Miguel Nicolelis, a visionary scientist

Miguel Angelo Laporta Nicolelis is a Brazilian neuroscientist who is developing researches in cerebral diseases. He works at University of Duke, USA and he is the first Brazilian scientist to get distinction in Science Magazine .The purpose of this researches is to release patients of colateral effects on treatments like Parkinson illness and others neural problems.

The device is to stimulate medulla oblongata in a semi-invasive surgery on the contrary of others techiniques as introduction of eletrodes into cerebral center. Nicolellis thinks that it's possible to conjugate medicine treatment with this stimulating treatment, as said in interview to O Estado de S.Paulo newspaper:"In one year we can start the clinical tests".

Nicolelis, 48, is nowadays a world-wide recognized neuroscientist. He is too a visionary scientist. Althought he is living abroud most part of his time, he planned and is director of International Institute of Neurosciences of Natal (IINN), a project sponsored by a bank and that available scientific education to childreen of 11 to 17 years old on their shcool-free time. The students are of poor families of Natal, a capital of the state of Rio Grande do Norte, on the Brazil's northeast region , one of the poorest of the country.

In IINN students build robots, have supplementary classes accompaning official curriculum and compute. All of them - circa 1,000 - are from public schools. And among the pupils of project there are distinct students with good averages, in spite of their social situation. This is a answer to some peoples in Brazil that say poor students haven't skills to follow other students with better material resources and in theory, more prepared to improve their scholarship. Nicolelis project is a proof that knowledge is the better way of social justice. "We have to give opportunities to students" he said recently on a interview to a Brazilian TV channel. For Nicolelis, efforts on education and science are what distinguish developed countries from ohters. We hope that Nicolelis work be a example of change, change of lifes, change of minds.

About Brazilian literature: Carlos Drummond de Andrade

Carlos Drummond de Andrade (1902-1987) was born in the city of Itabira, state of Minas Gerais. He studied in a Catholic school, where he was banished by "mental insubordination". Gratuated in pharmacology he never worked in this profession.Public servant, partook of "The Modern, Art Week where was drawn the destinations of Brazilian literature. He is maybe the most popular Brazilian, being one of his most famous poems "José". Here is too showed the poem "Love's balad throught the ages". His poetry is based on social critic, existencial thoughts, irony and a good sense of humor.

“José”

What now, José?

the party is over

the light is switch off

the people disappeared

the night cooled

what now, José

what now, you?

you who is anonymous

who mock other people,

you who make verse

who love, protest?

what now, José?

You’re without woman,

Without discourse

Without caress

even can’t drinking

even can’t smoking

you can’t even spit

the night’s cooled

the day hasn’t come

the streetcar hasn’t come

hasn’t come the utopia

and all is over

and all things fled

and all thins molded

what now, José?

What now, José?

your sweet speech

your instant of fever

yuour gluttony and fast

your library

your gold till

your glass-coat

your incoherence

your rage-what now?

With the key on hand

you want to open the door

but no door

want to die on the sea,

but the sea is dried

want to go to Minas

there isn’t Minas no more

José, what now?

If you cried

if you moaned

if you played a

the waltz of Viena

if you got tired

if you died

but you don’t die

you are hard, José!

Alone, on darkness

like wild-beast

without theograma

without nude wall

to support you

without black horse

that flee by gallop

you tramp, José!

José, where?

Love's balad throught the ages

I like you, you like me

since unknown times

I was Greek, you Trojan

I go out of wooden horse

to kill your brother

I killed him, we fought, and we died

I changed roman soldier

persecutor of Christians

At cotacomb's door

I met you again

But when I saw you naked

fallen on the sand of the circus

and the lion was coming

I leaped desperately

and the lion ate both us

After I was Moorish pirate,

calamity of Tripolitanis

I took fire on the frigate

where you was hidden

from the fury of my ship

But when I carried you to be my slave

You did the sign of the cross

And you ripped your breast with a dagger

I killed my self too

After (tranquil times)

I was courtier in Versailles,

Spirited and naughty

You decided to be a nun

I climbed the walls of the nunery

but political problems

Sent us to guillotine

Today, I am a modern boy

I row, jump, dance, box

I have current account

You are a remarkable blonde,

you box, dance, jump, row

Your father dislikes

But after thousand peripetias,

me, hero of Paramount

hug you, kiss you, and we get married

Search : Massaud Moisés, A Literatura brasileira através dos textos,1996. Cultrix editora.

