The Brazil Story.

Previously posted on my Facebook page. Not updated. 

HOWEVER the way (or angle) we view, observe, or judge Brazil—it is still huge. Brazil has the world’s #5 largest population at 212.6 million and the 5th largest country by land area. Bounded by the Atlantic Ocean on the east, Brazil has a coastline of 4,655 miles. It borders all other countries in South America except Ecuador and Chile and covers 47.3 percent of the continent's land area.

        Brazil boasts of its massive Amazon basin, which includes a vast tropical forest, home to diverse wildlife, a variety of ecological systems, and extensive natural resources spanning numerous protected habitats. This unique environmental heritage makes the giant geography one of 17 megadiverse countries, and is the subject of significant global interest per environmental facts, issues, and impacts.

       Moreover, Brazil is also the 10th largest consumer market. Brasília is only the world’s #26-ranked exporter and #29th in imports but the country has the largest share of global wealth in South America and it is one of the world's major breadbaskets, being the largest producer of coffee for the last 150 years.

       Brazil also has the largest GDP in Latin America. In terms of regional and global decision-making, Brasilia is integral. It is a founding member of the United Nations, the G20, BRICS, Mercosul, Organization of American States, Organization of Ibero-American States and the Community of Portuguese Language Countries. When a global shudder happens, Brazil’s position is perennially asked. 🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷

BRAZIL’s chief industries are all global imperatives: Iron and steel production, automobile assembly, petroleum processing, chemicals production, and cement making; technologically based industries have been the most dynamic in recent years, but have not outpaced traditional industries—which make Brazil a trading powerhouse, globally.

       Brazil’s export crops are also among the world’s tops: Soybeans, sugarcane, coffee, beef, and orange juice. Brazil exported 86 million metric tons of soybeans in 2020, accounting for roughly 50 percent of the world's exports.

       As expected, Brazil’s top trading partner is China, which enjoys 28.11 percent of Brasilia’s export/import business. The U.S. is a distant second, 13.25 percent. Next: Netherlands and neighbor Argentina. Of the 15 most exported Brazilian commodities, China is the main importer of 11, while the U.S. is the main importer of only two.

       In fact, Brazil is the main destination for Chinese investments in South America, receiving $66.1 billion, equivalent to 47 percent of the total amount invested, in the decade up to 2020. Brazilian/Beijing business flourished, regardless of Covid-19 pandemic. In 2021 China bought over 30 percent of Brazil's physical exports, up from less than 20 percent five years earlier.

       As expected, Chinese companies are also involved in the oil exploration in Brazil. The consortium which won the right to explore Brazil's largest pre-salt oil camp, Libra, has two Chinese companies -- CNOOC and CNPC, along with Total, Shell and Brazil's own state-controlled oil giant Petrobras. Some 23 Chinese companies are all over Brazil.

       Does Brazil rely on China? I think this is no brainer. Brazil and China are members of an economic organization called BRICS, also consisting of Russia, India, and South Africa. 🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷

MAJOR reasons for the United States’ less aggressive business investing in Brazil: High-profile amounts of corruption, crime and social inequality. Add cumbersome and complex taxation, bureaucratic delays, and rigid labor legislation. Even so, American FDIs are still funneled through manufacturing, finance and insurance, and mining.

       However, the complexity of Washington’s relationship with Brasilia always points to politics—because the U.S. is more concerned with its geopolitical persona from the latter part of the 20th century towards 21st century, as China and Russia moved to put ideological fire in the backburner over economic diversification and trade expansionism.

       Today’s political classes in South/Latin America are still scarred by the history of U.S. interventions, often involving the overthrow of democratically elected governments such as Salvador Allende in Chile and João Goulart in Brazil during the Cold War.

       Even among supposedly cordial partners in democracy, Washington’s record as a dependable, trustworthy power has been cast in the dark because of its history of betraying and abandoning its former allies in favor of policing based on what the U.S. believes as just, reasonable, and humane.

