.

"Have it your way in Brazil" - by The Wall Street Journal

2012-02-10T21:21:00.000-02:00

(Click to picture to watch the video.)

Brazil gets an Oscar nod – place your bets or sing along and rejoice.

2012-01-25T17:34:00.003-02:00

"Real in Rio", Sergio Mendes and Carlinhos Brown's song from the animated flick “Rio” gets a nomination and faces a fifty-percent chance of winning against "Man or Muppet" from "The Muppets".

(Click the pic to watch a music video featuring 'Real in Rio')

Brazil opens Fall/Winter 2012-2013 Fashion Season

2012-01-18T20:26:00.001-02:00

A preview of all the hype...

as Sao Paulo Fashion Week starts this January 19.

Back to the Future in Rio?

2012-01-13T01:55:00.000-02:00

A treasurable documentary shows a magnificent Rio de Janeiro in 1936, in color, peaceful as it should be, maybe showing the kind of atmosphere it is heading back to ahead of a new 'Olympic' era.

"It’s all about Brazil!"

2011-11-11T16:39:00.001-02:00

From the New York Times, to the Economist, to BBC, reports abound on Brazil’s booming economy and intrepid consumers.

Exactly How Hot Is Brazil?

"How real is this feeling that Brazil has a tide of fashion sweeping over its beach culture? And that this irrepressible enthusiasm for style in Rio de Janiero and São Paulo is only the beginning of a wave of luxury consumerism lapping at the rest of Latin America?"

Read full article on NYTimes.

Luxury Companies Meet 'Joie De Vivre' in Brazilians

"As Europe and United States stumble, Brazil has found its feet. Evidence of that is a surging middle class that is using its newfound wealth to reach for something more: luxury."

Read full article on NYTimes.

In Brazil: For the Love of Shopping

"Vanity leads rich Brazilians to pay exorbitant amounts for everything from cocktails to gadgets. In São Paulo, upmarket bars and clubs charge more than 100 Brazilian reais, or $56.35, just to get in the door; a basic pair of Levis 501 is three times what they are in Miami; and an iPhone or iPad are a whopping 10 times what they cost in London."

Read full article on NYTimes

BEING THERE: SÃO PAULO

"Brazil is one of the world’s most unequal countries, and I doubt anywhere else has as many rich people living among poor ones as São Paulo. Super-rich? Mega-rich? Hyper-rich? It’s hard to find a prefix that is sufficiently superlative."

Read full article on The Economist.

Brazil - Daily Chart

"According to the Economist Intelligence Unit, a sister company of The Economist, this year Brazil will overtake Britain to become the sixth largest economy in the world. GDP per person, at around $11,000 (or 19,000 reais) has been growing at an average annual rate of 1.7% since 1990; closing the gap with high-income countries."

Read full report on The Economist.

Brazil Is Online — but Not Shopping There Yet

“Shopping is a fundamental part of the Brazilian culture,” says Ana Santi, deputy editor of Draper’s magazine who has a popular blog called Born in Brazil. “In São Paulo, their beach is the shopping malls.”

Read full article on NYTimes.

Brazil's Body Beautiful

"Brazil has long had an international reputation as home of the body beautiful, a culture obsessed with beauty, vitality and health — and even if that standard is often more perception than reality, the country’s health and wellness industries are booming."

Read full article on NYTimes.

Brazil’s Eye on Sustainable Fashion

"Consumers are seeking products that go beyond modern design and new runway trends — looking for an eco-friendly kind of “quality seal” and now, thankfully, they can find what they are looking for."

Read full article on NYTimes.

Ze Takahashi/Agencia Fotosite

A Fashion Identity Beyond the Beach

“ 'We are not happy all the time; we are not dancing all the time; we are not sunny all the time; we are not all on the beach having caipirinhas and showing off our marvelous sculptural tanned bodies.'

Erika Palomino, a renowned Brazilian fashion editor and consultant, says that since the beginning of the 2000s, when international media and buyers started coming to Brazil to watch the catwalks, they have looked for color, prints, beachwear and revealing clothes.

“When they first saw collections from designers like Reinaldo Lourenço or Alexandre Herchcovitch, they were kind of shocked or even disappointed and criticized their global approach, asking ‘Where’s their Brazilian identity?’

“What’s that supposed to be? Designing with Carmen Miranda in mind?” she asks sarcastically."

Read full article on NYTimes.

H.Stern and Those Brazilian Curves

“Now everyone is after Brazil, everybody is going like crazy, but with no strategy,” he says. “Purchases are still mostly on credit. All international companies learn very fast. They overestimate Brazil — there is a Brazilian rush, people think it is a gold mine.”

Read full article on NYTimes.

Alexandre Herchcovitch: Beyond Fashion

"(...)his upbringing in an orthodox Jewish household and his fascination with São Paulo’s alternative nightclub culture had major influences on his early designs."

Read full article on NYTimes.

Brazil Makes Its Own Manhattan

"São Paulo is almost beyond the imagination — a drizzle-shrouded megacity of almost 20 million that sprawls like Los Angeles and boasts enough skyscrapers to vie with New York."

Read full article on NYTimes.

São Paulo: Harmony Through Chaos

“In São Paulo, the harmony comes from its overwhelming chaos,” he says. “There is no urban planning whatsoever but it’s undergoing a rapid transformation with an infectious and inspiring energy.”

Read full article on NYTimes.

Brazil divided over an emerging middle class

"As Brazil's economy keeps growing, a record number of Brazilians are heading to the country's tropical beaches on package holidays. But not everyone welcomes the invasion of tourists or what that change symbolises: the rising affluence and aspirations of Brazil's expanding middle class."

Read full article and watch video on BBC.

36 Hours in Brasília (Brazil's federal capital)

"(...) as Brazil’s economy booms and its world influence increases, Brasília is coming of age, gaining a new museum here, a cool bridge there, top-shelf restaurants everywhere. Brasília is also safer and calmer than Rio de Janeiro or São Paulo, unless you count the stress of trying to understand its maddening address system."

Read full article on NYTimes.

Brazil’s Long Shadow Vexes Some Neighbors

“Now Brazil is engaging Latin America more deeply, without a clear policy of addressing the anxiety that can accompany this process,” Mr. Spektor said. “There’s the real danger of being on the receiving end of anger in certain places.”

Read full article on NYTimes.

Reading Tip: " No, she's foreign!"

2011-08-31T22:10:00.001-03:00

A foreigner living in Brazil blogs about "experimenting with" and learning the local language.

"LANGUAGE-learning is fascinating, but not for those who can't take the occasional humiliation.

I live in São Paulo and though I’m sure my Portuguese accent is horrible, it’s horrible in a recognisably Paulistano way." Read more on The Economist.

We also recommend: "Rio or São Paulo?"
Rio's ace up its sleeve

RT: Brazil’s Homebuilder for Masses Bets on Nation’s Maids as He Lifts Profits

2011-08-04T12:32:00.004-03:00

"MRV, based in Belo Horizonte, a city of 2.4 million that forms Brazil’s industrial triangle with Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, is today the nation’s No. 5 homebuilder by sales." Read the Bloomberg article here.

Another epic of economic success in Belo

2011-06-29T12:24:00.006-03:00

The Financial Times features Localiza Rent-a-car's Salim Mattar's story, from rag to riches.

"Salim’s early passion for the car business came from his paternal grandfather, who allowed him to help at his Dodge dealership. “I was so proud [to be working there] I used to dab petrol behind my ears instead of perfume,” recalls the 63-year-old Mr Mattar on a recent visit to meet investors in London."

Read full article on FT's webpage.

A history of rugby in Brazil, via successful advertising

2011-06-16T13:17:00.004-03:00

Favorite at Cannes, Topper campaign helps make rugby more popular in Brazil, and a winner, too.

Click to watch video.

Reading Tip: "Let Them In: How Brazilians Could Help the U.S. Economy"

2011-06-10T20:01:00.003-03:00

Everyone should love Brazilian tourists. They spend more per capita than any other nationality. Worldwide, Brazilian tourists shell out an average of $43.3 million a day, dropping a gigantesco $1.4 billion last April alone, up 83% from the same period last year, according to the Brazil's Central Bank. In 2010, 1.2 million Brazilians visited the United States, injecting $5.9 billion into the U.S. economy.

Read the article on TIME online magazine.

Video Tip - FT: Brazil's infrastructure holds it back

2011-06-02T18:12:00.004-03:00

As the country's economy booms, infrastructure in Brazil is way behind where it should be.

Click here to watch the video (4m 55sec) on ft.com/video.

Video Tip: Brazil: A Racial Paradise?

2011-05-20T17:06:00.004-03:00

"In Brazil, Professor Gates delves behind the façade of Carnival to discover how this ‘rainbow nation’ is waking up to its legacy as the world’s largest slave economy."

Watch the full episode. See more Black in Latin America.

Via Black Latin America, where you can post your comment.

"Passando da hora" de colocar seu inglês em dia

2011-05-19T13:45:00.005-03:00

Brasil é 3º país com mais escassez de talentos no mundo, diz pesquisa

Leia artigo completo aqui.

Also, in English, The Guardian reports:

Brazilian economy hampered by lack of qualified labour

Read the article here.

WHERE does a senior manager cost most? Brazil!!

2011-01-28T19:59:00.002-02:00

The Economist talks about "runaway executive pay" in Brazil. Read the article here.

Brazil's Rising Star

2010-12-13T19:44:00.003-02:00

60 Minutes explains why investors are going crazy for Brazil. Watch video.

Via CBS. Read more.

Another reading tip:

How to get the best from Brazil
By The Daily Telegraph (Australia)

"THE world's fifth-largest country has an astounding array of natural and cultural wonders, with soulful coastal cities, wildlife-filled rainforests and Unesco World Heritage sites all jockeying for attention in the vast Brazilian landscape.

Travelling in Brazil can mean so many things, from bouncing over surreal dune-covered national parks to snorkelling through undersea wonders off reef-fringed islands. There are historic northeastern cities full of Afro-Brazilian rhythms, picture-book colonial towns and awe-inspiring scenery thundering waterfalls, Amazonian rainforest, Pantanal wetlands that resemble nowhere else on Earth.

Brazil's highlights are many, and make for some tough decisions when planning itineraries. Here, Lonely Planet shares what it loves most about the country from the new edition of their Brazil travel guide, published this month."

An interview with Dilma Rousseff, Brazil's president-elect

2010-12-07T18:07:00.002-02:00

by The Washington Post

"I believe that my administration will be different from President Lula's. President Lula's administration, which I was part of, built a base from which I will advance. I will not repeat his administration because the situation in the country today is much better than it was in 2002."

Read more.

On Brazil's first female president: Dilma Roussef

2010-11-03T18:15:00.003-02:00

Neco Varella EFE, via European Pressphoto Agency

Who is Dilma Rousseff?
by Al Jazeera

"The short answer is this: She is the daughter of Bulgarian immigrants to Brazil. In her teens she was jailed and tortured during the military dictatorship for her participation in a Marxist group. Some like to say she is an "ex-guerrilla," like she was in fatigues planting car bombs or something, which is not quite the reality.

She is a trained economist, and highly regarded administrator, who was unknown in Brazil when Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the president, picked her to be his minister of mines and energy in 2003. She is twice divorced and currently not married.

She is a recent cancer survivor. And she is someone who – when the first presidential poll came out in late 2008 – was polling at a paltry nine per cent."

Read more.

Brazil President-elect Rousseff pledges gender equality
by BBC

Read article and watch video here.

Brazil's first woman president-elect vows to push for equality
by Deccan Chronicle

Read article here.

Dilma Rousseff’s Election Turns on Brazil and Bulgaria
by Novinite.com

"For several weeks, the Brazilian elections had sparked an unprecedented fervour in Bulgaria, where the small European nation took unprecedented pride in the rise of a world-scale leader with a traditional family name."

Read more.

Read other pieces about Dilma Roussef's election and Bulgaria's reactions here.

Bulgaria: Reactions to Dilma Rousseff's Victory in Brazil (Click to read)
by Global Voices

Video by CNN

The Art of Patience

2010-09-24T17:17:00.003-03:00

by B. Michael Rubin

"Despite Brazil's eagerness to join the fast-paced, replaceable world of developed nations like the US, there is something to be said for honoring the past. "

"Cattleya Orchid and Three Brazilian Hummingbirds" by Martin Johnson Heade

If there is a connection between cleanliness and public affection, it is being played out on the streets of Brazil. Here people continually exhibit their passion for both customs.

