Summary

Health – Statistics for the year 2003 show that some thirty million Brazilians have dental problems owing to one of the country’s trademarks, namely, the socioeconomic inequality that afflicts the majority of the population. Lack of culture and inadequate eating habits compound the situation. Paradoxically, there is no shortage of dentists, who actually abound. Yet care is deficient.

Brazil – In a country where a significant share of the population lives close to the poverty line, approximately 30 percent of the annual food output is completely wasted. Still, the entrepreneur willing to donate foodstuffs, besides having to pay taxes on them, runs the risk of facing a lawsuit.

Employment – The Brazilian labor market is undergoing a broad-sweeping transformation, with traditional trades disappearing and new ones arising. According to specialists, technological advances are among the factors driving that transformation. To respond to this new reality, the country needs to pay more attention to education and vocational training.

Biotechnology – The National Technical Committee on Biosecurity has split over a crucial issue. On one side are most of its members, who believe that Brazil cannot do without transgenics. On the other are those who warn of the potential risks that such species may pose to human health and the environment.

Finances – According to the government, 40 million people have no access to a checking account in Brazil. The situation has drawn the attention of some banks, which have focused on attracting a public representing today one of the fastest-growth markets for certain financial products and services.

Social inclusion – Former boxer Nilson Garrido made the decision to support his community’s destitute as they struggle to improve their living conditions. In an area ceded by the city, under an overpass in downtown São Paulo, he put up a gym, with makeshift and donated exercise equipment, where he offers boxing classes, gym sessions and even computer training to the region’s poor residents.

Environment – The European Union is fighting at the World Trade Organization (WTO) for the right to export retreaded tires to Brazil, a country which nevertheless allows the importation of this type of material, in a much lower scale, from two of its Mercosul partners, Uruguay and Paraguay. The WTO, however, recognizes the right of Brazil to bar the entrance of such goods, as they represent a serious threat to public health and the environment.

Memory – The year 2007 marks the birth centennial of Ernesto Geisel, the general who presided over Brazil from 1974 to 1979, during the military dictatorship era. His government, during which censorship was abolished and the country’s redemocratization process began, was also marked by the huge distortions that still today compromise the representativeness of the National Congress, and by the exponential growth of foreign debt.

Tradition – A cultural manifestation that arrived in Brazil in the mid 1800s brought by Azorean immigrants, the farra do boi (bull run party) is still alive in the state of Santa Catarina, where it stirs much polemic. On the one hand, environmentalists and animal protection societies see the party as an act of cruelty. On the other, revelers claim the right to keep the tradition, which, according to them, does not pose a risk to the animals.

Science – The Llewellyn Ivor Price Paleontology Center, located in Peirópolis, in the municipality of Uberaba, in the state of Minas Gerais, a region that is rich in fossils whose diversity and preservation levels are exceptional, stands out for its research activities and scientific diffusion. Operating in conjunction with the center is the Dinosaurs Museum, which attracts more than 100 thousand visitors a year to the village, where only 300 people live.

Literature – Brazilian writers Antonio Carlos Villaça, Maura Lopes Cançado and Campos de Carvalho are examples of talented authors. However, given their particular psychological circumstances, existential difficulties or the misunderstanding of their contemporaries, the three of them produced very little or did not even came to fully develop their literary skills.

Juridical studies – In face of the wave of violence that plagues the country, many people advocate the reduction of the penal majority to sixteen years of age. This was the theme discussed at the Higher Law Council of the Federação do Comércio do Estado de São Paulo (Fecomercio), in which jurists presented their opinions and arguments for and against the measure. The change, however, depends on a constitutional amendment that stands very little chance of passage in Congress.

Interview – Milton Vargas, an engineer and professor emeritus of the University of São Paulo’s Polytechnic School, is also a philosopher, writer and historian. The author of a number of books and a member of the State of São Paulo Literary Academy, he talks about his interest in science and philosophy.

Thematic panels – In a double edition, the insert focuses on two talks delivered at the Economics, Sociology and Politics Council of the Fecomercio, Sesc and Senac. The first one analyzed a study that investigated Argentina’s economic recovery, in contrast with the lack of growth witnessed in Brazil. The speaker, economist Samuel Pessôa, states that what makes a country grow is a combination of the right micro and macroeconomic reforms.
The second talk, drawing on research studies on the theme of violence in Brazil and on the work being done by organizations engaged in finding solutions to the problem, was conducted by Paulo Mesquita, an expert in the subject.

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