Who is God, after all?

Some people believe God is an old fellow which is in heavens watching our every attitude and he will be ready to judge us as soon as we get ‘there’. Others think he is playing dice on our fate and having fun with the events, or that there is no God at all and we are fruit of chance. And you? What do you think?

Shakespeare in love with SAMBA!

The project Escola de Bamba promotes cultural values among public schools in Rio de Janeiro and the students are invited to create their ‘Samba Enredo’ for the Carnival. The result can be seen at the site http://www.rioeduca.net/blogViews.php?id=3120.

Shakespeare is the champion for this carnival.

NA DIALÉTICA DO AMOR, UM TRAÇO DE SHAKESPEARE NA SAPUCAÍ
“TO BE OR NOT TO BE: THAT IS THE QUESTION”
MINHA ESCOLA VEM CANTAR
PELOS TRAÇOS DO POETA REVELAR.

 

TANTOS PERSONAGENS
NOSSA PRÓPRIA IMAGEM
NESSA VIAGEM SHAKESPEARE A NOS GUIAR
BRILHA O ARTISTA GENIAL
NO PALCO DO MEU CARNAVAL.

 

MISTÉRIOS, FANTASIAS
ALÉM DA NOSSA VÃ FILOSOFIA
AMOR, SENTIMENTO QUE AGITA E ACALMA
LOUCURA QUE INVADE A ALMA.

 

NA LITERATURA COM SEUS VERSOS ENCANTOU
NO TEATRO A PLATÉIA EMOCIONOU
NO CINEMA E TV SUA OBRA EM CARTAZ
SERES ENCANTADOS, DEUSES OU MORTAIS
NAS ENTRELINHAS DA HISTÓRIA
NÃO ESQUECEREMOS JAMAIS
SE A VIDA IMITA A ARTE
NÃO QUERO TRAGÉDIA
VIVO EM COMÉDIA
PRA SORRIR MUITO MAIS
AMAR OU NÃO AMAR: EIS A QUESTÃO
NA PROVA DE FOGO
O AMOR VENCE O JOGO
O FINAL FELIZ É A LIÇÃO

 

UM TRAÇO DE AMOR NA SAPUCAÍ
PODE APLAUDIR
UM SHAKESPEARE ENCANTADO
COM OS CORAÇÕES TOTALMENTE APAIXONADO.

 

(Samba-Enredo Composto pelos Alunos da E.M. PROFESSOR MANOEL MAURÍCIO)

Negligence that kills

The greed of a few was responsible for the death of 233 people at a nightclub in Santa Maria, Brazil. We are shocked with so devastating loss. They were young people who were trampled to death while attempting to scape the fire. Some of them can be seen at http://noticias.band.uol.com.br/galeria/?ID=1000006594

May our prayers and positive thoughts are dedicated to all almost five hundreds parents who have lost their children so tragically in Santa Maria, Brazil today.
May the love and compassion of Avalokiteshvara, who sees the cries of the world, can reach the heart of all them and ease their suffering.
See more at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-21220308

 

Elected!

Fernando Haddad was elected last Sunday with 55 percent of votes. Now, he is the new Mayor of São Paulo, one of the biggest cities of the world. See more details http://riotimesonline.com/brazil-news/rio-daily/pt-haddad-elected-sao-paulo-mayor/#

Photo credit: AP |      Fernando Haddad, Sao Paulo‘s Mayor-elect, right, kisses his wife Stela Haddad as his celebrates after winning Mayoral elections in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Sunday, Oct. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

Tired of Life? Go to Ubatuba!

Ubatuba (“ooba-Tuba”), one of the main cities on São Paulo’s North Shore, has a sinuous shoreline with 92 beaches which are never too far from the mountains in Brazil’s coastal range.

At many points, the hills are covered with native rainforest. Part of Ubatuba is inside Parque Estadual da Serra do Mar, one of the state’s largest conservation areas.

http://gobrazil.about.com/od/braziliancities/p/ubatuba.htm

It is placed in the northern littoral of  Sao Paulo, 334 kilometres from Rio de Janeiro and 234 kilometres from Sao Paulo.  This is a mountainous  area covered by Atlantic vegetation. Its beaches are beloved for many Brazilians. It has 80 beaches over its 90 kilometre coast, from the exited and  dynamic beaches of Itamambuca and Vermelha do Norte, frequented by sportsmen, with strong waves, until the free paradisiacal beaches of La Playa de la Hacienda, with calm waters.

http://www.brasilcontact.com/destinies/saoPaulo/brazil_ubatuba.html

Visit also the beautiful work of photography by Gustavo Asciutti in http://www.wikiaves.com.br/ specially if you’re a bird watcher.

I simply loved it!

This beautiful illustration was produced by Migy Blanco who also illustrates children books among other works. I also found an amazing tour guide book about my country.

http://www.migy.com/2011/09/brazil-guide.html

Brazilian Language Teachers in London

Gláucia Mendes is a language teacher at a Federal school in the city of Formosa, in Goias. She tells the  TVNBR about her experience of living and studying for five weeks in London due to a scholarship offered by the Brazilian Government. For more information see http://capes.gov.br/ or http://www.capes.gov.br/servicos/sala-de-imprensa/36-noticias/5737-programa-ensino-de-ingles-como-lingua-estrangeira-e-abordado-em-reportagem-da-tv-nbr

Yes, I’m From Brazil

Yes, I’m from Brazil and for heaven’s sake, I couldn’t dance samba to save my life. I do not support any football team; I do not watch TV because I love reading. I speak Portuguese (and a great deal of English). I’ve never been to the forest; I am an urban creature who lives in one of the biggest cities of the world. Yes, São Paulo is in Brazil not in Argentina and Buenos Aires is definitely not the capital of my country. Yes, I have to tell you that ‘feijoada’ is really delicious (you should try it with ‘caipirinha’) and that our coffee really tastes like coffee. Just in case you’re afraid of being mugged, you have to fear our politicians, much more than our people (like any other country, by the way). Brazilian music is fascinating and yes, we have all sorts of landscapes here from jungle to incredible modern cities besides spots that can remind you of heaven. Before I forget, I don’t have macaws in my backyard and I hate thinking they’re on the verge of extinction.

Yes, I recommend  http://yes-butno.tumblr.com/

A Banda Mais Bonita da Cidade

I am really  proud to introduce to you all:

Their site really worth a visit and you can download their music http://www.abandamaisbonitadacidade.art.br/odisco/

London Olympics 2012 Closing Ceremony

O

I loved the pictures, especially Marisa Monte’s performance. You can visit the site for more http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/372924/20120813/london-olympics-closing-ceremony-performers-2012-playlist.htm

Wants more? http://www.marisamonte.com.br/en/biografia/. In this site you can get in touch with Marisa Monte’s music and career.

Now, it’s Rio’s turn. Get to know the official site of 2016 games  on http://rio2016.com/en and some more of Rio’s history on http://rio2016.com/en/rio-de-janeiro/rio-and-its-history