JANUARY 2004 CONTENTS:
 Brazil: Rocinha Shantytown Goes to War
In Rocinha, Rio de Janeiro, the largest favela in South
America, teachers at local schools are advising pupils to stay indoors.
Traffickers have imposed a 10 pm curfew on the area, and all vehicles
arriving in Rocinha after this time are searched. Tinted car windows
have been banned by a drug lord.
by Tom Phillips
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Brazil: A Tale of Two Lulas
Brazil's financial team has been reeling. And last week, President
Lula took his team to Geneva to enlist the world's industrial giants
to open shop in Brazil. But the domestic economy is stagnant. Lula
has vaunted the creation of one million jobs in 2003, but failed
to mention the loss of 500,000 over the same period.
by Norman Madarasz
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Brazil's Lula Gives the Press a Hard Time. Again.
The Brazilian government is operating on a climate of electoral
campaigning and the press is not. Out of step with each other,
they leave room for all kinds of misunderstandings. President
Lula da Silva made clear what he thinks: "News is the stuff
we don't want to see published; the rest is advertising".
by Alberto Dines
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She Can't Forget the Brazilian Sea
No matter what, the sea always comes through in nearly all
of Brazilian painter Denise Lion's work, not only in the image
but also with the material she uses. She's easy to talk. When
talking about her work, she says, "I'm obsessed with eyes.
I guess it's because eyes can tell you everything about a person."
by Shawn Floyd
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Brazil: Mr. Lula Never Goes to Washington
Brazilian President's trip to India has been marked with the usual
speeches about the need to end hunger and improve the gap
between the rich and poor countries. Lula is being naïve if he
thinks that countries like India and China will give any real
support to Brazil. Lula would be better off traveling to Washington.
by John Fitzpatrick
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Brazil: Here, City Hall Does the Kidnapping
Brazil's Indianist Missionary Council says it has evidence indicating
that the city hall of Uiramutã, in the state of Roraima is involved
in the abduction of three catholic missionaries. The three
religious men defend the Indians' historical right to lands
in the region. Many people have been threatened with death.
by Cimi
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Gearing up for Elections in Brazil
The October elections in Brazil will be the first real test of
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's popularity. The Workers'
Party (PT) hopes to retain the mayors of four capital cities
where they are now in charge: São Paulo, Porto Alegre, Belo
Horizonte and Recife. The hardest battle will be in São Paulo.
by Richard Hayes
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Now, Brazil Has to Create Jobs
The so-called Brazil risk factor is at its lowest since 1998 and C
bonds are selling at nearly face value. The real is holding steady.
Few people anticipated this rosy scenario in the months leading up
to the presidential election in October of 2002. I was not one of them
and I continue to be somewhat leery of Lula and his cohorts.
by Richard Hayes
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Brazil: Bahia's Miracle Ribbon
Nowadays, the fita of Senhor do Bonfim comes in many colors and
is tied around the wrist rather than around the neck. Its primary
function is to petition for future miracles rather than to remind
anyone of previous such interventions. The modern-day fita is
also worn to promote Brazilian pride and/or as a souvenir.
by Tiago Cordeiro
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 Job Openings: Brazil's Favelas Need Teachers
By teaching English in favelas and other poverty stricken
communities, in the state of Alagoas, Brazil, teacher Ângelo Farias
da Silva and his volunteers do help those in poorer communities
to raise their self-esteem. This work gives them the chance to realise
their potential, and escape a life of poverty by providing light
at the end of the tunnel.
by Gal Monteiro
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Happy 450th Birthday, São Paulo
São Paulo contains everything that is bad about Brazil, particularly
the enormous social division between the rich and poor, but it
also contains a lot that is good and admirable. If the people
in other parts of Brazil had been imbued with the same spirit
of enterprise the country would be very different today.
by John Fitzpatrick
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Rugby in Brazil? Don't Laugh!
Compared to football, rugby is almost non-existent in Brazil.
But it isn't entirely absent. At last count there are over 50
rugby clubs in the country. This weekend, a Brazilian team
will be in the qualifying competition for the World Cup
Sevens, a shortened version of rugby with seven players.
by Guy Burton
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Bye Bye, Brazil
Brazilians have a great custom which is an instant ice breaker.
They kiss everybody hello and good-bye. They are not air kisses.
