BRAZIL: p03 In the UK, a bill that guarantees the right for same-sex couples to marry was approved. What about in Brazil?
SPORT: p12 Feb 12th – Feb 25th 2013
UEFA: Matchfixing allegations rock football in England and whole Europe
LONDON EDITION
It’s Carnival! With three nights of parades by samba schools in the Sambadrome and the invasion of thousands of revellers across nearly 500 blocks of streets it’s easy to understand why the Rio de Janeiro carnival is the largest in the world.
Photo: Marco Antonio Cavalcanti/Riotur
www.brazilianpost.co.uk • Issue n. 80
Read more on pages 2 and 8 >>
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Feb 12th – Feb 25th 2013
Front Page RIO DE JANEIRO
Elite schools of Rio carnival thrill audience Of the 6 schools, Unidos da Tijuca shined bright in the streets of Rio: a parade of creativity and good humour in the costumes of the revellers Rosa Bittencourt The Brazilian Post correspondent in Rio de Janeiro
W
ith three nights of parades by samba schools in Catwalk Professor Darcy Ribeiro - the Sambadrome Marques de Sapucaí - and the invasion of thousands of revellers across nearly 500 blocks of streets it’s easy to understand why the Rio de Janeiro carnival is the largest in the world. Joy and samba create a mood of delirium even for partygoers who enter this festival for the first time. A lot of sun, cool drinks and good humour top off events for over 6 million locals and tourists who visit the city during this time of year. But it wasn’t all joy in the wonderful city. After complaints and warnings over the amount of people using the streets as a lavatory, City Hall installed 16,200 chemical toilets around the city, mostly concentrated in the centre and in the neighbourhoods of South Zone. Though enforcing fines to those who chose not to follow the guidance proved impossible, especially in the city cente where the smell was unbearable. Pickpockets and fights sparked from excessive drinking were also on the list of criticisms, leading to calls for an increased police presence at future events.
Night of the elite
On Sunday, the 10th, from 9pm until 6am the following morning, more than 70 thousand people cheered
I
t’s Carnival in Brazil! You may be feeling far away from our big party and not enjoying the cold, but we think the joy and contagious energy that Brazilians have will cheer us up in the UK. This is why there was only one choice for the cover of this issue the The Brazilian Post! Our collaborator, Rose Bittencourt is our correspondent working directly from Rio de Janeiro, bringing biggest party in the world: carnival 2013 to us. We hope this will help our Brazilian readers feel closer to the warmth of our country and for foreigners, to
the parade of the ‘Special Group’ of samba schools. This considerable elite group of Rio’s Carnival are: sambódromo Inocentes de Belfort Roxo, Salgueiro, Unidos da Tijuca (champion of 2012), União da Ilha, Mocidade and Portela. Portela, celebrated the 400 year history of the neighbourhoods of Madureira and Mocidade Independente de Padre Miguel, with a storyline in honour of Rock in Rio, which excited the audience. The defending champion, Unidos da Tijuca, who led to parade, presented a storyline based on the year of Germany in Brazil, although they experienced some problems with floats, the creativity of the Carnavalesco (person who behind the theme of the presentation), Paulo Barros drew applause from the audience. Five Cariocas friends were disbursed with £250 each to be handed out in strategic points of the Sambadrome. I spoke to a group of women, Antonia Alves, 42, and Sandra Antunes, 48, a nurse Bia Mendes, 40, a lawyer Fernanda Fonseca, 35, and statistician Marise Machado, 50 who only had praise for the carnival. Fernanda Fonseca told me that she has closely followed events of the parade for more than 20 years. Each had their preferred school, but the biggest expectation is the School of Samba Beija-Flor, though Acadêmicos do Salgueiro and Mocidade, have also been indicated as favourites for this year’s title. Who or what was your highlight of this year’s carnival? Tweet us @BrazilainPost_ #rio #carnival Continued on Page 08 >>>
Decorated float of Unidos da Tijuca features 60 giant tulips beer Photo: Marco Antonio Cavalcanti / Riotur
At top left, Antonia, right, Fernanda; center, Sandra; below, Marise (left) and Bia
EDITORIAL better understand why Carnival is a major celebration in our vast magical culture. Plus we also have a guide to the best carnivals in Europe, in our Travel section. This theme of live reporting from were the action is taking place is a theme in this edition. With a feature in the guide brings direct news from the Berlin Film Festival, one of the most important in the world. Reporter Gabriela Lobianco reports events and highlights in exclusive coverage for TBP, directly from Berlin. In our Brazil section you will find an article written by Caio Varella, an
international advocate of human rights, which discusses debates on the safeguarding of rights for the country’s LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) population. This is also topical here in the UK, with the approval by the British Parliament of a law allowing same-sex partners to marry. In Community, we have information about the conference to be held at Kings College London (4 March) on the Truth Commission, responsible for investigating crimes committed during the military dictatorship in Brazil.
To relax, you can read our Sacred Chat, this edition tells you how to achieve your goals without giving up. In this sense, we hope to show how our newspaper is consistent, current, packed with information, entertainment and news straight from the source, all produced by our team in different parts of the world! This is our commitment to you, dear reader: to be the best! Ana Toledo ana@brazilianpost.co.uk Editor in Chief
Brazil | 03
OPINION
Sexual or political orientation?
