Brazzil

In Brazil, Rich or Poor, We're All Prisoners

Senator, this is one of the best articles you have posted in this site. My congratulations, Sir. I did read your original articles in Portuguese and though I am yet to read this one in Portuguese,still you made your point. There were POMs that got liberated themselves and now it is time for us the Brazilians to free ourselves. If I may take the liberty of coining a new phrase, we are POPs (Prisoners of Politicians-inept ones,that too).

Prisoners of their own concept that there is more power in saving a colleague than in submitting themselves to the will of the people when there is strong evidence that the colleague has violated congressional decorum.

I read this original statement of yours in clear and loud Portuguese. I fully agree with you.

Keep writing your articles ,sir. We will be very attentive.

Buarque is reminiscent of T.S. Elliot's The Waste Land.

What are the roots that clutch, what branches grow
Out of this stony rubbish? Son of man,
You cannot say, or guess, for you know only
A heap of broken images, where the sun beats,
And the dead tree gives no shelter, the cricket no relief,
And the dry stone no sound of water.

Such are the sounds that echo in the 21st Century dreams of Brazil. Like the silent screams of Guernica; a samba of madness.

Buarque is reminiscent of T.S. Elliot's The Waste Land.

Probably, the good Senator has read this too. In general,the Brazilians who have doctoral degrees in any field,know a few foreign languages and I dont think the good senator is an exception.

btw, he does not know how to go for jagualr veins.Who knows, we may be able to give him some advice.

Stay tuned,AES.

I forgot to add that Buarque is bolder than the female senator of ours and I can assure that she would never be re elected.

A great article, that show our sad condition: not citizen, but just prisioners of incompetent goverment.
After two decade of authoritarism, the liberty is far way from the brazilian people.
Thanks God, Thanks Senator, there is still a voice shouting in the brazilian desert.

I am a brasilian/canadian living in canada. I have been reading this web site's articles on and off for a while now. This one is the worst. Sure brazils problems are many and may seem difficult to fix.But having a defeatist attitude is no way going to solve anything. A persono of the senator's position should resign.. How can someone who is the leader for educating young people in the country write an article full of defeatism. The only thing the brasilians are prisoners of is the prison of inaction. If you dont have the courange to act and let defeatism control you then yes you will always be its prisoner.

How can someone who is the leader for educating young people in the country write an article full of defeatism. The only thing the brasilians are prisoners of is the prison of inaction. If you dont have the courange to act and let defeatism control you then yes you will always be its prisoner.

If you are a Brasilian, you should know how to read Portuguese.Please do access the good senator´s website and read his articles. He does not have an attitude of defeatism,but one of questioning the current state of affairs. He was the one of the few ones who voted to impeach Renan and I admire him for his courage.

His only problem was that he was taking just one issue (like Education) and kept on hammering on it. Especially, knowing fully well that the Brasilians consider "Education" as the 6th in their list of priorities. Now he is addressing other issues too.

I see no reason for the Senator resigning his mandate. It is a pity that,you being a Brasilian vistor to this site did not bother to read John Fitzpatrick´s article on how the Brasilians were spat upon by the Senators regarding Renan and come out with an useful comment.However, you came rushing to criticize good old Dr.Buarque and brand him for having a defeatistic attitude and asking him to resign.

You must be an elector of Renan.

But having a defeatist attitude is no way going to solve anything.

Yes. We should all be praising the "merda" instead.

If you dont have the courange to act and let defeatism control you then yes you will always be its prisoner.

It seems that you have the courage. In Canada.

What the professor is talking about is dam real, it seems to me that Brazil is just like where Im from, Dem.Rep. of Congo in Africa. Most of 3rd world countries are strugling to make it even when they are really working HARD. Globalization will take away the last hope of poor people and poor countries. But what do u want, people from powerful countries get their own issues so how do u wanna change things? plus that they dont care. I'm not poor but being rich in thoses poor country like where I'm from means really nothing cause u still under the fire of your undevelope reality like poor people next to you. It get to be a BIG social revolution or we will eat each other like animals one day or it's already happening

What the professor is talking about is dam real, it seems to me that Brazil is just like where Im from, Dem.Rep. of Congo in Africa.

No, Brazil WAS not like Congo, but is likely to become one,unless we stop our leaders from governing like Patrick Lumumba!

I'm not poor but being rich in thoses poor country like where I'm from means really nothing cause u still under the fire of your undevelope reality like poor people next to you.

You say that you are not poor.But I dont know if there is an affluent (and educated) Middle Class in your country that helped the poor class to go up the social and economic ladders through education. Here we HAD and now the middle class is trying NOT to migrate to the poor class!

