“TIME OUT” FROM POLITICS AND ECONOMY-- IT'S SOCCER TIME! By Jose Arrais-Velez

Portugal has a big passion for soccer, because it’s our national sport and, although we are a small country, we have excellent players that are in some top-soccer teams around Europe including Manchester United, Chelsea, Real Madrid and in the past also in Inter Milano, Milan, Barcelona, Paris S.G., etc.

Everytime our national soccer team makes it to the final tournement, either the EURO or the WORLD CUP ( and lately, we have always been...) the country “stops”, with no more talks about politics, or economy, or sadness, because IT’S SOCCER TIME!!!

People will hang-out in friends of family homes, outdoor events, barbecuing sardines, porkchops, portuguese sausage...anything will go, during this soccer event. It is fun, it’s very relational, and above all it’s PORTUGAL that is playing!!!

You can imagine that Portugal’s expectations are different that the “big guys”, like Spain, France, England, Italy, Germany, Rússia... for all these teams, if they are not champions it’s always a loss, but for “little” Portugal, that we are in the semi-finals is already “our championship” and so getting to this level in the Euro Cup is huge, and puts our country into high spirits, with lots of excitement. We are so proud of our country!

 Tomorrow, once again, we will be playing to get a place in the EURO 2012 finals, and with what country would we have to again play? Our good old “enemy” for centuries (of course it doesn’t get actually to that level, and normally everytime we play it’s always very calm and respectful)---Spain.

It will happen one of two things:

·         If we win, Portugal will stop and celebrate until the final game, and everybody will forget our situation right now, and it will be extremely good for our “ego” and maybe our economy actually will get a boost!!!

·         If we lose, well, we will be a bit sad, because we lost, and lost once again, to Spain.

But, we’ll be fine, pleased, because we did once again great in soccer, and we, once again, will be in the TOP 4 best soccer teams in Europe...and that’s very good for us. If we didn’t win, we will be on the top.

And this is the way, us, the Portuguese see soccer and sports and life!

What is the True Cost of Economic Austerity in Europe? by Randy M. Ataide

The other day I was out for a morning walk, and made my way past a beautiful golf course that held a small development of homes, most manicured and well tended. At the end of the block, I noticed one home that appeared empty, with a piece of white paper stuck on the front door. Curious, I made my way up the sidewalk to the door, and saw that the paper was a notice from a bank that the home had been foreclosed. From the inside, brown paper was taped over the windows, but I found one window where the paper had fallen to the floor. What I saw shocked me.

In the kitchen, the countertops had been wrenched from the cabinets, leaving huge tears in the cabinets, defacing and likely ruining them. All of the light fixtures, fans and other items were removed, and there were various holes in the walls of unknown purpose. I had seen such activity before on television, in homes in Las Vegas, Phoenix and elsewhere, but was shocked to see it myself first hand. What would cause the behavior to cause harm to the home? Revenge on the bank? Frustration at oneself for a bad investment? Sheer anger at the “system’ for causing a foreclosure? Embarrassment? I am not sure.

The global economic downturn continues to grind on, and there are actually signs that many countries and regions are beginning to fall back into recession after very tepid recoveries. We catch headlines of cryptic symbols and data points which economists, pundits and politicians fret over, but we are often unsure of what it all means. A colleague of mine has articulated the principle of “frugality fatigue” where large segments of populations simply shrug at continue thriftiness in the midst of no improvement of their economic situation, and begin to return to old habits of spending pre-recession. And while the economic challenges Americans face can be painful and even wrenching, in most instances they have not turned into tragedy. The same cannot be said of some other parts of the world.

In Greece, the focus of so much commentary and conversation of the past months, it has been lost on most of us that there is a higher cost for many Europeans. When Apostolos Polyzonis's bank refused to see him last September, the 55-year-old Greek businessman had just 10 euros ($13) in his pocket. Out of work and bankrupt, he thought all he could do with his remaining money was to buy a gas can. Desperate and angry, Polyzonis stood outside the bank in central Thessaloniki, in northern Greece, doused himself in fuel and surrendered to the flames. There are many reports of a rapid rise in suicide rates throughout all of Greece. For Spain, unemployment for those under 25 years of age has now climbed to approximately 50%, a stunning number by any possible measure. The same data point for Portugal, Italy and other countries, including those in the more prosperous northern European countries, is often beyond 30%, with a resultant rapid rise in civil unrest by these same young people.

In a recent New York Times article, Nobel Prize winning conomist Paul Krugman moved beyond the scope of individual suicides in Europe, and wonders if the larger story isn't so much about individuals as about the apparent determination of European leaders to commit "economic suicide" for the continent as a whole. Much of the European economy is contracting, and Krugman claims that “Instead, they doubled down on their failed policies and ideas.”

There are certainly positive merits and attributes to the European experiment of the E.U.  But in my view, the diminishment of the free market and the corresponding destruction of the entrepreneurial mindset in most of Europe (much of it through ‘top-down’ economic policies, banking restrictions, social norms and restrictions, with resultant emigrations to other countries), makes me hope that the response to the economic situation can soon begin to move past the failed policies of austerity. We need to encourage self-sufficiency, reasonable risk taking, and a freer marketplace for entrepreneurial ideas. And non-profits, ministries, NGO’s, many of them based in North American, will likely need to modify some of their policies, procedures, visions and goals as well to adjust to the needs of the people in the countries in which they serve.

