Tag Archives: Brazil

Nuclear Crisis in Japan Grows / A Recipe for Peace in Sri Lanka / Air Force One

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In Japan, the nuclear crisis grows. The U.S. and Brazil partner to boost the farm sector in Mozambique, while a U.S. groups partners with Ethiopia on a clean water initiative. After decades of conflict, Sri Lanka is showing great economic and developmental promise. An ambitious agenda was set out during preliminary meetings of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum. And finally, for globetrotting presidents, Air Force One is the perfect ride.

Responding to Japan's Nuclear Crisis

In Japan, Nuclear Crisis Grows
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The Japanese government is telling citizens within 30 kilometers (48 miles) of a damaged nuclear power plant to stay indoors to protect themselves. The March 15 advisory said people near the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant should attempt to prevent exposure to the colorless, odorless radiation which escaped from reactors.

U.S., Brazil Partner on Farming
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An agricultural collaboration among the United States Agency for International Development, the Brazilian Cooperation Agency and the government of Mozambique is set to bolster the latter’s farm sector. Mozambique imports most of its food, much of it from its neighbor South Africa, but many Mozambicans cannot afford the imported food.

In Ethiopia, a Clean Water Push
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Lori Pappas is the founder of the Global Team for Local Initiatives, which seeks to increase access to drinking water for the people of Ethiopia.

A Recipe for Peace in Sri Lanka
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Sri Lanka’s government needs to hold those who committed injustices and abuses during the country’s civil war accountable and work to create a political climate that will facilitate healing and durable peace, Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Robert Blake says. After decades of conflict between the government and Tamil rebels, Sri Lanka is showing great economic and developmental promise that can benefit its whole population, says Blake.

APEC 2011 Concludes
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Preliminary meetings of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum (APEC), the premier economic organization in the Asia-Pacific region, concluded March 12, setting an ambitious agenda for enhanced partnership in 2011. APEC fosters growth and prosperity by facilitating economic cooperation and expanding trade and investment throughout the region.

President Obama exits Air Force OneAir Force One
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It is unquestionably the most exclusive ride in the world: the gleaming, blue-and-white jumbo jet that answers to the call signal Air Force One.
It’s an American icon, as recognizable as the Statue of Liberty or the Grand Canyon — the airplane that will take President Obama on his second journey to Latin America March 19. At right, Obama arrives at Benito Juárez International Airport in Mexico City, April 16, 2009.

U.S.-Brazil Cooperation / A Regional Response in Libya / Blending Indian Dance Styles

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President Obama heads to Latin America as the United States and Brazil are partnering on regional and global issues.  The Obama administration wants a regional response to the violence in Libya. Vice President Biden meets with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in Moscow. Meet Coca-Cola’s global clean water advocate. The United States, Canada, Norway and others join a health care initiative for poor mothers and their children. And, finally, two of India’s most respected dancers blend traditionally styles.

For U.S. and Brazil, a Partnership of Global Significance
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President Obama’s visit to Latin America comes as Brazil and the United States are cooperating closely on regional issues and global challenges that run the gamut from security and economic prosperity to food security, clean energy and global inequality. “Brazil and the United States seek to promote open and accountable government, civil rights, a vibrant civil society and social inclusion,” says Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

A Regional Response to Libya Violence
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The Obama administration wants regional participation in any potential military response to the political violence in Libya, and also says it has been in direct contact with a variety of opposition groups that have de facto control over much of the eastern part of the country. National Security Advisor Tom Donilon says any military action by NATO, such as the enforcement of a no-fly zone, “would need to respond to a demonstrable need and have a sound legal basis.”

Biden, Putin see Improved U.S.-Russian Relations
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Vice President Biden and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin welcome the improved relationship between Russia and the United States following the 2009 “reset” in relations. Speaking with Putin in Moscow, Biden says he and President Obama “agree 100 percent on the need to continue to establish a closer and closer relationship.”

On Water and Sugar Mills
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Joe Rozza travels the world on behalf of Coca-Cola Company to oversee water and wastewater management projects initiated by the Water and Development Alliance, a partnership between his employer and the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Saving Mothers and Babies
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The United States, Canada, Norway and other partners join in a development initiative – Saving Lives at Birth — to commit science and technology to saving more lives in rural, under-developed villages around the world. “It is simply unacceptable that millions and millions of people, women and children, die from conditions that we know how to prevent,” says Secretary Clinton.

A Blend of Indian Dance Styles
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The appearance by two of India’s most respected dancers and teachers — Alarmel Valli and Madhavi Mudgal — highlights a 20-day festival of Indian dance, music, theater, film, arts and crafts at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. At right, Valli, left, and Mudgal, right, in a production called Samanvaya: A Coming Together.

