Abrahan Lincoln was a great man, hence he had to be murdered by insecure and ignorante people...
He wrote this to his son's teacher and it is trully remarkable!
And mybe the reason I trust Menkind as a whole, is because first I trust myself.

He will have to learn, I know,
that all men are not just,
all men are not true.
But teach him also that
for every scoundrel there is a hero;
that for every selfish Politician,
there is a dedicated leader...
Teach him for every enemy there is a
friend,

Steer him away from envy,
if you can,
teach him the secret of
quiet laughter.

Let him learn early that
the bullies are the easiest to lick... Teach him, if you can,
the wonder of books...
But also give him quiet time
to ponder the eternal mystery of birds in the sky,
bees in the sun,
and the flowers on a green hillside.

In the school teach him
it is far honourable to fail
than to cheat...
Teach him to have faith
in his own ideas,
even if everyone tells him
they are wrong...
Teach him to be gentle
with gentle people,
and tough with the tough.

Try to give my son
the strength not to follow the crowd
when everyone is getting on the band wagon...
Teach him to listen to all men...
but teach him also to filter
all he hears on a screen of truth,
and take only the good
that comes through.

Teach him if you can,
how to laugh when he is sad...
Teach him there is no shame in tears,
Teach him to scoff at cynics
and to beware of too much sweetness...
Teach him to sell his brawn
and brain to the highest bidders
but never to put a price-tag
on his heart and soul.

Teach him to close his ears
to a howling mob
and to stand and fight
if he thinks he's right.
Treat him gently,
but do not cuddle him,
because only the test
of fire makes fine steel.

Let him have the courage
to be impatient...
let him have the patience to be brave.
Teach him always
to have sublime faith in himself,
because then he will have
sublime faith in mankind.

This is a big order,
but see what you can do...
He is such a fine fellow,
my son!

CARTA DE ABRAHAN LINCOLN AO PROFESSOR DO SEU FILHO:
"Caro professor, ele terá de aprender que nem todos os homens são justos, nem todos são verdadeiros, mas, por favor, diga-lhe que, para cada vilão há um herói, que para cada egoísta, há também um líder dedicado, ensine-lhe, por favor, que para cada inimigo haverá também um amigo, ensine-lhe que mais vale uma moeda ganha que uma moeda encontrada ensine-o a perder, mas também, a saber, gozar da vitória, afaste-o da inveja e dê-lhe a conhecer a alegria profunda do sorriso silencioso, faça-o maravilhar-se com os livros, mas deixe-o também perder-se com os pássaros no céu, as flores no campo, os montes e os vales.
Nas brincadeiras com os amigos, explique-lhe que a derrota honrosa vale mais que a vitória vergonhosa, ensine-o a acreditar em si, mesmo se sozinho contra todos.
Ensine-o a ser gentil com os gentis e duro com os duros, ensine-o a nunca entrar no comboio simplesmente porque os outros também entraram.
Ensine-o a ouvir todos, mas, na hora da verdade, a decidir sozinho, ensine-o a rir quando estiver triste e explique-lhe que por vezes os homens também choram.
Ensine-o a ignorar as multidões que reclamam sangue e a lutar só contra todos, se ele achar que tem razão.
Trate-o bem, mas não o mime, pois só o teste do fogo faz o verdadeiro aço, deixe-o ter a coragem de ser impaciente e a paciência de ser corajoso.
Transmita-lhe uma fé sublime no Criador e fé também em si, pois só assim poderá ter fé nos homens.
Eu sei que estou pedindo muito, mas veja o que pode fazer, caro professor."

Abraham Lincoln, 1830

Taleb, Nassim Nicholas

My Dad, being a very wise man, recomended the works of this philosopher and he was very wright!
His latest book is the best and I found this in it:
“Modernity: We created youth without heroism, age without wisdom, and life without grandeur.”

At boiling point!

