Archive by Author
Video Learning Series Posted by Rachel on Feb 11, 2009
Today, we begin a new series using Youtube videos in Portuguese to practice listening skills, as well as a way to learn about Brazilian culture and history. This excellent series, called O Povo Brasileiro, is broken down into thirty videos on Youtube, which describes Brazilian history from its indigenous origins to modernity. After watching the…
Off the Beaten Path: Part IV Posted by Rachel on Feb 10, 2009
Most certainly off the beaten path, the Parque Nacional das Emas is tricky to get to, since it’s nearly 500 kilometers from Goiânia, the capital of Goiás, and almost 400 kilometers from Campo Grande, the capital of Mato Grosso do Sul. Ema National Park encompasses 1,300 square kilometers on a plateau with little forest cover…
The Geography of Poverty Posted by Rachel on Feb 9, 2009
The Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper online has an excellent map showing poverty and development rates throughout Brazil. On the map, you can see level of family development, access to work, income, child development, standard of living conditions, access to information and learning, and vulnerability. You can also search by municipality. Below, the map shows…
Brazilian Profile: Elis Regina Posted by Rachel on Feb 6, 2009
Elis Regina Carvalho Costa is one of Brazil’s most celebrated female singers, and one of its most famous MPB performers. Born in 1945 in the capital of the southernmost state in Brazil, Rio Grande do Sul, she began her career early at age eleven, when she performed on a children’s radio show. She recorded her…
Transportation Vocabulary Posted by Rachel on Feb 5, 2009
Today, we’re going to take a look at some transportation terms. avião = plane jato = jet helicóptero = helicopter aeróstato = blimp auto / carro = car van = van taxi = cab motocicleta = motorcycle bicicleta = bike caminhão = truck ônibus = bus metrô = subway trem = train bonde = streetcar…
NGO Focus: Luta pela Paz Posted by Rachel on Feb 4, 2009
Luta pela Paz, also known as Fight for Peace, was established in the Complexo de Maré favela in Rio de Janeiro in 2000. One of the city’s most violent favelas, many teenagers with few job or educational opportunities join drug trafficking gangs and work as soldiers for traffickers. To combat this, the non-profit Luta pela…
Brazilian President Raises Minimum Wage Posted by Rachel on Feb 3, 2009
Effective February 1st, the national minimum wage in Brazil was raised to R$465 per month (US$201) from R$415 by order of the Brazilian president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. The salary increase is expected to affect twenty percent of the Brazilian population, about 42 million people. However, each state has its own legal minimum wage…