3 de Dezembro de 2019.
Now I’ll take you on a trip to the very root of my hometown, to the time when it almost sprouted freshly from the ground. It was in the riverbanks of the calm river ‘Durme’, in the middle of Flanders, the people of Hamme found their habitat. Most of them where humble farmers, who thrived on the rich soil the shore provided. One farmer, in particular, Kamiel, was a friend to everything that was covered in fur and feathers. Even the wildwood creatures, otherwise so shy, came to his call. They ate from his hand and even lay at his feet. The sun shone brightly on the day this marvelous little colored Flemish Jay landed on his shoulder. The two […]
2 de Dezembro de 2019.
Estudo mostra relação entre os incêndios na floresta tropical da Amazónia brasileira, peruana e boliviana e o aumento do degelo nos glaciares da cordilheira dos Andes. Os incêndios na floresta amazónica, sobretudo na Bolívia, Peru e Brasil, podem estar a acelerar a perda de glaciares nos Andes. O inesperado efeito secundário dos fogos da Amazónia foi confirmado por uma equipa de cientistas que analisou, pela primeira vez, o impacto deste fenómeno no gelo da cordilheira dos Andes. O estudo, publicado na última edição da revista Scientific Reports, alerta para as consequências sociais e ambientais e de longo alcance dos problemas na Amazónia, sublinhando que não podem ser encarados com um problema regional. “A conclusão mais importante deste trabalho é que […]
1 de Dezembro de 2019.
The most famous Scottish Cryptid, the Loch Ness Monster. A man stands on the banks of the great loch, the sky is dark and the fog is rolling in. Something stirs in the water, he squints but he cannot see it clearly. Then suddenly he sees it, a creature peeking above the water, a creature or perhaps a beast? No, a monster. The Loch Ness Monster. Loch Ness is the second largest and deepest lochs (lakes) in the country, the water is dark and murky due to the high levels of peat in the area. This, combined with the bad weather frequently experienced in the Highlands of Scotland, makes this the perfect lake for sightings of a cryptid or mythical […]
30 de Novembro de 2019.
Estudo anual com 24 países europeus faz retrato preocupante. O bem-estar financeiro em Portugal é dos piores. Portugal fica no sétimo lugar a contar do fim, numa lista de 24 países europeus, no que toca ao bem-estar financeiro. A lista é liderada pela Alemanha, Áustria e Suécia. No fundo da tabela ficam Grécia, no último lugar, precedida da Lituânia e da Polónia. A tabela baseia-se na resposta de 24 mil consumidores europeus sobre a capacidade de pagarem as contas a tempo, a aquisição de crédito, as poupanças e a literacia financeira. Portugal fica abaixo da média europeia. O retrato nacional é preocupante. E o europeu não é muito melhor, em termos gerais. “Apesar das melhorias na economia nacional, os consumidores […]
29 de Novembro de 2019.
Michael Collins was a soldier and a politician who was an important part in fighting for Ireland’s independence in the 20th century. Around that time there was a lot of tension in Ireland as Britain was trying to take over. Michael was born in Cork in 1890. After he left school, he worked in London for nine years and it was here that he became involved in Irish nationalist politics. He became a member of the main nationalist party in Ireland at the time and still today, Sinn Fein, in 1908 and later joined the IRB; the Irish Republican Brotherhood. He then returned to Dublin in January 1916 and took part in the Easter Rising, On Easter Monday, April 24, 1916, a group […]
28 de Novembro de 2019.
Equipa do cientista português Pedro H. Oliveira conseguiu tirar força a uma bactéria que causa infecções nos hospitais. O grande objectivo é vir a desenvolver um medicamento a partir desta descoberta. A bactéria resistente a antibióticos Clostridioides difficile tem causado muitas infecções em meio hospitalar. Consegue transmitir-se com facilidade devido à formação de esporos – células hibernadas que têm uma actividade metabólica reduzida e resistem praticamente a todos os desinfectantes dos hospitais. E se conseguíssemos tirar força à bactéria através dos esporos? Foi isso que uma equipa de cientistas dos EUA e de França – que inclui o português Pedro H. Oliveira – fez: conseguiu que a C. difficile perdesse a sua capacidade de formar esporos e, dessa forma, enfraquecesse. […]
27 de Novembro de 2019.
Every nation has its own traditions, and an integral part of these traditions are countless myths and legends. Even though they are considered only partially true they still constitute an important aspect of national heritage. At first oral, then written stories are handed down from generation to generation. Despite changing times and cultural trends the great national value of these stories remains intact across the centuries, enriching the national culture and identity of the people. Poland also has its own legends about kings or princesses but the most famous is about the dragon, well known to every Polish child, is the legendary Smok Wawelski who inhabited a cave near the Wawel Castle in Kraków. “Once upon a time there was […]
26 de Novembro de 2019.
Este é o valor apontado pelo Programa das Nações Unidas para o Ambiente para se consiguir atingir o objectivo de manter o aumento de temperature abaixo dos 1,5 graus Celsius. A última década foi de “falhanço colectivo”. Os alertas têm sido muitos e cada vez mais prementes: o mundo está em emergência climática e não há tempo a perder – o momento de agir é agora. Isso mesmo é vincado no mais recente relatório do Programa das Nações Unidas para o Ambiente (PNUA) sobre o fosso entre a redução de emissões de gases com efeito de estufa (GEE) que os países conseguirão se cumprirem os seus planos actuais e a redução que precisaríamos de obter para que fossem cumpridas as […]
25 de Novembro de 2019.
