator Claro announced that they would start to offer 3G GSM services in Natal.
Claro is offering both phone services and data transfer (internet) services.
Users of 3G GSM cell phones should, supposedly, be able to transfer data at higher rates; claro says that even live video conferences will be possible.

To transfer data, users will have to buy a small 3G modem, connected to the USB port of notebooks (this site brings information about notebooks in Brazil, as well as businesses selling and servicing notebooks in Natal).
Claro offers several plans, with different prices, data transfer volumes and data transfer rates. If you are going to contract the service, make sure to ask about all the limitations; last I checked, Claro states, in the fine prints, that they only guarantee that the transfer rate will be 10% (ten percent) of the rate established by the contract.

Governor's son is arrested

2008-06-15T16:49:00.003-03:00

On June 13th, the Federal Police conducted an operation which resulted in the enprisonment of 13 people, one of them being Lauro Maia, son of Governor Wilma de Farias (Lauro's father is Lavoisier Maia, currently a State Representative).
Maia is accused of leading a group which commits frauds against the Public Administration. Some companies would arrange prices among themselves before the bidding process, resulting in a much higher price to be paid by the Government; several civil servants (including Attorneys and Secretaries of State) were bribed to turn a blind eye to illegalities.

The case gained national repercussion (see a wikipedia page and a report by Folha de Sao Paulo).
In Natal, newspaper Tribuna do Norte, which is controlled by a group of opposition to the Governor, published detailed reports about the affair (see here and also this note, where Tribuna recalls that Lauro Maia had also been indicted by the Federal Police in 2005, charged of using political influence to commit frauds to evade taxes).
On the other hand, the other major newspaper in Natal, Diario de Natal, which is controlled by the group which supports Wilma, published only the barely minimum about the scandal.

The Governor said that she believes in the innocence of her son.

Update, June 25th. All the 13 people were released. Members of the Government (including the chief Attorney) are saying that there was abuse of power in the Higia Operation (i.e., people were undully arrested).
The population are starting to believe that, once again, there will be political arrangements so that nobody pays for their crimes.

Natal City Park - designed by Oscar Niemeyer

2008-06-06T08:46:00.003-03:00

The Mayor of Natal announced yesterday (Environment Day) that the Parque da Cidade (City Park), whose official name is Parque da Cidade Dom Nivaldo Monte, will be opened later this month.

The City Park will cover an area of 64 hectares, aimed at environmental preservation and education, and will comprise eco-trails, jogging lanes, library, auditorium, orchidarium and more. The symbol of the Park should be the central tower, about 30 meter high, which will house the Memorial of the City; the Memorial should maintain exhibits about the History and Development of Natal.

The area where the Park will be located is, like most of Natal, covered by dunes. It will be the second largest Park in Natal, the biggest being Parque das Dunas. And just like Parque das Dunas, this new park will have an important role in keeping a good environment health: these parks function as a large filter, which captures rain water and cleans it before reaching the freatic sheet; they help maintain thermal balance; they shelter several species of fauna and flora; they add green space to the city.

The Park was designed by world famous architect Oscar Niemeyer, the same who designed all the important buildings in Brasilia, the seat of United Nations in New York and several other known buildings around the world.

Violence in Ponta Negra

2008-05-29T08:55:00.002-03:00

Local newspaper Jornal de Hoje published a report about the growing violence in Avenida Roberto Freire, one of the most important in Natal (this is the long avenue which connects highway BR-101 to Ponta Negra beach).

In the on-line edition, Jornal de Hoje reported how the ATMs of Itaú bank were robbed; in the printed edition, JH reports that several people who work in shops along that Avenue complain about being robbed and being harassed by prostitutes and transvestites.
Past year, there were several cases of high profile businesses being assaulted, such as a jewelry in Natal Shopping and restaurant Tabua de Carne; people are robbed everyday by thieves in motorcycles.

