American city bans cars with horses

The city of Salt Lake City, in the u.s. State of Utah, just pass a law banning horse carriages, after several years of activism on the part of the defenders of animals.

The last straw for the city put the subject on the agenda was the death of a 13-year-old horse, Jerry, which collapsed in one of the hottest days of the summer of 2013. The video of the horse to fall led to a controversy that ended with the company that sold the service, Carriagem for Hire, closing their doors.

The company's output was well received by PETA and Utah Animal Rights Coalition, which pressured the Board to change the law to prevent future incidents.

In a first phase, the municipality became the regulations of these services be narrower, but this week the ban was confirmed. "We believe that times have changed and that the horses don't belong to our increasingly busy cities," explained to the Salt Lake City Gene Baierschmidt, director of the Humane Society of Utah.

This prohibition could lead other cities to decide by reformulating their own laws. It is recalled that the mayor of New York, Bill deBlasio, promised to prohibit the horse carriages during his tenure, but still said nothing on the topic after his election.

Foto: vxla/Creative Commons

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Dutch investigators want to produce electricity from the "blue energy"

The Dutch company REDstack BV opened yesterday the doors of a factory, in a pilot project, will produce electricity from the difference between the levels of salt concentration in seawater and fresh water.

This process, the Dutch researchers call "blue energy", employs two filters with salt water and sweet. A permit entry of positively charged sodium ions, while the other allows the entry of negatively charged chloride ions, producing a natural battery.

"We need wind to wind power and solar panels only work during the day, but the water is always running," said Rik Siebers, CEO of REDstack BV. According to Fox News, the company wants to popularize the blue energy until 2020, when new power stations will be built.

For now, the plant will only produce 50 MW, that will electrify nearly 100 houses. One of the reasons why the Dutch researchers came to this energy is geographical: the rivers Rhine and Meuse are at sea in this country. The factory is located strategically on the Afsluitdijk, a giant dam that turned part of the North Sea into a freshwater lake in 30 years.

The project is funded by the Dutch Government and various corporate sponsors.

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Lisbon distributes over 42 stands for urban gardens

Câmara Municipal de Lisboa (CML) announced the opening of a competition for the award of large fields of crops to the practice of urban agriculture, in the new Horticultural Park the fifth count of Arcos, in the parish of Olivais. The proposals can be made from today and until 11 December.

Second advances the good news, are in growing stands, 42 competition between 80 to 100 m2. Because it is social value gardens payable per square meter is €1,6, on which rests a discount of 80% and may not, however, the calculated amount be less than €58,60.

The abovementioned price Moreover, payment of estimated amount of € 20, by way of reimbursement for the costs incurred by the CML with the operation and maintenance of the common parts of the Horticultural Park. This amount will be subject to adjustment at the end of each year of occupation, on the basis of the costs actually incurred.

In addition to the plot, the new law will also have over the collective shelters for provision of tools and support materials to the cultivation and access to water for irrigation. The CML also ensures training and technical support towards the promotion of organic farming and of good farming practices.

Those interested may consult the contest rules as well as rules for the use of Horticultural Park in www.cm-lisboa.pt or services one-stop-shop of CML.

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A tour of the abandoned hospital de Arroios

In 2009, the Portuguese photographer John Gago saw a homeless man into the old hospital de Arroios, on Praça do Chile, Lisboa, and was curious. Tried to talk to some responsible for the space, without success, but eventually go in and see several people living in the former hospital rooms.

"The Hospital de Arroios is deserted, destroyed and vandalized, and today serves as a parking lot," explains John the Stutterer in his blog. "In recent years, several reconstruction projects have been proposed, but no advance. We can still find some medical objects and tokens of patients, "explained the photographer.

John the Stutterer, our already known, then decided to enter the building and photograph it â€" just as it has done elsewhere of Lisbon or the rest of the Country. "Despite its destruction, we can still find some beauty in the building," he concluded.

