APRIL 2004 CONTENTS:
Only Bosses Happy with Brazil's New Minimum Wage
Starting May 1st, Brazil's minimum wage will be raised from 240
to 260 reais, roughly from 80 to 87 dollars. In order to obtain
the purchasing power it had in 1959, today's minimum wage
would have to be US$ 208 (R$ 618). If the Gross Domestic Product
growth were taken into account, the minimum should be 1,200 reais.
by Mylena Fiori
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In Brazil, They Just Blame the Media
If the Brazilian government had begun to create the promised ten
million jobs, or even one percent of them, if Brazilian entrepreneurs
had their tax burden reduced even a little bit, if Zero Hunger
and First Job had shown some results, then certainly the
government would be receiving compliments and praise.
by Carlos Chagas
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Brazil, World's Number 1 Killing Field
In Brazil, 40,000 people are killed, annually, by firearms,
according to the United Nations. The country's private sector
alone spends US$ 24 billion a year for protection. While
having only 2.8 percent of the planet's population, Brazil is
responsible for 11 percent of all the homicides committed on earth.
by Angélica Gramático
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Brazil's Lula Looks Less Re-electable
In spite of available funds, none of Brazilian President Lula's
projects, announced with fanfare, have been implemented.
They include Zero Hunger, water and sewer works, agrarian
reform, cheap pharmaceutical products, job creation, and a
government-private sector partnership for infrastructure works.
by Richard Hayes
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How Do You Say, 'Bye, Microsoft', in Brazil?
It's 'ciao, Microsoft' week for Brazilian public servants. Over 2,200
civil servants are in Brasília, Brazil's capital, for training in free
software The program's intention is turn the participants into
propagators of open source. The use of open source represents
annual savings of US$ 1.1 billion for the Brazilian government.
by Mauricio Cardoso
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A Brazilian School of Laughs
At Circo Picolino in Salvador, Bahia, nothing is what it seems.
The total number of program participants is currently around
400. This figure may grow to as many as 450 by the end of the
year. About 380 are children, and most—but not all—of
those come from economically distressed environments.
by Phillip Wagner
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We're in Rio, Brazil. Welcome to Gaza Strip.
While the eyes of Brazil have been focused on Rocinha and the
war of local drug lords for controlling the place, the situation is
far from better in other Rio favelas. In the first of two reports from
the Complexo da Maré in Rio's north, Tom Phillips talks to members
of two neighboring communities divided by the drugs trade.
by Tom Phillips
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Next in Brazil: Protests in the Streets
The Brazilian Left coalition, which put Lula in power, is planning on
taking their grievances to the streets, demanding the changes
which were promised 16 months ago. Brazil has changed
since Lula took power, with hope giving way to frustration, and
then indignation. The only question now is when to start the protests.
by Carlos Chagas
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A Food Pilgrimage to Bahia, Brazil
For once, forget the music and the dancing. I went to Brazil
for a good meal and a strong drink to wash it all down. And
I wasn't disappointed. I'm not sure how this happened,
considering my low tolerance for alcohol, but every
morning in Salvador I'd wake up sober. Not one hangover.
by Bondo Wyszpolski
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The Day Democracy Lost in Brazil
In the early morning hours of April 26, 1984, the constitutional
amendment for direct elections, in Brazil, went to a vote. The
final vote was 298 in favor, 65 against. The amendment
failed by 22 votes. The defeat created an enormous feeling of
disappointment, but spurred the opposition to carry on its struggle.
by Deigma Turazi
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Brazil, Legalize Drugs, Now!
This is a twelve-point proposal to legalize drugs in Brazil.
Decriminalization of narcotics use and legalization of their
production may be the only viable way to fight Rio's drug
problem efficiently and peacefully. These issues apply not
only to Rio, but also to the United States and Canada.
by Norman Madarasz
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Language and Intimacy in Brazil
Brazilian Portuguese, as it is used in Rio, is notably full of
expressions of intimacy, and even the way that Cariocas
use personal pronouns tends to blur personal boundaries.
