Faces: People, Places, and Cultures articles from February 2009

Faces: People, Places, and Cultures archives from February 2009

Mystery photo?
February 1, 2009... Mmmm... what is this? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Answer to Mystery Photo on inside fron cover: Dancers in the Carnival of Sao Paulo create a glittery display.

Brazil is home to the biggest party and biggest rain forest on Earth. Brazilians are a diverse people who originate from Indian tribes, African slaves, and European settlers. Here are five fascinating facts about Brazil.(High 5)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... 1 The Largest Rain Forest on Earth Imagine a rain forest that is the size of the continental United States. The Amazon, in Brazil, is just this size; but unless something is done, it won't be that large for long. Each year, thousands of...

Brazil.(At a Glance)(Country overview)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Official Name: Federative Republic of Brazil location: Eastern South America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana are to the north. To the west lies...

Screech, slurp, slap, and swoosh: noises of the rain forest.(Critter Corner)
February 1, 2009... An otter, dolphin, jaguar, and monkey--just four of the many amazing animals of the Amazon. What do a giant Amazon otter, a river dolphin, a jaguar, and a black spider monkey have in common? They all inhabit the Guyana Shield region, a...

Brazil: a land of beauty and diversity.
February 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] When Portuguese explorer Pedro Alvares Cabral set sail for India in 1500, things did not go quite as he had planned. Winds blew him off course, and he ended up in Brazil. He claimed the newly discovered land for...

Dance ... fight ... play ... capoeira!
February 1, 2009... The jogo, or "game," is about to begin. A circle, known as a roda, takes shape. Three musicians who are part of the roda play a slow, distinct beat on bowlike instruments made with gourds called berimbaus. Their plinging sound is soon...

A tasty melting pot.(Brazilian food)
February 1, 2009... Brazilian food is a flavorful blend of tastes and cultures that reflects the history of the country. Take feijoada completa (fay-jo-A-da kom-PLE-ta), the "national dish." It is a rich stew of beans and leftover meats eaten with rice, collard...

Christ the Redeemer.(Jesus Christ)(sculpture)
February 1, 2009... Towering 2,300 feet above the city of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil upon the granite peak of the Corcovado Mountain is a 100-foot-tall famous sculpture known throughout the world as Christ the Redeemer. Want to visit? It's easy. Just hop aboard an...

Dear Tommy ...(e-Pals)(Short story)
February 1, 2009... FACES' fifth-grade friend Tommy continued on his worldwide e-mail trail from New Jersey. This time, he found a girl from Brazil. Tommy and Barbara learned about each other's favorite hobbies, foods, and school subjects. [ILLUSTRATION...

Growing up in Brazil.(Viewpoint essay)
February 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] My name is Eduardo Monte Jorge Hey Martins and I am 15 years old. I am an only child. My father is an engineer and my mother is an English teacher at a university. I have a lot of friends. I live in Curitiba. It is a...

Luciano Correa: proud to be Brazilian.(Biography)
February 1, 2009... Luciano Correa (loo-see-AH-no co-HAY-ah) is just one of 190 million inhabitants of Brazil, but as the 2007 middleweight world champion of judo, he's proud to compete for his country on a world-class level. "I feel great satisfaction that,...

Extreme sports: Brazilian-Style.
February 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Brazilians are extremely passionate about their sports. Though Brazil is recognized worldwide for its achievements in soccer, volleyball, and motorsports, those sports are relatively tame compared to some of the more...

The vanishing Amazon and the fight to save it.
February 1, 2009... The Indians were the first rubber tappers. By cutting slashes into rubber trees. they were able to collect the liquid latex that oozed from them. They discovered that latex thickened into raw rubber when it was heated over a tire. Brazil's...

Carnival parade: the biggest Brazilian celebration.
February 1, 2009... "?Sera que eu serei o dono dessa festa?" (Will I be the owner of this party?) "?Um rei num meio de uma gente tao modesta?" (Will I be the king among such simple people?) "?E hoje o dia da alegria; e a tristeza nem pode pensar em...

Thiago Soares: from silly clown to ballet superstar.(Biography)
February 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Who said clowning around won't get you anywhere? Tell that to Thiago Soares (chee-AH-go SOH-AH-rees), the principal dancer for the Royal Ballet of London. When Soares was a child in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, his...

Pele: The King of Football.(Biography)
February 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] From using a grapefruit as a soccer ball to becoming one of soccer's best all-time players, Pele has story that reads like a fairy tale. Brazilian-born le was the first soccer player to become a huge star in the...

Ask Faces.(flags)
February 1, 2009... Here is your chance to send us your questions about people, places, and cultures from all over the world. Each month, our experts will answer several questions from readers like you. Want to know where the world's highest mountain is located?...

Face facts.(Brazilian seasons)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... Because most of Brazil lies south of the equator, its seasons are opposite of those in the Northern Hemisphere. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Summer months are December through February, and winter months are June through August. ...

James the vine puller: a play based on a Brazilian folktale.(Play)
February 1, 2009... Why does a tale from Brazil, which does not nave any elephants, feature the animal as a main character? This tale was one of many that originated with the African slaves who were brought to Brazil between 1500 and 1855. Characters:...

Blame it on the Bossa nova.(Art Connection)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... Bossa nova is a type of Brazilian music known throughout the world Bossa nova means "new trend" in Portuguese It is a type of samba music that spread from Brazil to the United States and Europe in the 1950s. At that time, it was a mix of an...

From Another World.(Brief article)(Book review)
February 1, 2009... From Another World by Ana Maria Machado, translated by Luisa Baeta From Another World by Ana Maria Machado is a great book for anyone who loves a great ghost story with a historical background. In this story, an old coffee plantation in...

Say What?(cats and politics)
February 1, 2009... From September Faces: elections around the world "The topic of today's debate is the high price of kitty litter!"--Rebecca O. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "I will be a purr-fect president' s pet!--Naomi L. "Wow! Cats can finally...

Faces[TM] from the past: don't stop now!
February 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Chile FAC0212 Situated along the west coast of South America, Chile enjoys a varied climate, reaching from the world's driest desert in the north to vast glaciers in the south. Explore the mystery of Easter...