Chegou a vez do Brasil? - Is it Brazil's turn?

Above is a video in English reporting Brazil's growth in the past years. In it you can watch an interview with former president Lula and magnate Eike Batista.

PS: I personally think our growth has also a lot to do with the stabilization of our currency, a feat carried out by Fernando Henrique Cardoso (FHC), the president that came before Lula. When I was growing up, inflation was horrible - as soon as we got our paycheck we had to run to the grocery store and stock up the pantry for the whole month, since our currency devalued DAILY. I've seen the creation of so many currencies I actually have a hard time remembering them all: cruzeiro novo, cruzado, cruzado novo, cruzeiro... And this is in the span of 15 years or so. Many criticize FHC for his neoliberal policies - and I honestly can't really argue with that. He sold a lot of our basic industries to foreign capital, such as telecommunications, certain banks and mining companies. But his main legacy is a stable economy.

Lula was instrumental in sharing the wealth created by that stability through programs like "Bolsa Família". 

Our beautiful REAL (R$) notes - on this date the equivalent of US$ 0.42

Former president Fernando Henrique Cardoso (1995 - 2002)

Former president Lula (2003 - 2010)

Read an article in Portuguese about FHC here.

Jornalista inglês faz um pequeno guia para entender os brasileiros - British journalist makes a mini guide to understand Brazilians

Please read article in Portuguese here and in English here.

Muito engraçado! Very funny!

Por que tudo custa mais caro no Brasil - Why everything is more expensive in Brazil

Have you ever heard it's cheaper for Brazilians to get on an airplane and come to the States to get a Macbook than buying it in Brazil? It's true! If you're visiting, don't worry: food is still fairly priced there, and services are actually really cheap. But if you're considering buying consumer goods there, I'd stick to handmade souvenirs. We have plenty of great options, like the "renda do nordeste", a kind of lace made primarily by the dexterous hands of Northeastern ladies (see picture below).

Compre produtos como a renda do nordeste (acima) / Buy products such as "renda do nordeste" (above)

The following article briefly explains why everything is more expensive in Brazil. If you can't read Portuguese, here's a quick summary:

Razão número 1: muitos impostos / Reason number 1: lots of taxes

A lot of different taxes are charged over consumer goods - 6 to be exact.  Some of those taxes are charged over products that have already been taxed (which we call "impostos em cascata", something like a "waterfall of taxes").

Razão número 2: a busca por status / Reason number 2: search for status

Sporting something expensive shows you have the means to do it. Showing off brand products in Brazil is very common - since we generally don't have as much access to them, they become even more special. So shop owners overcharge, and people will do all they can to acquire that product to feel a bit more special.

----------------

Read the whole article in Portuguese here. It's from the Superinteressante website, the online version of one of the best magazines in Brazil. It presents all kinds of subjects in a very entertaining manner.

Also watch this very interesting news video explaining why everything is so expensive in Brazil. Can you understand what are some of those reasons?

CARO = expensive

IMPOSTOS = taxes

LUCRO = profit

BENS DE CONSUMO = consumer goods

CONCESSIONÁRIA = car dealer

MONTADORAS = car manufactures

"SE COLAR, COLOU" = if people accept it, then we'll go on with it

AGUENTAR = put up with

PREÇO "SALGADO" = high ("salty") prices

ENLOUQUECEM = go crazy

TÊNIS = sneakers