Madeira News Blog

Today’s photo – Many thanks to Elaine out West … Aboboras out to ripen in Lombada da Ponta do Sol.

Many thanks to Beck for this video link of stormy seas in Lugar de Baixo on 28^th December.

Madeira’s Bryde’s Whales. "A variety of cetaceans are present in Madeiran waters, including Bottlenose Dolphins, Short-finned Pilot Whales, Common Dolphins and Sperm Whales. However, one species that is attracting scientific interest, and which is present around Madeira each year, is the Bryde’s (pronounced ‘brood-ess’) Whale". MORE

"We know that you have heard of the Boston Tea Party, but have you ever heard of the Madeira Wine Party? The Madeira Wine Party, which occurred several years before the Boston Tea Party, was also a demonstration against British domination over the colonies. On that occasion, it was against the rationing of Madeira, the favorite wine of the colonists. The sloop Liberty had tried to land at Boston Harbor with a cargo of Madeira wines consigned to John Hancock, the first signer of our Declaration of Independence. The British seized the shipment, which set the colonists into action. A conflict took place and, as the story goes, Hancock won out and finally received his wine". From news-leader.com, but is it serious?

I timed it, and I spent an hour and a half on Tuesday going through the list of websites that I go through every day to find the ‘snippets’ and had to abandon the task through lack of time, and I just can’t keep it up in future. I did ask a few days ago if someone could take this on, even on a best endeavours basis, and didn’t get any responses, although Becky independently came up with two batches of really good links under her own steam. Much appreciated Becky.

As I said at the time, it doesn’t need any Portuguese translation skills, just reviewing the websites listed (which would be sent to you daily), and then choosing the best and most relevant sites, and formatting something to post on the blog. I will hang on another day or two, and then I will discontinue this feature if no one comes forward to help. Sorry, but I just have too much else to do, and I cannot spend the rest of my life still working at 10 pm at night.

Sheila very kindly translated and sent in this article :

Here is another example of  the way some Madeirans are giving foreign tourists a bad impression of this beautiful but flawed Island. The story is from yesterday’s Diário de Notícias.

Many foreign tourists are vowing never to return to Madeira because of  the ill-treatment of animals which they have seen on the Island.

Jutta Heinemann and her husband are examples of this growing trend. The German couple came to Madeira for the first time a few years ago when their cruise ship made a stop-over in Funchal. They liked the City so much that they decided to come back and spend more time on the Island. This year, they came for 10 days. With the help of guidebooks, they took trips to the interior of the Island where they found many mistreated animals. Dogs in particular came to their attention when they noticed that many were kept on chains that were too short, had no shelter and were forced to lie in their own excrement.

The Heinemann’s also saw starving cats and a goat kept in a small shack, without drinking water, and attached to a chain so short that it could not even lie down. These sights affected Jutta and her husband so much that they now say that they will not return to the Region. "Madeira is such a beautiful Island but, having seen how animals are treated here, we have no desire to come back" Jutta explains. She adds that the images of abused and neglected animals have prevented her from sleeping during her stay. "When people choose to keep an animal, they should realise that they are taking in another member of the family for some years and that the animal needs to be fed, treated well and to be given care and affection. Many people in Madeira are unaware of the real needs of a domesticated animal", she believes.

Jutta, who is a member of Deutscher Tierschutzbund, an animal protection organisation, could not remain indifferent to the plight of  animals in Madeira so she has adopted three dogs from SPAD (Madeira’s Society for the Protection of Domestic Animals). In a few weeks, she will adopt another dog, rescued by the couple during their stay in Madeira and placed by them in the care of SPAD. The delay is caused by the fourth dog needing a course of vaccinations before it is permitted to travel.

The help given by people like the Heinemann’s is not enough to overcome an animal welfare problem in Madeira, similar to that which also exists in mainland Portugal, Spain, Southern France and Italy. Tourists are asking why the authorities in all these areas cannot intervene to organise campaigns for the sterilisation of stray animals and to impose fines on people, who abandon and mistreat animals. Until then, at least four dogs will soon be starting a new life in Germany.

