AN EXQUISITE OPERA HOUSE BLENDING WITH THE NATURE

The Ópera de Arame, in Portuguese, or the Wire Opera House, in English, is a theatre house located in the city of Curitiba, the capital of the state of Paraná, in southern Brazil. It is one of the major tourist attractions of the city. Situated in the middle of an urban green park, Parque das Pedreiras, the Wire Opera House theatre is built out of steel tubes, totalling 360 tons of steel,  which gave it its name,  and sits 2,400 people.  It was built in 75 days on the site of a former rock quarry. 

http://www.curitiba.pr.gov.br/idioma/ingles
http://www.curitiba-parana.net/opera-arame.htm

DOES THE NAME 'PROJETO TAMAR' RING A BELL?

 The Projeto TAMAR (Portuguese for TAMAR Project, with TAMAR being an abbreviation of Tartarugas Marinhas, the Sea Turtles) is a Brazilian non-profit organization owned by the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation ( http://www.icmbio.gov.br/portal/). The main objective of the project is to protect sea turtles from extinction in the Brazilian coastline.The TAMAR project was officially created in 1980. The first activities were not centered on the preservation of the turtles, but on their identification, their spawn sites and seasons, and the main problems caused by poaching. When the first preservation actions began, TAMAR took the first Brazilian pictures of a sea turtle spawning. In 1983, the oceanographers searched for Petrobras, to ask for support on the project. The company analyzed all the actions of the project and decided to support it, by providing fuel to their jeeps. So far TAMAR has managed to release more than 10 million turtles in the sea. Although the initial purpose was to protect sea turtles only, the project grew and became concerned with sharks and all the sea wildlife, as they are part of the environment in which the sea turtles live. All actions by the project intend to preserve wildlife, concern people about environment, and create sustainable places for the procreation of the species protected by TAMAR.
 There are currently 22 bases of the project, spread all over the country coastline, covering a range of more than 1000 kilometers:
 Almofala, Ceará

Atol das Rocas, Rio Grande do Norte
Fernando de Noronha, Pernambuco
Ponta dos Mangues, Sergipe
Pirambu, Sergipe
Oceanário, Sergipe
Abaís, Sergipe
Mangue Seco, Bahia
Sítio do Conde, Bahia
Costa do Sauípe, Bahia
Praia do Forte, Bahia
Arembepe, Bahia
Itaúnas, Espírito Santo
Guriri, Espírito Santo
Pontal do Ipiranga, Espírito Santo
Povoação, Espírito Santo
Vila de Regência, Espírito Santo
Ilha da Trindade, Espírito Santo
Anchieta, Espírito Santo
Bacia de Campos, Rio de Janeiro
Ubatuba, São Paulo
Florianópolis, Santa Catarina

www.tamar.org.br/
www.projetotamar.com.br/

Corpus Christi feast in Brazil - a must see

Corpus Christi, which falls 60 days after Easter, is celebrated as a national holiday in Brazil. This year, it is going to be on June 7, a Thursday.  In many Brazilian towns people decorate the streets with ephemeral tapestries made of colored sawdust, coffee, salt and grains which depict Biblical passages on the way where the religious procession will pass. The main feature of the Corpus Christi festivity is the procession. Tapestries usually represent Eucharistic motifs. In Paraty, a national historic monument, the Corpus Chisti celebration is observed with the entire traditional liturgy. It´s a lively cultural event really worth witnessing! Cities worth visiting: Cananéia, Santana de Parnaíba, Ibitinga, Cunha, in São Paulo State, Ouro Preto, São João Del Rey, Mariana, Sabará, in Minas Gerais State, and Paraty in Rio de Janeiro State.



