With the U.S. presidential election underway, let's compare the election process in Brazil and the United States.

In Brazil, the positions of president, governor, mayor, senate and representatives are elected by popular vote in the same day in all states. There is no early vote. Brazil has a multi-party system, with such numerous parties that often no one party has a chance of gaining power alone. As a result, political parties must work with each other to form coalition governments.

The last election happened on October 3, 2008, when people chose mayors in 5,563 cities and towns, and nominated 52,137 city council representatives. A second round (or runoff election) with two candidates happened on October 26 in cities with more than 200,000 voters where no one achieved a majority of votes (counted as 50% of all votes plus one) in the first round.

For almost two months leading up to election day, all analog TV's and radios show free political propaganda twice a day. Voting is mandatory in Brazil for those who are 18 to 70 years old. In fact, even people living abroad are subject to fines if they do not report to their local Brazilian Embassy on election day to explain their absence from the polls. In order to facilitate people's participation, the election always happens on a Sunday - when people have the day off.

Mandatory voting presents some obstacles, and certainly contrasts with the American notion of optional political engagement. But in a country with a limited public education, an optional voting system might mean only the most educated (and wealthiest) made their way to the polls. A mandatory system makes all people responsible for the results, not just a few.

A view of Porto Alegre's dynamic waterfront.

Porto Alegre (Happy Port) is the state capital of Rio Grande do Sul and the one of the most important cultural, political, and economic centers of southern Brazil. Located between the industrial northeast and the agricultural south, Porto Alegre is one of the richest metropolises in the country, driven by a strong service industry. It is called the "Mercosul Capital" for its central role in regional trade with bordering Argentina and Uruguay. It is the state capital with the highest quality of life in Brazil, including a literacy rate of 97%.

Porto Alegre's population is a unique blend of cultures, including Brazilian, Portuguese and Spanish, as well as a significant population from Germany, Italy, and Poland. The vast majority of the population is of European descent. Rio Grande do Sul is widely known in Brazil as home to the country's most beautiful women—including supermodel Giselle Bündchen.

Porto Alegre celebrates the tradition of the gaúcho—the popular name for natives of the State—with a center for gaúcho history and culture. The gaúchos pride themselves on their quality of life, including sophisticated shopping centers and vibrant cultural activity. The region is famous for its churrasco (barbecue) and chimarrão (a strong and hot tea prepared from erva mate). To get a taste of the gaúcho lifestyle, check out Kleiton and Kledir's classic song "Deu pra' ti."

Gaúchos also support an intimate and respectful relationship with the region's plant and wildlife. Porto Alegre has a long coastline, punctuated by rolling hills, along the Guaíba Lake. In the lake, a maze of islands creates an archipelago that shelters abundant wildlife in a unique ecosystem.

To learn more about Porto Alegre, visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porto_alegre.
See aerial views of Porto Alegre on Google Maps.

Continuing our series about Brazilian folklore, we bring you the Curupira legend this month.

The Curupira is a spirit of nature and protector of the forests and animals. It happily tolerates those who hunt for food, but is infuriated by those who hunt for the pleasure of it.

The Curupira is described as a small boy with fire-red hair and feet with heels in the front. He tricks and confuses men who kill animals for sport with his odd backward footprints. Hunters think they are following where he's gone, but are in fact returning to where he's been, and end up lost in the woods.

A full house at our last bate papo event!

Professional Network luncheon - Tuesday, November 11 at 1pm
This is an opportunity to practice Portuguese while extending your local professional network. The first Professional Network luncheon will be at Circus Restaurant on Tuesday, November 11. Circus offers fine Brazilian cuisine and a sophisticated atmosphere.

The price is $35 per person, which includes lunch and dessert. Lunch begins at 1pm and will run until 2pm. A cash bar will be available.

This event will be limited to 15 people. Please RSVP for this event by Monday, November 10. For more information, contact us at Event@BrazilStation.com or call 646-287-6645.

Circus Restaurant
132 E 61st St
(Between Lexington and Park Avenues)
New York, NY 10065  

Brazilian Movie Night at Brazil Station is back! We plan to show a movie on the third Wednesday of each month. After the movie we will have a group discussion—hope you can make it!

For this coming event we will show the movie Central Station. It is an emotive journey of a former school teacher who writes letters in a train station for illiterate people, and a young boy whose mother has just died, in search for the father he never knew. The movie is in Portuguese with English subtitles; all levels are welcome. Tickets are $5 per person and are available to the first 10 registrants.

For more information or to register, contact us at Event@BrazilStation.com or call 646-287-6645. Please RSVP by Tuesday, November 18.