Brazilians generally shower twice a day, and they brush their teeth after every meal, which could add up to five or six times each day. They power-wash their sidewalks and store fronts and keep their homes fastidiously clean and neat, thanks to the steady hands of the family maids.

In Curitiba a stroll down the street, at any time on any day, reveals another cleanliness task force, consisting of hundreds of men (and a few women) employed to sweep the streets by hand. Orange-suited heroes pick up trash, dead leaves, and even scrape weeds from between the cracks of the cobblestone sidewalks.

Likewise, public affection is the everyday norm in Brazil. Although most often practiced by the young, it is not their exclusive domain. Few couples can refrain from a romantic moment -- witnessing a rainbow in a waterfall or a seaside sunrise.

One night I went to the movies at the local mall and encountered a discount promotion. My wife and I could obtain half-price tickets if we kissed in front of the ticket counter. I discovered discount kissing was a big success, as it wasn't restricted to this one mall. Perhaps movie theaters were assisting in the flowering of new relationships by encouraging observers to enjoy enthusiastic bursts of romance. I'm wondering if the promotion was endorsed by the Valentine's Day committee or the numerous chocolate stores.

Along with a heightened sense of cleanliness and public displays of romance, there are a few other customs in Brazil I wouldn't mind seeing in the US. For one, the hotly debated topic of universal health care, which already exists in Brazil, has only recently come to fruition under President Obama, and still faces a fight in the courts from conservatives. Additionally, Brazil has already advanced beyond the US in electronic banking.

I've been equally impressed in Curitiba by the regulations regarding recycling. Not only does recycling promote environmental awareness, but it provides valuable income to some of Curitiba's poorer families. Recycling is so advanced in Brazil that even cemetery plots are recycled. After several years, the remains of the departed are exhumed and placed in smaller containers above ground, allowing the original plot to be re-used.

It would seem that even garbage gets reused here, as I have never seen valuable items sitting on a street corner waiting for the trashman. Americans are fond of replacing household items that are still in working condition because they've grown tired of them or they don't function as well as they used to. Instead, Brazilians recycle, re-use, and repair their old possessions. I had an experience of this firsthand when I came to Brazil with an antique typewriter that belonged to my grandfather. This typewriter has sentimental value because it is the only possession I own of my grandfather's. It was built in the 1930s and fell into disrepair several years ago.

When I was living in New York City, I had searched for a repair shop but couldn't find a single store that even sold typewriters, nor less repaired them. Had it not been for my grandfather's memory, I probably would have thrown the typewriter away. Wisely, I elected to bring it with me when I came to Brazil, where a glance in the phone book provided a list of numerous typewriter repair stores.

Today, my proud possession sits in my apartment, well-oiled and functioning, dressed smartly in a new two-color typewriter ribbon. I can't imagine where the repair shop found a ribbon for this 10-kilo relic of a bygone era of communication.

Despite Brazil's eagerness to join the fast-paced, replaceable world of developed nations like the US, there is something to be said for honoring the past. Repairing an old typewriter isn't so different from taking care of an aging family member. In Brazil, widows are invited to move in with their grown children, and they are given priority on bank and supermarket lines. They ride the buses free, get half-price tickets, and don't even have to vote.

In the US, senior citizens often end up living alone in nursing homes or retirement villages where they are surrounded by strangers and visited by their families once or twice a year. They never have the opportunity to ride a bus or go to the movies.

Perhaps before Brazilians eagerly embrace the 21st century, dreaming of huge homes and massive cars like they see in Hollywood movies, they might take a moment to appreciate their own country, which has the sound judgment to care for antique typewriters. Maybe they will confess they enjoy watching couples kissing on the movie line, even if it takes a few extra minutes to enter the theater.

As we leap into the future, we might slow down and listen to those who understand there is much to be learned from the past. The advice and experience of history is available to everyone – we need only to stop and listen carefully to the grandparents and great-grandparents among us. As with cleanliness and affection, listening takes time. It's not as effective if you are in a hurry. Like the considerate hands of the artisan who brought new life back to my grandfather's typewriter, the wisdom of the ages is open to those with patience.

Michael Rubin is an American living in Curitiba, Brazil. He can be reached at rubin.brazil@gmail.com

"Wacky election candidates reveal problems at heart of Brazil politics"

2010-09-20T11:40:00.003-03:00

" 'Brazil has a tradition of voting for these types of characters, either because they make a strong impression on the poorer and less informed voters, or because they attract those wealthy and well-educated people who are fed up with politicians and want to protest', Cantanhede says."

From BBC. (Click to read article.)

Reading Tip: "Educational Gaps Limit Brazil’s Reach"

2010-09-09T00:47:00.002-03:00

From The New York Times.

(Click to read article.)

Reading Tip: Tropical Brazil? Not quite.

2010-08-04T19:52:00.010-03:00

Snow falls down in Santa Catarina State, Southern Brazil.

Read article.

Read further about how Brazilians love snow.

Check photo galleries: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7

Chilly weather in Southern Brazil a treasure for local tourists.

Video Tip: Brazil is calling you.

2010-07-29T10:22:00.007-03:00

Check out more videos on the Visit Brasil YouTube channel.

Reading / Video Tip: All eyes on Brazil now!

2010-07-12T16:00:00.007-03:00

Video: Brazil's World Cup Challenge [See script here.]

It's not the Cup, it's the qualifying

Brazil gears up for 2014 challenge

On top of the world: Why Brazil is booming

Viewpoint: Brazil's growing international presence

2014 World Cup logo

Reading Tip: New Giseles sprouting in Brazil?

2010-07-07T21:06:00.004-03:00

The Next Giseles, by Dom Phillips.

(Click to read)

Reading tip by LUC'S COOL staff

www.lucscool.com.br

Delightfully falling down, down under.

2010-05-26T18:44:00.009-03:00

One of the most amazing things I have done in my life was skydiving. At first I was afraid but I had always wanted to do that, so I decided to give it a try.

Three years ago, in July 2007, I was traveling around New Zealand on vacation when everybody in my hotel room got in the kiwi mood and decided they wanted to jump from a plane and freefall in the skies down under.

We headed to the club and had a 30-minute instructive class. Three people could jump at a time from the same plane, each with a different instructor. We were ‘trembling like bamboo’ when we boarded a small plane which soon took off. In ten minutes we were flying high while the instructor pointed to his clock every now and then, to show that the fatal time was approaching. My instructor and I got to the plane door and my legs were hanging – and shaking – in the air. He counted to three while pushing my body back and forth. For a short moment, I regretted the endeavor. Next thing, we were diving free 12,000 feet from the ground.

Soon I started enjoying that unforgettable moment, except that I was still afraid that the parachute wouldn’t open when needed. But when the big umbrella finally opened and we floated more slowly I could relax and enjoy the whole view.

In the end, after I touched the ground I felt like the bravest girl in the world and - ahem - was ready to do it all over again.

Text and pictures by student Nathalia Martins

Business Administration Graduate, Finance Post-Graduate

Things I saw for the first time...

2010-04-07T21:32:00.008-03:00

I had the happy opportunity to see snow in New York City for the first time in my life. I came to town one day after the snowfall. It was the most beautiful sight I had when the plane started going down and everything was so white and only the runway was gray!
I felt a big emotion! One of those we feel only when something surprises us ...

This trip was something really novel. I found myself looking at everyday situations differently. When I visited St. Patrick's church I realized faith is something that touches people regardless of their religion, language or even the goal of being there. Feelings invaded my senses when the piano was played and a wonderful voice accompanied it; I felt I could float. The whole environment embraced me. I stayed some minutes in that place but felt like I was in another world. People came and went by; some remained listening to the priest; everything became a brief movie on my mind.

On the streets, people were playing and having fun; some were ice-skating and the joy was contagious! I thought to myself, this serves to warm one’s heart in such cold weather.
I began to notice how people are so similar and so unique at the same time; that their lives follow the same paths sometimes, even if at different paces. Still, life becomes a great meeting in the world!

Text and images by student Cynthia Maffra

Jewelry Designer

Dancing with Waters.

2010-03-02T15:37:00.006-03:00

Synchronized swimming first appeared as an exhibition during the breaks and at the end of swimming competitions, without competitive intentions. At first, the sport was known as Water Ballet. In the beginning, people used to value the esthetics rather than the movements. Over time, synchronized swimming techniques were improved and now it includes a routine of movements in the water accompanied by music. It has become a mix of swimming, dance and gymnastics. In order to perform a routine, the athletes need strength, flexibility, artistry, precise timing and really good breath control to keep them under the water. Well, this was the abridged history of such a lovely sport. Now I’ll tell you my story with it.

I had practiced Olympic Gymnastics from age 6 to 17 years old. Then, about four years ago, I gave it up and started swimming. Once, while I was talking with a gym colleague, she told me she’d started to take synchronized swimming lessons. I immediately thought about the images of the presentations that I had seen on TV and how I was always fascinated by that sport. When I asked her where she was training, she decided to take me there to train with her one day. Not surprisingly, I loved it! I even regretted never trying it before. After I started last year I took part in two competitions and…won – in a duet with my partner! I’m so excited! I don’t want to stop as long as I can do it!

Today, it is possible to see how popular synchronized swimming has become. It even became an Olympic sport back in 1984. However, here in Minas Gerais, we have only one place that prepares athletes for this beautiful sport, which should be more publicized and seen by more people, who will surely get addicted to it, too.

Text and images by Luiza Drummond

UFMG Physical Education Undergraduate

If the sun is shining, how about climbing?

2010-02-03T17:02:00.007-02:00

If you enjoy climbing mountains or hiking to a high peak you will really like Serra do Curral (Corral Mountain), near the Mangabeira’s neighborhood. There, you can also try rock climbing for which you’ll need to be both physically prepared and accompanied by a professional guide. But, hiking up to the top of the mountain will provide enough pleasure. I did that with my friends. It was a sunny and hot day and the walk was very hard, so we needed a lot of water. The ground was slippery and covered with irregular rocks, so I fell down a few times and got all smudged by the red dirt. My peers didn’t fall like me, well, because they usually go up this beautiful mountain.

When you finally reach the top, you have a great view. At one side you overlook the vast city of Belo Horizonte and at the other side you can see a “lake”, formed in a crater which was left by a deactivated mining company. The lake water has an interesting beautiful blue hue and no smell. It’s a placid artificial “lake” hiding what once consisted of serious depletion of Belo’s beautiful nature.

The descent was hard too. But as we say in Brazil, “pra descer todo santo ajuda” (roughly “if are you descending, every saint will easily help”), we came down faster than we climbed up. In the end, we arrived at Parque das Mangabeiras, a lovely park, where we cleaned our hands, drank cool water and rested under the shady trees for some time.

So, that’s what I recommend doing in Belo on a sunny day if you are looking for some adventure and a sublime view.

Text and images by Marina Fonseca Medeiros

Medicine Undergraduate

Brazil in Green and Pink

2010-01-20T12:53:00.006-02:00

Our country is known worldwide for its Carnival, and so it should...

I was lucky to take part in “Feijoada da Mangueira”. Yes, that's it: feijoada in Rio de Janeiro. Can you imagine yourself eating feijoada under a 40-degree-Celsius heat?

Every second Saturday of each month, Mangueira, the famous samba school, throws a feijoada party. During the event, they play music and usually invite an important singer for a concert. On the day I was there, Brazilian singer Alcione was the special guest. The concert went through the night and ended at sunrise.

It was great to come to “Morro da Mangueira” (one of the densely inhabited hills in Rio de Janeiro); very different from what I had expected. The venue, looking like a huge warehouse, is right at the foot of the hill. But nothing compares to the emotion I felt when I went in. It has such a good energy - so contagious it seems it has a soul!

Luckily I was in the VIP area, with air conditioning. Sometimes, I would take a walk around the “court” but couldn’t stay long because of the heat, which increased as the place filled with the lively crowd! In spite of the heat, it was really worth the experience, mainly the happiness and care with which I was received. There’s nothing to compare!

