The  more organized Poland defeated  Brazil in five sets

By Sandro Miranda, Toronto, Canada

Poland celebrates the win against Brazil in five sets. Photo: Sandro Miranda

Brazil got a hard job during its debut in the World League, Poland, in Toronto,Canada.

The Polish team was more integrated, had a huge crowd occupying about 90% of the stands which was almost full. Even with an amazing Brazilian reaction after losing the first two sets of 25/22 and 27/25 and winning the third and fourth sets of 27/25 and 27/22, Poland was more efficient committing fewer errors. Brazil has many missed serves, and some point its defence was very confused. To make things even worse, Murilo, Leandro Vissotto  and Giba did not play.

The Polish fans pushed his team all the time, especially when Brazilians were serving.

New format of the World League

This year the games take place differently. There are 16 teams divided into 4 groups.In its first phase each team will host a stage of the competition for a weekend, where four teams play each other. The next country to host the next series of games will be Poland, from 1st to 3rd July, then it will be Brazil, 8th-10th, Finland will host the last leg from 15th to 1 7th of that month.

He traveled the world but was afraid of gifts

Pike was a cameraman. He constantly traveled following film productions, TV series or documentary crews. He was a hard worker, he had a crazy schedule. He worked during the week day or evening and on weekends in the same schema. Not a Workaholic , but his profession required him  24/7 availability, if he wanted good relations with this ‘market’. Pike had a home, he was single man and never dreamed of being a father, he was immune to the virus of creating family and have his heir, a fact of life in metropolis Toronto.

Pike one day received something strange. Between his house the front door and  screen door, it was left there on the floor a plate of desserts packed with special paper, fancy and gently sealed. Pike was so scared that he placed the object directly into the trash.

That Thursday summer night he thought it was a bad taste joke. “Who in their right mind would put a dish on the door of my house?” he thought. But days later the same thing happened again, and always on Thursdays gifts were found there.

After returning from productions in Asia or Europe Pike sometimes would open his door and stumbled on something that some anonymous person had left him. Tired of this situation he decided to find out who made these secret gifts, Pike bought a video camera which was secretly installed in a small and obscure corner of his front balcony. Perfectly hidden the equipment has been tested by Pike, who installed the camera and connected to his own personal computer, recording low-resolution images for every second that he was not at home.

Pike was happy and confused to be close to finally discover who was doing that. The expectations were overwhelming. The trip this time was to Quito, Peru, he always wondered how people could breathe in supreme attitudes, as in Quito. He was happy to once again know a new place, but the cameraman was very apprehensive when he returned to find something at his front door in Toronto. A Hungarian friend of his said it could be a gift of a new neighbour, something cultural, but Pike wondered then why the gifts were anonymous. Another friend, this time it was a Brazilian friend who said it could be a voodoo that someone had done for him and that he should not open it, or it could even be a dessert for him to enjoy, but Pike did not want to find what was inside, he just wanted to know why that person insisted on putting those dishes at his front door.

After a week in Quito, which he loved and recorded some beautiful images from, and  where Pike also chewed coca leaf, which helped him to work at that extreme altitude, but when returning home he was wondering if his hidden camera had recorded something. He was desperate to get home. The cab that brought him from the international airport of Pearson, which cost him $ 60 Canadian dollars, including tip, he got out, walked up the stairs at his home – it was around the 4pm – he opened the door and came face to face with a box. He walked inside his home carrying small box in his right hand, pulling his  suitcase on wheels with his left hand, Pike went directly to the second floor where he booted up his computer and began to check the recorded pictures. He looked directly on images recorded  on Thursday. Bull’s eye. Now he could finally see who was putting the presents, the last of them a box, it was a woman. He was dumbfounded. He imagined all rioters, a customer who felt he had usurped, some crazy person on his street, everything but a woman.

The images he had captured of her showed him that she was careful, because she was tiptoeing, the anonymous woman did not wanted to be seen or heard while putting the mysterious  gift  at his doorsteps. He noted the small window of the entrance door, she bent down and opened the little screen door then she place it on the floor.

