It is the personal testimony of José Cardoso Pires.

It was a book published after the writer had recovered partly from a stroke he suffered just before his death two years later. A warning suit: you must read this account with the full soul, as I like to say. Its crude language, surgical and almost devoid of feeling comes to cause a lot of discomfort in those who fear the proximity of death and its inevitable consequences that may be more painful or less painful and unpredictable as we know. José Cardoso Pires describes each of these stages of loss and recovery of his "I", empty, forgotten their inner wealth, even the smallest physical gesture, it needs to be relearned. It is a slow process that slowly, steadily, will rebuilding the old me, but second-hand, because never again be what it was before. Never forget, I think in an interview, Inês Pedrosa recalled a conversation he had with the writer in which he lamented his scant literary work and she replied that he wrote what needed to be written, I hope to be quoted it correctly and I remember this because "De profundis Slow Waltz" is exactly one such example, had to be perpetuated in words and so this is for posterity example of courage and humility at the same time before the inevitable passage of mortality. Good read.

Christy Almeida sings what enchants her from the world, what wonders her, because everything around is part of what she calls creation. It is a call that channels through her songs that refer to love, to hate, to joy and sorrow, in short to life.

Your music shows influences of the jazz, salsa and folk. How do you define yourself as an artist?
Christy Almeida: I am a world folk artist. The stories are from the world. It is jazz, it is folks, has elements of classical, of pop, a tiny of hip hop, tango and hopefully fado. I traveled all over the world. I've listen to all types of music, all does different genres are in my heart. So, when I play, or write, or sing hopefully all my travel around the world had an influence in my sound.
Your first record, Pure, was everything you dream of?
CA: My very first work was with my salsa band, "llanita" and the album was sung in both English and Spanish. Pure blue green from Decca was a big mix, because of the musicians I invited to play in it, were from all over the world. Again it was world folk. I wrote it in a cottage, it took me three month and then we record it in twelve days. I had amazing people; there were musicians from Trinidad, India, England and also American.
You considered yourself like a gipsy?
CA: I think so.
Besides your traveling, what makes you write songs in a cottage and in such a short time?
CA: It is hard to explain, because it is like a yearning, it is a very painful yearning. I do not know if I can explain it. It is something inside me that doesn't let me be. You can live a life, have a boyfriend, get married, have children and suddenly the yearning comes and you said: Sorry I have to go and do this. It grows, it bubbles, and it bubbles and if you don't something with it, it hurts you. The best way to describe it is: (I am pretty sure all humans are like this) there are some people in this earth who are channels for creativity and if you think that creation is all around us, then creativity is the essence of that creation. Find its way thru humans. I am a channel. When it happens, that is all I have to do, that is my job as a human. Everyone has its own job. I do not know what life is about, don't know why we are here, but mine in this life is to create and when I don´t it hurts me. That is when inspiration happens and panic attacks. When I'm really creative I flourish, I shine and when I'm not, I'm dark. And if you listen to that creativity it needs to come thru, that yearning. I also paint, I do not what it is, but I have to it. For a month I can paint, what it is difficult in terms of money, but I do it for a reason and latter I'll find out why. I don't know where it goes, there is an energy that has to be release and if you don't release it is not healthy. Someone can come along and said: Hey, I really like what you paint it here, but maybe we can take just a little bit there and expand it and I can use it for this show in a theater.

It is a documentary series with seven episodes on a kind shell dweller of Lake Tanganyika.

It is an unusual fish. The Neolamprologus multifasciatus (scientific name) are the smallest cichlids in the world. They are known to exhibit the more complex behaviors of all fish, and this species in particular, is a step ahead, rivaling the great social mammals.
Being so small has allowed them to dwell in vast beds of shells of Lake Tanganyika, where they form large colonies. The way they live in communities makes them so special. I found it amazing that no one has ever told this story. With so many nature documentaries on every conceivable subject, a filmmaker has never stopped for a moment to hear what these fish have to say. This project was a one man show (and 6 fish), with all the dangers and advantages that a film made entirely by one person usually has. Although I am responsible for everything, including the filming, editing, post-production, music and writing, this was mainly a big editing job that I must confess I do not miss. Going through more than 1,200 hours of footage of fish inside an aquarium is not something that one could easily "tackle" again alone. The narration is done by Pemba, whose voice belongs to Sylvia Vasconcelos, that is the first fish to come to the set.

