Madeira News Blog

TODAY’S PHOTO : Thanks to Jon & Deb … Funchal Christmas Lights

Front Page News : source Diário de Notícias 3/12/2008

Back to Sunday’s 57kg airport cocaine seizure, and 3 of the 4 people arrested are now under lock and key awaiting trial. The story develops into an plot of international proportions, as it is revealed that Madeira airport has a second baggage handling route in parallel to the normal route, allowing baggage to bypass the normal checks and to travel without any owner identification, undoubtedly aided by the 3 people arrested who worked there. In order to do this there would need to be a similar arrangement at Caracas airport in Venezuela, the source of the drugs. TAP, the airline, refers to 4 other cases where this has happened. No wonder such large quantities of drugs have been discovered on Madeira in the last few years! Drug smuggling and supply is bad enough, but on this scale the mind boggles, with enough drugs to feed the whole island for some time as well as entice numerous new addicts. Only one solution for crime on this scale, a night time visit to the miradouro at Cabo Girão.

If anyone still has any doubt what a presépio looks like, then most of yesterday’s front page was taken up with a photo of one, with the headline ‘Cribs and little grottos animate the North’. The article refers to the higher religious intensity in the north of Madeira, where the urge to build presépios and lapinhas is much stronger, and it is time to head to the mountains to gather materials, including moss, reeds, and feto-cabrinhas (which translates as either goat fern or goat foetus, and I am hoping it’s the former) to build their offerings. The older ladies are tasked to make liquors, breads, and cakes to be tested by family, friends, and visitors. The men sharpen their knives ready for the pigs and chickens that have been raised for the Christmas dinner and celebrations, and one lady of 78 recalls the time when the meat was salted to preserve it, before the days of refrigerators. The poor people would normally build little grottos (lapinhas), rather than the grander presépios which would cost more money and need more effort, but not detract from the religious value. This would be adorned with fruit, chestnuts, pears and tangerines, and some times also bread rolls, and candles. Nothing can be spared in terms of content or effort, or the maker will become the laughing stock of the village, and the target of criticism and jokes. I was quite taken with this article until the last bit, as I didn’t realise that the thing was actually a status symbol, so when we talk about the size of ones presépio, it does not in fact have sexual implications, it’s about pride and keeping up with the Jones’s. In fact, if you see an amusing scene within someones presépio, perhaps it is better to stifle the amusement than fall over backwards laughing … you never know what might appear in your drinks and nibbles. More later!

The president of the Azores based airline SATA has announced big developments for his airline that affect Madeira. Flights between Madeira and Zurich are to resume on 7th June 2009, after earlier quitting the route due to competition from Air Berlin. Also from next summer the weekly routes between Madeira and Paris (Charles de Gaulle) and Ireland (Dublin) are to be ‘reinforced’. In addition, SATA has been contracted for one year to operate weekly flights between Madeira and Poland (both airports in Warsaw and Poznan). Flights between Madeira and Austria (Vienna, Graz and Linz) will also be resumed next summer.

Funchal Port has not met the security requirements to renew its operating licence, and the existing certification expires at the end of this month. The certificate for the International Code for Protection of Ships and  Dock Installations is essential, and without it cruise ships and other traffic will not be able to enter port. Despite knowing of the requirement in 2005, the port authorities never produced the mandatory Protection Plan required. Enquiries by the Diário have astonished authorities, but it seems there may be some scope to issue a temporary licence that will take the port up until the end of March 2009. Astonishing, it can only happen on Madeira!

The reaction to Cristiano Ronaldo’s ‘Golden Ball’ award continues with another front page slot, and the only other story is the threat of strike action by government inspectors in the department responsible for economic activities after their career progressions have been frozen for 8 years.

Other news :

The weekly report for the via rápida shows 90 breakdowns and 22 accidents, with light injuries to 5 people.13 people were caught ‘on foot’, and 32 objects of ‘risky’ dimension were moved from the highway, as well as 7 animals.

Santa Cruz is the latest (and probably the last, as the deadline was November) to vote on the IMI property or council tax for 2009 at an extraordinary meeting. The socialists proposed reductions, but were outvoted and the rates remain the same as for this year. Evaluated buildings then pay 0.3% of property values, urban buildings 0.6%, and rustic 0.8%.

Seven Madeiran schools in Câmara de Lobos, Funchal e Ribeira Brava have been awarded a prize of €1,000 to buy new books for schools. The prize money is the result of used battery collections for recycling. The national campaign sponsored by Modelo (supermarkets) has now been running for 4 years and has collected 20 million used batteries.

The teachers strike was not so well supported here as nationally yesterday, in protest over government plans to introduce teacher performance assessments. The local news shows 28 schools without classes, and the number of teacher striking at just 42%. Just 200 teachers turned up for the protest in St. Catherines’s Park. Hardly surprising after the regional government gave them all a ‘blanket assessment’ of ‘good’. In mainland Portugal it was different, with unions reporting turn-outs in the high ninety (percent), with the governments figures nearer 60%. There seems to be an absolute stalemate, with neither side prepared to budge, so how this will be resolved I don’t know, but the main victims and concern of course is the impact on children’s education.

I see Meo (the PT / Portuguese Telecom company) is upping the stakes with its competitor CaboTV or Zon, by offering access to over 1,500 films as part of it’s latest package. Zon is responding with a one off €25 payment for access to it’s 4 pay-film channels for a year, but I have been unable to establish yet whether this is only for new customers, as I can’t find anything on the Zon website … anyone know?

Presépio History : the first one was built by Saint Francisco of Assisi, in 1224, according to the Gospel, and it showed the environment of the Nativity of Jesus. In that year, St. Francis spent Christmas in a cave in a forest in Italy, rather than in the church, as was normal. He took with him a manger, an ox, and a donkey, as well as icons and images sculpted in clay, wood and stone, so he could explain clearly to the local people what Christmas was really about. From that time on, the tradition spread world wide for the church and many christian families.

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!