Support non-profit journalism and perspectives from around the world The Lingua project at Global Voices works to bring down barriers to understanding through translation Pirapora do Bom Jesus is a religious site and has 18,000 residents This story was written by Sarah Fernandes, Jacqueline Maria da Silva and Arthur Ferreira and was originally published on June 4, 2024, on the Agência Mural website An edited version is republished on Global Voices under a partnership agreement In Pirapora do Bom Jesus, São Paulo state, information is mainly shared by word-of-mouth. Cars with loudspeakers, WhatsApp groups, the local authorities’ website, social media accounts, and church announcements are the means by which news and announcements are spread to the 18.370 residents, according to IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics) Imagine living in a town without access to reliable information about public administration How would you know where public money is going or what mayors and councillors are doing A place is called a news desert when it lacks independent local journalism which follows and monitors life in the city — essential features of the press in a democracy one of the poorest municipalities in the metropolitan region of São Paulo Agência Mural's team spent five days there to understand how information gets around in a place like that “It's hard to stay informed because the town doesn't have its own newspaper If you don’t attend church or the sessions of the City Council We only have access to information through the church and the City Hall,” said Antonio Juarez de Oliveira Pirapora do Bom Jesus was founded after reports of miracles; it became a religious destination and has a historical and cultural heritage. In 1725, an image of Bom Jesus was found in a river in the region by two enslaved people. This became a local patron saint, but the municipality would only become an independent entity in 1959 the city still faces socio-economic challenges with a low rate of formal employment and its sanctuaries in need of restoration In addition to informal sources of information contact channels with councillors serve as a means for complaints and investigations There is only one woman among the nine councillors on the City Council In opposition to Mayor Dany Wilian Floresti (PSD) are Helton Bananinha (Republicans) Elias Araújo (Republicans) and Roge Baudichon (Union) pre-candidate for vice mayor in the 2024 elections and known as the “inspector of the people.” With his “mobile cabinet,” he travels around the city recording videos denouncing the lack of medicine and problems with sanitation and medical care as well as publicizing his own social activities Councillors of Pirapora do Bom Jesus City Council “We hear everything in the town from the mouth of a councillor We don't get news that isn't from a politician,” lamented Jeanderson Gomes dos Santos a construction worker and resident of the Parque Payol neighborhood This annoys a large part of the population Designer and resident Mário Rodrigues said “I notice that in neighboring cities people have a more active voice to charge public management; I think because they have more access to information.” Dubes Sônego, a researcher with the Atlas points out that when people live in an information desert they start to give up on searching for “factual truth” and opt for trusting what they see on social media “You don't have a source of journalistic information distinguishing between what is fact and what is opinion and this weakens the town and favors the spread of fake news,” he explained When one asks about journalism in Pirapora, one of the outlets people mention is Radio Pirapora FM By law, as explained by Agert (Association of Radio and TV Broadcasters from Rio Grande do Sul) this type of service can only be run by “non-profit community associations and foundations based in the locality.” The radios “must have a pluralistic program and must be open to the voices of all the residents in the region served.” the local broadcaster seems to lack impartiality and is under the name of an association chaired by the mother of a former mayor He is Gregório Maglio (MDB), a politician who intends to run for the position again this year. Maglio has a radio show on which he interviews allies who intend to run for public office. Despite this, he claims that the show is a chat about the day-to-day life of the city face more difficulties in getting information than those in other neighborhoods to confirm information about vaccination campaigns or extracurricular activities for children Public transport is limited to intercity bus lines The neighborhood has a busy local commerce and also sees the main socio-economic problems “My daughter took part in Projovem (National Youth Inclusion Program) and is now in Portugal,” explained Maria de Fátima a resident of the central neighborhood area lamented: “My son did not enroll in the program because the spots ran out before I knew they were available.” This discrepancy in access to information is no exception in a news desert. There are also other difficulties. The government has an obligation to ensure transparency, in