Residents at Pinheirinho favela (Sao Jose dos Campos, state of Sao Paulo) prepared to resist eviction.

During this week, two judges emitted conflicting orders, the first issuing and the latter cancelling their eviction, as the favela was born from an invasion of private property.

The latest news are that the police is on site conducting the eviction at this moment. See #Pinheirinho on Twitter.

EDIT: Less stylish pictures from today’s action.

EDIT 2: The eviction order was cancelled while the police was already carrying it. The eviction was concluded and the residents are now allocated to a temporary camp made by the city authority. A fiery reaction occurred on Twitter, not only because poor people were being expelled, but also for the owner of said property being Naji Nahas, billionaire stock broker accused of serious crimes against the financial system, jailed and absolved in 2008.

During the recently ended occupation of University of São Paulo, a protester reads poetry to cops. Judging from the cops’ expression, it did not cause too much appeal to their literary tastes. 

obitoftheday:

Obit of the Day (Breaking): World’s Oldest Woman

On July 9, 1896 Maria Gomes Valentim was born in Brazil. She died today, three weeks shy of her 115th birthday. Valentim was named the “World’s Oldest Person” by the Guiness Book of World Records in May 2011, displacing Besse Cooper of Georgia. (Cooper didn’t die, it was discovered that Valentim was 48 days older. Cooper is now in the lead.)

Valentim, who has seven great-great grandchildren, credited her longevity on eating a roll for breakfast everyday and the occasional “nip of wine.”

(Image courtesy of msnbc.com)

Brazil’s Supreme Court ruled today that civil unions between same-sex couples will now be legal.

In a 10-0 vote, with one abstention, the justices said gay couples deserve the same legal rights as heterosexuals when it comes to alimony, retirement benefits, and inheritances.

“This is a…

jornalismovaicomdeus:

(via @br_mkj)

“Go get them, Bro!”

jornalismovaicomdeus:

via @chicobarney e @cintiacosta

A rather noteworthy poll was published on the website of Folha de S. Paulo, the most sold newspaper in Brazil. 

Translation: The book “The Pink Triangle” tells the history of a gay survivor in a Nazi concentration camp. He says that even straight guys ended up making sex with other guys. If you were a prisoner in a Nazi camp, would make sex with a person of the same sex?

• Yes
• No
• Maybe, but no kissing.

jonreadsthenews:

A gunman has shot dead at least 12 children at a school in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro before killing himself, police say.

At least 12 others were wounded when the man entered the school with two revolvers and began shooting indiscriminately.

The killer has been identified as a 23-year-old former pupil.

President Dilma Rousseff wept as she condemned the school massacre - the first of its kind in Brazil.

The attack happened at the Escola Municipal Tasso da Silveira school in the western Realengo area.

Officials said Wellington Menezes de Olivera arrived at the start of the school day and got into the building by saying he had come to give a lecture, but then went into a classroom and began shooting.

Teachers barricaded the doors of other classrooms while children hid under desks.

Some wounded children escaped and alerted police, who rushed to the scene.

Police said the gunmen shot himself in the head after he was confronted by officers.

“The shooting was still going on when I arrived at the school,” military police Sgt. Marcio Alves told O Globo.

“I found him on the second floor coming out of a classroom. He pointed his gun in my direction, he got shot and fell, and immediately committed suicide”.

Read more

In fact, this was the second massacre of this kind in Brazil. In 1999, a med student opened fire with a machine gun against the crowd in a movie theater, killing four persons.

What should I say… Happy halloween!

I do follow with sincere interest all the international news about the new perception of Brazil in world affairs - BRIC, emerging power, a country in the way of development etc.

Then I notice the first ocurrence of the word “samba” and stop reading.