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.

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 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.

——————————————

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!

TODAY’S PHOTO : Thanks to Pirex … Pico da Atalaia – Tendeira de Baixo

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

No surprise that the biggest picture and lead story was football … Nacional winning their game on Sunday and returning to top slot in the Portuguese Superliga.

There are 17 major building projects on hold around Madeira, pending the conclusion of actions through the courts, nine of these in Santa Cruz. The main reason is non compliance with regulations (planning / building) or building or modification without authorisation.

By the end of this year, and according to the state budget, Madeira’s ’state’ debts will hit €251 million. Madeira borrowed €256 million earlier this year through a state programme to pay it’s arrears to its suppliers.

Easyjet started its new Lisbon – Madeira service yesterday, with two daily flights (all days) priced from €52 return.  They already have 23,000 reservations. If I am not mistaken it is almost exactly a year since the UK flights started as well?

Other News :

7 hunting dogs died after eating poison placed in Paul da Serra, near to a restaurant. The Forest Police were called, but found no trace of the poison or the culprit.

The car park of ‘Marina Shopping’ mall in Funchal has been highlighted as a hot spot for car break ins, drugs, and prostitution.

In national news, Taxis with television are the latest fad, with over 300 installed in taxis in Lisbon. LCD screens mounted on the seats allow passengers to see ‘TV Taxi’ with weather reports, what’s on at the cinema, reports about the location, cultural information, and of course advertising. Something to keep your eye off the meter perhaps?

Finally, Madeira’s own Cristiano Ronaldo has been named FifPro World Footballer of the Year, beating 54 other top players on the shortlist. The honour, voted for by professional footballers from all over the world, was widely expected after Ronaldo scored 42 goals for Manchester United last season. Ronaldo was also named in the FifPro team of the year.

————————————————

Talking during the weekend with a friend about the second attempt by President Jardim to get the smoking ban changed, I was interested to hear about the smoking ban which was recently introduced in Holland. The bars and cafes that are allowed to sell soft drugs for smoking are equally affected with the tobacco ban, and where one can still light up a ‘joint’ inside, you have to go outside to smoke a cigarette. Silly or what! However some people roll cigarettes with tobacco and sit inside pretending it’s a joint. To combat this, the authorities are making people use transparent cigarette papers, so the contents can be seen by staff to be green rather than brown. What a crazy world we live 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, 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 Eiryl … Porta da Cruz

Front Page News : source Diário de Notícias 26/10/2008

Looks like another dry news day, as two of the front page stories are about the football games of yesterday, before they were even played.

That only leaves two other headline articles.

‘Teachers Anticipate Retirement’. Extreme tiredness and increasing bureaucracy are the main motives. The number of teachers that try, together with the Union of the Teachers of Madeira (SPM), contemplating the possibility of early retirement is “alarming” according to the coordinator of the SPM, Marília Azevedo. In some sectors eight out of ten teachers have made requests for early or normal retirement figures, a similar level to nationally. Retirement is available after 33 years service. In many cases teachers are considering leaving the profession, and wanting to know how much they would lose through their pensions.

The other story, that comes up quite often, is probably a quite well known phenomenon for those with interests outside Madeira but here it is all still quite new … Internet Fraud. Scams targeting Madeirans are definitely on the up, and the Diário reports that 4 complaints have been made to police in two days, one involving a sum of €10,000, others for €1,900 and €400. They all started with an email that arrived in the complainants inbox, usually from abroad. The article suggests some naivety here, and mentions the chain emails as a particular problem. I get such emails daily, mainly from people trying to give me millions of dollars hidden from the government in Nigeria. If you have some spare time one day, check out this site: http://www.419eater.com/ Some of the stories are amazing about what this group does to scam the scammers.

Other News :

Fireman have spend 3 days trying to extinguish a fire in woods in sítio da Furna, in Ribeira Brava. The fire started on Thursday fuelled by strong winds, and is in an area of difficult access, and so is causing some real problems, although there is no danger to property.

The Câmaras (councils) of Porto Moniz, São Vicente and Santana are joining forces with institutions and companies based in the north of Madeira in a project called ‘Mais Norte’ (More North). A common strategy is to be developed to bring jobs and financial benefits to the northern areas, mainly through increased business opportunities and tourism. I wish them luck, but suspect that behind the scenes, tourism in Funchal will be pulling in the opposite direction as they always do.

