Raquel Assis is the newly appointed Associate Dean of Graduate Studies at the Florida Atlantic University College of Engineering and Computer Science in Bioinformatics from the University of Michigan and has a strong research background focused on developing innovative methods to understand the relationships between genotype and phenotype Assis completed her NIH postdoctoral fellowship at UC Berkeley and later joined the faculty at Penn State before transitioning to FAU's Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science in 2019 Her work bridges biology and computational sciences contributing to both research and graduate education Assis’ focus on transformative technologies like next-generation sequencing and AI have allowed exploration beyond basic DNA analysis the focus of her work has been on understanding gene functions and their evolution Future research will explore links across biological scales—from genes to proteins to cellular functions inspired by tools like Google’s Alpha Fold An interdisciplinary background across genomics and statistics underscores a commitment to integrating these fields revealing numerous potential educational and research opportunities working in the College of Engineering and Computer Science is especially rewarding due to the strong sense of collegiality among faculty all working collaboratively toward common goals in a dynamic field a key focus is on advancing the graduate curriculum to keep pace with rapidly changing areas following impactful initiatives like the introduction of Florida’s first M.S which was implemented under her predecessor This aligns with a broader aim of contributing meaningfully to students' academic and professional growth Assis looks forward to continuing the forward trajectory The College of Engineering and Computer Science is pleased to welcome Dr Raquel Assis to the team and looks forward to collaborating with her for years to come If you are experiencing difficulty accessing information on the Florida Atlantic University website due to a disability, visit the website accessibility page. Florida Atlantic University embodies a culture of strategic and collaborative community engagement that results in mutual benefit to the institution and the diverse internal and external communities that it serves. Northern Transmissions is a music website started for music lovers, by music lovers. We feature interviews, album and live reviews from today’s most influential independent bands and artists. Northern Transmissions also features music news from around the world everyday. spill tab has announced a headline tour across the UK and Europe this May and June The tour will see her performing at venues including Oslo in London and The Deaf Institute in Manchester Chicha shares “the production for Assis feels like the stitching between a 50’s Italian film soundtrack and psychedelic rock The song is about watching someone you love pull away from you in slow motion Rennes (supporting Air) March 27 – ICA London (supporting Perfume Genius) May 23 – Le Weekend Des Curiosités Festival Glasgow May 27 – The Deaf Institute – The Lodge Berlin June 4 – Botanique – The Rotonde Brussels June 5 – Paradisco (upstairs) Amsterdam June 7 – We Love Green Festival Order “Assis” by Spill Tab HERE Sign up for reviews, interviews, news, videos, playlists — and more. each with a title like“God Knows What He’s Doing.”I shall write it withthe fountain pen of mirth and the ink of melancholybetween panic attacksin my hotel room plus sink on the rue des Écoles and declaim it at dinner,a mess of lentils served with the salt of mysteryand the pepper of danger. With every error I makeI refute Pascaland praise Machado de Assis,who said man is a thinking erratum not a thinking reed;he likes to think his mind,inspired by the autumn wind,is in perpetual motion, like a Poulenc piano piecewithout key signatures;and because each movement changes the previousone’s errors, there will neverbe a definitive version. The preceding chaptershould be deletedbecause of the errorconcealed in the last stanza and the likelihoodof a future bibliophilewho devotes his careerto Machado de Assis and spends hours days weeksstudying every sentenceof “The Psychiatrist” and “Dom Casmurro”searching in vainfor that error. A novel is a mirrorwalking down the road,the narrative straight,the style direct. But Machado’s storyand his style are a coupleof drunks veeringfrom side to side, laughing at unfunny jokes,raising their fists,in an episodic distraction from eternity. Better to fallout of a cloud than froma third-story window. According to Aristotleas revised by Machado de Assis,if one rolling billiard ballhits another, effecting a transference of power,and the second ball hits a thirdand the same thing happens, let the ballsrepresent (a) the vector of my life (b) the rejection of the pastand (c) the refusal to accept whattook its place. Thus, extremes of reality and theory may link or collidein either case confirmingthe union of human folly. Entrepreneur Of The Year® US Services Award winner EY helps clients create long-term value for all stakeholders our services and solutions provide trust through assurance and help clients transform Artificial Intelligence (AI) Strategy, transaction and transformation consulting Tax function operations Climate change and sustainability services EY Partner Ecosystem Technology transformation Supply chain and operations Asking the better questions that unlock new answers to the working world's most complex issues Case studies Webcasts Podcasts CFO agenda Operations leaders Technology leaders Marketing and growth leaders Cybersecurity and privacy leaders Risk leaders EY Center for Board Matters our purpose is building a better working world The insights and services we provide help to create long-term value for clients Experienced professionals Early career opportunities MBA and advanced-degree students Contract workers EY-Parthenon careers Discover how shifts in demographics and tech reshape priorities urging new models for growth through innovative organizational strategies Download the 2025 EY-Parthenon PE Pricing Report to learn how private equity portfolio companies can build value with better pricing strategies Economic activity is expected to remain stable in 2025 Back to Entrepreneur Of The Year “From immigrant to transformational CEO, Marco’s journey epitomizes resilience and innovation, and his passion for human connection has fueled Propio’s growth.” Growing up in Brazil, Marco Assis hoped to create a future beyond his humble beginnings. But he couldn’t speak English, and he saw that capability as a springboard to success. With his family unable to afford English classes, he taught himself using movies with English subtitles and other inexpensive or free resources. He became proficient enough to pay his way through an English-speaking school by tutoring other students. With dogged determination, Assis studied his way into a top Brazilian university, leveraging his education into a career with multinational energy companies. His work required extensive travel and frustrating communication difficulties, such as when he and his wife, neither of whom are native Spanish speakers, had to navigate the health care system in Panama when their first child had health issues. Under Assis, Propio has grown significantly, increasing its workforce from 10 to 164 full-time employees and completing five acquisitions in two years to access new technology and markets. This expansion has propelled the company onto the 2024 Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies, with 751% growth over three years. Assis, who overcame language barriers and found success, is now helping others join the conversation — one voice at a time. EY refers to the global organization, and may refer to one or more, of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. Ana Paula Assis leads IBM’s business operations in Europe client satisfaction and employee engagement in a region with more than 100 countries She also guides IBM’s relationship with the European Union Ana Paula Assis has overall responsibly for market development for the company’s growth markets she was General Manager for IBM Latin America where she drove sustained growth and increased market share She also held multiple positions in the US and China Ana Paula Assis played a key role in the separation of Kyndryl from IBM an action taken to sharpen IBM’s focus on hybrid cloud and AI. An executive with more than 25 years of international experience in the Information Technology market she has led high-performance sales teams and engaged with clients in their digital transformation journeys. She is a sought-after speaker who participates regularly in events such as the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos She speaks about topics spanning the impact of AI in the workforce and the role of technology as enabler of sustainability agendas. Ana Paula Assis serves as non-executive director on the board of Trane Technologies is a member of the advisory board of IESE Business School and was previously a member of the board of Junior Achievement Americas. She graduated in Computer Science and holds MBAs by Fundação Getulio Vargas and Fundação Dom Cabral. She is passionate about cycling and currently resides in Madrid Please enter your email below to reset password The global licensing community is powered by an incredible group of professionals whose diverse backgrounds and creative energy drive innovation and excellence Each week we profile one of these professionals in this ongoing series learn more We use web cookies to offer you a better experience on our site. By clicking on "Accept" you consent to the use of cookies in accordance with our Cookie Policy Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" 20th March 2025Words: Daisy Carter Photos: Jade Sadler French-Korean singer, songwriter and producer spill tab has dropped ‘Assis’ groove-flecked number that gives us another insight into her long-awaited debut ‘ANGIE’ it follows the album’s title track to be the second single lifted from the record which is due to hit shelves on 16th May via Because Music “The production for ‘Assis’ feels like the stitching between a ’50s Italian film soundtrack and psychedelic rock,” spill tab - aka Claire Chicha - has shared “The song is about watching someone you love pull away from you in slow motion Although ‘ANGIE’ will be spill tab’s first full-length project, it’s one that’s been in the works for some time; her debut EP ‘Oatmilk’ arrived in 2020, and was followed up by 2021’s ‘Bonnie’ and 2023’s ‘Klepto’ You can check out the official