At the risk of being a slight hypocrite (by saying I’m allergic to BS), I’d like to “like” the efforts of Reginho who is doing “tecnobrega” (ie, not tecnobrega, but perhaps produced in the same manner). He’s got a catchy tune with a rather créu-like dance, and in time, of course, for Carnival. Apparently, it’s been a hit for the last two months (and, hey, anything is better than “Rebolation”)
So while the north of Brazil barely gets in the news (and when it does, it’s for something bad or crazy that happened), internationally, there are porn “music” videos like this that are promoting Brazil, and horribly at that.
Yes, you saw that right, 270,000 views for that video. Well, at least Christina Aguilera is in Brazil, I’m sure she can top it. If she can’t, then Paris Hilton is in Brazil, too…so are Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore. In the meantime, I’m going to return to be previous state of being allergic to utter bullshit.
Apparently, it was in the finishing stages of construction when for unknown reasons (the wind and some rain is being blamed to clear the construction company’s name), it came crashing down today at 2pm. There are reports, most likely unconfirmed, that 20 people died and that the other buildings next to it are feared to be at risk as well. It took place in a noble area of the city, the Nazaré district…which I’ve walked through many times.
Globo (the only time the North gets on the front page)
(with Two Brothers in the background)
Ask any beach-going Brazilian that has been to Rio de Janeiro what images come to mind when they think of Rio and I’d bet Biscoito Globo is one of them. The famous doughnut-shaped powder biscuits are as common a sight as the sunbathers in Ipanema applauding the beautiful sunsets, silhouetted by Two Brothers hill. Speaking of brothers, three from São Paulo deserve some applause, too, as they are responsible for another pleasing sight, one that can be sweet, like catching some rays, or salty, like the sea itself.
The brothers’ success lies in the simplicity of their product. Let’s take a closer look:
The rest is history (or, at least the next part is)…
History
According to the Biscoito Globo site, it all started in 1953 when, after their parents separated, the three Ponce brothers went to live with their cousin who had a bakery in Ipiranga, in São Paulo. It was there that they learned to make powder biscuits with their cousin, which were sold on the streets of downtown São Paulo.
In 1954, taking advantage of a large religious conference in Rio de Janeiro, the brothers decided to sell their biscuits in the carioca capital. With their recipe for success, the Ponce brothers foresaw that, given the biscuits characteristics, Rio de Janeiro would be the ideal market for what they were selling.
The powder biscuit was given the name Globo in honor of the bakery contracted to make them in Botafogo. The year was 1955 and the biscuits were sold in the Globo bakery and in seven others, owned by the same people. Realizing the large demand for them, the Ponce brothers started to sell them to other bakery chains and in 1963, they formed a partnership with a Portuguese baker, an expert in breads.
Benefits
There are other positive aspects that accompany a bag of Biscoito Globo, such as the fact that it’s perfect for making one’s stomach believe it’s fuller than it is. After all, who wants to swim on a full stomach? Other associated benefits mean the customer receives something that is low in calories, low in fat, without neither coloring nor preservatives.
The biscuit vendors are called ‘ambulantes‘ and they can buy a package for 60 cents then turn around and sell it for an average price of R$1 on the beach. A pretty good deal where everyone walks away happy. Since the famous snacks don’t contain the aforementioned preservatives, they aren’t sold to the supermarkets, meaning the customers must seek out the individual vendors if they want to get their hands on the biscuits. On the beaches of Rio, that’s not a hard thing to do because the vendors are omnipresent, the packaging is unique (save for a few imitators), and the holler is the same…”Olha o Globo!”
Originally written for Street Smart Brazil.
Just a note before you begin. Interesting the ideas of conquering the ‘unknown’, of primitiveness/otherness shown in the silent film.
“In 1913, Theodore Roosevelt and his son Kermit joined Brazilian explorer Cândido Rondon in an expedition to Brazil’s Amazon Rainforest, sponsored by the Brazilian government and the American Museum of Natural History. They explored the recently “discovered” River of Doubt (now named the Roosevelt River) in the Amazon, deep within the interior of the country, in the sparsely populated Rondônia State. The expedition was quite difficult, and Roosevelt nearly died from an infected wound. He published an account of the expedition the following year, entitled Through The Brazilian Wilderness, replete with photographs taken by his son during the trip.” Theodore Roosevelt is on the left.
More Info
Several Pictures – Flickr
Digital Book – World Digital Library
A seguir, umas frases e tal ; )
Below, some phrases and stuff
Tal - Such, Like (or Said)
Ex. Falam que tal livro conta a história de nosso povo.
Ex. They say that said book tells the history of our people.
E tal / Coisa e tal – …and stuff / and things like that / etc.
Ex. O livro se trata de dragões e tal.
Ex. The book is about dragons and stuff.
Tal…tal… – Like…like…
Ex. Tal mãe, tal filha.
Ex. Like mother, like daughter.
Que tal… – How about…
Ex. Que tal a gente se encontrar na quarta-feira que vem?
Ex. How about we meet up this Wednesday?
*the title of the post, if written in Portuguese, would be ‘tais frases’ since ‘tal’ becomes ‘tais’ in plural form.
São Paulo only registered 1,500 lightning bolts on Sunday. Here’s a few photos, click to enlarge.
Deep Brazil is taking a look at Brazilian history via a series of 10 photos each Friday for 10 Fridays. I recommend checking it out. If you like old images, I also recommend ‘imagens do passado‘ (which are actually of life in the US) and the sequel, too.
