www.brazilianpost.co.uk • Issue n. 82

BRAZIL: p03

Evangelical pastor elected president of the Human Rights Commission generates protests

L. AMERICA: p09

Hugo Chazez’s legacy leads us to believe that is possible to create a new world

March 12th – 25th 2013

LONDON EDITION

As demand for infrastructure upgrades, Brazil has soared as the country prepares to host major international events including the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Olympics. Brazilian committee visits London to showcase opportunities for foreigners’ investors.

Read more on pages 2 and 8 >>

BRAZIL: TIME AND PLACE TO INVEST

ROAD SHOW

Brazilian Government wants foreigner investments for infrastructure in the country By Ana Toledo

“No one will lose money investing in Brazil,” said Gleisi Hoffmann, Ministry Chief of Staff, during the presentation of a Road Show

in London designed to seek foreign investment in areas of infrastructure in Brazil. Besides the British capital, New York was also chosen in the quest to attract private investors in strategic sectors of the country. The planned investments are $ 250 billion in highways, railways, ports and airports.

To an audience full of entrepreneurs, managers, analysts and investors, the chief minister, accompanied by the president of BNDES, Luciano Coutinho, presented a technical overview about the new concessions that the Brazilian government is presenting to foreign investors and the funding instruments for infrastructure projects.

The energy sector was one of the assets that Gleisi presented to investors. She stated that the Brazilian government has given companies in the power sector an “alternative through legal measures of early renewal of the new conditions.” The conditions offered are “the same as would be given based on a bidding process.” Gleisi explained to foreign investors that the government decided to “take up the challenge to reduce energy costs in the country, one of the largest in the world.” The goal, she said, is “to ensure that the cost of energy will no longer be a drag on growth.” “We did that with better conditions for companies in the sector,” she said.

Then, representatives of each sector spoke specifically about their areas, presenting data and a full schedule already showing the dates for which auctions are schedule. After all the speeches, investors could chose which area was of it’s interest and could attended small meetings in which all the matters were investigated. There were also individual meetings that were held before and during the Road Show.

“In New York we have had many

inquiries from large investors, pension funds and sovereign wealth funds, and the statement of interest was very strong,” said Luciano Coutinho during a press conference attended by The Brazilian Post. “In New York we had about 50 bilateral meetings. In London you can repeat the number and even do more” he added.

According to Coutinho, stakeholders seeking more information during the Road Show are “Canadian pension funds,

U.S. pension funds, sovereign wealth funds and Asians Sovereign Founds, in London, European pension funds, insurers that have technical reserves to apply and sovereign wealth funds, in addition to asset management, which manages investment funds with specific deadlines.

To access the full content of the presentations, visit the link http://goo.gl/bJFQh

Continued on Page 08 >>>

Road Show presentation

02 | March 12th – 25th 2013

Front Page

It is in shock that we present this edition. Representing an important movement in Latin America, thw world bid farewell to Hugo Chavez

Earlier this month. Controversial and a victim of harsh criticism for his actions, the Bolivarian leader leaves a mark that can be better analysed with time. To reflect on it, check out the special that The Brazilian Post has in Latin America section.

Our cover story features the Road Show, a presentation round showing different areas of Brazil by the Brazilian government, in order to attract international investment in

strategic areas of the country such as roads, railways, roads, oil and petrol. On one hand we discuss the structural development, on the other, the fear that the government will not balance the promoting of granting of such important sectors of Brazil and the concern with sustainability and the environment.

In the Brazil section, on page three, the election of the president of the Human Rights Commission of the Chamber of Deputies, which caused considerable movement in social networks, demonstrations in various capitals of Brazil and even demonstrations abroad, like the one

that happened in London on 9 March.In the Profile section of this edition,

the journalist and photographer, Rômulo Seitenfus, presents Márcio Mello, Brazilian actor known on London stages for interpretations of characters from big names like Nelson Rodrigues and William Shakespeare.

Rafael Nunes, technology journalist, tells us what happened at the Web Summit, one of the biggest events of technology and entrepreneurship in Europe, held at The Brewery (Barbican).

What do you think of the idea of finding a local guide on your travels, a “friend” who is local to the destination

you are looking for? To avoid the trivial and touristic in several cities in the world, the Rent a Local Friend service was created. Read more in the Travel section of The Brazilian Post Guide to learn how to use the service.

We also would like to say thank’s to all our readers who supported us and contributed for the victory of The Brazilian Post as Media of the Year in the Lukas prize!

Keep in touch!Ana Toledoana@brazilianpost.co.ukEditor in Chief

EDITORIAL

MINORITIES

Discontent as evangelical pastor elected president of the Human Rights Commission

T he evangelical pastor Marco Feliciano, from the Social Christian Party (PSC), was elected on 7 March as

President of the Commission for Human Rights and Minorities of the Brazilian House of Representatives. Feliciano, who has been accused of racism and homophobia in the past, was elected with 11 votes out of 12 by the committee, dominated by members of what is dubbed the evangelical bench. The news generated strong protests from politicians and the public, and quickly became one of the most debated topics on social networks.