video for ‘Assis’ and find out where to catch spill tab live this year below spill tab’s upcoming tour dates are as follows: MAY 202523 Le Weekend Des Curiosités Festival Get tickets to watch spill tab live now. 27.05.25 The Deaf Institute - The Lodge, Manchester 27.05.25 The Deaf Institute - The Lodge, Manchester 28.05.25 Oslo, Hackney, London 30.05.25 The Green Door Store, Brighton 31.05.25 Rough Trade Records, Bristol Watch Her new EP will be out later this year Watch News EP Review rife with hip collaborators and TikTok-able moments Get the best of DIY to your inbox each week ↑ Back to the top Oberlin Conservatory jazz vocal alumnus Dani Assis ’23 is the winner of the prestigious Ella Fitzgerald Jazz Vocal Competition hosted by the Blues Alley Jazz Society—Washington and the second oldest jazz club in the country The competition was founded in partnership with the Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation. Assis emerged from an international pool of talent in this year’s competition with vocalists from China The theme for this year's competition was "Ella Loves Cole,” so the singers performed Cole Porter songs Assis sang three Porter tunes: "Easy to Love," "What Is This Thing Called Love," and "It's De-Lovely." As reported in the announcement in AllAboutJazz.com, the competition jury was impressed by Assis for "the beautiful quality of his singing voice, his extensive range, and his exemplary improvisation skills.” He has since been making the rounds and has had interviews with major jazz publications, including an appearance on the JAZZIZ Podcast Last August, Assis released a single, "My Own Embrace," a contrafact of Miles Davis' "Blue in Green." Assis' first full album Assis has been performing with a number of artists Assis performed at Dizzy's Club (with his father Nanny Assis, Ron Carter, Tolga Bilgin and drummer Edu Ribeiro) and at Arthur's Tavern in Greenwich Village (with pianist Hyuna Park bassist Michael O'Brien, and his Oberlin classmate and drummer Noah Sherman ’23). As a recent recipient of the Goldwater Scholarship Tanisha Shende ’26 will continue to work toward educational equity and responsible technology Tina Zwegat was honored with the YB Staff Award for Extraordinary Service at the annual spring appreciation celebration for faculty and staff Five Oberlin faculty members received Excellence in Teaching Awards for the 2023-24 academic year Oberlin has separate application processes for the College of Arts and Sciences and the Conservatory of Music You have exceptional musical talent and intellectual enthusiasm.We have a place just for you a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) with over seven years of experience serves as a preceptor for FAU College of Nursing FNP students at the Cleveland Clinic Florida where she is known for her exceptional listening skills Carolina goes above and beyond to understand and attend to patients’ needs while respecting the uniqueness of each individual “My goal in health care is to make a difference in the way patients manage their overall health,” said Carolina “I want to empower individuals to learn how to live better and productive lives by making sound decisions using evidence-based knowledge and best self-care practices.” Carolina firmly recognizes the transforming power of education to make a lasting and positive impact in people's lives She strongly believes it is possible to spread hope as well as motivate and inspire people in any situation including mentoring future nurse practitioners interacting with co-workers and treating patients consistently going above and beyond in her role to support and mentor students,” shared Cristina Calvo “Aspiring nurse practitioner students who are fortunate enough to work with her will receive a unique opportunity for growth and transformation Florida Atlantic University embodies a culture of strategic and collaborative community engagement that results in mutual benefit to the institution and the diverse internal and external communities that it serves There are no statistics available for this player Thanks for visiting The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here My Vaccine Pass requirements have not been set for this event Nanny Assis and Kevin Field at Kumeu Live (Kumeū Arts) Sat 19th April Nanny & Maggie are unstoppable—sold-out tours Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInGREENVILLE (FOX Carolina) - The Greenville Triumph and Greenville Liberty announced a global soccer icon has joined the club’s ownership group Brazilian soccer player Ronaldinho Assis signed the deal at the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday where he rang the closing bell as part of International Day Assis’s began his professional career in Brazil before moving to Europe where he starred for Paris Saint-Germain and FC Barcelona winning the FIFA World Player of the Year award in 2004 and 2005 He continued with the AC Milan and the Brazilian national team where he played a pivotal role in Brazil’s 2002 World Cup victory “We are honored to welcome Ronaldinho into the Triumph family,” said Greenville Triumph Chairman Joe Erwin and his presence within our ownership group speaks volumes about the direction we are heading as a club Ronaldinho’s involvement will not only elevate our club’s profile but also inspire our players With the global spotlight on North America for the 2026 World Cup and Atlanta serving as a host city Assis’s involvement is set to bring international recognition to the Triumph and Liberty teams as well as Upstate Ronaldinho joins an ownership group compised of Erwin and his wife Grechen; Wallace Cheves,a member of the GPS ownerships group; William M IV; Rick Pennell; Jim Casey; Doug Erwin and Shannon Wilbanks Funk Boss Brazilian music recently recorded in New York Award winning Nanny Assis and full band New Zealands finest musicians to uplift all In the run-up to International Women’s Day Ayoub Advogados partner Dione Assis tells Latin Lawyer how she forged a successful legal career and why she is changing the landscape for black women in the legal market through her organisation BlackSisters in Law expert analysis and essential resources from the Latin Lawyer experts Copyright © Law Business ResearchCompany Number: 03281866 VAT: GB 160 7529 10 This firm has professional notice in the Latin Lawyer 250 Get more from LLSign up to our daily email alert Unlock unlimited access to all Latin Lawyer content Nanny Assis's 40-year career as a bossa/jazz vocalist Brazil native (now based in New York and south Florida) that was only part of the story "Rovanio: The Music of Nanny Assis," he presents a remarkable kaleidoscope of styles and even languages in collaboration with 20 acclaimed jazz artists 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Singer and multi-instrumentalist Nanny Assis proves his aptitude for many musical styles and concepts on "Rovanio: The Music of Nanny Assis," to be released June 23 on the German jazz label it showcases not just his versatility but his love for collaboration with appearances by a full twenty guest artists—including such esteemed figures as Ron Carter Rovanio (ro-VAH-nee-oh) is Assis's real first name He has been known as Nanny since childhood; similarly both identities weren't enough: He had much more to offer than a nickname and a single genre "Rovanio: The Music of Nanny Assis" presents the full spectrum of who he is as a musician I have so many different styles and roots for my music I have so many different styles and roots for my music; it's very rich," he says the album retains an unshakably (and unmistakably) Brazilian core It's an ever-present reminder of the wide panoply that is Brazilian culture—and traditional samba and bossa nova sounds on "Manhã de Carnaval" and "No Agora/Mr But Rovanio also offers the powerful West African flavor of "Amor Omisso," the aching balladry of "Proponho," and the jazz pedigree of "Human Kind" and "The Northern Sea." Assis's collaborators each put their distinctive touches on the music in unique and surprising ways: The melody of "Proponho," for example is actually Fred Hersch's composition "Mandevilla," and it's the pianist himself who renders the tune with newfound grace and sensitivity as a vocal accompaniment—with Siegel providing the harmony for that vocal perhaps most beautifully when he interlocks with drummer Ulysses Owens Jr on the charming closer "Intimate Acquaintances." Assis's own daughter works with her father in two very different roles: as lead vocalist on the beguiling Portuguese-language "Insensatez," and as lyricist (in English—and of stunning sophistication considering she was six years old at the time) on the moving "Back to Bahia." (Assis also performs a duet with his son Dani on "Human Kind.") it is Assis's stamp on the material that proves indelible After" Rovanio," no one will pigeonhole him as just Nanny Assis he began playing drums and singing in the choir at the church where his father was pastor After he picked up the basics of the guitar playing fusion and samba with his friends and making his first excursions into jazz He continued pursuing music even as he earned degrees in linguistics and Portuguese literature at Catholic University of Salvador American music—and America itself—were his targets achieved when in 1993 he joined the Austin Texas–based Rolling Thunder as a percussionist After six years of regular work in the U.S. he moved to New York with his family in 1999 Assis continued working in multiple genres but increasingly found himself in the company of jazz musicians and keyboardist Pete Levin; featured Eumir Deodato 2006's "Double Rainbow"; and formed the Requinte Trio with Janis Siegel and John Di Martino (making an eponymous album with them in 2010) Jazz players also dominate the ranks of his collaborators on "Rovanio: The Music of Nanny Assis," his second album as a leader "'Rovanio' is my best musical work to date," says Assis "For many years I had the urgent desire to see this music materialize It encompasses all of my life experiences—rhythmically NOTE: The vinyl release of "Rovanio" is a Limited Audiophile Signature Edition High-Quality Glossy-Finished Gatefold Cover Terri Hinte, Terri Hinte Public Relations, +15102348781, [email protected] Do not sell or share my personal information: 2018Machado delighted in showing the tenuous sanity of respectable people.Illustration by Tom BachtellSave this storySave this storySave this storySave this storyMost countries have a writer like him: the bearded eminence whose face adorns postage stamps Since no one can graduate from high school without feigning knowledge of his work and