TEXTOS PARA O 4º BIMESTRE 2014 – 3º COL                              

                                     BRAZIL´S POOR SCHOOLS

                                                    STILL A LOT TO LEARN

Brazil´s woeful schools, more than perhaps anything else, are what hold it back. They are improving – but too slowly.

            GOD may be Brazilian, as citizens of South America´s largest country like to say, but he surely played no part in designing its education system. Brazil has much going for it these days – stable politics, an open and fairly harmonious society, na economy that has remembered how to grow after decades of stagnation – but when it comes to the quality of schools, it falls far short even of many other developing countries despite heavy public spending on education.

            In the OECD´s worldwide tests of pupils´ abilities in reading, maths and science, Brazil is near the bottom of the class. Until the 1970s South Korea was about as prosperous as Brazil but, helped by its superior school system, it has leapt ahead and now has around four times the national income per head. World domination, even the friendly and non-confrontational sort Brazil seeks, will not come to a place where 45% of the heads of poor families have less than a year´s schooling.

            Moisés Zacarias, who is 14, goes to school in Diadema, a poor suburb of São Paulo that sprang up when millions of people migrated from the countryside to the country´s biggest metropolis, starting in the 1960s. At his school, which has 2,000 pupils, there are three separate shifts of students every day to get the most out of the buildings and teachers. Last year some pupils beat up others during a lesson and posted a video of the attack on the internet. Teachers often fail to show up for work. But Moisés´s school is better than it was five years ago.

                                                                       (The Economist – adapted)

                        The Modern Matchmakers

Sex and love

Internet dating sites claim to have brought science to

the age-old question of how to pair off successfully. But

___________ they?

            FOR as long as humans have romanced each other, others have wanted to meddle. Whether those others were parents, priests, friends or bureaucrats, their motive was largely the same: they thought they knew what it took to pair people off better than those people knew themselves.

            Today, though, there is a new matchmaker in the village: the internet. It differs from the old ones in two ways. First, its motive is purely profit. Second, single wannabe lovers are queuing up to use it, rather than resenting its adverse criticism. For internet dating sites promise two things that neither traditional matchmakers nor chance encounters at bars, bus-stops and bar mitzvahs offer. One is a vastly greater choice of potential partners. The other is a scientifically proven way of matching suitable people together, enhancing the chance of “happily ever after”.

            The greater choice is unarguable. But does it lead to better outcomes? And do the “scientifically tested algorithms” actually work, and deliver the goods in ways that traditional courtship (or, at least, flirtation) cannot manage? These are the questions asked by a team of psychologists led by Eli Finkel of Northwestern University, in Illinois, in a paper released—probably not coincidentally—a few days before St Valentine’s Day. This paper, published in Psychological Science in the Public Interest, reviews studies carried out by many groups of psychologists since the earliest internet dating site, Match.com, opened for business in 1995. In it, Dr Finkel and his colleagues cast a sceptical eye over the whole multi-billion-dollar online dating industry, and they are deeply unconvinced.

                                                                       (The Economist – adapted)

                    The Truth About India

Four stupid misconceptions the West needs to shake.

            India is now both rich and poor, and this is the way it is likely to stay. The world’s largest economies in the future — India, China, Brazil — will contain large numbers of poor people, as India does today. It also has many super-rich, like Sunil Mittal, who in the 1970s was running a little factory in Punjab making bicycle parts. In 1995 Mittal launched a telecom company, Airtel, which now has 223 million subscribers across 19 countries, giving him an estimated net worth of $8 billion.

            India’s economic rise is not eating American jobs, as I learned while researching my book. Trade happens in many directions, and the attraction of cheap labor overseas is only part of the story. When Airtel needed to expand fast during the early years of the cell-phone revolution, Mittal realized he would not be able to build infrastructure fast enough to

keep up with demand. So he reverse-outsourced, giving work to foreign companies like Nokia, IBM, and Ericsson. India’s contradictions are less confusing to Indians than they are to foreigners. New technology is not really regarded as alien or “Western,” and tends to quickly become indigenous since India is a flexible and adaptive society.

