plasticmadness

Last year the Brazilian House of Senate went through a careful financial inspection, which concluded there was an excessive expenditure with third party sanitation contractors – suggesting demissions should be made. That was the first of a torrent of denounces about the Senate’s excessive expenses with unnecessary employees, crass irregularities in the biddings, undue extra-pays for overtime that never happened, ghost employees*, deliberate misuse of public money and nepotism. It culminated with the #ForaSarney campaign on Twitter*, headed by a brazilian media-man and TV anchor (@marcelotas). The scandal had such broad proportions that the Brazilian Senate got the prowess of being called “The House of Horrors” in an article published by The Economist last year. (link to original text)

Well… now, after the dust settled, everything seems to be going back to what it was. The Senate is signing up for 1.600 sanitation jobs with salaries from $1.200,00 to $6.000,00 Brazilian Reais (a lot for the Brazilian pattern) – with *facepalm* the same contractor that triggered last year’s scandal!  The contractor happens to be a firm that doesn’t pay their employees when it’s due, and for that reason it has been already fined by the Senate itself in 4 million Brazilian Reais — fine which the firm hasn’t payed yet, I must add. All that will cost the brazilian tax-payers 72 million Brazilian Reais a year. I understand the Senate is very filthy place, but 72 mi is a lot even for the dirtiest politician.

Also, the Senate is renewing the contract with “Plansul Planejamento e Consultoria”, a firm in the communication and media sector, for 327 jobs that will cost 17 million Brazilian Reais to tax-payers. Those are jobs like ‘spokesperson’, ‘substitute-spokesperson’, ‘spokesperson-assessor’, ‘spokesperson secretary’, ‘spokesperson manicurist‘ and so on.

I feel embarrassed as a Brazilian citizen for the shamelessness of my corrupt politicians.

*Ghost Employee is a corruption phenomena in Brazilian politics: it’s a bogus public employee that only exists in the payroll, while someone else deliberately and illegaly (a politician or another public employee) receives his salary.

*The #ForaSarney campaign on Twitter was a movement that aimed to bring down the president of the Senate and former-President of Brazil, José Sarney. It wasn’t restricted to Twitter, people also protested in the streets. By now I think you could have guessed it didn’t work.

Comments Off | In: Brazil, Olivia, Politics | tags: brazil, corruption, news, Politics, Social Media & Internet, twitter. | #

President Lula has finally sanctioned “Projeto Ficha Limpa”, it’s been published in the Brazilian Official Daily paper today: that means it’s now a law, citizens condemned by the Justice are not allowed candidacy for anything public/political.

For further info about “Projeto Ficha Limpa (Project Clean Record)” check my previous posts:

http://bit.ly/aVwCh0

http://bit.ly/aspXt5

1 Comment | In: Brazil, Olivia, Politics, Uncategorized | tags: brazil, corruption, news, Politics, projeto ficha limpa. | #

The Brazilian National Vaccination Campaign against Influenza H1N1 has ended officially on June the 2nd.

On June the 3rd the government published an official note saying the vaccination campaign has been prorogued indefinitely, until the number of people immunized reaches the initial target (that is, 80% of the population at higher risk of disease).

In Brazil, vaccination against Influenza H1N1 is administered for free by the government to all the population at high risk of disease. We have enough vaccines, so in case you haven’t had yours yet, please go to the public health care facility next to you as soon as possible, and get your H1N1 shot.

There are many people declining the vaccine claiming they don’t have enough time/have to work/etc.

 My advice: don’t be silly!! In case  people had to pay for the vaccine, or if there wasn’t enough of it, I’m sure eveyone would complain and would blame the government for being ill. But now the vaccine is for free, and there’s enough for everyone: means that, if you get ill, and by any chance Brazil’s morbidity and mortality for H1N1 this year gets higher, the only one to blame is yourself! Now go get your shot! I already got mine!

Comments Off | In: Health, Olivia, Public Health Matters | tags: brazil, h1n1, Health, immunization, influenza, medicine, news, public health, swineflu, vaccination, vaccine. | #

 I have (finally) seen the much hyped “Lost” finale.

Before I started, my sister warned me over and over: “I think you’re going to hate it.” Oh, well…

Being direct and short: watching the “Lost” finale was like watching the finale of any Brazilian primetime Soap Opera – lots of cheesy “I love you” moments that made me cringe, and a final scene with all the main characters gathered happily in a very uber mega happy reunion – that is very soap-operesque!

I can live with the fact that they appealed to the religious side, but I guess they did it in the wrong manner. The ‘raw’ finale,  per se, was decent – but that “happily ever after(life)” scene in the church at the very end really screwed it all up.

It would have been enough a good ending letting Jack to die, Hugo to be the new Jacob and Ben the new Richard, while the lucky bunch escapes the Island on a plane fixed with duct tape. They could as well have had someone to be the new Black Smoke, suggesting a neverending cycle — all that would still have given our beloved characters a fair end;  it would have kept the suspense atmosphere that permeated thoughout the entire series; and most importantly: it would have been up to Lost‘s main character: the Island!

The Island has always been the series main character, and the “We’re all on a church in Heaven” scene was like running a bulldozer over the Island. That final scene was so misplaced and awry, it belongs to any other TV series but “Lost”. It made all the side-flashes of the last season cheap, worthless.

After all these years of expectations towards the end… it was, not completely, but very disappointing indeed…

3 Comments | In: Culture & Entertainment, Olivia, TV | tags: Culture & Entertainment, desert island, island, lost, season finale, series, television, TV. | #