Madeira News Blog

TODAY’S PHOTO : Thanks to Tobi … another shot of Machico beach, newly sanded, but how long will it stay there?

Front Page News : source Diário de Notícias 30/10/2008

In a follow-up article about the relative poor exam results for Madeira compared to nationally, the Diário headlines with ‘Pupils show little interest’, saying that they are “less motivated and hardly willing for the studying and sacrifice”. One commenter blames the infrastructure of the schools here, whilst the regional director for education considers the results to be satisfactory. A full table of the exam ranking of the schools of Madeira can be viewed here if anyone is interested: http://www.dnoticias.pt/Default.aspx?file_id=dn04010210301008

No none asked me for an opinion, but I will give one anyway. If an intelligent school child were to look at the job opportunities for their parents and other adults, and see that so many have really poorly paid jobs, in construction, tourism, and the retail sectors for example, and also the number of unemployed, then these options would probably come to mind. 1). I will end up in a rubbish job anyway so what’s the point of studying to get great exam results or 2). I will go for a job in local government or public services (police etc), but these jobs are highly prized and in every case  compared to general European standards are already substantially overmanned and facing budget cuts, or 3). I will aim to get great exam results to go to university and get out of the rat race, with a job in the professional sector. The trouble is with option 3 is that this island already has far too many lawyers, dentists, engineers, accountants etc, and so the only real option would be to leave Madeira to seek a more ambitious career path. That’s not quite Hobson’s choice, but it’s not far off. I may be wrong, but if I am then that means the accusations in the Diário are correct and basically spell out ‘laziness’ or ‘apathy’. Am I also accusing the government of not creating job opportunities and investing in the long term employment prospects on Madeira … possibly. With such a fantastic location, great climate, low crime, pretty good flight offerings, hi-tech communications,  lowest IVA / VAT rates in Europe, tax free zone and other tax advantages, low cost labour, why is Madeira not a company ‘hot spot’ in Europe?  All the focus seems to be in bringing tourists here, and if the same effort was made to bring new businesses here this could be a far more successful and even a very strong economy.

Police have arrested 6 thieves in and around Camacha and Santo da Serra, accused of theft, deception, and receiving of fencing stolen goods. The leader of the 6 was ‘grassed up’, and the article only states that the theft of household furniture was involved.

The excitement on Wednesday all took place when the judicial police ‘raided’ the Fire Station in Santana. 3 inspectors unexpectedly turned up in an unmarked vehicle, named as a black Skoda Fabia, and stayed there an hour doing ‘searches’. No one is exactly sure, or is admitting, what is going on, but the two favourite theories revolve around irregularities in a suppliers contract, and the dubious sale of an ambulance given to them by the town council. A black Skoda Fabia eh … what intrigue! Watch out for cars like this pulling up outside of your house. Rest assured that when I know the truth, you will know too!

With a picture that looks like the cruise ship ‘Independence Of The Seas’ in Funchal on Wednesday, the article covers the plight of shopkeepers that despair because the cruise passengers spend little or no money, continuing “business is near the hour of death”. Less and less visitors spend money in the shops and on the traditional merchandise in Funchal, preferring to hop on a bus or do an excursion. Those that do stay in the centre buy a few postcards, small keepsakes, and costume jewellery, but that is about it. Most passengers of the 4000+ from the ‘Independence Of The Seas’ paid each €1,260 for their interior cabins for the 11 day trip, for a pretty much all inclusive package, and shopkeepers just don’t understand why they don’t spend in the shops of Funchal like they used too. The Diário offers some theories. One is that the 36 coaches and 5 jeeps whisked most of them away on excursion packages sold to them on board, another says that of those who stay in Funchal many do guided tours, and hence get taken just to the shops where the guides get commission. The newspapers and authorities here always look at things from a Madeira angle, never from the angle of the tourist, and that is certainly a failing on their part, and that punishes Madeira’s business and will continue to do so. I have several other theories to add also, but I won’t bore you with them now.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice for Manchester United in a victory on Wednesday night in the English Premier League. Perhaps his form of last season has now returned. Before the match he showed off his ‘Golden Boot’ and FIFPro awards.

