The comments appearing on this site are independent and reflect no view except my own. Some of the views are expressed strongly and have led to criticism from Brazilian readers. However, I believe there is no point in publishing a column unless you have the courage to express an opinion and make some forecasts. 

I have no connection or involvement with any political party or organization in Brazil or abroad. Any contacts with politicians, consultants, analysts etc. are purely professional. I disapprove of journalists and commentators who use personal contacts for professional purposes. They may get greater access to information but this can backfire, as I know from personal experience. Not only does it put the commentator into the debt of the source but allows the commentator to be used in the source´s interest. 

My factual information comes mainly from the Brazilian print and broadcast media which I follow closely but with a pinch of salt, since events are often reported in a way which suits their particular point of view. Information also comes from official sources, such as government departments, as well as from industrial organizations and individual businesses and companies. 

However, I believe you can learn more about a country from the man who sells the newspaper than from the man who edits or publishes it. For this reason, I make no apology for using personal experiences to convey the feel of life in Brazil.   

The best way of keeping a finger on the pulse is by simply living among Brazilians. Having Brazilians as family members, friends and neighbors gives the foreigner who lives here permanently an insight which no transient correspondent from newspapers, news agencies, broadcasting corporations or magazines, no matter how prestigious, will ever have. 

John Fitzpatrick
São Paulo

August 2005