Portuguese presidential elections Posted by João on 11:11 pm

So have you seen any of the six men you see here on the right in your town? They've been adding up the kilometres travelling up and down and across this country trying to convince you to vote for them (if you're eligible that is, or in other words, if you're Portuguese).

This Sunday, January 23rd, Portugal will go to the polls to pick out its President of the Republic. Now many of you may ask: why a President of the Republic if there's a Prime Minister already?

Well the President of the Republic, theoretically, has grand powers - to guarantee unity of the State and regulate the functionality of democracy in Portugal. What does this mean? It means that s/he has the power to dissolve government when s/he sees fit. Since the 25 de Abril, only once has this happened (Jorge Sampaio did away with the government of Pedro Santana Lopes in 2004). Sounds like a great job doesn't it? I bet s/he gets the best pair of scissors in the country though. Ribbon cuttings anyone?

So how does one go about convincing the people that 'if I wanted to, I could dissolve a government better then the others'? From my experience today, in two word: free giveaways. Pens, pocket calendars, ballons for the kids... Well I guess that's not that bad, after all there was the one guy up north who offered up refrigerators in exchange for votes (that's Valentim Loureiro mayor of the municipality of Gondomar by the way).

And so now I sit questioning myself: should I vote for the guy whose campaign people provided me with a free pocket calendar today? Will he be the right guy for government dissolving when government dissolving is needed? Will he even know when the situation requires some government dissolving?

Oh decisions! Such are the pains of democracy.

The CBC logo: as simple as we are ... and we're keeping it that way Posted by João on 12:00 pm

Do you recognise the above logo? Of course you do. It's the CBC logo. It's been a mainstay of Canadian culture for ages - simple and never changing.

Pernonally, I'm a fan of CBC3 radio. I often listen to it online while I'm working. Recently though, Gene Simmons the money grubbing bass player of the rock n'roll industry that is the band KISS, made an appearance on CBC3 and while on the radio show hosted by CBC3 radio man Grant Lawrence, stated:

"It (the CBC logo) means nothing to anyone outside this country (Canada). I want brands that mean something to everyone all over the world. It needs something like a lit fuse..."

End result:

Gene Simmons, the man who frequently advertises himself as a symbol of the American dream, reverts to a bomb as a selling point to the CBC. The American dream: sell everything at any cost. Wow, that's cool! Makes you want to run to go listen to the CBC! And you wonder why people think Canadians are so nice and Americans ... well insert your judgement here.

This is not the Canadian way of being cool. No guns, no bombs, no hand grenades needed. The CBC logo is a reflection of Canadian society - true to what it is: simple, peaceful, respectful and traditional, with no obligation to be anything other then that, even when the marketing geniuses south of the border come up with 'explosive' ideas to sell what is Canadian.

I mean lets face it, the CBC, just like Canada, is closer to these two images then to any exploding bomb:

We're talking about the country where you're kindly asked to stop at an intersection and where the moose greet you with a smile.

Favourite Canadian Albums of 2010 Posted by João on 1:52 am

I'm of the opinion that Canada has some of the best music in the world. The following are my fav. 20 Canadian albums from 2010 made by some of Canada's best musical artists. For those of you expecting Michael Bublé or Justin Bieber, sorry this list just isn't for you.

So here they are from 1 to 20 along with my fav. compilation and live album by Canadian acts. If you want to have a listen, I've included links to myspaces, etc.

1. Wintersleep - New Inheritors
http://www.myspace.com/wintersleep




2. New Pornographers - Together http://www.myspace.com/thenewpornographers
3. Arcade Fire - The Suburbs http://www.myspace.com/arcadefireofficial
4. Wolf Parade - Expo 86 http://www.myspace.com/wolfparade
5. Zeus - Say Us http://www.myspace.com/themusicofzeus
6. The Mohawk Lodge - Crimes http://www.myspace.com/mohawklodge
7. Tokyo Police Club - Champ http://www.myspace.com/tokyopoliceclub
8. Gord Downie and the Country of Miracles - The Grand Bounce http://www.gorddownie.com/mp/index.html
9. Apollo Ghosts - Mount Benson http://www.myspace.com/adrianteacher
10. Yukon Blonde - Yukon Blonde http://www.myspace.com/yukonblondeband
11. The Sadies - Darker Circles http://www.myspace.com/thesadies
12. The Golden Dogs - Coat of Arms http://www.thegoldendogs.com/parts/stream/
13. Jason Collett - Rat a Tat Tat http://www.myspace.com/jasoncollett
14. Hooded Fang - Hooded Fang www.myspace.com/hoodedfang
15. Ketcher Harbour Wolves - Anachronisms www.myspace.com/ketchharbourwolves
16. Boxer the Horse - Would You Please www.myspace.com/boxerthehorse
17. Born Ruffians - Say It www.myspace.com/bornruffians
18. The Acorn - No Ghosts www.myspace.com/theacorn
19. Ghostkeeper - Ghostkeeper www.myspace.com/childrenofthegreatnorthernmuskeg
20. Broken Social Scene - Forgiveness Rock Record www.myspace.com/brokensocialscene