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By Caio Varela* hroughout the world we have witnessed a controversial debate on the promotion and protection of human rights of LGBT people (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender). A significant portion of society have fought hard to condemn the spread of hatred, prejudice and discrimination and have defended equal rights, unfortunately we have also still see the rise of religious, political and ideological groups that underpin homophobia. Increasingly more and more governing bodies, especially those in Europe and some U.S. states, have passed laws criminalizing this type of hatred and laws guaranteeing civil rights such as marriage and the adequacy of official documents on behalf of the people on the matter of the identity gender. A significant portion of these achievements are a response to the demands of social movements organised nationally, regionally and internationally. There are still, however, countries like Saudi Arabia, Iran and Sudan that condemn homosexuality, bisexuality and transsexuality, with people facing life imprisonment and even the death penalty. South America is also emerging as a continent where countries have succeeded in advancing on this matter. Argentina, Uruguay, Ecuador and Chile have approved important laws in recent years. Besides them, Colombia and Bolivia have shown real new possibilities in voting in legislative propositions. So what about Brazil? Well, in sadly in Brazil the band has played otherwise. Besides still failing to guarantee rights, there are even bills that aim to enable the “Healing of Homosexuality” - as if sexual orientation and gender identity were some kind of disease. According to a gay-rights organisation in the Bahia State, in Brazil, one LGBT person is murdered every 36 hours. They have called for fast legislation to protect people against this type of hate crime, which have included lynching, stabbings, shootings and other brutal forms of torture. In addition to accounts of these deaths, report data released in 2011 by the federal government showed that violence against these groups are institutionalised in all areas of socialisation, such as schools and other public facilities, as well as at work and within the family environment. Strangely, the same report made recommendations to the government itself, but failed to define the way forward and what changes are needed to decrease homophobic violence in Brazil. When questioned, the government claimed the existence of the National Plan of Promotion of the Citizenship and Human Rights of LGBT had been approved at the first national LGBT conference in
The first gay pride event in Brazil was held in São Paulo in 1996 and today brings millions of people together 2011, and that their actions were being carried out from this document. Either way, it is unfortunate to note despite efforts being made, the result of such policies have been a disaster. Last year, the Brazilian press reported several cases of homophobic violence but although they gauged public sentiment have not led the government to find an effective position to build a policy environment. Steps need to be taken to allow the passage of laws that criminalise homophobic acts alongside public policies that exist in other areas such as culture, education and work so that they can reduce the number of daily violations against this population. Worse: some facts lead us to believe that there was and still a lack of interest or support from the Federal Government on this issue. In May 2011, President Dilma Rousseff banned the distribution of a variety of teaching materials, consisting of booklets, videos and pedagogical equipment in schools that had become known derogatorily become known as the “Gay Kit”. At the time Dilma stated loud and clear that the government would not create and promote “propaganda” for sexual “options”. It is widely known that this presidential veto was due to pressure exerted by
the Christian group (evangelical and Catholic) of the Brazilian Congress. It is noteworthy that the central argument of these legislators: that the material was aimed at primary school children and would be interpreted as the government condoning homosexuality to this young age group, was in fact false. It is laughable, if not outrageous, to note that, in addition to violating Brazil’s status as a secular state, the presidency was not able to deny these lies propagated by the four corners of the country. Towards the end of last year, the Second National Conference on LGBT, which had the mandate to evaluate and review the National Plan to Promote LGBT Citizenship and Human Rights was held. The result of the conference which left many feeling troubled, called for a new plan, to be drafted by the participants of a National LGBT Council. Recently, the U.S. president Barack Obama took a stand in defending the human rights of this population, stating the importance of organised social movements in building a new reality. The president of Argentina Cristina Kirchner stood publicly in favour of equal marriage and adoption, while delivering new identity documents to transgendered people, with their
appropriate names, apologising on behalf of the Argentine people for violating the guarantee rights of these people for so long. In the UK, a bill that guarantees the right for same-sex couples to marry was approved by a large majority in the first vote in Parliament, and the same should happen in France later this year. President Dilma, however, has never received the Brazilian LGBT movement to learn a little more about the policy choices demanded by their leaders. It would be very important that Dilma leave the comforts of her office to fully appreciate a little of the atrocious reality which an estimated 19 million LGBT people in Brazil face. While discussing this, three other points to be noticed: the homophobia that flows through Brazil’s state institutions are not solely in the executive branch, that the Brazilian Congress is composed mostly by representatives of sectors of society that use discrimination and prejudice to take advantage of the benefits of social segregation, and finally that an urgent major shift in the strategy of the Brazilian LGBT movement is needed so we can build a Brazil that embraces everyone. *Internationalist and human rights defender
Brazil | 04 |
Feb 12th – Feb 25th 2013
UNDERSIGNED
Senate Election mobilises social networks
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nce more social networks have shown show the potential mobilisation they are capable of stimulating. This lattest case concerns controversy surrounding the election of Renan Calheiros (PMDB-AL) to the chairmanship of the Senate. Before the election, protesters that had made statements against the workings of congress, presented senators with the result of an online petition against Renan as a candidate for the position. By the time of the election, 303,000 signatures had been registred by the social network of collective causes, Avaaz. At the time of writing, the number of signatures was almost reaching 1.3 million, or 1% of the national electorate. This is also the same number required for the population to take a protocol on legislation in the Congress, so-called popular initiative projects, but in fact this has no practical value to force a Senator from thier position. The creator of the petition has promised to deliver it to President Dilma.