The Western World is ready to explode! The society is sick, said the PM.
Society from Wikipidia: "The term society came from the Latin word societas, which in turn was derived from the noun socius ("comrade, friend, ally"; adjectival form socialis) thus used to describe a bond or interaction among parties that are friendly, or at least civil. Human societies are characterized by patterns of relationships (social relations) between individuals sharing a distinctive culture and institutions; a given society may be described as the sum total of such relationships among its constituent members. Without an article, the term refers either to the entirety of humanity or to a contextually specific subset of people. In social sciences, a society invariably entails social stratification and/or dominance hierarchy."
Because Humans are gregarious animals, the only way is to live in groups, establish hierarchies and thus, live in Societies. We have been doing this from the beginning of Human Kind and many, many Societies have come and gone, evolved and self extinguished. Those movements and eventual endings of highly organized societies, actual Civilizations, all relate to shift of power zones and flux of money, it is nothing new.

What is happening in the UK could be happening in any European capital, even the Scandinavian countries. This is the age of the "The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable". A black swan is very unlikely, but it happens!
A week ago no one, going about their daily, uncaring and selfish lives, would think possible seeing their streets transformed into a war zone. The same way a month ago no one would think possible a young, well educated and clever man, would kill dozens of others in a peaceful place like Norway.
Nature does not like the void, there is no empty space that stays empty for long...

The Society is sick, not just pockets!! The basis of any Society is the interaction between its components, so if there is a bad part in it, let's not be naive, the whole thing is in trouble.

A void has been created in our Society, a void of Morals and Ethic Codes. Dangerous consequences come from that, because that is the fabric of any Society. From chimpanzees, to meercats, to lions to Greeks and Romans, Societies only operate if there is a solid set of Codes and each individual respects them totally.
No, Nature does not tolerate voids, something will fill them, and generally what fills them first are opportunistic creatures that will parasite and eventually kill unless the host develops ways of fighting back.

The other "surprise", and I put it in brackets because it wasn't a surprise for me, in this situation was that the first communities to stand together and face the feral humans where not the indigenous people of GB, not the Anglo-Saxons of Richard the Lion Heart, but the Sikhs, the Hindus, the Pakistanis, the Turkish and others, that came out and chased the mob, hence filling the void.
They were the first because their Societies have not suffered from the destruction of moral codes to the extension the Western Society has, though it probably will also happen one day.
Because I do not share the view that their arrival in Europe is what causes all problems, I actually firmly believe they are a bonus, not a minus, I am happy to see the dignity and decency of people that have been robbed and lost their Sons. They are always at the end of a stick, many many times in a very unfair way, and now they proved they don't deserve that. The real terrorists this time are British citizens, of no specific religious belief, in fact they are of no belief at all!!

Like with everything else in London, a melting pot of the World, there are many shades and colours in the looters, but many, many are white kids, wasted by their parents, them selves wasted by their parents, 3 or 4 generations of non-working families living on the dole. With all that spare time in their hands and no guidance or Moral conduct to follow, the role models are gangsters and violence, taking and not giving, greed, greed, greed...
The images don't show people starved, taking food to survive, they show fat, plump and well built humans stealing to indulge!!

Lets say the Western Civilization has Cancer, the disease of the Century is physicality and philosophically killing our way of life.
Information abounds, everyone has access to school and education. But it seems we have gone backwards, only a small percentage of us can actually listen, see, read and then interpret with our own heads what the information means, its called reasoning!!
Some Centuries ago in Europe the Religious figures had all the power, because the people could not reason ( many times not even the King) , they had no way how to because they were illiterate. Now its the Media that has that power. an organization also deprived of Moral or Ethic, an organization that sold its soul to the Devil many years ago, because it is surely the greediest of all!!!

Cancer starts as a malformation. It starts very, very small, but grows very, very fast.
To me the start of our Cancer was the end of the presence of a strong leader in the house hold first and then in the Country and then in the Continent. There are no more role models, strong figures that teach the young values, because themselves don't have any to teach.
A healthy Society depends totally on the knowledge and experience of the older generation, but our Society has been “storing” the elders in specifically made homes for that purpose, like a death row. And now plans are at foot to start thinking how to kill them legally... Without the old, the new have no chance!!!