In the physical sphere, these points of transition are marked
by touch, whether handshakes, pats, embraces, kisses.
by Tom Moore
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Brazil: 2.4% Have 1/3 of Riches
During the last 20 years, the Brazilian economy managed to
double the number of wealthy Brazilians. The gap between
rich and poor has increased though. While in 1980 the wealthiest
Brazilians earned 10 times more than the median family
income, this difference has increased to 14 times, today.
by Marc Boucher-Colbert
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Trying to Stop Brazil's A-Bomb
Any Brazilian efforts towards building a nuclear weapon or for
that matter weapons grade material for the so-called 'credible
deterrent' could provoke neighboring Argentina to pursue its
shelved nuclear weapon program. This might trigger a nuclear
arms race in the Latin America like the one in South Asia.
by Animesh Roul
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Food Lovers' Brazil
A large and ethnically diverse country, each region of Brazil
provides food lovers with a special selection of food that is
tastily seasoned without being too fiery. In parts of the south,
for example, there is the German influence; in São Paulo, the
Italian and Japanese influence; and in Bahia, the African influence.
by Joe David
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In Brazil, It's Always Open Season on Indians
Wilson Jesus de Souza, a Pataxó from the municipality of Pau
Brasil, in Bahia, Brazil, is a victim of discrimination in his state
and protests the absence of justice. "In Bahia no one is arrested
for murdering an Indian," he says. He recalls that, since 1982,
in his community alone, 16 people have died in land disputes.
by Paula Menna Barreto
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Happy Indian Day, Brazil!
Clashes between the Cinta-Larga Indians and diamond miners
have left around 30 miners dead in the Brazilian Amazon.
The international human rights groups and similar bodies,
which spend so much time condemning Brazilian society
for its treatment of the Indians have predictably remained silent.
by John Fitzpatrick
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Razing Eyebrows in Brazil
In Brazil, at the beach, and in restaurants and parks, Band-Aids
have found their way over the eyebrows and into the hearts of
nearly every 18-year-old girl. These girls are sporting Band-Aids
in fashion colors and prints—neon pinks and oranges. Unlike their
shy, flesh-tinted counterparts, they are meant to be noticed.
by Gretchen Cuda
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Brazil: Crowd in Rio Buries Drug Lord
Over 200 people attended drug lord Lulu's funeral in Rio. Eight
local buses took Lulu's friends and admirers from Rocinha to
pay their final respects. There were violent scenes as
journalists tried to enter the cemetery. "If you print my photo,
you're dead," a girlfriend of Lulu screamed at photographers.
by Tom Phillips
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In Brazil, Lula Still Means Hope
A victory for the PT (Workers' Party) and coalition backing Lula's
government in the 2004 local elections seems a real possibility,
paving the political path to overcome neo-liberalism. A weak
PT performance, on the other hand, will signal the breakdown
of an ambitious policy initiated in the 2000 elections.
by Juarez Guimarães
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Brazil: Kids in Rio's War Crossfire
If Rio's Rocinha is, as some say, living one of its worst moments
in 20 years, the upscale Escola Americana—founded in 1937 and
built close to the favela—has also hit hard times. Last year it was
forced to up security, bulletproofing windows, after a series of
nearby shootouts. Now, parents want it to relocate.
by Tom Phillips
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Brazil's Eliane Elias Finds Her Voice
Eliane Elias is known for her distinct musical style, which blends
her Brazilian roots with her impressive jazz and classical skills.
Born in São Paulo, Elias' musical talents began to show at an
early age. She started studying piano at age seven. At age 17,
she was working with Toquinho and Vinicius de Moraes.
by David Wilson
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Income Gap Still Huge in Brazil
New numbers by Brazil's statistical bureau show that income
distribution among Brazilians continues to be a serious problem.
While 40 percent of Brazilian households have to get by on half
a minimum wage per month (US$ 41.50) per person, the top
10 percent live on more than US$ 8,000 a month.
by Marina Domingos
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In Brazil, 82 Murders a Day, for 20 Years
New numbers released by the Brazilian Institute of Geography
and Statistics (IBGE) show that violence in Brazil grew 130
percent in 20 years. Between 1980 and 2000 there were close
to 600 thousand murders. The country's precarious health
care system contributed to the high number of deaths.
by Rafael Gasparotto
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How the U.S. Lost Brazil
When the new American ambassador to Brazil arrives at his
post in May, he will find a Brazilian foreign policy agenda hostile
to U.S. interests. Brazilian President Lula refers to the U.S. as an
"empire", and says he wishes alliances with India, China and
Russia to "block the imperialist's geographical advance."
by Gerald Brant
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Brazilians, Those Barbarians!