accordance with the Access to Information Act both the transparency portal of the City Hall and the City Council have shortcomings Up to the publication of this article, the most recent financial statements and fiscal management reports available were from 2022, and the last balance sheet for the executive available for public consultation on the website was from 2018 Pirapora's history has been influenced by journalism a São Paulo newspaper reported on the image of Bom Jesus found there and that it performed miracles transforming the town into one of the state's main religious sites This attracted crowds and turned the city into a meeting point for samba communities, jongo (African dance) and drumming, giving the area the status of the cradle of Paulista samba “It is the reason that this place exists and stopped being a farm which was acquired by Santana de Parnaíba city to become the town we have today,” said Father Marcelo Magalhães the rector of the sanctuary of Senhor Do Bom Jesus De Pirapora Since the 1980s, tourism has decreased. Currently, only 15.52 percent of residents have formal employment. The sanctuary's administration works to raise funds and restore the site and its works of art. The newspaper O Anhanguera “It is up to us to follow councillors to know about the city's problems and what is being done Local authorities do not inform us about everything that happens,” complained Jeanderson Gomes dos Santos a professor at ECA-USP (School of Communications and Arts of the University of São Paulo) explained that journalism can be a step towards resolving problems It is just a social institution that contributes to mediating public debate and checking power,” he said “If journalism provides quality information ERROR: SECURITY TIMEOUT - Please copy your message to a backup location Global Voices stands out as one of the earliest and strongest examples of how media committed to building community and defending human rights can positively influence how people experience events happening beyond their own communities and national borders Please consider making a donation to help us continue this work Donate now Authors, please log in » Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Stay up to date about Global Voices and our mission. See our Privacy Policy for details. Newsletter powered by Mailchimp (Privacy Policy and Terms) Global Voices is supported by the efforts of our volunteer contributors, foundations, donors and mission-related services. For more information please read our Fundraising Ethics Policy Special thanks to our many sponsors and funders Huge blocks of rock from different ages and of varied origins formed the continent CARLOS GOLDGRUB / OPÇÃO BRASIL IMAGENSItaimbezinho Canyon a 130 million year-old geological scarCARLOS GOLDGRUB / OPÇÃO BRASIL IMAGENS South America’s geological structure is an enormous kaleidoscope of blocks of rock that broke apart came together and moved about impressively a municipality 60 kilometers from the city of São Paulo a professor at the University of São Paulo’s (USP’s) Institute of Geosciences (IGc) which dozens of geologists have been studying in depth for at least 50 years synthesized in an article recently published in the Journal of South American Earth Sciences “Everything here used to be at the bottom of the sea as we arrive at the top of a hill in one of the neighborhoods in the municipality of Pirapora do Bom Jesus Then he stops at a plot of land on the corner in front there is a municipal school with white walls and a local grocery store that sells buckets In the gully that runs along the side of a tarmac road Tassinari points out an example of this evidence: the pillow lava bodies of basaltic magma in the shape of bubbles or “The outermost layer of the pillow lavas was formed when the hot lava that flowed from the ocean crust cooled down as it came into contact with the sea water” who is working with Bley and other geologists to reconstruct the turbulent – and unfinished – geological history of South America There are more rocks of the same type on the other side of the valley that is cut by the Tietê River As we climbed up the hill he indicated a natural limestone deposit and pointed toward an old magnetite mine – other vestiges from the bottom of a sea that disappeared as the result of a collision between tectonic plates that were moving in opposite directions The force of the impact between the plates was so strong that fragments of the ocean crust which were at an estimated depth of 4 thousand meters were driven into the continent and today can be found at an altitude of roughly 600 meters above sea level (it is quite possible that they created hills that were even higher than this) the Federal University of Mato Grosso (UFMT) as well as other Brazilian geological research centers normally examine the origin and the composition of parts of this immense jigsaw puzzle sometimes offering more general visions such as those provided by Bley specialists from other countries – Argentina Denmark and Australia – are working to understand the formation of their own continents They meet on a frequent basis to help each other or to see how the continents