This is a character created by designer Mariana Costa who wants to exorcise through design , the demons that haunt her as well as the angels who abhors her, all mixed with the touch of very peculiar humor.

Why Mariana, your alter- ego is so miserable ?
Mariana Costa : Because I am too.

If the Mariana was not so miserable, what could have been when she grew up in a parallel universe .
MC : I always liked to think it would have been a great florist . I like the idea of always earn the same at the end of the month and have weekends and holidays.

The character has much of your Portuguese way ? Or not really?
MC : The name appeared by chance, but served as a glove. For me it was easier to advance as Mariana, the miserable because it felt I was passing the responsibility to someone else. First up stories about this character as " she sold her heart in a gift shop to pay for the water bill ," but after a while I realized that this character is me and began to tell a little of my own story.

She has a somewhat crude draw, was something purposeful, when you imagined it? MC : The rough dash is to make use of my clumsiness and natural for disaster in my favor trend. I like making mistakes on purpose so it had that note .

This year, for the first time in the country there will be over 300 blue flags .

They are 298 beaches, 280 coastal and 18 inland and 17 marinas, which puts the total number of flags to hoist this summer. In Algarve 315 continues to lead in number of award-winning beaches : are 82, one river, against 69 in the year past. Next comes the northern region, with 66 beaches, one less than last year due to the departure of Leca da Palmeira.
In the Tagus area are 49 beaches, the same number as last year. Five are inland . There are four new beaches : Three fluvial beaches in Pampilhosa in the Sierra Santa Lucia, Peach and Low January and Lagoa Beach in Albufeira do Mar in Sesimbra . Four lose Flag : Crismina, Calada, Algodio and Castle .
There are still 27 beaches with a reward in the center region, 19 and eight coastal river. Oliveira do Hospital makes its first appearance on the list, with the river beach Alvôco Várzeas. Alentejo there will also be 27 beaches with flag, one river in Mértola . In the Azores there are 32 award-winning beaches, five more than in 2013 and 15 in Madeira, two more.

Below the official list :

It is a reflection on the musical tones, their musicians and their influence even in our time .

Say that the Portuguese music has a very important role in the April 25th is redundant, since we can effectively mentally reproduce a soundtrack for the Carnation Revolution , the hard part is choosing. And I issue the challenge, to the more patients readers to choose your songs. I start of course with the " after the farewell" a gorgeous song by Paul de Carvalho, who was the password for the beginning of the end of the dictatorship. The second theme is " Grândola vila morena" , Zeca Afonso , a song banned by the Estado Novo, it was played on Radio Renaissance,in the dawn of the revolution , as the second national sign, to say that the revolutionaries revolutionary maneuvers could proceed safely and which also became in our current social and political context , the anthem of the protest of the Portuguese people, 40 years later. I could not forget and have to talk about Pedro Barroso and my choice is the song, "Old struggles and new songs" that says " the strength of a people is also created to sing". José Mário Branco is another name that cannot stay out of this musical journey, " warning " that reflects well this period in time and with this spirit in mind , Carlos Mendes praises the Lisbon of hope and contentment with the the "monologue of the worker " and until we have a voice "forever companions" of Fernando Tordo, with lyrics by José Carlos Ary dos Santos. Although he was not as well known as others, Vieira da Silva sang the revolutionary Portugal with such certainty that "people will win " and I end with the unmatched Sérgio Godinho which states that there is only peace, bread, housing, health and education when there is "freedom " and that sentence has never been so true and current like today. Interestingly, in this " trip" thru the Portuguese music of the 70s , few or almost no female singers appear as musical references of this revolutionary period, which is nonetheless curious, given that they certainly also sang April.

"It is a book for history" as stated Miguel Real, during the national presentation held last Literary Festival Madeira 2014 . The book discusses the social conflicts at the time of PREC and makes an interpretative literature on the April´s post -revolution.

