Brazil’s Blackout Spurs Hacker Speculation: Alexandre Marinis “Never believe anything until it has been officially denied,” said English journalist Francis Claud Cockburn.

Nobel Is Like Oscar for Not Finished Movie: Alexandre Marinis It’s ludicrous that President Barack Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize, for which he was nominated less than two weeks after taking office.

Chavez, Lula, Obama Make Honduras Unstable: Alexandre Marinis If Honduras descends into civil war, we can thank Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and credit Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva with an assist.

Brazil Sambas Into Olympian Joys, Challenges: Alexandre Marinis It’s time to develop a taste for caipirinhas, Brazil’s national cocktail, and to learn how to samba. Unless you are an Olympic athlete, that’s most of what you need to know to prepare for the 2016 Olympic Games, which on Friday were awarded to Rio de Janeiro.

Presidential Control Freaks Ruin Democracies: Alexandre Marinis Several Latin American leaders have contracted a potent virus called tyrannous flu. The main symptom is a painfully tight grip on the levers of power, and it strikes leftists and right-wingers alike.

Mud Slingers Throw Ethics in Garbage Can: Alexandre Marinis Brazil’s politicians, a rough and tumble group under normal conditions, are wrestling in the mud as they position themselves for next year’s presidential election.

Latin Leaders Cling to Early Hatred of U.S.: Alexandre Marinis The world should look forward to the next generation of Latin American leaders. They will be less hostile toward the West and less likely to destabilize their neighbors.

Housing Boom Finds 190 Million New Customers: Alexandre Marinis The world’s next great housing boom may be taking shape in Brazil. The missing ingredients are a full-fledged mortgage market -- one that steers clear of the pitfalls the U.S. encountered -- and sound government policy.

Teens, Models, Bailouts Meet Lucky Leaders: Alexandre Marinis If someone handed out a prize for the world’s luckiest head of state, Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva should win it hands down.

China New Latin Bad Boy Replacing the U.S.: Alexandre Marinis For the past 50 years, Latin Americans had a love-hate relationship with the U.S. They loved American entertainment and hated U.S. foreign policies. They had particular disdain for Washington’s support for Latin dictators in the 1960s and 1970s, its campaign against Cuba and, more recently, just about everything associated with George W. Bush.