Last week I was privileged to go and visit the Sebastião Salgado exhibition at the Science Museum, “Amazônia”. Salgado worked with twelve different indigenous communities over the space of 7 years. There are lots of photographs of the indigenous peoples, depicting their daily lives, as well as beautiful landscape pictures. All the pictures are in …
When I lived in Brazil, I lived in the state of Minas Gerais. The people are called “mineiros” (miners – not so strange when you realise the name of the state means “general mines” and it really is a mining state. Lots of big mining companies are based in Minas Gerais, which produces many ores, …
Today’s Word: Hooligan English has lots of words for troublemakers, often changing depending on the region of the UK the speaker hails from. For example: ruffian, thug, hoodlum, lout… The list is endless. Each word not only has its own sub-meanings but also often suggests something about which region of the UK the speaker comes …
TODAY’S WORD IS “GUY” – THINK GUY FAWKES NIGHT Personally, I thought the word “guy” was the American equal of the British word “bloke”. However, it appears to have taken its origins from Guy Fawkes night. At first, it meant the effigy of Guy Fawkes traditionally burnt on the bonfire. I don’t think many people …
Most of us are aware of the Oktoberfest held in Germany every Autumn, but perhaps fewer are aware that Brazil holds its own version of this in the south of Brazil in Blumenau. In the 1800s and again after World War II, many Germans emigrated to the southern state of Santa Catarina. They have influenced …