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Lula Is About to Fulfill His Wish of Getting His Good Friend Chavez in Mercosur

brazzil@brazzil.com (Thomaz Alvares de Azevedo e Almeida) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:10:57 +0000

On July 4, 2006, representatives of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay met in Caracas to sign the protocol for the entrance of Venezuela into the Southern Common Market (Mercosur). After two and a half years, the protocol was approved by the legislative bodies of Argentina and Uruguay, and as of now it may be only days away from being ratified by the continent's economic megalith, Brazil.

Denying Education is the Other AIDS. And Brazil Is Guilty of Inflicting It

brazzil@brazzil.com (Cristovam Buarque) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:56:09 +0000

Some sectors of the fight against AIDS have suggested that Thabo Mbeki, the former president of South Africa, committed genocide through his absence from the fight against the illness in his country throughout his two terms.

Child Labor Went Down in Brazil, But 5 Million Underage Workers Are Still Way Too Many

brazzil@brazzil.com (Regina Scharf) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 05:44:16 +0000

One hundred and eleven years after Brazil abolished slavery, the number of workers deprived of their freedom is still huge. They raise cattle, produce charcoal, sugar cane or timber. Some of them, most undocumented Bolivians, work in basements of small apparel factories in São Paulo and other metropolis.

Some Humility Would Do Lula Good. On Human Rights Brazil Has Long Way to Go

brazzil@brazzil.com (Jay Bauman) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:56:39 +0000

On November 7, 2009 a few friends and I had an opportunity to take a look inside a Brazilian jail outside the city of Rio de Janeiro. We were able to take some amateur footage of our experience on video (see link below). It's no surprise, of course, that the typical Brazilian jail lacks some of the functionality of those in North America or Europe, but our experience that day was quite shocking.

Brazil's Amazon Rainforest Policy Is a One-Way Road to Disaster

brazzil@brazzil.com (Stephanie Brault) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 23:07:44 +0000

Depletion of the Amazon Rainforest is not a new concern facing environmentalists, biologists, ecologists, and a growing number of the Amazonian indigenous peoples. For decades they have feared for the fate of the world's most biologically diverse and species-rich hothouse.

Geisy, Brazil's Miniskirt Student, Should Try US College Next Year

brazzil@brazzil.com (B. Michael Rubin) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 23:54:53 +0000

Geisy Arruda made history this week in Brazil, but for all the wrong reasons. What began as a poorly planned fashion statement has become a worldwide tale. Geisy decided to wear a pink mini-dress to her private college in São Paulo state, and after that, all hell broke loose.

Vigilante Groups in Brazil Trump Drug Gangs and Become Rio's New Authority

brazzil@brazzil.com (Luiz Augusto Gollo) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 23:05:29 +0000

The push of vigilante groups in Rio de Janeiro's favelas (shantytowns) in the last three years is the most important and alarming information of the just-released study by the Rio de Janeiro University's Violence Research Center (Nupev-Uerj).

Brazil Police Use Press Coverage as Green Light to Kill and Invade Houses in Rio

brazzil@brazzil.com (Renato Godoy de Toledo and Claudia Santiago) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 23:57:30 +0000

A dispute over drug trafficking territory in Rio de Janeiro has intensified lately, leaving in its wake unprecedented acts of violence, such as the downing of a police helicopter in the northern zone of the city on October 17. Three policemen died and another two were injured. This event has drawn the attention of the international media, who are raising the issue of public security for the 2016 Olympics to be held in Rio.

A Filial: Brazil Band Mixes Samba and Forró in the Hip Hop's Cauldron

brazzil@brazzil.com (Bard Lamasi) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:13:57 +0000

In a room on the edge of a tropical forest in Rio de Janeiro, five friends lay down tracks on hacked software, coordinating their takes with the purring of fist-size cicadas and the occasional cry of a monkey. The sounds of this global city bleed through every beat on Rio hip hop crew A Filial's $1,99, out on Verge Records, an independent label dedicated to supporting both innovative global artists and music education projects in underserved communities.

Death of Neguinho do Samba Orphans Didá and Olodum, Brazil and World Now Poorer

brazzil@brazzil.com (Phillip Wagner) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:48:47 +0000

I am the co-founder and Director of Rhythm of Hope, working in the Afro Brazilian cultural epicenter of Salvador, Bahia. Through Danielle Giron Valim there I met Antonio Luiz Alves de Souza, a remarkably creative and compassionate man who became and remained a personal friend of many years.