I've heard there's a third sport, something called "basketball".

Consider yourselves lucky to have these three. In Brazil, all we got is soccer (or football, whatever!).

The lawyer in question is colorblind, you insensitive clod!

And GNU is not UNIX.

Wikipedia's article about Brazil is a good start. Check the Geography section. You'll see that Brazil occupies almost 48% of South America. So, Brazil is not a small part of it at all.

Yes, the Amazon rainforest is shrinking day after day, but not even close to the "edge of collapse". There are better sources of information, but Wikipedia provides some, like:

"The mean annual deforestation rate from 2000 to 2005 (22,392 km2 or 8,646 sq mi per year) was 18% higher than in the previous five years (19,018 km2 or 7,343 sq mi per year).[37] Deforestation has declined significantly in the Brazilian Amazon since 2004.[38]"

Better laws, better enforcement and better pressure from NGOs like WWF has shown results. It could be better, but it's progressing.

There is one hydroelectric plant that the government is trying to get built since 1985, called "Belo Monte". Ecologists and native brazilians (our "indians") are trying to stop the government since then. I tried to google it, but I can't find any articles in English. This dam would be built in the Amazon, covering a very large area, but nothing as big as Tucuruí or Itaipú. The natives are complaining that the dam's reservoir will cover ancient cemetaries and stuff like that.

The dam I was talking about -- which I think is the only one being built right now -- is at the border between Rio and Minas Gerais, thousands of miles away from the Amazon.

Then, I conclude we have different opinions on the matter and we'll never ever reach an agreement.

In my opinion, it doesn't matter how politicians cause harm to the population -- the population is harmed anyway.

So, if the US or Brazil is more or less fucked up than each other is a matter of opinion.

I know a lot of people that live in the US and think it's great. I know people that went to the US and started businesses over there and are doing well. I also know a lot of people that have a nice life here in Brazil, myself included.

My point is: it could be better, but it's not nearly as bad as some brazilians commented here.

To sum it up: it's hard to find an american criticizing the US to foreigners. Americans tend to work for the benefit of the nation. OTOH, it's pretty easy to find a brazilian criticizing Brazil and not even trying to fix it. That's where Brazil is totally fucked up.

Wait... These are the jews!

No, wait again... These are the turkish!

"Only a fool would believe a politician..."

There. Fixed it for you...

Now, specifically about brazilian politicians, I don't think you can trust PT any less that you can trust any other party.

We don't have socialists anymore. Worker's Party (PT - Partido dos Trabalhadores) used to flirt with socialism, but now they just got convinced that the right wing was right (no pun intended).

Every party here is the same these days. All are friends and benefit from their schemes together.

I'm pretty much offended too. I didn't know xenophobia was at these levels here at /. .

Maybe this guy is one of those "sexual tourists" that come to Brazil and pay to have sex with little children in the northeast.

Wanna know another inherent characteristic of Brazilian people? I think you're brazilian too, so you already know: HYPOCRISY.

I can only say: BINGO!

I can buy a Dell for pocket change here, directly from Dell, 3-yr warranty (1st year on-site).

Most companies here have contracts with them. Premium support, replacement, technology refreshes...

I couldn't care less, as I don't do Windows.

I think you haven't watched Michael Moore's documentaries lately, eh?

The US has been run by -- whatever it means -- "nincompoops" for a long time. They make money off of mortgage debts and all kinds of wild and borderline-out-of-law investments. The ex-president friends -- like Dick Chenney, Condolezza Rice and some other well known oil mercenaries -- make money from wars in countries that have nothing to do with the so-called "terrorist menace".

Trillions of dollars went to the bankers pockets and a good part of the nation is now homeless.

Nicely run country, eh?

Some people really talk about what they don't know...

The goddamn dam is like 2,000 miles from Amazon!

I didn't believe xenophobia was a serious problem among IT professionals, which would have better knowledge than the average person.

What you mean is PLC (Power Line Communication), which provides data over electric wires.

PoE is the opposite: it delivers energy through the Ethernet cabling, eliminating the need for a power outlet next to the remote device (the one away from the switch/hub), in this particular case, a wireless access point.

Just an advice: read before posting. Any confusion is eliminated by (adequate) information.