Four serendipitous comments on or about Braz(s)il

August 9, 2002

Four serendipitous comments on or about Braz(s)il


 


-Why is it that Bras(z)ilians call their country Brasil, while in English it is Brazil. That would be ok with me, but leading presidential contender Ciro Gomez, is called Ciro Gomes in Brasil, while he is called Ciro Gomez in English. What’s the rule? Is there a rule?


 


– Ciro Gomes is the candidate of the Popular Socialist Party, which definitely sounds left-wing, but Mr. Gomes was the Minister of Finance of current President Cardoso, when the famous Real Plan was implemented. This plan was extremely successful. Mr. Gomes was also the successful and popular Mayor of the city of Fortaleza, as well as the popular Governor of Ceara State. With this track record the question is then, why are markets so nervous about the possibility of this “left-wing” candidate becoming President?. In fact, Mr. Gomes ran for Governor on a more market-oriented platform and actually alienated the private sector, when he was a Minister, by lowering import tariffs on many goods. Go figure…..


 


– Since we are talking about Brasil, how about the IMF saving Brasil’s ass with a US$ 30 billion program over the next year and a half. Reality is that the IMF is not really saving Brasil. Brasil is the eighth  largest economy in the world, while the world and the US can afford to have Argentina fail, the same is not true of Brasil. A Brasilian default would reverberate around the world and undermine the possible economic recovery which appears to be underway. Moreover, Citibank, Fleet Boston and other US banks have important investments in Brasil. Thus the IMF is helping the US, the world, Wall St. and maybe even Brasil. In reality Brasil’s problem is not its external debt, but the fact that they have a large amount of internal debt indexed to the US dollar. External debt is only 15% of GDP, quite manageable by current international standards. No Banana Republic Brasil, it has been quite well-managed in the last few years, hope it lasts……


 


-A woman jogging in Brasil was decapitated by a small plane trying to land at the airstrip where she was exercising. I dont want to make fun of this headline, but I am sure it will give all those that are strongly against physical exercise, another reason to remain nomadic.

Posted in LatinAmerica | Leave a Comment »

August 8, 2002

Digression 2: US lags in Broadband


 


Surprising (to me!!) article by Jim Seymor of RealMoney.com (need subscription to read it), about how the US has been lagging in broadband due to silly pricing policies. The following table tells the whole story:


 




























Country

Broadband Subscribers

Percentage of Homes


Korea

5.8 million

40.0%


Canada

1.9 million

16.24


U.S.

10 million

9.52


Germany

1.5 million

3.94


Japan

1.5 million

3.36


 


The US has lower broadband penetration than Korea or Canada after being the leader in recent years. Seymor blames stupid and inept marketing as well as misunderstanding of management of what broadband is.Do you believe it? Any other explanations out there?

Posted in Technology | 1 Comment »

August 8, 2002

Digression 2: US lags in Broadband


 


Surprising (to me!!) article by Jim Seymor of RealMoney.com (need subscription to read it), about how the US has been lagging in broadband due to silly pricing policies. The following table tells the whole story:


 




























Country

Broadband Subscribers

Percentage of Homes


Korea

5.8 million

40.0%


Canada

1.9 million

16.24


U.S.

10 million

9.52


Germany

1.5 million

3.94


Japan

1.5 million

3.36


 


The US has lower broadband penetration than Korea or Canada after being the leader in recent years. Seymor blames stupid and inept marketing as well as misunderstanding of management of what broadband is.Do you believe it? Any other explanations out there?

Posted in Technology | Leave a Comment »

August 8, 2002

Digression 2: US lags in Broadband


 


Surprising (to me!!) article by Jim Seymor of RealMoney.com (need subscription to read it), about how the US has been lagging in broadband due to silly pricing policies. The following table tells the whole story:


 




























Country

Broadband Subscribers

Percentage of Homes


Korea

5.8 million

40.0%


Canada

1.9 million

16.24


U.S.

