Madeira News Blog

 

 

 

 

Today’s Photo Thanks to me … I thought we might have had some presépio (nativity scene) photos in by now, but not much apart from one Tobi sent in a while back. This one is in Hiper Sã in Ribeira Brava.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is even a second photo today, this one showing the famous Ribeira Brava super-duper coach, the one that cost the council a small fortune a year or so ago, all painted up in a super-duper custom designed livery, which again must have cost a small fortune. There is another just like it also, but smaller. They hardly get used, so there is a problem keeping them parked up for long periods of time, so the council solution is to park this big one here, on the area of hatched-lines, just a few metres from the police station. If anyone else did the same the police would be out with their ticket book and a hefty fine would be issued. The Diário newspaper does a daily photo, sent in by readers, called ‘Em Flagrant’, which pretty much means ‘caught red handed’, and normally it involves stupid drivers, or road signs or something along those lines, but they don’t appear on the Diário website. So I thought (after a suggestion from Sheila) I would start off something similar, as ‘How well do you know Madeira ?’ seems to have died a bit of a death. Any photos or stories please send them to the email address at the bottom of this page.

Some nice ‘city’ photos here, but ignore the first one : MADEIRA PHOTOS

Madeira based artist Sonia von Walter has finished a new painting LADY IN RED … (my description) I like the painting, but hate the song.

Don’t forget that tomorrow is a Portugal public holiday (Restoration of Independence).

The following snippet is from Elaine of the West, many thanks …

(relevant to those of us pontasssolenses and others who enjoy the fun of the fair!)

Giga Park opens soon. From next Thursday the Christmas Giga Park opens to the public in Ponta do Sol. The fair is being set up in the area of future expansion of the village. The 2009 version of Giga Park consists of 11 types of amusements geared towards the younger audience and eight for adults, plus some intended for the whole family. Among the vast array of fun, of note is the return of one of the ‘ex-libris "of the fairs of yesteryear, such as the Pit of Death. Despite being 80 years old, it is a real adventure, challenging the law of gravity on two wheels. The amount of equipment increases daily, but everything should be completed by mid-week. The official opening is scheduled for the evening of Thursday, 3 December. The amusement park will be in Ponta do Sol until 11 January. The enclosure also includes games, raffles, hardware, restaurant and bars, as well as sanitation facilities. The park has an estimated capacity of about three thousand vehicles, and parking is free. Work to level the ground and the erection of structures has been going on constantly for some time. Since the beginning of the month trailers have arrived by sea with material and the amusements, with the last due to arrive in Funchal tomorrow. By Thursday, everything should be ready to go.

Circus with sharks and seals from day 17. A circus environment is part of the range of entertainment of the Giga Park. This is scheduled to debut on the 17th, going on display to the public in the last three and a half weeks of the fair. The Jorge Cardinalli ‘Aqua Show’ includes Pacific Ocean sharks in a tank with 30 litres of water. There will also be Alaskan seals, a show that features clowns, acrobats, magic and, as the old slogan circus says, ‘much more’. From Tuesday to Friday ‘Aqua Show’ plans to present a daily show starting at 21:30. On Saturdays, Sundays, Mondays and holidays there will be three sessions: 15.30, 17.30 and 21.30.

and of course from Elaine of the East, with thanks …

750 euro grants do not convince doctors. The Government of the Republic will pay 750 Euros per month grants to junior doctors to relocate to Madeira, the Azores, Alentejo and the Algarve. Some see them as an ‘added value’, others as a ‘prison’. They are a promotion for doctors who want to stay in the region after specialist training but are a risk for others as they need to find a vacancy. If they take posts in the region after training, they have to work here for a few years or pay back the training cost.

Unrepaired road complaints to the Municipality. Whenever it rains with some intensity, the road Caminho da Cova Grande in Amoreirinha, Canhas turns into a muddy swamp and dangerous for pedestrians and cars. Only jeeps and wellington boots can cope with the mud that collects on the flattest areas of the road beyond the initial cemented 100 metres. The water descends from the surrounding serra along with debris which enters homes, especially as there is no storm water drainage system installed in the road. Antonio Joaquim has a garage below the road level and that is the worst part of his house affected. He complained to the Council but still no change, whereas he recalls with nostalgia that in the times of the mayor Antonio Lobo, "Within 15 days, it was cemented." The mayor of Ponta do Sol said he knew of the problem and promised that soon there would be intervention by the Municipality in order to regularize the situation of the rainwater. He confirmed that during the election campaign, which also coincided with days of rain in late September, he passed the site in question and realized the accumulation of water which comes from the serra of Canas. The extension of the cemented path is not justified because it is already up a hill. He says, "Who has a house in the serra should be prepared to deal with these situations."

Chinese citizen goes back to court to ask not to be expelled. Xu Zhiqiang was born in China and in mid-2004 was arrested at the airport by the immigration officials for illegally entering Madeira. Upon orders of a judge, he was forbidden to leave the region and was subject to Terms of Identity and Residency and to periodically report to the Immigration Service (SEF). He was professionally employed in hotel and catering. On 22 October 2009, SEF ordered his expulsion from the country in the next 20 days, for having entered and remained unlawfully in Portugal. Xu Zhiqiang obtained a court injunction arguing the order of SEF has formal and material defects and presented five witnesses. In 2008 he was denied a residence permit on grounds of his illegal entry and he has no legal right to permanency. He said he stayed illegally but was subject to a court order. He said that when he entered into the European area in the year 2004, he had a valid passport and visa. He claims he has lost, among trips made to several EU countries including Spain and Portugal, the passport and relevant visa issued by the Portuguese Embassy in China. This was ignored by the Court of Santa Cruz hence he wants the original conviction reviewed. The whole family is here, socially integrated and he has worked for five years and paid Social Security contributions and IRS. He awaits a decision by the court.

Lights, music and nativity: it is almost Christmas in the municipalities. A round-up of Christmas events staged by the Councils. The tradition still remains for presepios and carols. In Santa Cruz there are initiatives for all tastes. The Council of José Alberto Goncalves promotes several dinners – on December 23 for the elderly and December 29 for University students. Festa in the streets of the county. Camacha monopolizes the festivities, where on the 8th is the opening of the doors of the ‘tenda’ in the parish with traditional musical entertainment until January 18, promoting folklore and regional music. A Market Night (no date yet) and photography competition and the usual municipal crib. In Machico, the municipal crib and lighting start on December 7. On the 20th at the Forum of Machico, there is a Christmas Concert and the next day is the turn of the municipal band and on January 6, Singing of the Kings. As well as the usual lighting and nativity scene, Câmara de Lobos is holding a Market Night at the Estreito de Câmara de Lobos. Sao Vicente’s Market Night is on December 18 and the casas do povo are organizing the municipal crib. On the 23rd at São Vicente, there is a lunch for officials and their children, at a very low entry price. Porto Santo has various initiatives and a dinner for University students. In Funchal, there are endless initiatives. A dinner for 300 employees and celebrations at all the institutions and the 14 community centres. The main attraction is the Market Night.

Forestry grant 16 licences for cutting 1,245 Christmas trees.  The Regional Directorate of Forestry approved 16 applications for cutting trees for sale at Christmas. They are also thinning out trees in forest management for conservation purposes and giving them to public institutions. On November 21 they started monitoring the roads with barriers for illegal collection of material, especially in Ribeira das Cales and Paul da Serra. They also have mobile units to monitor illegal selling of flora and fauna. The problem is not as widespread as ten years ago due to educational programs. They give Christmas materials to charities and the Scouts to sell to raise funds.

Registration of ships guarantees millions in VAT. Twenty years after its creation, the International Shipping Register of Madeira (MAR) provides regional employment and generates IVA and IRC. A company based in the International Business Centre (IBC), which has six oil platforms registered in MAR, invoiced 1,300 million Euros with 291 million profit, as well as giving 60 people employment. With 153 registered ships and an additional 83 recreational boats, it is notable that the number of passenger ships has increased, with 12 cruise ships and 7 ferries. Two of these are large cruise ships and the business generated on board pays tax to Madeira. Large cruise ships carry up to 100,000 passengers and generate 6 million Euros profit per year. It is estimated that the ones registered in Madeira carry more than 200,000 passengers per year which represents daily expenditure on board of 43.7 million Euros. In the IBC there are also more than 30 licensed companies in the sector of maritime transport, which have in turn 50 ships registered in MAR and although they pay a reduced rate of IRC, they also generate revenue. More than 4,000 crew members, 10% Portuguese, work on ships registered in MAR. 80% of vessels registered in MAR have foreign owners. There should be more ships registered next year, not only related to tourism and with high tonnage. There is both a registration fee and maintenance fee, ranging from 1,600 to 37,000 Euros for registration and the highest maintenance paid is 35,000 Euros per year. A pleasure craft for sports pays 500 Euros for both registration and yearly maintenance fees. A commercial pleasure craft pays 1,250 Euros for registration. MAR appoints inspectors of registered vessels, at least 40 inspections per year costing at least 600 Euros per time. Also additional fees for certificates.

Estrada Monumental is the most dangerous road in Madeira. Since 2001, there have been 866 accidents recorded by the police. In the three sections; Ribeira Seco – Lido (282), Lido – Praia Formosa (460) and Praia Formosa – Socorridos (124). This is due to a lot of resident movement and up to 70 coaches per day. There are also trees at the sides of the roads, reducing visibility and many pedestrians in the area. The relief roads in the area should help reduce traffic and accidents. The roads are safer than in the past because of better signalling, lighting, surveillance and asphalt. Most accidents are caused by bad driving habits, 20 – 25% by excess speed and disregard of stopping distances, especially by people going to work. Roundabouts are also the cause of many accidents as people are not used to them and do not know the rules. Most accidents on the fast roads occur in the tunnels, due to bends and less visibility. The Police Commissioner advises people to leave home 15 minutes early to significantly reduce the number of accidents.

Today’s front page news stories from the Diário de Notícias :

Funchal has too small a quay for so many cruise ships – Three cruise ships yesterday occupied all the available mooring space, and that is not unusual. But bigger ships coming more frequently are the future. A recycled story that now comes up every time Funchal port gets overloaded, with the point being correct, but up until now with no solution in sight. I will leave this one for someone else to translate, not wishing to hog all the top stories.