Text and images by student Cynthia Maffra

Jewelry Designer

Ubiquitous Entertainment

2010-01-11T18:22:00.005-02:00

The 36th edition of the Theater and Dance Popularization Campaign started last week and runs through March 7. It is a great opportunity for mineiros and visitors alike to appreciate theater and dance performances for a more affordable price, only R$ 10.

In all, the public can attend 122 different shows: 78 theater productions for adults, 35 for children and 9 dance presentations in venues throughout the city. Shows will also be presented in Barreiro, a district in southwestern Belo Horizonte, and in the countryside towns of Juiz de Fora and Ipatinga.

“Mulheres em Crise”, one of the plays in the campaign.
Photo: Andréa Maia

According to Sinparc-MG, Minas Gerais’ Performing Arts Producers’ Union, 339 thousand tickets were sold during last year’s campaign. Greater success is expected this year. Tickets can be purchased over the internet (www.sinparc.com.br), at mobile stations (two cars going around the city) or at the following locations:

Mercado das Flores: Afonso Pena Avenue, at Rua da Bahia; Downtown; daily, 9am to 7pm.
Shopping Cidade; Goitacazes Floor; 910 Rio de Janeiro Street; Downtown; 55 31 3279 1200; Mon-Sat, 9am to 7pm; Sun, 12 to 6pm.
Shopping Patio Savassi; Floor L2; 6061 Contorno Avenue; Savassi; 55 31 4003 4172; Mon to Sat, 10am to 7pm; Sun, 12 to 7pm.

Check here for complete schedule.

Text and images by student Ayala Melgaço

Public Relations and Journalism Graduate

A Desirable Chain Reaction

2009-12-20T18:26:00.004-02:00

If you are a Brazilian, you have probably heard all kinds of stories about polite drivers and safe traffic in developed countries. The first impression on traffic when we travel abroad is that “pedestrians rule”.

In Brazil, many factors contribute to the chaotic relation between people and cars, pedestrians and drivers. In general, drivers like to think streets were made for them and for them only while pedestrians like to “save time” and take advantage in all situations. By the way, ‘taking advantage’ is constant in our traffic. Everybody wants to arrive first, get the best parking space or avoid traffic jams. For this purpose, they can turn to selfishness, rudeness and even violence.

After years of being totally ignored, drivers and pedestrians’ education came public as a matter of urgency. Many campaigns start to spread the idea that we have to change the way we see others in traffic in order to obtain good results in the near future.

Belo Horizonte started an education campaign sponsored by big companies such as Unimed (Minas Gerais State’s biggest health insurance company), Fiat and Radio Itatiaia (the most popular AM radio station in town) called “Pratique gentileza” (practice kindness). Both BHtrans - the city transit authority - and the Brazilian Ministry of Transport have similar campaigns called “Respeite os outros (Respect others)” and “Motorista legal é motorista consciente (A legal driver is a conscious driver - In Brazil ‘legal’ also means “cool)”. Some NGOs are putting great focus on this issue too. They believe citizens have the same duty as the state in contributing to making things better.

I believe education must really be the core of it all. And I would like to invite you to be part of the process which includes acting like we think is right: respecting each other and following all the rules. Remember, like in other common situations; try to say “please” or “after you” sometimes. Don’t care if they beep or laugh at you in the beginning. Resist the temptation of feeling like you’re being cheated. Believe me; I’ve been trying it for a while and it is working. In the end, you will see more and more people following your example and feeling more civilized.

Check out some campaign sites:

Campanha Nacional de Transito
Voluntários do Transito

Text and images by student Marcelo Viana

Neurosurgeon

No sweat to find the perfect combination

2009-12-03T22:15:00.002-02:00

Decanter is a charming wine store and restaurant located in Savassi, Belo’s main entertainment district. Going to Decanter always makes for a most agreeable shopping / dining experience since you are always well received and catered to. The wine is at the center of attention and you yourself can choose a bottle out of almost a thousand different labels displayed on shelves around the dining room or you can get assistance from one of the reliable sommeliers or the enologist who are always ready to help.

In addition to wine, for your convenience, you can find other exclusive items such as special meat cuts and a selection of pasta, sauces, olive oil, cheese and varied nuts. Worthy of mention is a special kind of cheese from the Netherlands named after painter Vincent Van Gogh – this being my personal tip for you. In the restaurant menu, to accompany the wine, you will find about forty different dishes such as Steak with Açaí reduced sauce sided by Sicilian lemon risotto (R$ 39.00) matched with Chilean Caliterra Tributo Carmenere Wine (R$ 29.00).

Cheers!

On Saturdays you can have an out-of-the-ordinary lunch when the sommelier and the chef put out a menu based on a wine and food match. Each course will be accompanied by a glass of wine specially selected by the enogastronomic team, giving you a chance to discover new tastes and combinations.

Decanter - Rua Fernandes Tourinho, 503, Savass, Belo Horizonte, MG - 55 31 3287 3618

Text and images by student Paulo Augusto Carvalho Miranda

Endocrinologist

In Belo, who hasn't heard of "Maletta"?

2009-12-01T21:50:00.003-02:00

The Arcangelo Maletta Complex is both a residential and a commercial building in downtown Belo Horizonte. Built in 1959, it was meant to be “a city within the city’. They had planned a place where people could work and live at the same time in addition to promoting an environment rich with gastronomy, culture, bohemia and hospitality.

The so-called “Edifício Maletta” is 88 thousand square meters big and holds a community of three thousand people among workers and residents. It includes 787 stores, 60 commercial apartments and 319 residential ones. Many of the apartments are used by students as fraternity or sorority houses. Among the shops, there are beauty salons, sebos (used book stores), stationery, locksmiths, computers, watch stores and some bars which attract around five thousand people daily, locals and outsiders. Worthy of mention is the Cantina do Lucas restaurant, founded in 1962, which has been officially declared as part of Belo Horizonte’s cultural heritage.

Years after its inauguration, the place would become a hip hub for bohemians, intellectuals, artists, poets and students. Many famous people and celebrities have been to Malleta, such as actress Eva Wilma, writers and journalists Murilo Rubião and Roberto Drummond, actor Tarcísio Meira, writer Pedro Nava and singers and composers Caetano Veloso and Milton Nascimento. During the military dictatorship in Brazil, the place was a free and democratic territory in Belo Horizonte.

'Clube da Esquina' ( roughly 'The Corner's Club') - Singer Milton Nascimento (left) and other artists who would meet regularly at Maletta, decades ago.

A peek at the inside of the building, once very stylish:

Inside Cantina do Lucas, a very traditional and cherished restaurant:

The Malleta Building is on the corner of Augusto de Lima Avenue and Bahia Street, downtown Belo Horizonte.

Text and images by Willy Simões

Nurse and Civil Servant

Reading tip? Not really.

2009-11-25T22:41:00.001-02:00

You had a long day in the office and you come home tired. Your boss was all over you. Your wife complains… the dog barks… you would like to read but your mind doesn’t feel like doing it. You don’t want to watch the soap opera. Come see this nice quiet and beautiful works of art on the blog “O silêncio dos livros” (The silence of books). Relax…

Text by student Bruno Hollanda

Otorhinolaryngologist

(In the picture, with daughter Beatriz)

What do you say when you drink Pálinka?

2009-11-16T23:14:00.006-02:00

Most people who travel abroad want to visit different, interesting and new places. Food, beverages and traditional dances are also indisputable attractions. On my last vacation, my husband and I went to Hungary. There, besides going on a trip along the famous Danube River (Duna in Hungarian), we could attend a Hungarian dance show and taste a typical drink: Pálinka.

Pálinka is a fruit brandy made only in Hungary. There are similar drinks from other countries, but only the Hungarian drink can take this name, according to EU regulations. This beverage is at least 38% alcohol by volume and has a sweet flavor. It can be made from different fruit, but the most common pálinkas are made from apricots, pears and plums.

Pálinka has reportedly already been used as medicine and it plays an important role in traditional celebrations and social occasions.

Finally, it is interesting to know how to drink this quite unique brandy. It is best enjoyed if kept between 18 and 20 degrees Celsius. The ideal glass to drink is wide at the bottom and narrow at the rim, and pálinka is usually drunk in a shot. We received typical glasses that night which had the shape of friendly Hungarian little men, and we have brought them to Brazil as souvenirs.

Here’s my 'verdict' about pálinka: I liked it a lot! That’s why I got interested to read more about it and share this with you. And because I am not likely to return to Hungary in the next few years, I decided to have three shots that night!!

Things that make for a great trip.

Text by student Darli Nogueira

Plastic Surgeon

Here comes the Warapuru!

2009-11-04T10:10:00.006-02:00

The hotel isn’t open yet, but it is all booked up. Everybody wants to stay there. Well, at least, those who can pay.

The Warapuru (Eco-Resort) Hotel is in Itacaré, in pavilions sprouting from Mata Atlantica, Brazil's coastal rainforest. It was designed by British architect Anouska Hempel and overlooks Bahia’s blue sea.

This piece of paradise will be ready in 2010, but you can already take a peek and start saving some money, if you aren’t a millionaire yet.

Dream...

...come true:

Tip by student Fernando Oliveira

Intensive Care Doctor

Great Halloween Party in Divine Polis!

2009-10-29T22:04:00.009-02:00

This Saturday, October 31st, Divinopólis will hold another mega “Festa da Fantasia” (meaning both Fantasy Party and Costume Party).

It all started back in 1996 when the current party organizer decided to have a Brazilian party to celebrate Halloween which, in that year, would fall on a Saturday. A small bunch, mainly friends and acquaintances came and it was very successful, so the following year more people joined the bash and it became bigger…and bigger. As time went by, the organizer began to bring famous bands from all over the country to play for the happy guests, with up to three concerts in one night.

Today, besides the dancing arena – which is usually referred to as POP-CORN - there are VIP areas with free drinks and snacks. You are free to use your creativity but you have to wear a costume to get in. The most interesting costumes will vary according to recent facts and events happening around the world. Last year there was Hugo Chavez and Obama and this year you can expect to see a legion of Michael Jacksons.

Divinópolis is a 200-thousand-people city about 115 kilometers from Belo Horizont e and it is famous for pig-iron industries and clothing factories. It is also famous for the Festa da Cerveja (Beer Festival) which takes place around May, every year.

Many people from other cities in Minas Gerais State come to Divinópolis to have fun during these two great events. And they simply can’t help coming back other times!

This year’s party will take place at the local Parque de Exposições. More info, visit site.

Text and images by student Mateus Amaral

Businessman

How deliciously embarrassing to bump into a star!

2009-10-24T12:10:00.005-02:00

As Lady Gaga puts it: “this photo of us it don’t have a price”

When you stop over at a glamorous city airport like Rio’s Galeão, you frequently spot a few famous people like movie stars, pop singers or TV celebrities. I am very shy but I usually wonder if I would have the courage to ask them for a signing or to take a picture or if I would simply be practical enough to ignore them and never talk about the sighting.

But what if you are in distant beach town far from civilization with a bunch of talkative and noisy female friends when you suddenly bump into a cute TV actor who instantly gets smiley, courteous and – OMG – shirtless?

In my case, my heart shot up. But I couldn’t resist his friendliness and invited him for a drink and even a “shoulders-touching” photo. Well, dreams can come true!

Miguel Thiré, the sun among celestial bodies, meaning 'everybody in heaven'.

Text and images by student Fernanda Roland

International Trade Specialist and Public Official

Different Ways of Winning

2009-10-21T20:11:00.006-02:00

I was 14 in middle school when they launched their first Olympics for the students. Then I chose to compete both as a swimmer and as a basketball player. My basketball team had a good performance in the competition, so we reached the finals and won the game. I felt super proud of being the “best shooter” in the game while my colleagues raised me into the air and carried me around on their shoulders, enthusiastically crying my name. A curious and amusing detail: my team had won with a 2-0 score, with only one successful 2-point shot during the whole game, which happened to be mine.

