“This project greatly advances the strengthening of our country’s image and it increases our visibility,” the Hungarian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Dom Orani Tempesta, the Metropolitan Archbishop of Rio de Janeiro, had offered to carry out the lighting project on the occasion of a Hungarian national holiday each year, when he met Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén in October.

This year, the occasion chosen is to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the crowning of the last Hungarian king, the beatified Charles IV.

In 2017, the proposed Hungarian national day to be commemorated this way is August 20th, St Stephen’s Day and the Day of Statehood, the statement added.

source: dailynewshungary.com

The Christ the Redeemer statue

On top of Corcovado Mountain, immortalized in a corcovado song by João Gilberto, a penitent Christ the Redeemer opens his arms to all of Rio de Janeiro. The left arm points to the Rio de Janeiro’s north zone (zona norte), the right to the south zone (zona sul), while the saintly perch offers spectacular views of Ipanema, the Maracana soccer stadium and the Serra do Órgãos mountain range.

Since it was placed on top the 2,300-ft peak of Corcovado mountain in 1931, this figure has been one of the most famous symbols of Rio. It stands 100 ft tall on a 20-ft pedestal and weighs 700 tons. The pedestal contains a chapel large enough for 150 worshipers and it´s possible to get married at the Christ Statue.

Over the past years, the addition of escalators, elevators and walkways has made easier the climb to the statue’s base. Completed in 2006, a chapel, large enough for 150 worshipers, was built at the base and has become the site of Catholic baptisms and weddings. The chapel is named after Our Lady of the Apparition, the patron saint of Brazil.

The original design of Christ the Redeemer blessing the city of Rio de Janeiro, was done by Brazilian engineer, Heitor da Silva Costa. He was the engineer in charge of the construction.

The project was shared with French sculptor Paul Landowski, who took almost two years just working on the hands and face. The Christ Statue was built in between the years 1926 to 1931, with funds raised from donations. It was officially inaugurated on October 12, 1931.

The reinforced concrete statue is faced with soapstone and is a popular destination for thousands of travelers from all over the world. In 2007 the statue of Christ the Redeemer was selected, somewhat controversially, as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. A Brazilian national icon, Christ the Redeemer is also one of the largest Art Deco statues in the world.

On April 16, 2010, access to the statue had been closed after rains that caused mudslides around the city and the statue was covered by scaffolding for routine maintenance. Vandals took advantage of the scaffolding and spray-painted graffiti, marring the world-famous monument in an act Rio’s mayor called a “crime against the nation.” The vandals covered the head, arms and chest of the 130-foot statue. Phrases scrawled onto the statue included “When the cat’s away, the rats will play,” as well as apparent references to Rio residents who were killed or who disappeared in recent crimes.

Town where entire population is made up of beautiful young women makes appeal for single men

A town where the entire population is made up of young women has made an appeal for single men – but only those willing to live by female rules. Over 600 women make up the population of Noiva do Cordeiro, southeast Brazil – most aged between 20 and 35.

Although some are married with families, their husbands are made to work away from home, only being allowed to return at weekends. Sons are sent away when they reach 18 and no other men are permitted to live in the town, which sits in a remote valley 60 miles east of Belo Horizonte.

The settlement dates back to the 1890s, when a young woman and her family were excommunicated from the Catholic church after she was accused of adultery. Slowly more single women and mother-only families joined the community, and over the decades several attempts by men to intervene in their way of life made them adopt a strictly ‘no male’ policy.

Today, girl power rules in the rural town, with women in charge of every aspect of life – from farming to town planning and even religion. But while none of the residents of Noiva do Cordeiro would have it any other way, it has left them with just one problem. One of the women, Nelma Fernandes, 23, admits it’s impossible for the girls – renowned in the region as strikingly beautiful – to find a would-be spouse.

She said: "Here, the only men we single girls meet are either married or related to us, everyone is a cousin. I haven’t kissed a man for a long time. We all dream of falling in love and getting married. But we like living here and don’t want to have to leave the town to find a husband.”

The lack of eligible bachelors has now led the community’s many single young ladies for make an appeal for interested men – but only those willing to adapt to living in a women’s world. Ms Fernandes said: "We’d like to get to know men who would leave their own lives and come to be a part of ours. But first they need to agree to do what we say and live according to our rules."

source: Mirror

entire – teljes
to make an appeal for – felhívást intézni, kéréssel fordulni valakihez
willing – hajlandó
rule – szabály
although – habár
to be allowed to – megengedik neki
to be permitted – engedélyezik
remote – távoli
settlement – település
to excommunicate – kiátkozni
adultery – házasságtörés
to intervene – beleszólni, beleavatkozni
‘no male’ policy – “férfiak nélkül” elv
to be in charge of – felelős valamiért
resident – lakos
to admit – bevallani, beismerni
spouse – házastárs
to be related to – rokoni kapcsolatban lenni
bachelor – nőtlen férfi
to get to know – megismerni
to agree – beleegyezni
according to – szerint

Fill in the gaps with the right words from the table. There is one extra.

1. “Pupils ……………….. go home at 12 today,” the headmaster said.

