The chords are unmistakable. And so is the melody. 🎶 “Oh! Chalana sem querer / Tu aumentas minha dor / Nessas águas tão serenas / Vai levando meu amor…”. (“Oh! Chalana unintentionally / You increase my pain / In these so serene waters / You carry my love…”.) 🎶

The image is heartbreaking. Devastating indeed. Water everywhere, sunken houses, buildings damaged, often up to the third floor, streets so flooded that is impossible to dissociate what is the river from what is asphalt and a feeling of powerlessness that devastates not only those who lived the tragedy of the rains in the State of Rio Grande do Sul, but also those who care about others.

Sometimes, it's easy to get the impression that in the economy called sustainable, circular, "clean", everything happens by magic. While complex processes unfold behind the scenes, giving the feeling that any material can transform into another, simply by adding "shine" and "glamour" to the new one. But as the old catchphrase says: “it’s not sorcery, it’s technology”.

… Joga o paio, carne seca, toucinho no caldeirão. E vamos botar água no feijão!