Context
Social networks have shown show the potential mobilisation
Numbers
Calheiros replaces his fellow party member José Sarney (AP) and will be chair of the legislative house for two years. The senator was elected with
56 votes compared to 18 for Senator Pedro Taques (PDT-MT). There were two blank and two void votes. In all, 78 of the 81 senators attended the vote.
The mobilisation of actvism against the senate exists, and these lates numbers implied by the petition attest it. Quite what the impact of these will be cannot be predicted. In other cases, the application of these tools of social mobilisation have already begun to be adopted in order to reduce corruption in Brazil, though their impact should be evaluated. A practical example is the law “Ficha Limpa”, which was passed in 2010 and makes candidates who have impeached their mandate, resigned to avoid impeachment or is convicted by a decision of a collective body (with more than one judge) ineligible to stand eight years. These specific manifestations of public interest in specific situations are valid, but their implications should also be widened to enable effective actions in the country’s broader political system.
OPPORTUNITY
Culture ticket must stimulate municipality’s economy
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he Culture Minister Marta Suplicy has launched the idea of a culture ticket in a bid to stimulate the local economy. During a meeting with mayors, Suplicy explained how the ticket, which should be approved by Congress this year will work. Suplicy drew upon her experience in the city of São Paulo to set out how other mayors could see benefits of ascribing to the program. The minister was optimistic in her presentation announcing that with it, workers with a formal contract will have 50 reais (around £18) to spend on cultural events like concerts, cinema, exhibitions, theatre, books and magazines. Each beneficiary will have 5 reais deducted from their monthly salary; with employers responsible for the remaining 45 reais. According to Suplicy, the culture ticket will be similar to meal-ticket schmes and will be an easy to use a magnetic card that is credited every month. Initially, the benefit will only be accessible to workers earning up to five times the minimum wage, however, the minister did not rule out access to workers from other salary ranges, following successful accession of companies to the scheme.
Minister Marta Suplicy: ticket is aimed at boosting local economies
05
Community JUSTICE
National Commission of Truth is the theme of the conference in London
A
year since the creation of the National Commission of Truth by the Brazilian government, Kings College is hosting a review of it’s first year as a conference, PostTransitional Justice in Brazil - Progress or Perdition? This is a key event and the Minister of Justice of Brazil, Marcelo Torelly will be included as one of the speakers at the event held on 4 March. The program includes topics such as the application of the Truth Commission, the changes in Brazil’s justice system since the dictatorship years, comparing this with the history of other countries that also suffered repression. In addition, the event will also include discussions on other agenda mechanisms such as amnesty, a reparations program, memorials and cultural events.
Launch
The journalist and writer Bernardo Kucinski, who will be participating as a speaker, will launch his book, K. at the close of the event. K. chronicles the experiences of the journalist and his family when his sister Ana Rosa Kucinski, and brother, Wilson Silva disappeared during Brazil’s years of repression. The book is published in English by the publisher Latin America Bureau and costs £ 8.99. In Brazil, published by Popular Expression for $ 13.00. What? Post-Transitional Justice in Brazil - Progress or Perdition? When? 4 March Where? Kings College London Henriette Raphael Function Room, SE1 1UL Transport: Borough or London Bridge
National Commission of Truth The Truth Commission aims to investigate hum.an rights violations that occurred between 1946 and 1988, a period that includes the military dictatorship (1964-1988) in Brazil. The commission, created in May 2012, has been given two years to hear evidence from across the country, to collate and to analyse documents to help clarify rights violations that took place. According to the text sanctioned for creating the committee it aims to clarify facts and will not be a punitive exercise. The committee will take information that has been produced over 16 years by the Special Commission on Political Deaths and Disappearances and the information produced by the Amnesty Commission ten years ago.The law creating the Truth Commission was enacted in November 2011. By law, persons who are from executive positions in political parties, who are “not able to act with impartiality in the exercise of powers of the committee” or “are in pursuit of a commissioned office or position of trust in all spheres of the government” are excluded . For more information visit www.cnv.gov.br
Bernardo Kucinski, K. author who’s book will be launched in London, during the Turth Commission conference
Community | 06 |
Feb 12th – Feb 25th 2013
. http://hilarious-consequences.blogspot.co.uk http://www.steaknightcomics.com/ steaknightcomics.com/RRR_BOOKS.html
OMBUDSMAN This is your chance to let the Brazilian Post’s team know what you think. Send your feedback and get involved! Send your emails to contato@brazilianpost.co.uk
Investing in property is one of the best ways to monetize your capital, modern developments are increasingly complete, meeting all kinds of needs. It is now possible for greater leisurely than previously enjoyed at home: pools, gyms, jogging tracks, and more. These complexes can provide space for a large family or even for singles looking for a small space with everything close to hand. These are perfect for singles who are able to leave the parent’s house earlier, those who are looking for a high standard of living, those who value the “security” and the great treats that come in condominiums.
