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Issue: # 3
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January - February/2010
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Greetings!
Happy new Year !! Welcome to our first issue of 2010. We help you stay in touch with the latest news, events and travel information related to your favorite little town in Brazil. Every month we will strive to bring you some useful and interesting information. Please feel free to forward this to anyone you think would enjoy it.
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TRAVEL NEWS & TIPS
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Travel Insurance
If you are traveling to Abadiania it is a good idea to be prepared with travel insurance. If anything should happen on your trip you can have the help you need! Transportation, medical costs even lost baggage. Available in any country you live with justa few clicks. Insurance provided by Worldnomads international. Rates as low as $1.60 per day. Get a travel insurance quote here |
HOW LONG TO STAY IN BRAZIL?
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Follow the Rules
With your tourist Visa (Or if you are entering without a visa as an exempt visitor) You are allowed a maximum of 90 days stay in the country. However, this is not a right you have but a privilege granted to you by the Federal Police Officer at the time of you go through passport control. If the officer decides to give you only 30 days, then that is what you will get. Remember this and be polite at all times.
Your stay can be extended for an additional 90 days if you go to the Federal Police in either Anapolis, Goiania or Brasilia. Generally if you request an extension because you want to continue visiting Brazil they will grant it to you without any major issue. This is particularly true if you can show you still have a return ticket with you. When you ask for an extension be careful not to say you are requesting the visa medical reasons. A medical extension is a completely different process and will require supporting documentation.
You will only be granted one extension. After that you must exit Brazil and not return for 6 months. That is, you can only be in Brazil 6 months out of each 12 month period.
If you overstay by a couple of days, then you may still be able to leave by paying a small fine at the time of your departure.
NOTE : The casa cannot and will not assist you with your visa procedures. The casa also has the obligation to report anyone who is staying in Brazil illegally.
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MEDIUM JOAO'S YEARLY GIFT TO THE CITY
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Christmas Party at the Soup Kitchen
On December 19th, The Soup Kitchen held its annual christmas celebration. Thousands of Abadiania residents turned up for the day long festival. All participants enjoyed sa full meal plus they were treated to inflatable game, popcorn, cotton candy and and a fair-like atmosphere. Attending children received toys as chritsmas presents. This has become an annual tradition in Abadiania.
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SPECIAL FEATURE - Carnival 2010
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The 2010 Brazilian Carnival Holiday begins this weekend. On Friday February 12th the celebration begins with the well known street Samba festivals. and ends the next Tuesday night February 16th. Travel to Brazil during this time is a bit harder. Flights are booked, hotels are sold out and their rates are much higher than normal. The casa will continue to operate during this time and the local pousadas should be unaffected. But if you have business elsewhere in Brazil, you can expect the country to be paralyzed for the week. No phonecalls will be returneed, no paperwork will be processed. Just be patient and everything should go back to normal the next week. The History and meaning of Carnival are often lost in the celebratory revelry. the carnival holiday has its origins in medieval Christianity. In the 11th century, the catholic church established The Easter holiday along with the 46 day period of Lent. (40 Days if you do not count the Sundays.) The Popular festivities that preceded Ash Wednesday (The first Day of Lent.) where said to be a " Carne (Flesh) Vale( Done/complete) " or a goodbye to the pleasures of the flesh before the long abstinence period. That is where the name Carnival came from. Also the last day of Carnival is known as Fat Tuesday (Or Mardi-Gras in French) it is the day in which the celebration reached its pinnacle. Throughout history, many countries and cities have celebrated Carnival. Some of the most famous ones are, Venice, Nice, Paris, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador (Bahia), New Orleans. |
HEALTH AND NUTRITION - Brazilian Style |
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Graviola - Brazilian Superfruit
