Café Funquê is a Rio de Janeiro-based that describes itself as a “vigorous mixture of funk, rock, bossa nova, samba and jazz” featuring lead singer Cacau and four instrumentalists. They have a very unique sound (in the first clip, it sounds a lot like American ska) and have a really cool blend of a variety of foreign and Brazilian influences.
Click here to visit the band’s main page and to listen to more fo their music.
This week, Brazil’s three biggest retailers announced that they will not purchase beef from blacklisted ranchers in the Amazon. According to a recently released report from Greenpeace, certain ranchers in the state of Pará are responsible for deforesting the Amazon and are causing destruction at a rapid rate. In fact, the report shows that ranching is the number one cause of Amazon deforestation.
In turn, CBD (the Pão de Açucar chain), Carrefour, and Walmart, along with 72 other retailers will stop buying meat from the offending ranchers. Also, the big three companies have decided to monitor their beef shipments closely and to conduct an assessment to make sure no meat comes from the deforesting ranchers. CBD reported a total of 11 banned companies.
The Greenpeace faults the Brazilian government for failing to live up to its commitment to reducing Amazon deforestion.
Today we’re going to look at some vocabulary related to jewelry, which is helpful for travelers planning on shopping in Brazil. 
anel – ring
colar – necklace
pulseira – bracelet
brincos – earrings
argolas – hoop earrings
fita – cloth bracelet, like the famous Senhor do Bomfim bracelets
amuleto/talismã – charm
pulseira de tornozelo – ankle bracelet
broche – pin
contas – beads
pedras preciosas – precious stones
prata - silver
ouro – gold
platina – platinum
For today’s interactive feature, I want to know if any US-based readers are taking formal Portuguese classes, and what you think about the classes.
The question is: do you take a Portuguese class at a language school or with a private tutor? Is it helpful? Is it worth the time and money?
Though I’ve never taken a class here in the US, I did take a class at Casa do Brasil in Buenos Aires, a language school dedicated entirely to the study of Brazilian Portuguese. The price was reasonable, since it was in pesos, which have a great exchange rate to the US dollar, though one semester wasn’t enough to make me feel confident about my language skills. Living in Brazil and being immersed in the language was the real key to becoming fluent.
What about you?
In this new series, I’ll feature cool new bands and singers from Brazil. If you have any suggestions, please leave a comment and I’ll include it in the next post.
Okê Arô is a band based in Sao Paulo, featuring lead singer Paula Pretta. They play African-influenced music associated with Afro-Brazilian religion, blended with modern electronic music. They incorporate Afro-Brazilian culture into their live shows with multimedia and live performances. The name comes from a common refrain of the Afro-Brazilian god Oxóssi, which he uses as a greeting.
Click here to watch another video on Myspace.