No other country, which is not in a war, has the same homicide
rates as Brazil. There seems to be a correlation between the way
Brazilians treat animals and fellow humans. The party of the ox, in
the South, is sadistically perverse. People stick broken-glass into
the animal's anus to make it buck and then beat the ox to death.
by Alan P. Marcus
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Brazilian Army Ready to Occupy Rio
Brazilian Justice Minister, Márcio Thomaz Bastos, admitted on
Monday that the federal government might use the Armed Forces
to fight violence and the drug Mafia in Rio's favelas. Since Friday,
a war between drug gangs from Rocinha and Vidigal favelas
left ten people dead and a population scared to death.
by Rodolfo Espinoza
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Opening Bahia, Brazil, to the US
It's a watershed pact between African-American and Brazilian
interests. Essence Magazine founder, Clarence Smith, Ira
Moseley, César Nascimento, and company are setting out to
establish regularly scheduled direct flights, beginning in October
of 2004, from selected cities in the U.S. to Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.
by Phillip Wagner
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Brazilian Stone Age
The poor Indian rolled his eyes. He started to count, but did not
go beyond the number two. There was nothing in this world that
would make him adopt the abstract concept of the numbers three,
four, or twenty. "What is wrong with my way of counting?" he
asked. "I only need two numbers to count the universe."
by Willer de Oliveira
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War of Drug Lords Over Rio's Favela
Rocinha favela has been on alert since February when a former
drug lord escaped from prison. It was widely publicised that
Dudu would try to seize control from Rocinha's current boss, Lulu.
Dudu and his men tried to do just that. Three people ended up
killed, but drug lord was not able to re-take control of the favela.
by Tom Phillips
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Brazil: PT Rebels Want Change Now
In a letter entitled "Before it is too late: Make Changes," a dissident
group belonging to the same party as Brazil's President Lula,
presents several grievances ranging from interest rates to
inflation targets to the primary surplus. The signatories accuse
the government of neglecting social programs to please the IMF.
by Iolando Lourenço
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Brazil, in the Lasting Picture Show
American audiences especially are so primed on violence, sex
and sensationalism, with blond-haired siliconed Barbie dolls
spreading cleavage that it is almost unreasonable to expect them
to be interested in the middle class life of Brazilians. Sad to
say, they are missing out on a lot of interesting material.
by Norman Madarasz
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Another Day in, Cough, Paradise Brazil
Killings and deaths are a strong component of Brazil's
daily diet of news. Justice will never be done and no-one
expects it. The dead will be buried and the killers will walk
free. If they are unlucky they might get caught and spend some
time in a grim prison, but they will either escape or be
released in a short time.
by John Fitzpatrick
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Brazil, No Promised Land for Confederates
Historians of the Confederacy in Brazil are keen to stress the
importance of a wide range of issues which encouraged Southerners
to abandon Dixie and emigrate to Brazil. Consequently, they
tend to gloss over another attraction of life in Brazil, which
was similar to the one they had left behind: slavery.
by Guy Burton
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Brazil to US: Keep Your Eyes Off Our Nukes
Brazil considers inadmissible a US proposal that the Brazilian
government signs an additional protocol on nuclear energy. José
Luiz Santana, a nuclear scientist and professor at the Federal
University of Rio de Janeiro says that the US idea contains
conditions that violate Brazilians' citizenship.
by Nádia Faggiani
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A Brazilian Buffet of Sounds
In The Pulse of Brazil CD release, a darker side of samba is
represented through the critical eye of Bezerra da Silva. Way
before there was gangsta rap in the US, Bezerra sang about the
lives of people living in Rio's favelas, their distrust of official
authority and the strange glamorization of criminal life.
by Ernest Barteldes
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Brazil's Paralamas Reinventing Themselves
By the mid-90s, Paralamas had alienated radio listeners and record
buyers in Brazil. Their most ambitious album to date, Severino,
was praised by critics, but the public wasn't interested. The band
tried to find a new public abroad and strategy seemed to work.
The Spanish-language Paralamas was a hit in Latin America.
by Ernest Barteldes
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F1 Heroes and Mad Drivers of Brazil
What about the present Brazilian crop in Formula One? The top
Brazilian driver, Rubens Barrichello, is number two to Michael
Schumacher in all senses of the word. There are also Christiano
da Matta and Felipe Massa in thre race. All of which tells us Brazil
will not be toasting a world champion any time soon.
by Guy Burton
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Brazil-64: A Coup Against the People
A week after the overthrow of the Goulart government, in 1964,
the Brazilian Congress declared the presidency vacant and the
military imposed Institutional Act #1. Forty-one politicians had their
political rights suspended, among them three former presidents:
João Goulart, Jânio Quadros and Juscelino Kubitschek.
by Deigma Turazi
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Brazil Coup: Still Enigma 40 Years Later
40 years later, the fundamentals of the 1974 military putsch in
Brazil—the before, the during and the after the coup—remain
diffuse and incomplete. All the infographics don't inform anything.
The Brazilian media has no humility for self-analysis and no
courage to raise "politically incorrect" questions.
by Alberto Dines
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