BIG BROTHER!

Personal Summary - Week 6

Galileo Galilei (1564 - 1642)

            Galileo Galilei was a great scientist that influence in my studies. My major is Physics, and Galilei was a fundamental personality in the Scientific Revolution of 17th century. As his father wished, he entered the University of Pisa in 1581 to study medicine. However, two years later, he gave up studying medicine and decided to study mathematics with Ostilio Ricci, a disciple of the famous Niccolo Tartaglia.  In Padua, Galileo worked out of his mechanics and began his work with the telescope. Galileo's observations strengthened his belief in Copernicus' theory that Earth and all other planets revolve around the Sun. In 1613, he published  “Letters on the Sunspots”, which he first expressed his position in favor of Copernicus. After this he was called to an audience with Cardinal Robert Bellarmine and advised not to teach or defend Copernican theory. He published in 1623 “The Assayer”. In this book, he made he made some of his most famous methodological pronouncements including the claim the book of nature is written in the language of mathematics.  In 1632, he said among other thing, that the heliocentric  theory of Copernicus was correct. Therefore Galileo was once again called before the Inquisition and this time was found guilty of heresy. In 1634, while Galileo was under house arrest he began work on his final book, Discourses and Mathematical Demonstrations concerning Two New Sciences. Galielo has been called “The father of Modern Science”, because he advocated the empirical method, breaking with the more abstracts Aristotelian method used at that time. Galileo Galilei died on January 8, 1642.

Sources

•  http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/whos_who_level2/galileo.html
• http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/galileo/

Personal Summary - Week 5

Pope Francis criticizes the Catholic Church for putting dogma before love 

            Pope Francis, six months into his papacy, tells in a interview that the Roman Catholic church had grown “obsessed” with abortion, gay marriage and contraception, and that he had chosen not to talk about those issues despite recriminations from critics. In the interview, the pope criticizes the Catholic Church for putting dogmas before love. He said to a interviewer that it is not necessary to talk about these issues all the time. The dogmatic and moral teachings of the church are not all equivalent and we have to find a new balance. The Francis’ words gave hope to many liberal Catholics who had felt left out in the cold during the papacies of Benedict and his predecessor, John Paul II, which together lasted 35 years. This interview was made this Thursday, September 20, and his speech didn’t change church doctrine, but it changed its tone. These words show us the evolution of a Catholic Church’s leader.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/20/world/europe/pope-bluntly-faults-churchs-focus-on-gays-and-abortion.html?hp&_r=0

Personal Summary - Week 4

          

Lapa - Rio de Janeiro

         Lapa is a middle-class neighborhood of the Central Zone of the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It has a great variety of bars, restaurants, nightclubs and themed pubs that cater for all tastes throughout its thirteen streets. Being known as the "cradle" of Carioca bohemian, the current excitement in the neighborhood, fifteen new stores were opened in 2009 alone. It is also famous for its architecture, starting with the Carioca Aqueduct, its main reference and postcard. Lapa offers an alternative to the slick, soulless clubs of the Zona Sul (or South Zone), whose anxiousness to convey international-style exclusivity cannot allay the nagging feeling that Rio’s real action lies elsewhere. At the neighborhood’s heart is the Arcos da Lapa aqueduct, which, despite having been built in 1723 by slaves, is curiously modernist in its starkness. At night, it is surrounded by blithe, raucous activity. On one side of the aqueduct, fans line up for the sweeping tents of Circo Voador, a semi-outdoor music club; on the other, the square is jammed with revelers and vendors selling bottles of Skol beer. The night in Lapa gives party and taste for music and dance . On Wednesdays night party lining is one of the most popular events  and the rustic accordion-driven genre originating in Brazil’s northeast may seem a tad folksy for a city hooked on glamour. Lively yet genteel, Lapa is as accessible to older couples watching the performances from tables as it is to bright young things alternating between samba and international-pop dance floors. Therefore, Lapa is a neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro that caters to all tastes, bringing a beautiful architecture, differentes parties for all lovers of several types of music and dance. So if you go to Brazil and you want to enjoy the carioca night, go to Lapa and know one of the best places in Brazil.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/26/travel/26next.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

Personal summary

          Fire in the nightclub Kiss in south of Brazil

          A fire at the nightclub Kiss in Santa Maria, Brazil, has rocked the world in the early hours of Sunday on January 23, 2013. The officials said that the house was filled with hundreds of students, and the fire killed about 233 people. The fire started by an outbreak of a pyrotechnic spectacle of a band that toured throughout the club. According to information from the fire department, security guards at the club had blocked the exit, which intensified the panic that people at the club ran for the doors. The survivors described a frantic rush and violent to the main output, because the house had no emergency exits. The tragedy took place in a region of Brazil where Ms. Rousseff, president of Brazil, spent much of her early political career before rising to national prominence as a top aide to the former president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and running for president herself. Before leaving the meeting in Chile, she appeared distraught, crying in front of reporters as she absorbed details of the blaze.

Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/28/world/americas/brazil-nightclub-fire.html?_r=0

Uses for Aloe Vera

             The Aloe Vera gel can be used by people with any skin type, including sensitive skin. The Aloe Vera gel is great for hydration, for example, for women, it is great to be passed in the face prior to application of make-up. For men, the gel can be used as moisturizing aftershave. The Aloe Vera gel is great for treating acne and it has antimicrobial properties that kill bacteria and anti-inflammatory properties that reduce skin inflammation. Another benefit is that it helps combat problems of aging skin, as vitamin C and E present in the gel can improve the natural firmness of the skin and keep the skin hydrated. Aloe vera can reduce the visibility of stretch marks, it can hide the scars caused by stretching of the skin. And lastly, Aloe vera can be used to treat burns, because it acts as a protective layer on the skin and helps replenish moisture. When skin is hydrated, then it will recover faster burn. So, as illustrated, Aloe Vera gel can be used for different skin types in many situations.

IV - Writting to Comunicate (pg 28).

Tiradentes

           Joaquim José da Silva Xavier, known as Tiradentes, is considered a great hero of the history of Brazil. Tiradentes was born in Vila de Sao João del Rei, province of Minas Gerais, in 1746. He held a lot of jobs including mining and drover, he was also Ensign, part of the military regiment of Dragões de Minas Gerais. Along with several members of the aristocracy, among them poets and lawyers, becoming part of the movement whose main goal was the Independence of Brazil. His organizational skills and leadership made ​​him leader of the "Inconfidência Mineria". In 1789, after being denounced by Joaquim Silverio dos Reis, the movement was discovered and stopped by officers troops. The conspirators were tried in 1792. Some people of the aristocracy received lighter punishments, for example, in public flogging or banishment. Tiradentes, with few political and economic influences, was sentenced to the gallows. He was executed on April 21, 1792. Parts of his body were exposed on poles in the road that connected the Rio de Janeiro to Minas Gerais. His house was burned and his property confiscated. Today, Tiradentes is considered a national hero, because he fought for the independence of Brazil at a time when the country suffered the domination and exploitation of Portugal.