U.S.-Brazil Talks / From Egypt, Inspiration / Drumming for the Deaf

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Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton holds bilateral talks with Brazilian Foreign Minister Antonio Patriota and previews President Obama’s trip to South America. Clinton also calls peaceful protests in Egypt inspirational. A group of Russian national park and nature reserve managers is visiting the U.S. to exchange ideas about managing protected areas. And, we have two reports on a program that brought Louisiana’s Southern University Marching Band drum line to North Africa.

Secretary Clinton speaking

U.S.-Brazilian Talks
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Secretary Clinton, above, and Brazilian Foreign Minister Antonio Patriota held broad-ranging talks on U.S.-Brazilian issues, regional concerns and President Obama’s upcoming trip to South America in March. Obama’s trip “comes at a time when we are cooperating closely, and our bilateral work on issues and global challenges, including food security and human rights and clean energy and global inequality, is key to both of us,” says Clinton.

From Egypt, Inspiration
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Secretary Clinton says Egyptians have inspired Americans through their “extraordinary example of nonviolent, peaceful protest.” In a social media dialogue, she urges Egyptians to remain vigilant, but says the United States stands ready to assist them.

U.S. and Russia Talk Parks
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A group of Russian national park and nature reserve managers is visiting the U.S. to exchange professional information and experience about managing protected areas. Vsevolod Stepanitsky, the delegation leader and a deputy director in the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, says that Russia might find U.S. practices in wildlife management, environmental education and public outreach applicable.

American Drummers in Algiers
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In a program sponsored by the U.S. Embassy and supported by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, drummers from Louisiana’s Southern University Marching Band entertained residents in Algiers, Benthala, Sidi Fredj, and Tiaret, from January 31 to February 5.

Louisiana’s Southern University Marching Band drum lineDrumming for the Deaf
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Members of Louisiana’s Southern University Marching Band drum line, right, performed before several hundred people at the Mohamed V National Theatre in Morocco with Moroccan musicians who, like many members of the audience, were deaf. “It really gives new meaning that if you are deaf, blind, come from a different country or speak a different language, music is basically a universal language,” says drummer Alexander Riggins.

‘Amazing Projects’ on Brazilian Campus

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Roberto Fermino, of Brazil, is one of the millions of students around the world participating in Global Entrepreneurship Week Nov. 15-21. He is an entrepreneur in e-commerce and helps coordinate entrepreneurship activities at the Universidade de São Paulo. (He also wishes he had 30-hour days to finish his engineering degree.) You can follow Roberto on twitter @RobertoFermino.

Roberto Fermino

As many enterpreneurs, I have failed in new projects more than I have triumphed. But as in the stock market logic, I learned to set the stop-loss limits wisely and liquidate the maximized earnings. The comparison ends here, because in entrepreneurship you can play with building the future, not limiting yourself to observe some numbers in an electronic panel.

It’s toward the future that entrepreneurship moves me, creating a scenario for a better tomorrow. In this context, I am in love with new projects that I have been helping to build at “my” University, Universidade de São Paulo (USP). The aim is to identify and support many activities throughout the University, creating a group to promote enterpreneurship.

There are many years of work ahead of us, as there are almost 100,000 students in seven cities, eleven campuses and dozens of facilities. Harvard, for instance, has one fifth of the students USP has. On our campuses, as at Harvard, there are real enterpreneurs — fantastic, committed people, working on amazing projects. I hope to help their projects succeed.

We solved part of this problem with an online platform for crowdsourcing. At this platform people can share ideas and projects, and it brings entrepreneurs separated by physical barriers closer. Junior Enterprises and local Entrepreneurship Clubs have also been successful in organizing different events and spreading the entrepreneurial culture.

I believe we are on the right path and I intend to keep playing with building the future, helping to strengthen these projects and always accepting new challenges. Furthermore, I’d like to conclude by sharing a piece of advice that changed my way of seeing things: “Help build something important, do volunteer work and your rewards will go beyond what money can buy.”

University of Sao Paulo (English and Portuguese)
USP social network for new businesses (Portuguese)

President Obama Congratulates President – elect of Brazil

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President Obama made history in 2008 when he became the first African-American to be elected President of the United States. Yesterday he made a congratulatory call to another history-making leader when he called Dilma Rousseff, the first woman to be elected President of Brazil.