            Women in India are usually portrayed as oppressed — and often they are — but in some circumstances can have opportunities that they would not have elsewhere. Leading financial institutions in India, like HSBC, RBS, JPMorgan Chase, ICICI, and UBS, are all run by women. Big political names like Sonia Gandhi are not alone. Mayawati Kumari, the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, was one of nine children, and was raised on the edge of Delhi in a poor family. She now rules a state with a population nearly equal to that of Brazil.

TEXTOS PARA TRABALHO DO 3º COL NOTURNO – BAURU/SP

3º BIMESTRE - 2014

                                                           TECHNOLOGY

            A Brazilian inventor has come up with a new gadget that converts your breath into electricity. This means breathing has become a source of renewable energy – at least while you are alive. Joco Paulo Lammoglia, from Rio de Janeiro, won the Red Dot design award for his AIRE device. His invention uses the wind flow created by breathing and changes it into

energy that can power mobile phones and iPods. Tiny turbines in the AIRE charger create the electrical power from your breath. The device is worn like a mask and can be used while exercising or even when sleeping. Mr Lammoglia hopes his new creation will help protect the environment.

            Lammoglia explained how useful he hopes the AIRE will become. He said: “I hope to bring the concept into production and reduce the carbon footprint. It can be used indoors or outdoors, while you’re sleeping, walking, running or even reading a book.” He also said his invention encouraged people to exercise as well as saving energy and the environment. He explained why he thought the AIRE was so useful, saying: “Though many of our modern gadgets offer benefits, they tend to use a high amount of electrical energy. Harnessing energy from human activities and transforming it into electricity is possible and is a great solution.” The product is not yet on sale but is sure to be a big seller when it does hit the shelves.

                                                                       (breakingnewsenglish

            ECO CATASTROPHE PREDICTED IF WORLD DOESN’T ACT

            Smog will kill millions, primordial forest will be lost for ever and there will be a dramatic decline in biodiversity – these are some of the bleak possibilities outlined in a high level eco report.

            The Environmental Outlook to 2050 report was unveiled by the respected Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

            It looked at some potential consequences of current economic activity if nothing was done to change consumption, production patterns and population growth that are storing up problems.

            A troubling picture emerges with the report predicting that economic activity will increase fourfold, and energy consumption almost double, with most of that through increased consumption of fossil fuels. The report states this is why prime forest will be destroyed and more people will be killed by pollution.

            As the problems get worse from economic production so countries that rely on tourism will start to lose out as fewer people will want to travel from the comfort of their homes.

            It also paints a depressing view of animal species being made extinct and certain of the most vulnerable plant life being wiped out, which in turn will have a knock on impact on climate change and the planet’s ability to deal with pollution.

            Most alarming of all is the view that water shortages will get worse with parts of the world suffering prolonged periods of drought and what water there is being at far greater risk of being polluted.

            The report says that developed countries are going to have to take the lead in making changes if this doomsday scenario is to be avoided. Among a range of options are calls to back development of clean technologies, and heavy taxes on those who exploit ecosystems.

            It also proposes a radical agenda of improving education for women in the developing world and more contraception and information about birth control. The report also notes that the developed world has to take the first steps if booming countries like China, India and Brazil are to be persuaded to join in.

                                                                       (Isabelle Monte)

                                       SHOULD WE REWARD SUCCESS?

            Society is wrong to reward and try to emulate the most successful people in business – or indeed any sector. Instead we should be lauding those who are talented, but not as successful. Those are the findings of new research from academics at two British universities, who say that ‘success’ is often predicated on luck, a factor which is out of people’s control.

            The message that society’s top performers are not the most skilled and shouldn’t be emulated, appears to be counter-intuitive. Yet this report says that those who appear to have achieved the most in their particular field of expertise are often the beneficiaries of luck, an external, random force.

            The authors of this study point to the example of Bill Gates, the cofounder of the computing giant Microsoft, and one of the world’s richest men. They say that although he is undoubtedly talented, he achieved his initial success because his affluent family were able to send him to a school where programming was on the curriculum – at a time when most Americans didn’t have access to computers. Family connections also helped, according to Professor Chengwei Liu from Warwick University Business School.

