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Summary
Energy – Global warming has prompted a number of mostly industrialized countries to seek alternatives in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In this context, Brazil’s sugar cane-based ethanol has great potential to replace fossil fuels.
Environment – The advancing process of desertification in several parts of the world has been worrying international environmental protection agencies. The main cause for the phenomenon, according to specialists, is the inadequate use of the land. As a result, huge areas become unproductive and subject to erosion.
Agriculture – Brazil is the world champion in the production of orange juice, a commodity that is almost totally exported. Mainly located in the state of São Paulo’s hinterland, the gigantic orange groves are facing, however, a serious threat in the form of greening, a disease that infects orange trees and compromises productivity.
Employment – Becoming a "juristic person", that is, starting up a company, has been the only alternative to unemployment for many workers, in face of the ever-increasing number of companies turning away from regular work contracts in order to avoid payroll taxes. The situation has motivated alterations to the legislation, which have been widely covered by the media.
Historic preservation – The recuperation of the historic Pelourinho area in the downtown district of Salvador, the capital of Bahia, is stirring the same heated debate witnessed in other city heritage programs, for memory preservation has often been guided by a policy which, by seeking to transform the place in a sightseeing attraction, expels local residents.
Ecology – After 14 years being considered in the Brazilian Congress, the Atlantic Forest Bill was sanctioned by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in December 2006. The new piece of legislation regulates interventions in that biome, which extends over 17 states and is the country’s richest biodiversity.
Technology – The city of Campinas, in the state of São Paulo, is home to the Synchrotron Light National Laboratory, an immense particle accelerator, the only one of its kind in Latin America. The equipment, which has been in operation for 10 years, allows researchers to perform advanced studies in diverse areas, at an internationally competitive level.
Economy – The cradle of the Brazilian automotive sector, São Paulo state’s ABC region is showing signs of a faint recovery after suffering with the stagnation and economic changes that took place in the 1990s. Still timidly, new companies set up shop, while unemployment levels have been following a declining trend since the turn of the century.
Tradition – Every year, on Good Friday eve, the city of Goiás, the former capital of the state by the same name, attracts thousands of visitors to the Fogaréu procession. During the tourist-religious event, public lighting is turned off and a torchlight procession led by 40 farricocos – characters dressed in vibrant colored tunics and pointed hoods that hide their faces–, makes its way through the city.
Citizenship – The idea of transforming the outskirts of big cities in cultural clusters has been gaining momentum in several regions of the country. By drawing on the potentialities of the local residents themselves, such initiatives have resulted in improved quality of life and the recovery of self-esteem.
Arts – There are plenty of projects underway in Brazil with the aim of diffusing classical music. One of the campaigns, in particular, is seeking to reintroduce musical education in the schools’ curriculums, from which it was eliminated, in the early 1970s, during the military dictatorship.
Memory – Historian, documentalist, educator, politician and entrepreneur Luiz Camillo de Oliveira Netto belonged to a generation of intellectuals who believed in a refounding of Brazil that was built on a democratic ideal. In addition to working to enrich the country’s historiographic legacy, he had an active participation in the downfall of the Estado Novo.
Interview – Nelson de Oliveira and Rinaldo de Fernandes are two writers who perform the role of true "catalysts" of Brazil’s contemporary literature. By way of critical activity and teaching, and the organization of anthologies, they have gathered around them those most significant authors who, in every corner of the country, dedicate themselves to writing prose fiction and poetry.
Juridical studies – The Higher Law Council of the Federação do Comércio do Estado de São Paulo debated, at a meeting held on 21 May 2007, the implications of the legislation overhaul regarding the oversight and enforcement framework for companies hiring juristic persons. According to the council members, the government’s objective is not to promote a tax reform, but to generate juridical uncertainty in order to boost tax collection.
Thematic panel – The Economics, Sociology and Politics Council of the Federação do Comércio do Estado de São Paulo received, on 8 March 2007, Cláudio Lembo, former governor of the State of São Paulo, who spoke on the problems challenging the country, especially in the area of public security. Based on his gubernatorial experience, Mr. Lembo contended that Brazil urgently needs integration and the reaffirmation of social values; otherwise, collapse will be inevitable.
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