This is a book of Chronicles by Kalaf Angelo, the dude of Buraka.

To be honest what attracted me in this book first was the title, I wanted to find out who were these passionate color boys and what I found was the look of a wanderer that moves between two cities, which addresses his perception of these places as disparate and his interpretation of other worlds so distant and yet so close. Kalaf Angelo has a clean and careful writing, which indicates a work easy to read that whets the appetite for more, but (and almost always there is one) you have the feeling that some of the chronic deserved to have had more room to breathe, to dive in characters, in the stories and in the end one gets the feeling that there must have been something else, a few more words. Only near the end I realize that the author is the same one that sho us the semantics of Buraka Som Sistema and still, to my astonishment and delight he does not like to be presented as such. Now, reflecting on it, I'm glad that initially I had no idea of who Kalaf Angelo was until I started reading the book, because maybe my look would be much more critical, or would be hooked by the view that I have of the band and for the record it is the best, because I like the music, but as for the book I can say that is pleasant and accessible. Have a nice reading.

And if we stop for a moment to think of the infinite number of coincidences. This is one of assumptions of the new show by Luis de Matos on the chaos theory, in a national tour, which presents new illusions, the butterfly effect transformations that transport the viewer to a moment that will never be repeated in time.

It takes a long time to put together a show like "Chaos"? Since one of the tricks begin in 2011.
Luis Matos: Each show takes a lifetime to prepare, because every show is not a summary of the two or three years we have devoted more to a particular project, it reflects a lifetime, a career, an experience, an aesthetic concept and a maturity that you can only have if we consider every year behind. Answering the question, yes, it takes two to three years to prepare, but during this time I do not do all this you see here, this is an evolution of a life dedicated to magic.

25-year career, looking back, was there anything that you did not or you regretted doing?
LM: Regret, I do not regret practically nothing, especially the bad things, because they are what make us grow, that give us more attention, maturity, care, mastery and this is all from the mistakes are committed throughout life, I will not change anything. If there are things we like to do and have not done, thousands of them and they are what I do each day.

You are almost an athlete, you have to train your body intensely to some of the tricks that you present who are very physically demanding, it is now easier to get into that state of mind over the years?
LM: Probably when you sum up experiences and when I do is done for passion and taste. I designed and had the ambition to do so, at last is something I always do with great pleasure in an attempt to self-improvement and to not disappoint the people who most closely follow my work.

During the show you said you see the shows of other magicians. There is a certain fear of repetition? Sometimes you think a trick and then appears in the work of another magician.
LM: Yes, of course, takes place in various ways. Occurs when this magic is dedicated to plagiarism and copied things you've seen before, it can also happen because this professional had a similar idea and have not seen anything before, can succeed by many circumstances. Now, I try to wake up my competition, I try to be better today than yesterday, that makes it worth my day-to-day, my effort, my passion, only it is worth to be better than I was yesterday and I hope tomorrow will be much more.

Do you think the Portuguese still like magic or not really? Since the last years your career has focused more in Spain.
LM: I think all people like magic with quality and have long departed from the stereotypical idea of a magician with a top hat that brings up scarves and doves and now they want more. With the internet, with television channels and travels people are looking for a more contemporary magic, you can compete with the other art forms, but that does not smell of mold, which has a touch of permanent contemporaneity and this is the most important.

You you organize magic festivals, at national level, you notice that there are more young people excited to be magicians?
LM: Not only in the festivals of magic that I organized, but at the end of every show I always have 4 to 10 young magicians showing tricks and skills with cards, special things and I think this is proof that magic is as cross art, as a way universal communication that continues to appeal, finally, to all ages. However, there are young people who easily derive for a profession today and tomorrow want another and one day they want to be magicians, for some it remains that way, which is my case.

