Bandeira do Brasil

Bandeira do Brasil

Sunday, January 27, 2013

WE ARE MOURNING OUR YOUNGSTERS



Panicked crowds pushed toward the exits as fire swept through a packed nightclub in southern Brazil early Sunday.
Hundreds didn't escape in time from the Kiss nightclub in Santa Maria.
The blaze killed at least 232 people, many of whom apparently died from smoke inhalation, state-run Agencia Brasil reported, citing fire officials. Others were trampled in the rush for the exits, one security guard told CNN affiliate Band News. More than 130 people were hospitalized, Agencia Brasil said.

Map: Brazil nightclub fireMap: Brazil nightclub fire
About 2,000 people were inside the club when the fire broke out -- double the maximum capacity of 1,000, said Guido de Melo, a state fire official.
Investigators have received preliminary information that security guards stopped people from exiting the club, he told Globo TV.
"This overcrowding made it difficult for people to leave, and according to the information we have, the security guards kept people from leaving the building," he said.
The fire started "from out of nowhere" on a stage at the club and quickly spread to the ceiling, witness Jairo Vieira told Band News.
"People started running," survivor Luana Santos Silva told Globo TV. "I fell on the floor."
Smoke billowed outside the front of the building as the stench of fire filled the air, said Max Muller, who was riding by on his motorbike when he saw the blaze.
Muller recorded video of a chaotic scene outside the club, which showed emergency crews tending to victims and dazed clubgoers standing in the street. Bodies lay on the ground beside ambulances.
Friends who were inside the club told him that many struggled to find the exits in the dark. Muller, who was not inside the club Sunday morning but has been there twice before, said there were no exit signs over the doors. It is rare to see such signs in Brazilian clubs.
Valderci Oliveira, a state lawmaker, told Band News that he saw piles of bodies in the club's bathroom when he arrived at the scene hours after the blaze. It looked "like a war zone," he said.
Police told Band News that 90% of the victims were found in that part of the club.
Video from the scene showed firefighters shooting streams of water at the club and shirtless men trying to break down a wall with axes.
Hours later, families and friends searching for information were outside a nearby sporting complex, where bodies were taken for identification, the state-run Agencia Brasil reported.

Deadly fire sweeps through Brazil club

Deadly nightclub fire in Brazil
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff became teary-eyed as she spoke of the tragedy to reporters in Chile, where she has been attending a regional summit.
"The Brazilian people are the ones who need me today," she said. "I want to tell the people of Santa Maria in this time of sadness that we are all together."
Rousseff arrived in Santa Maria later Sunday, Brazilian media reported.
Police were interviewing witnesses as part of an investigation into what caused the blaze, state-run Agencia Brasil reported.
The fire started at about 2 a.m. after the acoustic insulation in the Kiss nightclub caught firesaid Col. Adilomar Silva, the regional coordinator of civil defense.
There was a pyrotechnics show going on inside the club when the fire started. Authorities stopped short of blaming it for the blaze, saying the cause was still under investigation.
"There just weren't enough emergency exits," Mateus Vargas, a witness who was inside the club when the fire broke out, told Band News.
The incident called to mind a 2003 nightclub fire in Rhode Island where pyrotechnics used by the heavy metal band Great White ignited a blaze that killed more than 90 people.
Pyrotechnics were also involved in a 2004 nightclub fire in Argentina that killed 194 people and a 2009 explosion at a nightclub in Russia that left more than 100 dead.
The Kiss nightclub is popular with young people in Santa Maria, drawing between 2,000 and 3,000 people a night on the weekends.
The blaze broke out during a weekend when students were celebrating the end of summer. Students at many Brazilian universities return to school on Monday.
Santa Maria is home to the Federal University of Santa Maria as well as a number of other private universities and colleges.
Shasta Darlington reported from Sao Paulo, Brazil. Marilia Brocchetto and Helena DeMoura reported from Atlanta. CNN's Catherine E. Shoichet contributed to this report.

Thursday, January 24, 2013

SECOND EDITION OF THE INTERNATIONAL GRAFFITI FINE ART BIENNIAL IN SAO PAULO

The event runs from Jan. 22 - Feb. 24  in the Brazilian Museum of  Sculpture in Sao Paulo, Brazil and features work of more than 50 street artists, representing 11 countries

A cat-shaped wooden sculpture designed by Brazilian street artist Minhau greets visitors just outside the Brazilian Museum of Sculpture, MuBE


A visitor walks past a graffiti mural created by French street artist Noetwo














Brazilian street artist Frank spray paints a design during a demonstration


























SEE ALSO: MUSEUM OF SCULPTURE, SAO PAULO


Monday, January 21, 2013

AH! THE THRILL OF WHITE WATER RAFTING!


Brazil is the place for incredible rafting adventures, thanks to its rich treasure of rivers, which can be perfectly rafted upon. The Jacaru River in the northern state of Para  is certainly a top pick in this category. Crafted primarily for mild excursions, the river sports serene waters in the upper stretches of its journey. With rapids of Class II, this section of the water body is ideal for novices, children and family trips. 
However, as you proceed, the Jacaru River unveils its wealth of waves and brings the most thrilling rapids. Especially in the lower section, the waterway offers rapids of Class IV, which can be tamed only by the amazing expertise of a professional or experienced rafter.

