portugal in 2005

What will I remember about 2005?

1. The MTV Europe Awards took place in Lisbon



2. Benfica won the championship in 2005.



3. Our national team qualified for the World Cup.



4. Fires, fires and more fires!



5. In March 2005, they elected a new Prime Minister, choosing the Socialist party to run the country with Jose Socrates as its leader.

That's all I can remember...you?

tosta mista

One of today's posts is to celebrate a very important tradition when one goes to Portugal. This tradition is to have a tosta mista sometime during your stay. It would not be a good trip to Portugal without one of its famous tostas mistas.

Photo courtesy of Brigitte Boitel Bonfils (site). Her site has got some great photos of Portugal, so check it out!

popozão

Funny thing happened while searching for the latest news stories. I bumped into this.

Yo. Kevin Federline's got a new hip-hop album droppin' in the '06. If you wanna taste of what'z to come, check out the firs' single, "PopoZao", a'ight?

Alright. So, it's been all over the Internet lately, and I myself wondered what the heck that frickin' word meant - I just figured he must have meant it to be paparazzi or something one of his kids blurted out to him, or maybe something he and Britney came up with while making out.

Then, I actually gasped when reading this:

And if you're wondering what "PopoZao" means, you're probably going to have to wait for an explanation from Mr. Spears himself because no one seems to know. However, I did do some quick researching and saw some speculation that "PopoZao" came from the Portuguese slang term for "big butt". Well... That sounds like something that he'd rap about, so I'm going with that explanation.

What.the.hell. This one is definitely a Brazilian Portuguese term - they always come up with the best slang terms for things. Although, why would he use it - does he have a big ass? Oh wait, is he talking about Britney? Please, Lord, help us all.

Update: I've actually heard the song. Note to Kevin, get yourself some Portuguese lessons. If you're going to use words in your song that are in another language, at least learn how to pronounce them, thanks.

dec 24-29: the news & images

Well, I took a break! A nice, week long break from this blog of mine that has now become a hobby. Here are some of the news stories from the past week:

* A Portuguese Christmas miracle: 'Dead' man starts coughing
* Maniche move talks continue
* Secretary-General appoints Victor da Silva Angelo of Portugal as Executive Representative for UN Integrated Office for Sierra Leone
* Portugal Proposes 1.5% Public Sector Wage Hike For '06
* Dakar: Portugal start 'novelty' for raiders

Everyone was too busy enjoying the bacalhau to make news. Here are some of the images:



Hamid Karzai, president of Afghanistan visiting Portugal.



Manuel Alegre, considered to be 2nd or 3rd in people's opinion to be elected President.


He's all happy because he's getting paid more money than me. His name is Gustavo Manduca.



Dakar in Lisbon.

portuguese soccer: 16ª Jornada

Here are the matches for this jornada taking place between December 20th and the 22nd:

Sporting CP 3 | 0 Rio Ave
P.Ferreira 1 | 2 Maritimo
U. Leiria 2 | 1 Naval
Académica 0 | 1 Belenenses
Gil Vicente 2 | 1 Braga
V.Setubal 0 | 1 SL Benfica
Boavista 0 | 3 Nacional
Penafiel 0 | 1 E. Amadora
V.Guimarães 0 | 2 FC Porto

As of today's game, here are the standings:

1. FC Porto - 37
2. Nacional - 33
3. SL Benfica - 31
4. Sporting CP - 30
5. V.Setubal - 29
6. Braga - 29
7. Boavista - 23
8 U. Leiria - 21
9 Maritimo - 21
10. P.Ferreira - 21
11. Rio Ave - 20
12. Belenenses - 20
13. E.Amadora - 19
14. Académica - 18
15. Gil Vicente - 17
16. V.Guimarães - 14
17. Naval - 11
18. Penafiel - 7

dec 22/23: the news & images

Here are today's latest headlines:

* Porto restore four-point lead in Portugal
* Portugal to display tycoon's art
* CEMEX And LAFARGE Terminate Joint Ventures in Spain and Portugal
* Tourists killed in Portuguese bus crash

The images:


I wonder what this guy is angry about, but I think he must be angry about something!

dec 21: the images

Here are some of my fave images of today:

V. Setubal's new coach:


Cavaco Silva vs. Mario Soares - who will actually win the Presidency on January 22nd?


