Luis Dufaur 
Though long concealed from Western history books, it was never a secret that Hitler and Stalin were great allies and jointly triggered World War II. In a sense, this alliance, seemingly broken as the war unfolded, never really stopped working and endures as if it had never been broken. However, many in … Read more
“Celebrating the end of Communism is inappropriate. It is creeping back in different forms under different flags and slogans, without sufficient resistance from us,” warned Václav Klaus, the first head of government of the Czech Republic after the end of the Soviet dictatorship, as reported by O Estado de Sao Paulo, Brazil. … Read more
Live births in Portugal in 2013 fell by half compared to records 40 years ago. In the same year, 128,000 Portuguese emigrated, the equivalent of the population of a city like Braga, the country’s fifth largest, the newspaper Correio da Manhã reported. The exact number of births in 2013 was 82,787, which … Read more
Once upon a time there was a huge island of trash floating in the Pacific. Only an island? No, a subcontinent! To believe the environmental movement, it spanned about 270,000 to 5.8 million square miles, i.e., one or two times the size of the U.S. (cf. Wikipedia, Great Pacific garbage patch). But … Read more
Medieval men had a marvelous devotion to the Magi Kings. While this devotion is based on the Gospels, they developed it with such strength that it lives on even today. In addition to a few shepherds, Providence willed that the Child Jesus receive the visit of three wise men who, according to … Read more
The Middle Ages, inappropriately called “Dark Ages,” was one of the times of greatest technological development, artistic and institutional creativity in history. This is the opinion of Prof. João Luís César das Neves, President of the Scientific Council and Professor of Economy and Business at the Faculty of Business and Economics of … Read more
The “culture of death” is attaining that which not even the atomic bomb was able to: extinguish Japan’s population. A survey by an ad hoc subcommittee of Japan’s Policy Board concluded that by 2040, almost half of the country’s municipalities will face difficulties to continue existing normally, BBC Brazil reported. The study … Read more
After the Nativity scene, the Christmas tree is the most significant symbol of the Christmas season – especially in times past, when the commercial aspect of Christmas was not as aggressive. The inventor of the Christmas tree was Saint Boniface, the apostle and evangelist of Germany. In 723 Saint Boniface felled an … Read more
On October 11-13, the Argentine government promoted the “29th National Encounter of Women,” which annually brings together hundreds of feminist activists in favor of abortion, LGBT issues, and even prostitution. These meetings usually conclude with a parade to the local cathedral to deface, profane, and even invade it if possible. This time, … Read more
The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit held in China in early November had an unexpected side effect, at least for those who do not usually follow Chinese developments. Though having just bombastically signed with the United States a commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, China made clear it will only abide by … Read more