            That kind of luck is often at work in the lives of the most successful, argues Mr Liu, which means their achievements aren’t completely attributable to their own skill. Instead, he advocates looking at those whom he calls ‘the second best’. They aren’t relying on lucky chances, so their performances offer na opportunity to measure real success. The study also argues that there are dangers if colleagues try to emulate the achievements of those who’ve been overly fortunate.

            This could explain the global banking crisis, says Professor Liu, who also believes that studying the lives of people such as Bill Gates for tips on reaching the top is fruitless. Of course, some academics argue that individuals can in fact create their own lucky circumstances through using personal contacts and pursuing all available opportunities. This research though says that because those with the highest salaries haven’t

completely earned them through skill, they should be taxed more heavily – which would be very bad luck.

                                                                                  (BBC)

TEXTOS PARA TRABALHO DO 3º COL MANHÃ – PEDERNEIRAS/SP

3º BIMESTRE - 2014

                                                           TECHNOLOGY

            A Brazilian inventor has come up with a new gadget that converts your breath into electricity. This means breathing has become a source of renewable energy – at least while you are alive. Joco Paulo Lammoglia, from Rio de Janeiro, won the Red Dot design award for his AIRE device. His invention uses the wind flow created by breathing and changes it into

energy that can power mobile phones and iPods. Tiny turbines in the AIRE charger create the electrical power from your breath. The device is worn like a mask and can be used while exercising or even when sleeping. Mr Lammoglia hopes his new creation will help protect the environment.

            Lammoglia explained how useful he hopes the AIRE will become. He said: “I hope to bring the concept into production and reduce the carbon footprint. It can be used indoors or outdoors, while you’re sleeping, walking, running or even reading a book.” He also said his invention encouraged people to exercise as well as saving energy and the environment. He explained why he thought the AIRE was so useful, saying: “Though many of our modern gadgets offer benefits, they tend to use a high amount of electrical energy. Harnessing energy from human activities and transforming it into electricity is possible and is a great solution.” The product is not yet on sale but is sure to be a big seller when it does hit the shelves.

                                                                       (breakingnewsenglish

            ECO CATASTROPHE PREDICTED IF WORLD DOESN’T ACT

            Smog will kill millions, primordial forest will be lost for ever and there will be a dramatic decline in biodiversity – these are some of the bleak possibilities outlined in a high level eco report.

            The Environmental Outlook to 2050 report was unveiled by the respected Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

            It looked at some potential consequences of current economic activity if nothing was done to change consumption, production patterns and population growth that are storing up problems.

            A troubling picture emerges with the report predicting that economic activity will increase fourfold, and energy consumption almost double, with most of that through increased consumption of fossil fuels. The report states this is why prime forest will be destroyed and more people will be killed by pollution.

            As the problems get worse from economic production so countries that rely on tourism will start to lose out as fewer people will want to travel from the comfort of their homes.

            It also paints a depressing view of animal species being made extinct and certain of the most vulnerable plant life being wiped out, which in turn will have a knock on impact on climate change and the planet’s ability to deal with pollution.

            Most alarming of all is the view that water shortages will get worse with parts of the world suffering prolonged periods of drought and what water there is being at far greater risk of being polluted.

            The report says that developed countries are going to have to take the lead in making changes if this doomsday scenario is to be avoided. Among a range of options are calls to back development of clean technologies, and heavy taxes on those who exploit ecosystems.

            It also proposes a radical agenda of improving education for women in the developing world and more contraception and information about birth control. The report also notes that the developed world has to take the first steps if booming countries like China, India and Brazil are to be persuaded to join in.

                                                                       (Isabelle Monte)

        LET THEM IN: HOW BRAZILIANS COULD HELP THE U. S. ECONOMY

            Everyone should love Brazilian tourists. They spend more per capita than any other nationality. Worldwide, Brazilian tourists shell out an average of $43.3 million a day. In 2010, 1.2 million Brazilians visited the United States, injecting $5.9 billion into the U.S. economy. Even exclusive ski resorts in Vermont are scrambling to hire Portuguesespeaking ski instructors to meet the unexpected and rapidly growing demand from thousands of adventurous Brazilians who want to samba down the slopes. “Brazil is our fastest growing international market — up 20% from last season,” says Chris Belanger of Stowe Mountain Resort.