This is one of the luckier Husky dogs, well kept and fed, and full of confidence

This one is less happy with life, and wishes to make that known to his owner

Sorry Sheila, not to make light of a very serious problem, but it’s my way of coping with such unpleasant matters. Der

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

DIÁRIO 03/02/2010

FRONT PAGE NEWS

Court suggests that the Ports Authority charges more fees. The Court of Auditors suggests that APRAM amends irregularities in licenses and concessions that it has granted to private enterprises. Examples of such cases are the Restaurante Vagrant and the Terminal Marítimo da Cimentos Madeira. The OPM, Beer House, Vagrant and Cimentos would have to pay more for their licences and concessions. The Court wants APRAM to rewrite the regulations to conform with the Water Act so there is transparency, equality and proportionality in setting the rates. The port operation (OPM) is legal and Cimentos Madeira does not pay taxes as there is no evidence of its use. Companhia Logística de Combustíveis da Madeira in Caniçal has chosen not to pay user fees as it disagrees with the bill issued. New licensing would add another 6.5% to present revenue. The Vagrant restaurant has been unlicensed since 2002 and the Beer House is also illegal. The Court also criticized the Council of Funchal for holding a competition for tenders before having a licence to occupy the space.

PS want special taxes for concessionaires. Via Litoral, Via Expresso, OPM and SDM may have to pay 2.5% more on their assets. The Socialist Party want to increase revenue as income tax receipts are down. They state that only taxpayers with significant income who have been immune to the economic crisis will be affected by their tax proposals. This week in the Legislative Assembly, the PS will present three draft legislations. They suggest: a tax on companies supplying public services; a special tax on aggregate extraction, and an alteration of the use of taxes from the Estradas da Madeira. New revenues should help the poorest sections of the population, for their education and health services, and for road safety and to help victims of road accidents.  Large companies will have to pay 2.5% on their mobile assets, for example OPM (Operation of Ports of Madeira) and SDM (operate the Free Zone – International Business Centre). They suggest that for every ton of extracted inert material – rock, gravel, sand etc.-  5 Euros is paid to the region.

MADEIRA

BAD WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS

Stream overflowed into workshop. The water in the Ribeiro Fernando in Camacha overflowed and debris blocked the E.R. 205. The local population used spades, shovels and farming implements to clear the road rather than wait for the council to bring in machinery. An aluminium workshop was flooded despite their efforts and two houses were at risk. A section of the road was closed off and some cars became stuck in the mud. Family displaced in the Lombo da Quinta. (Photo). Four people were evicted from a residence in São Gonçalo after a supporting garden wall collapsed. The family were awakened at 4 am by the noise and were later instructed to leave for safety reasons. The house is still under the five year guarantee and there have been construction faults for which the owners are having to take the builder to court. They have worked in South Africa for 32 years and have invested their income in this house. Roads turned into rivers. In Machico and Funchal. In Moinho da Serra in Machico, several cars parked overnight on a road were swept away by water and debris which had clogged a swollen stream. Residents had previously warned the council that this might happen. Porto da Cruz awakes unrecognizable. Roads flooded and cars dislodged by the force of the water. Two homes flooded with significant losses and will take a lot of cleaning. Trail of destruction in the north. In Santana, houses and schools flooded, landslides, roads impassable and overflowing streams. A family had some of their belongings destroyed when their house was flooded. They live on 540 Euros a month and there are eight members in the family. High seas did no damage to the port or marinas. Despite high waves, no damage reported to the Port of Funchal or marinas at Funchal, Quinta do Lorde, Calheta, Machico and  Porto Santo. The City Council of Funchal triggers the emergency fund. Work on the pavements alone will cost more than 1 million Euros. Three families have been displaced and 30 roads damaged. A record level of rainfall was recorded in Funchal: 111 millimetres per square metre.

ECONOMY

Sales of new cars falls 45% in nine years. Sales of new ‘light’ vehicles (passenger and commercial) has fallen from 6,199 vehicles in 2001 to 3,412 in 2009. In 2009, there were 23.9% fewer vehicles sold than the previous year despite increases in 2004 and 2008. The data is encouraging as sales rose in the last four months of 2009. The sale of commercial vehicles fell 36.8% in 2009 which could be the worst year ever. Firms will have to reorganize and restructure, cutting the number of vendors and improving customer service.

POLITICS

Who hurt Socrates? Since 2005, Jardim has been offensive to the Prime Minister of Portugal – "The great enemy of Madeira" -but they must sit together today at the State Council meeting. Jardim has stated that Socrates has an "obsession" against Madeira and he is "concerned" about  "Who in Madeira has hurt the man?" In a television interview, Jardim questioned the reasons why Socrates "looses his temper" with Madeira. Is it because of different political parties? Is it because of political autonomy in Madeira? Is it because Madeira can progress with different policies than Lisbon? Is the answer to these questions the fact that since 2005, there have been controversial statements from Jardim about Portugal.

