Wednesday 10 February 2016

What’s going on in Brazil? #02

brazilianism:

I said I’d keep these going, so here’s an update. Links to the sources are in Portuguese as always. Written in 13/12/2015.

POLITICS

- Eduardo Cunha (president of the House of Representatives, currently accused of having illegal bank accounts and so many other things) has accepted the Impeachment process on president Dilma Rousseff filled by the opposition (x). Now it has to go through another 84328409328 people and processes.

- Vice President Michel Temer wrote a very polemic letter addressed to the president complaining that she never gave him the attention and care he deserved. It “leaked” (x). It turned instantly into a meme regarding love songs and relationship counseling (x) (x) (x). Seriously, even a minister made the joke.  

- Meanwhile, in the opposition, José Serra (who has been mayor/governor for São Paulo and ran for the presidency 93042048 times - losing at all occasions. PSDB) made a terribly sexist joke on a party directed to Kátia Abreu (PMDB, Minister of Agriculture)… She responded by throwing a glass of wine in his face. Internet and general media has supported her, and it obviously also turned into the new national joke (x) (x). 

- Geraldo Alckmin (São Paulo Governor, PSDB) has suspended his school restructuring that included closing about 90 units after weeks of nearly 200 schools being occupied by students and their protest taking the streets. That, however, does not mean it was cancelled, just that it wont happen next year. (x).

HEALTH 

- Zika and Chikungunya (diseases transmitted through mosquito bites, like Dengue, and very possibly lethal) are spreading quickly. The worst part? When Zika infects pregnant women the fetuses might be affected and be born with microcephaly, resulting in severe neurological damage. Cases of such have increased drastically particularly on the northeast this year, which worries the authorities. Some pharmacies don’t even have the bug spray that works against the mosquito anymore. (x).

- A new Brazilian pill against Cancer is starting to enter human trial, distributed by USP (who was forced judicially to do so).  The pills are said to actually cure cancer, but there’s no proof of it’s efficiency yet. About a thousand people will be able to receive it. (x) (x).

ENVIRONMENT

- There’s a gigantic wild fire going on in Chapada Diamantina (huge green area, very well known for tourism and sports). It’s been over 20 days, and they estimate the burned area is equivalent to 30 THOUSAND football fields. (x) (x) (x). 

- Nobody has done anything significant for the Mariana disaster still. Mud keeps on arriving at the coast, and a few more bodies were found. It’s been a month.

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