There are several national promises they cannot have a career here. You, although you have started in Portugal, you were practically the only one at the time, now, what advice you give to young people taking into account that cannot be restricted to the borders of your country?
LM: I think the advice I give to young people who want to be magicians, is the same as I give to those who want to be doctors, lawyers and farmers, or even politicians, it is to study languages, learn to speak as many languages as you can. Speaking English, French and Spanish are passports are for life, are forms that allow us to know the ideas of others in addition to those with whom we shared a country. For me to learn languages is the most intelligent and profitable investment for anyone at any age, especially young people can and should do it.

There are some national young magicians who actually admire?
LM: At the national level like the work of Tiago Morgado and João Blümel that feature original, independent and serious work. There is very natural selection that goes mandating that some are more triumph than others and this has to do with the satisfaction that can rise in the public, the preseverance you have on your work and the constant search for self-overcome and therefore I think that time decides who stays and who is fleeting.

Do you have a nemesis?
LM: No, I think my strength is life, is being, have no dependence beyond that which is to wake up and have the pleasure of being alive and be master of my time.

And after 25 years you still continous to be in love with magic as when you started?
LM: The most possible and this is the most amazing fact, because for me what brand is the secret of doing what I do is the passion I feel for my profession, but to lose it will have to have enough courage to walk away .

If you were not magician what would you be?
LM: I do not know, could work in a Mac Donalds, could be director, Chamber president, taxi driver, you never know, it's hard to know what we would be if we were not who we are, because we are the result of all the choices we have made in life, that's talking about the chaos theory and the butterfly effect. The little things that made lifelong end up having major repercussions and ultimately determine what happens over the present day and that everything is beautiful.

Do you think there is a point where you'll have to retire? Looking at your career and thinking you have reached that point.
LM: That point is already decided from the beginning of my career, the day I stop liking it.

Yes, but many of your tricks depend on your body.
LM: Yes, what I have been using every illusion has been varying over time, no need to depend on the body to create tricks, there are ones that are created with words, thoughts and others sitting in a chair. There are illusions for all types, that is to say that only people with long fingers can you play the piano, or can be painters, there are people who do not have hands and paint and there are those who play with the feet. Magic is full of self-overcoming of stories that showed precisely that there is no physicality absolutely necessary to create illusions, is a matter of aesthetics, taste and palatability to use what we have, but in my case it is perfectly clear in the day I stop enjoying doing what I do, I have many other things to occupy my time.

It is the beginning of a tour of the largest island of the archipelago.

They say that there are no two people alike, except identical twins and even these have almost indelible differences, the same applies to the Atlantic islands may have
some things in common, but they are totally different. This is the case of São Miguel, the largest of the Azores islands, whose serene and undulating beauty comes through inside your eyes in various shades of green that leave us speechless. Ponta Delgada is about ten minutes from the airport, even with traffic in rush hour! I'm kidding, road traffic on this island is as quiet as its landscape, only comparable to an interregional road somewhere in the deepest Alentejo. It is worth renting a car, because thanks to the careful management of local government, the highway that crosses the island allows safe driving, regional roads are in excellent condition and even secondary accesses are very good and believe me, even less experienced drivers will not have difficulties, let me be clear that within localities the roads are narrowed, but everything is manageable, if you understand my good Portuguese.

San Miguel is worth visiting at any time of the year due to its temperate climate, where you can enjoy the micro-climates, ie, throughout the day, it rains, it is cloudy and the sun shines. In the summer, on the other hand, the humidity can be around 90% which is a challenge especially at night to sleep, but nothing that a good air conditioning cannot solve.

Leaving Ponta Delgada what draws most of your attention are pastures punctuated with spotted cows, black and white, and let me tell you, there is no happier animals than these, they graze without all day problems because it is all plane and because the weather is so mild, they eat fresh grass every day, then there are fields of transgenic corn fields that later are dried and used as fodder for the cows, so that they produce the best milk, butter and cheese at the national level, it is all a delight and you always cry for more and your diet suffers.

