The Invention of Money

When I was in Brazil, Neal told me about a great episode of “This American Life” where they talk about the invention and fiction of money.

The first example was how Brazil stopped their horrific inflation rate using a “trick.”

I bought it and really enjoyed it.

The Invention of Money

Unexpected Wedding Repertoire in Sao Paolo

I just got a huge kick out of the Jewish repertoire of this Brazilian wedding band.

I never got an answer if they were Jewish, but I'm willing to bet that some/most of them aren't. I particularly like the “Mashiach” song.

Here’s video 1 and video 2.

How Sao Paolo Controls Water…and Traffic

In the central part of Sao Paolo, there are pretty big dips in the road at each intersection. Think of them as inverted speed bumps.

The primary reason, I’m told, is to control the flow of water during the rainy season (which is intense).

Otherwise, the streets flood (and sometimes even in spite of that).

But, they also have another affect.

It prevents people from speeding through downtown.

One change. Two impacts. Kind of neat.

Brazil and Coffee

Image via Wikipedia

I should have mentioned this in the first post, but perhaps I was too wired from caffeine to think straight.
It’s no secret that Brazil and coffee go hand in hand.
Sao Paolo, at 800 meters elevation, is the center of the coffee region for the country.
And people here drink coffee…ALL THE TIME.
It’s very strong and has a ton of character.
I loved it.
But, I probably averaged 6 espressos for each of the first 2 days I was here.

Sao Paolo Traffic Rules

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

People in Sao Paolo love to talk and complain about the traffic.

In a city of 20 million, you can imagine that it gets pretty crazy.

They have an interesting system for managing traffic flow. At least I had never heard of it before.

Depending on the day of the week, certain cars are prohibited from driving on the roads between 7am-10am and 5pm-8pm.

And, it is according to the final digit of your license plate number.

Day of Week	Final Digit of License Plate Who are Prohibited during Rush Hour
Monday	0, 1
Tuesday	2, 3
Wednesday	4, 5
Thursday	6, 7
Friday	8,9

As you might imagine, this creates additional challenges, opportunities, and novel solutions.

People have to either leave work early..or stay late.

If you have two cars (some buy two), you have to think strategically about which person needs to go where on which day and at what time.

Just interesting.

Motorcycles (of which there are many…and 2 deaths EVERY DAY-I’m told) are always permitted.

Sao Paolo—Gateway to the West

When the Portuguese colonizers decided to explore the interior, it was from Sao Paolo that the expeditions began.

That history is reflected today in many ways, the coat of arms of the city has a hand extending to the West. A prominent statue has explorers in a boat facing that direction, and its centrality as the commercial heart of Brazil is undoubted.

Apparently, 25% of all of Brazil’s wealth is generated in the city and surrounding state of Sao Paolo (both have the same name.)

Named for St. Paul the Apostle because the first colonist arrived on Jan. 25th, which apparently is the day that Paul became a Christian, the city boasts nearly 20 million people in its greater metropolis area.

Everyone says that traffic is incredible, but honestly, after 1 day only admittedly, I haven’t seen it.

What I have seen is the proverbial melting pot of Brazil with whites, blacks, mulatto (at they are known), natives, Japanese and more all living together.

The flag of the city has red, white, and black to represent the various ethnic groups.

What this city does seem to have is energy and a commercial focus and that’s something that Sao Paolistas (?) seem to have a great deal of pride about. There’s a sense of superiority here vis a vis the other parts of the country and that also seems to be a part of the legacy of the country.

In 1822, when Brazil became an Empire, one of the discussion points was how much autonomy Sao Paolo (along with Minas Gerais-another powerhouse state) would have so that they stayed part of Brazil.

I’ve been reading a book called The New Brazil which describes the evolution of the country from hyperinflation madness (40% per month) in the 80s to burgeoning economic superpower.

90% of the cars in Brazil are “flex” and run on sugar-cane ethanol, making the country energy independent, for all intents and purposes.

Thanks to my friend, Hallely Azulay, I was able to procure the services of a first-rate guy (let me know if you need him), who gave me context, showed me how great coffee can taste (it’s good!), and provided some insight into the mind of the Brasilieno.

Challenges abound. There’s obviously a significant divide between the rich and poor and it sounds like access to education (as well as corruption) really haunt the country like a weight around its neck.

This post doesn’t do all that I saw any justice, that’s for sure, and there’s more to come, but I wanted to get my thoughts down for now (it’s late) before the next day of activity hit.

The Evolving Meaning of the Olympics...

Image via Wikipedia I flipped on the bronze medal match of men's volleyball the other day and saw Brazil vs. Georgia.

I did a double take when I saw the last names of the players "Geor" and "Gia."

"What are the odds?" I thought. "That's just not possible."

A few searches of Google and I had my answer.

Apparently, the Georgian Olympic Committee had decided to invest in beach volleyball and had essentially hired 2 pairs of Brazilians (one men and one women) to represent their country in the Olympics. The two guys had changed their last names accordingly.

That left me a bit puzzled.

Aren't the Olympics supposed to give each country a chance for its own people/culture, etc. to demonstrate its athletic prowess? Isn't the sports field suppose to replace the battlefield?

Are the Brazilians, in this case, nothing more than modern day Hessians?

So, what's happening here?

If Georgia can't produce beach volleyball players and has to import them, what purpose does the Olympics serve?

I suppose it is an opportunity for a country to coalesce around something. I mean, it's not like all of the Yankees are native New Yorkers, right?

So having a few people who agree to wear your flag and bring attention to your country (even if they aren't from there/born there/live there) may not be such a bad thing.

Besides, it's a win-win. The Brazilians couldn't make their own country's team, so this is right in line with the increased professionalism of the games.

The more I think about it, the more examples of it happening anyway, the more I am comfortable with it.

If Georgians (and granted they are in a unique situation these days) FEEL more close-knit because 2 brazilians are wearing a Georgian flag and competing in a medal game (which otherwise would not be the case), then maybe the investment in hiring these freelancers is worth it.

Gives me a new business idea www.olympianfreelancer.com  You know, match up athletes willing to sell their talents with countries that need it.

Not sure it is exactly the same, but the world-record holder in the Women's 1500m has a similar situation (though her story of persecution is admittedly different)

Related articles by Zemanta

• Proud to Represent Georgia, and Stung by Russian Snub
• Making Baby Olympians
• Mercenaries Mangled