used to fit together given that blocks of rock now found in South America used to be side by side with others that are now located in North America or China Bley’s most recent article complements another that he wrote in 2008 and which was published in the scientific journal Precambrian Research The two papers offer  an overview of the remarkable diversity of the ages composition and origins of the blocks of rock from the earth’s crust that came from different directions consolidating the South American continent’s geological skeleton found in the State of Bahia and along the banks of the Amazon River in Brazil’s Northeastern Region and in Mar del Plata which starts in the south of Bahia and runs all the way down to Uruguay These layers of rock may start just a few meters below the surface and reach a depth of 40 kilometers In South America a continuous process of destruction and reconstruction is taking place Another easy to see example of these tectonic collisions is found at Itatiaia National Park Its basic geological structure is the result of lava released by a volcano but after this a major flow of lava flowed through the area In their book Itatiaia – Sentinela das alturas (Editora Terra Virgem) Umberto Giuseppe Cordani and Wilson Teixeira show the sequence of tectonic movements that led to the formation of Agulhas Negras (Black Needles) Peak and of the cliffs whose sides bring to mind the petrified roots of an immense tree “Where the Brazilian Center-West region is now there used to be an ocean the size of the Atlantic between 900 million and 600 million years ago” after having worked for five years on the geological mapping of the State of Paraná he joined UnB as a professor and got down to the task of studying the geology of Brazil’s central region His analysis indicated that there used to be an arch-shaped chain of volcanic islands as a result of the shock between the oceanic plates The destruction of the islands produced a chain of mountains similar to the Himalayas which stretched for 1,500 kilometers from the southern part of the State of Tocantins to the south of the State of Minas Gerais Tassinari believes that the former oceanic basin of Pirapora do Bom Jesus which he first began to study 30 years ago that it could become another reason for visiting the city currently best known for its religious festivals and for a church that started being built in 1725 “We have already spoken with the mayor and are fighting to get protection for these relics from the earth’s history” this is the only area in the State of São Paulo that has a relatively well-preserved oceanic crust Another indication of areas of extinct oceans are the deep sea sediments “The life of an ocean is extremely short rarely lasting much beyond 200 million years The reason for this is that since the oceanic crust is thinner than the continental crust are currently the main researchers on a thematic project that is under way The rocks in Pernambuco were almost as ancient as those found in Canada, which are 4 billion years old. They are among the little evidence left over from the early days of the earth, which was formed 4.7 billion years ago from a rotating cloud of gas and dust. For many millions of years, all that existed was melted rock, volcanic eruptions and a toxic atmosphere. The first bacteria, capable of surviving temperatures close to 100º Celsius, only appeared on earth about 3.5 billion years ago. EDUARDO CESAR Tassinari and the pillow lavas of Pirapora do Bom JesusEDUARDO CESAR A river and an island South America was formed from these older cores which became bigger by incorporating others the Amazon craton doubled in size during the Proterozoic era Cratons are immense blocks formed by various types of rock which function as a relatively stable set within the crust for at least 100 million years The Amazon craton is 4.4 million square kilometers in size which is equal to 52% of Brazil’s territory lies in the State of Roraima and in the west of the State of Pará which was joined by other blocks of granite that make up the Guyanas and part of Venezuela The highest rocks left a valley through which the Amazon River began to flow and sediment from the river formed the island of Marajó Two and a half billion years ago there was a turnaround in the history of the earth A supercontinent known as Kenorland may well have taken shape at this time when the atmosphere began to receive oxygen which is essential for the survival of more sophisticated microorganisms “How sure are we that this supercontinent existed There is still a great deal of controversy” Another supercontinent may have formed between 2.2 and 2 billion years ago Much later it broke apart and its pieces joined up yet again to form Rodinia which brought together virtually the entire continental mass of the earth between 1 billion and 850 million years ago Rodinia began to break apart about 800 million years ago which moved around and then joined up once again forming yet another single supercontinent called Pangea pointing to one of the maps on the wall behind his desk “Pangea broke into pieces about 230 million years ago Initially joined together in a single