- Lara Steffens, Curitiba – PR
Community| 07
PROFILE
The ideas of the comedian Murilo Couto Words and image by Romulo Seitenfus
O
ne of the most popular and funny Brazilian T.V. comedians, the reporter of program “Agora é Tarde” (Now it’s Late) from Band Channel, Murilo Couto, 24, is undoubtedly one of the most talented names in the country of laughter. Since he began playing the character on Beto in the series Malhação on Globo T.V. (Brazil’s biggest Network), he hasn’t been away from our screens. But it was much earlier, while producing and presenting stand-up sketches and street theatre, that Couto had discovered his comedic talents. These were revealed to the masses when he won a contest sponsored by Rafinha Bastos (another comedian) and which was widely promoted via YouTube. Having graduated in Advertising, the boy of Belém do Pará, in the North of Brazil, also tried his luck as an estate agent, but withdrew from both areas realising he disliked working in publicity and had only managed to rent two properties during his real estate career. Now successfully enshrined in Brazil’s contemporary comedy scene Couto tells us more about the production of Agora é Tarde, and why he is happy at Band TV. “Band allows me to carry through with my ideas. I am present at each process of each episode, which would be impossible on Rede Globo. I have a say in a lot of the production, including creative input in the writing and topping it off with improvisation. We help each other. When someone makes a joke, the other goes out and invents a nice complement for it. We are four writers and we have a research team. The direction is very open to new and different ideas, it’s amazing”. As for understanding the psychology of those working in comedy, I ask if he agrees that comedians often make jokes to hide their shy side. “The comedian is not the villain or anything. It’s usually the guy who does not get women, or who is ugly and uses comedy to socialise. He jokes to become popular, perhaps as a defense mechanism. I am very timid and joke comes as a mask, to play with the weaknesses and even with sadness.” Described as a black comedian, Couto is not scared or courting controversy. Last year, presented as a spoof report that attempted to give a guide to speaking English for Brazilian footballers on their way to the London Olympics. “It was essential phrases for any football players in a second language. I taught them how to ask where to find
hookers, to instruct Neymar about the morning after pill, everything they needed to know to pass well here in England, “he laughs. Well-informed on football he knows of the scandals in the UK game surrounding racism and homophobia and thinks comedy has something to offer. “These discussions are also taking place in Brazil. People are racist, homophobic, and there is a lot of prejudice. I think this is very dangerous because if we make fun of blacks or gays, the prejudice that is inside some people’s minds can be strengthened. Comedy is not only about jokes, I see it as something like a transformer. I try to avoid homophobic and racist ideas that does not mean that I will not take on these themes, everything has to be done in the right tone. I try to build the joke on this other side, to criticise the homophobic rather than the gay people, the racists instead of blacks.” Couto is no less shy when it comes to taking on Brazil’s illegal drug legislation: “Of course I’ve smoked. I am in favour of legalising marijuana in Brazil. Am I right? It is a very delicate subject, but I look to the example of the Netherlands, who legalised marijuana as a result trafficking is weakened as is the abuse of other drugs as well, even those who are really heavy users, decrease their use”. When asked about the comedians that inspired him, Couto reveals: “In Brazil I admire several, including the guys who work with me. Léo Lins, Danilo Gentili, Marcelo Mansfield, Claudio Gonzaga, Paulo Carvalho, Fernando Caruso, Fabio Porchat . Abroad I would quote George Carlin, who is a political humourist, atheist, clashes with Christianity and speaks ill of the church. Also Chris Orc, who is black and speaks a lot of racism. My great idol at the moment is Tim Minchin, an Australian who lives in London. He is a musician and makes jokes about religions and his own life. I identify a lot with him because I like to follow this line through the autobiographical and personal. This makes it impossible to steal jokes from others. When you follow a line that speaks of yourself it becomes truly yours, unlike that which is everyone making fun of and I like to be ahead of things,” he concludes. After we finished this interview, I watched my guest leave the venue on the Charing Cross Road where we’d met. He wrongly tired to get on the escalator going in the opposite direction, stumbled and let out a huge laugh. At that moment I knew it was fair to say that Murilo Couto lives and breathes comedy.
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Feb 12th – Feb 25th 2013
Continued from page 02 >>
Distinct audiences With 4 nights of parades of samba schools, the first two nights are reserved for Series A (access group) and on Sunday and Monday, the funky Special Group.
The audience - mostly tourists, got understandably squeezed in the stands. It is common to hear the following advice: “You know the Rio carnival? Start with the access group. It is quieter and there are usually people in the community involved who create a calmer atmosphere. “
The stalls (seats closest to the parade) and cabins (exclusive to guests) are busy on both nights of the Special Group, mainly with tourists. Those seeking more of a thrill got as close as possible to the action as they wanted to monitor closely the spectacle of colors, floats and
celebrities who reign supreme during the parade. There was also a frency in the distribution of magazines summarising the history of each school. In every corwd it was possible to find groups of people taking frequent photos.
CARNIVAL 2013
European women with samba in the foot Rosa Bittencourt The Brazilian Post correspondent in Rio de Janeiro
CEO Marcelo Mortimer marcelo@brazilianpost.co.uk
A
t least 25 European women, mostly from Norway, who are newcomers to Rio, recently meeting at the Academy Samba Fit, showed they have samba in their feet. The group paraded in Academicos Rocinha Samba School, the first night of Series A (Access Group) on Saturday at Catwalk Professor Darcy Ribeiro, in Rio de Janeiro. Attorney Linda Haugen, 32 years, who has been living in Rio for 8 months had a lot to smile about simply explaining: “I’m very excited!” Housewife Mandalyn Gulbrandsen, 37, who has lived in Rio for 1 ½ years said: “this is my land forever. I like it here and my 3 year old daughter already speaks Portuguese better than me. Parading in the Sambadrome Rocinha will be wonderful”. British journalist Fiona Lemaire, 42, paraded the Rocinha for the second time. “The experience is great and this year I’m doing it twice. “ The group learned the correct steps in the rhythm of Samba Fit with teacher Carla Campos. The students of Carla are foreigners and locals who have not yet mastered the samba. “They have great disposition and curiosity about Brazil and especially Rio de Janeiro.” Among students who Carla has taught the steps are the former model Luiza Brunet.
