História da Páscoa! Páscoa entre os judeus e os cristãos!

As origens do termo


A Páscoa é uma das datas comemorativas mais importantes entre as culturas ocidentais. A origem desta comemoração remonta muitos séculos atrás. O termo “Páscoa” tem uma origem religiosa que vem do latim Pascae. Na Grécia Antiga, este termo também é encontrado como Paska. Porém sua origem mais remota é entre os hebreus, onde aparece o termo Pesach, cujo significado é PASSAGEM.

Entre as civilizações antigas

Historiadores encontraram informações que levam a concluir que uma festa de passagem era comemorada entre povos europeus há milhares de anos atrás. Principalmente na região do Mediterrâneo, algumas sociedades, entre elas a grega, festejavam a passagem do inverno para a primavera, durante o mês de março. Geralmente, esta festa era realizada na primeira lua cheia da época das flores. Entre os povos da antiguidade, o fim do inverno e o começo da primavera era de extrema importância, pois estava ligado a maiores chances de sobrevivência em função do rigoroso inverno que castigava a Europa, dificultando a produção de alimentos.

A Páscoa Judaica

Entre os judeus, esta data assume um significado muito importante, pois marca o êxodo deste povo do Egito, por volta de 1250 a.C, onde foram aprisionados pelos faraós durantes vários anos. Esta história encontra-se no Velho Testamento da Bíblia, no livro Êxodo. A Páscoa Judaica também está relacionada com a passagem dos hebreus pelo Mar Vermelho, onde liderados por Moises, fugiram do Egito.

Nesta data, os judeus fazem e comem o matzá (pão sem fermento) para lembrar a rápida fuga do Egito, quando não sobrou tempo para fermentar o pão.

A Páscoa entre os cristãos

Entre os primeiros cristãos, esta data celebrava a ressurreição de Jesus Cristo (quando, após a morte, sua alma voltou a se unir ao seu corpo). O festejo era realizado no domingo seguinte a lua cheia posterior al equinócio da Primavera (21 de março).

Entre os cristãos, a semana anterior à Páscoa é considerada como Semana Santa. Esta semana tem início no Domingo de Ramos que marca a entrada de Jesus na cidade de Jerusalém.

A História do coelhinho da Páscoa e os ovos

A figura do coelho está simbolicamente relacionada à esta data comemorativa, pois este animal representa a fertilidade. O coelho se reproduz rapidamente e em grandes quantidades. Entre os povos da antiguidade, a fertilidade era sinônimo de preservação da espécie e melhores condições de vida, numa época onde o índice de mortalidade era altíssimo. No Egito Antigo, por exemplo, o coelho representava o nascimento e a esperança de novas vidas.

Mas o que a reprodução tem a ver com os significados religiosos da Páscoa? Tanto no significado judeu quanto no cristão, esta data relaciona-se com a esperança de uma vida nova. Já os ovos de Páscoa (de chocolate, enfeites, jóias), também estão neste contexto da fertilidade e da vida.

A figura do coelho da Páscoa foi trazido para a América pelos imigrantes alemães, entre o final do século XVII e início do XVIII.

Happy Easter!!! Lots of chocolate!! and Easter bunnies!!

Enjoy your time with  lots of delicious chocolate eggs!!




The Easter Bunny
The Easter Bunny is not a modern invention. The symbol originated with the pagan festival of Eastre. The goddess, Eastre, was worshipped by the Anglo-Saxons through her earthly symbol, the rabbit.
The Germans brought the symbol of the Easter rabbit to America. It was widely ignored by other Christians until shortly after the Civil War. In fact, Easter itself was not widely celebrated in America until after that time.

The Easter Egg
As with the Easter Bunny and the holiday itself, the Easter Egg predates the Christian holiday of Easter. The exchange of eggs in the springtime is a custom that was centuries old when Easter was first celebrated by Christians.
From the earliest times, the egg was a symbol of rebirth in most cultures. Eggs were often wrapped in gold leaf or, if you were a peasant, colored brightly by boiling them with the leaves or petals of certain flowers.

Easter!! Páscoa!! Traditions! Tradições! Como é celebrada a Páscoa no Brazil e nos Estados Unidos?

The Traditions of Easter

As with almost all "Christian" holidays, Easter has been secularized and commercialized. The dichotomous nature of Easter and its symbols, however, is not necessarily a modern fabrication.

Since its conception as a holy celebration in the second century, Easter has had its non-religious side. In fact, Easter was originally a pagan festival.

The ancient Saxons celebrated the return of spring with an uproarious festival commemorating their goddess of offspring and of springtime, Eastre. When the second-century Christian missionaries encountered the tribes of the north with their pagan celebrations, they attempted to convert them to Christianity. They did so, however, in a clandestine manner.

It would have been suicide for the very early Christian converts to celebrate their holy days with observances that did not coincide with celebrations that already existed. To save lives, the missionaries cleverly decided to spread their religious message slowly throughout the populations by allowing them to continue to celebrate pagan feasts, but to do so in a Christian manner.

As it happened, the pagan festival of Eastre occurred at the same time of year as the Christian observance of the Resurrection of Christ. It made sense, therefore, to alter the festival itself, to make it a Christian celebration as converts were slowly won over. The early name, Eastre, was eventually changed to its modern spelling, Easter.

The Date of Easter

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Prior to A.D. 325, Easter was variously celebrated on different days of the week, including Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. In that year, the Council of Nicaea was convened by emperor Constantine. It issued the Easter Rule which states that Easter shall be celebrated on the first Sunday that occurs after the first full moon on or after the vernal equinox. However, a caveat must be introduced here. The "full moon" in the rule is the ecclesiastical full moon, which is defined as the fourteenth day of a tabular lunation, where day 1 corresponds to the ecclesiastical New Moon. It does not always occur on the same date as the astronomical full moon. The ecclesiastical "vernal equinox" is always on March 21. Therefore, Easter must be celebrated on a Sunday between the dates of March 22 and April 25.