In the state of Minas Gerais, people normally give two kisses,
unless you are not married. In that case, you get three "para
casar" (to get married). Even men kiss each other sometimes.
by Monica Trentini
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It Happened One Night in Brazil
What wasn't natural was the jolt of electricity that
I felt as I grasped her hand, or the flash of fire I
saw in her dark eyes as she smiled at me. I thought:
I am going to drown in her eyes, and I probably would
have done so if the captain hadn't chosen that
moment to slap me on the back and offer me a beer.
by Philip Blazdel
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A Bill to Join Brazil and the US
If a little-known legislative bill had succeeded in Brazil during
the 1830s Brazilian and Americans might be sharing politicians and
the products of each nation would go to the other free from any
tax. The bill also required both nations to mutually defend themselves
against foreign aggression.
by Guy Burton
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Olympics in Brazil: Does Rio Have What It Takes?
Brazil wants to host the 2012 Olympic Games and has already a
blueprint to back its candidacy. Security fears, however, have
been pinpointed as the main threat to the Brazilian bid. Although
Rio is unlikely to be an Al Qaeda's possible target, the city is
burdened by frequent drug war-related shootings.
by Luis Waldmann
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What Brazil Can Teach the World
We need to start looking elsewhere for ideas. This means
rejecting the assumption that we have nothing to learn
from 'poorer' countries. In fact, it may be in Brazil where
we can learn how to use our public money better. In particular
we could examine the participatory budget process.
by Guy Burton
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In Brazil the Left Thrives
The big winners of Brazil's 1964 military coup, unlike what the Brazilian
military think, were the leftist movements who wanted to transform
the country into a soviet, Marxist and miserable banana republic.
One can be surprised that the descendents of communist party chief
Luís Carlos Prestes have not yet demanded his promotion to the generalship.
by Janer Cristaldo
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Brazil vs. US: The Finger Affair
Brazil has been harshly criticized for its decision to identify
Americans arriving in its land. However, nothing has been said
about the grueling process Brazilians have to endure to simply
obtain an entry Visa to the U.S. The procedure may take days
and entail an undue invasion of privacy of Brazilian citizens.
by José Gurgel
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A Brazilian Voice in Fiction
Brazilian-born Anna K. Andrade, a resident of New York is one of
the contributors to Coloring Book: An Eclectic Anthology of
Fiction & Poetry by Multicultural Writers. "A Daugher's Secret,"
which appears in the book is her first published story. It tells
of a girl who sees her mother cheating with a strange man.
by Ernest Barteldes
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Bidu and Carmen: Two Brazilian Charmers
The old truism that "good things come in small packages" was never
more so than in describing the physically compact and vocally
alluring attributes of the lovely Bidu Sayão and the electric
Carmen Miranda. They were the central figures in Brazilian
opera and popular entertainment for the better part of 30 years.
by Joe Lopes
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U.S. Mad Cow Gives Brazil a Boost
Despite being the world's largest exporter in terms of volume,
Brazil lags far behind the U.S. when it comes to revenue.
Cheap corned beef is the bulk of Brazil's meat shipments, and
that is not prone to change until 2005, when experts forecast
Brazil will be entirely free of foot and mouth disease.
by Luis Waldmann
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Welcome to Brazil - Say "Cheese"
Simply because Brazilians have to be photographed and
fingerprinted in the US is no reason why Americans have to be
treated in like manner in Brazil. After all, the Americans have
good reason to be wary of foreign visitors. The judge's reason was
petty and vindictive and not based on any legal statute or argument.
by John Fitzpatrick
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Brazilian Judge Explains Anti-US Measure
Since the first of the year, Americans arriving in São Paulo are
being photographed and fingerprinted. According to federal judge
Julier Sebastião da Siva who imposed the measure, this action
is in defense of the civil rights of Brazilians who will be submitted
to the same procedures when disembarking in the US.
by Juliana Andrade
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Is Brazil in Love with the A-Bomb?
Brazil announced that in a few months it will start producing
enriched uranium, which means it will be able to make nuclear
weapons on relatively short notice. How do we know what those
sneaky Brazilians are up to? Next October, Bush may find it very
convenient to make that question dominate his re-election campaign.
by Ira Chernus
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A Lesson of Brazil with Professor Lula
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in his State of the
Union address decided to give the press a lecture. The
presidential incursion into journalistic theory was unfortunate.
It reveals a voluntarist facet until now reserved to economic or
political analysts and it may generate dangerous confusion.
by Alberto Dines
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 US Company Ads Vex Brazilians
Using emotionally-charged ads in the Brazilian media, American-
based company Monsanto is trying to get the consumer to believe
that transgenic production promotes food and environmental security,
citing the benefits that biotechnology can bring. The commercials
are getting a barrage of criticism.
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When It Feels Good Being Brazilian
The New Year's celebrations in Brazil can be inspiring. Rio presents
the world's biggest outdoor party with fireworks, music and thousands
dressed in white throwing flowers to goddess Iemanjá. São Paulo's
São Silvestre marathon is a show of camaraderie, which makes a
heartening change from the town's usual rat race life.
by John Fitzpatrick
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