You argue in his book that the Portuguese Communist Party ( PCP ) during the revolutionary period was after all a blocking force.
Raquel Varela : What is decisive in the revolutionary period is the massive participation of anonymous people, who were not part of the politics, of course there were the parties of the extreme left the PCP and the Socialist Party ( PS ) , the Popular Democratic Party itself ( PPD ) that will grow and try to influence. But we have something like a third of the population, 3 million people directly involved in demonstrations, strikes and occupations and therefore is a country deeply involved in critical democracy, hour -to- hour, day -to-day, in factories, businesses and schools. It is such an important revolution that will serve as an example, unlike the case of Spain and Greece, where the Franco´s and Greek dictatorship were scared with the Portuguese revolution. In fact , these dictatorships of southern Europe fall after the April Revolution and is a key time for this, this is a very extensive revolution in the sense of the working population and participation. The PCP acts here more as a force of social restraint and attempts to link these people to the state, rather then to try that people have autonomy.

Also you discusse in his book the committees of workers, who had great power, much as the people in calling strikes .
RV : Absolutely. We had thousands of workers committees, some numbers point to 4000, but in addition to these, there were several factories, that were not official as work councils, but it means that democratically gather where they work, in each school , culture center, theater , hospital and medical services and where they decide how to organize their life. Democracy happens with the of day-to -day, hand votes, everyone voted. Even the leaders could be revocable, ie, were mandated and if they do not fulfill orders are destitute, no need to wait for an election such as trade unions or representative democracy .

Even though all these commissions have failed, because they never gathered all in one central committee .
RV : Of course, in the end is not a central committee, let just say is that there was never a central coordination of all these committees of workers and residents. If there had been it would have increased its capacity ... but I do not know why they failed, is a very important question and I do not know the answer .

If it had avenged , what would have happened ?
RV : I do not know, because I am a historian, I know what did not happen, in fact there was no coordinate resistence in the coup of 25th of November. Thousands of people took it to the streets and tried to resist, but there was no central command to resist this move.

For the purpose of a lecture, which took place in the literary festival Madeira'14 , under the motto " the brave new world " by Aldous Huxley, we spoke with Paula Moura Pinheiro, journalist , about the 40 years of April´s portuguese revolution and her tv program "guided tour" .

We live in a brave new world now ?
Paula Moura Pinheiro : The world is always admirable, even when times are less good . And I'm not saying this because it 's nice to say it , there's a fabulous side in being alive. Now, sometimes, we can live a tricky time and as a community we are experiencing one of those times. I believe it's an ironic title in 1974 we dreamed of this world , and the dream was not exactly equal to each of the people who dreamed, because there is also this question. They had several dreams sometimes even antagonistic, but they dreamed a lot 40 years ago is true .

And in your personal vision of this theme ?
PMP : The balance of the 25th of April for me is immeasurably positive. I was young when it happened, was eight years old, I have a memory, but is built .

But do not think all these dreams of revolution of the carnations, are gradually dying slowly ?
PMP : Is this an statement ?
Yes.
PMP : I do not think so. We are living in troubled times that require us to put ourselves and move forward and say: this is negotiable, the other is not . Especially because we have to realize that we are no longer happily in proudly alone , as we were before 74 and been part of a highly complex mesh that is international so we are very limited. I think and many felt the same way, we are conditioned and that is not synonymous of paralyzed. So we have to be proactive and actually see what we are willing to negotiate and what we are willing to give up concerning the April´s dreams. Freedom seems to me non-negotiable in all senses, of expression , freedom of movement, in short, but there is another type of acquisition that eventually we have to reviewed and this discussion should be taken in the public space and should involve us all. What are we willing to give up ? And what we absolutely not give in ? Each of us has to think and act accordingly .

A documentary by José Vieira Mendes evoking 40 Years of Carnation Revolution and the 50 Years of the hit 64 in Brazil .