The Lenten Season

Lent is the forty-six day period just prior to Easter Sunday. It begins on Ash Wednesday. Mardi Gras (French for "Fat Tuesday") is a celebration, sometimes called "Carnival," practiced around the world, on the Tuesday prior to Ash Wednesday. It was designed as a way to "get it all out" before the sacrifices of Lent began. New Orleans is the focal point of Mardi Gras celebrations in the U.S. Read about the religious meanings of the Lenten Season.

The Easter Bunny

The Easter Bunny is not a modern invention. The symbol originated with the pagan festival of Eastre. The goddess, Eastre, was worshipped by the Anglo-Saxons through her earthly symbol, the rabbit.

The Germans brought the symbol of the Easter rabbit to America. It was widely ignored by other Christians until shortly after the Civil War. In fact, Easter itself was not widely celebrated in America until after that time.

The Easter Egg

As with the Easter Bunny and the holiday itself, the Easter Egg predates the Christian holiday of Easter. The exchange of eggs in the springtime is a custom that was centuries old when Easter was first celebrated by Christians.

From the earliest times, the egg was a symbol of rebirth in most cultures. Eggs were often wrapped in gold leaf or, if you were a peasant, colored brightly by boiling them with the leaves or petals of certain flowers.

Today, children hunt colored eggs and place them in Easter baskets along with the modern version of real Easter eggs -- those made of plastic or chocolate candy.

Easter is an important Christian festival, celebrated in different ways all over the world. The traditions seen in the US would vary with those seen in the interiors of Africa or the Asian continent. Being the largest and the most populous country in South America, Brazil grabs special attention during the festive season of Easter. Brazil celebrates the festival in autumn, because of its geographical location - majority of the parts of the country are located in the Southern Hemisphere, where spring season is from September to November. The celebrations of the festival in the country are marked by colorful traditions and customs. Go through the following lines to know all about the traditions and celebrations of Easter in Brazil.

Easter Celebration In Brazil

Easter celebration in Brazil begins with the Holy Week rituals, which involve the blessing of the palm branches, woven in intricate patterns representing crosses, banners, letters and other related objects. Like in many other countries, worshippers in Brazil take out procession walks, carrying statues of Mary and the body of Lord Jesus Christ. 'Pacoca', a special Easter delicacy prepared by mixing crushed nuts (preferably peanuts) and other ingredients including sugar to form a paste, is given to the visitors.

The world-famous Rio Carnival in Rio de Janeiro precedes the Easter celebration in Brazil. The Carnival takes place during the days, preceding 'Ash Wednesday', the first of 40 days of the Lent season. 'Sambodromo', a 700-meter long parade strip, is thronged by a huge crowd comprising of locals and tourists. On the last Sunday and Monday nights before Lent, the enchanted onlookers cheer up the Samba dance troupes, participating in the jamboree.

Other towns and cities in Brazil, such as Recife, also have celebrations during the Carnival period, that are well known for their folkloric representations and two well known folk dances - the Maracatu and the Frevo. As the Easter day approaches, people would keep themselves busy in the preparations for the festival. The streets are filled with shops and stalls raised especially for selling special Easter bunnies, on discounts. On Easter day, gala carnivals are organized everywhere throughout the country, to commemorate the Resurrection of Lord Jesus Christ.

Worshipping the popular symbols of Easter is a popular custom in Brazil. Macela flower, which blooms only in the lent, is worshipped by the devotees of Lord Jesus Christ, in the country. On Palm Sunday, people would bring the flower to the church service, as to receive the blessings of the priest. The flower is later on used as a herb, which is believed to cure many diseases. Thereafter, mouthwatering dishes are served. Traditionally, the recipes typical to the country are prepared on Easter. These include 'clipfish', chocolate Easter eggs and the lip smacking Easter ring cake.

Easter in the United States!

Easter is one of the most awaited Christian festivals. It is celebrated with great pomp and show throughout the world by the followers of Christian community. It is considered to be very auspicious as it is believed that this was the day when Christ resurrected after crucifixion. This day is of immense religious as well as social significance amongst the Christian community. Easter is celebrated in most of the parts of the world in a similar way, yet, some regional ritual make the celebration of one country slightly different from the other. In this article, we have explored about the Easter celebrations in USA.


Easter is celebrated in USA with traditional fervor and gaiety. Sunday church services and festive celebrations blend together during the Easter weekend. On Easter Sunday in New York and other cities, large Easter parades are held where people turn out in their fashionable outfits and trendy Easter bonnets. The person leading the parade holds Easter candle or cross in his hand. Easter festivity can be observed here in the well decorated markets and beautifully adorned homes across the city.

Easter in USA is also very much commercialized. Easter symbols like bunnies, Easter tree, Easter Eggs and Easter lamb are found in different forms during the Easter festivities throughout the market. The popular trend of Easter symbols such as the Easter bunny and egg tree were introduced to the American folklore by the German settlers who arrived in the Pennsylvania Dutch country during the 1700s. Gradually American people took to crafts such as egg and Easter tree decoration. The book 'Egg Tree' by Katherine Milhous was credited with popularizing the custom of egg tree decoration in USA.

As in many other countries, pre-Lent carnivals are also a vital part of Easter celebration in the USA. On "Shrove Tuesday," the day before Ash Wednesday, the famous Mardi Gras (French for "Fat Tuesday") carnival is held each year in many parts of the country. It features colorful parades, jazz bands and parties where everybody dresses up and joins in the fun. Groups of people called krewes prepare decorated floats with a Mardi Gras king and queen. Though Mardi Gras is celebrated all across the country but no city does it is as nicely as New Orleans.
Easter in US is also a time to gorge on special Easter special foods such as baked ham, potatoes and vegetables. Several special recipes are made at each home. Easter parties are also organized where traditional Easter delicacies are served and people enjoy wonderful get together along with Easter games and music. Easter day in USA has also been a popular wedding day in the country. Many couples in USA tie nuptial knot on this day as this day is considered to be auspicious.

