Global Voices » Sara Moreira

Portugal: Protests Against ACTA

Sara Moreira — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 00:10:56 +0000

On 11 February 2012, more than 200 cities around the world joined the global protests against ACTA - the proposed multi-national Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement that aims to establish international standards for intellectual property rights enforcement. In Portugal, around 300 people demonstrated on the streets of Lisbon, Porto, Coimbra, Viseu and Braga, following the calls that had been organized via Facebook.

Kris Haamer summed up the Lisbon event:

‎”ACTA is censorship, a return to dictatorship” was what the group, many in Guy Fawkes masks, were shouting in an Anti-ACTA march in Lisbon center. I would describe it as small and unorganized (perhaps 200 people) with little structure and focus on coherent messaging. Very few people with laptops or iPads, iPhones, etc to share the message and only 1 tv station takin an interest..

"ACTA seems to be a marginal concern in Portugal. Few people mostly the youth". Photo by Kris Haamer on Foursquare (used with permission).

In Porto, although more than one thousand netizens had confirmed on Facebook their intention to participate in the protest, only a few dozen actually concentrated in the Aliados Avenue, in front of the City Hall. Some of the demonstrators came from Braga, as they decided to join forces in just one city in the North, due to low participation there.

Protest in Porto. Photo by Nuno Gomes on G+ (used with permission).

The protest, which was livestreamed on the blog of #AnonymousPortugal, then moved to the entrance of the newspaper Jornal de Notícias, in order to capture the attention of mainstream media, with success.

Protest in Porto. Photo by Nuno Gomes on G+ (used with permission).

In Coimbra, out of 154 confirmations on Facebook, only 21 people joined the demonstration.

Protest in Coimbra. Photo sent by an anonymous (used with permission).

"I had a motto but it was censored." Photo from Coimbra sent by an anonymous (used with permission).

In Viseu only 7 people joined. A new demonstration is scheduled for February 18 in Évora.

Activist on intellectual property issues Maria João Nogueira, wrote on her blog an open letter [pt] to the Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho where she mentions some of the countries that have stepped back from signing the agreement, recalling that:

o Embaixador Português no Japão já assinou a ACTA em nome de Portugal (e ainda não vi o pedido de desculpas), embora, curiosamente, não haja notícia desta assinatura, nem da posição do Governo Português acerca deste “tratado”.

the Portuguese Ambassador in Japan has already signed ACTA in the name of Portugal (and I haven't seen him apologize yet), though, curiously, there is no news about this signature, nor on the position of the Portuguese Government about this “treaty”.

On a different post she mentions a statement from 2010 that was signed by some of the members of the Parliament who “had reservations about the transparency of the process and have expressed doubts regarding the contents of this treaty”. Nogueira shares [pt] a list of the representatives, as well as their emails addresses, and invites readers “to ask the ones who signed if they have already clarified their doubts, and to those who didn't sign it, why they didn't do it, and what's their opinion/position about the subject”.

While the treaty is open for signature until March 31, 2012, Avaaz's world wide petition has already gathered more than 2.1 million signatures in just two weeks.

Brazil/Portugal: “Word of Mouth” Launches Online Channel

Sara Moreira — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 18:16:34 +0000

On January 16, Portuguese-Brazilian independent media collective Passa Palavra (Word of Mouth) [pt] launched the website PassaPalavra.tv - an online channel that brings together independently produced audio-visual materials. Through sharing video, audio and image, the website aims to collaboratively report on “social struggles and denounce oppression and abuse by public and private authorities”.

Brazil: “A new era of political activism?”

Sara Moreira — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 18:08:29 +0000

Global Voices author from Brazil, Raphael Tsavkko writes about A new era of political activism for the ESPAS Conference on ‘Global Trends 2030′, organized by the EU Institute for Security Studies (EUISS).