Editor-in-chief Ana Toledo ana@brazilianpost.co.uk English Editor Kate Rintoul Portuguese Editor Guilherme Reis Cool Hunter Zazá Oliva Entertainment Ricardo Somera A float of the Norwegian parade Academic Rocinha, celebrated Brazil’s rich racial mix as characterised by Brazilian feijoada Photo: Alexandre Macieira / Riotur
Econommy Christiano Holanda Fashion Nathália Braga Food Saulo Caliari Ombudsman Allyson Leandro Profile Rômulo Seitenfus
One of the master’s flagship Estacio, who paraded the plot Rildo Time: opera boy ... to show how the music can govern your destiny! Photo: Alexandre Macieira / Riotur
Sport Tico Silvério What’s on Cibele Porto Graphic Design Roman Atamanczuk
The group of 12 friends
Marcos Paulo Freitas, 39, formed a group and great friends in 2002 and since then, and every year they meet in one of the stalls (seats next to the runway show) to watch the two nights of Series A. On nights of the Special Group, friends swap their stalls for the bleachers Sector 3, which Freitas said is one of the best places to watch the parade by Rio’s Carnival elite. To watch the parades Series A, 12 friends spent £20 each for the stall. As for the parades of the elite group, each has disbursed £60. A huge carnival fan, Freitas, did complain that everything was very expensive in the Sambadrome everything is very expensive. “You have to bring snacks and drinks from home to have a good night and preferably always with many friends.”
Mortimer, Marketing & Media LTD
Public Relations Roberta Schwambach
Mother and daughter, Carla Gleyce Leciane and, after participating in the parade of the Black Ball Photo: Luiza Helena
Cord of Bola Preta
The most famous street block of Rio, the Cord of Bola Preta, with 95 years of revelry, drew 1.5 million revellers. Many enjoyed the party despite of a lot of annual confusion. People got sick because of the heat and overcrowding disrupted output of Cinelândia. Mother and hairdresser Leciane Campos, 38, summed up: “The best of
President’s Daughter and granddaughter Nézio Birth Christmas Portela, Rafaela Birth is queen of the battery and vice president of Tradition, which reissued the plot Portela 1981, wonders of the sea made up the splendour of a night Photo: David Raphael / Riotur
Rio’s carnival is on the streets and Bola Preta is the first of all the blocks.” Every year, mother and daughter leave the neighbourhood of Campo Grande, West Zone of the state capital, to join the carnival. Tweet us your picture @BrazilianPost_ #rio #carnival
Commercial Department Leonardo Altomar | 074 66 92 67 82 Support El Ibérico Distribution BR Jet Emblem Group Ltd Published by Mortimer, Marketing & Media LTD 34 Quixley Street, London | E14 9PU 020 7093 1413
09
Latin America STEP FORWARD
Green light for immigrants in the U.S. Obama: “The time has come for common-sense, comprehensive immigration reform”
Parque Olímpico Rio 2016. Foto: divulgação
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By Guilherme Reis he immigrant population living in the U.S. reached 40.4 million people in 2011, accounting for 13% of country’s population. This is an increase of 2.4 million foreigners living in the country compared with figures from 2007, just before the economic crisis. It has also been announced that the number of people in the country without legal documents, decreased. In 2007, it was estimated that there were about 12 million illegal immigrants in the US, this has reduced to 11 million in four years. Figures also show that a staggering 50% of the current immigrant population living in the US are from Latin American countries, most of them from Mexico. Such numbers were released earlier this year, to mark the beginning of initial talks about reform to America’s immigration laws. Barack Obama gave a speech on 29 January that has been seen as the first step in one of the most anticipated debates in the US politics. Speaking to a crowd mainly made up of immigrants in Las Vegas (Nevada), where the number of immigrants from Latin America and south Asia is very high, Obama said he was pleased about a
proposal launched days before by a crossparty group of senators setting out new immigration rules for the country. In addition, Obama said the plan must reach three basic principles, firstly to create a more efficient system for employers to check the legal status of job candidates. Obama said that once this system is working, it would be necessary and enforceable to increase punishments for those who hire illegal immigrants. The second matter, and probably the more important as well as harder to fulfil, is the need to elaborate a “way to citizenship”. Within this, illegal immigrants living in the US would only be able to apply for a green card after reaching a good level of English, paying in full fines and delayed taxes. The president recognised that it would not be a quick process, but said it would be fair. Lastly, Obama said that urgent reform is needed to reduce the bureaucratic process for those who are living in the country legally, making it easier for them to bring relatives to live with them and more attractive to international investors and students who would like to stay in the country.
