Eco Rama » Brazil http://eco-rama.net Wed, 08 Dec 2010 16:41:04 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 A Digital Participatory Culture http://eco-rama.net/a-digital-participatory-culture/ http://eco-rama.net/a-digital-participatory-culture/#comments Tue, 07 Dec 2010 23:29:52 +0000 Udit Narayan Lawrence LessigFree software is a possibility that those kids will reinvent things that need to be reinvented. Lula da Silva Speech at 10.FISL, POA, Jun/2009 Lawrence Lessig Lawrence Lessig Digital culture is a new, emergent term. It has been used in different forms by different sectors, and incorporates different perspectives about the impact of digital technology [...]]]> Free software is a possibility that those kids will reinvent things that need to be reinvented.
Lula da Silva Speech at 10.FISL, POA, Jun/2009

Lawrence Lessig

Lawrence Lessig
Lawrence Lessig

Digital culture is a new, emergent term. It has been used in different forms by different sectors, and incorporates different perspectives about the impact of digital technology and networking in society. The Ministry of Culture see, as its role, the convening of a collective reflection on these broader perspectives, encouraging the participation of all stakeholders in an innovative process of collaborative construction of public policies for the digital sector.

The cheapening of the personal computer and cellular phone, combined with the rapid development of applications using free software and free services on the network, has promoted a radical democratization of access to new means of production and access to knowledge. The digitization of culture, combined with the global race to connect everything to everyone all the time, turns open networks at this moment in history into something too big, which now requires specific consideration.

A recent debate in the blogosphere about an article in Wired Magazine The New Socialism, by Kevin Kelly raised the issue of lack of appropriate terms to communicate the ongoing phenomena within the networks. Re-framing the term socialism to refer to the innovative arrangements for sharing and collaboration typical of a collective connected by the Internet has generated controversy and has been challenged strongly by Lawrence Lessig, the American lawyer known for his activism in the debate over the revision of copyright laws. Lessig argues that we are facing something entirely new, and that it is not appropriate to reuse terms loaded with former meanings to describe the current situation. His concern seems to be related to the typical American notion that establishes an inverse relationship between individual autonomy and state power a notion that is also the essence of th classic contest between right and left. However, as Kelly argues, the so called digital socialism (stateless socialism?!) seems to host both classical libertarians who hate government in general, and the global political movements that are critical of excessive market logic.

Finally, there is a real lack of conceptual characterization for the phenomena encountered in digital culture. Yochai Benkler, reflecting creatively about the possibility of a political theory of the network, sees the emergence of social networks and peer production as an alternative to both the proprietary systems fundamental to the logic of the state and to the market. An innovative new cultural operating system would be able to foster both creativity, productivity and freedom, while also satisfying the demands of both individuals and collectives. Benkler speaks of a participatory culture.

With the arrival of ubiquitous, instant and inexpensive collaboration tools, it is possible to promote opportunities for debate and a collective model where public decentralized coordination can create innovative solutions to the issues presented by the 21st century. The implementation of this technology in the digital network environment, coupled with Benklers participatory culture concept, creates the possibility of bridging policies that once seemed mutually exclusive, inviting open discussion by opposing interest groups that have specialized in fighting in the trenches.

The Forum for Brazilian Digital Culture

In order to better understand the various parts that make up the mosaic of digital culture, to facilitate the public participation of those concerned with monitoring, and to assist the construction of public policies and regulatory frameworks that will format the sector, the Ministry of Culture is launching the Forum for Brazilian Digital Culture.

The process begins with the launch of the social network culturadigital.br, and the invitation of experts and networks of cultural activists to register and profile their digital identities and references (their blog, twitter, delicious, youtube, etc) into the Forum. The environment was built to aggregate people and their socialstreams linked by the tag #culturadigitalbr, thus organizing and documenting their participation in the debate. Live presentational and virtual online events during the second half of 2009 will propel the discussion into the proposed five guiding themes: memory, communication, art, infrastructure and economy.

We have made several interviews with specialists, agency ministers, people from academia and artists, which turned into a book: culturadigital.br. The goal was to collect and provide initial inputs to warm up the debate, which will be consolidated at an international seminar to be held in November. Notably, the process of Brazilian Digital Culture Forum will happen in parallel with major debates on regulatory frameworks and public policies that directly affect the landscape of digital culture.