Top compilation: Thrush Hermit - The Complete Recordings Box Set http://www.myspace.com/thrushhermit

Top live album: The Weakerthans - Live at the Burton Cummings Theatre http://www.myspace.com/theweakerthans

So there you go. Would love to hear what you think.

All the best in 2011 for everyone!

Portuguese Ball Hockey Association is looking for players Posted by João on 1:06 pm

We here at canadianinportugal.com like to help out the community whenever we can. We recently received an e-mail from the Toronto-based Portuguese Ball Hockey Association (PBHA) asking us if we'd be so kind as to help them out in their search for players.

The reason they are searching as far away as Portugal is due to the fact that they are in need of players with Portuguese nationality. Although most of the players on the PBHA roster are of Portuguese descendents, most do not possess Portuguese citizenship and thus can not represent Portugal on the National Team and in international play.

So if you think you've got what it takes (and we know there's some of you out there) to wear the Portuguese colours (check them out below), you can get in contact with Fernando de Menezes at fernando_demenezes@rogers.com.

You can also visit the PBHA website at http://www.portugueseballhockey.com/, or check them out on facebook here http://www.facebook.com/The.PBHA.

Exchanging your Driver's license in Portugal Posted by Gabriel on 10:43 pm

As you may know, if you’re visiting Portugal, you are legally entitled to use your Canadian driver's license to drive.

The famous high-security Ontario Driver's License

However, if you're planning on staying in Portugal for longer than 185 days, you should exchange your Canadian driver's license for a Portuguese driver's license, within the first 185 days of your arrival. Having a Portuguese driver's license has many benefits. For example, many MacDonald's in continental Portugal super-size your menu for free if you have a valid Portuguese driver's license (*please note, this may not be true).

How'd this get here? I am not good with computer

After this brilliant exposé, you're probably itching to exchange your old, tacky Canadian driver's license for a hip, trendy Portuguese driver's license. However, there are a few requirements you must meet before you can apply to exchange your driver’s license:

• You must be of the minimum legal age to drive, according to Portuguese law (18)

• Posses physical and mental aptitude (a tough requirement, I had to cheat on this one)

• Have legal residence in Portugal

• Not serving any probation, inhibition, or any other sentence that interdicts you from having a drivers license.

If you meet all the above requirements, and still want to exchange your Canadian driver’s license for a Portuguese one, it’s actually quite easy.

     • First, you have to fill out a specific form, that can be found at this link.You can find instructions on how to fill it out at this link.  It’s a standard editable PDF, and you must fill it in electronically. It also has to be printed out in high quality since the Institution for Mobility and Terrestrial Transport (the Portuguese equivalent of the Minsitry of Transportation) uses high tech, state of the art digital recognition software to read it.

     • A photocopy of your ID card. The original must be shown when all the documentation is presented.

     • Your original Canadian driver’s license.

     • Two (2) colour passport photos

     • A medical exam, done by the health authority of your residence.

     • A psychological exam if you are planning to drive an ambulance, fire truck, or bus.

     • A declaration from the Canadian authorities that proves the authenticity of your Canadian driver's license, including, date of emission, validity, categories of vehicles that you can drive and any applicable restrictions.

     • Pay the administrative fee of 30€

Once you have all this, you’ll have to take it to the nearest IMTT, which you can find using the tool at this link.

Once there, they'll probably tell you that you've filled in something incorrectly, forgot some important document, or that they don't deal with these sorts of things; in other words, the normal Portuguese bureaucracy typical of public service. Be polite, insist, and they'll end up helping you out.

They'll give you a fancy sheet of paper that is to be used as a temporary driver's license until the real one arrives in the mail. The application can take anywhere from 4 to 8 weeks to be processed, so don't give up hope it doesn't arrive right away.

You too can be the proud owner of one of these beauties!

For more detailed information, please consult the following link:

http://www.imtt.pt/sites/IMTT/Portugues/Condutores/TrocaCartaConducao/OutrasSituacoes/Paginas/OutrasSituacoes.aspx

As always, if you need anything else, feel free to shoot us an email.

Canadians in Portugal is a year old! Posted by João on 2:04 pm

I was looking over previous entries from this blog yesterday and noticed that on December 10th of last year, Gabe put up the first post on canadiansinportugal.com.