According to the blog Lisbon S.O.S, the hospital was built in 1705 and worked as a college for the training of Jesuits. Withstood the 1755 earthquake and was condemned in 1890. Then, he was converted into a hospital and came under the administration of the Royal Hospital of St. Joseph. Ran until 1993, with various specialties, at which point it was definitely deactivated.

See some of the photos of the Hospital de Arroios, which continues its path of deterioration.

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SPEA launches new portal about birdwatching

Portuguese society for the study of birds (SPEA) launched this week a new portal dedicated to the observation of birds in Portugal. The site provides detailed information on some of the most suitable locations for bird-watching in the Portuguese mainland, Azores and Madeira, the main target species of observers and suggested itineraries.

The site, which is in Portuguese and English, also has some other information and useful features for those who want to observe birds in Portugal, such as maps and links to important bird areas (IBAs) associated with the observation sites.

The project was developed within the framework of the Mediteraves (IPOT-International Project of Ornithology Tourism), advances the SPEA in a statement, and funding for the Leonardo da Vinci programme.

Foto: Natesh Ramsey/Creative Commons

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Portuguese engineer will manage central competences of the Ikaros Solar

The Portuguese José Pascoal just assumed the post of engineer of Business process management of Engineering skills centre of the Ikaros Solar. It is recalled that the giant photovoltaic Belgian decided to host this engineering centre in Portugal, at the beginning of 2013.

Previously, José Pascoal was coordinator of automation and control area on Martifer Solar (2011-2014), where he worked with solar PV projects developed in Portugal, France, India, England, Mexico, Chile, Brazil, Cape Verde, among others. José Pascoal joined the Portuguese multinational in 2010 to take over the functions of automation and control Engineer.

In the Centre of competences of the Ikaros Solar, the engineer will be responsible for analysis, design, optimization and monitoring of business processes and procedures for all departments of the group, which has as a subsidiary Portugal Ikaros-Hemera. José Pascoal is also responsible for managing the process of knowledge and know-how in all the subsidiaries of the Group Ikaros Solar.

"I've always followed my career by demand constant new challenges and this post is an example of this ambition. Have the responsibility to manage and standardize business processes of the central powers of the Ikaros Solar from Portugal makes me believe that the future brings good news for many Portuguese engineers in the photovoltaic area. The Group's investment in Solar Engineer Service Center Ikaros is revealing this trend ", explained in a statement José Pascoal. the new international Competence Center Engineer of Ikaros Solar has a degree in electrical and Computer Engineering-Automation and control Branch at the University of Coimbra. He was also a researcher at Institute for systems and Robotics at the University of Coimbra and coordinator of master's theses, in the context of renewable energy, in the Faculty of engineering of Porto and at the Escola Superior de Tecnologia e Gestão de Viseu, and author and co-author of several scientific papers.

In full operation from 2013, the Center has created a core of engineers solar PV experts to meet the technical requirements of the various subsidiaries of the Group worldwide. The major foci of this team's work will be the development of projects of greater complexity and size, along with the research and development of the solution.

Foto: Bart Speelman/Creative Commons

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CGD recognized by transparency and address climate change actions

Caixa Geral de Depósitos (CGD) was distinguished by the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) for his course in reducing carbon dioxide emissions and mitigating the risks of climate change, achieving a position of prominence in the Climate Disclosure Leadership Index of the CDP.

The award was announced at the launch of the CDP Iberia 125 Climate Change Report 2014, accompanying the activities of the 125 largest Iberian companies quoted on the stock exchange with regard to response to climate change.

CDP Iberia 125 Climate Change Report is drawn from a survey done to companies of the Iberian Peninsula. CGD responding to inquiry voluntarily since 2009, because it is not listed on the stock exchange. For the fourth consecutive year, CGD has achieved a prominent position in the area of leadership, being the only company in the financial sector with a rating of 100 points on the scale of CDP report.

"We are fully aware of the importance of climate to our business and as such the box continues to work on environmental issues," said Paula Viegas, Director of sustainability of CGD, during the launch of the CDP Iberia 125 Climate Change Report 2014.

Foto: ivogomes/Creative Commons

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