The first stop, as is expected, to visit the lakes, the most famous of which the seven cities with its blue and green color, according to legend the different tones came from tears shed by a princess with blue eyes of a fairyland and a humble shepherd with green eyes who fell madly in love and given the impossibility of being happily ever after they copiously mourned their sadness and magically created the two lakes together for all eternity. A story that is worth remembering in the king's viewpoint as the dense fog hoist slowly to show the unparalleled beauty of these two boilers and the surrounding green landscape. Down the winding road always surrounded by tufts of hydrangeas and covered with yellow fields of flowers known as ginger lily, we reached the bridge that divides the two lakes and the outlook is even more impressive for its scenery in depth. It is a 365 degree view where the green walls are lapped by calm and deep waters that change depending on the color of the lake, as is Sunday we only hear the hiss of a breeze, the hooting of birds and ringing the bell to call the faithful to the little church of the locality with the same name, the Seven Cities, but why this so unusual designation?
Again a legendary feature mixes with reality, one azorean named Ferdinando Telles said that San Miguel was the famous "insula septem civitatum" a medieval historical reference which ensured that there was an island somewhere in the western Atlantic, surrounded by lakes and rivers, where there were seven people in seven different cities, and how he thought this Portuguese island matched the location of the legendary Antilia, the name stuck. It is still almost improbable that two lakes inspire so many mythical stories, I would almost say that the settlers and the kings that ruled were nothing more, nothing less than romantics.

The second pond that deserves a look is the fire, the largest on the island of São Miguel with about 1,360 hectares, which owes its name to the volcano that created it and whose last eruption date 1563, and what is most impressive of this boiler its deep blue it seems that a part of the sea was lost in the ground.

The third freshwater portion that is worth mentioning is the lagoon of the caves, where are the volcanic flues where it is the famous stew, which as is tradition dish, but I must confess that I prefer the original version, Portuguese stew. The surrounding landscape is idyllic, the smell that comes from volcanic bubbling water is that it can "spoil" a little experience, but it is amazing how we have a subterranean underworld who manifests so powerfully, nature here dominates and it seems that is tame, but no, we are mere guests of this wonderful and delighted ecosystem, as the legends.

Isabel Silva Melo graduated in Sculpture by the College of Fine Arts of Porto, a formation which greatly contributes to her author pieces of jewelry made from fish scales, which modernizes an Azorean secular tradition.

First I wanted to address this ancient technique of fish scales in the Azores.
Isabel Silva Melo: Yes, that I know is a technique used since the eighteenth century, at the time the fishermen had very small boats when they could not go too often to the sea this was the way that the wives had to help in the household economy during the winter. Usually they worked always in blank, made up small hearts to decorate religious images, was an art intended solely to a religious context, in communions and baptisms also to decorate the children. The fish scales were work with a purl, who was a silver or gold thread, still we use this technique as in religious context, but I use color of course. To use this technique in terms of jewelery I retreat the "cantilho" and I take the very scale of the setting that is beautiful, it's almost like it was an appointment of a petal and then "play" with this material.

Is any kind of fish scale that can be used?
ISM: No, usually in the Azores works with several fish, but I like parrotfish because it has a large scale and has a drawing of a petal in this particular case the female is red and more striking, contrary to what it happens in nature where males are more lush, here are gray-brown and it is not funny at all. I also like the wrasse because it has a long scale, which gives the feeling of small leaves, there is still a mullet that here we work a lot, but I do not like it.

What are the challenges facing using this ancient technique for making earrings, pins and other pieces of jewelry?
ISM: I had a training organized by the craft center and the museum, was a workshop of fish scales where I learned to work the traditional way with purl, but after I got home I started "playing" with the material and had the good fortune to thoroughly enjoy the scale from the plastic point of view, elastic, flexible and began to work it my way. I am embarrassed to say, but it's easy, I double it, remodel and do what I want, I invent and the pieces come out.