Consensus and obstacles
Obama’s speech was, undoubtedly, a step forward in creating a new piece of
history in US society to solve one of the country’s most critical problems. It was surprising, to see that for the first time ever, republicans and democrats, seem to be thinking in the same way on the need to create a new route for citizenship. There are, however, some obstacles. The first being the fine line that divides the American electorate. In the last presidential election, Obama had the support of 70% of the Hispanic population, most of these came from very important swing-states such as Florida and Ohio. It is important to point that this huge support for Obama was not because he is seen as a particularly popular choice of this community (more than 1.5 million illegal immigrants were deported in his first term), but because of an overwhelming sense of dissatisfaction with ideology and approach of most of the republican’s pre-candidates. Some figures of the Republican Party including Marco Runio and John McCain have realised that antiimmigrant tactics have greatly cost the party and have decided join the cause. But this poses a very important question for the republicans: how to suppor new immigration law, including the new way for citizenship and attract the Hispanic vote without alienating the traditional republican voters who are mostly
opposed to this idea? Data released by The Washington Post indicated that only 37% of republican voters agree with immigration reforms. It remains clear that the majority of the republican voters and politicians see the country’s 11 million immigrants as a threat. This has led some republican senators to urge for tighter border security. Obama agreed that is necessary pay attention to border control, but said that his approach is delivering results, the number of illegal immigrants now entering the country is 80% lower than in 2000.
Nation of immigrants
Despite the obstacles they may face, this is an unprecedented moment of history for America’s immigrant population. A long path lies ahead, with the possibility of a new xenophobic wave of resentment inside the country, but it is very important that Obama is now facing the problem as a priority, as well as some republicans. In this case, it is essential to remember that, taking out the native indigenous, all other Americans are the descendants of those who came from far away to build a new life. Why should the experiences of today’s immigrants be different?
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Feb 12th – Feb 25th 2013
Technology DIFERENCIA
Fair presents major innovations in educati
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by Roberta Schwambach he Technology Fair - Bett: Powering Learning took place earlier this month at the Excel Convention Center in London and brought together exhibitors from around the world ready to show the public the latest technologies used in education. Exhibitors included businesses, educational professionals, teachers, principals and school supporters from all continents. With over 700 exhibitors from 20 different nationalities, the fair received about 40 thousand visitors during it’s 29th edition. The great advantage of this fair, considered by many to be the best and biggest in the world in the field of educational technology, is the quantity and quality of innovative ideas for education. These ranged from science labs, to animated mechanical equipment, aimed at explaining the phenomena of physics and chemistry to the
Bett: powering learning: considered by many to be the best and biggest in the world in the field of educational technology, is the quantity and quality of innovative ideas for education Photo: Roberta Schawmbach
students with greater clarity and of course, many applications for computers and tablets. Educational
games and the growing need for multi-lingual education, seemed to be common concern with people
exploring the use of media as a means of teaching and learning in schools.
Technology as an educational tool In the 21st Century, post technological revolution, education passed from simply reporting theoretical lessons to face a major challenge: how to educate citizens to transform information into knowledge to convey their world-views, perceptions of the past and their ideas for the future through the use of technology. Educating people on the use of various media is crucial in today’s technological world, since the familiarisation with these tools demystifies the way social communication is produced. Full equipment needed for radio transmission, for example, can now be incorporated into schools through tools that capture and edit sounds in a so easily way they can be managed by a children of 5 years old. Building familiarity with equipment like this, coupled with exercises of collective elaboration on the content programs transmitted allow students to construct their own discourse of reality. By understanding the process of creating and producing a message, this
starts to change the vision of children about the radio itself, as well as their own and other’s role as transmitters of information. This process helps in understanding the media, and to strengthen a society increasingly based on communication and information exchange, just think of how our online behavior has been shaped by social networks. Another interesting project is the First News for Schools, aimed at children in primary and secondary education that reveals the format of journalism news, while establishing the habit of reading and searching for information in different ways. Through reading, interpreting and writing their own news stories using tablets, children are motivated to learn more about one of the oldest forms media of human history: newspapers. This is a great example of how the most cutting edge technology and ideas can be used to spark interest in valuable lessons and parts of human history that our children should be encouraged to learn from and improve on.
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Economy BY
CHRISIANO HOLANDA www.chrisholanda.com c.mail@me.com
Latest News U.K. Runs Tax Deal Past Bolt The U.K. Government is hoping to tempt Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt to race again in London this summer after granting a one-off tax exemption that has previously deterred the sprinter from competing in Britain.
Burberry Finance Chief to Step Down Burberry said Chief Financial Officer Stacey Cartwright would stand down in July, bringing to an end a long period of management stability under the stewardship of Chief Executive Angela Ahrendts.
Valentine’s Day: The True Cost of Showing Some Love By Chris Holanda c.mail@me.com www.chrisholanda.com Money can buy you love. How much money? £218. That’s the amount your average man will have to spend this Valentine’s Day to get “lucky”. It’s the cost of all the gifts and romance necessary to turn a woman’s head in the game of love. The figure comes from my search on few dating websites, particularly one that specialises in bringing together Sugar Daddies with young hotties (the website, Seeking Arrangement explains, “”Let’s face it, it’s human nature for successful people to want younger and more attractive partners.)” Nice. Anyway, Seeking Arrangement say they collected data from over 17,000 people and found that single men, fork out over £157 on average for “dinner or activity.”
Euro’s Recovery Not Without Pain for Some
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rance and Germany disagree about the future of the euro. French President François Hollande said this week the common currency is overvalued, and argues its valuation couldn’t be allowed to hang “on the mood of the markets.” Germany responded by announcing that this is not the case. In my opinion, they’re both right. From Berlin’s vantage point, the euro is, if anything, cheap. At its current level, Germany’s export industries are doing very nicely, thank you. For France, it’s anything but. Calculations by analysts at Morgan Stanley, MS -1.24% published this week put the fair value of the euro for Germany, if it were standing alone, at $1.53. For France, it’s $1.23. The euro is significantly undervalued for the German economy, and overvalued for the French. German industry is protected by being positioned at the premium end of most of its markets, where there is less price sensitivity, as well as the country’s success in the last decade in reducing
costs. In short, BMWs and Mercedes are less sensitive to price increases than Peugeots and Renaults. From the other side, French exporters are being assailed by lower-cost competitors in the emerging economies, but increasingly by countries in Southern Europe such as Spain that are cutting production costs. It’s not only for France that the rising euro is painful. For other economies in Europe, particularly those on the struggling fringes such as Spain and Greece, strength in the euro threatens to negate their efforts to make their economies more competitive.