Translated by Marcos Vinicius Gomes

Photo Drummond 's personal archive

"Brazilian Shirley Temple" is censored

This is Maisa a 7 years-old-prodigious girl, the last success on Brazilian TV. She was discovered when she was 3 on a talents-show and since then her face has been seen every week on TV sets. She has a program at Saturdays named "Sábado Animado" where presents cartoons and talk to kids by telephone, and had a special presentation on "Programa Silvio Santos" (Silvio Santos Show) a Sunday-TV show where she played with his "boss" Silvio Santos.

Silvio Santos - pseudonymous of Senor Abravanel -is a businessman and a show man owner of banks, TV stations, hotels and shops of eletronics. He got rich making raffles on TV. Santos began his self made man life as a comb seller in Rio de Janeiro; after this he went to São Paulo and bought his first TV channel during military dictatorship. Today he is owner of SBT network, the third greatest Brazilian TV group. His life and success were always criticized by a part of public opinion and by intelligentsia that consider Silvio Santos a, a demagogue businessman. Maybe it is true-or not. But is known that Santos has a populist mind to produce some of the shows of his station, using frequently vulgar language to get more public to his channels. Besides he frequently disrespect the public, taking off soap-operas and series without previous notice. But what happened with Maisa last May,17 can not be a pretext of authorities to reveal their demagogy or envy, that is usual between Brazilian society - capitalism is still a taboo, and all businessmen are always seen as Dickensian exploiters.

On this date, Maisa cried in front of the cameras on the studio of Silvio Santos Show when she saw a boy wearing a monster mask. This was a strategy to frighten Maisa, of course a unhappy mock that was not edited before broadcasted . This scene caused a great indignation of children rights defensors, lawyers looking for prestige and judges. They request and got the prohibition of Maisa's appearance on Silvio Santos Show. She only appear on her own show at Saturdays.

There would be none problem if Brazil were not one of the greatest countries of the world in disrespect to childrens rights. Recently Brazilian police has been occupied catching nets of pedophiles and persons that patronize adolescent prostitution. What is the problem if Maisa cried in front of cameras? Psychologists have said that Maisa is a happy child, she has good note on school and her family protect her of the perils of the fame. There are another children to authorities take care. Specialists discuss about the use of the children image on TV, what this can represent to their development, what is the psycologic impact that this can cause in their minds - all of this hav to be scrutinized, but hurried statements are not the best way to solve the problem.

Silvio Santos maybe had mistaken in his atitude with Maisa, exposing a little child on a harmful situation, but compare this bad action with other situations of prejudices against chidren related above is incoherent and demagogy, inadmissible in a country that want to protect all the children however their social class. The rest is pure demagogy, official demagogy.

Photo: SBT Network

"Chubby" Ronaldo is the best

Ronaldo Nazário de Sousa, important Brazilian football player, has proved why he is called "The Phenomenon". After be voted three times as the best world's football player in FIFA's pool,Ronaldo suffered some traumas in his knees that prohibitted him playing soccer for several months.Ronaldo was forgotten after this, and some said his career was over. One year ago Ronaldo's reputation got so weak, that his personal life was reported in a intensive way, much more than his professional life. His love life was scrutinized and showed on newspapers and TV news besides of Gossip Magazines.

Ronaldo, distant of football because of his fracture had his nickname "The Phenomenon" changed for "The Chubby", because of his weight increasing day by day. The amazing trajectory of a low-middle class boy that got rich sudeenly only playing soccer and dated beautiful girls like famous models and TV actresses seemed over.

Change has come December,17,2008, when Ronaldo came definetively to Brazil and signed a one-year contract with Corinthians, one of the Brazilian greatest football teams. Sport Club Corinthians Paulista is known as "Timão" (Big Team) and is considered as a "religion", because of strong love for the team. Althought this important contract, some people didn't trust Ronaldo's return, including journalists and specialists.

Ronaldo's restart career happened in great style.He got several goals on Paulista's Soccer Championship, the most important Brazil regional championship.With 10 goals on 14 games, Ronaldo won Paulista Championship and has been adopted by Corinthians fans and fans of another teams. Ronaldo's revival give him the right of dream about his return to Brazilian National Football Selection, publicity contracts and the conquest of lost prestige in football world. But it's possible that Ronaldo stops his career after conclusion of his contract with Corinthians, as said to Brazilian newspaper Folha de S. Paulo in a interview on May, 15, 2009.

The strongest simbol of Ronaldo's revival took place on a meeting between Ronaldo and President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva last May,12,2009. President Lula and Ronaldo quarreled in World Cup 2006 when Lula asked Coach Parrreira if Ronaldo wasn't "chubby a little bit". Ronaldo paid back to Lula and said that Brazil's President "drank a lot". Now they are friends again and Corinthians -"mega-fan" Lula got a shirt and a ball autographed by Ronaldo "Phenomenon". Both of them are good examples of determination - both have struggled against difficulties to get a good place on Brazilian society, society that is yet unfair to its compounders some times.

