Madeira News Blog

TODAY’S PHOTO : Thanks to Pirex … Garajau (looks like that was taken before the storms last April?).

Front Page News : source Diário de Notícias 25/11/2008

The main headline today is the discovery by CMF (Funchal Council) that a vehicle scrap yard ‘Vasco Gil’ is also being used to dump household rubbish, a prohibited and unlicensed activity. Combined with spilt car fuel, old tyres, and gas bottles the whole place is a recipe for a serious fire. The operator of the site has contracts with hotels who use the facility to dispose of packaging when they have machinery and metal equipment taken away to be scrapped.

PSD-M vice president Jorge Moreira, talking on the Madeiran government’s decision to bypass the teacher assessments by giving them all a blanket rating of ‘good’, guarantees that teachers here will never be treated like those on the continent. He said that although the situation here was resolved in defiance of national ambitions, there may still be support for the national teachers strike Wednesday next week, to show solidarity with continental colleagues. A smart move by PSD-M as far as next year’s election results go, as not only does it secure teachers votes, teachers obviously influence children’s opinions. A smart move for education though? … I doubt it somehow.

After Portugal’s early first democratic steps, 25th April 1974 has become an important date for the people. However, there were many people who did not accept democracy, and ‘revolution’ was still in the air. The last serious radical military attempt to overthrow democracy, then failed on 25th November 1975, a day that is marked on the Portuguese calendar. Half of the parliamentary opposition members, including all the socialists (PS) refused this year to mark the date in protest against the failure to mark the 25th April and the crushing of minority party rights by the PSD-M, and boycotted the day’s sessions. Everybody in the opposition parties have criticised the fact that the Madeira assembly does not commemorate the 25 of April of 1974, but include, in their annual calendar, a session dedicated to the 25 of November 1975. 

Yesterday was the ‘International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women’, and the Diário reports that domestic violence is still alive and strong on Madeira, and that just during the 3rd quarter of this year 250 inquiries had been opened on the matter. 129 of these originated in Funchal and Câmara de Lobos (plus a bit of Santa Cruz) with just one on Porto Santo Island. Nationally, reported domestic violence increased by 10.8% between 2006 and 2007, whilst on Madeira the increase is nearer 40% compared to 2007.

The Venezuelan election also gets front page coverage again.

Other news :

From January 2009, management of Madeira’s 49 health centres (centro de Saúde) is to be split into 4 regions; Greater Funchal, East Zone (Câmara de Lobos to Calheta, Porto Moniz & São Vicente), West Zone (Machico, Santa Cruz, Santana), and Porto Santo Island. Each zone will have a director. The objective is never to lose contact with the patients and the real problems of the population. I don’t know about the people and population, but the grouping plan seems to have lost contact with my compass!

In a ‘good’ week on the via rápida last week, there were just 12 accidents, with no injuries. Across Madeira just for the last weekend there were 34 accidents, with 2 serious  and 16 light injuries.

Lack of public and private investment in Calheta is resulting in “emigration” of the population and affecting the future of the area, says one of the town councillors. The problem is that the municipal plan was never approved , having been suspended in the summer of 2007.  He claims that Calheta is ageing, as the youngsters from Ponta do Pargo through to Arco are getting out to find work elsewhere, mentioning parts of Africa as the most popular destinations.

The regional secretary for tourism and transport has appointed a new director for tourism, after the previous post holder left a few months ago. Raquel França, 34 and from Funchal, has already started her new job. Lets hope she does a better job than the previous ‘jolly boy’.

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Re yesterday’s daily photo, a message from Ulf on the Aland Islands: “Just for your information, The tree in your blog today is a Kapok Tree (Chorisia speciosa). I believe that this particular tree stands on the east side of Ribeiro Seco on the south side of the bridge. Here we have some 20 cm of snow and cold. We can’t wait to come to Madeira in January! Yours! Ulf.” Thanks Ulf, nice to hear from you, and I am actually one of the few blog readers who knows where Aland lies.

The Kapok Tree is a large, deciduous, tropical tree that is native to tropical America, Africa, and the East Indies. It can grow to over 60 metres towering over it’s rivals in forests. That’s why it’s seeds are dispersed in ‘cotton wool’, so they can blow away to germinate. The ‘cotton wool’ is collected in some countries and is used to stuff pillows and mattresses.

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