After golf.....

Our dear friends Paula and Tom, with Tasso.

After more than 10 hours of playing golf, Tom found energy to pass by and give us a big hug!

And, before, we had a wonderful lunch at the Soho with Paula and Jammie...

Friends...

With the Governor Joe Manchin III in Charleston , West Virginia, with the light red shirt.

Andy (Supreme Court) in the left side, Tasso, with a glass of nice wine, and I.

We were celebrating Tasso`s election for Chairman of the Partners International Board at Tom an Rebecca´s house.

Family...

Rairo, going to the US this August and his mother...

pics

Students that will be in the US in a few weeks...you´ve got the names already, don´t you?

Board meeting...

Tasso, Steve and Patricia...
on the afternoon board meeting!

Holliday Inn Central, Rhode Island Avenue, DC.

welcome meeting, july, 21

Patricia Hill, Chairmain of the Board, Paul Teeple, CFO, Tasso Lugon and friends at Partners Office!

welcome meeting

we had a wonderful welcome reception at K street - Partners office - last evening. New members on the staff and new guests in town! It was realy a pleasure to see again nice friends and volunteers...

some pictures will be posted here tomorrow...

today, meetings all day long! hard work ahead...

agenda!

We did a nice skype meeting last sunday with the Chapter of West Virginia. We are working on the students agenda.
good news!

the harder, the better!

They got it! Kids will be on the road to the US in august.

Partners, Partners, Partners...

MAGIMEDIC RESONANCE - Music for health.

A new project has been developped by our Chapter; it is called "Magimedic Resonance "...

People who are looking for the public health system (which is a chaos in Brasil) stay for hours (from 5 a. m. on...) waiting in line, to get a passticket to receive medical assistance... the hospital corridors remain full of people from every corner of the State (some came the night before and slept there on the ground to save a place...) To soften their terrible situation, Tasso and Maria Teresa, members of our Committee, go there and play music from 8 to 12... the results are amazing: Just to tell a few cases, one young boy (10), completely blind, started singing and dancing, expressing his joy to be living and listening to that wonderful songs; an old lady (82), with a leg cut off, was dancing in her wheelchair, and the doctors of the hospital told us that the level of complaints against the attendance went down to zero....

Salvador

Aug,6 to 8 we will have a meeting in Salvador, Bahia. The goals include how to improve the brazilian chapters connectivity.
We will be there!

Youth Ambassador 2006

Victor is one of the students that went to the US as a youth ambassador back in 2006. I was escorting him. When we came back we visit  Governor Hartung, as we may see in the picture.
Victor is always involved with the english language teaching, helping others to learn it...here follows his email to me, with a link in the end...

"Aew pra galera que se amarra em estudar e melhorar o Inglês cada dia mais, eu fiz esse podcast. Toda sexta eu atualizo com noticias do Brasil em Inglês. Assim, dá pra personalizar o inglês pra nossa própria realidade, fica tudo mais fácil de entender desse jeito :)


Quem sempre falou bastante sobre a importância do Inglês Local e a implementação de novas tecnologias como o podcast no ensino da língua inglesa, em nossas discussões de sala da turma Letras Inglês UFES/2006, foi o Professor Robson Barros... Valeu pela ótima dica!


O primeiro cast conta com a participação de meu sobrinho Gabriel, de 4 anos... heheh


AQUI VAI O LINK!!!


http://tiochicosenglishcast.podbean.com/


Abraços à todos e tenham um ótimo fim de semana!


VLEW!!!"

another interview

This morning I just got an email from Leila Santos regarding the reschedule of the students interview. It will be this july,16, at 1:30 pm.

As I have told before, Mittal´s steel mill plant managers has decided to conduct the visa process by themselves. I mean, without the formal involvement of the Partners of The Americas Espirito Santo Chapter. That´s why we have failed the in the first interview.

We respect their decision but it realy brought up miscommunications, misperceptions and misconnections. This is an example of what should not be donne again regarding the way it was conducted.

Let us hope it turns out ok in this next interview. Partners are all ready: I will travel as a volunteer (have postponed and lost some of my agenda as consultant and professor), the north-american families are selected and the Chapter of West Virginia is giving their best.

No matter what, we will never quit trying hard to serve and connect people.

a wonderful family...

Tassos, bday!

life is made of every little piece of remembrance.

May your heart always be faithfull, your eyes always joyfull, your mouth always wise and your hands always busy,

helping others...

take care Mr. President!

to whom it may concern...

Close to you
I will always stay,
Close to you,
though you´re far away.

Wherever you go,
my heart will go to,
what can I do?
It only wants to be,
close to you...

Tasso´s

Antonio, Tasso, José and Jose Renato (judge)

above, a winner!!!

Tasso and his band musicians...all night long...

more pics of Tasso´s bday

Love is in the air...a picture paints a thousand words...

Above, Cristina (Tasso´s daughter) saying lovely words to him along with the slide show...

some nice pics of Tasso´s birthday party...

Tassinho, José Marcio, Tasso and Jose´s wife, Helena!

"winter"

Victor, my son, is enjoying our "winter" here in Vila Velha, Espirito Santo. Next aug, 12 he will be back to the University of Charleston and to his dear friends in West Virginia...

Meanwhile, he just goes down and play some beach tennis and enjoy the ocean ahead...

From our varanda you may feel how cold t is here...

Tasso´s Bday...

José Márcio just send me some pics of the beautiful Tasso´s birthday party...Music, friends and an slide show presentation of his wonderful life...We are sure that many other slides will fill our hearts for many years ahead!

Hope

To my dear students selected to visit the US:

The harder, the better!

Hope we make it!

Sissonville visit

Thanks to the kindness of my dear friend Leila Santos, someone who has always been a very concerned person about cross-cultural ideas and programs, we may have another chance at the American Consulate in Rio. The Cultural Affairs Department will make a referral to the Visa issuing sector explaining our goals and the reasons for the trip.

This does not assure us that we will get the Visas, but it is a wonderful attitude and a beautiful demonstration of affection to the Partners of The Americas values and principles.

No matter what, thank you so much Leila.

I feel that someone would thank you too...Guess who?

A night in town...DC

Easy time in DC...Blues Alley wonderful songs...

Tom...in an Irish Pub...

And so Tasso had time to remember Tom Flaherty, a great friend from Charleston, WV...

Music at Blues Alley, DC

Well, we had some time to have fun too...and listen to a wonderful music from Joe Sample...

Tasso in DC, 2009

Last Year, November, Tasso and I went to a meeting in washington, DC...nice days...he had the chance to meet old friends from Fellows one...

sad

Today we are all very sad and frustrated! All five visa application were denied by the american consulate in Rio...

And there´s no logical reason for it...all paperwork, all documents for nothing at all.

Can you imagine that you select five teenagers, with low income and good behaviour, put them in a bus with their parents and drive to Rio de Janeiro to get their visas and they do not even had the chance to explain themselves... only one of them could be heard but it was no use...On the way to Rio certainly smiling, on the way back surely crying!

It is kind of unbelievable...

But we will not quit! we will try again...

A bend in the road may not be the end of the road

Isn´t it Mr. President? we believe in you!