Farmers keen in the wait of award – 50 await answers in Santana for the ‘drag’ of 2 years. "Right now it is very difficult to be a farmer. You can not sell practically anything. Potato prices are a crying shame". This was just one of many pleas heard by the Diário in the wholesale market for fruit and vegetable in Santana, where an information meeting was held for 50 producers yesterday. The meeting was arranged by the Regional Director for Agriculture and Rural Development, and is making it’s way around Madeira. As well as the money due for two years from Lisbon, that has not arrived, the farmers complain about the increasing prices of pesticides and fertilisers, the increased costs of labour, and the plagues of rats and rabbits that ruin the crops. The meeting was called to try and persuade farmers to take out crop insurance, to protect against the risks (fire, lightning strike, and exceptional weather conditions), and that can also be extended to cover farm animals. It seems some farmers were convinced that insurance was a good way to go, with a simple example given of a 1,000 square metre vineyard costing €37.60 a year to insure. 

Today’s top headline : Private firms ‘fine’ on the parking meters – The companies with the concessions dispense with the PSP police in order to save money and the parking tickets they leave on the windscreens. The existing system of the police controlling parking in allocated spaces will be taken on in January 2010 by the ‘franchise’ companies that manage the spaces, in order to save thousand of Euros, and motorists are warned to take extra care not to fall foul of the rules. In effect, the fines issued will become legally recoverable charges, and it seems technically possible that the driver could be hit twice. From what I can understand, the driver, when entering on to an allocated parking space, by that act enters into a legally binding contract with the company responsible for that space. If that driver fails to purchase the correct ticket for the stay, then he becomes liable to pay the daily rate, an amount that will accumulate in the database of the franchise company (referenced by the car registration), and if unsettled will go to legal recourse. The driver will be able to take the ticket to a multibanco (ATM) and make the required payment. I can see loopholes and problems written all over this, but it seems that the system is already well proven to work elsewhere, including in the Azores, where a driver was recently forced to pay nearly €2,000 plus his costs.

Increase in violence hits teachers – Thefts and aggression increased in the last academic year. And the threats to teaching staff become fashionable. The Education Directorate is concerned, but feels that there is too much through the TV and internet. Madeira is catching up with continental Portugal in terms of problems in schools. The PSP police operate a program called ‘Safe School’, and last year through that it has been established that the majority of crimes in schools are violence against the person, with 95 cases, followed by theft (57 cases), and threats and insults (49 cases), vandalism (40), and other crimes are also listed. The news is disappointing, as what was a growing problem saw a marked improvement in the 2007/2008, but has now returned to a growing trend. The Regional Director for Education says that the problem is worrying, but that the school environment in not any more of a problem than the social context outside the school gates. He says that the influences of families ‘that have seen better times’, and TV violence, and images and videos posted on the internet all play a part in the problems in the schools.

Marítimo reduced to ten draw in Restelo – The green-reds were losing 2 – 0. The Madeira team pulled back two goals away at Belenenses to come away with a point.

CR9 was in the chair in the defeat in Barcelona, on the day on which he was nominated for the ‘Golden Ball’. Cristiano Ronaldo and his team Real Madrid lost by one goal to to Barcelona in yesterday’s top game. But who cares about Spanish football?

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If you can, please contribute something Madeira related. A funny story or good or bad experience, a news item, or a story from a Madeira newspaper, a photo or video, a teaser, news of a bargain flight or item in a supermarket. Please help keep this blog going … without user contributions it won’t survive. Please don’t send in automatic translations (like Google translator) without checking them through and correcting them first, thanks.

You can email blog@madeira4u.com with any large contributions and photos / videos.

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Please use the comments here for general chit-chat, or feel free to ask any questions … someone usually has an answer.

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Today’s Photo Thanks to Derek … Flower festival dancers

Many thanks again to Elaine for yesterday’s top news stories …

Giga Park is not yet opened but is already causing controversy. The ownership of one of the leased areas is in dispute and going to court. It is not yet installed but the amusement park in Ponta do Sol is a cause of controversy, which could end up in court. Two individuals claim possession of the land in question. The case promises to end up in court with an action brought as early as next week, says the contesting party. At the heart of the dispute is a piece of land in the expansion zone of Ponta do Sol, where in two weeks time is to be constructed the amusement park for the Christmas season and will remain there until mid-January. Marcos Vaz, responsible for organizing the fair and rents the land it occupies, assures he has possession of the proper permits through signed documents by all landowners. He rejects accusations of invading property without proper consent. One of the Gouveia family, claiming land ownership, complains that the Council of Ponta do Sol is complicit in the invasion because they authorized the installation on private property. Without concealing his anger, denouncing: "Ponta do Sol as the plunderer." In the midst of this is another owner claiming the coveted land, having made a deed of justification (prescription) at the end of last October. Although a period of 30 days is liable for a contest of a document of justification, the claimant promises to take the case to court next week for the judge to rule on the legitimate ownership. The mayor was surprised that there were no objections until yesterday when no one has previously complained to the Council services. He says the person is entitled to complain over registration of the land but he just wants to create controversy. He says the Giga Park has been authorized to be placed in the expansion area of Ponta do Sol but with safeguards that the entrepreneur obtains the proper consent from the land owners. The authorities have not issued any document and will only do so after confirming the lawful possession of the land to be occupied.

Attempted homicide against an inspector of the PJ. The Public Ministry has filed a complaint against an individual who on July 27 2009, on Porto Santo, fired a shot from a shotgun against an inspector of the PJ (Justicial Police) who had his mother in custody. The shot was fired about five metres from the inspector. The defendant is charged with attempted homicide, resistance to arrest and causing injury to an officer. The accused is 22 years old and was born in Porto Santo. The car of the PJ was targeted but no officer injured in the shooting. The investigations that were underway were related to the crime of drug trafficking and the action of the individual was to intimidate the agents who had detained a couple under suspicion. The action eventually cumulated in the arrest of a man and a woman of Portuguese nationality aged 38 and 48. 390 doses of heroin were also seized.

Police operation in conjunction with various forces in Caniçal. On 19 November, there was a Special Crime Prevention Operation in the municipality of Machico, especially directed at the parish of Caniçal. 568 individuals and 264 vehicles searched. Two guns, five doses of hashish, a car and several documents were seized in the operation which resulted in an arrest for possession of a prohibited weapon, illegal transport of a weapon and drug taking. 25 foreign nationals were also investigated for immigration offences.

Volunteers help Dutch couple. A Dutch citizen, in her 60s, was rescued yesterday by bombeiros when she was overcome with exhaustion on descending the path connecting Bobasas to Bom Sucesso. Her husband asked for assistance when she had breathing difficulties and the bombeiros administered oxygen to stabilise her. On arrival at Bom Sucesso, the woman’s condition had improved and they declined transportation to the hospital.

Costa Concordia debut. Italian cruise ship travelled from Lisbon with 2,200 tourists, on their way to Brazil. It was the first time this ship has visited the region and arrival scheduled for 07.00. It is on a repositioning cruise to Brazil where it will operate over the next four months. It was built in 2006, has 17 decks providing 3,780 beds in 1,500 cabins. The range of services on the floating hotel include areas of leisure, catering, gambling and nightlife. There is also a chapel for prayer/meditation. There are four swimming pools including a samsara spa, sundeck, sports area, five jacuzzis and a beauty salon. In addition to a recreation area for children, there is an area of shops, an art gallery and Internet access. The ship sails at 17.00 for Recife and the ship will return on the 22 March 2010 on the way back to Europe. There will be the traditional arrival ceremony accompanied by the Ports Authority and Ships Enthusiasts Club.

Despite the Christmas bonus, people still not spending. The Civil Servants have received their Christmas bonus but the traders in the centre of Funchal say the sector is still in crisis. Trade has been poor all year and people are buying the cheapest articles. Traders hope that business will improve when other employees receive their bonus on the 15 December. The ATM machines were affected and often unavailable for service yesterday afternoon with withdrawals and transfers due to the Christmas bonus. The Porto Santo ferry is changing its schedule to help people travel to Madeira for Christmas shopping, so they can travel on Thursday night and return to the island on Friday night.

Bankruptcy of Irish tour operator affects the region. The collapse of the Irish tour operator Budget Travel has stranded more than 700 customers in various resorts worldwide. There are 28 tourists in Madeira whose return is guaranteed via SATA and money will be refunded to other customers who have booked holidays. There are still debts to be paid and the firm last week paid a large sum to a regional hotel group. Budget Travel was allocated 50 seats per week on SATA flights from Dublin. The airline will  now have to try to sell the seats to other Irish operators but the prospects are not very good given the economic collapse of Ireland last year, which made news headlines around the world. Budget Travel has been in the market for about 35 years and has faced serious difficulties since last year. The company has no means and no prospects of paying in the coming months the debts to suppliers estimated at around €9.4 million. Madeiran hotels lose potentially 50 customers per week, an annual total of 2,500 guests with an average stay of seven nights.

Nuno Teixeira attends to the future of fisheries. The Social Democrat MEP promised yesterday to pay attention to the interests of Madeira in the fisheries sector, although this is not an area under his direct competence. He met with the parliamentary group of the PSD to discuss subsidies for construction and boat repair and the three month period without fishing for the black scabbard fish (espada). He took the opportunity to talk to the people of Madeira about the importance of the Green Paper on Reform of the Common Fisheries Policy which is in consultation until the end of the year. The argument is that the European Community compensation for the additional costs in marketing certain fishery products from the outermost regions should not be subject to a time limit as these are permanent handicaps. There should be a distinction between small regional fishing fleets and large industrial trawlers, and identification of fragile habitats.

Council of Machico limit the amount of construction. The Council of Machico will set a quota for construction throughout the county, taking advantage of the revision of the Municipal Plan. Although there are still some major works to be completed and new projects, the priority will be to focus on the environment and social areas. Works of the council will focus on green areas integrated into urban areas. In the more populated centres, there will be established gardens and leisure areas. The mayor points out that there are still some important works to be achieved; the health centre at Porto da Cruz, the enlargement of the quay at Porto da Cruz, the new sports pavilion at Machico and upgrading the centre of Caniçal.

