ock market than either Microsoft or Wal-Mart, Petrobras has been reduced to selling assets -- from oil fields to corporate subsidiaries -- to raise cash

After the greatest opening weekend in college football history, many of us were ready to write off the SEC.Among the myriad reasons: SEC East favorite Tennessee nearly lost to Appalachian State in overtime; Arkansas almost fell to Louisiana Tech; and LSUs offense was a hot mess in its loss to Wisconsin at Lambeau Field.But Week 2 revealed that the SEC probably isnt quite that bad. Sure, Kentucky looks to be historically awful, and uninspired Georgia nearly lost to FCS foe Nicholls before pulling out a 26-24 win at home.But No. 1 Alabama rolled an opponent for the second straight week, beating Western Kentucky 38-10. Arkansas upset No. 15 TCU 41-38 in two overtimes, and Tennessee rebounded to beat Virginia Tech 45-24 at Bristol Motor Speedway.Its easy to overreact early in the season. What we do know to be the truth: Another 27 FBS teams have no chance of reaching the College Football Playoff. The Eliminator has now eliminated 56 of the 128 FBS teams from playoff consideration after only two weeks.Among the casualties this week: Power 5 teams California, Kansas, NC State and Purdue. Better luck next week, guys.Heres where FBS stands after Week 2:Jump to Sections: Whos In | Still In Contention | On The Fence | Better Luck Next Season | Previously EliminatedWhos inThree of our four CFP teams are going to remain the same for the second straight week: No. 1 seed Alabama, No. 2 seed Florida State and No. 3 seed Michigan. But the No. 4 seed is going to change, with Ohio State replacing Houston. The Buckeyes beat Tulsa 48-3 at home, while the Cougars shut out FCS foe Lamar 42-0. The Buckeyes get their first big test at Oklahoma on Saturday. As long as the Cougars keep winning -- and get back injured quarterback Greg Ward Jr. soon -- theyll stay in the CFP mix. Clemson, which played Alabama for the CFP national championship last season, remains outside the top four after struggling on offense for the second week in a row in a 30-24 win over Troy.Still in contentionAlabama Crimson Tide Trending: EVENImagine what Alabama coach Nick Saban might have done (and said) if his team had beaten Western Kentucky by only three touchdowns.Clemson Tigers Trending: DOWNYeah, thats Florida State in front of Clemson and Louisville in its rearview mirror. The Tigers better kick it in high gear in a hurry.Florida State Seminoles Trending: EVENFCS member Charleston Southern suspended 14 players from playing in its 52-8 loss at FSU because they improperly purchased school supplies from the bookstore. North Carolina suspended, well, never mind.Houston Cougars Trending: EVENWith a trip to Cincinnati on Thursday night, all eyes will be on Cougars quarterback Greg Ward Jr., who didnt play in last weeks 42-0 win over FCS foe Lamar because of a right shoulder injury.Iowa Hawkeyes Trending: EVENIowa gave coach Kirk Ferentz a new 10-year, $49.5 million contract extension that might take him through the 2025 season. It also includes a $500,000 bonus if the Hawkeyes win eight games in a season. Suckers.Louisville Cardinals Trending: UPAfter a record-setting start against Charlotte and Syracuse, Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson moves from Keeneland to Churchill Downs this week. No. 2 Florida State is coming to town on Saturday night, along with ESPNs College GameDay.Michigan Wolverines Trending: EVENRemember that time Colorado quarterback Kordell Stewart threw that long pass to Michael Westbrook? The Buffaloes play at the Big House on Saturday.Michigan State Spartans Trending: EVENIt has been 2,188 days since Michigan State defeated Notre Dame. But, hey, whos counting? The Spartans havent won in the series since a 34-31 victory in overtime in 2010.Ohio State Buckeyes Trending: EVENIts almost criminal that Ohio State and Oklahoma have played each other only twice in their storied histories. Finally, after waiting 33 years, well get the third meeting in Norman, Oklahoma, on Saturday night.Oklahoma Sooners Trending: EVENJust like last season, the Sooners might be able to rebound from an early-season loss and still reach the CFP -- if they can knock off the Buckeyes at home on Saturday.Stanford Cardinal Trending: EVENNo, you didnt miss another Christian McCaffrey highlight show late Saturday night. The Cardinal didnt play as they prepare for this weeks showdown against USC at home.Tennessee Volunteers