Former committee chairman, Domingos Dutra, from the Workers Party (PT), resigned before the election of Marco Feliciano. “My position is not personal, it’s political. The committee is like a bridge between Congress and society. It should defend everyone, ethnic minorities, homosexuals and other minority groups. Mr Marco has no practice in human rights and his ideas nullify the spirit of the group,” said Dutra.

Parliamentarians from PSOL (Socialism and Freedom Party) and PSB (Brazilian Socialist Party) also left the committee. Ms Luiza Erundina stated: “this is no longer the Human Rights Commission” and criticised the decision to prevent access of protesters to the meeting. “Viewers should not be shut out as this episode goes back to a sad period in our history [referring to military dictatorship]. The issue here is politics.”

Controversial statementsMarco Feliciano has already caused a lot of controversy, making a series of several poorly judged statements for someone who will chair the Commission on Human Rights and Minorities. Speaking at an evangelical meeting, the pastor referred to AIDS as a “gay cancer.”

“Science itself reveals the prevalence this disease in homosexuals; hospitals do not accept blood donation from this group,” he later claimed on his website in a bid to neutralise his comments.

In 2011, Feliciano took to Twitter to say that people of African descent were cursed. “The curse which Noah threw on his grandson, Canaan, spilled on the African continent, hence the famine, pestilence, disease, ethnic wars.”

In a video circulating on internet, Feliciano is seen trying to convince a worshipper to donate his property to his church. In one of the most controversial moments, he tries to draw more information from a man who had given his credit card, but had not provided the pin number.

Elected, Feliciano said he will propose the creation of a smaller group to discuss “all issues in a very democratic way.” The pastor added that this will give an answer to the opponents to his role in Brazil’s human rights policy. “The work we perform will show the Brazilian people that I’m not homophobic,” he said.

There are now about ten controversial projects still awaiting to the committee’s vote. One was written by Jean Wyllys (PSOL), which regulates the activity of sex workers. Another one, by João Campos, from the Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB), president of the Evangelical Parliamentary Front, questions the Resolution of the Federal Council of Psychology that prevents psychologists from treating sexual orientation as a patient’s disease.

NeglectThe country’s political parties have never treated the Commission on Human Rights and Minorities, historically linked to the PT, as a priority. The distribution of committee control follows the size of the parliamentary seats of each party. The Commission on Human Rights was the second last to be chosen by party leaders, another 19 were considered more important.

It now remains essential that the performance of Marco Feliciano as head of the commission is closely monitored and to moderate his actions so that the secular state is not hurt, and the rights of minority groups are not violated, with democratic debates without prejudice or taboo.

Brazilian society, once again, set apart from what happens in the halls of power. The same happened in the election of Renan Calheiros, from the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB), to the Senate presidency. The society protests on social networks, while few others take to the streets. The engagement exists and is growing, but is still insufficient to change decisively what is done every day on the national political scene.

Marco Feliciano

Group protests during Congress meeting

Demonstration in London

Brazil | 03

Castelao Staduim, in Fortaleza

Roberta Marquez and Thiago Soares

2014

World Cup in Brazil set to be the 1st to offer special seats for obese fans under local law

The 2014 World Cup in Brazil is set to be the first to offer special seats for obese fans.

The seats will be offered to conform to Brazilian legislation, although fans from other nations also will be entitled to them. FIFA told that it will be the “first time tickets for obese people are offered at a FIFA event.”

The tickets will also be available for the upcoming Confederations Cup, the World Cup warm-up tournament that will be played in Brazil from June 15-30.

The World Cup Bill in Brazil requires that at least 1 percent of seats in each stadium are made available for disabled people, a category that includes the obese, wheelchair users and those with limited mobility.

FIFA said that to qualify for a ticket, people are required to submit a medical certificate that proves they have a body mass index of 30 or more, as recognized by the Brazilian Ministry of Health and World Health Organization.

“FIFA is generally following local legislation of the host countries, and is in Brazil guided by the General FIFA World Cup Bill and a separate decree related to obese people,” football’s governing body said. “The number of tickets available for disabled people depends on the infrastructure provisions of each stadium and the distribution between seats.”

According to Brazilian legislation, the 2016 Rio Olympics also will have to offer seats for obese fans.

CULTURAL EXCHANGE

Royal Ballet of London performs in RioThe Royal Ballet, the ballet

company of the London’s Royal Opera House made two presentations earlier this

month at the Municipal Theatre in Rio de Janeiro. The company returned to Brazil after four decades. Among the stars of the show were two locals: Roberta Marquez and Thiago Soares.