The Corrs&Bono(U2 band) When the stars go blue!!!!

http://letras.terra.com.br/the-corrs/63664/traducao.html
Bono biography
Paul David "Bono" Hewson

Born: May 10, 1960
Instrument: Vocals, guitar

As the lead singer of U2, one of the most popular and influential rock bands of the last 30 years, Bono is a figure adored and admired both within and outside of the music industry. As a rock star, his music with U2 has earned him legions of devoted fans across the world, whilst as a humanitarian and crusader for the world's poor, co-founder of organisations such as DATA and the ONE Campaign, he has gained deep respect from politicians and global statesmen as well as music fans. His rare ability to effectively straddle the spheres of both entertainment and politics remains rivaled by few in the realm of popular culture, and his determination to change the world for the better continues to inspire millions on both sides of the political divide.

It's perhaps unsurprising that Bono's unusual adult existence was preceded by a less-than-ordinary upbringing. Born in the north Dublin suburb of Ballymun, Paul Hewson was the second child of Catholic father Brendan Robert Hewson (always called Bobby), and Protestant mother Iris Elizabeth Rankin – a highly unusual arrangement in then deeply sectarian Ireland. As a child Paul Hewson was a precocious, outspoken and thoughtful boy whose early experiences did much to shape his later life as one of the most important figures in Irish history.

As a child, his education started at The Inkwell, a small Protestant Church of Ireland junior school, before eventually continuing on to St. Patrick's Cathedral Choir School. But his time there was unsuccessful; as Bono put it, "I spent a year at St. Patrick's, not being happy, and basically they asked me to leave." This was largely a result of the young Paul throwing dog feces at his Spanish teacher, which subsequently led to his enrollment in 1972 at Mount Temple Comprehensive School, a controversial establishment that was Ireland's first co-educational, non-denominational high school. Paul settled in very quickly and soon became well-adjusted and happy in his new environment.

But at the age of 14, he suffered a tragic and devastating loss when his mother died of a brain hemorrhage whilst attending the funeral of her own father.

From this point onwards, Paul's home life became considerably traumatic. Despite his father's attempts to hold the family together, Bono claims that he and Bob Hewson "didn't get on very well." As a result, father and son never enjoyed a particularly close relationship. In fact, Bono would later claim that the inarticulate Bob Hewson's unspoken message to his children was "to dream is to be disappointed." The singer has often cited this as a key reason for his forming such big ambitions and becoming even more determined to follow his dreams.

It was not long after his mother's death that Paul also got his new name. Originally 'Steinhegvanhuysenolegbangbangbang,' it evolved to 'Bonavox of O'Connell Street' after a hearing aid store in the centre of Dublin, before eventually being shortened to 'Bonavox,' 'Bono Vox' – cockeyed Latin for 'good voice' – and finally 'Bono.' Credit for this goes to his mate Guggi (real name Derek Rowan), a childhood friend, who along with Bono was a member of the group Lypton Village. This was a gang of disaffected-but-creative youths that included Gavin Friday (real name Fionan Hanvey), the man who would eventually go on to form the avant-garde rock band the Virgin Prunes. Bono has often cited Lypton Village as a key source of inspiration and support both before and during his time with U2.

At Mount Temple, Bono describes himself as being "a bit wide-awake, a bit bright, a bit experimental." Although he was far from exceptional as a student, he had a flair for history and art, and became a keen and expert chess player. However, he was perhaps the most adept at navigating the field of romance, entertaining many girlfriends. In 1976, he started dating Alison Stewart (b. March 23, 1961), commonly known as Ali, with the two eventually marrying on August 21, 1982. They went on to have four children: Jordan (b. May 10, 1989), Memphis Eve (b. July 7, 1991), Elijah Bob Patricius Guggi Q (b. August 17, 1999), and John Abraham (b. May 20, 2001). To this day, the family continues to make their home in Dublin.

Despite his initial ambition to be an actor, it was arguably Bono's tendency to be, in his own words, "promiscuous with my ambitions, flirting with all kinds of things" which led him to respond to a notice posted on the Mount Temple bulletin board appealing for musicians. Those interested were told to assemble at 60 Rosemount Avenue, Artane, the house of 14-year-old drummer Larry Mullen Jnr.

As well as Bono, the other boys who made it to that first session were 15-year-old guitarist David Evans (later nicknamed The Edge), 16-year-old Adam Clayton, who couldn't actually play bass guitar but certainly knew how to talk as though he did, Larry's friend Peter Martin, Ivan McCormick, and David Evans' brother Dick. Ivan and Peter were, to quote Adam, "weeded out" early on, whilst Dick eventually left the band to study engineering at Trinity College Dublin. The four remaining boys were initially named Feedback (supposedly after the ear-splitting wailing that always seemed to emanate from the guitar amps), before becoming the Hype, and then eventually U2.

Shortly after the band's formation, Bono, Edge and Larry became involved in the Dublin-based Christian group Shalom. From an early age, the controversy caused by the marriage between his Protestant mother and Catholic father had made Bono extremely suspicious of organised religion, with him later describing it as having "cut my people in two." Therefore, the non-denominational nature of the Shalom group provided Bono and the two other believing members of U2 with solace, harmony and strength.

However, Bono, Edge and Larry's involvement with Shalom later caused friction within U2, as the non-believing Adam felt that the latter three's more devout friends were trying to make them prioritise their faith over the band. The three believers did eventually leave Shalom, as they felt that the group was trying to force upon them the false assertion that a commitment to rock n' roll and a commitment to God were mutually excludable principles. Since then, Bono's Christian faith has played a big role in his life, but in a way that has largely been free from the influence of the mainstream church.

More about him at: http://www.atu2.com/band/bono/

Dreams! by "The Corrs"!!!

The Corrs, The Pride of Ireland - family biography


Introduction

The Corrs are an Irish quartet made up of four siblings, three sisters and one brother: Andrea Corr (17th May 1974), Caroline Corr (17th March 1973), Sharon Corr (24th March 1970) and Jim Corr (31st July 1964). Andrea, Caroline, Sharon and Jim formed the band ten years ago, in 1990. The originality of their music comes from the unique blend of traditional Irish music and modern pop-rock. "I really do hope that we can create our own niche," says Jim Corr, "but when I'm asked to describe our music, I always say that it's modern with an Irish influence, because the Celtic vein does run through everything we do. We're a traditional Irish pop-rock band, whatever that is."