Other News :

It seems an age since we had a mosquito story, but look no further. The mosquito ‘Aedes aegypti’ that is spreading out of Funchal slowly, has found a new adversary by the name of Roberto Thomé (a mathematics teacher in Brazil), who has suggested the breeding and liberalisation of sterile male mosquitoes to combat the population growth, alongside the use of chemical insecticides. It’s a well explained and perfectly plausible theory, but that is all it at present, an article in a newspaper that had already that same information given to it several weeks ago. (David – Link here: http://www.dnoticias.pt/Default.aspx?file_id=dn04010211301008 )

As the Diário website is still showing the economic stories from Wednesday, that’s as much as I can give you today.

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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, topical photos, events information, or snippets for the madeira4u blog to blog@madeira4u.com – anyone can join in! Thank you!

TODAY’S PHOTO : Thanks to Jon & Debs … A nice beach scene with one of the Funchal 500 tall ships in the background.

Front Page News : source Diário de Notícias 29/10/2008

An analysis of national exam results (1st phase, secondary) does not show Madeira’s schools in a good light, with just one in Santa Cruz achieving a top 100 position nationally (69th), with an average rating of 12.2 (out of 20). There were 610 schools in total in the league table. Gonçalves Zarco and the Secundária School of Ponta do Sol were amongst the five worst in the autonomous regions. The only good news is that the results for Madeira were slightly better than last  year.

The main front page picture relates to the film ‘Blindness’, from the Brazilian director Fernando Meirelles, and based on the work of José Saramago, which marks the official opening of the International Film Festival in Funchal.  The film starts at 9pm on Saturday the 8th November, in the Theater Baltazar Dias. That is 5 days before the official Portuguese release date. It is about an epidemic that causes blindness, firstly in a city, and then worldwide and stars the actors Mark Ruffallo and Julianne Moore. It is in English.

Madeira’s cocaine problem is being fuelled more and more by drugs coming from Africa, where the traffickers are able to bribe officials in order to do their dirty work. The Cabinet of the Organization of the United Nations for Drugs and Crime (ONUDC) is worried about the growing volume of cocaine that comes from the west coast of Africa in the direction of Europe, utilizing, amongst it’s various routes, the sea corridor between the islands of Cape Verde, the Canary Islands and Madeira.

An agreement has been reached for the posting of propaganda / publicity posters in Funchal. The areas agreed and excluded are published in today’s Diário, but I won’t bother to name them as the agreement is purely based on ‘word of honour’ and has no legal basis.

The last headline story is about the forthcoming weekend’s football game between Nacional v Marítimo, in particular the animosity between the two club presidents.

Other News :

The churches here are feeling the pinch of the financial situation in the collection boxes. Apparently there are more and more ‘black coins’ appearing (‘coppers’ or 1, 2, & 5 cents) and less and less notes. Nationally the donation level has dropped 30% in recent times.

Easyjet again! A bad start for the new route between  Madeira – Lisbon, as the early flight Tuesday was cancelled due to bad weather, or bad atmospheric conditions? Passengers who still wished to go were allowed onto the 18.15 flight instead. The runway was closed for one hour, and other flights were also delayed.

For the third time this month, the massive cruise ship ‘Independence Of The Seas’ has broken the previous best for the most passengers brought into the port of Funchal. Yesterday it brought 4,113 passengers, beating the record set on 18th October of 3,933. In fact, including the crew, the total on board yesterday was over five and a half thousand.

The Association for Promotion of Madeira approved its budget for 2009 at over €5 million. As well as the usual presence in fairs, exhibitions, roadshows and workshops, some of the budget this year will be spent on internet promotion, with ‘Google’, ‘Youtube’, ‘Flickr’, ‘Travel Trip Planner’ and ‘Trip Advisor’ named as the chosen partners.

The 11th edition of the ‘Used Car Market’ opened yesterday in Madeira Tecnopólo, and runs until Sunday. Around 200 cars and motorbikes are on display and for sale. It opens at 6pm, but at the weekend it will open earlier at 3pm.

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I see that Zon, or CaboTV are now advertising their new prepay mobile phone service, as mentioned recently on the blog. A quick summary:

My recommendation for me … none, I pay far less with my existing company (UZO), but ZON might well suit other profile users.

