Detroit

Last weekend I was in Ann Arbor, state of Michigan, for Thanksgiving purposes. In between, I took one day off to go to Detroit (in English: strait). I was excited to see with my own eyes the United States' traditional automobile center. Although Detroit is famous due to automobile industry, "Motor Town", it still is a source of popular music celebrated by its nicknames, such as "Motown" and "Rock city".

Although the city has built up new buildings to revitalize the downtown area, the city stills needs social promotions to rise the economy and be an attraction for tourists.

It is painful to see tall buildings and closed stores that have been abandoned and in a state of decay for years. When we walk on the streets there are no places to buy souvenirs and no tourists at all. As I have figured out, there are three main reasons for this decay. Firstly, the whites moving to the suburbs due to social conflicts during the 1960s and 1970s. Secondly, retailers and small business have departed the city in the wake of the increased crime rate. Finally, the crisis in the automobile industry that has lasted for decades.

Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon, Arizona, USA

The Grand Canyon is huge! There are no pictures to describe the overwhelming size and its colourful landscape. The various overlooks along the canyon edge and the trails for hiking allow the visitors to get a real idea of its dimension and see the thick sequence of layer rocks exposed in the walls of the canyon.

Climbing down to the Colorado River via the Bright Angel Trail we can stop at the Plateau Point, located closed to the river, look down and listen to the river gently flowing by. In the distance, we see the different layers and colours of the canyon! It is calm and peaceful… we can take a deep breath and think about the life!

Nobel Peace Prize Winner 2007

The former U.S. Vice President Al Gore and U.N. climate panel won the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts to build up and disseminate worldwide greater knowledge about the man’s influence on global warming.

According to Time magazine, maybe this is the tipping point (the level at which the momentum for change becomes unstoppable) for this issue. Even though we can disagree about some topics in his movie because he just shows one side of the problem, Al Gore has been the key spokesman in spreading knowledge, explaining basic measures that need to be adopted and posing the political challenges to stop global warming.

Los Alamos

Los Alamos, New Mexico, USA

Its landscape is largely defined by canyons and mesas. Even though an arid area, the green trees around provide stunning natural beauty and a relaxed atmosphere.

At the same time, its nearby landscape is a local of scenic and historic places. The Jemez Mountain is place for the Bandelier National Monument and Valles Caldera National Preserve as well. At Bandelier National Monument we can see the homes of Ancestral Pueblo people who lived there 900 years ago. The Valles Caldera National Preserve is a scenic area of the Jemez Mountains where remains part of a volcano erupted one million years ago. The Rio Grande rises in Colorado, flows nearby Los Alamos to Texas, where it forms the border between the US and Mexico.

Los Alamos offers many outdoor activities for all seasons such as fly fishing, skiing and snowboarding, golfing, swimming, rafting, rock climbing, biking and hiking. Los Alamos is one of the few places in the world where it is possible to ski in the morning and golf in the afternoon.

But the history of the city has been written since 1943. During the World War II, the government of the United States of America (USA) decided to build a Laboratory to produce the world’s first atomic bomb. Today, the Los Alamos National Laboratory is one of the premier scientific institutions in the USA. The core mission of the Laboratory is national security.

Just a recomendation

Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World
By Bill Clinton

After Bill Clinton had left the White House, he figured out that he wanted to spend the rest of his life giving his time to make a difference. To act as a giver, Bill Clinton established the Clinton Foundation with the purpose of "strengthen the capacity of people throughout the world to meet the challenges of global interdependence".

He wrote this book to encourage all of us to give whatever we can, such as, money, time, things or skills to save lives, solve problems and give more young people the chance to live their dreams.

Take a look at my recomendation and get involved!

Take Action

Everything we can do is... take action! We cannot wait anymore. There are little things we can do everyday to save the planet. Take a look at www.climatecrisis.net.

«O Mundo é Plano», Thomas L. Friedman

Uma história breve do século XXI

Recomendo vivamente o novo livro de Thomas Friedman (versão inglesa «The World is Flat»).



Esta dissertação pretende demonstrar um lado diferente da globalização. Pretendendo contrariar o raciocínio mais fácil de que a globalização gera injustiças e pobreza, o autor contrapõe a ideia que a globalização facilita a vida aos pobres que queiram concorrer no mercado aberto.