2. You can vote if you are a ……………….. of this town.

3. I ……………….. Mark really well when we worked together.

4. A widow is a woman whose ……………….. died.

5. Kate ……………….. to take over the night shift.

answers: 1-are allowed to 2-resident 3-got to know 4-spouse 5-agreed

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The mere mention of Brazil brings to mind sun, fun, and samba, but there are a whole lot of other things the country does particularly well. Here are 10 things done better in Brazil than anywhere else.

Number 10. Unique sports. A popular pastime in Brazil is a friendly competition known as footvolley. It’s like beach volleyball, only players use their feet instead of their hands. Given the country’s ample supply of beaches and general love of soccer, melding the two was bound to happen.
Number 9. Vacation days. At 41, they have more of them than any other country. 30 of them are paid work leave and the remaining 11 are due to national holidays.
Number 8. Table manners. When it comes to eating in the most polite manner possible, Brazilians have it pretty well locked up. It’s common practice to use silverware at all times, even when eating burgers and pizza.
Number 7. Outdoor culture. Given the weather they’ve been blessed with, it’s not surprising that Brazilians enjoy a wide variety of activities that take advantage of it. Beaches, sidewalk cafes, and wildlife excursions are but a few of the country’s popular pastimes.
Number 6. Juice bars. Not only does Brazil have a lot of them, they are often stocked with some amazing tropical fruits. Caju, camu-camu, and pitanga are just a few ingredient options. Their bananas are also hailed as being the tastiest the world has to offer.
Number 5. Soccer World Cup wins. So far, they’ve won the title 5 times. Their first was in 1958 and their most recent happened in 2002.
Number 4. Big, splashy parties. Carnival and the New Years’ Reveillon bash are two of the biggest spectacles in the world. There’s also a whole lot of fun that goes on during the rest of the year. Religious holidays, regional celebrations, and arts festivals are just a few of the reasons Brazilians get together and enjoy the good times.
Number 3. Coffee production. Brazil is the leader when it comes to producing coffee beans. They’re responsible for producing about 55 million bags a year, of which over 30 million are exported.
Number 2. Large religious statuary. Christ the Redeemer, a statue of Jesus Christ which is perched atop Corcovado Mountain, is nearly 125 feet (38m) tall. Built in 1931, it’s been named one of the 7 New Wonders of the World.
Number 1. Music Influence. This is particularly the case with bossa nova, a mix between samba and jazz. It emerged in the 1950s and was created by a group of students, artists, and musicians embracing and defining their unique bohemian lifestyles and beach culture.

source: geobeats

mere mention – puszta említése
to bring to mind – eszébe juttatni
to have an ample supply of – bőségesen el van látva
soccer – foci (amerikai angol)
to be bound to happen – meg kell történni
paid work leave – fizetett szabadság
table manners – étkezési illemszokások
to have it locked up – nagyon tudnak
common practice – elterjedt szokás
silverware – evőeszköz
to be blessed with – valamivel megáldott
to take advantage of – kihasználni a lehetőséget
wildlife excursion – vadvilági túrák
to be stocked with – el van látva valamivel
ingredient – összetevő, hozzávaló
splashy – feltűnő, hivalkodó
spectacle – látványosság
religious holiday – vallási ünnep
religious statuary – vallásos szoborgyűjtemény
this is particularly the case with – ez kifejezetten érvényes
to emerge – felbukkanni
to embrace – megölelni, felvállalni, magáévá tenni
lifestyle – életmód

Match the words with the synonyms.

answers: 1-d 2-a 3-e 4-c 5-b

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A brazil kormány milliárdokat költ arra, hogy náluk kerüljön megrendezésre a futball világkupa és az olimpiai játékok. Azonban nagyon sok brazilnak csalódást okozott a kemény adóterhelés és azt állítják, hogy igen keveset látnak viszont ebből a közoktatásban, az egészségügyben és a biztonsági és közlekedési szolgáltatásokban.

Arra az ügyre is összpontosítottak, amely elsőként robbantotta ki a tüntetéseket múlt héten – egy 10 centes emelés a busz és metró jegyárakban. Az egyik tüntető azt mondta: ”A kormány adóival lemészárolnak bennünket – mindeközben amikor reggel otthonról elindulunk a munkahelyünkre, nem tudjuk, hogy élve hazaérünk-e még a sok erőszak miatt.

A gyerekeink számára nincsenek jó iskoláink. A kórházak borzasztó állapotban vannak. A korrupció elterjedt. Ezek a tüntetések történelmet írnak majd és általuk ráébresztjük politikusainkat arra a tényre, hogy nem tűrünk tovább.”

A zúgolódások miatt aggódnak az általános biztonságért, főleg miután a múlt heti Sao Paulo-i és a hétvégi Rio-i tüntetések is sebesüléseket okozó összetűzésekbe torkollottak a rendőrséggel.

De a többsége annak a sok tízezer tüntetőnek, akik Rio-ban vonultak az utcákra, békésen tették ezt, habár dühösek a 2014-es Világkupa és a 2016-os Olimpia megszervezésére közpénzekből költött dollár milliárdok miatt, miközben másutt nagyon kevés fejlődés tapasztalható.