More from Paul :

UK "ASA rules that referring to the village bike or asking to borrow a friend’s girlfriend is not sexist, offensive or derogatory to women, the ASA has ruled, as long as it is done in a comical Portuguese accent.” The Register reports:

image caption : Nandos in Canal Walk Shopping Mall, Century City, Cape Town, South Africa

Columbus was “a true to life James Bond of his day” ? “Columbus was “a true to life James Bond of his day,” whose secret mission was to divert the Spanish forces as far away from India as possible. Columbus’s covert operation across the Atlantic left the actual route free for Portugal so that Vasco da Gama could sail to the Indian Ocean unhindered.” Newswire Today.com reports:

Left image caption : Daniel Craig on a yacht in Venice during a break in filming Casino Royale.

Right image caption Christopher Columbus statue at Parque de Santa Catarina, Madeira Island              Link:

Bruno Magalhaes crash Rali Vinho Madeira: videos from ‘Rallybuzz.com’:

Tango on your Madeira cruise! usa today reports: "Like to dance while on vacation? You’ll love the new offerings from MSC Cruises.

The Europe-based line this week announced it was getting into the business of dance-themed cruises in a big way with more than half a dozen dedicated voyages over the next year.

The line says the new dance sailings will feature daily dance lessons at the beginner and intermediate levels, with professional instructors teaching everything from the Tango and Mambo to Salsa, Samba and Cha Cha."

image caption : Classical dance exhibition on a ball in the Prague Congress Center.

"The MSC Musica on an 18-night sailing kicking off Oct. 31 in Venice to Rio de Janeiro, with calls in Croatia, Malta, Spain, Madeira, Canary Islands and Brazil. Fares from $969."

image caption  MSC Musica in Dubrovnik      link:

‘Guardian.co.uk’ reports: ‘José Mourinho warns worried Real Madrid fans: ‘I am not Harry Potter’.
“José Mourinho says he is the ideal person to bring long-term stability toReal Madrid, and has played down the significance of their disappointing opening-day draw at Real Mallorca.
Real were held 0-0 on Sunday while arch-rivals Barcelona swept aside Racing Santander 3-0, opening up an immediate two-point lead in the La Liga standings. The champions dropped only 15 points on their way to the title last season. "I am a coach, not Harry Potter," Mourinho told the sports daily AS.

Image caption: ‘Zan Zig’ performing with rabbit and roses, including hat trick and levitation. Advertising poster for the magician (who seems to have left no other trace behind) copyrighted by The Strobridge Litho. Co., Cincinnati & New York, 1899.

"He is a magician. Magic is fiction and I live for football which is real. I’ve only been two months in Madrid. Do you know how many training sessions I have had with everyone together, including the new signings? Not even 10." Link to full article: HERE 

‘Lacoste’ appoints Paris-based Portuguese designer as new artistic director. ‘Just-style’ reports: “Lacoste has appointed the Paris-based Portuguese designer, Felipe Oliveira Baptista, as its new artistic director.

Image caption: Lacoste Store in Munich, Germany

He succeeds Christophe Lemaire, whose move to French luxury brand Hermès was announced earlier this year. His final collection for Lacoste will be presented on 11 September in New York.  Link to full report:    Link to Caras ‘fotogallery’:

‘CARAS TV’ VÍDEO: João Cunha e Silva em família numa produção exclusiva para a CARAS

Na companhia da mulher, Filipa, e dos dois filhos, Francisco e João, o vice-presidente do Governo Regional da Madeira recebeu a CARAS na casa de férias do Governo em Porto Santo. Leia a entrevista na revista CARAS desta semana (edição 786) Link:

‘CARAS TV’ VÍDEO: Alberto João Jardim em entrevista à CarasTV
O presidente do Governo Regional da Madeira recebeu a CARAS na casa de férias, em Porto Santo. Leia a entrevista na íntegra na revista desta semana (edição 785). Link:

The Funchal Junior Open Table-Tennis Championships 2010. “At the end of the first day of play, Wednesday 1st September 2010, at the Funchal Junior Open Table-Tennis Championships, the face of Georg Imhof was once again bathed in smiles.” ITTF reports: 

image caption : Tournament level table tennis match.

News and things from Sue (Wednesday) :

Madeira Newsletter for September

In September, popular folk festivals bid a grand farewell to another summer full of energy and good times! Take the opportunity to enjoy some Madeiran traditions and join in with the religious parades that will be taking place in the parishes of Ponta Delgada and Caniçal, or simply get caught up in the spirit of one of the islands’ biggest traditions, the internationally renowned Madeira Wine Festival.
Be sure to visit the island of Porto Santo, savour the warm sea and magnificent golden sandy beach and experience firsthand one of the most emblematic festivals of the golden isle, the Columbus Festival.

1 to 5 September –

2010 Funchal Junior Open and Madeira International Open Table Tennis Tournaments

The sports pavilion of the Bartolomeu Perestrelo School will be the stage for the fifth consecutive year of the Funchal Junior Open, which will be taking place on the 1^st and the 2^nd of September.

This event, part of the World Junior Circuit of the International Table Tennis Federation, will gather 12 different countries battling it out: Portugal, Germany, Spain, Japan, Finland, Sweden, Ecuador, Egypt, Poland, Hungary, Russia and Holland.
The "14th Madeira International Open" will be held in the days that follow (between the 3^rd and the 5^th of September). This event is organised by the Madeira Table Tennis Association (ATMM), Portuguese Table Tennis Federation (FPTM) and the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF).

17 to 19 September – Garajau Jazz Festival

Santa Cruz, Municipality of Culture 2010, will be hosting the first ever Garajau Jazz Festival at the Hotel D. Pedro Garajau between the 17^th and the 19^th of September.

This "Municipality of Culture" project initiative aims to help promoting cultural decentralisation and stimulate existing local infrastructures.
Over three days a number of big names from the national jazz scene will perform on stage of this Hotel, musicians such as Bernardo Sassetti Trio, André Fernandes Mário Laginha and Maria João.
For more information: HERE

27 September – World Tourism Day

As in previous years, Madeira will be joining in once again in the celebrations for World Tourism Day, this year dedicated to the International Year of Biodiversity, under the theme proposed by the WTO – World Tourism Organization: "Tourism and biological diversity".

This theme is an opportunity to raise awareness of the importance of biodiversity to tourism and the role played by sustainable tourism in preserving life on Earth.
As such, Madeira and the SRTT/DRT – Regional Secretariat of Tourism and Transport/Madeira Official Tourism Board will be joining in the celebrations organising a variety of activities for tourists visiting the island.  For more information: HERE

15 to 24 October – 1^st Madeira Organ Festival

The Madeira Cultural Affairs Department (DRAC) will organise the first ever Madeira Organ Festival from the 15^th to the 24^th of October. This cultural initiative consists of a series of concerts taking place at important places of worship in the Autonomous Region of Madeira, namely the Sé Cathedral, College Church and the Church of São Pedro.

There will be an array of recitals performed by master organists of national and international fame, such as Luca Scandali and João Esteireiro amongst others. The first recital is set to take place on the 15^th of October and will be performed by the Spanish organist José Luiz Gonzales Uriol. This festival aims to publicise and consolidate one of this entity’s recent projects concerning the restoration of an almost unknown part of cultural heritage, as well as enrich and promote the decentralisation of the organ-related culture on display in the Autonomous Region of Madeira.
For more information: HERE

n promotes scientific tourism

Orchid Garden promotes Scientific Tourism

Originally from Austria, the Pregetter family was responsible for creating and establishing the Orchid Garden, which has a long tradition in the area of floriculture and is an important source of reference for botanists.

Thus, with the intention of encouraging a segment of the scientific research market to visit the region, the Orchid Garden is promoting its collection of more than 300 species of orchids and 5.000 hybrid varieties at various international universities. Currently, in order to boost the work realised by this entity, the Fundação de Solidariedade Social Josef Pregetter (Josef Pregetter Social Solidarity Foundation) has been established with the aim of promoting education and professional training in the area of floriculture, genetic research and creation of species, including the production of plants "in vitro" in partnership with the Ponta do Sol Centre for Floriculture.

Madeira International Airport receives ASQ Assured Certification

The ACI (Airports Council International), an independent entity that represents more than 1,600 airports in 177 countries and territories, has distinguished Madeira Airport by awarding it an ASQ Assured certification.

This certificate recognises the effective policies put in place by the airport’s managing board directed towards continuously improving performance and the quality of service provided to all its passengers.

The certification achieved encompasses three different aspects, namely services provided to passengers, good management practice and the measurement of passenger satisfaction with the airport services.

Madeira Cetaceans Project

The Whale Museum in partnership with the Municipality of Machico has announced the II Madeira Cetaceans project co-financed by the community initiative programme Life+.

The II Madeira Cetaceans project aims to identify important marine areas for bottlenose dolphins in the coastal waters of Madeira, to define areas of operation for commercial vessels observing these mammals (minimising the impact of this activity) as well as to monitor the conservation status of various species of cetaceans in the off-shore waters of the ZEEM (Madeira Exclusive Economic Zone) until 2013.

This initiative strives to continue the work of research and preservation the species in the Madeira Archipelago.

TUI Holly 2010 Honours Madeira Hotels

The Riu Palace Madeira and the Albergaria Dias hotels are the only establishments from the Autonomous Region of Madeira amongst the TUI Holly 2010 top 100.

Considered the major German tour operator, every year TUI distinguishes a number of hotels worldwide that receive the best rating from its customers.
This year more than half a million tourists voted, classifying around 15,000 hotels, using forms querying various aspects relating to comfort and service.
This award reinforces and confirms the quality and reputation of the excellent services provided by the hotels of the Madeira Islands.

Promotion of the Madeira Islands Abroad

The SRTT (Regional Secretariat of Tourism and Transport), represented by the DRTM (Madeira Official Tourism Board) and in partnership with the APM (Madeira Promotion Bureau), will be present, this month, at a number of major trade fairs and promotional events in the national and international markets.

Between the 21^st and the 24^th of September, the Madeira Islands will be represented at yet another edition of TOP RESA Travel Market, the most important trade fair for tourism professionals in the French market, which will be held at the Parc des Expositions de la Porte de Versailles, in Paris.

The Madeira Islands will be represented by the SRTT/DRT, in partnership with the APM, at the Portuguese stand, with a section specifically dedicated to the destination.

On the 16^th of September the Autonomous Region of Madeira (RAM) will be participating in the Oyster Meeting 2010, which will be held at Kensington Roof Gardens in London. The Oyster Group is made up of tourist offices from countries working in the Meeting Industry (MI) sector. It is an informal meeting point for various British buyers, with Visit Portugal entity invited to take part in the "Summer Party".

From the 23^rd to the 25^th of September, the Madeira Islands will also be represented at the 18th TT Warsaw Tour & Travel international travel show, taking place at the MT Polska Trade Fair and Congress Centre in Warsaw. This is one of the largest events of its kind in Poland, Central and Eastern Europe, where RAM will be making an appearance for the 5th time represented by the SRTT/DRT, with a section specifically dedicated to the destination integrated in the Portuguese stand.

From Paul :

Short-finned Pilot whales off the Calheta coast

Short-finned Pilot Whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus) are being spotted of the Calheta coast at the end of August 2010. They are one of the two species of cetacean in the genus Globicephala. It is part of the oceanic dolphin family (Delphinidae), though its behaviour is closer to that of the larger whales.

Short-finned Pilot Whales can be confused with their relatives the long-finned pilot whales, but there are various differences. As their names indicate, their flippers are shorter than those of the Long-finned Pilot Whale, with a gentler curve on the edge. They have fewer teeth than the Long-finned Pilot Whale, with 14 to 18 on each jaw. Short-finned pilot whales are black or dark grey with a grey or white cape. They have grey or almost white patches on their bellies and throats and a grey or white stripe which goes diagonally upwards from behind each eye.

image caption: Pilot Whales, mother and calf, off Kona, Hawaii. Image taken by Clark Anderson/Aquaimages.

Adult males may have a number of scars on their bodies. Their heads are bulbous and this can become more defined in older males. Their dorsal fins vary in shape depending on how old the whale is and whether it is male or female. They have flukes with sharply pointed tips, a distinct notch in the middle and concave edges. They tend to be quite slender when they are young, becoming more stocky as they get older.

Field ID: Stocky body, bulbous forehead, no prominent beak, long flippers sharply pointed at the tip, black or dark grey colour, fin set forward on body, fluke raised before deep dive, may float motionless at the surface, frequently seen in very large groups, prefers deep water, may be approached.

Length (metres): Adults are 3.5 – 6.5 metres in length. When they are born short-finned pilot whales are about 1.4-1.9 metres long.

Weight: At birth, Short-finned Pilot Whales weigh about 60kg (135lb). A fully grown adult will weigh between 1 and 4 tonnes. Diet: Fish, Squid, Octopus

Study of Jersey’s Polish and Portuguese migrant workers

BBC News Jersey Reports: “Portuguese immigrants are more likely to find work in Jersey without a good understanding of English than Polish people, according to research.

The study was carried out by the University of Southampton.

Because of the number of Portuguese shops and cafes that serve the community in Jersey, speaking English was not seen as very important.