The whole Society is sick with Cancer and everyone knows how hard it is to fight Cancer. It is possible though and these events should be taken as a warning of things to come, not as a aberration that wont be repeated!!
We are all seeing the rise of the Black Swan and we are still in time to do something about it, we have the power of knowledge on our side, we only need tolerance and organization to cure our Civilization and if the current leaders don't have the will ( they, like the Media are sold already ) we as a Civilized group, can put pressure on them and we can also lead by example, do something for others, like the impromptu cleaning teams that were created across to London to help with the cleaning.

I write this knowing no one will read it and it is another drop in the Ocean, I do it essentially for me, to organize my ideas and maybe someone will read it and will have an impact on them, to let them know there is hope if we use our heads and start helping instead of complaining all the time!!!

Que parva que eu sou

Desde já lhe peço desculpas, mesmo, porque vou ser muita bruta como só eu consigo!!! E nada disto é direccionado a ninguém em particular, muito menos à pobre amiga que só me fez o Forward e agora leva com isto tudo em cima!!

Pra ser sincera estou cá há 1 mês e meio e já estou cansada de atitudes da treta e má educação, especialmente por parte de meninos e meninas que se identificam MUITO com esta canção... E esta declaração de meditação desta Senhora não sei quê do Vale que está abaixo fez-me mesmo ferver!!!!

Comparar a revolta de pessoas que vivem debaixo de opressão à seria, em regimes ditatoriais, com a situação de pessoas que vivem num pais livre, onde podem fazer e dizer o que lhes apetece ( mesmo porque desde há 30 anos os Portugueses só têm direitos!!) e mais ainda, vivem num CONTINENTE livre, podem ir e vir como lhes aprouver, é VERGONHOSO!!!!
Aquelas pessoas que se revoltam não têm mesmo nada, os Europeus têm tudo e são os primeiros a expulsar esses ditos "desgraçados" quando tentam melhorar a vida na Europa.
Os Portugueses TÊM toda a liberdade de expressão possível e imaginária, mas isso de nada lhes serve porque só dizem bacoradas! Programas de TV, debates vários, tudo aos gritos, a falarem uns em cima dos outros, sem respeito nenhum pelo alheio, jornalistas que falam mais do que os convidados e se acham de suprema importância, mas nâo têm qualidade nenhuma, sendo eles mesmos ignorantes e acomodados. Satisfeitos, profundamente satisfeitos, por dar mais uma noticia negativa e ignorando todas as coisas boas que aqui tambám acontecem.
Se uma árvore cair na floresta e não estiver lá ninguém para a ouvir, faz barulho? Assim estamos nós aqui, as árvores podem até cair, mas ninguém as ouve, porque andam todos muito preocupados com o seu "bem estar pessoal" e não têm capacidade, cultura, conhecimento, tolerância ou respeito pelos outros para as conseguirem ouvir!

Criticam e apontam o dedo aos outros, que são todos corruptos, mas na mesma conversa viram-se para o vizinho e dizem "é pá, preciso de meter uma cunha com o teu Pai pra arranjar emprego pró meu filho!" Quem precisa de cunhas e de favores para trabalhar simplesmente não tem categoria!
Dizem que o País está uma desgraça e não vamos a lado nenhum mas são os primeiros a ir comprar a Prada falsa á cigana, que não paga impostos e com isso rebentam com as lojas legitimas que, essas sim, pagam os ditos impostos!!

Simplesmente ODEIO esta canção!! Acho que é uma re-invenção do fado com um toque de século 21 e que não leva a lado nenhum!!!!

Não estudei pra ser escravo, estudei pra me fazer a vida, que sim, pode ser uma treta, mas eu sou a única pessoa capaz de a fazer melhor, com as minhas escolhas e procura de melhoramento pessoal!!! E a vida não deve ser nem desrespeitada nem desvalorizada desta forma.

Parva ela é realmente e mais parvos ainda são os que caem neste conversa!!!!! Deixem-se de ser fadistas, há mil milhóes de oportunidades por aí fora!!