The Secretary of Tourism, Fernando Bezerril, was interviewed by the newspaper.
Bezerril said that he had already contacted the Secretary of Public Security asking for measures to solve the problem in the Avenue Roberto Freire. According to Bezerril, ever since a system of surveyance cameras was installed in Ponta Negra beach, the number of occurrences dropped by 95%; a similar system was created in Altos de Ponta Negra, and violence decreased, too.
Bezerril hopes that something similar could help diminish the violence in Avenida Roberto Freire.

Natal to export ice cream to Italy

2008-05-27T09:15:00.002-03:00

In Brazil, the popsicles (ice creams with a stick) are very popular, particularly in the beaches (see Ponta Negra beach), and particularly with tourists; popsicles are cheap, clean (when properly produced and wraped - avoid the R$ 0.50 popsicles which are sold unpacked) and help relief the heat.

In the South of Brazil, this market is dominated by big companies such as Unilever and Nestle; in the Northeast, smaller companies, which knew better the tastes of locals, managed to gain some presence thanks to a good quality and a larger variety.

One of such companies, Ster Bom, announced that a contract was signed to export popsicles to Milan, Italy; the first batch was already shipped, with 60,000 unities. All flavors were of tropical fruits: cajá, mango, mangaba, pineapple, acerola, graviola, coconut and guava.

It is interesting to see Natal exporting ice cream to Italy, a country which makes one of the best ice creams in the world. The ice cream made in Natal doesn't get even near the one made in Italy. However, when it comes to popsicles, particularly those made with tropical fruits, it is quite possibly that the Italians enjoy the products made in Natal.

Natal declares State of Emergency because of dengue

2008-04-14T20:05:00.002-03:00

The mayor of Natal issued a decree declaring the city to be in State of Emergency; see report by Tribuna do Norte; see also report by Diario de Natal informing that more than 50 cities in the State are also under State of Emergency.
During the State (90 days), the Public Administration will be allowed to sign contracts with private companies without a price bidding process; in the lives of citizens, little changes.

The Emergency is because of the dengue.
Brazil is facing an epidemy of dengue; in Rio de Janeiro, where the situation is the worst, several dozens people have already died this year (see report by the New York Times).

Rio Grande do North is the 4th State in number of cases; so far in the year (from January till mid April), more than 5,000 cases of dengue were reported; hospitals are crowded with people looking for treatment.

Dengue is a tropical disease transmited by a mosquito. In its milder form, dengue usually causes severe headache, muscular pain, vomiting and malaise. In a percentage of cases, dengue evolves to the hemorrhagic form, which can lead to death; a few casualties have been reported in Natal this year.

There is no vaccine against dengue. The most effective way to prevent dengue is to prevent the mosquitoes to proliferate; and to do so, people must learn that mosquitoes need clean, still water (like vases and swimming pools) to incubate, and develop health habits.

But most people either don't know what to do, or just don't care (until, of course, there is an outbreak of the disease, like now).

Tourism in Natal suffers with lack of planning

2007-12-30T11:33:00.000-03:00

Newspaper Tribuna do Norte published today, December 30th, an article called "Lack of planning is the biggest problem of tourism in Rio Grande do Norte".

The report describes how Natal still receives many tourists, attracted by a set of features not easily found anywhere in the world: sun, beaches, peaceful people, absence of cataclisms. If there were professional management of the Tourism business in Natal, the area would be one of the most important tourist centers in the world; however, because tourism in the Goverment levels is commanded more by personal interests than professional merits, the result is a lack of planning (and actions) which brings more and more uncertainty to the future of Natal as a world tourism destination.

The text below is paraphrased from the original.

"The charter flight coming from England is 15 hours late. This is not news neither for the passengers embarking in London, nor for the staff of Infraero (airport management) which work in Natal.

But there is one thing which surprises Gina Robinson, a representative of the Secretary of Tourism of Rio Grande do Norte who arrives in the flight: a escalator which goes the wrong way. When passengers disembarked, at 5 am in the morning, there was nobody to provide assistance, and the only way to get upstairs was climbing the escalator which was rolling down. As the passengers were not used to open doors without authorization, they were surprised to see Gina calling for someone from staff to open the doors and start working with the luggage.

