Archive for January, 2009
Beach Democracy Posted by Rachel on Jan 12, 2009
Though Brazil is a highly stratified society, one thing Brazilians pride themselves on is the democracy of their beaches. Unlike other locations like restaurants, clubs, and stores, the beaches are open to all, and all beaches in Brazil are considered public. The beach is supposedly a place where people of any social class can feel…
Celebrity Tips for Rainy Days in Rio Posted by Rachel on Jan 9, 2009
Rio de Janeiro is known best for outdoor activities, like the beach, Corcovado Mountain, the Sugarloaf, hang gliding, hiking, and more. But there’s no need to despair when it rains, since there are plenty of fun things to do indoors. Globo asked some local celebrities to give tips about what to do in Rio when…
Technology Vocabulary Posted by Rachel on Jan 7, 2009
Today we’re going to take a look at some important technology vocabulary, useful for the Internet café or the copy store. Internet café = lanhouse [lahn-howz] copy store = copiadora copy = Xerox [sher-ocks] page/sheet = folha computer = computador printer = impressora to print = imprimir Internet = Internet [een-ter-neh-chee] mouse = mouse [mawz]…
Theme Cruise Craze Takes Brazil Posted by Rachel on Jan 6, 2009
The latest travel trend to take Brazil by storm is the theme cruise, a cruise based around certain activities, a performance or celebrity, or a certain type of music or dance. It began with the fitness cruise fifteen years ago, intended to get people in shape while they were on vacation. Since then, cruise ship…
Trendy Chickens Cause Controversy Posted by Rachel on Jan 5, 2009
A museum in Fortaleza, Ceará is in hot water after opening a new exposition which features live chickens. The exhibit’s creator, a mineira artist named Laura Lima, used human hair extension techniques to attach plumes from tropical birds to the chickens, giving them a peculiar look. The artist defended the exhibit, explaining that she wanted…
New Portuguese Accent Rules Go into Effect Posted by Rachel on Jan 2, 2009
As of January 1st, the accent changes to written Portuguese meant to unify the global language go into effect. This year will be the “Year of Transition” when Brazil begins to adopt the new grammar rules. According to President Lula, the new and old rules can both be used until 2012, but some media outlets…