After being harassed by fellow students she was expelled from Uniban, the private university where she is studying tourism, accused of wearing a dress that was too short and sporting a provocative attitude.  She had to be later readmitted.

Playboy Editor Edson Aran said that the young lady complies with the requisites to be front page of the magazine. “To have your photos in Playboy,” Aran explained to daily Folha de S. Paulo, “a woman not only has to be beautiful but have notoriety, which is the case of Geisy.”

Two weeks ago Geisy was asked if she would pose naked. At the time the blonde girl said that this was something she would not do, reasoning, “I don’t have anything against it, but I think I would not do a photo essay. This a matter of personal choice.”

She left clear, however, that she was not shutting down definitively the door on such a possibility. There might be mitigating circumstances she admitted: “Since I’m unemployed this might help. If I really need it, I will not be an hypocrite and say no.”

Arruda who made world headlines since she was harassed, insulted and threatened by a mob of male and female students, who repeatedly called her whore apparently said no to Playboy’s first offer. Another men’s magazine is also after her, it’s Sexy. She might be only trying to get a better deal, according to some.

Edson Aran, confirms the interest in the youngster, but says nothing has happened yet. Says he, “Yes we are interested, but we haven’t started to negotiate.”

There is also news that Playboy has been sought by the student’s agent. On this side the expectation is that negotiations will start this coming week. This should give Playboy time enough to have Geisy between its sheets as early as in the December issue.

This scenario is so common place in Brazil. A woman becomes a celebrity for any reason and next thing you know she is exposing all she has in the pages of the naked woman magazine. The payment is generally generous allowing the chosen one to buy a good house or apartment.

Arruda was taken back by college one day after the university announced through ads in the press that it had expelled a student because of the indecent exposure of the miniskirt she was wearing.

The expulsion caused national commotion in Brazil involving local, state and federal government offices, like the Education Ministry and even members of Congress who condemned the school and wanted to take actions against the private institution.

The announcement that tourism student Geisy Arruda, 20, could return to school was made by Uniban (Bandeirante University) late Monday, November 9, after Arruda’s lawyer, Nehemias Domingos de Melo, told the press he was suing the school so it would allow his client back before the final exams started.

In a note Uniban informed that the school’s dean had overturned the decision made by the university’s board: “The dean of Bandeirante University – Uniban Brazil,” said the communiqué, “according to Article 17, subsection IX and XI, of its Internal Statute overturns the decision of the Academic Board (CONSU) taken November 6, concerning the October 22 episode, in its campus in São Bernardo do Camp. This way, the president will give a better course to the decision.”

It all started October 22, when the girl was harassed by hundreds of her colleagues on campus for wearing a skimpy skirt and allegedly having “provocative attitudes”. Threatened with violence and even rape she only was able to leave the school escorted by the Military Police, after a friend of hers called the Brazilian 911. Scenes of what happened were registered in cell phones and posted on YouTube.

In ads published Sunday in the main Sao Paulo newspapers, Uniban announced that it had opened an enquiry to investigate Arruda’s story and had concluded that she was guilty of disrespecting the university’s ethical principles as well as the “academic dignity and morality.”

The defense raised doubts the enquiry was balanced and complained that it wasn’t shown the testimonies of those who testified against the student. Uniban interviewed the young woman for about five hours on Thursday.

Arruda says that she had to answer the same questions several times and that they ended distorting her words in the paid note published in the press announcing her expulsion. Moreover she claims that she never received a communication about her ousting and was made aware of it through the press.

Ricardo Brajterman, an attorney for the plaintiffs, said that the photograph "hurt the feelings of believers". According to Brajterman, the decision also ordered the magazine to refrain from using religious elements in future articles that include nudes. In February, Brajterman also obtained a court order prohibiting a parade float with allegorical references to the Holocaust from entering Rio's Carnaval.

The magazine continues being sold freely in Brazilian news stands three days after the court decision. The erotic essay is one of the most daring by the Brazilian version of the publication ever, including rare shots of frontal nudity.

Playboy Brazil says it has not yet been notified of Freixinho's ruling. If the magazine fails to follow the judge's order after being notified, it could be ordered to pay as much as 1,000 reais (US$ 617) per day in
fines.

Castro is a novela (soap opera) star of Globo network, Brazil's audience leader TV. Edson Aran, editor of Playboy Brazil called the polemic "a tempest on a teacup."

Talking to Dia FM, a Rio radio station, the actress called herself a good catholic and denied that she had any intention to shock, stir a scandal or challenge de Catholic church. She called the pictures artistic and in good taste. As for the rosary, she explained, it was just an allusion to a character in Dona Flor and Her Two Husband by Jorge Amado whom she is playing on the stage right now.

A spokesperson for the São Paulo archdiocese, Juarez de Castro, however, disagreed. For him, the picture is a flagrant disrespect "not only to the Catholic church, but also to the people's faith. It's fashionable to say that these pictures are a photo essay, but in truth they are not more than vulgar eroticism."

Sources from the magazine in Brazil revealed the idea is a repeat of the Playboy 2002 experience in the United States with former personnel from the scandalous bankruptcy of the Enron Group.

According to ER Communications, which manages Playboy’s public relations in Brazil "a negotiation is on" with Varig staff, but no agreement has been reached yet, and if an agreement is reached, "there’s no timetable for the publication of the pictures."

Varig, which for decades was Latin America leading and most prestigious carrier, is desperately trying to survive disappearance saddled with US$ 3 billion in debts.

On Friday, July 28, staff from Varig went on strike to press demands for arrears payments following the announcement the company would be firing 5.500 employees as part of a restructuring plan.

Some 400 Varig ground workers at São Paulo’s Guarulhos International Airport launched the job action disrupting most of the airline’s flights. Of these 400 workers, 300 were the first to receive layoff notices.

The airline has promised to pay back wages to those that remain on staff but did not indicate what would happen with those who were losing their jobs. Most workers have been without pay for four months.

"They didn’t accept and are going on strike indefinitely until Varig deposits their back salaries. The flights are suspended," said São Paulo ground workers’ union (Sindicato dos Aeroviários de São Paulo) leader Uébio José da Silva, who expects more layoffs.

Varig, which until three months ago ran 70% of all international flights originating in Brazil, currently only operates with just 10 aircraft.

The new company said that "operational costs" must be restructured and promised to keep 3,985 employees out of a total 9.485 payroll in Brazil.

However, according to da Silva, if the new company is going to operate with just 10 airplanes and the international average is 100 workers per plane, the airline will only need between 1,000 and 1,200 workers maximum.

For the union leader, waiting for jobs to be restored "is like believing in Santa Claus".

"This Varig has been born only with the name and routes. For Varig employees it has already died and is just a corpse that has donated its organs".

Varig, which was once Latin America’s largest and most prestigious airline said it will maintain its current domestic operations, which are limited to flights among the Brazilian cities of Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Porto Alegre, Fortaleza, Salvador, Recife and Manaus.

The company also runs daily flights to Frankfurt, Germany, and Buenos Aires and flights on alternate days to Miami and New York.

Mercopress – www.mercopress.com