Portuguese Heritage Publications of California

Corvo Documentary – 1st. Place at the 55th. San Francisco International Film Festival

Portuguese Heritage Publications — Wed, 09 May 2012 04:12:37 +0000

Since the beginning of the human colonization in Corvo until the end of the 20th century, this island lived secluded and totally self-dependent. A closed agricultural community with ancestral rituals and codes but open to the sea. Historical are the stories about their relationships, economical and social, with the sailors and the pirates that sailed around the coast of the island. The state of Portugal was distant, the world for Corvo was the international sea trade and Corvo was in the center of that trade.

Gonçalo Tocha was able to capture the uniqueness of life in Corvo and project it throughout Europe and the United States in his

Feature Documentary “It’s the Earth Not the Moon”.

The 55th. San Francisco International Film Festival is held each spring for 15 days. The International is an extraordinary showcase of cinematic discovery and innovation in one of the country’s most beautiful cities, featuring 200 films, live events and 14 juried awards. The event included upwards of 100 participating filmmaker guests and diverse and engaged audiences with more than 70,000 people in attendance.

The winners were announced at the Golden Gate Awards Ceremony and the awards presented by the San Francisco Film Society. The documentary “It’s the Earth Not the Moon”, of filmmaker Gonçalo Tocha (Portugal 2011) was the winner in the Documentary Feature category. We congratulate Gonçalo and his team for a job well done!

Caldeira do Corvo

Extracts from San Francisco’s Film Society Press Release; Edited by PHPC’s blogging staff

Visit: www.PortugueseBooks.Org for additional information

GORREANA TEA – An European delicacy since 1883

Portuguese Heritage Publications — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 21:57:15 +0000

The tea plantation Cha Gorreana is beautifully situated on the North coast of the island Sao Miguel, near the little village of Maia, surrounded by green volcanic hills and the big blue of the Atlantic ocean, far away from any industrial pollution.

Family owned and operated for 5 generations, the Gorrean plantation is the only Euro Zone Region to grow tea. The estate measures approximately 45 hectares; 30 employees produce about 40 tons of tea annually, mainly consumed on the islands themselves and in the Portuguese mainland. Due to the special micro-climate in this part of Sao Miguel, with its constant high level of humidity throughout the year in combination with fertile volcanic soil, the Cha Gorreana plantation doesn’t have to fight against vermins of any kind. The tea plant – Camellia Sinensis – is grown organically here without any pesticides, herbicides and fungicides being used. During more than 125 years of successful tea growing the plants have adapted themselves to the sometimes rough and salty winds coming off the ocean and don’t need any additional shelter anymore. They are allowed to reproduce themselves the natural way. Pure and mild with a fine natural flavour, Gorreana tea is available as balck tea or green tea in different varieties.

Gorreana tea aficionados may enjoy a cup of their favorite tea on May 5th. at the Santa Monica International Tea Festival.

Sources: www.gorreanatea.com ; LA Times

Translated by: www.PortugueseBooks.Org

National Literary Award Dias de Melo

Portuguese Heritage Publications — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 22:04:21 +0000

Municipality of Lajes do Pico/Ver Açor Editors

Translation: Portuguese Heritage Publications

DIAS DE MELO deals in his books, as did Vitorino Nemésio, with the profound Azorean insularity. Dias de Melo developed several of his novels in the South of the island of Pico, in the era of the whalers and the omnipresent sea. He socialized with Ferreira de Castro, Fernando Namora, Urbano Tavares Rodrigues, Armando Côrte- Rodrigues and many others.

It is the extraordinary literary dimension of one of the greatest Azorean writers, the largest in the whaling literature that justifies the promotion of the National Literary Award Dias de Melo, which has a meaning of great prestige for the Azorean Literature.

The National Literary Award Dias de Melo, promoted by the municipality of Lajes do Pico and by Ver Açor Editors, is intended to honor, biennially, a previously unpublished work or published in the previous year, in the categories of romance, novel, short story, chronic, or poetry, written in Portuguese language.