Image caption: Lighthouse, La Corbière, St. Brelade, Jersey at low tide

However, the report found Polish immigrants were more likely to take courses to improve their English.

This should, in turn, better their employment and living standards in Jersey.

The study, funded by the EU, cited examples of Portuguese immigrants in Jersey who began as farm workers but were able to become successful business-owners without learning very much of the language.”

Link to full article: HERE

Many thanks to Sue & Paul for sending in a contribution(s) for this blog.

—————————————————————————————————————————————–
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 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 only send in ‘exceptional’ or very topical photos by email attachment, as they take quite some time to process. Links to photos that are already online take much less time. Anything submitted for inclusion will be ‘cut and pasted’  to the blog very likely unchecked and unaltered, so please check anything through before sending it in, especially ‘automatic translations’, to avoid any ‘afterthoughts’. Blogs will be published when there is sufficient material to make one worthwhile. I can’t always respond to emails, so please accept my thanks in advance, and the attribution on the blog itself. Der.

You can email dermadeira-blog@yahoo.co.uk with any articles etc., but to save time and delays, please use the comments for minor contributions and to ask any questions. Please don’t send in copyrighted / restricted material.

Madeira News Blog / madeira4u © 2007 – 2010 All Rights Reserved

News from Sue (Friday 27th) :

Fires still Active in Funchal , Câmara de Lobos , Ribeira Brava

According to updated figures this morning by the Regional Service of Civil Protection firefighters continue to fight fires on the ground in Meia Légua, Ribeira Brava, no Curral Velho, parish of Santo António and Furneira and in the country of Câmara de Lobos.

The ‘ peacekeepers ‘ succeeded in extinguishing various re-ignitions which occurred on Thursday in various parts of the island and remain vigilant in various parts of the island, Águas Mansas, Santa Cruz, Ribeiro Frio and Achada do Teixeira, both in the county of Santana.

UV radiation at extreme level

Funchal is now under extreme risk for exposure to ultraviolet radiation, which will continue until Monday.

The Institute of Meteorology advises the use of sunglasses with UV filter, a hat, t -shirt, umbrella, sunscreen and avoid exposure of children.

Exposure to ultraviolet radiation can lead to acute problems and chronic health, particularly of the skin (cancer), eyes (cataracts) and immune system.

The Old Bridge over the river from Porto Novo Re-opens Today.

The Regional Social Secretary will be present for the reopening the old bridge over the river from Porto Novo, in the county of Santa Cruz at 17H today.

The artwork exists, the old stone bridge has a span of 120 meters and intercepts to the Ribeira do Porto Novo. Structurally, it consists of two wing walls, which contain the landfill and its platform and two arcs that intersect the stream.

In its previous configuration, the bridge had a width of approximately 6.40 meters, 5.50 meters and lanes and there are no sidewalks. With the reconstruction the bridge has a total width of 9 metres and an addition 6.5 metres of carriage way making it compatible with the level of service required.

The “Tango “will be in Madeira in October

After the success of ” Swan Lake ” at the inauguration of the Centenary of the CD National, the Classic Stage brings to Funchal ‘s famous musical ” The Tango, The Ultimate Tango “, which will premiered on October 30 at the Congress Centre of Madeira Casino , 22.00.

“The true tango lovers now have the privilege to watch this magnificent spectacle, which will be on tour throughout the country and world premiere at Madeira, ‘says the promoter of shows.

Directly from Buenos Aires to major European stage, “The Tango, The Ultimate Tango”, is “recognized by critics as the best current Tango Show “highlights the Classic Stage.

In 2009, the musical ran a week of sessions at the Casino de Paris, earning praise from the French press and continued to impress audiences in Belgium, France, Italy, Cyprus, Slovenia, Switzerland and Estonia.

With artistic director Olivier Tilkin and Sabrina Gentile Patti and choreography at the expense of double Veredice Adrian and Alejandra Hobert, ” Tango “is interpreted by dancers Adrian Veredice , Alejandra Hobert , Claudio Gonzalez, Melina Brufman , Lucila Cionci , Rodrigo Corbató Joe , Christian Marquez, Virginia Gomez , Sabrina Masso and Daniel Escobar.

It also features the voices of Sandra Rumolino and Jose Luis Barreto, orchestrated by Cincotango Ensemble and other musicians.

With this large production, in October, the Congress Centre of Madeira Casino will host a night of dance that portrays the soul of the Argentine people.

Articles from Paul :

Canoe tour/race around Madeira: 24-29 August, 2010

‘VOLTA A MADEIRA EM CANOA’

The XIX Canoe Tour round Madeira is 141 Kms divided into 9 laps/sections. Organised by Treino Mar from Madeira..the event is internationally known for its difficulty, organisation, international participation and for the beautiful landscapes that the Island offers.

Image caption : Kayaking on Seattle, Washington’s Lake Union

The event is only for sea kayaks – K1, K2, Surf Ski I and Surf Ski II

Contact Treino Mar: 00351 291236337

Link: http://www.madeiraemcanoa.com/ENG/index.html

Football: history for Braga!

UEFA.com reports:
“Lima hat-trick ensures history for Braga..
Sevilla FC 3-4 SC Braga (agg: 3-5)
One goal from Matheus and a Lima hat-trick earned the visitors a remarkable win and a place in the group stages of the Champions League for the first time.”
Image caption : Câmara Municipal de e Fonte do Pelicano, localizadas nos Paços do Concelho de Braga.
Link: HERE

New species of dolphin sighted in Madeiran waters: ‘Fraser’s Dolphin’

image caption : Frazer´s dolphin group (Lagenodelphis hosei)
From wikipedia:
Fraser Dolphins’ are about 1 m long and 20 kg weight at birth, growing to 2.75 m and 200 kg at adulthood. They have a stocky build, a small fin in relation to the size of the body, conspicuously small flippers. The dorsal fin and beak are also insubstantial. The upper side is a gray-blue to gray-brown. A dirty cream colored line runs along the flanks from the beak, above the eye, to the anus. There is a dark stripe under this line. The belly and throat are usually white, sometimes tinged pink. The lack of a prominent is a distinguishing characteristic of the Dolphin. From a distance however it may be confused with the Striped Dolphin which has a similar coloration and is found in the same areas of ocean.
Fraser Dolphins’ swim quickly in large tightly packed groups of about 100 to 1000 in number. Often porpoising, the group chop up the water tremendously. The sight of seeing a large group fleeing from a fishing vessels has been reported as “very dramatic”.
It is also marked by having the smallest genitalia of any open sea dolphin.
The species feeds on pelagic fish, squid and shrimp found some distance below the surface of the water (200& or 500 meters). Virtually no sunlight penetrates this depth, so feeding is carried out using echolocation alone.
link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fraser’s_dolphin

Eturbonews.com reports:

“Portugal’s tourism sector is represented by Bernard Luis Amador Trindade who could easily be mistaken for a movie star, but it is his Mediterranean charm, business intelligence, and political savvy that makes him the perfect representative for a country noted for its beauty, casual way of life, excellent cuisine, and history. Born in Lisbon, his current address is Funchal, the capital of Madeira Island.

Coming from a hospitality, travel, and tourism family, Trindade has been associated with Banco Espirito Santo, the Regional Legislative Assembly of Madeira, and a leader in the Socialist Party since 2003. His move to tourism has been not so much as a step in a new direction, but rather an acknowledgement of his roots.”

Marketing Objectives

Tourism represents 65 percent of the country’s GDP, and companiesandmarkets.com determined that the Portuguese travel and tourism industry has been facing a tourism crises since 2009 (the global crisis began in 2008). The decrease in consumer purchasing power in Portugal and its most important tourist source markets, together with the consequent decline in demand levels, formed the basis for the slowdown.”

“The National Strategic Plan for Tourism indicates that Portugal is seeking an annual growth rate of 5 percent with 20 million tourist visits by 2015.

The areas contributing to growth will be Lisboa, Algarve, and Porto e Norte. It is anticipated that by 2015, tourism will represent 15 percent of the GDP and 15 percent of national employment. In a March, 2009 report, the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) placed Portuguese tourism in 10th position (in terms of size) in the European Union and 6th in tourisms’ relative contribution to the national economy.”

Image caption : Algarve

NEW DIRECTIONS : Accessible Tourism

A search for new markets has prompted the government and tourism officials from Algarve to develop the locale as a leading destination for tourists with disabilities and restricted mobility. The project includes adapting the region’s infrastructure to accommodate the disabled and training professionals in customer service so they are able to meet and respond to the unique needs of this market segment. It is estimated that “accessible tourism” could represent millions of Euros to the tourism economic sector. Currently Algarve has 41 accessible beaches and most have amphibian wheelchairs and crutches available for visitors.”

Link to full article: http://www.eturbonews.com/18089/portugal-tourism-matter-economics

Portuguese philosopher Baruch or Benedict de Spinoza

“You are either a Spinozist or not a philosopher at all.”

Image image caption : Baruch de Spinoza (1632-1677)

Baruch or Benedict de Spinoza (Hebrew: ברוך שפינוזה‎ Baruch Shpinoza, Portuguese: Bento de Espinosa, Latin: Benedictus de Spinoza) (November 24, 1632 – February 21, 1677) was a Dutch philosopher of Portuguese Jewish origin.[1] Revealing considerable scientific aptitude, the breadth and importance of Spinoza’s work was not fully realized until years after his death. Today, he is considered one of the great rationalists[2] of 17th-century philosophy, laying the groundwork for the 18th century Enlightenment[2] and modern biblical criticism.[2] By virtue of his magnum opus, the posthumous Ethics, in which he opposed Descartes’ mind–body dualism, Spinoza is considered to be one of Western philosophy’s most important philosophers.

Philosopher and historian Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel said of all modern philosophers,

“You are either a Spinozist or not a philosopher at all.”[3]

To read more: link to wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baruch_Spinoza

Many thanks to Sue and Paul for sending in a contribution(s) for this blog.

—————————————————————————————————————————————–
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 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 only send in ‘exceptional’ or very topical photos by email attachment, as they take quite some time to process. Links to photos that are already online take much less time. Anything submitted for inclusion will be ‘cut and pasted’  to the blog very likely unchecked and unaltered, so please check anything through before sending it in, especially ‘automatic translations’, to avoid any ‘afterthoughts’. Blogs will be published when there is sufficient material to make one worthwhile. I can’t always respond to emails, so please accept my thanks in advance, and the attribution on the blog itself. Der.

You can email dermadeira-blog@yahoo.co.uk with any articles etc., but to save time and delays, please use the comments for minor contributions and to ask any questions. Please don’t send in copyrighted / restricted material.

Madeira News Blog / madeira4u © 2007 – 2010 All Rights Reserved

Worst crash in history of Portugal’s motorways. EURONEWS reports:
"catastrophic double crash on a motorway in Portugal. 200 firefighters and emergency workers rushed to the scene near the town of Aveiro to help the injured.
Many of the victims had to be cut out of their vehicles. At least five people were killed while 72 were injured.
It is thought heavy rain and fog may have led to the first collision, which happened just after three in the afternoon.
Thick smoke from that incident is thought to have blown onto the adjacent carriageway and caused the pile-up there." film and text: HERE

Bébé – or Tiago Manuel Dias Ferreira…talent mined from Portugal

‘The Telegraph’ reports:

Bébé – or Tiago Manuel Dias Ferreira to give him his full name and letter writers in United’s club shop nightmares – was virtually unknown to an English audience before Manchester United paid an undisclosed fee, believed to be in the region of £7.4m, to sign him.
The 20-year-old forward, who can play on either flank, as a target man or support striker, thus follows a recent trend in young talent Sir Alex Ferguson has mined from Portugal after Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani took the same path." Youtube film:

One of a dying breed of ‘street footballers’. However, Bébé’s back story stands him apart from those that have gone before. Like Wayne Rooney, he is one of a dying breed of ‘street footballers’, all raw ability and unschooled promise. But unlike Rooney, coming from the street is no glib aphorism.
Raised in a youth shelter, Bébé played for a team organised by CAIS, the organisation responsible for Portugal’s Homeless World Cup Team, having spent time on the streets as a youngster. He was spotted by third division Portuguese club Estrela Amadora after impressing for amateur side Loures.
Moving through the youth ranks to the senior side there, the Cacem-born striker attracted the interest of a number of top level clubs in Portugal, as well as a host of European heavyweights including Real Madrid and United. LINK

Fulham sign ‘Nacional’ defender. Reuters reports:

Algeria defender Rafik Halliche has signed a three-year deal with Fulham, the Premier League club said on Tuesday.

The 23-year-old, who has joined the London club from Portuguese side Benfica for an undisclosed fee, played every minute of Algeria’s three matches at the World Cup finals and impressed in the 0-0 draw against England.

"I’m so happy that my transfer to Fulham has been finalised," he said on Fulham’s website (WEBSITE).

image caption: Fulham Football Club. Taken during a home match, Fulham v Newcastle

"The Premier League is the best league in the world and to be able to play alongside some wonderful players and to be given an opportunity to compete against some fantastic teams for a team like Fulham is something that I’ve always dreamed of doing."

