Brazil 4-21

I will return to Brazil reports after a brief rant, recognizing that more people read the blog when i am writing about my visits here. Having time here is a continual mixing of first and third world realities. Gated communities exist side by side with poor dwellings. Multi lane highways, albeit toll roads, are located not far from dirt roads. People and animals rooting through garbage are seen by people in expensive imported vehicles. Last night I walked around a pond in a little park called Park of the Waters, ( Parque das Aguas) with two companions. We needed only about fifteen minutes to make a circuit. Many other people walked, ran or bicycled, and there was a place for skate boarders. This morning i walked again for about ninety minutes and then stopped at a drugstore for toothbrushes, and a little bakery for bottled water. As mentioned previously there are many dogs wandering the streets here. For the first time i encountered an aggressive dog. I was walking down a sidewalk with some bushes and trees about eight yards ( 7 or so mmetros) away when a dog burst out and charged me. As I carefully backed away, and prepared to defend myself if necessary, I noticed a second dog sitting at the edge of the bushes. Perhaps there were puppies to protect. Normally the street dogs stay away or ignore people. My hostess, daughter, and granddaughter are preparing some baked Arabian food for lunch, and tonight we go to the married daughter's home for dinner. The state of Sao Paulo is twice as populous as the next most inhabited state ( Minas), about one fifth of the total population of Brazil. ( Currently 204.5 million fber of years worked, they can retire. or Brazil, about 44 million for SP state) It seems more developed and prosperous than other areas that I have seen with the exception of the capital, Brasilia. The economic and political risis in Brazil continues. The currency has lost almost fifty percent of its value against the dollar since the beginning of the year, and the president enjoys an 8% approval ratingn and could be impeached. The other day we visited an older couple out in the country. The man is eighty, retired at fifty, and knew the former president of Brazil, nicknamed Lula, personally. They live rather simply. Although i don't know all of the details, the retirement plan in Brazil goes something like this. A minimum of 8% of a person's salary is paid by the employer into a fund . When a person reaches a certain number consisting of their age and the number of years worked, they can retire. Should they die prior to this, the money is given to the nearest relative. Of course, the government has control over the process.