Brasil Economic News

[ihpguy]

Last week the unemployment figures were released for May: Expected job losses at around 65,000.

Actual number of firings 116,000.

Yesterday on the news here a government organization that tracks these things had an uptick in the unemployment rate to 6.8% from last month's 6.3% and they released a prediction that it will get worse by the end of the year, reaching a figure of 8% unemployment. And that is the official figure. Actual is higher.

Even worse was the explanation given that as this is a socialist country with salary, pay and fee scales for everything including legal fees, and with safety for worker's salaries, there are massive firings and then smaller rehirings that take place for companies. A company in this recessionary economy is not allowed to offer anyone continued employment at a lower salary.

Yesterday in the middle of rush hour, closing down Avenida Rio Branco, there was a demonstration urging a strike by all federal workers for higher wages.

In yesterday's NY TImes there was a great article about the the three month strike of the school teachers in the state of Sao Paulo.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/26/opinion/vanessa-barbara-another-defeat-for-brazils-kids.html?_r=0

The article explains quite well some of the problems in Brasil and how the laws are written protecting workers.

I have a straight friend here who studied at the University of Alabama - Huntsville on a tennis scholarship. He had exactly one grandparent born in Portugal, The other three wee born here. But that was enough for him to get his passport this week, He said anything is better than working for 2000Reais/month, with no future here and no rewards in this country for individual incentive.

[TotallyOz]

Wow. This just seems to keep falling lower and lower doesn't it?

[MsGuy]

A long time ago someone said "Brazil is the country of the future...and always will be", meaning that no matter how bright things might look at any given time, Brazilians would find a way to fuck things up.

Brazil has a long, long history of dizzy booms, followed by sharp crashes and long periods of stagnation. Let's hope for the sake of our friends down south this time will be different.

[ihpguy]

A bit tangential but more than a bit on topic,I go to Starbucks here to get my decaf coffee for the house. My cardiologist won't permit me caffeine any longer. Starbucks hasn't had a delivery of coffee from the USA for four months. A coffee store that has hardly any products to sell besides mugs. And all of the remaining coffee is discounted as it is out of code. Customs in Santos is supposedly holding up most imports, unless palms are greased if not butt holes.

[Guest tomcal]

tonight one of the guys I know in Porto Alegre was messaging me and wrote the following:
"aqui no brasil esta uma crise horrivel" - "here in Brazil this is a horrible crisis!"
he said all his friends either have no jobs or if they are working their hours have been cut! He used to go to the sauna 2 nights a week at most to work, now he goes 5 nights a week and makes what he did working two nights since there are fewer customers! He told me there were 100 boys and 16 customers! I find that hard to believe but he says that there are so many guys out of work everyone is trying to make money anyway they can!

[Gotti]

So the sauna owners are trying to cut costs. Hopefully the useless drag-queens are the first ones to go!

[ihpguy]

I can remember a couple or more years ago that Meio Mundo had strippers and then the drag shows. The combination kept me around and perhaps other clients as well. I would have a programa, rest up at bit, enjoy the strippers and maybe part of the show, have a another programa and then maybe return for more of the show or bingo and then take off. It keep me there for more hours and certainly added to my bar tab. Recently, I have arrived around 5:30 or 6:00 pm before the first group has been there for the three hour minimum and maybe found someone I liked to take upstairs. After, I'll talk a cursory tour of the premises and if nothing of interest, get dressed and leave. Without the strippers and an earlier start to the drag show, I haven't been staying around. And has TomCal has written, the audience for the drag show brings in a different crowd than regular clients.

[Guest Trench]

A bit tangential but more than a bit on topic,I go to Starbucks here to get my decaf coffee for the house. My cardiologist won't permit me caffeine any longer. Starbucks hasn't had a delivery of coffee from the USA for four months. A coffee store that has hardly any products to sell besides mugs. And all of the remaining coffee is discounted as it is out of code. Customs in Santos is supposedly holding up most imports, unless palms are greased if not butt holes.

Serves Starbucks right. They import coffee into Brazil? Charles de Gaulle might have been right, Brazil is not a serious country.

[ihpguy]

Starbucks does their roasting only with Arabica beans whilê here in Brasil they export the smoother Arabica and generally roast only the rougher Robusta beans. I am in São Luis right now. But Sunday morning while Hubbing at Confins in BH, there was not a cup of decaf to be found at any spot. Trust me. I checked. I had 2 1/2 to kill between flights.

[Guest Trench]

Ah, the same with their beef, the higher quality cuts are exported while the locals are left to gnaw on picanha'. I was standing at the bar of Meo Mundo one slow night and looked through the window into their kitchen while the cook who specialized in water-logged pasta was making coffee. He filled a large cone lined with paper filter with the ground coffee and slowly poured hot water into it. He then diluted the thick dripped coffee with lots of water and proceeded to boil it. He then filled his thermos pump with this and I thought, no wonder coffee commonly served in Brazil is execrable.