Most researchers who work with English for aviation focus especially on studying air traffic control phraseology. The importance of keeping a standard way of communicating lays on the relevance of comprehension in a context in which miscommunication can lead to serious consequences (Campbell-Laird, 2004). This imposition of a standardized way of requesting and providing information aimed to create an unambiguous communication pattern between pilots and Air Traffic Control (ATC), which is not exclusive to domestic flights (ICAO, n.y.). In March 2003, the International Civil Aviation Organization – ICAO decreed English as the standard language for international communication, in case pilots and crew are not proficient in the language used by the station on the ground. In this sense, it became mandatory not only to be able to use phraseology correctly, but also to be proficient in English for all Air Traffic Controllers and Flight Crew Members who are engaged in or in contact with international flights (ICAO, 2010). This proficiency should meet the need of communicating in situations that are not covered by the standard phraseology, allowing operators to use their own knowledge on the English language.
In each country, however, the air traffic control system is divided into areas that provide different types of services according to the country’s needs and operational capacity. This difference in personnel division makes the group of operators who must be proficient in English vary depending on the contact with foreign pilots and crew. In spite of this variation, in all these areas, the contact with en-route pilots is made via radiofrequency calls, which are guided and restricted by specific regulations.  In Brazil, even though they are not totally isolated areas, there are different and specific radiofrequencies to deal with the various issues related to aviation safety, for instance, area control, approach control, and meteorological service, related not only to the phases of flights, but also to the type of service provided. Each of these areas is responsible for one single aspect of the Brazilian airspace safety. Among them, the meteorological service aimed at en-route aircraft, called VOLMET, is responsible for providing weather information through radiotelephony calls to any aircraft that requires it inside Brazil’s Flight Information Region (Brasil, 2015). Since this service is also available for international flights, the language employed in such cases follows the determination of ICAO – English or ground team’s mother language –, and the phraseology established by DECEA, the Brazilian Department of Airspace Control (Fernandez, 2014).
Considering that the VOLMET service involves radiotelephony communication and crucial information on significant weather phenomena, a question can be raised regarding if the operators engaged in this area were not also supposed to be proficient in English, since miscommunication in this context can also lead to serious accidents and incidents involving one or more aircraft (ICAO, 2010). In accordance with this notion and following the guidelines of ICAO, DECEA also decreed, in 2003, that the operators of Meteorological Surveillance Centers in Brazil (where VOLMET stations are installed) should also be proficient in the English language, being classified at least as level 4 in a proficiency scale ranging from 1 to 6 created by ICAO. The descriptors of Annex I in the tests’ regulations state that

Proficient speakers shall: a) communicate effectively in voice-only (telephone/radiotelephone) and in face-to face situations; b) communicate on common, concrete and work-related topics with accuracy and clarity; c) use appropriate communicative strategies to exchange messages and to recognize and resolve misunderstandings (e.g. to check, confirm or clarify information) in a general or work-related context. (Ковтун  & Гудманян, 2014, p. 4).

From my personal experience of four years working at Curitiba’s Meteorological Surveillance Center, I realized that even though there is this need of a clear and unambiguous communication between VOLMET and pilots, there is not much effort put into training people to meet ICAO’s demand, as compared to the context of Air Traffic Control. Therefore, this paper aims at presenting the impact of a long term lack of attention given to this crucial service to air navigation regarding specifically the non-English proficient operators in the Meteorological Surveillance Center of Curitiba.
When ICAO established the “ideal level” of English proficiency for operators involved in international flight activities in 2003, a Proficiency Examination was also created. This test, called EPLIS – English Proficiency Language Examination was supposed to be both the incentive and the way of assessing the language knowledge of each operator, while a paid English course was being offered. In this examination, the operators were tested in listening and speaking skills related to their specific working areas in individual interviews that were scheduled according to the proficiency level of the operators – the higher the level, the more time it would take until the next examination, until the maximum level, 6, which required no more assessment. In 2013, however, the online English classes were canceled with no clear justification and the examination was restricted to air traffic controllers, who also had, at that time, and still have available to them the CTP010, an English course organized by the Brazilian Air Force twice a year which aims to develop their linguistic proficiency in the English language. This course also provides a review on some important concepts in aviation English not only for the specific function performed by the Area Control Center operators, but also for air traffic controllers from other sectors. Although a question can be raised regarding if the type of service provided by VOLMET has recently changed or if language requirements were abolished for the military meteorologists, there is no evidence of such significant changes in any regulation.
Coincidentally, from what I have experienced at Curitiba’s Meteorological Surveillance Center, there was an increase, in the four years I have been working there, in the number of international calls, especially those whose request was supposed to be done to the Area Control Center, for it was not related to meteorological information. The recurrence of this type of situation, which requires not only the use of phraseology but also the ability to tell pilots what is the right procedure for that specific request, called attention of Captain Luiz Claudio Fernandez Junior, one of the officers who work at the center as a weather forecaster and, in 2014, he and I prepared an assessment test regarding international calls for the operators, which was published in his article entitled A língua inglesa no serviço VOLMET (The English language in the VOLMET service) (2014). This test included common situations guided by the standard phraseology as well as non-standard ones, which required the operators’ ability to indicate they were not authorized to respond or did not have means of responding to that request. The results of the assessment test showed that out of 14 operators only 3 were able to correctly and safely respond to all non-standard situations proposed. These operators, due to their previous knowledge on the English language, had been classified in the year before at least as level 4 according to ICAO's proficiency exam, that is, the minimum level required.
Based on the tests’ results, Fernandez (2014) emphasized the need for English instructions that allow the operators of the Meteorological Surveillance Center of Curitiba, as well as of the other three Surveillance Centers in Brazil (in Brasília, Recife, and Manaus), to develop their proficiency in the English language, and, thus, contribute to improve safety in aeronautical activities in radio communication contexts and meet ICAO’s requirements. According to his article, “the training of these operators may be guided in the sense of obtaining the adequate levels of linguistic proficiency, thus contributing to mitigate the risk of aeronautical incidents and accidents” (Fernandez, 2014, p.16). To illustrate the risk of a wrong authorization resulting from miscommunication, an operator who does not have a proper visualization of the position of en-route aircraft and does not know the regulations that guide this type of change may authorize an aircraft to descend or climb to a different altitude without being sure that there is no other aircraft flying below/above it, thus provoking a crash. Meteorological information wrongly released or omitted for a lack of linguistic proficiency, for instance dangerous embedded  cloud formations, severe ice and ​

