Brazil’s Other Power Woman and the Doomsday Calendar

As most of us know, Brazil, the Southern Hemisphere’s uncontested economic powerhouse has been very efficiently run by highly a competent technocrat, President Dilma Rousseff, who succeeded the wildly popular Lula da Silva. Brazil has become a huge player in the energy industry with its home grown Petrobras, the world’s fifth largest oil company. It’s fast growing natural gas and power division have been very capably led by a woman named Maria das Gracas Foster, and as such she has been accountable only to the CEO of the company, Jose Sergio Gabrielli, who announced his resignation to become a politician, abandoning his position at the helm of one of Brazil’s most dynamic companies.To many in the Latin American energy sector, it came as no surprise that his successor was quickly named, and it turns out to be 58 year old Maria Foster, a 34-year veteran of the Rio based energy giant’s fastest growing division. Her task is monumental, as she will be in charge of a US$225 billion expansion plan that aims to poke holes as deep as six kilometers beneath the sea floor to look for black gold and gas. The targets that were set for 2011 were missed because of the double whammy of the 2010 Gulf of Mexico rig disaster and difficulties in obtaining required equipment. I am sure that the recent Chevron oil spill off the coast of Brazil will have some cascading effects as well. But Ms. Foster is clearly the woman of the moment, as the announcement of her appointment caused the company’s stock to surge to its highest level in more than eight months. The stock gained almost 5% between Friday and Tuesday’s close.The story of her rise to the top is one of those enviable rags to riches tales. Born into a working class family on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro, she collected recyclables as a child to pay for her school supplies, eventually getting a degree in chemical engineering. She subsequently went to work for Petrobras, where she has been employed continuously, with the exception of a three-year break when she worked for Dilma Rousseff, who at the time was Energy Secretary for the state of Rio Grande do Sul. Foster has worked in every single division of Petrobras, having started her career as an intern in 1978. Her nomination, which is certain to be approved, will be voted upon on February 9. Congratulations to her, to Petrobras, and to Brazil!Less than Eleven Months until the End, my Friend!...And everyone wants to get in on it. As most Westerners know, your pets don’t have a soul, so they will not be able to accompany you in the big coming rapture on December 21, 2012. I have already offered to be a refuge for all those pets left behind, in exchange for believers leaving me all their worldly goods. (See the PayPal Donate button on this page!)The government of Mexico has announced plans to take advantage of the so -called “Mayan Prophecy” to bring hordes of tourists on their doomsday vacation of a lifetime to all the Mayan sites. In spite of the denial of the elders of the current Mayan people of such a date, those living in the affected areas fear that Doomsday tourism could contaminate their sacred sites by thousands of tourists with their digital cameras at the ready, time and date stamp and all.Artemio Kaamal, general coordinator of Kuxa’ano’on, which is Mayan for “we live,” stated that the government failed completely to consult with the indigenous peoples of the region. Mexican President Felipe Calder?n has allocated $49 million to promote the Maya World Program, which it is hoped will lure some 52 million tourists to the Mesoamerican region. Of course, all the other prophecies proclaiming the coming Apocalipsii have come and gone, with the various prophets having returned to obscurity. Remember the good Revered Camping? He predicted The End with absolute certainty, not once but twice – talk about stamina for a 90 year old man!The simple fact is that on December 21, 2012, a cycle of 144,000 days in the Mayan calendar will end, and another will begin. The current cycle started on August 11, 3114 BC, about 1300 years before the advent of the Mayans.The believers in this end of the world scenario would be just as justified in proclaiming the end of the world at the end of the year, decade, century, or millennium. Remember the year 2000, when thousands sold or gave away all their worldly goods? ...Or the computer millennium bug that was going to make airplanes fall out of the sky? Well, we are still here as a species, and once again, I urge you to click on the Donate button to send me whatever you can spare, so that we may go around taking care of all the soulless pets that will be left behind.  [image: Maya Mask from Placeras, Campeche, via Wikipedia]There you may find me talking about virtually anything, and you are invited to contribute to the site as well. I encourage you to write to me, jamie@expatdailynews.com with any questions or suggestions you may have, and if necessary, we can establish a voice communication via Skype. Disclaimer: I am not in any travel related business. My advice is based on my own experiences, and is free of charge. (Donations accepted). It is always my pleasure to act as a beneficial counselor to those who are seekers of the next adventure.Jamie Douglas is an Adventurer, Writer and Photographer with an amazing array of Nikon equipment, and a lifetime of experience traveling and documenting. To contact him for assignments, email: jamie.douglas [at] yahoo.com
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