MORE PICTURES

WATER FOR THE DRAUGHT IN THE NORTHEASTERN REGION

The Transfer of the São Francisco River is a large-scale interbasin transfer to the dry sertão, an area fabled for its harsh, dry climate and the toughness of the people who have adapted to it,  in the four northeastern states of Ceara, Rio Grande do Norte, Paraiba and Pernambuco in Brazil. The project, which was given the green light to go ahead by Brazil's government in 2005, was initially estimated to cost US$2 billion, having reached US$6billion by now and growing, and is expected to improve the lives of 12m people. The project actually consists of two transfers: The East axis would transfer water to the Paraíba do Norte River, while the North axis would transfer water to the Jaguaribe and Piranhas rivers. The project includes 700 km of canals and tunnels, as well as several dams. It is expected to displace almost a million people and construction is expected to take 20 years to complete.

ROGER WATERS IS BRINGING HIS WALL TO SÃO PAULO

The author of "The Wall" says - I recently came across this quote of mine from 22 years ago: ” What it comes down to for me is this: Will the technologies of communication in our culture, serve to enlighten us and help us to understand one another better, or will they deceive us and keep us apart?”... This new production of The Wall is an attempt to draw some comparisons, to illuminate our current predicament, and is dedicated to all the innocent lost in the intervening years...
 
And the kids from the Heliópolis slum are getting a new choreography ready for him on the show which will take place on the 1st and 3rd of April, at the Morumbi stadium in São Paulo.

 

HERE THE WATER BUFFALOES ARE TAME

With a land area of 40,100 km² (15,500 sq mi), which compares to the size of Switzerland, it is the largest island to be completely surrounded by freshwater in the world. The island sits almost directly on the equator. Yes, we are speaking of the Marajó Island in the northern state of Pará. Large parts of the islands are flooded during the rain season, because of higher water levels of the Amazon River along the coast and of heavy rainfall in the interior. The east of the island is dominated by savanna vegetation. There are large farms with animal husbandry. This is also the location of Lake Arari, which has an area of 400 km² but shrinks by 80 percent during the dry season. Nowadays there are large herds of domesticated water buffaloes on the island.And they are surely part of the landscape, as they are part of the populations´ daily life. There are 20 large rivers on the island. Because of oscillating water levels and regular floods, many settlements are built on stilts (Palafitas).

The most important towns are in the southeast of the island: Soure, Salvaterra, and the largest city, Breves. They feature a basic touristic infrastructure and are popular because of the generous lonely beaches.
 The island was the site of an advanced pre-Columbian society, the Marajoara culture. Dates are suggested to be between 800 AD and 1400 AD for the culture.

BE SEDUCED BY ITS FRAGRANCE

Cupuaçu (Theobroma grandiflorum), also spelled Cupuassu, Cupuazú, and Copoasu, is a tropical rainforest tree related to cacao. Common throughout the Amazon basin, it is widely cultivated in the jungles of the north of Brazil, with the largest production in Pará, followed by Amazonas, Rondônia and Acre.

 The white pulp of the cupuaçu is uniquely fragrant (described as a mix of chocolate and pineapple), and it contains theacrine (1,3,7,9-tetramethyluric acid) instead of the xanthines (caffeine, theobromine, and theophylline) found in cacao. It is frequently used in desserts, juices and sweets. The juice tastes primarily like a pear, with a hint of banana. The pulp is also used in cosmetics products such as body lotions, as it is highly hydrating, similarly to cocoa butter. Commercial production of cupuaçu includes food supplements, pills, drinks, smoothies and sweets. Natura, a large cosmetics Brazilian company develops several self-sustained projects in Northern Brazil in the exploitation of cupuaçu. On the following link some recipes (in Portuguese) with cupuaçu.

http://laura-caroline.blogspot.com.br/2010/04/cupuacu-e-uma-deliciaaaaaaaaaaa.html

THE JUGGERNAUT OF SUPER FRUITS

CUPUAÇU MOUSSE

1 can of condensed milk

1 can of cream milk

1 tea cup of cupuaçu pulp (may be found in frozen fruits section of largest supermarkets)

Blend everything together and pour into cups - (the decoration is up to you). Must stay in fridge for 4 hours.

Serve chilled.

CREME DE PAPAYA TOPPED WITH LIQUOR DE CASSIS

THE BENEFITS OF CAJA FRUIT



BRAZILIAN COCONUT FLAN - QUINDIM