       Latin America’s largely snub of President Biden’s call for sanction against Russia on account of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine—is an example of the weakening of America’s clout in the region. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro declined to condemn Putin and said Brazil would remain neutral.

       Mr Bolsonaro added that he was against any sanctions that could bring negative repercussions for Brazil, citing Russian fertilizers which are crucial for the country's giant agribusiness sector. And, of course, Latin America—including Brazil—is a huge buyer of Russian military equipment. But that’d be another subject to discuss. 🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷

WHAT'S UP? Joe's Exit, Donald's Entry.

From my chat with friends on Facebook.

PRESIDENT Biden and his loyal hawks are obviously escalating the war before Donald Trump sits. We don't know what the incoming POTUS will do because he is future tense, incoming. What is clear though is Joe intends to leave Donald a huge-ass mess or heightened fighting so his (T) campaign pledge to end this war faces huge roadblocks, probably prompting Congress to vote to keep military aid to Kyiv alive and active. 

      (A GOP majority Senate and House doesn't mean anti-war, regardless of Mr Trump or Elon/Vivek's advice to save taxpayer money for something else, such as purchase of more silicon from China, improvement of border security, and upgrade of FEMA funding).     

       Donald Trump's game is, as expected, unpredictable. In April 2017, he dropped MOABs in Afghanistan and Syria yet he u-turned or issued a dovish variation next. He built his trade leverage that way then carried on. Meanwhile, Russia clearly wants to end this war as it now affects its economy per military expenses mostly (irrelevant of BRICS bros China and India buying Gazprom's stuff). 

       Vladimir Putin already talked with Germany's Olaf Scholz right after November 5. The no brainer: Get Nord Stream 2 pipeline operating? Also, the EU needs to get its economy alive from 0.4 percent pace. But Vlad can't be bullied, not by hawkish lord Joe, so he responds to Mr Biden's new aggro military moves. 

       But even if a semblance of peace takes place in Ukraine as Donald sits, hawks are now instigating new tempests in Georgia. Same with the Middle East situation. New shakin’ and rattlin’ ensue each time some calm seems to find some moments. 

       Top Trump aide Elon Musk talked with Iran's new moderate leadership to pull back from responding to Israel, arms tete a tete. Not good. Tehran hasn't recovered yet since pandemic or before pandemic due to sanctions; even after sanctions, the country is in economic agony.

       (China is Iran's top energy buyer. Elon apparently wants China's "good boy!" love so they more Mr Musk pacifies the Iranians, good. China isn't high on war.) 🏛🗽🏛

MENA wants to lessen or totally eradicate the "arms for oil" bilateral deal thingy with Washington and Brussels due to the obvious. Especially after the 2010's Arab Spring, the region wants lesser Western encroachment. And they are already rich. They just wanna do business and have some Western-styled fun as well.

       Meanwhile, China sank huge-ass FDIs in MENA as Egypt, UAE and Iran join BRICS. Trade is Trump's ball game. He has better chat lines to the Kremlin and MBS or Riyadh, de facto boss of the Arab League. But then here comes the hawks in Syria. 

       Makes me think. What power is actually behind Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthis, and "Syrian rebels," especially after they took out the Quds' chief Qasem Soleimani in 2020. Arms for oil gotta live? But then I refuse to ride the hate bandwagon versus Donald Trump. He isn't a god who could stop wars but his playbook is contrary to what Joe Biden implemented. I'd rather see what's up ahead with that than "predict" per anti-T subjectivity. 🏛🗽🏛

Anti-war, Forever and Ever.

From my response to Facebook chats etcetera.

I HAVE gotten old being anti-war in two countries (or continents). So I broke down all my "little" ancillary idealisms into a singular activism: Anti-war. War breeds all the evils humanity is guilty of. 

       So I don't really give a hoot what political party, what cultural weirdness, what uncoolness, or what sort of donut people are aligned with or prefer. If that person is against wars and wastage of lives and resources in wars, I'd toss a PBR to that guy. 

