Bandeira do Brasil

Bandeira do Brasil

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

A SHRINE TO BRAZILIAN FOOTBALL


Situated on the grounds of the city's sacred Art Deco sports masterpiece — Pacaembu Stadium — the Museu de Futebol (Soccer Museum) in Sao Paulo pulls in kids and adults alike with its thoughtful, thrilling interactive exhibitions. Upon entering the museum  visitors are greeted in Portuguese, Spanish and English by a life-size image of Pele, who is so revered in Brazil that he is known simply as "O Rei," or "The King." 
"The Louvre has the Mona Lisa. We have our own piece of art -- Pele," said Hugo Sukman of the Roberto Marinho Foundation, which helped fund the construction of the museum. 
In many ways, the museum is a shrine to Pele, whose real name is Edson Arantes do Nascimento.
One of its most impressive displays is a temporary exhibit with 140 items from Pele's personal collection, including the wooden shoeshine box he used as a boy to earn spare change and the ball from his 1,000th goal in 1969.
The museum traces football's transformation from an elite sport to the passion of the masses in this vast, multiracial country of 190 million people. From the jungles of the Amazon to the slums of cities like Rio de Janeiro and Recife, soccer is a constant that unites Brazilians from all walks of life.
"Inevitably, a museum about football is also a museum about the history of Brazil and Brazilian culture," said Leonel Kaz, the museum's curator. 
SAMBA BEAT
Much of the museum is interactive, using the latest technology to chronicle the legendary moments of Brazilian football. There is video testimony from renowned sports journalists and Brazilian celebrities recounting the most memorable goals of their lives as the screen flashes to the original footage.
There is an official goal where visitors can have a crack at a penalty kick while a radar gun measures the speed of the ball. There are jaw-dropping highlight reels of Pele and Garrincha, recordings of famous radio announcers calling goals at the top of their lungs, and scores of images and facts from all 18 World Cups. 
In one room, visitors don 3-D glasses to watch a four-minute display of two-time world player of the year Ronaldinho dribbling a soccer ball to a samba beat without letting it touch the ground. In another, life-size images of 25 of the greatest Brazilian footballers of all time are projected onto screens hanging from the ceiling, making it seem like they are floating in the air.
Another exhibit tells the story of Charles Miller, the son of a Scottish father and a Brazilian mother of English descent who introduced the sport in Brazil in 1894 when he returned from a stay in England with two soccer balls and a rule book.
Miller went on to found Brazil's first professional football team, the Sao Paulo Athletic Club, and helped spread the game throughout the country well after his retirement in 1910.
The museum, which costs just 6 reais ($2.50) to visit, is proving a big hit, especially with children.
"Kids today associate museums with old things. This is helps break that taboo," Fabio Brandao, a 45-year-old advertising executive from Sao Paulo, said after exiting the museum. 
Source: REUTERS

Friday, February 22, 2013

PLUNGE INTO A FRESHWATER LIVING AQUARIUM

Amid spectacular natural wonders, Bonito is a small, charming town in southwest Mato Grosso do Sul that is enjoying the ecotourism boom. Most travelers go there to snorkel down crystal-clear rivers, but there are dozens of other ways to enjoy the scenery, from rappelling and rafting to horseback riding and bird-watching. Despite its popularity, the town is still a great place to kick back outside peak holiday periods (December to February). 


One of the best rivers for snorkeling is the Rio da Prata(5hr trip incl lunch US$46), some 50km from Bonito; the trip includes a short hike through rainforest, followed by 3km swim among 30 varieties of fish while floating gently downstream. There’s also the crystal-clear Rio Sucuri(3hr trip US$37) 20km from Bonito and the Aquário Natural Baía Bonita(3hr trip US$37), 7km from Bonito.



The Gruta do Lago Azul (half-day excursion US$12), 20km from Bonito, is a large cave, with a luminous underground lake and stalactites. The Balneário Municipal (admission US$5), 7km from Bonito, is a natural swimming pool with lots of fish (and no guide needed, easily reached by mototaxi or by bicycle). The Abismo de Anhumas (full-day excursion including rappelling and snorkeling US$120), 22km from Bonito, is a 72m abyss with an underground lake and incredible stalactites.



Read more: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/brazil/the-central-west/bonito#ixzz2Le3CvNVl

Also: The Daily Green


Wednesday, February 13, 2013

AND THE WINNER OF THE CARNIVAL IN SAO PAULO IS...