Halliche spent most of his time at Benfica out on loan with fellow Portuguese club Nacional of Madeira. LINK

London Gatwick to Faro and Oporto with Ryanair from October 31st

2 Ryanair bases, Faro and Oporto will connect to London
Portugal News reports:
"The low-cost Irish airline announced the new routes this week, increasing its number of routes available in Portugal to 31 from Faro and 33 from Oporto.

image caption: Ryanair Boeing 737-800 (registration EI-DCK) taking off from Bristol International Airport, Bristol, England

To celebrate the new addition, Ryanair confirmed special launch prices of €19.99 from Faro and €17.99 from Oporto. Ryanair flights from Faro and Oporto to London Gatwick will commence on October 31st.

Initially, the Faro – London Gatwick flight will operate four times per week, and the Oporto route five times per week. LINK

"In the shrinking league-table of nations that still like and admire us British, Portugal easily comes top." Daily Mail reports: HERE

"You feel it there wherever you go, from Lisbon to the Algarve  -  that special warmth and kindness towards ‘ingleses’ which even our worst holiday hooligans cannot destroy."

Major changes are afoot in the tradition-encrusted world of port….

"Port a name that, unlike sherry, has been fiercely protected against all foreign imitations since 1756." Daily Mail reports: HERE

William Warre

Daily Mail reports: HERE

"William Warre, who chose a military rather than port-making career and showed extraordinary heroism in Porto’s recapture from the French exactly two centuries ago. Sent with a few Portuguese civilians to deal with some alleged French ‘stragglers’, Warre found himself up against Marshal Soult’s entire army!"

image caption : A ruby and tawny port from Warres

Last volcanic activity in the Azores in the 1950′s

Hello magazine reports:

"The last activity, which took place in Faial in the Fifties, lasted for over a year and dramatically changed the landscape of the island. When it cooled, the lava spat out by the Capelinhos volcano had left the island a couple of kilometres longer, the old lighthouse was half buried, and hundreds of farmers had no choice but to emigrate after their crops were totally ruined." LINK

image caption Capelinhos Cliffs, Faial Island, Azores, Portugal

14-year-old Dutch girl sails alone: first stop Madeira! Sunday Times & Australian reports: HERE

"AFTER winning a long legal battle for the right to sail solo around the world, a 14-year-old Dutch girl set off on her voyage yesterday.

Laura Dekker began her two-year solitary journey from Gibraltar.

If she completes her endeavour, she will become the youngest person to sail around the globe alone, although it will not be a non-stop voyage.

Her first stop will be the island of Madeira, and she will sail her 11.5m boat, Guppy, to the Canary Islands before facing the challenge of an Atlantic crossing to Barbados.

She will record her trip with a camera and will be in constant radio contact with a support team and passing ships. During the monsoon season she is expected to return to school in The Netherlands."

Car hire: cheapest places: Madeira and Portugal

"The cheapest places, by far, were found to be Madeira and Portugal."

..reports: Carrentals.co.uk, the award-winning online car hire comparison website on ‘Moonews’

and ‘The Independent’ reports:

"Portugal and Madeira were by far the cheapest places surveyed, averaging only €33.40 a day" LINK

News from Martin (Monday 23rd) :

TAP offers over 10 kg of baggage free to college students.      Offer valid for the month of September on the Madeira and the Azores routes.
TAP is promoting for a second year, a campaign directed at college students travelling in September. This offer translates into the possibility of carrying 10 kg of extra baggage, totally free and is available for students moving between the mainland and the islands of Madeira and the Azores, and vice versa, or Erasmus students, studying  in  any European city. The campaign is valid during the month of September for any flight operated by TAP, departing from any airport in Portugal.
To benefit from this campaign, students can carry a total of 30 kg in economy class or business class 40 kg (tap | executive), whatever the fare paid.
To enjoy the promotion, a student may make a reservation by any means (TAP www.flytap.com, call centre 707 205 700, stores TAP) or your travel agent.  At check-in they will only have to present a student card or a letter proving that they are 1st year students and have no university card, simply the proof that they are registered or entered in a particular university. This is an initiative of TAP and ESN (International Exchange Erasmus Student Network).

And Sue :

Falling palm tree kills woman in Porto Santo
A lady of 61 years died yesterday, following the crash of a palm tree in downtown Vila Baleira. Two other people were also evacuated to Funchal, given the severity of injuries. The accident occurred during a PSD rally, which was subsequently cancelled.
The fall of a large palm tree at Largo das Palmeiras, in the city center Baleira Vila, Porto Santo, last night caused the death of a lady of 61 years and wounded two others. The accident was happened during the PSD/Madeira rally which was attended by thousands of people to attend and happened around 22:45.  The President of the PSD/Madeira took the decision to cancel the celebrations.

The injured were immediately assisted on site by an orthopedist Marcelino Andrade, accompanied by some nurses, including Manuela Machado, and, once stabilized in the area were eventually transported by volunteer firefighters from Porto Santo to the Health Centre site and subsequently evacuated to Funchal – Aviocar in the Air Force – in an operation coordinated by Almada Cardoso, President of the Board of the Regional Health Service of Madeira (SESARAM).

Update on above

The lady killed in the accident was Maria Judith Rodrigues Pascoal de Nobrega, 61, a resident of Levada de Santa Luzia.  The seriously injured were Maria do Ceu Baptista Nunes, 54, and son, David Manuel Baptista Alves, 24.

Michael Foster , clinical director of the hospital, said this morning at a press conference outside the hospital, the two wounded, from Amadora , are in a serious condition the mother was operated on overnight  team of orthopedic surgeons and is at present is in the recovering of the operating room, from where she will be transferred to the Intensive Care Unit . The son, 24, has a slightly worse prognosis than the mother and was also operated upon during the night and now in intensive care.  They are young people but you have to take into account the extended trauma: thoracic, pelvic and lower limbs, during the coming days they would be in a better position to give some certainty in terms of prognosis.

homicide suspect found in a pit

The suspected murderer of a woman, 39, on Fifth Great Path Aviceiro in the early hours of Saturday, was yesterday found dead in a pit inside the house.

Everything points to a case of suicide after the man, aged 45, had killed a neighbour using an ax. The body was discovered inside a pit, about two meters deep in the garage, in the course of investigations conducted by the Judicial Police. The collection of documents and a cell phone belonging to the person together with him in the tank.  The tank was eventually emptied by the series in order to extract the corpse.   In the tank a bottle containing poison was found showing that the individual has ingested poison before falling into well.

Gas explosion at Porto da Cruz

An explosion of two gas cylinders destroyed a store yesterday and caused some cracks in residence at the site of nearby houses, Porto da Cruz, but no injuries. The event happened at 7:00 pm, a group of ten men and four vehicles of firefighters from Machico were at the site, as well as a brigade officer.  It is anticipated that the explosion of the cylinders was caused by overheating, since, according to data collected on site, the brazier made the day before has not been completely erased. This had not been noticed as it was located below the house and the road is not easily seen by local residents due its difficult access (narrow road and steep slope) however, the roar of the explosions came to the attention of most residents in that quiet area

Some articles from Paul :

The last fisherwomen!
“…women with blood in their gills like the fish…..”
An excellent ‘Expresso’ fotogallery. We presume it’s a gallery of fishing professionals in the Nazare area. Link:

Image caption: Women in typical dress and headscarf; Nazaré, Portugal

Jackie Evancho. Expresso reports: Jackie, 10 a mini Susan Boyle? (com vídeo)
youtube video:

Portuguese Miguel Fernandes wins Triathlon gold in youth olympics

Triathlon.competitor.com reports: "Youth Olympic Games bronze medalist Alois Knabl (AUT) edged out the Youth Games champion Aaron Barclay (NZL) in a thrilling finish, claiming the YOG Team Triathlon gold medal for Team Europe 1.

Knabl’s European squad, which included Eszter Dudas (HUN), Miguel Valente Fernandes (POR) and Fanny Beisaron (ISR), clocked the total time of 1:19:51.42, finishing less than four seconds ahead of the Oceania Team, anchored by Barclay." link

Bottlenose dolphins and Bryde’s whales off Calheta coast.

Whale/dolphin-watching boats operating from Calheta marina are spotting Bottlenose dolphins and Bryde’s whales in August 2010

image caption : Bryde’s whale

Second Festa do Marisco, Calheta Town ocean front: 1-5 September

5 nights of entertainment accompanied by local and mainland Portuguese seafood specialists. Be there! Report and overview of 5 night programme:

image caption: Calheta marina from Calheta beach hotel

Thursday’s news stories from Sue :

 Plan to organize and manage Garajau’s Nature Reserve

The Special Plan for Land Use and Management of Natural Reserve Partial Tern is already in place but was approved by the Regional Government, in Parliament, in the last five days and has set up a system safeguard natural resources and values and also a management system compatible with the sustainability and use of the territory.

The plan focuses on the nature reserve at Garajau, which has a total area of 376 hectares and a coastline of about eleven miles.  In the resolution, published in JORAM, states that ‘the interest in the protection, conservation and management of nature reserve at Garajau, is recognised as an area of interest regionally, nationally and internationally determines the need for a Special Plan in order to establish a system of safeguarding natural resources and values and also a management system compatible with sustainable use of the territory.

The law establishes procedures for safeguarding natural resources and values and actions and to promote activities in its area of intervention, to ensure the conservation of nature and biodiversity as well as maintenance and enhancement of natural characteristic of the landscape.  Its objectives are to continue to monitor and protect marine biodiversity, especially species that have high conservation value, continue to improve the scientific understanding of marine areas, to further promote the implementation of research programs in marine habitats and species and develop mechanisms to share information and promote coordination among researchers.

The strategy will include the protection and enhancement of Natural Heritage Reserve and Cultural Heritage Reservation, by promoting the conservation of nature and the planning of recreation and leisure activities.  The only activities that will be allowed in the area are those concerned with nature conservation and biodiversity and enhancement of the specimens, with disclosure and environmental awareness related to research and scientific work.

Prohibited are : harvesting , cutting, capture, killing or possession of copies of living beings and the destruction of their natural habitats , the introduction and stocking of any species not indigenous to the marine flora and fauna ; change the edges of the shoreline ( including landfills ), geological exploration , throwing garbage , or the drainage of domestically used water, noise , over flight of aircraft below 200 meters , installing fish farms , fishing, spear-fishing , use of gill nets , fencing or dragging.

Controlled fires

Fires, yesterday morning, in Barossa, Monte, Funchal, Ribeiro Frio and in Santana, were given at the end of the day as being under control by the corporations of the Municipal Fire Departments of Funchal and Santana.   Moreover, by the evening, firefighters from several corporations stated that those fires that had reignited in Santa Cruz (Águas Mansas), Funchal and in Santana (Ribeiro Frio and Achada do Teixeira) were all under control.  In Funchal, prevention is being guaranteed by the Municipal Fire of Funchal, with several teams and some twenty elements on permanent patrol activities in upland areas of the city. During the morning, the BMF fought rekindled fires in scattered areas in Babosas, Lajinhas (Monte) e Galeão (São Roque), maintaining personal at the sites as a precaution.

Likewise, teams fought re-ignition of this corporation in the Curral dos Romeiros e no Caminho do Meio, near a sports complex.  The fire flared up again yesterday morning in the woods at Ribeiro Frio at 11 hours a team of volunteer firefighters from Santana were mobilised, aided by a self support and an emergency services.   In Achada do Teixeira, prevention was in the care of the Forestry Police as well as another fire recorded in the area of Pico Canário, in a location away from the road.

University of Madeira opens two more technological specialization courses

The University of Madeira announced today that it will open two new Technology Specialisation Courses in the areas of organic farming and environmental management.   In a note released today in Funchal, the University reports that the course in Organic Farming will have a training plan for three semesters and include on the job training in the School of Agriculture of St. Vincent.   As for the Environmental Management will be taught for four semesters after working hours. Those interested should take a course of secondary education or equivalent. They may also apply for or hold a professional qualification level of a technological specialisation diploma or a degree or diploma of higher education and persons aged over 23 years professional experience .

Many thanks to Sue and Paul for sending in contributions for this blog.

One of yesterday’s front page stories in the Diário was about a young man ‘Navarro’ who fell off a wall and broke his back. He only has movement from the neck upwards, and since the accident has spent the last 29 months  in hospital, because of his lack of mobility. He is due to be moved to a care home for old people, but even then he will still be ‘housebound’. He needs desperately an electric wheelchair to give him some mobility. An account in the Bank Montepio has been opened in the hope that the 9 thousand Euros needed to buy the wheelchair can be raised, and the publicity from the Diário will hopefully get this underway. If any readers can help the account (NIB) number is 003601589910006658455.  FULL ARTICLE HERE

Whilst I am surprised that the electric wheelchair will cost so much, as a quick look on the internet reveals there are many that cost far far less, it’s no surprise that Navarro has spent so long without a wheelchair, and possibly without peoples generosity will never get one. It happens a lot, and there are many similar stories that have appeared throughout the years. Personally, I think that it’s a disgrace that the state doesn’t help in these cases where people are born with a disability, or have an accident or illness that leaves them with a serious disability. But it’s a fact. If someone needs such a wheelchair, then they have to come up with the money themselves. Der

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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 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 only send in ‘exceptional’ or very topical photos by email attachment, as they take quite some time to process. Links to photos that are already online take much less time. Anything submitted for inclusion will be ‘cut and pasted’  to the blog very likely unchecked and unaltered, so please check anything through before sending it in, especially ‘automatic translations’, to avoid any ‘afterthoughts’. Blogs will be published when there is sufficient material to make one worthwhile. I can’t always respond to emails, so please accept my thanks in advance, and the attribution on the blog itself. Der.