Sabe que musica e que eu gosto, a dos Humanos, chamasse "Muda de vida!" essa sim, é pra mim um hino!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yj8HSvlsG_A

"Muda de vida, não deves viver contrafeito,

Muda de vida, há outro jeito!"

PAREM de se queixar, agarrem nas perninhas e façam-se ao caminho!!! Portugal não dá?? Já viram bem como o Mundo é grande?? Aos 20 anos é a altura perfeita pra partir, mas nunca é tarde pra o fazer. Deixem-se de desculpas! Fácil?! Não, fácil não é, mas é melhor e mais honesto do que ficar a dizer mal e não fazer nada, porque isso sim, isso é fácil!


Desculpe, mas não entendo este deslumbre das pessoas com uma patetice!!
Meditar, só se for pra chegar a conclusão que NÃO QUERO SER PARVA!!!
E escolhi não ser parva há 10 anos quando me fui embora e GRAÇAS AOS MEUS ESTUDOS, QUE O MEU PAI PAGOU, tenho tido uma vida ESPETACULAR!!!
Não sou nada de especial, não sou particularmente inteligente e antes pelo contrário, tenho muitos handicaps fisicos e emocionais, mas estou viva, quero viver e quero sentir-me realizada atingido os meus objectivos. QUALQUER pessoa o pode fazer desde que queira e tenha força mental!!!
"Dos fracos não reza a História" e os Portugueses podem ser fortes, se quiserem, já o foram antes.


XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX!!!!



> Do Coliseu ao Cairo
>
> por MARIA DE LURDES VALE
> Na sexta-feira à noite, os Deolinda tocaram no Coliseu de Lisboa.
>
> No final, no último encore, sentiu-se um arrepio na sala. Foi comum. Sentiu-se que foi comum. E de tal forma assim foi que todos os que ali estávamos começamos a levantar-nos aos poucos e a aplaudir, sem parar, o que nos transmitia a voz - que grande voz! - de Ana Bacalhau, vocalista deste grupo que tão bem canta a vida portuguesa.
>
>
> Alguns de nós sabíamos que, lá fora, neste mundo a que todos pertencemos, havia quem, da Tunísia ao Egipto, estivesse, nas ruas, a lutar pela liberdade com o fim de alcançar uma vida mais digna. Outros saberiam mais. Que esse grito de revolta, que está a fazer história em frente aos nossos olhos, foi primeiro ensaiado através das redes sociais, da Internet, e do espaço virtual que todos partilhamos. Que, no mês de Dezembro, em Sidi Bouzid, 260 quilómetros a Sul de Tunes, Mohamed Bouazizi, um jovem licenciado de 26 anos, imolou-se pelo fogo para protestar contra um velho regime de cleptocratas que não lhe deixou outra alternativa que o seu próprio sacrifício. E que esse sacrifício não foi em vão. O regime caiu.
>
> Naquela sala do Coliseu de Lisboa, muitos mais saberiam muito mais coisas.
>
> Que o que se passa nalguns países do Magrebe está a ter um efeito-dominó e a contagiar o resto do mundo árabe.
>
> Que são os milhares de jovens universitários, a quem nada mais resta nos países onde nasceram que fugir em busca de um qualquer trabalho clandestino na Europa ou nos EUA, onde é difícil entrar, que lideram esta revolta.
>
> Que na capital do Egipto há confrontos, mortos e feridos, tanques, jactos de água, mas que nem por isso a rua deixa de ser o palco dos protestos.
>
>
> Que a chama foi acesa por um discurso histórico de Obama, em Junho de 2009, quando disse no Cairo que "todos nós partilhamos este mundo por apenas um breve momento no tempo" e que "a questão é saber se queremos passar esse tempo concentrando-nos naquilo que nos diferencia, ou se estamos dispostos a um esforço, contínuo, para encontrar um terreno comum e concentrar-nos no futuro que queremos para os nossos filhos, e respeitar a dignidade de todos os seres humanos".
>
> Naquela sala do Coliseu de Lisboa, a vocalista dos Deolinda, do alto dos seus 33 anos, anunciou que a última canção era nova e que era "dura" de ouvir.
>
> Chama-se "Que parva que eu sou" e diz assim: "Sou da geração sem remuneração e não me incomoda esta condição. Que parva que eu sou! Porque isto está mal e vai continuar, já é uma sorte eu poder estagiar. Que parva que eu sou! E fico a pensar, que mundo tão parvo onde para ser escravo é preciso estudar..."
>
> ++++Que parvos que somos nós se não soubermos juntar-nos à revolta! +++++++
>
> - LETRA
> Sou da geração sem remuneração
> E não me incomoda esta condição
> Que parva que eu sou
> Porque isto está mal e vai continuar
> Já é uma sorte eu poder estagiar
> Que parva que eu sou
> E fico a pensar
> Que mundo tão parvo
> Onde para ser escravo é preciso estudar
>
> Sou da geração "casinha dos pais"
> Se já tenho tudo, pra quê querer mais?
> Que parva que eu sou
> Filhos, maridos, estou sempre a adiar
> E ainda me falta o carro pagar
> Que parva que eu sou
> E fico a pensar
> Que mundo tão parvo
> Onde para ser escravo é preciso estudar
>
> Sou da geração "vou queixar-me pra quê?"
> Há alguém bem pior do que eu na TV
> Que parva que eu sou
> Sou da geração "eu já não posso mais!"
> Que esta situação dura há tempo demais
> E parva não sou
> E fico a pensar,
> Que mundo tão parvo
> Onde para ser escravo é preciso estudar
>
>
>
>
>
>