At the same Olympics I went to the school pool to fight for a medal in swimming. “Being such a good athlete in basketball”, I joined the competition full of confidence. I was really thinking big of myself for I had been celebrated like a queen only two days earlier, so I was very happy. At the start signal I lunged into the swimming pool and kicked my arms and legs like crazy, in a two-pool-length sprint. When I hit the finish border with my hand I immediately put my dizzy head out of the water and I looked right and left. Nobody else had arrived. I felt inflated; “I was really awesome” I thought to myself, “the best basketball player and now the best swimmer”. Next thing I did was to look back at the approaching losers. To my ghastly surprise I couldn’t see anybody. My burning face naturally looked up and I saw all of my fellow competitors outside the pool either looking for their towels or already drying their bodies.

Text by student Raíce Guimarães

Interior Designer and University Professor
www.todoambientes.com

Give organs; give rise to life.

2009-10-16T22:45:00.006-03:00

Many people don’t have enough information about how to donate or to receive an organ. So, prejudices can arise and many patients might die in line waiting for transplantation.

In Brazil it is very simple to be a donor. First, you have to tell your family about your desire and decision to be one. Some years ago, if you wanted to donate your organs after your death, you should have had it “recorded” on your ID card. Now, the family is responsible to authorize organ donation of any of its members after encephalic death has been stated by a doctor. Donors can give away kidneys, lungs, heart, corneas, liver and even skin.

Perhaps, only sick people and their families know the angst of waiting in line for an organ. Every phone call could be their salvation, but most of the times it is not.

Many sick people want and need an opportunity to live on and they fight bravely for it using all their faith in life and resilient strength. If you give a part of your body when you don’t need it anymore, you will save more than just one life.

LTMG is an academic league created to promote health, education and research for the scientific development and increase in the number of medical transplantations. I joined LTMG at the beginning of this year and I’m very proud to be part of this great project. We participate in transplantation surgeries, talk to donors' families about the importance of being a donor and, the most amazing, we can see many lives being saved.

"To Remember Me"

A Poem by Robert N. Test (1926-1994)

"Give my sight to the man who has never seen a sunrise, a baby's face, or love in the eyes of a woman.
Give my heart to a person whose own heart has caused nothing but endless days of pain.
Give my blood to the teenager who was pulled from the wreckage of his car, so that he might live to see his grandchildren play.
Give my kidneys to one who depends on a machine to exist from week to week.
Take my bones, every muscle, every fiber and nerve in my body and find a way to make a crippled child walk.
If you must bury something, let it be my faults, my weaknesses, and all prejudice against my fellow man.
Give my sins to the devil.
Give my soul to God.
If, by chance, you wish to remember me, do it with a kind deed or word to someone who needs you. If you do all I have asked, I will live forever."

Text and images by Marina Fonseca Medeiros

Medicine Undergraduate

Take me to the river!

2009-10-08T23:25:00.010-03:00

In the river...

When I was born, it was raining a lot. It was one o’clock in the afternoon. My mother told me that when she looked out the window, she saw the river waters rising. She thought it was so beautiful! It was a wonderful summer day.

Maybe that’s why I have always loved swimming on a rainy day. It’s a shame I can no longer swim naked. But, today, when I go jogging along the streets and it’s raining, it always feels like I’m swimming naked in my childhood river. It’s a great sensation.

...and in the rain. (Click to play)

Text by student Silvania Luz

Business Administrator

Perfect Duo

2009-10-05T23:24:00.006-03:00

I fell in love with the world of sports when I was a teenager. After some years of skateboarding, I “wandered” among several sports, like bodybuilding, kung fu, cycling, swimming and running. When I met Luiza, who is my girlfriend nowadays, she told me she used to practice Olympic gymnastics as a child and a teenager. I got surprised, because I had never thought there was a way to practice that amazing activity in Belo Horizonte; maybe only in Sao Paulo or Rio, where the athletes of the Brazilian national team trained. Later, when my girlfriend got in college, she found out an adult class at her school, at the same place she used to train in the past. She invited me to attend a class, and that was the beginning of a great passion. Since then it has become one of the most pleasant activities in my life. Even after a hard day of work, or if I'm sad or worried about something, one session of gymnastics is enough to make me happy and free my mind of bad thoughts.

Girlfriend, in action.

Text and images by student Diogo Clark

Control and Automation Engineer

Flowery Love

2009-10-01T11:20:00.006-03:00

I love plants and flowers but I specially love the orchids. I like their colors, beauty and smell. Some orchids flower more than once a year. They don't like much water and need good light. I have some vases in my backyard and each one of the orchids flowered make me very happy. These are some pictures of them that I would like to share with you.

Text and images by student Guilhermina Rodrigues Cerqueira

Retired Public Servant

Seven stars in one day - a tour of Dubai

2009-09-29T20:29:00.014-03:00

Make-believe

After a 15-hour flight from Sydney I arrived in Dubai feeling like a wreck but I gathered my remaining energy because I couldn’t miss the so talked-about grandiosity of the Arab city. And, believe it or not, I would have only 24 hours to see it all and do it in a 43-degree-Celsius "atmosphere".

On the way to the hotel, I got startled when I saw the pollution cloud over the city. Upon my comment, the taxi driver told me it was actually sand suspended in the air, because Dubai is in the desert.

Here’s my touring list, as recommended by a friend.

First, I put on my bikini to have a taste of a pristine sea beach in the Persian Gulf, not before checking if it was okay to do it in an Arab country. Well, there were many other western women in bikinis but also lots of male locals with a curious and weird look in their faces, which made me feel slightly uncomfortable.

Later I took a taxi driven by this funny Pakistan man who insisted in speaking Arabic with me and went to the Palm Jumeriah, the incredible luxurious artificial island built for the super-rich. I visited the giant 7-star Atlantis hotel, with a wonderful aquarium and impressive decoration.

Then he drove me to another extraordinary construction, the Burj Al Arab, and minutes later to the biggest shopping center in the world, called Dubai Mall, which is a paradise (air conditioner on!) containing more than 1200 stores.

On the way to the Gold Souk I had this amazing view of a perfect red ball on the horizon, just few seconds before sunset.

We drove along the river where eastern people were enjoying their weekend on these peculiar small ships. And as we arrived in the gold market I got astonished one more time at the number of stores selling gold jewelries, especially gorgeous necklaces with gems, and also at the number of customers, mostly Muslim women, buying gold.

And other details:

Praying train?!

Airport Golden Pillars!

Text and images by student Rosaline Figueiredo e Silva

Geologist

The Calm after the Storm

2009-09-25T22:49:00.006-03:00

Many people say that Cruises are a bad choice for vacation, because passengers frequently get sick on the trip or become bored or something like that… Sometimes, they are right.

On my January vacation I went on a cruise with my family in the Southern Atlantic. It was meant to be great to spend three days on the ship and another five in cities like Buenos Aires (Argentina), Punta Del Este (Uruguay), and Porto Belo (Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil).

However, things didn’t go as expected. Soon, at the first night, the ship started to swing and “spin” a lot in many directions. The ocean was turbulent and there were very loud noises. So, at every corner on the ship, there were people throwing up and some of them even needed medical treatment like intravenous drugs. It was terrible!

But, after the shock, bonanza settled in and it was really worth the trip.

The ship was elegant, comfortable, and huge! There were swimming pools, jacuzzis, a disco, a theatre, many types of restaurants, and a lot more. But the greatest experience was the 13th floor, a place for games and entertainment and where all the passengers could enjoy the sun and the pools. Over us, the sunshine would only go away after 9 pm, really wonderful.

If you go to Buenos Aires with your family, a nice program is going to a Tango nightclub, where you will see beautiful dancers, listen to exciting songs, and taste typical food in an elegant mixture of a theatre and a restaurant.

But the best stop was Punta Del Este, a beautiful place with gorgeous people and nice beaches. Don’t miss Casa Pueblo, a museum with paintings and sculptures made by native people, which resemble “Greek” to me. Great Culture!

Text and images by Marina Fonseca Medeiros

Medicine Undergraduate

Blessed Be Our View

2009-09-24T23:25:00.005-03:00

The city of Belo doesn’t have this name for nothing. We are surrounded by this wonder of nature which is the Serra do Curral (Corral Mountain) and here, you have access to one of the most beautiful views in the entire state of Minas Gerais. A highly privileged place for this viewing experience is the Pope’s Square. From up there you can see the beautiful mountain on one side and look over the city of Belo on another. It is a perfect place for a romantic stroll or a family outing, or even for a lonely walk to enjoy the view and to breathe fresh air. The Pope's square is my favorite place to go when I have to think about something. That's where I go when I'm very happy and my smile is much bigger when it ‘meets’ the view across the city. That's also where I go when I'm sad, and I have the Corral Mountain as my partner, my confidant, hiding my tears. Through its highness and beauty, it gives me the strength I need. It cherishes me with its magisterial grandeur. That’s why the Pope’s square is worth the experience!

Text by student Mariana Reggiani

Internal Auditor

Waiting for the bell to ring

2009-09-21T22:22:00.005-03:00

Belo Horizonte is known as the city of bars, and because of the large number of bars available, owners try different ways to compete for and attract customers. You can check out one of these great ideas in “Soho”, a bar in Savassi, a neighborhood very familiar to the so- called “butequeiros” (roughly “bohemian bar lovers”).

Soho captivates the public thanks to a great variety of games, especially board games, which they make available for their customers for free. But one particular night is most interesting: Tuesday. It is called “Noite do sino” (Bell Night), when board game players and draft beer lovers get together to have an exceptional fun night. At certain moments during the night, the manager rings the bell, literally, and the waiters start to serve free draft beer, until the first customer, male or female, hits the restroom. It is a tense and fun moment at the same time. On the one hand if you don’t want to go to the restroom, you hope no one else will go. But, on the other hand, if you’re the one who wants to pee, you pray for someone else to go, so you won’t be the one “hated” for spoiling the free-refill round. It is a great experience to have with friends. But remember, if you’re drinking, don’t drive, and if you’re playing, don’t spoil the fun by going to the restroom!

Text and images by Ayra R. Nunes

English Teacher and Law Undergraduate

A new old song

2009-09-18T20:20:00.005-03:00

Have you found what you’re looking for? Keep trying, trying again and trying a little tenderness. Try just a little bit harder and remember that sometimes you’re better off if you just let it be. Stand up for your rights, right to look for happiness and whatever good there is. Think of what you like. Time and time again. Study, read, talk, write, and listen. Listen to that music one more time. Are you lost, weird, unusual? Laugh at yourself. Feel free and fight not to be embarrassed. Don’t worry about what people might think. People will think anyway. Don’t bother if you play a fool or if the joke is on you. Life is like a big play. Figure out what you like and play your part. And if you still haven’t found what you’re looking for, don’t give up. Who has? Keep looking. Lose track of time and you’ll have a clue. Try yoga, music, art, work hard, not to work, work out, work things out. Go for a walk, run, bike, swim, breathe, stop. Concentrate, meditate, relax. Feel life in every breath you take. Move if you can. If you can’t, move on. Act, interact, love, give love, peace on Earth. Meet new people. Meet your old friends again. They have lots to say, to hear, to share. Imagine all the people sharing all the world. Every person is unique and wonderful. Try not to prefer too much, for the universe has no preferences. It can only happen if you think it’s feasible. You are what you think. Keep a positive thinking. Live and let die. Give and give away. And sing. Sing life and love. Sing your own songs. Happy or sad songs, they say so much. Sing in the rain, to the sun and to the moon. Sing a lullaby. An old new song or a new old one. Just sing, sing your song.

Text and images by Gustavo Valle

Lawyer and English Teacher

Reading Tip

2009-09-17T17:24:00.005-03:00

Yummy Reading!

Ms. Maira Kalman has a very nice blog in the New York Times. It's online and for free. She writes in a very clever and straight-to-the-point way. The reading is enjoyable and the pictures are simply beautiful. I am sure you will love it all. Just go there and let me know, later.

Tip by student Bruno Hollanda

Otorhinolaryngologist

(In the picture, with daughter Beatriz)

A fantastic trip, complete with lionesses.

2009-09-16T21:49:00.006-03:00

On a trip to South Africa, among many wonders, I enjoyed the photographic safari very much, mainly the sight of young lions. This is one of my favorite photos in which you can see “three female lions”, as my husband jokingly says.

Text and images by Marcela Rodrigues

Tourism Specialist

Giselle, a big star in Bollywood…

2009-09-15T21:45:00.002-03:00

…but probably not the Gisele you are thinking of.

The bombshell...