The jury is composed of five personalities of recognized merit: Daniel de Sá, Isabel Pires de Lima, Luis Fagundes Duarte, Manuel Tomás and Maria de Jesus Maciel. Each candidate work should be submitted to the Municipality of Lajes do Pico, by May 30, 2012.

The monetary value attributed to the National Literary Award Dias de Melo, is 5,000.00 euros. The selected work will then be published or reprinted by Ver Açor Editors. The prize winner will be announced at the official opening of the Whalers Week event.

www.PortugueseBooks.Org

Santo Cristo Festas

Portuguese Heritage Publications — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 03:12:40 +0000

The Santo Cristo dos Milagres festas are a tradition in every island of the Azores, particularly the annual May celebration in the island of San Miguel. Families from the entire archipelago flock to San Miguel to pay rendition to Santo Cristo and to deliver their “promessas”.

Azorean emmigrants from the United States, Canada, Bermuda, Brazil, South Africa, and other parts of the world come back to their island for the Holy festivity celebrations and to get re-acquainted with family and friends.

Do you know that you can participate in Santo Cristo dos Milagres celebrations right here in California?

On Sunday May 6th., Petaluma and Buhach celebrate Santo Cristo dos Milagres Festas, as well as South San Francisco, on Sunday May, 13th.

Please note these dates on your calendar if you wish to participate in one of these religious celebrations.

36th Annual Luso-American Education Foundation Conference

Portuguese Heritage Publications — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 04:22:47 +0000

The 36th. Annual Luso-American Education Foundation Conference will take place this year in San Jose, on April 19-22. The theme of the conference is Community Building Through Education and Technology. The events, which will be open to the general public, will occur at San Jose State University, Portuguese Athletic Club and the Portuguese Museum at Kelley Park. The objectives of the conference are to connect all segments of the Portuguese community with the world of education and technology, with particular relevance given to educational and cultural institutions engaged in the teaching of Portuguese Language and Culture.

The opening ceremony, which will take place at the Martin Luther King Library at 6:30 pm on Thursday April 19, it will include the presentation of several books on the Portuguese-American experience.

The program for Friday, April 20, will include an all-day session for high school students at San Jose State University. In the evening, there will be a presentation of an Azorean Traditional Nativity Scene at the Portuguese Museum in Kelley Park at 7pm.

The program for Saturday, April 21, will begin with an opening session at San Jose State University, followed by several workshops on various subjects of interest, such as Portuguese language and culture, technology, research by young Portuguese-Americans, and genealogy. Sessions will be in English and Portuguese. Lunch will be served at the university while dinner will take place at the Portuguese Athletic Club.

On Sunday, April 22, there will be a one day session on Portuguese Immigrant Women at the Portuguese Athletic Club.

Present at the conference will be several invited guests, including the Portuguese Secretary of State for Communities, José Cesário, the Secretary of Education from the Azorean Regional Government, Cláudia Cardoso, and a Deputy from the Portuguese Assembly, Maria João Ávila.

For more information, please contact the LAEF (education@luso-american.org) or 925-828-3883.

www.PortugueseBooks.Org

Impact of Acculturation on the Family Dynamics of Portuguese Immigrants in the US

Portuguese Heritage Publications — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 22:52:24 +0000

Aurora Meneses da Silva, B.S., Graduate Student at the Marriage and Family Therapy M.S. Program, Purdue University Calumet, is developing a study on the impact of acculturation on the family dynamics of Portuguese immigrants in the U.S.. The purpose of the study is to understand how acculturating to the U.S. affects/affected Portuguese immigrants and their families, and how the therapist can better support immigrant families. The survey will be available until March 6th 2012. Therefore, I would like to request your help in spreading this email among Portuguese and Portuguese-Americans that might fit the criteria of participation.

