I wrote this a while back for InBrazil – I thought I’d reblog it here.

“But what can I say about a country that experiences a near miss? Like a distressed man who, in an act of madness cuts his veins – but in his anguish misses the artery and only inflicts upon himself a flesh-wound. Sure it hurts; but he will recover. He will feel foolish – he might even be left with a scar that he will talk about only at parties, displaying for the crowd when he drinks too much; pulling up his sleeve for all to see. But usually he will cover it over with bracelets or makeup or whatever he can find – to not have to repeat the humbling tale.”

You can read the whole article here.