Trending: UPAfter their disappointing overtime win over Appalachian State in Week 1, the Volunteers rebounded to knock off Virginia Tech 45-24 in front of a record crowd of 156,990 at Bristol Motor Speedway. They look like the team to beat again in the SEC East, but remember, If you aint first, youre last.Texas Longhorns Trending: EVENLets make sure we have the extra-point kicks firmed up this week, Longhorns.Texas A&M Aggies Trending: EVEN The Aggies upset then-No. 16 UCLA 31-24 in Week 1 and blasted FCS foe Prairie View A&M 67-0 in Week 2. But they opened as a four-point underdog at Auburn on Saturday. Remember, theres a reason Las Vegas has really tall buildings.Washington Huskies Trending: EVENSomebody tell Huskies coach Chris Petersen that hes not still coaching at Boise State. The Huskies played Rutgers and Idaho the first two weeks and theyll host FCS foe Portland State on Saturday night.Wisconsin Badgers Trending: UPMan, the Badgers are sure lucky LSU didnt play that Purdue quarterback at Lambeau Field.On the fenceAir Force Falcons Trending: EVEN Air Forces Timothy McVey returned a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown in a 48-14 win over Georgia State. It was the Falcons first kickoff return for a score since Oct. 9, 2010.Arizona Wildcats Trending: DOWN That wasnt a typo on the Bottom Line late Saturday night: Arizona trailed FCS foe Grambling State 21-3 at the half. But the Wildcats scored 28 consecutive points, thanks in part to six Tigers turnovers, to escape with a 31-21 win.Arizona State Sun Devils Trending: UP Heres what you missed in #Pac12AfterDark: Arizona States Kalen Ballage tied a 26-year-old NCAA record with eight touchdowns in a 68-55 victory over Texas Tech. He had 185 all-purpose yards and ran 13 times for 137 yards with seven touchdowns.Arkansas Razorbacks Trending: UP Dan Skipper, a 6-foot-10 offensive tackle, might have saved the Hogs season when he blocked TCUs 28-yard field goal with 10 seconds remaining in the game. The Razorbacks beat the No. 15 Horned Frogs 41-38 in two overtimes.Army Black Knights Trending: UP After defeating Rice 31-14 on Saturday, the Black Knights are 2-0 for the first time since 1996, when they won 10 games, the most in the academys history. Army has already matched its win total from last season.Auburn Tigers Trending: UP A week after struggling mightily on offense, the Tigers piled up 706 yards of offense in a 51-14 rout of Arkansas State, the second-highest total in school history. They had 712 yards of offense against Western Carolina in 2013.Baylor Bears Trending: EVEN The Bears still havent played anyone of consequence yet, and wont until they play Oklahoma State at home in two weeks. But theyre still one of only three unbeaten teams left in the Big 12.Boise State Broncos Trending: UP Dont sleep on the Broncos. They knocked off Washington State 31-28 last week and play at Oregon State on Saturday. Boise State and San Diego State dont play during the regular season, but might be on a collision course for the Mountain West Conference championship game.Boston College Eagles Trending: EVEN After losing to Georgia Tech in Ireland, the Eagles stayed close to home and won 26-7 at Massachusetts, their first victory since beating Northern Illinois 17-14 on Sept. 26, 2015.Central Michigan Chippewas Trending: UP Who cares if officials completely bungled the ending of the Chippewas 30-27 upset of Oklahoma State? Colorado still counts its 33-31 win over Missouri in 1990.Cincinnati Bearcats Trending: EVEN The Bearcats 38-20 win at Purdue on Saturday was their first road victory over a Big Ten opponent since winning at Indiana in 1957.Colorado Buffaloes Trending: UP After beating up Colorado State and Idaho State in its first two games, Colorado is about to take a big step up in competition. The Buffaloes play consecutive road games at No. 4 Michigan and No. 22 Oregon the next two weeks.Duke Blue Devils Trending: DOWN It looks like it might be a long season for the rebuilding Blue Devils. Theyve turned the ball over eight times in their first two games.East Carolina Pirates Trending: UP After defeating NC State 33-30, the Pirates have won six consecutive games against ACC foes. Theyll get a chance to make it seven straight when they play at Virginia Tech on Sept. 24.Florida Gators Trending: UP Yeah, the Gators looked good against Kentucky, just like they did in each of the previous 29 seasons. Were reserving judgment until after their Sept. 24 trip to Tennessee.Georgia Bulldogs Trending: DOWN The Bulldogs survived a 26-24 win over FCS foe Nicholls in coach Kirby Smarts home debut. Georgia was favored to win by 55 points. The Bulldogs cant blame that one on Mark Richt.Georgia Southern Eagles Trending: UP Easy, Eagles. Its a little premature to call yourselves the best FBS team in the state.Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Trending: EVEN After beating FCS foe Mercer 35-10 last week, the Yellow Jackets host Vanderbilt on Saturday. Georgia Tech hasnt lost to the Commodores since 1941, going 11-0-1 since then.Illinois Fighting Illini Trending: DOWN After losing to North Carolina 48-23, the Illini will try to avoid becoming the second straight Big Ten team to lose to Western Michigan, which knocked off Northwestern 22-21 in Week 1.Indiana Hoosiers Trending: EVEN A big sign of progress for the IU defense: It already has forced six takeaways in two games after getting only 22 in 13 games in 2015.Kansas State Wildcats Trending: EVEN The Wildcats had an extra week to fix their mistakes from their opening loss at Stanford. Theyll have more time to get better in consecutive nonconference games against Florida Atlantic and FCS foe Missouri State.LSU Tigers Trending: EVEN Quarterback Danny Etling, who was 2-10 in his 12 games as a starter at Purdue in 2013-14, came off the bench to lead the Tigers to a 34-13 win over FCS foe Jacksonville State. Tigers coach Les Miles hasnt said whether Etling will start Saturday nights SEC opener against Mississippi State.Marshall Thundering Herd Trending: EVEN After beating FCS foe Morgan State 62-0, the Thundering Herd play Akron on Saturday, before back-to-back games against ACC foes Louisville (home) and Pittsburgh (road).Maryland Terrapins Trending: EVEN Theres a good matchup of first-year coaches in Orlando, Florida, this week: Marylands D.J. Durkin vs. UCFs Scott Frost.Memphis Tigers Trending: UP After beating FCS member Southeast Missouri State 35-17 in their opener, the Tigers had the weekend off. Theyll play Kansas at home on Saturday.Miami Hurricanes Trending: EVEN Somebody owes new Hurricanes coach Mark Richt an apology. Miamis trip to Appalachian State doesnt look scary or anything.Minnesota Golden Gophers Trending: EVEN Junior college transfer Kobe McCrary, who led the country with 22 touchdowns at Butler (Kansas) Community College last year, ran 17 times for 176 yards with two touchdowns in a 58-28 rout of FCS foe Indiana State.Missouri Tigers Trending: EVEN Missouris Drew Lock is the only SEC quarterback averaging more than 300 passing yards per game. He threw for 450 yards with a school-record five touchdown passes in a 61-21 rout of Eastern Michigan last week.Navy Midshipmen Trending: EVEN New starting quarterback Will Worth wasnt bad in his first start, running for 44 yards with two touchdowns and completing 6 of 8 passes for 130 yards in a 28-24 win over UConn.Nebraska Cornhuskers Trending: UP Nebraska coach Mike Riley will meet a familiar foe in Saturdays home game against Oregon. He was 4-10 against the Ducks as Oregon States coach in two different stints.North Carolina Tar Heels Trending: UP The Tar Heels must have really taken something out of Georgia in Week 1.Notre Dame Fighting Irish Trending: UP Notre Dames secondary suffered another big blow when starting cornerback Shaun Crawford was lost for the season with a torn Achilles tendon in last weeks 39-10 win over Nevada. Starting safety Max Redfield was dismissed from the team following his arrest during preseason camp.Oklahoma State Cowboys Trending: DOWN What was the biggest surprise from the Pokes getting jobbed in their 30-27 loss to Central Michigan? OSU coach Mike Gundy took it like a man. Well done.Ole Miss Rebels Trending: EVEN Dont worry, Rebels. Im sure Alabama coach Nick Saban probably doesnt remember that you beat his teams in each of the past two seasons.Oregon Ducks Trending: EVEN Olympic hurdler Devon Allen, fresh off the Rio Games, caught four passes for 141 yards with one touchdown in the Ducks 44-26 win over Virginia. He joins Florida A&Ms Bob Hayes (1964), West Virginias James Jett (1992) and Texas Marquise Goodman (2012) as active NCAA players who competed in the Olympics.Oregon State Beavers Trending: EVEN The Beavers had a week off after losing to Minnesota 30-23 in Week 1. After losing 10 straight games, they should finally get into the victory column against FCS foe Idaho State on Saturday.Penn State Nittany Lions Trending: DOWN Penn States offensive