come to view him as a child might regard an improving vegetable Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis, Knight of the Imperial Order of the Rose, founder of the Brazilian Academy of Letters, has long been Brazil’s ambassador to the international society of official writers He seemed to be preparing for the role for most of his adult life which was so colorless and conventional it might have been taunting future biographers An outstanding employee of the Ministry of Agriculture, Commerce, and Public Works, Machado, like Kafka (of the Worker’s Accident Insurance Institute) and Cavafy (of the Third Circle of Irrigation) and rarely stirred from the city where he was born These authors looked like emblems of the petit bourgeois and the gap between their appearance and their writing made them emblems of something else too—of the inner life pulsing behind the mask that the modern person dons That gap allowed such writers to take on an electric symbolism By presenting no outward challenge to their epochs they could move freely through them—and eventually define them he brought an administrative structure to literature Yet to place this image beside his books is to wonder whether such diligence was a carefully calibrated act—and to see why the vestment of national spokesman will never quite fit for the pretentions that the official homages imply In stories about the polite society of Rio de Janeiro A drag queen might have called this decorous performance “executive realness.” his mysterious background fascinated observers though it did not much seem to fascinate him He was forty when a journalist declared it would be impossible to write his biography: “There exists no one more reserved on this subject than he.” Observers gleaned what little they could a landmark volume that will be the first place that most Americans encounter him he is introduced as “the grandson of ex-slaves.” It is not a label he would have elected an immigrant Azorean washerwoman who died when he was nine; his father was a mixed-race housepainter whose parents had In the broader panorama of Brazilian society (Most Brazilians were of mixed race.) So was his class background and Machado’s origins were a step above misery They belonged to the working class rather than to the lowest class—the enslaved But people of visibly mixed race were rare in the higher society that Machado entered while relatively young he had a knack for befriending helpful people: legend has it that a priest taught him Latin; an immigrant baker inaugurated a critical success that continued until his death Machado’s unlikely social ascent attracted comment Those who disliked him held his origins against him: one critic called him a “genuine representative of the mixed Brazilian sub-race.” Even his champions couldn’t help themselves Miguel Pereira makes nearly forty mentions of his racial background—mostly gratuitous—in the three hundred pages of her biography The focus on this facet of his origin story obscures other surprising facts about his life seventeen years after Brazilian independence—and only thirty-one years after the first book was printed in Rio de Janeiro For three hundred and eight years after the Portuguese first reached Brazil printing was forbidden throughout the colony An entire country was not allowed to think for itself What kind of literature did a new nation need many Brazilian writers born immediately after independence tried to forge a consciousness through indigenous motifs The poet Gonçalves Dias published Indianist epics and a dictionary of Tupí; the novelist José de Alencar placed Indians—especially women—at the center of a new mythology This vision of Brazil had long appealed to outsiders fifty Tupinambás were brought to Normandy to re-create a Brazilian village for the king’s entertainment that village was what most foreigners thought of when they thought of Brazil: an unspoiled tropical paradise to be far more familiar than they imagined This might be one reason that Machado never really caught on abroad He was not interested in national folklore and described a milieu not too distant from that of Henry James or Edith Wharton His books are almost exclusively concerned with the rich and this was not a Brazil most foreigners recognized Machado’s work was oddly devoid of local color others found him not quite black enough: not nearly as concerned with social questions as one of his background ought to have been was the largest slaveholding country in the world and the last in the Americas to outlaw slavery Intellectuals were preoccupied with the legacy of slavery at a moment when “scientific racism” and its relatives Brazilian attempts to modernize were doomed: the nation As the Ku Klux Klan resurged in the United States Brazil earned a reputation for being a country where racial lines had been so blurred that they no longer mattered ignored Brazil’s ferocious history of slavery and racism.) It was convenient that Brazil’s greatest writer was of mixed race and could become a symbol of these newly recast values One suspects Machado would have been embarrassed by this posthumous role to the vexation of those Brazilians eager for their culture to be known for something other than samba either on the part of the Brazilian authorities who have for decades sponsored translations of his work who have recruited legions of prominent spokespeople The straight face he maintained in posed portraits comes across in his prose Except for his spelling—subject to endless tedious “modernizations,” many promulgated by his own Academy of Letters—his Portuguese has hardly aged It has none of the frills of the Romantics none of the indigenizing lexicon of the mythologizers His works remain far easier to read than those of his contemporaries But there is a tension between his statuesque composure and the wackiness he describes that resists translation One story features a monk who proclaims that crickets are “born out of thin air and the leaves of coconut palms during the conjunction of the new moon”; another is told from the perspective of a needle “The Collected Stories,” nearly a thousand pages long captures the greatest range of his writing that has ever existed in a single English volume Heroically translated by Margaret Jull Costa and Robin Patterson the book gathers almost four decades of work one imagines that the author made a quiet pact with himself His manicured prose—like his unerringly staid public persona—would reflect his status as a pillar of the establishment Machado’s first two collections have all the recognizable apparatuses of nineteenth-century fiction: meaningful glances in carriages These stories take place in Brazil’s rentier society which turns out to look a lot like Russia’s an uncle might arrange a cushy position in a ministry there are plenty of variations on the marriage plot Will the spendthrift convince the virtuous Dona So-and-So that he has mended his ways Will the socialite dragged back from Paris find happiness in the arms of a simple country lass and though the language can border on kitsch (“I was the mysterious stranger at the theatre”) it never loses its irony or self-awareness But Machado de Assis is light and fun in a way one seldom expects of authors who end up as statues And in the nine years between the second story collection “Those whose mental equilibrium is undisturbed,” the narrator wryly notes in “The Alienist,” a novella from “Miscellaneous Papers,” “should henceforth be treated as probably pathological.” The observation belongs to Simão Bacamarte a colonial-era shrink in the backwater of Itaguaí no wastrels scheming to pocket inheritances Machado stresses Bacamarte’s great learning where his fabulous erudition stuns his neighbors Granted the power to commit anyone he diagnoses with mental illness the sober man of science is astonished by what he finds lurking within even the most apparently normal inhabitants of Itaguaí nearly the entire town has been carted off to the Casa Verde: “Madness considered a mere island in an ocean of reason; I am now beginning to suspect that it is a continent.” as soon as the revolutionaries seize power they recognize that madmen cannot be allowed to roam the streets until he makes a shattering discovery: the most dangerous citizens are precisely those who present the most convincing façade of normality he has identified the true disturbers of the peace: “This is what happened with a certain lawyer in whom he had identified such a fine array of moral and mental qualities that he considered it positively dangerous to leave the man at large in society.” The more traditionally certifiable cases are freed and citizens of ostentatious virtue are imprisoned in their place This diagnosis raises inevitable questions about Itaguaí’s sanest denizen Like Freud a decade after this story was published Bacamarte conducts a searching self-analysis and is forced to conclude that there is only one way to deal with a person so perfectly sound and dies seventeen months later: “Some even speculate that he had always been the sole lunatic in Itaguaí.” Machado delights in showing the tenuous sanity of eminently respectable people including the one who accused him of belonging to a “sub-race,” have missed it Much of what makes him so funny is his calm way of saying the opposite of what he means “The death of Joaquim Fidélis caused indescribable consternation throughout the suburb of Engenho Velho,” one story opens “and particularly in the hearts of his dearest friends.” Anyone familiar with Machado’s voice understands that what he’s really telling us is how loathsome this Joaquim was Machado’s narration is always indirect, and so is any moral or political message. The early stories, with their opera-buffa plots, capture the superficiality, venality, and laziness of the upper crust of nineteenth-century Rio de Janeiro. The social critique is implicit, even charming; Machado was never a zealot or a preacher. If he shares Bacamarte’s verdict that everyday life is pathological, he is also aware that such insidious problems can’t be solved by locking up the whole population. “While it may not be the best of societies,” one character concedes, “we have no other, and unless you’re prepared to change it, you have no alternative but to put up with it and live.” Machado chose to accept society as it was, rather than as it ought to be. He never saw Paris, or even São Paulo. In the world he wrote about, it was utterly normal that an emperor ruled the country, and that it was hot in January, and that there were a few slaves in every house: Dona Beatriz was bustling back and forth between parlor and kitchen, issuing