Two Recent Articles About E-Commerce in Brazil

"Forbes" magazine has published two recent articles about e-commerce in Brazil, a segment which the magazine believes has major growth potential.

One article is titled "Brazil's Dot-Com Gold Rush," and describes how a pair of 30-something entrepreneurs from the US have started a multi-million dollar company called "Baby.com.br," selling baby products.

The article also describes the challenges that face entrepreneurs in Brazil: a lack of skilled workers, a complex tax system, and a government bureaucracy that works slowly and inefficiently.  These are recurrent problems that continue to be common themes almost any story about doing business in Brazil.

The other article is "Brazil e-commerce 101 or The Basics About e-business in Brazil." This article provides a very basic guide to those interested in becoming involved in e-commerce in Brazil.

It  points out that the opportunities are great: approximately 100 million members of the middle class in Brazil are enthusiastic about internet shopping. However, it also describes the problems of Brazil's under-developed broadband infrastructure, and high monthly rates for both internet and cell phone service.  

Both articles underscore that Brazil offers a mix of big opportunities along with significant challenges for enterprising entrepreneurs. 

In NY "Times" Interview, Lula Denies Existence of "Mensalão"

In an interview that appeared in the New York "Times" on Saturday, August 25, 2012, ex-President Lula denied the existence of the so-called "mensalão."

He told the "Times" that "I do not believe there was a mensalão," adding that his party had no need to buy votes because it had already formed a majority using political alliances.  The article refers to Lula's meeting with Supreme Court Justice Gilmar Mendes, during which, according to Justice Mendes, Lula attempted to pressure the Justice into delaying the trial over the "mensalão" case.   

While declaring that "politics is my passion," Lula affirmed that he has no intention of running for President in 2014, and that Dilma will be his candidate.  

However, when asked about the election of 2018, he did not rule out a possible candidacy. (The Brazilian Constitution prohibits a President from serving more than two consecutive terms, so Dilma would be unable to run then).

Lula's predecessor, ex-President Fernando Henrique Cardoso, is quoted as describing Lula as "warm — a snake charmer." The two men, who first met in 1973, were political allies during Brazil's military dictatorship, but later ran against each other for the Presidency. Cardoso criticized Lula for having even met with Justice Mendes, but said that he and Lula continue to have periodic phone conversations. 

In other comments, Lula was critical of the way that European leaders have handled the economic crisis, saying that if they had acted sooner, the crisis would not have gotten out of control.   

Brazil's Agricultural Boom Threatened by Poor Infrastructure and Strikes

An article originally published in "Folha de São Paulo" is available in English translation on "Worldcrunch."  The original Portuguese version is also available.

The article says that in spite of a record-breaking agricultural harvest this year, two familiar culprits threaten the transport of crops: poor infrastructure, and the ongoing strikes that have already had an impact on other sectors of Brazilian society and the economy.

Source: Worldcrunch

BBC: Brazil's Strikes Are A Major Challenge For Dilma

A BBC article posted today (August 27, 2012) offers a concise summary of the strikes in Brazil, outlines the positions of both sides, and discusses the challenges that the strikes pose for Dilma.

Source: BBC

Reuters: Brazil Seeks to Attract Foreign Professionals

A recent article from "Reuters" discusses efforts by the Brazilian government to attract as many as 10 times the current number of foreign professionals to help economic growth.

Some key quotes from the article:

• "From construction sites to oil rigs and technology operations, companies are struggling to find qualified workers to ramp up their operations in Brazil." 

• "by some estimates the country still needs an additional 20,000 engineers a year to keep up with ambitious plans to modernize its obsolete infrastructure and tap massive offshore oil reserves."

• "The talent deficit has become even more pressing as Brazil's preparations for the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympic Games seem to be running behind schedule."

• "Foreigners face seemingly endless paperwork at government ministries and police stations. Getting a temporary identity card can often take more than six months."

Source:  Reuters

More Brazilian Music: August Edition

With some recent music recommendations from other bloggers, an intriguing list of 30 nominees for the best Brazilian music of all time posted by "Estadão," and some artists that I've stumbled across on my own, it's time to add another post about Brazilian music.

Alex, author of "Bossa Breezes," mentioned Jorge Ben in a comment on my post about Carmen Miranda and her unusual pronunciation of the "r" sound, not because their music sounds anything alike, but because of Jorge's pronunciation of "r". Specifically, Alex mentioned the track "O Telefone Tocou Novamente," which appears on the album "Força Bruta." I found it on the compilation CD "Pure Brazil: Caipirinha" and have been enjoying ever since.

Not long after this, Tom, author of "Eat Rio," wrote a post about João Gilberto, specifically about his brilliant album "Chega de Saudade." In that post, Tom included a link to an older post he had written about Jorge Ben's album "A Tábua de Esmeralda." While I highly recommend that you click on the link and read the post, be prepared to see way more of Rod Stewart than you may want to. In fairness, Rod is there for a legitimate reason and not as some form of misbegotten eye candy. Still, if you find the photo to be too traumatic, just scroll past it quickly and you'll get to the good part. 