She was an adult, tall, dark hair and skinny, he could not see her face or the colour of her hair. Pike saw and reviewed the images until the moment when the character left the box and closed the door. It became even more curious after he learned that the gift came from an anonymous woman. He opened a beer and ate some snacks, because he did not cook at all. Then he slept for a few hours to recover from the trip. When he woke up he decided to review the images to see if she had returned. He finally found something even more curious, the woman was his neighbour, he did not even know he had a neighbour. Pike only realized this at first because the camera captured images of the head of a person leaving the house next to his and her head passes over a small  separating wall and then closes the door,  Pike’s next door. The person was living next to him. He was terrified … He thought to himself “That crazy person lives beside me and doesn’t live a message on the gift?I have to face her”, but Pike was afraid she was a psychopath. He contained himself.

As she always had this on Thursday he decided to catch her ‘red-handed’ and that’s what he did.

He waited seven days and prepared to meet that  woman. She bought a baseball bat and created a shortcut on your phone to call police in case of being attacked. While waiting, Pike read and reread a text he had written to tell the crazy person. All right now, everything was prepared to face the no more anonymous figure.

He sat near the front door, grabbed his iPhone, turned on the camera remotely, and waited there sitting on the floor. After waiting almost an hour she appeared, but this time she opened the screen door. Pike promptly opened his door … She was got by surprise frightened, she sat down and smiled. Pike began to speak the text that was written by him, he also had his finger on the phone shortcut button to call police, the baseball bat on the other hand, but Pike realized that the redhead woman, traits of strong East European, very attractive, did not understand what he was saying and opened her arms to him in sign of ‘I’m not understanding’. Pike asks her name, she began to speak a language he did not understand, but slowly she said in English “I’m your new neighbour, good to meet you to.”

Her name was Anna, she was Russian and had moved a few months ago to that house and wanted to make friends with her neighbour, but never saw him. The Russian decided to make candy and leave them at Pike’s front door along with a note inside that said ‘From your new neighbour Ana‘. A friend of Ana said by telephone after they met at Pike’s front door, he said that Anna was just passing through the city to study English, spoke French (from France) fluently, so she tried to communicate with Pike at the first day, but acknowledged Pike did not spoke that language, he was accustomed to the French spoken in Quebec. They talked, he thanked in his broken French Quebecoir and invited her for a beer, but she just wanted to meet him and then she left. Pike felt like a fool, he hung up his surveillance camera, opened the gift box that she had left and red the note she had left him, along with chocolate cookies and went to sleep.

The note said ‘I’ve tried to contact you several times, I know that you are secluded person and does not like to mingle with your neighbours, it is a shame because I would like to have a glass of wine with you before returning to Moscow, kisses, Ana‘.

He didn’t do the laundry and became homeless

Juliana had met him at a bar on College st. She enjoyed flirtation in the bars of the city. Marcos was frequently going to her home for weeks and in the morning, after having a lot of fun he would go to his house.

One day, the porto alegrense had  a morning of smiles and kindness, so he asked Juliana if he could take a shower in her home. She thought “He has spent his nights with me, allowing me to have him, there is no harm in letting him take a shower,” the beginning of the end had begun.

Juliana was single, professional, she always took good care of herself. Light-skinned, curly hair and curves abound, the lawyer saw no problems in her own life, only solutions. She had recently moved to Canada in search of safety, because she had been kidnapped once – she believed that was  behest of one of his former clients who now was behind bars, but she was not 100% sure. Anyway, she was happy because she had found a good job and was financially and emotionally secure, until she found Marcos, a nice guy, educated, physically unbeatable, but spoiled the pampering of his mother, Dona Maria.

From younger age Marcos always woke up with breakfast on his bed. Lunch was ready by noon sharp, just after he had arrived from school. As an adult he did not want to leave home, he didn’t want to lose the perks that his mother offered at no cost at all. Dona Maria had lost her husband, and Marcos being her only son became her spoiled child. But now Marcos had moved to Toronto, he came to town to improve his English, but it did not take long for his mother to feel that she did not lack his company,  she now could travel, visit her brothers and cousins, and she had time to do anything.