On stage, the show exhibited a mixture of delicacy, romance and daring. The world-class choreography was set to music by Tchaikovsky, Wagner, Prokofiev and Verdi, a fitting spectacle with the major ballet company opening Rio’s 2013

season of shows.The partnership that has seen

dancers o on exchange between the two cities was one of the first steps of an agreement aimed at swapping experiences and learning between the two institutions and the expansion of arts education in both countries. The executive director of the Royal Opera House, Tony Hall, and president of the Municipal Theatre, Carla Camurati, signed an agreement providing entertainment, education and professional training in London and Rio until 2016.

JUSTICE

UK firm fined over illegal waste exported to Brazil

A firm has been ordered to pay £85,000 over the illegal export of tonnes of waste from Britain to Brazil in 2009, the Old Bailey

has heard.Edwards Waste Paper director

Simon Edwards, 47, and former sales manager, Jonathan Coombe, 42, admitted

responsibility for containers loaded at their site in Barking, east London.

Both were ordered to pay costs. Coombe received a conditional discharge.

A father and son were also sentenced after admitting transporting the waste.

In July 2009, Brazilian authorities accused the UK of dumping unwanted

contaminated material on its shores, after 89 containers holding 1,500 tonnes of waste were found on a quay side.

The shipment of “mixed plastics” - worth about £60,000 - was sent back to the UK and examined by the Environment Agency (EA). They were

found to contain contaminated items such as nappies, needles and medical equipment.

The Old Bailey heard the material - which came from waste collected by 30 councils - had been shipped to Brazil by three companies to avoid the expense of sorting and cleaning it in Britain.

Brazil | 04 | March 12th – 25th 2013

SUPPORT

Start up your own business

Have you ever had a great idea for a business but not been confident or informed enough to make it a reality?

All of us have some hidden knowledge, talent or invention that can make us successful but often the support is not there for people to put their ideas into action. This is especially true in times of recession, when we need innovation and invention more than ever but people are under too much strain to put all their energies or investment into their own start up.

The UK government and a body of socially engaged entrepreneurs are looking to change this with the introduction of greater funding and support to start ups. Earlier this year, the government announced that it would be extending its start-up loan

initiative to entrepreneurs from the ages of 18 – 30 and further announced School For Startups as one of its key delivery partners.

Doug Richard, founder of School For Startups said, ‘We are delighted with the progress Mane Divas has made and it is clear to see that many young people are eager to start up their own businesses and our free Launcher Programme is able to help them realise that goal’.

Fans of the hit TV series Dragons Den will recognize Richard, who used to be on the panel of dragons, deciding what projects and people to back based on their pitches. School for Startups was founded by serial entrepreneur and angel investor, in 2008 and has since taught over 20,000 budding entrepreneurs and small business owners from across the globe.

Young entrepreneurs, Katrine Emmanuel and Tamara Plummer, cannot believe how close they are to achieving their dreams. Katrine and Tamara both applied for the government backed loans from the Start-up Loans Company via Doug Richard’s School For Startups’ Launcher programme and is now set to showcase their new brand of quality female hair extensions.

Mane Divas are a ‘hair experience’ company and an official UK supplier of Tropic Isle Living, stocking natural oils alongside original and quality virgin hair extensions based in Essex.

Katrine, who is a professional lawyer, and her partner Tamara, an engineer, both embarked on their new venture after some horrendous experiences trying hair extensions bought from the high streets.

“Mane Divas was born out of our frustration with high street retailers and suppliers. That is why our products are extensively tested by us, our friends & families with a strong emphasis on customer care and after support”.

This simple idea and approach has paid off and Mane Divas will launch its new brand of hair extensions on the 4th of May at Romford’s Liberty Shopping Centre.

If you are a problem solver or have a fantastic idea, why not look into launching your own business with the help of the School for Start Ups, who offer great help and advice. It’s never too late to be what you might have been!To apply for the government backed loan, please visit: www.schoolforstartups.co.uk/launcher.

05

Community

. http://hilarious-consequences.blogspot.co.uk http://www.steaknightcomics.com/steaknightcomics.com/RRR_BOOKS.html

OMBUDSMANThis 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

“I loved the kind of bottleneck that occurs in the way the topic is presented in the article “ Latin American approach diversify the London Fashion Week.” When I started reading the text, I could swore I would find an issue entirely focused into the London Fashion Week. During the reading, I found a very cool story about the work of artists from Latin America, finishing with an intelligent and constructive criticism (and surprising) to Brazilian fashion market, taking me to a reflection about how we, Brazilians, deal with our fashion world and, the coolest, giving a hint of “gringa opinion” about our market. Constructive and provocative.”

- Cati Calixto, Paraná - Brazil

Community | 06 | March 12th – 25th 2013

PROFILE

The intended of Nelson and ShakespeareText and Photos: Romulô Seitenfus

Twenty years ago, Márcio Mello was part of a large theatre audience in Sao Paulo when a skinny woman stepped on

stage in a surprising way. The slender actress, Denise Fraga, had arrested the attention of the public and the boy who went without sleep that night, recalling the scenes of the play. The hours of insomnia that followed were decisive

in Mello’s decision to become an actor and who years later would be in London, reaching his own critical acclaim.

