Eco Rama » Global Voices http://eco-rama.net Wed, 08 Dec 2010 16:41:04 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 In Budapest for the Global Voices Citizen Media Summit 2008 http://eco-rama.net/in-budapest-for-the-global-voices-citizen-media-summit-2008/ http://eco-rama.net/in-budapest-for-the-global-voices-citizen-media-summit-2008/#comments Sat, 06 Nov 2010 21:18:00 +0000 Vijay Kant Beautiful PeopleBeautiful People Beautiful People Here I am in Budapest, interesting city, with beautiful people all around speaking a peculiar language. The whole environment exhales history, but the streets are full of young and interesting people who seem well tuned to the beat of the moment. I could sense many similarities with Brazilians. The Global Voices [...]]]> Beautiful People

Beautiful People
Beautiful People

Here I am in Budapest, interesting city, with beautiful people all around speaking a peculiar language. The whole environment exhales history, but the streets are full of young and interesting people who seem well tuned to the beat of the moment. I could sense many similarities with Brazilians.

The Global Voices Citizen Media Summit 2008, which gathers managers, editors, authors, Lingua sites coordinators, collaborators and other fellow communities that somehow are linked to the Global Voices Online project, is happening here.

As I arrived here, I thought it might be important to mention some aspects of my relationship with GVO something Ive never described before. With many simultaneous projects on my plate, it is difficult to properly document the interconnections of what Ive been developing and implementing, especially when it comes to the cross-layering where aspects of one project contribute to other ones.

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]]> http://eco-rama.net/in-budapest-for-the-global-voices-citizen-media-summit-2008/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: The prohibited march that keeps marching http://eco-rama.net/brazil-the-prohibited-march-that-keeps-marching/ http://eco-rama.net/brazil-the-prohibited-march-that-keeps-marching/#comments Fri, 05 Nov 2010 23:46:04 +0000 Udit Narayan Marijuana LegalizationAfter a long period of dictatorship, and since the political liberalization of the 80s, Brazilians have learned to value freedom of expression as a key democratic right. But the last weeks have shown that some issues such as marijuana legalization still dont hold the status of being entitled to a legally sanctioned public debate. This [...]]]> After a long period of dictatorship, and since the political liberalization of the 80s, Brazilians have learned to value freedom of expression as a key democratic right. But the last weeks have shown that some issues such as marijuana legalization still dont hold the status of being entitled to a legally sanctioned public debate. This years edition of the Marijuana March was prohibited by courts in 9 capital cities across the country due to allegations of illegal promotion of drug use. The theme provoked responses by many local bloggers.

Marijuana Legalization

Marijuana Legalization
Marijuana Legalization

While in some countries marijuana use is accepted with restrictions, in Brazil the debate on the issue is not even permitted. Talking about marijuana has turned into a taboo, as the march was prohibited by the Public Ministry a few days before scheduled date, leaving no chance for appeals due to the lack of available time. It becomes clear the country is unable to allow its citizens to debate their relationship with some of the problems we have around here. Should we label a demonstration for legal reform as drug use promotion? To debate necessarily means to influence? There are some terms that are not well defined in the heads of the justices, which results in hindering the citizens from claiming their right: the freedom to express themselves.Tropical Fascism Obrog!!!

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]]> http://eco-rama.net/brazil-the-prohibited-march-that-keeps-marching/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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]]> http://eco-rama.net/brazil-user-customized-football-media/feed/ 0 Brazil: While traditional media deals with lawsuits, blogs report http://eco-rama.net/brazil-while-traditional-media-deals-with-lawsuits-blogs-report/ http://eco-rama.net/brazil-while-traditional-media-deals-with-lawsuits-blogs-report/#comments Thu, 04 Nov 2010 05:26:42 +0000 Ramana Reddy Media HistoryTwo of the biggest media companies in Brazil are currently involved is court cases that similarly raise the issue of freedom of speech and press even though the media finds itself on opposite sides of the issue in the two cases. The influential newspaper Folha de SP is facing a series of lawsuits filed by [...]]]> Two of the biggest media companies in Brazil are currently involved is court cases that similarly raise the issue of freedom of speech and press even though the media finds itself on opposite sides of the issue in the two cases. The influential newspaper Folha de SP is facing a series of lawsuits filed by followers of an evangelical church, while Veja, the top weekly magazine, and some of its main editors are going after a blogger through another series of lawsuits. Taking the larger view, the Brazilian blogosphere is uniquely pointing out the similarity and contradictions revealed by the connectedness of both situations.

