Archive for the year 2008
Brazilian Profile: Clarisse Zeitel Posted by Transparent Language on Jun 25, 2008
Clarisse Zeitel is not a star, per se. She appears every week as a dancer on the popular weekend variety show “Caldeirão do Huck,” along with another dozen or so women. But recently, she became a local celebrity because of her brain and not because of her good looks. Clarisse is a law student…
The Latest Brazilian Plastic Surgery Trend Posted by Transparent Language on Jun 24, 2008
Brazil is known for being one of the world capitals of plastic surgery, and visitors from all over go to Brazil for the cosmetic procedures that cost less than in their home countries. Brazilians also frequently get plastic surgery, and can pay in installments for any procedure, like a face lift or liposuction. The latest…
Japanese Celebration at the Sambodrome Posted by Transparent Language on Jun 23, 2008
This past weekend, festivities began to celebrate the one hundred year anniversary of Japanese immigration in Brazil. The event kicked off with a huge celebration in São Paulo’s Sambodrome, where 25,000 people attended. The event included Japanese rhythmic dancing, drum groups, and traditional dances. Since the celebration honored the melding of two cultures, there were…
Poor Patagonian Penguins Posted by Transparent Language on Jun 22, 2008
During the winter months in the Southern Hemisphere, the penguins of Patagonia migrate north, and some unlucky ones wind up on the beaches of Brazil. Just last week, seventeen pingüins (penguins) were found on the beaches of Santa Catarina, and are being cared for by Brazilian biologists. Each year, more than a million penguins swim…
Brazilian Profile: Paulo Szot Posted by Transparent Language on Jun 19, 2008
Last Sunday, Brazilian opera singer Paul Szot won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his role in “South Pacific.” But it was a long road to success on Broadway. Paulo was born in 1969 in São Paulo, and grew up in Riberão Preto. He is the son of Polish immigrants who…
Rio Ink Posted by Transparent Language on Jun 18, 2008
The latest American reality show to be adapted in Brazil is “Miami Ink,” which has become “Rio Ink” on Brazil’s People and Arts channel. Like the American version, the show follows the day-to-day operations of a tattoo shop, this time the Bonzai in Ipanema. Over 22,000 people applied to be on the show, but the…
Weather Vocabulary Posted by Transparent Language on Jun 17, 2008
Though traditionally Brazil has had few natural disasters, global warming has begun to change that trend, so let’s take a look at some weather vocabulary: hurricane: furacão [foo-rah-cownn] tornado: tornado [tor-nah-doh] flood: inundação [een-oon-dah-sownn] earthquake: terremoto [teh-heh-moh-toh] storm: tempestade [temp-est-ah-gee] water spout: trombra d’água [trohm-brah dah-gwah] This water spout was spotted in Santarém, in the…