Hundreds of thousands of visitors head for the Carnival in Sao Paulo every year, not just to party but also to experience true Afro-Brazilian culture.  Since 1991, the Anhembi Sambadrome is the focus of Carnival celebrations in Sao Paulo. The parade features the top samba schools from the city including Mocidade Alegre, Gavioes da Fiel, Vai-Vai, Camisa Verde e Branco, Unidos do Peruche, and others. The competition includes two afoxé groups with strong Afro-Brazilian roots. Local residents are actively involved in the creation of costumes and floats for the samba schools and other street parades held throughout the city. 
Unlike Rio, the main days of the Carnival in Sao Paulo are Friday and Saturday with the top samba schools competing for the prestigious championship trophy - this year the champion being Mocidade Alegre. Over 30,000 spectators at the Sambadrome are transported into frenzy as the sights and sounds of the samba schools begin to work through their bodies. 


Following is a video of a rehearsal of the 2013 samba theme for the Mocidade Alegre which helped it win the championship, and a free translation:


Amor, vem viajar na fantasia
E encontrar o poder da sedução
Se entregar à tentação
O fruto proibido provar e sentir o prazer
Sem culpa, sem medo, pecar
Beleza, riqueza no olhar.
Emana a luz da razão
O caminho da redenção
E assim, o reino dos céus alcançar
Quando o vento soprar, eu vou voar
E te encontrar nessa imensidão
Brincar de deus, ser feliz, sonhar
Não há limites para a imaginação
Em versos a mais linda história
Romances e contos nos fazem sonhar
E se o vilão é o herói afinal?
E se o sonho se torna real?
Você é quem diz...
Para sempre, quem será feliz.
Desperta toda magia do artista,
O futuro do sambista
Um amanhã de amor e paz!
Morada, é a paixão que nos conduz
Com força e união, com garra e emoção
Num mundo sem ponto final
Vou seduzir seu coração
Com muito orgulho, sou Mocidade
Nosso final feliz, depende de você
Fazer o sonho acontecer


Love, let´s travel  in fantasy
And find the power of seduction
Surrender to temptation,
Taste the forbidden fruit and feel the pleasure
No guilt, no fear, just  sin
Stunning, dazzling.
Emanating from the light of reason
The road to redemption
And thus reach the kingdom of heaven.
When the wind blows, I'll fly
And find you  in the sea
Playing god, being happy, dreaming
There´s no limit to imagination.
In verses the most  beautiful story
Novels and short stories make us dream
And if the villain is eventually the hero?
And if the dream comes true?
You are the one who states...
who will be forever happy.
Awaken  all the artist´s magic,
The future of a samba dancer
A tomorrow of love and peace!
Our samba school is the passion that drives us
With strength and unity, with guts and emotion
In an endless world.
I will seduce your heart
With great pride, I am Mocidade
Our happy ending depends on you
Making the dream come true



Sunday, February 3, 2013

RIO DE JANEIRO IS NOT ONLY ABOUT BEACHES


The Rio de Janeiro Botanical Gardens, one of the greatest tropical botanical gardens in the world, houses some of the rarest species of plants from the flora of Brazil and other countries, and many species of tropical birds, fish and mammals.
The garden is located at the foot of Corcovado Mountain and occupies about 142 hectares. It is part of the Tijuca National Park (Floresta da Tijuca), home to hundreds of species of plants and wildlife endemic of the Atlantic Rainforest.
The beautiful cast-iron fountain was made in England. It was installed at the Rio de Janeiro garden in 1905. The 4 muse figures represent music, art, poetry and science.
The garden was founded on 1808 by Dom João, at the time Prince Regent of the United Kingdom of Brazil and Portugal, later known (1816-1822) as John VI, King of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves.

Dom João had arrived in Brazil after leaving Portugal on November of 1807 when the Napoleonic forces invaded his country. Before he could be deposed by the invading French army and to avoid becoming a prisoner of Napoleon, the Prince Regent ordered the transfer of the Portuguese royal court to Brazil. The Royal family left Lisbon under the protection of the British Royal Navy to establish a government in exile based at Rio de Janeiro.

At the beginning the grounds were Dom João’s private gardens where he intended to acclimatize spices such as cinnamon, pepper and nutmeg that were brought from the East Indies. Initially known as the Royal Orchard, when Dom Joao returned to Portugal in 1822 the garden was open to the public and renamed as the Royal Botanical Garden. In 1890, at the time Brazil became a Republic, the “Royal” part of the garden’s name was dropped.
Currently the Botanic Garden comprises about 83 hectares of tropical forest and 54 hectares of cultivated gardens including paths, lagoons, fountains, sculptures, conservatories and several historic buildings. The gardens contain about 6500 species of plants including indigenous resources of the Brazilian Atlantic floristic region and exotic vegetation introduced from other tropical regions. Many of the species are in open gardens; however, a large number of plants are housed in greenhouses especially dedicated to plant groups such as bromeliads, orchids, cacti and succulent and carnivorous plants.



Read more: 
http://digitaljournal.com/article/304163#ixzz2JsEXRqdV


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