Angola: Police Represses Peaceful March in Cazenga

Sara Moreira — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 17:56:07 +0000

In 2011 Angolan people has been persistent in demonstrating discontent against the reality lived in the country. In the beginning of December, in Cazenga's neighborhood in Luanda, protestors were peacefully marching and chanting [video], when police forces decided to violently break the demonstration.

Brazil: The Death of Socrates, A Brazilian Idol

Sara Moreira — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 11:20:51 +0000

[All links in Portuguese except when otherwise noted.]

Sócrates Brasileiro Sampaio de Souza Vieira de Oliveira, one of the greatest Brazilian soccer players, died at the age of 57 on December 4, 2011, a result of septic shock caused by excessive consumption of alcohol over the years.

Known simply as Sócrates (or even “Doutor Sócrates”, since he was a qualified physician, or Magrão, his childhood nickname), he started playing for Botafogo team from the city of Ribeirão Preto, in the state of São Paulo. In the 1980s, he became an idol while playing for Sport Club Corinthians Paulista, and especially during the World Cup of 1982, when he was captain of one of the best national teams ever. The cultured midfielder also played in the 1986 World Cup, in a team that included the legendary Zico and which famously became known as one of the greatest teams not to have won a World Cup.

Blogger Rodrigo Cárdia, from the blog Cão Uivador regrets:

Cartoon by Carlos Latuff in tribute to the player (under CC license)

Perde o futebol, perde o Brasil, perdem todos os que têm espírito contestador. Pois tudo isso tinha Sócrates: grande futebol, o Brasil no nome (Sócrates Brasileiro Sampaio de Souza Vieira de Oliveira), e um pensamento crítico muito raro no meio futebolístico.

Soccer loses, Brazil loses, all of those who have a disruptive spirit lose. Because Socrates had all of that: great football, Brazil in his name (Sócrates Brasileiro Sampaio de Souza Vieira de Oliveira) and critical thinking, which is very rare in the soccer world.

Sócrates, the Politician

Besides being a soccer player, Sócrates was a political leader in and out of the field. A self-proclaimed communist, he was one of the architects of the so-called Corinthian Democracy [en], a period in which the decision-making processes of the club's soccer department were influenced by the players. At that time, some of the players were also known to stand against the military dictatorship that would end in 1985.

Show de Camisas blog explains:

Sócrates não lutou por democracia só no Corinthians. Ele teve papel de destaque na campanha por Diretas Já no Brasil, no início da década de 80. Tinha ideais socialistas e era admirador do regime cubano – o mais novo de seus filhos recebeu o nome de Fidel, em homenagem ao líder Fidel Castro.

Sócrates didn't fight for democracy only while in Corinthians. He played a very important role in the campaign for Diretas Já (Direct Now) [movement [en] that demanded for direct presidential elections] in Brazil, in the early Eighties. He had socialist ideals and was an admirer of the Cuban regime — his youngest son was named Fidel, in tribute to the leader, Fidel Castro.

About Sócrates and his support to MST, Movement of the Workers Without Land. By Max da Rocha, from Brigada de Audiovisual of Via Campesina, under CC license

Being champion is just a detail
“People's mobilization is essential. We have two large political groups: the organized cheerleaders and the MST (Landless Workers' Movement). The bourgeoisie is afraid that these groups will be strengthened further.
“The degree of politicization of the organized will give the line of our future. These movements are in the bud and have to do with changes in society, it is deeper than football.”

Sócrates didn't hide his political activism in the field, recalls journalist Eduardo Marini, saying that “Magrão has never been one of those who celebrate goals with explosions of joy”:

Mas quando comemorava, quase sempre o fazia da mesma forma, à moda dos Panteras Negras: em silêncio, com um punho fechado e erguido para o alto e o outro totalmente para baixo, também cerrado

But when he did comemorate, he almost always did it the same way, in the militant fashion of the Black Panthers: in silence, with a closed fist and lifted into the air and the other one all the way down, also closed.

