Madeira News Blog

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.

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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.

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