10 million

9.52


Germany

1.5 million

3.94


Japan

1.5 million

3.36


 


The US has lower broadband penetration than Korea or Canada after being the leader in recent years. Seymor blames stupid and inept marketing as well as misunderstanding of management of what broadband is.Do you believe it? Any other explanations out there?

Posted in Technology | Leave a Comment »

August 8, 2002

Digression 2: US lags in Broadband


 


Surprising (to me!!) article by Jim Seymor of RealMoney.com (need subscription to read it), about how the US has been lagging in broadband due to silly pricing policies. The following table tells the whole story:


 




























Country

Broadband Subscribers

Percentage of Homes


Korea

5.8 million

40.0%


Canada

1.9 million

16.24


U.S.

10 million

9.52


Germany

1.5 million

3.94


Japan

1.5 million

3.36


 


The US has lower broadband penetration than Korea or Canada after being the leader in recent years. Seymor blames stupid and inept marketing as well as misunderstanding of management of what broadband is.Do you believe it? Any other explanations out there?

Posted in Technology | Leave a Comment »

August 8, 2002

Banana Republics 101 part III. Act II: New Republic, also Banana-like


 


Victor was sworn in early February, which he did by calling the Constitution a dying instrument. Things did not look great that day, he named an Urban Planner as Minister of Planning, ratified a sociologist as Minister of Finance, and an octogenarian former union leader as Minister of the Interior and sprinkled the Cabinet with current and former military. He immediately asked for extraordinary power on economic matters for six months and proposed a referendum to ask the people to have elections to create a Constituent Assembly, approved by 92% of the population. In July, the people elect 121 of 131 representatives from Victor’s supporters in an unprecedented support. While a new Constitution is written Victor travels to Asia, Europe and Cuba to visit his good friend Fidel Castro. Victor enjoys himself playing baseball and bores his people with long televised speeches.  Upon his return from his first trip, the head of intelligence, shows him proof of as many as 46 cases of corruption. In December of that year the focus on politics distracts the Government from the heavy rains and on the same day that the new Constitution is approved, mud slides in the coastal areas kill an estimated 40 to 50 thousand people. Victor has to use force on looters, some people are shot. Lost in the shuffle of the new Constitution is the power vacuum left between the new Constitution takes effect and elections for representatives. Victor’s Government appoints a “Little Congress”, which has no legal, democratic or constitutional basis. Nobody nationally or internationally says much about it. Who cares about democracy when bananas are involved!!!!

Posted in The Fable | Leave a Comment »

August 8, 2002

Banana Republics 101 part III. Act II: New Republic, also Banana-like


 


Victor was sworn in early February, which he did by calling the Constitution a dying instrument. Things did not look great that day, he named an Urban Planner as Minister of Planning, ratified a sociologist as Minister of Finance, and an octogenarian former union leader as Minister of the Interior and sprinkled the Cabinet with current and former military. He immediately asked for extraordinary power on economic matters for six months and proposed a referendum to ask the people to have elections to create a Constituent Assembly, approved by 92% of the population. In July, the people elect 121 of 131 representatives from Victor’s supporters in an unprecedented support. While a new Constitution is written Victor travels to Asia, Europe and Cuba to visit his good friend Fidel Castro. Victor enjoys himself playing baseball and bores his people with long televised speeches.  Upon his return from his first trip, the head of intelligence, shows him proof of as many as 46 cases of corruption. In December of that year the focus on politics distracts the Government from the heavy rains and on the same day that the new Constitution is approved, mud slides in the coastal areas kill an estimated 40 to 50 thousand people. Victor has to use force on looters, some people are shot. Lost in the shuffle of the new Constitution is the power vacuum left between the new Constitution takes effect and elections for representatives. Victor’s Government appoints a “Little Congress”, which has no legal, democratic or constitutional basis. Nobody nationally or internationally says much about it. Who cares about democracy when bananas are involved!!!!

