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 Aparecida, Patron 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

AND THE CAPITAL OF BRAZIL IS...

Brasilia Cathedral

Brasília (Portuguese pronunciation: [bɾɐˈzilɪɐ] is the federal capital of Brazil and the seat of government of the Federal District. The name is commonly spelled Brasilia in English. Administratively the city is located in the Federal District, which is in the Central-West Region. Physically it is located in the Brazilian Highlands.
Brasília has the 5th largest GDP among Latin American cities, and the 3rd in Brazil. Its GDP per capita is by far the highest among the larger Latin American cities, at a high—for Latin American standards—average of around US $30,000.

Brazilian Congress and Senate

As the national capital, Brasília is the seat of all three branches of the federal government of Brazil. The city also hosts the headquarters of many Brazilian companies. 

Palácio do Planalto - seat of the federal government

The city was planned and developed in 1956 with Lúcio Costa as the principal urban planner and Oscar Niemeyer as the principal architect. On April 22 of 1960, it formally became Brazil's national capital. Viewed from above, the main portion of the city resembles an airplane or a butterfly. The city is commonly referred to as Capital Federal, or simply BSB. Residents of Brasília are known as brasilienses or candangos (the latter referring to those not born in the city, but migrated there when the city was established). 

Juscelino Kubitschek Bridge

In local usage, the word "Brasília" usually refers only to the First Administrative Region within the Federal District (Distrito Federal), where the most important government buildings are located. Brasília has a unique status in Brazil, as it is an administrative division rather than a legal municipality like nearly all cities in Brazil. Nationally, the term is almost always used synonymously with the Federal District, which constitutes an indivisible Federative Unit, analogous to a state. There are several "satellite cities," which are also part of the Federal District. Brasília International Airport is the main airport in Brasília, connecting the capital to all major Brazilian cities and many international destinations. It is the third most important airport in Brazil, in terms of passengers and aircraft movements. 

Satelite view of the Monumental Axis

The Monumental Axis ("Eixo Monumental" in Portuguese) is a central avenue in Brasília's city design.

The avenue begins on the National Congress of Brazil building and is considered part of the DF-002 road. Its first section is known as "Ministries Esplanade" ("Esplanada dos Ministérios"), as it is surrounded by ministries buildings. Many important government buildings, monuments and memorials are located on the Monumental Axis.

A common urban legend persists that the Monumental Axis is the widest road in the world, where "[100 to 160] cars can drive side by side". This is untrue, as the road consists of two avenues with six lanes on either side; a total of twelve lanes. However, it was in the Guinness Book of Records as having the widest median (central reservation) of a divided highway (dual carriageway) in the world.

Brasilia is also one of the host cities to the 2014 World Cup:

Sources: Wikipedia 

PLANO PILOTO

MEET OUR BRAZILIAN LEPRECHAUN

Saci (pronounced: [saˈsi] or [sɐˈsi]) is a character commonly regarded to be the best known character in Brazilian folklore. He is a one-legged black or mulatto youngster with holes in the palms of his hands, who smokes a pipe and wears a magical red cap that enables him to disappear and reappear wherever he wishes (usually in the middle of a dust devil). Considered an annoying prankster in most parts of Brazil, and a potentially dangerous and malicious creature in others, he will nevertheless grant wishes to anyone who manages to trap him or steal his magic cap. However his cap is often depicted as having a bad smell, most people who claimed to have stolen this cap often say they can never wash the smell away.

An incorrigible prankster, the Saci will not cause major harm, but there is no little harm that he won't do. He will hide children's toys, set farm animals loose, tease dogs, and curse chicken eggs preventing them from hatching. In the kitchen, the Saci would spill all salt, sour the milk, burn the bean stew, and drop flies into the soup. If a popcorn kernel fails to pop, it is because the Saci cursed it. Given half a chance, he will dull the seamstress's needles, hide her thimbles, and tangle her sewing threads. If he sees a nail lying on the ground, he will turn it with the point up. In short, anything that goes wrong — in the house, or outside it — may be blamed on the Saci.

Besides disappearing or becoming invisible (often with only his red cap and the red glow of his pipe still showing), the Saci can transform himself into a Matitaperê or Matita Pereira, an elusive bird whose melancholic song seems to come from nowhere. One can escape a pursuing Saci by crossing a waterstream: the Saci will not dare to cross, for then he will lose all his powers. Another way is to drop ropes full of knots; the Saci will then be compelled to stop and undo the knots. One can also try to appease him by leaving behind some cachaça, or some tobacco for his pipe. 

Every dust devil, says the legend, is caused by the spin-dance of an invisible Saci. One can capture him by throwing into the dust devil a rosary made of separately blessed prayer beads, or by pouncing on it with a sieve. With care, the captured Saci can be coaxed to enter a dark glass bottle, where he can be imprisoned by a cork with a cross marked on it. He can also be enslaved by stealing his cap, which is the source of his power. However, depending on the treatment he gets from his master, an enslaved Saci who regains his freedom may become either a trustworthy guardian and friend, or a devious and terrible enemy.

