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águias-de-bonelli

Life in the Nest.

Once upon a time, there were two royal children who were brought up by two Bonelli’s eagles. On 15th and 18th March 2013, they slipped out of their two eggs that had been laid, carefully hidden away in a safe nest made of twigs and leaves high up in a pine tree deep in the forest. The queen had sat on the eggs for 42 days until they hatched. Meanwhile, the king of all the birds flew in circles, slowly using the good thermals to work his way upwards with his 175 cm wide wings to lofty heights to get …

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Templo Hindu

To eat and pray for more

An old proverb tells us that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. In the case of the Templo Hindu in Lisbon, I wouldn’t be surprised if some devotees had started by visiting the canteen. In Lisbon, as throughout the world, there is no shortage of Indian restaurants. But restaurants, Indian or not, are just that: restaurants. A canteen in a Hindu temple, which serves home-made Indian food, is, in comparison, a parallel universe and probably the best way for one’s stomach to visit India without leaving Lisbon. Hinduism is the main religion of India, and nutrition …

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Eucaliptos cutter in Monchique

Monchique, and eucalyptus in Portugal.

At present, there is a population of 6,045 living in an area of 396 square kilometres, surrounded by hills and forests. 76% of these are eucalyptus plantations. During the most recent forest fires in 2003, 317 square kilometres of forest burned in ten days, i.e. 80% of the municipality. A trauma that still lives on today because the fire brigade were barely able to put the fires out. Twelve years before, in 1991, fires raged in Monchique for a week. Again and again, the upland forests catch fire and destroy the small-scale farming livelihoods of the inhabitants even more. And …

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feira da ladra

One person’s rubbish is another’s treasure

Guide to second-hand shops The purchase of used items tends increasingly to be linked to the crisis, but second-hand shops have always existed all over the place. There are lots of people for whom buying used goods is a lifestyle, either for financial reasons, or because what they are looking for is no longer produced. Some shops specialise in clothing, some in records, furniture or books, and others are more general and sell all types of things, rather like mini-versions of Lisbon’s Feira da Ladra. This market is still the place for second-hand items par excellence, despite the proliferation of …

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Portucel

The wrong life cannot be lived with reason…

Already on the Alfa Pendular service. With a CO2 emission of but four kilograms, the journalist leaves the Portuguese south behind to speed north at 220 km and recalls his immediate past. A few days ago, he’d taken to his wardrobe in order to dig out his old, best suit to check that it would stand up to the needs of this mission. He needed a suit in tip-top condition and that also fitted him well as he was due to play the role of a wealthy investor. A test but the means by which he hoped to open the …

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Herdeiros da Revolução

Heirs of the revolution.

Hiking signifies a return to our roots, to our innate speed, and to an original form of life. It will repeatedly remind us that it is only for a short time that we are guests on this planet, which we have subdued. Wouldn’t we do better to see ourselves just as part of the whole: with nature, the forests, the animals, with all our earth’s resources? We also go walking to see with our own eyes how the countryside develops from year to year. When we go walking, our thoughts become sharper. All our senses are awake and feel, see, …

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Polar-Bear

The bill for our lifestyle

The IPCC is the body responsible for assessing climate change. It was set up by the United Nations Environment Organisation and by the World Meteorology Organisation. Its aim is to be an independent scientific body, focusing on analysing climate change and its main environmental and socio-economic implications. Its collaborators, from all over the world, carry out specialist work, but on an voluntary basis, which ensures that there is a wide range of opinions and points of view which are reflected in the conclusions they present.

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A casa da Isabel

Savour the past, today

Confectionery is part of Portuguese culture and sees one of its high points during the Christmas period. This Christmas, ECO123 invited the people who run two of the best confectionery businesses in the Algarve to share some sugary recipes with you with the typical flavour of the Algarve. Located in the centre of Portimão, the Casa da Isabel is a return to the past of our dreams: that time when, in an old but welcoming house, there is always a magnificent sweet treat awaiting us, a cup of tea to warm us up, a traditional product from an Algarve that …

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The market at the service of the poeple

The market in the service of people?

ECO123 was present at the International Meeting of Commissions of the Economy of Communion, which took place between 18th and 20th October in Abrigada. During the short breaks, it was possible to hold short interviews with two notable participants, with the aim of finding out more about the meaning and the motivations of the initiative. ECO123 talked to Luigino Bruni, the international head of the Economy of Communion and professor at the University of Florence, and with António Faria, managing partner of the Group Faria & Irmão, Lda. (one of the companies in Portugal participating in the Economy of Communion …

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Cortadores

Woodcutter

ECO123: Are you a woodcutter? Woodcutter: Yes. What do you cut down normally? Eucalyptus, pine trees… At present, it’s eucalyptus and pine that are in greatest demand. Where are you from? I’m from Brazil. A chain saw like that cuts well, doesn’t it? Sure, it’ll even cut your legs if you’re not careful. Is it hard work? Oh, we’re accustomed to it … used to it. And do you earn well doing this work? Not bad. Quite good, or not bad? 100 € a day. 100€ a day? And social security? … And what else do you do here? You …

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