Stories about Brazil from May, 2007
Brazilian Express Loves (and jealousy) around the world
The Brazilian blogosphere entered in alert a few weeks ago when the major publish house Companhia das Letras (PT) announced a huge literary project. Idealized by Rodrigo Teixeira, the project called Express Loves (Amores Expressos) wants to take 16 writers to 16 cities around the world for a one month trip. Shanghai, Buenos Aires, Istanbul, Lisbon, Berlin, Cairo, Saint Petersburg and São Paulo are some among those chosen cities. At the end, each one of them must write a love history tied with those cities. All in 90 days.
Brazil, Uruguay: Videos of OLPC's XO Computer in Action
One Laptop Per Child News, an independent blog that provides “news, information, commentary and discussion” of the XO recently added videos of children in Uruguay and Brazil test driving their new laptops. The post's author, Charbax, writes, “I think that the OLPC foundation just needs to make sure that a...
Brazil: New Round on the National Internet Policy Debate
There are not many issues in Brazil where you are able to find unanimity. But when you talk about messing with Internet freedoms, the defenders spring up from radically different locations in the political spectrum. That's what we are seeing again this week as Sen. Eduardo Azeredo, the protagonist of...
Americas: Copa America Blog
For fans of the “beautiful game”, a new blog site dedicated to the biennual football tournament, the Copa America, will come as a welcome surprise. The Copa America 07 Blog will feature news and stories about the South American national teams and guests, that will participate in this tournament in...
Brazil: How Falling Dollar Affects Missionaries
Comings Communiqué, a blog written by a missionary living in Brazil, has noticed the steady decline of the dollar conversion rate to the Brazilian real. This has taken its toll and he lists the good, the bad, and the ugly effects on his work as a missionary.
Brazil: The Once and Future(?) King
There are two kings in Brazil. Pelé, the world famous football star, and Roberto Carlos, a great icon of Brazilian popular music (MPB). The singer and songwriter acquired fame as the main figure of the 60’s musical movement known as Jovem Guarda — Young Guard — in opposition to the ‘old guard’ of Brazilian music. But late last year, the launch of an unauthorized biography has made this King go to war. Confirming the Brazilian saying that “once King, you’ll never loose the majesty”, Roberto Carlos has recently succeeded in a legal settlement with the writer — historian Paulo César de Araújo — and his publisher where all the unsold books will be called back to him, and the book will never again be published. But then… there is the Internet.
Brazil: Possible Justice for Dorothy Strang
Randy Paul of Beautiful Horizons writes about the upcoming trial of a man accused of the murder of Dorothy Strang, a US-born nun that lived in Brazil helping native groups. However, he writes that “there is a slight undercurrent of despair mixed in with this from my perspective,” and “I...
Brazil: The Pope's No Diplomat
Leftside affirms that Pope Benedict XVI made a number of gaffes during his trip to Brazil, but few are as indefensible and disrespectful to the people of Latin America as his comments on the region's indigenous people and the “purification” that came with European colonialism. Boz lists the Pope's attacks...
Americas: The Prospects of ALBA and Banco Sur
At Peru Politico [ES], Mariana Costa breaks down whether the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (or ALBA for its initials in Spanish) and the Banco Sur will be good for the integration of the region. She is hopeful for the prospects of the Banco Sur, which will provide an alternative...
Brazil: The Pope is Here – What Now?
Brazil, the world's biggest Catholic nation, is now entering the global media stage surrounding the Pope's visit. The previous visits of John Paul II have left profound impressions here, and although Benedict XVI obviously lacks the friendly compassionate mood that easily enraptures the Brazilian soul, the church and the media are working hard to nurture the numinous qualities around the new Pope's tour. The question is: will Benedict succeed in his attempt to push forward his agenda for Latin America? Bloggers comment...
Brazil: The Pope's First Visit to Latin America
Libardo Buitrago [ES] is looking forward to Pope Benedict's first trip to the region, when he visits Brazil on a five-day visit. The pontiff has received criticisms for not caring about poverty reduction as much as his predecessor. Coverage about the Catholic Church in Brazil usually revolves around three storylines...
Guyana: Mt. Roraima
Guest authoring on the Caribbean Beat Blog, Nicholas Laughlin writes an account of his hiking expedition to Mt. Roraima, a tabletop mountain located on the borders of Venezuela, Brazil and Guyana.
Code and Culture: Brazilians celebrate the advantages of being open
There is no clear consensus about the specific reasons that occasionally boost Brazil to the cutting edge of the open source revolution. For us here in the field, facing so many difficulties, ranging from simple misunderstandings to big resource constraints, the international acclaim sounds a bit exaggerated, and at times misinformed. But now that some fruits of the first generation of "seed" ideas are starting to ripen into visibility to bigger audiences and as principles of the 'open' protocol start to be tested in other sectors, more and more commentators are joining in the conversation focusing on specific areas that catch their attention.
About our Brazil coverage
Fernanda Canofre is the Brazil editor. Email her story ideas or volunteer to write.