Just a couple of days after the last petrol and diesel price cuts, today prices will reduce even further, by 10 cents and 8 cents respectively, with the reviews in future taking place weekly instead of fortnightly. The area has had a lot of discussion over the last few days, particularly as continental prices were lower than Madeira, a situation that should not have happened when the IVA (VAT) rate for Madeira is somewhat lower.

The Portuguese Society of Authors (SPA) on Madeira managed to collect €500,000 from businesses who owed performing rights payments to artists of video and sound, but it is well known that many businesses do not contribute for using copyright material. The article mentions ‘Karaoke Bars’ as one of the offending businesses, and I think this is totally wrong, and these places should be boycotted by us all, or closed down, to protect the income of those poor starving musicians and songwriters. President Jardim when talking of Madeira’s hotels says he only wants quality establishments here, and surely that standard must be applied to entertainment too, and Karaoke singers should be screened out and removed from Madeira alongside any suspected carriers of dengue!

The air shuttle service between Madeira and Porto Santo Island operated by SATA is to be replaced at the end of the winter. The new smaller plane will carry less passengers but more cargo, and the company says it will be more comfortable than the current aircraft.

The Porto Santo ferry ‘Lobo Marinho’ is to go into dock on the 12th January 2009 for 5 or 6 weeks, for a general service and upgrade. The ferry ship has clocked up over 5 years of service (since June 2003) and 8 thousand hours of sailing time, and is obliged to do this. The ferry owners will provide a cargo service during the period of absence, so locals on Porto Santo won’t starve, but passengers between Madeira – Porto Santo will use the plane, with the difference in ticket price paid by the ferry company. During it’s service to date (October 2008), the ‘Lobo Marinho’ has transported 1.8 million passengers on 3,552 journeys amounting to 142,000 nautical miles, equivalent to 7 times around the world. It can transport 1,150 passengers and 145 vehicles, but only has an average occupation rate of 44%. It travels at a maximum velocity of 21 knots and is 112 meters in length.

Marítimo drew their game yesterday, 1 – 1, but Nacional managed to win again and are top of the Portuguese Superliga once again! It’s the big local derby next weekend … and it’s on TV.

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 who found it on facebook … our dear President Bertie Jardim on a ‘not a good hair day’. More on the great man later. Anyone have a phone number for Trinny & Susannah?

Front Page News : source Diário de Notícias 25/10/2008

One headline story is about the clocks changing, and if you haven’t done it already you need to move your watch back an hour. The article warns that the change can affect young children, making them grumpy and with tired spells (just children?), and the number of accidents in the next 48 hours will increase, so go steady there. This is going to be an extra long winter, as the clocks don’t change back again until the 29th March.

A trade union representing construction workers has asked 9 construction companies to put themselves into administration (insolvency) so that 340 workers can go and ’sign on’ for unemployment. 5 of the requests have already been put to the Tribunal of Work, 4 are underway, and another one is on a ‘warning’. It is not common for a union to take such a stance, but different circumstances can greatly affect the union members, particularly when bosses try and wriggle out of their responsibilities before the money has all gone.

Madeira does not have a strong credit rating as a population of individuals, families, and businesses. As a result money borrowed for the needs of Madeira is more expensive, as the risks of loan repayment defaults are higher. Public sector debts of the region are also taken into account. As a result of a recent review the ‘credit rating’ of Madeira has been downgraded by the agency Moody’s.

Products known here as ‘editorial’ which includes books, CDs, and DVDs, are weakening in sales in the shops of Madeira as the financial crunch bites hard. They become low priority items in peoples squeezed financial budgets, particularly as many see them as expensive and overpriced in the shops. The bookshop ‘Livraria Esperança’ complains of book sales halved compared to 4 or 5 years ago. Another shop ‘Megasom’ says that sales of video games, CDs and DVDs are all down 40 to 50%, but blames the reduction not just on peoples finances, but the opening of ‘megastores’ also. Another retailer complains that prices of such products are much lower in mainland Portugal.

Marítimo’s new football stadium planning application as expected was ‘knocked back’ by Funchal council. The Diário says there is a way forward, but it will be at the expense of the builders and contractors as the project is reduced in scale.