What is the purpose of this short film in several chapters?
Alfredo Reis Deus: The noblest aim of my short film was to call attention to the lack of empathy to all that surrounds us. Let's imagine that my dog is suffering. One thing is for her to be near me and another thing if it is 100 meters, 200 meters or up to 500 meters away. We also feel these differences depending on the animal; we have more empathy for a large living being than a smaller one. And since the world began, and that there is life on earth, pain is felt similarly. What is intended with this work is that people were able to face smaller animals with the ability to have feelings very close to humans, and this was just the first movie. Pemba is a solitary animal, but then more people arrive. Not the ones he wanted, but he suffers the consequences. In terms of disclosure, if one of the pharmaceutical industries could see the potential of this narcoleptic, because surely this film helps in times when you have problems with insomnia. I wanted to turn this into a trilogy, is a classic drama, that heaven has in itself the seeds of hell, because it is an environment with limited space. I wanted to do a second sequence to continue the series that would take place in the city and there would be problems to overcrowding. The third part would lead to Pemba and his friends back to the land of their ancestors, Lake Tanganyika, Africa. To live the dream, this is extremely dangerous, because it has the ability to transform into a huge nightmare. Then I will explore this topic, and they would be eaten or not. That is the idea.

It is a portrait of loneliness?
ARD: It is. Actually there is a fish talking to itself, when in reality there are many people talking for him. On one hand, I looked at Pemba and tried to understand what he felt. On the other hand, there were also things I wanted to say that I occasionally said through the fish. In other times, the brightest part of the series, the fish had conversations with me and looked up to me the one who control it all. Like a conversations that we sometimes have with God, because He's always looking at everything we do and controls our lives. So they began to address me in that same way. In the end the fish forgive me.

Did you choose the Aquarium setting purposely because it conveys calm?
ARD: No, to tell you the truth I would have liked to have shot enclosed in the lake, and it is my intention is to shoot in Tanganyika in Africa. But it seemed surreal to me, the fish's environment set against a half human half natural background, using everything to make a lot of parallels between what happens in their lives and what happens in the lives of those who are out here. At the distance that immense sea but they are trapped. Even though in reality it is not a prison, because fish naturally live in small spaces, the size of your hand, despite the space available. During the series we play around with these thoughts.

The Mustamp arise when designer Eugenia Simoes suggested to Dieter Seifert and Teresa Marques of "Maison et Couture Textiles" to create their own brand. A Portuguese company with 20 years of experience in confection and production that quickly fell in love with the idea and together they decided to move forward with the project that has a varied range of household items: decorative pillows, duvet covers, kitchen and bathroom textile, and transport bags for a varied public.

Why did you choose the area of home textiles to launch your brand?
Eugenia Simoes: Partly because Portugal is very prestigious out there along these lines, the domestic textile fortunately is very well regarded by most people. They try to go to the Chinese market and find products at the most affordable price because we maintain a quality that is recognizable. So in times of crisis we have to invest in a brand that can be exported and not limit myself to my own country. The textile as well as footwear is a trend that continues to have a high growth. My main motive for creating my own brand is that a good friend of mine lives in this area and is a producer of several European brands. That turned out to be the driving force and the justification to proceed with my brand. This way you don't only earn as a producer but also as a creator of the product.

So mustamp started because you are a textile designer.
ES: No, oddly enough I am software designer, but since I was a girl I have always been passionate about fabrics. My mother is a seamstress and I applied to the area of textiles, except that I was afraid to advance in this area, because the courses are almost all fashion design, mainly for clothes, so I decided to bet on graphics. It was also safer in terms of employability and in hind sight, it was better in terms of career. I choose design, but was always interested in fabric. So when I met my colleague and gradually discovered how he worked, it woke up my interests end resulted in starting my brand. In my day to day I work in software design, my hobby is the textile that has a certain return, making it possible to earn some more money. It turns out to be funny, this is the nice part of the work; however it gives a lot of headaches, as we must always be present in the fairs and promote the brand. It is advantageous because it is something I enjoy doing.