During the call President Obama reconfirmed the strong and important relationship between the United States and Brazil. He told President-elect Rousseff that he is committed to finding areas of deeper collaboration between the two countries, that he looks forward to meeting her soon, and that he would like to work more closely on a variety of global issues including clean energy, reconstruction assistance to Haiti and global growth.

What issues would you like to see the United States and Brazil work on together?

When a Joke Isn’t Just a Joke

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Saturday Night Live, the weekly live comedy sketch show, has been on the air for decades. But many fans will tell you the show had a tough few years as viewers tuned out.

Then came the 2008 presidential election, and ratings soared. The actors’ impersonations of Barack Obama, John McCain, Hillary Clinton – and especially Sarah Palin – became a hit. Suddenly everyone was talking about Saturday Night Live again.

[image src="http://photos.state.gov/libraries/amgov/133183/week_3/08192010_AP081004028601-500.jpg" caption="Actress Tina Fey portraying Sarah Palin"]

Politicians have long provided a gold mine of jokes for comedians. Growing up, I saw my parents watch the local news every night at 11 p.m. Me, I watch the Daily Show.

The Daily Show — a hugely popular fake news show, is how many young people keep up with what’s happening in the world. Between host Jon Stewart’s jokes, we actually learn a bit about politics.

But for comedians in Brazil, there will be no ratings boost ahead of their presidential elections because political jokes there have been banned. The Associated Press reports that Brazilian law prohibits television or radio broadcasters from poking fun at any presidential candidate in the three months leading up to Election Day.

Proponents of the law say it’s the best way to ensure a fair race. Those opposed say it goes against freedom of speech. What do you think?

Summer Film Series: Brazil

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In just a few short weeks, the six winners of the Democracy Video Challenge will travel to the U.S. to visit New York City, Washington, DC, and Los Angeles.

Anna IsraelTo get ready for their trip, we’re featuring a different winning video each week for the rest of the summer. First up was the winner from the Philippines. This week it’s winner Anna Israel from Brazil, whose video is called, “In a democracy, we’re all parts of the same body.”

And remember to join Anna this Friday, July 31, for a webchat, when she’ll talk about her film, her life, and her thoughts on democracy. You can submit questions to her in advance in the comments portion of this blog (questions in English, French or Portuguese will be accepted), or by going to the chat room. Simply enter as a guest, and leave your question in the chat box provided. We look forward to chatting with you on Friday!

Webchat with Anna: https://statedept.connectsolutions.com/americagov

Watch Anna’s Video:

[video href="http://www.america.gov/multimedia/video.html?videoId=26642421001"]

Brazil Singing Different Tune?

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People test computers during a technology forum, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in 2006.

People test computers at a technology forum in São Paulo, Brazil, in 2006.

Is Brazil singing a different tune when it comes to embracing innovation in the information technology sector? Could Brazilian IT be burgeoning while other countries are just trying to hang on in these economically difficult times?

My colleagues at the George Washington University Law School’s Creative and Innovative Economy Center and the University of São Paulo’s Center for Science and Technology believe real change is happening in Brazil’s IT sector. Brazil is not traditionally known as a country with a solid infrastructure or a culture that supports the kind of entrepreneurship that drives IT development. Problems abound, such as the ability to transfer technology from campus to industry, the availability of venture capital and a weak intellectual property system that does not protect business interests sufficiently.

Despite this legacy, researchers at CIEC and USP say they are optimistic about the good things that are taking place in Brazilian IT. CIEC and USP, in a research effort sponsored by the Business Software Alliance (BSA), have singled out five individuals and one nonprofit organization that are changing the status quo.

• Claire Feliz Regina for her work at Receita Federal do Brasil, the Brazilian internal revenue service. Regina is called the “pioneer of e-government” who simplified the electronic filing of tax returns and has won acclaim worldwide for her accomplishments.

• The Câmara Interbancária de Pagamentos. The only “institution” among the winners, this nonprofit consortium of banks designed an IT-enabled system to clear checks quickly and cost-effectively around the country in real-time.

• Bruno Ghizoni, the entrepreneur who founded Neos Technology Innovation, is changing the face of IT innovation as a strategy consultant. He developed software that maps patterns of words associated with products and services for the purpose of innovating new products and services.

• João Meidonis and João Setubal, “the inventors of Brazilian bioinformatics,” who successfully built the IT system that sequenced a pathogen that was destroying millions of dollars worth of citrus crop each year.

• Carlos Henrique de Brito Cruz, who as scientific director at the Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo leads the way to further innovation in Brazil’s IT sector by opening channels of communication and helping start-ups find capital.

You can read more about them at http://www.law.gwu.edu/Academics/research_centers/ciec/Pages/Profiles.aspx.