segunda-feira, 31 de março de 2008

Síntese de Março

02 de Março 2008
-> Dmitri Medvedev vence as eleições Russas

04 de Março 2008
-> Pub. Fotos de Avalache em Marte ocorrida a 19/02

07 de Março 2008
-> Bryan Adams Apresentou o Novo CD - Eleven - in a 1st Free Concert in Portugal

08 de Março 2008
-> Woman's Day

12 de Março 2008
-> Intern. Coffee Day

15 de Março 2008
-> Tokio Hotel - Concert in Parque das Nações - Lisboa CANCELED!!!

19 de Março 2008
-> Neve no Alentejo!!!
-> Alicia Keys - Concert in Parque das Nações - Lisboa

26-28 de Março 2008
-> New James Bond in Paranal - Chile

sexta-feira, 28 de março de 2008

James Bond in Paranal

ESO's Paranal Observatory

Last week, my friend Carla told me that Cerro Paranal, the 2600m high mountain in the Chilean Atacama Desert, would be (on 26 to 28 - today), the stage for scenes in the next James Bond movie, "Quantum of Solace", the 22nd in the series.

"Looking akin to Mars, with its red sand and lack of vegetation, the Atacama Desert is thought to be the driest place on Earth. Cerro Paranal is home to ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT), which, with its array of four giant 8.2-m individual telescopes, is the world's most advanced optical observatory. The high-altitude site and extreme dryness make excellent conditions for astronomical observations." And like ESO, the Bond Productions team also chose this place for some of the new movie scenes.

The ESO’s hotel or "Residencia" was the unique building served as the backdrop for the James Bond filming.

"QUANTUM OF SOLACE producer, Michael G. Wilson said: "The Residencia of Paranal Observatory caught the attention of our director, Marc Forster and production designer, Dennis Gassner, both for its exceptional design and its remote location in the Atacama desert. It is a true oasis and the perfect hide-out for Dominic Greene, our villain, whom 007 is tracking in our new James Bond film."

Andreas Kaufer, ESO's Paranal Director, said "We are very excited that the Bond production team have also chosen this location."

“In addition to the shooting at the Residencia, further action will take place at the Paranal airstrip.

The film crew present on Paranal includes Englishman Daniel Craig, taking again the role of James Bond, French actor Mathieu Amalric, leading lady Olga Kurylenko, from the Ukraine, as well as acclaimed Mexican actors, Joaquin Cosio and Jesus Ochoa. This cast from across Europe and Latin America mirrors the international staff that works for ESO at Paranal.

After leaving Paranal at the end of the week, the film crew will shoot in other locations close to Antofagasta. Other sequences have been filmed in Panama and, following the Chilean locations, the unit will be travelling to Italy and Austria before returning to Pinewood Studios near London in May.

QUANTUM OF SOLACE will be released in the UK on 31 October 2008, and in the US and internationally on 7 November 2008."

ESO's Residencia


ESO's Inside Residencia - Swimming poll

Links:
new
Bond at Paranal web site
http://www.eso.org/public/outreach/press-rel/pr-2008/pr-07-08.html


quarta-feira, 26 de março de 2008

Novo Acordo Ortográfico…

Foi aprovado pelo Governo, em Conselho de Ministros, a proposta do segundo protocolo modificativo ao Acordo ortográfico da língua portuguesa, de 1991, onde foi garantida a adopção das medidas adequadas de forma a «garantir o necessário processo de transição, no prazo de seis anos».
Este acordo, surge da necessidade de ser criada uma ortografia unificada da escrita da língua Portuguesa entre os países que a adoptaram como língua oficial, tendo sido assinado em Lisboa, pelos representantes oficiais de Angola, Brasil, Cabo Verde, Guiné-Bissau, Moçambique, Portugal e São Tomé e Príncipe.

Mas agora, a polémica instalou-se aquando do lançamento das três primeiras obras lexicográficas elaboradas em Portugal – o “Novo Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa - Conforme Acordo Ortográfico” em duas versões e o “Atual - O Novo Acordo Ortográfico - O que vai mudar na Grafia do Português”.

Devido a este Acordo, Portugal terá de modificar cerca de 1,6% do seu vocabulário, enquanto que o Brasil apenas 0,45%.

É mais que certo, que dentro de pouco tempo deixaremos todos de saber escrever correctamente, e teremos então que iniciar uma nova aprendizagem. Sinto que em grande parte, este é mais um passo na perda da nossa identidade portuguesa… Primeiro, foi o escudo por razões económicas, e agora será a escrita, como forma a nos aproximarmos cada mais das outras nações que falam a língua de Camões.