orders, chivying the slaves, gathering up clean tablecloths and napkins, and dictating shopping lists; in short, dealing with the thousand and one things that every mistress of the house has to deal with, especially on such an important day. Even the famous splendor of Rio is notably absent from his work. It was impossible to take a touristic view of the only landscape he had ever seen. “Nature will inspire a beautiful page in your novel,” a friend once suggested. He tried, only to get bored after eight or ten lines. “Nature does not interest me,” Machado told his friend. “What interests me is man.” Machado de Assis showed that the human comedy is the same everywhere, and one universal truth is that, in conflicts between man and society, society usually wins. And, his life and writing suggest, such a victory may not be as stifling as it seems. Outward conformity may be precisely what we need to safeguard inner freedom. Perhaps, like the alienist, he who conforms best is the craziest one of all. ♦ words: Ashlie Hughes For more stories on TikTok, check out our whole series here Like many employees in the restaurant industry, Los Angeles-based bartender Lucas Assis found himself out of work at the onset of the pandemic Assis discovered an unexpected source of camaraderie in the video-sharing platform TikTok While Assis has always had an Instagram account he initially regarded TikTok as an “app where kids would go and just dance,” he confessed in our recent interview After friends finally persuaded him to post on TikTok with a rapidly growing audience that numbers over 30,000 followers today TikTok proved to be the perfect medium for Assis providing him a stage to indulge his love of storytelling Striking a tone both approachable and authoritative Assis’s videos are engaging and educational While he often shakes up classic cocktails and regales viewers with their notable histories Assis also isn’t afraid to offer his unvarnished opinions on modern spirits touting himself as “the Brazilian guy who hates celebrity mezcal and tequila.” Assis shares with VinePair how bartending on TikTok has gotten him through this difficult time provides a foolproof way to identify quality tequila and dishes on the international destination he’s headed to drink once travel restrictions are relaxed I want to say it was September of 2020 when I really started posting on TikTok I was so surprised about how engaging the social media platform is from comments back and forth but also networking We call it the BarTok family — it’s a bunch of bartenders who get together and we have a group text where we’re always texting each other There’s not a lot of craft bartenders on TikTok but in the real world there’s this weird animosity between club bartenders and craft bartenders … I love that on TikTok we’re all working together especially during this whole time being out of work I think it’s really kept me going on the creative side — by not losing track of creating cocktails or losing my taste buds while not in the [restaurant] environment everyday I’ve been contacted [by] and have done a bunch of tastings with different brands things that we would do on a weekly basis in a restaurant but that I’m doing now on a more personal level and try to capitalize on those things while using TikTok which is one of the most rare kinds of mezcal I really fell in love with the industry and I feel really strong about celebrity tequila Tequila is still very much regulated in Mexico and every tequila bottle has a four-digit number somewhere at the bottom They’ll have ‘NOM’ and then a four-digit code it will tell you where the tequila is made and every single tequila that’s made at the same distillery If there are literally 100 tequilas being made in this distillery [then] this is a mega-distillery; they’re likely using diffusers and additives … It’s overwhelming getting into tequila because there’s like 150 brands and you don’t know which one is good but I can tell you there are like 10 that are still made the way it’s supposed to be They are family-owned and the people really care about maturing the agave and there’s one tequila or two tequilas made at that distillery I’d say it’s a pretty safe bet that it’s going to be a good product Let’s make my favorite cocktail. Another quintessentially New Orleans Cocktail, the Sazerac. #cocktails #bartendersoftiktok #neworleans The Sazerac it’s my favorite cocktail — I really believe that the mix of sugar and whiskey or Cognac (sometimes both) is really just the perfect cocktail “Regarding Cocktails” by Sasha Petraske The food is so different from anywhere in Mexico; the culture I can’t wait to go back to learn more and more about this spirit and be able to taste it from the source Independent mezcaleros have really been suffering with the stop on tourism and we’ve got to do everything we can to keep the art alive Man posing as Brazilian academic José Assis Giammaria thought to have used his time in the country to build up a deep-cover identity A suspected Russian spy who posed as a Brazilian academic before his arrest this week by Norway’s domestic security agency spent years studying at Canadian universities with a focus on Arctic security issues Read moreA researcher at the investigative website Bellingcat said that evidence suggested that Mikushin is a senior Russian military intelligence officer “Great job, Norway, you’ve caught yourself a colonel from the GRU [Russia’s military intelligence agency],” Christo Grozev tweeted Meanwhile, more details emerged of the years the man lived in Canada amid speculation that he used his time in the country to build up the cover story of his fake identity a professor in security studies at the University of Tromsø told the Guardian that the man had come recommended by a Canadian professor a José Assis Giammaria graduated with a bachelor of arts in political science from Ottawa’s Carleton University focusing on international relations with a minor in communications studies he volunteered for the country’s New Democratic party during the federal election knocking on doors for candidate Sean Devine told local media nothing unusual jumped out about Giammaria except for an impressive résumé and strong speaking skills The suspect moved west and three years later graduated from the University of Calgary with a master’s degree in strategic studies “Students in this program are taught by professors and instructors – not military professionals – to build a well-rounded understanding of the drivers of military security and strategic decision-making,” the university said in a statement It added that the suspect would not have had any unique access to information but cautioned questions over a possible criminal background or identify fraud were the purview of the federal government “as part of the immigration process” Security and Strategic Studies have told reporters that they did not recall the man despite him using a number of references from Canada when he applied for a position in Tromsø “We have no way of assessing the security status of people who submit articles – we simply judge the submissions on their merits,” the journal’s editor, Ann Griffiths, told the Guardian in an email. “People submit material, and if it’s good/interesting we publish it.” Read moreCanada, alongside South American countries, has long been a site for Soviet and Russian programs to create deep-cover identities for “illegals” – agents who operate covertly and without diplomatic cover a professor of international relations at Carleton University and former national security analyst The country’s lack of a centralized birth and death record-keeping system makes it relatively easy to appropriate an identity And while the case exemplifies the way in which Russia has not dramatically changed its tactics it also underscores the sustained nature of “traditional espionage” You still need people out there doing things in order to achieve a state aim or goal Carvin says she suspected the Russian’s time in Canada was used to develop a deep cover or backstory for use in possible missions outside the country It’s a good place to burnish your legend without raising too many red flags,” she said “The whole point of the legend is you don’t want to stick out at all You want to seem extremely boring and plain Malaquias reflects on the current state of maritime security efforts on the continent: MALAQUIAS: Africa’s coastline is approximately 26,000 nautical miles Its land mass of about 11,724,000 square miles is bounded in all directions by the sea—the Atlantic Ocean in the West Mediterranean Sea and Red Sea in the North Historically the continent’s pre-colonial coastal states and hinterland empires developed powerful navies and strong maritime cultures including the Gobroon Dynasty in Somalia This facilitated the region’s trade and security Despite this distinctive geography and strong historical association with the sea maritime domain awareness among Africa’s coastal states remains low today This gap has been exploited by illicit traffickers in narcotics and wildlife as well as pirates who have preyed on ships traversing the continent This has made African trade more expensive and less economical The lack of adequate security presence in Africa’s maritime spaces has also caused the continent to endure the highest level of illegal fishing in the world MALAQUIAS: It has to do with perceptions of security as well as the nature of the modern African state In the minds of military planners and decision-makers the spheres that need to be protected are two: land borders and the seat of power African militaries are organized accordingly It is not seen as vital for territorial integrity or regime survival Maritime security is therefore one of the most neglected areas of African national security policy formulation Even the vast economic potential of the maritime domain does not translate into the calculus of most of Africa’s leaders Mozambique and Angola have started to shift their thinking given offshore oil and natural gas discoveries even these have not been factored comprehensively into overarching maritime security strategies African countries will therefore have to become more serious about service delivery and about increasing the pace of development and these two tasks cannot be done without harnessing the maritime domain this means protecting vulnerable offshore oil and other maritime-borne natural resources The maritime domain is also vital for Africa’s food security Fish could account for a tremendous amount of the daily protein intake on the continent and yet fish stocks are not properly secured Africa’s share of fish in protein