What is the piece that women like more?
ISM: Maybe the earrings inspired by bougainvillea, it happened one day that it was raining a lot, I have a huge plant in front of house and then decided to transpose it to the scale. The first thing I did was four petals, then picked a flower and saw that they had only three and now the earrings are made with that number of scales.

And what is the most emblematic piece that you produce? That just says it's Isabel Silva Melo?
ISM: I do not know.

Or what distinguishes your work from another jewelry designer who use fish scales?
ISM: I cannot explain, you will have to ask my clients. (laughs). I'm always vary the pieces, do not do the same as at the beginning, it was about a year and a half that I started the project, I like to introduce other materials, from acrylic, lace, embroidery, Murano glass, go mixing and combining unusual materials that would not be part of this context. I now have a craftsman of the island of Santa Maria that will bring me polished stones and I want to see how this works. I love to "play", do a combination of colors depending on the time of year, I now have a winter collection, beyond the summer one.

This Azorian born on the island of São Miguel is one of the leading names of modern Portuguese poetry and beyond, he was also a philosopher and one of the most active voices in social revolution that culminated with the establishment of the Republic. This is just a simple tribute to one of the great figures of Portuguese culture in the year in which the 5th of October 1910 returned to be holiday.

Pantheism

I

Aspiration ... opens all desire
In unsuffered and mysterious longing ...
I call this the life, and thus,
What matters most the form? Silence
A soul aspires to light and the space
A man equally a star and a rose!
The own beast, whose uncertain step
There vacancy in the grottos grounds,
Surely glimpse God - his spleen eye
It was done to see brilliance and beauty ...
And if roars, is that shakes dully
Your turbid soul, Oh great nature!
Yes, there is the roar of burning life,
An intimate energy, so holy
Like the one that makes trill the innocent bird...

The work of Antero Quental definitely breaks with the current ultra-romanticism of the time and Modern Odes, which is his first poetry book, is the perfect example of the new modern Portuguese literature that emerged in the late nineteenth century. This book is particularly important because it was published in the year of the famous Coimbrã question, a literary controversy, led by a group of young writers which Antero was one of the most active voices, which argued that the ultra-Romantic literature era vision was exceeded by the new winds of modernity that stretched across Europe. Modern Odes turns out to be a work that reflects a new, more realistic style of literature, with a certain revolutionary tone that addresses the social realities of the Portugal of then making the counterpoint with the modern man turmoil, his own internal struggle between faith and reason. The book also underlies the socialist ideal that would bring progress to the nation and the concept of a new world more just and equal. More than a writer, Antero de Quental is the personification of the new modern Portuguese man, who breaks out definitively through his political activism, in addition to his sharp and provocative writing in newspapers and magazines, with the "status quo" prevailing in a country in the brink of ideological, economic and social disruption which later resulted in a young republic. Unfortunately, this great figure of Portuguese culture, did not live long enough to see this new nation since he committed suicide in September 1891 with 49 years of age, if he had resisted his inner demons 19 years later probably would have seen with his own eyes, the implementation of the republican Portugal.

Gil Sousa is the coordinator of the socio-labor service of Arrisca association, a social solidarity institution (IPSS), on the island of São Miguel, which aims to reintegrate into society and risk groups, or with disabilities into the labor market.

Tell me a little about what is "Arrisca Experience".
Gil Sousa: The "Arrisca experience" is a valence of IPSS, a social solidarity institution, which was established in 2007 to worked with a public who suffer serious exclusion, I speak of ex-drug addicts, of people with mental disorders, with persons who were deported from US and Canada and have four training and production units which we tried to work the element of social inclusion through work. In the ceramics area have regional dishes, the tile pits, the traditional figures, or tried to represent some of the professions that are falling by the wayside and we tried to work them. Then we have the carpentry shed which sought to create distinctive furniture and worked on the basis of orders, we have a shop with exposes the pieces, but are produced according to the need of people. There is also another project of woods, which is the production of furniture "eco-friendly" through the use of pallets, we make various types of furniture and we had some interesting projects in the "Sardine Pier", the "eco beach resort" and some accommodations that have adhered much to this fashion because it is more attractive and sustainable. Finally we have the gardening teams, we go to the homes of people and offer our services. What we tried to do is differentiation within the services in these areas to meet the needs.