You can email dermadeira-blog@yahoo.co.uk with any articles etc., but to save time and delays, please use the comments for minor contributions and to ask any questions. Please don’t send in copyrighted / restricted material.

Madeira News Blog / madeira4u © 2007 – 2010 All Rights Reserved

Canon Martin criticises the PSP Machico and speaks of injustice over    the arrest of four youngsters. Community is in turmoil and continuing controversy.
Canon Martin is still on the case in Machico with the subject of four youths who were arrested for allegedly setting fire to an area of Sierra de Agua, in Machico.
The controversy promises to heat up even more, now that the local priest has comes out in defence of the boys and is making fierce criticisms of the PSP.
Relatives of young people and local community are outraged by the actions of the PSP Machico.

Madeiran Shipowner Launches New Containership Service
Luis Miguel Sousa, president of Grupo Sousa, reiterated today the commitment of the group which he chairs "in the sense of serving Madeira and our customers," and to this purpose he justified the acquisition of ‘Funchalense 5′ to "provide the shipping line with larger, the most modern and fastest container ship in the Portuguese merchant marine, becoming the leaders of a regular shipping service”.
This Madeiran owner, says he knows "the meaning and importance to an island region of the existence of a regional shipping line , who will understand the Island’s problems and respond positively to the difficulties that often arise. We take this responsibility with pride and tell President of the Regional Government of Madeira our complete commitment to serve the Island of Madeira " .
The inauguration ceremony was presided over by the President of the Regional Government, Alberto João Jardim, also a stand in for Alfred Hitchcock, who praised the Group Sousa and particularly businessman Luis Miguel Sousa, not only for his financial investment, but also for the "excellent climate of employment relationships, which are always a hallmark standard within this company "." You have installed in our youth a new vision of trade relations and have established a climate of trust among all members of staff from the senior administrator to the humblest worker which makes this group of companies, Group Sousa, a standard bearer in the field of labour relations, "he said.

Fires: Government creates finance for private owners.      Special program for properties affected by the fires gives financial support amounting to 95 and 100% of their value.
The Regional Secretary for the Environment and Natural Resources is already on the ground carrying out surveys to affected farms and forestry.
A special program to reforest private land affected by the fires has just been created by the Regional Government.
This program is reflected in concessions to private forest owners, giving financial support of 100%, for the  investment needed to reforest privately owned areas.
The announcement was made  at a press conference, held by the Regional Secretary for the Environment and Natural Resources (SRARN), "the first business day after the fires" that broke out last Friday.  Under the initave, owners of affected farms  will be entitled to financial support, also  for replacement of damaged equipment – plants, trees, animals, machines, barns or warehouses – amounting to 95% of investment involved.
The money comes from the fund PRODEEM – Rural Development Programme for the Autonomous Region of Madeira – provided for eventualities such as the recovery of agricultural land after forest fires.
Those interested should contact the departments of SRARN located in  municipal councils and agricultural supply centre. It should be noted that requests for support require documentation of loss and damage caused by fires.

Porto Santo was in the dark for 20 minutes.       ‘Blackout’ happened around 10pm.
The island of Porto Santo was in the dark for about 20 minutes last night. A power black-out was suspected to have been caused by some equipment failure. At about 10pm a large noise was heard by witnesses, which could have been the cause of this power outage. The Journal tried to contact the Electricity Company of Madeira to find out the causes of the problem, but the technicians of MES referred us to the company’s management for an explanation about what happened.

LEVADEIRO FIRERISER ARRESTED. A 54 year old man, who works as a Levadeiro, was arrested on Saturday by the Judicial Police. He is suspected of having started the fire which began at a site in Eira do Serrado.
The suspect will be presented today to the Court for a preliminary judicial interrogation when a decision will be made about the charges he faces.
The fire from Eira do Serrado spread to surrounding hills and reached districts of Funchal, Camara de Lobos and Santana, consuming an area of approximately 6,000 hectares.

Photo from Pete : "Fire spotted near Funchal football stadium".

News from Martin :

JSD-M CHALLENGENES YOUNG PEOPLE TO BECOME ENTREPRENEURS
Young people should be more entrepreneurial and seize  opportunities. They should make the present crisis an open door  to a better future.  Basically these are the ideas advocated by the Social Democratic Youth of Madeira.  After an intense week of activities covering several areas of Madeiran political and social life, entrepreneurship was the theme chosen to end a week of visits, ideas and proposals.
In the realm of entrepreneurship, JSD-M understands that there are obstacles and difficulties, but urges young people to leave their fear behind them and accept the uncertain future.  To do this,  the youth of the PSD entrepreneurs will be expected to venture out and  not give up before the first problems.  JSD believes that there are worthwhile challenges especially for the least wealthy, those who do not expect a cheque at the end of the month. In a crisis scenario such as that now live, being an entrepreneur can be an opportunity that JSD advises young people to grasp. And it promises awareness of support tools that might be useful to those who accept the challenge of, for example, to create their own jobs.
For this morning’s debate the JSD-Madeira invited Miguel Pina Martins, a 25-year-old native of Setubal, who has been distinguished by the European Commission as the "Entrepreneur of the Year 2010" for the Company Science4you,  designing  scientific toys .  This award is nationally recognized  and likewise in selected international markets.

News from Sue :

Estalagem Eira do Serrado and SPAD were evacuated

Fire and falling stones frighten the population

Yesterday was marked by the large fires in the hills between the areas Curral das Freiras, Câmara de Lobos, and Santo Antonio, Funchal, which resulted in a dense cloud of smoke over the city. The fire started late on Thursday on the slopes of Eira do Serrado , but in the early hours of yesterday , about six hours , triggered fires in Curral das Freiras.

Around 12 o’clock yesterday, the access road to the Estalagem da Eira do Serrado was cut by the PSP, because of fire and falling rocks.   An hour earlier, the tourists who were staying at that hotel, which was full, had been evacuated, leaving only the officers and employees. The fire surrounded the tourism area which was being monitored by the Municipal Fire and Volunteers of Funchal. Later, everyone had to leave.

During the morning, the fire consumed the forest and the role of fire prevention with ten firefighters, two tanks and a self- car first-aid forest, so that the fire did not pass to the bottom of the road.   In the afternoon with the increase of wind, the soldiers da Paz had to intervene given the large scale of the fire. Still, there were some drivers who criticized the delay in the arrival of the fire service put out the fire but it should be mentioned that the fire broke out in areas with difficult access.

The mid-afternoon yesterday, the smoke in Curral das Freiras was intense and suffocating, causing many people to leave the parish. The PSP has cut the entry, but house people who wished to remain were allowed to do so. 

The flames reached the site of Vasco Gil and also forced the Society for the Protection of Animals evacuate the 141 animals that shelters , taking them to the old slaughterhouse buildings and called for the adoption.

Serra do Campanário burns. A fire in the Campanário mountains scared the population of the site Terreiros in Ribeira Brava. The proximity of the fire to the huts and houses made some residents fear the worst.  People were alarmed by the intensity of the wind that was increasing the early afternoon and could change the course of the fire nearing to their homes. The fire fighter who was near the houses had ensured them that the situation was controlled.

Government has used all available to fight the fires

The fire which started at Eira do Serrado quickly spread to the hills of Santo Antonio, San Roque and Monte. The firefighters had their hands full even with the help of all the corporations in Madeira who moved into the affected areas. There were some people who had to leave their homes, as happened in the Caminho dos Lombos, due to the proximity of the flames, but especially due to the toxic fumes.

The regional secretary for Social Affairs, Ramos Jardim, and the Environment and Natural Resources , Manuel Antonio Correia, accompanied by the Regional Director of Forestry, visited the at risk , first Camacha then in Funchal.
Everywhere people could be found on the streets, some contemplating  the scene of  ‘Dante’s Inferno’ , others worried about going home to dampen down the surrounding areas, whilst  others put in clothes and belongings into cars, preparing for an eventual  evacuation. On the streets, Red Cross personnel, was appealing to people to drink liquids.

In Monte, last evening, the scene was disturbing. Quinta do Terreiro da Luta, for example, where the flames passed within a few feet and they were receiving instructions over the phone.   One of the priorities at that time was the Estação da Alegria, which came within a few feet of the fire. At 21:00 hours, the two leaders were there to monitor the work of protection of this important infrastructure.

Another was the Hospital of Marmeleiros. The regional secretary for Social Affairs explained that the whole area around it had been dampened down and the devices were installed were permanently in place to prevent the flames reaching there.
Speaking to journalists, the regional secretary for the Environment explained that several fires were active at the same time, a situation that led to natural difficulties. The flames were spread by wind gusts.   Manuel Antonio Correia appealed for people to be careful and not walk through the mountains but assured everything was being done to protect the people first and their property. He had also been in the area of Camacha where there were difficult situations, but they were already being monitored.

Pics from Pete :

News stories from Martin :

POLICE HAVE IDENTIFIED SUSPECTS WHO HAVE SET FIRES
Despite the sensitive nature, the regional secretary of the Environment assures that suspects have been identified raising the fires occurring in the mountains of Madeira.
Manuel Antonio Correia alleges that the Forestry Police, whose first priority was to help fight the fire, has collected evidence at several locations and all the information sent to the Judicial Police. After all, as the minister responsible has said it is a crime punishable by imprisonment, something that should not be forgotten by those who had responsibility for setting the fires.

ESTRALEGEM AND SPAD EVACUATED. Fire and Falling Stones frighten.
The day yesterday was marked by the great fire in the hills between the village of Nun’s Valley, in Camara de Lobos, and Santo António, which resulted in a dense cloud of smoke over the Funchal. The fire started late on Thursday on the slopes of Eira do Serrado, but in the early hours of Friday, about six o’clock, also began on the slopes of the Nun’s Valley.
Around 12 o’clock Friday, the access road to the Inn of Eira do Serrado was closed by the PSP, because of fire and falling rocks. An hour earlier, the tourists who were staying at that hotel, had been evacuated, leaving only the officers and employees. The fire surrounded the hotel area which was being monitored by the Funchal Municipal Fire Volunteers. Later, everyone had to leave.
During the morning, the fire consumed the forest and ten firefighters, two water tanks, controlled the blaze so that the fire did not pass to the bottom of the road. In the afternoon with the increase of wind intensity, they had to intervene given the large size of the fire .There were some drivers who criticized the delay in the fire service putting out the fire. However, the fire had broken out in areas with difficult access.
In the Nun’s Valley, some people feared the fall of stones and the advance of the fire. Rubina Aguiar was sitting with his family in his home near the regional access road, and confessed to our newspaper "I was already intrigued why this year there had been no fire." Whilst we were talking with this family, there was a great noise on the hills of falling rocks, dislodged by the fire.
The mid-afternoon Friday, the smoke in the Nun’s Valley was intense and suffocating, causing many people to evacuate out of the area. The PSP had cut the road access, but let out people who so wished . The flames reached the site of Vasco Gil and also forced the Society for the Protection of Animals to evacuate the 141 animals it shelters, taking them to a disused slaughterhouse and called for people to adopt the animals.

Many thanks to Martin, Sue and Pete for sending in a contribution(s) for this blog.

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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 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 only send in ‘exceptional’ or very topical photos by email attachment, as they take quite some time to process. Links to photos that are already online take much less time. Anything submitted for inclusion will be ‘cut and pasted’  to the blog very likely unchecked and unaltered, so please check anything through before sending it in, especially ‘automatic translations’, to avoid any ‘afterthoughts’. Blogs will be published when there is sufficient material to make one worthwhile. I can’t always respond to emails, so please accept my thanks in advance, and the attribution on the blog itself. Der.

You can email dermadeira-blog@yahoo.co.uk with any articles etc., but to save time and delays, please use the comments for minor contributions and to ask any questions. Please don’t send in copyrighted / restricted material.

Madeira News Blog / madeira4u © 2007 – 2010 All Rights Reserved

More news from Sue :

Deadly fires rage on in Portugal

Portuguese fire fighters are continuing to battle dozens of forest fires that are sweeping through the country and have killed two of their colleagues.

50 fires are burning in central and northern parts of the country, according to the Reuters news agency.  The country’s civil defence agency says that 1,500 fire fighters have been mobilised to tackle the blazes.  Around 18,000 hectares (44,500 acres) of forests and bush land are now believed to have been affected.  Temperatures in some areas were forecast to reach 40C (104 degrees Fahrenheit).

Portugal’s only national park – the Peneda-Geres National Park in the north-west of the country – is one of the areas under threat.  Earlier this month the civil defence services registered 1,000 new fires over a single weekend, a record high for the year.

Trapped by flames

The fire fighting attempt has been hampered by strong winds that have whipped up the fires.  Portuguese civil protection officials say a female fire fighter died after being trapped by flames in Gondomar region.  In a separate incident, a fireman was killed after his vehicle fell into a burning ravine in the mountainous Sao Pedro do Sul area.

The current fires are the latest to have hit Portugal in recent years.  In 2006, six fire fighters were killed whilst tackling a wildfire in the centre of the country and in 2003, 18 people were killed in fires described as "the worst in living memory".

