Archive for the year 2008
Rescue dog becomes celebrity Posted by Transparent Language on Jul 24, 2008
Xuxa, a mutt who lives in the town of Santo Antônio do Monte, a rural area of Minas Gerais, is an ordinary dog. But she has become a local celebrity after helping rescue an abandoned newborn baby. The dog found the baby in a box in an empty lot, and began barking to attract attention…
Strong real, weak dollar Posted by Transparent Language on Jul 23, 2008
This week, the dollar reached its lowest value against the real since 1999, at 1.580 reais to the dollar. As a result, Brazilians are flocking to other countries to spend money, where they get more bang for their buck. In particular, Brazilians are traveling to New York City, where they are the fastest growing group of tourists…
Joinville Dance Festival Posted by Transparent Language on Jul 22, 2008
The largest dance festival in Brazil takes place in a somewhat unlikely location: Joinville in Santa Catarina state, in the southern part of the country. From July 16th to July 26th, dancers of every genre are performing in music halls, hospitals, and even on the street, in order to promote dance to every kind of…
Pois é… Posted by Transparent Language on Jul 21, 2008
An important thing to remember when answering yes or no questions in Portuguese are the different options you have for saying “yes.” 1. The grammatically correct answer uses the main verb in the question, which you conjugate in the first person tense. You can add a “sim” for good measure, but you don’t need it. Você…
Brazilian Profile: Dercy Gonçalves, in memoriam Posted by Transparent Language on Jul 20, 2008
Dercy Gonçalves was born in 1907 in Santa Maria Madalena, in the state of Rio de Janeiro. She began working very young, especially after her mother left her family. Dercy ran away from home when she was 17 and joined a theater company. She began performing on stage, and later began to specialize in comedy…
Pipa in Floripa Posted by Transparent Language on Jul 17, 2008
Ken Yamazato, a retired Brazilian engineer, may have finished his career but he still has big dreams–pipa dreams. Next week, he hopes to break the record for launching the largest high-flying kite in the Guinness Book of World Records. He built a kite measuring 1,225 square meters, which he plans to fly sometime next week, after…
Auto News in Brazil Posted by Transparent Language on Jul 16, 2008
There’s a lot in the news about cars in Brazil this week, so let’s take a look: Reuters reported yesterday that Toyota’s chief executive for the Mercosur region met with President Lula this week to discuss the opening of yet another Toyota factory in Brazil. Due to increased demand, the Japanese auto maker will open…