Archive for July, 2009
New Music: Mula Manca Posted by Rachel on Jul 13, 2009
The Recife-based band “Mula Manca e a Fabulosa Figura” mixes samba, MPB, and influences from the Northeast to create smooth, easy listening music in Portuguese. Formed five years ago, the band has released two CDs: “O circo da Solidão” and “Amor e pastel.” Their name, which means lame mule, is based on the character from…
Lula Teases Obama about Soccer Posted by Rachel on Jul 10, 2009
At this week’s G-8 summit in Italy, President Lula of Brazil gave President Obama an official Brazil soccer jersey signed by members of the national team. The signatures included those of “Edmílson, Gomes, Lúcio, Vágner Love, Daniel Carvalho, Gilberto Silva, Ronaldinho Gaúcho, Elano, Robinho, Júlio Baptista, Alex and Dida.” President Lula also teased President Obama…
Favorite Brazilian Athlete Posted by Rachel on Jul 9, 2009
Though Brazil is best known for its outstanding soccer players, it has produced amazing athletes in other sports as well, like volleyball, Formula 1 racing, and track and field. For today’s interactive feature, the question is: who is your favorite Brazilian athlete? Though there are many soccer players to chose from, my favorite athlete of…
Word of the Day: empregada Posted by Rachel on Jul 8, 2009
Today’s Portuguese word of the day is empregada. This word is fairly easy to pronounce: em – pray- gah-dah. The most common meaning of this word is maid, as in a female servant who cleans and/or cooks for clients. The complete term is empregada doméstica, to indicate that the maid works in a home. This…
Brazilian Cooking Series: Part VII Posted by Rachel on Jul 7, 2009
Cuscuz is a Brazilian dessert that you will find being sold by street vendors, as well as being a popular family dish. Made with coconut, tapioca, sugar, and condensed milk, it has a gooey, jello-like consistency and is served in rectangular hunks. Sometimes, people will pour condensed milk on top before eating it. Basically, you…
New Music: Mônica Marianno Posted by Rachel on Jul 6, 2009
Mônica Marianno is a singer from Sao Paulo, influenced by rock and MPB (Brazilian “pop” music). as well as other contemporary Brazilian music forms. She has a really great, funky sound, and sings in English and other languages, as well as Portuguese. I highly recommend listening to some of her songs! Check her out on…
Accidental Archaeological Discovery in Amapá Posted by Rachel on Jul 3, 2009
This week, construction workers discovered an ancient indigenous burial ground while building a school in Laranjal do Jari, in the northeastern state of Amapá. The site contains ceramic artifacts that could be up to 2,000 years old. After the site was discovered, local archaeologists were called in to assess the findings. They found fifty funeral…