       Tactical alliance. Long time ago in the Philippines, we sat with people who thumbed-down our avowed ideology but we agreed to work together to help bring down a dictatorship (a real one, not an imagined one). We succeeded. 

       Two wars are still ongoing. The Middle East fire is escalating. And if the current leadership won, the one being goaded in Asia's South China Sea would most likely stoke tempests as well in the region. It's not like, voila, no more wars in 2025! We know hawks in Washington will be prepared. 

       But I'd rather bet on an obnoxious mouth who had two peace talks than one with a calm tone that tossed arms to two wars. ☮️☮️☮️

The TANZANIA Story.

Previously posted on my Facebook page. Not updated. 

NEWS: “Tanzania’s First Female President Wants to Bring Her Nation in From the Cold.” And adds: “Samia Suluhu Hassan became the only female head of government in Africa when her predecessor suddenly died. She is setting a new course.” The utmost issue in Tanzania, as in almost all of Sub Saharan Africa, goes beyond gender politics. Gut. Fundamentals of existence. Fact is, most of the continent’s problems, notably unattended diseases, gnaw and bite and kill as we in America talk and argue politics, nonstop.

       Although the government in Dodoma has made some progress towards reducing extreme hunger and malnutrition in recent years, the pandemic’s whip and continued sociopolitical strife, with some sliding from across its borders place the country’s 61 million population in distress.

       The Global Hunger Index ranked the Tanzanian situation as "alarming" with a score of 42 in the year 2000; since then, the GHI has declined to 29.5. Children in rural areas suffer substantially higher rates of malnutrition and chronic hunger, although urban-rural disparities have narrowed as regards both stunting and underweight.

       Low rural sector productivity arises mainly from inadequate infrastructure investment; limited access to farm inputs, extension services and credit; limited technology as well as trade and marketing support; and heavy dependence on rain-fed agriculture and natural resources.

       Hence, if only the world’s two major superpowers agree and pool resources via a common development tact, then there’s hope in Tanzania and the entire Africa. 🇹🇿🇹🇿🇹🇿

APPROXIMATELY 68 percent of Tanzania’s people live below the poverty line of $1.25 a day. 32 percent of the population are malnourished. Yes, despite improvements in the last decade. Regardless of a fluctuating relatively fine GDP growth rate of 4.1 percent to 5.8 percent, the unemployment rate stays high at around 9.30 percent. Such a trend isn’t strange in poorer nations with economic potentials: Unequal distribution of national wealth.

       Tanzania's industry is based on the processing of its agricultural goods and on import substitution—that is, the manufacture (often from imported materials and parts) of products that were once purchased from abroad. The principal industries are food processing, textiles, brewing, and cigarette production. Which easily makes China the country’s top trading partner. Others are Germany, Japan, India, the European Union.

       Historically, China has assisted Tanzania with a variety of economic aid programs. The most notable early aid project was the TAZARA Railway built from 1970 to 1975. The 1,860 km railway connects landlocked Zambia with Dar es Salaam. The Chinese government sent as many as 56,000 workers.

       From 2000 to 2011, there are approximately 62 Chinese official development finance projects identified in Tanzania through various media reports: From the launch of the Tanzania Agricultural Development Bank to a loan of $400 million to help alleviate the Kiwira coal mine's financial problems etc etcetera.

       However, too much loans/investments from foreign powers, as we know it, only weakens a poor nation’s leverage in the long term. So true in Sub Saharan Africa and in almost all underdeveloped or developing economies, especially in regards to financial relations with the IMF and World since the end of World War II. 🇹🇿🇹🇿🇹🇿

TO finally introduce a new level of progress in Tanzania, new president Samia Suluhu Hassan has to institute a better negotiating stance with outside powers, especially economically or amidst a surge of Chinese FDIs that are all directed towards Beijing’s trade expansionism blueprint Belt and Road Initiative.