line might be a little motivated this week. The Nittany Lions allowed 10 sacks in a 27-10 loss at Temple last season, which was Penn States first to the Owls in 74 years.Pittsburgh Panthers Trending: UP So thats why Penn State doesnt want to play Pitt every year (or is it vice versa?).Rutgers Scarlet Knights Trending: DOWN FCS member Howard led by two touchdowns in the first quarter, before the Scarlet Knights exploded for 52 straight points for a 52-14 win.San Diego State Aztecs Trending: UP It might be time to add San Diego State tailback Donnel Pumphrey to the list of Heisman Trophy candidates. He ran for 281 yards with three touchdowns in the Aztecs 45-40 win over California. He passed Marshall Faulk to become the schools all-time rushing leader, and hes the active leader in FBS in rushing yards, rushing touchdowns and 100-yard games.South Carolina Gamecocks Trending: UP The Gamecocks lost 27-14 at Mississippi State last week, but might have found themselves a quarterback. Freshman Brandon McIlwain came off the bench and threw for 126 yards with two touchdowns on 11-for-22 passing.South Florida Bulls Trending: UP The best individual performance you might have missed on Saturday: USF quarterback Quinton Flowers passed for 350 yards with four touchdowns and ran for 53 yards in a 48-17 win over Northern Illinois.Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles Trending: UP The Golden Eagles allowed 41 yards of offense, the fewest ever surrendered in a game in Conference USA history, and only three first downs in a 56-0 rout of FCS foe Savannah State on Saturday.Syracuse Orange Trending: DOWN The Orange are definitely playing faster under first-year coach Dino Babers. But the Syracuse defense also gave up points pretty quickly in a 62-28 loss to Louisville at home on Friday night.TCU Horned Frogs Trending: DOWN The Horned Frogs allowed 82 points in their first two games. They didnt allow that many points until their 10th game in 2010, when they went 13-0 and won the Rose Bowl.Texas State Bobcats Trending: EVEN The Bobcats had an extra week to prepare for a grueling two-game stretch in which theyll play at No. 24 Arkansas and host No. 6 Houston.Texas Tech Red Raiders Trending: DOWN Red Raiders quarterback Patrick Mahomes is on pace to throw for 6,649 yards in 13 games, which would shatter the FBS single-season record of 5,833, set by Texas Techs B.J. Symons in 2003.Toledo RocketsTrending: EVEN The balance of power in the MAC might have shifted to the West. The Rockets are one of three 2-0 teams in the West Division; every team in the East has already suffered at least one loss.UCLA Bruins Trending: EVEN The Bruins have to be breathing a sigh of relief after last weeks 42-21 win over UNLV. Defensive tackle Eddie Vanderdoes left the game with a left knee injury, but its believed to be only a strain.USC Trojans Trending: UP The Trojans bounced back from a dismal opener against Alabama by beating Utah State 45-7 last week. Theyre headed in the right direction going into Saturday nights Pac-12 opener at Stanford. The Cardinal have won six of the past eight games in the series.Utah Utes Trending: UP The Utes sixth consecutive victory over BYU was hardly a work of art. Utah threw three interceptions and fumbled six times, losing three, in an ugly 20-19 victory.Vanderbilt Commodores Trending: UP Vanderbilts Ralph Webb ran for 211 yards with two touchdowns in a 47-24 win over Middle Tennessee State, becoming only the third player in school history to run for more than 200 yards in a game. Frank Mordica was the last Vandy player to do it with 321 yards against Air Force in 1978.Virginia Tech Hokies Trending: EVEN There were plenty of good things for the Hokies to take away from their 45-24 loss to Tennessee at Bristol Motor Speedway. They raced out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter and piled up 400 yards of offense. But theyre not going to beat anybody turning the ball over five times.Wake Forest Demon Deacons Trending: UP After beating Tulane 7-3 in their opener, the Demon Deacons had an offensive explosion in Week 2. They scored three touchdowns in a 24-14 win at Duke.West Virginia Mountaineers Trending: EVEN West Virginia fans didnt get to see Bo Pelinis cat, but they did get to see a sideline tirade in the Mountaineers 38-21 win over the Penguins.Western Michigan Broncos Trending: EVEN After losing 15 games in a row to Big Ten foes before this season, the Broncos can win two straight when they play at Illinois