Earlier you reported that arts in disuse, so it was necessary to train them.
GS: Yes, the team is made up of monitors that help users to be integrated in these different valences that I mentioned earlier, are professionals who have training in these areas, we seek to instill in users these formations are also open to the community, we have many workshops where people can effectively participate and learn, for example, regional painting of dishes or tile, cribs, here in San Miguel we have a tradition of being done in radome and make the pieces from miniatures, puppets of lapinha to the conception of the handmade piece itself. We held these workshops open to the public as well as a way to combat the stigma of our target audience and to involve the community in this integration process.

Of the different types of arts you have, you let them choose the art that want to develop or not?
GS: We tried to do a "job matching", ie tailor the capabilities, skills and experience that person has had with the areas we already have, however, there may be a person who has a taste for carpentry, without never had any kind of experience and they want to learn because they have this motivation, we we also offer this possibility. Then also make a bridge with companies, because the aim to long term would be their integration in the labor market, always we tried to always find a job opportunity.

Which of these areas there has been a greater inclusion in the labor market?
GS: Today we are in an increasingly competitive market, companies seek to have on their side the best and most competent, unfortunately, our target audience is characterized by low qualifications, has some problems associated, cannot speak or quantifying an area with success rate. What I can say is that we have had situations where some companies contacted us for people to work in the construction, which was very good at the time, we talk about the period in which there was a boom in construction and then companies did not care if the person has been deported or had problems, or a past. Unfortunately, nowadays, things are no longer so, are more complicated, we have so many people unemployed and increasingly with qualifications and we say that our trainees are in the bottom of the pyramid with few qualifications and problems associated with competing with people with graduates and other formations. Hence the importance of these valences, these skills we have in our institution with programs in the end allow people to enjoy a salary per month, which turns out to be very beneficial.

How many people are part of this IPSS?
GS: The Arrisca association came over a thousand people, it is not these valences that said, this is a small part, we also have a psychosocial service that consists of social workers, psychologists, social educators, sociologists and monitors social inclusion. We also have a clinical department with doctors and nurses, we worked all aspects of social rehabilitation from the smallest together with the prevention of the older, the aim is to monitor all stages of life of these people.

http://www.arr1sca.pt/

The decorative arts in the Portuguese royal houses were of high importance, not only as a matter of taste, but because it showed the best of what was produced in terms of pieces of porcelain, tableware and glass or crystal, over the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and It was above all a sign of power, as described by expert of Palace of Ajuda, Cristina Neiva Correia.

At a dinner of the eighteenth century people had a symmetrical table, tidy very full and the meal unfolds as a play for a covered ranging presenting food sets on the table that are discovered, even the napkins were presented in various forms of animals and possessed many silver pieces, all this is the theater of eating, has to do with a sense of power through objects as a coded label and exposure of the artists who worked these pieces are ceremonial of the type of Louis XIV.