            Not that the U.S. has made it particularly easy for os turistas brasileiros to visit. Instead of rolling out the red carpet for the travelers from the increasingly wealthy South American nations, the U.S. makes Brazilians — and every other Latin American nationality — undergo a lengthy (overworked consular staff in SP) and expensive (just 4 consular offices in Brazil) visa-application process that takes months of planning and can cost thousands of dollars in travel, lodging, food and other expenses — all before leaving the country.

            Tourist industry officials say Brazil should be on the list of countries whose citizens do not need a visa to enter the U.S. There are currently 36 countries on Washington's visa waiver list, but none of them are in Latin America.

            The most lucrative target is Brazil, Latin America's largest economy. In the past, most Brazilians used to come to the United States looking for work; now they come to spend money and create jobs. The spending would help the U.S. economy tremendously. The American tourism market has recovered slowly since 9-11, but it missed out on a decade of growth, according to Roger Dow, president of the U.S. Travel Association. “We call it the lost decade. If we had just stayed on pace with the rest of the world, we would have generated $606 billion more dollars and have 467,000 more jobs right now,” Dow said recently at the Pow Wow tourism trade show in San Francisco.

                                                                                  (adapted)

                                               Should we reward success?

            Society is wrong to reward and try to emulate the most successful people in business – or indeed any sector. Instead we should be lauding those who are talented, but not as successful. Those are the findings of new research from academics at two British universities, who say that ‘success’ is often predicated on luck, a factor which is out of people’s control.

            The message that society’s top performers are not the most skilled and shouldn’t be emulated, appears to be counter-intuitive. Yet this report says that those who appear to have achieved the most in their particular field of expertise are often the beneficiaries of luck, an external, random force.

            The authors of this study point to the example of Bill Gates, the cofounder of the computing giant Microsoft, and one of the world’s richest men. They say that although he is undoubtedly talented, he achieved his initial success because his affluent family were able to send him to a school where programming was on the curriculum – at a time when most Americans didn’t have access to computers. Family connections also helped, according to Professor Chengwei Liu from Warwick University Business School.

            That kind of luck is often at work in the lives of the most successful, argues Mr Liu, which means their achievements aren’t completely attributable to their own skill. Instead, he advocates looking at those whom he calls ‘the second best’. They aren’t relying on lucky chances, so their performances offer na opportunity to measure real success. The study also argues that there are dangers if colleagues try to emulate the achievements of those who’ve been overly fortunate.

            This could explain the global banking crisis, says Professor Liu, who also believes that studying the lives of people such as Bill Gates for tips on reaching the top is fruitless. Of course, some academics argue that individuals can in fact create their own lucky circumstances through using personal contacts and pursuing all available opportunities. This research though says that because those with the highest salaries haven’t

completely earned them through skill, they should be taxed more heavily – which would be very bad luck.

                                                                                  (BBC)

3º COL – NOTURNO – BAURU – SP – 2º BIMESTRE - 2014

ENGLISH TEXTS

TOP 10 DON’TS WHEN STAYING IN A HOTEL

            Join Anthony Melchiorri, host of Hotel Impossible, as he gives you his list of the top 10 things not to do when checking in to a hotel. From treating the staff correctly to keeping your cool, you'll be sure to have an even more enjoyable escape by using his extensive checklist.

1. Don't yell at the staff. Ever.

2. Don’t tell anyone your room number. (A desk agent should point to your room number, and not announce it to the world.)

3. Don't get bent out of shape when the night desk agent asks to see your “new friend’s” identification.

Additionally, do not let a hotel employee into your room if they do not have an I.D.

4. Don't blame hotel staff for stealing your stuff. My personal experience is that the guests eventually find 99% of the items that guests report stolen from their rooms. However, it is your right to ask the manager to call the police to file a police report.

5. Don’t order from room service if you notice the pages are dirty and torn. Don’t order if the menu reads “Winter Menu” when it's spring.

6. Don’t use the bathroom washcloths to take off your makeup or shine your shoes.

7. Don't throw anything in the room garbage if you don't want the hotel staff to know about it, including insulin needles (or any needle) without properly disposing of it.

