The 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics start this Friday! Posted by Gabriel on 1:08 pm

As any good Canuck knows, the Winter Olympics are the important Olympics, and as such, want to see Canada rake in the medals, especially with the home advantage.

Now, if you are living in Portugal, the Winter Olympics rarely make the news, seeing as how winter sports are practically impossible here due to the good weather, and because Portugal has only one athlete in the Winter Olympics (Danny Silva, the only amateur athlete at the Games... that's determination!).

What is the best way to follow the Olympics in Portugal, if you don't have cable TV, you may ask?

Going to a pub is not an option, since with the time difference, they would be closed, and with the little interest in the winter games, they would probably have it on VH1 or SportTv.

Well, the internet of course!

The Official 2010 Vancouver Olympics website has a listing of on-line coverage. Very, very handy.

I recommend checking out the official website, you can follow Olympic news on Twitter, become a Facebook fan, see the schedules, etc.

The Opening Ceremony is set to start at 2:00AM on the 13th of February here in Portugal (6:00PM on the 12th in Vancouver), don't miss it!

Portugal is safe again! ETA base uncovered. Posted by Gabriel on 12:15 pm

The ETA (Euskadi Ta Askatasuna, or Basque Homeland and Freedom) logistics base in Óbidos, Portugal has been neutralized, according to the general director of the Portuguese Republican National Guard.

The base was uncovered this Friday, after the buildings  landlord alerted the police that the tenants were leaving without paying the rent.

Portuguese Police discovered close to 1500 kilograms of explosives in the Casal da Avela headquarters. Destruction of those explosives is currently underway.

However, maps discovered at the site show the existence of other bases throughout Portugal.

In the Diário Digital On-line, 08-02-2010

Portuguese airports failing to comply with international laws Posted by Gabriel on 2:24 pm

Despite being activated more than three years ago, a set of international certification laws that were implemented in May 2007 and affect all aerodromes and airports are still not being carried out to the full in Portugal, even by large airports such as Lisbon, Faro and Oporto, media reports claimed this week.

In theory the non-compliance with these certification laws should in fact legally imply the closure of the airports.

For example, properly certified airport manuals are needed in all seven national airports run by ANA – Airports of Portugal, which include Lisbon, Faro, Oporto and Ponta Delgada (Azores).

These manuals comprise health and safety laws drawn up for each specific airport and must be stamped by the National Institute for Civil Aviation (INAC).

ANA spokesperson Rui Oliveira confirmed that the airports had had the manuals drawn up and that these had been sent off to INAC “some time ago” for approval, but had not yet been sent back.

Portuguese newspaper O Público reported that ANA’s manuals were in fact sent off three years ago and were still awaiting validation.

Because of this, the Democratic Syndicate for Airport and Aviation Workers (Sindav) sent a letter to the Ministry for Public Works highlighting “series doubts” regarding the proper certification of 40 supposedly approved aerodromes on a list published by INAC.

At the time it was implemented aerodromes and heliports were given two years to adjust their standards to the newly-introduced laws.

The law states that failure to do so will mean all air-related infrastructures will have to reapply for licenses to operate.

However, eight months after that deadline (May 2009) no re-applications have been submitted.

Smaller airports argue lack of financial resources to purchase additional equipment such as permanent ambulances and insurances that are compulsory under the new law.

In The Portugal News Online, Edition: 1047, 06/02/2010

Minho Region Posted by Gabriel on 8:14 pm

Just got back from the north recently (visited Braga and Terras de Bouro), and took some pictures. However they don’t do the place justice, since it is very beautiful. These were taking in a village close to Terras de Bouro. I'm planning on visiting Braga again soon to get some pictures of the city.

  

 

Very worth visiting, for the great visages, very rich food (going to have to talk about this later, the food is excellent) and (relatively) friendly people.

If you have a chance, take a hike through one of Portugal’s largest, and most beautiful, natural parks, the «Penedo-Gerês».

 

Here are some photos of that park from my infamous hike to Santiago de Compostela during the summer.