While some might think media is innofensive, it in fact manipulates its audience and is responsible for creating and disseminating points of view. For being able to impact people’s thoughts in this way, media, especially television, may be considered one of the most effective tools to present political positioning and to argue in favor of or against a single group’s interests, for example, the country’s government. Although some people might argue that they are not influenced by what they watch on TV, it has been shown by Datafolha surveys that since one of the main TV broadcasters in Brazil began to argue in favor of the government’s attitudes and show propaganda of the good deeds it has promoted, the population’s level of approval also increased.  Furthermore, celebrities supporting the government can also be considered a manipulated influence since many people idolize them and want to behave in the same way they do. Therefore, it is clear how government can use media to manipulate people's opinion, mainly with respect to its approval. The question is: is this manipulation worth in comparison to the disapproval of the non-manipulated parcel of the population?

Considered the biggest sporting event on the planet (Slater, 2014), the Olympic Games will be hosted for the first time in a Latin American country this year. Among cities such as Chicago (United States), Tokyo (Japan), and Madrid (Spain), for example, Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) was elected, in 2009, the host city for the event, which will be held in August, 2016 (Juliart, 2009). Since the President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Jacques Rogge, announced the decision, an arduous preparation process began to be carried out in order to ensure the city would be ready for the Games in 2016 (Paes, 2009). In this process, several construction and renovation projects were started in the seven cities involved in the event, in addition to others which were never carried out. In addition to the aforementioned projects, the adaptations include improving transport, discussing and implementing new security policies, providing adequate accommodations for the athletes and their confederations, investing in technologies towards safety, among others (Kiernan, 2014). Although the projects presented to the Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games seem to comprise all relevant areas involved in the event, it has been widely questioned if the country will be ready to host the Games by August (Sir, 2015; Madam, 2015; Both, 2016). Brazil’s experience with the World Cup in 2014 is one of the arguments presented by those who maintain that the country is not capable of meeting its deadlines and should cancel the Games (Slater, p.c.). Another argument involves the recent collapse of the elevated bike path_, which was considered by the Mayor one of the symbols of the Olympic Games in the city. The accident killed two people and also the credibility of Rio de Janeiro as host city (Watts, 2016). In addition to all issues directly involved with the event, the political scenario of the country and the Zyka virus epidemics are two other points to be considered in the discussion on the viability of the Olympic Games in Rio (Bello, 2016). The impending impeachment of President Rousseff, the ideological – and sometimes violent – confrontations between groups pro and against the Government, and the alarming number of people contaminated by the Aedes aegypti mosquito constitute enough arguments for a significant number of people who would attend the Games, but decided not to go anymore (Society, 2016). The present study addresses the impracticability of the Olympic Games in Rio, considering the progress of the works intended for the event, the political and economic issues faced by the country, as well as the safety and security levels of the city. It intends to demonstrate that, 98 days before the opening ceremony of the event, Brazil is still not ready to host such a big and important event, which puts at risk not only the Olympics, but the reputation of Rio de Janeiro, as well as of the country.