intake is the lowest in the world in an environment characterized by poor governance and the youth bulge is a major source of insecurity and it is only a matter of time before it leads to changes in the security and survival calculus on the continent The starting point to address gaps in maritime security is for security planners to take into account the concept of a “blue economy.” The maritime domain is that country’s second largest source of revenue The maritime domain accounts for well over half of these revenues In the “blue economy” the importance of shipping lanes the prevention and management of oil spills and the need to preserve fisheries are all important considerations MALAQUIAS: In 2012, the African Union adopted an important document, the African Integrated Maritime Strategy 2050 (AIM) It makes three important policy announcements it acknowledges the vital importance of Africa’s maritime domain by stating that 38 African countries are either coastal or inland waterway states 52 of Africa’s more than one hundred port facilities handle containers and various forms of sea-borne cargo ports and shipyards provide thousands of jobs for Africans and disruptions in Africa’s maritime system can have a costly economic impact it recognizes that fish makes a vital contribution to the food and nutritional security of over 200 million Africans and provides income for over 10 million This has direct implications for the estimated 46 percent of Africans who live in absolute poverty Using the three announcements as a basis for engagement AIM 2050 creates an overarching framework which challenges African countries to think comprehensively about their maritime domains The Regional Economic Communities (RECs) developed their own maritime security strategies in line with AIM 2050 In 2008 the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) adopted a maritime safety and security strategy that aims to ensure security by protecting offshore oil resources The Southern African Development Community (SADC) followed suit in 2011 as did the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in 2014 are supposed to provide a framework for national-level strategies and work in this regard is already underway signed cooperation agreements at the 20th Standing Maritime Committee meeting held in Lusaka These include agreements to establish maritime domain awareness centers (MDACs) in Mozambique and Tanzania that will be linked to existing MDACs in Durban and Cape Town a cooperation framework agreement between Botswana as is a similar one on maritime cooperation between South Africa Much remains to be done in terms of maritime assets and tactics as well as strengthening legal legislative and institutional arrangements but it is safe to say that new normative thinking about maritime safety and security is now taking root thanks to these continental and regional efforts MALAQUIAS: The central notion of AIM 2050 is that security is dependent on development The RECs are trying to operationalize this thinking by establishing maritime zones that can help organize the shared maritime space ECCAS led the way in 2009 by activating the Regional Coordination Center for Maritime Security in Central Africa (CRESMAC) in Pointe-Noire This Coordination Center is responsible for commanding three centers for multinational coordination (CMCs) one for each zone of Central African waters: Zones A covering Angola at the southernmost tip to Cameroon at the northernmost end of the zone The navies of these countries share information and have authorized protocols providing for the mutual pursuit of suspect vessels across maritime boundaries coordinates anti-piracy efforts by the navies of Cameroon This collaboration has brought tangible results: it has led to a reduction in maritime crime and hostage taking as well as over 17 citations for illegal fishing resulting in hefty fines in Cameroon alone There are several lessons to learn from this experience no single country can resolve maritime threats on its own can combat piracy without the collaboration of Equatorial Guinea and Gabon National assets must synchronize and coordinate and they must be interoperable regional maritime assets must pool resources and expertise The lesson from ECCAS is that the principles set forth in AIM 2050 and in the CMCs must be domesticated into national laws to enable regional maritime coordination The ECCAS model has been replicated by ECOWAS both at the regional as well as national levels This regional organization established similar maritime zones in West African waters: Zone E the problem of piracy in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean has largely been addressed by the 25 nation maritime task force To do so will require enhancing maritime coordination and collaboration frameworks between Tanzania an array of maritime security threats will again surely emerge and expose this vulnerability More on: Gulf of Guinea Maritime Security Subscribe Mateus de Assis is hoping to surprise a few more senior powerlifters at Berck-Sur-Mer 2018 Mateus de Assis is undoubtedly one of the most promising new faces in the powerlifting international scene Brazil’s Youth Parapan American champion competed at his first World Championships in Mexico City coming in ninth place in the men’s up to 97kg He also took part in his maiden Parapan Ams in Toronto just missing out the podium to end in fourth place de Assis targets success at the European Open Championships in Berck-Sur-Mer where he will be one of 17 Brazilian powerlifters competing between 25 and 29 May The young powerlifter will move up one category to the up to 107kg “My goal is to improve my own mark and reach 210kg to beat the Brazilian record,” said de Assis whose personal best is of 193kg from Mexico City 2017 “I have confidence and am working towards that I am very happy for being able to represent my country “The 2017 World Championships were a new experience for me but it was really nice and enjoyed a lot.” De Assis knows that there is a lot to improve for him to have the chance to fight for medals at a major international competition I need to get better some technical things and the concentration.” There is one powerlifter he especially admires and is none other than Iranian Siamand Rahman “He is so good and lifts so much!” he said Although Berck-Sur-Mer 2018 is quickly approaching “I see myself competing at the Lima 2019 Parapan American Games And Tokyo 2020 would be a dream coming true For more information about the European Open Championships in Berck-Sur-Mer, visit the event website There is a very strong parallel between the Bacardí rum family and the families behind storied cigars such as Romeo y Julieta—they both fled Cuba after Castro’s nationalization and reinvented themselves in another country to create true legacy brands It’s a historical link that’s impossible to ignore and the history was not lost at the Big Smoke Cigars & Spirits seminar in Las Vegas Saturday morning saw a pairing of two brands that were born in Cuba and reincarnated elsewhere, as everyone in the room was part of a sublime union: two aged expressions of Bacardí rum, and a Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real Nicaragua Toro an exceptional smoke that was one of Cigar Aficionado’s Top 25 Cigars of 2020 “When the Bacardí family left Cuba in the 1960s one of the things that they took was processes for their manufacturing plant,” said Colin Assare-Apiah American brand ambassador and rum educator for Bacardí “They left all the inventory behind because they could only travel with what they had on their backs.” Story sound familiar The same thing happened to the Rodriguez family when Romeo y Julieta was seized by the Cuban government But this is a new era of creative freedom and innovation and nobody in the crowd of nearly 600 seemed to mind sipping rum before noon encouraged by Cigar Aficionado’s senior features editor and spirits guru who co-hosted the seminar with Assare-Apiah but the answer is rum and cigars,” Bettridge said Everyone in the room had two glasses in front of them one with a pour of Bacardí Reserva Ocho and the other with Bacardí Gran Reserva Diez a sipping rum that’s been aged 10 years as opposed to only eight but law requires the age statement to only reflect the youngest spirit in the bottle The cigar was introduced by Rafael Nodal head of product capability for Altadis U.S.A. Cultural synergy between rum and cigars has always been strong but it seems especially so with these two brands Only 13 years apart (Bacardí was founded in 1862 they required new raw materials once Cuban tobacco and molasses were no longer an option Bacardí eventually found its home in Puerto Rico while the Romeo y Julieta that everyone was smoking is a product of Nicaragua “We use old American oak barrels,” Assare-Apiah said It’s standard practice across most spirits categories and really works for us Using a minimal of eight-year-old rums gives us the opportunity to provide a very rich style The humidity in the Caribbean affects the aging Bacardí Ocho started out as a commercially unavailable rum made only for family consumption it was first released to subscribers of Cigar Aficionado magazine Bettridge pointed out the Bacardí Ocho’s notes of baking spices and caramel while Assare-Apia picked up butterscotch and wood He also gave the crowd a tip on how to better taste the spirit in the glass “I learned that from a distiller in Kentucky For the Bacardí Diez, Bettridge noted how its graham cracker sweetness brought out the nut-and-honey qualities of the Romeo y Julieta’s all-Nicaraguan blend. Assare-Apia chimed in with flavors of allspice and how such flavors are commonly found in Caribbean cooking He also added that two styles of rum go into each bottle of Bacardí—pot still and column still They are aged independently and then blended for consistency A quick show of hands revealed the 10-year-old Bacardí as the show favorite And just so everyone in the room could finish the seminar with a clean socio-economic conscience Assare-Apia assured the crowd that workers in the sugar industry are paid fairly “Bacardí holds its molasses producers to the strictest standards,” he said If you can’t look after the people who make it for you you’re going to run into all kinds of problems.” Jack Daniel’s newest release is a bonded rye using the maker’s signature charcoal-mellowing process … allowing its makers wide choices and more chances to create … We taste the new Elijah Craig Ryder Cup Limited Edition and pair it with a cigar The new big thing in the whiskey world is American single malt The last seminar Saturday morning at the Big