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, topical 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 … Funchal beach, near the ‘Balloon Bar’, to say it’s not looking it’s best is being too kind.

Front Page News : source Diário de Notícias 27/10/2008

The secretary general of the PSD (Social Democrats Party) was here yesterday to plan next years election campaign with President Jardim. What a horrible thought … nearly a whole year until it is all over. I was thinking about hibernating, but I would need a volunteer to take over the blog? I suppose the only thing to look forward to is the PSD campaign budget, as we usually get a few concerts amongst other sweeteners. Some of the câmaras (councils) have passed by-laws to stop the excessive and invasive placing of propaganda posters, but as the PSD pretty much controls the câmaras I wonder if they will be breaking their own rules … a silly question probably.

The Easyjet Airbus 319 that arrived on Madeira Monday, on the inaugural flight from Lisbon brought 142 passengers out of a capacity for 156. The return flight took 130. The secretary of state for tourism, who was on board, said that Easyjet played an extremely important role for Madeira and tourism here.

It’s just as well we live (or visit) on an island of low crime, because the police have run out of money to keep their vehicles on the roads. A third of the fleet of police vehicles is currently off the road, because budgets won’t stretch to buy new tyres, do servicing, or for other repairs. Funchal in particular is really stretched. You would think that with so many vehicles off the road you would see more foot patrols, but I rarely see one where I live. Also, as usually there is a Christmas campaign to deter drink driving, I guess the impact this year will be somewhat reduced … and that for sure will please many locals.

The ongoing campaigns to reduce the rat population and control mosquito breeding in Funchal are being compromised by the state of the Ribeiro (river) da Nora in the old zone. Sewerage pipes are broken and sewerage and rubbish is piling up in the river bed, and a nauseating smell is bothering the locals. CMF (Funchal Council) is planning to renew the sewerage system in the area and has announced a tendering process to do that, but a spokesman refers to problems with a number of illegal connections to the existing sewerage system by people trying to avoid payment for using it. I have heard of people tapping in to utility systems to get free gas, electricity and water, but who would believe that someone would break into a sewerage pipe to avoid paying any charges.

The inauguration performance of ‘A Orquídea Branca’ (The White Orchid), that is stated as being a debut performance worldwide, took place in Funchal Theatre (Teatro Municipal Baltazar Dias) on Monday. The one performance cost around €100,000 to stage, partially helped through the Funchal 500 programme. Now it has to fund itself, and the concerns are that box office receipts will not be enough, already confirmed through insufficient advance ticket sales. The opera tells the moving story of a romance between Princess Amélia and a young gardener named José Maria, and the Diário says that a number of people were seen leaving the performance in tears. Did anyone go, or is anyone planning to go .,. if you send me a review I will be happy to publish it and maybe we can help boost ticket sales a little.

Other News :

A vaccination campaign against ‘Virus of the Papiloma Human’ (HPV) commenced yesterday, but unfortunately the vaccines themselves had not yet arrived. The campaign will start with all girls born in 1995, and the purpose is to reduce the levels of cancer of the womb(?) that kills more than 300 women in Portugal annually, through a course of three treatments.

Whilst in other countries people are planning Halloween celebrations, or trick and treat, the planning here is for an important religious celebration called ‘Pão por Deus’, or Bread through God, an occasion that  passes by unnoticed more and more every year. You might see some displays around, made up of seasonal fruits and nuts (particularly chestnuts). The purpose is to provide extra support for the poor, through gifts of small bags of food.

A new species of fungus has been discovered on Madeira, in Santana between Pico das Pedras e a Cova da Roda, on 6th October. It has been confirmed by experts as totally new and been given the name ‘Phallus maderensis’.

The fishermen of Madeira will be celebrating the news that the black espada fish, a traditional speciality for Madeiran, will not suffer the cut from a new European directive on fishing quotas. The proposed cut of 15% would have affected the 300 fishermen and the related industries. The battle was won after officials were able to demonstrate in Brussels that selective fishing and stock preservation measures were already in use in the region.

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, topical photos, events information, or snippets for the madeira4u blog to blog@madeira4u.com – anyone can join in! Thank you!