Camões nunca é demais

Bom dia!
Sábado chegou e com ele ouro momento de poesia.
Aqui fica mais um soneto de Camões para o vosso fim-de-semana.
Divirtam-se!
Quando a suprema dor muito me aperta,
se digo que desejo esquecimento,
é força que se faz ao pensamento,
de que a vontade livre desconcerta.

Assi,de erro tão grave me desperta
a luz do bem regido entendimento,
que mostra ser engano ou fingimeto
dizer que em tal descanso mais se acerta.

Porque essa própria imagem, que na mente
me representa o bem de que careço,
faz-mo de um certo modo ser presente.

Ditosa é, logo, a pena que padeço,
pois que da causa dela em mim se sente
um bem que,inda sem ver-vos, reconheço.

 

The new cuts on the public sector

Our government has announced more cuts on public expenses and to achieve that has decided to cut on public employees salaries.
Amongst these measures it was decided to cut not only the actual salaries, but on those employees annual leave, raise the working hours from 35 to 40 per week without raising the salaries, offer compensations to those who willingly left their job and raise the employees' contributions to the state etc.
Some are very critic of these measures here in Portugal for they believe it will only raise unemployment even more.
I tend to agree with this, because I do not see my government trying to increase investment in my country by offering good conditions to investors who could bring excellent working opportunities to my country. Really offering them conditions capable of attracting these investors and make them believe it will be great for their businesses to come here.  I believe there is no economic growth if you don't invest, so all these cuts are not really helping our economy.
However the cuts on the public sector don't chock me at all.
Since I've always worked for the private sector and never had the same privileges, it doesn't seem so dreadful to me that they will now work the same amount of hours as I, nor that they will now have the same amount of annual leave.
The problem here is that they were used to all these privileges and now they see it slipping between their fingers. Obviously they don't like that.
To me it only makes our society a little bit more even.
Now what is missing is for our government to think on how they will help my country's economic growth.   

Salvar Elefantes em Moçambique

A WWF Moçambique está a apelar a pessoas de todo o mundo para assinarem um abaixo assinado para que as leis contra a caça furtiva de Elefantes sejam alteradas para penas mais pesadas numa tentativa de salvar esta especie de extinção naquele país Africano.
Segundo esta organização, cerca de um minhão destes animais são dezimados por ano para que as suas presas sejam vendidas no mercado asiático, especialmente na china onde o marfim é por demais apreciado.
Eu já assinei este abaixo assinado.
Na esperança que muitos de vocês façam o mesmo deixo-vos aqui a ligaçao   http://www.wwf.org.mz/campanhas/
Juntos vamos tentar salvar estes animais magnificos.

Should we enter Syria's conflict?

I had promised myself not to speak about Syria's conflict here, but the truth is, I cannot keep from doing so.
Over 70 thousand people dead and now there is evidences of chemical weapons being used and obviously affecting civilians.
Do we know who used it?
I don't.
Who can tell me without a shadow of a doubt that it wasn't the rebels doing so, to make us help them in their cause?
This isn't to say their's is the wrong side for I am always in favour of ending oppression agaisnt autocratic governments, however I believe it should be that country's people fighting for their freedom and outsiders should intervene only as a last recourse.
I do hope the rebels had nothing to do with these weapons' use since it would mean they are starting with the wrong foot on their road to reach that so expected freedom as actions like these only show that  whoever did it has no boundaries nor respect for human life.
So do I think it is time for our intervention?
 Yes I do.
I think everyone who values human beings lives thinks these way since too many people have died already for us ignore what is going on. Remember inaction is as reproachable as some actions.
Yet, I believe it shouldn't be one country's decision.
 I've always thought that the UN's organization was created to prevent another genocide like the one which happened on WWII from happening again so I think it should be on them to decide helping those people without waiting for a decision from US's government.
One country alone should never have to have that burden on its shoulders, this should be a join decision taking into consideration that it shouldn't take long to decide for human lives are being lost in the process.

Empresa Soger Satom é fraude?