Smoke Las Vegas featured not one The Cigar of the Year was paired with Lagavulin Scotch in the first seminar to kickoff the second day … When pandemic lockdowns shuttered Los Angeles bars and restaurants bartender Lucas Assis took to TikTok to share his love of cocktails and craft spirits Since then Assis has become known as a go-to tequila and mezcal influencer amassing a following of over 250,000 on TikTok and upwards of 70,000 views on his Instagram stories that share his straight-up takes on agave spirit releases We talked to Assis about how agave spirits brands stand out in an increasingly crowded category and where brands can find untapped opportunities Answers have been lightly edited for clarity With all the tequilas and mezcals you come across what are some of the main things that make new entrants or expressions stand out When I receive a new bottle and I see that they list the location of production specifying the method and which agave they use Knowing this doesn’t necessarily mean that I will like it but it does show me they took the time to point out key information in the production of agave and know the audience they are targeting When I see a product that’s not made in Oaxaca it also stands out to me Oaxaca makes some of the very best mezcals and I love Oaxaca “not so good ones.” When I see products from San Luis Potosi We are seeing a lot of additive-free tequilas come out (or claims about additive free) is that an increasing demand from consumers from your perspective or do you think it fits under the bucket of a general demand for more transparency Additive free tequila is by far the number one thing that my audience across all platforms asks about So for some it is the only thing they are interested in and you can see the demand for additive free tequila growing I know that the consumers that make up the majority of my followers are a very small part of tequila consumers around the world it seems that corporate brands don’t need to Like Patron leaving the Tequila Matchmaker Program for example [the only independent But for small brands that are trying to break into this new tequila boom additive free is an absolute must to gain traction What makes you want to work with or promote a brand it’s important when the owner respects the culture and country of Mexico and doesn’t just use a made-up story about how they always wanted to start a brand or could never find a good tequila in Mexico It’s also important that it’s truly a product that I enjoy and has values that align with my own as well It’s also great when brands acknowledge the value of influencer marketing as well Any advice on how smaller brands should approach influencers They should approach influencers with knowledge about the value of marketing on social media we all have bills to pay and lives to live but brands that approach for free content in exchange for product or questions the validity of paid partnerships can be disrespectful to the time and effort that goes into making a video not to mention how hard it is to create an engaged audience and platform Any brands you think are doing better jobs in digital marketing and what strategies stand out Cazcanes for me is the one that stands out We have worked together for a couple of years and we all have seen the growth Cazcanes has had in the last year They launched in 2017 and have invested significantly in social media presence with many creators and were recently named the number one fastest growing tequila brand by Drizly What are some of the untapped opportunities in the agave industry for brands Tasting events hosted by creators and the brands are something I’ve seen more a lot of brands don’t focus on bartenders which is pivotal for any brand bartender sponsorships…take care of the people pouring the product every day Early Registration Open Early Registration Open rule-breaking 1881 masterpiece distils the entire human comedy to 160 brief chapters “Is The Posthumous Memoirs of Brás Cubas a novel?” asked one critic after its publication in 1881 “Yes and no,” replied the author in a later edition It is “a novel for some and not for others” That about sums up this freewheeling firework of a book the masterpiece of Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis the mixed-race grandson of freed slaves and Brazil’s greatest author is the perfect chance to get reacquainted with the delights of a book written with “the pen of mirth and the ink of melancholy” It contains the memoirs of almost-nobleman Brás Cubas written from beyond the grave and riddled with self-regard being so various and so secondary to how Brás Cubas buttonholes the reader: “Behold the dexterity and skill with which I shall carry out the most important transition in the book.” from attempts to make his fortune by inventing a plaster to “alleviate… melancholy” Posthumous Memoirs contains the whole human comedy in 160 very short chapters (“long chapters are better suited for ponderous readers”) he’s in no hurry to complete his story – and his condition Dave Eggers calls the book “an unmitigated joy to read” so it’s hard to keep a handle on the characters that buzz in and out yet leave Cubas in solitude But again Machado is ahead of us: “The book’s greatest flaw is you robust narration and a smooth and regular style.” And Thomson-DeVeaux’s endnotes provide all the context you could wish for cast doubt on her translation choices; a very Machadian quality indeed The Posthumous Memoirs of Brás Cubas by Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis, translated by Flora Thomson-DeVeaux, is published by Penguin Classics (£12.99). To support the Guardian and Observer order your copy at guardianbookshop.com This is the archive of The Observer up until 21/04/2025 The Observer is now owned and operated by Tortoise Media Stop me if you’ve heard this before: What do Susan Sontag Salman Rushdie and a 19th-century Catholic priest from Brazil have in common They all rate highly the talents of Machado de Assis The Collected Stories of Machado de Assisby Machado de AssisLiveright Machado learned Latin as a boy from Silveira Sarmento the priest whose Mass he served at an estate outside Rio de Janeiro He lived there with his family until losing both his little sister and mother to untimely deaths and Machado eventually found good and secure work with Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture He was happily married for 35 years and died in 1908 That honor was not in recognition of superior bureaucratic accomplishments it was for the lifelong bibliophile’s seven short story collections and nine novels He also co-founded the Brazilian Academy of Letters and served as its first president The arrival of this 900-page tome offers a chance for readers unfamiliar with Machado to figure out why a writer so little-read outside his native Brazil seems such a big deal to elite Anglophone literati This biographical information comes from the introduction to The Collected Stories of Machado de Assis which was published earlier this year in a new English-language translation by Margaret Jull Costa and Robin Patterson Machado enjoys a longstanding high status among major writers Ginsberg praised him as “another Kafka”; Sontag declared he was nothing less than “the greatest writer ever produced in Latin America”; Rushdie contends his “fantasticating imagination” is so fertile profound and original as to suggest he might have been a descendant of otherworldly literary gods who set him into “the South American literary wilderness of that period.” The easy way to explain the phenomenon of an apparently great and generally unknown author is to praise that person as a “writer’s writer.” This is a diplomatic way of excusing general readers from engaging with the works of a difficult or idiosyncratic artist whose efforts are assumed to appeal only to fellow practitioners That could easily explain (away) Machado’s work but an immersion in his world suggests he is actually more of a “writer’s Catholic writer.” Regardless of his personally held beliefs or religious practice and tellingly not cited in the praise Machado’s work has received from writers and reviewers alike playful and mystical-mysterious stories consistently reveal affirm and depend upon a fundamentally religious sense of things “I’m of the view that anything is possible in this world and the next,” observes the narrator in “The Tale of the Cabriolet” (1906) a late story about a tragic failed romance whose shocking details come into focus through the discoveries of a sacristan assisting a parish priest giving last rites to a dying man and woman And while almost any fabulist writer depends on and opens up views of worlds beyond the immediate that are not necessarily religiously-shaped—the stories of both Edgar Allan Poe and Jorge Luis Borges come immediately to mind—Machado’s efforts in this respect prove consistently so is a wry and slanted update of Milton’s Paradise Lost In this story the Devil decides to open a church of his own he goes to heaven and parlays with God about this plan while the Angels Gabriel and Michael listen in as bored as children stuck at a grown-up dinner party God soon grows tired of the Devil’s talk about his grand and puritanically evil ambitions and sends him away to try his best the Devil disguises himself as a Benedictine monk—“a habit of good repute”—and begins proclaiming a new that his most outwardly devout followers prove the least genuinely faithful to his teachings Because of the way Machado has arranged the story’s dynamics you can almost hear God calling down “I told you so” from on high playful and mystical-mysterious stories of Machado de Assis consistently reveal Deep and even didactic irony appears across Machado’s stories as is the case with “The Sacristan’s Manuscript” (1884) Machado declines to resolve matters more clearly than that; instead a self-described “philosophical sacristan” and friend and confidant to both people concludes a heated tale of the heart with an intellectual’s cool then I am of the firm opinion that something Other stories are more explicitly moralizing in their conclusions but usually not to great effect because their pointed endings collapse all of the meaningful ambiguity and implication of the stories themselves a brisk reworking of the story of Abélard and Héloïse whose many intriguing turns and shocking revelations lose their purchase to the too obvious poetic justice visited upon the man responsible for separating the lovers Machado comes across as more provocatively experimental which he subtitles “Three Unpublished Chapters from the Book of Genesis,” which explores sibling rivalry among the sons