Wednesday, August 6, 2008

City of Men

As Seen on the SUNDANCE CHANNELFrom the team behind the Academy Award®-nominated feature CITY OF GOD including directors Fernando Meirelles (THE CONSTANT GARDNER) and K tia Lund comes the hit Brazilian television series CITY OF MEN a comedy/drama about two teenage boys growing up in a dangerous Rio de Janeiro slum starring Darlan Cunha and Douglas Silva featured in the motion picture that inspired this series.The CITY is a shantytown located in one of the many mountains of Rio de Janeiro. The MEN are two 13-year-old kids Laranjinha and Acerola. This series brilliantly mixes humor and reality to explore life in the "favelas" and in particular the indomitable spirit of two best friends growing up in one of most volatile communities in the world.System Requirements:Run Time: 570 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/SERIES & SEQUELS Rating: NR UPC: 660200314125 Manufacturer No: PALMDV3141
Customer Review: Close to being brilliant!!
"If you die your son will be like us. Fatherless." From a film-makers point of view, this film is a daunting task. It has many characters but still grasps your attention. There are so many very good foreign language films nowadays. I thought Tsotsi was top notch and now, City of Men. I mean, wow! The characters in the film are young men involved in gangs, carefully woven in their anger and paranoid youth is a sense of dread and being doomed. Excellent drama. This is a must watch for anyone who's remotely interested. There will be a scene where you will laugh really really hard. There's a little kid in the film that you'll want to cuddle. You'll never want to live the character's life though. Also ... it actually made me think about something most men don't ever think of. It's about fatherhood. Before I become incoherent, I'll just end by saying, this film is going to do really well and is a must must watch. Thankyou for reading.
Customer Review: EXCELLENT FOLLOW-UP TELEVISION SERIES IN THE SPIRIT OF CITY OF GOD
This series does not follow the exact story or timeline as the movie City Of God but it takes place in Rio de Janeiro in the Favela. I was entertained and pleased with the acting, cinematography, and realness. I almost felt that I was there and I could have been there in my younger years.


Coffee is one of the important commodities in the world. It is consumed by many people around the world and plays a major part in some economies of the world. It is traded through some major commodities board around the world, e.g. New York Board of Trade (NYBOT). Currently, Brazil is the worlds largest coffee producer which constitutes about 32% (year 2006) of the total world production.

Coffee is an "addictive" beverage made from grounded roasted coffee beans. The pleasant aroma and taste makes it irresistible to coffee lovers. There are many ways to consume this concoction. Some like it hot and some like it cold. It can be consumed with or without sweetener, cream, milk or any other combination you can think of. Its very versatile and creative people can create new taste and flavor. Many businesses have built an empire around coffee, like Starbucks.

The Origin Of Coffee

According to legend, coffee was first discovered in the highlands of Ethiopia during the 9th Century by a shepherd called Kaldi. While tending to his herd, he was intrigued by the strange behavior of his goat. They were happily dancing and leaping after eating strange red berries. He plucked those berries and brought them to a neighboring convent and relates his observation to the priests there. They decided to boil those berries and after drinking the brew, found an extra boost of energy. From there on, the beverage starts to spread to other areas in that region from Egypt to Yemen before reaching Turkey, Persia and some parts of Africa.

Coffee eventually reached Europe in 1690 when the Dutch managed to smuggle coffee plants out from the Arabian land. It was first introduced into Moka (Mauritius), Sri Lanka, India and finally the island of Java in Indonesia before finally brought home to Europe. It was later introduced to the French Caribbean colonies. The coffee plant eventually spreads throughout the American Latin and soon the coffee beans become a major export commodity of some countries here.

Major Coffee Species

There are two major species of coffee plants cultivated for consumption, namely Coffea Arabica Linnaeus (commonly referred to as Arabica) and Coffea canephora (commonly called Robusta). The Arabica variety has a better taste compare to Robusta which is much bitter but less aroma. Sometimes, Robusta is used in the coffee blend to reduce cost. There are also other species of coffee plant like Coffea liberica and Coffea esliaca which is indigenous to Liberia and Sudan respectively.

The Art Of Roasting Coffee

The coffee beans have to be roasted before it can be consumed. After the coffee berries are harvested, the berries are stripped off their flesh leaving only the seed or beans. It is left aside to ferment in order to remove the slimy layer present on the coffee bean. When this process is completed, the fermented coffee bean is washed to remove fermented residue before being dried and graded.

There are several ways to roast coffee, such as traditional roasting, 10 minute quick roast, 90 second flash roast and many others. Different methods will give rise to different taste and aroma. As heat is applied, the coffee beans will loose moisture and turn dark. This is due to the natural occurrence of caramelized sucrose. When there is no more water in the coffee beans, the sugar and acid will begin to release their aroma. This is called the Maillard reactions. The roasting process is then halted and beans cooled and stored. Grinding can be performed and stored in an air tight container to maintain freshness.

Conclusion

Coffee is a favorite beverage of many people. It is now available in convenient forms like instant coffee granules. Some creative coffee companies have introduced pre-mixed sachets so that coffee can be consumed at any time, any place. Just add hot water and your coffee is ready. Canned coffee has also started selling in parts of Asia especially Japan and South Korea.

If you need more information on Coffee, visit http://www.blackcoffeebeans.com, which includes our latest articles on Coffee Beans and Gourmet Coffee.

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