Criteria to participate:

1) to be at least 18 years of age;
2) to be permanent resident in the U. S. (students/scholars on temporary visas do not qualify);
3) to have immigrated from Portugal OR, at least, one of your parents immigrated from Portugal; and,
4) to be original either from Portugal mainland, the Azores or Madeira archipelagos.

Participants will be given the opportunity to answer the survey either in Portuguese or English. At the end of the survey you will have the opportunity to enter a drawing for eight of $25 gift cards. Please follow this link to access the survey: https://www.psychdata.com/s.asp?SID=146125

A paper-based version of the survey is also available. If participants prefer to receive the survey in their homes, an email with their address can be sent to ameneses@purduecal.edu, and the survey, as well as a stamped envelope with the address at which the survey can be returned, will be mailed to the participants.

If you have any questions about the study, please feel free to email me at ameneses@purduecal.edu or the principal investigator, Professor David Nalbone, at dnalbone@purduecal.edu.

I would also appreciate if you could email this information to other Portuguese living in the U.S. who might be interested in participating in this study.

Aurora Meneses da Silva, B.S.
Graduate Student at the Marriage and Family Therapy M.S. Program
Teaching Assistant
Purdue University Calumet

Job Opportunities for Portuguese-Speaking Candidates, California and Texas

Portuguese Heritage Publications — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 19:37:59 +0000

As a follow up to our blog of February 2nd. on a similar subject, this time we are able

to provide specific information regarding the States where these employment opportunities exist – California and Texas. In addition, we are also able to provide the direct contact information where you might find more details about these opportunities. To learn more please contact Alta Miller:

e-mail: amiller.nbe@blizzard.com

Phone: 512-485-7589

Good luck!

Great Job Opportunities for Portuguese Speaking Candidates

Portuguese Heritage Publications — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 21:36:51 +0000

The business world has become increasingly global as multi-national companies expand their reach worldwide. As these companies strategically position their footprint to take advantage of the global economy, the demand in the last ten years for skilled multi-lingual candidates also increased.

Several of these opportunities are currently posted on www.careerbuilder.com . We invite you to check out the URL below for several job opportunities available to Portuguese speaking candidates:

http://www.careerbuilder.com/Jobseeker/Jobs/JobResults.aspx?IPath=QH&ch&rs&_ctl0%3A_ctl1%3AucQuickBar%3As_rawwords=portuguese&_ctl0%3A_ctl1%3AucQuickBar%3As_freeloc&_ctl0%3A_ctl1%3AucQuickBar%3As_jobtypes=ALL&qsbButton=Find+Jobs

We wish all the applicants the best of luck and success in their career endeahvors. Please drop us a note if you find this blog helpful.

Portuguese Heritage Publications of California, Inc. is a non-profit organization 501 c (3), created to research, preserve and disseminate vanishing memories and current relevant events about the Portuguese presence in California.

For more about PHPC, please visit us at: www.PortugueseBooks.Org and on Facebook at Portuguese Heritage Publications.

Adventures of a Portuguese Poet

Portuguese Heritage Publications — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 18:28:57 +0000

Wild-hearted Luis Vaz de Camoes’ years abroad are not well-known but that hasn’t lessened his legend…

Poets have always been a little crazy: They admit it themselves: “The lunatic, the lover and the poet/Are of imagination all compact”, William Shakespeare wrote in 1590s.

A few decades before those words were penned, they were embodied in the life of a young man named Luis Vaz de Camoes, now revered as one of Portugal’s greatest poets and celebrated both there and in Macau, where he may have spent a few years.

Though time has obscured the details of Camoes’ biography, glimpses of a crazy romantic still wink through the heavy dust of history. His personal plotline swings from royal favor to banishment and back again—spanning several countries and including a street brawl, a shipwreck, and several scandalous love affairs.