Media History

Media History
Media History

Folhas problems started a week ago when Elvira Lobato, a reporter who is now facing about 50 individual suits, published an article about the finances of the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God IURD, and its connections with tax havens. The piece lists the TV network (2nd national audience), 23 TV and 40 radio stations, besides the other 19 companies 2 newspapers included that forms the churchs empire, but the suits actually complain about IURD being portrayed as a sect.

The issue has called RSFs attention, and the ABI [Brazilian Press Association] has released a note [pt] describing IURDs reaction as an unprecedented coercive campaign in Brazilian media history. While the suits against Folha has generated such compelling response from traditional media and its backers, a very different approach is being adopted towards the legal dispute between Veja magazine and the journalist-turned-into-blogger Luis Nassif. As expected, the blogosphere has much to say about that.

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]]> http://eco-rama.net/brazil-while-traditional-media-deals-with-lawsuits-blogs-report/feed/ 0 Elite Squad Provokes Police, Pirates, Pundits and Promotion http://eco-rama.net/elite-squad-provokes-police-pirates-pundits-and-promotion/ http://eco-rama.net/elite-squad-provokes-police-pirates-pundits-and-promotion/#comments Wed, 03 Nov 2010 05:00:31 +0000 admin City Of GodElite Squad, a much-hyped film about Rios special forces police is having its official launch today in Rio and So Paulo, and the nationwide premiere is scheduled for Oct. 12. The peculiar thing about this release is that an estimated crowd of 3.5 million people have already seen it before its debut. The [unauthorized] copy [...]]]> Elite Squad, a much-hyped film about Rios special forces police is having its official launch today in Rio and So Paulo, and the nationwide premiere is scheduled for Oct. 12. The peculiar thing about this release is that an estimated crowd of 3.5 million people have already seen it before its debut. The [unauthorized] copy of the film can be viewed or downloaded from many different places on the web, and the speculation is that more than a million copies of the DVD have been sold on Brazilian streets across the past few weeks.

City Of God

City Of God
City Of God

Capito Nascimento

Praised as a City of God 2, but presenting a narrative based on a policemans perspective, the film is provoking heated debates across the country about the causes of violence in big cities. There are interesting discussions also on the morality of the widespread use of an unauthorized copy leaked to the web of an unreleased film. Surely, this case has made Brazilians go deeper into the actual meanings of piracy in the digital era, and it can turn out to be a defining moment for the audiovisual industry. Bloggers are all around it.

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]]> http://eco-rama.net/elite-squad-provokes-police-pirates-pundits-and-promotion/feed/ 0 Internet Governance, Global Privacy and IGF-Rio http://eco-rama.net/internet-governance-global-privacy-and-igf-rio/ http://eco-rama.net/internet-governance-global-privacy-and-igf-rio/#comments Tue, 02 Nov 2010 19:52:56 +0000 Rallapalli Internet ArchitectureThe global debate on Internet governance will once again gather people from all over the world at UNs IGF, this time in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The process was started last year in Athens, when more than 1,200 participants focused on discussion of the overarching issues tied to the future of information and communications technologies, [...]]]> The global debate on Internet governance will once again gather people from all over the world at UNs IGF, this time in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The process was started last year in Athens, when more than 1,200 participants focused on discussion of the overarching issues tied to the future of information and communications technologies, including control over the Internet architecture and numbering and naming system, security, intellectual property, openness, connectivity, cost and multilingualism.

Internet Architecture

Internet Architecture
Internet Architecture

The IGFs innovative multi-stakeholder format, designed to grant governments, NGOs, and commerce an equal seat at the table, was praised by many as an evolution from the bounds of classical diplomacy. But the role of the IGF as a pure discussion forum a neutral, non-binding and non-duplicative process as the EU presidency put it and the absence of a more formalized output were intensively discussed by several governments and NGOs, Brazilians included. Blogs report:

Great expectations and a good dose of self criticism will surely be present at the Second Internet Governance Forum (IGF), which will take place in November in Rio de Janeiro. The occurrence of the IGF in Brazil was the result of a big effort of the local government, and the discussions will focus not only on the conventional issues related with the virtual environment, but also on the foundational purposes of the IGF process. In a significant evolution from its last meeting in Athens which was characterized by the absence of deliberative power the IGF in Rio will position the present Internet governance model and the IGFs mandate as central themes of the forum.
II Forum de Governana da Internet Dialgico

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