Marcio Mello has become known on the London stage as an actor in dramas. He was the first Brazilian accepted into the Central School of Speech and Drama (2003), where the likes of Lawrence Oliver, Vanessa Redgrave, Gael Garcia Bernal and Judi Dench have gone before. No wonder Mello felt under pressure when it came to being the first Brazilian

to take on a Shakespearean lead as Duke Frederick in a 2005 adaptation of As You Like It.

“Playing Shakespeare is very difficult, because the words are sacred and not just to be staged. It’s very intellectual; you have to understand the rhythm and language. There are five strong and five weak participles in a row. If the actor does not interpret this pace, you will not achieve the purpose of the scene.”

In 2009, Márcio made his first major film appearance as Jota in the movie Lost Tango, by the filmmaker Jorg Wagner.

In 2013, the actor is celebrating 17 years in the business and 20 plays to his name. The newest, Put That in Your Pipe and Smoke It is a celebration of writer Anton Chekhov, geniality the dangers of tobacco has been directed and acted by Latissimus Productions, Mello’s own company.

Last year, at “The Kiss on the Asphalt”

Márcio Mello was the first Brazilian actor accepted at London’s the Central School of Speech and Drama in London, he has also chosen to play a Shakespeare lead

Preparing and constructing charactersSeveral rituals are a central part of

the actor’s routine. Two hours before doors open Márcio recites the words on the stage, walking in circles, and back.

“When I do that I improve my concentration, because there is nothing harder than to concentrate on the when you are walking in circles, back and forth. After this preparation, I feel ready to go on stage and face the audience.”

But this is not the only ritual of the actor, who also starts a countdown in shutting himself off from all communication. “I lock the door to my dressing room or lock myself in the bathroom, to concentrate alone for the last twenty minutes.”

Asked about the ‘laboratory’ phase of the construction of his characters, the actor says he join the line of Stanislavski.

“To live a character during the creation process, I have to agree with him every day. Trying to understand how he goes to the supermarket, how he relates to the world, what makes him

happy and what does not. I have to learn to be someone else, until at some point in this process has already become organic. When this happens, I feel I can take it to the stage.”

“It is a total transgression. As an actor you have to try to understand the limitations, education, social position to which he was exposed and what makes him who he is. After a while they begin to look like people in real life, I live with them every day, know the intimacies and the banalities of my future character. I take on the objects, clothes, mannerisms and words that once belong to him, and then give it all away to my audience, so also materialised, but this time in my body, and on stage”.

This revelation makes me want to go beyond my restlessness journalistic curiosity and ask how far he mixes real life with the involvement of his characters. I assure you Márcio Mello could not have had any other another profession, he seems to have always been intended to play the role of actor.

Community| 07

Continued from page 02 >>

Logistic

In the presentation on investment and logistics, the President of the Company of Planning and Logistics (EPL), Bernardo Figueiredo, showed the program that began with the PAC (Growth Acceleration Program), stating that this was the first structured initiative to provide the country a suitable transport system after two decades of low investment. He also said that today the government is in a new phase in respect to the integrated plan for the transport system, with the integration of highways, railways, waterways, ports and airports. The investment in this sector will be of $253 billion over 30 years.

Energetic Sector

The Energy Research Company (EPE) estimates that the auction in generation and transmission provided by the government for the period 2013 to 2017 will result in investments of R$ 148.1 billion. Of this total, R$ 120.6 million will go to plants and R$ 27.5 million for lines

and substations. The auctions include hydroelectric generation (21,421 MW), wind projects (5,720 MW), biomass power plants (3,160 MW), small hydro (1,170 MW) and gas-fired power plants (1,500 MW). Until 2017, every year there will be a larger project highlighted in hydroelectric energy generation.

Pre-salt, oil and gas

On the subject of Pre-salt oil and gas, the Secretary of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Fuels, Ministry of Energy and Mines, Marco Antonio Martins Almeida, presented three new rounds: 11th Round in Concession System; 1st Round of the Pre-salt in Regime of Sharing Production and the 12th Round in Concession System with a focus on unconventional resources.

Dialogue

The phrase that opens this text, used by the minister Gleisi Hoffman was questioned by the Brazilian press from the perspective of why it is so necessary to emphasise the changes of the rules in Brazil. Gleisi said it is important to

state that the Brazilian government is open to dialogue and has demonstrated this through public hearings, in which it received comments, suggestions and criticisms regarding the structuring of the chosen format.

“We realised that there was a lot of speculation, especially at the level of the press, and even more on issues of the electricity sector, in relation to renewal of contracts. So we thought it important to reaffirm that first of all, we fulfil contracts, and that the extensions considered this situation and that there are macro insurance in Brazil with respect to investment”, said the minister during the press conference.