For those of you who may follow this blog, you may know that up until about six months ago, Gabe was the man behind this project. From what I gather, Gabe had intended to make this blog a bit more of a personal endeavour, recounting his own experiences in Portugal. However, just as identities are never stagnant, so has the face of this blog taken other shapes. In fact, after Gabe's invitation to have me join him on here, that face became two (sort of speak).

Thus far, the blog has been a lot of fun and a great experience for us, and I think we've contributed somewhat in helping to bring a little bit of Canada to Portugal and to Canadians in Portugal. Certainly we're going to keep on doing this and hopefully keep on growing. In fact, we'd love to hear from people out there if you have suggestions, ideas, etc. It would be great to do more in 2011.

Lastly, we want to wish everyone out there A Very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year!

Ah snow ... Posted by João on 11:48 pm

In most parts of Portugal we never see it. In most of Canada seldom do we go without it.

A few years ago we witnessed here in Lisbon a somewhat solid liquid some unfamiliar with 'real snow' would call snow. Ofcourse as soon as it hit the ground it would pretty much disappear. From the windows of our apartments, this is what most of us saw:

Yes the above does look pretty sad, but Portugal does get its fare share of 'serious snow' as well. In fact, snowy Portugal can be quite nice. For example:

Surely these are different scenes from what we have in Canada.

But if in fact you're missing snowy Canada, I offer you these - enjoy:

How about that Canada/Portugal rugby today? Posted by João on 9:54 pm

So who among you were at Estádio Universitário this afternoon to see our Portugal national rugby team take on our Canadian national rugby team? If you were there, I'm sure you'll agree: a fantastic, fast-paced first half, and a slow second half with a lot of stops. The end result: Canada 23 - Portugal 20. (in the pictures, Canada in black, Portugal in red)

After the first 20 minutes it looked like Canada was going to walk all over Portugal, taking a quick 12-0 lead and pretty much dominating ever aspect of the game. Then, all of then sudden, Portugal turns it around and goes up 14-12. Canada got 3 back and at the half the result was 15-14 in favour of the Canucks.

The second half see-sawed back and forth: Portugal went up 17-15, Canada pulled it back 20-17, Portugal tied it at 20, and then with 5 minutes left the teams exchanged penalty kick attempts. Portugal missed, Canada didn't. And that's how it ended.

This was the last of a 4 game European Fall tour for team Canada ending with a 3-1 record, the only lost coming to Georgia, the wins coming against Belgium, Spain and of course, Portugal. At the same time, this was also the third and final game of the Super Bock Rugby Cup, held the last 3 weekends, that saw Portugal come out with a 1-2 record - a loss against the United States, a win against Namibia and of course, today's loss against Canada.

Anyway, it was good fun and tomorrow another Canadian tradition continues - live from Edmonton's Commonwealth Stadium, the 98th Grey Cup pits the Alouetes de Montreal against the Saskatchewan Roughriders. I gotta go with the underdogs - go Riders!

Getting divorced in Portugal Posted by Gabriel on 11:11 pm

Time for another free lesson* in Portuguese law! This round is on the hallowed institution of divorce, regulated by Articles 1773 to 1793 of the Portuguese Civil Code. Divorce is quite popular in Portugal. In 2009 alone there were 72 divorces a day, with 26,464 divorces against 40,391 marriages.

Can't say it's not original..

*Obligatory Disclaimer: This information contained in this post is provided "as is" and does not constitute legal advice. I make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained in this post, and in no event shall I be liable for lost profits, or any special, incidental, or consequential damages arising out of or in connection with any information stated in this post.

Please note that in this post I will only cover amicable divorce, or divorce by mutual consent. Litigious divorce, or divorce without mutual consent, is much more complex, and much messier. Therefore, this is for the case where the spouses have decided that married life is not for them, and they both can agree on everything.

Not all divorces have to be like this.

A few conditions for the below to be applicable: no minors and the spouses can agree on all terms of the divorce.

First, an application is made in the name of both spouses to the civil registry of their area, or a civil registry expressly designated by them, clearly stating all relevant personal details. In a divorce by mutual consent, the spouses do not have to give the reason for their application, just that both are legally capable of applying for a divorce and that all relevant documentation is attached. The application is signed either by the spouses or by their representative.

The application is lodged with a certificate containing a full copy of the marriage record (including any prenuptial agreement, if one exists), a detailed list of the communal property, including their respective values, and an agreement on the disposal of the marital home. The divorce application has an associated fee of €250.00

In Portugal a standardized application does not exist for divorces.