Have you ever heard of Giselle Monteiro? Well, the model-turned-actress from Espírito Santo, Brazil, is captivating the Indian audience.

In the beginning she was afraid Indians would find out she was Brazilian, since she was playing the part of Jane Harleen Kaur, a simple girl from Punjab. “It would be a shock.”

...in disguise.

Now she is a big Bollywood star appearing all over the Indian media in articles such as “Giselle,are you Indian?” and paving the way for a new trend for foreign actresses. She’s enjoying it so much she doesn’t think of coming back to Brazil.

Text and images by student Glauber Fullana

Electrical Engineer and Business Manager

Toronto, surprisingly and pleasurably cosmopolitan!

2009-09-14T20:32:00.005-03:00

A view from the CN Tower

What comes into your mind when you think of a cosmopolitan city? Multiple cultures? Crowded places? Confusion, ethnic and religious fights?

This is not the scenario that surprises us in Toronto, Canada. The city is the country’s financial center and most populous city with over 2.5 million people. It is the center of Golden Horseshoe, a region which has 25% of Canada’s population. Besides, this city in which half of the residents are foreign-born is an extremely clean and orderly place. Public transportation runs like clockwork and locals are polite but far from making the city a boring place.

A subway station

Otherwise, the city has a whole set of entertainment, restaurants, shop and sports activities and is prepared to receive and entertain all kinds of visitors. If you are an art fan, you can visit the Art Gallery of Ontario with its locals’ famous pieces or the Toronto International Film Festival in September. If you are not into this, you can try the parks, the shops, the incredible Eaton Centre (great mall!!!) or, if you’re a sport fan, go to the Rogers Center for a Blue Jays baseball game or to the Air Canada Arena for a Raptors one (respectively Toronto’s NHL and NBA teams). You can have a special brunch at Leslieville with its modern cafes or taste Indian, Vietnamese and even Portuguese food in one of the many great city restaurants.

Eaton Centre

But, in order to summarize Toronto’s vocation to mingle different people and cultures, a quick visit to the Kensington Market could show you punks and Indians sitting together at the cafes, all kind of clothes and equipment being sold at secondhand shops and even good presentations being put on by singers and garage bands.

Queen's Park

If you’re like me and cold weather (expect -20°C!!!) does not bother you, visit Toronto in the winter and try ice-skating in a public rink. If you like a “hotter” season, you can try a bike ride in July until the 9 pm sundown.

Enjoy, and I wish you a nice trip.

Text and images by student Marcelo Viana

Neurosurgeon

The hardship behind a medal and an appropriate idiom.

2009-09-11T20:26:00.006-03:00

The monkey...

I had been training four long months for my very first running race. The big day arrived and I was very excited and nervous. That’s why I spent all day without being able to do a number one. Four minutes before the start of the run, I finally felt like I wanted to take a pee (if you excuse my language). Definitely. My coach told me to forget it. “It’s too late now”. The race started and I ran like crazy. Except that, 300 meters ahead, I couldn’t take it anymore.

So my coach took me to a nearby makeshift restroom - between two cars – and set vigil. I had never felt so embarrassed. As we say in Portuguese, “I paid a big monkey”.

Fortunately, 3 minutes later I was back to the track. I managed to finish the 5-kilometer Fila Night Run in 37 minutes and, with a medal on my chest, I was very, very proud of myself.

...and the medal!

Text by student Silvania Luz

Business Administrator

A dress is never too expensive!

2009-09-10T16:57:00.004-03:00

Many times in our life, we have to do things that we actually wouldn’t like to. Other times we can’t do things that we would really like to. In order to solve one of these problems I created my own private manners. Here’s an example. I like dresses a lot, but I don’t like to buy expensive ones. So every time I look at a shopwindow and see a beautiful dress that I like, first I go into the store to try it on. I usually pay attention to which colors of dresses they have. If I find the prices higher than what I would like to pay, I ask the salesperson for another color I’m sure they don’t have! When they say they don’t have that color dress, I simply thank them with my sad-looking face and leave.

Well, if that strategy fails, how about some polite frankness?

Text by student Darli Nogueira

Plastic Surgeon

If Rio is already wonderful, imagine after this.

2009-09-03T20:11:00.007-03:00

Here is the Rio 2016 Olympic Games bid masterplan video. Besides the nice presentation, the project is very interesting, with focus on human scale – athletes and fans - rather than big, meant-to-impress architecture.

Via Made in Brazil

Tip by student Leonardo Cordeiro

Architect and Graphic Designer

What to do in Belo

2009-09-03T20:00:00.003-03:00

From now on, we will be posting and re-posting about events taking place in Belo Horizonte and surrounding area, just in case you haven’t caught up with the entertainment agenda. Enjoy!

Happening Now (Click to read):

Savassi Festival 2009 Jazz Lounge – Free events included
Indie Cinema Festival 2009 – Free events included

Coming this week:

Sea Food at Casa Cor 2009 - Sep 7
Raul Seixas Flash Mob - Sep 11

Fun tips by

Holiday Memories

2009-09-02T16:55:00.006-03:00

Last May, I went to Canada. I visited Bowen Island, a small island in West Vancouver. After a 20-minute ferryboat ride from Horseshoe Bay, you will find the perfect place to relax and enjoy.

A lush green park with a lake highlights the wonderful landscape. There you can walk leisurely, ride a bike or even go canoeing. It is a paradise Island.

Text and Images by student Guilhermina Rodrigues Cerqueira

Retired Public Servant

All dogs go to heaven

2009-09-01T21:14:00.010-03:00

A month ago I had a new and difficult experience. I lost my first and only pet, Luke, a charming white Lhasa Apso with lovely black ear tips. Luke had been my husband’s gift to me back in 2005, one year before we got married.

I’d never thought that I would feel the way I did. It was like losing a close family member. He was actually one, in short four years he became one. I cried a lot and spent long days thinking about him and the funny things he used to do and the happiness he brought to us.

Baby Luke

My sister found a different way to deal with that. She bought a new puppy two days after Luke’s death. In the beginning I was angry about it, but later I understood that people have different ways to deal with loss or death. In the end, I felt that I learned something very precious by going through that situation and experiencing a novel and powerful feeling.

Something that helped to comfort me was that I discovered a pet cemetery in Betim – a suburban city next to Belo Horizonte – an agreeable yard where we buried Luke and a place we can easily visit to relive good memories more tenderly.

Text and images by student Luciane Raposo Faquineli

Architecture Undergraduate

God’s artistic touch

2009-08-27T21:37:00.006-03:00

I have visited one of the most carefully crafted arts center ever, which has been aided by nature to become a magnificent leisure spot. In addition to being a very charming place, it has a privileged location, only 50 km (31miles) from Belo Horizonte. Inhotim offers an opportunity to enjoy installation art by great artists from around the world as well as a chance to appreciate good food. It is set in one of the most beautiful landscapes I have seen in recent times; it seems that everything was carefully thought of in order to complete a most beautiful space, filled with flowers, lakes and diverse vegetation. Visiting Inhotim is more than a just an artistic walk; it brings joy and makes us free from daily stress. It's worth checking it out.

More info on www.inhotim.org.br

Text and images by student Cynthia Maffra

Jewelry Designer

Rodin and Chagall, together in Belo.

2009-08-26T20:13:00.004-03:00

Rodin has brought his Eternal Spring to Belo’s beautiful horizon while Chagall came with a world of dreams, fables, magic and love. As I suspected (before), divinities, fairies, artists and poets have all come in for a big party where we are the ones to feast.

To celebrate Year of France in Brazil, Casa Fiat de Cultura – Oh! God save this Italian Queen, so kind and generous she has been! – has put up these two marvelous exhibitions: Marc Chagall’s Magic World – Dreams and Life and Rodin – From Studio to Museum.

The Kiss, by Rodin

(To continue reading this post, please click here.)

Reading tip by LUC'S COOL staff

www.lucscool.com.br

One of those terrible self-embarrassing moments

2009-08-25T21:32:00.008-03:00

A few years ago, a friend of mine invited me for her grandfather’s 100th birthday. He was a very rich man and his family had refined taste, so I soon imagined they would throw a big, lavish party; one not to miss.

I quickly accepted the invitation but spent days trying to figure out a suitable gift for him, with my head full of thoughts like, “a rich man has everything; how about chocolates or drinks? Well, maybe he has diabetes or a restrictive diet” and so on.

Without an answer of my own I decided to call my mother, a very sensible woman, and ask for help. Bingo! She had the right answer: “Why don’t you buy him some nice wool socks. Put them in a beautiful paper box and have it elegantly wrapped in silk paper, decorated with a silver ribbon and accompanied by a handwritten greeting card? It will look cute and fine at the same time.”

That’s exactly what I did: I went shopping for the best six pairs of wool socks I could find: two black, two grey and two brown pairs. At the packaging store I made sure I got every item as recommended by my mother, including the shiny silver ribbon bow.

The day finally arrived and I went to the lunch party at my friend’s grandfather’s mansion in a posh neighborhood here in Belo. She came to the door to welcome me and led me all the way to the swimming pool area, where there was a quite big crowd. I was excited and happy, even more when she pointed to her grandfather, a cute smiley old man with bright and smooth white hair. He was sitting on a wheelchair surrounded by similarly smiley people. I was proud of my elegant and chic present, very appropriate for that situation, and of how my efforts would contribute to making him even happier.

My friend said kindly, “Granpa, let me introduce my friend to you”. The nurse behind him slightly turned the wheelchair towards me. I felt a chill run down my spine when I didn’t see his legs where they were supposed to be. I could hardly feel the ground under my feet as I bent down to kiss and greet him. My mind reeled as it fumbled for lucidity and ideas while I was handing him the “now-cursed” present. In seconds, he would open it. My whole world would crumble.

“Let me take it to the gift heap”, said the nurse suddenly taking the package from his hands.

I spent half of the party trying to sneakily locate “my” present in the gift heap so I could get back the card with my name on it. In the end, on the brink of desperation, I finally told the nurse the whole story. She looked at me and smiled. “Do not worry, sweetheart. He always donates all his presents to charity,” my savior said.

Do you believe in angels? And in super shy people like me?

Text by student Raíce Guimarães

Interior Designer and University Professor
www.todoambientes.com

Speak up so I can listen.

2009-08-22T13:39:00.008-03:00

Sometimes we students get a little frustrated because we can’t completely understand native speakers. Well, sometimes native speakers can’t understand each other:

(Click the picture to watch the video on youtube)

Video tip by student Paulo Augusto Carvalho Miranda

Endocrinologist

The male crisis

2009-08-21T17:14:00.008-03:00

The patriarchal and nuclear family, taken as a model in Brazilian society, is a result of a social and historical construction. When we look into the Brazilian family in social imagery, a tripod emerges: father, mother and children. This model is the most studied and widespread. Although there have been other family configurations, this dominant model has been criticized because it portrays, in fact, only one faction of Brazilian society; it is a stereotyped, idealized and generalized model. Regardless of particular conceptions, this family model represents a social group that erected itself on the basis of order and organization in a static way, denying the movement of any historical process which is mutable, plural and in constant flux (“pantha rei”).

Every society has instruments to ensure social cohesion, the regulation of links among individuals and the attribution and distribution of roles. There is an ideology which sustains and cements group cohesion, an ideology which, according to sociologist Souza Filho, “translates the fear that order may disintegrate and becomes the metaphysical answer to this fear – that is, ideology has its origin and function determined directly by the existence of the social order in its affliction to preserve itself as order. From its ontological determination point of view, ideology and social organization cannot exist separably.”

In every society there is a set of conventions in which its members are inscribed. These conventions are cultural and historical and their purpose is to adapt their members to something which has been pre-established as, for example, exercising roles or occupying social places. The inscription belongs to the unknown. The individual does not know he or she is being inscribed. Ideology acts in this space of the unknown.

The familiar model considered as society’s mother cell has established two clear and different worlds for men and women. Men have been assigned the public sphere, sexual reproduction and the support of their offspring. On the other hand, women have been assigned the private sphere, i.e. the home, sexual reproduction and submission to their husbands.

In the familiar structure drawn above, the man appears as a central piece; the one responsible for decisions, assets administration and the occupation of its hierarchy’s top, with power over wife and children. Based on religious ideology, the sacrament of matrimony has supported this place and given the man status as the ultimate familiar reference. Then, as the spousal family’s chief and head, the man has religious and civil instruments at his disposal to keep and control familiar unity.