Benfica's game


I would love to find another site with news images from all over the world (other than Yahoo!). Anyone who does know, I would love it if you'd share.

dec 21: the news

What are today's big headlines about Portugal? Check 'em out:

* Portugal's political heavyweights in television debate
* Bank of Portugal sells 10 tons of gold
* Portugal backs bid to put EU constitution back on track
* Centuries-Old Religious Secret Uncovered in Portugal
* UEFA upholds Xavier 18-month doping ban

the so-called true portuguese

I got these photos via e-mail and found them amusing. Enjoy.







Source: www.centraltuga.com (funny site!)

dec 18/19/20: the news

What are the latest headlines around the world about Portugal? Here they are:

* Portugal seen as European gateway for cocaine
* Portugal - Veteran politicians seek highest office
* Pay Dispute Threatens Future of VW Plant (In Portugal)
* Portugal has 11.1 million mobile subscribers
* Lighten Up On Portugal Telecom-Lisbon Brokers
* Maritime cabotage: the European Commission asks Portugal and Greece to apply the rules
* Dakar: Portugal rally winners return to Lisbon
* Unilabs enters the Portuguese market
* Portuguese high speed train project to create 100,000 jobs - Lino

portuguese jokes

Have you ever wanted to tell a good joke at a Portuguese party (in Portuguese?). There is a Portuguese site, which is great for this stuff.

Visit banco.de/anedotas @ http://anedotas.aeiou.pt

portuguese soccer: 15ª Jornada

Here are the games for the 15ª Jornada being played from the 16th to the 18th of December:

SL Benfica 1 - 0 Nacional
Maritimo 1 - 0 V.Setubal
Belenenses 2 - 0 P.Ferreira
Braga 2 - 0 Académica
Rio Ave 1 - 0 Gil Vicente
Naval 0 - 2 Sporting CP
E. Amadora 1 - 2 U. Leiria
FC Porto 3 - 1 Penafiel
Boavista 1 - 1 V.Guimarães

As of Saturday evening, the only game left to play is Boavista vs. V.Guimarães (who just got a new coach).

Here are the latest standings (as of Monday, Dec 19th):

1. FC Porto - 34
2. Nacional - 30
3. V.Setubal - 29
4. Braga - 29
5. SL Benfica - 28
6. Sporting CP - 27
7. Boavista - 23
8. P.Ferreira - 21
9. Rio Ave - 20
10. U. Leiria - 18
11. Maritimo - 18
12. Académica - 18
13. Belenenses - 17
14. E. Amadora - 16
15. V.Guimarães - 14
16. Gil Vicente - 14
17. Naval - 11
18. Penafiel - 7

dec 12-17: the news

Five days worth of news headlines in one posting:

* Portugal and Netherlands to host U-21 championships
* Portugal Dumps Brazil TV for Home-Grown Soap Operas
* TAP Portugal to withdraw from Varig bidding after Docas deal
* EU starts action vs Portugal govt's golden share in Portugal Telecom
* Portugal Implements Cargo Container Security Initiative
* Portugal: EU budget proposal better, but not good enough
* Reds get Benfica in super-sixteen
* Portugal leads the ranking for bad payers
* Portugal plans fast rail to Spain
* Wal-Mart Buys Portuguese Company's Brazilian Stores
* Portuguese workers strike against Blairite cuts
* NZ's shameful role in the taking of East Timor

RTPi is here!

If you subscribe to Rogers, tune into channel 648 and be amazed - RTPi is now available as a free preview until January 4th. After that, it's a monthly fee of $14.95 to get access - I don't like that too much, but it's worth it if you like watching Portuguese news and soccer.

soccer images: 14ª jornada

Some images from this past week of soccer:

business etiquette in portugal

Have you ever had to do business in Portugal? Me neither, unless you call haggling with the merchants at the flea market "doing business", but I have always wondered what it is like.

Well, there are tons of web sites about business etiquette out there, and I found one that was of particular interest.

There is also a lot more here. The person who puts this together, did a great job, but I wonder how old this information actually is?

Here is what he had to say about punctuality:

Punctuality is not an important cultural trait. It is courteous to arrive five minutes late and definitely bad news to arrive before the agreed time. Quarter of an hour late is not usually noticed. Over half an hour begins to be rude. Nevertheless, the Portuguese are usually aware that foreigners operate differently, so I would still recommend being on time [plus five] and 'phoning in' if you're delayed. Just don't expect your contacts to follow the same rules.

