When I think of Brazil, what comes to mind initially is Aquarelo Do Brazil [Water Color of Brazil], an absolutely glorious samba written by Ary Barroso in 1939, which went international when Walt Disney made a breathtaking cartoon in 1942 using the song as backdrop. The animation begs description, and one finds it hard to believe that it could have been made decades before computer graphics. The song is hypnotic and beguiling, like Brazil itself. However, the image is deceptive, as is much of Brazil. In 2012, Brazil surpassed Britain in economic output to become the sixth biggest economy in the world. However, with five times as many people as Britain, that achievement is not as impressive as it seemed in the headlines. In reality, Britain has a 5 to 1 advantage in per capita income. Brazil is commended for its use of gasohol, with a commensurate reduction in fossil fuels. What is ignored is that Brazil has one-quarter the number of the cars in the USA, with an equatorial...(Read Full Article)