The Snowball Church

I scope out daily the list of deaths that Wikipedia curates, where I often see intriguing tidbits. Recently I came across a death notice for Apóstolo Rina (in Portuguese), and was intrigued to see that he was both the church founder and a surfer. ("Bola de Neve" translates to "Snow Ball," by the way, but I remain uncertain of its pertinence.)

Inquiring further, I learned from their entry on Portuguese Wikipedia:

Unlike most churches, it initially appealed to a young and informal audience. The church also seeks to maintain its image associated with extreme sports, such as surfing , skateboarding , running and cycling , and many of its temples have decorations based on these sports.... The first meetings took place in a surf shop and, with no pulpit or table available to support the Bible, the option was to use the surfboard , a trademark of the Bola de Neve Churches.

You can see their groovy surfboard altar in the video.

Posted By: Paul - Tue Nov 19, 2024 - Comments (0)
Category: Eccentrics, Religion, Sports, South America

A case of food poisoning in Peru

Louisville Courier-Journal - Dec 4, 1972

Posted By: Alex - Fri Jun 21, 2024 - Comments (1)
Category: Food, Poisons and Other Injurious Substances, 1970s, South America

The Belgian-Colombian War

A short essay here has a few more details.

Posted By: Paul - Tue Feb 13, 2024 - Comments (0)
Category: War, Europe, South America, Nineteenth Century, Twentieth Century, Love & Romance

The Coffee Song

An ode to caffeine. Is Starbucks looking for a new theme song?

My favorite line is: "You date a girl and find out later/She smells just like a percolator."



Lyrics
Way down among Brazilians
Coffee beans grow by the billions
So they've got to find those extra cups to fill
They've got an awful lot of coffee in Brazil
You can't get cherry soda
'Cause they've got to fill that quota
And the way things are I'll bet they never will
They've got a zillion tons of coffee in Brazil
No tea or tomato juice
You'll see no potato juice
The planters down in Santos all say no no no
The politician's daughter
Was accused of drinking water
And was fined a great big fifty dollar bill
They've got an awful lot of coffee in Brazil
You date a girl and find out later
She smells just like a percolator
Her perfume was made right on the grill
Why they could percolate the ocean in Brazil
And when their ham and eggs need savor
Coffee ketchup gives 'em flavor
Coffee pickles way outsell the dill
Why they put coffee in the coffee in Brazil
So your lead to the local color
Serving coffee with a cruller
Dunking doesn't take a lot of skill
They've got an awful lot of coffee in Brazil

Posted By: Paul - Wed May 04, 2022 - Comments (4)
Category: Music, Coffee and other Legal Stimulants, 1940s, South America

The Valley of the Dawn

Read a recent article on the sect here.

The Wikipedia page.

Posted By: Paul - Tue Nov 16, 2021 - Comments (1)
Category: Aliens, Eccentrics, Religion, Space Travel, South America

Lucrecia Dalt

Let us know when you bail out!



Article on the creator.

Posted By: Paul - Sat Oct 02, 2021 - Comments (4)
Category: Ineptness, Crudity, Talentlessness, Kitsch, and Bad Art, Music, Avant Garde, South America

The Cola Queens

So far as I can tell, these beauty queens hailed from a single year's contest in British Guiana.

Read about it here.

Posted By: Paul - Wed Sep 29, 2021 - Comments (1)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Beauty, Ugliness and Other Aesthetic Issues, Soda, Pop, Soft Drinks and other Non-Alcoholic Beverages, 1950s, South America

Cefacidal Promotional Playing Cards

Almost the whole set is here.

Posted By: Paul - Wed Feb 24, 2021 - Comments (0)
Category: Games, Medicine, Advertising, 1970s, South America

Chattanooga Choo Choo, Brazilian Style

Posted By: Paul - Sat Feb 08, 2020 - Comments (1)
Category: Costumes and Masks, Cult Figures and Artifacts, Music, Foreign Customs, Trains and Other Vehicles on Rails, 1940s, South America

Lost Earring Miraculously Found

Source.

Posted By: Paul - Thu Aug 16, 2018 - Comments (1)
Category: Synchronicity and Coincidence, Children, Trains and Other Vehicles on Rails, 1950s, North America, South America