These are both of the artificial lake (damn reservoir).

A poor shot of the rivers that feed the lake, made up of natural waterfalls.

Considering studying in Portugal? Posted by Gabriel on 8:05 pm

Well, might as well be useful and tell you what you need to study in Portugal, in case you decide to move here from abroad. Of course the information I'm going to give applies to people moving from Canada before the Bologna reforms, since that is the only experience I have on the matter (and I moved here as a Portuguese national, so I didn’t have to face all the bureaucratic hassles).

Of course, before moving here you'd better think long and hard on what you objectives are, what you'd have to gain, and what you have to lose.

If you're planning on using the Portuguese experience as a stepping stone to the rest of Europe, or if you want to help take Portugal out from the economic crapper, and enjoy great food and weather while you’re at it, then go for it!

What you need:

• Official transcripts from your high school
• Official transcripts from your university or college.
• Course descriptions (if you plan on applying for course equivalences, so you don’t have to repeat them)
• A letter from the Ministry of Education of your province that declares that the college or university that you attended is official recognized by the government as authorized to grant academic degrees (in order to avoid people with mail-order degrees)
• Up-to-date vaccines
• A valid Canadian passport
• Residence study visa from the nearest Portuguese embassy or consulate 
• Knowledge of prerequisite courses, otherwise you may to take entrance exams
• A reasonably good understanding of the Portuguese language (real-world experience is the best teacher!)
• Money

And remember folks, in Portugal, the more official looking the document the better!

Here’s a link to get started.

And now for something completely different...



(the beaver made it)

First impressions Posted by Gabriel on 3:47 pm

I first arrived in Portugal in July 2003, and stayed with my aunt in the city of Braga. My first hours in Portugal were a foreshadowing of things to come and the reality of Portuguese society - my uncle picked me up at the airport with a friend of his, an off-duty, plain clothes police officer. Imagine my surprise that, whenever we approached a red light, the friend would say "Go ahead, I give you authorization to run the red light." And of course, he always did.

Braga is actually a very pleasant city, and I do recommend visiting it. It is one of the largest cities in Portugal, behind Lisbon and Oporto. The city centre is very medieval, while the rest is quite modern.

Since classes only started in October, I had a few months to burn.

My attempts at doing voluntary work at NGO’s during this time were met with frustration.  Some said that they would only accept me if I had a car. Others said that I could not do anything without proof of residence.

I had no Internet access in order to inform myself on the world (a strong blow, for someone completely used to having Internet access 24/7). I felt somewhat lost. Occasionally I went to Internet cafes to check my email, but it just is not the same.

My days consisted of waking up, taking a shower, having breakfast in my aunts’ restaurant, taking a walk to downtown Braga to read the newspaper, then return to the restaurant and eat, watch TV, and chat with the locals. It was very tedious.

Thankfully, admissions to law school were opened in August. I planned to apply to three universities, the Universidade do Minho, in Braga, Universidade de Porto (in Porto), and the Universidade de Coimbra (in, you guessed it, Coimbra), in that order.

It was at this time that Portuguese bureaucracy first reared its ugly head...

How it all started. Posted by Gabriel on 12:56 pm

Happy 2010!


Where was I? On yeah, in the year 2003 I decided to move to Portugal to study law.

My decision was not very well received by the members of my family (mainly my parents and aunts and uncles). They all told me that life in Portugal is very different from life in Canada. That if would be very difficult for me; not only because of the cultural differences but also because of the vast differences in infrastructures and development, and that I would eventually regret my decision. I did not help that my family members were all Portuguese immigrants, which left the country while it was still reeling from the effects of the April 25th revolution, at a time when the differences between the two countries were even greater.

Well, they were correct on everything, except the part about regretting my decision.

Of course financial reasons helped to motivate my decision, since studying law in Canada would have cost quite a bit (around 10,000 dollars), while in Portugal at the time the tuition was about 500 dollars. Housing and food costs were about equal. Nevertheless, the main attraction was the opportunity to experience a different culture...