Why you decided to do this film?
José Vieira Mendes : It was a kind of ' order ' of the Itinerant Festin - Portuguese Festival, which began as an idea that let me evoke in this festival Democracy and Dictatorship in a year of celebrations in Portugal and Brazil.

Why wanted to establish the parallel between the 40 years of revolution in Portugal and 50 years of the coup in Brazil ?
JVM : We are in 2014 at a time when many freedoms and guarantees of citizens in Portugal and Brazil ( and worldwide too, as we see every day on TV news ) are being threatened by the political power and the faceless financial capitalism, which does not create wealth, but inequality and instability in our lives. You have to remember everyone and especially to young people who seem a bit settled, that in Portugal and in Brazil, many people were arrested, tortured, and fought for the establishment of democracy , against repression and dictatorship. This precisely in two countries linked by language and culture. And then the example because of the Carnation Revolution greatly influenced the first openings and the transition to democracy in Brazil.

Why interview a priest, Alipio Freitas, what is its importance in terms of the April revolution?
JVM : Alipio is no longer a priest long ago. It is an almost mythical figure and a symbol of resistance and armed struggle in Brazil, he does very well the bridge with April 25th, as Zeca Afonso, a song dedicated to him called precisely ' Alipio de Freitas ' , included on the album ' My Tamanquinhas ' . It's a song in the background dedicated to all political and resistant to dictatorships and repression prisoners. Despite being stuck in Brazil, Alipio followed with great emotion, clandestinely, sneaking by guards and through a small battery radio the Carnation Revolution in Portugal. Watched in the background as many of the Portuguese mainland and Madeira also ( the drives are basically gave in Lisbon ) the revolution through the most democratic medium height and greater penetrating power.

During the shooting of your film which was more difficult and challenging in the process ?
JVM : The film is basically a long interview with Alipio de Freitas ( 1:30 a.m. ) , reduced to a film 32 ' , combining images of the Carnation Revolution and the coup of 64 was challenging the appropriation and selection of these images. Did as Jean - Luc Godard ' appropriated me ' these images available on Youtube, edited and worked them , thanks to the valuable work of Eduardo Amaro (the editor ).

What conclusions you draw at the end of the documentary?
JVM : Expected more impact in the media about the figure of Alipio de Freitas, which is however quite ill and unfortunately cannot attend the premiere of the film.

What now April 25th means to you 40 years later ?
JVM : I was 14 years old when happen the 25th of April. This evolution lived intensely in my youth, knowing that fortunately I did not have to go to war and would be a great opportunity to become mos in a democracy and a more open country in the world . For me April 25th is now a mix of utopia and disillusionment ! At a time in which we live a true civilizational setback , in which we stand to lose the least that is the right to work and who insists on erasing the memory of the values of 25th of April. I'm a little disappointed with this society ! In my own way I will continue fighting (writing or making movies ), for what I believe, fight against greed, for a more just society and well-being for all . I do not want to end up with the rich, I wish to end up poverty how try to do Alipio de Freitas and Zeca Afonso, they believe in the ' capital of happiness '.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HtXsHdqN-c

The Bellysketcher, Ines Pargana, influenced by her memories, notes on drawing sessions an essence whose memory will last indefinitely. Fragments of time that capture the moods, dreams, fears and hopes of the future momies and the later stages of life of their babies. It is a time Kodac moment, only it's even more special...

The BellySketcher ( BS ) starts with your son Thomas, when you were still pregnant, you said you had a desire to go back to drawing, why?
Ines Pargana : Especially after he was born, because I knew that everything went so fast, even that would take photographs, I could never capture what I grab through drawing. He was becoming more grown up, I wished to do more things and photography seemed like it was not quite there, I wanted to captured those moments and began to draw it. There was a phase that drew immense and it was good for them, because I resumed drawing and wanted to grab those moments because I knew they would disappear.

When you start to draw you had the idea to start the blog ? Or was it a suggestion ?
IP : I just had this idea. I had many blogs where I put the drawings of Thomas, then people began to comment and ask questions, but when I was something more to show your friends, I wanted to show his growth . But then it started to grow and to have visits from people who did not know and gradually began to gain a greater dimension.

