Madeira News Blog

(15th July). Today’s main news headline : ‘Jardim Thwarted – The Madeiran parliament pays for opinion for revisions to the constitution not in line with the thesis of the PSD-M’. It seems that the ideas presented for constitutional reform for Madeira actually throws out proposals of the PSD-M social democrats. The party is preparing to adopt a proposal to revise the constitution, a week tomorrow, that actually contradicts its own most important demands. The most important of the changes is the requirement to abolish the Constitutional Court, a key demand of PSD-M, who want its powers transferred to a Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice. Even President Jardim is expected to attend the Legislative Assembly of Madeira to discuss the proposals, quite a rare event. The article does go through what the proposal contains, but it is quite complex and I didn’t understand all the points, so perhaps I will have another go when the proposal has been voted on in the parliament, in case it changes again.

‘Legislative Assembly Of Madeira Suspended – The politicians observed a minute of silence in memory of Nélio Mendonça’. The assembly is suspended for three days to mourn the loss of the ex-president of the parliament. The current president of the ALM said to the assembly that he was "a man essentially of conversation and courage that fought for the Madeiran community, for a better world, and he left his mark". 

‘Pandemic Changes Some Habits – Increases in demand for disinfectant products – Schools promote prevention to prevent closure – Discotheques and theatre attack virus – Travel doesn’t suffer changes – Sports clubs avoid alarm’. Disinfectant sales have increased in pharmacies, mainly during the last few days, directly related to alerts by the health authorities about washing our hands (for a minimum of 20 seconds with soap and water). Nationally sales have increased by an estimated 300%. The article also suggests that surgical masks are very popular at the moment. Lots of tip and advice in the article, which I have no doubt are the same in any country and readily available in English on the internet, so not worth repeating them here. The president of the health organisation IASAÚDE says that Madeira at present is the least affected region of Portugal, and guarantees that nothing is being hidden from the public, and asks the population here to maintain calm. 

‘Youth Of 15 Years Already Released from Hospital – Two more cases being analysed were negative’. She had the gripe A swine flu virus (H1N1) confirmed on Monday, but has now been released from hospital. So we are back to a clean sheet again … maybe someone up there likes us!

‘Changes Sour Wine Sector’. The instability is a threat to production. Credit availability and quality tests are factors that concern businesses. The chief of the wine association, sacked over the controversy to put an end to ‘vinho seco’ the cheap red dry wine favoured by the locals and the less well off, was well respected and trusted in the industry. The sacking has shocked many people in the industry, especially with just a month to go until harvest time. According to the explanation issued by the Regional Office of the Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources, the departure of Paulo Rodrigues was not due to being sacked, but by an agreement not to renew the appointment that had been in place since 2003. One producer in Seixal said "Paulo Rodrigues did not deserve to be treated this way, having done a remarkable job, courageous in the protection and improvement of the quality of grapes, acts that have provided better returns". There are quite a few comments along the same lines from others involved in the industry, and they pretty much all think it was a poor decision with poor timing.

‘Raízes do Atlântico Festival Causes Quarrel – The loss of identity of the event generates criticism’. This Atlantic Festival (not the same one as last month), has been criticised for ‘losing its identity’, but the organisers devalue the opinions. In particular this year’s festival (23rd to 25th July) does not include groups representative of the traditional music of Madeira, which were actually in the origins of the event, which was a ‘meeting of popular music’ founded by the local group Xarabanda. The festival will be in the municipal gardens in Funchal with free entry (starting 9.30pm, 23rd July).

‘Camp In Caniço Is Flooded With Fines Of SPA’. Inspectors from The Society for Portuguese Authors (copyright protection) have invaded the assembly of sellers stands outside the church in Caniço and fined every one of them. Even those not selling films or music of dubious origin were fined, for having a TV or radio switched on. The Diário says "At issue is the compulsory license to broadcast radio or television in public places. A situation we can not confirm because, despite several attempts, we have failed to contact the spokesman at the SPA".

‘Wheat Threshing In Prazeres – The Quinta Pedagógica (Zoo) makes another event for this annual initiative’. The event brings together local farmers with the aim of encouraging cultivation of wheat, with much of the end produce purchased by the Quinta. The event happens on Sunday from 10.30am, after mass at 9.30am.