With the rise of Napoleon to power comes the taste for gold, the conquest of the territories, wars, forced the delivery of silver. In Portugal we have sets that are a reference, pieces that marked the center of the table and we will adapt pieces in gold, where you place the candlestick and even with some biscuit notes, but only to illustrate, because silver is no longer used. But as our country did not walk to conquer territory, we consider these as special pieces that keept as treasures and there are hardly any French tableware outside their country of origin. They did not went away, have been converted into money, this was what served the silver pieces to treasure the vaults, when the French crown needed money for the war effort would request the noble contribute and so the pieces were melted, the artistic work is not considered relevant. So, today, to study goldsmiths of the eighteenth century, which was what I studied, it is imposed a visit to the Portuguese museums, which is interesting.
These golden centers will also have a lot of color through flowers and fruits, which are often presented in small pyramids and staying throughout the meal.
Dom João VI has had extraordinary services in the Palace of Queluz, but most of this are in Brazil, mainly coming from England and has some French services are very simple and will cross all the century, in concentric circles all marked, which will iradiar with decorative elements. In the nineteenth century dishes began to be asymmetrical, with botanical motifs, in particular wildlife, portraits of regional costumes are taken from prints circulating by all Europe and we are not an exception, since these style circulate by the other royal houses because all they want to reach the same level, although the English royal house has brighter and bigger pieces, but are small details, generally all are supplied in the same factories and maintain these styles.

Dona Carlota Joaquina services were absolutely absolutist, this lady had a fantastic taste and the palace Ramalhão has an extraordinary rich filling. She had the so called black legend, which already come from her mother and there was an interest to blacken her, she was special, had a peculiar personality, but had very good taste just see the enrollment of Ramalhão. In the Palace of Ajuda there are two deposits, the museum can sometimes buy parts of these other kingdoms, as is the case of refreshing cups that were on the table, they are pieces that fell into disuse, but allowed to keep the glasses fresh.

Dona Maria II at the Palace of Necessidades in 1840, the inventory is an endless of table sets, there are two windows in Vila Viçosa Palace, which serves to show the dishes with flora and fauna, landscapes, with dense colors are very decorated where you do not see a lot of porcelain, although it is much appreciated by the white, the more white and less defects the better it is.

There are some kingdoms in which the pieces are scarce and what interests me is to talk about Dona Maria Pia and Dom Luis I, because the collection was much larger. We have reached a certain height and the table centers are invaded by flowers, in this period, the silver pieces support the flowers are sometimes glass or ceramics, candlesticks, which we have an extraordinary collection, with about 16 000 ceramics, table and decorative remainings. The collection is great because it is a royal house, the queen for twenty years goes shopping, she has a reputation for being a big spender, but gradually I notice that she does a remarkable effort with an economy of means to be able to maintain the representation of cutlery with dignity. The layout of the table is made according to João Mata has a great importance to the Portuguese court, a private party table is always made with the simplest services, with the Venetian glass, which had a menu, people always knew what they were eating, in the eighties, but not after. The napkin is placed in a shallow dish, called napkin plate, only arises to the left in what is called hotel service, the French, the chic is the center. The cutlery is place as the English growing by the side, it occupied much space, so maybe the tables are more spacious.

In the late nineteenth century the services had names, because they were produced by artists, but already sold in catalogs, are cheaper and Maria Pia follows the European taste, we have pieces of Vista Alegre and Limoges. She notes all that is broken, what is missing, to replace it in the Palace of Pena and Estoril, which require functional services. This queen has French porcelain, with neo-Gothic pieces, and velvets, silver is always a symbol of wealth. The coffee table is what she brings in her wedding trousseau, the crockery Berran, a French silversmith, are pieces designed for fruits, or flowers, or that is capable of a globe with fishes. The glases have various streams are Venetians, called Marguerita a tribute to her sister in law, with color for the white wine and Madeira wine was always used to accompany the soup, everything is on the table, and when the dessert arrive all dishes are replaced. The royal house has oriental porcelain in extraordinary amount and each production helps underwrite the reigns.