Nicolau, from the blog Futepoca criticizes the media for having tried to hide the real meaning of Sócrates' typical gesture to celebrate goals, and Rodrigo Cárdia adds:

[Sócrates] participou ativamente da campanha “Diretas Já” em 1984, e nunca escondeu que seu lado era a esquerda. Nunca se cansou de criticar a formação de jogadores no Brasil (que procura criar apenas atletas de alto rendimento, sem se preocupar com “o lado humano”, ou seja, em formar também cidadãos mais conscientes), assim como os rumos da política esportiva no país, mais dedicada à organização de grandes eventos do que ao próprio fortalecimento do esporte brasileiro.

[Socrates] actively participated in the campaign “Direct Elections Now” in 1984, and never hid the fact that his side was leftist. He never got tired of criticizing the training of players in Brazil (which only seeks to create high-performance athletes, without worrying about the “human side”, i.e. in forming more aware citizens), as well as the direction of sports politics in the country, which is more concerned with the organization of large events than actually strengthening Brazilian sports.

A last tribute in the field

Sócrates' closed and lifted fist was repeated by Corinthians players at the final game of the Brazilian Cup 2011, during a minute's silence before kickoff, on December 4. The match ended with Corinthians as the champion team of Brazil, and this was also celebrated as a tribute to the brilliant player.

Nicolau, from the blog Futepoca adds:

Às 17h deste domingo, 4 de dezembro de 2011, o Corinthians entrava em campo no Pacaembu para disputar o título de Campeão Brasileiro. A uns 300 quilômetros dali, em Ribeirão Preto, o Doutor Sócrates recebia as últimas homenagens de uma vida intensa, mas interrompida prematuramente. No minuto de silêncio, em São Paulo, uma das várias cenas que ficarão marcadas de mais esta “final” (foram tantas…): os jogadores do Timão, perfilados em torno do círculo central, levantaram o braço direito relembrando a comemoração clássica do Magrão.

At 5pm this Sunday, December 4, 2011, Corinthians entered the field in the Pacaembu to dispute the title of Brazilian Champion. Around 300 km away, in Ribeirão Preto, Doutor Socrates received his last tributes to an intense life, which had come to a premature end. During the minute of silence in Sao Paulo, in one of the several episodes that marked this “final” (there were so many …): Timão made his way to the center circle and raised his right arm, recalling the classical celebration of Magrão.

Blogger Hugo Albuquerque comments:

Na esteira da morte do Doutor Sócrates, seria uma indignidade o Corinthians perder o título brasileiro ontem. Justo o Doutor, que declarou querer morrer num domingo com o seu Corinthians campeão.

In the wake of the death of Doutor Socrates, it would have been an indignity for Corinthians to lose the Brazilian title yesterday. It was the right thing for the Doctor, who said he wanted to die on a Sunday with his Corinthians as champions.

Cartoon by Carvall. Under CC license

Blogger Rogério Tomaz Jr sums up the player and the man:

Sócrates foi um dos maiores jogadores da história do futebol brasileiro.

E era amplamente reconhecido e respeitado pelo seu caráter, pela sua inteligência e pela sua personalidade.

Socrates was one of the best players in the history of Brazilian soccer.
And he was widely acknowledged and respected for his character, his intelligence and his personality.

Former player Walter Casagrande Jr, who played with Sócrates for Corinthias in the times of Corinthian Democracy and who was one of the team's idealists, wrote a moving letter about his friend, as did the teacher Fernando Lemos, who also paid his tribute.

Former Brazilian President Luís Inácio Lula da Silva released a statement, showing his sadness at the death of Sócrates.

Journalist Xico Sá, friend of Sócrates, also wrote a touching farewell, where he declared:

TE AMO PRA SEMPRE, DOUTOR.

I love you forever, Doctor.