Madeira inundates São Bento with propositions. In a little over a month, there were six initiatives, taking advantage of the weakness of the Portuguese Socialist Party. The two proposed amendments to the law of support for air transport are the first in what is promised to be a long series. Since the beginning of the current legislative session on October 20, Madeira has sent an average of one bill a week to the Assembly of the Republic. The aim is to take advantage of the fact that the PS lost its absolute majority and force the adoption of proposals rejected by the previous Socialist Government. The key of course, is the amendment to the Finance Act of the Autonomous Region, as proposed by the PSD-M and even had the backing of the Socialists in Madeira. In the case of the Finance Act, there is agreement with the PSD in Portugal and the opposition CDS and BE will probably agree, so the Socialists have few alternatives. The other laws are; pension supplement of 65 Euros paid by the Government of the Republic, 30% more for the police and immigration officials, and salaries of public administrations of ANAM. Jardim advises the Portuguese Government that as all is not well in the current situation, it should resign.

This article was also translated by an Elaine, this one from the West … many thanks!

(This is today’s top story in the Diário) : 15 more TAP flights for the festive season. Fernando Pinto has promised and TAP will fulfil. The airline will increase flights to Madeira from the second half of December and the end of the first week of January. According to data provided by the carrier, 14,248 places will be available on the Lisbon – Funchal route, through the enhancement of 96 flights. Between Porto and Madeira 54 more flights are planned, an increase of 7318 seats. The increase during Christmas and New Year’s Eve is because of immigrants who keep up the tradition of spending the festive season in Madeira, but also thanks to the diversity of programs offered by national operators, leading to TAP increasing daily flights. In all, more than 150 flights and 21,566 seats will be available. "This has always been the case, and we will continue to enhance the service to Madeira at Christmas and the end of the year," said the president of TAP, Fernando Pinto, during the 35th Congress of the WTTC, despite the time of crisis which has led to the reduction in supply and loss of passengers in the increase of air transport to Madeira. In the festive season TAP will also strengthen its operation to the Azores: over 14 flights to Horta, equivalent to 1,968 seats, plus 20 for Terçeira, ensuring an increase of 3000 seats and 4 more for Pico, providing over 528 seats.

A quick look at the rest of the front page of today’s headlines in the Diário de Notícias (Der) :

Food aid triples on Madeira. 83 thousand packages arrived this month for 10 thousand Madeirans, resulting in Social Security concluding that "only those who want to go hungry". The larders of some social and charity institutions and around 10,000 impoverished Madeirans were filled during November with over 830 thousand food packages, almost three times as many as in 2008 (326,000). This has been achieved through the Program for Community Food Aid for the Disadvantaged (PCAAC). The head of Social Security confirmed the figures, saying that there no need for anyone to go hungry. Madeira has been included in the scope of PCAAC since 1999, that has the objective of distributing specific food types to various member states in need. The main products are rice, pastas, biscuits, butter, cheeses, milk, flour and sugar, although this year several more luxurious products were also delivered. The number of aid recipients has actually dropped slightly this year to 9,618 (9,916). No doubt this publicity will boost the list again, especially as the head of Social Security admits that there are families that have not been identified as ‘poor’, and calls on people and institutions to let them know of any cases. There are also families identified as ‘poor’, but reject the food aid offered.

Solidarity of the people : The charity Cáritas fills 18 carts in only 4 hours just  in one shopping commercial area. I won’t cover this one today personally, as the campaign is still running until closing time today, so don’t forget to get down to your local Pingo Doce and fill a bag or two of goodies, and hand them over to the scouts or guides (or whoever) at the entrance on your way out. There should be an acceptable product list on display, that excludes perishables.

Economic Inspection tightens with commerce. The inspection begins tomorrow in ‘Operation Christmas’, with special attention for toys, Xmas decorations and accessories, and foods. The Regional Inspectorate for economic Activities (IRAE) starts its Xmas operation with its focus well prioritised, and the checks will run throughout December, as is customary each year. "With Christmas around the corner there is greater activity of business and trade and, as such, IRAE must be attentive and vigilant in the market for a number of factors, starting with a clear indication of prices of products and services offered", said Regional Inspector Valentim Caldeira. Checks will also be made on toys to ensure that the labelling is consistent with what is required by law, notably in terms of details regarding the age limit for use, and that the instructions or labels are written in Portuguese, especially with electrical products that could be a potential hazard. Valentim also warns that "consumers themselves should be aware of the importance of buying safe toys", because "the children all must be so careful." The safety of toys is as an important aspect in choosing a product as is value for money. Food items will also be checked, in terms of price, but especially with regard to hygiene conditions and packaging. Valentim  adds that also the transport of food is also an area for review. As regards Christmas decorations, it is again electrical items with potential safety issues that will be checked. Items that do not comply with regulations are seized by the inspectors. The issue of instructions in Portuguese is interesting, as the consumer organisation DECO does not say that it is illegal, and just says if the instructions don’t exist in Portuguese, then buy something else. They also say that buyers should read the instructions before buying the product, asking a shop assistant to open the package if necessary. As a lot of electrical products come in sealed boxes, I can’t imagine that being so successful, especially where there is a label warning about buying if the seal is broken. Chinese shops beware!

Cliff Bay Hotel restaurant keeps its ‘Michelin Star’. Does anyone really care?

Registration of ships bring millions in IVA tax  (VAT) – Ships registered in Madeira are floating commercial centres. Not wishing to hog all the top stories I will leave this one for someone else, someone new perhaps. Quem me dera!

Saturday of draws. Nacional only managed a home 1 – 1 draw yesterday against Naval, which won’t help the recovery too much of Nacional manager Manuel Machado, in hospital after an infection following a hernia surgical procedure, and still not out of danger. The headline also refers to and pictures the derby match between Sporting and Benfica last night, that ended in a 0 – 0 draw. Marítimo play away today at Belenenses at 6 pm (SportTV2).

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If you can, please contribute something Madeira related. A funny story or good or bad experience, a news item, or a story from a Madeira newspaper, a photo or video, a teaser, news of a bargain flight or item in a supermarket. Please help keep this blog going … without user contributions it won’t survive. Please don’t send in automatic translations (like Google translator) without checking them through and correcting them first, thanks.

You can email blog@madeira4u.com with any large contributions and photos / videos.

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Please use the comments here for general chit-chat, or feel free to ask any questions … someone usually has an answer.

(more…)

Today’s Photo Thanks to Jon … the last of the hand-coloured postcards … very enjoyable

Where has concrete city (Chocabloc) gone ???

Ever seen a Zino Petrel, or fancied a trip to the Ilhas Desertas? BIRD WATCHING EXCURSIONS If you go don’t forget to share some photos with us.

"The soil and climate of Madeira were found to be ideal for the production of wine. But many arduous years had to pass by, since the first plantings – circa 1470, before the land was cleared and enough vines planted to make an industry". A worthwhile article on growing the grapes and producing Madeira’s most famous export. A Glass of Madeira, My Dear

Fir Park to Funchal "Maritimo’s quaint Estadio dos Barreiros ground is built into the hillside in Madeira’s capital Funchal and is the place where Rangers lost 1-0 in the 2004 UEFA Cup. The call the stadium The Cauldron – and not because the weather’s always hot". I can’t imagine any other reason why it would be called the ‘Cauldron’, as the ground is practically empty during match days. Anyway, even if you don’t like football, it was a good article (despite ‘The Sun’ spelling mistakes), finished off with a quote by the Marítimo manager Mitchell van der Gaag "That’s the only down side to Madeira – life’s TOO good here" 

This weekends football sees Nacional (4th) host Naval today (11th) at 5 pm and Belenenses (14th) host Marítimo (5th) on Sunday at 6 pm (SportTV1).  The highlight of the weekend is at 9.15 tonight, when Sporting take on Benfica. The Porto v Rio Ave game is on RTP tomorrow at 8.15 pm.

OK, you put the pressure on Debs, so here it is. This is called the Platamo banana, and these specimens came from Madalena do Mar, the home of the best bananas. The lady who gave me a small bag of them told me that if you ever see them in the shops (and I never have) they would cost at least €3 a kilo,  more then double the normal price. I have never seen bananas with such girth, and when I got home I weighed them, and 3 weighed slightly over one kilo = €1 per banana. That’s a 10 cêntimo coin by the side. I had one for breakfast yesterday, and I didn’t need anything else to eat until tea time.

As regards the €20 a kilo vegetable, I am not going to say anything on that yet. All I will say that it is a very very very close relative of one of the most common vegetables grown on Madeira, joined at the hip you might say, which is currently priced at about €1 a kilo (Pingo Doce this week). It is also very very very closely linked with the ATLANTA BEAM PIPI. Any ideas anyone? No chance, unless you are a local!!!!

Sue very kindly sent in this article :

Prisoner of 35 steps. One by one, there are 35 steps that Maria Ilda has to overcome, dragging and using only the strength of her arms, whenever she has to leave home. Also there many more for the return, because access to the residence on the site of the Wheel Massapez, the Belfry, is made only by steep steps and is certainly not adapted to the physical problem that affects this 59 year old lady. The call for the solidarity in Madeira for the purchase of an electric wheelchair and the construction of a ramp, made on 23 November in the ‘letters to the editor’ DIARY were made, as a kind of last resort, because all applications for help did not work. "The best gift Maria could have this Christmas would be a wheelchair ramp and a motor in order to reach the road," which would be the only solution to her problem. Mainly because now she is beginning to lose the strength in her arms, a consequence of osteoporosis that is also affecting her. "I have a lot of pain in the arms and shoulders and, in most cases, I can no longer climb the stairs," and the situation is aggravated when it rains. Maria suffered from a case of meningitis when she was one and a half years old which led to paralysis and the thinning of the lower limbs.  Maria to date has always depended on the other, but with an electric wheelchair and a ramp she could have again some independence, but as she expressed, she cannot afford the high costs. Maria gets a pension of 200 Euros and adds that the family does not have sufficient income to help her even they all work for a living. For three years, Maria Ilda requested support Social Security, with the great help of Helda Andrade," the nurse specialist in rehabilitation of the municipality of Ribeira Brava, who was interested particularly in this sensitive case, but the support for the electric wheelchair has not been achieved due to the substantial cost (more than five thousand Euros) and there is no money available. The same applies to the elevator/stair lift, the cost of which is estimated at around 25 billion Euros. The decision on the ramp on the regional road is still under study in the City of Ribeira Brava, due to height of the slope.