It get to be a BIG social revolution or we will eat each other like animals one day or it's already happening

If you are going to lead the BIG revolution in Congo, I hope you do it from within Congo,and not sitting in Europe,Canada or U.S. and passing on your instructions to your faithful followers in Congo!

Btw, the Africans I have met were highly educated and stressed the importance of Education to develop a country. Probably ,due to their closer association with the English. They were quite disciplined too.

Anyway, I am glad that you took a little time off to express your opinion in this blog. It is always good to hear the views of other nationalities,besides the Americans,about our country.

It seems that you have the courage. In Canada.

That was a good one

I agree that the good Senator paints a dire picture, but it is one that rings of truth and the hopelesness that comes with this truth. What tires me is Brazilians like yourself that continue to turn your blind eye on the truth forgeting about poverty, crime and hunger...pointing out Samba, Futbol, the beach and Carnival. You are exactly the type of person the Senator is writting about, your are the type he considers a prisoner. Blindados on your car, locked in your apartments, fearful to stop at red lights, always on edge when at the beach or on the bus. But you have learned to live with it, just beacuse you have learned that remarkable feat, to live with it...does not mean you are not a prisoner, you just don't realize it.

I also find it interesting that you challenge the Senator from Canada. Why did you leave? Better opportunity? Better security? Less crime? Corruption? Why would you challenge the article when you yourself have fled the prison and achieved freedom. Wouldn't it be great if your contrymen could have the same opportunity in the country they live in?

I also find it interesting that you challenge the Senator from Canada. Why did you leave? Better opportunity? Better security? Less crime? Corruption? Why would you challenge the article when you yourself have fled the prison and achieved freedom. Wouldn't it be great if your contrymen could have the same opportunity in the country they live in?

Mr.GTY, I have to know tow before you for asking this simple and humble question you put forth in this forum.May I,sir,congratulate you for your wisdom?

BTW, do you think that Kleber has picked up a fight with Steven Harper too?

Probably doesn't know who the current PM is my friend. Just enjoying the free health care, high wages (Canadian $ is equal to ths US $), fresh air, low crime and all the benefits of the developed world. He could care less about why or how our friends to the North have earned it.

Probably doesn't know who the current PM is my friend. Just enjoying the free health care, high wages (Canadian $ is equal to ths US $), fresh air, low crime and all the benefits of the developed world. He could care less about why or how our friends to the North have earned it.

Did your parents ever tell ya that that you are very smart? I got the news about the Can$=US$, a few days ago.The Canucks are very ,very smart and Kleber wouldnt care less to find out. Do you think he is one of the Cariocas that think that the entire world revolves around them,including Harper?

Kleb'r has executed an option / choice to leave paradise for one that's only such for a few weeks here and there each year?

Spose he's interested / situated to pick up a high end flat in Montreal? I've got a line on one that would help one of his countrymen out if he'd buy it. Poor sob made the mistake of leaving free health care behind to return with his family prior to the Can$ US$ parity.

For the couple of days,while downloading the home page of this site, my AVG anti virus program detects a virus called "JS/Downloader.Agent". I wonder if other bloggers (especially those who do not have a reliable Anti Virus program installed in their PCs) are encountering similar problems while downloading the home page.

Norton eliminated it courtesy of Symantec.

Norton eliminated it courtesy of Symantec.

My question is if the Site manager was aware of that their servers were infected with this odious virus?

It appears, since I posted my warning, they eliminated the virus and I have no problem in accessing the site.

JDS . . . Site manager . . . eliminated . > > (-: :-)

Not yet. I was merely trying to get some feed back from our customers

Were you experiencing this problem? If so, how did you solve it.

I like to listen to the youngsters like your good self.btw, do you think that that our mutual friends like AES,Ric,Forrest,etc; bought Symantec software counterfeited in PRC and did not perceive this dangerous ,odious,disgusting and onerous virus that was eating their PC circuitery?

And you dont sit there,just sipping your warm Brahma beer.Do something to escalate the spirits of all the good bloggers in this site (including that of Ch.C)

I'm still not sure of the question. What is new is found or what is new is invented? How much like or unlike is this to the movie theme where cloneing, copying, disseminating, stocking in preparation for public "official" release is done in order to make a quick buck off somebody elses major investment? The nuisance factor may or may not be obvious (you say odious, disgusting and onerous). Of that I am unaware, maybe more of an ANTIEXE situation? This sites' patterns of shifting time zones a few hours east (presumably off shore so as to avoid taxes) that has been observed in the past suggests there's more than one potential target or point of entry for whatever. AVG, antivirens, what ever the heck folks have does only what it does. I've never managed to get a lock down / filter before the fact solution for what comes my way from contacts in Brazil. Kinda like the situ in Israel 15-20 years ago, they just stuck post-it notes on each PC to list what that machine was known to be infected with already. If you were offended by what you contracted you had no reason to complain - you had been forewarned.