And there are more things in the Airport Augusto Severo that need fixing. The air conditioning, for example, has been broken for months (in a city where temperatures about 100 degrees F or 35 degrees C are common); the cost of fixing it would be R$ 200 thousand (about US$ 110 thousand), but Infraero doesn't seem to have the money (the boarding tax in Brazil, which goes entirely to Infraero, is one of the highest in the world). According to Mário Barreto, President of Via Costeira Hotels Association, the airport is a wreckage.

One of the reasons is the lack of planning. The tourism authorities are trying to raise numbers for a report about the number of tourists coming to Natal, but not even this seems easy. Once again, there are talks about a joint action between the city and the State (someone discovered that there are no bus lines between the airport to the city, which obliges passengers to pay outrageous taxi fares or pay for closed packages to tour operators); this time, talks include the help of Federal funds, as the Ministry of Tourism also seems to have found out that Tourism can be a good business for Brazil.

And, as in previous years, the lack of reliable statistics creates rumors about the actual number of guests in the hotels of Natal. Every year, hotel owners claim that business are not doing well, and ask for more Government action, support and subsides. In the beginning of 2007, the Association of Hotels forecasted "the worst year for the hotels in 21 years", but at the end of the year several hotels in Via Hosteira claimed a "very successful year". Now, again, the hotels say that "2008 won't be good; the dollar is down, the air traffic in Brazil is still a mess, more and more tourists are staying in cruising ships (rather than hotels)". But, as Tribuna says, there are more and more hotels being built, and very few have been closed down.

Hotels are again asking for more promotion: "we have to attract again the European passengers". The Secretary of Tourism says that the priority should be attract the Brazilian travelers, particularly the business travelers."

Note from Natal-Brazil: last year (2007) was quieter than the previous one (2006); and this year, so far, is quieter than last year. Natal is still sunny, beautiful, cheap and peaceful, and this downtrend can turn out to be benefic for visitors.

Tourists complain about Tourist Services in Natal

2007-12-09T10:25:00.000-03:00

A report published by newspaper Tribuna do Norte shows that visitors still complain much about the quality of tourism services in Natal.

The report starts by mentioning severals cases of Brazilian tourists who say that they can't move around Natal and the neighbor beaches because of the lack of information and signalization. Several people got lost trying to reach the beaches, both in the Northern (Jenipabu and beyond) and Southern (Pirangi and Pipa) coasts; the opening of the new bridge only made matters worse. Besides, people complain (remember: Brazilian people) that there is not information available about the main places of visitation within the city; tourist guides are said to be uninformed. And the report didn't mention it, but it is well known that a place where educational levels are low, like Natal, can not provide skilled manpower to the tourism businesses.

Of course, the situation is much worse when it comes to foreign tourists. Then, to the lack of culture and lack of professionalism, one must add the lack of proficiency in other languages. If Portuguese speakers find it hard to move around the city, foreigns get lotst much easily; public signalization, when available, is in Portuguese only; as the report says, the only multi-linguals source of information are the propaganda papers distributed by private businesses.

Some phrases, quoted from the article: "Many of my fellows don't speak any English, they just string the clients along until they tire", said a tourist guide; "I don't feel any difficulty; the clients always ask the same clients", said the girl who works at the bookshop of the airport; "I don't loose any business (because of my lack of English), the customers end up getting used to it"; said the owner of a shop at the airport; "only 20% of the 350 buggy drivers are capable of speaking English", said a very optimistic Director of the buggy drivers association; "I think that the foreign visitors must learn Portuguese; when we travel abroad, nobody tries to learn Portuguese to talk to us; sorry, I don't care about them", said a staff of the airport !

And what does the Government say? The Secretary of Tourism, Fernando Bezerril, says that things are going to get better. There have been meetings, studies, conventions, etc, and now they know what to do. The same old story.
Link again: http://tribunadonorte.com.br/noticia.php?id=60735

Bridge Natal - Redinha is opened.

2007-11-21T11:55:00.000-03:00

The new bridge Natal - Redinha was officially opened yesterday, November 20th 2007.