Solidarity march
A ‘card reader’ to account for the delicate situation of Maria had instigated a series of reactions from readers of the Diary, who agreed at once to help the dream of this lady to be independent and not an invalid. In this sense, a fundraising campaign fundraising has been started to try and minimise the effects of physical limitations in daily life of Maria Ilda. All those who want to collaborate with this charitable initiative can do so by NIB: 003506870000567430024 (on behalf of Ascension Ilda Maria Andrade) or by direct contact with the residence (291,953,807 or mobile phone 919013446).

I read her letter in the Diário earlier this week, and how she must have felt sending in a begging letter to a newspaper I don’t know, but added to her mobility and health problems it’s a very sad story indeed. Der

… and many thanks to Elaine for yesterday’s top news stories :

Togolese suspect vessel may be towed. The mystery of the ship ‘Newhope’ that since November 9 has been hovering 12 miles from Funchal thickens. The vessel continues in Portuguese waters, with lack of food and fuel, a situation which the authorities consider strange for a ship travelling between Brazil and India. During the past three weeks the ship has asked permission to anchor, claiming to need supplies, a claim the Maritime Authority does not authorize as there is information that the ship’s certificates are expired and that the ‘Newhope’ is included in a list of ‘black flag’ ships, which constitute a threat to safety and the environment. Now a representative of the shipowner is in Madeira, who in recent days has been trying to encourage the regional authorities to find a solution through supplying while offshore, without the ship entering port and subject to an inspection. The presence in Madeira of the seagoing tug ‘Fairmount Summi’ thickens the mystery. Because there is suspicion that the presence in our seas for five days and without a port of destination, it is linked to the situation of the ‘Newhope’. With lack of water, fuel and oil for the generators and other equipment, the captain of the Togolese boat may request aid and thereby triggering a maritime rescue operation, that would justify the presence of this tug of Dutch flag. Recently the tugboat has towed a ship for 20 days from Brazil to Europe, at high cost, which may link the presence of the ‘Fairmount Summi’ with the situation of ‘Newhope’.

TAP has lost passengers but thanks to liberalization. The liberalization of air transport between the mainland and Madeira has helped everyone. The conviction was shared by the President of TAP, defending free competition, admitted the airline lost passengers but has become more competitive. "Madeira has won. It has more service and we have a better service." The losses of TAP reached 60 million Euros last September but he ensures the company will survive the crisis. "TAP has its second best year ever in numbers of passengers but not in terms of income." The reason is simple, the prices are much lower. In addition to lower prices, he noted that in a time of crisis it was necessary to reduce supply by 10%. The result is expressed in the occupation on board the aircraft of TAP rising to 74%. Liberalization and the contribution of domestic tourism have mitigated the numbers of tourists. But the Portuguese are not available to holiday in Madeira for 12 months and we will have to find alternatives and domestic tourism can be short-lived. To increase domestic tourism, a 2 million Euros advertising campaign ‘Find a Greater Portugal in 2010′ for the Spanish market and to migrant communities in France, Venezuela and South Africa. This is to attract migrants and descendants of second and third generations. These countries have good air links and South Africa will be in the spotlight in 2010 with the World Cup.

Two boulders threaten road. Two large stones are likely to fall on the road linking Pestana Junior to the access to the motorway. The rocks are about 40 metres away from the road that is used daily by thousands of cars. The warning was made to the Diário by householders residing in the area, who became aware of the situation while searching for mosses and ‘cabrinhas’ for presepios which they are making for Christmas. The two rocks should weigh close to half a  ton each, appear to be based on an area of land capable of being easily altered by the elements of erosion, particularly in the event of high intensity rainfall over an extended period. Note that the slopes of the area, limiting the Ribeira de Joao Gomes, have been subject to several visits to remove earth and stones, some of which were conducted in the wake of some landslides or to prevent such an occurrence.

Prisoner of 35 steps. Maria Ilda, 59 years old, has to overcome 35 steps by using her arms whenever leaving and returning home. There was a call for the purchase of an electric wheelchair and the construction of a ramp on 23 November in the letters section of the Diário, as a last resort, but it did not work. She now has osteoporosis causing pain in her shoulders and arms and has difficulty climbing the stairs, especially when it rains. Her wasted and paralysed lower limbs are due to contracting meningitis when she was one and a half years old. A wheelchair would give her some independence but she only has a pension of 200 Euros and the family all work and have no spare income. She has requested support from the Social Security for three years with the help of the specialist rehabilitation nurse but the cost of more than 5,000 Euros could not be met. The ramp would cost about 25,000 Euros. There is a fundraising campaign by the readers of the Diário. The NIB no:00350687000056743002 in the name of Maria Ilda Ascensao Andrade.

Volunteers Fair in Jardim Municipal. In years of crisis, the numbers of requests which have come to various charities have shot up, but fortunately the contributions followed this trend. The Fair of Volunteers opened yesterday afternoon and runs until Sunday. President of the Casa do Voluntário said, "Expectations are very high because we have more associations (56) and we extend the time of this fair to four days". "In times of crisis, associations that deal with issues relating to economic difficulties have had more users, more users means that the technicians have more work and need more volunteers, in that respect I think that civil society has responded." The Support Centre for the Homeless is just over a year old but already has 30 volunteers. "We distribute food every night (except Saturdays) in Funchal and although we have more people in need, we have been able to respond." The purpose of the fair is to make a Christmas dinner for users. Unemployment is the main factor for the increase in requests for help. The purpose of the fair is to promote the work of the association. "We also use the fair to recruit volunteers."

Jardim punish those who voted against him. Following the recent visits of Jardim to the 11 Municipalities, the aftermath is that seven public works that had been promised and were part of the Government Program will not be undertaken, at least in the current term. The exorbitant cost of some of the planned investment was the main ‘excuse’ used to make them leave the ‘map’ of priorities, although there are also other cases of less expensive works, which were also part of the Government’s commitments, ‘smelling’ of political revenge. Coincidence or not, the most penalized was Santa Cruz Municipality where the PSD had the worst result. Here, the mayor of the Council has recognized the need to rethink the program for the parish of Gaula, following the defeat of the PSD, who lost the Parish that they had regained from the Interim of 2008. Jardim did not apply ‘half measures’ and withdrew three investments that appeared in the Government Program for this county, and the ‘dissenting’ Parish  was the most impaired, with two works cancelled. Probably also to pay the ‘bill’ for not being Social Democrat, a ‘distant’ neighbour the Socialist parish Achadas da Cruz, Porto Moniz, also saw the disappearance of building a road that would allow access to Fajã das Achadas da Cruz, currently only accessible by cable-car. It was a work that had been ordered by the ex-mayor Gabriel Farinha and the newly elected Valter Correia failed to hold onto it. The cancelling of works was not limited only to locations not favourable to the PSD. In the case of Porto Santo, which has seen ‘erased’ a bus station. However on the ‘orange’ island, Jardim has been careful to announce counterparts, saying that ‘compensation’ would be the improvement of another public investment. In the wake of the cuts announced, is only missing Funchal. They are not going to get sand at Praia Formosa and the restoration of Toco area will just be a ‘mirage’. Two large investments that Jardim emphasize were not annulled, but only postponed. Jardim has double standards: hostile terrain has works cut without any alternatives, yet when forced to announce restrictions on ‘orange’ ground, he is careful to divert some money for other works or just postpones them.

Caritas collecting food at Pingo Doce. Caritas again calls on the generosity of Madeira under another campaign to collect food, which will be held Saturday and Sunday in all Pingo Doce stores in the region. Last June, the campaign collected about 33 tons of food and articles for personal hygiene. This second initiative is to replenish the stocks that are to support people in need until May 2010. The charity currently supports about 300 families and has increased the number of persons and households that use the institution for the ‘support-SOS’.

Chocolate Island. 12 and 13 December at the Congress Centre. Visitors will have the opportunity to appreciate and buy chocolate in its various forms and flavours. Also combination products for example jams, sweets and teas and many others. An area for children to make sweets and desserts. Entry 2.50 Euros and accompanied children under 12 are free. Revenues for the Foundation of Gil.

Jardim remains on the Committee of Regions. One of the twelve representatives of Portugal on the Committee of Regions, a position that he has occupied in 2000 and 2001. Since Portugal joined the EU and the creation of this body, Jardim has been Portugal’s representative on the Committee. Besides Jardim are Carlos Cesar (Azores) and ten mayors, five elected by the PSD, four by the PS and one by the CDU. The mandate is until 2014. —- I’ve never heard of this Committee. Does that mean it does little but give the members nice ‘jollies’?

Illuminations in Calheta on 11 December. 19.30 hours, switch-on ceremony. On the same day and at the same time, the inauguration of the Nativity scene at the Praceta 24 de Junho. Christmas party 10 December for more than 1,000 children of the county. 13 December a Christmas lunch for just over 1,000 elderly people.

Mobility allowance approved in the Assembly of the Republic. Parliament today approved the creation of a travel allowance for travel of residents and students form Madeira. The opposition united against the PS to approve two bills originating in the Legislative Assembly of Madeira to create a grant to support air travel for residents and students from Madeira. They voted to change the law governing the allocation of a social mobility allowance when travelling between the islands and the mainland, following the liberalization of air transport, which offers variable pricing in tariffs. One proposal that, instead of the 60 Euros currently allocated as subsidy per journey, there is a refund of 50% of the total value of travel for residents, and 65% for students on four trips back, per academic year. The other proposal seeks to counter the double insularity to the residents of Porto Santo, which increases costs of routes, offering a subsidy of 65% of the tariff on four trips, providing that they are connecting Funchal-Continent, made in 24 hours. This approval is a ‘warning to the Government of the Republic’ as it was not adopted by the previous Government and it is only possible due to the balance of forces in parliament."It is a political signal, it is the first vote that the opposition is claiming a majority against the minority Government."