       A BRI project that was canceled pending renegotiation, was the construction of the Benjamin Mkapa Olympic Stadium in 2020. It was part of a $10 billion loan offered by China to then President John Magufuli, who died last year. The loan was signed by Magufuli’s predecessor Jakaya Kikwete, specifically to construct a port at Mbegani creek in Bagamoyo.

       Chinese investors requested a 30 years guarantee on the loan and 99 years uninterrupted lease. Before his death last year, Magufuli had initiated a renegotiation process by pressing the investors to bring down the lease period to 33 years from 99 years. President Samia Suluhu Hassan takes it from that point.

       Meanwhile, what about the United States and Tanzania relations? 🇹🇿🇹🇿🇹🇿

AS in most if not all of America’s foreign affairs, much of the relationship between Tanzania and the United States has been framed first by the Cold War, which is of course hawk-tied with military/security. Such a stance is exacerbated by the country’s anti-colonial liberation conflicts in southern Africa.

       Second, U.S. policies work around development and investment—per political agreements. Hence, relations between Washington and Dodoma are mostly politically tense, as the U.S. ups its mojo in protecting markets and business interests in Africa via military/security “aid.”

       These interests were often in conflict between 1961, and the late 1980s. However, since the late 1980s, relations between the United States and Tanzania have improved as a result of mutual interests in debt relief, successive refugee crises, the liberation of southern African countries, and an improving Tanzanian economy. Until the Chinese came with their FDI enticements.

       Ergo: Tanzania’s socioeconomic well-being hinges on how its leadership (or governments of “smaller” nations) deals with the United States and China, which obviously differ in tackling their respective foreign affairs. 🇹🇿🇹🇿🇹🇿

The Greatness of America. And a bit of post-Nov 5 stuff.

From my response to Facebook chats etcetera.

DEPENDS on how Americans (or the world) look at "greatness." 

       <>1898 or late 1890s, when the U.S. defeated the Spanish armada? <>1944, Bretton Woods when the U.S. basically started control of global financial life via the IMF and World Bank? The time the U.S. dollar became the global reserve currency? <>1945, bombing of Hiroshima/Nagasaki and the birth of the atomic bomb? <>1949, NATO's birth and Washington as boss of the global military (especially when the Warsaw Pact dissolved in 1991)? 

       <>Years before 1975 when the U.S. last had trade surplus and basically ruled manufacturing? Who can tell? As for me, the weakening of U.S. greatness started in 2000 or the 21st century when China began its trade expansionism. Which was also the beginning of the economic rise of the Asian "tigers," Russia cooled out from its apparatchik girth and (trade) diversified via its oil and natural gas mostly, and oil rich Middle East learned Western styled capitalism. And of course the advent of BRICS which balanced G7. And China's 5 banks basically diminished the lending mojo of the IMF. 

       So essentially because the rest of the world evolved into “little” powers as well albeit economically unlike how the West "won" the world at first, which was via military brinkmanship or outright colonization (sic). And this "weakening" is continually aided by the eerie divide within America. A huge divide (that'd rival the civil war of 1860s) that Howard Zinn predicted before he passed away in 2010. The only way that America could build back better is for its people to show semblance of unity and/or if China closes its door again.

       Yet the ignorance persists saying America isn't great anymore because of its sole doing? I don't think so. This: The rest of the world isn't dumb. They know how to achieve greatness as well but not via military arrogance. (Russia is an economic power regardless if it invaded Ukraine or not.) 🏛🗽🏛

I AM essentially a foreigner in America. I don't see a majority in regards Left/Right. I see a huge divide that I haven't seen in many countries, including in India and China. Whoever won the election. Still the same. Cracked.

       Facebook Friend: “My concerns are not based on Left or Right. My concerns are based on Trump’ss platform and rhetoric.”