The new draft copyright law which will be presented by the Ministry of Culture for public consultation and the cyber-crime law (Law azeredo) to be voted on in the House deals with structural issues for the governance of the digital environment. The national conferences of Culture and Communication coincidentally will also be going on, which makes the second semester of 2009 a special time for proposing, contemplating and debating visions of the future we want for the country.

The coordination of the Brazilian Digital Culture Forum now is making available the culturadigital.br network environment for all who wish to organize and document free conferences and/or other specific events related to these processes. We believe that the time is right to be motivated toward new ways to develop consensus and build proposals. MINC seeks to introduce into the prospect of digital culture the innovative elements that facilitate and promote greater engagement and more effective participation of interested citizens.

The most creative people are never all together in a single company or government or organization, or country. To open the processes of constructing public policies in the network, and facilitating the collaboration of stakeholders, is almost obvious as an initiative appropriate and necessary at the dawn of this century. Promoting innovation in processes and creating tools for distributed governance can refine democracy and transform society.

This article is foreword to the book CulturaDigital.BR,
an edition that is part of the process of theBrazilian Digital Culture Forum
#culturadigitalbr

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]]> http://eco-rama.net/a-digital-participatory-culture/feed/ 0 #culturadigitalbr: An Open Way to Build Public Policy http://eco-rama.net/culturadigitalbr-an-open-way-to-build-public-policy/ http://eco-rama.net/culturadigitalbr-an-open-way-to-build-public-policy/#comments Tue, 07 Dec 2010 22:47:50 +0000 Jackie Shroff Public PolicyIve been away from this blog, and from about everything else, because of the huge effort to put up the Brazilian Digital Culture Forum culturadigital.br. I will come back later to better explain whats going on, but for now I will reblog a nice description of what we are doing by Gilberto Jr., a Brazilian [...]]]> Ive been away from this blog, and from about everything else, because of the huge effort to put up the Brazilian Digital Culture Forum culturadigital.br. I will come back later to better explain whats going on, but for now I will reblog a nice description of what we are doing by Gilberto Jr., a Brazilian blogger who was able to follow the many steps of the Forums process until now. [See also the Global Voices report]

Public Policy

Public Policy
Public Policy

The proposition of the Brazilian Digital Culture Forum: open and participatory

The Brazilian Digital Culture Forum has a social network for collaborative production of public policy for contemporary Brazil. This is a web platform that supports a broad spectrum of cultural programs based on the ideas and initiative generated by citizens, which includes face-to-face events and is expected to wrap up in November.

The Brazilian Digital Culture Forum was launched by the Minister of Culture in partnership with the National Network of Education and Research. The object of the Forum is, through these events, to encourage debate about digital culture with activists, business representatives, government institutions and non-governmental organizations. Its in this context that the social network can work to both accelerate discussion and unify ideas.

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]]> http://eco-rama.net/culturadigitalbr-an-open-way-to-build-public-policy/feed/ 0 Battisti: The Italo-Brazilian Imbroglio over Shadows of the Past http://eco-rama.net/battisti-the-italo-brazilian-imbroglio-over-shadows-of-the-past/ http://eco-rama.net/battisti-the-italo-brazilian-imbroglio-over-shadows-of-the-past/#comments Tue, 07 Dec 2010 22:07:40 +0000 Vijay Kant European ParliamentEuropean Parliament European Parliament Brazil and Italy will meet in a football game next Tuesday. The friendly match is far from having the importance of other disputes in the past, world cup decisions included, but the mood built around the game has set the national blogospheres on fire see Global Voices. After weeks of cross-Atlantic [...]]]> European Parliament

European Parliament
European Parliament

Brazil and Italy will meet in a football game next Tuesday. The friendly match is far from having the importance of other disputes in the past, world cup decisions included, but the mood built around the game has set the national blogospheres on fire see Global Voices.

After weeks of cross-Atlantic brouhaha, some bloggers are starting to wonder how and why the case has gone so far. Is the Brazilian Governments decision to grant political refugee status to Italian felon Cesare Battisti really worth of such attention?