Madeira Wine and Barbeito distinguished in London. The Madeira Wine Company was last night awarded ‘the best producer of fortified wine’. Francisco Albuquerque was elected the winemaker of the year three times. The International Wine and Spirit Competition elected Barbeito Malvasia 30 years as the best fortified wine. The company also earned a gold medal for the Malvasia Old Reserve 10 years and another five silver medals, best in class for the wines: Veramar 5 years Boal, Malvasia 20 years, Barbeito Single Harvest 1977 Meio Seco, Verdelho Old Reserve 10 years and Sercial Old Reserve 10 years. Two silver medals for Malvasia 1994 Colheita Single Cask and Boal Old Reserve 10 years. All the wines were produced by Ricardo Diogo. In 2008 the competition received more than 7,000 competitors from 80 countries. The medals and trophies are the most prestigious awards in the market representing the best wines in the world. Competitors are entered in categories divided by country, region, variety, style and vintage. This is the third international recognition gained by Barbeito during the year 2009 for different wines. The fist was achieved in the International Wine Challenge when Old Verdelho Reserve 10 Years Old won the Madeira Trophy gold medal and Champion Trophy in the class fortified wine. In the Japan Wine Challenge, the Old Reserve Malvasia won the Best Portuguese Wine and Best Fortified Wine and the Malvasia 30 years won the Trophy for Worldwide and Fortified Wine 2009 gold medal (Best in Class) at the International Wine and Spirit Competition.

My turn (Der) :

Today’s main news headline from the Diário de Notícias : Socialist Party in the minority stay at war with Madeira – Against the absolute majority of the opposition, the socialists confirmed yesterday that they were not going to change their stance regarding Madeira. And so, the residents air travel subsidy was passed but not through the Socialists. Taking advantage of the fragile Socialists, the Legislative Assembly of Madeira already has 6 proposals in São Bento. Top story belongs to someone else today, although already partly covered above re the transport subsidy … any takers?

Controversy : Convention of APAVT: Conceição Estudante (Regional Secretary of Transport & Tourism) criticises Tourism of Portugal through it’s failure in the promotion of Madeira, Luís Patrão denies. The campaign ‘Discover a Bigger Portugal’ was criticised by Estudante for not really identifying the destinations. She says there is a lovely picture of Madeira, but unless you already knew you wouldn’t be able to identify it. Patrão, boss of Tourism (civil servant level), denies the allegation, saying "We were very strict about including the right images in the campaign partly, because we have the Secretary of State who is from Madeira". Bernardo Trindade of the Socialist Party is of course his boss, so maybe this is more about politics than anything else, but as Estudante is not an elected Regional Secretary then it’s probably just mischief making to keep Uncle Bertie happy. One thing that is certain is that Trindade looks after Madeira very well, probably better than anywhere else in Portugal in his national portfolio in tourism. If I was Estudante I would keep my gob shut and let Bernie get on with it, otherwise she might shoot herself in the foot.

Lightning bolts in the unveiling of the illuminations. The lights in downtown Funchal were switched-on on a stormy night with a widespread power-cut, but symbolised the initiation of the Christmas spirit : academics deliver presents and the charity Cáritas collects donations. The actual front page photo shows Xmas decorations like lightning bolts hitting the ground, but unfortunately I can’t reproduce that photo for technical reasons. Anyway the gist of the headline is that the switching-on of the Christmas lights coincided with a very noisy storm last night that put nearly the whole island (more so in the West) into darkness. Here in Ribeira Brava we were in blackness for about half an hour. It was indeed a spectacular storm with numerous dazzling lighting bolts, window-rattling thunder, and very heavy rain. It was almost without wind here which was great as I was able to stand out and watch the sky for a while. An hour or so after it started you wouldn’t have known there had been a storm, and even the moon was visible. Smarty Alec me must have had a premonition as I brought a pack of candles this week! The bit about the charity collections is already covered above in Elaine’s article.

Fleeing under pressure – Sporting – Benfica : Managers reject the duty to win. Nothing to do with Madeira of course.

The derby game Barcelona v Real is tomorrow with Ronaldo in the centre. As I can’t raise much interest in Portuguese football, I can’t see much point in moving to the Spanish game! … moving on …

H1N1 claims its first fatality. It didn’t make the front page today, but it was all over yesterday’s news bulletins that Madeira yesterday has it’s first death attributed to Gripe A swine flu. A 52 year old woman from Câmara de Lobos died in hospital, but there were also other illnesses involved. A man was also hospitalised with Gripe A, the fifth case since this all began. The article says that the peak of the pandemic will hit Madeira worst between January and February, although the lead up to the Christmas period will see an intensification of cases.

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Today’s Photo Thanks to Jon … a sunrise from earlier this month

 

This might be of interest to Irish readers, not that I was aware that SATA flies to Ireland.

"Madeira Late sale bargain prices – We have just received a further allocation of seats on the direct Scheduled SATA service to Funchal Madeira which departs every Sunday, the seats are on November 29, December 6 & 13 and January 10, 17, 25 & 31. Hotel Raga 4* B&B from €499 – Hotel Melia Mare 5* B&B from €599 – Hotel Tivoli 5* B&B + 5 evening meals from €699". IS THE RAGA REALLY A 4 STAR HOTEL?

Also for Irish readers, who may not know that Budget Travel has gone bust. IRISH INDEPENDENT 28 travellers are currently stuck here on Madeira.

"Sir Winston Churchill, one of Europe’s most recognisable political figures, was famous for his rousing speeches and war-time strength; what most people don’t know is how he concealed his ill-health from the world by taking recuperating holidays in Madeira". Another one of those Winston Churchill on Madeira articles, nice, but much the same as the many others. WINSTON ON MADEIRA

Can you imagine going into a shop to buy bananas here on Madeira, and getting home and opening the bag and finding that your bananas worked out at €1 each. It can happen I promise. The proof will follow in the next few days. Also if I remember I will tell you about a vegetable that can cost here as much as €20 a kilo, and it’s not a spice or anything fancy. Anyone noticed that broccoli and cauliflower have been remarkably cheap these last couple of weeks. My diet and freezer are filling up with both vegetables. What’s the most expensive fruit or vegetable you have seen? 

Rita sent in this story (or two) that she wrote for friends … many thanks.

We have a loja (shop) in Funchal where all the government departments have counters – you just take a ticket and await your turn – a very good system. However, when I visited the Estrangeiros (immigration) to renew my residency after five years I was told I had to ring a central number to get an appointment before they could deal with my application, despite the fact that there was nobody else waiting and the girl could have done it immediately. I then spent the next two days trying to navigate my way through the telephone system pressing the right button after a series of messages in Portuguese and then sitting for ever with some ghastly music playing in my ear. When I finally got someone to answer I was given an appointment at the loja for the next day, but it did not stop someone queue jumping me. After I had given my fingerprint which is the final detail of the application I asked the girl if she was happy with the new system – very much she replied – I kept my cool and remarked that although it was better for her it may not be so easy for her public…….! On the other hand I went to the laboratory to get my INR blood test done only to find that they must have gone through an inspection of some sort because up until now I have paid my 75 cents when they took the blood but this time was told I needed to wait and pay when picking up the results. When I did return for the results I was presented with an invoice for only 40 cents and was required to sign for the results. You win some – you lose some!!

Rita also sent me a fantastic photo, but that’s on the waiting list so it will be a little while before that treat appears.

Wednesday night was a bit special here in Ribeira Brava when our collection of ‘selos’ (the government seals that are stuck onto cigarette packets) reached the 1 kilogramme target. I don’t recall exactly when this particular collection was started, but it can’t be far off a year ago, but that’s another wheelchair ‘raised’ for someone who hopefully will now have a much better Christmas than they would have had. The collection for the next one is already underway. 

Another bit of local news is that the free Portuguese lessons for foreigners, in Ribeira Brava, will continue in the new year, and for now are planned to run until the end of the academic year (Summer 2010). Whilst new students will still be able to join, they should have an understanding of Portuguese at least a basic level, as obviously the classes have to move forward for the existing students, and newcomers with no knowledge will find it difficult to participate and impossible to understand. Anyone wishing to start from the beginning would be best to start by registering an interest at the school (or any school for that matter), but clearly the numbers would need to be sufficient to justify the expense, so it might mean a long wait. It also has to be said that my local school has not been impressed with attendance in the current class, with many joining initially and dropping out soon after, and also with some students who pop in and out of classes when they have time and no other commitments. I can pass on emails registering interest for new classes in Ribeira Brava, but I think it is better if people go in person. Another option, almost certainly quicker, particularly to get started and back into education, is to do the adult education classes with the locals. These are not specifically about the Portuguese language, but the teachers deal with older students who lack basic education in certain areas, and will move around the class focusing on the needs of the individuals enrolled. Of course these teachers may not speak any English or be quite limited in that respect, but I tried it with some success. In my opinion practically no one will learn Portuguese from 3 hours of weekly teaching, and any classes will need to be supplemented with other learning and practicing activities.

PS – For anyone who doesn’t know there will be no lesson in Ribeira Brava on Monday, but Wednesday will be a double lesson from 3 to 6 pm to make up the time.

Many thanks to Elaine once again for yesterday’s top stories : 

Machico infested with rats. The municipality of Machico is infested with rats. The Council admits difficulties in controlling the pests and the misuse of rat poison. The plague is in evidence in the vacant lots (photo) and houses located near the local Ribeira. Incorrect use of poison has led to the development of poison-resistant rats. The Regional Directorate of the Environment extermination campaign did not work because of the number of derelict land plots which are in the vicinity of the Ribeira – and range of herbs which help the spread of rats – especially in the city centre. One example is the large piece of land at the back of the Church of Machico, about 3,000 square metres, left completely abandoned and was provided for the construction of the Parish Social Centre in a program in conjunction with the Regional Government. The environment authority asks owners to have their land cleaned up as if the majority are cleaned, but there are others who do not, the effect of the pest campaign is reduced.  The rats destroy seasonal fruits and agricultural crops. A land owner lamented: "The rats have been eating pears, avocados and papayas. Just last week, I left out a bucket full of 20 kilos of pears, but all eaten. The official admitted that the campaign of extermination had immediate positive effects in reducing the number of rats, but the plague returned quickly. This is due to poor application of poison. "Much of the success of the process of extermination was the proper administration of the poison in traps that were delivered to farmers." Of the 333 farmers, 78 did not use the poison as directed. The process of extermination has been carried out in two ways: The Council put poison in locations previously defined, while the Parish Council delivered rat poison to the farmers. But a lot of owners of vacant lots did not request rat poison. The Council have bought nearly 4 tons of rat poison this year.

