Translator
An Australian living in Brazil whose passion for life and innate curiosity have led her all over the world and created a rich tapestry of experiences. Focused on dissolving Portuguese-English language barriers to help people connect, exchange information and work together for positive change.
Latest posts by Natalia Laczko
Century-Old Trees Face the Axe in Brazil
Residents in host city Porto Alegre are threatening to climb and occupy century-old trees in Southern Brazil to save them from being axed for an expansion project in preparations for the 2014 World Cup.
Former Brazilian Minister's New Party Mixes Sustainability, Social Media
Former Brazilian presidential candidate and famous environmentalist Marina Silva is pushing for the creation of a new political party in the country, one that seeks to use the Internet as a tool for action on sustainability issues.
Mobile Libraries Help Haitians Overcome Major Earthquake
Mobile libraries are helping Haitians overcome the devastating 2010 earthquake, providing intellectual resources, entertainment and assisting in essential matters such as health. By March 2013, the organisation Libraries Without Borders intends to launch another two mobile libraries to circulate through the most affected neighbourhoods of Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti. Recognition is growing about the value of reading in places suffering from conflicts and natural disasters.
Portugal: Digital TV Controversy
A PhD thesis on the process of implementing Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) in Portugal presented evidence that the National Communications Authority, ANACOM, favoured private company Portugal Telecom (PT) in the tender. In response, PT and ANACOM have announced that they will take the researcher to court for defamation.
São Tomé & Príncipe: Deforestation Threatens Biodiversity
São Tomé and Príncipe, like other islands in the Gulf of Guinea, is one of the countries on the West African coast that stands out when the issue at hand is biodiversity. However, large areas of its unique forests are disappearing to make way for monocultures for the production of biofuel.
Portugal: Public Television on the Way to Being Privatised
“Portugal will be the only country in Europe without a public radio and television service.” This was one of the first outraged reactions on Twitter, soon after the (un)official announcement of the proposal to privatise Portuguese Public Television (RTP) made by government privatisation advisor António Borges.
Brazil: Bicycle Brings Books to the Homeless
If good ideas transcend boundaries, this one does it by bicycle. That is, by Bicicloteca, a bicycle that carries a small library through the city of São Paulo, Brazil.
Brazil: Belo Monte Halted, but for How Long?
When it seemed that all was already lost, the movements opposing the Belo Monte hydroelectric power plant were surprised by an order suspending the works, which were being carried out on the Xingu River in the state of Pará. News of the decision, which was made on the night of the 13th of August, spread like a wave of hope for the activists, who inundated social media with exuberant reactions.
Brazil: Ministry of Health forms Partnership with Facebook on Organ Donation
The Blog da Saúde [Health Blog] announced [pt] the Ministry of Health's partnership with Facebook to encourage organ donation by members of the largest social network in the world. “The Minister of Health, Alexandre Padilha, and the Vice President of Facebook for Latin America, Alexandre Hohagen, will launch, next Monday (30th), a new profile feature for Facebook users...
Mozambique: The People's Wall of Maputo
At the same time that we increasingly see the advance of new technologies which facilitate communication and information, in Maputo the People's Wall has emerged; a large wall in a public place where the population can write letters and direct reflections to the governing leaders.