Há algumas semanas atrás o meu cunhado respondeu a um anuncio de jornal que pedia mão de obra para uma empresa de construção.
No dia 25 de Abril recebeu um email da dita empresa contendo um contrato de trabalho para o meu cunhado assinar juntamente com informações que a Soger Satom considerava importante.
Primeiramente explicavam qual seria o salário por hora (€120), por dia (€840), por semana (€4200) e por hora extra de trabalho (€110), a este magnifico salário seria apenas deduzido 2% para impostos!
Logo aqui comecei a achar que a fartura era muita para uma simples posição de pedreiro...
E conforme lia a restante informação enviada pela empresa, mais desconfiada ficava de que se tratava de um esquema, vejamos:
Diziam que o 1º mês de alojamento (mês de experiencia) teria de ser pago pelo meu cunhado visto a empresa já ter tido problemas com antigos trabalhadores que aparentemente lhes teriam destruido alguns dos apartamentos que a empresa possuia para o efeito...
Quando fui investigar os apartamentos Dominion através do nº de telefone fornecido pela Soger Satom: 237 93231326 descobri 2 possoas que estavam a perguntar o que era aquilo uma vez que tinham recebido emails a dizerem-lhes que como a empresa não lhes pagava pelo alojamento dos trabalhadores os trabalhadores teriam de pagar o seu próprio alojamento. A isto seguia-se a explicação de como proceder ao pagamento.
Os dois acharam estranho receberem estes emails, eu achei estranhissimo.
Assim ao continuar a investigar a morada dos apartamentos que a empresa recomendava não encontrei nenhums cujo nome correspondesse ao indicado pela empresa, mas sim um com outro nome e nº de telefone...
Depois quando fui investigar a empresa em si descobri que a morada da sede que davam era francesa mas na designação do país constava as Filipinas e a area da empresa era na Asia!
Estão a vêr as incongruências?
 

Too handsome!

I couldn't believe the article I've read on today's paper, apparently it is a crime to be handsome in Saudi Arabia!
Dear, it would be laughable if it wasn't sad really.
Three men were expeled from the country because there was a risk of "women falling at their feet forgeting their moral values"...
The article came with two photos of this "too handsome a man to be allowed in Saudi Arabia" and Believe me, he is handsome, but not a God for women to be throwing themselves at his feet...
Besides one would think that women who were taught to keep their thoughts to themselves would not behave so openly towards a man.
And here I was, happy with the small changes women have achieved in that part of the world on this past few years such as being allowed to ride bicycles and cars, being allowed to enter the Olympic games, or the "No more abuse" campain wich fights agaisnt domestic violence in this country.
 Yet this just shows us how long the road to equality is in these countries if they think women cannot resist a pretty face.
Maybe this comes from the fact that Saudi Arabia men think that their women are being influenced by us, women from the west, but I got news for them, not all of us can't resist a handsome man.
This kind of thinking has to stop for we are not sexual maniacs who cannot see a man in front of us without having sex with him. Just as I am sure there are men in these counties who don't treat their women as if they weren't people. Certainly there will be traditional women in these countries who will be more stuck to old values than young men  therefore be  stricker with the women from their family and even resist teaching their sons that treating women as their equals is actually a sign of respect towards human race.
This is the mentality we have to change so that people can be treated as people without being blamed even for their genes.

"Lágrima de Preta"

Esta semana escrevi em defesa da igualdade entre pessoas de diferentes raças, religiões e tendencias sexuais por isso pareceu-me apropriado findar a semana com um poema de António Gedeão que fala tambem de igualdade Camado "lágrima de preta"

Encontrei uma Preta
que estava a chorar,
pedilhe uma lágrima
para a analisar.

Recolhi a lágrima
com todo o cuidado
num tubo de ensaio
bem esterilizado.

Olhei-a um lado
do outro e de frente;
tinha um ar de gota
muito transparente.

Mandei vir os ácidos
as bases e os sais,
as drogas usadas
em casos que tais.

Ensaei a frio,
experimentei ao lume,
de todas as vezes
deu-me o costume;

Nem sinais de negro,
nem vestígios de ódio.
Água (quase tudo)
e cloreto de sódio.