Jardim Ramos abandons seminar. The criticism of the President of the Regional Board of the Union of Nurses, Élvio Jesus, meant that the Secretary of Social Affairs, Jardim Ramos, voluntarily left the room during the opening session of the seminar, accompanied by other members of SESARAM (Health Service Administration). Just before the opening of the seminar, Élvio Jesus, speaking to reporters, said he would take the opportunity to address "two or three issues of concern to nurses". Very critical, he began by pointing out that nurses are overworked, doing overtime "with great risk to themselves and to patients." "The tender announced (this month)  is not on the ground, we do not know anything." Although there is "strong pressure" to assign more nurses to community-based care, he warned it is "a huge waste of resources." Élvio Jesus also denounced the "climate of concern about what is happening in SESARAM", embodied in a petition which in a day and a half managed to gather over 600 signatures. The official went further, saying there were "illegalities that have to be repaired." When confronted with this criticism, even before the meeting, Jardim Ramos said that the tender for admission of nurses is being prepared and will be met. With regard to careers, the minister warned that in the region there is to be applied the "national career" pathway. He assured that there are nurses working overtime and that is why they are launching the tender, so he will ignore the petition. Jardim Ramos said that at the opening of the session he was confronted by Élvio Jesus, "with an intervention of Trade Union nature, offensive, disrespectful, completely devoid of civility and out of context of the meeting, which is why he decided to leave the room." He said he has always shown willingness to hold dialogue with the Nurses Union and the episode will not affect the commitment to maintain the dialogue."

Renewable energies. The Fourth Global Forum on Economy and Regional Development will be held in Funchal in 2011. This was announced by the President of the Association of Development of the Autonomous Region of Madeira (ADARAM) at the end of a workshop on alternative and renewable energies. The objectives of this workshop was to discuss how clean energy could be integrated into networks by 20 – 30% in the coming years. The aim is to achieve 20% in the short-term and European governments should speed up their investments so these objectives can soon be achieved, as in California, New Zealand and Denmark. The Portuguese company EDP is working with a German company to transfer technology to Portugal, for example for wind farms. Regionally, there is a political will to reach the goals set at a national and a European level although the archipelago relies heavily on weather conditions, rain and wind, to meet the aim to integrate 30% of all sources into the regional distribution network by 2017.

‘Winning the competition". Theme at the Conference of APAVT (Portuguese Association of Travel Agencies and Tourism). The recovery may be imminent and to do so they need to win the competition. A decrease in activity in the range 10 – 20% resulting in losses from the decrease in demand, taxation as well as inadequate cash flow problems arising from the postponement of credit. In a scenario not very encouraging, the President estimates improvements in 2010. The first signs appear in Asia and the United States, although not yet reflected in the invoices in Portugal. Training and having qualified employees is a priority. The congress will also discuss new forms of distribution – which models are effective and better protect customers – and sales – strategies to promote sales and customer loyalty.

119 creditors reclaiming €11 million from the bankrupt Elimar. The largest creditors are the banks but there are dozens of companies providing construction materials to receive money from this engineering company (one of nine companies of the group). After the first postponement on October 22, yesterday the Judicial Court in Funchal with a meeting of creditors, ruled for the liquidation of the company after a report by the insolvency administrator that recovery of the firm is impossible. Liquidation of the company is, however, suspended as a creditor asked for an embargo on the insolvency request arguing that the firm was solvent in December 2008 and seven months later presents a liability close to 14 million. The application of the embargo has not been decided by the judge. The report by the insolvency administrator lists the credits reclaimed that, with interest, already exceed 11 million. Anxious are the employees of the firm, whose claims have not been recognized but have to pay taxes and have been made unemployed. Elimar had 42 employees but the group founded 27 years ago (9 companies) has a total of 72 employees.

‘Hole’ in Areal Dourado estimated at 60,000 Euros. First reported yesterday. The diversion of funds of the municipal group Areal Dourado is estimated at approximately 60,000 Euros. No one from the Municipality of Porto Santo was available for comment but sources contacted yesterday revealed that in just over two years there has been diverted a large sum of money from the treasury of that company. Funds were used by the Board of Directors of the company for their own purpose including purchase of goods and services of various kinds. It is unknown how the funds were diverted. The participation of the local authority with the prosecution services involve all elements of the Board of Directors but it seems that the alleged irregularities have been committed by only one member of that body. However in order to clarify the real extent of the irregularities, the Municipality has chosen to refer the case to the Public Prosecutor’s Office, who are taking the necessary steps to determine the facts. The Municipality has also asked Areal Dourado to audit their accounts. The case has raised eyebrows in the locality because the sums involved are large given the size of the company concerned. The company is only partially owned by the local authority and is designed to perform in various areas such as event management and management of social and cultural facilities and even at the level of social action. It is the entity responsible for promotion of tourism activities, cultural, recreational and sports activities that will contribute to the integrated economic, social, tourist, sporting and cultural life of the municipality of Porto Santo.

Market Night at Santana. This Christmas season, do not miss the animation in Santana. The municipal program is a series of recreational and cultural initiatives for the coming days. The program highlights the Night of the Farmers’ Market, the Northern municipality’s first ever and to be held from 20 to 21 December. More than 20 producers expected. Various traditional performances to attract more tourists to the town centre. There will be two other features: The Feast of the Nativity, set for 20 December and Exponatal, between 11 and 18 December. The representation of the nativity is already promised to be one of the largest in the region and one of the most emblematic with live figures. This is to capture the attention of children who may, like other visitors, enter the crib. Exponatal is to promote the county, the products and help businessmen and industrialists of the municipality recoup their sales. This will be installed in the area next to the Municipal Building accompanied by musical entertainment performed by different associations in the county. On the 8 December, the Christmas illuminations will be switched on.

Recall of Ben-U-ron syrup. Although there are thought to be no risks to health, the syrup was withdrawn last weekend form pharmacies. A change in the colour of the syrup has been detected. Some people may still have affected lots at home and should not use them but deliver them to pharmacies.

Lions Club organizes Christmas Fair. Next weekend, Saturday and Sunday and aims to raise funds for social causes. There will be on sale various products offered by individuals and companies, as well as new and second hand clothes. Snacks will also be served and homemade pastries and cakes made by members of the club and helpers. Part of the revenue will be used for 12 Christmas baskets allotted to households in economic difficulties. An initiative in partnership with the Parish of Sao Pedro. There will also be 12 grants to help students at the University. The fair takes place at the premises of the Lions Club of Funchal at Rua Imperatriz D. Amelia 84, between the hours of 10.00 and 20.00 next Saturday and Sunday. 

Brussels warns of danger of Christmas lights. 30% of lights are dangerous and half with defects come from China. The main risk is electric shock. 25% had defective wiring, 23% had filaments too thin for the current which increases the risk of overheating and fire, 19%  failed the test of protection against electric shock by insufficient insulation. Brussels recommends consumers buy lights from reputable traders, ensuring compliance with safety standards and warn you not to leave lights on when leaving the home or at night.

ALM staff can receive 35% bonus. The special regime of work allows the entire permanent staff of the Legislative Assembly of Madeira, without exception, to receive monthly, 35% additional remuneration based on their basic salary. This is to replace overtime pay which was seen as an injustice. When they leave office, they are entitled to 8% of the salary. This is for as many years as they held in office.

Barclays open two new branches. 30 November, new branches at Calheta and Ajuda in Funchal.

Christmas Bazaar. Red Cross. 30 November to 5 December at 21 Rua Dr. Fernao Ornelas. Crafts, jams, liqueurs and many other items will be on sale.

Christmas opening hours. Traditional trade will close at 20.00, except the week of December 21. Closure on Sunday and opening on public holidays December 1 and 8.

Air Force records 200 evacuations per year. One mission every two days. These are evacuations of injured patients from Porto Santo by the E H 101 helicopter ‘Merlin’.

Foiled robbery at a hotel in Funchal. Two men attempted to break into a hotel on the Rua Imperatriz Dona Amelia in Funchal. Yesterday at dawn, the two suspects were seen trying to break one of the windows of the hotel reception. The police were alerted and were quickly on site but the individuals fled and escaped through the surrounding alleyways and streets. The attempted robbery occurred two months after the same hotel was the target of a robbery by four individuals. These men violently assaulted the hotel receptionist and stole 600 Euros. There had previously been an assault on a hotel when a safe was stolen and the receptionist jumped through a window and fractured a leg, when it was apparent the robbers were armed with metal bars.

 

Police to monitor the environment. To discourage breaches of legislation. Enforcement action started last Monday in several areas, mainly quarries, aggregate extraction and intervention at the level of protected species. This action will continue until 29 November and already some offenses have been identified.

 

 

 

 

 

Romeira files disciplinary proceedings against two officials. These are the fastest disciplinary proceedings in the history of the civil service. Based on an anonymous letter to the Council of São Vicente on October 8 2009 (three days before the elections), the then mayor Humberto Vasconcelos suspended immediately two municipal officials (a building inspector and an IT official). On 23 November, the new mayor Jorge Romeira filed disciplinary proceedings. The reason was for illegal dissemination of information and internal documentation, intentionally and in order to undermine the normal functioning of services. One was working with the Judicial Police. It is unknown who is the author of the letter. It came to the Council at 12.00 and in the afternoon there was drawn up the order to initiate the disciplinary proceedings and the next morning, the seizure of computers and related work. The suspended officials are studying the possibility of suing the Council.

Today’s news headlines from the Diário de Notícias :

The main news headline today : Radar of €25 million already dominates Areeiro – the works will finish in the Spring of 2010 and the radar will be operational in 2011. The tourists stick with the café and the souvenir bazaar. Defence creates a centre for environmental education. Regarding the Freira, it was already stated that it would not affected. The site is supposed to blend in with the barren landscape of Pico do Areeiro, but it is impossible to hide the impact of the radar itself. A placard written in Portuguese and English explains to visitors that the radar is necessary to improve vigilance in the seas around Madeira, and for airspace security. It’s old news now, as the environmentalists lost their battle a long time ago, and it’s just a question of waiting to see how ugly the facility turns out to be in a site of natural beauty. No doubt it will be a talking point for new visitors for eternity, or at least until it rusts into powder. "What idiot allowed that horrible thing to be built there", they will be saying to each other. Of course that idiot will be the faceless Ministry of Defence,  who clearly have the power to steamroller local planning laws, public opinion, and common sense, all in the name of national security.