The dining rooms at this time earns a fixed place, until then people put it where they wanted and it is at this time it also gets the attention of architects and becomes the central axis of the house, in fact the aristocracy and the royal house will have Renaissance tasting rooms, which are already made in the 60s and 80s, Dona Maria Pia enjoys this rooms, we have the leather chairs drawn up at the bottom of a fireplace, large sideboards where they prepare the dishes they are served on the plate, what was expected of a quality dining room?
There were four young boys for the silver, black dresses in black, they had to bring in and take it all, there was no conversation with the lady of the house, it was coded, planned and executed at the millimeter. The cleavage of the eighteenth century to the next is crucial the French service and we have the memorialists witnesses, among them Tomas Melo and Breiner which is almost a bible, because he writes everything in detail of what was happening, he talks about the cook of the palace, Custódio who grace the puddings with deer legs, make cakes, which is strange because it appears to do everything and the pastry was a separate section, these dishes take hours to prepare and also gave the idea of wealth. It is he who said that the Queen Maria Pia had great elegance, never eat more than was put on her plate, never refused what was served and strangely ate fruit by hand. King Luís I, on the other hand, ate diet and still other dishes and bread and butter, according to the testimony of Vital.
Mainly the the table objects reflect the place of power, especially in the nineteenth century, as a social brand to distinguished who's who by the way of being on the table, knowing also handle a finite amount of objects that are created for this same purpose to hinder those who do not belong to the group, but all the pieces have a mark of possession, have a royal monogram, has the heraldry of their kings, this allows us to date, register and study the evolution of taste in these period.

http://www.matriznet.dgpc.pt/MatrizNet/Objectos/ObjectosListar.aspx?TipoPesq=2&NumPag=2&RegPag=50&Modo=1&Criterio=pratos

The oil-free platform and Quercus launch a campaign in defense of the Algarve coast.

Although the whole world already have realized that renewable energies are the future, the previous governments of Portugal created the conditions and incentives for prospecting, exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbons in the sea of the Algarve coast. For this reason it was created the Algarve Platform Free of Oil (PALP) an organization that follows the initiative of a group of citizens and organizations dissatisfied with the prospect of irreparable loss of various ecosystems along the coast of this southern region of Portugal.
A key objective of this platform is to alert the population to the risks inherent in exploration of hydrocarbons in the region, encourage a public debate on the consequences of a decision-making of this nature require a study of social, economic and environmental impact, and yet, press the state to publish all the information inherent to the exploration, development and production of oil and natural gas in Portugal. One of its most recent action was the presentation in Parliament of a petition that could save the interests of all of us, citizens, and above all, that fragile ecosystem.
But is not enough. It has therefore been essential the partnership with Quercus and two communication agencies to create a campaign that is intended to alert the population to the risks of loss of these ecosystems and to its protection in a more simple and affordable way through social networks. Therefore, it calls to all to pass the message, sharing videos that appear at the end of this text, use images, sign the sandy beaches and if you preferred share #thelastbeach hashtag.

http://www.palp.pt/

http://www.quercus.pt/

It's one of those texts that I want to be a reflection on the current standards of beauty.

Arrives the summer and there is nothing more refreshing than a dip in the sea or pool and then also arrises one of the greatest female dramas, bikini or bathing suit? That is the question. And although the market offers all kinds of pieces, patterns and sizes the biggest problem for women is not the choice, what weighs more are the potential condescending looks or the vitriolic comments made by others that makes of our choice. I remembered this theme because of a recent news story about an American mother who wore a bikini, took a picture to show on social networks and what was the image so special that generated a lot of discussion and numerous prejudiced comments? What was the real rub? Only that her body showed stretch marks and some flaccid skin as the result of a pregnancy and a lady had told her at the public pool that she should not wear a bikini because you could see everything, it was ugly and it was not appropriate for a mother. The response was immediate and the girl said she did not feel ashamed of her body, because it was with it that she created a miracle, her daughter, she felt comfortable in her skin, was proud of her body and her husband did not care about those little imperfections, who was she to say whatever? I must say it was one of the best answers I've ever read and not only I support this mother, but even I also came across this kind of prejudice of wearing a bikini after 30. Where did arose the standard that a full swiming suit is more appropiate from a certain age on? Perchance the bikini is only reserved for use and enjoyment of young adolescents and the models of Victoria's Secret? And if we do not have the ideal body, why should that stop us from using only two pieces suit? The truth? The shame results from the little comment made by others and the worst is that in most cases are the very women who in many cases encourage this kind of shameless behavior. But you may counter that this is not to say bad things, but prevent a friend's embarrassment, that is a laughing matter, that she can be pointed out. That is not a valid argument, if a person feels good on their skin, even with its imperfections and there is no perfect bodies, why not use a bikini? And if it bothers mostly others, why should we worry so much about what others think? Let us be frank when we see images of actresses and former models on the beach with their toned and magnificent bodies we must not forget that before they were training for months with their personal trainers to prepare their bodies for the summer season, made diets, liposuctions, treatments for stretch marks and cellulite and the rest of us ordinary mortals have to be content with our trips to the gym twice a week and the creams we purchase at the pharmacy waiting for a miracle! And because there is none, we have to accept what we got and also that the force of gravity is the same for all, even for those who had no children, unfortunately! So a friend's advice, I have said more than once and I never get tire of repeating, use what you think is right for you and what makes you feel comfortable, whether is a bikini or a bathing suit. What matters is sunbathing, swimming, resting and doing it without complexes. Have a nice vacation.

