[Flipside]

Personally, one day I'd love to move there were it not for the skin-cancer risks. But then, simply covering up and wearing a hat is not really that high a price to pay. I'd even buy my own corks

[Black Wolf]

/me ignores the corky hats comment. (Only things wearing cork hats down here are the stuffed animals in tourist shops )

Is there really that great a perception of skin cancer overseas? I mean, we're all aware of it, and most people are fairly sunsmart (Slip, slop, slap is, well, burned into us from earliest education and government campaigns), but really I've never known anyone, nor ever heard of anyone actually dying of skin cancer. people know what to look for and get them treated early, as a general rule.

[Styxx]

Out of sheer curiosity and the fact that I'm a brazillian, I would like to know what do you people know and think about Brazil? Also, if you have any doubts about the country please feel free to ask me, I'll try my best to answer them.

So, where in Brazil are you from anyway? 'Tis a big place, y'know.

[Mars]

Oh, I forgot to mention that we all hate our government in the US too.

Based on the statements of people on this board, I've gotta suspect  that's not exactly a representative viewpoint for the whole populaion

Yeah, for a while there I was convinced that the US government sucked but that it was the best one out there, and that all the problems were Bush's fault, but then I realised that Bush would have never come to power if the government was any good at all, and at the same time I started researching other governments. Conclusion = wow... the US sucks, if I were in Mexico, I'd sneak over two borders into Canada. (well, not really)

[Flipside]

/me ignores the corky hats comment. (Only things wearing cork hats down here are the stuffed animals in tourist shops )

Is there really that great a perception of skin cancer overseas? I mean, we're all aware of it, and most people are fairly sunsmart (Slip, slop, slap is, well, burned into us from earliest education and government campaigns), but really I've never known anyone, nor ever heard of anyone actually dying of skin cancer. people know what to look for and get them treated early, as a general rule.

Yeah, it's mentioned a lot over here, if I can afford it in a few years, I am definately going there, even if it's just for a holiday, it's been one of my big plans for a long time. I think the Skin Cancer risk is bought up frequently simply because if they didn't we'd only have about 50% of our retired folk left, the rest would have buggered off somewhere better years ago

[Sarafan]

The weather's beautiful the majority of the time, Jobs are plentiful, crime is low. We drink lots of beer, eat lots of steak.

Now considering that Australia = near Heaven. Is the racism really a problem there?

Out of sheer curiosity and the fact that I'm a brazillian, I would like to know what do you people know and think about Brazil? Also, if you have any doubts about the country please feel free to ask me, I'll try my best to answer them.

So, where in Brazil are you from anyway? 'Tis a big place, y'know.

Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte. And you?

[Ford Prefect]

I, too, have something I would like to add in this discussion. A lot of people in the world seem to be under the impression that New England is part of the United States. I understand that it's usually out of innocent ignorance, but it still offends me deeply.

[IceFire]

In Southern Ontario Canada we don't see all that much snow but when we do its lots of it, quality of life is pretty good, there is an even mix between city and country life (usually the transitions are rapid from one area to the next), Al Qaeda is not hiding around every corner like certain US politicians would like you to believe, smog is a major problem, people tend to be quite diverse or strictly homogenous depending on the area, summers are hot, winters are unpredictable and fall and spring are confused.  Thats about it

[Black Wolf]

Now considering that Australia = near Heaven. Is the racism really a problem there?

A problem, no. Its not apartheid, or anything like it. But when were the last rascist riots in, say, america or england or new zealand? Ours were last year. They're hardly common, of course, but I think its indicative of the presence of an undercurrent of racism, built, to an extent, into the nation's history and national character.

I guess it's kind of hard to explain. Hell, maybe it's the same everywhere in the world, and I've just never lived anywhere else. I dunno.

[Sarafan]

We also have racism here (mostly against the black population wich is the majority here) but its more of a thing that people pretend that it doesnt exist, a taboo really, you wouldnt see or hear it much but its there.

The weather here is good, mostly hot the whole year tough but in other areas of the country its more diverse.

I, too, have something I would like to add in this discussion. A lot of people in the world seem to be under the impression that New England is part of the United States. I understand that it's usually out of innocent ignorance, but it still offends me deeply.

Out of said innocent ignorance, where is New England?