of Noah that Machado unexpectedly extends from the atemporal realm of the mythic-Biblical into late 19th-century geopolitics by way of a leap from Shem and Japheth arguing over territory to a suddenly related citation of the war between Russia and the Ottoman Empire in the late 1870s The size of this collection discloses unevenness and repetition—particularly the premise of failed romances between devout women and seminarians or priests two stories stand out: “Midnight Mass” (1899) is a work of veiled meaning and temptation involving a young man (who narrates) and an older woman It is brilliantly taut in its telling of why and how the young man’s “soul grew indolent” over the course of his conversation with a beguiling older woman That tautness depends on Machado’s reminding us of the chronological and ethical stakes of the narrator’s ambivalent chatting or for so long that he misses Mass and does something else instead RELATED STORIES Can Catholic literature build on its rich heritage?Joshua Hren Is Salman Rushdie the novelist we need to capture America under Trump?Randy Boyagoda More mischievous in its study of our too-human spirits “Among Saints” (1896) is a feverishly told tale of a sacristan who hears men talking in his parish church in the middle of the night He approaches quietly and fearfully and discovers the statuary saints of the church have come to life and stepped down from their prayer niches Smile?” scoffs John the Baptist at Francis de Sales promising to tell a story of a recent petition that will entertain him Joseph meekly insists he has a better one to tell overcome with the recognition of how we open ourselves more than we realize to higher concern and scrutiny when we ask for a saint’s intercession What he learns of one particularly desperate man’s situation and prayers proves too much and he faints while the saints laugh “not the great guffaws of Homer’s gods when they saw lame Vulcan serving at the table Machado doesn’t assign a ratio of value to the entertainment value of intercessory prayer because it’s enough only to have us thinking about that possibility His imagination is so boldly literary and religious that at his best he does what every great writer tries to do His stories let us imagine our way into familiar perspectives and situations from unexpected vantages that enlarge and transform our sense of what is and what can be in this life [The Catholic Book Club brings together a community of readers to share their appreciations and reflections on the best literature of the day. Join the Catholic Book Club Facebook group today!] This article also appeared in print, under the headline “The Writer's Catholic Writer?,” in the November 26, 2018 Randy Boyagoda is a professor of English at the University of Toronto Michael’s College and holds the Basilian Chair in Christianity will be published in the United States next spring Password reset instructions will be sent to your registered email address As a frequent reader of our website, you know how important America’s voice is in the conversation about the church and the world. We can't do it without you—America Media relies on generous support from our readers. Please visit our membership page to learn how you can invest in our work by subscribing to the magazine or making a donation If you’re already a subscriber or donor, thank you! If you login and register your print subscription number with your account, you’ll have unlimited access to the website. Please contact us at members@americamedia.org with any questions Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article The son of a house painter of mixed black and Portuguese ancestry, he was raised, after his mother’s death, by a stepmother, also of mixed parentage. Sickly, epileptic, unprepossessing in appearance, and a stutterer, he found employment at the age of 17 as a printer’s apprentice and began to write in his spare time. Soon he was publishing stories, poems, and novels in the Romantic tradition Machado’s reputation of being among the greatest of Brazilian writers rests on this work, his short stories, and two later novels—Quincas borba (1891; Philosopher or Dog?, 1954) and his masterpiece, Dom Casmurro (1899; Eng a haunting and terrible journey into a mind warped by jealousy Translations into English of his shorter fiction included The Devil’s Church A Chapter of Hats: Selected Stories (2008) and The Collected Stories of Machado de Assis (2018) but the locale of his fiction is usually a keenly observed Rio which he took for granted as though there were no other place The natural world is practically nonexistent in his work His writing shows a deep-rooted pessimism and disillusionment that would be unbearable were it not disguised by flippancy and wit In 1896 Machado became the first president of the Brazilian Academy of Letters For a discussion of Machado in the context of the history of Brazilian literature, see Brazilian literature: Emergence of the republic. Reading"The delectable lettering of..." More fromOnes to Watch 2021 Contact Advertising Opportunities Newsletters Insights + Opinion Creatives + Projects Advice + Resources Culture + Lifestyle Nicer Tuesdays The View From... POV Forward Thinking Review of the Year Jenny Brewer Olivia Hingley Ellis Tree Elizabeth Goodspeed Liz Gorny Extra Search it seems the world is slowly but surely being given the Leandro golden touch In partnership withBaume & Mercier is designing an artistic responsible watchmaking approach shaped by design and creativity in order to lay the ground for cooperation and the sharing of experiences Lettering artist and illustrator Leandro Assis knew he was gay from a very young age an experience he strongly believes brought him to his specific niche of the creative sphere in more ways than one Growing up in a “giant family” in Rio de Janeiro he remembers feeling different yet wanting to blend in and attempting to do so through his handwriting “I understood I was trying to simulate different types of writing considered less feminine Leandro feels he “was forced to reinvent the way I write,” and picked up invaluable skills in creative observation and portrayal “I see now that this exercise made me open up a world of possibilities,” Leandro tells us “I ended up watching the way my friends write and that made me understand more about the connection between the person and their personality in handwriting I believe it has a lot to do with what I do today I always try to understand what kind of feeling I want to awaken in people through the typographic style of my letterings.” Leandro Assis: Rock The Mountain Festival (Copyright © Rock The Mountain Festival his continued search for identity led him to magazines where more creative foundations were laid within Leandro influenced by both the content and design of these formative publications “I was looking for an explanation for all the feels in teen magazines,” he says He began collaging and assembling his own zines from cut-out articles and imagery along the way building an understanding of himself and his own taste I was already hooked by design and I knew it was going to become my profession.” Leandro Assis working with Porto Rocha: Tudum almanac (Copyright © Netflix Fast-forward a few years and Leandro’s career has so far seen him work in an advertising agency even run his own design studio for four years But it was only three years ago that he chose to focus on lettering realising that throughout all these roles he had “always looked for places where I could be a lettering artist” and enjoyed that process the most This is evident simply glimpsing through his vibrant portfolio his projects for world-leading brands fizzing with energy and fun all of what Leandro creates remains infused with elements of his formative years “I basically use all my graphic references from when I was a teenager in my work,” he says “It is the time that I was discovering myself as a Black queer person and that is where most of my art inspirations come from The pop songs and album covers I listened to the books.” He also cites artists and designers such as Parra Steven Harrington and Genie Espinosa as personal inspirations as “people who mixed art and design with typography,” and brings in elements of psychedelia Leandro Assis: #BuyBlack (Copyright © Facebook Among his portfolio is a mega project for Netflix wherein he was asked to make 100 stickers for the streamer’s Tudum festival collated into an almanac that is reminiscent of Leandro’s collaging days There’s also a recent dream-come-true project for Nike Leandro was asked to create a series of illustrations and typographic artworks for a Nike Remix Pack a collection of six classic sneakers adorned with a special-edition design His final artwork was inspired by 90s street style iconography and colours drawn from his teenage era It was also a project close to his heart as a self-confessed sneakerhead something he also attributes to his grapplings with self-image growing up “I’ve always been a big person and getting dressed has always been an issue because it is difficult to find clothes of my size in the stores I wanted,” he explains “So sneakers were always the piece of clothing that I knew could express my personality It was always something very important to building my self-esteem.” Bringing an intricate knowledge of sneaker design to the project particularly historical collections that used experimental typography and graphics the open brief allowed Leandro to put much of himself into the final result Leandro Assis: The Culture Shift (Copyright © Facebook Another of his recent projects for RuPaul’s Drag Race also felt personally important to Leandro he wants to use design as a tool “to talk about things I care about” such as Black culture And there can be no more mainstream celebration of queer culture than RuPaul’s globally beloved show Leandro was brought into the project by Aries Moross whose studio created the visual campaign for season 13 and looked to Leandro to create lettering designs for each queen based on their individual personas The artist says the process helped develop his practice with a team “who dealt with typography in a different way,” and that the results were “one of the projects my friends (and RuPaul fans) liked the most!” Leandro cites Aries as a personal inspiration and “trailblazer designer” whom he’s loved from the beginning of his career Leandro says he was scared to reveal to people he worked with that he was gay but this project represented the other end of that spectrum in the most wonderful way “It's inspiring to see people from the LGBTQIA + community influencing each other in a way that