You probably did not know that the English name for Graviola is Soursop. It is also called Guanabana in Spanish. It comes from a broadleaf flowering evergreen tree native to Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean and northern South America. Soursop is also native to Sub-Saharan Africa countries that lie within the tropics. Today, it is also grown in some areas of Southeast Asia. It is in the same genus as the chirimoya and the same family as the pawpaw. In most Spanish speaking countries it is commonly known as Guanábana. In the Philippines, it is known as guyabano. In India basically in Kerala, it is known as Aathakka pazham. The soursop is adapted to areas of high humidity and relatively warm winters, temperatures below 5 °C/41 °F will cause damage to leaves and small branches, and temperatures below 3 °C/37.4 °F can be fatal. The fruit becomes dry and is no longer good for concentrate. Its flavor is described as a combination of strawberry and pineapple with sour citrus flavor notes contrasting with an underlying creamy flavor reminiscent of coconut or banana. The flesh of the fruit consists of an edible white pulp and a core of indigestible black seeds. The species is the only member of the genus Annona that is suitable for processing and preservation. The sweet pulp is used to make juice as well as candies, sorbets, and ice cream flavorings. In Mexico it is a common fruit often used for dessert as the only ingredient, or as an agua fresca beverage. Ice cream and fruit bars made of soursop are also very popular. The seeds are normally left in the preparation, and removed while consuming. In Indonesia, dodol sirsak, a sweetmeat, is made by boiling soursop pulp in water and adding sugar until the mixture hardens. Soursop is also common ingredient for making fresh fruit juices that are sold at most of street food vendors. In Vietnam, this fruit is called mãng cầu Xiêm in the South, or quả Na in the North and is used to make juice, or eaten as is. In Cambodia, this fruit is called "Tearb Barung" literally meant "Western Custard-apple fruit." In Malaysia it is known in Malay as 'Durian Belanda' and in East Malaysia specifically the Dusun race in Sabah it is locally known as 'lampun'. Popularly it is eaten raw when it ripens. Usually the fruits are taken from the tree when they mature and left to ripen in a dark corner whereby it will be eaten when it is fully ripe i.e. it is soft when you press the fruit. It has a white flower with a very pleasing scent especially in the morning. Nutritionally, the fruit is high in carbohydrates, particularly fructose. The fruit also contains significant amounts of vitamins C, B1 and B2. The fruit, seeds, and leaves have a number of herbal medicinal uses among indigenous peoples of regions where the plant is common. According to some researchers the Graviola leaves are effective in treating intestinal worms and parasites. The unripe fruit is effective against dissentery and diarrhea and the root bark has been found effective as a fever reducer. Graviola and Cancer. - Lately there has been a lot of buzz on the internet about the cancer fighting properties of Graviola. The idea that graviola is an effective cancer fighter comes from research at Purdue University's School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences on the active components of the tree, unique substances known as annonaceous acetogenins. The Purdue investigators found them to be potent inhibitors of cancer cells while leaving normal cells alone. They also found the compounds to be effective against drug-resistant cancer cells. But these are in-vitro results. That is results obtained after adding the components found in graviola directly to cancer cells in a test tube. The results were promising since the components were effective in destroting the cancer cells selectively. But so far there are no clinical studies on humans to verify the claim that Graviola is an effective anti cancer agent in the human body. In Conclusion, Even if graviola is not yet proven to be effective as a treatment for human cancer, it is certainly a delicious option to add to your diet. And if this delicious fruit also may have miraculous health benefits, well... that is just icing on the cake.
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FEATURED FILM |
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From his experiences in solitary prayer, St. Ignatius wrote a handbook for retreats called the Spiritual Exercises. These "exercises for the soul" lead the follower of Christ from self will and excessive attachment into the freedom of the sons of God: freedom to know and do the will of God. Under the guidance of Fr. Raymond Gawronski, S.J., the viewers of this 13 part series can make the actual Ignatian retreat, covering all the major points of the Spiritual Exercises. Great lectures on how to pray and meditate on God, Jesus, and the world. This is old school (as in medieval), hardcore Christian spiritual battle training. Although Father Gawronski throws in a few heart warming tales of his spiritual journey, this is NOT a new age positive thinking approach. The lectures are so true to the teachings of Saint Ignatius that Non-Catholics (and some Catholics) may be scandalized by the rather harsh uncompromising tone of the presentation. Humility, sacrifice, the willingness to be brought low, all those un-fun things that make the spiritual path so hard are addressed with a clarity and honesty that is at times incredibly uplifting, but at other times very scary. It's a very valuable resource for those looking for a way to better live in accordance with God's will.
Get to know the thoughts and methods of the spiritual leader of the Casa de Dom Inacio.
To purchase this film and other interesting titles click here. .
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Abadiania Web Portal is your direct connection to Abadiania. If you are preparing to travel to Brazil or you simply miss the experience of being in Abadiania, Abadiania Web Portal has something for you. You can reserve a Hotel, Taxi or House in Abadiania from your desktop. You can get white clothes, travel insurance or even acai or Brazilian coffee delivered to you.
We hope you enjoy it and help us spread the word.
Blessings,
Diego & Sonia
Abadiania Web Portal
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