Other News :

The Directorate of Health has determined that planes and boats will be subject to disinfection requirements, starting on 1st November, as a preventative measure against the spread of the mosquito ‘Aedes aegypti’. They have also recommended that boats and planes carrying passengers from dengue infected areas should take ’special care’. On the point of disinfection, as that means telling the civil aviation authorities and the equivalent in the maritime world, then the news is now officially ‘out’ and it just remains to be seen whether there will be an impact on tourism. The real impact will come if there is any suggestion of a link between the mosquito and dengue, hence the latter point in the article ’should take special care’ is just not strong enough, absolute 100% controls are needed to protect this archipelago, and they are needed now.

The beetle infestation that has killed off palm trees in Câmara de Lobos has spread to Funchal. ‘Rhynchophorus Ferrugineus’ is the cause according to a spokesman from Funchal council in announcing a package of diverse measures to combat the problem. Only one tree has been identified so far, and that will be incinerated, with the surrounding area being chemically treated.

The World Society for Protection of Animals (WSPA) based in London visited SPAD (Protective Society for Domestic Animals) on Friday, and praised the work that they were doing, and backed the campaign for public awareness on the issues that cause animal abandonments.

‘Timeshare with new European rules will give a positive contribution to the European tourism’ is the headline, but with no details given. You can bet it will not be good news for the numerous timeshare companies and their employees that work in Funchal though.

————————————————–

As we have a photo of our beloved president garnishing today’s blog, here are some well known facts about him, and some lesser know ones, in brackets, as well which I have gleaned from the electorate here:

Full name: Alberto João Cardoso Gonçalves Jardim

Born: 4th Feb 1943 in Santa Luzia (which continues to have problem with pest control)

Education: Law degree obtained in Coimbra (but apparently he can barely write a readable statement)

Early career: Journalist and director of the “Jornal da Madeira”

Present career: He is one of the longest-serving, democratically elected leaders of any jurisdiction in the world, having been elected 30 years ago. Though technically that service was broken when he resigned in protest over the republic’s finance laws, but subsequently re-stood for reelection and won easily.

Family: Married to Maria Ângela Andrade Martins in 1968 (she is never seen in public with him)

3 children, Cláudia, Pedro and Andreia.

Interests: Marítimo Football Club in Funchal (he is renowned for ensuring that they are ‘well looked after’ and also interfering in the running of the club).

Honours / medals: a lot, including:

National Scouts Corps Meritorious Service

Madeiran Volunteer Firemen 50 Years Commemorative Service

7 Grand Cross & ‘Order’ awards made in Venezuela

A doctorate in Political Sciences, granted by the Italian University of St. Cirilio

Famous quotes (source – Wikipedia):

“There are some bastards, in the mainland media. I’ll say bastards so I won’t call them sons of bitches…” (June 2005)

“Although they [in mainland] are anti-fascists, without ever picking up a rifle, it was the people of Madeira and not those faggots who made the revolution for 29 days against Salazar [1931 uprising] (July 2006)

Other: Author of 4 books – one with 3 volumes, another with 2.

(Although he is comfortable as an orator, he feels uncomfortable in one to one face to face situations, and hence journalist interviews are infrequent)

A slight but sudden drop in temperature a few nights ago has brought out the winter wear already, and at night has made the streets and nightlife of Rib. Bra. even emptier than before. Not only is it going to be a longer winter than usual with the clock changes coming early and late, but a tough one for many in family and business finances. The one hope I have left left is that it will be warm, or even hot, if not hibernation will commence in my household.

I think this officially rates with ‘Moody’s’ as the gloomiest blog ever, but to be fair I just take the news as I read it, and the fact that this is the first one of the early dark nights (my most detested day of the year) is just coincidence. If anyone fancies coming over and buying me a beer later to cheer me up, will be pleased to see you.

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 – an
yone can join in! Thank you!

TODAY’S PHOTO : Thanks to Tobi … the cruise ship Aida in port a few days ago, very recognisable by the ‘hot lips’.

Front Page News : source Diário de Notícias 24/10/2008

Porto Santo Island has been hit by an unidentified viral infection, with dozens of cases reported so far. Symptoms are diarrhea and vomiting. In one school, 20% of the pupils have been hit by the bug, something like gastroenteritis. The outbreak in the school has been confirmed as not being passed on through food or water supplies, and the source is still unidentified.

