King Ganga Zumbi: The Brazilian Spartacus Who Defeated Every Army Sent Against Him

Recommendable!

King Ganga Zumbi: The Brazilian Spartacus Who Defeated Every Army Sent Against Him - YouTube

Suspect in Brown University shooting found dead of suicide

They finally got the suspect, a former Brown student from Portugal, with the help of a tip by a person!

Avraham Zacuto's Contribution to World Exploration

Recommendable!

UNRELIABLE renewable ENERGY: Spain is 'misleading' public on cause of blackouts

Recommendable! Too much renewable energy is not good for the grit!

Billionaire and Islamic Spiritual Leader Aga Khan Dies at the Age of 88 with Palki Sharma

Recommendable! Palki Sharma forgot to report who is next in line!

Why wasn't Portugal Conquered by Spain?

Very recommendable!

How did Brazil Become a Country?

Recommendable!

Portugal: Affordable starter home is 3D-printed in just 18 hours

Good news! Amazing stuff!

"... According to COBOD, Havelar's houses can be produced for €1,500 per sq m, which it contrasts favorably with the Porto average of €3,104 (around US$3,330) per square meter. ..."

Affordable starter home is 3D-printed in just 18 hours

The 3D-printed house is located in the Porto area of Portugal and measures 80 sq m (roughly 860 sq ft)

Why Southern Europe (aka PIGS) is Finally Outperforming Northern Europe

Very recommendable! Good news! How the tables have turned between southern an northern EU. Did recent austerity policies and structural reforms undertaken by PIGS finally pay off? And then there was massive financial help from the EU.

Portugal posts 1.2% of GDP budget surplus in 2023

Good news! Bravo! While too many Western countries are running up considerable government debts and deficits!

"Portugal swung to a stronger-than-expected budget surplus of 1.2% of GDP last year from a deficit in 2022, official data showed on Monday, the last day of the Socialist government's eight-year rule in which it posted annual surpluses twice. ..."

Portugal posts 1.2% budget surplus in 2023 as government bows out | Reuters

Portugal ran on 100% renewable energy for almost a week at the end of October 2023. Really!

Lunacy and obsession on display!

Is that maybe one of the reasons why Portugal is ranked 19th among the 20 poorest countries in Europe (Source)?

"It’s been two years now since Portugal decided to shut down its last coal plant after 30 years in service. The decision came eight years sooner than planned and showed that the country is aiming high as part of its transition to cleaner energy sources.  ..."

Portugal ran on 100% renewables for almost a week — and the records keep pilling up The country is a leader in clean energy in Europe, with ambitious plans ahead

What a glorious way to spoil nature and the environment! How to kill animals by the thousands! In the name of the Global Warming hoax and the Climate Change religion. The Lousa wind farm in Portugal

Archaeologists stunned by 2,900-year-old steel tools in Portugal

Amazing stuff! However, we learn little on how they produced this steel 

"... The study shows that steel tools were already in use in Europe around 2,900 years ago, during the Final Bronze Age. ...
The researchers conducted geochemical analyses on ancient Iberian stelaes -- upright monuments typically inscribed with information in the form of text, images, or a combination of the two -- and found these were made of silicated quartz sandstone.

“Just like quartzite, this is an extremely hard rock that cannot be worked with bronze or stone tools, but only with tempered steel,” ...
To confirm their hunch that these monuments were etched with steel tools, the researchers analyzed an iron chisel found in Rocha do Vigio, Portugal, which also dates back to the Final Bronze Age. They discovered that the chisel was made of heterogeneous yet astonishingly carbon-rich steel ...
The earliest known production of steel is seen in pieces of ironware excavated from an archaeological site in Anatolia (Kaman-Kalehöyük), which are nearly 4,000 years old, dating from 1800 BC. However, iron and steel didn't become abundant materials until around 500 BC when most Bronze Age civilizations collapsed, paving the way for the huge empires of Rome and Han China."

From the highlights and abstract:

"Highlights

• Protohistoric south-western Iberian stelae were often made from extremely hard rocks.

• The silicate quartz-sandstone stelae from Capilla could only be carved with hardened steel.

• Analyses of a Final Bronze Age iron chisel from Portugal revealed surprisingly high quality steel.

• The introduction of iron metallurgy represents a terminus post quem for stelae with this lithology.

Abstract

The south-western Iberian stelae from the Final Bronze Age (FBA) and Early Iron Age (EIA) have long been the centre of archaeological interest. These monuments show representations of human and animal figures, objects such as weapons, ornaments and chariots. Moreover, they provide insights into prehistoric stone working and sculpting techniques. On the downside, petrological studies of the rocks and consequent reflections on suitable tools are still the exception. Due to the lack of analysis and technological studies, this research will put emphasis on a multidisciplinary approach involving petrographic and metallurgic analyses, complemented by experimental archaeology.

Firstly, an accurate lithological determination of stelae from Capilla (Spain) has been established with petrographic methods. According to the results, two slabs for replications of stelae were obtained from the identified mono-mineral quartz-sandstone (“quartzite”) outcrop. The experiment involved the trial of chisels made from all expedient materials that were available in the FBA-EIA by a professional stonemason. Considering that such extremely hard rocks require robust tools for carving, a long ignored iron chisel from the FBA site of Rocha do Vigio (Portugal) was studied with metallography and exposed heterogeneous, however surprisingly high-carbon steel. The analysed rocks are amongst the hardest that can be used for sculpting, and in the course of the experiment, bronze and lithic tools could be discarded. The only tool that showed an effect was the replication of the steel chisel from Rocha do Vigio with a hardened edge. The distinct work traces were compared to the original monuments. We hypothesize that the production of carbon steel as well as its hardening were possibly already known at the FBA-EIA transition in Iberia. Hence, only the access to iron technology allowed for the making of stelae from the lithotypes that were frequently used in the Zújar basin around the municipality of Capilla."