Mas se o Português de Portugal, é a origem da língua portuguesa, porque não, serem os outros países lusófonos a adaptarem-se ao nosso??? Bem sei, que o povo brasileiro afirma que o seu português é mais genuíno, e talvez isso aconteça devido as várias alterações que a escrita Portuguesa da Europa sofreu no último século, com as anteriores reformas de 1911, 1931 e 1945, onde nas quais desapareceram, por exemplo, o «ph» e o «y».

Mas apesar disso, o português sempre foi considerada uma língua muito rica, utilizando símbolos e sons considerados únicos no mundo. Agora com este novo acordo, muitas dessas palavras “únicas” irão desaparecer do nosso quotidiano. Custa-me a querer que dentro de pouco tempo este blog terá os seus primeiros posts cheios de erros ortográficos, inclusive este, que neste momento estou a escrever!!! De facto não concordo de maneira nenhuma… com algumas modificações.

Depois das letras “K”, “Y” e “W” terem sido retiradas do nosso alfabeto, agora querem incluí-las de novo! Aqui até posso concordar. Mas vão pô-las a onde? Apenas em novas palavras? Alterar as já existentes? Substituir os “K” pelos “Qu”. È de facto deprimente que tal possa acontecer!!!
Inclusive, algumas perdem mesmo a graça, e outras embora digam que não, perdem parte do seu som característico…
Quem disse que “facto” é o mesmo que “fato”?!!!
Ou que “actual” é o mesmo que “atual”?!

Para além destas, muitas mais alterações irão surgir tais como as eliminações:
- Letra «H» em palavras como «Húmido» que passa a «Úmido»;
- Letra «c» e o «p» nas palavras em que estas letras não são pronunciadas, tal como «acção», «acto», «baptismo» e «óptimo»;
- O Trema utilizado no Brasil desaparece completamente;
- O Hífen, quando o segundo elemento da palavra começa com «s» ou «r», como nos casos onde estas consoantes devem ser dobradas, tal como em «antirreligioso» e «contrarregra»;
- O acento circunflexo também desaparece nas paroxítonas (as palavras com acento tónico na penúltima sílaba), terminadas em «o» duplo como: «voo» e «enjoo», usado na ortografia do Brasil, mas não na de Portugal, e da terceira pessoa do presente do indicativo ou do conjuntivo de «crer», «ler», «dar», «ver» e os seus derivados. Assim, passará a escrever-se: creem, leem, deem e veem.

Para além destas eliminações, serão acrescentadas as letras «K», «W» e «Y», passando o alfabeto de 23 para 26 letras.

E agora… “bora lá” para umas aulinhas extra de Português!!!

Links:
Acordo ortográfico reacende polêmica
Ciberdúvidas da Língua Portuguesa

terça-feira, 18 de março de 2008

Life is Short…

Today, I read news which left me a bit sad. Who doesn’t remember the main actor from movies like Dirty Dancing or Ghost or even from the serial Tv North and South? That’s him, Patrick Swayze.
In that news, I read that he’s very ill and the doctors said that he has only 5 weeks till the end of his days!

What's importance have life? One day, we are everything and after we aren't anything…
What to do when we receive news like this?
Start to count the remaining days? Try to live them the best we can???
It's very hard when we know how much time left us!!!

That’s the price we have to pay for living?!

sexta-feira, 14 de março de 2008

Patagonia’s Glaciers

Every year this situation is repeated.
The global warming is destroying Patagonia’s Glaciers, the Antarctic and Arctic Seas…
That’s a fact!!!
This time, the news is around the Patagonia’s Giant Glaciers which year by year are decreasing in an alarming scale, losing every day a great part of the ice.

The Argentines scientists are very worried about this situation and warned that in the next 60 years the third largest plate of ice on the planet may have disappeared.

The time runs too fast and it’s time to do something...

To see the vídeo: click Here

segunda-feira, 10 de março de 2008

The Seven Modern Mortal Sins

Everything is changing in this small big world...
After the Older 7 Wonders have changed in benefit of the New 7 Wonders, now it’s Vatican’s time, whose is making some changes, in theirs 7’s.

Who told us that the Seven Deadly Sins would resist forever? That’s a wrong thought…
Even the Pope and the Vatican’s are changing, their ways of thinking.