And Caroline continues : "It's a blend of modern rhythms and technology with acoustic instruments - with violin, tin whistle, drums - and, of course, the voices. The marrying of all these elements makes our sound."

Jim plays keyboards and guitars, Sharon plays the violin, Caroline plays the drums and bodhran (a hand held Irish drum) and Andrea plays the tin whistle and is the lead singer. Jim, Sharon and Caroline all sing backing vocals and each song (that includes the music and the lyrics) is written by the group as a whole.

The Early Days

The four siblings grew up in Dundalk (Co. Louth), which is 50 miles north of Dublin, near the border with Northern Ireland. The Corrs were always a very ... musical family. Their parents were musicians and so their children grew up surrounded by music of all kinds. "Our parents were musicians, so we grew up with a lot of music in the house. I suppose it was always our intention to become a band. I don't think there was ever anything else we really wanted to do."Says Andrea.

Even before he was able to walk, Jim was introduced to the piano. His father taught him to play the piano. But the family was getting bigger. Jean and Gerry Corr were blessed with another child, this time a daughter, Sharon. Soon after, Caroline and Andrea came along and so, by 1974 the family had six members. One by one, each of the girls took their brother's example and their initiation in music was through the piano.As they were growing up, each Corr developed a particular attraction towards an instrument. Jim decided to continue playing the guitars and keyboards while Sharon was taking violin lessons. Caroline started playing drums a bit later on, when she was 17-18 using some instructions from a boyfriend of hers at that time. Andrea seems to have been interested in an instrument more suitable to her personality, the tin whistle - a very tiny instrument with a heavenly sound and very easy to lose :))). The band started rehearsing every day, sometimes even until dawn. Jim would come up with the music and the girls would come up with the lyrics. And so the band was on its way.

John Hughes And "The Commitments'


Shortly after the band was formed, John Hughes, a musical advisor from Dublin discovered them during the auditions for Alan Parker's movie "The Commitments. Out of the four siblings only Andrea got a more substantial part playing the part of Jimmy Rabbitte" s young sister while Jim, Sharon and Caroline got "blink and you'll miss it" roles. John Hughes agreed to manage them and soon a huge opportunity popped up. The US ambassador for Ireland, Jean Kennedy Smith, heard them play in a small club in Dublin and she invited them to play at the closing ceremony of the World Cup in Boston. The band's popularity was rising but strangely, they were still unsigned.

 More about The Corrs at http://www.emerald-corrner.com/the-corrs-biography.html

Bono and Pavaroti!!

Is there a time for keeping your distance
A time to turn your eyes away
Is there a time for keeping your head down
For getting on with your day

Is there a time for kohl and lipstick
A time for curling hair
Is there a time for high street shopping
To find the right dress to wear

Here she comes
Heads turn around
Here she comes
To take her crown

Is there a time to run for cover
A time for kiss and tell
Is there a time for different colours
Different names you find it hard to spell
Is there a time for first communion

A time for East Seventeen
Is there a time to turn to Mecca
Is there time to be a beauty queen
Here she comes

Beauty plays the clown
Here she comes
Surreal in her crown
You say that the river

finds the way to the sea
and like the river
you will come to me
beyond the borders
and the dry lands

You say that like a river
like a river...
the love will come
the love...
And i don't know how to pray anymore
and in love i don't know how to hope anymore
nd for that love i don't know how to wait anymore

Is there a time for tying ribbons
A time for Christmas trees
Is there a time for laying tables
And the night is set to freeze

Sunday Morning!! (Maroon 5)

Sunday Morning  Manhã De Domingo

Sunday morning rain is falling Manhã de domingo, a chuva está caindo
Steal some covers, share some skin Roube alguns lençóis, roce um pouco de pele
Clouds are shrouding us in moments unforgettable As nuvens estão nos envolvendo em momentos inesquecíveis
You twist to fit the mold that I am in Você se contorce pra encaixar em mim

But things just get so crazy Mas as coisas simplesmente ficam tão loucas
Living life gets hard to do Viver fica difícil
And I would gladly hit the road E cairia com satisfação na estrada,
Get up and go if I knew Levantaria e iria se soubesse

That someday it would lead me back to you Que algum dia ela iria me levar de volta pra você
That someday it would lead me back to you Que algum dia ela iria me levar de volta pra você
Someday.. Algum dia...
CHORUS: Refrão:
That may be all I need Que talvez seja tudo o que preciso
In darkness she is all I see Na escuridão ela é tudo que vejo

Come and rest your bones with me Venha e descanse comigo
Driving slow on Sunday morning Dirigindo devagar na manhã de domingo
And I never want to leave. E eu nunca quero ir embora...
Fingers trace your every outline Meus dedos delineiam cada um de seus contornos
Paint a picture with my hands Pintando um retrato com minhas mãos
And back and forth we sway Num vaivém nós nos balançamos

Like branches in a storm como galhos numa tempestade
Change of weather Que mude o tempo,
Still together when it ends ainda estaremos juntos no final

CHORUS: Refrão:
That may be all I need Que talvez seja tudo o que preciso
In darkness she is all I see Na escuridão ela é tudo que vejo
Come and rest your bones with me Venha e descanse comigo
Driving slow on Sunday morning Dirigindo devagar numa manhã de domingo
And I never want to leave. E eu nunca quero ir embora...
Yeah, ooooohhh yeah! Yeah, ooooohhh yeah!
But things just get so crazy Mas as coisas simplesmente ficam tão loucas
Living life gets hard to do Viver fica difícil
Sunday morning rain is falling Manhã de domingo, a chuva está caindo
And I'm calling out to you e estou chamando por você
Singing someday it will bring me back to you Cantando para algum dia me levar de volta pra você
Find a way to bring myself back home to you Vou achar uma forma de voltar para você
You may not know E talvez você nao saiba