Ain't that the truth. Even in non-business activities.

About how to dress:

Long sleeved shirts/blouses are important, especially for men. Only foreign men wear short sleeved shirts with a tie.

No one, regardless of their nationality should wear tie with short-sleeve shirt, but whatever, still interesting - something I wasn't aware the Portuguese paid attention to.

On communication:

The Portuguese understand Spanish but not vice versa, because Portuguese pronunciation is especially difficult, even though the written languages are similar. However, if you use Spanish, they will usually reply either in Spanish or in Portuguese with an attempt at Spanish pronunciation [which makes it easier to understand].

...even in business. I thought this only happened on vacation.

There's a whole lot more on there. This person has definitely put a lot of effort into this and it's worth a read especially if doing business in Portugal is of interest.

dec 12: the news

What are the big headlines about Portugal? Here they are:

* Wine for Christmas - 30 Second Wine Advisor: Greetings from Portugal - A lesson in Portuguese wine
* We have to have something - Portugal: a country betrothed to golf - Soccer is on its way out!
* Take care - Obasanjo cancels official visit to Portugal over plane crash - We can only send good wishes

feliz natal

It is that time of year, about 2 weeks before Christmas, when all hell breaks loose in my Portuguese household. Food starts to be made, shopping trips being planned and the joy of the season can be heard throughout the house.

Above, a photo illustrating a typical table setting for the "consoada" (which is the Portuguese translation of Christmas Eve).

Here is a list of popular dishes for Christmas. It is in Portuguese, which doesn't help if you don't know the language.

A popular dish every Portuguese Christmas Eve is bacalhau - aka Cod Fish - Many different ways to make it, here's a Canadian recipe titled "Bacalhau" Then, there's all kinds of side dishes and other tasty treats like:




Bolinhos de Bacalhau
.

Recipe is available here.

Rissois de Camarão


Recipe is here.

is she really? - danielle steel

In this week's edition of "are they really portuguese?", we feature Danielle Steel. Believe it or not, the very popular author has Portuguese roots.

Have you been to her web site? You should. There are over 2 million sites featuring Danielle Steel. Click here to view her official site. Here's an excerpt from her profile:

America reads Danielle Steel. And so does the rest of the world. There are more than 530 million copies of her books in print, and every one of her books is a bestseller. In short, Danielle Steel is the most popular author writing today. She is read by women, men, young people, old people in 47 countries and 28 languages.

dec 10/11: the news

What news stories are making headlines across the world about Portugal? Check them out:

* He said it - WC Draw: (Portugal) Scolari: “We Can’t Complain”
* Please, take the attention away from Portugal - Group D looks good for Mexico - so we can just beat you and move on
* Go Italia! - Italians should be worried about matchup with U.S. - Just because you beat Portugal doesn't mean you'll beat Italy (then again, maybe what I want to say is Go USA! Aaah, who cares!)

* New business - Portugal Endorses Plan for Oil Refinery
* How's Portugal's GPD doing? - Portugal Q3 GDP down 0.9 pct vs Q2, up 0.2 pct vs yr-earlier
* The state of Europe according to Time: Better Luck Next Year
* Is this a joke? - Ingrates! I’m off... - Maybe I don't get British humour.

portuguese soccer: 14ª Jornada

Here are the details on the 14ª Jornada (Dec 9 - 12th) of the Portuguese soccer league:

Sporting CP 0 | 1 E. Amadora
Nacional 2 | 1 Maritimo
U. Leiria 1 | 3 FC Porto
Académica 2 | 2 Rio Ave
Gil Vicente 2 | 0 Naval
Penafiel 0 | 1 V.Guimarães
P.Ferreira 1 | 0 Braga
SL Benfica 1 | 0 Boavista
V.Setubal 1 | 0 Belenenses

Current standings after these games have been played are:

1. FC Porto - 31
2. Nacional - 30
3. V.Setubal - 29
4. Braga - 26
5. SL Benfica - 25
6. Sporting CP - 24
7. Boavista - 22
8. P.Ferreira - 21
9. Académica - 18
10. Rio Ave - 17
11. E. Amadora - 16
12. Maritimo - 15
13. U. Leiria - 15
14. Belenenses - 14
15. Gil Vicente - 14
16. V.Guimarães - 13
17. Naval - 11
18. Penafiel - 7

The next Jornada #15 plays from December 16th to the 18th, 2005.

