Sem palavras

Com a tragédia que aconteceu ontem em Boston não me apetece realmente falar sobre qualquer outra coisa porque tudo perde importancia diante de um acontecimento destes, até ficamos sem palavras perante a crueldade humana, por isso aqui ficam simplesmente as minhas sinceras simpatias para com as vitimas e familiares.

Because a "no" means "NO"

I'm sure you've heard about the canadian girl who was rapped by a group of boys and ended up commiting suicide, because she couldn't handle what the school's students were saying about her on social networks.
We had a case here in Portugal a few months back, where a teenage boy was forcing a twelve year old girl to have sex with him and his friends and then they recorded it on their mobile phones to show it around...
Fortunately she hasn't killed herself.
This crimes have been happening more and more recently.
 It is more obvious to me that kids are loosing boundaries about what is wrong or right, and their parents should be the first to ask themselves what the hell are they doing wrong, 'cause if a boy thinks it's ok to rape a girl because he feels like it, or because he thinks she is a slut, SOMETHING IS WRONG!
A NO doesn't mean yes, or a maybe. It means "NO" and it should be taught as just that to our children.
Parents must give their children the necessary values to respect those around them,then they should teach them to think for themselves, otherwise they will be weak and easily influenced by others.
To all the girls who were actually ok with these boys' actions in their school, I've got news for you, there are no such thing as sluts, this is just a pejorative word to describe girls who are more outgoing then you. This difference should be celebrated and not judged for we are all entitled to live our lives as we want to live it.
To this I call freedom.

"Capitães da areia"

No sabado passado não tive oportunidade de enviar-vos o poema habitual, mas vou retificar isso esta semana.
Aqui fica "Capitães da areia" de Pedro Abrunhosa pois embora não goste particularmente da voz deste cantor Português gosto bastante dos seus poemas.
Espero que gostem.
Bom fim-de-semana!

The new "Super men"

Throughout centuries women have been forced to suffer the humiliation of rape whenever their countries were at war.
Or even after that war had ended..(some time ago I've watched a documentary about UN soldiers raping vietnamese women after Vietnam's war. Their excuse was that they had remained on the territory for too long after the conflict ended).
Guess what, there is no excuse for such acts!
One would think men would evolve and finally realize the atrocity of it.
No such luck.
Apparently is exhilarating for some soldiers, to chase and dominate women.
After all like I heard a Congo's governmental soldier saying on TV yesterday, they are easy prey.
Cowards!
What was it that he said?
Oh, that he was following orders from his commanding officer!
 I would grant him that and give a small discount, if he hadn't said this moustrosity immidiately after: "When I raped, I felt free."
I wonder if he would feel the same if he had been the one being raped...
This makes them both (commander and private) guilty of the same crime and both should be punished for it.
As long as such crimes are overlooked,some higher ranked soldiers will always feel free to abuse those who cannot defend themselves, just as some of those under their command will always feel this axhilaration obeying such orders for these men are weak therefore hunger to have the sense of power such violent act gives them.

PS I'm sure must of you will condemn these kind of acts coming from soldiers, but I have just read on the newspaper about an Afgan who raped two women in Austrália and his defence lawyer alleged that he wasn't familiar with the notion of "sexual consent"...
Australia's people is now debating if people who have no notion of the concept should even be allowed to enter their country.
Now imagine what's like to be a woman in such countries...

Obrigada

Hoje quero fazer aqui uma homenagem a todos aqueles que abdicam do seu tempo (e vida) para ajudar outros que vivem em dificuldades.
O nome de Maria Coceição, uma hospedeira de bordo que em 2003 ficou tão impressionada com o que viu numa viagem ao Bangladesh que fundou uma escola naquele país para crianças com necessidades e luta agora para angariar fundos de modo a dar continuidade ao projecto, uma vez que o numero de alunos aumentou, é apenas um por entre os muitos nomes que nunca chegam a ser conhecidos.
De entre os nomes cohecidos saliento ainda Hunter Halder, um americano a viver em Portugal, que por iniciativa própria falou com restaurantes para que doassem os restos de comida que não chegaram a ser servidos, a pessoas com carencias economicas. Começõu por ser só ele a fazer a distribuição, mas visto o alastramento do movimento cada vez mais pessoas se juntam a ele para ajudar.
Escolhi apenas exemplos de particulares pouque estes provam que uma pessoa pode sim mudar o mundo, mas existem instituições que são por si só um exemplo a seguir, como é o caso do banco nacional contra a fome, cuja ajuda tem alimentado familias inteiras em tempos dificeis.
Para todos eles, muito obrigada! 

Believing

I must confess I've been an Obama's fan ever since I've watched one of his speaches on TV, at Heatrow airoport back in 2007.
I think what made him different at the time was that I've trusted his words.
I have not changed my opinion since then. I still strikes me as a reliable leader,
I am aware I might be wrong since I am watching it from a distance, I hope not.
I am sure some amaricans will not agree with me, especially if their life has not changed or has changed for the worst during Obama's administration, but seen from here he gives me hope of finding someone as trustworthy to rule my country. Is this honest quality in him that makes me still have faith in democracy.
I was very glad to hear he is atempting to change US gun control laws. I hope he succeeds.
As an outsider is terrible to watch TV reports about kids killing their school colleagues.
Don't be mistaken, dispite having more restritive laws on this subject, we still have people killing family members or neighbours on a fit of rage, because hunting is one of men's favourite sports in my country which puts rifles in a lot of portuguese houses...
I believe reason will provail.
People think americans are too full of themselves to change, I am not amongst those people.
People can change, they just need to believe in that change.

"A doença e as mortes dos Reis e Rainhas na dinastia de Bragança"

Li este retalho de estórias dos Reis e Rainhas da dinastia de Bragança no final do ano passado e achei algumas delas bastante interessantes, particularmente no que levou alguns deles á morte. Aqui fica a sugestão.