Critics

The private banks claim they do not have the same access to cheaper money that public banks enjoy and urged the government to increase the share of long term investments. On one hand the government believes it will stimulate and attract the private sector to finance part of the program of government grants, other critics point out to the initiative as a way to “sell Brazil”

With respect to this government action, Coutinho said that the “currency board opened space for private banks so they could reach the compulsory unpaid reserve, to finance infrastructure project’s within that encouraged program.” The value of compulsory is R$ 15 billion and the president of BNDS justified “is healthy because it brings competition to the market and new actors who can contribute to the long-term financing.”

Long Term

The stagnation in developed economies due to the global crisis helps the rates of investments in Brazil to be more attractive. Adding to this, the need for the country to finalise planned events like the World Cup 2014 and Olympics 2016. No doubt it can be said that the

country will have a structural legacy, a legacy that will enable the planned development of Brazil. The challenge is to equalise the opportunities and needs of the present, considering the structural problems inherited from the past and not repeat the same mistakes again. The important question is how this route will be travelled.

Gleisi Hofmann a Luciano Coutinho, representing the Brazilian government at the event

Potential investors at Lamdmark Hotel

08 | March 12th – 25th 2013

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VENEZUELA

Hugo Chavez`s legacy By Guilherme Reis

It is hard to sum up in words how important Hugo Chavez was for Venezuela and Latin America, though we can hope that his legacy

will live on in the emerging politics of the entire region. A “controversial character” was the description given by most of the commentators I’ve read since the news of his death. Particularly in the UK, reports have been balance, even those who seem to support the Bolivarian Revolution were careful to mention both its achievements and remember the criticism metered by opponents. It’s as though writers are saying: “Ok, I recognise that Hugo Chavez did not always get things right, but I’m not crazy to support him.”

Martin Kettle, writing in The Guardian perfectly illustrates my point: “Chavez will continue to inspire, but not in Europe”. Kettle explains Chavez as a complex figure that cannot be seen only as a narcissist populist or hoarder of power neither as a hero to the poor, which is true and finishes the article saying that his ideas and political style were never compatible with the European “modern reality”.

Although it is clear that Hugo Chavez was a very Latin American kind of revolutionary with more reach in those country’s, Kettle’s points led me to the question: Since when did inspiration have geographical boarders? This question led me to see exactly what the most important legacy of Hugo Chavez will be: that a new world is possible, a world where we are not prisoners of global capitalism.

Some might be thinking how stupid is to believe in a new world, but looking back on recent Venezuelan history and Hugo Chavez’s achievements over his 14 years in power and the contemporary Latin American socialism that it inspired, it is possible to see an alternative to the dominant ideologies that have shaped and manipulated our realities.

“Back in 1989”, as it was well remembered by Owen Jones in The Independent, “then-President Carlos Andrés Pérez won an election on a fiery platform of resisting free-market dogma. But after safely making it to the presidential palace, he performed a drastic u-turn, unleashing a programme of privatisation and neo-liberal shock therapy. With gas subsidies removed, petrol prices soared, and impoverished Venezuelans took to the streets. Soldiers mowed protesters down with gunfire. Up to 3,000 perished.”

“It was his abortive coup attempt against Pérez’s murderous, rampantly corrupt government in 1992 that launched Chavez to prominence. Though locked away, Chavez became an icon for Venezuela’s long-suffering poor. By the time he won a landslide victory in 1998 on a promise to use the country’s vast oil wealth to help the poor, Venezuela was a mess. Per capita income had collapsed to where it had been in the early 1960s. One in three Venezuelans lived on less than $2 a day.”

Over the next 14 years, Hugo Chavez would dramatically change the social reality of Venezuela. “Poverty has fallen from nearly half to 27.8 per cent, while absolute poverty has been more than halved. Six million children receive free meals a day; near-universal free health care has been established; and education spending has doubled as a proportion of GDP. A housing programme launched in 2011 built over 350,000 homes, bringing hundreds of thousands of families out of sub-standard housing.”

Some might be thinking that it is the minimum that could be done by a president. But we cannot ignore the Latin American and Venezuelan reality. Chavez was the first one to do that; the first one

to distribute the wealth of the country among the poorest and to not prioritise the interest of a minority admittedly linked to America and speculative capital interest.

All of this would be enough to make Hugo Chavez an extremely popular political actor in Venezuela, the same can be said of the former president, Lula in Brazil. It is other key points of the Bolivarian Revolution that make it remarkable and powerful. Although the big media companies in Latin America have repeatedly labelled Chavez a dictator, there have been 17 elections and referenda since 1998. Until he came to power, millions of poor Venezuelans were not even registered to vote: but thorough registration drives have nearly doubled the electorate. There are 6,000 more polling stations than there were in the pre-Chavez era.

It could be deemed as opportunism, but the truth is that these changes have empowered the people and led them to understand how to defend their interests through voting.

