Cliff,
I am sure you are quite right about the copyright thing; especially, with Ford.
I have been there several times with IBM. Every summer (ours) we used to do a two week swing through Sao Paolo, Buenes Aires and Santiago to train IBM business partners. They wanted us to go to Bogata, but everyone, to a person, refused to go there. I liked Santiago the best: good buys on jewelry and in most areas, you couldn't tell you weren't in the US. Except for one thing: full size cars and pickups were a rarity and were kept like a Rolls or Bently would be kept here, especially the pickups.
Buenes Aires had some very nice areas, but the economy had just tanked the first year we were there and we were feeling a little uncomfortable. Although, when we talked later to the local IBMers, they told us that kidnappers weren't actually targeting anybody; they'd just grab whoever was convenient to get some cash to feed their kids or their habits. Sao Paolo, like you say, is, to a large extent, a dump. Although it did seem that maintenance was not a big thing in South America; not nearly as big as graffiti anyway. The best thing about Sao Paolo is the Fogo de Châo. It is so much better than their churrascarias in Dallas and Atlanta and you can eat like a king for $20.
Regards,
Lynn