Brazil Station
304 Park Ave South, 11th floor (at 23rd St )
New York, NY 10010
646 287-6645

Top: Forró in the Dark at Joe's Pub; bottom: Pianist Ivan Lins plays the Blue Note.

Forró in the Dark - Thursday, November 13 at 9:30pm and 11:30pm
Forró in the Dark makes people dance like they forgot they could. They sweat, stomp, roll their eyes into the backs of their heads and don't stop for hours.

In its most familiar form, popularized by Luis Gonzaga, forró is played by a trio. The instruments are the zabumba (a bass-y drum played with a mallet), the triangle (like you played in elementary school), and the accordion (like an accordion!). Of course, no tradition is an island and forró has sprouted many branches.

Forró in the Dark began in the more traditional versions of the genre, but the band members' many inspirations—including performing with such diverse artists as Enrique Iglesias, Tom Waits, and Beck—have transformed their sound. They shed the accordion and grew into a percussion-driven, guitar-, wind- and vocal-accented band. Without adding electronics or removing the essential emotion of the music, Forró in the Dark updated a genre that was entertaining people in Brazil over a hundred years ago. This contemporary forró brings together jazz aficionados and techno-loving clubgoers alike on the dance floor!

Come join the dance at Joe's Pub on Thursday, November 13 at 9:30 and 11:30pm. Visit Joe's Pub online for more information and to order tickets.

Joe's Pub
425 Lafayette Street (between East 4th and Astor Place)
New York, NY
212-254-1263

An individual review session at Brazil Station.

We will have several new Group classes starting in the coming weeks. Other groups may also be formed based on demand.

1. Our new Travel Class will be held for one night on Thursday, December 11 at 6:30pm. Brazil is an amazing country and you will enjoy your time there. We can help you maximize your trip with a two-hour group class designed to help you understand what to expect. We created this Travel Class as an affordable way to make Brazil more accessible. In this group, you will learn the essentials about the culture and language including:

• What to expect when you arrive in Brazil
  
• How to travel inside Brazil
• Where to shop and find good entertainment 
• When, where and how much to tip 
• How to say important words and phrases
  

2. N1B - Beginner Level 1 group class will start on Saturday, November 8 at 3pm. It is for people with little or no knowledge of Portuguese.

3. N1B - Beginner Level 1 group class will start on Wednesday, November 12 at 6:15pm. It is for people with little or no knowledge of Portuguese.

4. N1BS - Beginner Level 1 group class for Spanish Speakers will start on Saturday, November 8 at 3pm. It is for people fluent in Spanish and/or Italian with little or no knowledge of Portuguese.

5. N1BS - Beginner Level 1 group class for Spanish Speakers will start on Thursday, November 13 at 6:15pm. It is for people fluent in Spanish and/or Italian with little or no knowledge of Portuguese.

6. N2B - Beginner Level 2 group class will start on Thursday, November 20 at 6:15pm. It is for people who have some knowledge of Portuguese.

7. N2BS - Beginner Level 2 group class for Spanish Speakers will start on Thursday, November 20 at 8pm. It is for people fluent in Spanish and/or Italian with some knowledge of Portuguese.

8. N3BS - Beginner Level 3 group class will start on Tuesday, November 25 at 8pm. It is for people fluent in Spanish and/or Italian with a decent knowledge of Portuguese.

9. N1IBS - Intermediate Level 1 group class will start on Tuesday, November 18 at 6:15pm. It is for people fluent in Spanish and/or Italian who understand present, past, and future tenses.

10. N1A - Advanced Level 1 group class will start on Monday, November 10 at 6:15pm. It is for people fluent in Portuguese who want to keep practicing the language.

Contact us to assess your current level and to discuss your goals for learning at (646) 287-6645 or Newsletter@BrazilStation.com.

We offer Private and Semi-private classes from Monday to Saturday. You can start taking classes with us at any day, any time. In addition to our traditional Portuguese classes, Brazil Stationalso offers Portuguese for Spanish and Italian Speakers, Business Portuguese, and Travel Classes. We teach off-site classes and Corporate Language Education as well.

Since today is election day in the USA, let's learn some electoral words.

Não conformista - Maverick
Sim, nós podemos -Yes we can
Presidente - President
Governador - Governor
Prefeito - Mayor
Vereadores - City council representatives
Candidato - Candidate
Cabine eletrônica - Voting booth
Voto obrigatório - Mandatory vote
Segundo turno - Runoff election
Partido político - Political party
Sistema de partidos múltiplos - Multiple parties system