Cidade de Deus

"City of God" is one of my favorite films of all time. It takes place between 1960 and 1980 Cidade de Deus, a suburb not far from Rio de Janeiro and depicts the life of a teenage boy caught between three corrupt sides in a war sparked by obsessions over money, women, weapons, and power.

The tagline is "Fight and you'll never survive... Run and you'll never escape."

Here are two trailers, the first one is definitely worth watching

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqD7MksivSo&NR=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ts3ZsYeUBfY&feature=related

James Cameron battles a "real-life Avatar" situation in Brazil

Director James Cameron spent the past few days in Brazil near the Xingu River, the cite where the country is looking to build a huge hydroelectric dam. Cameron has been visiting with indigenous tribes who would be hurt by the build, and his support for the opposition likely played a major role in a Brazilian judge's recent decision to temporary halt bidding on the dam. Cameron calls the debate a "real-life Avatar" battle in the Amazon.
We've talked a lot in class about the importance of protecting the Amazon, but we've also discussed the issues involved in telling a country what to do with its own natural resources. Does Brazil have the right to cause extreme harm to the environment within its own national borders for the sake of electricity, or does it have a responsibility to protect the forest for the good of the entire world?

Mudslide may have killed 200 Brazilian slum-dwellers

A mudslide in Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday buried and may have therefore killed 200 Brazilians. The mudslide was triggered by records amounts of rainfall, and the people of this favella, which was built on top of a former landfill, may have lost not only their houses and belongings but also their lives. Brazil's emergency systems are working to rescue those buried and address the issue, although the nation has also downplayed the event to ease concern regarding the 2016 Olympics.

Buckling down on piracy

Honestly, when I was living in Paraguay it was pretty nice for my host family, who lived on about $15,000 a year (a family of five, not including me), to be able to buy 5 DVDs for only $1.25. Many of the movies had not come out on DVD in the U.S. but were still available for sale on almost every street corner in the market of Ciudad del Este. I knew that the movies were pirated, but it was hard for me to not enjoy spending time with my host family doing something they could afford.

I lived about ten minutes from Brazil, and we went to Brazil often. I just read an article on Yahoo News about how U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder told an audience in Rio de Janeiro yesterday, Feb. 24, that the U.S. is seeking closer cooperation with Brazil in fighting piracy of intellectual property. I think this is an important step in responding to the effects of globalization and in ensuring security of property ownership on an international level. However, it will be difficult to imagine my Paraguayan family not having the economic means to watch movies as they used to.

Carnival and Mardi Gras

Since Mardi Gras just happened, I got curious about Brazil's famous Rio Carnival. It was this past weekend, the 13th to the 16th. Like Mardi Gras, it is filled with intricate costumes, balls, bands, parades, and overall general cheer. It would be awesome to visit one day to see it for myself. This website is all about this year's Carnival and is loaded with amazing pictures.

Group of 7-year-old queen last in Rio Carnival

After the immense controversey that followed the announcement of the child's involvement as drum corps queen, the Viradouro parade group came in dead last on Wednesday in the competition which cancels their participation in Rio de Janeiro's Carnival next year. Instead the Unidos da Tijuca group won for the first time since 1937.

Source Link

Samba Queen Scandal for Rio's 2010 Carnival

Seeing as it's Mardi Gras season, I figured it would be appropriate to share this news scandal in Latin America's Carnival capital, Rio de Janeiro.

A seven-year-old girl, Julia Lira, was named queen of Viradoura Samba School - a title traditionally given to an older woman because of its sexual overtones. This has caused quite a stir among Brazilians and also the international community and is possibly going to court with the help of children's rights groups. Julia's father sees nothing wrong with her participation and is fighting to keep her in the parade.

Brazil and the Rainforst

I feel like our book and many of the articles we read for class are very anti-American. Authors of these articles usually view American aid as a negative thing because it tends to lead to dependency. So, I found an article where U.S. aid could be a good thing! U.S. aid helps stop deforestation in Brazil.