Macedonia – one of the most culturally active countries The region of Macedonia is one of the most culturally active in Europe. For the last few centuries, the region was determined by the neighbouring states, leaving no room for the local people to establish their own country. It was only in the 20th century that the Macedonian people were able to establish their own state. Ancient times Humans were settling in these regions since the Neolithic period. Soon after, the region was occupied by the Greeks and was influenced by their culture but, in turn, also influenced Greek politics. With the rise of Alexander the Great, a Macedonian, the region experienced its first peak, which made the ancient kingdom of […]
24 de Novembro de 2019.
Os bebés até aos dois anos deveriam passar apenas as manhãs na creche. O resto do dia deveria ser passado com a família, defende a vice-presidente da Ordem dos Psicólogos. O tempo que as crianças passam nas creches portuguesas é desadequado para o seu desenvolvimento, considera a Ordem dos Psicólogos, alertando para o perigo de estes espaços se transformarem num mero “depósito de crianças”. Os bebés até aos dois anos deveriam passar apenas as manhãs na creche. O resto do dia deveria ser passado com a família — com os pais ou com os avós, explicou à Lusa Sofia Ramalho, vice-presidente da Ordem dos Psicólogos (OP). “Já entre os dois e os três anos o horário pode esticar um bocadinho, […]
19 de Novembro de 2019.
All countries in Europe have a long history. I want to tell you more about how Iceland became an independent state. The first people to settle in Iceland were probably Irish monks who came in the 8th century. Around 870 the tribal leader Ingólfur Arnason, expelled from Norway, reached the southwest of Iceland with his entourage and expelled the few Irish monks. The population increased strongly because the trailing Nordic settlers. And it at this time they convened the Althing, the oldest parliament in the world. In 1262, after years of fighting with the opposition Icelandic clans, Iceland fell under Norwegian sovereignty. This was the end of the Free State of Iceland. In 1380 Norway and Iceland fell under Danish […]
17 de Novembro de 2019.
Vatican City State is an independent city-state located inside Rome, Italy. It is the world’s smallest independent state by population and area. In the year of 1929 the Vatican City became an independent state. This was the outcome of three years of negotiations between the Kingdom of Italy and the Catholich Church. The Vatican is known as the centre of Roman Catholic Church. Every year an insane amount of people travel there with the aim of seeing the Pope, who is the bishop of Rome and head of the Roman Catholic Church. Saint Peter’s basilica and the wonders of The Vatican museums show the religious history of Roman Catholic Church in the form of architecture and art. Text written in […]
15 de Novembro de 2019.
I chose Finland because it is the most eco-friendly country in the world. This is the outcome based on the EPI: The Environmental Performance Index. It’s a useful tool to measure the green credentials of various countries around the world. The EPI assesses a country’s eco-performance across nine categories: agriculture, air quality, biodiversity and habitat, climate and energy, forests, fisheries, health impacts, water resources, and water and sanitation. Now the question I ask myself is how this came to be? What is the reason that they excel in this field? Why do they manage to prioritize this green quest, where other countries fail to do so? And more importantly, can we learn something from them? It all boils down to […]
13 de Novembro de 2019.
The country has had its hand in one of the biggest events in world history, the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand by Gavrilo Princip in 1914. Bosnia and Herzegovenia is a fascinating country to study, it is a fairly recent country (in terms of being independent and having defined borders) stemming from the collapse of Yugoslavia in 1992. Since the end of Yugoslavia it has encountered terrible wars and a lot of ethnic tensions. The reason for this comes from a long and complicated history that saw ethnic groups bound together under empires. Firstly the Ottoman Empire, secondly, the Austro-Hungarian, and lastly, the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. What happened between 1992-95 was the worst humanitarian disaster Europe faced since […]
11 de Novembro de 2019.
The name ‘Belgium’ is said to come from Belgae tribes that lived in the northern part of what was then Gaul around the 3rd century BC. Belgium is well known for its famous cuisine; its chocolate and waffles, but how much do we actually know about its history? There is a lot of speculation about where the Belgae tribes originated, but many scholars think that they started themselves. They were described as ‘the bravest of them all’ and Julius Caesar found it difficult to conquer them. It took him four years before he succeeded in 53BC. Caesar also found them very different to the other tribes in Gaul. Belgium was part of the Holy Roman Empire and remained part of […]
9 de Novembro de 2019.
Its capital is Valletta, which is the smallest national capital in the European Union by area at 0.8 km². Officially known as the Republic of Malta, it is a Southern European island country consisting of an archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. It lies 80 km south of Italy, 284 km east of Tunisia and 333 km north of Libya. With a population of about 475,000 over an area of 316 km2 its makes Malta the world’s tenth smallest and fifth most densely populated country. Malta has been inhabited since approximately 5900 BC. Its location in the centre of the Mediterranean has historically given it great strategic importance as a naval base, with a succession of powers having contested and ruled […]