‘It is not just about administering methadone, you have to maintain a relationship’ In 2001 Portugal became – under the leadership of prime minister António Guterres, nowadays UN’s Secretary-General – the first country to ‘decriminalize’ the possession and consumption of illicit substances, even heroin, and cocaine. Despite predictions at the time of an increase in […]
If something bad happens, we drink to forget. If something good happens, we drink to celebrate. If nothing happens, we drink to make something happen (Charles Bukowski) Global consumption of alcohol will rise another 17% over the next decade, after a 10% rise in the last 25 years. Nowadays one-third of all adults drink alcohol, […]
Portugal has no right-wing, left-wing parties, nothing, there’s a bunch of villains who come together to steal together – José Saramago Perceived corruption in Portugal has for many years been just below the European average, according to the 2018 Corruption Index from Transparency International (www.transparancy.org). This index ranks 180 countries on how corrupt their public sector […]
The Spanish company DIA, owner of the supermarket chain Minipreço recently announced the removal of any ceramic frogs at the entrance of its 530 stores in Portugal. The reason for his was the complaint of a customer, who sent photos to the newspapers of a frog at the entrance of a Minipreço branch in Várzeas, […]
‘Niet schrikken hoor’, zei ze zacht toen ik op de hoek van de smalle steeg bijna tegen haar aan botste. Haar man was een paar jaar geleden overleden. In het ziekenhuis verder op de heuvel, waar hij bijna zijn hele leven in het mortuarium gesleten had. Daar hadden ze hem dus ook van binnen leren […]
“The planet is witnessing the appearance of new creatures, ones that have already conquered all continents. At first glance, they seem very delicate and frail but this is an illusion – they are long-lived, almost indestructible: their fleeting bodies won’t decompose for some three hundred more years. These plastic bags are empty on the inside, […]
Paula Rego, one of the most famous living artists has said the recent anti-abortion movement criminalizes women and believes recent legislation banning the procedure in some US states is dangerously regressive and will force women into finding potentially deadly ‘backstreet solutions’. The painter – who was born in Portugal but lives in London – has […]
‘For me, Mouraria is like the Tower of Babel, built and rebuilt every day, despite the diversity of languages and its perfect disharmony’ – (Fatima, teacher and descendant of Cape Verdean migrants) The history of Lisbon and Mouraria – one of the city’s oldest quarters – both originate from the presence of diverse people and cultures. […]
There is a lot of discussion about mass tourism and golden permits but in Portugal, one is inclined to say: ‘don’t kill a chicken with golden eggs.’ After reviewing the tourism industry, we will now take a look at another precious egg of the Portuguese state: the golden visa program. Twenty EU states have golden […]
When the Portuguese sailed to Japan in the 16th-Century, they brought a special dish with them. Today called tempura. In 1543 a Chinese ship with three Portuguese sailors on board – António da Mota, Francisco Zeimoto and António Peixoto – heading for Macau was swept off course and ended up on the Japanese island of […]