on Saturday. They knocked off Northwestern 22-21 in their opener.Better luck next seasonAkron ZipsTrending: DOWN Dont worry, Zips, youre not the only ones who didnt know the Badgers would be this good.Ball State CardinalsTrending: EVEN The Cardinals lost 30-20 at Indiana, but they might still be better than Purdue.BYU Cougars Trending: EVEN Thats one way to put your stamp on a program. After the Cougars pulled to within 20-19 of Utah with 17 seconds left in the Holy War, first-year coach Kalani Sitake decided to go for a win. Unfortunately for him, Cougars quarterback Taysom Hill was stuffed short of the end zone.Cal Bears Trending: EVEN The Bears are allowing an average of 291 rushing yards per game, which is about 40 more than any other Power 5 school. They host No. 11 Texas next week.Connecticut Huskies Trending: EVEN Down 28-24 to Navy on Saturday, the Huskies had the ball at Navys 1-yard line with 17 seconds left. Somehow, they used all 17 seconds for no gain.Eastern Michigan EaglesTrending: DOWN If the Eagles dont start playing better, Central Michigan and Western Michigan might disown them. Theyre giving Directional U. a bad name.Florida Atlantic Owls Trending: DOWN The Driskel family vs. Miami: 613 yards, two touchdowns, five interceptions and a 0-3 record (courtesy of ESPN colleague David Hale).Idaho Vandals Trending: DOWN The Vandals were walloped 59-14 at Washington Saturday. The good news: They get to play at Washington State next week.Kansas Jayhawks Trending: DOWN Yeah, they probably should have let the Kansas students tear down the goalposts last week. The Jayhawks lost to Ohio 37-21 on Saturday.Louisiana Monroe Warhawks Trending: DOWN Hey, at least the Warhawks didnt have to play Nicholls this past week.Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders Trending: DOWN With all due respect, it might be time to re-evaluate the defensive game plan after allowing 47 points to Vanderbilt.Nevada Wolf Pack Trending: DOWN Nevadas Ahki Muhammad needs to send Clemsons Ray-Ray McCloud a thank-you note. Muhammad made an equally boneheaded play when he caught a kickoff and carried it out of the end zone, only to step back into the end zone and take a knee for a safety.New Mexico Lobos Trending: DOWN The Lobos blew a 9-point lead in the fourth quarter and lost to New Mexico State 32-31, their first loss to their instate rivals since 2011.NC State Wolfpack Trending: DOWN The Wolfpack shouldnt feel too bad about losing to East Carolina again. The Pirates have also beaten ACC foes North Carolina and Virginia Tech twice since 2013.Old Dominion Monarchs Trending: DOWN Yeah, it probably wasnt a good week to play Appalachian State.Purdue Boilermakers Trending: DOWN No, youre not seeing things, Purdue fans. Somehow, there is a team (winless Northwestern) below you in the Big Ten West standings.SMU Mustangs Trending: DOWN The Mustangs lost 40-13 at Baylor on Saturday. They play FCS foe Liberty next week in the second date of their Baptist university tour.South Alabama Jaguars Trending: DOWN Yeah, Im guessing there were more than a few bottles of Zing Zang consumed in Mobile, Alabama, last week. A week after beating Mississippi State, the Jaguars still seemed to be celebrating until losing to Georgia Southern 24-9.Texas San Antonio Roadrunners Trending: DOWN The Roadrunners had minus-1 rushing yards after allowing six sacks in a 23-14 loss at Colorado State.Troy Trojans Trending: UP The Trojans should have known they werent going to be on the right end of a borderline call at Clemson -- or two or three.Tulsa Golden Hurricane Trending: EVEN Look on the bright side: Tulsas defense kept Ohio States vaunted offense out of the end zone during the entire first half and then some.UCF Knights Trending: DOWN First-year UCF coach Scott Frost said his players hit harder than Michigans in a 51-14 loss at the Big House. Yeah, but the Wolverines ran, passed, caught, blocked and kicked better than the Knights.UNLV Rebels Trending: UP The Rebels are already showing marked improvement under second-year coach Tony Sanchez. UCLA had only a 7-point lead in the fourth quarter before pulling away for a 42-21 win.Utah State Aggies Trending: DOWN The Aggies 45-7 loss at USC might have been very costly. Star running back Devante Mays, who ran for 208 yards with three touchdowns in Week 1, left the game with a leg injury and was using crutches on the sideline.UTEP Miners Trending: DOWN The Miners made a smart move by resting injured quarterback Zack Greenlee (knee) before the start of Conference USA play. He probably wouldnt have made much of a difference in a 41-7 loss at Texas.Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Trending: EVEN The Hilltoppers lost at Alabama by four touchdowns, but they did enough good things to tick off Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban.Wyoming Cowboys Trending: DOWN Talk about a nightmare: The Cowboys trailed Nebraska 17-10 in the second half, but then had turnovers on six of their last seven possessions. Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen threw five interceptions and fumbled a lateral.Previously eliminatedEliminated in Week 1: Appalachian State Mountaineers, Arkansas State Red Wolves, Bowling Green Falcons, Buffalo Bulls, Charlotte 49ers, Colorado State Rams, Florida International Golden Panthers, Fresno State Bulldogs, Georgia State Panthers, Hawaii Rainbow Warriors, Iowa State Cyclones, Kent State Golden Flashes, Kentucky Wildcats, Louisiana Lafayette Ragin Cajuns, Louisiana Tech Bulldogs, Massachusetts Minutemen, Miami(Ohio)RedHawks, Mississippi State Bulldogs, New Mexico State Aggies, North Texas Mean Green, Northern Illinois Huskies, Northwestern Wildcats, Ohio Bobcats, Rice Owls, San Jose State Spartans, Temple Owls, Tulane Green Wave, Virginia Cavaliers, Washington State Cougars Lebron 16 Shoes Wholesale . Tests earlier this week revealed a Grade 2 left hamstring strain for Sabathia, who was hurt in last Fridays start against San Francisco. Its an injury that will require about eight weeks to heal. He finished a disappointing campaign just 14-13 with a career-worst 4. Lebron 16 Shoes Cheap . As he recorded his 23rd and 24th points of the evening, a segment of the sellout Air Canada Centre crowd expressed their appreciation for the Raptors point guard with a smattering of MVP chants. http://www.lebronjamessneakerswholesale.com/lebron-james-on-sale/lebron-16-wholesale.html . -- There were a lot of firsts for the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night. Lebron James Shoes Clearance . Mickelson barely made the cut but had the best round of the day with nine birdies and an eagle coupled with two bogeys to sit two shots behind leader Craig Lee of Scotland. Lee shot a 69 for a 12-under 204 total. "I just love the fact I am in contention and have an opportunity in my first tournament of the year here in Abu Dhabi," Mickelson said. Cheap Lebron 15 . LOUIS -- Theres no telling how these wacky World Series games will end. RIO DE JANEIRO -- When Rio de Janeiro was awarded the 2016 Summer Olympic Games seven years ago, Wagner Bastos was a hotshot car salesman for Rio Citroen-Peugeot. Some months he earned 17,000 Brazilian reais -- about $5,200 now and much more back then.But Brazils fortunes -- and Bastos -- have taken a sickening tumble. His last monthly paycheck in June was for 1,400 reais ($425) -- too little to cover his rent or school fees for two children. So Bastos, 54, quit and started driving a taxi.I needed cash urgently, he says.In the past, hosting the Olympics often allowed newly prosperous countries to strut on the world stage and showcase their glitziest cities. Think Tokyo in 1964 or Seoul in 1988.And in 2009, when Rio won the competition for this years Summer Games, the picture looked similar. Brazils emerging market economy was sizzling -- one of the worlds economic superstars, along with Russia, India, China and South Africa.But the 16 Games come at a dire moment for Brazil, which is enduring myriad calamities: A deep recession. A political crisis. Widespread street protests. Reports of filthy waterways. And a health emergency caused by the Zika virus.There have been political and economic problems in other (Olympic) host cities, says Andrew Zimbalist, an economist at Smith College who has studied Olympic Games. But the combination here has probably been as foreboding as any I have seen.Brazils economy shrank 3.8 percent last year and will likely contract an additional 3.3 percent this year, according to the International Monetary Fund. The economy was rocked by a plunge in prices for iron ore and other commodities it exports, partly a result of slowing demand as Chinas powerhouse economy decelerated.In the booming mid-2000s, Brazilians celebrated their collective arrival in the middle class by borrowing heavily to buy cars, refrigerators and iPhones. Now, like Americans after the devastating 2008 financial crisis, they face diminished livelihoods.A political crisis has