CHORUS: Refrão:
That may be all I need Que talvez seja tudo o que preciso
In darkness she is all I see Na escuridão ela é tudo que vejo
Come and rest your bones with me Venha e descanse comigo
Driving slow on Sunday morning Dirigindo devagar numa manhã de domingo
Driving slow, yeah yeah, oh yeah yeah Dirigindo devagar,yeah yeah, oh yeah yeah

Oh yeah yeah, oh yeah yeah Oh yeah yeah, oh yeah yeah
Oh yeah yeah, oh yeah yeah Oh yeah yeah, oh yeah yeah
There's a flower in your hair Há uma flor no seu cabelo
I'm a flower in your hair Sou uma flor no seu cabelo

Oh yeah yeah, oh yeah yeah Oh yeah yeah, oh yeah yeah
Oh yeah yeah, oh yeah yeah Oh yeah yeah, oh yeah yeah
Whoa, yeah Whoa, yeah

Pratique esportes!! Benefícios e vantagens em andar de bicicleta !!! Benefits of biking!!

                                                                     
 Biking                                                  
There are many short-term and long-term benefits of biking. Some people prefer to actually go biking, but for others, it is more convenient, easier, or safer to simply use an exercise or stationary bike. The great thing about the stationary bike is that you do not have to leave the safety and warmth of your own home, especially if you exercise at unusual hours of the night, live in a colder climate, or live in a city without clear, accessible bike paths and bike trails.

The first of the benefits of biking is that it provides a good, safe cardio workout. Health experts suggest that you should do aerobic exercise at least three times a week, keeping your heart rate elevated for at least twenty minutes at a time. Using an exercise bike definitely fulfills this requirement. The second benefit of biking is muscle tone. The bike allows you to tone the muscles in your legs and thighs, and depending on the bike, even your arms. You can adjust the workout (or the programmed incline) to give your legs even more of a workout and build the muscles. The third benefit of biking is that you can warm up and cool down for weight training or more intense aerobic activity. The fourth benefit is that it's easy enough, and even low impact enough, that overweight people can begin exercising, as well as people who suffer from pain or back injuries.

There are many benefits to biking, and many different reasons to take up the stationary bike. You can begin by purchasing a bike, or using the stationary bikes at gyms, recreation centers, or even a friend's house.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alexander_Sutton

Chega de desculpas!!!

Melhor arrumar outra desculpa além da tradicional falta de tempo para não fazer exercícios físicos.
De acordo com uma nova pesquisa feita por cientistas canadenses, pode-se ter ganhos importantes mesmo com poucos minutos de atividade física por dia.
O estudo foi conduzido por um grupo da Universidade McMaster e publicado no The Journal of Physiology. O trabalho reforça os benefícios do treinamento curto e intervalado de alta intensidade, considerada uma alternativa eficiente para os tipos tradicionais de exercícios de longa duração. Ou seja, é possível obter mais com menos.
O treino intervalado de alta intensidade em curto período envolve executar rápidos momentos de exercícios intensos com um pequeno intervalo entre eles. Segundo os autores do estudo, o resultado para indivíduos jovens e saudáveis se mostrou equivalente ao treinamento de resistência de longa duração.
“Verificamos que o treino intervalado não precisa ser do tipo ‘tudo ou nada’ para que se mostre efetivo. Dez séries de apenas 1 minuto de tiro em uma bicicleta ergométrica, com 1 minuto de descanso entre elas, três vezes por semana, funcionam tão bem na melhoria da musculatura como muitas horas de exercícios convencionais de longa duração, mas com menos intensidade”, disse o professor Martin Gibala, um dos autores do estudo.
Segundo os cientistas, o treino curto e intervalado de alta intensidade – mas não extremo – pode funcionar também para indivíduos com sobrepeso, mais velhos e com condicionamento abaixo da média, uma vez que não envolve chegar no limite.
Os benefícios dos exercícios físicos para a saúde são conhecidos, mas a abordagem tradicional exige um considerável número de horas por semana de treinos. Segundo Gibala, 10 tiros de 1 minuto trazem resultados equivalentes a 10 horas de bicicleta ergométrica em ritmo moderado durante um período de duas semanas.
O artigo "A practical model of low-volume high-intensity interval training induces mitochondrial biogenesis in human skeletal muscle: potential mechanisms", de Martin Gibala e outros, pode ser lido por assinantes do The Journal of Physiology (volume 588 issue 6, pp. 1011–1022) em http://jp.physoc.org.

Nova Ciclovia (Bike Path) in São ´Paulo!!! Dicas para comprar uma bicicleta ou uma bike!!!

A nova iniciativa  da administração do prefeito Kassab em proporcionar à população de São Paulo áreas  de lazer  como as ciclovias, é um grande projeto que contribui para a  humanização da cidade através da diminuição da poluição e  interação entre as pessoas!!!  Vamos comprar uma bike, reunir os amigos , fazer exercícios, EMAGRECER, ficar saudável, e recuperar o espírito descontraído  e feliz da vida simples e livre de antigamente!!
 São 28km (ida e volta) a partir da estação Vila Olímpia até Interlagos!!
Abaixo algumas dicas em inglês ,com legendas, de  como comprar uma bike.

HAVE A NICE BIKE RIDE  , livre, leve e solto!!!

Just a joke!! Assista o video:"Demolition call" legendado(with subtitles) e divirta-se!!!

Esta palavra "demolição" está em alta, infelizmente, mas para relaxar um pouco e esquecer as últimas tragédias, vamos rir um pouco!!! Have fun!

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Subtitles in English:

Feriados Americanos!! American Holidays!!

Americans celebrate a variety of federal holidays and other national observances throughout the year. American holidays can be secular, religious, international, or uniquely American.


With the wide variety of federal holidays, and the many levels of American government, it can be confusing to determine what public and private facilities are open on or around a given federal holiday. You can usually find such information in the daily newspaper or by calling the office you wish to visit.

The following are American federal holidays and other common national observances. Federal holidays are indicated as such.


New Year's Day is January 1. The celebration of this federal holiday begins the night before, when Americans gather to wish each other a happy and prosperous coming year. Many Americans make New Year's resolutions.