Camoes was born to an aristocratic family in Lisbon around 1524, and his youth was apparently “less than subdued,” as Britannica’s online encyclopedia dryly notes. The historian Edmond Taylor was less cautious in his 1972 description: “He was brilliant, wild, and handsome… he became a gay though penniless young roisterer-at-large in the capital.”

After banishment from Lisbon in his twenties—it’s not clear why, although there were rumors of an indecorous romance with a princess or lady-in-waiting, or both—Camoes set sail with the Portuguese navy to defend colonial territory. He was blinded in one eye during a skirmish with Moors somewhere along the North African coast, a detail that adds to his mystique in later portraits.

Camoes returned to Lisbon around 1551 and soon tangled with trouble again, this time landing in prison for injuring a royal officer during a street fight. His sentence was reduced to three years of forced military service, and in 1553 he was shipped off to Goa, India. When his service there was over, he reportedly sailed for Macau and took up a post with the colonial administration.

Perhaps it was all this time at sea that inspired Camoes to write Os Lusiadas (The Lusiads), an epic poem about the voyages of Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama to the East. (Camoes and da Gama were also distantly related.) Many people believe Camoes began composing the poem while in Macau, though probably not in the exact grotto that now bears his name there.

The paucity of firm facts about Camoes’ years abroad hasn’t stopped biographers from casting him in plenty of misadventures. Some say the poet’s stay in Macau ended when he was charged with corruption and sent to Goa for trial, suffering a shipwreck in the Mekong Delta en route. Others add an extra touch of drama to the tale, claiming that Camoes carried his manuscript to shore on his head but lost his latest girlfriend in the disaster.

The wild-hearted, one-eyed poet finally seemed to settle down in his last decade, after a friend paid for his passage back to Lisbon from Mozambique (it’s unclear what Camoes was doing there). When Os Lusiadas was published in 1572, the poet dedicated it to King Sebastian, who apparently liked it enough to grant him a modest pension.

Camoes died in 1580, around age 56. As with many poets, death seemed to be a good career move—his popularity has surged posthumously, and most sources now refer to him as the “national poet” of Portugal. But perhaps he would not even have cared, judging from this line of his most famous work:

“O Glory of Commanding! O vain thirst / Of that same empty nothing, we call fame!”

By Amanda Bensen, courtesy www.smithsonian.com/news, Sept. 01, 2008

Portuguese Heritage Publicaions: www.PortugueseBooks.Org.

Corvo – The Smallest Azores Island in Movies

Portuguese Heritage Publications — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 03:46:25 +0000

It’s never easy to get to Corvo Island. It´s the most isolated point in Europe and the most inaccessible, located on the western extremity of the Azorean Islands – Portugal, in mid Atlantic Ocean.

A cameraman and a soundman arrived in Corvo in 2007, the smallest island in the archipelago of the Azores. Right in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, Corvo is a large rock, 6km high and 4km long, with the crater of a volcano and a single tiny village of 440 people. Gradually, this small filming crew was accepted by the island’s population as its new inhabitants, two people to add to a civilization almost 500 years old, whose history is hardly discernible, such is the lack of records and written memories.

Shot at a vertiginous pace throughout a few years, self‐produced between arrivals, departures and coming‐backs, “It’s the Earth not the Moon” develops as the logbook of a ship, and turns out as a patchwork of discoveries and experiences, which follow the contemporary life of a civilization isolated in the middle of the sea.

A long atlantic film‐odissey that combines anthropological records, literature, lost archives, mythological and autobiographical stories. Portuguese director Goncalo Tocha’s movie “It’s the Earth Not the Moon” (www.naterranaonalua.com) will be featured at the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria NY), on Sunday January 8th.

The film won several awards in 2011:

Official Selection:

Festival Internacional de Cinema de Lisboa

Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival

Vancouver International Film Festival

Valdivia International Film Festival

Vienna International Film Festival

Winner:

Festival Locarno

Prize for Best Feature Film in International Competition – Lisboa

(Courtesy: PortugueseCircle.com/news)