The slave's liberation day

Today in Brazil is “The slave’s liberation day”. In this date 121 years ago Princess Isabel wrote the “Aurea Law”, giving the liberty to every slave. This act was not a sympathy gesture by “The Bigot Princess” (As such Isabel Princess was called) but obedience to England’s pressures to get more market to its products. After that moment, all black slaves left theirs oppressor’s houses to go through the world looking for freedom.

The Brazil’s slaves liberation was the late of the American continent, and the marks of almost four centuries of slavery still continue between us. And in this week of commemoration a movie-documentary will tell a story of a special character of Brazilian culture that, suffered the injustice of racism and incomprehension throughout his life.Calvito Leal, Micael Langer and Claudio Manoel”s documentary “Ninguém sabe o duro que dei”, translated something as “Nobody know how hard was to get I got” is a try to reveal Wilson Simonal’s life, a singer who was one of the more charismatic artists of his time.

Wilson Simonal de Castro (1938-2000) was born in Rio de Janeiro, got orphan early and was educated with great difficulties as such greatest part of Brazilian black children. In spite of this adversities, Simonal served in Brazil’s army and after this, begun his musical career. He was known because of his swing and gaiety, conquering thousands of fans around Brazil. One time, Simonal crowded the Maracanãzinho Stadium with more than 30,000 people whose sang, danced and enjoy the amazing artist. Simonal’s career increase so rapidly and with the success, the discrimination against him.

It’s known that Simonal was fascinated by the success, and some time he shown signs of arrogance. This would be comprehensible if he had not dated to get free of the sketch drawn to him since his birth. Simonal never economized words and his statements were used against himself. He had said that he supported the military revolution of 1964 – but thousand of peoples had supported,. And he didn’t care - but truly was uninformed about repression, censorship, and crimes against citizens. His son,singer Max de Castro says his father hadn’t politics mind.

After a trip with the Brazil’s football team that disputed World Cup of 1970 in Mexico, Simonal suspected that his manager account Rafael Viviani was robbing his fortune. So he asked some friends, that worked at DOPS- the repression office of dictatorship to interrogate Viviani, but they beat the manager. After this Viviani denounced Simonal as spy of repression.

Since Simonal career begun to fall. Colleagues of art rejected him, several shows were canceled, and nobody called him to TV presentations. Left activists sealed Simonal as traitor and journalists wrote –and some times invented things about Simonal. The myth was over.

Wilson Simonal has not been forgiven. On his late years he said on one TV show “I dare anybody to prove that I had participation on repressions organizations or had contributed to dictatorship”. But was in vain, he died some time after.

Simonal lately has been rediscovered by youth and for people that never know him completely, but now have the opportunity to enjoy the songs and learn about this obscure time of our history, which is object of shame for all democratic minds.

Photo: Odeon

Yes we have Obama!

Barack Obama's triumph was clapped a lot for many peoples in Brazil of differents social classes, professions, beliefs and parties. His victory represents a new age in afro and afro-descendant history. Now It's possible to say that any children, youth, man and woman can assure that theirs perspectives can be different. More than five centuries of racism, intolerance, discrimination-not only of black people its useful to say - is now step by step rubbed of minds, social structures, policys, cultural products.

Any boy or girl in some of the poorest countries in Africa ou even in North America ou Brazil for example can look at Obama's figure in Tv set, or in photos and think "Yes, I can". Now nobody that cultivate racists taughts can argue against this fact: Obama, afro-descendant american, child of an intercultural union, highly educated, is the first black president of a country that has a shameful historic of racism and segregation.

Obama has a special conecction with Brazil - with brazilian culture, specifically. In his biography Dreams from my father, Obama tells that his mother(Ann Dunhann) take contact with Brazil and afro-descendant culture wathcing "Black Orpheus" a movie based on the heteronimous Vinicius de Moraes' play. Vinicius de Moraes was a poet, diplomat, bossa-nova song composer that criated well-known sambas like Girl from Ipanema (Garota de Ipanema in partnership with Tom Jobin) and Afternoon in Itapoan (Tarde em Itapoâ). According with Obama's biography,after comtemplate the movie , his mother went to university in Havai and begin a relationship with a economy strudent named Barack Obama who was Obama's father and from this relatioship culminated in new-american president's birth. In his youth, Obama watched with his mother during her visit the film "Black Orpheus", which he confessed boring. While the exhibition when he looked at his mother's face he could contemplate her marvelled expression. After that date, his could understand her complicity with black culture, that trespassed conventions, prejudices and tabus.

picture: http://www.ericalmendral.com/