Debut articles (I think) from Martin :

Economic News : Law that cuts the amount of salt in bread enters into effect.

As of the 12th of August, Portuguese bread is required to contain less salt, with the entry into force of a law hailed by doctors and public health experts but that raises several doubts.
The new law sets a maximum of 1.4 grams of salt per 100 grams of bread and requires that labels on the packaging of pre-packaged foods provide information about the relative and absolute amount of salt in the container, as a percentage of the product and per serving or portion.
Bread manufacturers and bakers regret that the law leaves out products such as breakfast cereals and accuse the government of failing to give support to the sector.

POLICE “SLOPE TO THE WALL” A DOZEN SUSPECTS
A man was yesterday morning, arrested for drug possession in a police operation carried out by elements of the Police Station of Funchal and the Rapid Intervention Brigade (BIR), around the Farmers’ Market, an official source confirmed within the Public Security Police. In this action, targeting locations notorious for drug trafficking, a quantity of heroin was seized amounting to about 50 doses. The commissioner Adelino Pepper said. "It was a routine activity in the vicinity of the Farmers’ Market in Funchal city centre, near the Larguinho, the Fair and the Largo do Pelourinho, where about a dozen individuals were subjected to a search (slope to the wall?) as is usual in actions of this type. The person arrested in possession of the quantity of drugs, was caught by police in Largo do Pelourinho, which led to the Regional Command presenting the accused to the Court. During this activity conducted by the Regional Command other individuals were detained for purposes of identification. One was detained for possession of a portion of the drug in quantities for personal consumption, which called for his referral to the Commission for the Deterrence of Addiction.

MAJOR POLICE OPERATION AT THE PORT OF FUNCHAL.
The newspaper knows of at least one taxi driver being arrested for being in possession of a weapon and that the PSP booked offenders for lack of legal documentation. A major traffic enforcement action started early in the morning, with about 30 bods from the Public Security Police, the Department of Immigration and people representing Tourism, in the main streets of Funchal concentrating on the access roads to the port of Funchal.
The reporter followed the “Stop” operations that focused on dozens of taxis, coaches and 4wd vehicles promoting their activities, and some of the ‘time-share’ sales characters all geared up to cruise ship passengers .
From 6 o’clock in the morning, the Regional Command of the PSP launched their operation at the roundabouts of Sá Carneiro and Ribeiro Seco with their highly visible equipment and counted on the back-up of deterrents such as a car “tow-away” trailer and the uniformed members of the Rapid Intervention Brigade.
Tour guide’s transportation licences, business licenses, liability insurance certificates, including copies of their legal and mandatory periodic inspections, were some of the documents most requested by the PSP in this major operation, which also included inspection of the interiors of vehicles.
Police found that many items required to be present were missing and it was noted for their records.
The Journal knows that at least one taxi driver was arrested for being in possession of a weapon. The driver was travelling with this dangerous weapon in the boot of his taxi.
Police action has since been extended to the Avenida do Mar, Avenida Sá Carneiro and Avenida do Infante, showing the PSP are going to be especially firm with regard to frequent transgressions,such as stopping in areas reserved for local parking or in the bus stop bays.
The Journal also found that these combined efforts are being mounted as the result of complaints made by various tour operators regarding how cluttered the port area becomes as some taxi companies and others promoting the tourism industry, hassle the tourists at the port of Funchal. .
The station on Avenida Sá Carneiro, where there are bus bays, is also a concern for the PSP.
This huge police operation is still going on along the streets of Funchal. Results of the ongoing police operation will be announced later in the day by the regional command

More news from Sue :

PSP identifies suspects in raids in the streets of downtown Funchal

Police handcuffed four people near a bar in the Largo do Pelourinho taking them into police custody for questioning

Police action triggered this morning in areas connoted with drug trafficking was far from discreet although it was said that it was a routine activity in this vicinity.  Quantities of heroin (about 50 doses) were confiscated and several found to be in possession.

As part of an ongoing criminal investigation , officers of the squadron PSP Funchal supported by elements of the Rapid Intervention Brigade , carried out raids around 9.30am on several individuals in Larguinho da Feira , next to the Farmers’ Market.

Later, just before the 13 hours, another raid was made on four individuals in an alleged criminal act at a bar in Largo do Pelourinho. All were handcuffed and searched, and taken in police escort to Funchal.

New PDM will the meeting end of September

The Master Plan for the City of Santa Cruz will be released from various constraints to investment, and its initial draft should be ready by the end of September ready for a regular meeting of the municipality.

The president José Alberto Gonçalves ensured that the law would not put into question the future of the county.  The document will be encouraging investment and development, and stressed that the MDP was in the process of collecting opinions from various outside entities involved. The next step following the meeting at the end of September will is the instigation of a Board meeting to drawn up the pre-planning stage.  The mayor said it was necessary to adapt the Municipal Master Plan to the current situation, correcting procedures, particularly in terms of plots and green areas, the criteria must be better defined.   However, at the next public meeting on September 2, the level of urbanization of Santa Cruz will be taken to debate and vote that would complete the phase of public discussion and the final report would be sent to the appropriate authorities.

According to information the next ‘Flash Mob ‘ in Funchal will be held on September 3

It is scheduled for September 3 at 13.30 , but the location of the second ‘Flash Mob Funchal ‘is the big surprise’ of the event organized by ACIF through the project ‘+ Trade ‘.

Rehearsals begin on Saturday (August 14) at 11am in the Square of ACIF. The remaining trials are scheduled for 21 and August 28 at the same time.

Stinkbug attacks the beaches of Porto Santo

Millions of small insects yesterday took up residence with thousands of people on the beach and other public spaces making it unbearable, either by the odor that insects expel, or its sting that resulted in some cases.

Nationals and residents on the island were not surprised by the return of the bedbug – smelling, best known as green -bug or ‘ monk ‘ but were surprised by their presence in hot and humid days as this was unusual, especially when there was no wind.

Although most of the bugs to be phytophagous, or feed on juice obtained from plants, like sap, some are nevertheless hematófafos, depending on their food they get from the blood when they bite an animal or even humans.

The presence of millions of these bugs leads to the inevitable contact with the humans as thousands were on terrace tables, umbrellas and of course do not you any peace and when it is crushed, the odor is more intense, because the ‘ monk ‘ expels odor very aggressive and very troublesome.  When the wind returns the plague will tend to disappear with the same ease with which it appeared.

Could not believe this we had them in the South of France they are harmless but disgusting and you automatically want to ‘swat’ them – don’t – the smell is horrible – reminders for those little boys at school who had ‘stink bombs’.

Cars vandalized at a business park

Seven cars with broken windows, unlocked and dented

During the night from Monday to Tuesday at least seven cars were vandalized in the parking lots located outdoors within the Calheta Business Park, something that gives entrepreneurs to increase their speculation that the security inside this space is insufficient. Only one camera unit is placed on a metal pole at the entrance of the park, with the aggravated circumstance of the gate being open 24 hours.  The estimated loss in accordance with the son of the owner of the company will be around 5-6 thousand. Bruno Fernandes, driver for Rally Trophy Yaris, fears that the insurance will not pay damages within the workshop, since the cars were not in the company space, and excluded, for now, any act of reprisal or settling of accounts that may be behind these acts.

The Public Security Police sent an officer to take account of the occurrence, but some of the affected owners have come to question authority, as it was not helpful to have the presence of PJ as they cannot gather more accurate data, especially at the level of fingerprints.   The Journal also tried to learn from Ricardo Moran, president of the Madeira Business Park, whether the means of surveillance available at the Calheta were sufficient, but their efforts were fruitless.   Information from the EPC stated that "the president is on vacation.

Well Uncle Albert did say he had no intention of answering the telephone and the others in charge should take action – it seems they didn’t want to and he has only be gone a couple of days.

The return of the British

There was an increased number of passengers in July compared to the same month last year.  According to data made available by Madeira airport, there was an additional 1.2 percent, which translates into more than 2601 passengers, who pass from 214,932 in July 2009 to 217,533 in the same period this year.

The paper continues to give various statistics the worst one concerning Porto Santo whose results on balance reflect a loss of 21.1% representing a decrease in passengers by 7857.

Anyone interested to the detailed statistics they can be found in the Journal da Madeira.

The districts of Ribeira Brava and Câmara de Lobos confirmed yesterday the outbreak of three fires starting during the night and morning.  One of the fires was small and was limited to burning weeds on the site of Mercy in Canhas this began shortly after two in the morning and was extinguished by 3:23 a.m. The Fire Department of Ribeira Brava (BVRB) sent three men and a heavy car to extinguish this fire.

A little later, in the same county, the corporation was again called to attend to a fire that destroyed the forest area, the site of Ribeira Funda. It was 7:52 a.m. when a team of BVRB came out for this incident and 8:49 a.m. when the fire was listed as extinct.  The third incident started at 8:51 a.m., the corporation has sent three men and a heavy car to fight a forest fire at the site of Terreiros (Campanário).

A fourth incendiary started in the municipality of Câmara de Lobos at three in the morning and it was fought by 12 men and three vehicles of volunteer firefighters from Câmara de Lobos. The fire was extinguished at about 19 hours.

Lido closes doors as of today

Starting to-day , the lido swimming complex has been closed to the public, due to non-payment of rent and the cancellation of the last two catering concessions who had worked on the terrace above thus there is no justification that the complex remain open .

The Vice-Chairman of the Board ensured that the decision had not been taken lightly and regretted the loss of jobs incurred.  The Lido would not open its doors after restoration due to the lack of funding that the Board needs and in addition the funds from the Media Law had also not been paid to the municipality.

Fire Ladders not High Enough

The Regional Office of Civil Protection is preparing to purchase two fire ladders essential in fighting a fire or other emergency situations in high rise buildings. Currently the region does not have this equipment and its acquisition is considered a priority by the Madeira.

One of 50 meters will be purchased and installed in Funchal by the end of this year or early next, the other one of 30 meters will be installed in the Santa Cruz/Machico region and should be available in September or October (they didn’t say what year!).

There is also an aim to increase the operational capability of the protection and defense against forest fires based on fire brigades in the region, with the purchase of nine vehicles to be used in a heavy type of terrain.  These will form an emergency room which have already been delivered to Sao Vicente and Porto Moniz and Santana where they are now equipped with a tank capacity of approximately three thousand gallons of water and 100 liters of foam. The cost of the project amounted to 1.44 million.  All corporations were covered in Madeira; Porto Santo is the only one remaining outside.

Two earthquakes off the coast of Madeira

The Institute of Meteorology recorded last Saturday, two earthquakes off the coast of Madeira. The first occurred in the sea north of Machico and had an intensity of 2.3 and the second happened east of Porto Santo and with a magnitude of 2.4. Neither one nor the other was felt on land.  Last month six small earthquakes were recorded in the area of the Atlantic, all of small magnitude.

Ultraviolet radiation level with ‘Extreme ’til Wednesday

Up until Wednesday Funchal will register the highest level of ultraviolet radiation.  According to the Meteorology Institute this Monday, Funchal has a level of 12 today (Tuesday) decreasing to 11 on Wednesday.  These levels are considered ‘Extreme ‘.  There for the Institute recommends that between the hours of 1200-1700 sun exposure should be avoided and people are advised to spend the day at home. 

To the best of my knowledge the scale goes up to 16 – so it is high!  So be careful.

Victory for Freddy Loix. Freddy Loix together with his team celebrated the Belgian in the 51st edition of the Madeira Wine Rally .  Freddy Loix finished the race in 03:08:14, 3, 37.8 seconds faster than second-placed Jan Kopecký.  Skoda took the first three places on the podium when Juho Hänninen was ranked third.

Miguel Nunes, ended up in fourth place with 1:48, 0 more than third place. Thus the driver increased his regional rally championship lead.   Miguel Nunes who competed with a Peugeot engine leased to Portugal because his had engine problems before the race, he wants to solve the problem of the engine in order to be 100 % for the National Rally. The rented engine was returned on Sunday.

Executives of Government to take Decisions

On the eve of President Jardim’s vacation in Porto Santo he admitted that he was extremely tired.  In a year that was marked by the storm on 20 February and the following work that ensued he was taking his holiday and would not be answering the telephone whilst on holiday.  Those in charge should make the decisions.  Good old Uncle Albert you tell them!

Son of Madeiran kidnapped in Venezuela

A young 20 year old son of immigrants from Campanário was abducted on Saturday morning in Caracas, is surrounded by mystery and intrigue.  The victim, Alberto da Silva was released after contact with the Police at dawn yesterday near a shopping mall in the state of Miranda.  According to Venezuelan media, however, the family has until today to pay the ransom demanded by kidnappers.

The Venezuelan media report that in the first contact with the family, the kidnappers have demanded a ransom of half a million Bolivars (approximately 87,500 Euros). Subsequently, the amount was reduced to one fifth of the value (100 000 (close to 17 500 Euros). The couple has been threatened with death if no payment of the sum demanded.

Yesterday, police in Caracas gathered information on the identity of the kidnappers and any places where the young Luso -descendants have been taken. According to the Venezuelan press the family is in contact with the police, but there were fears of further developments in the case. The authorities have assured continuation of investigations to identify the authors of the kidnapping but declined to give details of the case.

