Posts in April 2008

Brazilian Profile: Maya Gabeira

Posted by admin
Apr
23
2008

Maya Gabeira is only 21 years old, and she’s not a superstar just yet. But she’s well on her way. She’s already a two-time winner of Best Female Surfer in the world.

maya.jpg

Born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Maya currently lives in Hawaii but travels the world searching for the best waves and attending surfing competitions, from South Africa to Indonesia. She started as a ballet dancer at age eleven and only began surfing at age fourteen.

Maya surfs waves so large that many times she has to be towed into the
wave by jet ski. She’s broken her nose a dozen times and split her head
open.

Her parents are proud of her and support her in her chosen career, despite the risks. However, her father can’t visit her in Hawaii because he can no longer obtain a visa to visit the U.S. That’s because Maya’s father, Fernando Gabeira, is a famous Brazilian politician who in his youth fought against the military dictatorship of the 1960s and participated in the kidnapping of then U.S. ambassador Charles Elbrick, in an effort to pressure the government to release fifteen leftist prisoners.

 
Posted under Brazilian Profile
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Daredevil Priest’s Balloon Flight Cut Short

Posted by admin
Apr
23
2008

This past Sunday, Brazilian priest Adelir de Carli set off on a mission to set a record for the most hours flown using just balloons in order to raise money for constructing a rest stop in his town of Paranagua, Santa Catarina. He strapped himself to 1,000 helium balloons, hoping to exceed the 19 hour record, but disappeared the same day.

This week, rescue workers found some of the balloons floating off the coast, but still have no sign of the priest. Given that he was an experienced skydiver and in good health, authorities believe he may still be alive. He also had a supply of food and water for nearly a week.

Before losing phone contact, he said he was descending rapidly, blown off course by strong winds. Brazilian news sources report that the priest’s family believe he disconnected himself from the balloons and landed in the forest, where he may be lost.

Click here to watch video footage of the priest’s ill-fated flight, from Globo News.

 
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Naturalidades: Part II

Posted by admin
Apr
22
2008

Today, we’ll take a look at round two of naturalidades, which describe exactly where a person is from in Brazil, based on the city or state. These are important to learn because although Brazilians are quite patriotic, they tend to identify most with the city they grew up in, and introduce themselves as Americans would, as a Californian or a Bostonian.

So, let’s examine the Northern Region.

A person from the state of Tocantins is called tocantinense, and a person from the capital of Palmas is called palmense.

A person from the state of Pará is called paraense, and a person from the capital of Belém is called belenense.

ama.jpgA person from the state of Amapá is called amapaense, and a person from the capital of Macapá is called macapaense.

A person from the state of Amazonas is called amazonense, and a person from the capital of Manaus is called manaura or manauense.

A person from the state of Acre is called acreano, and a person from the capital of Rio Branco is called rio-branquense.

A person from the state of Roraima is called roraimense, and a person from the capital of Boa Vista is called boa-vistense or macuxi. The Macuxi are actually an indigenous tribe that lives in the Roraima region, but the name has also been adopted to refer to any person from the capital city of Roraima.

Examples:

A india na foto é amazonense. The Indian girl in the photo is from the state of Amazonas.
O acreano cresceu na capital do estado, o Rio Branco. The man from Acre grew up in the state capital of Rio Branco.

Don’t forget that naturalidades are lower case!

 
Posted under Geography
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April 21st: Dia de Tiradentes

Posted by admin
Apr
21
2008

Today is a national holiday in Brazil, called Dia de Tiradentes, or Tiradentes Day.

This holiday honors a Brazilian martyr, whose real name was Joaquim José da Silva Xavier. He was born in Minas Gerais in 1746, the son of a Portuguese father and a Brazilian mother. He was orphaned at the age of 11, and he became a street vendor to support himself. Later, he became a dentist, which is where he got his apelido (nickname), Tiradentes, which literally means teeth puller.
tir.jpg
Tiradentes then began a career in the military. He found that the Imperial Crown was taxing Brazilian-born citizens for mineral weath produced in his state, whereas Portuguese-born colonists were favored and given advantages. Discontent arose, and a movement emerged called the “Inconfidência Mineira” which opposed the taxes and favored an independent Brazil. Tiradentes joined the movement, made up largely of intellectuals, which not only favored independence but also the abolition of slavery.

However, there was a traitor in the group who reported the movement to the authorities, and everyone was imprisoned. The movement fell apart, but Tiradentes remained firm in his dream of an independent Brazil. But his efforts were cut short on April 21, 1792, when he was hanged in Rio de Janeiro on charges of high treason. His captors quartered his body and scattered the pieces throughout the city as a warning to others with revolutionary ideas.

Today, he is considered a martyr and a national hero, and he is honored on the anniversary of his death.

 
Posted under Holidays
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Giraffes are “married” at Rio’s Zoo

Posted by admin
Apr
17
2008

This week, the two girafas (giraffes) that live in Rio de Janeiro’s city zoo were “married” when zookeepers put them in the same enclosure. The two animals, named Zagallo and Beija-Céu, have been “dating” for a few weeks after Zagallo was moved from São Paulo to the Rio Zoo. They’ve been in separate enclosures, but after this week’s celebrations, complete with decorations and wedding cake, they have been united. Now, zookeepers are hoping they will mate.

gir.JPG

Zagallo was transported from his former zoo to Rio when zookeepers found that Beija-Ceu was depressed and in poor health. The male giraffe was transported by truck to his new home.

As suspected, the arrival of the male worked wonders, and Beija-Céu is now doing much better. The giraffes have actually been seen cuddling and nuzzling each other, even before they were moved into the same pen.

Click here to watch the news coverage of the giraffes’ wedding.

 
Posted under Biology & Animals
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