Source

world cup 2006: my view

Alright, I am just a watcher, not an analyst, not even an expert in soccer. I'm a fan. A cautious fan of the team we call Portugal.

Today, we found out that they will be in a group with:

Angola
Iran
Mexico

FIFA's web site provides an overview of the group here.

First, I'm thinking I may just go to Germany for that time - great country to visit and maybe see some players! On second thought, I'll just watch it on the big screen.

Here is the schedule:

June 11 - Mexico vs. Iran
June 11 - Angola vs. Portugal
June 16 - Mexico vs. Angola
June 17 - Portugal vs. Iran
June 21 - Portugal vs. Mexico
June 21 - Iran vs. Angola

I would love to see Angola and Portugal go through to the next round, but most would say Portugal and Mexico, but likely, it will be Angola and Iran just because if things play like 2002, that's what will happen.

So, for Portugal's games, let's look historically how they've done playing against that country:

vs. Angola

Nov 14 2001 - Portugal won 5-1
Mar 29 1989 - Portugal won 6-0

vs. Mexico & vs. Iran
No previous matches

So, I think Portugal should make it through, and the group "appears" to be easy enough to go through, but will they? Well, that depends on a lot of things.

Here's another, probably better analysis of the group.

dec 7/8/9: the news

What news? Lots of news these last couple of days - here are some interesting news stories about Portugal:

* Finally, it is done: Now Bring on the Finals Portugal is in a group with Mexico, Iran and Angola.
* Naughty, naughty! Benfica report Ronaldo for gesture I knew I didn't like him for a reason.
* Looking for a better way to handle energy: Portugal's Pinho seeks suggestions for new EDP CEO - report
* Looking for new markets for our goods: China, Portugal Agree Strategic Partnership
* Lots of weird stuff happen in Portugal - Police raid estate where lions and tigers hunted
* Good food is what we do best - Hartford eatery is place for Portuguese delights

dec 8: the update

Busy, busy, busy! All this talk about Benfica really leaves no other big news for Portugal, other than maybe, the World Cup draw will be tomorrow.

News update will probably come tomorrow morning.

benfica wins against man. u.

A day for all Portuguese to be proud. Benfica won its match against Manchester United 2-1 and advanced to the next round of 16.

Click here for more info.

I wanted to post some photos, but blogger is being mean today, so I can't, will do it later.

First Goal


Second Goal


Third Goal


Playing Around


Final Score


Celebrating


Signing Autographs

cheer on miss world

Yes, it's that time of year when the new Miss World will be crowned by you! (Not to be confused with Miss Universe of course) Here is the candidate for Portugal:


Her name is Angela Maria Fonseca Spinola, and she grew up in Cape Verde but is now living is Setebal. (Hmmm...I wonder if they mean Setubal). Sounds like a great gal.

Here is another contestant, also with Portuguese (via Cape Verde) roots for Belgium!



Hmmm...if I go by the photos, this one has a much better chance!

Wait, at least there's Brazil! She looks like she's got the best chance at this one.


Well, I was going to vote online (you get 2 votes), but guess what, you have to pay 1 US$ to do that. Do I care that much about who wins? Not really, so, let others pay for you!

dec 5/6: the news

Here are the latest, greatest news stories that I find relevant to post:

* CIA Flights? What flights? - Condoleezza Rice Visits CIA's Europe All over Europe...all over!

* Euro 2008 Selection: England among top seeds. The World Cup isn't over yet, but we're already considered top seeds for the 2008 Euro - seems kinda fixed to me, but whatever.

* Back on the World Cup picking: World Cup draw sure to draw ire. I can see your point Scolari, but let's not whine about it, let's just win, no matter who we're up against (that is if the whole thing isn't fixed again! Yes, I said it.)

* Upcoming game: Benfica vs. Manchester United Just win, that's all. Just win.

* Teaching Port: Port, Wood Port, Ruby Port, Vintage Port and more...

* Promoting the Algarve: Algarve on show in Canada

portugal fashion

An interesting web site about fashion from a Portuguese perspective, including stuff about the events, designers and much more.

Check it out here. In English and Portuguese.

Helder Ornelas wins marathon!

An unknown person to me before this event, but now, Helder Ornelas is deserving of a blog entry for winning the 2005 Milan marathon yesterday.



