Madeira News Blog

TODAY’S PHOTO : Thanks to Brian & Laura … a lovely shot at Boca de Encumeada.

Front Page News : source : Diário de Notícias 26/9/2008

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned that there were casting sessions on Madeira for a new ‘novela’ or soap opera called ‘Despertar’ (‘Wake’, or ‘Arouse’) on TVI, or channel 4. The programme is to be set in Madeira, and filming is due to start in just a few days. Two Madeirans have been given parts in the programme, Élvio Camacho aged 33, and Teresa Gedge aged 67, so that will pretty much double Madeira’s celebrity ‘A’ list. In case you see any filming going on, you should be able to identify who is who, as he has the role of a priest called João, and she a nun called Rita. Teresa formed formed  MADS (Madeira Amateur Dramatic Society) in 1993, where she is the president, and also performs. Unfortunately I did not get the call I was hoping for, as there was no part for balding middle aged foreigners, so looks like you are stuck with my blog for a while longer. What does surprise me is that TVI has room for any more soap operas. Some nights they seem to start at around 6pm, and apart from the evening news run through the night.

The inspectorate that covers homes for old people reveals that 25% of them do not have in-house doctors, meaning that sick patients have to be taken to the nearest health centre. The thorough inspection of Madeira’s 22 homes covered medical and sanitary aid, food, vigilance, free time and activities, security, and quality of the infrastructure. The full report is due to be made public yesterday.

A 38 year old man has been arrested by police after being caught committing fraud using ‘black dollars’. The scam involved convincing people to exchange currency at a very favourable rate, only to find the notes they received in return were worthless. An expulsion order was granted to rid Madeira of the rogue.

The other headline stories were about President Jardim receiving an award on behalf of Marítimo football club, and that the government wants to alter the plans for their new stadium. And a long story about the fact that the Palácio da Justiça has to pay rent of €12,800 per month to Funchal Câmara (council).

Other News :

A review of mortgage lending rates on a system called ‘Eurobor’ means that many homes are going to be hit with higher payments next month, on average an extra €50.

An unusual number of warships are skulking around the island and in Funchal bay at present, but they are not Portuguese. The 10 vessels are Spanish, and include an aircraft carrier. The details are classified, other than to say that they are on ‘manoeuvres’, which will last through the weekend. And I thought the Spanish Armada was sunk years ago … I bet the 2,000+ tourists on the British cruise ship ‘Oceana’ yesterday were wondering what was going on.

Both Marítimo and Nacional play at home this weekend, to Académica and Amadora respectively. Both matches will be played at the same time, 4pm on Sunday. It is no surprise for me that neither match is televised, even though there are no other games at the same time. You can be top of the Portuguese league for a month (Nacional), but unless your name is Benfica, Porto, or Sporting you don’t get on TV. Top billing is tonight at 8.45pm when Benfica host Sporting … that’s on SportTV1.

Have a good weekend!

www.madeira4u.com

Aside from your valued blog responses (you can reply direct using the form at the bottom of each blog comments page), please send any unreported Madeira news, photos, events information, or snippets for the madeira4u blog to blog@madeira4u.com – anyone can join in! Thank you!

TODAY’S PHOTO : Thanks to Eiryl … the Proteus flower

Front Page News : source : Diário de Notícias 25/9/2008

A €25,000 Audi A3 car was destroyed by fire in sítio do Covão, Estreito de Câmara de Lobos yesterday. Just a shell remains, and arson is suspected. The car was owned by a local priest who had owned the car for just two months, who claims to have had an SMS text message threatening his car. Strange case … a priest with a €25 grand car, a suspected arsonist who has the priest’s mobile phone number … I think we are missing the full story here.

The new (or rebuilt) Marítimo football stadium is to have an auditorium, a vintage car museum, and a trophy room. It will accommodate 9,000 supporters, which will not be of much use when the biggest game for years (against Valencia last week) only attracted 3,000 supporters. The inspiration for the new stadium design has come from England, no not Chelsea or Manchester United, but a lesser known club called Derby County, currently floundering near the bottom of the second league! I am guessing that the trophy room will built inside the cupboard previously occupied by the electricity meter, or is that being too unkind?

Today the government exerts it’s influence once more on the prices of petrol and diesel. Hardly worth having this time as petrol will go down just 0.3 cêntimos, and diesel 1.3 cêntimos. That brings the maximum petrol price down to €1.372, just slightly less than in Portugal. That reminds me, I have a leaflet from BPI bank saying that if you use their credit card ‘Universo’ to buy petrol or whatever at a Galp petrol station you will get a 2.5% discount on the cost (it is in reality a rebate that you will receive later on).

The people of Funchal are big water users, with an average consumption of 233 cubic metres each per year. That figure compares badly with Lisbon for example where the consumption averages 123 cubic metres per person per year, and in a list of 106 similar sized European cities puts Funchal in 7th position. The city of Braga in Portugal has the lowest consumption in the study, and the article states that a years supply for a person in Funchal would last there 4 years and several months. I reckon my household consumes at most 20% per year of what you people in Funchal use each, either that or my water meter is faulty. I reckon the 233 figure must be wrong, otherwise what on earth are you doing with all this water?

