The New South America Union.

Quote from Gringinho:

Brazil with their poor educational system (one of the worst in the world wrt actual student results) does have a lack of professionals and the tradition/know-how of such professionals. Lastly, China has cheaper labour and produces better quality ...
:D
More...

I'm a complete gringo, but I can tell you that the Asians are going to rule the world in fifty years. These people are DEAD serious. Here's an example:

I took my son to a math contest. There were probably a hundred kids entered into the contest and 90% were Asian, including Japanese, Indians and Chinese.

This is in the U.S. in a big city that is mostly white, hispanic and African American, yet there were was only one African American kid, and maybe two hispanic and white kids (including mine).

These people are incredibly serious about education, family and hard work and it goes with them all over the globe. You put all of it together and, well, I don't see who is going to stop them...
 
Quote from Raptor Deus:

What is being discussed is SA's support of the idea of Chavez 'taking over his spanish neighbors' to be the 'leader', which is exactly the same type of ambition Hitler had.

What is even more absurd that it this would be ok with SA as long as Brazil is left alone.
More...

Agreed. But SA, from what I have read, is very far left politically. I think he believes that the people of that region would probably be better served under a Castro-like leader. Of course, I completely disagree with that and think that it is countries like India, Chili, etc. that show us how to pull people out of poverty, give them increased freedom and so on. But SA is, of course, entitled to his own opinion.

I just know that I'd rather live any day in India or Chili than Venezuela or Cuba!

SA: If I have misjudged you, let me know...
 
.

May 28, 2008

SouthAmerica: Reply to ShoeshineBoy

I understand exactly what you are talking about.

I keep in close contact over the years with my alma mater (FDU) and stopped often on campus to use the computer lab.

One thing that always called my attention is that when I went to the computer lab the majority of the kids were foreign including kids from many Indians, South Koreans, and Iranians.

You are right about one thing I can’t remember seeing a black kid on the computer lab at any time but I could see them through the window playing touch football on the grass next to the building. They had some white American kids on the computer lab but they were a small minority.

I stop on a regular basis on our local Borders bookstore and I see a bunch of oriental kids studying math, and they also tutor their oriental friends – and I see many of these kids also on Saturday and Sundays studying their math and science at Borders - some of the kids look like they still in high school, but some of them look like they are going to college.

.
 
Quote from southamerica:

.

May 28, 2008

SouthAmerica: Reply to ShoeshineBoy

I understand exactly what you are talking about.

I keep in close contact over the years with my alma mater (FDU) and stopped often on campus to use the computer lab.

One thing that always called my attention is that when I went to the computer lab the majority of the kids were foreign including kids from many Indians, South Koreans, and Iranians.

You are right about one thing I can’t remember seeing a black kid on the computer lab at any time but I could see them through the window playing touch football on the grass next to the building. They had some white American kids on the computer lab but they were a small minority.

I stop on a regular basis on our local Borders bookstore and I see a bunch of oriental kids studying math, and they also tutor their oriental friends – and I see many of these kids also on Saturday and Sundays studying their math and science at Borders - some of the kids look like they still in high school, but some of them look like they are going to college.

.
More...

They take education and technology very seriously. It is a cultural value and imo it is what truly explains the Asia phenomenon, not demographics or anything else. The natural resources of Brazil and the creativity of America will have a hard time competing with an Asian horde of highly educated, highly motivated and extremely diligent workers.
 
Quote from southamerica:
.
Sorry to say that but you don’t have a clue about the Brazilian educational system.

About 9 years ago I did some research regarding Brazil’s educational system and the goal of the study was to bring Brazilian kids to study at FDU in NJ. (Fairleigh Dickinson University).

As part of the study I had to get all the information and statistics about foreign students who come to the United States to further their education at the undergrad, graduate and advanced levels.

At that time I found out that the number of Brazilians studying abroad were not that large and I was pleased to find out that the reason was because of the high quality of the educational level of Brazilian universities. I also found out that usually when Brazilians go to a foreign country to further their education they prefer to go to European universities.

Today, I know a number of well-educated people in Brazil who can’t find a job because of the job market situation and not because of the lack of education or professional experience at the highest levels.
.
More...

Haha, I live in Brazil and you don't.
Of course there are smart people in Brazil - and even lots of billionaires and other successful people. The country is huge and has a large population.

But on average, the schooling system is completely shot - and student results are one of the best indicators of this. Another is rampant crime, poverty, corruption etc. The electorate can't see through the lies of politicians and vote for whoever gives them free t-shirts, beer or meets one of their fancies at the time.

The students you see go studying abroad aren't actually the underprivileged masses that you'd see in any average public school here - or even private schools in most circumstances. Hardly representative for the brazilian schooling system.

