Summary

Massacres – In 1992, 111 prisoners were killed by the Brazilian Military Police shock troops that stormed into the Casa da Detencao (popularly known as Carandiru Prison) in Sao Paulo, after the outbreak of a riot. That massacre has marked the 1990s as the decade of slaughter and impunity, as the majority of the culprits are gone unpunished after ten years.
In 1993 there were three other killings: 8 children were sleeping in the square of the Candelaria Church in Rio de Janeiro when they were murdered by the Military Police; 21 people were shot dead by policemen who in their time off stormed into the shantytown of Vigario Geral in Rio de Janeiro; 12 Yanomami Indians were slaughtered by gold miners in the Yanomami Haximu village, State of Roraima. In 1995, 9 freeholders were murdered in a conflict with the police in Corumbiara, State of Rondonia. In 1996, 19 rural workers were killed by the police in Eldorado dos Carajas, State of Para. In 2002, 12 presumed members of the organised crime were ambushed and killed by the police in Sorocaba, Sao Paulo.

Shipbuilding industry – Brazil is starting to reactivate its decaying shipbuilding industry very slowly. That has been made possible by the decision of Petrobras, a major Brazilian oil producer, of building the new P-51 and P-52 oil platforms and many support vessels in Brazil.

Mining – In the 1980s the south-east region of the State of Para held the biggest open-air gold mine in the world – the Serra Pelada mine. Today the mining is again attracting attention because of the new national legislation authorising the mine opening after being kept closed for about eleven years. In 1983, in its peak, Serra Pelada turned out about 14 tons of gold.

Urbanisation – New York City has got its Central Park, Montreal its Mount Royal. Sao Paulo has got the Dom Pedro II Park, which has fallen into decay and has lost its main characteristics. A project, by the landscape architect Fernando Chacel, is designed to turn the area into a real park with gardens, facilities for sport and recreation etc.

Archaeology – In Ilhabela, an island off the north coast of the State of Sao Paulo, the discoveries of archaeological sites have been showing evidences that the area was inhabited by indigenous people. These people were supposed to have lived only in inland areas of that state.

Child prostitution – The sexual exploitation of children and young poses a serious problem to the country. In order to fight it, the government has adopted firm social policies to help the victims and prevent exploitation.

Medicine – The aged are the most likely people to suffer from the medical condition of depression, which has a very negative effect on their quality of life. The best way to cope with it is the early diagnosis and the immediate treatment. There are many medicines available in the market, but their side effects must be taken into account when medication is prescribed.

Cinema – Glauber Rocha is the most famous and influential of Brazilian filmmakers. More than twenty years after his death, his vast production is in the centre of the debates on the art of moving image. New editions of his books, his motion pictures, works on his life and production are again available in the market.

Literature – A self-taught poet from the State of Ceara, Patativa do Assare, whose works are internationally recognised, died in 2002. His works were subject of study in France and England. In Brazil his production has exerted a strong influence on a number of artists.

Media – The war on Iraq has showed that the press, in times of conflict, has great difficulties in reporting with impartiality on what is happening on the battlefield. Alberto Dines, a veteran journalist, has made a speech at the Federacao do Comercio do Estado de Sao Paulo on that subject and on the control on the media.