Madeira Wine and ‘Barbeito’ distinguished in London – International award strengthens brand  prestige. The ‘Madeira Wine Company’ was given the title of best company in the sector of fortified wines, operating in London. The annual gala of the International Wine & Spirit Competition also praised highly the 30 year old Vinho Madeira Malvasia, produced by Vinhos Barbeito (Madeira), and awarded it the title of ‘Best Fortified Wine’. Several other awards too, but I won’t go on as I never really understood mankind’s obsession with fine wines, maybe someone can explain to me? Me, I just go to the local supermarkets, sniff out a bargain, enjoy drinking it, and then sleep very well. It has never occurred to me to sniff a wine, then take a mouthful only to spit it out again. Is there such a thing as an unpleasant-tasting wine?

Funchal Council criticised for changing plan to enable project of Minas Gerais – CMF denies favouritism. This building has been ‘on hold’ since July 2008 after Funchal Council noticed that it has more floors than it has planning consent for. It is a private development by the company Minas Gerais, and is situated in an area  that forms part of the ‘Urbanisation plan of São João’, in Funchal. The PDM (municipal plan for Funchal) requires that new developments conform with the limit of four storeys. However the PSD-M social democrats, the ruling party in Funchal council, voted yesterday to accept the urbanisation plan, which the other political parties did not. Now it seems that the Minas Gerais building will be able to continue in construction, albeit modified.

Insults in the council session in Ponta do Sol. Easily done!

Local authority of the Socialist Party in Santa Cruz criticises it’s own socialist government.

Under-20′s of Madeira want to assert themselves – Today our squad has two games for the ‘Eusébio Regions’. The target is to reach the final on Sunday. Our younger footballers set off for Lisbon yesterday for a regional tournament, named after Portugal’s most respected(?) footballer Eusébio da Silva Ferreira.

Trindade widens promotions to emigration – Portugal Tourism bets on South Africa and Venezuela during the coming year.

Please feel free to put some more meat on these or submit any other stories.

A news extra from Elaine : Car crime silly initiative – Come and get my valuables!

Police are going to leave notices on cars with belongings in sight inside. In order to prevent theft from cars, the police today began an awareness raising campaign that alerts owners to adopt behaviours that may prevent the occurrence of this type of crime. The initiative seeks to alert the owners of vehicles to the importance of not leaving valuables inside the car as this contributes to the risk of them being stolen. Thus whenever the Traffic Police detect the presence of certain objects or items in sight inside the car, they put a warning notice under the windscreen wipers. — They tried this in America and the UK, and not surprisingly crime went up as thieves knew which cars to target!

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If you can, please contribute something Madeira related. A funny story or good or bad experience, a news item, or a story from a Madeira newspaper, a photo or video, a teaser, news of a bargain flight or item in a supermarket. Please help keep this blog going … without user contributions it won’t survive. Please don’t send in automatic translations (like Google translator) without checking them through and correcting them first, thanks.

You can email blog@madeira4u.com with any large contributions and photos / videos.

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Today’s Photo Thanks to Eiryl … A happy lizard in the Botanical Gardens

"Madeira, the Portuguese island known as the floating island of flowers that lies offshore in the Atlantic just like the Spanish Canaries, provides an unusual sliver of Portuguese tradition but with a flavour of independence. The island no longer depends on its mainland parent for anything and unless you knew its history you could easily leave without having any clue about its mainland links". WHERE DO PEOPLE GET THEIR INFORMATION FROM ?

"Well, I am sure there is a whole lot of other exciting stuff, but Madeira pretty much trumps everything since there are only 10 missionaries there, it is pretty coveted. Irmã Draper has been looking at me about every 10 minutes for the past two days and saying something along the lines of…. you realize you are going to Madeira!" YOU WORK IT OUT AS I COULDN’T

Sue kindly sent in these news stories, many thanks :

Conductor of the Classical Orchestra of Madeira – Rui Massena in Dukes. The conductor of the Classical Orchestra of Madeira (OCM), Rui Massena, runs on Saturday, the Dukes, in Guimarães, the Orchestra of the North. The concerts will be interpreted works by Shostakovich (the opening party, op.96), Tchaikovsky (the Overture Romeo and Juliet) and the Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninov (Rhapsody on a theme of Panini, op.43 for piano and orchestra minor), which will feature the pianist Antonio Oliveira.  Rui Massena is considered one of the youngest conductors Portuguese, is 36 years old, was born in Vila Nova de Gaia, began learning piano at six years old and runs the CMO since 2000. Graduated in conducting at the National Academy Orchestra under the guidance of Jean-Marc Burfin and continued his studies in Italy, with Gianluigi Gelmetti, and France, with Cristhian Manem. He was conductor of several concerts in some of the most prestigious venues in the world, cases of Dvorak Hall (Prague), Tonhale (Zurich), La Fenice (Venice), Carnegie Hall (New York) and New England Symphonic Ensemble. Directed José Carreras, Jose Cura, Mark Zeltser, Eva Maria Zuk, among many others, and orchestras in Portugal, Italy, Mexico, Finland, Switzerland, Austria, Belgium, Spain, Canada and the Czech Republic. Was the guest conductor for the Presidency of the Republic, for the concert commemorating the Day of Portugal – 10 June. Since 2005, Rui Massena is also the educational director of the Conservatory – Schools of the Arts of Wood and artistic director of the International Competition Wood Music

In the Region, under the Safe Summer Program – PSP oversaw 260 homes this summer.
During the summer of 2009, the PSP has overseen 260 homes in the region, under the Safe Summer program. This is a program in which the police carried out surveillance of homes during the holiday period of the owners, by their request. PSP-M emphasizes the effectiveness of the police action, since "there was a single residence associated with any anomaly, any theft or any other disturbance."

Municipality of San Vicente launches program to support basic needs – Board is helping the county’s elderly. The Board of St. Vincent will do a survey of people over 65 years living in the county and determine the conditions under which they live. The "Program 65 +", and called the initiative will, for example, building ramps to homes to provide easy access and guarantee the purchase of medicines or food, going to get them at pharmacies or markets.  The Mayor of St. Vincent will promote a survey of the number of seniors over sixty-five years and their living conditions.  The initiative comes under the Program 65 +, a project that will be led by the northern municipality as early as next January.  Jorge Romeira, speaking to the JOURNAL OF MADEIRA, that it has already contacted a local association (the Association of Development of North Madeira), with the task of putting the project on the ground.  The mayor notes that the project includes the removal of all persons over 65 years living in the municipality of San Vicente.  "We know how they live, where living conditions if they are alone or accompanied and what their main needs," he explains. Our party, for example, will assess the person’s access between the road and the house in order to facilitate their mobility. "The project could include a cementing  footpaths, placing of ramps instead of stairs, etc.." He said.  But the initiative will also serve to assess other needs of the elderly. "People often do not have anybody to go buy drugs or foods. The project will include this service, "he added.  He says that the support would be individualized and considered on a case by case. Socially, the Mayor of St. Vincent also announced that "promoting the improvement of municipal services for staff and users’ and recalls the construction of an old people’s home (Dona Hilaria Davis) and a public garden.

The program of the Regional Government and CMSV are also covered in the construction of the Bonaventure community centre, support for social housing, the creation of the Office for the farmer, by encouraging the construction of small "barns" on agricultural land and building partnerships with institutions such as Social Solidarity. There will be the implementation of activities of leisure, the creation of youth cards, social support to schools, jobs and sports, incentives for private companies to create jobs and promote employment Industrial Park of cherries for the promotion of employment.

Man tried to rob the bank but ended up surrendering to police. A man tried to rob today a bank branch in Covington using a weapon, but ended up surrendering to police, told Lusa the PSP. The individual, aged between 35 and 40, entered the branch of the BPI Europa Avenue, near the main shopping centre of the city at about 11:35 am, where he threatened staff with a knife. According to police sources, have asked for money, but then ended up surrendering voluntarily to the PSP still in place, and without having in possession of any amount of money. This case was submitted to the Judicial Police and the individual waits for the first interrogation in the Court of Covilhã .

Elaine very kindly provided yesterday’s top news headlines again :

Airport screening against Influenza A. There will soon be created at the airport a Line of Screening against Influenza A (Gripe A / swine flu). An announcement was made yesterday morning by the  President of IASAÚDE at the seminar ‘Risk Assessment – New Risks: The Influenza A’. He took the opportunity to express concern about the fact that many people are not complying with measures to prevent the spread of the virus in the region. The airport has acquired sensors to detect temperature changes in passengers. Alongside this, there has been training for health professions. Mauricio Melim was keen to stress that the guidelines given by entities of Public Health "should be followed" as "We have a civic duty to prevent the spread of flu."

Christmas Events Program 2009.  Major points of the program. Friday 27th November starts the first phase of lighting in downtown Funchal, 4 December the second phase. On December 11th the music and performances in the city centre begin. On that day, there will be the official opening of the decorations in the city centre; an ethnographic village in the streets, a decoration in the Largo do Chafariz, in front of the Sé a Christmas Crib and other displays by the SRTT and in the Municipal Gardens. From December 11 to January 6, performances by brass bands, folk groups and groups from the Coordinating Office of Arts Education and puppet shows in the Avenida Arriaga. In front of the Municipal Park, there will be several animation projects for children. 2,500 people will be involved. New Years Eve will be celebrated by eight minutes of fireworks, consisting of 21 separate displays representing flora and fauna of Madeira. The Government will invest €5.2 million into Christmas and New Year and lighting will take over 50% and the fireworks most of the remainder. At present, the hotels are 50% occupancy for Christmas and probably more at New Year than last year. These will not make up for a poor year for tourism. —- Just checked the Tourism site, the full program is only in Portuguese so far.

Weather is part of the tourism attraction of the region. The regular mild climate is one of the main attractions of Madeira as a tourist destination. The Secretary of Tourism and Transport ensured that the region is doing its share to protect the environment and nature, focusing more on ecological projects. "Madeira is an island of ‘Spring’ and I hope that does not change." This is the debut year for the prize for the most environmentally friendly establishment. There are 14 entries from hotels, restaurants and companies involved in animation. The aim is to act as an incentive for companies to participate in more environmentally protection activities.