Did you feel some difficulty as a designer in the presentation of your product from the factory, although your project started with the help of your colleague who was already inserted in this area?

ES: Yes, mustamp associated with this company "maison et couture" that has many customers that are mostly European, ie, produce products that designer's commission for me. It ends up being the same thing, I create, and we together made a stand. There was no difficulty doing this, because there was this connection. Of course, if my work was not good, or he did not like it, this would not go ahead, friends are friends, business is business. But, as we both like the end result we decided to proceed with the first collection and we are now working on the second.

Let's talk about this first collection, a great piece of inspiration comes from the world of bikes, I am truly curious.
ES: Me too. The mustamp creates objects according to the tastes of society, I'm not sure if we can call them tastes, but current trends. We have many home textile products with embroidery or stripes, and are very attached to a context and a particular type of audience, we tried to create textiles for those who like the theme of bikes, because there was no offer in this area. And the whole team, all three of us love this mean of transportation and this culture and also wanted to have products geared to the geeks, or hipsters. These are the current trends arising in society, with different styles, e.g. the reindeer with sunglasses is one more current trend. We also tried to address other trends, such as the code for beds in GR people more adept with technology and we are trying to diversify, we do not have a target audience, because we focus on several markets and are always looking for new areas, we are not tied to an audience, because then we have more chance of selling. Instead of selling a lot of one product, we sell several products fairly well. I think there is a very large drop in the textile industry, because Portugal is very directed to the same standards and the same lines and mustamp breaks this concept. We bet on bikes because we felt there was a gap in the market. Before, you could find textile items with "Harley Davidson" with brand itself and not a generic thing that appeals to everyone and refers the bikes.

It's an application for funding in support of these marine animals.

The CRAM-Q (Rehabilitation Center of Marine Animals of okra), managed by SPVS (Portuguese Society of Wildlife), intends to acquire a set of transmitters needed to monitor the turtles after their release into the ocean. A tracking device that is very important for the teams of scientists, as it is the best way to ultimately assess the success rate of the animal's recovery. Using post-release monitoring CRAM-Q is able to know where the turtles are heading, what kind of dives are made and more importantly, is the only way to find the ocean regions (migration corridors, feeding areas , etc.) that are actually relevant to the various species.

Until 2009 it was thought that the appearance of sea turtles was a "marginal occurrence" in Portuguese waters. Since then, the research team has been able to demonstrate that they are much more common in our waters than previously thought. In fact, only in 2011 150 stranded animals were reported, and 60 specimens were observed during an air census, having since been rehabilitated, from common turtles (Caretta caretta), green turtles (Chelonia mydas) and leatherback turtles (Dermochelys coriacea). At this time the rehabilitation center Okra cannot meet the necessary budget to acquire the essential turtle transmitters. Currently, all available cash only supports the operating costs, such as food and medicine, the specific analysis and veterinary care, staff salaries and maintenance of facilities (water, electricity, repairs), hence the importance of any type of donation.

The CRAM-Q is a non-governmental organization non-profit, whose main objective is to stimulate and encourage research about wildlife. Its mission focuses on the rescue, rehabilitation and return of marine animals back to nature (birds, mammals and reptiles), and increase scientific knowledge about these animals and their habitats. This is a team of technicians and researchers that rescue animals over 500 km from the Portuguese coast with an average of five hundred interventions each year. Its primary purpose is the conservation in general, so help to help.

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/help-save-sea-turtles

Nicolas de Barry is one of the most esteemed perfumers in the world. Created a unique fragrance based on his perception of the island of Madeira. The scent, the isle of Madeira. Embark on this fragrant journal of the pearl of the Atlantic.

