Bizarre Brazil

Domitilia de Castro Canto e Mello, later Marchioness of Santos and lover of Dom Pedro the First.

Slaves going to mass

Slaves going to be baptised

Marriage of slaves

Seller of arruda, a medicinal plant

Seller of cookies and flowers

Fine Arts Academy

Plant of a little house

Plant of a large house

Poor family

Rich family

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Women slaves

Men slaves

Now the Pope is gone, back to business. Every time a foreigner friend say me how violent is the US and blahblahblah I tell he or she about the incredible number of deaths every day in Brazilian slums, trench towns and downtowns. There are weekends in some cities (especially Rio de Janeiro, but also Sao Paulo and other minor metropolitan areas) where body counts can be as large as three, four, five Virginia Techs. I’m obviously not proud of this numbers, as you can imagine, but I won’t start a personal crusade either.

Well, enough said. And some numbers from World Health Organization Statistical Information System to compare the 2002 body count. This numbers are sent to WHO by the governments, so it’s all official figures.

In 2002 in Brazil the leading causes of death for men in all ages groups were:

• 40812 deaths from: Unattended death (R98)*
• 35886 deaths from: Acute myocardial infarction - Acute myocardial infarction, unspecified (I219)
• 22360 deaths from: Stroke, not specified as hemorrhage or infarction (I64)
• 14708 deaths from: Assault by other and unspecified firearm discharge - Assault by other and unspecified firearm discharge, unspecified place (X959)

In 2002 in United States of America the leading causes of death for men in all ages groups were:

• 106814 deaths from: Chronic ischaemic heart disease - Atherosclerotic heart disease (I251)
• 93643 deaths from: Acute myocardial infarction - Acute myocardial infarction, unspecified (I219)
• 89577 deaths from: Malignant neoplasm of bronchus and lung - Bronchus or lung, unspecified (C349)
• 48472 deaths from: Other chronic obstructive pulmonary disease - Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, unspecified (J449)

*(what this number don’t tell is that many of this deaths were caused by firearms shot or other violent means)

You can see more numbers and information about your own country here.

Somedays ago I wrote a small rant about Porto Alegre, my southern hometown, and about Olinda’s Carnival in comparison with that from Rio de Janeiro. So now it’s time to show some pics from Porto Alegre’s brancaleone Carnival.

Just to contextualize: Porto Alegre (map) is the southern state capital town where the commie World Social Forum - an anti-globalization, anti-Davos Forum, semi-Luddite congregation of all kind of leftists (and the Brazilian LefThieves) - was held from 2001 to 2005. Porto Alegre is also famous for… Well… actually nothing, but don’t tell them or they’ll be very angry at you (sorry, Solon, I can’t resist).

Porto Alegre is not particularly famous by its Carnival, but it’s pretty decent in terms of getting the cheap kind of fun you get in Samba Carnivals, comparing to other places in Brazil. It’s also far more secure then a Samba Carnival in Rio or Sao Paulo, although way small. Bellow you can see some very cool pics of this year’s party.

This is KING MOMO, Carnival’s 4 days despotic monarch.

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This kind of feast is rare, and has no precise time to happen (this one happened in 1974). One day Takuman, the page (chief of the tribe*) after take care of a sick man who was almost crazy of pain and seeing monstrous women, decided that it was time to provide this special party called Yamurikuma, where only women take part. They sing, dance and fight like man. At the end of the party they all bath at the river. We could say, they become Amazonas** for one day!

* Kamayura tribe (National Park of Xingu, Brazil)
** the legendary Amazon women warriors

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A thief hit by a cop ridding a dune-buggy. A huge collection of pickpockets in action. Something that looks a lot like a live execution, on the fastest trial you’ll ever see. A free shooting in a busy avenue.

You’re never safe in Rio de Janeiro.

(Images by Rio’s Security Office)

Sao Paulo police is not know by its table manners, but it’s respected and feared by the bad guys (and by many citizens). This video shows the cops searching suspects.