It is not too late to take steps to reduce the true and tragic cost of the economic downturn but it will take new levels of collaboration and cooperation that does not presently exist. Friends of Portugal hopes to be a part of this effort towards a new Europe, composed of stronger and more economically vibrant countries, including Portugal. Will you join us in this journey?

'Shocked About Portugal!' By Randy M. Ataide

Who was shocked? Me? Well, not really but many others have been. Leading European blogger Robin Wauters covers technology entrepreneurs and startups worldwide admits in a new blog post that he was ‘shocked’ by significant technology entrepreneurship going on in Portugal. (The link to the blog is posted at the bottom of this page.)Wauters was also shocked at the striking similarities between San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge and Lisbon's 25 de Abril Bridge, pictured above, something that many visitors have shared with him.

 

Does this mean there is some great startup ecosystem alive and well in Portugal? Not hardly. But what blogger Robin Wauters says is that it doesn’t really matter…because “like in most countries and cities around the world, when you look for them you will always find people that just can’t resist the entrepreneurial bug inside them, that build companies even if the circumstances are far less than ideal.” This is indeed good news for Portugal.

But in my experience this sense of ‘shock’ goes far beyond discovering that there are tech entrepreneurs in Lisbon. The majority of people I talk to who visit Portugal frequently tell me that the quality of Portuguese products, including their famous olive oil, wines (not just Port!), linens, ceramics, and overall cuisine is absolutely first rate and often the source of great surprise. Compared to much of the rest of Europe, visitors to Portugal often find excellent bargains in travel any time of year, and the lack of crowds is always a positive thing. From ancient Roman ruins to gothic cathedrals, or quaint fishing villages,  Portugal ranks near the top of giving tourists Europe for a bargain.

Even more importantly than all of these wonderful things, the friendliness, the courtesy and respect shown to all people and backgrounds, the concern for your well being and happiness, is what can ‘shock’ visitors the most in Portugal. Travelers to other European countries often attest to the indifference or even rudeness they can experience, but this is usually not the case in much of Portugal.

 Often a genuine interest is taken in visitors, especially among the young Portuguese, but I have found this to not be limited to youth. (For an example see Drew Lambert's recent post.)

So yes, blogger Robin Wauters, there is indeed much to be ‘shocked’ about in Portugal! And as Wauters noted, “I came back home feeling confident about Portugal’s startup talent and its ability to build great companies even under difficult circumstances, and curious about how the many people I’ve met will fare over the next few years. And in case you’re wondering, the seafood and pastry were indeed amazing.”

Amazing, indeed!

(To read Robin Wauters blog post on Portugal in its entirety, see:

 http://thenextweb.com/insider/2012/06/17/i-was-shocked-shocked-to-find-out-there-are-tech-startups-in-portugal/)

Stoked About Portugal! By Drew Lambert

 So stoked right now!  That’s how I felt as I
drove home from the Friends of Portugal (FOP) event at the Ataides’ home in San Diego, CA last Friday night.  And I’m still feeling it!  …FOP is making a significant impact and I am proud to be a little piece of the puzzle that has helped create this wonderful aid organization for the disparaged in the small, crisis-laden country of Portugal.


If I were you, I know I’d be asking myself “Why Portugal?” and “What’s so awesome about the Friends of Portugal?”  Well, this past Fall I was lucky enough to travel to Portugal and France with my MBA program at Point Loma Nazarene University and long story short, I fell in love with Portugal… the people, the food, the history, the culture, the land, and of course the surf!  I think I like Portugal because it reminds me of California in many respects, but the thing that really drew me in is the people.

One of my favorite stories to tell people about how nice the Portuguese are is that of  a little old lady, the sweetest thing I’d seen in a long time (wish I had taken a picture with her) – I just wanted to put her in my pocket and take her home with me.  A couple of my colleagues and I were waiting for our ride to catch up with the rest of the crew outside Loures, and the lady just starts talking and joking with us like we were her long lost grandchildren, chuckling away.  We couldn’t understand a single word she was saying (she didn’t seem to mind), picking up enough through gestures and facial expressions, but we connected and she brightened our day.

The most wonderful part of the trip, however, was the creation of new, meaningful (hopefully lifelong) relationships.  I had the privilege to befriend the Ekks, Jose Arrais-Velez (and family), and others involved in the leadership and support of FOP projects in Portugal.  They’re the kind of people that will clothe you, feed you, shelter you, show you around, and show you a good time.

 John Cosby (PLNU MBA, Entrepreneur) and I, with the guidance and support of our Entrepreneurship professor Randy Ataide and after research and meetings with the Ekks and Velez’s, wrote a strategic business plan for the Massama Project(http://www.friendsofportugal.net/projects.html), the first of many projects to come that combine the skills of young entrepreneurs and MBAs with the hearts of gold and experience of seasoned pastors and missionaries.  It was a unique experience for me and a new experience for these pastors, missionaries, and counselors to apply business principles to their charitable efforts, all too often the fact in nonprofit ventures.  That’s what’s so awesome about the FOP though.  The organization has literally just begun, yet it has already brought together people of very diverse backgrounds to create innovative solutions for charitable projects.  I am so encouraged by the cheerful fortitude and faith of the FOP leaders here in the U.S. and on the ground in Portugal. 

The FOP event I attended only increased my “stoked level” and excitement to be a part of the process.  Witnessing the FOP leaders talk about FOP’s next steps in front of the little crowd in San Diego was inspiring and really got me fired up!  Even more so, it gave me confidence in what they’re doing, the kind of feelings that make you say to yourself, “You know what?  There’s something special going on here in Portugal!"