Blogger and teacher Francisco Bicudo told of what Sócrates meant for him and his generation:

A Seleção de 82 e as Diretas Já são símbolos da minha geração. E Sócrates é uma espécie de síntese, de figura representativa dos dois momentos. Paz e sossego, Doutor Sócrates. Nossas lembranças guardarão para sempre os calcanhares geniais, a elegância desfilada em campo, a inteligência e o carinho no trato com a redonda, o olhar altivo e sereno, as lutas por democracia, a consciência política, a preocupação com a realidade social brasileira. Meu futebol e minha política ficaram hoje um pouco mais chatos.

The National Team of ’82 and the Diretas Ja (Direct Now) are symbols of my generation. And Sócrates is a kind of synthesis, the figurehead of the two moments. Peace and quiet, Doctor Sócrates. Our memories will forever keep the genius heels, the elegance paraded on the field, the intelligence and kindness, the proud and serene look, the struggle for democracy, the political awareness, the concerns with the social reality of Brazil. My soccer and my politics have now become a little more boring.

Activist and writer Celso Lungaretti summed up a feeling shared my many Brazilians:

Perdemos um grande companheiro, um irmão de fé. Foi doído demais.

We've lost a great companion, a brother of faith. It is too hurtful.

Tribute to Sócrates. Image by Pierre Lucena, under a CC license

This post was proofread by Skye Hernandez.

Lusophone Heritage of “Portugality” Around the World

Sara Moreira — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 13:50:21 +0000

A Facebook group and a mapping website called “Portugality” have been created to explore the cultures that result from the “global cultural fusion started by Portuguese navigations of the XVth. century and lasting to this day in places like Brazil, Mozambique, East Timor or Malacca”.

Sao Tome and Principe: Photographic View of the Country

Sara Moreira — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 17:04:02 +0000

The blog Viagem a São Tomé e Príncipe (Trip do Sao Tome and Principe) has made available a rich archive of photography that illustrates a range of aspects from the country, as for instance unique fruits and flowers, colorful markets and churches, street art and other artistic and cultural demonstrations.

Brazil: Documentary on Belo Monte Seeks Funds from the Crowd

Sara Moreira — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 15:50:50 +0000

Belo Monte: Announcement of a War is the title of a Brazilian independent video production about the hydroelectric plant's impact, which has made its way to the top of the most expensive crowdfunding campaigns in the Catarse platform. The short documentary had tried crowdfunding before without success.

East Timor: Building One Country Out of Many Languages

Sara Moreira — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 22:01:39 +0000

This post is part of our special coverage Languages and the Internet.

On November 28, 1975, Timor Leste unilaterally proclaimed its independence, after nearly four centuries of Portuguese colonization. Though the declaration was read in Portuguese, only a few days after, Indonesia invaded the country and the use of that same language would be forbidden for the twenty four years that the occupation lasted (1975-1999).

When East Timor became an independent country in 2002, both the Tetum and Portuguese languages were chosen as official for the newborn country. Nevertheless, the number of national languages is up to 16, and dozens of other dialects are used on a daily basis by Timorese citizens.

Idiom(s) of identity

Hau nia lian, hau nia rain (My language my homeland). Photo by Sapo Noticias Timor Leste (public domain).

In practice, Tetum, the lingua franca of East Timor, is the most widely spoken throughout the territory. On the other hand, “Portuguese is not the language of unity, but it is the language of identity”, said Mari Alkatiri, the leader of Fretilin (the opposition party), in an article [pt] from 2007 by the Portuguese journalist Paulo Moura, republished on the blog Ciberdúvidas da Língua Portuguesa (Cyberdoubts of Portuguese Language).

