You are right on most counts but,  you know, there has been a very interesting development in the last 25/30 years, it is the growing middle class which was almost non existent before.  With such a big population this bodes well for a powerful national industry. There are  also many more universities & people with lower incomes are gaining access to a college degree.

As a frequent visitor of Brazil I’ve noticed these changes first hand.  I also admire their very professionl Foreign Office -probably the best in South America-with a very clear idea of the country’s position in the world.  What Itamarati dictates is followed by either left or right wing administrations.  Whatever the political party in power, Brazil comes first, "pra frente Brazil" is the national motto & it works.   I admit there is corruption in the administration , a narco war going on & many millions under the poverty line, but they are still going on strong.

 It is very similar to what is happening in India since the mid-nineties.  Power is shifting worldwide…….

&.

Welcome to the real world!!! That’s what , we, the rest of the world,have been going thru for many years now.

I couldn’t agree more!!! Long live DD!!! A talented writer & a true gentleman.

Thanks Liz for letting us know he is on the mend.

I am shocked beyond words, not because I’m that close to Ms Richardson’s family, though I’ve always admired them all, like forever, & give them my most heartfelt condolences but there is something else that gave me some sort of terrible aftershock.  Many years ago I had a similar accident in Mt Tremblant, around the same date, mine was on April04th., such a beautiful day, sunny with blue skies, perfect skiing weather.  Unfortunately, I fell off a ski-chair.  I landed amongst many rocks but plenty of soft snow-it’s been snowing the night before-, I was invisible from the slope, only people riding up-mountain could see me.  My then fiance, who was riding with me on the chair went mad, he was a top notch skier but could not react accordingly.  I sort of hoped he would have jumped down after me.  He didn’t.  I sort of saw what he was thinking:  I might break my knees & never ski again.  That pissed me off.  Down there in the middle of nowhere I went into a blind rage, so I checked all my limbs and my spine, I the stood up but I was shaking so badly that I could not put my skis back on.  So, I put them on my back & started down hill ON FOOT!!!!.  When they saw me walking downhill they almost had a collective heart attack.  But once I was down I did the same stupid thing Ms Richardson did.  I refused any help, went to my room, took a hot shower & went out for a long walk in the woods  to calm down I was shaking so badly.  I came out of it unscathed, I was much younger than her at the time, but reconsidering the whole thing in restrospect, I shiver.  We just dont realize how fragile our bodies are, we tend to forget death is a close companion.  Godspeed Natasha, fly high!!!!

Yes, I can.  Someone with the right connections(upper middle + classes)  would let it drop that there were some excellent high yielding investments in NYC or MAD or GVA, thus the world spread in those circles.  It was exclusive.  Only to very fortunate few.

Most people wanted in.  I don’t know how it worked in the rarefied circles of Mahattan/Hamptons or Palm Beach, but down here there was a very well known Spanish Bank that let their really "good" clients know about a special fund in euros with incredibly high returns.  In a country like mine, where political uncertainty make people invest their monies in foreign countries, this looked like  Shangri-la.  Greed is just as powerful as lust/hunger or love.  Mr Madoff knew perfectly well his victims psyches.  The rest is history.