Volunteer Fair Thursday 24th to Sunday 29th November. In the Municipal Garden in Funchal. The Casa do Voluntário called on the institutions in the region to present work done over the years by the public, as well as sharing experiences and exchanging information, thus encouraging volunteering as an expression of active citizenship.

Christmas Parade. Parade dressed as Father Christmas to help support the two institutions that help children and win valuable prizes, is the challenge that Madeira Shopping throws to Madeira for next Saturday November 28. The Christmas Parade is scheduled for 15.00, leaving the churchyard of the Church of Santo Amaro and finishing at the House of Father Christmas at Madeira Shopping Centre. For each entrant (free) the Centre will donate 5 Euros to the Hat of Hope. Money will be divided between the two institutions; O Abrigo Nossa Senhora do Conceição and Lar São Filipe. The winning prizes are a playstation 3 from FNAC and a 100 Euros voucher for Modelo. At the end of the parade, there will be a concert by the students of the School of Arts and Music.

Court case after fire in the building Elias Garcia. On March 14 2004, a fire of unknown origin broke out in the garage of the building Elias Garcia III and forced the evacuation of the building. A 59 year old woman required treatment for carbon monoxide inhalation. The fire started in the basement car park and affected five cars, destroying three. It was fought by 10 fire engines and 40 fire fighters. The person whose car the fire originated in, is in the dock and there are questions as to whether it was due to either a short circuit or overheating, which he rejects. In the wake of the fire, the Municipal Service of Civil Protection carried out a technical audit that found security flaws and the absence of fire doors in the basement garage.

Regional Plan Against Domestic Violence 2009 – 2011. Since its formation in 2002 until last year, the Support of Victims of Domestic Violence Team has seen 619 people. Last year they saw 100 people and the number of people reporting violence is increasing each year. The most problematic ages are 30 – 34 and 40 – 44, followed by 25 – 39. The plan includes several lines of intervention; who to tell, raise awareness, educate, protect victims, prevent secondary victimization and qualify the professionals.

SANAS training course. Training 20 new lifeboat crew, selected from 60 candidates. There are more crew needed because of the opening of the Lifeguard Station at Santa Cruz and also needed for Funchal. The training lasts 120 hours, of which 70 are of a practical nature. Training in the following areas: help at sea, communications, meteorology, navigation, techniques for rescue at sea, organization of lifeboats, first aid, survival at sea, public relations and support for sports.

Irregularities in Areal Dourado. The Municipality of Porto Santo have delivered a complaint to the Court against some of the management of the municipal company Areal Dourado, which manages sports, social and cultural events. Some of the board of Directors are thought to use financial resources to their advantage.

Model Boat Championship. Organized by the Nautical Association of Madeira and held last Sunday at the Centro Nautico da Ribeira do Natal in Caniçal. The trophy ‘Liquid PC’ for radio-controlled boats winner was Goncalo Sousa. The wind was weak and variable, the participants experienced some difficulties because the small boats were unruly, forcing the organizers to postpone most races until the afternoon. With rising wind and tide, the races went ahead. The big surprise was Omar Vieira who won five of eight races with ‘Bleu’. 32 boats were entered in the races. —– I never knew there were model boat enthusiasts in Madeira. There will be train spotters in a couple of years too! Der.

Region has not secured 29.3% of the revenue. Never has the Government proposed a budget that the extra revenues represent 29.3%. This is the conclusion to be drawn from the fact that Ventura Garces admits that he would seek authorization from the State to borrow 230 million Euros, 15% of revenue, with  ‘other revenues’, 219.5 million Euros which represents another 14.3% of revenue. In the proposal he assumes a sale of assets worth €140 million and shares worth €18 million. The State should transfer 15% of the revenue and the EU 5.7%. The budget depends on the State specially permitting the debt limit to be raised. Revenue is expected to decrease, 29% less IRC and 11% VAT receipts. The Municipalities will receive €34.5 million from the Regional budget, and €69.3 million transferred from the State. The Government wants to raise the debt limit by more than €180 million to reduce the time taken to repay suppliers, to repay public debt formed during the year and the existing loans.

Sue is back again with yet more, so it looks like I won’t be needed any more today … many thanks ladies. Der

Urban Plan of the Ribeira de S. John goes today for approval at the meeting of the CMF – Index construction will increase in Cabouqueira. The Municipality of Funchal will adopt today, the Urban Plan of the Ribeira de Sao Joao This is the third and final plan that involves the three main streams of the city over an area of 43 hectares. Among many other things, the document will provide a higher rate of construction in the area of Cabouqueira (behind Funchal Centrum) and also defines a set of rules for the area where the warehouse of the Sa. The Minas Gerais, only goes with the presentation of a project that meets the new rules, i.e., the decrease of some floors of the building….

 

General Luís Araújo says F-16 will come when "necessary and appropriate". Chief-of-Staff of the Air Force, Gen. Luis de Araujo, said yesterday on the island of Porto Santo that the F-16 aircraft will come to Madeira "when necessary and appropriate." "It’s in our plans when necessary and appropriate, deployment of F-16, one or two teams, to do surveillance and airspace control this part of the country when the radar is ready," said Gen. Luís de Ali on the sidelines of the ceremony of founding of the Aerodrome of Maderia / 3, based on the island of Porto Santo. The deployment of the Portuguese Air Force in Porto Santo, created 25 years ago, has from now on be called the Unit AM3: "This unit has been in the Air Force for a long time but was not named, this was a simple ceremony giving a name to one of our "children," stressed Luis de Araujo. The general said that is also in future projects to install a military parade, accommodation for officers, sergeants etc. in that unit which currently has 15 military and a score of officials . Luis Araujo also said that if his mandate is extended (ends December 18) next year "in principle" the Day of the Air Force will be held in Madeira. The unit commander, Col. Joaquim Ferreira, reiterated the "need" to be made "minor adjustments in the modules as staff will be implemented at a local set of tasks of logistical and administrative framework that are, to date, done by other units of the Air Force. He also called for a solution "with housing, healthcare, food and transportation to and from the continent, the personnel deployed in AM3. The ceremony brought together several prominent branches of the Air Force, Army, Navy, Police and members of the Regional Government also noted the Unity Day of Maneuvering Aerodrome No. 3 and appointment of Colonel Joaquim Ferreira as commander of AM3. It looks like we now know what that radar is for on top of the mountain!

Cravo e Canela collection shows the "open air". On 7th December the store Clove and Cinnamon, now situated in Rua Vale da Ajuda, will display their collection of evening gowns and ceremonial clothing. The event is being produced by Eduardo Pinto and will have the support of the City Hall since it will use the promenade to the achievement of the parade. The idea, explained the head of the Journal da Madeira, "is to make not only our customers but also people who are in the street able to watch the parade." In a "showroom", the parade will start in-store, and the bridging will go through an entire corridor leading to the street, and run up to the parking spaces that are on the front of the store. According to Eduardo Pinto, this year’s event will again be attended by the British model Fiona (which, it should be noted, took the last two shows of the store) as well as Alexandra Vieira, Eva Lara, Yorain, Macedo and Licínia Roberta Laza. In enriching its collection, the Clove and Cinnamon decided to partner with AM Jewelry, a shop that will also show pieces of their jewelry made by prestigious international brands. Also of interest regarding the collection being presented on this day is that  Clove and Cinnamon have chosen to display evening gowns and ceremonial clothing. "It will be a glamorous collection, very colorful, where flowing silks and fabrics are featured", said Eduardo Pinto.

and yet more from Sue with entertainment news …

‘Mega Park’ under the airport runway opens on 11 – Sponsor wants to revive Water Pena, the fun of Almirante Reis. Madeirans can count this year with a lively Christmas season, which will have several areas or appeal from 11 December. The fun is in charge of the ‘Mega Park’ and the Circus Brazil, which will repeat their presence of last year. The main novelty is the installation of ‘Mega Park Madeira’, in Water Pena, under the runway of the Madeira International Airport. For the first time in the region as responsible for ‘Mega Park’, Fernando Tavares promises, that the park will provide, "the rekindling the Almirante Reis”. We will have some of Madeira’s best attractions in Europe and worldwide. This park will have several new entertainment and cars already having met the new security laws. The controller of ‘Mega Park’ highlights the fun ‘New crazy kangaroo’, which in his opinion "skips, walks in circles and makes waves" and "Megadance ‘, a radical fun machine where people rise higher and will be suspended upside down (not the the faint hearted methinks!). This year also highlights the trail bumper that Fernando Tavares said is to be the best in Europe with its level of security. "The track is 50 feet long and all the bumper cars are already equipped with shock absorbers, seat belts for drivers and two ‘bags’ in fly ash (think this is probably “air bags”). All as required by law." Day 11 entry is free. The "Mega Park" invites the islanders to attend the official opening day, December 11, where all the attractions can be experienced for free. "We want to make a toast to the population. We believe that, thanks to the place where the ‘Park’ will be mounted and entertainment that we bring, we will cause a revolution in entertainment Madeira. The fair officially opens to the public on 12 December and will close down on 17 January. Fernando Tavares highlights Wednesday as the cheapest days to experience all the park, where each attraction costs one euro.

Circus Brazil back to Machico. Even the smallest will have the privileges this Christmas, with the return of the Circus Brazil, after a first appearance last year. The circus will be based on the same site last year, that is, near the football stadium UD Machico, a place where the leaders of the City Council say there is good accessibility and ease of parking. The debut of the circus is scheduled for December 11 and can be visited until 10 January.
This year, more people will have more attractions to watch at the circus, with the main novelty being a fantasy of Harry Potter, but could still see a show ring that is unique in the country. Also promoted still be some jugglers and a special show with clowns. The price of tickets remains the same as last year, and range from 12.50 Euros for adults and 7.50 Euros for children.

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If you can, please contribute something Madeira related. A funny story or good or bad experience, a news item, or a story from a Madeira newspaper, a photo or video, a teaser, news of a bargain flight or item in a supermarket. Please help keep this blog going … without user contributions it won’t survive. Please don’t send in automatic translations (like Google translator) without checking them through and correcting them first, thanks.

You can email blog@madeira4u.com with any large contributions and photos / videos.

—————————————————————————————————————————————–

Please use the comments here for general chit-chat, or feel free to ask any questions … someone usually has an answer.

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