Love!

All you need is Love... It might be tacky, but it is true!!

Mega proud!!

Two 2 days ago, prime time TV, a fantastic program on RTP1. Its called Salvador and Salvador is a very special guy. He was 16 when he had a motorbike accident and was left tetraplegic. For 99.9% of us, it would be the end, but for him it was the beginning of a new life, full of life changing moments as big as the one that put him where he is now. For him and for all those he helps, many many motorcyclists. He has a Charity : http://www.associacaosalvador.com/ that he manages and is one of the best things to come out of Portugal. Anywhere in the World his work is to be praised, helped and repeated many times over. In his own words, "O mais importante é a pessoa aceitar-se e lutar pelo que a faz feliz".
I am mega proud of the Portuguese TV for having a program like his and showing it in prime time. It shows mentalities have changed so much regarding disabilities and difference in Portugal and that is simply great!
I don't know if tomorrow I will be needing Salvador's help, if worst comes to worst during my motorcycle adventures ( or even a simple fall at home!!) so to me knowing someone like him exists gives me hope no matter what happens!
He is an inspiration for all of us and his charity deserves all the help it can get.

German!

First German lesson with Silvia was a cracker!! I know more then I thought and less then I should!! Its a start and she is SO cool!! How lucky am I?? Now its all steam ahead and in 4 weeks I must be mega fluent so I can go back and interact more with the locals and be happier.

