The 2010 Brazilian Census came out about a week ago, and it reveals some startling numbers. Illiteracy Almost 10 percent of Brazilians remain illiterate, despite the rate falling from 13.6 percent in 2000. Although this is a remarkable drop in historical terms, authorities view the reality to be much brighter for youth; the illiterate segment Read more about Census 2010: By the Numbers[…]
Among the thirteen pillars of President Dilma Rousseff’s mandate, number 7 and 8 are about education and technology: 7. To guarantee education for social equality, citizenship, and development. 8. Transform Brazil into a scientific and technological power. A goal that falls in line with both of these pillars is to make computers more accessible to Read more about Access to Technology versus Manaus: Brazil’s Conflicting Goals[…]
Today the Jornal Globo newspaper reported that 40 percent of Governors have their mandate threatened by legal proceedings against them. Most of these suits allege vote-buying or manipulation of the media during 2010 elections. Eight out of ten cases were initiated by political rivals, and two out of ten by the federal government. Oddly, no Read more about How the Media Fragments Brazil[…]
Article written for freedominfo.org, a site curated by the D.C. based National Security Archive, 18 April, 2011: http://www.freedominfo.org/2011/04/rousseff-praise-brightens-outlook-for-brazilian-foi-bill/ Heartening events and significant setbacks added more drama to Brazil’s bid for a freedom of information (FOI) law this past week, but the overall outlook is considerably more promising now than before. Heartening Events: President Rousseff Declares Read more about A Freedom of Information Law in Brazil: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back[…]
See the article, published on 12 April, Brazil in Focus During a recent gathering of industrial leaders in Rio de Janeiro, Eliezer Batista da Silva mused that Brazil has the “taxes of Sweden and the services of Angola.” It’s an old saw, but it gained an extra bite in the mouth of Batista, a founder Read more about Published at Brazil in Focus: Brazil needs a Tax Break[…]
One of the oldest tenets of corruption theory is that election campaign contributions constitute the fountainhead of corruption in government. To repay that three million dollar contribution of BankX, elected candidate X proposes a bill to lower taxes on bank profits. Simple stuff. Conventional thinking is that if you eliminate this patron-client relationship by financing Read more about Narrowing or Widening the Fountainhead of Corruption?[…]
US$35 billion of public monies stolen. A colossal affront to the cities and country they work for? Yes. Preventable? Not yet. The most significant news item on the diversion of public monies I have seen in some time appeared in yesterday’s Globo as the lead opinion piece: “The Indicators Show Billions Stolen.” The article cites Read more about Considering the Diversion of Public Monies in Brazil -A Cool US$35 Billion for Starters[…]
Today’s Folha de Sao Paulo reported that the President’s Commission on Public Ethics has issued an ‘ethical censure’ to Erenice Guerra, Dilma Rousseff’s chief lieutenant during her tenure as Chief of Staff for President Lula da Silva. Guerra resigned in shame following revelations of corruption, influence peddling to benefit family relatives, and prevarication. Today, I Read more about Considering Impunity in the Public Service[…]
Libraries have always counted among my favorite places, but I got quite a shock when I visited a beautiful (functioning) colonial library in downtown Rio the other day, the Real Gabinete Português de Leitura (below). I entered the library and looked for an electricity outlet to plug in my computer. Unsure of whether the outlets Read more about Don’t Read your Book in Our Library[…]
Brazilians are famous for being friendly, happy people. They are so happy, in fact, they ranked 9th of 144 countries on the 2009 Happiness Index. So how does one of the happiest countries in the world also rank as one of the most murderous? Globo just reported that official are going to try to “disarm” Read more about Happy but Dangerous[…]