In the heart of the state of  Tocantins, the Rio Novo offers up the possibility of multi-day rafting adventures in beautiful scenery, camping on the river banks as you travel. Elsewhere the Juquitiba River near Sao Paulo has exciting rapids through lovely scenery and dense canyons. 







The Jacare Pepira River near Brotas in Sao Paulo State is a rollercoaster of waves and also offers the chance of good tubing. 

SOURCES: Splash White Water Rafting

Bespoke Brazil

JacksonKayak

Passion Brazil






Tuesday, January 15, 2013

SHOES MADE OF FISH LEATHER?


Sprawling over  85,000 sqm of exhibition area in Anhembi, Sao Paulo, The COUROMODA - International Fair of Shoes, Leather Goods and Fashion Accessories - will be showcasing the Brazilian leather industry, its fashion and design from Jan 14-17.


During four days the exhibition will be featuring novelties from more than 3000 brands of shoes, sneakers, bags, apparel, sporting goods, leather goods, fashion accessories, stores equipment, footwear components and technology.
The exhibitors account for 13 Brazilian states (90% of the industry´s national production).




About 35% of annual sales in the industry are initiated or forwarded at COUROMODA. This is a result of the wide variety of products that the fair presents with diverse collections ranging from the autumn / winter to midseason collections, meeting all and every need of retailers throughout  the country and those of  many other different types of markets, and international buyers from 64 other countries as well.


Tuesday, January 8, 2013

THE AMAZONIAN CARIBE AND ITS PRYSTINE FRESHWATER BEACHES


Alter do Chao is the first among the ten places with the most beautiful beaches in Brazil, according to the British newspaper The Guardian. The paper also points out the place as the world's most beautiful beaches with fresh water. 

Perfect for relaxing, nature has been very generous to the fishing village, which belongs to the city of Santarém. The setting is idyllic, and holds a unique beauty since its beaches are on the banks of the Tapajós River.



Alter do Chao is the ideal place to enjoy the 'Amazonian summer' which happens between the months of August to December. The month of September is the best time to visit the location, for it is when the water flow decreases and forms sandbars and beaches, which are more visible due to the receding of the Tapajós River. The temperature in September is also milder.

Among the shows provided by nature in Alter do Chao is the meeting of the waters of the Tapajós and Amazon rivers. The crystalline waters of the Tapajós meet the muddy waters of the Amazon but do not mix, providing unforgettable moments. The Tapajós River is the only one  among the tributaries of the Amazon river with crystalline waters.

Upon arrival at the village, tourists can hike and visit areas where botos dwell, a species of freshwater dolphin. Alter has good tourist infrastructure with good inns and hotels, health centers, restaurants, beaches with typical food stalls and tourism agencies. The local artistic production can also be found at craft stores, and at Alter do Chao Center one can find  true Indigenous Culture and Art.

The canoe trip at Green Lake, also known as the 'Enchanted Forest' is a must see when visiting Alter do Chao. The igapós, or blackwater-flooded Amazonian forests  are seasonally inundated with freshwater. The Green Lake changes colors during the day, from blue to green. The tour can be conducted between the months of February and July.

More info at: ALTER DO CHAO

Monday, January 7, 2013

HAPPY 2013!


Life must go on, but first let´s take a look at the national holidays for 2013:

  • January 1 – New Year´s Date - Celebrates the beginning of the Gregorian calendar year. Festivities include counting down to midnight on the preceding night. Traditional end of the holiday season.
  • February 12 – Carnaval - is an annual festival held forty days (or six weeks) before the beginning of Easter, ie. in the days immediately before Lent. On certain days of Lent, Roman Catholics and some other Christians traditionally abstained from the consumption of meat and poultry, hence the term "carnival," from carnelevare, "to remove (literally, "raise") meat."
  • February 13 – Ash Wednesday - Ash Wednesday, in the calendar of Western Christianity, is the first day of Lent and occurs 46 days before Easter. Ash Wednesday derives its name from the practice of placing ashes on the foreheads of adherents as a sign of mourning and repentance to God.
  • March 29 – Passion of Christ - It is the Christian theological term used for the events and suffering – physical, spiritual, and mental – of Jesus in the hours before and including his trial and execution by crucifixion. 
  • March 31 – Easter - It is a Christian festival and holiday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ on the third day after his crucifixion at Calvary as described in the New Testament
  • April 21–  Tiradentes´ Day - Anniversary of the death of Tiradentes (1792), considered a national martyr for being part of the Inconfidência Mineira, an insurgent movement that aimed to establish an independent Brazilian republic.
  • May 1  – Labor Day
  • May 12 – Mothers´ Day
  • May 30 – Maundy Thursday or Holy Thursday - It commemorates the Maundy and Last Supper of Jesus Christ with the Apostles as described in the Canonical gospels.
  • June 12 – Valentines´ Day
  • August 11  – Fathers´ Day
  •  September 7 – Independence Day - It celebrates the Declaration of Independence from Portugal on September 7, 1822.
  • October 12 – Our Lady of Aparecida - It commemorates the Virgin Mary as Nossa Senhora da Conceição AparecidaPatron Saint of Brazil. Also celebrated as Children's Day (Dia das Crianças) on the same date.
  • October 15 – Teacher´s Day
  • November 2 – Day of the Dead - The holiday focuses on visiting graveyards to pray for and remember family members who have died
  • November 15 – Republic Day - It celebrates the end of the Empire of Brazil and the proclamation of the Brazilian Republic on November 15, 1889.
  • December 25 – Christmas
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