An article in the Washington Post discusses some problems with displaying poetry on e-readers.

An article in The Washington Post discusses some problems with displaying poetry on e-readers.  The article mentions some people  who have faced such difficulties.   The online version of the article unintentionally illustrates some of the problems — it displays a poem with pagination different from that which the author intended.  See a discussion of these difficulties and some effective solutions on this blog in five postings in the category “E-readers,” the first of which is here.

A Brazilian hedge fund, 3G, joins Berkshire Hathaway in purchasing H. J. Heinz Co., the maker of ketchup.

A Brazilian hedge fund, 3G, has joined Berkshire Hathaway Corp. in the purchase of H. J. Heinz Co., the maker of Heinz Ketchup.    3G is an investment vehicle owned by Jorge Paulo Lemann, who is thought to be the richest man in Brazil.    3G already owns Burger King.  According to William Ackman, an investor in Burger King, 3G are among the worlds best operators of businesses.  The headquarters of H. J. Heinz will remain in Pittsburgh, PA.  However, 3G is expected to assert an active role in management.  Berkshire Hathaway appears set to play the role of passive investor.  Berkshire’s interest will include preferred shares in H. J. Heinz yielding 9% interest.

What the Fire Is — music by Katharine Key.

Some readers may find this new musical artist interesting:  What the Fire Is — an album of music by Katharine Key.   You can listen to some recommended pre-release tracks here:

Humpty-Dumpty

Softness Can Be Strength

Artist Jorge Selaron found dead on his famous stairs.

On January 10, according to news articles, the artist Jorge Selaron was found dead on his famous staircase in Rio de Janeiro.   It is not clear whether his death was a murder or a suicide.  The staircase is depicted on the cover of Roa Lynn’s novel, Fairwell Rio, as shown below.   The same stairway, before it was decorated by the artist, is mentioned in Fairwell Rio on page 87:

“As I descended the six long flights of concrete stairs to reach the
street, I saw Maria sitting sideways on the bottom step staring straight
ahead. She didn’t adjust her gaze or move her position as I approached.
I had to step over her thighs on my way to catch the bonde.”

Dilma’s government cracks down on corruption.

Official corruption has long been a serious problem for Brazil’s government.  According to an article in The Wall Street Journal, the national government under President Dilma Rousseff is going after corrupt politicians and putting more of them in jail.

Brazil exports soybeans to China and corn to the U.S.

According to an article in The Washington Post, Brazil’s cultivation of the Pantanal is transforming the country into a major exporter of grains.  In a few years, Brazil is expected to surpass the United States as the world’s major grower of soy beans, for which the largest market is in China.  The 2012 corn crop in the United States was heavily damaged by bad weather.   Partly as a result, the United States is now importing corn from Brazil.  Both the United States government and major U.S. agribusinesses are funding agricultural research in Brazil which is helping to make Brazil a major competitor of the United States in agricultural exports.

Batala Washington band brings Brazilian culture to the capital.

An article in The Washington Post describes an all-female drum band that performs Afro-Brazilian rhythms around Washington, DC.  They are scheduled to perform on October 28, 2012 during the Hispanic Day Parade in New York City.