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ABC News: This Week in Our Headlines

As the news rolled in for the Halloween week many topics were discussed. There were topics of the presidential races, new studies on cancer, and red carpet showing of the best magazine covers of the year. Throughout the whole five day news showing, Brazil was never brought up once. ABC News with Charles Gibson, the news broadcast I chose to observe, never went there. Most of the topics discussed were of either domestic issues, or the boiling tensions that continue to rise in the Middle East.

What I did notice was there were some topics that were talked about repeatedly throughout the week. Now there are some stories that need to be, but then there are others that for the life of me I cannot understand why it was given multiple airings. The biggest story of the week was the increase attacks on Democratic front runner Hillary Clinton. Political writers and commentators went ad nauseam about how this would or wouldn’t sink her chances for a White House bid. Barack Obama sensing that he needed to make a move now rather than later went tough on her, as did others like John Edwards and Joe Biden. But did this needed to be talked about for a week straight?

More I watched the news, more I realized that the shows were heavily devoted to the presidential primaries. There was a piece on Barack Obama, titled “Who Is Barack Obama?” Then there were more on the debates. Not only is the primaries months away, but the actual election is a year away. Why the rush and constant barrage of news on it?

This week in Brazil there were some major stories happening. The biggest was that Petrobras, the state controlled oil company has bought refineries in Japan at an estimated couple billion dollars. Brazil in recent years has continued to position itself as a player on the global energy scene. They have put heavy finances into developing new sources of energy, and the results are new technologies to allow them more power. Not only that, but recent purchase like the oil refineries in Osaka, Japan have increased their staying power in the oil market as well. In a world where oil has a grip on the dynamic of nations, wouldn’t news outlets talk about the business ventures going on?

Of course American news stations will talk about America and take America angles on topics. One story also talked repeatedly during the week was Hurricane Noel rampaging through the Bahamas. Watching the broadcast they briefly described the death toll in the island nations, the amount of damage, and pictures of muddy waves drowning out the streets. But that was shown for about forty-five seconds. The rest of the three minute news segment was directed towards American citizens. How it was going to hit the Carolinas? How this has been a tame season? The angle taken was on the potential threat to us and how we made it out okay. Something was lost in translation there. What was lost was that the real story should be about the damage happening to the Bahamas, but that had nothing to do with us. The reporter ended the story with a warning to us to reconsider the scary rhetoric of hurricane predications. Yes Americans made it out okay, but what about the people in the Bahamas?

This goes the same about Brazil. In recent weeks there have been murders and breakouts of violence. Most of them at the suppose hands of police officers. Should American news outlets discuss these stories? At times I wished they did to allow us a greater understanding of the world around us, but at the same time is that possible. ABC News only has thirty minutes to broadcast. In that time they need to hit many viewers as they possibly can. So topics about how obesity leads to cancer and frozen pizza recalls are needed to be there to make them still relevant. Would American viewers really care what is happening to citizens of another country? Iraq stories are about the soldiers not Iraqis. Brazil to make the evening news would be a miracle. The idea is that if you want to know, there is the internet to allow you the information. But for that thirty minutes, America has to be about America.

Bovespa Stock Surges In Record Day

Brazil's leading stock exchange, Bovespa, surged to a record day after it was listed for the first time. In just one day the stock rose 51%. In the morning the stock exchange was listed at 23 reais, but by days end it was at 34 reais. All this buzz, 288 million shares were sold, generated an astonishing $3.7 billion dollars in IPO. The amazing cash flow promises to boost the local currency and economy.

Bovespa has seen its profits jump 71% in just one year. The main reason for this, besides the first listing, was also the immense interest from oversea investors. The two most notable stakeholders were Brazil's Grupo Itau and Grupo Santander Banespa.

Information found at BBC News

Petrobas Wants to Make Cellulosic Ethanol Viable

Brazil's state-run oil company Petroleo Brasileiro SA, or Petrobras, wants to make cellulosic ethanol viable in the near future. Carlos Tadeu Fraga, executive manager of Petrobras, said that the cellulosic ethanol is at the moment not commercially possible because it costs more to produce that sugarcane or corn. But he wished in the next ten years to make it a possibility.

Petrobras inaugurated a pilot plant to produce ethanol from sugarcane bagasse, a residue from ethanol or sugar production. The company plans to have a full plant running in 2010, able to produce ten tons of the product out. U.S. has aims for the same objective, but has yet to produce the technology to make it a possibility.

Brazil Looks Into Drilling In Amazon

The Natural Petroleum Agency, or ANP, announced a week ago that they plan to invest a little under $36 million dollars to look for oil and gas in the province of Acre. The western jungle of the Amazon is located in Acre. Many critics are nervous that this could catastrophically alter the jungle, one of the last untouched wildernesses in the world.

ANP director Getulio Silveira Leite urge that this was needed to discover the possibilities. Joao Paulo Capobianco, the Environment Ministry’s executive secretary, was cautious and listening to the decision. He said, "In theory, there are methodologies and technologies that allow this activity without environmental damage." He stressed to do research into ANP's plans and to make sure everyone knew what scale they were dealing on.

Acre congressman Marcelo Serafim, was on the same page. He did note that other plans to preserve the Earth and maintain a viable energy system has not worked in the past. The past examples he quoted were the Atlantic forests and Pantanal (wetlands).

Brazil's population continues to grow and more natural resources are needed to maintain the society. They have already started to build pipelines inside the Amazon.

All information found at Associated Press

Brazil Wins Suit Against America

America was found guilty in paying their cotton farmers illegal subsidies up towards $3 billion dollars, to help against Brazil's production. WTO issued the remarks opening the door for Brazil to receive new economic freedom and power. This all goes along to helping Brazil continue its agricultural might.

Phil Bloomer of Oxfam International, called it a, "a triumph for developing countries, and a warning for rich countries whose unfair systems are creating misery and poverty for millions. This is a signal that the modus operandi of the rich and powerful in the WTO getting away with anything they like will no longer be tolerated."

Many thought that the illegal subsidies help create the plunging poverty in the region. The overproduction kept the prices down, forcing Brazilian farmers to work extra hard just to make ends meet.

U.S. plans to appeal to the WTO on the matter.

All information found at BBC

South American Nations to Create New Bank

Led by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, an assortment of South American nations are creating a new bank to rival the IMF, American bank IDB, and World Bank. The countries include Brazil, Ecuador, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, Venezuela, and Argentina. The bank will be called Banco del Sur, or Bank of the South.

So why are all these countries uniting to create a new bank? Chavez strongly believes that the other banks create impossibly difficult sanctions that leave many in region under extreme poverty. Under the new system it will help alleviate their citizens to new financial prosperity.

Most can look into this as Chavez as positioning himself more and more as the strong Latin America voice against America, but South American countries facing poverty this looks like a golden opportunity for them.

Brazil itself has played an important role. The most economic and populated nation in the region was hesitant to go in at first, citing they wanted to make sure that the bank was established to help growing communities. They agreed hoping this would allow Brazil businesses to grow to even greater heights. This all comes at the eve of the World Bank about to hold meetings this week.

All information found at Taipei Times