The Castle...

Guimarães ... the birth of the nation.

One of the many wonders in Portugal... to appreciate and feel proud of being portuguese!

11th February...

Eleventh February is going to mean, or not, great changes.
We are going to vote for or against abortion. Better to say, for or against putting women to jail for having decided to abort.
Pregnancy is a moment to be celebrated with great joy. From that point onwards a new life is taking shape inside of us, magic happens...
However, I do agree that we also have the right to make a choice. Children must be wanted, loved from the very beginning. So, its better to go through a conscious abortion, a dramatic decision for any women, than abandon or harm children.
Children have the right to be protected...always!
Women have the right to decide...which lives they want for themselves without being unfairly judged as the worst criminals.
I defend the right women have to take a decision , and do it legally. Not hiding, not putting their health or lives at risk.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) , half of the 46 million abortions done every year in the world are made under dreadful conditions, that in consequence cause death to more than 68 thousand women.
These numbers were published by the WHO in their report about World Health in 2005.
The organization reminds governments that they must invest in education, information and contraceptive health services, so that they can minimize the effects of such experiences.
The document also says that it is impossible to prevent all unwanted pregnancies. On the other hand, it implies that all those unnecessary deaths can be avoided as well as the suffering that goes along with an illegal abortion.

Consciously, I'll vote YES.

Learn more than one....

What are the advantages of learning one or more foreign languages?

Probably you're thinking this is teacher's talk...just to try to encourage you to work harder, to study more...Well, it's not.

Scientists working in an investigation at York University in Toronto, Canada, have discovered a connection between speaking more than one language and avoiding mental diseases such as Alzheimer.

They say that its not new the idea that the brain, just as muscles, need to be exercised to keep healthy. According to them " mental gymnastics" delays mental illness, at least four years. Scientists state that to put the brain to work, in two different language systems, for most of our lives, will favour brain cells' versatility. The nervous cells have a higher capacity to assume several functions, in the different circuits of our brain. So, a brain used to think in more than one language would be better irrigated and able to use alternative areas, in case something fails, especially during old age.

Considering these advantages, will you give learning foreign languages a second thought?

Different or not ...

Look at the image!..

Does it suggest you anything? What?...

Faces...

Faces...

So many faces, so many different races, ethnic groups, so many peoples and nations.

This is the beauty of our world. A multicultural society in which every difference must be seen as a gift to be understood, accepted and learnt.

Multiculturalism...

What would you say it is? Express your opinion.

Denmark...

Denmark is a small country of islands, located in Northern Europe. Denmark, which also consists of Greenland and the Faroe Islands, is a part of Scandinavia. The country has approx. 5.3 million inhabitants. Denmark is a member of the EC, but has chosen not to take part in the monetary union and the military cooperation.

Characteristic features of Denmark are primarily the welfare system, which ensures equal rights and access to public services for all, and the democratic government. Denmark is also characterised by gender equality, freedom of speech, an active business life and high-quality research and development environments.

The Danes are informal in dealing with people and put a lot of focus on their personal freedom.
They are generally well educated, well informed, yet at the same time enjoy a distinctly Danish lack of formality. This gives the Danes a relaxed and often humorous attitude to authorities and life itself.
In Denmark you will find that the distances are short and this makes it possible to combine all the atmosphere of buzzing city life with the relaxation of the beautiful Danish countryside. Clean beaches and green forests are rarely more than a half hour’s drive away.

E-Twinning...

E-Twinning is a space in the web that was created to promote cooperation and friendship among European schools.

This is a program sponsored by the European Community.

Recently, I have decided to register in the E-Twinning space because I was looking for different challenges and to offer my students new opportunities to practise the English as a foreign language.

The answer from abroad came quickly. I have been contacted by a Danish teacher to work together.

Her name is Helle Olsen. She lives in Kalundborg, a small town about one hundred (100 km) Kilometers from Copenhagem, the capital of Denmark.

I'm enthusiastic...so are my students...

I hope this partnership to be the beginning of a very interesting multicultural exchange. Only through understanding of other people's cultures and ways, is it possible to enforce world peace.

Somewhere...

Because life is always an unknown journey...

The first...

January is the first month of the year and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days.
January begins (astrologically) with the sun in the sign of Capricorn and ends in the sign of Aquarius. Astronomically speaking, the sun begins in the constellation of Sagittarius and ends in the constellation of Capricornus.
January is named for Janus (Ianuarius), the god of the doorway and beginnings in Roman mythology.
The first Monday in January is known as Handsel Monday in Scotland and northern England.

The beginning of a new year means, for many of us, the renweal of hopes, ambitions and new beginnings. Many new "lives" will be born; new futures will be shaped...

For me, the new year is always a renewal of some wishes, common goals and lots of expectations ...and particularly hope to be happy , to go on loving and being loved!