Americans Refuse to Shift Gears
By Terry Caesar My car won’t start. I live in Texas. Better call AAA. The man who answers the call has bad news and good news. The bad news is the problem is probably not the battery but the starter. The good news is he’d like to buy my car, right now, because it has a standard or manual transmission, a “stick,” as it used to be called. “You More...
Paraná to Decentralize Atlantic Forest Policy
Paraná is the first state in the country to include municipalities in its Atlantic Forest policy. The measure is unprecedented in Brazil. It represents a partnership between the State Department of the Environment, More...
BRICS Meeting in South Africa
The BRICS countries, a group of five emerging world economic powers, met last month in South Africa. They gathered for a summit meeting at which they announced the creation of a new development bank, a direct challenge More...
Cellphone Users Cannot Hide
Scientists say it is remarkably easy to identify a cellphone user from just a few pieces of location information. Whenever a cellphone is switched on, its connection to a network means its position and movement More...
Earth Hour
The lights in several tourist attractions in Curitiba were turned off between 8:30 pm and 9:30 pm on Saturday, March 23. The switch to darkness occurred at four tourist destinations to mark the City’s participation More...
The Value of Vanity
By B. Michael Rubin The value or importance of personal vanity differs from one culture to another. Middle-class women in Brazil visit the hair/nail salon once a week for a manicure. During the course of a month, More...
Communication Hints for Foreigners
By B. Michael Rubin There are many ways for foreigners to get into trouble. It is wise for travelers to obey the laws of the country they are visiting. However, problems may arise when foreign customs aren’t More...
British Animal Rights Filmmaker Visits Curitiba
By John Curtin I am back shivering in cold wintry England after having spent a month warming my bones in the glorious Brazilian sunshine. Oh I miss Brazil! I think, above all else, I miss the smiles that greeted More...
Google versus Brazil
There’s a law in Brazil, which was enacted in 1965, called the Electoral Code, which forbids any political advertising that is not positive. It specifically states that bad advertising in print or on radio More...
Paraná Forester Discovers Rare Plant Species
A rare and endangered tree was discovered recently by forester Marcelo L. Brotto, working with a team of researchers at the herbarium of the Municipal Botanical Museum of Curitiba. The tree was named Ocotea marumbiensis, More...