What elements could be at play to bring forth those remarkable outcomes, such as the minute of silence from the Ministers of European Parliament in a session last week in honor of Battistis alleged victims from 30 years ago, or the farewell of an Italian-born media icon in Brazil over the heated national debate on the case, and also Italys recall of their Ambassador in Brasilia? The Italian government went as far as threatening to call off the friendly game scheduled to be held on February 10 in London, leading Brazilians to sense a blow out of proportion. Berlusconi is the one to blame.

Gratuitous altercation the one created by the Battisti case and the attitude of the buffoon government headed by Silvio Berlusconi. At least I took the time to study the subject before I ventured to write a few lines about it. Most analysts are open about the passion on their analysis and transformed the event into a partisan dispute, or worse, a football match.Brasil vs Itlia Disolving in the Air

Italy, today, is going through the government of histrionic Berlusconi. He owns the huge Italian TV network, owns newspapers, owns football teams. That is, he is the owner of Italy. And he is clearly fascist, xenophobic, racist.Berlusconi Hystery and the Brazilian Sovereignity Blog de Lus Antnio Castagna Maia

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]]> http://eco-rama.net/battisti-the-italo-brazilian-imbroglio-over-shadows-of-the-past/feed/ 0 Gilberto Gil: the tropicalist voice for an open digital culture http://eco-rama.net/gilberto-gil-the-tropicalist-voice-for-an-open-digital-culture/ http://eco-rama.net/gilberto-gil-the-tropicalist-voice-for-an-open-digital-culture/#comments Sun, 07 Nov 2010 00:04:25 +0000 Vijay Kant Minister Of CultureGilberto Gil has left the Brazilian Ministry of Culture. He says that music has called him back. A quick look at reactions surfacing this week in the headlines of the Brazilian mainstream media tell of a singer-minister who did a passable job in using his social capital to boost the ministrys actions into international channels. [...]]]> Gilberto Gil has left the Brazilian Ministry of Culture. He says that music has called him back. A quick look at reactions surfacing this week in the headlines of the Brazilian mainstream media tell of a singer-minister who did a passable job in using his social capital to boost the ministrys actions into international channels. Gils assignment was almost passed off as just one more of Lulas populist tricks to hold qualified support for himself. The seemingly condescending tone of Brazilian media comments and analyses about Gils performance as a minister are definitely not a surprise. During his term, the mainstream outlets basically ignored or ridiculed some major international coverage such as 2004 Wired magazine article, telling about Gils ahead-of-the-curve awareness of the importance of openness among the principles of the digital revolution. He was ridiculed, indeed, when during an inauguration class at the University of Sao Paulo (USP) in August 2004 he declared:

Minister Of Culture

Minister Of Culture
Minister Of Culture

I, Gilberto Gil, Brazilian citizen, world citizen and Minister of Culture of Brazil, develop my work in music, in the ministry and in all the dimensions of my existence under the inspiration of hacker ethics; I am concerned about the issues that my world and my time pose to me, such as the issue of the digital divide, of free software and also the issue of regulation and development of audiovisual content production and distribution, by any media, for any purpose.

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]]> http://eco-rama.net/gilberto-gil-the-tropicalist-voice-for-an-open-digital-culture/feed/ 0 The Black President Before Obama http://eco-rama.net/the-black-president-before-obama/ http://eco-rama.net/the-black-president-before-obama/#comments Sat, 06 Nov 2010 08:08:20 +0000 Rallapalli Largest PopulationThe sweeping Obama phenomenon has caught Brazil, and it comes as no surprise in the country with the worlds largest population of African descendants. Blogs are commenting on all things Obama, from his stand on ethanol to the rumors of his appraisal of Brazils free software policies. An especially notable thread is the one reporting [...]]]> The sweeping Obama phenomenon has caught Brazil, and it comes as no surprise in the country with the worlds largest population of African descendants. Blogs are commenting on all things Obama, from his stand on ethanol to the rumors of his appraisal of Brazils free software policies. An especially notable thread is the one reporting on the resurgence of a weirdly interesting 1928 Brazilian sci-fi novel The Black President that predicted a US election matching a black, a feminist, and a conservative candidate in the then remote year of 2228.

