Madeira News Blog

Well the journey started badly as m’ blog team set sail, with storms a’blowin’ and worse predicted … no that’s a bit tooooo dramatic. Actually we got on a plane, and that’s where this blog is getting typed. We started off the trip by bus at 8.15am, changed buses in Funchal, and arrived at the airport around 10am. The smoker castigation has already started there, with new restrictions already in force, with lots of bright new shiny signs. The queues for easyjet were the longest I have ever seen, as were the queues through security, so we only just made it in time. About 20 minutes late leaving Madeira, and facing heavy headwinds, we are already destined to be somewhat late, which is a bit of a bummer as we have vital supplies being delivered at 5pm (courtesy of tesco.com).

Nice plane this easyjet airbus A319627784-1.75, except it suffers with excessive turbulance. Nice and clean, big more legroom than usual, and the usual slightly grumpy looking staff … I think it’s because they don’t have any free grub to give away and feel guilty (and so they should). No frills, no entertainment, does exactly what it says on the fuselage. Surprised to see Sam Cox’s name (Madeira Times website) in the inflight magazine, even more surprised to see an inflight magazine!

Anyway, our major study of how the public place smoking ban has affected the UK pub trade is due to start tonight, in Weston-super-Mare (also known locally as w-s-mud). It’s going to be a tough endurance test for sure, but a well deserved exclusive for our readers.

OK, a quick look at today’s Diario Cidade (free at the SAM Bus Station), front page about domestic violence and the fact that 98.6% of the victims who go to the support centres are female. There’s a good reason for that, an important statistic that seems to have been missed out … 98.6 % of male victims of domestic violence are too embarrased to go for help, we go to the pub instead, leaving just 1.4 left to go to the support centres (the 1.4% of incidents probably happening outside pub opening hours). Sorry, its no laughing matter.

Finally, a story about the forged euro bank notes in circulation. During the first 6 months of this year 265,000 forged banknotes have been removed from circulation in Europe, mostly being €50 notes. Not too much danger in my neck of the woods, as most people have probably never seen one, and the chances of most local businesses having change for one is almost zilch.

Next report live from the Raglan Pub w-s-m … don’t miss it!

www.madeira4u.com

The beer company ‘Coral’ wants to aquire more customers and boost sales by producing over a million litres in 2008 of a new beer called ‘Coral Classica’.  This new beer is “more sophisticated” and more expensive than its current range, in that it uses a malt used in the manufacture of whiskeys, and its a slightly stronger brew than the normal Coral. It has taken 15 months to get to the launch stage.

Over the last year, Coral produced around 20 million litres + soft drinks and sales of imported products, turning over in the order of 55 million Euros.

Some questions :

3. If Coral wants to produce and sell over 1 million litres of this beer in 2008, you have to ask how a virtual monopoly business is going to increase its beers sales on an island with a static population, and with roughly the same number of tourists arriving each year. Coral want us to drink more beer!

OK, I am fully supportive of the objective to increase Coral’s beer sales, and am willing to do my best to help, but not by drinking more expensive ‘sophisticated’ beers.

www.madeira4u.com

Source :  Diário de Notícias 27-11-2007

The holder of the biggest private collection of live insects of the world, is interested in creating an “insectário” on Madeira.  He plans to find a permanent space for the around 1,300 species captured by himself over the years from around four corners of the world. 

This is intended to be a tourist attraction, as well as a scientific study facility.

After the troubles with this new mosquito that has made its home here, I just hope he keeps them all well locked up!

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A couple of foreigners were detained on Sunday night, in Funchal, by Police on suspicion of drug trafficing. Their nationality has not been disclosed (anyone want to take a bet?)

The police operation resulted in the confiscation of around 13,670 individual doses of heroine, as well as 3,570 euros, and five mobile phones.

They will be locked up in the police station where they will probably be bitten to death by the aforementioned mosquitos (see earlier blog).

No …. seriously, what the hell were they doing with 5 mobile phones! I struggle to cope with one, I don’t know how to work the darn thing properly, and invariably I forget it when I go out of the house.

www.madeira4u.com