CULTURE

Funchal has a new window on the past. Agulha e o Dedal (Needle and Thimble) recreates a sewing room from 50 years ago. This one-room house-museum opened yesterday at Rua Câmara Pestana No 6, 1 º A. The project is an idea of Manuela Castro who also created the house ‘Velhos Encantos’ and the grocery store ‘Venda do André’.

Rosa Lobato Faria died yesterday in Lisbon. The 77 year old Rosa Lobato Faria died in a Lisbon Hospital yesterday after post-surgical complications and anaemia. This poet, novelist and actress was born in Lisbon in 1932. She was an announcer for RTP in the 1960s and acted in the Portuguese soap opera, Vila Faia, and in several films. Her writing started later on in life, from 1995 to 2001, writing novels, poetry and award-winning songs. The loss of her husband in 2008 was a hard blow and she tried to overcome this through work.

JORNAL DA MADEIRA

RSI beneficiaries will be able to carry out voluntary work. The PSD will arrange a legislative amendment to the RSI (Social Integration Income) that will allow beneficiaries who have the capacity to work, to be able to do voluntary work. This was after a meeting with representatives of Caritas, a charity that provides support to families in need. The charity wants more cross-checking between institutions for better coordination of support to households. They want to combat dependence on support. Such voluntary activities will benefit the community, for example: help the bombeiros clean the serras, clean neighbourhood gardens, care for children in nursery schools and work in centres for the elderly. Caritas is receiving an increasing number of requests for support by parents, especially when the husband has been made unemployed.

Good photo on yesterday’s Funchal Daily Photo, ‘Stop Waves’.

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

Museums lose visitors – The trend of rising visitor numbers recorded from 2001, was interrupted in the last two years.

Dangerous carelessness – The weather couldn’t explain all the damage done.  At the time of building, more rigor is needed.

Today’s main news headline, and also the main photo. A picture of a semi-smiling Prime Minister José Sócrates sat at the same table as a glaring President Alberto João Jardim. Deputy of the Socialist Party of Madeira disobeys Sócrates – If the PS intransigence continues, Luís Miguel França will today help facilitate the amendment to the Regional Finance Law. Hmm, dangerous ground crossing party boundaries, and a career ending opportunity for França perhaps. In another article Jardim says the the country "lives in a carnival", and that the resignation of the prime minister would be "the best for the country".

The controversial [Regional Finance] Law was addressed in the Council of State, that sees no reason for Sócrates to resign, but the President of Madeira opted for silence. Not like you Uncle Bertie. Bit out of your depth with the heavyweights perhaps?

Leaders of the PND Madeira protested in Belém. That would be the Rabbit and his colleagues then, of the New Democratic Party creating yet another spectacle, this time at the parliament in Lisbon.

Pay-to-view gardens yield 3.5 million Euros – ‘Garden Tourism’ is a competitive and differentiating niche, but it is not promoted in the best way by the Region.

The main sport / football headline today : More errors – The scandals and suspect refereeing occur in the football matches of the young people of Madeira. Rui Marote, president of the Football Association of Madeira recognizes that not everything is as it should be, but he ensures that everything is being done so that the referees can do a good job. "Nobody makes mistakes on purpose" he says. But club officials from various directions disagree, criticising the quality of refereeing at youth level, weak technical resources, and little propensity for teaching. the Diário decided to pick the story of the training coordinator of Boaventura to illustrate the complaints, following a match from two weeks ago. "Our team of youngsters was at the ground of Andorinha and ended up with 7 players sent off!", he complains. The article finishes with statements from 10 officials from regional clubs, all saying pretty much the same thing.

If anyone else can oblige with the translation of any of the ‘blank’ or sparsely filled headlines, or other news stories, here is the link. All contributions much appreciated. 

Tobi has very kindly sent in some video ‘snippets’ for you perusal. Many thanks.

This is a nice video – Madeira 1951, no sound though. MADEIRA 1951

More of the bad weather   -   Funchal

More of the bad weather   -   Santa Cruz

This is a great one from the hotel at Santa Cruz – OUTDOOR POOL WITH WAVES

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