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Eyes on the U.S.

It’s The Demographics, Stupid! Brazilian Eyes On Republican Woes

To say that the U.S. is more divided than ever has become a cliché. The country has been largely divided down the middle ever since Ronald Reagan’s runaway victories in the 1980 and 1984 elections, when the Republican candidate won respectively 44 and 49 out of the 50 U.S. states. What Americans call “a landslide” […]

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Society

Minha Casa, Minha Vida: Brazil’s Public Housing Is Better Than Nothing

LONDRINA – In the southern state of Paraná, is a small town of some 12,000 people, with no schools, day care or health centers — nor any real shops. Initiated in 2009 by former Brazilian president Lula and completed last year, the Vista Bela public housing project has 2,712 residences (1,272 houses of 35 square […]

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Society

Razing The Slums, Evicting The Poor To Gentrify Rio For World Cup

RIO DE JANEIRO – The area surrounding the house of Eomar Freitas, 36, looks like a war zone after air strikes. The shopkeeper’s home neighborhood is Rio’s Favela do Metrô, a slum tucked between Radio Oeste Avenue and the metro, next to the Maracanã station. Located just 500 meters from the Maracanã stadium, where the […]

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Future

Brazilian Cyclists Take On Motorists With Help Of Hidden-Camera Helmets, YouTube

SÃO PAULO – Eight cyclists surround a black car stopping at a red light on Paulista Avenue, a major thoroughfare in São Paulo. The driver, who the cyclists had spotted committing traffic infractions, is told that he is being filmed. He immediately speeds away from the bikes — running the red light. He hits a […]

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Society

London Games Barely Over, Rio 2016 Already Facing First Scandal

RIO DE JANEIRO – 10 employees from the Rio 2016 Olympic Committee were fired for stealing confidential information from their counterparts at the London committee during the Games this past summer. This is the first scandal involving the next Olympics, which is still three years and 11 months away. The two committees of the British […]

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Economy

Why The Bad Economic News From Brazil Is Not Just Cyclical

-Analysis- SÃO PAULO – Under Dilma Rousseff’s government, Brazil is now slated to grow at a slower rate than previously forecast. What has happened? Simply put: the current economic model has stopped working, says Samuel Pessôa, researcher at the Brazilian Institute of Economics at the prestigious FGV university. His widely debated article, (which predates the […]

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Future

A Copper-Eating Bacteria’s Billion-Dollar Boost To Brazilian Mining

RIO DE JANEIRO – Brazil’s largest mining company Vale has developed, in partnership with the University of São Paulo (USP), a method to identify bacteria and fungi capable of “eating” copper. What exactly does that mean and why does it matter? Now with this process, waste generated by copper processing — one of the steps […]

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Economy

Weak Infrastructure, Strikes And Spotty Logistics Choke Brazil’s Agriculture Boom

SAO PAULO – While the U.S is suffering the worst drought in decades; Brazil is expecting a record-breaking grain harvest this year. But is the country’s infrastructure up to the task? Good prices for raw materials means Brazilians will be planting more soybeans and hiking their investments on technology, which will contribute to an unprecedented […]

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Society

Brazil’s Working-Class Makes A Huge Splash On Television

RIO DE JANERO – The saleswoman smiles ironically while pointing out the best-selling product in Zecabiju, one of the dozen accessory shops in Saara, the most crowded open-air market in Rio. “Suelen’s earring, of course. I didn’t even need to tell you, right?” she says. A long golden earring on the right ear — this […]

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