When people talk about the loss of the middle class here in the United States, they'll often toss of the phrase "well at least we're not Brazil". I've always had a vague idea that Brazil is sliding further towards some economic extreme but I haven't had much ground to stand on there. This piece about the collisions between the favelas of Rio and the makers of the World Cup provides us with one of those rare moments when we can actually make sense of a bad situation getting worse at the same time that we can actually imagine some possible alternatives. The research and the reporting on the ground really pays off and gives some dynamic understanding to the exploding situation that is the globalizing Brazil. I'd never understood favelas before. Now I do, I hope it's not too late.