       Platform and rhetoric are political truths. I can say all POTUSes, at the time that I started following Washington politics as a journalist and Leftist activist, had really huge talks. That was imperative though. Grandiose speeches are needed so the allied world continues to obey America and hate the "rogues." Etc etcetera. 

       So as I semi-retired around 2010 (I think) I stopped watching politicians and presidents talk. In fact, I stopped watching News on TV altogether. But my reading obsession has tripled. Print, internet. Old publications, new stuff. Left. Right. Center. All. US and the world. Meanwhile, I just follow the leadership "walk" and ignore the "talk." And I am not a fan of drama at all. 🗽🗽🗽

[Visual: Tufts. CTTO.]

The Overkill Marketing of Zombies.

Previously posted on my Facebook page. Or written years ago, unedited/not updated.

OKAY, I love “The Walking Dead.” Many times I dig zombies more than I dig humans. But I am not discussing that at the moment... You see, I never favored all these what they call prequels. Although I watched all three prequels to “Star Wars,” I didn't really approve of the marketing crap. I mean, do you remember Sio Bibble and Jar Jar Binks? Okay. While AMC's “The Walking Dead” was lording it over Nielsen ratings, the producers came up with a talkie “Talking Dead” show right after episodes where crew and actors blah-blah about stuff. 

       Alongside that, you might wanna check out the spinoff Webisodes or web series, and motion comic or animated comic book version of the show—all these apart from the cast's festive in-person meet-ups with fans for photo-ops and free touches of Daryl Dixon's (Norman Reedus) chest. 

       And whoa! Producers aren't satisfied! They came up with “Fear the Walking Dead,” a “companion series” and prequel—six episodes on Season 1 and 15 on Season 2. Set in Los Angeles, the series follows a dysfunctional family at the onset of the zombie apocalypse. I am a sucker. So I watched Season 1 anyway since it's quite accessible on Netflix instant watch. Season 2 debuts on April 10. Okay.

       But then that's not the end of the overkill. Now, there's “Fear The Walking Dead: Flight 462,” a sixteen part mini series that features a group of survivors on a plane in the earliest moments of the outbreak. This release was done to help promote the second season of “Fear The Walking Dead” and Season 6 of “The Walking Dead.” Each episode will be released on Sunday, both online and during commercial breaks. I dearly and deeply hope that the producers of this show get devoured by zombies! 🧟‍♀️🧟🧟‍♂️

Photo: CNN.

Illegal Migrants and “White Supremacists.”

Response to a post in a Friend’s page. A meme that instead of deporting illegal aliens, the government should banish American-born “white supremacists.” 

<>MIGRANTS. There are enough rooms for immigrants. The problem in the U.S. (and EU via Schengen Area) is--on how the migrants off the southern border are obviously let in sans passport/visa, then how they are used per political caterwaul or convenience. Since these are record numbers of illegals or asylum seekers (since 2021), fiscal management of the issue has long been bankrupt. Budget from other agency allocations has to be slashed. Yet this is a long discussion. 🗽🏃‍♀️🏃

<>Supremacists and racists are facts or truths of America. I spent the majority of my US life in the South. I live here. With them. So I am exposed to them, work with them, eat with them. And I am non-white and non-black. Ergo, poke the hornet's nest or rile the yellowjacket? I learned how to go around that without swallowing the slur. First off, I need to lose my Left vs Right politics and stick to specific, individual issues. 

       "Rednecks" are no different from barrio people back home in terms of cultural sentiment or territorial overprotectiveness. White supremacists could be dangerous? Yes, but why engage them? Repeat: I live in the South and hang with folks in the woods. Meanwhile, I was a community organizer for various NGOs back home for years. I have long dropped my Leftist agenda or junked it during RJ/RA crap. Need I go to why I had quarrels with those guys in New York and why I chose Asheville as my community? Again, long discussion. 

       And my stance about issues stays in the middle. I am already this old and "been there done that" dude not to know how to duck on crossfire. Got nothing to do with Trump, Biden or Obama. I am Myself. ☮️☮️☮️