This is the longest and most beautiful bridge in Brazil (the bridge JK, in Brasilia, is also modern and beautiful, but the scenery in Natal is uncomparable better).

Besides being beautiful, it was planned to be useful. Before the bridge, there were two ways to get across the river Potengi: driving around the Northern bridge of Igapó or taking the ferry boat; the bridge will save about half an hour of thousands of drivers every day (the Transit Department estimates that about 25 thousand vehicles a day will use the bridge), and will hopefully bring economic progress to the Northern part of Natal.

Below, a few photos of the bridge.
Photos by Ivanízio Ramos, sponsored by the Government of Rio Grande do Norte; click the photos to view a much large image.

November 21st is holiday in Natal.

2007-11-21T11:48:00.000-03:00

November 21st is Day of Our Lady or Presentation (Nossa Senhora da Apresentação), Patron Saint of Natal; it's a holiday in Natal.

Every year, a pilgrimage attracts thousands of people, who follow an statue of Our Lady from the Church of Rosário to the Metropolitan Cathedral.

October 3rd, holiday in Natal and RN

2007-10-03T06:15:00.000-03:00

Starting this year, October 3rd is a Holiday in Natal and in the Rio Grande do Norte. Private businesses like hotels and restaurants should open as usual, but Government offices should be closed.

This Holiday sparkled a discussion in the city, as can be seen at this article by Tribuna do Norte.

Back in the 16th and 17th Centuries, Portugal and Spain merged into one single Kingdom. Portugal had friendly relationships with Holland, but Spain didn't. When the Spanish King ordered that Brazil ceased to negotiate with Holland, the Dutch invaded Brazil and occupied Olinda and Recife, from 1630 to 1654. To consolidade the domination, the Dutch attempted to expand their ruling to neighbor areas (in this process, they also took Natal and founded Fortaleza).

On July 16th 1645, the Dutch soldiers and their Indian allies attacked a church in Cunhaú and killed 69 people who were attending a mass. On October 3rd 1645, another attack, this time in Uruaçu, killed another 80 people; these people were given the chance to survive, provided they accepted to abandon Portugal and Catholicism, and became loyal to Holland and Protestantism; they refused, and were killed.

In 1989, a process started to canonize (declare Saints) those people who were killed. In 1998, the Pope declared some people (those who could be identified) Martyr. In 2000, they were beatified. The process is still going on, but there is no prevision about when they will be Saintified.

So, what's the fuss about?

First off, this is a Catholic celebration; Catholics argue that this demonstration of courage deserves to be remembered (and deserves a Holiday). But, since 1889, Brazil doesn't have an official religion (during the Brazilian Empire, from 1822 to 1889, Catholicism was official; the Empire funded the Church, and in turn had strong influence on the Bishops); Catholicism is still predominant, but Protestantism is the religious group which grows the fastest. So, critics say, there is no need to make this celebration day a Holiday for people of all religions.

Besides, there is the economic factor. Private shops will open, but employers must pay extra to staff; and if anyone needs the Government, will have to wait. Brazil is probably one of the countries with the highest number of Holidays in the World; to name just a few: Sept. 7th was a National Holiday, and so will be October 12th and November 2nd (and on top of that, everyone has 30 days of paid yearly vacations, plus 10 extra days of salary). In such a poor, low productivity country, each Holiday means less welfare in the future.

More American tourists in Natal ?

2007-09-08T06:44:00.000-03:00

Veja magazine (the biggest in Brazil and the fourth biggest in the World) published an interview with the American Ambassador in Brasil, Clifford Sobel.
Mr. Sobel has been in Brasil for one year; previously he had been Ambassador in Holland for four years. The interview was about the current state of affairs between Brazil and USA; President Lula and President Bush have met two times this year, and there seems to be a strong mutual interest in developing the market of ethanol (the most promising kind of bio-fuel; Brazil is the largest producer and technology leader in this field).
Veja is for subscribers only, but a copy of the interview is here.

One of the questions/answers was:

"Veja: What other projects of cooperation between Brazil and USA are in progress?

