Not much to say here but ‘WOW!’ The statue was not badly damaged. Link Via Dad via Drudge
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Posts from February 2008
Preeminent English-for-Brazilians blog Tecla SAP gets a facelift, new address, and continues to grow
Ulisses W. Carvalho has been publishing this fantastic resource for some time now, which is evident from his readership, which hovers around the 30,000 mark! The focus is on easy-to-digest tips (dicas), translations of Brazilian colloquialisms (expressões idiomáticas), short quizzes, exercises, and more.
Tecla SAP got a big lift from Ulisses’ appearance on the Jo Soares show, which is the equivalent of The Tonight Show in Brazil. To be fair, it’s probably better to compare it to the Johnny Carson-era of The Tonight Show, as Jo is well-loved and a cultural icon. Here’s the video of Ulisses’ appearance: Video on YouTube
The new Tecla SAP (http://www.teclasap.com.br/blog/) is a testament to the collaborative nature of the English-for-Brazilians blogosphere; we note happily that the folks from English Experts pitched in in the migration and redesign of the massive blog. Check it out!!
Rising commodities prices have given developers added incentive to clear the Amazon lately.
The BBC has an informative article about the disturbing velocity with which the rainforest has been disappearing. Seems like the world needs more and more soy. Read the article.
Image: BBC
Ever try to say ‘chill,’ or ‘laid-back’ in Portuguese? For a long time I’ve been trying to find just the right way of saying the equivalent of ‘I’m just chilling,’ and I think I’ve found it.
Here’s a quick list of terms for when you are ‘just kicking it’ in Portuguese:
- relax: relaxed, chill, ‘all-good’ (pronounced ‘hey-lax’)
- tranqüilo: mellow, tranquil (pronounced ‘trahn-kwee-loh’)
- de boa: chilling (example: “cê tá de boa, mermão?” = “You chilling brother?”)
- só na maciota: no worries, living the good life, it’s all good
It’s interesting that the common greetings in Portuguese tudo bom / tudo bem already literally mean ‘it’s all good.’ This literal translation when used in English implies tranquility and mellowness. Perhaps the constant reaffirmation of all-goodness in the Portuguese language has a calming effect on the cultural temperament. Is that possible?
Now I’m going to go tell my Brazilian friends that they ought to start saying ‘hunky-dory’ a lot; let’s try to bring that one back. After all, Brazil is perhaps the last place on earth where you can go to a disco and ask a woman (or man for that matter) ‘hey baby, what’s your sign?’ and not look ridiculous.