Beyond that, there is greater Latin American integration which Hugo Chavez had fought hard to establish and, after all, is the main source of optimism to

believe that a new world is possible, although a lot must be done to project these ideals. Chavez was the main leader behind the construction of institutions such as the Bank of the South and Unasur (Union of South American Nations), both offering positive alternatives in the rising new political and economic order of the world.

Hugo Chavez was not a simple character. He never had easy political choices to make, especially after a coup launched against him in 2002, which forced him to take some autocratic ways to defend his mandate. Some cannot agree with everything that Chavez said or did, but it is unfair and short-sighted to deny his legacy to a world where vision, imagination and determination are certainly needed.

The Venezuelan population and leaders now face an important issue: how to keep the Bolivarian Revolution alive without its leader? This is crucial, because one person alone can never sustain a true revolution. This column will certain keep an eye on developments in the country, as new elections will be held within the month and areas such as economics, diversity and security must be improved in Venezuela.

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latin America

SOLUTIONS

Entrepreneurs highlight the digital sector’s potential against the crisisBy Rafael Cabral

On the 1 March, London hosted the second edition of Web Summit, one of the biggest technology and

entrepreneurship events in Europe. During a day of talks and chats at The Brewery (Barbican), a series of founders, programmers, investors and other distinguished professionals of the digital industry of the U.K. and the world presented their views.

Besides the main schedule, the conference also hosted a startup competition - won by Flubit, a website that generates discounts for your desired products - and offered spaces for interaction and networking between entrepreneurs and creators.

The meeting was attended by tech stars such as Matt Mullenweg (creator of Wordpress blogging platform) and professor Andrew Ng, from the promising education platform Coursera. Mike Lynch - an entrepreneur that caused a media frenzy last year - also made an appererance, explaining poorly why his

company Autonomy, sold to Hewlett-Packard, was accused by the company itself for having an overvalued income in order to be bought by a bigger tech firm.

Controversial topics aside, the best

talks of the day came from lesser-known names, not instantly recognized by the general audience but who hold great knowledge and experience in the digital market.

One of the most interesting stage talks was with Joanna Shields, ex-director of Facebook who now has two jobs - director of the investment fund Tech City and ambassador of digital industries in the U.K. With the British government’s support and sponsorship of major companies in the sector, the organisation she manages aims to attract the world’s major technology businesses to London, tp promote an ideal environment for entrepreneurship and to create a tech cluster within Shoreditch, East London.

At the conference, Joanna commented on the government’s plan to help the internet industry, which accounts for 8% of the GDP of the country and, unlike other sectors, is not showing signs of cooling down (with growth of 11% last year). “Our mission is to make the U.K. the best place to imagine starting a new business, and for that we need to facilitate that people develop the required skills and help them obtain apprenticeships”, said Shields, announcing a project that will create 500 apprenticeships in the Hackney community.

Education focused on technology was also highlighted in the interview with Adam Pritzker, co-founder of General Assembly, a NY education startup that offers a series of courses in

digital entrepreneurship-related areas, such as programming, design and market strategies. “London’s University programmes are great, they teach people to think critically and creatively, but lack the teaching of the skills that they will really need in order to succeed in the market. This supplementary education is our remit”, Pritzker explained, announcing a shiny new campus in London, where the company has been active since June 2012.

Another captivating chapter of the Web Summit was the discussions with heavy investors of the industry, which aims to increase the value and the market share of new companies. American David Tisch (TechStars) placed his bets on long-term trends, the internet of things (connected objects) and 3D printing (creation of artifacts, layer by layer) and showcased problems in other areas, such as the saturated market of mobile phone apps.

Esther Dyson, head of private fund EDVentures, was interviewed by David Rowan, editor-in-chief of Wired a UK magazine, and said that one of the greatest areas ripe for innovation is biotechnology. Famous for being one of the major sponsors of the privatisation of space travel, she surprised the audience and commented that her main bet for the future are startups that attempt to democratise health technology, praising companies making non-invasive body sensors such as AliveCor (producer of an iPhone case that measures the cardiac frequency of the user) and 23andme, who’s mission is to lower the costs of genomic analysis.

Dyson pointed out that similar projects, linked with software that helps the user analyse and understand data about their own physical status, have the potential to become the next revolution in the digital sector, generating a personalised medicine. Accodring to Dyson, In five years, you will not take any medicine without understanding exactly how it works in your body through digital tools. “They personalise my adverts, why can’t they personalise my medicine?”.

In the end of a day with an intense schedule, the balance was truly positive. Following the steps of Silicon Valley’s innovation cluster and mantaining its position as the most important digital centre in Europe next to Berlin, London is one of the best places to be if the objective is to enterprise and innovate with the help of technology.

London Web Summit 2013

10 | March 12th – 25th 2013

Technology

BY CHRISIANO HOLANDA

WHAT’S NEWS

BP Expects to Pay More Over Deep-water. BP expects to pay more than previously anticipated in compensation for private economic and property damage stemming from the Deep-water Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.