reunion

Its great to see friends again, to hear what's been happening and what are the projects for the future. Specially when the opportunity to meet in person is rare and not so easy because of the obvious distance.
It is when I see my friends I realize how much I miss them. I suppose it must be a defence mechanism, otherwise if I felt that so strongly everyday I wouldn't be able to be so far away!
And what about the feelings regarding coming back home, to my Country? They are mainly of sadness and disappointment... Of bewildering incredulity with what everyday one sees on the road, on the street, in the shops, well everywhere really.
My Country, the one I left, was a place of nice and helpful people, polite and interested, respectful of themselves and others. Somehow I find that to be kind of lost, specially in younger people, like my own generation. It was called "Geracao rasca" and it is living up to expectations!!
In Germany I find people rude and impolite because they are arrogant. Here it seems it is all related to selfishness. Maybe my generation spent far too long at the parents house before "flying from the nest" on their own and that has created a mass of people that have only rights and no duties.
Plus everyone seems to be living in mass hysteria, overwhelmed with crap Reality TV programs, dramas/soaps of poor quality where everyone shouts and fights all the time and News bulletins that are worthy only of a bad End-of-The-World movie!!!
There is very little laughter and there is a lot of long faces, even though the sun shines, flooding dark rooms and moods with light and there are mini-summers every three weeks!
Why is everyone so sad?? Oh, wait, its the "Crise". There is a crises on in Portugal, you know? Very bad, this is very bad... Is it? Sorry, I find that hard to believe!! I do not tend to base my opinions on nothing, or on rumours, or on hear-say, and specially not on the stupid/deceiving stuff that comes out of the 8 O'clock News. To have an informed opinion I try my best to read as much as possible about macro economy issues from sources like the Economist, I read and look from the outside in and that gives a sense of perspective that those inside cannot have. Well, they could if they stopped being lazy and went to http://www.economist.com/! It is 1 option there are many more and hurray for the internet to allow us to have access to education and personal improvement at a click of a finger! Amazing how so much is so wasted on the Human race!!
Anyway, I diverge! A few examples that have, literally, shocked me this year!

1 - A visit to an amateur ( and I stress, amateur ) biathlon competion revealed the level of gear and above all, bicycles, is much, MUCH higher then what you see, say, in Belgium. There were many bicycles above 2000 euros and in general more than 500 Euros in gear alone. OK, good for them, but where is the crisis?!

2 - On driving in Portugal,once again, it is obvious people have too much money to burn, because the way they drive is definitely not economic!! I find that fuel should be 10 times more expensive. I know, I know, its polemic, but think about it, how many lives would be saved, specially of motorcyclists, if the general public was forced to drive to save fuel, because at the moment what I see is Euro notes coming out of the exhaust pipe and ripped to pieces by the tyres... While they are forced out of driving, it will be safe to cross a pedestrian crossing without fearing for our lives, the environment will be cleaner and maybe, just maybe, they will learn ( finally!!) that, in traffic, it is about progression, not top speed!

3 - The price of houses is a good measure of how healthy a Country is, and judging by that Portugal is one of the best in Europe! I found that a flat in Ericeira is more expensive then my old flat in Sunningdale!! Well, I am the greatest fan of Ericeira, but this is not London and even more ridiculous, Sunningdale is one of the most expensive Real Estate in Britain!! So, there you have it, maybe the Queen is living somewhere in the Ribeira D'Ilhas! Surfing!!

4 - The cars!! My God the cars!! I am, by now, pretty blaze when it comes to cars, seeing that I live in the Mecca of petrol heads, the Nurburgring. On any given day I can see 5 different Porsche Carrera GTs, an average 15 or so Porsche GT3RS, a couple of Aston Martins and lots of Ferraris. And there its ok to see them, it makes sense. What is not so easy to understand is to find so many (and all new) luxury cars in such a "poor" Country. You could say its a sign of how Third World Portugal's economy has become, but that is not true either, because, according to European results for the sale of cars for 2010,all cars, Portugal is on the top, together with others, apparently not so poor!

5 - Going back to the bicycles, I found out this weekend that the Rolls Royce of bicycles, the Titanium-framed Seven, has two big markets, one is Germany and the other Portugal!! Yes, a 5000 Euro frame, followed by all the other goodies to make it into a 8000 Euro bike, is a high seller here, not in the UK, or Belgium, or France! We are, actually, competing with GERMANY!!!!

Ok, I could go on and no, I haven't forgotten about homeless numbers, asylum seekers and Welfare Support, I have also read about those and the proportion of those in the Society is not more then in the UK or France.

What I think is people are unhappy because they are told everyday by the TV things are bad and they believe it. Stop listening to that, stop being negative, respect each other more and enjoy the great Country Portugal can be!!
It can only be great if each and everyone of us makes our little bit great, say good morning to everyone you meet on the street, be nice to the shop keeper even if they are not, improve our manners and slowly, in every area of Society, things will change. But DO NOT expect a "Sao Sebastiao" to come and save the Country, it depends only on us all!