8. Don’t abuse the privilege of late checkout. If you really need one past 1:00 p.m., ask for the manager.

9. Don’t leave your luggage unattended in a hotel lobby – even for a second.

10. Don't be embarrassed! Call the hotel after you’ve checked out, and they will send your forgotten laundry.

BRAZIL CAN OVERTAKE FRANCE AND BECOME

WORLD’S 5TH LARGEST ECONOMY

            The Brazilian economy became the 6th largest in the world last year, surpassing the U.K., and is likely to reach 5th next year, overtaking France.

            The forecast by the U.K.’s EIU (Economist Intelligence Unit) consultants show that Brazil is rising quickly in the rank of largest economies.

            “Such development would seem unlikely five years ago, but they reflect how the wealthiest economies were affected by the crisis and how the Brazilian economy has been expanding, boosted by the export of commodities,” says EIU senior economist Robert Wood.

            “The changes also reflect a stronger Brazilian real.” Although the Brazilian expansion in 2011 was considered weak, 2.7%, it was higher than the U.K.’s, 0.8%.

            Such expansion made Brazil’s GDP, measured in dollars, surpass the U.K.’s by a small margin.

            The same is likely to occur regarding the French economy. The EIU forecasts that Brazil will grow 3.3%, while France’s economy will be stagnant. Exchange rates will help Brazil surpass France.

            EIU forecasts that the Brazilian real will be stable compared to the dollar, while the euro will devalue. With the changes, the Brazilian economy will only have a lower GDP than the U.S., China, Japan and Germany.

            The economic data forecast involves significant risks. But analysts say that Brazil’s rise in the rank of largest economies is very likely to happen.

The forecast of Indian economist Arvind Subramanian, however, shows that, despite its growing economy, Brazil’s participation in the world’s GDP will be stagnant until 2030, close to 3.3%.

            That is because Brazil will grow more than the developed countries, but less than other emergent ones. The figures are from a recent book by Subramanian, “Eclipse: Living in the Shadow of China’s Economic Dominance”.

            Subramanian says that indicator is important because it is used, for example, to measure the countries’ voting power at the IMF.

            Economist Otaviano Canuto, vice-president of the World Bank for Poverty Reduction, agrees that the importance of countries’ economies to the global GDP can help to increase their influence.

            Canuto says, however, that the most important aspect of Brazil’s advance in the rank of largest economies is the evolution of the per capita income: “What is crucial is Brazil becoming a high income country.” The Brazilian per capita income was about one third of the U.K.’s and less than 30% of the U.S.’s in 2011.

                                                                                                          (Folha.com)

        SENDER OF TEXT MESSAGE MAY SHARE BLAME IN CAR CRASH

MORRISTOWN, N.J. – A woman who repeatedly texted her boyfriend as he drove from work could be held liable in a civil suit if a judge Friday refuses to dismiss her as a defendant.

            David and Linda Kubert of Dover, N.J., initially sued Kyle Best of Wharton, N.J., after he changed direction abruptly and hit them on Sept. 21, 2009, as they rode their motorcycle. Each lost a leg in the wreck, and Best pleaded guilty earlier this year to using a cellphone while driving, careless driving and failure to maintain a lane in Montville (N.J.) Municipal Court.

            But the Kuberts’ lawyer, Stephen “Skippy” Weinstein, amended his lawsuit to include Shannon Colonna, then 19, as someone who aided in Best’s negligence even though she wasn’t in the vehicle.

            Cell phone records revealed during the suit’s process show the pair exchanged more than two dozen texts during the day but stayed off the phone for about five hours while Best worked, Weinstein said.

            In a deposition, Colonna said she didn’t know whether Best was driving when she texted him after work.

            “The sender of the text has the right to assume the recipient will read it at a safe time,” Joseph McGlone, Colonna’s lawyer, said earlier this month in Morris County Superior Court. He knows of no court ruling anywhere in the country that says the sender of a text is liable if the receiver causes injury while reading the message.

            “It’s not fair. It’s not reasonable. Shannon Colonna has no way to control when Kyle Best is going to read that message,” McGlone said.