Remind me again before Monday which ticker symbols I should be spotting a couple on.

Every day the downloader message comes up, every day its supposedly resolved, then comes up again, in spite of scans with Norton, Ad-aware and Spybot.

But the Norton didn´t come from PRC.

But the Norton didn´t come from PRC.

Thanks buddy for assuring that Norton didn´t come from PRC. Unless, he is an illegal alien and anglicized his name to "blend with the natives"

The Norton wears me down. A gritty guy.

Sorry, but I bought my conterfeit copy on the corner of Joana Angelica & Barao de Torre in Ipanema, the Camelo had copies of all Microsoft products as well...probably smuggled in through Paraguay. You know what they say my Brazilian friend..."people in glass houses...

Good to hear from ya.

If you really stop to think, you will realize that the import taxes on Software are so heavy that unless the counterfeits are available, the Brazilians cannot be net connected as they are today! Bill Gates will forgive us if we buy the counterfeit software!

Do you know that some states tax 40% on imported software (though I dont know how the heck, they can control the downloaded ones). Something is wrong in the whole frigging policy!.

How have you been?

is absolutely uncontrollable in a country where people have to pay half a minimum wage just in taxes to buy legitimate software.

So How was your trip to Scandinavia and New York?

Welcome back.

are those no one in their right minds would visit for pleasure, barring hard-core masochists. The locals weren't too friendly either... but a job's a job.BTW, was less than a hundred clicks from your city while in transit... had no way of acessing the web,though,or might have arranged a visit... .Still it's good to be home. The missus hates these business trips.So do I.Getting way too old for this.

You´re a prisoner. We´re all prisoners.

a gente gosta de carneval, mas a gente naum gosta de mudar nosso governo
ai que preguissa!
assim falou Macunaima

Tem que agir com mais garra. Queima pneus no meio da rua. Pra descatitar mesmo. Vote PSOL.

"You´re a prisoner. We´re all prisoners."

Every time I even think I'm on the path of escaping there's this gigantic white corpustule like blob that comes to envelop me and take me right back to where / what I thought I was escaping from. Mind control. Best to just apply mass quantities of the cold stuff made for the masses ne'? AMBEV does a great job.

Dear Brazilians, There is an Italian quality control principle called the Pareto Principle. It states that 80% of a country's problems are caused by like 20% of the national issues under consideration (corruption, greed, ignorance). It also teaches that the top 20% of Brazilians are the ONLY ONES that can make a MEANINGFUL difference if they can somehow improve themselves and truthfully help their country i.e. serve the needs of the other 80%. So really, this article, if it represents, is a truthful feeling of someone in the upper 20% Brasilian Group, the Pareto group, who has not yet seemed to break through. I am sure the other 80% are normal people maintaining life in beautiful Brrraaazil! But, Don't expect miracles from them either. Although they are still great.

Are the catadores that spend long hours in the sun sifting thru trash. Without them the cities would be overwhelmed. The garis that hit the streets every night like an army, sweeping, sorting, bundling and throwing on to trucks, mountains of paper, cardboard and plastic.

The motoboys, bus drivers, truckers. loaders, tire repairers, gas station employees, bank tellers, camelos.

The slashers and burners in the jungle, makers of farinha, small farmers standing by the roadsides on Friday with a few sacks of rice or beans or farinha to sell in the city market. The jangadeiros, river fishermen, caiman butchers.

Housewives who stand in line all night to get their kids enrolled in school.

Guys in the sertão with fifty goats. Everyone involved in the great Informal Economy.

Not those who are only prisoners to a deadline and outdated modes of expression.

such thinkers here......great site....
in america, the senator would be considered a patriot!!!

This man could be speaking of America I tell you this is very insightful.
The world is very, very sick. Who has the medicine?

"Adults, prisoners in condominiums as closed off as spaceships, distant from the urban reality. Moving from the house to the locked car; from there to the underground parking lot, office or shopping center, airport or other cities in which the social bubble continues carrying them as prisoners, protected, frightened of the risk of social contamination."
SO TRUE Mr. Buarque !! So True !!