As the World Cup is about to start, local Brazilians are not motivated to celebrate and join the festivities due to a lack of preparation. Stadium seats are not fully tested for safety and locals are unhappy with the government for spending so much money on the sporting event. Some Brazilians are feeling embarrassed because they worry their country isn't going to delivery a world class World Cup. Listen to this radio story to learn why.
Story Length: 4:12
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AIR DATE: 06/05/2014
January 13, 2017
4:57
People around the world experience racism. In the United States the Civil Rights act of of 1964 prohibits employers from discriminating on the basis of race. It’s a civil law, which means companies could face fines if they break it. Countries respond to racism in different ways. In Brazil, in an effort to curb racism, the country had made it a criminal act to be racist. If caught and found guilty, you could go to jail. This audio story explores how even with laws against racism, the practice continues in Brazil. Listen and debate this question: Can racism be outlawed?
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Brazil has taken an unprecedented move and suspended its president from office pending an impeachment trial. Brazil’s Senate voted to put Dilma Rousseff on trial for impeachment for breaking financial rules. Rousseff denies any wrongdoing and plans to fight the impeachment. Almost 60 percent of Brazil’s Congress is under criminal investigation, and the acting President, Michel Temer, is also accused of profiting from a corruption scandal. As a major political and economic power in South America, Brazil’s crisis could have serious ramifications.
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Top officials at FIFA, the group that governs international soccer and the World Cup, have been accused of corruption. Investigators in the United States and Switzerland have uncovered bribes and wire transfers between World Cup host countries and FIFA officials. Sepp Blatter, who has served as FIFA’s president for 17 years has resigned in the face of this scandal. Listen to learn more about the scandal rocking the soccer world.
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3:41
In past Olympics, vote trading, where one judge trades for votes with another judge, skewed judging in ice skating; however, when anonymity was enacted, vote trading just got worse. Listen to this story to learn how subjectivity has a role in judging.
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