Tom was pretty enthusiastic about the album, and he was right: these songs go beyond being accessible and are almost immediately infectious. I also learned from Tom's post that Jorge Ben changed his official name to Jorge Ben Jor, to avoid confusion with George Benson, but since my blog isn't official, I'm sticking with Jorge Ben, which is the name that appears on his classic albums.  

While some of Tom's faithful readers gave him a hard time for his post about João Lucas & Marcelo's hit "Eu Quero Tchu, Eu Quero Thca," he has more than redeemed himself with his recent music posts. And he did warn people not to listen to the song if they didn't want to get the tune stuck in their heads. I've already admitted in an earlier post that I like some sertanejo universitario songs because of their high energy and repetitive lyrics, and this one certain fits the bill on both counts. It's on my playlist for the gym.

Vanessa da Mata's CD "Bicicletas, Bolos e Outras Alegrias" was recommended as one of the top 10 Lusophone albums of 2010 by the author of "Caipirinha Lounge," a fantastic blog that focuses on music sung in Portuguese, Brazilian and otherwise. I listened to the tracks that he has on his site, but ended up buying her earlier album "Sim."  She reminds me of a slightly softer version of Marisa Monte, which I realize may not be a very helpful description, but if you hear her, you'll probably know what I mean….or maybe you'll be even more confused by my comparison.  In any case, listen to her if you haven't already.  

Meanwhile, my Amazon recommendations kept suggesting that I'd like "Wave" by Antonio Carlos Jobim, probably due to the amount of Brazilian music I've been buying lately.  So I finally gave in and ordered the CD, a 1967 classic bossa nova instrumental album with orchestral backing. It's perfect for lazy afternoons or late night listening when you just want music, with no lyrics to distract you. OK, a few tracks might sound almost like elevator music, but I guess that just shows that sometimes even the people who choose elevator music do the right thing. 

I've written about the film "Cidade de Deus" in an earlier post. Several of the songs in that film caught my attention right away, but I only bought Hyldon's 'Na Rua, Na Chuva, Na Fazenda" at the time.  Since then, my musical tastes have expanded, and in sampling the disc, I realized that I liked most of the songs.  Tracks deserving special mention are Raul Seixas' "Metamorfose Ambulante",  Cartola's "Preciso Me Encontrar," Tim Maia's "No Caminho do Bem," and Wilson Simonal's "Nem Vem Que Não Tem." 

"Estadão's" recent poll asking "Qual o melhor disco brasileiro de todos os tempos?" includes 30 albums from 1959 up through 2003.  In the Facebook post announcing the poll, many of the people who wrote comments chose Milton Nascimento and Lô Borges' "Clube Da Esquina" as their favorite. It gets very positive reviews on Amazon, too, with people describing it as a "masterpiece," "important," and "life changing."  Well, that was enough to get me interested in this album which I had never heard of before, let alone heard.  After listening to it a couple of times, I can see why so many people love it.  Released in 1972, it has a definite Beatles influence, but it's totally Brazilian and totally addictive.

And now Tom from "Eat Rio" has a new music post up, this time about another album that is also on "Estadão's" list:  "Acabou Chorare" by Novos Baianos.  There always seems to be something new to discover when it comes to Brazilian music!

"Estadão" Commemorates 70th Anniversary of Brazil's Entry In WWII

Brazilian troops on board the USS General Meigs,
the ship that took them to Italy in 1944

On August 22, 1942, Brazil declared war against Germany and Italy. "Estadão" is commemorating the 70th anniversary of this event with a special section called "O Brasil Em Armas."

It includes articles, photographs, video clips, and even some songs recorded by Brazilian troops while serving in Italy.

The US had been concerned that the Brazilian dictator Getúlio Vargas might be sympathetic to the Axis leaders, since many viewed Vargas himself to be somewhat fascistic. 

After the US declared war in December, 1941, Brazil maintained its neutrality, but in January, 1942, it broke diplomatic ties with Germany, Italy, and Japan. Under pressure from the US, Brazil agreed to allow the construction of American air bases in the northeast. This led Germany to begin attacking Brazilian ships in the Atlantic. In August, 1942, German U-boats sunk several Brazilian ships near its coast, killing over 500 people, most of them civilians. Public outrage in Brazil led the Brazilian government to declare war.

Brazil's "Força Expedicionária Brasileira" (FEB) consisted of 25,000 soldiers who fought alongside the US 5th Army in Italy until the end of the war.  Brazil was the only Latin American country to send combat troops overseas during the war.  The Brazilian Navy and Air Force also took part in the hostilities in the Atlantic Ocean.