12 de Dezembro de 2019.
Entre as medidas que o Governo pretende adoptar estão o lançamento de um Plano Nacional de Literacia Democrática, semelhante aos planos nacionais de Leitura e das Artes, e o estudo da Constituição da República em todos os níveis de ensino. O Governo quer promover a educação para a cidadania e a participação democrática entre os jovens e vai lançar um Plano Nacional de Literacia Democrática e instituir o estudo da Constituição da República em todos os níveis de ensino. As intenções constam das Grandes Opções do Plano (GOP) 2020-2023, na versão entregue esta quarta-feira ao Conselho Económico e Social, a que a Lusa teve acesso. “Num contexto em que existem diversas ameaças à democracia, importa defender e difundir os valores […]
11 de Dezembro de 2019.
Going to church on Christmas or spending more time with the family? This is in our country very different. Christmas means general spending time with the family in our country. It depends on how religious you and your family are and which religion they have. In our catholic family, it is a tradition to go to the mass on the 24th of December. With this event, we celebrate the birth of Jesus and afterward, we can do our own family traditions. On Christmas Eve, we always eat a lot and enjoy the moment where we all are together. We eat something special that we are not eating every day. Because we are a few vegetarians in our family, our dinner […]
10 de Dezembro de 2019.
Matos Fernandes está na COP25, em Madrid, onde esta manhã se reuniu com os deputados portugueses da comissão parlamentar do Ambiente. O ministro do Ambiente, João Pedro Matos Fernandes, garantiu, esta terça-feira, em Madrid, que no próximo ano Portugal ficará melhor classificado no Índice de Desempenho das Alterações Climáticas (CCPI, na sigla inglesa), que avalia 57 países e a União Europeia nas categorias de emissão de gases com efeito de estufa (GEE), uso de energias renováveis, consumo de energia e políticas ambientais. O mais recente relatório, apresentado esta manhã na 25.ª Conferência das Partes (COP25) da Convenção-Quadro das Nações Unidas sobre as Alterações Climáticas, e que analisa dados de 2017, mostra uma queda de Portugal de oito lugares. “Sabemos que […]
7 de Dezembro de 2019.
This well-known German legend is about the biggest treasure of the medieval. All starts with Siegfried who is a knight. Siegfried discovers a cave and finds a dragon in it. The strong knight kills the dragon and goes deeper in the cave. There he finds a gnome of the Nibelungen and fights with him. After his victory he takes the big treasure of the gnome. Now he only needs a wife for his luck. He finds the right one at the king’s court of Worms. He wants to marry Kriemhild, the sister of king Gunther. The king only agrees because he needs him to master the tasks that Brynhild sets for him. Because Brynhild is the woman that King Gunther […]
6 de Dezembro de 2019.
Ter plantas dentro de casa pode trazer vários benefícios, mas limpar o ar não é um deles – dizem os especialistas. Este é um daqueles mitos que não gostávamos de ver desmistificados. As plantas domésticas, embora encantadoras, fazem muito pouco para purificar o ar de uma divisão, dizem os especialistas que estudam o ar que respiramos. Mas se fizermos uma pesquisa rápida na internet, podemos ficar com uma ideia diferente. Os sites mais conhecidos de decoração listam várias plantas que prometem remover toxinas e produtos químicos nocivos do ar, e muitos dos retalhistas online vendem plantas que purificam o ar. “Decidimos estudar esta questão mais aprofundadamente devido a todos os artigos e publicações que lemos na internet, em blogs de […]
5 de Dezembro de 2019.
In the mid 12th century, there was a man called Lalli. He was living with his wife Kerttu in a little cottage. One night when Lalli wasn’t home, Bishop Henry decited to stop by Lalli’s and Kerttu’s house and asked for food and drink. The bishop had been travelling a long way with his horse and he still had a long journey ahead of him. Kerttu kindly let the bishop in and gave him a meal. After eating his stomack full, Bishop Henry gave money for Kerttu as a thank you, and moved on. Soon after this Lalli came home, and Kerttu told him about the bishop. For some reason Kerttu changed one small detail about the event. She told […]
3 de Dezembro de 2019.