Louis Smith wins Cocktail Contest

Louis Soares, from the Quinta do Lago, was the winner of cocktail festival, whose challenge in the competition was the use of sugar- cane from Madeira.  Second place went to Sonia Rodriguez, from the Quinta das Vistas and the third place went to  Cristina Pimenta from the School of Hospitality and Tourism Madeira.

This contest closed the fifteenth edition of Machico Gastronomy Week yesterday but I am sure the drinking and dancing continued late into the night.

35 Children Participated in Sand Building at Praia Formosa.

(I found this quite amazing when you think of the seaside sand castles that are built in the UK! – they did call it sand building – but !!!)

Pedro Augusto Silva, 12, student at the Salesian School , was the winner of ‘ Building on Sand 2010 ‘ , organized by Diário de Notícias in Lisbon and Funchal by the company Ocean Front .  In took place in the late morning of Saturday , at Formosa Beach, 35 competitors took part aged between 6 and 14 years , separated into two categories according to age  and an allotted time of 45 minutes.

Ricardo Nunes, director of  Ocean Front, Funchal is already thinking about next year but intends to make a schedule change to encourage more participants in the late afternoon rather than the late morning.

From Anneke, by email :

Last month I went to The Hague, my native town. I had to be there for a concert and farewell party of the conductor of The Hofstads Jeugdorkest. It is a Youth Orchestra. I have played in. It is the biggest (250 members) and oldest Youth Orchestra (1923) of the world.

Before the concert I went to the exposition Wild Wonders of Europe. I had only 1 hour time. That was much to short to see everything. I took some pictures and have put them on Flickr.

The pictures are really stunning. Many you can see on LINK. The country map of Portugal you see on LINK

Two pictures are taken on the Desertas and the Azores, the last two in the gallerie on Flickr.  

There were 100 pictures to see, but I couldn’t take pictures of all. Also the quality of the pictures are not optimal because I have no digital camera. I had to scan them.

This exposition was first mentioned on the blog on June 14.

I advice you if you can go to this exposition it is it really worth going to.

Groetjes, Anneke.

Many thanks to Sue, Martin, Pete and Anneke for sending in a contribution(s) for this blog.

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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 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 only send in ‘exceptional’ or very topical photos by email attachment, as they take quite some time to process. Links to photos that are already online take much less time. Anything submitted for inclusion will be ‘cut and pasted’  to the blog very likely unchecked and unaltered, so please check anything through before sending it in, especially ‘automatic translations’, to avoid any ‘afterthoughts’. Blogs will be published when there is sufficient material to make one worthwhile. I can’t always respond to emails, so please accept my thanks in advance, and the attribution on the blog itself. Der.

You can email dermadeira-blog@yahoo.co.uk with any articles etc., but to save time and delays, please use the comments for minor contributions and to ask any questions. Please don’t send in copyrighted / restricted material.

Madeira News Blog / madeira4u © 2007 – 2010 All Rights Reserved

It seems that nothing can prevent the first win for Freddy Loix in Madeira. The Belgian part of the Skoda Fabia ended the last stage 21.1 seconds ahead of Kris Meeke and, under normal circumstances; successful is in his pocket, when followed through 7.1. Loix seconds, opened the door wide for a victory for the men of Skoda. The second (third in the standings) is that Jan Kopecky has English Kris Meeke in only 1.1 seconds away, so the Polish mark may well dream of a "doubling up" on the roads of Madeira. All in with a fight that will be a major source of entertainment for today.

Hospital de Dia Hemato -Oncology Department is now up and running. The total cost amounted to EUR 666 000.

The new premises in the Hospital de Dia for Hemato -Oncology , Hospital Central do Funchal will be visited by the regional secretary for Social Affairs next Monday , August 9 , at 12 hours.  In addition to these services, one of considerable assistance will be space in the new premises for Pharmaceutical Services, on an outpatient basis and delivery of drugs to cancer patients in the new area.

Heliport will be installed at the landfill. Government House and responsible for the company operating the helicopter this afternoon visited the landfill shipping

Santos Costa hypothesis does not rule out construction of a dockable port for cruise ships, but it all depends on the study of tides, which is still ongoing.  The heliport is the first post provided with equipment for the landfill of Funchal. The platform will be located temporarily in an area easily accessible to the Avenida do Mar, in front of Customs.  The conclusion was advanced this week by the regional secretary, a visit that left the deputy mayor of Funchal responsible for the company operating the helicopter.

Since the floods of February 20 destroyed the heliport near the Funchal Naval Club, the unit has used the Field Army (Support Unit of the Military Zone of Madeira), Sao Martinho, developing there, temporarily, tourism and recreation. Hence the need to find a solution. However, the installation of the helipad at the site lacks wave of opinions, including the INAC (National Institute of Civil Aviation).

Secretary Santos Costa says the study on the funds and the tides is still ongoing, but did not discard the possibility of there being built a dockable port for cruise ships, where the technical reports show that the harbour basin is able to accommodate the draft of packets with the accumulation of sediments from the rivers and the action of the sea.  Moreover, he reiterated that the urbanization plan for the landfill (which hosted several tons of material dragged by the flood of February) provides a playground and recreation with some services, even the installation of a free trade area, but covers only one or two kiosks and nothing more.

Youth Week joins 700

Music, literature, collectors and fashion animate 2010 edition

Event started Thursday with the presentation of the book “Raising Smiles ".   There are about 700 young people participating in the 2010 edition of the Youth Week.  The launch of five fairy tales marks the started Thursday, at 17h30, at Golden Gate Café, the event is promoted by the Regional Secretariat of Human Resources.  Entitled ‘ Raising Smiles ‘, the book includes the participation of the regional secretary for Education, Francisco Fernandes and the Social Democrat Sidónio Fernandes.

In addition to the literature, Youth Week, taking place until 12th of this month, marks the return of hip -hop, and Collectibles Fair Market Used Book This year two thousand copies available.  Fashion will closed the 2010 edition of Youth Week, with a walk in the Municipal Gardens, a project of Expressarte promoted in partnership with Modage and D’ Diarte.

This is a little late for the beginning of the festivities, only found out this morning.

The 2010 edition of the Madeira Wine Rally began yesterday with a league – show on Avenida do Mar, before thousands of people. Kris Meeke (Peugeot 207 S2000) is the first leader of the race, to be the fastest on the track of 2.18 miles in downtown Funchal which opened a successful passage through the Sá Carneiro roundabout. The only three -hundredths behind was the Portuguese Bruno Magalhaes ( Peugeot 207 S 2000) that left Jan Kopecky ( Skoda Fabia S 2000 ) in the last podium position . Amongst the Madeirans Bernardo Sousa (seventh) was the best while Miguel Nunes (10th overall) won the lead among the riders who compete for regional championship.
Today is the second step of a total of twelve stages divided into two sections with passages by the Golf Course, Terriers, Serra d’ Agua, Bonaventure, Santana and Referta.

Death in sea off the Praia do Vigário

A young woman around 30 years, whose identity has not yet been disclosed, died yesterday, late afternoon, in Praia do Vicar, in Câmara de Lobos. She was apparently accompanied by two minor who were apparently her daughters, one of whom was about 5 years had already been warned. A Local lifeguard suspected something was wrong and entered the water and rescued the body and on the beach tried resuscitation but there was nothing they could do.

Traffic disruption on highway 9-12

The Vialitoral – Madeira Road Concessions , sent a notice to JM yesterday , informing us that users of the highway Airport/ Funchal that traffic would be temporary disrupted between 9-12 August between 18.1 kilometers and 18.9 , for repair and resurfacing between the tunnels of the Botanical Garden of the Ribeira de João Gomes. The company, in the same document thanked users for their understanding of any inconvenience that might be caused and also requested that they comply with signs and directions that will be given on site. It also recommended the users transiting this area comply with the recommended speeds, avoiding at all costs, lack of attention by observing the work and leading to slowing of traffic and even accidents.

Cane sugar is going to cocktail in Machico

The Machico Gastronomy Week, which started on 30 July, will on Sunday, August 8, hold a contest for cocktails made with cane sugar from Madeira. The contest is organized by the Association of Barmen Madeira and has the support of the Regional Agriculture and Rural Development. There are twenty, the bartenders who will participate in the initiative, and they will present their creations to a panel appointed for this purpose. According to the Regional Agriculture and Rural Development, the juice of cane sugar has been highly praised by the general public and the bartenders especially considering that these professionals will be serving cold drinks during this hot period. Note that the bartenders, who will participate in this contest to be held on the last day of Machico Gastronomy Week, are provided by the best hotels and bars in the region, as underlined by the Regional Agriculture and Rural Development. The competition in question is part of the campaign being undertaken called the “Healthy Flavour of Madeira in 2010”. The aroma, taste and appearance of the drink will be the criteria used by jury members to choose the best cocktail.

Carreiras – the aftermath of the Fire

Carreiras in the parish of Camacha is now in the aftermath of the fire that consumed grass and trees. The fire broke out about 14.oo hours on Wednesday and revived during the night.

Ten elements of the Municipal Fire in Santa Cruz, divided into two groups, gave response and remained in place in case of another re-ignition.

529 stray dogs in two months

The crisis explains this is caused by lack of money to care and treat them

This is the worst summer ever in terms of abandoned animals. In two months and three days, overcrowded Protection Society received 529 dogs. The clinical director of that institution admits sadness at seeing that this especially after much work to raise awareness and the numbers are disappointing. In June, SPAD received 246 animals, in July 261, and in just three days this month August there were 22 animals collected. All in all, 529 dogs were abandoned in the space of 64 days. Not to mention those who do not reach the SPAD and every day they are left to their fate in various parts of the island some people even give the animals because they have no money to maintain them others hand them in due to breaking condominium rules. There are also those who abandon the sick, because they have no money for treatment. It is noted that, increasingly, the dogs that arrive in SPAD are not stray dogs, but dogs that were cherished and cared for. They have the hair in good condition, are well fed, but their owners were caught by the contingencies of life which puts them into a difficult situation.

Despite the discouragement, SPAD ensures that they will not give up. The institution is overcrowded, but built more than eight additional cages in the kennel Vasco Gil and they are already full.

Consulate in Jersey donates 13,000 Euros for victims of the storm

The Consulate of Portugal in St. Helier, Jersey, UK, donated to Cáritas Diocesan 13.820.20 Euros to Funchal. The funds will be used to support victims of the storm of February 20, stated the Camera.

August is the month of the biggest popular religious festival in the Madeira Islands – Monte religious festivity. Make a point, too, of visiting the regional festivals and traditional arraiais (country fairs) with their music and popular appeal, which are a typical form of merrymaking for people throughout the Autonomous Region of Madeira.

From 2 to 5 September

The Wine Festival relives the time-honoured traditions of the Madeiran population surrounding the production of this exquisite wine.

The programme of events begins on 29 August in the amphitheatre of the Municipal Gardens in Funchal with European Folklore Week, an event organised by a local folklore group with support from the Regional Secretariat of Tourism and Transport which attracts folklore groups to the Region from various countries.
The remaining activities take place in the centre of Funchal and in the parish of Estreito de Câmara de Lobos where, at 10 am on 4 September, the picking of the grapes takes place, followed by the pickers’ parade and the treading of the grapes. All this is complemented by musical entertainment and typical Madeiran food and drink.
From 2-5 September in Funchal, there are exhibitions and plant canvases (vertical gardens) on the theme of Madeira wine, as well as performances by folklore groups and brass bands.

From 6 to 10 August

Between 6-10 August, the picturesque village of Camacha hosts the 22^nd Art Festival, entitled “Art Camacha 2010”, a festival wholly devoted to local traditions.

Organised by Camacha Community Centre, the 22^nd edition of the Festival features a wide variety of cultural, craft and musical activities provided by brass bands, various ethnic music groups that together compose the 1^st Macaronesia Ethnic Music Festival, various folklore groups and other groups performing different musical styles: Hip-hop, Rock, Fado or classical music. For those interested in handicrafts, there will also be a Crafts Fair and a Madeiran Embroidery Workshop.

From 14 to 15 August
This is considered the main religious festivity in the region and it is also commemorated around the world, wherever Madeiran immigrants can be found. The Church “Igreja da Nossa Senhora do Monte”, (Our Lady of the Mount), built in honour to the patron saint of Madeira, is very popular with pilgrims, who come here to pray or fulfil vows.

This festival is regarded as the biggest display of popular religious devotion in the entire Region, and is also commemorated in all parts of the world where Madeiran emigrants have settled.
The Church of Our Lady of Monte, the patron saint of the island of Madeira, houses the tomb of the last Austro-Hungarian emperor, Karl I of Habsburg, who was beatified in 2004. The church is visited by many pilgrims at this time of year who come there to pray or fulfil vows.
There is a great fairground atmosphere during the two days of the festival that turns the romantically picturesque village of Monte into one of the liveliest places on the island of Madeira.

From 24 to 29 August
Organised by the Centro Treino Mar, the 19^th Round Madeira by Canoe will be held this year on 24-29 August.