Moura further explains why after the independence there is an “overwhelming majority of the population” that does not speak Portuguese:

Aprendeu bahasa Indonésia e inglês como segunda língua e fala tétum em casa, além de alguma outra língua timorense, como o fataluco ou o baiqueno. É a chamada geração “Tim-Tim”, do nome Timor-Timur, que os indonésios davam à sua 27.ª província. Muitos estudaram na Indonésia ou na Austrália, e é difícil explicar-lhes, hoje, a importância do português. Pior ainda, como vêem que as elites políticas, privilegiadas, falam português, e como lhes é vedado o acesso aos empregos na administração pública, por não falarem a língua agora oficial, estes jovens criaram alguma hostilidade em relação a Portugal e à língua portuguesa.

They learned Bahasa Indonesia and English as second languages and they speak Tetum at home, besides any other Timorese language, as Fataluku or Baikeno. It is the so-called “Tim-Tim” generation, from the name Timor-Timur, that Indonesians called their 27th province. Many have studied in Indonesia or in Australia, and it is difficult to explain to them, nowadays, the importance of Portuguese. Even worse, as they see that the privileged political elites speak Portuguese, and as their access to employment in the public administration is barred because they don't speak the now official language, these youngsters have developed some hostility towards Portugal and Portuguese language.

The World Bank's 2011 report on the progress of the country over the last decade illustrates that “Portuguese was spoken by only 5 percent of the population” and adds that “by 2009, more than 70 percent of students tested at the end of the first grade could not read a single word of a simple text in Portuguese. This is a dismal record after 10 years of efforts (…). A full cohort of the population may be functionally illiterate.”

Online documentation of languages

According to the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger, there are six Timorese languages threatened by extinction.

Languages of East Timor. Map from the website Fataluku Language Project.

In the scale provided, Adabe (from the island of Atauro), Habu (from the Manatuto district), and Kairiu-Midiki and Naueti (from the Viqueque district), are considered vulnerable, as “most children from the areas speak the language, but it may be restricted to certain domains”, such as home and traditional life.

One level above is Waima'a, considered critically endangered - “children no longer learn the language as mother tongue in the home”. On the northeast tip of the island, Maku'a language, which according to the Atlas had only 50 speakers in 1981, is critically endangered and it may even have become extinct. There has had only been one booklet ever published in this language.

Some of the languages of East Timor however have been making their way into new media and online platforms, which may support their continuity.

Such is the case of Fataluku, a Papuan language spoken by 35,000 people in the eastern most district of Timor, which has been quite well documented on the websites Fataluku Language Project and Fataluku Community. A group of young artists from the region of Lospalos have been using it in their musical and performative works:

A research project for language documentation from the University of Hawai, has promoted several Timorese languages with the help of exchange students such as Osoroa and Fatumaka dialects of Makasae - the “major language in the eastern part of Timor-Leste” - as well as Waima'a, Fataluku, Mambae and Tokodede. The latter has been occasionally used by the Portuguese linguist and translator João Paulo Esperança on his blog Hanoin Oin-oin (Diverse thoughts) [tet].

An East Timorese girl speaking (from clockwise) Bunak, Tetum, Fataluku and Portuguese. Translation: "In Bunak/Tetum/Fataluku/Portuguese, we say: I am in Dili. I have some money. I do not have any money." Image by Joao Paulo Esperança (public domain).

Another blogger in under-represented languages is Abe Barreto Soares, who was interviewed for Global Voices in 2009, and besides writing in English, Tetum, and Bahasa Indonesia, has also kept a poetry blog in the Galole laguage from the Manatuto district called Limusan.

A bit further to the South, Idaté language is featured on the blog of Ildefonso Pereira. Facebook has also been used for communicating in Timorese languages, as for instance this group in Naueti.

Last year a proposal was made to use mother tongues first in the national educational program, as this short film entitled Lian Inan (Mother Tongue) [tet] points out, highlighting “the importance of a child's first language in helping them to learn to read and write, to respect the culture of their parents and community, and to become fluent earlier in the official languages of Timor-Leste”:

Rising Voices - the outreach project of Global Voices - is hosting an online dialogue called “Using Citizen Media Tools to Promote Under-Represented Languages” together with New Tactics and Indigenous Tweets. All practitioners from Timor Leste who are venturing into the world of citizen media to promote online communication using under-represented languages are welcome to share their strategies, successes and challenges in the online forum.