From the Diário . ‘Festa da Lapa Entertains Paul do Mar – The Event runs from Friday until Sunday’. The ‘Limpet Festival’ will have dance, music, theatre, sport, fashion, arranged by the Casa do Povo. But a reader has kindly sent in a much more detailed account of the event :

3 DAY PARTY IN CALHETA in Paul do Mar village, organised by the Paul do Mar Casa do Povo starts on Friday 17th July, and runs until the early hours of Monday morning the 20th. The historic annual FESTA DA LAPA includes non-stop free entertainment in the evenings and of course fresh lapas and beers served right next to the picturesque harbour. The entertainment focus is on performances by local youth.  Highlights include the WEDDING DRESS FASHION SHOW where the village’s young ladies will model wedding dresses from the 1970’s to the present day accompanied by music hits from across the decades. The first evening (Friday) is traditional, folklore entertainment. The second evening (Saturday) is the WEDDING DRESS FASHION SHOW followed by solo artists and groups singing classic and recent pop songs. The final evening again with the focus on more contemporary music is a POP/ROCK CONCERT with bands from all over the Region: WAVEBOYS (Paul do Mar), DARK NEW LIGHT (Ponta do Sol), NEGATIVE RULE (Camacha) and COOL FEEL BAND (Funchal)
The full programme is HERE : More information on the bands including clips HERE

See you at the Festa! Paul from Paul do Mar

(10th July). Today’s main news headline : ‘GR Has To ‘Invent’ New Funding – The development societies did 16 projects, counting on the contracts that the audit court did not authorise. The government of Madeira will have to find another solution to pay around €80 million’. The 16 projects, which include the new seafronts at Ribeira Brava (€9.7m), Porto Moniz (€15.8m), Porto Cruz (€3.2m), and Madelena do Mar (€6.8m), and various other works, pools, parks and leisure facilities, have all been rejected by the court and the transfer of public money has been refused, leaving Jardim and his government to find €79.5 million from elsewhere. The development societies that managed and executed the projects, used bank loans to finance the projects. The regional government was to liable to pay the costs starting in 2007, through to 2021, by paying the costs through the service contracts. The courts had already refused the projects, and the government appealed unsuccessfully. There are possible solutions, by restructuring the share capital, or selling off some of the assets (as was the plan in the case of the marina at Lugar do Baixo to the Pestana Group) where the projects are not considered improvements to existing public spaces. Another more drastic solution would be for the government to act as guarantors on the bank loans, and any repayments that become overdue. Many of the works, especially the sea front improvements, do not directly generate any revenue, and these may be particular problems. Wow! What a backward system that allows the development and completion of a project, which then goes for final approval after everything is complete at the risk of rejection. However, I assume that between now and 2021 there will be €80 million in the regional coffers allocated for these repayments, but now available for other purposes. Uncle Bertie always manages to squirm out of these tricky situations he creates, so I wouldn’t be surprised if we never hear about this again. FULL PROJECT LIST

Today’s main picture shows a pair of hands in handcuffs : ‘Police Went To Bring 200 From Home By Order Of Justice – It is what the law requires : Those who fail to attend hearings or fail to fulfil the measures required get a visit from the police. It happened to 200 people in the last 6 months’. The police served 200 arrest warrants in the last six months, but the number is not official, as the Diário has counted up the numbers from the daily press releases over that period. There were 4 served, just on Wednesday. A police spokesman, unable to confirm the numbers, said in most cases the warrants were issued by the judicial authorities because people failed to meet the requirements imposed on them. After that the most common reason was failure to appear at a hearing. Sometimes it is needed to ask around to trace people he said, as some try to avoid arrest by moving home without notifying the authorities, as required by law. Sometimes they run he said, citing one recent case of a man who ran from Santo Amaro and Pico dos Barcelos, chased by dozens of officers. I think we must be officially in Summer news time, as the serious news normally gets a bit thin on the ground this time of year, and the Diário team start digging around to try and fill up the pages.

‘Drain In Laranjal Pours Out Into The Stream For The Last Two Weeks’. The waste water polluting the Ribeiro do Laranjal in Santo António has turned the water brown and unbearably smelly with sewerage discharge. One resident said it started two weeks ago, and a break in a sewerage pipe is suspected of being the cause. But according to a spokesman yesterday at Funchal Council, no one complained, and so the problem wasn’t known about and dealt with. But the matter will now be resolved after officers were sent to inspect the problem yesterday afternoon, leaving with suspicions that someone has been illegally emptying a sceptic tank. That rates at number ten on my disgustingometer, the maximum possible, and if it is true then they would be classed as a true neighbour from hell.