It is widely held by the scientific community that people should have at least eight hours of sleep a day (Durmer & Dinges, 2005).  In a recent study published by the Sleep Research Institute (year), it has been proved that during that time, the brain processes all new information to which it was exposed during the day, performs synapses, and recovers one’s body from the tiredness of the daily activities. Moreover, according to Lorena (p.c.), sleeping at least eight hours at night prepares one’s body and mind for the following work day. However, few people admit sleeping eight or more hours a day (People, 2006). In a recent research held by the Bureau of Sleep Disorders (Donald, 2012), 75.6 percent of the working population sleeps a maximum of only 4-6 hours, if not less. In light of such clear evidence, it is possible to say that people’s work and study routine of nowadays significantly affects their sleeping time , having an important impact on their productivity and, thus, requiring more effort to meet their obligations (Claus, 2008). This work cycle results in more unrecovered tiredness, which leads to a need of even more than eight hours of sleep a day (Daddy, 2010). While the issues raised by SRI have been proved very important for health, today’s work demand conflicts with our body needs (Worker, 2014). Therefore, this paper will suggest that although necessary for one’s health, eight hours of sleep a day does not fit the work routine of our time. ​

In recent years there has been an increase in the number of alternatives offered to the population in the context of urban mobility. Created and developed by private enterprise, services such as blablacar – a system of transportation based on offering rides to others and charging only part of the amount spent in the trip – and Uber – a kind of executive taxi service – have become a common choice of people when thinking about which mean of transportation is the worthiest to one’s specific need. However, the legality of this kind of service has been largely questioned, especially by the people who offer similar services, but in the traditional and previously exclusive way, and pay high monthly amounts of money to work, such as taxi drivers and van companies (in a few cities). On the other side, the new entrepreneurs who have recently joined this kind of business defend the service offered by them, arguing that the law charges companies with taxes and licenses, and they are considered independent contractors. In order to understand the legal and illegal aspects of such new business activities in the context of urban mobility, the current study extends the arguments presented by both sides of the dispute, and discusses their legal basis, according to Brazilian Law. 

The long-legged mosquito which has become the major concern of a whole country in recent months has been in the headlines of Brazilian newspapers since last year, being only replaced recently by the political issues involving President Dilma Rousseff. In the same proportion, the actions and national campaigns to combat Aedes aegypti’s breeding grounds throughout Brazil have also been discussed and criticized in the national and international media, which, in some cases, seems to choose one single side to defend or sharply judge.
In the article entitled “The Zika virus mosquito is unmasking Brazil’s inequality and indifference” written by Eliane Brum and published in the UK newspaper “The Guardian”, the author presents to the reader the tough reality that Brazil is living regarding the Zika virus epidemic and the growing number of microcephaly cases. Despite the difficulties the country is finding in containing the mosquito spread, it seems exaggerated to say that Brazil has been denounced by the Aedes aegypti. The same mosquito that now is infecting people with the Zika virus is also responsible for transmitting dengue, a disease which has been managed by public policies and palliative measures in Brazil for years.
Regarding the effectiveness of the palliative and combat measures, it can surely be questioned since dengue is still a huge concern of Brazilians, but it must be considered that the population and the government are equally responsible in the sense of making it work. Brum herself argues in the article that “The Aedes mosquito has proliferated in Brazil due to the negligence of the state”. By saying that, the journalist blames only the government for the Zika epidemic and clearly puts the population in a position of victimization. In the same text, however, the author says that “On Saturday, the government promoted a ‘national day of action to combat the Aedes aegypti’, a high-profile operation involving more than 200,000 soldiers inspecting homes”.  This fact mentioned by the author implicitly indicates that soldiers were necessary to inspect homes and do the job that the population had not done itself, unmasking citizens’ own responsibility.
Moreover, the journalist states that “(...) blaming the citizen who leaves a small pot of water in the corner of his house is irresponsible”. This specific comment also seems irresponsible since leaving pots of water in open environments creates the perfect environment for the Aedes aegypti reproduction and development, besides being considered the main cause of the increase in its reproduction rate. Going against all preventive campaigns released by the government in recent months, Eliane Brum seems to be one of the people who think her single pot of water will not make any difference, thus creating her own mosquito breeding ground.
Even though not everyone seems to be engaged in the ‘fight’ against the Zika epidemic in Brazil, a significant part of the population is taking all possible measures to protect itself and to avoid leaving unprotected water pots in open places. The running out of repellents in drugstores and supermarkets in the beginning of 2016 is an important evidence of that, together with the high number of messages and calls received by municipal authorities reporting possible breeding grounds.  These data, not mentioned in Brum’s article, show a very different attitude of Brazilians towards the Zika virus epidemic; however, it seems not be enough to give a good audience to any newspaper or magazine.

​There has been a number of journalists publicly expressing their opinions about the Zika virus epidemic in Brazil. From the point of view of an outsider, regarding all news from the sensationalist media, it is not difficult to imagine a dirty, “sweaty” country, with water puddles everywhere. The country is in fact facing a difficult time with all the consequences that have been affecting the population since the spread of the Zika virus; however, several measures have been put into practice to try to stop the Aedes Aegypt reproduction, such as the development of awareness campaigns about cleaning backyards and vacant lots to avoid creating a favorable environment for the mosquito reproduction. For journalists whose main intention is becoming popular within the media no matter at what cost, the number of people affected by the virus, especially of pregnant women who had the disease during their pregnancies, is a great topic for criticism. As Andrew Jacobs did in his article Brazilians Shrug Off Zika Fears to Revel in Carnival Fun for The New York Times, many other journalists unfortunately also decided to be offensive instead of being useful and presenting solutions to the epidemic.