One thing that people here have a good grasp on is current events and the problems facing them. The professional subjects are not that good, but it's also a systemic problem.

I'm not disagreeing with you on saying that these students that you have seen go abroad to study or the ones you know in Brazil are neither lazy or stupid - but I'm talking about on average - from large worldwide studies (look into the OECD PISA studies and results as well as UN reports) and their results along with what I know first hand from schools, the curriculum and everyday news I get here in Brazil. It's a bit better foundation for having an opinion than knowing a little about what goes on here. These things interest me greatly and I spend time discussing it with friends here and on the Internet as to how the problems in Brazil could be best resolved. It will take forever though.
 
.

ShoeshineBoy: Agreed. But SA, from what I have read, is very far left politically.


******


May 28, 2008

SouthAmerica: Most of you decide what I am based on your own perspective and point of view – from the conservative right to the far left and anyone in between. You know your own politics and how you think.

I few years back when I was looking for a new job I used to go on a daily basis to a college here in Essex County, NJ – the center was inside this state college but it was managed by the NJ Labor Dept. and only people with at least a college degree could use the facilities of that center. We had a bunch of very well educated people from college professors with PhD’s and many members had at least a master degree in something, and we had people with degrees from Harvard, Yale to the Wharton Graduate School of Business and so on…

We had a group of about 10 people who had lunch every day at the cafeteria of this college and talked about economics, politics, the war in Iraq and so on…

One day when we had just started our lunch a young woman who was very conservative gave me a piece of her mind after reading one of my articles, and she called me a communist. But there was a fellow on this group, he was a citizen of Guyana (a country located on the North of South America), and he jumped right on the discussion. He said “ I came from a socialist country and and have first hand experience with that kind of system I have read many of the articles that he wrote and I can tell you that based on all the articles that I read I would not consider him even a socialist.

The discussion about what these people thought about where I did fit in the political spectrum went on for about a half hour – and all of them were basing their opinions based on our conversations during our lunch hour, and my articles that they read over a period of time.

After a half hour of this discussion going on the fellow from Guyana turned to me and said I know you are not a socialist for a fact and he asked me please tell us where you stand because we can’t figure out.

I said: I don’t consider myself anything – and I don’t fit any of the labels that you people want to tag on me. I don’t think in terms of politics, I think in terms of economics and I am all over the place depending the issue, and I change my mind over time and my thinking is not frozen in time.

I hope I answered your question. The perception of what you think about me depends more on your own political beliefs than anything else.

I don’t consider myself anything – I have an open mindset.

.
 
Quote from fearless9:

Hi Gringinho,

Where you in Brazil.
I am in BA, came here five years ago but visit Rio from time to time.

regards
f9
More...

I like to stay in São Paulo and the northeastern region. São Paulo has everything I could want, while it's nice to relax in the northeast.
 
Excellent Commentary As Usual

..................................................................................

I think the two, three, four party systems are obsolete.

Elections just boil down to purchasing visuals and soundbytes which are aimed towards differing voting segments.

What really should be happening is for the country to form objectives....and thereby employ the best people for the tasks at hand....in the most efficient way possible....

The internet will play an increasing role in government....and one day the people of a country will look back at the rediculous multi-party advertising based systems....in the same way as they will look at the ancient gas guzzling SUVs....

................................................................................

What really should be happening is a strong movement towards a sales tax only approach for every country....and each country would vote through the internet....and elect through the internet how the sales tax money is going to be spent....All contract work would be open bid.

Also all countries should agree to drop their militaries as a payment to mankind...and fight battles through economics....
..................................................................

In short....it should not matter whether you are white, yellow, black, Christian, Muslim....This is about being productive and getting from point A to point B....

Advertisement based sound byte visual democracy is rediculous....and quite frankly very dangerous for a country's best true objectives....
 
Quote from libertad:

What really should be happening is for the country to form objectives....and thereby employ the best people for the tasks at hand....in the most efficient way possible....
More...

The supermarkets in here Buenos Aires move the stock around the shelves on a regular basis.

By this I mean that they take the high volume stock and the major branded items and move them from location to location. Usually unrelated.
The general idea being that as you hunt for these elusive creatures you will trip over tempting items and throw them in your cart.

When you talk with locals about this, they seem to think that it is the norm.

The entertainment factor ranks very highly here which pretty much puts lineal thinking at the other end of the spectrum.

If you are not accustomed to this you will wind up enjoying yourself as you are pulling your hair out at the same time.

Efficiency does exist here but it takes on a different form and has an entirely different meaning to that which most Westerners understand.

regards
f9
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top