And that's when started your first order arise ?
IP : Initially the women were asked to draw their children and then became pregnant, I do not remember how the process was, but it was something very natural. Then I started to draw more pregnant women and not so much children also start drawing them after birth.

When doing sketches what is your biggest challenge in those two hours?
IP : Well, with kids is get them in a position, which is very difficult because of course they do not sit still and is very difficult to catch their expressions, these sessions I end up taking a picture to be able to draw children. Regarding the pregnant women we talked about their pregnancy, try to capture all that they have and papture these feelings in the drawing , because at this stage are not only the pictures, it is a mind state.

It is more a reflection on the art of traveling through time .

I will start by saying that I am from time that traveling by plane meant to bring almost anything that fits on the trunk or out of it and when I say almost all, is not an euphemism. I must add even that the hosteses of TAP Air Portugal , our exclusive carrier for long and tortuous years, sometimes looked at me with an absolute silent disapproval before the amount of hand luggage I could carry on, not to mention the suitcase bursting sent to the cargo hold, I coul say the one thing lacking was a hang bag on top of my head, such were my needs ... to carry things. Truth be told , although they looked horrified, the ladies always patiently helped me find a little place for my multiple bags and pouches and why am I talking about this, you may ask? Due to the fact that today we are witnessing a genuine period of terror in international aviation leding us to what I call the most bizarre scenario in the every day life of airports . Consider this, a pesssoa practically has to strip not to beep when we passed by the metals detector, since taking off belts, jewelry, piercings, shoes and even at the end we are still lavish with a personal customized search. But this is not even the weirdest, now when I see airport employees tasting beverages that mothers carry in the handbags for their babies , I wonder isn´t too much? After all how the water, or the juice from the baby bottle contribute in any way to a terrorist attack ? And I think , oh time go back !

And I remember, not missing it a lot I might add, when I finished the course , because I lived in Madeira and my parents could not really bring the car to carry all the stuff I have accumulated over the years , and the cost to transport via container was too much for my student pocket, decided to slowly bring everything , and I must stress that I carried almost everything from books, pots even the knives I got for the kitchen , if I tried, or rather dared nowadays go through airport security with such artefacts I soon would be arrested and charged of terrorism. Not to mention the plants, fruits and other items that I carried with me throughout the years, via airplane. One of the funniest trips I took was when I decided to bring a parakeet as a Christmas present for my mother, offered by a cousin ho bread several types of these birds. Of course , I could not put it in the bag that would go to the cargo hold because the poor animal would die asphyxiated, then common sense dictated the handbag. Clearly I had no certificate from the veterinarian, but decided to risk it and I must say it was one of the most hilarious moments that had in an airport, passing by the famous X-ray machine, as I was already on the other side, I enjoy the look of surprise of the employee when he viewed among other everyday objects, a skeleton contoured as a bird, which contained a small beating heart, after the initial shock, he started to laugh and called another colleague to observe this strange phenomenon, after a short whispered conversation, both very amused men turned towards me, looked at my bag, looked back at me and trying to look very serious , they told me they were going to pretend that they saw nothing. Only then I could breathe of relief , to laugh nervously and thought how good it is to live in Portugal . As you can guess this kind of things only happen in our country , in my view, more stringent people would have trapped the the animal, I will be forced to hear a moralizing speech and continuous act would have been fined at the least, so, thankfully we are more forgiving than we believed. The radioactive parakeet arrived safe and sound to the island, after two and a half hours, which it did not want to eat or drink and in fact it was his first and last plane trip and I guarantee that after this mishap he lived for long and many years to the delight of my mother who enjoyed its morning singing .

Paula Oliveira, the great jazz diva and Luiz Avellar, the piano virtuoso , two big names of the music scene national and international met by a twist of fate and from this link was born a perfect symbiosis without parallel or end in site. From this unusual gathering was born a great music project which motto is the pleasure of being together .