After the application and attached documents are lodged, the registrar will schedule a meeting with the spouses in order to bring about reconciliation.

If the spouses still intend to divorce, and having checked that the prerequisites are met, the divorce is decreed and registered. The spouses do not have to show up for this as long as they issue power of attorney to their representative. However, the power of attorney has to be signed before a notary public.

Fifteen days after this date the divorce is considered final, and all personal documents can be updated to reflect the new civil status.

Contrary to popular belief, this is a legal impossibility in Portugal.

The whole process normally takes two months from start to finish, depending on the schedule of the registrar. From a bureaucratic point of view, the divorce process is one of the quicker processes in Portugal.

For the lighter side of divorce, feel free to visit this site for some divorce cakes, and this site on how to pick the right divorce cake for you.

Hey PM Stephen Harper was in town! Posted by João on 10:03 pm

Did anybody see Canada's number 1 here in Lisbon the last couple of days? As you probably know it was this little meeting that brought him to town; this small gathering they call the NATO Summit. Besides closing down particular parts of the city and getting people to gather to manifest against the Summit, it's almost like it went unnoticed.

Now concerning the Canadian PM, he was kept indoors the majority of the time spent here, mainly down at the Feira Industrial de Lisboa (FIL) negotiating world affairs with the other world leaders. Besides the time spent at the FIL (on the 18th and 19th), we also know that he meet with NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen the morning of the 18th to discuss Canada's role in Afghanistan and the pulling out of Canadian combat troops by the Summer of 2011, and the intent of only leaving Canadian military trainers to train Afghan security forces in Afghanistan.

For those of you who certainly didn't miss Barack Obama on every television and newspaper, but did not manage to catch a glimps of the Canadian PM, here are some photos:

We certainly enjoyed his visit, but lets hope that the next time he visits (along with his world leader friends) it will be for reasons other than those that also attract these folks:

Remember… Remembrance Day Posted by Gabriel on 11:53 pm

Remembrance Day, also known as Armistice Day, is in one weeks time. On the 11th month, of the 11th day, at the 11th hour, two minutes silence should be respected in remembrance of all those that have fallen in battle.

Canada, as part of the Dominion of the British Empire, was called upon to fight on its behalf when World War I broke out. The horrifying trench warfare of the First World War resulted in 67,000 killed and 173,000 wounded for Canadian forces. However battles such as Vimy Ridge, Second Battle of Passchendaele and the Battle of the Somme are still remembered today as part of Canada's founding myth, to both its identity and culture.

The Vimy Ridge Memorial

Portugal also fought on the “winning” side in World War I, having officially declared war on Germany on 9th March, 1916. In 1917 the first Portuguese troops were sent to the West Front, as part of the Portuguese Expeditionary Corps, and were involved in the fighting Flanders and then France. The 2nd Division of the Portuguese Expeditionary Corps was practically wiped out on the 8th and 9th of April, 1918, as the result of a massed German artillery attack and infantry offensive.

World War I Memorial in Coimbra, Portugal

Portugal lost almost 10,000 soldiers in the war, having mobilized almost 200,000 men. The economic and social costs of the involvement in World War I are said to have led to the fall of the democratic government and subsequent rise of Salazar’s dictatorship.

Unfortunately Remembrance Day is not commemorated in Portugal as it is in Canada, and I doubt anyone would recognize the reason behind having a poppy on your lapel.

However, if you have the time, I recommend reading “All Quiet on the Western Front” by Erich Maria Remarque. It captures the futility of war quite poignantly. Or if you don’t have the time, at least read “In Flanders Fields” by John McCrae, and reflect on the sacrifice made by others, so long ago.

Canada vs Portugal - Rugby! (and social networks) Posted by Gabriel on 10:07 pm

I’ve recently heard of a new site called “Facebook”. A bit of a crazy name, but what can you do? Anyways, supposedly this site is the next big thing. Therefore, in an effort to show my “techno-hipness”, I’ve created a Facebook page for Canadians in Portugal. You can see the fancy widget thingie to the left.

An example of a "Facebook" profile

What does this have to do with Rugby, you may as?

The Canadian National Men’s Rugby team is coming to Portugal on the 27th November (Saturday) to play against the Portuguese National Rugby team at the Estádio Universitário in Lisbon, at 15h00!

João thought that we should take advantage of these new techno-fads in order to pass the message on. So that's what we've done, and the upcoming rugby match was the first post! Feel free to show up and support your country(ies)!

Here’s the Portuguese Rugby Federation website: http://www.rugbyportugal.com/
And the Canadian Rugby Federation website: http://www.rugbycanada.ca/

This event is supported by the Canadian Embassy in Portugal, so a round of applause for them as well! And hope to see you there!