Creating a perfume is like cooking, you must have good ingredients, and then you need to move them in a nice way to be able to cook them. The raw materials of perfume are essential oils that nature arises after transformation. Flowers like jasmine, rose, tuberose, then weeds, herbs such as rosemary, mint, lavender and even trees and leaves. Everything that exists in nature and has smell is transformed into essential oil, mainly through distillation. It is like making liquor except that instead of alcohol we produce essential oil with smell.

A perfumer does not boil the ingredients; he buys the ingredients ready and has a perfumer organ, a table with several shelves filled with bottles of essential oils. Your job is to create a composition, called fragrance. The scent is a blend of essences which we call a note, is a reference to a composition, so that there is harmony and chords, as in music.

The olfactory pyramid serves to explain the process of creation. A scent must respect three levels, the fond, the base notes are stronger they stay on the skin. Are the most profound. As woods, animal notes that nowadays we no longer use. To the isle of Madeira I used an ingredient that contains a historical feature, is the amber whale. On the island there was whaling. Nowadays there is no whale hunting, but one of the traditional ingredients of the perfume is amber. It is produced by created the whale cab, is a stone that develops in the belly of the animal and is then expelled into the sea. The largest ball found in the modern era was precisely on the island of Madeira, weighed 400 pounds. It is an exceptional product known for thousands of years by perfumer.

The first floor is the Coeur, the heart, are the most important notes that will characterize the scent, if it is a floral scent, for example. In the first exercise, one of the features of the island of nature in general, are its flowers, so the dominant note could only be floral, so I used several, roses and jasmine.

At the top, tête, the head, are the lighter notes, which give a fragrance its cooler side and may be the most important in terms of marketing, I put the regional tangerine, on the island this is a very tasty fruit, small and fragrant, can be found it in the markets in January. I wanted to put a bouquet that does not mix well with this result, but it was something symbolic, is a product that is used in perfumery and named the island's capital, Funchal, fennel. In a scent there are ingredients that do not match. We return to compare this process with the kitchen, we all know that we do not mix fish with meat or fish with sweet ingredients, in a fragrance is the same, we have to value the notes if I use fennel for a perfume, not add salsa.

Maryjuh is one of the female voices of reggae. It is one of the references in this musical style in Portugal, she has been claiming her own grown, in a world of male singers and songwriters, with light and fresh songs, as is the case with her latest single, "tell me why".

You always sung in choirs, why you decided to launch a solo career at this point?
Maryjuh: First of all because I wanted it to be an original project. In reggae there are many female voices, though not in Portugal and then tried to had big "luggage" at national reggae with the charismatic band Jahvai, it gave me some experience and also had a lot of people tell me I should try to launch a personal project. Then I started thinking what kind of musical style wanted print and thought: I am lover of soul, blues and jazz, as in Portugal there is not a girl singing reggae affirmatively I tried there. And in the almost three years as Maryjuh the feedback was huge, which I was not expecting, with just two months after launching my first song on "you tube" soon had invitations to shows.

You write your own themes, but it's just the lyrics and you also compose?
M: I create the melodies and the lyrics. Earlier, I got to do songs with Jamaican producers, with various artists. However, when I began to disclose more my work, I started working with some national music producers and did some recordings. It was kind of partnership, they yielded the instrumental and I introduced my lyrics, I started from scratch and created a great theme with Micky had a great feedback; it was a 100% domestic production, the song "stronger". Over time, I've done live concerts with my professional companion, which is the Nagga Fire dos and we are been doing shows all over the country.

And there is the prospect of an album?
M: Yes, although in Portugal the medium is very small and the financial instruments are very scarce. I will launch a new theme and a video clip. Then I will create a large single and see what I can in terms of support I can find to help me launch, because as I said at the production level is not easy. Not that it is not willing to do it, but will take more time. I am preparing my album and I already have some songs, I lack the financial means for conclusion, but I think briefly there'll be something. My new song is "tell me why". It is a summer theme, gets in the ear and the Portuguese will like it.