The two have met for months and that morning he decided to bathe in the Juliana’s apartment, who allowed him to. He brought in his ‘backpack’ clean clothes. After showering, he picked up his dirty clothes and put them in a bag and left it in the one of the rooms… Juliana just realized the feat when she returned from the supermarket, because she always went shopping at No Frills on Saturday morning because she would have the day to have fun. When she realized the bag was left there she immediately phone called Marcos, who said he would take his clothes the next time…

They dated several times and the first bag was never moved from the original position. In fact, every Marcos visit was now accompanied by a new bag of dirty clothes that littered the house. After seeing so many bags at home, Juliana lost her mind and in a fit of anger and madness she decided to wash them. But not only that, she folded them and put them in her wardrobe. She was possessed.

She said nothing to Mark, when they met over the weekend, they went out together and had dinner, they also had some drinks and finally went into Juliana apartment. There, they ‘consumed’ each other. He was taking his bath, and she waited for the right moment to strike the final blow … As he left the bathroom he noticed that his bags were no longer there, he inquired about them. Juliana told him “I have a special gift for you” and gave him a huge bag with all his clothes folded neatly into it. Tears came to his eyes as he remembered of his mother, who always washed and ironed his clothes. He kissed her and said almost crying “My love, you reminded me of my mother. She always washed and ironed my clothes just like you, I’m in love.” Juliana smiled and said she was praised.

She walked towards the door of her apartment and said “Now you can go, I do not ever want to see you again. I am not and will not be your mother, much less your servant. If one day you grow up becoming responsible and learn how to at least wash your clothes we can meet again, otherwise do not call me “said Juliana possessed.

Mark lowered his head, grabbed his bags and headed out the front door.

Years later she heard that Marcos had returned to Brazil, because his mother had died. A year after he became a homeless, because he had lost his self-esteem.

Juliana traded apartments and set up her own  team of lawyers.

The house was surrounded by firefighters and police officers. The neighborhood watched it all from their windows homes. The most curious ones were wearing pajamas and even blankets – with coffee cups in hand, trying to figure out what the problem was in house number 38 on the Chancellor Street. One of the officers was a friend of Mr. Binker, who was one of those curious neighbours.

“To be honest with you, I have no idea of this imbroglio. I just got here, as soon as  I can find out some details I will let you know,” said the police officer to snooping Binker, who almost ate his own hands of curiosity, because the house they were speaking about  was owned by his  neighbour, the chauvinist Battista.

With yellow ribbons tied to trees and cars, isolating  the house number 38 for almost a block. In front of the house were the commander of special operations department of the mounted police, the battalion commander of the city fire department, a representative of the Brazilian embassy and a pizza delivery man – they ordered a four-cheese pizza and one Canadian style – with bacon, pineapple and cheese.

The Mounted police had received a phone call from local police about a possible hostage in that house. Battista had his wife, Margarida, as a hostage. Rumors suggested that she had betrayed him and that the ‘Don Juan’ was the husband’s best friend.

There were shouts through the house and the police knew that Battista had a firearm, they just did not know what kind of gun he was holding, police feared he had weapons of high caliber, as he had been trained by the Navy.

A negotiator had arrived to talk to Battista, who was a jackhammer operator. He greeted everyone and went towards the front door of number 38. He knocked on the door, called out Battista … Nothing … He called again for Batttista “Mr. Battista please open the door. Let’s talk, I’m unarmed and I want to know why you are holding your wife hostage …” Battista did not open the door and yelled out to  the negotiator, “She have destroyed my life, she stole everything from me, I said if she did that I would end her life!” A hush fell over the place … The negotiator asks one more time to personally talk to Battista, “Please know that you are very nervous, these things happen, you can chat with me, allow your wife to leave, otherwise your situation will get worse  Mr . Battista… ” Nothing. The rough Battista cried and screamed at the same time.