This post is part of our special coverage Languages and the Internet.

Portugal: A Peek into a Day of General Strike

Sara Moreira — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 19:07:40 +0000

Throughout the day of general strike in Portugal, November 24, Twitter user @Shyznogud has curated online media content for the page “a peek into the strike” on Scoop.it. Journalist Paulo Querido (@PauloQuerido) noted that “there are more tweets against the #grevegeral (general strike, hashtag in use) than in favour. Makes one think about the society we've become. Apparently we deserve punishment.”

Brazil: Maximum Fine After Silence on Chevron's Oil Spill

Sara Moreira — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 02:11:24 +0000

On 7 November, the Frade field oil platform, operated by the American drilling company Chevron-Texaco, began leaking crude oil. It is located in Bacia de Campos, 350km North from Rio de Janeiro. Last Monday, 21 November, Chevron was fined the maximum amount allowed by IBAMA (Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources), $R50 million (approximately $28 million USD).

Though the oil spill is now believed to have been brought under control, further explanations from Chevron are expected in the next few days. Meanwhile, what began as scarce coverage by mainstream media has lead many bloggers to criticize the lack of journalistic depth on the intricacies of the environmental disaster.

Chevron's oil spill in Bacia de Campos, November 18, 2011. Photo by Rogério Santana, Government of Rio, for release

“Silence is criminal”

Journalist Fernando Brito, on the blog of the federal deputy Brizola Neto Tijolaço [pt], decided to “swim against the media tide” that he had considered to be mere re-publication of corporate press releases. He embarked on a thorough and tireless work of investigative journalism trying to shine a light on the case, with 25 posts with denouncements in just two weeks. What he saw as signs that something was wrong with the mainstream coverage was later explained in an interview [pt] for the blog Vi O mundo:

Primeira: a Chevron-Texaco demorou para admitir o problema e, quando o fez, foi por uma nota marota, dizendo que havia sido detectado vazamento “entre o campo de Frade e o de Roncador – que é operado pela Petrobras - quando, na verdade, ele se deu bem próximo de uma de suas plataformas de perfuração, a Sedco706 (…).

Segunda: a história de que falha geológica seria a causa. É improvável que falhas geológicas capazes de provocar um derramamento no mar não tivessem sido detectadas nos estudos sísmicos que precedem a perfuração.

Terceira: mesmo depois de a presidenta Dilma Rousseff ter determinado em 11 de novembro a investigação rigorosa do caso, a nossa imprensa (…) continuou a dar quase nenhuma importância ao caso da Chevron-Texaco, uma multinacional com boas relações com o senhor José Serra.

First, Chevron-Texaco was slow to admit the problem and when it did, it was with a naughty note, saying that a leakage had been detected “between the Frade field and Roncador - which is operated by Petrobras - when, in fact, it happened very close to one of its drilling rigs, the Sedco706 (…).

Second, the story that a geological fault could be the cause. It is unlikely that faults capable of causing a spill at sea had not been detected in seismic surveys prior to drilling.

Third, even after the President Rousseff determined on 11 November a rigorous investigation of the case, our press (…) continued to give little or no importance to the case of Chevron-Texaco, a multinational company with good relations with Mr. José Serra. [Governor and Mayor of Sao Paulo, former Brazilian Presidency candidate ].

Giving further background to the third point above, economist Pedro Migão, from the blog Ouro de Tolo, recalls a post he wrote last year on “revelations by Wikileaks“:

sobre o lobby que as petrolíferas americanas estavam fazendo junto a setores da imprensa e a políticos do PSDB para terem o controle do pré sal - que é a última fronteira petrolífera mundial.

about the lobbying of the media and politicians from the PSDB [Social Democracy Party] by American oil companies to take control of the pre-salt [layer which holds significant oil resources] - which is the world's last oil frontier.