Do you feel that your career is still barely visible because there are no many women singers of reggae, there is a certain bias?
M: Yes, there is also this factor. Thus, I do not want to point the finger, but it is still difficult. Somewhat unfortunately the message of reggae is not just what people like to think. In the music world there are many rivalries and somehow see a woman in a path that was followed by men, of course, it has little support even from people of my age. I found this prejudice, but on the other hand, had a lot of people to support me and give me a lot of strength. This is a challenge for me, I am a strong person, my goal is to keep true to myself and do my work as I have done it.

What inspires your themes?
M: When I was younger my songs were more dedicated to love, songs are easier to write, and I say this as honestly. It is a very pretty age, although my life has never been easy since I got to Portugal, is lasts, but what not kill us makes us stronger. "Tell me why" does not have a message, is a summer song, is about a disappointment. My songs like "Stronger," "the right to live" and "I raise, I shine," are positive themes, in the sense that I try to convey my experience, without being too dramatic and without exposing too much of my life. It is a way to reach out to others without discriminating anyone. It is the motto of reggae. Also now I'm 23 and you have other kind of maturity, another desire and with age all that appears in my head becomes increasingly clear.

In choosing the right perfume all advice is welcome.

Coco Chanel, a great lady of haute couture, said about essences, it was the second skin of a woman. A fragrance becomes so personal and not transferable in contact with the skin surface, like the personality of the one who wears it. Each woman exudes an unusual smell, even when it comes from the same perfume. And it's absolute truth.

The fragrance was born more than 3000 years to meet the demands of the higher classes, now it is democratized market that moves million that represent a wide variety brands, so how to choose the right fragrance? According to the perfumer, Nicolas de Barry, "every person has a personal chemistry that combines with the perfume. First, you have to smell it to see if you like it, but then you have to try it to see if your skin agrees with the analysis. The test should prolong itself after 5 minutes, then an hour and up to 3 hours, because "when we are in a perfume shop, we cannot be there for long, because we do not have a full understanding of the perfume. Not so much the nose has to rest, but the part of the brain that analyzes all these odors. The brain works automatically. Sometimes it happens that certain people use what we feel is too much perfume, that they exaggerate, why? The brain has become accustomed to the scent and their perception decreases. If someone uses the Chanel 5 for ten years this person is no longer able to distinguish it, so it puts too much, compared to those who never used before the same fragrance. That is why I advise people who want to buy a perfume never buy based on that first impression. We must wait for the notes stand out. "

It is a delightful book written by the translator, playwright and actress, Ana Zaragoza.

I like unexpected books. This is one. It is those readings that make us nod the head with a grin on the lips. It is above all entertaining, unpretentious and light. I review almost entirely on it, well, the phrases I heard from my very Portuguese mother. The title says it all. Although, there are priceless expressions are limited to a specific geographic area of the country, as in this case the Alentejo, however, everything is so eerily the same. These pearls of the motherhood folklore is one of those steps that consciously we tried to avoid at all costs when we reached adulthood, because we want to always be sooo different from our mothers, more modern, better prepared than them, but like Ana Zaragoza stresses as well in this little compendium unconsciously the same words and expressions come out of our mouth out when least expect! Just like our mothers! And I smile again when I recall my mother saying some are not register of this lovely book, such as: Bad, bad, bad that the cat wants water! What does this mean? For those who've heard it, you must be enjoying it and for those who do not know, is someone in this case implies the child that is presumably doing something that your dear mother disapproves instinctively without even seeing what it is. In short: it is a warning. Its literal meaning escapes me to this day; I never understood the meaning of this sentence! Other: Only God knows what I suffered to have you into this world and this is how you thank me! This particular one, I nicknamed the extremely low blow, but it always worked. The guilt and anger mixed flooded me so that always end up doing the requests / order that came along with this pearl of motherly wisdom, for example, to wear one of the many dresses with balloon sleeves, the princess kind, she loved to sew and I hated dressing up until this day. Now I cannot stop smiling as I recalled it! And I only pity that my mother is no longer here with me, she would laugh as much as me when I read this simple "when you're a mother, you'll see." Happy reading!

Lourenço Viveiros organized the perfume festival, an event that aims to highlight one of the natural aspects of the island, its aromas. An olfactory dimension that includes diverse experiences that appeal to all the senses and wishes to be part of the tourist offer of Madeira.