block of Pangea South America and Africa began to move apart about 220 million years ago “The current States of Pernambuco and Paraíba were the last two areas to detach themselves from Africa” Most of South America became relatively stable about 60 million years ago The fragments of Rodinia formed a relatively stable area from Venezuela to Argentina a vast group of blocks of rock completed by sedimentary basins such as the Paraná basin “Depressions formed on top of this set of sedimentary and volcanic rocks and it is here that you have the Paraná River and its tributaries” to the west there is an area that is still geologically unstable which resulted from the convergence of the Nazca plate and the South American continental plate “The Nazca plate is moving at the rate of one centimeter a year” The oceans are also in a process of transformation “The Atlantic is expanding while the Pacific is closing” The result – 200 million years from now the continents will come together again” the continent that is likely to result from this merger has already been given a number of names given that it is likely to bring America and Asia together once again © Revista Pesquisa FAPESP - All rights reserved SAO PAULO — Large billows of pollution-filled foam are once again choking part of the Tiete river that cuts through a small city in south-eastern Brazil A general view of the polluted Tiete River filled with foam in Pirapora do Bom Jesus huge amounts of white foam cover part of the river and many of the streets of Pirapora do Bom Jesus The foam is caused by household detergents dumped into the river as well as untreated water and sewage that flow into the Tiete during the Southern Hemisphere’s dry winter With less water the concentration of pollutants grows Residents complain the foul smelling foam stains clothes and damages the paint on cars The Sao Paulo State Health Department did not respond to an email yesterday (June 24) asking about any health hazards from the foam Todayonline.com and Today Online domains and apps are now part of 'Channelnewsasia.com' domain We know it's a hassle to switch browsers but we want your experience with TODAY to be fast Upgraded but still having issues? Contact us Synthetic fibers are polluting the world’s oceans – but a new report shows how apparel companies have been far too slow to respond Over the past few years, evidence has been mounting that synthetic textiles such as polyester and acrylic are a major source of pollution in the world’s oceans That’s because washing those clothes causes tiny plastic fibers to shed and travel through wastewater treatment plants into public waterways These microfibers are sometimes inadvertently gobbled up by aquatic organisms including the fish that end up on our plate Maria Westerbos, director of the Plastic Soup Foundation, an Amsterdam-based nonprofit and Mermaids’ public outreach partner, urges the apparel makers and sellers to apply the report’s recommendations. Read more“So far we have hardly seen any effort from the clothing industry to tackle the problem at the source,” she said The Mermaids report is the latest research effort to quantify the environmental and health impact of microfiber pollution and offer potential solutions. Researchers studying plastic pollution started discovering microfibers in the early 2000s but it was not until a 2011 study that microfibers were linked to the apparel industry He sought research funding from the apparel industry but received little support Canadian retailer MEC and outdoor apparel brand Arc’teryx recently commissioned researchers at the Vancouver Aquarium to develop a protocol for tracking synthetic fibers from the source – their apparel – to the ocean The firms hope the protocol will become an industry standard that other brands will use as well Patagonia released findings from a lab-based study to quantify fibers shed from its products in the wash which multiple studies have shown significantly increases fiber loss so the results do not reflect real-world conditions Read moreMermaids’ report also suggested new formulas for laundry detergents to help minimize fiber shedding It also advised consumers to stay away from powder detergent especially those with added oxidizing agents to remove tough stain because they produce the highest fiber loss during washing Mermaids launched a public awareness campaign to get the word out Researchers launched Mermaids in 2015 and set an ambitious goal to cut the amount of microfiber shedding during washing by 70% The Italian National Research Council led the research The Mermaids researchers pinpointed factors in the manufacturing of polyester and acrylic textiles that influences the amount of fibers that could be shed from a finished product while it is being laundered such as lowering the melting temperature during yarn production to improve it tensile strength and reduce the likelihood of breakage There are tradeoffs to changing manufacturing processes and some could lead to slower production rates The researchers also evaluated a range of coatings The coatings that are already used by textile makers ranging from zero reduction to cutting fiber loss by as much as 