As public debate [pt] about the environmental dangers of offshore oil drilling had been sparked, Greenpeace Brazil started spreading the hashtag #VazaChevron (Spill Chevron, a play with words meaning Go Away Chevron), and took the opportunity to promote a petition [pt] against oil exploitation by Chevron planned for the Abrolhos region, a protected area in the state of Bahia.

Greenpeace Brazil's action urges transparency by Chevron on the causes and effects of the spill

Valéria Müller (@valeria47), tweeting from Porto Alegre, said [pt]:

Quando se tem dinheiro, dá até pra derramar petróleo no mar que não vira notícia. Taí a Chevron-Texaco pra provar isso. #VazaChevron

When you have money, you can even spill oil in the sea but it won't become news #VazaChevron

On Twitter, many have also commented on the amount of the fine, which is just about “half a day's profit” for Chevron, such as Mirinho Braga (@mirinhobraga), Mayor of Buzios, who asks:

A Chevron polui nosso mar…o IBAMA multa em milhoes a empresa. Os pescadores q são prejudicados recebem o que?

Chevron pollutes our sea… IBAMA fines the company millions. The fishermen who are harmed receive what?

Chevron's logo with an oil spill. Shared on the blog Tijolaço.

Given Chevron's “track record of fraud related to an even larger oil disaster in neighboring Ecuador”, solidarity and awareness have come from activists in that country, where rainforests have also been contaminated by the company's spills, as Global Voices reported earlier this year.

On Wednesday, November 23, Chevron is expected to give further explanations about the disaster in a public hearing of the Environmental Committee of the Senate, along with Minister of Environment Izabella Teixeira, Minister of Mines and Energy Edison Lobao and representatives of the National Petroleum Agency (ANP) and IBAMA.

At the time this article was published, Fernando Brito's last post concerning Chevron's “bet on taking risks”, leaves a question in the air:

Um carro não bate por estar em velocidade imprudente, mas esta é o contexto que facilita a ocorrência do acidente.

No caso do autmóvel, porém, isso é motivo para ter a habilitação cassada. A Chevron-Texaco vai perder a carteira?

A car does not hit to be at reckless speed, but this is the context that facilitates the accident.

Concerning driving, however, this is a reason to have one's license revoked. Will Chevron-Texaco lose its license?

João Miguel Lima, Raphael Tsavkko and Thiana Biondo have collaborated on the research for this post.

Sao Tome and Principe: Community Radio Takes Advantage of Social Media

Sara Moreira — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 09:04:56 +0000

Somos Todos Primos (We are all cousins) [pt] is the name of an online community radio whose first letters are a clue to the country it refers to: São Tomé and Príncipe. Both its Facebook page and Ning network have a lot of activity from listeners.

Cape Verde: Delicious Blogging on Local Gastronomy

Sara Moreira — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 15:56:28 +0000

Would you like to try the Cape Verdean famous dish, cachupa? Odair Varela explains the process of preparation in a photopost [pt]. For more on gastronomy from Cape Verde, visit the blog CV Na Pontu [pt].

Brazil: Online Campaign to Protect Xingu Against Belo Monte

Sara Moreira — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 18:50:19 +0000

A new movement called Gota D'Água (Drop of Water) [pt] has launched an online campaign to discuss Brazil's energy planning through the analysis of the Belo Monte dam project. The campaign includes a video featuring public figures and a petition, that has already gathered 1923 signatures, to be handed over to the government.

Guinea-Bissau: Community Radio Launches a New Blog

Sara Moreira — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 18:09:31 +0000

The community radio Voz de Queléle (Voice of Quelélé) [pt], from the Quelélé neighborhood in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau, launched a new blog in October 2011. The radio was created in 1994 and has played an important role especially in providing public health information to the community.