"... The chisel is astoundingly well preserved and the corrosion layer is mainly superficial (Fig. 9, Fig. 11), with very little inter-granular corrosion into the sample ..."

Archaeologists stunned by 2,900-year-old steel tools in Portugal Steel tools were employed in Europe centuries before they became widespread during the Roman Republic era.

Stone-working and the earliest steel in Iberia: Scientific analyses and experimental replications of final bronze age stelae and tools

Fig. 9. The chisel from Rocha do Vigio, length ca. 18 cm 

Portugal Rethinks Drug Decriminalization

Legalization of drugs is not an easy topic! There are no easy or simple answers!

As a classical liberal I am certainly for legalization similar to alcohol. However, what about increased individual responsibility/culpability or possibly forced medical treatment etc. etc.

"Harm reduction activists have long applauded Portugal’s 2001 decision to decriminalize all drug use, but now even its staunchest supporters are having doubts.

The Good:

• Quickly after decriminalization, HIV transmission via syringe plummeted.
• From 2000 to 2008, prison populations fell by 16.5%.

The Bad:

• Overdose rates have almost doubled in Lisbon since 2019.
• Sewage samples in Lisbon indicate Portugal’s cocaine and ketamine usage surpasses all European countries.
• Crime related to drug use has risen sharply.

Calls for re-criminalization in urban areas and near schools have been opposed by pro-decriminalization groups, even though their own allies are pushing for change."

Global Health NOW: Europe’s Lethal Summer; Portugal Rethinks Drug Decriminalization; and Pandemic Preparedness Did Save Lives

Lisbon's Hidden Roman Galleries - 2,000-Year-Old Roman Structure Under Lisbon's Busy Streets

Next time you travel to Lisbon, don't forget to order a ticket well in advance! 😊

Fernando Santos: Poland appoints ex-Portugal coach to become their national football coach

I would say this is highly unusual! Possibly, a great move by Poland, although Poland was in the past already a top football playing nation.

Fernando Santos: Poland appoint ex-Portugal boss as head coach - BBC Sport

Cork: Is this nature's most versatile material?

Amazing stuff!

Was the Azores home to an ancient civilisation?

Amazing stuff! It seems to confirm again that the seafaring capabilities of our remote ancestors were much better than expected. Unfortunately, the video does not mention any human remains. 

The earthquake that changed history: 1755 in Lisbon

Update of 11/7/2022: Apparently, Lisbon is prone to heavy earthquakes. "Chronologically, it was the third known large scale earthquake to hit the city (following those of 1321 and 1531)". Every about two hundred years? The next one is overdue?

The earthquake of 1755 shaked Christianity! All churches were destroyed on a major holy day of worshiping. Only the brothel survived so they say.

Recommendable! The day the modern age was born!

Why the heck were the Portuguese language speakers not translated by voice???? In this day and age with AI this is as easy as pie!

World’s first raspberry picking robot build in the UK with a delicate touch for soft fruits

Good news! Hopefully, we will find more raspberries soon in our grocery stores! 😄

"... harvesting the berries round the clock in polytunnels in a field near Odemira in south-west Portugal. The farm is run by the Summer Berry Company, which is based near Chichester in West Sussex and is a leading supplier to British supermarkets including M&S, Ocado, Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose. ..."

World’s first raspberry picking robot cracks the toughest nut: soft fruit | Food & drink industry | The Guardian Developed in Britain, the fruits of the automated harvester with a delicate touch are now in a supermarket near you

Seven Monkeypox Cases in the UK. Up to 28 new cases in Spain & Portugal

Were we not hoping that by accepting homosexuals and bestowing equal rights for gay men and lesbians that e.g. more safe sex practices especially among gay men would be a possible positive outcome? It is too early to ponder, but this outbreak of monkeypox could raises some questions. E.g. is this perhaps only the tip of an iceberg of some sorts (e.g. male prostitution perhaps involving minors?).

Update of 5/18/2022: Spain, Portugal report monkeypox cases, raising specter of wider outbreak

"Two more European countries reported unusual monkeypox cases on Wednesday, a development that suggests an outbreak first spotted in the United Kingdom is more widespread than first believed. ...
Most of the cases have been detected in men who are gay, bisexual, or are men who have sex with men ..."

Reminds eerily of the beginning of global HIV/AIDS pandemic of the 1980s. Hopefully, this outbreak of monkeypox in the UK does not develop into something like it.

"... Monkeypox has flu-like symptoms and a nasty rash that can develop into thousands of pus-filled lesions on the body. It can also be deadly. ...

The men reported no history of travel to the African countries where the smallpox-like disease is endemic in animals.
All 4 of the new cases were in men who identify as gay, bisexual, or men who have sex with men, spurring the agency to advise people in that population to seek care if they notice any unusual rashes or lesions. ..."

Global Health NOW: More Monkeypox Cases in the UK; Global Hunger Solutions; and Fake Polio Vaccinations