While the public outside were watching the negotiator, someone arrived unnoticed, it was Queen, the alleged wife’s lover. One of the neighbors recognized him right away and told the police, who immediately went to ask questions to the ‘sweet’ boy, who explained the situation and swore that the two had not consummated the sexual act, they were just talking about Battista when he  came into the room shouting “Traitor! traitor!” and opened his closet where he always kept his Navy relics and pulled a pistol. Queen, terrified at the scene, had ran half-naked through the house.

The same police who interrogated Queen informed the negotiator  by radio, but when he passed the information Queen requested him ‘not to hurt’ the tough Battista … The cop looked at the supposed wife’s lover and understood nothing, but sent a message to the negotiator.

Pitbull, as he was known, was informed and asked for Margarida. She replied in a calm voice. According to neighbors, he treated her like a dog. She was almost a nun. Always well dressed, serious she loved her husband, because he respected her, but he always yelled at Margarida, which now seemed too quiet.

Battista began kicking and breaking furniture. The commander of the mounted police kept his eight men around the house on alert. Suddenly there was silence in the house, the door opened and Margarida leaves the house slowly, then well dressed she tells Battista: “Do not be ashamed of what he did, be a man and face who you are. Queen told me everything, if he did it is because he cares about you, do not be childish. Hand your gun and ask forgiveness for this circus in front of my house. ”

Pitbull was in awe, Queen ran by police, embraced Margarida and ran toward his best friend, who said that the beloved had informed his wife that the two were lovers long ago and could not bear to hide from Margarida, who did not care about the sexual choice of husband, since she already knew the sexual needs of Battista, who told  Queen ‘I love you’ before putting a bullet in his own head and falling dead in the living room …

Queen fainted, Margarida shook her head and said “I always loved him, but he always fought against his desires.”

Commanders look at each other, the neighbours went back to their homes, Pitbull eat the last piece of four-cheese pizza, Margarida asked for a piece.

One day in the spring of 2010, Michael was patrolling the beaches on the east side of Toronto, his routine was always the same, going through the parking lot near the Boardwalk Cafe, returning from it,  walking by the beach to see if there was something wrong there, he also would passed by the close by canoeing school, Michael scanned the public pool keeping his ears plugged to the radio, he knew everything about the area 55.

After checking everything, Michael would always spend time at Tim Hortons to pick up some donuts and a “Coffee tea” as would say his great friend, Joe, a Brazilian from Viçosa city.

Michael was in force for five years, and liked that area, the beach, especially on nights of full moon, because the beach was ‘pretty, pretty,’ said the policeman, who was born in Hamilton, had two children and a loving wife.

He was quiet guy and he loved Toronto Maple Leafs, but unfortunately, like the majority of Leafs fans, he had never seen his team champion -.

Michael was on duty that night and heard something on the radio and confirmed with the central he would check the area.

Down on Queen St. East, near the park that links trade to the beach.

“A huge raccoon came here with a bag hanging on his back!” screamed a 10-ear-old girl of who came running scared off the park in his direction. Michael stopped her and asked if she was attacked, she said no. The little girl said the raccoon was very polite …

“A polite raccoon? What is she talking about? He thought and ran towards the way the girl had appeared, he followed the sidewalk and warned the central. “Raccoon escapes to the beach carrying giant bag with stolen material of coffee place, send sniffer” said the policeman, who was extremely methodical about the information collected.

“A giant Raccoon, how do I say that. I wonder what John will say about this, he will joke about it saying that  TV ads on that airline were created based in this masked runaway…”

Suddenly Michael is called on the radio: “Michael respond, this is John, Roger.” Michael thinks the worst. He won’t answer. John called four more times. Michael won’t answer  answer, he keeps running.

Michael sees the raccoon getting in a boat, where some other boats rest, it was a party going on there. The raccoon was taken to the island and  The perplexed Michael warns by radio that he will follow the suspect. He then jumps into one of the boats leaning on the beach. People at the beach scream at Michael, but he does not listen, he still chasing the animal and his cohort. Michael tells the radio that the suspect’s accomplice saw him but did not stop the boat. The distance between the two boat is short, because Michael is alone.

The outlaws arrive at one of the islands, a party with lots of lighting, John calls Michael again though radio … Michael does not answer its radio and baffles, he was obsessed with this escape. “This thing is running away from me, I will be ridiculed for the rest of my days! ” thinks the cop, he jumps off the boat and chase the raccoon thief.

Michael is the next to the tailed animal and notes other officers at the party, then he screams at them and everyone looks at him. But the raccoon and his cohort do not stop …

Michael was a few steps from the thief, he decides to jump to grab the bad guy. He jumps like a cricket, he grabbed like an octopus, He fell like a keeper and pulled the gun like  an hero and was spotted by the ad director  as if that take was fantastic.

John was there just watching along with his commander and friends.

Everyone applauded, Michael knew nothing. John hugged him and whispered into his ear: “I tried to warn you about the ad, but the stubborn you  would not answer the radio. Fake a smile because everyone thinks you know what is going on here.”

The confused Michael pulls a pair of handcuffs, put them on the two fugitives, bring them to the table where coffee and donuts were served , then he opened the racoon bag . There, the police and the raccoon drank their coffee with donut under the moon light.

Maria was a lovely and sweet person. Brunette, tall and charming, I would say coyly. She had recently arrived in Toronto and was already thinking of getting married. Her friends were already saying “Maria, don’t be a fool, marry anyone. This will make your life easier” said Amarilda, her recent roommate. Her idea was to stay here a while and then return to Porto Alegre, but also as wine becomes vinegar, things change.

Almost a year after she arrived in Toronto and refusing partners and peers, she also faced something she never imagined: another woman flirting  with her, and in a foreign land. She got used to it as time went by. She refused to date anyone, she believed in love at first sight.

The ‘porto alegrense’ girl did not like ‘the bullshit’ about arranged marriage or even the idea of it. Some colleagues commented they had already received proposals for marriage, but did not say whether they accepted or not. Others commented that they could even pay for that,  for them the immigration process was laborious, time consuming, and because they had arrived in the country long ago and had their visa expired, her marriage to a Canadian citizen could be more feasible, in their view this would be their salvation, but her tourist visa was in good stand that day, she would have months to enjoy before she had to worry about ‘these legal issues,’ she said.

Maria did not want to be saved, she was happy. She was flabbergasted with so polite people, which even apologizes for being alive, something unusual for Brazilians.

Seasons passed, her visa expired…

Amarilda had already given up on persuading her to get married, she had married a Portuguese-Canadian from Azores, and she was in peace with  herself. The Luso-Canadian treated her like a queen, a goddess. But she, by contrast, treated him as any one, and he loved it. He was a bricklayer, he received a good salary every two weeks and she was his administrator, she was well, but had gained a few pounds, but did not care. Time and again traveled to Europe to enjoy themselves. The two watched the soap operas together, a true family portrait.

Meanwhile time passed to Maria, who felt increasingly cornered, scared. She heard that the immigration department could send her back to Brazil if she was caught without documentation, or  the Canadian driver’s license. She begun to fear public places. At home she was afraid of even the postman, because she lived in a house with more immigrants, some of them also with their expired visa.

Years passed. Maria distraught, she worked like crazy keeping some of her earnings for the future but also to ‘buy’ their marriage because she was feeling older, for her stubbornness and feel left out. Her eyes no longer sparkled, her charm was covered by a crust of immense resentment. Her sweetness soured as she  could not understand how people could love, or how they could believe in love at first sight.

She was not loved, 10 years had passed since she arrived to Canada. Maria decided to return to Brazil, she left scarce friends, her room, and took a few things. At the arrival she hugged her mother and father, who have not recognized her. She  became bitter.

It was a ‘kick and stab’, which she heard her mother’s comment, she said it was the place to tramp, rogues and unloved women. It was the ‘Bar Paraíso’. She went there, trying to find a loathsome, drunk man, one of them saw her and said “Wow, my princess, beauty, how you came to this Hellraiser? I want to save you and take you to my palace.” She accepted, and they went to his palace, where she loved at first sight.

She never returned to her parents or to Canada.

Sandro Liberato 'a la Cazuza' leading the Brazilian Rock tribute band. Photo by Sandro Miranda

Sandro Liberato brought together a nostalgic group of rockers to reactivate the chorus engraved in the minds of fans of Brazilian 80′s rock . With Sandro on vocals, Caco on drums, Walter on guitar, Weber on bass and Alexandre  on keyboards, the Terminal pub was packed. About 80 people attended. Many dressed in character, colorful clothes, sunglasses, and energy to dance the two-hour show, divided into two setlists, where the band played songs from Kid Abelha, Legião Urbana, Titãs, Ira, Ultraje a Rigor, João Penca , Cazuza, Barão Vermelho, Paralamas do Sucesso, Bikini Cavadão, Plebe Rude, among others. The audience rocked its skeleton and other parties will come, said Liberato, because the ‘rock is not dead’.

Brazilian 80′s rock

Brazilian rock’s explosion began in 1981 with the first expressions of the Brazilian New wave, later renamed the New Jovem Guarda by the media.The Punk rock already was incorporated but the Ska was the news. The alterations of the English New Wave movement, with its surprising variety of styles, arrived in Brazil through groups and personalities such as the Gang 90 e as Absurdettes, Blitz, Camisa de Vênus, Barão Vermelho, Kid Abelha, Paralamas do Sucesso, Ritchie, Fausto Fawcett, Lulu Santos, Radio Taxi, Sempre Livre, Magazine (from which Kid Vinil would later project his solo career), Marina Lima, Dr. Silvana & Cia., Absyntho, Eduardo Dusek, Kiko Zambianchi, Hanói Hanói, Hojerizah, Engenheiros do Hawaii, RPM, Metrô, Uns e Outros, Graffiti, Musak, Picassos Falsos, Alvin L, Ultraje a Rigor, Legião Urbana, Ira!, Titãs, Capital Inicial, Nenhum de Nós, Dulce Quental, Laura Finocchiaro, Biquini Cavadão, Lobão & Os Ronaldos, Heróis da Resistência, Zero, Violeta de Outono, Fellini, Akira S & as Garotas que Erraram, Neusinha Brizola, Voluntários da Pátria, Gueto, Vzyadoc Moe, Léo Jaime and João Penca & seus Miquinhos Amestrados.^[3] The Rock in Rio took over a million people to “Cidade do Rock” (where the event was held) during the ten days of the event, and established Brazil as a venue for international artists – some artists, like Santana and Queen, had come before this event, but the number of international attractions rose abruptly after Rock In Rio.

This movement is seen as a reflection of the worldview of urban youth who had grown up under a dictatorial regime and faced such processes as industrial expansion. This is the same generation that enjoyed the democratic abertura (opening) and began to absorb rather quickly an infinite amount of new information, previously inaccessible. The universe of that generation appeared rich in diversity, implying a desire to enjoy the present.^[3]

From Wikipedia

Fans shaked their skeletons at the Brazilian 80's rock revival at the Terminal. Photo by Sandro Miranda.

One thing was certain, I wasn’t able to attend all the film sessions I wanted in my twenties, which is why I stop at rental movie store almost every day to see if any recent film was available, I remember it well. I would rent one or five movies, it depended on the day of the week. It was interesting, I chatted with the clerk about new movies, how people had responded to that film, so to compare it to mine impressions. Nothing has changed between the era of video tapes and DVD format.

I now watch movies on my cell phone, on my computer, and I watch less TV, because it lacks variety if compared to online options. You have Netflix, Youtube, Boxee, Hulu, among others. I frequently go to Netflix. Last week I attended  Hot Docs, because I love documentaries – these I really enjoy watching them on the big screen, otherwise I would rarely go to the cinema.

But now there is a variety  of options, free or pay-per-view.

The Youtube (Google) now is about to rent movies online, and to the extent that will have financial success. Apple is already a success, but his main ‘mac and cheese’ is the music, but probably the videos are getting there. With the success of simultaneous marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton via online through YouTube can be seen on a large scale that the system works and that the cable is slowly dying and the expansion of that new media is clear.

Glad I chose the Internet as a medium for PanTV, so you do not have to pay if you want to watch it.