            As punishment for his traffic offense, Best was ordered to speak to 14 high schools about the perils of texting and driving and to pay about $775 in fines.

            Right before the crash, Best said he glanced down at his phone to see who had sent him a message.

            A time sequence of the exchanged texts that was read in court showed he was the last to text before the crash. Best texted Colonna seconds before 5:48 p.m. She responded 31 seconds later. Best texted her back, and seconds later he called 911 to report the collision.

            “She may not have been physically present, but she was electronically present,” Weinstein said.

            Superior Court Judge David Rand said he expects to decide Friday on whether to keep Colonna in the suit.

                                                               USA Today – Adapted)

PARALYSED MAN TAKES HOPEFUL FIRST STEPS

            A medical breakthrough has given hope to millions of people who are unable to walk. Doctors pioneered a special procedure that electrically stimulated the spine of ex-athlete Rob Summers. Mr Summers, 25, was paralysed below the chest in a hit-and-run car accident in 2006. Professor Susan Harkema, of the Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Research Center, gave the revolutionary treatment to “dead” nerves in Mr Summers’ spinal cords. He was able to move his legs and toes and take a few steps with the help of a walking frame. Dr Harkema said: “This is a breakthrough. It opens a huge opportunity to improve the daily functioning of individuals but we have a long road ahead.” She said this is “going to have a major impact” on people with disabilities.

            The treatment is called epidural stimulation. It has taken over three decades of research to get to this stage. The process works when electrical signals go round the brain to tell the spinal cord what to do. The signals allow the limbs to function independently of the brain. Mr Summers said the treatment has been life-changing. “This procedure has completely changed my life. For someone who for four years was unable to even move a toe, to have the freedom and ability to stand on my own is the most amazing feeling,” he said. He added: “My sense of well-being has changed. My physique and muscle tone have improved greatly. Most people don’t even believe I’m paralysed.” Five other patients are also taking part in the trial.

                                                                                  (breakingnewsenglish)

3º COL – MANHÃ – PEDERNEIRAS – SP – 2º BIMESTRE - 2014

ENGLISH TEXTS

TOP 10 DON’TS WHEN STAYING IN A HOTEL

            Join Anthony Melchiorri, host of Hotel Impossible, as he gives you his list of the top 10 things not to do when checking in to a hotel. From treating the staff correctly to keeping your cool, you'll be sure to have an even more enjoyable escape by using his extensive checklist.

1. Don't yell at the staff. Ever.

2. Don’t tell anyone your room number. (A desk agent should point to your room number, and not announce it to the world.)

3. Don't get bent out of shape when the night desk agent asks to see your “new friend’s” identification.

Additionally, do not let a hotel employee into your room if they do not have an I.D.

4. Don't blame hotel staff for stealing your stuff. My personal experience is that the guests eventually find 99% of the items that guests report stolen from their rooms. However, it is your right to ask the manager to call the police to file a police report.

5. Don’t order from room service if you notice the pages are dirty and torn. Don’t order if the menu reads “Winter Menu” when it's spring.

6. Don’t use the bathroom washcloths to take off your makeup or shine your shoes.

7. Don't throw anything in the room garbage if you don't want the hotel staff to know about it, including insulin needles (or any needle) without properly disposing of it.

8. Don’t abuse the privilege of late checkout. If you really need one past 1:00 p.m., ask for the manager.

9. Don’t leave your luggage unattended in a hotel lobby – even for a second.

10. Don't be embarrassed! Call the hotel after you’ve checked out, and they will send your forgotten laundry.

ARE ELECTRIC CARS GAINING GROUND?

            Australia’s first electric car charging station has opened in the city of Melbourne. It takes about five hours to charge each vehicle, but costs a fraction of the price of petrol. Those behind the project say it has huge potential to provide carbon neutral transport in Australia.

            Australia, the world’s largest exporter of coal, is addicted to fossil fuels, which generate most of its electricity and drives much of its transport system.

            In the Melbourne suburb of Brunswick, conservationists say a small but significant step has been taken towards a cleaner energy future.