By the way,
The judicial (and not only) holidays are officially over! However, by the slowness of the Portuguese legal system you would be pressed to tell the difference.

Happy... Posted by Gabriel on 3:23 pm

Happy holidays to all my faithful readers! (which, currently, are a total of 0)

The tradition here in Portugal dictates that we eat boiled cod, potatoes, and cabbage for Christmas. Yummy (who am I kidding, it’s actually pretty tasty)

Dessert is “Bolo Rei” (literally king cake), and a variation of fried bread with sugar and cinnamon.

Quite different from what I used to eat in Canada…

And don’t forget to drive safe!

In a pickle in Portugal? Posted by Gabriel on 1:00 pm

As you may or may not know, I have a degree in Law from a prominent Portuguese university, and am currently practising, so if you wish feel free to ask me any questions you may have concerning the Portuguese legal system or Portuguese law.

Of course, any and all information given is not legally binding, nor constitutes any sort of legal advice, only legal information. In no event shall I be liable for lost profits or any special, incidental, or consequential damages arising out of or in connection with this information, and any information is provided on an “as is” basis.  I make no warranties, express or implied, with respect to the information. Absolutely nothing beats speaking with an attorney face to face, but at least you will have an idea of what you will be dealing with.

I am bound by professional confidentiality, and registered with the National Bar Association, therefore no personal or case information will ever be revealed, but I do plan on putting any questions and their corresponding answers here (though in an abbreviated format with all particulars removed), in order to help anyone that finds their self in a similar situation.

I will reply best I can, and I assure you that that I will respond to every email (even if it is to say “I don’t have the faintest idea”, or “Good question”).

You may ask why I am doing this. First, to practise my English, since I’m getting a bit rusty due to lack of use. Second, to help foreigners that may visit Portugal and find themselves needing legal information or clarification. Dealing with lawyers in a foreign country is always very problematic, especially since you rarely dominate the language nor are familiar with the laws, therefore I believe that it is always best to approach one as best informed as possible.

Here are some very useful links related to Portuguese Law (all sites in Portuguese);

The Portuguese Case Law database - contains case law of all Portuguese appellate courts,

Juris - National and international law related news,

The site of the Public Prosecutor, Lisbon district - has practically all current Portuguese legislation.

I can't feel my toes. Posted by Gabriel on 4:23 pm

In line with current Summit on climate change in Copenhagen, it appears that in the next few days a cold spell is going to pass through Portugal, and temperatures are expected to drop below zero! With next Monday being one of the coldest days of the year. This motivated a communiqué from Civil Protection, warning residents to be careful with ice formation on roads.

This reminds me of how blessed we (residents in Portugal) are with the weather here.

Since about 90% of national territory has no snowfall, and therefore there is no need to salt the roads. For this reason you see cars without a spot of rust, and many 30 and 40 year old cars in pristine condition on the roads. During the day, when it’s sunny out, you can actually hang outside with friends, or take a walk downtown without worrying about frostbite. No ice or snow on the roads theoretically means fewer accidents (Portugal, despite having little to no snow, is one of the most accident prone countries in Europe). Energy bills are much lower since heaters are not needed (I actually have my windows open while typing this, it’s about 18C now).

The other side of the coin is that people here don’t know what they’re missing by not having snow. Making snowmen and snow angles, tobogganing, snow fights, soaked snow pants and snow days are all fond memories of Canadian children. Sure you'd throw out your back shovelling snow, see your car rust away to nothing due to salt, rarely savour sunshine, and lose a finger or two to sub-zero temperatures, but all that is a small price to pay for the sight of a magical white blanket of cold fluff covering everything in the morning after a snowstorm, and all that’s associated with it.

On the issue of climate change; what can I say? I truly hope something is done, since it is an issue that affects us all.

But I doubt that the developing countries are willing to abdicate their own economic development in order to benefit the climate. After all, the current industrialized countries were able to expand and develop without any checks or limits with regards to CO2 or other greenhouse gas emissions, so why should currently developing countries be subject to limitations? Equal opportunities and all that... Well, let’s see what happens.