40% reduced fiber loss by up to 50% compared to no coating While the Mermaids report offers recommendations it doesn’t spell out the financial and technical difficulties of implementing manufacturing changes Textile and apparel makers so far seem unconvinced that they should invest in those changes MEC and Patagonia declined to comment on the Mermaids findings and representatives from both companies said they would not be bringing the Mermaids recommendations to their textile partners in the short term Further research remains necessary to have a deeper understanding of the environmental and health impact of microfiber pollution while research has shown that small organisms such as plankton can get sick from ingesting fibers there isn’t enough data to determine large-scale ecosystem-wide impacts from microfiber contamination or whether they threaten human health Knowing the extent of microplastic contamination is crucial for coming up with effective ideas and regulations to tackle it a professor at the Institute of Hydrochemistry at the Technical University of Munich Ivleva and her colleagues dug into highly publicized research that purported to find microfibers in 24 different brands of German beer and found that the means by which researchers identified contaminants was unreliable polymer scientists all need to come together” to advance thorough ecologists face “a huge job” in determining the extent to which all types of microplastics are impacting aquatic organisms and Silvério beats Orgulho by unanimous decision and is the new up to 77kg Jungle champion Elias Silverio made use of his greater experience and won by unanimous decision over Junior Pide from Baia before a packed Ueap gymnasium (State University of Pará) and succeeds Erick Silva as the holder of the Jungle Fight belt in the division Despite accepting the fight with less a than 10 days notice to replace Michel Trator who was hired by the UFC made a tough match and showed a warrior spirit Orgulho used the known boxing from the Champion gym to counter almost all actions against Silverio Silverio defended kicks and found the weak point of his opponent and worked with Alvaro de Aguiar’s Muay Thai to gradually grow in the fight score and become the new champion of the 77kg category D’Silva has spectacular debut at Jungle Fight In the other main event of the night was a true spectacle starring Douglas D’Silva and Toninho Marajó The fighters from Pará showed why the state is home to some of the biggest names in the MMA world and near-knockout opportunities from both sides he finished with a new sequence of punches and got his 19th victory and remains unbeaten in his career Heavyweight GP has another classified fighter The only heavyweight fight of Jungle Fight 52 was a classic between two of the top MMA gyms in Brazil Caio Alencar used his Abu Dhabi Pro champion Jiu-Jitsu to overthrow Bira Lima He submitted with a rear-naked choke in only 0:53 of the first round He is the second name for the semifinals of the GP William “Gigante” secured his place at Jungle Fight 51 Guilherme “Kyoto” knocked out Reginaldo “Fibrado” with an uppercut to the chin in the first round Michel “Psicopata” submitted Rômulo “Amoroso” with a rear-naked choke in the third round while Junior “Suicida” defeated Gabriel Siqueira by unanimous decision and Fabricio Bill defeated Francisco “Mingau” by unanimous decision as well Check out the official results of the event: Elias Silvério (Álvaro de Aguiar/Barbosinha Team) beat Junior Orgulho (Champion Team/Nordeste Jiu-Jitsu) by unanimous decision Douglas D’Silva (NFT Castanhal) beat Toninho Marajó (Marajó Brothers)  by TKO at 2:17 of round two Guilherme Kioto (Pitbull Brothers) knocked out Reginaldo Fibrado (Bulldog Team) at 1:12 of round one Heavyweight GP: Caio Alencar (Kimura Nova União) submitted Bira Lima (X-GYM) with a rear naked choke at 53 seconds of round one Junior Suicida (Formiga MMA) beat Gabriel Siqueira (Villa Fight/Ascension MMA) by unanimous decision Fabrício Bill (Bulldog Naldao Team) beat Francisco “Mingau” Nazareno (Marajó Brothers) by unanimous decision Michel Psicopata (Carmen Casca-Grossa Team) submitted Rômulo Medeiros (Bakett Team) with a rear naked choke at 1:31 of round three Pragmatic88Slot Gacor 30% of them infected with the protozoan that causes Chagas disease teams from the Endemic Diseases Oversight Office (SUCEN) have found 135 insects in the municipalities of Greater São Paulo that are carriers of the protozoan that causes Chagas disease While there are no cases of the disease reported in humans yet laboratory analyses at SUCEN indicate that the captured insects had been feeding on the blood of humans and animals “We need to be careful to avoid transmission to people,” warns biologist Rubens Antonio da Silva a scientific researcher and technical coordinator for the Chagas disease control program at the oversight agency When a kissing bug was identified in 2015 in Pirapora do Bom Jesus Silva and his team thought they might be simply sporadic events That conclusion fell apart when they received calls from residents of Taboão da Serra in the following years and also received notifications from Carapicuíba