Tag Archives: united states

The Speed of Brazil’s Internet

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An article was just published on the tech site Royal Pingdom about worldwide Internet speeds and there are some interesting graphs that accompany the article. While you may click on that link and see the full charts, I thought I’d give a breakdown of the country speeds in terms of the slowest, fastest and how both the US and Brazil measure up. The number in parenthesis next to each country name refers to the size of the country in terms of Internet users.

I wonder how the correlation is between frustration of using the Internet in the slowest country (Iran, in this case) and deciding to partake in other activities in light of the frustration. For example, would an adolescent choose to play outside rather than wait for a webpage to load? Of course it presumes that the adolescent’s family has a computer, nonetheless, it would be interesting to see data on how limited connection speeds (or even censorship) might give rise to more fulfilling activities.

Overall Speed


Worldwide Averages

Connection Speed Distribution

Nightclub differences – What you should know

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Let’s just say I’ve been comissioned to write on this subject and my payment comes when cross-cultural misunderstandings in nightclubs cease to exist.

I’ve been told on many occasions, mostly by Brazilians, that nightclubs in the US are a bit of an oddity, to put it nicely. The women dance in such a way as to seem like they wish to perform sexual acts on the men with whom they dance. For all intensive purposes, let’s call this style “grinding”, as that is what it’s called. The problem as seen by Brazilian men is when the grinding comes to a halt, the women have little interest in going to a corner and exchanging some kisses, touches, etc (we’ll call that ‘making out’ as if I went into the myriad of terms the Alaskans have for ice, I mean the Brazilians have for affection, then we might be here all night, in which case we might as well go out to a nightclub).

On the flip side, in Brazil, the women I’m told do not grind up on the guys in such a way but they will be open to considering a kiss (notice how I worded that, Brasileiras), as touchy-feely is more the cultural norm in Brazil. For those who wish to call me out on some apparent generalization, I’m going off of countless stories related to me by Brazilian men.

Let’s recap. Don’t grind in Brazil as a kiss is far more likely to occur. Don’t kiss those who grind with you in the US as they are there to grind, not to kiss. Now I feel better, like I’ve done my part to make the world a better place.

Next in Observations? How Brazilian women and American women differ in the flirting game.

Havaianas – The ‘Wanting Less’ ad

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Over at Cuca Brazuca, I spotted a little write-up on a clever Havaianas advert with the theme “menos é mais” (“less is more”) which goes perfectly with their brand image…except for the fact that their adverts can be seen in high fashion magazines in the US, which doesn’t jive with the theme of their new ad. Interesting that their marketing strategy for the States is to be seen as chic while in Brazil, I would argue it is the opposite. Either way, they’ve had me hooked for many years.

Towards the end of the ad, there’s two young women in bikinis wearing the famous flip flops at what I would guess to be a waterfall. As a tip, I highly don’t recommend wearing Havaianas while walking through the water or on slippery rocks. I tried it…and failed miserably.

Visa period increases from 5 years to 10

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“Brazilian and American governments have closed an agreement extending visas for visitors from 5 to 10 years now. The agreement is valid for Citizens of both countries.  Brazilian National Congress needs to approve the agreement to be effective.

Os governos do Brasil e dos Estados Unidos fecharam um acordo para aumentar de cinco para dez anos o prazo de validade dos vistos para brasileiros que viajam aos EUA e vice-versa. A proposta, que estava sendo discutida entre as duas chancelarias, foi fechada por meio de troca de notas diplomáticas em novembro entre o ministro das Relações Exteriores, Celso Amorim, e o embaixador americano Clifford M. Sobel. Source: oglobo.globo.com

Hong Kong is now visa exempt: The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region ( HKSAR ) today ( November 25 ) received formal notification from the Consulate General of Brazil in Hong Kong that the Government of the Federative Republic of Brazil had completed all outstanding formalities for the entry into force of the Agreement signed between the Governments of the HKSAR and the Federative Republic of Brazil on Exemption of Visa Requirements in October 2005. With immediate effect, HKSAR passport holders can visit Brazil visa-free for up to 90 days. “We welcome the confirmation by the Brazilian Government and believe the arrangement will enhance the travel convenience of HKSAR passport holders and promote trade, business and tourism links between Hong Kong and Brazil”, a HKSAR spokesman said.There are now 136 countries/territories that have agreed to grant visa-free access or visa-on-arrival to HKSAR passport holders. Source: media-newswire.com

Coincidentally Russia and Brazil have signed a visa agreement no long ago: Brazilian president Lula da Silva and Russian president Dmitry Medvedev have signed several agreements, including a free visa travel agreement. Source: my.nowpublic.com”

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My Take

The only benefit I could see to the extension is that the embassies will essentially have less paperwork on their hands. At first glance, that would seem to be true, but examining it more closely would reveal that the increase in the visa period will initially increase paperwork for all of those people who are issued or reissued a new 10 year visa. In my case, I have a 5 year visa to Brazil which is valid for a few more years. My question is, how do I go about extending my visa? Is it automatic or must I pay another couple hundred dollar fee? My instincts tell me its the latter.