Largest Population

Largest Population
Largest Population

The author, Monteiro Lobato, is very famous in Brazil for his tales for children and teens. The set of books Yellow Woodpecker Ranch was turned into popular TV series that reigned supreme on Brazilian tubes through 5 different remakes the first in 1952, and most recently in 2001. But, in this case, the book is an obscure and rare incursion of Lobato into adult science fiction. The resurgence of interest in it now is totally connected with what stands out as an incredible intuitive guesswork on what has come to be our present situation, but 80 years ago (!) almost unimaginable.

Most of the Brazilian readers of Monteiro Lobato (1882-1948) know him for the episodes of the Yellow Woodpecker Ranch series, and few are acquainted with his adult piece Originally published in 1926 as a feuilleton in the newspaper A Manh, (but then titled as The Clash of Races, which today stands as the subtitle), The Black President is a doubly curious book: first for being a science fiction piece, an uncommon genre among Brazilian writers, and second because the plot anticipates the current scientific and intellectual debate during the first decades of the 20th century.Monteiro Lobatos Black President ALPHARRBIO por Viegas Fernandes da Costa

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]]> http://eco-rama.net/the-black-president-before-obama/feed/ 0 Brazil: Visible and Invisible Indians and Scoops http://eco-rama.net/brazil-visible-and-invisible-indians-and-scoops/ http://eco-rama.net/brazil-visible-and-invisible-indians-and-scoops/#comments Sat, 06 Nov 2010 02:35:44 +0000 admin Mainstream MediaBrazilian Indians were in the spotlight of world media this week and the local blogosphere has much to say about it. From the images of an uncontacted tribe in the Amazon, which were leaked first in a blog that is now claiming attribution rights for its scoop, to the enraged protest caught on camera against [...]]]> Brazilian Indians were in the spotlight of world media this week and the local blogosphere has much to say about it. From the images of an uncontacted tribe in the Amazon, which were leaked first in a blog that is now claiming attribution rights for its scoop, to the enraged protest caught on camera against the building of dams along the Xingu River in the Amazon basin where an official of Brazils national electric company got slashed by traditional machetes and clubs. Bloggers had different takes from the dominant mainstream media narratives.

Mainstream Media

Mainstream Media
Mainstream Media

Here is the Brazilian GLOBO video of the engineers encounter with the Indians.

Since the gathering in Altamira, the Brazilian media have focused mostly on the issue of violence. GLOBO included a special report in its extremely popular weekend TV magazine FANTASTICO and heres the text (computer) translated into rough English. As you can see, the focus is on the engineer and the Indians associated with the confrontation and there is very little about the many consequences of building the dam. While the Brazilian mainstream media are preoccupied with the hot story, various blogs and NGOs have been struggling to deliver the deeper messages. Encontro Xingu 08 provides great coverage of the whole event with in-depth analysis by David Cunningham and lots of wonderful photos by Sue Cunningham. The Xingu Encounter was also reported by International Rivers along with English translations of the declarations of the Xingu Peoples. And heres the (computer) translated final statement of the broad coalition of Brazilian grassroots organizations that are opposing building of th,e Belo Monte dam.Violence Vision Share

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]]> http://eco-rama.net/brazil-visible-and-invisible-indians-and-scoops/feed/ 0 Lost Brazilian ballooning priest carried into the blogosphere http://eco-rama.net/lost-brazilian-ballooning-priest-carried-into-the-blogosphere/ http://eco-rama.net/lost-brazilian-ballooning-priest-carried-into-the-blogosphere/#comments Fri, 05 Nov 2010 04:51:45 +0000 Rallapalli Unusual PlaceBrazil is an unusual place. The country is full of unconventional people, capable of performing extraordinary feats, which nowadays can get reported in peculiar ways by an ever-growing crowd of unique bloggers. This time the story is rather sad, but the blogosphere is exploding with humorous takes on the tragedy of a Brazilian Roman Catholic [...]]]> Brazil is an unusual place. The country is full of unconventional people, capable of performing extraordinary feats, which nowadays can get reported in peculiar ways by an ever-growing crowd of unique bloggers. This time the story is rather sad, but the blogosphere is exploding with humorous takes on the tragedy of a Brazilian Roman Catholic priest who is missing after drifting out to sea while trying to set a record for a flight using helium-filled party balloons.