Assinatura em São Bento do contrato de legislatura entre o Estado e as instituições de ensino superior prevê um aumento no financiamento de 55 milhões de euros já em 2020. Os presidentes do Conselho Coordenador dos Institutos Superiores Politécnicos e do Conselho de Reitores das Universidades Portuguesas consideraram esta sexta-feira que o contrato de legislatura foi o acordo possível com o Estado e pediram ao Governo menos barreiras burocráticas. Estes recados foram deixados em São Bento, perante o primeiro-ministro, António Costa, nos discursos da cerimónia de assinatura do contrato de legislatura de legislatura entre o Estado e as instituições de ensino superior – um compromisso que prevê um aumento no financiamento de 55 milhões de euros já em 2020, acomodando […]
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 […]
17 de Abril de 2018.
The life and work of Geoffrey Chaucer, and understanding the contradictory nature of his writing. Before there was Shakespeare, Geoffrey Chaucer was considered the father of English literature. Born in 1343, Chaucer was a prominent member of the royal courts of both Edward III and Richard II, however, he was most well known for his writing, with his most celebrated work being The Canterbury Tales. Chaucer began writing fiction in the late 1360s and pioneered in a new literary style. He introduced a new poetic structure, more similar to the European style than his Anglo-Saxon predecessors. This was presumably inspired by his time in France, where he was a prisoner of war, and this style went on to inspire Shakespeare’s […]
22 de Março de 2018.
The military successes (and failures) of Dom João I of Portugal. João I reigned as the 10th king of Portugal, succeeding Fernando I in 1385. As the naturalized son of Pedro I and a Galician noblewomen, his ascension to the throne represented the beginning of the Aviz dynasty. His coronation came during a time of conflict with the Castilian crown, who had sought authority over Portugal during a period of anarchy following the death of Fernando. It could be said that turbulent relations with Portugal’s Iberian neighbours defined João’s reign. João is commonly referred to as ‘the good’ or ‘the great’ by the Portuguese, due primarily to his victories over the Moroccan Marinid Empire in Ceuta as part of the […]
20 de Janeiro de 2018.
The strange case of the Principality of Pontinha. Due to their isolated nature, island nations tend to exhibit a heightened sense of the bizarre. I am well aware of this from my home country, with its Byzantine cultural norms and eccentric Monarchy. Madeira is no different, a notable example being the existence of the Principality of Pontinha. Founded by the now Dom Renato Barros I, a former art teacher, Pontinha is a micronation based around an islet on Funchal’s harbour. It was purchased for just shy of £20,000 from the Blandy family, who had themselves purchased the land from the city of Funchal in order to fund a redevelopment of the port in 1903. Barros himself has speculated that if […]
17 de Janeiro de 2018.
How Indian cuisine found its way to Madeira (en route from England and South Africa). Paradoxically, Indian food is the national dish of the United Kingdom. For many British people a curry is a frequent treat, so my surprise was palpable when I found several Indian restaurants in Funchal serving British-Indian fusion classics such as Tikka Masala. Perhaps this is a consequence of the myriad British tourists who holiday in Madeira every year. But there is usually a deeper justification. My initial assumption was that one of the many British expatriates of Madeira’s history had popularised the cuisine here. This notion was substantiated by the presence of an Indian Infantry Division at the Jesuits’ College in 1941. The company was […]
5 de Setembro de 2017.
A brief exploration of the hidden history of Jewish people on the island of Madeira. For as long as Madeira has existed as a territory under Portuguese control there has been a notable, if hidden, Jewish population living on the island. During the time following the island’s discovery this primarily comprised of Crypto-Jews, who hid their faith publicly due to the ongoing Spanish Inquisition. The city of Funchal was established in 1508, less than 20 years after the Alhambra Decree which ordered all practicing Jews to be expelled from Spain. In this context it is interesting that many Portuguese historians speculate that Zarco, the official discoverer of the island and first captain of Funchal, was himself of Crypto-Jewish ancestry. In […]
10 de Agosto de 2017.
Comparing my first experiences of Iberian life to the British soldiers who arrived in 1807. Upon arriving in Madeira I read The British Soldier in the Peninsular War (G. Daly, Hobart, 2013) in order to learn more about the history of the island. I have compared my experiences to the soldiers who occupied Madeira from 1807. The first thing that struck me upon arrival was the temperate weather and dramatic terrain. Lieutenant Sherer of the Cumberland Regiment was similarly taken, describing the wooded mountains of Portugal as ‘enchanting’. However upon entering the cities the initial optimism of the soldiers turned to revulsion; John Douglas wrote home complaining of poor hygiene and disease in Lisbon. While I have not been to […]