LOVE LUST FAITH+DREAMS

Hi there,
Sorry for not writing for so long, but I've been on holydays and I always make a point of not having a computer with me so that I don't fall into temptation...
So I'm just going to speak about LOVE LUST FAITH+DREAMS 30STM last album.
First I'm going to point what I really like about it:
The lyrics of the songs and the cord opening on "The race"...and the symphonic feeling of the album.
Unfortunately once the electronic sound kicks in I get a bit disappointed, maybe because (as I've said previously) it is not my kind of thing.
Yet, and because 30STM have been my favourite group for the last  10 years I'm trying to get use to their new sound (the more we hear it, the more we'll like it, right?).
Besides I like "Up in the air" so I'm sure I can get use to some of the others at least.
Obviously right now, my favourite is probably "Conquistador" but I also like "City of angels" (the lyrics make me think it is dedicated to LA and their experiences on that city) "Birth", "Northern lights" and "End of all days" so hopefully in a few months time I'm going to be ok with their evolution.
Oh, I've just realized that I fancy more tracks than I thought...

"Oscar" de engenharia ligada ás renovaveis é português!

,Quem lê os meus blogs sabe que sou uma acerrima defensora do investimento em energias renováveis por isso é com grande prazer que divulgo aqui que o professor Vladimiro Miranda recebeu um prémio ligado a este setor!
Este prémo vem culminar um trabalho de 20 anos na investigação e desenvolvimento de modelos de energia eólica que usam a inteligência computacional para a integração desta energia em larga escala.
É fantástico  saber que exitem investidores que apostam neste setor tão promissor que utiliza a nossa inteligência aliada á inteligência artificial e á riqueza que a natureza nos deu!

Hollande and his promises

Watching the protests about Hollade not keeping his promises, made me ask myself if the French are really that naïve?
I mean did they really think that a politician would keep his promises? If it is hard (if not impossible) for them to do so when the economy is growing, how could a country's president manage to do it in times of recession?
What we can condemn is that he had made those promises in the first place for I do not believe he did not know the real state of his country's economy at the time of the elections and we can never promise what we can't keep.
Like any other politician he did what he had to do to get to the presidential seat, that is all.
French will have to get over it and try again on a new election although they shouldn't expect every promise to be fulfilled (even when a politician has every intention to keep his promises there are always external forces which don't allow him or her to keep them all).
This is why I don't agree with my country fellows whose only wish is to have new election so that another one stays ahead of Portugal's fate.
My county like many out there is a sinking ship, it has too many holes to keep afloat and it's no use to keep trying to save it by taking the water out with buckets for it always enters more than the one being removed.
What we need is a new ship, one which will only move forward, one which will sail towards development without fears.
  

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.