In order not to let this folklore die, the city of Botucatu, in the state of São Paulo, holds a Festival  in the month of October to pay hommage to this prankster. Some city dwellers claim to raise some of them, and sacis are allegedly seen in the woods close to the city. 

Source: Wikipedia

WHERE´S THE OYSTER CAPITAL OF BRAZIL?

Santa Catarina provides almost 80 percent of all oysters produced in Brazil: more than one million dozen per year, approximately two thousand metric tons. It all began in 1987, when aquaculture experts from the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC) recommended an alternative income for technically adept fishermen that would avoid fishing the marine species protected at that time. However, according to Nino Souza, managing director of Cavalo Marinho, the fishermen couldn't deal with the management requirements and the people who cultivate oysters today are doctors, engineers and other experts: They recognized the potential of this segment and invest in the markets around Santa Catarina. "Most fishermen ended up selling the cultivation areas that they received as a donation to grow oysters in the 1980's," explains Nino. From a technical point of view. the UFSC's project was an overwhelming success. The Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) adapted so well, that they dubbed Santa Catarina's capital, Florianópolis, as Brazil's oyster capital.
Oysters have to arrive at the restaurant table alive, which makes their transportation exceptionally problematic. Especially when the 720 km  journey from Brazil´s main production area in the state of Santa Catarina to the main buyer in Sao Paulo is made through a hot country under difficult road conditions.

OYSTER FARMING IN SOUTHERN BRAZIL  

Oysters are cultivated in cages called lantern nets. They get their name from typical Japanese lanterns because they look just like them – long and divided into sections. Each lantern has five sections and contains a total of 25 dozen mature oysters. The boat harvests about 300 dozen oysters. "Production begins with a spat that looks like a grain of sand," explains Nino. "The Federal University of Santa Catarina cultivates the spat. They select oysters directly from the sea, mate them and grow spat from the larvae. The oyster is born with a foot and swims like a small fish until it develops its shell and attaches itself to something. Once the spat develops, it takes about eight months until the oyster reaches the perfect eating size. If it remains in the sea, it continues to grow. The size of a baby is about six centimeters. Average size is reached when it is about eight centimeters. This is the maximum size that restaurants accept. If oysters are left in the sea for longer, they can reach a size of over ten centimeters.

Sources: MAN SE, FAO AQUACULTURE SECTOR

SOME DELIGHTFUL OYSTER EATERIES IN FLORIANOPOLIS

RATTLESNAKE POISON TO CURE CANCER

Researchers from  the Butantan Institute  in São Paulo  have taken  a leap forward in skin cancer research.

They are celebrating test results obtained by means of  a toxin which kills  cancerigenous cells. The substance found in the poison of the rattlesnake helped  control the illness in laboratory rats.

Rattlesnakes  are famous for their powerful poison. However,  researchers from the Butantan Institute in São Paulo have discovered that one of the components of the poison can also help cure skin cancer.

The toxin, called crotamin,  is responsible for paralyzing animals bitten by the snake, because

it enters into in cells quickly. Furthermore, in tests performed  with lab rats  researchers have noticed  the crotamin prefers fast-dividing cells, as of the melanoma type, known as skin cancer.

“The melanoma is a fast growing cancer; also,  a very aggressive type – the one which causes quick methastasis.", declares Irina Kerkis, director of the Laboratory of Genetics of the Butantan Institute.

The images on  microscope (see video) show  spots of stronger color  which are the cancerigenous cells where the crotamin diffused into.

In addition, the toxin in the poison of the rattlesnake kills the cancerigenous cells. For the time being, the research is only in its tests phase. The lab rats with skin cancer which underwent  treatment with the toxin for 21 days survived. The ones without treatment  died after some 40 days. Moreover,  the rats under treatment had either a drastic reduction in the size of the tumour or were cured.  

“The crotamin virtually bypasses all issues that appear in the development of a anti-cancerigenous drug ", states Ms. Kerkis.

Results have been so overwhelming  that  researchers have already head-started investigations towards treatment   toxin-based treatments to other more aggressive types of cancer, such as breast and  lung cancers. The crotamin hardly ever causes allergy and does not affect healthy cells of the body.

Such toxin may shortly be synthetically produced, according to researchers, cutting out the need  of rattlesnake poison use.

Another venomous animal also targeted by the researchers from the Butantan Institute is carrapato (tick). From the gland that produces the saliva of the carrapato they have lab-developed  the Amblyomin-x, a protein that kills cancerigenous cells. Research is likewise at test phase  in animals.