Finally, they believe that no one (or very few) have been following those Old Sins?
I believe, almost nobody remembers, during their actions, that the 7 Sins exist!!!
If no one has been following the old Seven Deadly Sins… who will follow the Seven Modern Mortal Sins?!
Who is already breaking them, will still breaking them without think if that is or not a Sin. Now, they won’t stop it or change their minds, just because the Vatican’s said that now it's become a Sin and it’s wrong.

In our days, the people have their own ideas and most of the times they don’t follow some ideas specially when those are imposed by someone.
And normally who’s thinking in Sins? The people know the meaning of right or wrong but never remember if that's a Sin or not… Who cares about that?! In the 21st Century the Sins fell into disuse.

We all know, how important is to take care of the environment and the pollution is one of the biggest causes of our planet's destruction… but, there are others ways and worst which also are or can destroy our planet, like nuclear weapons e.g.
And now this is one of the New Sins?!
I think the Vatican’s forgot some others points, maybe more important, than some of these new 7 Sins.

But the most important thing is not if we break or not the Older or the Modern Sins… But it’s being conscious and attentive with everything around us… always believing in our heart and in ourselves, and trying to do our best ever and ever, without being selfish.

With simple acts and simple words we all can change the World.
And just like one day Michael Jackson said in one of his songs…

“Heal The World

Make It A Better Place

For You And For Me

And The Entire Human Race”


Simply beautiful… this song!!!

The Original Deadly Sins
- Pride
- Envy
- Gluttony
- Lust
- Anger
- Greed
- Sloth


And now… the New Ones
- Environmental pollution
- Genetic manipulation
- Accumulating excessive wealth
- Inflicting poverty
- Drug trafficking and consumption
- Morally debatable experiments
- Violation of fundamental rights of human nature


Link:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7287071.stm

sexta-feira, 7 de março de 2008

Bryan Adams in Portugal

Today, Bryan Adams was, once again, in Portugal. Portugal is the country that Bryan’s consider as the “Jewel of Europe”, and the first one that he chose to start his New Album Tour.
This promotional tour of his 11th album, (which is also called 11 and has 11 songs), will have a duration of only 11 days, while Bryan will give 11 free concerts in 11 different cities. Tomorrow he will be in Barcelona.

Bryan chose Portugal for his first concert, because he has a great relationship with the country and a lot of fans too.
In one of his interviews, he said: “I do not still know why I didn’t live in this country”. Eheheh… He loves Portugal… we all know that!!! And we all will love if he lives here…

His relations with Portugal started when he was teenager. He lived here with his parents in the late 60’s. That’s why he has the song “Summer of 69”. This song is dedicated to the time he spent here.
It’s quite funny to hear Bryan's speaking Portuguese words. Although he does not speak too much, he can understand a bit…
Thanks Bryan for choosing Portugal…

And just for curiosity… Bryan took a Portuguese fly company, London to Lisbon, and during his travel he was invited by the pilot to see Lisbon from the pilot’s cabin.
How lucky he was… Lisbon is beautiful viewed from the sky.

quarta-feira, 5 de março de 2008

Avalanches on Mars

This week, on March 3th, the world received important news from the Red Planet – Mars. A NASA spacecraft in orbit around Mars Planet, took on Feb. 19th the first ever images of active avalanches near the Mars Planet’s North Pole. The images show tan clouds billowing away from the foot of a towering slope, where the ice and dust have just cascaded down.

Ingrid Daubar Spitale of the University of Arizona, Tucson, who works on targeting the camera and has studied hundreds of HiRISE images, was the first person to notice the avalanches - "It really surprised me", "It's great to see something so dynamic on Mars. A lot of what we see there hasn't changed for millions of years."

According with Candice Hansen, deputy principal investigator for HiRISE, at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif, "We were checking for springtime changes in the carbon-dioxide frost covering a dune field, and finding the avalanches was completely serendipitous".

And Patrick Russell from the University of Berne, Switzerland, a HiRISE team collaborator said "We don't know what set off these landslides. We plan to take more images of the site through the changing Martian seasons to see if this kind of avalanche happens all year or is restricted to early spring."

More ice than dust probably makes up the material that fell from the upper portion of the scarp. Imaging of the site during coming months will track any changes in the new deposit at the base of the slope. That will help researchers estimate what proportion is ice.

And here, on Earth, we will be waiting for others news from Mars Planet.

More information: Here
http://www.nasa.gov/mro

sábado, 1 de março de 2008

March’s Picture

Who needs words?
It’s… Simply Beautiful!
"I put my eyes on You" :)
See!!! I'm sooo Cute...