[Styxx]

Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte. And you?

Porto Alegre, RS.

[aldo_14]

We also have racism here (mostly against the black population wich is the majority here) but its more of a thing that people pretend that it doesnt exist, a taboo really, you wouldnt see or hear it much but its there.

The weather here is good, mostly hot the whole year tough but in other areas of the country its more diverse.

I, too, have something I would like to add in this discussion. A lot of people in the world seem to be under the impression that New England is part of the United States. I understand that it's usually out of innocent ignorance, but it still offends me deeply.

Out of said innocent ignorance, where is New England?

Built on the ruins of Old England, which is on top of the ruins of Ye Olde England, which sits on top of the ruins of Troy.

[Ford Prefect]

Out of said innocent ignorance, where is New England?

New England is a region consisting of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts, and we really wish the rest of the country would stop including us in their vile schemes.

[Sarafan]

Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte. And you?

Porto Alegre, RS.

Meio longe, heim?

We also have racism here (mostly against the black population wich is the majority here) but its more of a thing that people pretend that it doesnt exist, a taboo really, you wouldnt see or hear it much but its there.

The weather here is good, mostly hot the whole year tough but in other areas of the country its more diverse.

I, too, have something I would like to add in this discussion. A lot of people in the world seem to be under the impression that New England is part of the United States. I understand that it's usually out of innocent ignorance, but it still offends me deeply.

Out of said innocent ignorance, where is New England?

Built on the ruins of Old England, which is on top of the ruins of Ye Olde England, which sits on top of the ruins of Troy.

 

[aceofspades]

Oh, I forgot to mention that we all hate our government in the US too.

Except for about 50 million people. But they don't really count. Because they voted for Bush.

<snip>
Yeah, for a while there I was convinced that the US government sucked but that it was the best one out there, and that all the problems were Bush's fault, but then I realised that Bush would have never come to power if the government was any good at all, and at the same time I started researching other governments. Conclusion = wow... the US sucks, if I were in Mexico, I'd sneak over two borders into Canada. (well, not really)

A residential view of Canada: we like to plot the beheading of our Prime Minister. It's sort-of a national pasttime.

[Sarafan]

Actually the other day (some 2 days ago) there was an ''protest'' in our capital, a moviment called MLST tried to break in the congress altought they didnt manage to go too far they did much damage to the place, there were some 500 people triyng to storm the place. A shame they didnt manage to get their hands on any politician.  They wouldnt be just beheaded.

[Mars]

Trouble with the US is that, everytime I write about killing the President, I worry the FBI, CIA, or NSA is preping a SWAT team to take me out, I don't think that's as much of a problem in Brazil

[vyper]

Now theres an interesting social commentary for you...

[Sarafan]

Now theres an interesting social commentary for you...

 

Another social commentary, then:

Here if I saw an criminal, I would run, if I saw the police I would run faster, much, much faster.

[Unknown Target]

A residential view of a US-owned Carribbean island (the USVI):

We're not hula girls and grass skirts. We have electricity. Our government is corrupt and innefective. Our police don't do jack. We basically fend for ourselves, except when it comes to tax time. We have nice beaches, but don't go to the really lonely ones at night - bad things will happen. There's not much to do here other than go to the beach, and that gets really boring after a short time. The girls here are mostly ugly, not pretty. We don't have many chain stores, our biggest department store is K-Mart. There are more islands than St. Thomas (the tourist depot). Living here is pretty uneventful. Everything is laid back and moves very slow (i.e. if you ask for someone to meet you at 2, be prepared to meet him at 3). A lot of people here are ignorant, low-income housing (i.e. ghettos) are right next to major roads and built up areas, racism is pretty widespread (hah, just try to be a white guy and run for a seat in the government) - except it's reversed. I've heard that if you're white and apply for food stamps, they won't give it to you. I mentioned that we're ignorant; we truly are. Our public schools are overcrowded and are not even accreditated (although this may have been fixed). We have a massive teen pregnancy problem; out of a class of four hundred high school freshmen, half of them were pregnant. We have a vibrant night life, bars close at 2 AM, it's easy to get alchohol at any age (easy as in walk into the shop and buy it). Late at night there's street racing, as everything closes down around midnight onwards.
It is pretty though.


I think that's it. Come visit! We need your tourist dollars!