Congrats Helder! (Source)

annoying portuguese

There are many annoying people in the world, but no site has actually organized them into lists quite so well as amiannoying.com.

Here, they list the most annoying people of Portuguese descent. Guess who's #1? Last week's "Is he really?" Tom Hanks!

soccer images

To complete my soccer recap for Sunday, here are some images of Sporting, Porto and Benfica's games:

portuguese soccer: 13ª Jornada

The 13ª Jornada in Portugal plays from December 2nd to December 5th 2006. Here are the scores so far, updated when finalized:

FC Porto 1 | 1 Sporting CP
Belenenses 1 | 0 Nacional
Maritimo 0 | 1 SL Benfica
Rio Ave 2 | 2 P.Ferreira
Naval 0 | 1 Académica
E. Amadora 1 | 0 Gil Vicente
Boavista 2 | 1 Penafiel
Braga 0 | 1 V.Setubal
V.Guimarães 0 | 3 U. Leiria

The next Jornada plays from December 9th to the 12th.

Current standings are:

1. FC Porto
2. Nacional
3. V.Setubal
4. Braga
5. Sporting CP
6. SL Benfica
7. Boavista
8. P.Ferreira
9. Académica
10. Rio Ave
11. Maritimo
12. Belenenses
13. E. Amadora
14. U. Leiria
15. Naval
16. Gil Vicente
18. V.Guimarães
19. Penafiel

soccer recap: 12ª Jornada

I completely missed this one, but here are the scores:

Nacional 1 | 0 Braga
Maritimo 1 | 1 Boavista
V.Setubal 1 | 0 Rio Ave
P.Ferreira 3 | 1 Naval
Académica 1 | 0 E. Amadora
U. Leiria 1 | 1 Penafiel
Sporting CP 2 | 0 V.Guimarães
SL Benfica 0 | 0 Belenenses
Gil Vicente 0 | 1 FC Porto

The 12ª Jornada played from November 25th until November 28th 2006.

dec 1-4: the news

This weekend's news are lumped into one big post:

* Because we're such a welcoming country: Why do criminals prefer Portugal? (Honestly, what country isn't without criminals or people running from other countries?)

* A Portuguese in the middle: Culture wars a thorn for Europe (I've seen those displays, I don't like them. Maybe someone should show a starving, poor, unclothed child to them - everyone's right to their opinion)

* And I thought I had it bad: How far is your commute? (A group of people from Indiana recorded their place of work as Portugal)

* Helping out the workers: Danny Glover, Toronto mayor campaign with hotel workers to improve wages (Some of those working were Portuguese; regardless of where you come from or what you do, you should be paid fairly!)

favorite photos

Here are some of my favorite photos of late:



I don't know why I like this photo so much, but I think it's because I can almost hear the groans and screams from the fans just by looking at their raised arms.



Coldplay playing in Lisbon - I wish I was there.



Nuno and Luis presenting an award at the MTV Europe Music Awards.


The tallest Christmas tree in Europe was unveiled in Lisbon. It looks great.

is he really? - tom hanks

As any Portuguese person will tell you, anytime we find out that someone famous is Portuguese, we make sure to tell as many people as possible. This is the inspiration for a new daily/weekly/monthly post I'll do on this blog titled - "is he really?" or "is she really?", which is to celebrate the fact that I found out that someone is Portuguese or of Portuguese ancestry.

Today's "is he really?" is Tom Hanks. Yes, he really does have Portuguese in him, supposedly on his maternal grandparents side. It's great to have you Tom. I love your work.



I can't wait to see him in the Da Vinci Code. Check out his work here.

check this out: humanos

They've got a great web site up - check it out here. It's got tons of info on how the group was formed, you can hear all their songs, check out a video, read the lyrics and most of all, find out about a really cool Portuguese group worth spending your money on.

nov 30: the news

A little late, but better than never:

* Recalling the heat: CARREFOUR RECALLS BLUESKY HEATERS IN PORTUGAL
* Because we won't even get there: Portugal aim for final eight
* I am so sad for him: Cristiano Ronaldo robbed of $52,000 worth jewellery

today in history: Restauration of Independence Day

Today is the Restauration of Independence Day. On December 1, 1640, Portugal regained its independence from Spain and João IV of Portugal becomes king.

Can I get it off from work?