Sobel: See what incredible thing: there are barely no American tourists in the Brazilian Northeast. We intend to stimulate the tourism of our country fellows to this region. The Northeast is the region of Brazil closest to the US, features some of the most beautiful places in the country and is full of Europeans, but not of Americans. We want to work jointly with the private sector to setup new air routes between American cities and cities of the Brazilian Northeast. The tourism potential of these new routes is immense."

Mr. Sobel is a true fan of the Northeast, where he is usually seen spending holidays.

Every year, more than one million Americans visit Rio de Janeiro; this is more than the number of foreign tourists who visit Fortaleza, Natal and Recife combined. If Mr. Sobel succeeds in drawing attention to the Northeast, and new routes are created saving Americans from three or four hours flight, a big increase in visitation should occurr.

Now, this would be an excellent opportunity for the Travel Authorities of Natal to contact Mr. Sobel and beg him to offer every possible kind of help. But, telling from past experiences, this is not going to happen.

Illegal tunnel was being carved

2007-08-17T16:01:00.001-03:00

A Spanish group which is building a hotel and a mall in Ponta Negra was carving a tunnel without any authorization.
The tunnel would pass under avenida Roberto Freire (the street which goes downhill to the Ponta Negra beach) and would connect the hotel to the beach street. It was discovered only because the workers broke a water pipe, and CAERN (the Water and Sewage Company) was called.

When CAERN reached the tunnel, it was already 3 meters high, 3 meters wide and 18 meters long (see photo). The city Government ordered immediate stop of the work. The owner of the hotel, Adolfo Sierra Calderon, went to the authorities, but didn't explain why he was building the tunnel.

Carving such a big tunnel is obviously against the law (probably a crime), and puts at risk the safety of many people; even in Brazil, this kind of act is unheard of. The Spaniards managed to burst another wave of criticisms against the foreigns who "come to Ponta Negra and do whatever they want". See comments by the readers of Tribuna do Norte here.

The name of the mall being built is Gorbea Shopping. Recommended for those who want to do business with people who don't seem to care much about respecting the law.

Update: the Public Prosecutors entered into an 'agreement' with the Spaniards. There will be no criminal suit. The Spaniards should 'donate' some equipment to be used in water sanitation or something similar; estimated cost is 'at least' R$ 20,000 (about US$ 10,000); the Prosecutors will be 'very rigorous' to guarantee that the Spaniards fulfill the agreement.

Death toll in federal highways in RN

2007-07-15T08:54:00.000-03:00

On July 15th, newspaper Tribuna do Norte published a report about the number of people who died in transit accidents in the federal highways of Rio Grande do Norte.

The numbers don't cause any commotion among Brazilians (who are accostumed to hear such news), but they may shock visitors from other countries.

According to the Federal Highway Police (which must be called whenever there is an accident in federal highways), in the first semester of 2007 alone, 103 people died on federal highways; the number is up from 69 in the same period of last year; the number doesn't include the cases which happened in State roads, and doesn't include the cases where the victims die later on, because of the accidents.

The main cause of accidents is misbehaving of drivers. Disrespect to signalization (overspeeding, prohibited overtaking) and driving under influence of alcohol are very common.

The BR-101 (which leads to João Pessoa and Recife, in the south, and Touros, in the north) has the highest number of accidents, but the highest number of fatalities occurs at the BR-304 (which leads to Mossoró and then to Fortaleza).

New airport in São Gonçalo: no sooner than 2010

2007-06-29T10:15:00.000-03:00

Another schedule was announced with regards to the new airport to be built in the city of São Gonçalo, about 30 km from Natal.
When finished, it should be one of the largest airports in Brazil. More specifically, due to its position (near Europe and North America), it should be the largest cargo hub in Brazil. Natal should benefit from the increase in tourism and trading.

Several schedules have been announced so far, but little has been done. The main problem is that the airport requires a lot of money, and neither the Governments nor the private sectors are willing to take the risks.

Recently, a new planning was announced (see report in Portuguese here).