and neighborhoods in the western districts of São Paulo Juquitiba and Santana de Parnaíba were added to the list of municipalities reporting kissing bugs researchers identified colonies with 57 insects living in possum nests under the tile roofs of three houses in a subdivision surrounded by forest 47% of the kissing bugs were infected with Trypanosoma cruzi females with eggs were found under the mattress on which the residents slept While on the rise for the first time in the São Paulo Metropolitan Region the kissing bug population has fallen in other parts of the state The total number of insects captured has decreased from about 6,000 in 2007 to about 2,000 in 2018 as Silva describes in an article published in April 2019 in the Brazilian Journal of Health Review the state of São Paulo reported only one new case of Chagas disease in 2016 and two in 2017 During the same two years the number of new cases went from 20 to 320 in Pará and from 3 to 24 in Amapá states with the majority of new case reports Brazil received international certification from the World Health Organization (WHO) for practically eliminating the kissing bug Triatoma infestans the principal species transmitting the disease which today is restricted to regions of Bahia and Rio Grande do Sul as a result of the high infection rates prevalent through the mid-twentieth century it’s estimated that 1.2 million to 4.6 million people in Brazil have the chronic form of Chagas disease responsible for approximately 6,000 deaths per year which affects about 30% of people with the parasite according to the WHO Currently the species of kissing bug that causes the most concern is Panstrongylus megistus since it is capable of living in both forests and domestic spaces Megistus has a brown body with red spots and is 2.5 to 4 centimeters in length the insect may enter homes through open doors or windows cruzi by feeding on the blood of animals that harbor it—without themselves developing the disease—called natural reservoirs megistus in the metropolitan region of São Paulo have been sparse 15 specimens were captured in the city of São Paulo Only two insects were examined: one collected in 2011 in Jabaquara but the specimen collected in 2014 in Sacomã This is according to a survey by biologist Walter Ceretti Junior published in July 2018 in the Revista do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo rodents and possums approach houses for shelter and food,” says Ceretti Júnior “The possibility of parasite transmission leaving the sylvatic [wildlife] cycle and expanding into urban areas is at the very least worrying,” says epidemiologist Guilherme Werneck a professor at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) megistus in areas close to forests in four neighborhoods in the western districts of São Paulo: Jardim Amaralina Examining the locations of kissing bug reports in recent years they concluded that the insects may be on the move taking advantage of parks and forest corridors starting from the region between the Régis Bittencourt and Raposo Tavares highways “If in fact there is a territorial expansion of the carrier insects the situation tends to worsen,” Silva observes He believes that if the hypothesis is correct then since the insects reproduce more intensely in the summer residents of northern neighborhoods such as Tucuruvi will likely find the insects nearby or inside their homes by late 2019 SUCEN’s action plan includes communicating with the residents of Cotia The parasite is transmitted mainly through food or beverages contaminated with feces from kissing bugs “We have to avoid letting them form colonies 565 adults and 1,183 kissing bug nymphs of the species Rhodnius neglectus were collected from dozens of palm trees in the streets and squares of the northwestern city of Araçatuba in São Paulo State He states that although these kissing bugs weren’t infected the concern is that a contaminated possum might climb the palm trees in search of parrot eggs and transmit the parasite to the insects “The identification of kissing bugs in urban areas reinforces the need to warn of the risks of transmission to humans,” says biologist José Eduardo Tolezano director of the Center for Parasitology at the Adolfo Lutz Institute (IAL) today accounts for 9% of the human cases recorded in Brazil by the Ministry of Health the means by which the parasite was transmitted is not identified Currently the leading cause is oral transmission (72%) through the consumption of food or drink containing feces from insects contaminated with the parasite a study by the Tropical Medicine Foundation reported ten cases of people who presented with the initial symptoms of Chagas disease—fever and weakness—after drinking acai juice contaminated with T a transmission event of still uncertain origin was reported In a group of 77 people who attended a religious retreat during Holy Week in Ibimirim possibly contracted from contaminated food or drink Their treatment was initiated with benznidazole which is effective in controlling the acute phase of the disease but has strong side effects such as allergic skin reactions © Revista Pesquisa FAPESP - All rights reserved.