Unusual Place

Unusual Place
Unusual Place

The goal of Father Adelir Antonio de Carli was to break the 19-hour record for remaining aloft using only party balloons, in order to raise funds for the rest stop for truckers in Paranagua, Brazils second-largest port for agricultural products. Brazilian truckers often spend days waiting to unload in the port, especially during the busy soy export season now under way.

Planes, helicopters and boats from Brazilian rescue forces have been out along the coast of Santa Catarina state looking for the balloon-flying priest all week. Surely, a religious person gone missing during a charity stunt deserves the highest respect, but the lack of elementary safety features in Father de Carlis plan to accomplish his endeavor has unleashed an unstoppable stream of humorous lines, although not without some guilty thoughts about them.

Would it be comic if it were not tragic? I say that it can be tragic and comic. Here we have the tragi-comedies that wont let me lie. Please, agree with me before I go on! IT IS COMIC! (so here is a bold and gratuitous appeal to share the heavy weight in my consciousness for having seen so much comedy in all this).Peter Pan Priest Fossas do Ofcio

So, the amount of jokes over this priest who decided to fly tied to balloons filled with helium is not contained in the sacred scriptures. Moreover, the flying priests last feat was the topic-of-the-day in a debate I had with a friend who studies journalism and lives in Rio. The fathers imprudence, from being so bizarre, ends up as risible. How does someone wanting to fly with party balloons in completely unfavorable weather, without knowing at least how to operate a gps really folks?How to use a gps?Como usar um gps? de tudo um pouco

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]]> http://eco-rama.net/lost-brazilian-ballooning-priest-carried-into-the-blogosphere/feed/ 0 B-razi-loggers Rage and Roll Against ISO Approval of Microsoft Standard http://eco-rama.net/b-razi-loggers-rage-and-roll-against-iso-approval-of-microsoft-standard/ http://eco-rama.net/b-razi-loggers-rage-and-roll-against-iso-approval-of-microsoft-standard/#comments Thu, 04 Nov 2010 22:12:18 +0000 Jackie Shroff April Fools DayApril fools day this year has brought a bitter taste to the Brazilian open source community. The announcement of the approval of Microsofts Open XML Format (OOXML) as an ISO/IEC International Standard was, at first, seen as some kind of joke. After all, OOXML had lost a vote on its adoption at ISO in September [...]]]> April fools day this year has brought a bitter taste to the Brazilian open source community. The announcement of the approval of Microsofts Open XML Format (OOXML) as an ISO/IEC International Standard was, at first, seen as some kind of joke. After all, OOXML had lost a vote on its adoption at ISO in September 2007. The voting members had requested hundreds of adjustments to the standard however it is widely known that today the majority have remained unimplemented. But lets check out why such a drab debate over technical standards has caught the attention of so many bloggers in Brazil.

April Fools Day

April Fools Day
April Fools Day

The open source movement in Brazil, with all its successes and failures, has somehow turned into a cultural trend. In this context, Microsofts Office suite (Word, Excel, Powerpoint, etc.) and its proprietary files format became the very symbol of the monopolistic obstacle against the freedom pursued by free software activists, and also the main target of government agencies official substitution policies. Where the Linux operating system was still not ready to reign, at least OpenOffice with its ISO approved ODF file format standard could help breaking Microsofts cultural hegemony. And it worked!

In fact, it seems that the strategy has worked too well. Microsoft started to see its multi-billion dollar Office business model menaced by the rising trend of governments giving preference to open standards in their decisions on software acquisition. The tactical reaction of Microsoft in defense of their monopoly position was to blitz for the sanction of their incompatible alternative format Open XML as a second ISO standard. Bloggers decried that the strategy used to carry OOXML through the ISO fast-track process has damaged the standards credibility and created serious consequences for the whole concept of open standards. Indeed, Microsoft tactics can bring forth an intense rage among those Brazilians who have worked so long and so hard for open standards, and it is not surprising to see MS portrayed not merely as a monopolist but as a monster.