says that it's okay to be the way we are,” he says Leandro Assis: Hellow Festival (Copyright © CDMX The artist also feels that being Black also set him apart in the creative world as starting out he says “didn't see many people who looked like me” especially in typography there was “a lack of reference from successful Black people in design to inspire me and prove it is possible,” he says “Today I know important Black designers who came before that were not even mentioned in my design course and so it seems “everything is done to hinder the entry of people who do not follow the same pattern” “When you go looking for a job in a cool studio or company you hardly ever see Black people in decision making or even a part of that team when you have money to go you get comments like ‘you don't even look like a designer’ or are mistaken for a staff member I have lost count of how many times this has happened to me It sends you a message that you don't belong in there I studied on a design course where I was the only Black person Leandro Assis: Black History Month (Copyright © YouTube Hence Leandro sets out to not only be true to himself but evoke that individualism through his work “I’ve tried hard to fit into what was expected of a designer But I don't identify with most things And I only managed to find myself professionally when I got rid of that burden When I was able to understand that my lettering was not perfect or that my reference did not always come directly from cultural movements I missed hearing more people saying this to me during my journey “I embrace my story today and what got me here through my work my style and the projects I choose to be part of And there are people who identify with that I get a lot of messages from other Black creatives talking about how good it is sometimes to see other examples of Black people occupying some spaces that I occupy today Show the diversity of our work and that there is room for our excellence.” Leandro Assis: Lit Sticker Set (Copyright © Snapchat Further Infowww.lebassis.com www.instagram.com/lebassis Jenny Brewer Jenny is the online editor of It’s Nice That She was previously It’s Nice That’s news editor Get in touch with any big creative stories Fancy a bit of It's Nice That in your inbox Sign up to our newsletters and we'll keep you in the loop with everything good going on in the creative world Instagram TikTok LinkedIn Facebook Twitter Pinterest About Careers at It’s Nice That Privacy Policy Insights Residence Creative Lives in Progress If You Could Jobs © It’s Nice That 2024 · Nice Face Logo © It’s Nice That Among the many details that make a film by Argentinian animator Dante Zaballa an unlikely favourite is the fact his films never seem to have any corners Built on a strong foundation of friendship a shared and varying love for creativity has led Vicky Lamas and Joaquín Burgariotti to create a unique design practice The Johannesburg-based artist’s work is stirringly of the time; it speaks to perceptions of identity and life’s existential realities desaturated colour and the enormity of a millisecond squeezed into one image: meet the Taipei-based illustrator and her visually arresting artworks the inspiring duo turning their hand to everything from design systems to films to a Designs of the Year-nominated protest placard series and now a mentorship scheme for passionate young creatives The French graphic designer talks to us about the typeface that changed her life and the advantages of taking your time Mixing the sci-fi aesthetic of anime and video games with Buddhist philosophy the Shanghai-based artist's multidisciplinary work irreverently abandons social labels The traditional glamour shot gets a humorous makeover with Bora Lee and Daewoong Han the Seoul-based photography and graphic design duo whose ultimate goal is to bring joy The Canadian photographer has adapted to a fair few changes over the last year most notably in using FaceTime to shoot the likes of Kim K the rising photographer details her creative evolution from a 19-year-old new to London to a freelance photographer tackling colourism in a unique merging of fashion and documentary photography Meet the innovative 11 and the stories behind their work www.lebassis.com www.instagram.com/lebassis Another of his recent projects for RuPaul’s Drag Race also felt personally important to Leandro Leandro Assis: Remix Pack (Copyright © Nike Leandro Assis: RuPaul's Drag Race 2013 (Copyright © World of Wonder Baume & Mercier is designing an artistic religious handouts and vintage tea card sets the designer creates unusual compositions that she describes as “absurd or whimsy” The designer opted for a rough and textured feel to reflect the space’s cosy and effortlessly inviting atmosphere Drawing from early internet aesthetics and the childhood escape that they offered Margie’s world satisfies one’s nostalgia whilst exploring discomfort and interpretation monk-approved logos and the ruling mood of toad: these are the trends we have been quietly bookmarking for the year ahead About Contact Advertising Opportunities Newsletters Insights + Opinion Creatives + Projects Advice + Resources Culture + Lifestyle Nicer Tuesdays The View From... POV Forward Thinking Review of the Year Jenny Brewer Olivia Hingley Ellis Tree Elizabeth Goodspeed Liz Gorny Instagram TikTok LinkedIn Facebook Twitter Pinterest Careers at It’s Nice That Privacy Policy Insights Residence Creative Lives in Progress If You Could Jobs Get the most important Jiu-Jitsu stories delivered straight to your inbox Check out the Digital Edition HERE The Indian Ocean is a vital conduit for trade. It's also a domain where security threats, including piracy, trafficking, and illegal fishing, thrive. Former Africa Center professor Assis Malaquias reflects on its relevance to national security in Africa. possibly an attempt to fortify the craft against small-arms fire The Indian Ocean is a vital geopolitical hub that connects trade routes in Africa and shared maritime economic resources is accompanied by a proliferation of security threats including trafficking of humans a former Professor and Academic Chair of Defense Economics and Resource Management at the Africa Center shares his insights on the relevance of the Western Indian Ocean in the larger maritime safety and security agenda on the African continent ASSIS MALAQUIAS: The Indian Ocean’s strategic value cannot be overstated stretching from the southernmost tip of Africa east to the Indonesian archipelago and Australia Roughly 50 percent of oil and 40 percent of gas shipments traverse the Indian Ocean Ports on the ocean’s shores handle approximately 30 percent of global trade and about half of the world’s container traffic and fishing stocks are abundant in the region Securing the choke points in the Indian Ocean—such as the Straits of Hormuz and Malacca which connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden—is strategically vital for the global flow of trade which is why even some states outside the Indian Ocean maritime area maintain a naval presence in it The Indian Ocean also borders zones of conflict and countries that suffer from weak government structures and limited capacity for policing offshore activities illicit trade and other activities have flourished in many parts of the Indian Ocean The collapse of central authority in Somalia is partly responsible for the emergence of piracy which started along the Somalian coastline and eventually extended all the way to the Indian subcontinent Several countries with global trade interests have had to launch counter-piracy operations as a result AM: African national and regional security strategies have given that 38 African countries are either coastal or island states and only 16 are landlocked A great many Africans living along the continent’s 16,000 miles of coastline have a sea-based culture going back millennia half a billion Africans rely on fish for their protein intake Some of the world’s most vital trade routes encircle Africa yet the continent’s share of global trade is just 2 percent African countries, however, are starting to invest in the institutions and processes needed to harness the vast potential of the maritime domain. In 2012, the African Union adopted the 2050 African Integrated Maritime Strategy which outlines an overall strategy and plan of action to address Africa’s maritime challenges and exploit opportunities for sustainable development and competitiveness This effort represents an emerging policy shift from “sea blindness” to increased awareness of the maritime domain and coordinated responses to insecurity Pirates holding the crew of the Chinese fishing vessel FV Tianyu 8 guard the crew Monday as the ship passes through the Indian Ocean The Djibouti Code was the first major attempt by African states to establish a cooperation mechanism to counter piracy and armed robbery against ships in the western Indian Ocean This was achieved through the establishment of three Information Sharing Centers in Sana’a (Yemen) The code also established the Djibouti Regional Training Center for the sole purpose of training and building capacity in law enforcement activity on the sea Participating states are creating a counter-piracy architecture to improve communication and coast guard capabilities and enhance the deterrence The establishment of such infrastructure benefitted from similar ones in ECCAS which set up a center to coordinate maritime safety and security activities across zones A extending from Angola to Cameroon and including the navies of Cameroon AM: The key challenge is continuing to shift the mindsets of government officials to recognize the vital importance of the maritime domain as part of a comprehensive national security strategy while the AU has developed an overarching architecture for regional maritime security and strengthen the institutions called for in the African Integrated Maritime Strategy and its various protocols so it makes better sense to invest in them jointly as part of a coordinated regional strategic framework regional maritime protocols must be domesticated into national legal frameworks For too long the maritime domain has been treated as an afterthought thanks to growing political will to address maritime threats and opportunities This will ultimately enhance maritime safety and security in the strategically vital western Indian Ocean More on: Maritime Security Regional and International Security Cooperation Food Security ByNigel ChiuUpdated 07/02/2023 at 20:12 GMT Assistant coach hails Kane’s “football DNA” as he breaks Spurs’ goal-scoring record AdvertisementHow was your experience today