The race, which is an international event of the Portuguese Canoeing Federation (F.P.C.) and the International Canoeing Federation (I.C.F.), is known for its extreme difficulty as well as the natural beauty of the Madeiran coastline.
The race covers 141 km in 9 laps, making a complete circumnavigation of the island.
For more information visit www.madeiraemcanoa.com

August, 28th

On 28 August, the town of Ponta do Sol will play host to nearly a dozen folklore groups from different parts of Portugal and other countries such as Venezuela and Russia which will parade and perform on Avenida 1º Maio in a musical and cultural exchange spectacular starting at 10 pm. The event is organised by Ponta do Sol Municipal Council and the Ponta do Sol Folklore Group.

From 16 to 18 September

The Columbus Festival was first held in 2000 with the aim of launching a quality cultural tourism offer on the island of Porto Santo.

The event is based around the historical figure of Christopher Columbus, who had close links with Madeira both as a sugar trader during the island’s sugar boom years and as the result of his marriage to Filipa de Moniz, the daughter of Isabel Moniz and Bartolomeu Perestrelo, the first Captain-Donatory of Porto Santo, and is held in tribute to the man who became a famous 15^th century explorer.
In recent years, the festival has taken on the format of a historical recreation of everyday life in the 15^th century, in particular in the period marked by Columbus’s time on the island, which enchants tourists and residents alike.
The programme includes a 15^th century fair and supper, the landing of Christopher Columbus, a military detachment, a children’s area with Renaissance games, circus displays, plays, displays by groups of buccaneers and non-stop fun and entertainment including lots of music and European and oriental dances.
The local population and tourists are encouraged to take the part of characters in the festival and period costumes are provided that give an authentic feel to the event.
There are other side attractions taking place simultaneously, including regional gastronomy, crafts and other activities adding to the general bustle amid the historical figures.

The New York Times enthuses about Destination Madeira

The American newspaper, the “New York Times”, published an article about Madeira by Henry Alford in its issue of 2 July.  (This article has already been included in the blog)

Many thanks to Sue for sending in a contribution for this blog.

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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 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 only send in ‘exceptional’ or very topical photos by email attachment, as they take quite some time to process. Links to photos that are already online take much less time. Anything submitted for inclusion will be ‘cut and pasted’  to the blog very likely unchecked and unaltered, so please check anything through before sending it in, especially ‘automatic translations’, to avoid any ‘afterthoughts’. Blogs will be published when there is sufficient material to make one worthwhile. I can’t always respond to emails, so please accept my thanks in advance, and the attribution on the blog itself. Der.

You can email dermadeira-blog@yahoo.co.uk with any articles etc., but to save time and delays, please use the comments for minor contributions and to ask any questions. Please don’t send in copyrighted / restricted material.

Madeira News Blog / madeira4u © 2007 – 2010 All Rights Reserved

President Jardim visited Works

The chairman of the Regional Government , Alberto João Jardim, yesterday and Tuesday visited various works under the responsibility of the Executive Madeira, as it did on Tuesday and today will visit several works in Funchal and Câmara de Lobos.

Alberto Joao Jardim, yesterday, was present in the work of cleaning, adjustment and implementation of pontoons in the river at Tabua. He then went to see the work on the expressway between Madalena do Mar and Arco da Calheta. Next, was to verify the building of the expressway between the Faja da Ovelha and Ponta do Pargo.  Finally the President saw the implementation site of the future golf course in Ponta do Pargo.

It is noted that the president of the Regional Government also visited the repairs to the old road between Ribeira Brava and Serra de Água, which were affected by a flood of February 20 and the regularization of this work stream and construction of pontoons.

Alberto João Jardim also visited the ongoing work of municipalities in the rivers of Machico and Santa Cruz, then, went to the construction of highways between St. Vincent and the Arc between Bonaventure and St. George and St. George riverside.

One of the works visited by Jardim was the expressway between the Faja da Ovelha and Ponta do Pargo which has an approximate length of 5720 meters , with four tunnels ( with 135 , 1219 , 425 and 404 meters long), six bridges (with 132, 59 , 164 , 220 , 165, 160 meters long) , four overpasses and five roundabouts .  The expressway between Madalena do Mar and Calheta Arco has a length of 3.5 kilometers and a width of 9.6 meters. It consists of two tunnels, with 1912 meters and 1535 meters, and a bridge with 50 meters.

The expressway between Bonaventure and St. Vincent measures 7100 meters. There are four tunnels measuring 1100, 1117, 1750 and 2400 meters. The express road between São Jorge e Arco has a total length of 5989.7 meters. It consists of three tunnels and three overpasses / bridges.

Plan against chemical and biological accidents

The Regional Service of Civil Protection is implementing a plan for prevention of chemical and biological risk. The project is part of the Health Emergency Plan in case of disaster in Macoronésia ( PLESMAC II).

The plan, which continues the PLESMAC I, which was developed in conjunction with the Azores and Canary Islands and is supported by the Transnational Cooperation Programme 2007/2011 MAC.

The Health Emergency Plan in case of disaster in Macoronésia also aims to respond to natural disasters , but never neglect this aspect, the Civil Protection , because there are other community projects over facing that problem , put on the prevention of chemical and biological risks and acquisition of equipment for the control of any incidents in the area.

The president of the SRPC, Louis Nero, speaking to JM, explains that the PLESMAC II is an overall plan for disaster victims, but the regions have opted for different aspects: the Azores focus attention on natural disasters, pandemics in the Canary and Madeira opted by chemical and biological risks.

Board has supported about 200 families

The Mayor of Funchal at a ceremony in the Civic Center in San Antonio delivered yesterday materials to 37 families who had seen their homes damaged by the storm of February 20 last. On this occasion, Miguel Albuquerque underscored the strictness with which the monies from donations are being spent and announced that the CMF had supported over these last year some 200 families.

Yesterday, in remarks to reporters , the mayor stated: "Following the work we are developing in collaboration with the Parish Councils of San Antonio and San Roque, we will continue to make the delivery of materials for the rehabilitation of housing for family that were affected by February 20 disaster”

The Mayor noted yesterday that over 37 families were supported ‘by the ASA and in direct cooperation with the survey that was done by the Parish Councils of San Antonio and San Roque."  Miguel Albuquerque also emphasized the fact that the number of families supported yesterday live in houses that are out of risk areas.  The materials offered were mainly exterior and interior paints together with tiles etc. which had come from donations made by Cin Paints and Coatings by Robialac in addition to the money from the funds generated mainly by the project and the SIC BANIF.

The mayor assured that they will continue to supply, as well as manage with caution the little money available as most o the donations received in the past months from companies and individuals were on time, however, that period is over
as the most donations, do not believe these past months we receive, as received and in good time, and we now have to manage the remaining money we have to continue the ongoing work.

Councilor Henrique Costa Neves responsible for the Environment also announced yesterday that they had already delivered about 300 allotments, just across the Citadel of Funchal. The mayor added that seven allotments had been completed in San Antonio.  However, he stressed that the Town Council had no more vacant land, but was trying to find partnerships with institutions that have abandoned land and thereby creating more space for gardens.  At the present time there are about 300 people on waiting lists .The mayor also pointed out that the gardens are watered only with water for irrigation and that the products produced there do not have pesticides, in line with the code of conduct to which the gardeners are forced.

New model of prescription to the patient passes the decision

The Legislative Assembly of Madeira approved this week, the statute that requires the prescription of medicines in the Region shall be in accordance with the International Nonproprietary Name (INN) and approves the new model prescription. Among other things, this Legislative Decree aims to promote accessibility by users, generic drugs, as well as improved mechanisms for sharing, while cost containment strategies, similar to what is already done in some European Union countries.

Currently, the market share of generic medicines in the continent is lower than most European countries, but in the region, this value can be even lower than the market share nationally. "It is therefore necessary to promote market growth of generic drugs, which is beneficial for users and for the region and promote a more balanced relationship between benefit and cost of medicines. This also defines the solutions that are designed to establish a compromise between the Region, patients and health professionals towards the growth of the generics market. Apart from measures to encourage the choice of patients for generic drugs, this law also provides for the setting of targets, annual growth of its market and monitoring of that growth.

Regional News in Brief

The chairman of the Regional Government, Alberto João Jardim, will inaugurate next Tuesday, a petrol station in Caniço in the county of Santa Cruz.  The new petrol station is located after the exit of the expressway, connecting to Caniço. This is a regional company called Manuel Antonio & Sons Ltd , with the managing partner Manuel Antonio R. John and a private investment amounted to one million five hundred thousand Euros.
The Municipality of Porto Santo, Golden Beach will for the fourth consecutive year organise  the Festival do Petisco, an event that is gaining in importance and claiming to be one of the most important tourist events of that island . The event is marked mainly by the dissemination of traditional and local roots are now underway, this year it is being held from 2-8 August.  The entertainment program includes concerts every day at 22 hours.
The Endocrinology Service , Hospital Central do Funchal will host next November, the XI Conference of Diabetes in Madeira and the 2nd Satellite Symposium of the thyroid .  At the meeting to be held on 4 and 5 November in Hotel CS Madeira, experts will discuss topics such as diabetes in Portugal, the prevention of cardiovascular risk, nutrition and physical activity in clinical practice and the nodules in the thyroid, among others.  A report by the National Diabetes indicates that arise each year 600 new cases per 100 thousand inhabitants, which means that they arise in the Region 1200-1500 new cases annually. In the Region, however, the disease prevalence is slightly below the national average, not reaching the 11 per cent, while the country is nearly 12 percent.

Government Lists Works being carried out

The Government decided to release the "listing of emergency works, which are ongoing. The executive himself warned that it is only in the rivers and interventions related to the flood of February 20.

89 interventions are distributed as follows: Funchal – 30; Câmara de Lobos – 6; Sanata Cruz – 21; Machico – 11; Ribeira Brava – 11; Santana – 6 and Ponta do Sol – 4. These are details in full if you wish to check on the on-line Diário.

Walker’s death in San Roque

Another victim has been added to the deadly record this year on the roads of Madeira. A woman was hit by a bus company’s Schedule of Funchal the early afternoon in Sao Roque, Funchal.

The accident happened around 14 hours in Ramp Wall of Bunny, the victim was killed immediately and the bus driver was transported to the Hospital Dr. Nelio Mendonça in shock. Members of the Funchal Municipal Fire and EMIR attended. This Increases to 11 the number of deaths this year on the roads of Madeira.

Funchal new landfill will have a garden and trade

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Funchal is to have a new sea front, which will be built throughout the area where the land was deposited – about 200 cubic meters of rubble – taken from the rivers after the storm of February 20.

The decision is taken and was published in the Official Journal of the Region (JORAM) on July 20, following a decision of the Governing Council of July 13, granting the administration of the Harbour (APRAM) all the power of "recovery and landscape urbanization of the embankment” created from Funchal quay to the river of Santa Luzia.

The resolution published under number 781/2010 recognizes that the " operation of the Port of Funchal was affected due to the alluvial material transported by floods in the river valleys to the lower area of the city " and that " complete removal of material deposited would have direct and indirect costs, In particular the transport and placing them on deposit, or dumping at sea with consequent environmental implications

Board of Funchal: is 100 % compliant

The municipality of Funchal, whose area of jurisdiction is’ neighbour ‘ of the new landfill is 100 % according to the project, ensures the vice president Bruno Pereira, and, although not mentioned in the resolution, the CMF is being heard.

This was a long article and I have chopped it but the point made at the end is that the “decision has been made” but nothing has been said concerning the details of the project, its cost, its construction or its start date!

Morning flight to Porto Santo with a delay of two hours

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The flight SP 1690, operated by SATA, who was to have started this morning to Porto Santo at 8AM, was cancelled. According to information advisory service from the airport to Madeira cancellation was due to absence of crew. The plane is now scheduled to leave on the 10.10.

For this reason, the transport of passengers and this morning’s Diary was affected.

Garden watching the game between Marine and Bangor City with fans due to the closure of the Tribune

I don’t normally do football but there was a lot about this match and also a lot about a new parking area which cost 10 EUR.

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The chairman of the Regional Government of Madeira, Alberto João Jardim, who was today sitting on the bench, among supporters in the game between Marine (I suppose this is a Madeira Club?) and Bangor City, to tell the qualifying rounds of the League Europe. The unexpected was due to the fact that the National Tribune has decided to quit the Stadium of Madeira, due to situations that the club considered disrespectful, happened in the game between Marine and Sporting Fingal 15 days ago in the same enclosure. Because the Tribune was closed, the official Madeira crossed the lawn and headed for the west bench, where he sat with the president of the Ocean, Carlos Pereira and other personalities of sport and regional policy .The meeting between the Maritime and Welsh from Bangor City began at 19:45 at the Estadio da Madeira. Apologies for any errors in this!!

Basso and Betti attached to the outside of the Madeira Wine Rally

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Briton Kris Meeke is a prominent figure on IRC Photo: ASPRESS

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Luca Rossetti took part in last season’s competition Madeira Photo: ASPRESS

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The Skoda factory team participated with three doubles in the 2010 edition of RVM

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Briton Kris Meeke is a prominent figure on IRC Photo: ASPRESS

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Luca Rossetti took part in last season’s competition Madeira Photo: ASPRESS

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The 2010 edition of the Madeira Wine Rally (RVM) has 46 pilots’ subscribers, according to data released today by the organization of evidence. The winner in the latest edition Giandomenico Basso will not be present because of lack of funding from Madeira, and compatriot Luca Betti, whose team failed to timely prepare the car after the accident suffered at the Rally of Turkey.

