Economy

Saturday the 24th of June 2023. Those walking from Caldas de Monchique to Esgravatadouro, continuing on to Fornalha and taking the short PR5 route up to the summit of Picota cross what you could call a minefield of millions of acacia and mimosa trees. Some of them six feet high, others a little shorter still, some already taller, they reach the rim of the tarmac road. Hikers will be crossing the dead country left after the 2018 forest fires. This is where the wild shoots of acacia and mimosa grow on both sides of the tarmac, and no council whatsoever …

At some point I decided to no longer allow money to occupy such a prominent position in my life. I try to remain true to myself and not do anything for money that I wouldn’t do without receiving money for it. This is not the same thing as renouncing money completely. I do have to have something to live on. And I too love to be paid fairly for what I do. However, I don’t want to be a wage slave, I don’t want to sell myself, my work and the time available to me in this life so I …

Off the bat, I wouldn’t consider talking about taxes an interesting topic, because recent experience suggests that for many of us they simply represent a very real burden. A burden that despite everything, society pledges to take on. And all of us have an opinion on the matter; without much hesitation, I’d say that what we all want is for taxes to not overburden us, and at the same time for them to provide truly beneficial effects to society. It’s obvious that what constitutes something “truly beneficial” is subjective, variable and sometimes contradictory, as the preoccupations felt by citizens vary …

There are stories that all seem to resemble one another. It’s always about money and the lack of justice, including social justice. These stories tell of arbitrary actions on the part of state institutions, injustice, a lack of rights and the abuse of power. No, we’re not writing a story about China or the Philippines. Instead, we’re trying to keep our own house in order. This story was told to me by Maria N*, who is 67 years old and has been retired for a year. Every month she receives just under 400 euros. To earn this right, she paid …

We said that this would be a conversation and not an ordinary interview, you remember?   Manuel Nina: Yes, I have lots of questions about permaculture. I actually just went to see my father-in-law, who’s a farmer in the Douro valley. He has a two-hectare smallholding, where he grows vines and fruit for the family, and I brought these big baskets of lettuces and cabbages back home with me to Lisbon. But he also showed me the local trees. He has a small plot of land with pine trees, medronho trees, and olive trees as well. My first question is …

People usually define success using external values such as money, status and bodily perfection. What human beings tend to leave aside are mental goals such as emotional well-being, the ability to enjoy life and to manage emotions, as well as the acquisition of the skills involved. You seldom learn these things at home, in school or at university. A cloak of silence covers any discussion of mental well-being and the management of emotions: not functioning is considered embarrassing. If humans want to find out how come they spend their lives running after money, work and a sick economic growth, they’ll …

A première in Portugal: a closed water and nutrient cycle; the production of strawberries and lettuce, pumpkins and tomatoes (and much more) and freshwater fish all year round. One supports the other, the fish support the growing of vegetables with their natural fertiliser, and the vegetables support the fish with treated, reusable water. The water circulates from one tank to the next and is pumped back again, all day long, 24 hours a day, by solar-powered pumps. This is known as aquaponics, and this form of organic, urban agriculture is advocated and financially supported by the EU. On a drawing …