Tiririca

December 7, 2017 By Fausta

Brazil: Tiririca would rather be an honest clown than a crooked politician

The clown and politician who as been in the Chamber of Deputies since 2010 is calling it quits,

A professional clown in Brazil who ran for congress and won by a huge margin says he will not stand again in 2018.

Francisco Everardo Oliveira Silva, better known as Tiririca, is coming to the end of his second term in the Chamber of Deputies.

He complained that he was one of only eight out of more than 500 lawmakers who regularly turned up to sessions.

Tiririca said he was “ashamed” of his colleagues’ behaviour and would return to being a full-time clown.

Tiririca’s stage name means Grumpy. His 2010 campaign slogan was “It can’t get any worse.”

He would get my vote.

Cross-posted at WoW! Magazine.

September 8, 2014 By Fausta

The postponed amnesty Carnival of Latin America and the Caribbean

LatinAmer How convenient: Abandoning his pledge to act by the end of summer, President Barack Obama has decided to delay any executive action on immigration until after the November congressional elections, White House officials said.

ARGENTINA
Argentine High Court to Rule on Right-to-Die

Behemoth Argentine dinosaur Dreadnoughtus made T. rex look puny
Researchers are studying the remains of a colossal, long-necked dinosaur, named Dreadnoughtus meaning “fearing nothing”, that shook the Earth about 77 million years ago

Gustavo Cerati: Argentine rock legend dies after long coma

BOLIVIA
Blind jazz prodigy, aged nine, wowing Bolivian audiences

BRAZIL
Auto Production Falls Sharply in Brazil

Brazil’s Politicians Often Play the Clown in Ads

CHILE
Central Bank Cuts Forecast for Chile’s Growth in 2014

COLOMBIA
Colombia Expels Venezuelan Opposition Student Activist Lorent Gomez Saleh

ECUADOR
Correa-Tied Anti-Piracy Firm Targets Reporters Investigating Ambassador
Days after Ecuadorian news outlet exposed potential corruption, Ares Rights filed a copyright complaint

EL SALVADOR
El Salvador ex-head hands himself in
El Salvador ex-President Francisco Flores hands himself in to a judge after months on the run from allegations of corruption.

GUATEMALA
Prisoner Faces New Charges

HONDURAS
Gun Deaths in Honduras Double in 9 Years

JAMAICA
Unresponsive plane crashes into seaIn this July 11, 2009, image obtained from the US Navy, Two F-15 Strike Eagles assigned to the Louisiana Air National Guard 159th Fighter Wing fly over southern Louisiana’s wetlands during a photo exercise
A private plane tailed by US fighter jets when it failed to respond to air traffic control, crashes off Jamaica, with an American couple on board.

MEXICO
Amnesty says torture rife in Mexico
Torture is still rife in Mexico and routinely used to extract confessions, human rights organisation Amnesty International says.

Billboard Drives Home Extent of Corruption as Schools Suffer

NICARAGUA
5 gold miners still trapped in Nicaragua

PANAMA
Panama Canal expansion dredges up treasure

PARAGUAY
Peru’s Congress Denounces Former President Toledo for Money Laundering

PUERTO RICO
Puerto Rico Luring Buyers With Tax Breaks

URUGUAY
Pepe Mujica a Libertarian? If Only…
Talk Is Cheap for Uruguay’s “Humble President”

VENEZUELA
Dude, Your Strategic Fund Has Less than a Week’s Worth of Imports In It

There IS Too Much Money To Be Made In The Bolivarian Revolution Part II: The Cadivi Rackets

Ciudad Guayana: In Venezuela’s model city, a dream sputters
Amid labor conflicts, a once-proud industrial city is a monument to the nation’s economic woes.

PDVSA Said to Hire London PR Firm as Venezuela Struggles

The week’s posts:
Brazil: Marina Silva is now frontrunner

US Signs Agreement with Mexico to Protect Mexican Workers–Including Illegals

Iran’s tango with Latin America

En español: Jennifer Lawrence en la Unidad de Quemados

Chile: $30m of cocaine and marijuana seized

Corruption: Brazil not on the map

US can’t locate 60,000 on student visas

Venezuela: Chavista Lord’s Prayer UPDATED

At Da Tech Guy Blog:
The week in the administration

Just what are “immigration rights”?

January 11, 2012 By Fausta

Sony fined $656k over Tiririca song

The clown and politician is in the Brazilian headlines, again,
Race Matters: Sony Ordered To Pay Half A Milli In Damages After Brazilian Song Calling Black Woman “Stinking Beast” And Comparing Her Hair To Scouring Pads Is Deemed Racist (h/t GoV)

The lawsuit was brought forth by 10 non-governmental organizations that fight against racism. Humberto Adami, the defense attorney of the NGOs, argued that black women were offended, exposed to ridicule and felt violated due to the lyrical content of the song.

“This decision is a direct message to show how the issue of racial inequality should be treated. It is a moment to celebrate. The compensation won’t even go to the authors of the lawsuit. The money will go to the Diffused Rights Fund of the Ministry of Justice,”commented Adami.

Adami claims that the damages paid in the suit are the highest ever paid for compensation of a racist act in Brazil.

A representative for Sony maintained that the song was not intended to offend women and that Tiririca was in fact alluding to his wife in the song and that the terminology used in the song are used by Brazilians in reference to not only black women but white women as well.

In case you wonder if this is too much, take a look at the appalling lyrics.

28527

October 6, 2010 By Fausta

Let’s hear it for the clown: 15 Minutes on Latin America

In today’s podcast at 11AM Eastern, a roundup of news regarding Tiririca’s win in Brazil.

In more serious matters, Babalu links to Thinking twice about reinvented Marxist terrorist for president
The election should have been a walk for Dilma Rousseff, hand-picked by Lula, but Brazilians may be wary of her ability to lead the country

23406

October 5, 2010 By Fausta

Brazil edition: Where are the clowns? Congress! VIDEO, UPDATED

A few days ago I was posting on clowns at the US Congress. Now the Brazilians have done that one better, and elected this guy: Tiririca the clown!

Tiririca won big:

His nom de humor means “grumpy,” and his campaign slogans included “It can’t get any worse.” And today, Tiririca the clown — “The Handsome Candidate” — is a member of the Brazilian Congress after winning more votes yesterday than any other candidate.

Tiririca (aka Francisco Oliveira Silva) collected more than 1.3 million votes and will represent Sao Paulo.

Here’s his ad:

Eat your heart out, Al Franken!

UPDATE:
At the Beeb,

Tiririca’s sucess could also have a bearing on other election races, as he can pass on his excess votes to other candidates in his party’s coalition, which includes the governing Workers Party.

Tiririca survived a last-minute legal challenge to his candidacy amid evidence that he did not meet the literacy requirement for elected office.

However, the electoral authorities indicated he could be removed from office if he failed to show he can read and write after the election.

Other winners were two pro soccer players who scored big,

Romario, the striker who helped Brazil win the 1994 World Cup. Fellow footballer and 1994 team-mate Bebeto was elected state deputy for Rio

Can’t wait for Cicciolina to show up for the inauguration.

23381