Married men spend £203, mostly for gifts, and those in committed relationships spend £180. Still, £218 is a bargain compared to some Valentine’s Day gifts. Vermont Teddy Bear is pitching the “The World’s Most Expensive Valentine’s Day Teddy Bear,” which costs a whopping £15,000. Basically it’s their normal oversized bear for women, which you see in those ads proclaiming, “Size really does matter,” except this bear also comes bearing a 5.9 carat diamond ring. My thoughts? Buy the ring, skip the bear. At 5.9 carats, no one is even going to remember the big guy. Happy Valentine’s Day to you all.
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Feb 12th – Feb 25th 2013
Sport UEFA
Matchfixing allegations rock football
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by Jamie Jubon
t has been alleged that a UEFA Champions League match played in England was one of 680 football matches played across the world that was fixed. Investigators did not reveal the identity of the match but there has been much speculation as to which was the game in question. At a news conference last week, the investigating company Europol also claimed that as many as 425 match officials, club officials, players and criminals are suspected of being involved in the match-fixing scandal. Whilst match-fixing has been known to be a huge problem in some countries such as Italy (they are only just this year recovering from their latest case), for the issue to supposedly spread to Europe’s most prestigious club competition has got European football’s bigwigs incredibly concerned. That one of the matches being investigated took place in England is even more concerning, a country that founded the beautiful game and where they consider honesty and integrity to be at the fulcrum of their national game. It has not been suggested that the English team involved is the guilty party, it may well be their opponents, but for a match taking place in the British Isles to be supposedly fixed has brought the issue of match-fixing to the fore in this country. Thankfully, the domestic game in Britain has never been severely affected by corruption, only sporadically. Back in 1994, three players were allegedly guilty of match-fixing and were charged. Then Liverpool goalkeeper
Bruce Grobelaar, Aston Villa striker John Fashanu and Wimbledon goalkeeper Hans Segers were all suspected but they were all cleared of any wrong-doing after a lengthy court-case. English football has been fortunate to have remained clean for so long, and one can only hope that remains the case for many years to come. Unfortunately, the Italian game has not been so lucky. Juventus coach Antonio Conte is currently serving a 10-month ban from all football activity for his role in the most recent Italian match-fixing scandal. It was proven that he knew of matches being fixed but failed to report information to the relevant authorities
during his time in charge of Siena. The scandal eventually resulted in a number of clubs and players being punished, with clubs deducted points and players handed bans of up to five years. This scandal still pales in comparison though with Calciopoli, the most high-profile match-fixing scandal ever seen in Europe. It was back in 2006 and centred around Juventus and AC Milan, the two biggest clubs in Italy, and two of the most famous clubs in the world. Juventus were found guilty of rigging games by selecting favourable referees, and were subsequently stripped of their Serie A titles in 2005 and 2006, with both being awarded to Inter Milan.
They were also banned from the UEFA Champions League and relegated to Italy’s second division. Some six years after the punishments, it’s fair to say that Juventus have only just began to reestablish themselves as a major force in European football. Last season was their first league title since the scandal, and it certainly took a number of years for them to recover from the fall-out. Milan were also punished significantly, although not as severely as Juve. They were deducted 30 points, and originally thrown of the Champions League. However, that was overturned after an appeal and ironically, they went on to win the competition that season. As well as Juve and Milan, Fiorentina and Lazio were thrown out of European competition for their part in Calciopoli, the name given to the scandal. Across Europe, there have been other examples of match-fixing allegations being proven. In 2006, German referee Robert Hoyzer was found guilty of fixing a number of second division fixtures, and Turkish club Fenerbahce were banned from this season’s Champions League after their club president was sentence to three years in prison for fixing Turkish league matches, although he has since been released on bail pending an appeal. So, there is plenty of precedent for match-fixing in Europe, which makes this new investigation announced by Europol last week hardly surprising. We can only hope that no highprofile clubs or players are found guilty this time, and that the integrity of football at the very highest level remains somewhat intact.
TENNIS
Rafa back
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by Jamie Jubon t was great to see Rafael Nadal back in action at the Chile Open this week, where he was eventually beaten in the final by world number 73 Horacio Zeballos. The Spaniard, winner of 11 Grand Slam singles titles, has not been seen on a tennis court since his surprise loss to Lukas Rosol in the second round of Wimbledon last summer.
With Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic’s rivalry hotting up, the addition of a fully-fit Rafa will make the rest of the tennis season highly intriguing. It will be interesting to see whether Nadal will be able to retain his title as ‘The King of Clay’ at the French Open in May after so many months out, or if Murray and Djokovic are ready to transfer their dominance on the hard-courts to the red stuff at Roland Garros.