            Australia’s first solar power charging station for electric cars has been switched on. It takes up to 5 hours to fully replenish a battery that allows an average vehicle to travel about 150kms.

            As the technology improves, it’s hoped that batteries could eventually be fully charged within half an hour.

            Environmentalists say that Australia has been slow to embrace electric cars compared to other countries because of what they describe as “serious cultural and political resistance” to change.

            Petrol prices recently hit US$1,60 a litre here. If those costs continue to rise then Australia’s indifference to electric-powered vehicles could begin to change.

                                                                                                          (Phil Mercer)

BRAZIL CAN OVERTAKE FRANCE AND BECOME

WORLD’S 5TH LARGEST ECONOMY

            The Brazilian economy became the 6th largest in the world last year, surpassing the U.K., and is likely to reach 5th next year, overtaking France.

            The forecast by the U.K.’s EIU (Economist Intelligence Unit) consultants show that Brazil is rising quickly in the rank of largest economies.

            “Such development would seem unlikely five years ago, but they reflect how the wealthiest economies were affected by the crisis and how the Brazilian economy has been expanding, boosted by the export of commodities,” says EIU senior economist Robert Wood.

            “The changes also reflect a stronger Brazilian real.” Although the Brazilian expansion in 2011 was considered weak, 2.7%, it was higher than the U.K.’s, 0.8%.

            Such expansion made Brazil’s GDP, measured in dollars, surpass the U.K.’s by a small margin.

            The same is likely to occur regarding the French economy. The EIU forecasts that Brazil will grow 3.3%, while France’s economy will be stagnant. Exchange rates will help Brazil surpass France.

            EIU forecasts that the Brazilian real will be stable compared to the dollar, while the euro will devalue. With the changes, the Brazilian economy will only have a lower GDP than the U.S., China, Japan and Germany.

            The economic data forecast involves significant risks. But analysts say that Brazil’s rise in the rank of largest economies is very likely to happen.

The forecast of Indian economist Arvind Subramanian, however, shows that, despite its growing economy, Brazil’s participation in the world’s GDP will be stagnant until 2030, close to 3.3%.

            That is because Brazil will grow more than the developed countries, but less than other emergent ones. The figures are from a recent book by Subramanian, “Eclipse: Living in the Shadow of China’s Economic Dominance”.

            Subramanian says that indicator is important because it is used, for example, to measure the countries’ voting power at the IMF.

            Economist Otaviano Canuto, vice-president of the World Bank for Poverty Reduction, agrees that the importance of countries’ economies to the global GDP can help to increase their influence.

            Canuto says, however, that the most important aspect of Brazil’s advance in the rank of largest economies is the evolution of the per capita income: “What is crucial is Brazil becoming a high income country.” The Brazilian per capita income was about one third of the U.K.’s and less than 30% of the U.S.’s in 2011.

                                                                                                          (Folha.com)

        SENDER OF TEXT MESSAGE MAY SHARE BLAME IN CAR CRASH

MORRISTOWN, N.J. – A woman who repeatedly texted her boyfriend as he drove from work could be held liable in a civil suit if a judge Friday refuses to dismiss her as a defendant.

            David and Linda Kubert of Dover, N.J., initially sued Kyle Best of Wharton, N.J., after he changed direction abruptly and hit them on Sept. 21, 2009, as they rode their motorcycle. Each lost a leg in the wreck, and Best pleaded guilty earlier this year to using a cellphone while driving, careless driving and failure to maintain a lane in Montville (N.J.) Municipal Court.

            But the Kuberts’ lawyer, Stephen “Skippy” Weinstein, amended his lawsuit to include Shannon Colonna, then 19, as someone who aided in Best’s negligence even though she wasn’t in the vehicle.

            Cell phone records revealed during the suit’s process show the pair exchanged more than two dozen texts during the day but stayed off the phone for about five hours while Best worked, Weinstein said.

            In a deposition, Colonna said she didn’t know whether Best was driving when she texted him after work.

            “The sender of the text has the right to assume the recipient will read it at a safe time,” Joseph McGlone, Colonna’s lawyer, said earlier this month in Morris County Superior Court. He knows of no court ruling anywhere in the country that says the sender of a text is liable if the receiver causes injury while reading the message.

