Animal welfare and consumer pockets
Brussels has put up for public debate a proposal to lower the current housing density for broiler chickens to 30%, that is, in order to have the same production it will be necessary to triple the area occupied by chicken aviaries. I doubt that the possible greater space given to the birds justifies the waterproofing of large areas of soil and the construction of numerous aviaries, which will lead to an increase in the cost of production of chickens raised in Europe (because, in the meantime, we will import more and more meat from chicken produced without these requirements).
Manuel Illach, Sao Martinho do Porto
Oscars 2023
The most famous film festival in the world has increasingly revealed an event that does not do justice to the notoriety that American cinema occupies in its history (one day you will ask how the Top Gun 2 It is Avatar 2 ended up in the category of best films), nor is it able to disguise the attribution of statuettes being pro-american movies (Any film nominated in the best foreign language category is far better than the award-winning one, but the power of the streaming came to stay). Therefore, I appeal to journalism and, in particular, to PÚBLICO to expand its coverage and film criticism to other latitudes (eg Bollywood, Nollywood, Latinwood) and reinforce the analysis of the Europawood, Asianwood It is Arabwood. Finally, many congratulations to J. Gonzalez for reaching the limelight, but against a “little apple” production it was difficult. Therefore, from Hollywood did not come “nothing new”.
Emanuel Carvalho, Lisbon
lame excuses
The madness and levity with which the leadership of the Church acts in the face of sexual abuse committed by priests reached the stratosphere and left a bad impression. How is it possible that people so poorly prepared and so little connected with the social reality of the country find themselves at the head of dioceses?
After the first wave of declarations, almost always guided by a lack of empathy towards the victims, several bishops, including those of Porto and Leiria-Fátima, embarked on another strategy, apologizing for the failure in communication. Failure is part of the human condition, but what is happening in the ranks of the episcopate already goes beyond what is acceptable and leaves public opinion uneasy.
It makes me shudder that the bishop of Santarém, José Traquina, invokes the depression suffered by a parish priest and scout leader to justify the abuses he committed. It scandalizes me that the bishop of Beja, João Marcos, after defending, peremptorily, that abusive priests should be forgiven and that it is not very Catholic to act otherwise, comes to apologize, with the greatest shamelessness, certainly because he took a good squeeze.
Anyone who shows such irresponsibility is no longer able to lead institutions and has lost credibility, in addition to undermining the effort, coming from other sectors of the Church, to help victims of abuse and remove abusers.
Jorge Vaz Seixas, Sines
IL: Liberal or Neoliberal Party?
On the front page of the Sunday edition of PÚBLICO, in a suggestive headline, we can read the following simple statement: “Liberalism has always been a moderate ideology.” Who said this? Thatcher? Reagan? Neither, dear reader. We owe the “pearl” to Carlos Guimarães Pinto, illustrious IL deputy. As he refuses the label of neoliberalism to be attached to him, he asks himself the question: will Carlos Guimaraes Pinto Do you really know your party’s ideals? There we have, in fact, the deification of the blind forces of the market, with the consequent neoliberal defense of the “minimum State”. This deification is such (as we can attest, for example, by the hysterical content of the reactions to the Mais Habitação program) that it would make the true founder of liberalism, that is, Adam Smith, blush with shame. In his masterpiece, Wealth of Nations, Smith is aware of the need, whose satisfaction is incumbent on the State, to create and preserve public services (essential to social life, but insusceptible of being the result of the anarchic game of free competition). It does not limit the functions of sovereignty, therefore, to the defense of the country and the administration of justice. In short: in light of the principles of the IL, Smith, if he were alive, would be a dangerous “socialist”!
Eurico de Carvalho, Vila do Conde