Oil Faces Supply. A combination of tepid global oil demand and steadily improving supply has taken the steam out of high oil prices and overshadowed otherwise bullish forces like the improving US jobs market.

Dollar Strength Rests on Data. Economic indicators released this week in the US could determine whether the dollar’s recent strength will prove sustainable.

www.chrisholanda.com c.mail@me.com

Employers Ignore Economic CloudsWhat great news!!

Employers stepped on the accelerator last month, hiring briskly enough

to bolster the US recovery but even this is not likely to be enough to prompt the Federal Reserve to turn off its easy-money spigot.The Market added 236,000 jobs in February, notching gains in almost every corner of the private sector. February’s gains were well above the 195,000-job-a-month average of the previous three months and pushed the jobless rate to a four-year-low of 7.7%.

Surging stock prices, recvoery in the housing and labor markets and a booming energy sector are among the tailwinds propelling the economy. Stock markets rose following the report, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average ending

at its fourth consecutive record closeThe overall 236,000 is a good number,

but the breadth of jobs growth across industries tells me that the recovery is broadening and likely gaining momentum, The mix of jobs is also changing. We’re creating higher-paying ones, I think.

Recent benchmarks, including measures of gross domestic product and manufacturing, reflect a recovery that is moving forward but at risk of losing pace as its main engine, consumer spending is strained by higher taxes and gas prices. The recession in Europe and weakness in other export markets also pose threats, as do possible shocks from budget wrangling. Despite the headwinds, a growing number of businesses are pressing ahead with expansion.

Is Yap Ready for the World?

The people of Yap, a flyspeck of an island in the western Pacific, learned long ago how to make money the hard way: They

carved giant stone currency and ferried it across open ocean in canoes.

These days, islanders are split over how to make money in a global economy—and in particular what to do with a tide of Chinese money now washing up on these remote shores.

Deng Hong, a Chinese real-estate developer, envisions a billion-dollar,

4,000-room casino-and-golf resort that he promises would quadruple the island’s annual economic output to $200 million.

But residents of this 39-square-mile (101-square-kilometer) patch of volcanic rock worry whether what they will get is worth what they will give up. Chinese tourists and imported workers would double Yap’s population, and to make room for the resort some Yapese would have to leave their ancestral coastal villages of thatch-roofed homes for new housing provided by the developer.

“Yapese are not as aggressive as the Chinese who are coming with lots of money,” said Henry Falan, the speaker of Yap’s 10-man legislature, which has passed laws trying to block the project. “I don’t see much future in subjugating ourselves on our own island.”

Even still, project opponents agree that Yap—with a population of 11,000—must learn self-sufficiency. The island has long relied on American aid, which is scheduled to end in 2023.

The Real Women’s Issue: Time

Why aren’t more women running things in Europe? It isn’t for lack of ambition or life skills or

credentials. The real barrier to getting more women to the top is the unsexy but immensely difficult issue of time commitment: Today’s top jobs in major organisations demand 60-plus hours of work a week.

In her much-discussed new book, Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg tells women with high aspirations that they need to “lean in” at work—that is, assert themselves more. It’s fine advice, but it misdiagnoses the problem. It isn’t any shortage of drive

that leads those phalanxes of female Harvard Business School grads to opt out. It’s the assumption that senior roles have to consume their every waking moment. More great women don’t “lean

in” because they don’t like the world they’re being asked to lean into.

It doesn’t have to be this way. A little organisational imagination bolstered by a commitment from the C-suite can point the path to a saner, more satisfying blend of the things that ambitious women want from work and life. It’s time that we put the clock at the heart of this debate.

I know this is doable because I run a growing startup company in which more than half the professionals work fewer than 40 hours a week by choice. The key is that we design jobs to enable people to contribute at varying levels of time commitment while still meeting our overall goals for the company.

11

Economy

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

English clubs continue to suffer in Europe

By Jamie Jubon

The UEFA Champions League knock-out round is concluded this week, and it looks almost certain that no English team

will remain in the competition when the quarter-final draw is made on Friday.Not since 1996 has no Premier League club made it through to the last eight, but is it merely a one-off or has there been a genuine power shift in European football?

Judging by this season’s performances, the German Bundesliga has certainly caught up with and possibly even overtaken the English Premier League in terms of strength and quality.

Borussia Dortmund, champions of Germany, are already through having disposed of dangerous Ukranian outfit Shakhtar Donetsk in emphatic fashion, whilst Bayern Munich and Schalke are favourites to join Dortmund in the next round.

Munich hold a seemingly unassailable advantage over Arsenal, the last English club standing, having

beaten them 3-1 in London three weeks ago, and Schalke have a great chance of progressing having drew 1-1 in Turkey against Galatasaray. This was despite the Turks including notable new signings Didier Drogba and Wesley Sneijder in their lineup.

