Think positive V

- 5 young Portuguese researchers have won Howard Hughes Medical Institute awards for their research in several medical fields. Portugal was actually the second country with most awards, just after China - and considering the size of the country that is quite an achievement. So, kudos to them and also to the foundations and institutions they work for - and the former Portuguese Science Minister, Mariano Gago. http://www.publico.pt/Ci%C3%AAncias/cinco-cientistas-portugueses-premiados-com-bolsa-norteamericana-1530398

- This week, Richard Branson (Virgin CEO and business superstar) praised again Portugal's campaign against drugs and the bold movement of considering its consumption a health and not a police problem. In Portugal, too many times, we forget how amazing the results were, strongly decreasing drug addiction problems. See Richard's December remarks on the subject on his blog http://www.virgin.com/richard-branson/blog/time-to-end-the-war-on-drugs .

- And last but not least, even Public Deficit was better last week than what was previously expected. Of course, maybe some means for this success might be debatable, but still, let's not forget how positive and important that figure still is (when compared to our 2010 deficit).