The new idea is that BNDES (Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimento Econômico e Social - National Bank for Economic and Social Development), an official bank which fomments businesses by loaning subsidized money, will provide the necessary funds.
The building of the airport will be chartered to a private company, to be chosen by a bidding process. The winner will use BNDES money to build the airport, and will be granted the rights to explore the business for a period (yet to be determined) of 20 or 30 years. This model is different from most other airports in Brazil, which are built and managed by the Federal Government (through an agency called Infraero).
Besides charging taxes from air companies and passengers, the charterer will have rights over the Special Exporting Zone which will be built around the airport.

According to officials, the fact that the Government and its bureaucracy will not be involved with the works should speed up the process.
If everything goes as planned, the new airport should be (partially) operating before the end of 2010.

Exports of Rio Grande do Norte

2007-06-16T11:15:00.000-03:00

The Secretary for Economic Development of Rio Grande do Norte released a report about the products exported by the State of Rio Grande do Norte; the original report, in Portuguese, is here.

According to the report, in the first five months of 2007, the total volume (in dollars) exported by the State grew by 12.7% in comparison to the same period of 2006, going from US$ 129 million to US$ 145.5 million.
The report doesn't take into account the steep devaluation of the dollar against the real in the period; that means that the volumes of cargo actually shipped increased by more than 12.7%.

It is also interesting to observe that the profile of exports consists basically of primary products, reflex of the low level of industrialization in the State.

The first item of exportaion was mellon, US$ 22.5 million, followed by shrimp, US$ 16.3 million. Next came cashew nuts, US$ 15.9 million, and banana (value not informed, but banana had the highest growth rate, 68%).

Only in 5th place is there a semi-elaborated product, sugar, US$ 9.7 million exported. Other products with more than US$ 1 million exported are iron ore and carnauba wax (carnauba is a kind of palm tree which grows in the interior of the State).

It is clear that, for good and for bad, the State of Rio Grande do Norte will not industrialized in the near future.

Dollar breaks the R$2 barrier

2007-05-15T16:46:00.000-03:00

Today, for the first time since February of 2001, the dollar fell below the R$ 2 barrier: markets closed with the course of US$1 = R$ 1.9890.

In 2002 and 2003, the dollar reached almost US$ 4, because President Lula used to defend ideas like non-payment of debts, punishment to wild capitalists, etc. However, after taking office, Lula continued (and in many cases deepened) the orthodox measures implanted by ex-President Fernando Henrique Cardoso. This continuity of Economy policies, along with the excellent conditions of the international financial market, caused the dollar to fall since 2004.

This is bad news for foreign tourists, and for businesses which depend on tourism.
Many Brazilian tourists are preferring a trip to Miami or Buenos Aires rather than the Northeast, because prices in dollar are falling.
On the other hand, tourists who bring dollars to spend in Brazil are seeing their money buying less and less.
The euro has not been loosing much to the Real, so prices in euros are not going up. However, with the increase of Brazilians travelling abroad (and they must return, eventually), airline companies have less seats to sell to foreigns; this decreases availability and increases prices of tickets.

Ponta Negra bridge is re-opened

2007-05-15T16:35:00.000-03:00

The Ponta Negra bridge, which links Avenida Roberto Freire to BR-101, was re-opened, now with an extra lane; there used to be two lanes from BR-101 to Avenida Roberto Freire and only one the opposite way; now there are two lanes each way.

This bridge is the one near Nordestão and Hiper, in one end, and Carrefour and Natal Shopping, in the other end.
Because of the high flow of vehicles from Ponta Negra to the BR-101, this bridge was one of the main transit bottlenecks in Natal. At rush hours, traffic jams were inevitable.

This is a feature which makes Natal stand out from other major Brazilian cities: not only transit flows smootherly, but also the authorities plan in advance to prevent problems from growing too big. In recent years, important works were done to improve transit in the city, such as the Complex 4th Centenary (near Machadão stadium), the loops and bridges in the cross ways to Fortaleza and Recife and the Redinha bridge.

Despite the big recent growth in the number of vehicles, Natal still has one of the best transit systems in Brazil.

