QUE ALÍVIO...
Desde as minhas aulas de História na escola secundária que sempre embirrei com os Neanderthal, sempre me pareceram mais atrasados e animalescos, no íntimo nunca acreditei que pudessem ser meus antepassados!(aqui)

A DOR
É brutal o tratamento mediático da dor no nosso espaço comunicacional, a falta de respeito sobre a dignidade humana. Não sei contabilizar o número de vezes que os vários canais de televisão "impuseram" as imagens do dramático acontecimento de Domingo. Existe uma vontade mórbida de explorar as emoções não respeitando qualquer limite de reserva e privacidade. Que arrogância...

R.I.P. Miklos Feher 1979 - 2004
Dramatic moments during the soccer game Guimarães - Benfica. I am shocked... (aqui)

OS TEMPOS DE HOJE
Sem qualquer pessimismo exagerado são estes os tempos...

Este é o tempo
Da selva mais obscura

Até o ar azul se tornou grades
E a luz do sol se tornou impura

Esta é a noite
Densa de chacais
Pesada de amargura

Este é o tempo em que os homens renunciam.

(Sophia de Mello Breyner, in Mar Novo, 1958)

QUEEN MARY II



Built at the Chantiers de l'Atlantique yard for Cunard, the Queen Mary 2 will be the largest ocean liner ever constructed. It will be 345.03m long and have a beam of 45m at the bridge wings. Its draught will be 9.95m and the height from keel to the funnel will be 72m. The estimated Gross Registered Tonnage will be 150,000t.

Very impressive!!!

EFFECTIVE

"Champagne is from Champagne"...This is a promotional slogan in alot of American magazines and other publications also supported by the website www.champagne.us.
In fact why don't we invest also on these kind of local promotions of our sometimes unique and exclusive products like Porto Wine for example? Are the following examples enough?
Instituto do Vinho do Porto
Rota do Vinho do Porto

NOT TO GO WITH THE FLOW

I know the party season as gone, after the 'Dia de Reis', the day when Gaspar, Baltazar e Belquior arrived with some presents for the recently born Jesus, from the 6th January Catholic church closes the Christmas celebrations and prepares the coming Eastern, but as I was saying, these is the perfect time to propose some "bubbles" I mean some Champagne. I also want to alert for the terrible use some people give to champagne, those who think this is a cheers dedicated kind of wine don't really know what they are missing.

"I drink my Champagne when I'm happy and when I'm sad.
Sometimes I drink it when I'm alone.
When I have company I consider it obligatory.
I trifle with it if I'm not hungry and drink it when I am.
Otherwise I never touch it unless I'm thirsty. "
(Madame Lily Bollinger - London Daily Mail, October 17, 1961)

We can't say Champagne was really invented, although Dom Perignon, monk and master of the Hautvillers Abbey wine cellars, 300 years ago, can be considered the genius behind the process development and improvement for 47 years.
Champagne became very popular during the reign of Luis XIV at Versailles after the confessional practices of the famous and very infidel "Jolie Baronne" which to gain Dom Perignon's absolution committed to promote the exotic wine he created. They say she promised exotic favours to le Marechal du Crequis if he delivered a case of champagne bottles to the Palace. Luis XIV was so impressed with the wine that reserved a substantial part of the all production to himself.
"Jolie Baronne" said after deliver all that she promised to the Marechal "All the eternity without problems is well justifies a night without pleasure" !

Well, moving forward to the real thing, later I will talk in more detail about the first houses in Epernay and Reims in the XVIII century, I would like to recommend two moments of real pleasure:



Gosset Grande reserve NV
Creamy, rich and biscuity, very tasty and right balanced of all the yeastly lemon rich fruit.



Krug Grande Cuvée NV
"Krug Grande Cuvée is as a symphony, a composition where the instruments all play together, complementing each other in total harmony," says winemaker Henri Krug

Mix, in New York the revenge

Pedro did it! and I as a dedicated co-blogger feel the obligation to demand a compensation to this enormous injustice not to be able to enjoy that great meal with so warm and rewarding companions. Me and PO will look forward for the night we will land in NYC, welcomed with a flute of champagne on a luxurious limousine and driven to "Alain Ducasse" at the Essex House for an extravaganza at Pedro's expenses, that should be a fair compensation.