Martin Luther King Day is a federal holiday celebrated on the third Monday in January. The Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. was an African-American clergyman who is recognized for his tireless efforts to win civil rights for all people through nonviolent means.

Groundhog Day is February 2, and has been celebrated since 1887. On Groundhog Day, crowds gather in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, to see if groundhog Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow after emerging from his burrow, thus predicting six more weeks of winter weather.

Valentine's Day is celebrated on February 14. The day was named after an early Christian martyr, and on Valentine's Day, Americans give presents like candy or flowers to the ones they love. The first mass-produced valentine cards were sold in the 1840s.

Washington's Birthday is a federal holiday observed the third Monday of February to honor George Washington, the first President of the United States. This date is commonly called Presidents' Day and many groups honor the legacy of past presidents on this date.

Easter falls on a spring Sunday that varies from year to year. Easter is a Christian holiday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ. For Christians, Easter is a day of religious services and the gathering of family. Many Americans follow old traditions of coloring hard-boiled eggs and giving children baskets of candy.

Earth Day is observed on April 22. First celebrated in 1970 in the United States, it inspired national legislation such as the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts. Earth Day is designed to promote ecology, encourage respect for life on earth, and highlight concern over pollution of the soil, air, and water.

National Arbor Day was proclaimed as the last Friday in April by President Richard Nixon in 1970. A number of state Arbor Days are observed at other times to coincide with the best tree planting weather, from January and February in the south to May in the far north. The observance began in 1872, when Nebraska settlers and homesteaders were urged to plant trees on the largely treeless plains.

Mother's Day celebrates mothers every second Sunday of May. President Woodrow Wilson, who issued a proclamation in 1914, asked Americans to give a public expression of reverence to mothers on this day. Carnations have come to represent Mother's Day, following President William McKinley's habit of always wearing a white carnation, his mother's favorite flower.

Memorial Day is a federal holiday observed the last Monday of May. It originally honored the people killed in the American Civil War, but has become a day on which the American dead of all wars, and the dead generally, are remembered in special programs held in cemeteries, churches, and other public meeting places. The flying of the American flag is widespread.

Flag Day, celebrated June 14, has been a presidentially proclaimed observance since 1916. Although Flag Day is not a federal holiday, Americans are encouraged to display the flag outside their homes and businesses on this day to honor the history and heritage the American flag represents.

Father's Day celebrates fathers every third Sunday of June. Father's Day began in 1909 in Spokane, Washington, when a daughter requested a special day to honor her father, a Civil War veteran who raised his children after his wife died. The first presidential proclamation honoring fathers was issued in 1966 by President Lyndon Johnson.

Independence Day is July 4. This federal holiday honors the nation's birthday - the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. It is a day of picnics and patriotic parades, a night of concerts and fireworks. The flying of the American flag is widespread.

Labor Day is the first Monday of September. This federal holiday honors the nation's working people, typically with parades. For most Americans it marks the end of the summer vacation season and the start of the school year.

Columbus Day is a federal holiday celebrated on the second Monday in October. The day commemorates October 12, 1492, when Italian navigator Christopher Columbus landed in the New World. The holiday was first proclaimed in 1937 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Halloween is celebrated on October 31. On Halloween, American children dress up in funny or scary costumes and go "trick or treating" by knocking on doors in their neighborhood. The neighbors are expected to respond by giving them small gifts of candy or money.

Veterans Day is celebrated on November 11. Originally called Armistice Day, this federal holiday was established to honor Americans who had served in World War I, but it now honors veterans of all wars in which the U.S. has fought. Veterans' organizations hold parades, and the president places a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.

Thanksgiving Day is a federal holiday celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November. The holiday began in 1621, when Puritans, who had just enjoyed a bountiful harvest, showed their gratitude to the Native Americans for their help by hosting a feast to give thanks. The Thanksgiving feast became a national tradition and almost always includes some of the foods served at the first feast: roast turkey, cranberry sauce, potatoes, and pumpkin pie.

Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day is December 7. In 1994, Congress designated this national observance to honor the more than 2,400 military service personnel who died on this date in 1941, during the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, by Japanese forces. The attack on Pearl Harbor caused the United States to enter World War II.

Christmas Day is a federal holiday celebrated on December 25. Christmas is a Christian holiday marking the birth of the Christ Child. Decorating houses and yards with lights, putting up Christmas trees, giving gifts, and sending greeting cards have become traditions even for many non-Christian Americans.

Other Celebrations

Various ethnic and religious groups in America celebrate days with special meaning to them even though these are not national holidays. Jews, for example, observe their high holy days in September, Muslims celebrate Ramadan, African Americans celebrate Kwanzaa, Irish Americans celebrate the old country's patron saint, St. Patrick, on March 17, and Mardi Gras is the day before the Christian season of Lent begins and is a big occasion in New Orleans, Louisiana, where huge parades and wild revels take place. There are many other such religious and ethnic celebrations in the United States.

Oscar categories! Os indicados para o Oscar 2010!!

                                                                          Avatar

 

Aqui o site official for you to learn a little about the Oscar presentation:  http://oscar.go.com/ and http://oscar.go.com/nominations/nominees  for the nominees,os indicados ao Oscar 2010

    Best Picture   
  

 Actor

 Actress

Supporting Actor

Supporting Actress

Director

Foreign Film

Adapted Screenplay

Original Screenplay

Animated Feature Film

Art Direction

Cinematography

Sound Mixing

Sound Editing

Original Score

Original Song

Costume

Documentary Feature

Documentary (short subject)

Film Editing

Makeup

Animated Short Film

Live Action Short Film

Visual Effects

       

Avatar

O que é o Oscar?

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (Academia de Artes e Ciências Cinematográficas ) is a professional honorary organization comprised of over 6,000 motion picture artists and craftsmen.


The Academy's general goal is the advancement of the arts and sciences of motion pictures. Within that, the Academy fosters cultural, educational and technological cooperation among its members; it provides a forum for various branches of the industry; it represents the viewpoint of its members; and it encourages educational activities between the professional community and the public.