The concepts of “man” and “woman” result from a construction process. However, in this process, ideology accomplishes the function of inverting reality, that is, it transfigures the historical processes into a natural, eternal and sacred basis. Ideology extinguishes the construction notion and, in its place, as Souza Filho says: “institutes an image that is the symbolical consecration of this ideology as something whose existence is not historical neither a product of human action.” In other words, by means of social representation, individuals experience domination as something natural.

In the process of reality inversion, of that which was historically built as natural, men and women from times and cultures feed the illusion that they are a certain way by natural definition and erase from their memories that they are products of social constructions. Thus, it is clear that a person is not born a man or a woman; that is a built notion. The conceptions of gender and sexuality are under the shelter of cultural and historical conventions. Then, all things outside convention are perceived as abnormal and dangerous for the symbolic order.

The male crisis should be understood from this point of view. Each society creates its ideals and representations. The western culture, for instance, influenced by Jewish and Christian cultures, has a patriarchal and traditional family model or ideal; a model that has become the lens through which all and any realities must be read. In the same way, Oedipus can be understood, that is, Oedipus has become a quintessential model, as Ceccarelli puts: “the child must have identifying imagoes and symbolic representations of masculine and feminine; the father is important to introduce the law, and so on and so forth.” As a consequence of this only point, we understand, there is only one subjectivation process as well.

Therefore, men and women have been taken prisoners in people’s imagination, which has established a model, a family pattern, of masculine and feminine. And we cannot forget that patriarchalism is a social, historical and cultural millenarian institution that has cemented ways of being, dressing and behaving. Besides, the concept of gender is a result of this culture which is a built representation and, consequently, historical, symbolic, and relational. And, because it is a construction, it is susceptible to changes. For almost five centuries – in Brazil – there has been the building of a mind frame; a concept; an image; a representation; a model.

A great change we are going through nowadays is the decline of patriarchalism, resulted from, above all, economic transformations, responsible for the rise of the modern man. In this process, what is under jeopardy is what has been held until this moment as the only subjectivation way: the father as reference. As Ceccarelli says, here the male crisis is conjugated with the phallic crisis, understood as the social organizer. What has become evident from the economic, political and social changes is the imaginary dimension of a pattern of social organization where man has occupied its center. We experience a crisis of symbolic references, which are constructions linked to a historical and political moment and, therefore, susceptible to replacement and reorganization.

Foucault reminds us that each society has its statute of truth – the general politics of truth; the discourse welcome as true which moves society. And the pronounced discourses result in the production of truths assumed by individuals who, in turn, show themselves and others who they are. Thus, masculinity and femininity are not realities linked to a natural order and much less to anatomical and biological traits. Finally, it is important to restate there are other discourses being pronounced and other truths being built, because the movement that organizes / disorganizes / reorganizes history keeps strict relations with social and cultural contexts. Masculinity and femininity are, therefore, cultural forms within which such conceptions rise and, at this moment, in the core of great historical turnarounds, there is something new being gestated, a new masculinity and a new femininity.

SOUSA FILHO, Alípio. Cultura, ideologia e representações. IN: Carvalho, Maria do Rosário et al. (Org.) Representações sociais. Mossoró RN: Fundação Guimarães Duque/Fundação Vingt-Un Rosado. Serie C, Vol. 1376 – Set 2003.

CECCARELLI, Paulo Roberto. Configurações edípicas da contemporaneidade: reflexões sobre as novas formas de filiação. Pulsional Revista de Psicanálise, São Paulo, ano XV, 161, 88-98, set. 2002.

CECCARELLI, Paulo Roberto. As repercussões das novas organizações familiares nas relações de gênero. Cronos, v.7, n.2, jul/dez. 2006.

Article by student Mauricio da Silva

Psychologist, Master of Psychoanalysis

Each one she passes goes aaaah - Fashion Review

2009-08-20T14:19:00.007-03:00

I wouldn’t say I have a critical eye to fashion but upon the teacher’s request, I decided to give it a try. Iodice’s Summer 2010 Fashion Show at Sao Paulo Fashion Week was pleasant to see – and listen to. The clothes are chic but discrete. I like the pastel colors and the solid purple; and red dresses usually look sexy. The occasional prints are sophisticated and fit right in. The smooth and soft fabric flows and swings elegantly as the models walk. The accessories are pretty but you could go without them. And I loved the choice of short, medium and long dresses, which makes it easier to pick one for whatever occasion you want.

Text and images by student Angélica Tiburcio

Endocrinologist

When you don't understand their language...

2009-08-19T01:17:00.007-03:00

Lost in (nonexistent) translation

When I was on the train traveling from Sweden to Switzerland last June, I saw many photos of Michael Jackson in several Danish newspapers on the table in front of me. I thought to myself: these people must really love Michael Jackson. There will probably be a concert around here soon.

When I arrived in Brazil, I came across the real thing: the pop star had gone! You really miss many things when you don’t know the local language.

P. S. There was probably a concert, but actually, in heaven.

Do you have any stories about misunderstandings? Why don't you share them with me?

Text and images by student Claudia Hosken

Novonordisk Sales Representative

Cultural Profusion

2009-08-17T09:53:00.003-03:00

Dionysus must have mingled with Orpheus’ bunch and set up their rhapsodic tent in Belo. (Later I will tell you about Chagall and Rodin but) This month, Governor Aecio Neves revealed public plans to transform the Praça da Liberdade (Liberty Square) Region into one of the biggest cultural circuits in Brazil.

The historical buildings around the classical-design plaza will be renovated and turned into 5 different museums and cultural centers for the contentment of tourists and locals who already visit the square's elegant fountains and lush gardens. Other cultural attractions already existing in the region will also become part of the unified circuit. Below is the blessed list.

(To continue reading this post, please click here .)

Text by Lúcio Antunes

English Teacher

What’s in a monument?

2009-08-13T18:57:00.007-03:00

On my first trip to the US, I visited the Marine Base in Beaufort, South Carolina. They have a replica of the Iwo Jima Memorial in Arlington, Virginia, near Washington D.C. The monument honors those who died in a historical battle on Iwo Jima Island, Japan, during World War II. The American Marines fought hard against the Japanese to recapture the island. The image portrayed in the sculpture represents the Marines taking the Suribachi Mountain and was inspired by Joe Rosenthal’s Pulitzer Prize winning photograph, named Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima.

And above is a picture of a monument in honor to Opha Mae Johnson, the first woman to enlist in the Marine Corps.

Text and images by student Fernanda Roland

International Trade Specialist and Public Official

Strange Recurring Fruit

2009-08-12T20:28:00.011-03:00

70 years ago, Billie Holiday recorded one the most popular songs in her career, “Strange Fruit”, originally a poem written by Abel Meeropol (Lewis Allan). The song tells how the bodies of black men who had been lynched and hanged looked like “strange fruit” on the trees.

Today, this sad scene is recurrent in Sudan. Since 2003, Sudan’s army and several militias exterminate villages and non-arab population. Ethnic cleansing led by a General and Dictator pursuing his insane goal of seizing land rich in oil and uranium in the West portion of the largest African country.

About 300,000 men, women and children have already died; many shot point-blank, others burned, hanged, raped, tied to trees or abandoned in the middle of the desert to die of starvation.

Over two million people currently live in 200 refugee camps, where they cry in the hope of drawing the world’s attention to a part of the planet most people pretend that it simply does not exist.

Strange Fruit

“Southern trees bear strange fruit,
Blood on the leaves and blood at the root,
Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze,
Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees.
Pastoral scene of the gallant south,
The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth,
Scent of magnolias, sweet and fresh,
Then the sudden smell of burning flesh.
Here is fruit for the crows to pluck,
For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck,
For the sun to rot, for the trees to drop,
Here is a strange and bitter crop”

Listen to Strange Fruit here.

A message endorsed by

FESTIVAL TUDO É JAZZ, OURO PRETO, MG, BRAZIL
September 18, 19 and 20, 2009
www.tudoejazz.com.br

Images and text by former student Menote Cordeiro

Graphic Designer
www.menote.art.br

Rewarding work, either way.

2009-08-11T22:29:00.006-03:00

The other day the teacher asked me to name some great humanitarians and also if I myself would like to become one.

I answered that great humanitarians were important because they set an example. But many famous people jump on the bandwagon with a hidden agenda, which is marketing their own name (brand) or, other times, they do it because they are kind of missing something as they already have everything money can buy.

Either way, the help is welcome for those children who have never been given an opportunity to go to school, to have a healthy and, at least, reasonable life; many will be granted a chance to survive and get better opportunities in life.

However, we don’t need to be a celebrity in order to do humanitarian work. We can take our own families, for example, the ones closer to us. Who in our family needs help and is at reach? The answer to this simple question will show us the shortcut to humanitarianism.

Many people think of big deeds like saving the Amazon, but if your mother or spouse travels, can you water the plants, take care of the dog or feed the bird without letting them die?

Being “ecoconscious” is fashionable now but if you want to protect the Amazon, for example, have you considered acting locally yet, not necessarily going big? In small situations you can really make a big difference.

Finally, I believe you should adopt a child or do something out of personal belief, not to get others’ approval.

Text by student Adriana Borrelli

Geologist and Businesswoman
www.geogeraes.com.br

My version of ‘The Terminal’

2009-08-06T21:45:00.011-03:00

Would it be easier at a boat terminal?

Who can forget the story interpreted by Tom Hanks in “The Terminal”? Now, can you imagine yourself living it? Well, I couldn’t until last January, when I had to spend fifteen hours at the Orlando International Airport.

The whole mess started when my friends and I were preparing to come back from New York to Brazil. On my last day in the city, under (very, very) cold weather, it started to snow. At that point I was really excited. After all, it was the first time I’d seen snow, and it was all new, white, wet and chilly… freezing, actually! So I acted like a typical Brazilian tourist would: I stayed outside and watched small snowflakes fall from the sky. It was all so very poetic...

Charmed by snow

When we woke up the next morning, it was still snowing, but this time, the “oh-so-tiny-and-cute” flurry snowflakes had turned into huge ones and a pervasive whiteness soon covered the entire city, including the airport grounds.

White fields, from afar.

We finished packing, took a cab and headed to the La Guardia airport. When we got to the check-in counter, the attendant told us that, because of the snow, all the flights had been cancelled and the next flight to Orlando would be at 4 pm, which would make us miss our 5:45-pm Orlando-to-Atlanta flight, one we couldn’t afford to miss.

But she told us about an alternative flight leaving from distant JFK airport at 1 pm. So, we rushed and took a bus to JFK and successfully flew to Orlando. The airplane landed at 5:02 – believe me, when you go through these situations, you remember every single detail – giving us little time for baggage claim and a new check in.

We got to the counter 15 minutes before the flight, and the “not-so-nice” lady regretted to say we were supposed to check in at least 25 minutes before for an international flight. Yes, we missed our flight to Atlanta.

But that was not the worst news. There were no other flights to Atlanta; hence we were doomed to miss our connection to Brazil. And when we thought things couldn’t get worse, the same “not-so-nice” lady told us that Delta had only one daily flight to Brazil, the next one being the following day at 8:30 pm. (Just to remind you: it was 5:30 pm in the ‘previous’ afternoon).

With friends, life is easier.

With nothing left to do, we focused on the food voucher given us by the airline company and went to the food court. Later we found ourselves a nice “nestling” couch, and there we slept. To make my situation more miserable, local reporters showed up at the airport and filmed me sleeping on the couch in the middle of the food court: not my most glamorous moment to appear on TV.

The day after, not go through the same mistake again, we were the first ones to check in and probably to get to the departure lounge, too. When the airplane took off I was relieved and, to my surprise, happy to leave the land where dreams come true.

The bright side

Text and images by Ayra R. Nunes

English Teacher and Law Undergraduate

The burial of Vestibular, a criticism by (those who matter:) test-takers.

2009-08-05T22:47:00.009-03:00

The so-called Vestibular has been, for so many years, a very efficient tool used by the Brazilian universities to select their future students. It consists of a test with questions on the subjects Brazilian students learn at school during their previous educational process. However, the model of the test has become limited over time, reflecting a fall in the quality of Brazilian education. That’s why, today, a new type of test has become necessary and inevitable.