With the Bundesliga poised to make up almost half of the last eight, and La Liga, Serie A, and France’s Le Championnat also still having clubs who can certainly stake a claim as contenders for the trophy, the landscape of European football is no doubt changing.

Gone are the days when English football was undoubtedly the dominant force. Between 2007 and 2010, it was no major surprise to see three Premier League teams in the last four of Europe’s top competition.

There was a sense that only one club in the continent could stop England from reigning supreme, and that was Barcelona.

Indeed, the Catalan club’s last three triumphs in the competition have all come against English clubs, in 2006 against Arsenal, and in 2009 and 2011 against Manchester United.

The arrival of Roman Abramovich at Chelsea signalled a new era in English football, one where the truly top players in world football at the peak of their powers decided the Premier League was the place to ply their trades.

Jose Mourinho then turned up at Stamford Bridge, raising the quality of the West London Club’s playing staff, and almost simultaneously, the quality of the rest of the Premier League seemed to take an upward surge.

The takeover of Manchester City in 2008 gave a new complexion to the Premier League, as there was suddenly a new team ready to compete with the established big four of Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool.

However, despite claiming last season’s Premier League title, City have yet to convert their almost endless cash reserves into European success.

Indeed, they have not made it past the Group Stages in their first two Champions League campaigns, co-inciding with the other English teams’ slump.

It can’t be described as merely a one-

off either. Chelsea may have won the Champions League last season, but not without an undeniable amount of good fortune.

They were the only team from England to reach the quarter-finals last year, after Manchester United and City’s surprising Group Stage exits.

So, the warning signs had been there for the English Premier League’s elite clubs. Europe were beginning to catch up last season, and this season has only served to strengthen that viewpoint.

The new finances from Qatar can be attributed to PSG’s sudden emergence as a European superpower, whilst the sleeping giants of Juventus and Borussia Dortmund have been loudly awaken.

The Premier League has yet to respond to the challenges laid down to them.

Of course, this article could be rendered inaccurate and irrelevant if Arsenal pull off the unthinkable and overturn their first-leg deficit against Bayern Munich in the Allianz Arena.

Sadly, though I can’t see that happening.

Manchester United was beaten by Real Madrid

12 | March 12th – 25th 2013

sport

Most wanted trophy in South America

SOUTH AMERICAN FOOTBALL

Libertadores in full swingBy Tico Silverio

The biggest club competition in the Americas is now in full swing and, as has been the case in recent years, the Brazilian

clubs are the big favourites. But beyond favouritism, five of the six clubs that represent Brazil in the competition are in first place in the list among the most valuable teams, which is a reflection of the current economic situation of the country.

Corinthians, the defending champion, is first on the list, with a teamvalued at £86 million. São Paulo, who returns to competition after two years, is second with £80 million. Fluminense, current Brazilian champion, is in the third position, with a team valued at £72 million. Atletico-MG, club of Ronaldinho, is fourth place with £64 million. Grêmio is fifth on the list with a team of £62 million. Palmeiras, which is now on the second Brazilian division, comes in eighth place with a worth of £40 million.

With valuable teams and the last three titles in the competition there is no doubt about the strength of the Brazilian clubs in the Copa Libertadores 2013.

Atletico-MG, early leaders so far, is the club to be beaten in the competition. With a strong team, blending the experience of players like Ronaldinho and youth players like Bernard, the club had the best performance in the first round of the group stage with three wins in three matches.

In the same group of Atlético-MG, São Paulo is one of the most traditional clubs in the competition. With a very young squad, São Paulo may face some difficulties, especially in away matches, where experience is crucial to overcome the problems and pressure inside and outside the field.

Fluminense, who had no significant change compared to the Brazilian champion squad last season, still seems to suffer from excessive dependence on their main player, striker Fred. Primarily responsible for the club’s victorious campaign in the national championship, Fred is the thermometer of the team, which in the Copa Libertadores is not enough. Therefore, if the Fluminense want to become the ninth Brazilian club to be champion of the competition, players will have to shine more.

Grêmio have a history of performing

well in knockout tournaments. With one of the most experienced squads in Brazil, led by one of the smartest coaches in the world, Vanderlei Luxemburgo, Grêmio is strong.

Palmeiras in the Copa Libertadores has a chance to redeem them from relegation in Brazil last year, but with the various confusions between fans and players, and especially with the disrespect towards the club regarding the competition, the largest Brazilian champion runs the serious risk of being

eliminated on the first round.The current world champion

hasn’t had a good start to the season. Corinthians, who kept the base and reinforced very well, especially with the arrival of striker Alexandre Pato, failed to show until now the same football seen last year. With just one win in the first three matches of the continental competition, seems to have lost the thirst for victory. The team, however, must go to the second stage, and then Corinthians is always strong. Let’s see what happens.

sport | 13

special | 14 | March 12th – 25th 2013

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