Although having (barely) followed the procedural norms, ISO has lost (or at least damaged) its credibility by being involved in a process that was corrupted behind the scenes by a series of suspicions, irregularities, lobbies and so forth. If the approval had been reached by agreement, be it through Fast-Track or not, ISO would have maintained its credibility. But by passively conceding to Redmonds pressure, and not checking the decision-making procedures of the various countries, ISO has damaged its credibility in a permanent way and somehow thwarted all the other ISO standards.OOXML = ISO 29500 Microsoft Wins, we all lose Linux e mais coisas

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]]> http://eco-rama.net/b-razi-loggers-rage-and-roll-against-iso-approval-of-microsoft-standard/feed/ 0 Dismissal of Brazilian Blogger: Censorship or Just Business? http://eco-rama.net/dismissal-of-brazilian-blogger-censorship-or-just-business/ http://eco-rama.net/dismissal-of-brazilian-blogger-censorship-or-just-business/#comments Thu, 04 Nov 2010 16:06:19 +0000 Ramana Reddy Lula Da SilvaThe abrupt dimissal of the journalist Paulo Henrique Amorim or PHA as he is referred too from his anchor-like position at the IG portal has fueled this weeks blogs debate. The humorous and opinionated style used by PHA in his Conversa Afiada blog to attack what he called the PIG an acronym for Portuguese words [...]]]> The abrupt dimissal of the journalist Paulo Henrique Amorim or PHA as he is referred too from his anchor-like position at the IG portal has fueled this weeks blogs debate. The humorous and opinionated style used by PHA in his Conversa Afiada blog to attack what he called the PIG an acronym for Portuguese words meaning, the party of the coup-plotting mass media was an outlet for left bloggers, and many posts were quick to denounce IGs surprising move as censorship.

Lula Da Silva

Lula Da Silva
Lula Da Silva

Luiz Carlos Azenhas website says that Paulo Henrique Amorim was dismissed from IG on Tuesday, by fax. What first calls our attention is the suddenness of the portals decision. If it was not for Azenha, we would be accessing PHAs site without reaching it, and not knowing why Its almost impossible not to speculate about possible political meddling. We wait for an explanation from IG. While waiting for it, we can speculate and worry about a media witch-hunt that may be starting, promoted by the big media companies and by the politicians who control it, the ones already known to all.PHAs Dismissal Cidadania.com

It is important to mention that IG differentiates itself from the rest of the big Internet outlets by its sympathetic approach to the government of Luiz Incio Lula da Silva. This perspective adds intrigue to the plot, as it is not so easy to identify the forces driving behind PHAs release.

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]]> http://eco-rama.net/dismissal-of-brazilian-blogger-censorship-or-just-business/feed/ 0 Brazil: User Customized Football Media http://eco-rama.net/brazil-user-customized-football-media/ http://eco-rama.net/brazil-user-customized-football-media/#comments Thu, 04 Nov 2010 15:39:42 +0000 Vijay Kant Chit ChatA new arena is gathering steam and significance in the Brazilian Internet space: the football blogs. It should be no surprise given how natives are impassioned for the game, and how the latest results of the many championships become part of the casual chit-chat everywhere. Day by day, fervent fans are finding out that blogs [...]]]> A new arena is gathering steam and significance in the Brazilian Internet space: the football blogs. It should be no surprise given how natives are impassioned for the game, and how the latest results of the many championships become part of the casual chit-chat everywhere. Day by day, fervent fans are finding out that blogs and other media possibilities podcasts, webcasts, foruns and chats are invaluable tools to display, promote and exchange opinions about the many games, and also to express their passion for their favorite football club teams.

Chit Chat

Chit Chat
Chit Chat

The most evident feature brought by the wave of new entrants in the sports chronicle on the web is the customized report and commentary produced by teams fans. Since TV transmissions of football games started in Brazil, referees are not the only ones to be sujected to biased scrutiny of the fans. The obligatory account of the games by speakers and commentators from major TV networks, regular owners of exclusive broadcasting rights, also suffer the sharp analysis and fiery reactions from the opinionated crowd of the many clubs supporters.

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