Today we’re going to look at another set of website vocabulary, focusing a bit more on e-mail. Hope it’s useful!
digitar = type
clicar = click
assunto = subject
rascunho = draft
lixeira = trash
enviar = send
descartar = discard
anexar um arquivo = attach a file
denunciar spam = report spam
assinatura = signature
This week, the Wall Street Journal reported that the Brazilian government has now imposed a two percent tax on foreign investment entering Brazil, hurting the local stock markets.
Brazil has weathered the global economic crisis much better than other countries, and the Ibovespa index rose 70% since March. The government has imposed tax on stock market purchases before, at 1.5% in 2008. The move this October is due to the strong real, which is hurting Brazilian exports.
However, experts say the move is already been detrimental to Brazilian stock markets and small and medium-sized companies looking to get onto the market in Brazil. They also say the move could threaten Brazil’s relatively new investment-grade status.
But like things in Brazil sometimes go, it seems investors may have already discovered a jeitinho to get around the tax. Investors looking to buy equities in Brazil could buy the equivalent stock in New York, cancel the purchase, and as a result get the equivalent Brazilian stock.
To read more, see the WSJ article here.
Today’s lyrics practice is a more advanced exercise, since it’s a song by Marcelo D2, a Brazilian rapper/hip hop artist. The lyrics are very slangy with some vocabulary unique to the Northeast, so see if you can keep up with the words!
Corre a batida é minha
Cheguei primeiro
Não rí faz a fezinha
Que é tudo por dinheiro
Solto na Babilônia
E lá procurar a paz
Perderam o Manual
E agora como faz?
João e Maria
Cheio de regalia
Entrou no conto do canálha que fazia e acontecia
Agora é artista não se mistura cá plebe
Domingo no Faustão Terça-feira na Hebe
Hiate em Botafogo Apartamento em Ipanema
Uma vida de bacana se eu entrasse pro esquema
Mas eu busco na raíz e lá tá o que eu sempre quis
Não é um saco de dinheiro que me deixa feliz
E sim a força do Samba a Força do Rap
O MC que é partideiro Bumbo que vira scratch
É o meu som que mostra muito bem o que eu sou
Onde cresci onde ando onde fica onde eu vou
Eu vo no Samba, pra lá que eu vou ( À procura da batida perfeita )
O bicho tá pegando
A chapa esquenta
O tempo passa mas a evolução é lenta.
Mas não tenho pressa
A velocidade é essa
Não há nada nesse mundo Compadre que me estressa
Porém Ah Porém
Há um caso diferente
que envolve toda a minha gente
Não se embuxa de ninguém
Fica do lado do bem
Atitude Amor e Respeito também
Eu vou no samba é gente bamba
A diferença é clara
A gente fuma e eles fama
Proteja a raiz prá que tenha bons frutos
Já diz o velho ditado:
“Quem tá junto tá junto”
E eu tô junto
E junto carrego o meu orgulho
Suburbano convícto
Sei meu lugar no mundo
Há coisas que o dinheiro não paga
Cê sabe como é
Tipo eu e minha preta só num rolé
Vale, one of Brazil’s highest-earning companies and the largest iron ore producer in the world, has been in the news this week with reports about increasing Brazilian investment and tension with President Lula. Let’s take a look at some of the headlines:
Recently, tech website Mashable reported that Facebook is seeking to beat Orkut to dominate the Brazilian social media market. While Orkut has long been the leader in Brazil, Facebook has created new ways to lure Brazilians to its site. First, Facebook is now available in Portuguese, making access easier. Second, Facebook recently installed a new method to find friends, where users can upload their Orkut contacts to find them on Facebook, as the Mashable article mentions. Third, Facebook has a large variety of games and applications that you can play on the site, attracting new users merely to play games like FarmVille and Mafia Wars.
But the question is, will it work? Personally, I’ve seen mixed results. While tech-savvy and internationally-connected Brazilians have already been on Facebook for a long time, more and more middle class Brazilians have recently signed up for Facebook, but some wind up never using it, claiming it’s too complex and that Orkut is easier to use. However, less tech-savvy Brazilians have signed up for Facebook to be able to access the games, and aren’t as interested in the site for the social connections.
What about you? Do you think Facebook can beat Orkut in Brazil?