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

August 8, 2002

Banana Republics 101 part III. Act II: New Republic, also Banana-like


 


Victor was sworn in early February, which he did by calling the Constitution a dying instrument. Things did not look great that day, he named an Urban Planner as Minister of Planning, ratified a sociologist as Minister of Finance, and an octogenarian former union leader as Minister of the Interior and sprinkled the Cabinet with current and former military. He immediately asked for extraordinary power on economic matters for six months and proposed a referendum to ask the people to have elections to create a Constituent Assembly, approved by 92% of the population. In July, the people elect 121 of 131 representatives from Victor’s supporters in an unprecedented support. While a new Constitution is written Victor travels to Asia, Europe and Cuba to visit his good friend Fidel Castro. Victor enjoys himself playing baseball and bores his people with long televised speeches.  Upon his return from his first trip, the head of intelligence, shows him proof of as many as 46 cases of corruption. In December of that year the focus on politics distracts the Government from the heavy rains and on the same day that the new Constitution is approved, mud slides in the coastal areas kill an estimated 40 to 50 thousand people. Victor has to use force on looters, some people are shot. Lost in the shuffle of the new Constitution is the power vacuum left between the new Constitution takes effect and elections for representatives. Victor’s Government appoints a “Little Congress”, which has no legal, democratic or constitutional basis. Nobody nationally or internationally says much about it. Who cares about democracy when bananas are involved!!!!

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

August 8, 2002

Banana Republics 101 part III. Act II: New Republic, also Banana-like


 


Victor was sworn in early February, which he did by calling the Constitution a dying instrument. Things did not look great that day, he named an Urban Planner as Minister of Planning, ratified a sociologist as Minister of Finance, and an octogenarian former union leader as Minister of the Interior and sprinkled the Cabinet with current and former military. He immediately asked for extraordinary power on economic matters for six months and proposed a referendum to ask the people to have elections to create a Constituent Assembly, approved by 92% of the population. In July, the people elect 121 of 131 representatives from Victor’s supporters in an unprecedented support. While a new Constitution is written Victor travels to Asia, Europe and Cuba to visit his good friend Fidel Castro. Victor enjoys himself playing baseball and bores his people with long televised speeches.  Upon his return from his first trip, the head of intelligence, shows him proof of as many as 46 cases of corruption. In December of that year the focus on politics distracts the Government from the heavy rains and on the same day that the new Constitution is approved, mud slides in the coastal areas kill an estimated 40 to 50 thousand people. Victor has to use force on looters, some people are shot. Lost in the shuffle of the new Constitution is the power vacuum left between the new Constitution takes effect and elections for representatives. Victor’s Government appoints a “Little Congress”, which has no legal, democratic or constitutional basis. Nobody nationally or internationally says much about it. Who cares about democracy when bananas are involved!!!!

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

August 6, 2002

James Robinson argues: “So, who’s good at infrastructure? Well, what’s the best example of infrastructure around? The US highway system. Who built it? The US government. The public is in the right mood to accept this, but the Administration is not. But it’s something to think about as the networking and telecommunications and airline industries collapse around us. Isn’t it?”


 


            Well, I certainly disagree. While the US highway system is a good example, I bet it is difficult to think of more examples. Imagine politicians and Government buerocrats trying to decide what infrastructure needs to be built, how, using which standard or when. A case in point is the mess that the cell phone market is in the US. While the whole world is on a calling party pays standard, the US charges the owner of the number. This severely limits the traffic and has definitely hampered the development of the US wireless industry. Why is that? The Government decided a priori, before the market even existed how it should behave. If I were a US taxpayer I would prefer WorldCom to fail, than subsidize data traffic for corporations via the US Government. The same with airlines, let some of them collapse, others will survive. After all, you can get around better with current private airlines than with Amtrak, which is a Government infrastructure company. WorldCom, Global Crossing and others are collapsing financially, but their network infrastructure remains. If they can’t survive, somebody will buy it on the cheap and let users pay for it, not taxpayers. If you let the Government be in charge of providing broadband to the home, it might just never happen.


 


This is even worse in other countries. Up to 1991, when the Venezuelan phone company was privatized, it took three, four tries to complete a phone call. Now dialing many times is a thing of the past and DSL services were first launched no more than a year behind the US. Can’t imagine any Government matching that!

Posted in Technology | Leave a Comment »

« Older posts
Newer posts »