What it does not do is promote economic, labor, or political matters. Organized in May 1927 as a nonprofit corporation, its original 36 members included both production executives and film luminaries. Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. was the first president.


The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers. The formal ceremony at which the awards are presented is among the most prominent and most watched film awards ceremonies in the world. The 1st Academy Awards ceremony was held on Thursday, May 16, 1929 at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood to honor outstanding film achievements of 1927 and 1928. It was hosted by actor Douglas Fairbanks and director William C. DeMille.


AMPAS, a professional honorary organization, maintains a voting membership of 5,830 as of 2007. Actors constitute the largest voting bloc, numbering 1,311 members (22 percent) of the Academy's composition. Votes for Oscars have been tabulated and certified by the auditing firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (and its predecessor Price Waterhouse) for the past 72 annual awards ceremonies.

Business and finance in Brazil!!

Para aqueles que dispõe de algum tempo para ler e ouvir o artigo abaixo do jornalista JOHN PRIDEAUX, I highly recommend you take a few minutes to aprimorar seu connhecimento na área de business em inglês.
Have fun!!!



Getting it together at last

Brazil used to be all promise. Now it is beginning to deliver, says John Prideaux (interviewed here)
Nov 12th 2009 | From The Economist print edition

BRAZIL has long been known as a place of vast potential. It has the world’s largest freshwater supplies, the largest tropical forests, land so fertile that in some places farmers manage three harvests a year, and huge mineral and hydrocarbon wealth. Foreign investors have staked fortunes on the idea that Brazil is indeed the country of the future. And foreign investors have lost fortunes; most spectacularly, Henry Ford, who made a huge investment in a rubber plantation in the Amazon which he intended to tap for car tyres. Fordlândia, a long-forgotten municipality in the state of Pará, with its faded clapboard houses now slowly being swallowed up by jungle, is perhaps Brazil’s most poignant monument to that repeated triumph of experience over hope.

Foreigners have short memories, but Brazilians have learned to temper their optimism with caution—even now, when the country is enjoying probably its best moment since a group of Portuguese sailors (looking for India) washed up on its shores in 1500. Brazil has been democratic before, it has had economic growth before and it has had low inflation before. But it has never before sustained all three at the same time. If current trends hold (which is a big if), Brazil, with a population of 192m and growing fast, could be one of the world’s five biggest economies by the middle of this century, along with China, America, India and Japan.

Despite the financial crisis that has shaken the world, a lot of good things seem to be happening in Brazil right now. It is already self-sufficient in oil, and large new offshore discoveries in 2007 are likely to make it a big oil exporter by the end of the next decade. All three main rating agencies classify Brazil’s government paper as investment grade. The government has announced that it will lend money to the IMF, an institution that only a decade ago attached stringent conditions to the money it was lending to Brazil. As the whole world seemed to be heading into a long winter last year, foreign direct investment (FDI) in Brazil was 30% up on the year before—even as FDI inflows into the rest of the world fell by 14%.

Much of the country’s current success was due to the good sense of its recent governments, in particular those of Fernando Henrique Cardoso from 1995 to 2003, which created a stable, predictable macroeconomic environment in which businesses could flourish (though even now the government continues to get in the way of companies trying to earn profits and create jobs). How did this remarkable transformation come about? And how can Brazilian and foreign firms, from lipstick-makers to investment banks, take advantage of the country’s new stability?

To see why Brazil currently seems so exciting to both Brazilians and foreigners, it helps to understand just how deep it had sunk by the early 1990s. Past disappointments also explain three things about Brazil which outsiders sometimes find hard to fathom: its suspicion of free markets; its faith in the wisdom of government intervention in business and finance; and persistently high interest rates.

When Brazil became independent from Portugal in 1822, British merchants, delighted to discover a big new market, flooded Brazil with manufactures, including, according to one possibly apocryphal story, ice-skates—an early example of emerging-market fever. Even so, real income per person remained stagnant throughout the 19th century, perhaps because an inadequate education system and an economy dependent on slaves producing commodities for export combined to get in the way of development. Ever since the Brazilians have tended to view free trade with suspicion, despite their country’s recent success as an exporter.

In the mid-20th century Brazil seemed to have found a formula for stimulating growth and enjoyed what appeared to be an economic miracle. At one point its economy grew faster than that of any other big country bar Japan and South Korea. That growth relied on a state-led development model, financed with foreign debt within a semi-closed economy. But growth also brought inflation, which crippled Brazil until the mid-1990s and still accounts for some odd characteristics, such as the country’s painfully high interest rates and its disinclination to save. All the same, the “miracle” wrought by the military government persuaded Brazilians that the state knew best, at least in the economic sphere, and even the subsequent mess did not quite persuade them otherwise.

Unhappy memories
When this development model broke down amid the oil shocks of the 1970s, Brazil was left without the growth but with horrendous inflation and lots of foreign debt. There followed two volatile decades, when Brazil started being likened to Nigeria instead of South Korea. Productivity growth went into reverse. Many of the country’s current problems, including crime and poor education and health care, either date from that period or were exacerbated by it. Between 1990 and 1995 inflation averaged 764% a year
Then a real miracle happened. In 1994 a team of economists under Mr Cardoso, then the finance minister, introduced a new currency, the real, which succeeded where previous attempts had failed. Within a year the Real Plan had managed to curb price rises. In 1999 the exchange-rate peg was abandoned and the currency allowed to float, and the central bank was told to target inflation. The ten-year anniversary of this event has just passed, and although there is continuing debate about how to make the real less volatile, none of the big political parties advocates going back to a managed rate.

More than that, the reforms brought discipline to the government’s finances. Both federal and state governments now have to live within their means. A requirement to run a primary surplus (before interest payments on the public debt) was introduced in 1999, and the federal government has hit the target for it every year since, though there is a good chance that it will miss it this year. This has allowed Brazil to get rid of most of the dollar-denominated foreign debt that caused such instability every time the economy wobbled. Now international creditors trust the government to honour its commitments. Moody’s, a rating agency, elevated Brazil’s government paper in September to investment grade just as the governments of many richer countries fretted about being able to meet their obligations.