It’s a fact that the Vestibular is capable of shaping primary and secondary education. After all, schools create chronograms and determine what is going to be taught based on the subjects demanded by universities. The problem is that a lot of focus is put on useless things which have no practical application, and privilege is given to the memorization of formulas and specific names.

Thus, basic education institutions have lost their main function, which is teaching. Nowadays, teachers are mostly concerned about preparing students to pass this test, leaving aside what was supposed to be the school priority: produce citizens and professionals endowed with a critical sense and who know how to look for problem solutions.

In addition, the Vestibular is a decentralized selective process which usually prevents candidates from applying to different universities around the country due to logistical and economical reasons. Programs and entrance exam dates vary a lot, according to each university. So, what is taught in the north of the country might not be taught in the south. Besides, students’ travelling to test locations can be hard and expensive.

That’s why the unified national test proposed by the Federal Government to replace the Vestibular seems to be the most sensible alternative, with focus on questions covering essential aspects of everyone’s life and set to eliminate the limitations presented by Vestibular. In the end, this will only result in the improvement of the basic education in Brazil.

Text by student Marina Amaral Fonte Boa,

and student Tomás Amaral Fonte Boa

High School Students and University Applicants

The "toys" of my eyes

2009-08-04T22:33:00.012-03:00

To my contentment, I haven’t met a single person who is insensitive enough not to return a smile to a child - and turning back into a child is even more pleasurable. In order to celebrate the visit of my little 11-year-old brother Leonardo, my 20-year-old sister Fabíola and I took him to the Museu dos Brinquedos (Museum of Toys), as recommended by a friend. Surprisingly, I probably enjoyed it more than any other child – oops, person – who was there.

Officially established in October 2006, the Museum of Toys makes for a great recreational activity for people of all ages. The number of colors and shapes as well as the variety of toys exhibited, probably never seen together by the children before, makes the activity uniquely interesting! For the older ones, the fun is to relive old games and, more importantly, to remember one’s childhood good times in a fitting environment reserved for game practice.

The Museum’s collection includes objects from the early twentieth century to the present day. Besides, about 800 toys from the most diverse countries are currently on display. My brother was especially delighted with the old model cars – object of his passion – but he also enjoyed trying to walk on stilts - without much success, I confess. My sister, in turn, was delighted with the collection of Barbies and paraphernalia in a special section to celebrate the doll’s 50th anniversary. Not that I could avoid relapsing into a 9-year-old when I saw all that world of pink again, but honestly, what was really worth the afternoon was the playground where I could skip rope, play with hula hoops - or at least try, because discovering that I don’t have that ability anymore was another frustration. Moreover, I was able to play hopscotch, build forms with Lego bricks and draw on the wall with chalk – because your own house walls were off-limits, right? As for the stilts, I have never been very successful with them, but I was even worse because of extreme acrophobia - even at small heights.

Back to Childhood

At the end of the day, a fact caught my attention. I noticed that adults seemed to have had even more fun than the children, since the museum served as a space to get rid of worries. I realized that those simple activities gave me more pleasure than other things which I can easily perform outside the museum. We are distracted by so many responsibilities of adulthood that we forget how good it is to be a child or feel like one!

Happy Peppy Puppets

So, if you are around, here is my entertainment hint. The museum, at 2564 on Afonso Pena Avenue in downtown Belo, is open Monday to Friday, from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm (fee: R$ 6.00 per person) and on Saturday from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm (fee: R$ 8.00 per person). More information at: http://www.museudosbrinquedos.org.br (in Portuguese).

Text and images by student Natália Boaventura

Publicity Undergraduate (and Aspiring Writer)

Off we go!

2009-07-20T19:49:00.004-03:00

We are currently on our mid-winter two-week vacation and will resume posting in August. So, enjoy our previous posts and wait for new ones to be gladly written by a “recharged” team, willing to share even more with you.

On water, ...

... by air, ...

... on the road, open for more.

Women’s Rugby – We break defenses, not nails.

2009-07-17T20:59:00.008-03:00

Rugby is the second most practiced team sport in the world and has been growing a lot here. As opposed to what most people think, women also play rugby and Brazil’s women’s team occupies a good position in the international ranking. Nevertheless, training women in this country is a great challenge, especially due to cultural matters. Once the schools here address physical education as mere recreation, and that Brazilian girls are not motivated since their childhood to practice team sports, it is expectable that the women trying rugby for the first time still need to develop motor skills, fitness and team spirit. Therefore, evolving tactically and physically, planning, practicing, working hard, motivating, and educating are a long and arduous process until you reach the inevitable: victory. It is also important to highlight that men and women are different, and so it is wrong to assume that the same philosophies apply to both.

But let’s be realistic: rugby is the most aggressive and physical of all sports practiced by women. The risk of getting injured playing rugby is higher than in a sport like volleyball, and everyone needs to know that from the beginning. Good coaches and club leaders also know that and have the obligation of protecting their athletes so as to minimize injuries. On the other hand, it is a must that the players become conscious of the risks and keep focused during practice and matches. The good rugby is a safe rugby and there is a range of elements that need to be worked on in order to reach this goal, such as: conditioning, motor skills, flexibility, strength, aggression, biotype, psychological state, tactical knowledge, tactical obedience, amongst others.

The good practice is the one which is able to balance these factors, mixing the focus on work with the need for leisure. Also highly important is the sense of “oneness”. Differently from other team sports, rugby isn’t made of individuals, but of a cohesive and fine-tuned group. Each athlete must then play her role and have absolute confidence that her teammate will do so too. Without support it is impossible to win a game. Without trust the team will eventually be dissolved. Without fine-tuning there is no union. Finally, more than a sport, rugby constitutes a series of principles and values such as friendship, union, respect, support and strong will, which are transferred to the players’ lives. Rugby is a life lesson and a way of life.

To know more about rugby in Belo, visit www.bhrugby.com.br.

Text and images by Victoria Seidler

English Teacher and former Rugby Player

From Belo to Billie, with Love.

2009-07-16T21:18:00.003-03:00

Here’s artist Menote Cordeiro's* tribute to Billie Holiday.

July 17, 1959
50 years ago this 17th, the world said goodbye to Billie Holiday. This coming September, Ouro Preto’s Tudo é Jazz Festival (All is Jazz Festival) will pay homage to the unforgettable jazz star.

Tudo é Jazz Festival, September 18, 19 and 20, in Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais State, Brazil.

(To continue reading this post, please click here.)

Reading tip by LUC'S COOL staff

www.lucscool.com.br

Beware of your bags’ dark ways!

2009-07-15T21:08:00.004-03:00

One of the most anxious moments on a trip is when you have just arrived from a long journey – very tired – and you are by the baggage claim carousel anxiously waiting for your bag to pop out of the luggage hole. I usually tend to think that nothing bad has happened and that my suitcases will soon come sliding towards me on the moving belt. My wife, on the other hand, always fears that one or all of her suitcases have gone astray or, better, to a country on the other side of the planet.

I’m usually very optimistic so it never comes to my mind that someone in the operational sector of an airport, either an unreliable worker or a mischievous intruder, can simply break a suitcase lock and steal your belongings or just “abduct” the whole piece without being noticed in a place where we, passengers, are surrounded by policemen and “double” checked by all kinds of inquisitors and technological devices.

But this is exactly what happened to me on my last trip. When I arrived at Confins Airport, back from a week-trip to Washington, one of my bags had been “cracked open” after I had checked it in at Guarulhos Airport in perfect condition.

Upon complaining, I was surprised to hear that “things like that happen all the time”. Then, why so many precautions with passengers “on the stage” if they cannot control what’s happening “backstage”? Now, if a bag can mysteriously disappear there, imagine what(ever) can appear!

Paulo Augusto Carvalho Miranda

Endocrinologist

Under the sun, out of the movies.

2009-07-14T21:58:00.008-03:00

A few years ago I watched a nice movie called “Under the Tuscan Sun”. I was so impressed that I immediately told my husband that one day I would like to visit Tuscany, the beautiful region in Italy known for its landscapes and its artistic legacy.

Time passed by and I completely forgot about that travel dream. It so happened that this year he decided to buy us a surprise trip to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary. He kept his secret until the last minute even after romantically handing me many small cards with cute guessing tips on our way to the airport. My sister-in-law, who knew the mysterious destination, had packed for me so I learned I was traveling to Paris and then heading to Italy only when I heard the announcement in the departure lounge. I cried like a baby.

And off we went to our second honeymoon, seasoned by pasta and good wine, surrounded by green and terracotta landscapes with vineyards along roads and charmed by the works of Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Botticelli and Galileo Galilei’s inventions, all in an agreeable warm weather and wonderful companion: just out of the movies!

Text and images by student Angélica Tiburcio

Endocrinologist

Echoes from Denmark – Part I

2009-07-13T22:08:00.015-03:00

Last month I was in Copenhagen to visit the headquarters of the company I work for. I also walked around the city and took a boat ride in the canals where I could see many beautiful monuments and buildings such as the Copenhagen Opera House, an elegant building which was the most expensive one ever built, with construction costs well over 500 million U.S. dollars, the guide said.

During the boat ride I came across the Queen’s ship, on which she usually spends her holidays.

While I was walking by the sea I bumped into a little mermaid, the symbol of the city. I asked her what it is like sitting on a stone for a lifetime. She remained silent, but happy.

There are a lot of flower gardens in Copenhagen, so I took advantage of that to match my clothes with the beautiful surroundings.

I went for some tea with the Queen but she was very busy visiting her neighbor. Then, I discovered that the King was the one living next door.

The King's Palace (left) and the Queen's (right)

More, later.

Text and images by student Claudia Hosken

Novonordisk Sales Representative

From Mykonos to Andaluz, making people party! (The story behind)

2009-07-10T21:18:00.009-03:00

It’s Saturday night and you are stocked up with energy trying to figure out the perfect dance-floor to shake not only your booty but also your week-long worries away. No, you haven’t been bitten by the disco bug and you’d rather sip from a cocktail glass and watch happy people walk and dance by. Not you yet? You actually enjoy sharing a table with your friends, chatting or gossiping, as long as you can suddenly change your capricious mind and easily skip to the dance-floor without having to check out and drive to a different place. Okay, okay, maybe you are the shy one and need the friendly bartenders to fill up your glass while inconspicuously talking you out of your introvert state.

The thing is: when you are looking for a night club, do you ever think there is a person worried about your entertainment needs and night-out whimsies? I’ll tell you: there is.

(To continue reading this story, please click here.)

Text by Lúcio Antunes

English Teacher

One of those indelible honeymoon moments

2009-07-09T23:32:00.006-03:00

We were spending our honeymoon in Morro de São Paulo. At the end of one afternoon Rosa and I went to see the famed sunset from a spot at the top of a hill, near the island lighthouse. The sunset was so beautiful that we lost sense of time. On our way back to the hotel, night started to fall and it was getting dark quickly. Suddenly, I noticed that they had turned on the lighthouse beam.

I’m a very curious ‘husband’, quite hyperactive in that sense, and I decided to get near the lighthouse so I could learn more about it by reading its informational sign. Rosa tried to make me change my mind but I was determined. You know, Rosa is a great wife, and she is usually willing to satisfy my whims. So, she went along with me.

After I had read the information, I decided to register it for future consultation. However, I had problems configuring my new high-tech camera. At that point, Rosa got impatient, mainly because it was already too dark, and told me it was time to go. I said, “Take it easy”. She became increasingly irritated and kept saying, “Let’s go. It’s late.” I was unmoved, just trying to adjust the camera. So, she finally burst out, “okay, I’m walking ahead, ALONE!” I remained absorbed by the camera.

One minute later I heard a terrible screech. I turned my head to see Rosa, who was now about 20 meters away, almost disappearing in the darkness and shouting aloud, “help me, a bat is attacking me”. She was bending down and covering her red hair with her hands. I could see a few bats flying around. First, I got upset but, soon, I started to laugh when I spotted a startled man with an enormous mass of scruffy hair standing right in front of her, screaming back with a foreign accent: “Yo, a murciélago?!” (Me, a bat?)

Evidence

Text and images by student Glauber Fullana

Electrical Engineer and Business Manager

Sometimes APART, but always TOGETHER.