Source: Globo Videos

YES, WE HAVE A FOOT IN ANTARCTICA

The Comandante Ferraz Brazilian Antarctic Base (Portuguese: Estação Antártica Comandante Ferraz) is a permanent Antarctic research station named after the Brazilian Navy Commander Luís Antônio de Carvalho Ferraz, who visited Antarctica many times with the British exploration team and managed to convince his government to create a self-guided Brazilian Antarctic Program.

Located in Admiralty Bay, King George Island, near the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, 130 km from the South American continent, the station began operating on 6 February 1984, brought to Antarctica in modules by the oceanographic ship Barão de Teffé (H-42) and several other Brazilian naval ships. It now houses about 60 people, including researchers, technicians and staff, military and civilians.

The main objective of the base lies on climate change like global warming, the greenhouse effect, ozone depletion and on the raising level of the oceans. The personnel working at the base collect samples of pollutants which often come from overseas. They also carry out research in meteorology, continental and marine geology, oceanography, astrophysics, geomagnetism, and nuclear geophysics.

Work on the Comandante Ferraz Antarctic Base (EACF) will be resumed by the Brazilian government over the next four months – the summer period in the region. And the 31st Antarctica Operation (Operantar) is already at sea, mobilizing 200 researchers and five ships in an initiative from the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI), the Ministry of Environment (MMA) and the Ministry of Defense. 

According to Rear Admiral Marcos Silva Rodrigues, this is the largest Antarctica Operation yet in terms of logistics and has become even larger due to the accident in February, when the Brazilian base was destroyed. "After the fire, we removed toxic and perishable materials so as to avoid polluting the environment, and we sealed off the Comandante Ferraz Base. Now, after defining this operation, we are boarding all the equipment needed for the three actions of this Operantar, and we will clean the area and reestablish communications," he explained.

Sources: Brazilian Government and Wikipedia

ST. NICK´S SUMMER HOME IS HERE

During Year End holidays one way to beat the heat (remember: northern hemisphere´s  winter is summer in Brazil) is to go to the mountain town of Penedo, about three hours northwest of Rio. Penedo was settled by Finns led by naturalist Toivo Uuskallio, and locals refer to it as “a cidade do Papai Noel,” or “Santa Claus City.” You’ll find chalet-style architecture, chocolate shops and one attraction billed as St. Nick’s summer home. The town can also be a base for exploring the Parque Nacional do Itatiaia, which contains a Brazilian rain forest.

WHERE TO EAT

BELLA CITTÁ 
Av. das Mangueiras, 1763 – Centro – Penedo – RJ
Telefone: (24) 3351-1926
Site: http://www.bellacitta.visitepenedo.com/

CASA DO FRITZ 
German Cuisine
Avenida das Mangueiras, 518 – Penedo – Itatiaia – RJ.
Telefone: (24) 3351-1751
Site: www.casadofritz.com.br

 PEQUENA SUÉCIA

Rua Toivo Suni, 33 – Penedo – Itatiaia – RJ.
Telefone: (24) 3351-1275
Site: www.pequenasuecia.com.br

SKANDINAVIA
Avenida das Mangueiras, 2631 – Penedo – Itatiaia – RJ.
Telefone: (24) 3351-1529

WEIN STÜBLE – Cozinha alemã
Rua das Velas, 100 – Penedo – Itatiaia – RJ.
Telefone: (24) 3381-7107
Site: www.weinstuble.com

CASA DO CHOCOLATE – DOCERIA
Avenida Casa das Pedras, 10 (fica na entrada de Penedo) – Penedo – Itatiaia – RJ.
Telefone: (24) 3351-1127

FÁBRICA DO CHOCOLATE
Praça Finlândia, s/n – Penedo – Itatiaia – RJ.

WHERE TO STAY

POUSADA DAS ACEROLAS
Rua dos Operários, s/n – Centro (Próximo ao hotel Vilar Formoso) – Penedo – Itatiaia – RJ.
Telefone: (24) 3351-1265
Site: www.pousadadasacerolas.com.br

ARBORETUM 
Estrada da Cachoeira, s/n – Penedo (o ponto de referência é o hotel da Cachoeira) – Itatiaia – RJ.
Telefone: (24) 3351-1728
Site: www.arboretum.com.br

POUSADA FINLÂNDIA 
Avenida das Mangueiras, 2000 – Penedo – Itatiaia – RJ.
Telefone: (24) 3351-1709
Site: www.pousadafinlandia.com.br

VALE DOS DUENDES
Rua Toivo Suni, 130 – Centro (atrás do Shopping Vale dos Duendes) – Penedo – Itatiaia – RJ.
Telefone: (24) 3351-3002
Site: www.aparthotelvaledosduendes.com.br

VILAR FORMOSO 
Rua dos Operários, 270 – Centro – Penedo – Itatiaia – RJ.
Telefone: (24) 3351 – 1071
Site: www.vilarformoso.com.br