Yet growth still proved elusive. It took a buoyant world economy and a surge in commodity prices to procure it. Although Brazil’s economy is still relatively closed (trade accounted for a modest 24% of GDP in 2008, less than 60 years earlier), its growth is closely correlated with commodity prices, the Chinese economy, the Baltic Dry index and other measures of global trade. But at last in 2006 GDP outpaced inflation for the first time in over 50 years.

Lucky Lula’s legacy
Brazil’s current president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, has been able to take much of the credit for the country’s recent growth that perhaps properly belongs to his predecessor. Yet Lula’s achievement has been to keep the reforms he was bequeathed and add a few of his own—not a meagre accomplishment given that for the past seven years his own party has been trying to drag him to the left.

Lula is often mocked for beginning his sentences with the phrase, “never before in the history of this country”. What his political opponents find even more infuriating is that he is often right. Brazil was able to cut interest rates and inject money into the economy as the world economy faltered at the end of last year, the first time it has been able to do this in a crisis. Whereas others predicted that world events would tip Brazil into recession, Lula reckoned that the crisis would amount to nothing more than a small tide breaking on his country’s beaches. The economy shrank for only two quarters and is now growing again. The contrast with Brazil’s performance in previous crises could not be more stark (see article).

Plenty of problems remain. The central bank’s headline interest rate is 8.75%, one of the highest real rates anywhere in the world. If the government wants a long-term loan in its own currency it still has to link its bonds to inflation, making debt expensive to service.

Productivity growth is sluggish. That may not seem the end of the world, but it reflects realities such as the two-hour bus journey into work endured by people living on the periphery of São Paulo, the country’s largest city, during which they often risk assault before arriving too tired to be very useful. The government invests too little and has longstanding gaps in policing and education to fill. The legal system is dysfunctional. And so on.

Yet other countries face similar problems, and Brazil has made real progress. In a country where businesses became used to headline interest rates of 30% or more, a rate below 9% comes as a relief. “It’s like the difference between running a marathon with 50 kilos on your shoulders and 20 kilos,” says Luis Stuhlberger of Credit Suisse Hedging-Griffo, one of Brazil’s most successful fund managers. Mr Stuhlberger thinks that Brazil’s recent past was so awful, and its expansion of education and credit is so young, that the country can reasonably be expected to continue on its current trajectory, even without further big reforms. Even so, he argues, “we are not going to have a Harvard or a Google here.” The blame for that, he says, lies largely with government policies.

Brazil’s economic story could certainly be made more exciting with some reforms to its business environment. The country’s potential growth without a risk of overheating can only be guessed at, but it is probably below the 6.8% it reached in the third quarter of 2008. Most economists put it at 4-5%. This suggests that interest rates will not be coming down to levels considered normal in other countries soon.

Still, stability has its own rewards. Edmar Bacha, one of the economists who worked on the introduction of the real in 1994, is pleased that the debates about Brazil’s economy have become so narrow. Back in 1993, when he joined the ministry of finance, inflation at one point hit 2,489%. Nowadays, he notes with a wry smile, “the big debates are about whether interest rates could come down from 8.75% to 8.25%; or whether the central bank should have started cutting a month earlier than it did.” That change has been good for Brazil, and particularly good for its banks and its financial system.

A Partida , Okuribito filme!! Thrilling and sensitive!!! A must see!!!!

Assisti ontem e .......... esta história é tão tocante e delicada quanto a música tema do filme. No ritmo da melodia e sem muitas palavras, o terno silêncio emociona à medida que os gestos e expressões falam mais alto...
Incrível!!! A cena da "pedra"me fez lembrar do querido "Juan Orviedo" que ensinava e acreditava na magia e energia que elas emanavam... A troca das pedras e o significado que elas encerram em si mesmas (veja cena abaixo) é simplesmente linda.... a bond symbol of affection and sensitiveness .... for good(forever)...


" O filme é uma lição sobre amor, afeto e as barreiras que o orgulho (e a vergonha) podem formar para separar durante uma vida – pelo menos a terrestre – as pessoas que se amam." (by Alessandra Odega)

WHAT IT'S ABOUT?Daigo loses his job in a symphony orchestra and decides to take off in new directions. He moves back to his hometown with his wife and answers an ad with the word "departures" thinking it's for a glamorous job in the travel industry. It turns out to be an open position for an "encoffiner," who prepares people for cremation. Needing money and taking on this new challenge without telling his wife, he soon develops a new respect for people of all kinds, one that will come in handy when the emotional issues of life and death hit very close to home.


WHAT'S GOOD?Director Yojiro Tokita has worked in a variety of film genres, but nothing prepares you for the lyrical rhythms of Departures, an enlightening and deeply satisfying movie of many small, unexpected pleasures. If the deliberate pacing seems slow, give it a chance to creep up on you. This is a film that doesn't wear its heart on its sleeve but earns our tears honestly and in real time. It's ruminations on how we die — and how we live — while rooted in Japanese culture and customs that couldn't be more universal or relatable to anyone with a pulse.
http://uk.movies.yahoo.com/d/Departures-Okuribito/review-8390110.html

The art of dancing!! A arte de dançar!!!Patrick Swaize and Lisa Niemi!

One last dance!!! Patrick Swaize and Lisa Niemi




When a New York dance company's brilliant artistic director dies, three former stars of the company are brought back in hopes of saving the company by resurrecting a dance piece that was created for them years ago, but never performed - the very dance that ended all their careers in a heartbreaking way. Given one last chance to discover a dream they lost, the three dancers battle against time and damaged relationships, finding they must first face themselves before they can face the dance. Written by Lisa Niemi


When the successful artistic director Alex McGrath dies, his New York dance company invites three veteran dancers, Travis MacPhearson, Chrissa Lindh and Max Delano, to exhibit a never performed dance piece called "Without a Word" as a last homage in a benefit show. Along the troubled trio reunion, secrets are disclosed, deep wounds are healed, culminating with their last dance together. Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil