Rio Breaks

July 22, 2010
RIOBREAKS

Left-field, this one, but if you’ve ever wondered if anything can be done to improve the lot of those in Brazil’s favelas, check out Rio Breaks, a film just released on DVD.

The film tells the story of two surf-obsessed friends, 13-year-old Fabio and 12-year-old Naama, who live in Rio de Janeiro’s Favela do Pavao. Surfing provides an escape from a harsh, dangerous and often disturbing world, but the film is no sugar-sweet festival of cliche. Indeed, despite the fact that Naama ultimately goes to Hawaii and surfs with nine times world surfing champion Kelly Slater (this coming as a result of Rio Breaks’ screening on Brazilian television), Fabio’s fate is far less certain.

The film is a credit to Huck magazine editor Vince Medeiros (script-writer) and director Justin Mitchell. It’s well worth a look not merely for those of us who’ve had a taste of surfing in Cornwall but as a bittersweet coming of age tale amid societal conditions which we simply don’t encounter in Britain.

 

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Supreme Court on Twitter

February 6, 2012

Something remarkable happened today. Yes, the Supreme Court launched its Twitter feed. It even has a Twitter policy, one of caveats, disclaimers and little by way of illumination but regardless: who would have thought that the successor body to the House of Lords would stoop to engage with the world of tweets, hashtags and retweets?

We look forward to the day when court business will be conducted via Twitter. Meantime, check out this link for an excellent blog on the Supreme Court.

Not so right said Fred

February 2, 2012
fred hat

So Farewell, then, Sir Fred Goodwin.

Now you are just Fred.

Not Right Said Fred, but plain Fred.

The Forfeiture Committee did for you.

No one had heard of it before,

But Dave said it had to act, and it did.

Trouble is that no one knows what to think.

Is it ‘Alas, poor Fred‘,

Or ‘Hurray! Sir Fred is dead!’?

We don’t know.

Do you?

By A. Mob, aged 1,378 and a half.

London Goes AWOL

January 31, 2012
CNN

STOP PRESS:

Fed up with being stuck on the Thames in south-east England, London yesterday decided to move. In a dramatic gesture which augurs ill for the Olympics, the city upped sticks and relocated to East Anglia.

Lawyers were not consulted about the move, and the city’s precise motivation remains unclear. However, financiers fear that London’s decision is a sign that it wishes to downsize. Moreover, a source from London said: “We no longer want to be Britain’s seat of power. If the Scots can deregulate, why can’t we? East Anglia is a nice place where nothing happens. It’s time for a quiet life. Please respect our right to privacy.”

Elsewhere, Birmingham did not do anything, but Manchester was seen to be packing its bags. “There’s an opportunity for us,” said Manchester. “We can become London.”

East Anglia said: “We don’t mind. It’ll be refreshing to be associated with something other than fens and flatness.”

A cartologist at CNN, which broke the extraordinary news, was later fired.