How arises your project, fine mixture .

Paula Oliveira : This project has the happy coincidence of having a friend in common, which is the Bernardo Moreira, who has worked with me in previous projects and introduced us. I fell in love completely by way of playing of Luiz Avellar and his music. Especially grew a chemical that occurs naturally, this soul that is universal and that unites us all , which is not material, but we know that it is there, is music. We decided to call this fine mixture, I do not know if we will change or not. For now it has a double meaning, and is a fine blend, which comes from the refined term is also alluding to a phenomenon in Brazil and that 's happening here, which is the closing of spaces where our music was played and there was the true social gathering. Fine mixture is also a historic Rio de Janeiro club that closed and hosted the world's biggest superstars, as does Hot Club here and so has this duplicity. And because it is so obvious it is ok, if you ask me if I want to play for a lifetime with Luiz 's no need for words happen and this certainty at the time of life in which we are now, he almost 58 and I have 48, it is the best, without any tension or jealousy , is a highly respected space is a bit like a musical marriage, people are because they want to be there, is not a paper, or a contract that will stipulate the time of this relationship, happens for its deepest root, of course .

Tell me a little bit of your repertoire, you're a jazz diva, but Luiz Avellar despite being in this field for several years , comes from other musical means, how do you establish this dialogue between the two ?
PO : Luiz has jazz, Brazilian and classical music and is a mix of all this and makes him play like he does play. He can speak to you of his route in a more organized manner . It is interesting to address this, because in the passages it shows , the several languages when we played, it happens .

The composition how all this takes place ?
PO: That's a question that many people do , but there is no real logical explanation and there are no formulas or rules, there is indeed a very strong empirical process, which starts from the connection with the music that surrounds us, that moves us and pushes to do. So while singing the words appear, because the music is made of words and they tell me these musical sounds and there is no logic , it is only something that happens. Not going into technical details, it is the least important here, is what awakens us to have that flavor and appetite that can cause these pseudo - receipts . The composition of the songs happens from the individualizing each of us brings to the music, with its cargo and personal history. More than that I cannot say there are happier moments than others, more happy words than others, closer to people than other identities and the music is that. Anything can happen . What must not happen is the opposite, coming from the outside to within, this is something that comes from the inside out , I cannot talk to me if I do not know me, I cannot talk about certain feelings if I did not experienced them and at least know how am I. Then there are people who either do not identify with that state of mind, ie to explain the success or failure of the compositions , but it don´t ask me that because I do not know . I just know what I like to play, to sing, which I think is minimally honest that requires delivery and for which I give myself .

But what was the thread to debug this repertoire ?
Luiz Avellar : It was the creation of a friendship, we became friends, I consider myself a great friend of Paula and I feel the same from her. And we think alike in terms of music, we have very similar musical tastes, whether the melody or the lyric. She did not come only from jazz, she is a Portuguese singer, with Portuguese influences, with everything that entails. But she is a highly intelligent singer who perceives all others, when she sings jazz has that feeling and beauty of a Portuguese approach. For me it has much to do with classical music and the lyricism of the Romantic era, with Chopin, Debussy, Ravel and everything else, those hues are mixed , there is no standard rewritten, remains modal without not much prison in certain behaviors and both of us are very concerned and attentive to aesthetic sound. I'm sure Paula sees it as well, I see music as a picture, a painting .

The Portuguese designers decided to color the catwalks with various shades.

The spring-summer 2014 seen by Portuguese designers is a season marked by a diverse palette of colors ranging from white to black passing through the pastels covering various tipes of audiences. There are shades to suit all tastes, perchance it will be difficult to choose.

Another strong focus of national designers were the patterns which are a good indication for a season full of vitality, joy and boldness. The sources of inspiration were many, from the tribal elements to the traditional tiles that marked many collections in a very positive way.