compounded the economic troubles. President Dilma Rousseff was suspended in May for allegedly violating budget laws. She is awaiting a trial this month in Brazils Senate that will determine whether shell be permanently ousted.Business investment has been paralyzed by an investigation into corruption at the state-owned energy giant Petrobras. Once worth more in the stock market than either Microsoft or Wal-Mart, Petrobras has been reduced to selling assets -- from oil fields to corporate subsidiaries -- to raise cash to offset lower oil prices.The Olympics might be making things even worse. To prepare for the Games, the state of Rio spent heavily. When it ran into financial trouble, the federal government stepped in to help share the costs, thereby deepening the countrys budget woes.The Brazilian real has plunged 47 percent against the U.S. dollar since Rio was awarded the 16 Games in October 2009. The weak real makes imports costlier and helps escalate inflation, which was running at an annual 8.8 percent in June.High inflation means Brazils central bank cant slash interest rates to juice the economy for fear of sending inflation even higher. As a result, the central bank has kept its key rate at a punitive 14.25 percent.Nationally, since the end of 2014, more than 5 million people have lost jobs. Unemplloyment has nearly doubled to 11.dddddddddddd.3 percent.The anemic job market has depressed real estate. Gone are the bidding wars for choice apartments in Rios seaside neighborhoods. Office rents plunged 6.1 percent in Rio from the fourth quarter of 2015 to the first quarter of 2016, making it the worlds third-worst office market in that period, according to the real estate firm JLL.Leo Ickowicz, who is Brazilian but has worked for two decades in South Florida real estate, has experienced the transformation. At the height of Brazils boom in 2010, when the economy grew a blazing 7.5 percent, many Brazilian clients sought to capitalize on the currencys strength to buy Miami real estate as an investment or vacation property.Now, his firm is busier than ever. Inquiries have quintupled. But his clients have a different goal this time: They want to leave Brazil for good. His company has had to add relocation services to meet the demand -- everything from help in applying for visas and selecting schools to offering psychological aid to families victimized by Brazils violent-crime epidemic.Despite the litany of bad news, the Brazilian stock market has surged 30 percent this year. Investors have detected signs of hope. Commodity prices have stabilized, and investors have expressed confidence in the economic policy team assembled by interim President Michel Temer, which says it will get government spending under control.The IMF has also slightly upgraded its outlook for Brazil, predicting that the economy will shrink 3.3 percent this year, compared with its earlier forecast of a 3.8 percent contraction, and will return to growth in 2017.Investors appeared heartened when the economy shrank just 0.3 in the first three months of 2016 from the fourth quarter of 2015. It was the best quarterly performance since the end of 2014.But the economy was still 5.4 percent smaller than it had been a year earlier. And May retail sales were down 9 percent from a year earlier.I dont see where growth is going to come from, says Monica de Bolle, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. People are still being fired. We do not know when the labor market is going to stabilize... I do not see anything coming from consumption.De Bolle says that while shes impressed with Temers economic team, she wonders whether it can get its plans for spending cuts through a dysfunctional National Congress.The overall situation is still extremely murky and very, very uncertain, she says.Bastos, the former car salesman, is trying to adjust.His wifes job at a construction company looks wobbly now that the massive buildout for the Olympics is drawing to an end. He has stopped shopping at the supermarket in his middle class neighborhood and now drives across the city only once a month to pick up necessities at a wholesale market.Family vacations? A distant memory. He thinks hell have to get used to a more modest lifestyle.This isnt something that we can fix in one or two years, Bastos says. Itll take Brazil at least 10 or 15 years to get back to where we were.---Wiseman reported from Washington.---Follow Paul Wiseman on Twitter at https://twitter.com/PaulWisemanAP ' ' '