Brazil - Norway operation arrests criminals in Natal

2007-05-10T07:49:00.000-03:00

A joint operation between the Federal Police of Brazil and Okokrim, the National Police of Norway, resulted in the prison of nine people in Natal and fifteen people in Norway.

Since March of 2006 (see archive here), there were suspicions that groups of Norwegian criminals were using Natal to launder illegal money.
The investigations by the Polices showed that the group called B-Gang was laudering money in Brazil. This is an important criminal organization in Norway, commanded by Pakistanis, charged of extortions, kidnappings and drug traffic.

The money obtained by the gang was sent to Brazil and used to build and buy luxury real estate. The gang was the owner of three real estate groups in Natal: Blue Marlim, Natal Invest and Grupo Capricórnio. Some Brazilian lawyers who helped the gang in Brazil were also arrested.

The Police were helped much by the work of two journals: Brazilian Tribuna do Norte and Norwegyan Dagens Naeringsliv.
The article in Tribuna, wich names of some of the people arrested, is here.
The article in Naeringsliv, in Norwegian, is here.

The Pope in Brazil

2007-05-09T19:11:00.000-03:00

The Pope Benedict XVI (in Portuguese, he is called Bento 16) arrived today in Brazil, and will stay here until the 14th. Brazil is THE biggest Catholic country in the world.
There are political discussions about the importance of this visit; for example, there is a draft of law in Congress about legalization of abortion in Brazil (today, abortion is legal only in very specific circumstances), and the Pope would have talked about "excomunhão" (expelling from Catholicism) of Deputies and Senators who vote for the law.

The purpose of this post, however, is to remind Catholics visiting Natal that a Pope visited the city in the past.
Pope John Paul II came to Brazil in 1991 (it was his second visit to Brazil), and the first city he visited was Natal. On October 12th, day of the Patron Saint of Brazil, Our Lady Aparecida, John Paul II celebrated a mass at the Cathedral of Natal (see his speach).

John Paul stayed one night in Natal. Instead of the hotels by the beach, the Pope chose to stay at the Centro de Treinamento, a Training Center used by the Catholic Church for meetings and events.
The Training Center is located at the end of Ponta Negra village, about one hundred meters behind the Ponta Negra church.
The Center has, besides meeting halls, some rooms used for accommodation of the people who attend the events.

Last year, I visited the center (I mean: I asked the lady who was guarding the gate to allow me a short entrance), and I was told that, during certain months of the year (from January to March), the rooms are open for other guests.
Catholics may find spiritually significant to visit the center. In the garden, there is a tree (a pau-brazil) which was planted by the Pope.

Two news: low quality education and high income concentration

2007-05-02T10:25:00.000-03:00

Two news which are likely related.

On April 26th, the Federal Government published the results of Ideb (Index of development of Basic Education), which assess the quality of all schools (public and private) of the basic education in Brazil, which, at the time of the survey, was composed of eight years on elementary cycle (currently, it's nine) and three years of intermediary cycle.
From 1st to 4th grade, the State of Rio Grande do Norte had the worst results of all 27 States, tied with the States of Piauí and Bahia; the average grade of these States was 2.6, whereas the national average (which itself reflects the low level of Education in Brazil) was 3.9.
From 5th to 8th grade, the State was in 24th position, better than Pernambuco, Alagoas and Paraíba; the State average was 2.6, the national average was 3.3.
In the intermediary cycle, the average was also 2.6, against a national average of 3.0; the State was in 25th position.
When only the capitals are considered, Natal finished 26th in the elementary cycle and 21st in the intermediary cycle.
The city of Acari had the best score in the State, with an average of 4.7.
Newspaper Tribuna do Norte published more details about this survey on Education in Rio Grande do Norte.

