Archive for June, 2009
Word of the Day: feriado Posted by Rachel on Jun 18, 2009
As you know, Transparent offers a word of the day feature on Portuguese Blog (check the right side), as well as a word of the day in 12 other languages. You can listen to the pronunciation of the word and see how it is used in a sentence. Today’s word of the day is feriado…
BRIC Countries Meet in Russia Posted by Rachel on Jun 17, 2009
This week, the countries that make up the BRIC group–Brazil, Russia, India, and China–are meeting in Russia for the first formal BRIC gathering. These four countries include 15% of the world’s economy and 40% of the world’s currency reserves, and are becoming increasingly more important in the international scene. The BRIC countries’ leaders will discuss…
New Music: Café Funquê Posted by Rachel on Jun 16, 2009
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…
Brazilian Retailers Punish Deforesting Ranchers Posted by Rachel on Jun 15, 2009
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…
Jewelry Vocabulary Posted by Rachel on Jun 12, 2009
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 –…
Portuguese Courses in the US Posted by Rachel on Jun 11, 2009
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…
New Music: Okê Arô Posted by Rachel on Jun 10, 2009
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…