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Brazil in numbers

From  useful to futile, numbers that help explaining the country.

  • 43% of adults that live in state capitals are overweight.
  • Those who have access to the internet spent 2.8 days connected in the month of September.
  • 9% of the kids born in 2008 were not registered.
  • 473 million reais ( 256.6 million dollars or 184.5 million euros) were collected by the government of the city of São Paulo thanks to driving and parking tickets. 99% of the Brazilian cities have budgets lower than that.
  • 57% of the inhabitants of the city of São Paulo would like to move away (Is this related to the previous number? Maybe).
  • Brazil is the 88th country in the education ranking produced by Unesco. Paraguay and Bolivia are in better shape.
  • 1 in 5 Brazilians that have a formal job works for the public service.
  • President Lula spent 87 days abroad in 2009 – a personal record.
  • 9 in 10 Brazilians have a cell phone.
  • 500 million reais (271.3 million dollars or 195 million euros) will be spent to fix up Maracanã stadium, in Rio, for the 2014 World Soccer Cup.
  • The Brazilian delegation to the UN Climate Summit in Copenhagen last December had 743 members. It was three times bigger than the American delegation.
  • 1819 houses and buildings at Brazilian roadsides have been used for child prostitution. It’s one every 27 kilometers.

Source: recent editions of Veja magazine

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February 4th, 2010 | Tags: | Category: Cities, Economy, Environment, Society, Sports | 7 comments

You know you are Brazilian when...

Fitinhas do Bonfim

Fitinhas do Bonfim

  • You applaud the pilot when the airplane lands. You also applaud the band after the national anthem is played.
  • You wear the national soccer team T-shirt when you are abroad.
  • You watch all the matches of the World Cup among friends and family. Or in your working place, if necessary. The experience includes beer, swearing, crying and insulting the mother of the referee.
  • You wear really pointy shoes with high heels (well, if you are a girl).
  • You are in a foreign beach and you are the only straight man wearing speedos.
  • You drink coffee at least three times a day. Religiously. And you never heard of decaf. Or chicory coffee.
  • You despise the Wright Brothers – Santos Dumont invented the airplane!
  • You have at least one pair of Havaianas flip-flops.
  • You have already worn fitinhas do Bomfim (ribbon supposedly blessed in Nosso Senhor do Bonfim church, in Salvador. You make three wishes while you tie the knots. They will be granted when it gets rotten).
  • You think you can speak Spanish. You pronounce Portuguese words with Argentinian accent and believe Spaniards will understand you. It can be very embarrassing.
  • You learn how to carry your purse in a way nobody will be able to open it or drag it away. You choose fake jewelry that really looks fake. You lock your house with several keys. You take with you the sound system when you leave your car.
  • You have prejudice against Portuguese and Argentinians. Well, it’s sad, but it is a fact.
  • You kiss your acquaintances (of opposite sex) in the face twice when you meet. Women also do the 2-kiss ritual among them.
  • You visit daily the neighborhood bakery. To buy fresh bread. To drink coffee. To have lunch. To buy cigarettes, or ice cream, or a pint of milk, or chocolate. To chat with the chapeiro (the guy who makes warm sandwiches – they are invariably entertaining). To talk to the Portuguese owner. To watch TV (they are fairly common in padarias). To drink cachaça. To put a few chairs in the outside and play samba with your friends (while the girlfriends dance).

Anybody would like to suggest additions?

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January 12th, 2010 | Tags: | Category: Popular posts, Society | Leave a comment

The best Brazilian ads

Brazilian ads are well-known for their quality and creativity. Last year, for instance, DM9DDB won the Cannes Agency of the Year award and nine Lions (two gold, four silver and three bronze). In fact, the country is one of the big champions of the Cannes Festival – the main advertising awards -, behind the US and Great Britain.

Check this choice of Brazilian TV ads. I included one of the best releases of last year, plus some all-time favorites and also a very controversial ad.

Santoro’s limits – Rodrigo Santoro, the Brazilian actor that is growing in Hollywood (Lost, Che, 300, Charlie’s Angels), acts in a recent Oi phone company’s publicity. He is depicted as this huge international idol that cannot manage to have his needs attended to by his phone services provider. So, he has to switch to Oi.

Parmalat’s Mammals – In 1995, this huge success skyrocketed the Italian company’s brand in Brazil.

Gerson’s Law – This ad produced in 1976 displays Gerson, a former superstar footballer, praising Vila Rica cigarettes. He concludes with an infamous phrase that is considered the axiom of unethical opportunism: “Eu gosto de levar vantagem em tudo, certo!” (I always like to take advantage, right!). The so-called “Gerson’s law”  is frequently quoted to illustrate a certain national tendency to  be machiavellic, believing that the end justifies the means.

Classics – A series of seventies’ hits.

Bombril guy – Poster boy of amazing longevity, Carlos Moreno acts in Bombril (stainless-steel sponge) ads since 1978. Here, some great moments of his career. Check the great gallery of characters, including former American president Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky.

If anyone out there has cool links of Brazilian TV ads, please, do share.

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January 4th, 2010 | Tags: | Category: Culture | Leave a comment