            “It’s not fair. It’s not reasonable. Shannon Colonna has no way to control when Kyle Best is going to read that message,” McGlone said.

            As punishment for his traffic offense, Best was ordered to speak to 14 high schools about the perils of texting and driving and to pay about $775 in fines.

            Right before the crash, Best said he glanced down at his phone to see who had sent him a message.

            A time sequence of the exchanged texts that was read in court showed he was the last to text before the crash. Best texted Colonna seconds before 5:48 p.m. She responded 31 seconds later. Best texted her back, and seconds later he called 911 to report the collision.

            “She may not have been physically present, but she was electronically present,” Weinstein said.

            Superior Court Judge David Rand said he expects to decide Friday on whether to keep Colonna in the suit.

                                                               USA Today – Adapted)

ILLEGAL GAMBLING IN BRAZIL

            IN 1888 João Batista, Baron of Drummond, opened a zoo in Rio de Janeiro. To pull in business he printed animals on the tickets and ran up a flag displaying one at the end of each day. A ticket printed with the right beast paid out 20 times its price. Soon, locals started to place side bets without bothering to visit. By the mid-1890s, says Amy Chazkel, a historian, the jogo do bicho (animal game) “had escaped from the zoo”.

            Since then the jogo do bicho has survived the closure of Drummond’s zoo, hostility from churchmen, prohibition and competition from rival state lotteries. Today’s bicheiros, use the last two digits of winning state lottery numbers to pick their prize animals, with each of the 25 creatures linked to four numbers from 00 to 99. The animals stalk punters’ sleep: dreaming of a naked woman means a horse; death means the elephant.

            Apart from the animals, the jogo do bicho and the numbers rackets* of the United States in the early-20^th century share many features, says Matthew Vaz of the City University of New York. Both survived being made

illegal by buying off corrupt police. Both became connected with other illegal activities like prostitution, money laundering and murder. Both made some economic sense for poor people attracted by daily play, small stakes, and frequently modest but helpful payouts.

            The jogo do bicho has lasted much longer than its American counterparts. Government ineptitude is partly to blame: in 1967 a military president banned new state lotteries to favour the federal game, and some

governors decided that tolerating local bicheiros and taking a cut of their illicit profits was better than earning nothing at all from the business. And the United States had better law enforcement: a 1984 New York City ordinance allowed police to padlock gambling dens and stopped landlords from turning a blind eye.

            But perhaps the biggest reason for the animal game's longevity is its link with another Brazilian institution: Carnival. During the 1950s the bicheiros started to give to samba schools to buy social acceptance. “By the 1980s, samba and Carnival were their day job,” says Mr Vaz. Since then crackdowns have led to the threat that Carnival will be called off and to law enforcers backing down.

(The Economist) – Adapted

*Numbers rackets = illegal daily lottery in the United States

PARALYSED MAN TAKES HOPEFUL FIRST STEPS

            A medical breakthrough has given hope to millions of people who are unable to walk. Doctors pioneered a special procedure that electrically stimulated the spine of ex-athlete Rob Summers. Mr Summers, 25, was paralysed below the chest in a hit-and-run car accident in 2006. Professor Susan Harkema, of the Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Research Center, gave the revolutionary treatment to “dead” nerves in Mr Summers’ spinal cords. He was able to move his legs and toes and take a few steps with the help of a walking frame. Dr Harkema said: “This is a breakthrough. It opens a huge opportunity to improve the daily functioning of individuals but we have a long road ahead.” She said this is “going to have a major impact” on people with disabilities.

            The treatment is called epidural stimulation. It has taken over three decades of research to get to this stage. The process works when electrical signals go round the brain to tell the spinal cord what to do. The signals allow the limbs to function independently of the brain. Mr Summers said the treatment has been life-changing. “This procedure has completely changed my life. For someone who for four years was unable to even move a toe, to have the freedom and ability to stand on my own is the most amazing feeling,” he said. He added: “My sense of well-being has changed. My physique and muscle tone have improved greatly. Most people don’t even believe I’m paralysed.” Five other patients are also taking part in the trial.

                                                                                  (breakingnewsenglish)