On May 1st, another survey showed the other side of the coin: Rio Grande do Norte has the third worst index of income concentration in the country; only the State of Piauí and the Federal District (comprised of a rich nucleus, Brasilia, and a very poor periphery) are worse than RN.
The Gini Index, an attempt to turn income concentration into a number, is 0.578 (the higher, the worse); the average for Brazil, known for its high income concentration, is 0.552.
The 430,000 people in the poorer classes have an average income of R$ 160 per month; the 110,000 people in the richer classes have an average income of R$ 3.014 per month, nearly 19 times as much.
This same survey showed that 21.5% of the population of RN are officially illiterate, and other 32.3 are functionally illiterate (can only read and write little more than their own names).
More detailed article is here.

São Miguel do Gostoso, a growing travel destination

2007-04-11T12:25:00.000-03:00

According to Exame, a well regarded magazine oriented to business and finances, the city and beach of São Miguel do Gostoso, in Rio Grande do Norte, will become one of the most popular travel destinations in Brazil in the near future; São Miguel has potential to become as popular as Porto Seguro and Bonito.

Other cities appointed by Exame as future popular destinations are Belmonte (Bahia), Aquiraz (Ceará) and Cambará do Sul (Rio Grande do Sul).

Governor is prosecuted

2007-03-28T13:43:00.000-03:00

The Public Prosecution of the State of Rio Grande do Norte filed a public civil suit against the Governor, Mrs. Wilma Faria, and members of her staff.

According to the prosecutors, the Governor used public funds to pay for self-promotion; the prosecutors demand the defendants to refund R$ 6 million (about US$ 3 million) to the Treasury.

Last year, the Government paid R$ 6 million to television for a campaign called "Tá Melhor" (It is Better), in which the State showed their realizations, in comparison with the previous Government.
Brazilian legislation allows use of TV to publicize Government realizations, but it must be institutional, prohibited any personal reference.
Prosecutors say that, by inducing a comparison between governments (and carefully showing only evidences that hers was better), Mrs. Faria infringed the law.

More info on this page of the website of Public Prosecution of Rio Grande do Norte.

Neuroscience Symposium in Natal

2007-02-23T08:28:00.000-03:00

Natal will host, from 23rd to 25th February, the II Neuroscience International Symposium.
The event will have 25 lecturers and 600 attendants. Some of the greatest researchers in the field will come to Natal, like Miguel Nicolelis (Brazilian, chief organizer of the event), Michael Merzenich (UCSF) and Mriganka Sur (MIT).

Miguel Nicolelis is a Brazilian physician, one of the directors of Center for Neuroengineering in the University of Duke, North Carolina. In 2004, Science and Scientific American appointed Nicolelis as one of the most influential researchers in the world.

Nicolelis is mentor and main director of the Instituto Internacional de Neurociencias de Natal. The Institute, with main office in Macaiba and campi in Macaiba and Natal, will combine research, learning and social services.
Despite being probably the most famous and capable Brazilian scientist alive, and despite being IINN a private foundation, Mr. Nicolelis is facing a tough battle to conclude the Institute, which will be a major Brazilian research center. The infrastructure (access roads, water and sewage, etc) depend much on the Governments, but these don't seem much willing to help.

Visit the website of the International Institute of Neuroscience in Natal.

Carnival in Natal - 2007

2007-02-22T00:05:00.000-03:00

Natal is still known for not having a big carnival. Actually, it looks like the big carnivals in Brazil (Rio, Salvador and Recife) gain more and more popularity (with tourists and media) every year; there is a rumour that the cities will try to push a carnival tour, by which a tourist can spend two days in each city.

Back to Natal: there was again a police strike during carnival (last year, it was the civil police; this year, the military). Coincidence or not, the headline of Tribuna do Norte on February 21st was: "Carnaval 2007 is the most violent in recent years - 36 violent deaths from Friday to Tuesday"; notice that this number (36 deaths) is remarkable in Natal, still a safe city, and would be ordinary in other more violent cities.
Old traditions were kept in 2007, like the samba schools parade and the drag queens parade.
The city government, like in 2006, created carnaval poles around the city, like this one, to make it more accessible to the population.
Other cities in the interior of Rio Grande do Norte, like Touros, Macau, Areia Branca, maintained the tradition of happy carnavals.

The hotels in Natal were busy during the carnaval. Natal is still an excellent place for those who want to take some rest during the carnival.