Rafael Nadal back in action at the Chile Open
Sport | 13
FOOTBALL
Scolari has work to do ahead of Italy and Russia games
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he 2-1 defeat to England at Wembley earlier this month was not severe enough to destabilize the Brazilian national football team re-building project. But it should serve as a lesson for manager Luiz Felipe Scolari that he has a lot of work to do in order to start reshaping the team in his style. Back in charge of Brazil - the match against the English was the first in his second term – the veteran must make some changes for the friendlies against Italy and Russia on the 21st and 25th March. Perhaps the most important change should be in midfield. With former coach Mano Menezes, the Brazilian team got used to playing with two central midfielders that usually surge
forward in attack for an element of surprise. Ramirez and Paulinho are both considered modern midfielders, who are not limited to just defending. But Scolari always played with a centre-midfield whose main and almost exclusive function is to defend and give protection to the defenders. In this case, it is possible that David Luiz could be shifted from central defence to midfield, as has happened with the player at his club Chelsea. Naturally this means Ramirez or Paulinho losing their position in the line-up. However, there remains the possibility that Scolari keeps both, with the team set up in a diamond position instead: David Luiz at the base, Paulinho and Ramirez central and Oscar in front of the three.
David Luiz should act as a midfielder
Season 213
Luiz Razia: next Brazilian superstar in Formula 1?
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elipe Massa, from Ferrari, will not be the only Brazilian in Formula 1 in 2013. After months of negotiations and complications, Luiz Razia has secured his place on the grid. The Brazilian from Bahia State has signed with Marussia and will make his debut in the elite of world motorsport this year. Vice-champion of GP2, the 23-year-old will partner the British fellow rookie, Max Chilton. Razia had been in negotiations with Marussia since last year but when the team announced the contract for Chilton, it was thought his dreams of competing in F1 would have to wait for another year. However, with the termination of Timo Glock’s contract in early January, the Brazilian was pursued again and signed an agreement with the team, which is based in England and commanded by a Russian
automaker. Razia’s debut is scheduled for March 17 at the Australian Grand Prix, which opens the season. Discharged from Williams at the end of last year, Bruno Senna seems to have conceded defeat in his hopes to find a new team in Formula 1, at least for this year. With just a starting place in the driver’s lineup to be filled, the companion of Paul di Resta in the Force India, the Brazilian has opted for a different path in his career: the 29-year-old will compete in the World Endurance Championship (WEC)with an Aston Martin in the GTE class Pro. The contract includes participation in the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans, something that the nephew of Ayrton Senna took part in 2009, a year before joining the F1. Luiz Razia is now pilot of Marussia
Sport | 14 |
Feb 12th – Feb 25th 2013
WORLD CUP 2014
Fonte Nova Arena will be done this month
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he Fonte Nova Arena should be delivered to the 2014 World Cup organization on the 28th of February, according to the Ministry of Sports. The testing of the stadium’s facilities will begin with the Confederations Cup from 15 to 30 June, with six games in the arena of Bahia State, North-eastern Brazil. The reconstruction of the stadium cost 591.7 million reais, of which 323.6 million comes from federal funding. It was completed after the placement of the last blades of grass on the pitch membrane covering the stadium. According to the Ministry of Sports, the pitch is already being irrigated and is 95% ready for use. Thus, the Fonte Nova stadium will be the third World Cup 2014 to be ready after Mineirao, in Belo Horizonte, and Castelao, in Fortaleza. According to the construction company, the cover was designed to filter as much as 70% sunlight, reducing heat but allowing light to get through. Flexible, resistant and self-cleaning,
Salvador Arena is almost ready
the pitch membrane installation began in December with a team of 75 people, including specialists in this type of construction. The material is made of high performance plastic reinforced with
glass fibres. Tests conducted in the U.S. showed the surface is highly resistance to wind currents. The Confederations Cup will be played in six capital cities: Brasília,
Belo Horizonte, Fortaleza, Recife, Salvador and Rio de Janeiro. The World Cup games will also be held in São Paulo, Porto Alegre, Manaus, Cuiaba, Curitiba and Natal.
FAIL
In the first test, Mineirao presents serious errors
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espite the new Mineirao stadium pleasing the clubs, the fans were not happy at all. The opening game of the stadium, Cruzeiro’s 2-1 victory over Atletico-MG, was beset by many problems such as a lack of water for the crowd to drink, closed bars and unfinished bathrooms. Fans arriving to the ground also had difficulties. Due to a decision by Minas Arena, the company that manages Mineirao, the parking gates were opened only at 14.00 (GMT), two hours before the kick off, which complicated the traffic in the region. The problem of access was also visible in all the streets that surround the stadium. On top of that, there were complaints from some fans over the public transport. Inside the Mineirao there were other reported problems. The new stadium is divided into sectors. On the top tier of seats, however, the division was not complete, and fans that had paid for the most expensive tickets were mixed with others who paid entry-level prices.
Fans were left without water in the stadium
Another serious problem was the lack of organization. At half time, there was no water. Moreover, the bars were closed. As a consequence those who were hungry or thirsty had to go outside to find street vendors, who were charging premium prices. Despite the problems, the governor of Minas Gerais, Antonio Anastasia, said that everything will be corrected gradually. “So far I have only heard compliments. But clearly, in a work of this size, we have a process of improvement over time. Coming months before the Confederations Cup, we will have adjustments. Naturally I regard these contingencies, but we’ll hit all the deadlines, it is natural for the size of the stadium.” he said. Anastasia urged fans to remember that the work was delivered on time and said that if he had delayed the disorder would be higher. “We are relaxed, what is important is that we deliver on time. If we’d delayed and delivered late, we would have more problems,” he added.
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