Rio São Francisco: Brazilian River Threatened |
The São Francisco River runs through a culturally rich but economically impoverished and drought-stricken region called the “sertão.” The struggle of subsistence farmers to eek out a living under such conditions has been captured in Graciliano Ramos’ novel Barren Lives, with a film version by director Nelson Pereira dos Santos. For decades politicians have used the suffering of smallholders like those that populate Ramos’ novel to convince taxpayers to throw money at the northeast. President Lula appears bent on pursuing a questionable irrigation project that activists say could further exacerbate the river’s environmental troubles.
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Brazil Museum: the Virtual Museum of the Person |
The Museum of the Person is transforming the way history is recorded in Brazil by providing a vehicle for unrecognized individuals - from street scavengers to nursing home residents - to tell and store their life stories.
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Brazilian Sex Workers Don’t Mourn, They Organize |
Sex workers around Brazil are organizing to defend their civil and human rights and advocate the full recognition of prostitution, which is not illegal in Brazil, as a profession under labor and social security laws. Public health officials praise their contributions to Brazil’s internationally acclaimed campaign for the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS.
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Brazil in Guinness World Records 2005 |
Entries may be ”weird, wonderful and often totally mind-boggling,” says the website of the British tabloid The Daily Mirror. A couple of dozen come from Brazil.
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The Doctor is IN: Public Care in Rio de Janeiro |
People are always asking about health concerns in Brazil. By and large the country’s a pretty healthy place. However, last year I caught dengue in downtown Rio de Janeiro. What I want to do here is share some of my observations as to how Brazilian (well, Southeastern Brazilian) public hospitals work for all of you who are interested in health matters.
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Drug Lords and Young Soldiers |
Almost four times as many young Cariocas die violent deaths as in the West Bank of Palestine. The impoverished adolescents of Rio's slums are not child soldiers in the strict sense of the term, but neither can they be considered ordinary delinquents when drug lords arm them with war-grade weapons and pay them monthly salaries.
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| Copacabana by Genevieve Naylor |
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