The big story in Santana this week is about a row going on between the town council there and the fire & ambulance brigade. The council gave the brigade an ambulance in 2001, and is outraged by the brigade’s decision to sell it, and without telling them, a matter stirred up by our ‘Dear Diário´. What scandal! And apart from football (Benfica) that’s it for the front page … Oh dear, so far it’s looking like one of those days when I could have stayed in bed longer.

Other News :

The story from yesterday about the dangers of the chemicals used to deinsfest mosquito populations has been totally refuted by the company ‘Extermination’ that was responsible for the control of the mosquitoes until recently. The boss there describes the chemicals used as “healthy, dependable, and a friend of the environment”.  Then he goes on, “The products, insecticidal and ‘larvicidal’, do not leave residues, and cannot therefore be comparable with  DDT”. Confused? I am!

In a second article on the same topic of the ‘aedes aegypti’, The Institute of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (IHMT) is trying to produce a laboratory created insecticide to be used on the lands of Madeira. The work on the treatment started two years ago, and the problem is stated that the larvae of ‘aedes aegypti’ is much stronger than the larvae of other mosquitoes, and also because the insect breeds very easily. One of the ingredients being used comes from the ‘tree of life’ in India. A spokesman for the institute says that the mosquito, or a cousin, is spreading around Europe, with Italy and Spain substantially affected. But there is some good news, as the specialist says “when persons are bitten in second or third consecutive years, there will not be such bad reactions, as people build up an immunity resistance” Of course he is talking about reaction to being bitten only, nothing to do with the disease dengue. 

It’s pretty well known that Portugal and Brazil have not only a language bond, but also a cultural one, and that makes holidaying and travelling quite attractive to both races in swapping countries at holiday time. Hence package holidays in Portugal are a big seller in Brazil. But those holidays up until now have always been on the continent. That is going to change, with the largest tour operator in Brazil, CVC (300 of it’s own agencies, and 5,000 other sellers, with 1.7 million holidays sold in 2007), about to incorporate Madeira in its Portugal packages, with probably a 3 day visit included in the package deal.

The Regional Secretary for Tourism and Transport of  Madeira confirmed on Thursday that discussions are underway with a ‘low cost’ airline for a new scheduled flight between Funchal and Porto. In the same article, there was a vote of protest in the regional assembly this week about the fuel surcharges of TAP and SATA not coming down with the falling trend of oil internationally.

Football this weekend : Marítimo playing at home against Rio Ave, Sunday at 4pm, and Nacional also at home against Setúbal, same day, same time, which shows unsensible fixture planning once again. All the other Portuguese premier league games are televised, except for those two.

Clocks change tonight I believe, dark nights again, horrible!

Tomorrow we show the photograph you didn’t want to see … if you are easily shocked, get behind the sofa as it loads on your screen.

Prompted by a story on Monday, I received this email from a lady in Calheta …

“Perhaps when the Secretary of State for Tourism arrives on Easyjet on 27 October, someone might attract his attention to the problem of noise at Calheta, in my view the noisiest place in the world!

Rockets (banned in most countries) are fired off at random throughout the year and sometimes during the night!   They terrify young children and upset the sick and the elderly and serve absolutely no purpose whatsoever.   They also startle all 50 plus dogs in the valley which bark continuously for about 45 minutes.   Frequently the dogs have just settled down again, when another rocket is fired and the whole barking business starts all over again.

The Church on the hill has 4 loudspeakers set into its bell tower.   Most weekends Mass is broadcast throughout the valley, followed by dreadful amateur pop music.   This can start at 9.00 a.m. and go on until midnight with no consideration for the neighbourhood, the sick or elderly or any visitors to the village.   So much for the Commandment, “Though shall treat thy neighbour as Thyself”!

Radio Funchal also join in with loud pop music programmes broadcast over loudspeakers and just in case visitors get bored enjoying the tranquillity of the beautiful valley and beach, regular beach parties are provided all summer long, with the dire music amplified at maximum decibel limit until 6.00 a.m.

Is it little wonder few tourists return to Calheta and the excellent Calheta Beach Hotel is half-empty most of the time?   Do not be fooled by a daytime visit – by night Calheta is a living nightmare!     Calheta is competing with Torremolinos and Calheta is winning!”

She has provided her full name, but I thought it best not to reveal it … so for the purpose of any responses, perhaps she won’t mind if we call her ‘Disturbed in Calheta’?

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!