Posted by admin
For those that enjoyed ‘City of God,’ this new movie is a must-see.
City of God, directed by Fernando Meirelles and Katia Lund, and based on the book of the same name by Paulo Lins, was released internationally in 2002. Though the movie was criticized, mainly by Brazilians, for glorifying and exposing the violence of urban Brazil, it received worldwide acclaim and even won an Academy Award.
A spin-off TV series was released in October of 2002 and enjoyed four seasons. This show Cidade dos Homens (City of Men) was written and directed by the same people as City of God itself, Fernando Meirelles and Katia Lund. The show is fantastic, and I was lucky to watch much of it in my Portuguese course while in Brazil. The show centers on the exploits of two young boys, Acerola (Douglas Silva) and Laranjinha (Darlan Cunha) as they struggle to survive and grow up in the harsh world of the favela. Well-written, well-acted, touching and funny, the quality of the show rivals any drama I have ever seen.
Over four seasons, these two characters grew up quite a bit; as they turn 18, the plot thickens quite a bit. The movie City of Men tells the story of this fateful chapter in the two boys’ lives. This is definitely a must-see movie, and will be released in theaters in the USA January 18th, 2008. To check out the trailer go here (they even have a hi-def trailer!). To read more about the series here are articles in English and Portuguese.
Read More »
Posted by admin
Check out Google.com.br if you haven’t already.
Using localized Google, you are able to search sites and documents in other languages, such as Portuguese. It has happened to me that my Brazilian friends have found things faster than I while searching concurrent with my queries, and the reason is that sometimes I forget to localize to Brazil when searching for information in Portuguese.
Whether you are looking for information about books, movies, language, news or anything else, if the end result is either in Portuguese or originating in Brazil, chances are you will find it faster with Google.com.br.
Posted by admin
On this very day - November 15th - in 1889, Brazil marked its transition from a monarchy to a republic.
The event was triggered by a coup d’état or golpe de estado conducted by Brazilian army units under the direction of Deodoro da Fonseca. The coup ousted Dom Pedro II and ended the rule of monarchs in the South American country.
Though at this point in time the general population of Brazil was disillusioned by the emperor’s rule and the monarchic government, the idea of Republicanism had not gained a broad popular foothold. The movement was not populist in nature, therefore, but was led vigorously by a small group who convinced Deodoro da Fonseca to lead the coup. Though planned for November 20th, the military effort was expedited when news of Fonseca (and others’) imminent arrest came to light. Though these rumors later turned out to be false, the operation was exectued on the 15th anyway.
Dom Pedro II had been holed up at his (impressive) vacation spot in Petropolis during the event, and upon returning to Rio thought that he might still have a chance of leading a reorganized government. It may not have been up until the moment when Frederico Sólon Sampaio Ribeiro handed the emperor his walking papers - the proclamation of the new regime and an order for his exile - that Pedro got the message.
[source]
Posted by admin
There are over a dozen major samba schools (escolas de samba) in Rio de Janeiro.
G.R.E.S. Mocidade Independente de Padre Miguel is a terrific example of one of the major schools. Located in Samba City near downtown, Mocidade grew out of not a samba school, but in fact a local soccer team:
A escola originou-se de um time de futebol chamado Independente Futebol Clube, cuja camisa era verde e branca em listras verticais. As comemorações dos jogos eram feitas no Ponto Chic, bairro de Padre Miguel. Quando acabavam as partidas, os jogadores, bons de bola e excelentes na percussão, se reuniam e formavam um verdadeiro bloco carnavalesco.
Thanks to Alessandro Brandão from English Experts for the audio!
Translation: The school originated from a soccer team called the Independent Football Club, whose jersey was green and white with vertical stripes. The celebrations of the matches took place at Ponto Chic, in the Padre Miguel neighborhood. When the games ended, the players, talented on the field as well as terrific drummers, would get together to form a real carnival-style bloco (samba drumming group).
Read More »
Posted by admin
…or just let this guy do it.
Martin Strel is a world-class swimmer with a zeal for breaking records. Already having broken many Guinness World Records for distance swimming, including swimming the Adriatic Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, the Danube River and the Mississippi River, Stel decided to attempt the unthinkable: swim the entire Amazin river.
He succeeded. In a mere 66 days, Martin Strel managing to swim all 5268 kilometers (3274 miles) of the world’s second-longest river. Uh oh… I don’t want to give Martin any ideas!
Strel plans on releasing documentary materials covering his accomplishment, including a movie and a book. For more information, visit the Amazon Swim Project website.
ps. I wonder if he saw any crazy creatures on his journey!
"