‘Ceremony Reveals ‘Zarco Award 2009′ – Francis  Zino and José Cousa Câmara win. Zino, whose work is in ornithology, and Câmara in food and medical chemistry, were both distinguished on Friday, with the biennial award worth €150,000, after an unanimous decision by the adjudicators. The ‘Zarco Award’ exists to recognize the work, in artistic and literary fields, and in scientific research, of Madeirans born in the region, although the accomplishments can take place both inside and outside the Autonomous Region of Madeira. Câmara was recognised principally for his work on ‘Madeira wine’, whilst Zino concentrated on the preservation of bird species, purely as an unpaid ambition.

The sporting headline : ‘Controls In The Rally ‘Madeira Wine’ Are Going To Tighten – The organiser is going to monitor using GPS’. I don’t understand rally rules and terminology, so I will have to pass on this one. The rally ‘legs’ for the 27th and 28th July, are listed though, but I guess they will also be on the official website at www.rallyvm.com

‘Cinema In The Gardens of Santa Luzia – 8 films are to be shown in the Summer months’. Open air cinema is to be on Friday night’s, always at 9.30pm, starting tonight with ‘In Defence of Honour’. The event is organised by the Junta da Freguesia (Parish Council) of Imaculado Coração de Maria, who hope to attract more that the 1,000+ who attended in 2008.

’90 Exhibitors In The Agricultural Fair – The 54th edition of the exhibition take place this weekend’. 90 livestock exhibitors are expected in Porto Moniz, but also there are exhibitors of arts and crafts and other products present, as well as the organic market. Culinary activities and musical events are also arranged throughout the weekend.

(9th July). ’1,400 Students Don’t Want The ‘Magalhães’ – Schools stop accepting applications today, but it is possible to register online until Sunday’. 11,950 children applied for the small laptop computers in the government sponsored programme, that’s 86% of those eligible. The computers were given to the children free, or at a maximum cost of €50 (depending on family means), and the Diário says that some children did not apply as they already had computers, and for other ‘diverse reasons’. A bit tricky in schools then as this is intended to be a teaching aid, so how will they be able to use them if at least one in ten kids doesn’t have one?

‘Crisis Obliges Cut In Glasses And Trips To The Dentist’. The number of Portuguese that don’t buy new glasses, or no longer go to the dentist, has doubled in the last 7 years, a study has revealed about the state of health in the country. The study, to commemorate 30 years of the national health service assessed the economic access of citizens to health services in five areas.

‘Visit of King Juan Carlos is a "historic" event – The Ambassador for Spain in Portugal stresses that relations between Spain and Madeira are growing , especially in tourism’. The ambassador, Alberto Navarro, yesterday said that he considered the official visit of the King of Spain to Madeira as a "historic opportunity" to deepen economic relations between the two countries. Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia make a private visit here at the invitation of President of the Republic, Cavaco Silva, 30-31st July and 1st August, which includes a visit to the island of Porto Santo. And I thought the King of Spain was called Cristiano Ronaldo … where on earth did I get that idea?

‘Navy Gathers Debris On The Coast’. This is the headline story I couldn’t find online yesterday, but eventually I got hold of a printed copy of the Diário and got the story from there. This is about a navy vessel, that found off the coast of Ribeira Brava debris that might have come from a plane, including a huge signalling buoy, that looked like a bomb. It also mentions that something was found nearer to Ponta do Sol. Inquiries to identify the source have not had any results yet.

(6th July). ‘Another Illegal Extraction Of Aggregates – It takes place in Machico, threatens houses, has been identified officially, but it continues operating’. The council has authorised a reshaping of the land for agricultural purposes, but the construction company instead is taking out earth and gravel from the site for its own use, at the site in Landeiros. Despite involvement at police, council, and government level, the unlicensed activity continues. Dozens of houses located beneath the site are considered at risk, and residents are alarmed with the situation, and the apparent inability of the authorities to do something to stop the activity which has now been ongoing for 6 weeks. Some residents were minded to block the access route to the site to prevent lorries entering, but were warned by the police not to do so. The residents have particular concern in case there is heavy persistent rain. The construction company believes that it is acting within the terms of its licence.

