August 2011
4 posts
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NYT's Simon Romero Is On A Boat! →
For the handful of people who read this blog - a growing menagerie of seemingly hot women selling family unfriendly products: I so told you so.
Less than a month after his triumphant instant-classic que ladilla story in Caracas, NYT’s Simon Romero is on Latin America’s boat: Brazil.
T-Pain (wearing hat) on his way to join Simon Romero in Rio.
Sources familiar say Mr. Romero now...
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“NYT: Brazil is now one of the biggest buyers of United States Treasury...”
– New York Times: “Foreigners Follow Money to Booming Brazil, Land of $35 Martini”
Christ the Redeemer? Let’s hope not.
Full quote from NYT story (12Aug11) by Simon Romero:
… Brazil is now one of the biggest buyers of United States Treasury securities, becoming a larger...
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Felix: Years of liberal dogma have spawned a... →
felixsalmon:
Yes, that’s the headline of Max Hastings’s column in the Daily Mail. But you know how it is with headline writers. They always go a bit far. Get to Hastings’s actual copy, and it’s so much more sensible and toned-down.
If you live a normal life of absolute futility, which we can assume most…
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Extrapolations, Projections and Brazil's Auto... →
Ricardo Geromel’s post earlier today on Forbes (headline: “Automakers Announce $19b Investments in Brazil; Country Will Be the World’s Third-largest Auto Producer”) is based upon an extrapolation that has been improperly labeled a projection (or OED has just decided that the former is a synonym for the latter and I missed it).
To be sure, Geromel has included plenty of...
July 2011
23 posts
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The New Reality of the FARC →
The FARC have retaken the initiative in key areas of Colombia and security forces have thus far been unable to adapt to the changing conditions of the conflict (from post by Insight Crime)
Corporacion Nuevo Arco Iris, a Bogota-based think-tank that focuses on national security issues, released a 17-page report on Sunday which highlights several trends previously observed by InSight Crime.
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Gun Trafficking to Mexico and the ATF
From Shannon O’Neil’s post today to her excellent Council on Foreign Relations blog: “Latin America’s Moment” (what’s not in quotes is paraphrased from her post)
Seized weapons are displayed to the media by the Mexican Navy in Mexico City (Jorge Lopez/Courtesy Reuters).
The ATF’s now-infamous “Fast and Furious” program was supposed to shed light on the trafficking of firearms and increase...
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Dissertation: The Surrender of Secrecy and Access... →
Check out Greg Michener’s very informative PhD dissertation on the development of public information laws in Latin America. Some highlights after this map from his dissertation.
“… findings suggest that such laws emerge more robust in countries where 1) presidents lack control over the legislature and 2) news media coverage of transparency and access to information laws is...
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Reviewing the New Brazilian President’s 1st... →
Observing Brazil:
“This past Wednesday night Dilma Rousseff threw a cocktail party to celebrate the end of her government’s first semester and the begining of the National Legislature’s mid July break. According to LatinNews.com, 17 of 38 ministers made an appearance, as did the Presidents of both Chambers of Congress and the Vice President. The event began at 7:30, but by 9pm most...
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“Is Brazil’s labor market over heated? The Finance Minister says so. So why...”
– In Brazil, a Labor Market Bubble? - Kenneth Rapoza - BRIC Breaker - Forbes
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AP report that Rio state had 60k unsolved murders... →
AP’s report earlier this week of 60,000 unsolved murders in the state of Rio over 10 years - 40% of the victims remain unidentified - makes Mexico seem tame.
From LA Times: ~40k have died in Mexico since the late 2006 launch of “aggressive, military-led campaign against drug traffickers” and “furious infighting” among drug gangs.
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Brazil: Council on Foreign Relations Urges U.S. to... →
CFR’s Independent Task Force report Global Brazil and U.S.-Brazil Relations - out this week - recommends that “U.S. policymakers recognize Brazil’s standing as a global actor, treat its emergence as an opportunity for the United States, and work with Brazil to develop complementary policies.”
Bem-vindo China! The Telegraph (U.K.) – May 9, 2009: “China became Brazil’s...
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FT: Brazil's Infrastructure Holds It Back →
FT’s Joe Leahy interviews GE & BT Latam heads on Brazil infrastructure challenges (May 17)
Image from Sep 9, 2010 Latin Business Chronicle article: “Brazil’s Infrastructure Challenge”
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Boom fuels São Paulo warehouse price surge -... →
Insightful piece by FT’s Brazil bureau chief, Joe Leahy on how growth is outstripping warehouse capacity in Brazil. Next post is video by Leahy on the overall Brazil infrastructure challenge.
“Prime warehouse space in São Paulo is among the most expensive in the world, outstripping London and Singapore, as the country’s creaking infrastructure struggles to cope with a consumer...
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Machu Picchu Still Unfinished →
Workers scramble to finish Machu Picchu in time for centennial of rediscovery by failed real estate developer Hiram Bingham.
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The Mexican Suitcase →
Remember the time you tried to smuggle me out of that Mexican prison?
“In late December 2007, three small cardboard boxes arrived at the International Center of Photography from Mexico City after a long and mysterious journey. These tattered boxes—the so-called Mexican Suitcase—contained the legendary Spanish Civil War negatives of Robert Capa.”
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Mexico suitcase jailbreak fails →
You’re going to have to take something out of your bag. It’s WAY overweight.
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Role of BNDES - Largest Lender in Western... →
Professor Sérgio Lazzarini of the Institute of Teaching and Research (INSPER) in São Paulo: “The government seems to have taken the ideological position of promoting ‘national champions’ which has resulted in actually pushing market concentration into a few big groups.”
“Lazzarini’s postdoctoral research unveiled a network of government influence in the economy, chiefly via BNDES lending...
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