Eis outro mail que lhes enviei hoje sobre este assunto:
Dear Sirs,
Three days ago I sent you this e-mail:
"Dear Sirs,
I'm writing you from Lisbon, Portugal. You obviously know that the Iberian Peninsula comprises two independent and distinct countries, namely Portugal and Spain. However, when you show your weather forecasts (we see your TV broadcasts as supplied by our TV Cable company, namely ZON TV CABO http://www.zon.pt/Televisao/cabo/pacotes.aspx?gclid=CMu8-tXh9p8CFc9k4wodS1ToYQ or http://www.zon.pt/ you only show the temperature and other weather conditions for Madrid (Spain). Our country (Portugal) is represented only by a grey rectangle without any reference whatsoever to our capital city (Lisbon) and to its weather forecasts. So, it seems Portugal doesn't exist for you... That's a shame. Portugal belongs to the European Union; Portugal is an independent country since 1140 AD. Portugal, as all other european countries, has Meteorological Services called the "Instituto de Meteorologia". Here is their site: http://www.meteo.pt/pt/ (or, the same site in english: http://www.meteo.pt/en/index.html )
So, would you please include our country in your weather forecasts and not show us in your european maps as an anonymous, unidentified, grey rectangle?
You wouldn't do us any favour. Instead, you would show all the world that you are a responsible, well informed TV station.
Best regards,
Mario Cesar Borges Marques de Abreu
Lisbon, PORTUGAL, February 16, 2010
my other e-mail address: m.mario.cesar@gmail.com"
Now, please see this link (especially the part which I transcribe below).
http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/travel-advice-by-country/europe/portugal
TRANSCRIPTION:
"Around 2,254,300 British tourists visit Portugal every year (Source: Portuguese National Statistical Office (www.ine.pt). Most visits are trouble-free. 397 British nationals required consular assistance in Portugal in the period 01 April 2008 – 31 March 2009 for the following types of incident; deaths (208 cases); hospitalisations (91 cases); and arrests, for a variety of reasons (22 cases). During this period assistance was also requested with regard to lost or stolen passports (612 cases). You should be alert to the risk of petty theft. See the Crime section of this advice for more details. If you need to contact the emergency services in Portugal call 112."
Since 3 days ago (after I sent you my mail above... don't know if it is a mere coincidence) Portugal is not represented anymore by a grey rectangle. Now it is represented (like Spain) with various tones of green. We wish to congratulate you for that improvement... However, the name of our country, or even of our capital city (Lisbon) isn't yet shown in the map when you broadcast your weather forecasts. We only see Madrid and it's weather forecasts.
The weather conditions of Madrid are absolutely different from those of Lisbon. Madrid is situated in the central part of the Iberian Peninsula. Lisbon is situated in the litoral, facing the Atlantic Ocean. Under these circumstances, Lisbon is usually much less cold in the Winter and much less warm in the Summer.
Why do you insist in not showing the weather forecasts for Lisbon? Is that due to a subconscious bias? That is: for you and for your meteorologists the Iberian Peninsula is fundamentally Spain, and Portugal is a kind of Spain's minor administrative region...? If that's what you think about our country, you are absolutely WRONG, utterly MISTAKEN!! You should know that. (please read again the explanations I gave you in the mail I sent you three days ago (transcribed above).
We will go on watching your "weird" weather forecasts for the Iberian Peninsula, that is, for PORTUGAL and Spain. All the other european countries are correctly identified in your weather forecasts and you show their temperatures and other weather conditions. Portugal is the only exception... Isn't that strange and utterly unacceptable?
Best regards.
Mario Cesar Borges de Abreu
Lisbon, February 19, 2010
m.mario.cesar@gmail.com