Tell me a little bit about the perfume festival?
Lourenço Vivieiros: Following many conversations I've had with Nicholas de Barry, he lives on the island for two years now, this idea came up. I organized several events throughout these seventeen years, and then we thought why not draw an event connected to this whole universe of perfume? We started talking, writing and transformed it all in the format of the first edition of the festival of the perfume. It is a set of events that have different objectives. In the exhibition of paintings associated with an aroma you want to show the mixing of the paint across with fragrances. Also has an educational component, since we have a group of young people from local schools, is an act of pedagogy in which the master will give a lesson introducing them in the art of perfumes. In Reid's Hotel we organized master classes for a more adult audience, is a format for the art of building perfumes and still we had another initiative which was a dinner fragrant, in which Nicolas de Barry created a bouquet with the chef for each of the dishes. We will hold a ceremony perfume, inspired by a Japanese tradition. And we will also be presenting the perfume "isle of Madeira", for marketing reasons the name appears in English, since it is a language that predominates in visitors coming to the island. It is a scent that mimics the region using its local flavors. We do not want to stop here, we have a project that has a timeline and will be extended, it is intended that during the year there will be lengthened events on this giant universe of cosmetics and perfumes, there is still the possibility of workshops. Since the island of Madeira has great ingredients for the perfume, there is the idea of creating a production site. Another initiative involves Madera wine for its olfactory dimension, we contacted Chris Blandy who was fascinated with the idea, and so, blind olfactory tastes will be held of a certain type of wine.

How you link Madeira wine with perfume? There is an obvious olfactory strand, but in this initiative, what will be the link?
LV: They put up ingredients in wine that expand its olfactory dimension. As is the case with citrus liqueurs, type limonchello, contreaux, liqueurs of roses, chartreuse and there is a fragrant wine, which is the Martini. Let's start with the Boal 1920 and when it smells that wine, we realize its aromatic complexity, as it is very old what stays are the spices notes.

Addressing the olfactory issue, as a rule, on a day-to-day we forget this ability to capture the world through the smell.
LV: Paulo David, who is a renowned architect and my friend, in a conversation he said he thought this olfactory universe is interesting because today, almost there is a dictatorship of the visual. The senses were forgotten. The blind man is treated like a patient; someone who does not have the ability to smell we do not considered it may have a serious illness. From what I've read, the process of man's civilization, most in Western culture because Eastern cultures have never forgotten this dimension, the scent was no longer part of our lives. In the middle Ages, due to the phenomenon of plague, people thought that the disease spreads through the bath, not only, but also, and lost the pleasure of the bathing which was closely associated with fragrance. There is a large gap that allowed it to be seen as evil. The recovery in the western world makes no one escape the imposition of the perfume, which is part of the personal hygiene of the people, is no longer an elitist product, it is democratized. All people use perfume, which is extremely important.

The perfume festival has the particularity of being associated with areas that we never associated to fragrances such as an art exhibition, or even a dinner.
LV: When we drew up a dinner, and used cinnamon, we forget that it is a fragrant spice; the fact is that there is a set of ingredients that we do not connect to the perfume and cosmetics as they are associated to food without any risk. The use of pepper, fennel, and the use of herbs is a way to perfume the cooking. We lost this sense of education and culture, when Nicolas de Barry participated in the preparation of the dishes, the chef already had all the sauces, meats, fish, he limited himself to use ingredients that are also aromatic and often are included in the recepies. He used a pallet of elements that seem to be reserved only for perfumery, when they are not. In painting there was a satirical rendering cross, we used all the senses, the five and not just one, we may not realize, but use them even if unconsciously. Objectively we lost this culture of consciously use the smell and in some cases is good, but not in others. One of the other proposals we wish to present are the fragrant tours. Challenge people in an objective, concrete to volunteer to an olfactory experience. It's different from when we visited a garden without any indication, because the idea is to awaken people to this understanding, there is a new mindset. It is a dimension that we want to introduce the cultural offer to our visitors and exploitation directed to the perfume, to the aromas.