The Municipal Library of Santa Cruz celebrated its birthday. An ephemeris which was the motto for a memory tour.

One of my great loves are books and not always throughout my life my family had money available to buy them, but thanks to the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation had access to the greatest works and classics of national and international literature, atlas, comic books, science fiction books and other publications that flooded my imagination and were a source not only knowledge, but of wonder. All this to say about what? Of the 52 existence of the municipal library of Santa Cruz, my favorite spot. A simple birthday that served not only to mark the occasion, but also to recall a little history of this space that was opened on July 16th, 1964 with some pomp and circumstance, since it was the second library at the regional level. If before April 25th, 1974 the turnout was scarce due to high illiteracy of the population in the post-revolution everything changed as has one of its former employees, Maria Belita Abreu, who was at the service of this library for 42 years recalls , "post April 25th we began to have an incredible influence, there was a great need for people to read, it was a hard time finding place in one of the three rooms were always full and people were waiting for their turn. Sometimes we wanted to sit them and the places were all busy, they asked for all kinds of books to sit, take notes and study, it was something different. "
Over time the library was earning its place thanks to another revolution that occurred in school education, as stated by the former librarian "some primary school teachers were careful when starting the academic year to present the library to their students. Up between classes, as schools were close had students who then came up for books, over time educational establishments were getting farther and habits have changed".
In 2000 there is a new milestone when the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation decided to donate all its libraries and books to the Portuguese authorities, in this decade, as highlighted "the flow of readers has decreased, first because schools have opened their own libraries and later, young people began to be more computerized and used computers to search and then we noticed a break".
But what is read twenty years ago? Mary Belita Abreu states that "smaller read the more traditional literature as the" Red riding hood"," The Three Little Pigs ", but also more contemporary authors such as" Ana Maria Magalhães and Isabel Alçada as always had the books of these authors and they always took care end of the book to address the historical question and it held readers who wanted to see another books. Later it became more selective reading because they impose compulsory reading by students in schools. By adults there were some who came for the philosophers, but most chose the Portuguese writers and foreign, from a certain point it was noticed that people prefer literature and not only the classics. They read a quotation and went to look for work, we suggested later on and even foward these readers to another authors, or readings. One of the most sought-after authors has always been "Eça de Queiros, who became later to be compulsory in schools, through his work," The Maias "which still is today. The Nobel José Saramago enthused people to those who did not know him and it also brought readers. "
In 2016, there is a renewed enthusiasm for the municipal library of Santa Cruz, through a schedule of events whose aim is to attract more young readers to this space, however, the future of libraries needs to be rethought, since with the advent of new technologies, the gadgets allows people to download several literary works within minutes and available online specialist information queries, the existence of these institutions guardians of human knowledge and its unlimited capacity for imagination may have its days numbered.