Anyhow, don’t forget to bundle up!

In a ....... Posted by Gabriel on 12:33 am

In short, I was born and raised in a small town in south-western Ontario, Canada. My parents are Portuguese immigrants that moved in to Canada in order to provide a better living for their children, and they were, on the whole, successful.

I had a completely typical childhood (and by typical I mean carefree and with few responsibilities, with all my time spent playing with friends... good times...). I did denote some mildly racist behaviour, though rare, toward myself and my parents, due to being the son of immigrants and immigrants, respectively, but I believe it was mainly ignorance. At the time many people didn't really know where Portugal was (some said it was somewhere in the Middle East, other in South America), and were therefore somewhat mistrusting of us. Fortunately this was quite rare, most embraced the diferences.

I was always a huge nerd. I love all things electronic; computers, gadgets, smart phones, etc. I have had a computer and been on-line since a very young age. I spent, and spend, hours reading about the Napoleonic war, or World War II, or Cold War cover-ups. History fascinates me much more than fiction for some reason. For me nothing was better than curling up over the heat register with a blanket (creating a pocket of heated air, usually baking me alive) and reading "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich" while it was snowing outside. It was actually quite immersive, reading about the Russian winter of 1941 while the wind and snow was howling outside.

My teens were also quite normal. Like most students of my age, I had a part-time job during the school year and a full-time job during summer vacation. After finishing high school I left my hometown in order to study in one of Ontario's top universities.

I finished my university degree in 2003, and, for some reason that is still to me entirely unknown (maybe I will find out while I write this), I decided to move to Portugal to study law.

Ever since moving here life has been a series of ups and downs, but always interesting. Actually that is not really true; there have been some horribly tedious parts.

Do me a favour? Posted by Gabriel on 11:10 am

I am sure that anyone that follows the news here in Portugal knows that the country is rife with corruption scandals, involving all levels of the public and private sector.

Bribes, kickbacks, fraud and favours concerning politicians, public procurements, large corporations, and, well, almost everyone in a position of power, are coming to light. No wonder that Portuguese confidence in politicians is extremely low.

The Portuguese parliament recently approved anti-corruption measures (including harsh punishment of "illegal enrichment"). I hope that this is the start of a serious crackdown on corruption in this country, despite the many obstacles to change.

Of course, none of this addresses the issue of "minor" corruption that is highly prevalent in Portugal. When I say minor I mean the influence that friends and family members have on arranging cushy jobs for others. The examples are so numerous that I will not waste my time writing them down, but they are fairly easy to spot, you only have to look at the last names of the employees in many public offices, some even employ entire families...

It ends up being corruption all the same since it subverts legally established selection procedures, which exist in the case of vacancies for public offices (for example, positions in municipalities). On paper, candidates are valued based on objective methods, for example, a candidates résumé is evaluated and given a score out of 20, he is then subject to written exam, and afterwards an interview. Unfortunately, these methods end up being very subjective. The evaluation of a candidate’s résumé, the correction of exams, and the interview is not subject to any defined standard, and a potential candidate can be excluded or passed over by the whim of an assessor.

I can understand the basic motivation for this type of influence. Family members want the best for their sons/daughters/cousins/nephews,etc., friends want to help friends, and people want to concede favours that they can later reap. Regrettably, it ends up being prejudicial for the employer, clients and citizens, since the best people for the job are rarely chosen.

One even begins to wonder if anyone gets to where they are by their own merit, or if they are there thanks to a "friend of a friend". Maybe I am just a pessimist.

This type of corruption is so entrenched in Portuguese society that I doubt that legislative changes can affect it, especially since it is so hard to verify that anything illegal was done. I believe that the most important solution is tied with the creation and reinforcement of a true civil society, which in Portugal is still truly lacking...

On this subject I highly recommend the book "Corruption in Italy: a Structural Approach", by Paolo Ferrari, on the relationship between corruption and civil society.

On a more positive note, happy 101th birthday, Manoel de Oliveira! Here´s hoping for another 101!