2009-07-08T22:12:00.008-03:00

As my second wedding date approaches, a question keeps bugging me: will the two of us keep our two homes or will we move together into just one bigger place?

People generally don’t accept that a married couple could live in separate places part of the time. But I believe it is possible and it can even be better than the traditional model. When a couple has a problem, for example, a hot argument, each person needs some space on their own to reflect about the happening. After this refreshment time apart, things always flow better back together.

Besides, I know couples who have been living together for 25 years but they rarely talk, barely share their lives or hearts, if any. Sometimes, spouses under the same roof even hate each other, and inflict emotional suffering on one another through mean deeds or calculated provocations, not to mention those who resort to some sort of physical attack, like screaming or even worse things. So, living together is not a guarantee that things will be fine.

Text by student Lúcio Ferraz

Fiscal Auditor

Jogging, art and Capybaras.

2009-07-07T21:30:00.006-03:00

If you are in town and feel like jogging outdoors, you should ride northbound to the Pampulha Lake Region. There, you can “see two birds with one glance” (to sound bird-friendly), I mean, besides getting some exercise you will be able to enjoy the landscape, spot some fauna and even peek at art works if you are into this kind of mix. (To continue reading this post, click here.)

Reading tip by LUC'S COOL staff

www.lucscool.com.br

'What are you?' versus 'Who are you?'

2009-07-06T11:22:00.007-03:00

In 1912, Franz Kafka, one of the major fiction writers of the 20th century, published The Metamorphosis, which I have recently read as a requirement for my Literature course. Well, books can actually shake and transform us. This one caused me the strangest feelings and made me think about family, relationships and the meaning of life.

The book is a tale about Gregor, a worker that supports his family: his father, who went bankrupt, his sick mother and his sister, a young musician. Gregor was unhappy with his condition, submissive to work, family and society.

One day, he woke up to find himself metamorphosed into an insect (possibly a cockroach) and he had different experiences with his family and his boss. Even as a bug, Gregor was still discontented with his work and his role in society. But, while he kept thinking about some things he wanted to do, not giving thoughts to his insignificant condition, his family and his boss couldn’t forget that he was only an insect.

In his book, Kafka allows us to be critical of capitalism, by presenting the capitalism cycle: working, consuming and dying.

Gregor had a special place in society only while he was able to work, support his family and provide his boss with profit. As a bug, he was forgotten and abandoned in his bedroom. He wasn’t seen nor didn’t speak. He didn’t exist anymore.

That kept me thinking about my value in society. Is it determined by my social status? What is my value? Does my essence correspond to my assets? Am I a person or a part of the big capitalism machine?

So, I’d like to invite you to think about your essence by quoting Jean Piaget: “if a person is intellectually passive, he or she can’t be morally free”.

Elisângela Robadel

Secretary and Arts and Letters Undergraduate

Confessions of a commuter

2009-07-04T18:24:00.007-03:00

I have been a commuter for three years now, regularly traveling from Belo to Ouro Branco. I usually prefer traveling by bus so that I don’t have to worry about driving. Also, I am free on my seat to do something else on the one-hour trip.

Sometimes, I try to listen to music on my mp3 player; other times I try to read. Occasionally I try to think about my life. Well, I try.

A few months ago, after I complained about being too busy to do homework, my English teacher suggested that I took advantage of the free time on my trips to practice the language. I immediately felt very excited about improving my English in such a practical way. But, to my disappointment, I would soon face a little problem: whenever I began to study on the soft rocking bus I quickly fell asleep.

It is even worse when I have been socializing the previous night, accompanied by drinks. In the morning, when I get on the bus, I simply “black out” as soon as the bus starts to move.

Last week I had to call my teacher because I’d gotten stuck in traffic and wouldn’t be able to arrive for the class in time. He promptly understood me. But, the third time on a Friday evening I had been stuck on the road because of an accident, I had trouble convincing my girlfriend, who suspiciously asked me on the phone: are you joking me?!!

Luciano Guimarães Garcia

University Professor and Business Administrator

Back to nature!

2009-07-03T19:28:00.011-03:00

Last weekend, my girlfriend and I went to the second Festival Andando de Bem Com A Vida (Leading a Carefree Life) at Praça da Liberdade, Belo's famous public square. The event presented many interesting themes such as the advantages of natural birth, ayurvedic massage, chromotherapy, natural foods and other topics related to human health, most of which were new to me. Of all the information I learned, here are some which struck me more.

I was told that a natural childbirth is better than a caesarian birth because the former normally offers fewer risks to the baby; besides, the mother’s recovery is faster. I was surprised to hear that some doctors recommend a caesarian birth because they can make more money out of it.

My girlfriend Camila and I enthusiastically getting some health tips

It was astonishing to learn about ‘false foods’. One example is margarine, in whose manufacturing process they use ingredients similar to those used to make, believe me, soap. An example of “false drink” is soda: you are basically drinking water colored with pigments and preservatives. And aspartame sweetener is bad for your health because of its association with cancer, as research shows. Instead you can use natural sweetener made from stevia, such as Stevita.

But the detail that most intrigued me was a statement by one of the lecturers’ saying that when a person goes to bed between 9 pm and midnight, their overall sleep quality is better. However, when you go to bed after 12 o’clock at night, each hour that you sleep corresponds to only 15 minutes of ‘real’ sleep. So, forget about those late night TV shows!

Text and images by student Leonardo Cordeiro

Architect and Graphic Designer

MERCOSUR borders – creating trouble may lead to selling facilitation!

2009-07-02T22:32:00.017-03:00

On a recent trip around southern Brazil to celebrate Valentine’s Day (June 12), Rosilene – my girlfriend – and I had intended to enter Uruguay by car, heading to Punta del Este, and later, reaching Buenos Aires, in Argentina.

In spite of recent grisly aviation disasters, the Belo-Porto Alegre flight felt quite safe and comfortable. Then, in the ‘gaúcha’ capital, we rented a 1.0 16-valve Renault Logan, whose spacious interior and performance would soon impress me. With bags neatly stored in its trunk, we left for a traditional and charming ride along the romantic route leading to the southern mountains.

We slept in Gramado and set out very early towards Chuí, the southernmost Brazilian town, covering nearly 700 kilometers of good and endlessly straight roads. When we arrived at the Uruguayan border, at around 8:00 p.m, our first task was to get a special car-insurance in order to get in, the so-called “green-letter”, a way to guarantee third-parties against occasional damage in the neighboring country. All was fine until then.

However, that was not enough for us to continue our trip. We were told that our documents, issued over 10 years ago, although fully valid in Brazil, would not be accepted in Uruguay or Argentina. Not even our driver’s licenses, recently renewed, would be accepted as valid IDs by our “hermanos”.

So, upon being denied entering our MERCOSUR neighbors, we turned back. As luck would have it, the trip kept going wonderfully through the interior of Rio Grande do Sul, with special highlights on Antonio Prado – considered the most Italian town in Brazil and where the movie “Quatrilho” was shot – and São Lourenço do Sul, a town bordering the immense Lagoa dos Patos (Ducks’ Lagoon).

But it is appropriate to ask: why doesn’t Brazilian diplomacy act in order to facilitate border crossing among MERCOSUR ‘friends’? Our common treaty should be changed so as to include other documents issued and valid in Brazil, such as professional ID’s (OAB, CREA, CRM, etc...), or at least a driver’s license, to be accepted by all the MERCOSUR countries. And why to require a less-than-10-year-old ID? Those who wish to cross the border illegally will surely find their ways.

In the face of the difficulty presented, this situation can only contribute to putting alienated tourists at the mercy of bribery proposals by some of the border officials. Here lies the dangerous possibility of exporting the infamous "jeitinho brasileiro" (Brazilian way)* to all of the Southern Cone.

* ‘slightly’ bending the law to facilitate one’s life.

Text by student Leonardo Sampaio

Public Official and Lawyer specialized in Strategic Management and Public Law

Are you ready for romance? And other questions.

2009-07-01T21:27:00.012-03:00

I love movies! Since 1995, when Quatrilho was released on the national screen, I have had eyes for Brazilian movies. So, I have been attentive to new releases and pretty satisfied with them. It's not necessary to say how wonderful “Tropa de Elite” , “Meu nome não é Jonhy” and “A mulher invisível” were, to cite only the most recent ones.

By the way, last weekend I watched “Romance”, a film directed by Guel Arraes, featuring actors Wagner Moura and Letícia Sabatella. It tells us about love, in a story based on the classic tale “Tristan and Isolde”, and makes us ask some questions like: “Can mutual love really happen?”, “Does love mean suffering?” and “Does absolute love mean dying of/for love?”.

Well, I will not tell you more about the movie, but I can say it's a good one and has been nominated for some international awards. If you want to know more about it, visit www.romanceofilme.com.br. But, if you want to go straight into having fun, emotions and pondering about love, make some popcorn, snuggle under your blanket and get ready for ROMANCE!

Text by student Raíce Guimarães

Interior Designer and University Professor
www.todoambientes.com

You’re the right person for the dance!

2009-06-30T21:18:00.009-03:00

Zouk, onstage.

I’ve been dancing for seven years. No, I’m not a professional dancer. I do it for fun. And one of the things that most impresses me in the classes and in the ballroom is the universe of talents and abilities each dancer demonstrates according to each kind of dance or music.

While some people can dance differently to the same music, others dance the same repetitive way regardless of the music. But there are dancers with an interesting, very defined personal style that will suit a specific kind of dance. (Well, there are also the bad dancers, of course.)

In a practical way, samba makes me want to dance with X but tango brings Y to my mind. A’s way of leading compensates for his limited number of steps whereas B’s contact and presence makes up for his poor sense of pace. And I myself am always very curious about what kind of dance my partners prefer to dance with me.

Dancing my problems away

When I run or exercise on a bicycle I tend to keep thinking about many things, including everyday problems which insist on jumping in at the wrong time. But dancing with someone else doesn’t allow me to be bugged by preoccupations. There is so much to address, thus no space is left for disturbances. So I recommend it: you can also dance your problems away.

Text and images by student Adriana Borrelli

Geologist and Businesswoman
www.geogeraes.com.br

Stick to the brighter side of winter!

2009-06-29T18:49:00.014-03:00

Winter in Belo, by the Pampulha Lake.

It’s winter time in Brazil. The weather is usually cold and dry so we should be cautious of winter-related diseases.

In this season, children are more susceptible to colds and the flu. Also, allergic children are more likely to develop wheezing. So, here are some tips on how to avoid these diseases.

Avoid crowds, mainly in closed places;
Drink more liquids;
Humidify the bedroom by using a proper humidifier. Some people usually place bowls of water and humid cloth by their beds but that is not scientifically supported;
Personal hygiene is important at all times and regularly washing your hands is vital;
If your children are allergic, avoid using woolen clothes or blankets;
Before wearing coats and sweaters which have been kept unused in the closet for a long time, remember to wash them.

These recommendations are valid for children and adults, alike. Now, if some insistent winter disease breaks through the barrier, do not engage into self-prescription behavior. Visit your doctor, instead.

And live winter up; take advantage of the season! Enjoy its nice things such as hot chocolate and other hot drinks, soups and fondue!

Text by student Juliana Nunes, MD.

Allergist and Pediatrician
www.clinicamonpetit.com.br

Catching up with ballet.

2009-06-27T14:28:00.014-03:00

When I was seven, in one of those dreamy decisions, my mother decided to enroll me on ballet lessons. The thing is: I loved it. One of my best memories is my teacher’s complimenting me because I could do a perfect “pointe”. Besides, I was able to perform along with my class on the Grande Palco (big stage) of Palacio das Artes, Belo Horizonte’s main and most important theater in the city. I danced for six delightful years!

Then the urgencies of teenage, such as going to the gym with your best girlfriends, falling in love for the first time and catching-up with the latest news on Madonna, all made me quit.

Years went by while I was busy studying for college exams, looking for a job and trying to impress my boss.

The Harmonia Group

Now the swans decided to come back to the lake. Almost twenty years later I have returned to dancing ballet. I am very excited about it. It gives me pleasure and makes me happy. I feel energetic, stronger, flexible and very at home with the group of teenagers in my current class.

Text and images by student Fernanda Roland

International Trade Specialist and Public Official