‘Festival Has Always Been Rising – The 10th Jazz Festival worked out well’. It finished Saturday night and deserves a mention for the good organisation, getting better each year, and with the change of venue adding to the event. "Santa Catarina park is magical" said a spokesman. The president of Funchal council is already thinking about next year, and thinks that 2011 should be the year to pay homage to the women of jazz. Vânia Fernandez was a woman last time I looked?

‘To Have A Driving Licence It Is Needed To Know How To Drive In Tunnels – Community directive obliges knowledge in theory and practice’. Europe has demanded that Portugal incorporates this requirement, amongst other things, into domestic law. Any candidate for a driving licence must now have a good theoretical and practical knowledge of driving in tunnels, in order to improve safety in the criticised infrastructures. Several attempts have already been made to get Portugal to incorporate this requirement, so far without success, but it looks that this time it will happen, and is something clearly very relevant for Madeira. There are also other new safety requirements covering the need to revalidate driving licences for bikers aged over 50, and also new tougher requirements for medical assessments for conditions relating to eyesight, diabetes and epilepsy.

‘Walk Through The Serra Finishes In Tragedy – 53 year old man died after falling around 25 metres on the São Vicente levada’. The victim on a Sunday walk with his family and friends along the levada at Ribeira do Inferno, fell to his death. The reasons for the accident are unclear, he just fell and died almost immediately. A mountain rescue team took four hours to retrieve the body because of difficult access.

A new police station in São Vicente is to be inaugurated at 6pm tomorrow. 

At 6.28pm yesterday evening the Diário helpfully published a late bulletin that an 18 piece guitar group was performing in Ribeira Brava church square … starting at 6pm yesterday!

‘Vodafone wants To make Available New Smartphones At A very Cheap Price Until Christmas’. Aside from companies, those who want them most are young people, without sufficient money to buy them. To help, Vodafone and various partners, is to offer these powerful devices at less than €200.

In football and today’s main photo, a picture of a striding Cristiano Ronaldo, surrounded by trophies : ‘Ronaldo Tries His Luck In Madrid – The foreign journalists warn that the player won’t have an easy life in Real. Today 80 thousand supporters will welcome the star to Madrid’. At last CR737 makes the move, after what I thought had been a quiet few weeks since the transfer was agreed. It’s taking up about half of the TV and radio news this morning, and live pictures show fans gathering at the stadium for the introduction which doesn’t take place until tonight. I guess the introduction will be pretty long distance for 99.9% of the fans, the important thing for the club will be getting them to spend their cash on expensive new football merchandise with Ronaldo’s name.

I know there are lots of British readers who check in on this blog, and whilst that doesn’t imply that a love of Madeira also implies a liking for Madeiran music, I felt some duty to help boost the audiences for The Madeira Mandolin Orchestra, by announcing the dates for their tour of the United Kingdom this month. Accompanied by Portuguese tenor Carlos Guilherme, the program consists of performances of music by Vivaldi, Tchaikovsky, Liszt, and Bach, and they also accompany Carlos in a selection of Neapolitan songs. Established in 1913, the Madeira Mandolin Orchestra is the oldest established mandolin orchestra in Europe, but in terms of average age it is considered to be the youngest in the world. Performances :
July 16, 2009 – St. Paul’s Church Knightsbridge
July 17, 2009 – Petersfield Utd. Reformed Church – Petersfield
July 18, 2009 – Maldon Town Hall, Maldon Essex
July 19, 2009 – The Albert Hall – Nottingham
July 20, 2009 – Holy Trinity Church, Huddersfield
July 21, 2009 – The Grand, Clitheroe
July 22, 2009 – Brangwyn Hall, Swansea
July 23, 2009 – Lichfield Garrick
July 24, 2009 – The Forum, Bath
July 25, 2009 – St. George’s Bristol

(5th July). ’38 Confirmed Cases Of Gripe In Portugal’. 30 of the swine flu cases have been registered in the last week, including the first cases of direct transmission. UPDATE 6th July : A 20 year old woman was taken to hospital in Funchal suspected as having gripe A. She was known to have spent time recently in the company of people from Mexico, the United States, and other high risk countries, and the precaution was taken after she displayed the swine flu symptoms. Tests cleared the woman of the virus, and she has now been released. 

On the main night, there was a much lower turnout than last year, maybe the weather put people off. The rain held off until about midnight, and then it didn’t really ease off again. We sent our reporter out with his cheap camera to record the highlights of the night, with not very impressive results. He claims he was out until 4am this morning because of the rain … I reckon there is more to that story than meets the eye!

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