Other News :

Good news for residents using the ferry boat to Portimão. The Secretary of State for Transport in Lisbon has accepted the proposal to apply the same subsidy (for residents and students) of €30 each way, that currently applies to flights between Madeira and Portugal. Don’t hold your breath waiting though, as the proposal has to come back to the regional assembly here, go to Brussels, and then back and forth between Lisbon and Madeira before becoming effective.

The Regional Directorate for Statistics for Madeira (DRE) has launched a new website at : http://estatistica.gov-madeira.pt

I have just gone for a quick look, and it’s quite good if you know some Portuguese. It cover unemployment, population, inflation, hotel occupancy, construction licences, and numerous other topics.

WORLD TOURISM DAY – tomorrow

These events are mostly free for tourists, so if you live here you may need to dress like a tourist to benefit:

Botanical gardens – Free entry, also Boa Vista, & Orchid

Madeira story centre – 50% discount on tickets

Most museums – Free entry (email me if you want to check which ones, or look at the Madeira tourism website).

10.00 – 12.30am Folk dancing group on Avenida Arriaga, Funchal

2pm – 5pm Street entertainment on Avenida Arriaga

9.00am – 8.30pm Folk dancing group at Madeira Airport (with a break for lunch)

6pm Quartet concert at the Palace São Lourenço

There are other activities, but they are by booking only.

Please let me know if you know of anything else – thanks.

Tobi tells me that the tall ships will be here (Funchal) next Tuesday and Wednesday, and they will be open to visitors to board. This is part of the Funchal 500 celebrations. Thanks Tobi … this is what this blog is partly for, if you know anything that might interest or benefit readers please let us know. Whether is be a bargain at the supermarket, an event, an appeal, or whatever.

The situation with Machico beach (inauguration and opening) continues to confuse me, but according to yesterday’s newspaper the inauguration is set for President Jardim at midday on 29th (Monday).

One of our blog readers has kindly agreed to raise the problem about the rip-off for foreigners in the fruit market in Funchal. It could take some time, but by way of ‘evidence’ please keep any stories coming in.

www.madeira4u.com

Aside from your valued blog responses (you can reply direct using the form at the bottom of each blog comments page), please send any unreported Madeira news, photos, events information, or snippets for the madeira4u blog to blog@madeira4u.com – anyone can join in! Thank you!

TODAY’S PHOTO : Thanks to Tobi … another shot of Machico, with it’s new look sea front.

Front Page News : source : Diário de Notícias 24/9/2008

This will shock a few people, but Funchal is above Porto in the ratio between population and violent deaths. Funchal achieves a ratio of 0.24 homicides and violent deaths per thousand inhabitants. This is the finding of a two year European study of 321 European cities. Funchal was also rated the worst Portuguese city for domestic violence, with 6 cases per thousand inhabitants. I feel I must balance that with a good result … Funchal ranked number 12 city on the list for hospital beds, with 16.8 per thousand inhabitants, but there again I am not sure that is good news.

The same study also looked at demographics, taking into account immigration. Funchal managed a population shrinkage during the years 1991 to 2004 of 0.53%, despite immigration mainly from Brazil, Eastern Europe, and the African countries that were once part of the Portuguese ‘empire’.

Marriage is only “between different sexes” says President Jardim, who considers the legalization of  homosexual marriage “a provocation to certain sectors of  Portuguese society”. Pres. AJJ adds “I do not have prejudices” as regards the sexual options of people. The subject is to be debated in the Madeira assembly on 10th October. Why they are bothering I don’t know, because where Jardim goes, the PSD-M goes, and that can mean only one thing … no!

Estreito de Câmara de Lobos is to lose a huge stretch  of it’s finest grape growing terrain under an expropriation order (compulsory purchase), due to road construction between Câmara de Lobos and Jardim da Serra. The high quality grapes that will be lost yield sufficient alcoholic content to be used for the real ‘Madeira Wine’. Some farmers will lose all of their land, others will lose part. As an example, one farmer is losing 9,000 out of 12,000 square metres. Not much use if that is your living!

The monopoly electricity supplier here, Electricidade da Madeira, is to renew some of its generators, as they will be 30 years old next year. Electricity consumption here increases by 20% a year, making expansion and improvements an ongoing necessity. in 2011 a new plant will be operational in Ribeira dos Socorridos using imported natural gas to reduce dependency on oil.

Other News :

Those responsible for the ‘Natural Park of Madeira’ are  preparing an Atlas of Birds Identified(?) on the Archipelago. It will be the first book produced on the subject, using a team of professionals with experience on similar projects. The fieldwork for the project will start next February. I don’t think anyone is absolutely sure, but there are between 30 and 40 bird types to be found here, including the nocturnal Zino’s Petrel which is very rare and unique to Madeira, with an estimate of just 400 birds remaining.

Santa Quitéria, in Funchal, is the place, the date is 23rd October. A new 2,000 square metres store costing €6 million opens for the company IZI. Specializing in DIY (do-it-yourself), decorating and gardening, it will employ 30 staff, and promises a “different concept”  in shopping with high levels of customer service, low prices, a huge range of products, credit services, home delivery, 100 free parking spaces, and a complete fitting service where required.

www.madeira4u.com

Aside from your valued blog responses (you can reply direct using the form at the bottom of each blog comments page), please send any unreported Madeira news, photos, events information, or snippets for the madeira4u blog to blog@madeira4u.com – anyone can join in! Thank you!