For the same reason the Italian, the Madeira Antonio Nunes Ferreira and John are out of Madeira wine. The vehicles of the two regional riders have not been recovered from damage suffered in the Rally of the Sea.

The Italian duo Luca Rossetti / Matteo Chiarcossi (Fiat Punto S2000) show the number ’1 ‘ door, followed by the Finns Juho Hanninen / Mikko Markkula team official ‘ Skoda ‘ and the British Kris Meeke / Paul Nagle in a Peugeot 207 S2000.

Bruno Magalhaes is the first national pilot to drop into the RVM with the number 7 on the door, comes soon after the Bernardo Sousa Madeira.

20 of the 46 competitors are entered from outside the Region. Evidence from motoring Madeira Queen has 17 cars in class Super 2000

Already operating in Timor in 2011

Participating Pestana Group accepts a share in the company of that country’s flag

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The Euro Atlantic Airways (EAA) is expected to start operations in East Timor next year, even come to take stake in flag carrier of the future East Timor Airlines (TLA), Lusa said today the company’s president.

The Euro Atlantic, owned by the Pestana Group has an interest in setting up the flag carrier of TLA East Timor Airlines “provided that there is a policy previously defined national airline, "said Tomaz Metello, founder and shareholder of the company in a statement to Lusa.

“It will depend on the Government to accept our suggestions, "said Tomaz Metello, advancing, however, expects that by December are set rules that allow” start the work to begin flights as early as next season, or within years.

Tomaz Metello also revealed that the company that presides has signed a partnership agreement with Philippine Airlines, the national airline of the Philippines, claiming that “after being in Manila makes even more sense and has a greater interest to look at East Timor.”

The president of Euro-Atlantic Airlines was speaking at the end of the first meeting today with the Parliamentary Commission of Telecommunications Infrastructure and Timor- Leste, which were pointed out some of the issues considered essential in defining the policy for the aviation industry in that country.

The chairman of the Parliamentary Committee, Pedro da Costa Martyrs stressed “the experience that can and Euro Atlantic is transmitting "and the" company’s interest in helping to define the country’s air policy.

After that meeting, the first with members of an agency of the State of East Timor, " the government must now prioritize and regulate , "said the chairman of the Parliamentary Commission of infrastructure and also vice chairman of the bench of CNRT.

The president said that Euro Atlantic note there is a consensus among the Timorese political differences on this issue and admitted he has held talks with Carrascalao Vasco da Silva , who along with the Luso- Mozambican Mario Goncalves , is the project coordinator of Timor -Leste Airlines (TLA ), which awaits approval of the Timorese Government .

“We will not get any more country without a national airline set policy, "said Tomaz Metello yet, saying that is what happens in Portugal and Sao Tome and Principe.

The operation of Euro Atlantic in Sao Tome , which has a stake in the company flag , "is not concerned , "he said , but the company is now doing with the Government , which should have been done earlier, i.e. policymaking country’s air , especially in terms of operational infrastructure .

February 20th Association seeks answers in the House of Funchal

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Association leaders want information about actual process of reconstruction and recovery

The Association participating in February 20 will on Thursday, in the public session of the Funchal City Hall try to obtain answers to their concerns. The association leaders want to directly question the authority and get concrete information about the process for Reconstruction and rehabilitation of areas affected by the storm, which led to the creation of this Association.

The statements on social communications are planned for 10 hours.

Nel Monteiro on the Emigrant Festival August 15

The County town of Santana welcomes another edition of the Emigrant FestivalBottom of Form the folk singer is the main artist of a party which includes games, walks a conference and entertainment. The Island Town will celebrate on the 15th of August with another edition of the Festival of the Emigrants, with the presence of this popular singer Nel Monteiro. The event, which runs in the seventh edition by popular demand with a basic meeting and a range of other activities, which highlight the walks, a conference, games and shows.

According to the organization , the House of the People of the Island, this is the first concert of Nel Monteiro Madeira, a singer known for subjects such as ‘ Gambling on the Beach ‘,’ Allo, Allo Maria Antonia ‘,’ Holy Picture ‘,’ Wine Region ‘And’ Wedding to the Portuguese ‘.

It should also be noted that the participation of Luso -descendant groups , notably the Group of Folklore Venezuela Puerto La Cruz , Grupo Folklorico Madeira Club SS Sacramento New Bedford and the duo Sandra and Ricardo Rodriguez will be there.

The Emigrant Festival defines itself as a meeting point for those who left in search of better living conditions – and the parish with such emigrants in France , England, South Africa and Venezuela – but also an area of dissemination of culture Madeira and projects .

Environment, IGA and Chambers together to build public infrastructure agricultural

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Tomorrow 54 contracts will be signed with seven municipalities in an initiative funded by PRODES for the construction of public infrastructure agriculture , the Regional Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources , the Institute for Water Management ( GEF) and seven counties in the region gather for the financial support under the PRODES. The signing ceremony of the 54 contracts will be chaired by the regional secretary Manuel Antonio Correia, from 17 hours in the Auditorium of the Regional Secretariat for the Environment.

Camp Hill meets Pereiro 1750 scouts

Meeting together young people from six to 23 years from the Azores, Madeira, mainland Spain

The international gathering of Scouts will happen from, including 1750 young Madeira , Azores, mainland Spain and in the Mounted Pereiro. The Jamboree, the term for these meetings, will promote cultural activities, extreme sports made with the collaboration of the RG3 and 12 thematic workshops where they will be firefighters, the Community Action against AIDS, the Navy, Army, Red Cross and PSP.

Carlos Gonçalves, the regional head of this organization, explains that until Monday youths from six to 23 years will make camp, go through the workshops, listen to the advice of organizations, as well as an entire program of walking, nautical activities and visits to museums as much as in Funchal Machico, the place where it landed the discoverers of Madeira.

This afternoon is the official opening, and on Sunday, takes place at the closing ceremony, but many groups of scouts from the outside – who are the majority (1050) – will stay for few more days at camp, since they are independent of travel.

Fire in the mountains of St. Roch

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A fire of some size attacked this Tuesday the mountains of San Roque, Funchal.

The alert came to the Municipal Fire Funchal (BMF) at around 21.15, which moved two cars to the local emergency room with an average of seven men. The flames broke out in an area of bush near the Estrada Comandante Camacho de Freitas. Buy 23 hours the fire was largely confined.

February 20th Association seeks answers in the City Hall Funchal

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Association leaders want information about actual process of reconstruction and recovery

The Association participating in February 20 will on Thursday, in the public session of the Funchal City Hall in order to obtain answers to their concerns. The association leaders want to directly question the authority and get concrete information about the process for Reconstruction and rehabilitation of areas affected by the storm, which led to the creation of this Association.

The statements on social communication are planned for 10 hours.

Madeira Airport has obtained quality certification

ASQ Assured was awarded by the Airports Council International (ACI)

The ANAM , the concessionaire of the Madeira Airport , achieved a distinction that brings higher quality and public projection of the main ‘ gateway ‘ of the Autonomous Region to achieve ASQ Assured Certification given by the Airports Council International . Like the other domestic airports, the Madeira Airport has achieved this certification for the quality of an organization representing over 1,600 airports in 177 countries and regions.

The certification takes into account three aspects of management of that infrastructure: services offered to passengers; proven correct management practices implemented, and for passenger satisfaction with the services provided by the Airport.

Eight randomly selected plots of land for 40 families in Caniçal

Housing Investment Initiative of the wood will take place tomorrow at the Civic Center

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Eight plots of land in the Urbanization of Feiteirinhas at the site of Feiterinhas , parish Caniçal, Machico, will be drawn today at 15 hours in a public ceremony to be held in the Civic Center site.

According to the prosecutor’s initiative, the Housing Investment Madeira – HMI, EPE, the eight lots will be allocated in the regime of surface rights for self -construction of permanent housing, a ceremony will be attended by the Secretary for Planning and Regional Finance, Ventura Garcia, the Mayor of Funchal, Emanuel Gomes, and the president of the Parish Council Caniçal, Joao Alves de Sousa.

It should be noted that the allocation of plots of land will allow for the construction of private housing to eight families living in the parish of Caniçal, showing economic need and housing , "but falling in the income bracket that allows access to bank financing , and construction costs significantly diminished by the plot already having infrastructure, the provision of architectural design by HMI and the support of the municipality of Machico the licensing process , "explained in a news release sent by the HMI.

It is noteworthy that the draw will be run between 40 families residing in the parish, who applied to tender. The ‘ lucky ‘ will also occupy the last plot of land of the construction process of urbanization of Feiteirinhas where, since 2000, they have already been built , through a system of self -construction on land with infrastructure at the regional government , a total of 96 single-family houses of type T3.

Under this Programme for the Surface Rights ‘ HMI, the government "has allowed a total of 397 families from Madeira construction of their permanent housing”

Colleagues gather in Ribeira Brava

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The confreres of the Academy of Meats – Gourmet Brotherhood Madeira meet on 31st July, at 20 hours in the restaurant ‘ Water’s Edge ‘at marginal Ribeira Brava. The initiative counts on the presence of members of Academies of Cod Caracas and Valencia, Venezuela.

These elements have participated in the past 23 days in celebration of 23 anniversary of the Academy of Codfish of Madeira.

Portuguese folk group the Center of Caracas with performances scheduled in Madeira

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The Portuguese Folk Dance Group of the Centre of Caracas, Venezuela, in Madeira where he has scheduled a series of performances in several counties in the region. Today members of the group will be received by the regional secretary of Human Resources, Brazão de Castro in Vila Steps.

10 accidents a week on Highway

Weekly Balance Sheet by Via Coastal notes four people were injured in these accidents.

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The weekly total of Highway accidents amounted to ten with four slight injuries and property damage.

According to data released today by the concessionaire (Via Coast) this covers the main road between Ribeira Brava and Caniçal for the week of July 19 – July 25, i.e. from Monday to Sunday

Besides the aforementioned , Via Seaside has 103 vehicles immobilized with mechanical breakdown and towed to a safe area and assisted by support staff, four other vehicles stopped for no apparent reason , endangering their safety and that of the other users , after warning by the patrol.

Even more dangerous was the detection of several cases of people walking on the freeway, and nine people to moving on foot along this path dalí were warned to leave. Also removed were 16 animals and 48 objects dangerous for drivers.

Via Coast continues to warn in case of accident or breakdown , users should request help from the Assistance Committee, working every day of year, 24 hours a day via phone 800 290 290 ( free number ), this warning is posted on several panels at the entrance and exit to the Highway

Feast of Joy in San Roque

Feast of Our Lady of Joy will be held on August 1

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The parish of San Roque will be celebrating next Sunday, August 1, the celebrations in honor of Our Lady of Joy.

The so-called ‘ Festival of Joy ‘, organized by the Parish Council and the Town Hall of San Roque (Funchal), will highlight the Hill of Hope, with an extensive entertainment program.

Celebrations begin soon after eight hours, with a salvo of mortar rounds followed by girandole. For nine hours there will be background music and a half hour later the Municipal Band of Funchal will arrive, which will be followed by the Folklore Group of the House of the People Belfry at 1030 hours.

The music returns (11.30) for another half hour until the beginning of the celebrations of the open air mass at 12:00 13.00 will be the turn of Animatura who will participate in festivities and 14.00 the stage will be given to José Luís Mendonça, for an hour followed by the animation group Culture and Recreation House of the People of Santo António da Serra (15:00) and the music group ‘ St. East ‘to 16 hours.

The official closure of the animation of the ‘ Festival of Joy ‘ will be 19 hours.

Note also that the event counts on the collaboration of the Municipality of Funchal, the Regional Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources, the Investments and Water Management (public company), the Parish of San Roque, Club Deportivo de San Roque, Super San Roque and even the Belvedere Restaurant, public and private entities that help give life to this party over the summer of Madeira.

Machico want the best food ever

Gastronomy Week held from July 30 and August 8

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Today at 16:30, in Largo Plaza, City Hall Machico presents the 25th edition of the Week Gastronomy County.

This year the festival starts on Friday and lasts until Sunday the 8th of August. On the official website, the municipality of Emanuel Gomes said you want the Gastronomy Week this year will be the "best edition ever.”

Madeira with yellow warning due to high temperatures

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The persistence of high temperatures caused the Meteorology Institute (IM) to put Madeira and much of mainland Portugal on a yellow warning. In the districts of Braga and Lisbon warning goes to orange.

In Funchal thermometers will reach 28.

Sunday ‘Car -Boot Sale ‘ widens scope for new entrants

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The Sunday ‘Car -Boot Sale ‘ event with support from the association create will increase its area. Apart from taking up the parking lots at the Pestana Casino Park Hotel, the fair will have an additional new space, the lobby in front of the Congress Centre of Madeira, up to the bar so that merchants that do not have a car can participate.

This idea came after many people have expressed interest in taking part in this initiative, which has been so supportive in helping the young people from the Home of Peace One project " Sun of Hope ‘, located on the Create, Joao Carlos Spinola, said that with this enlargement will increase from the possible from 28 to about 40 stallholders and that the fair is open to associations of Madeira who want to sell their products.

The outcome of this initiative, which takes place once a month on the last Sunday of the month, has been positive. We have made in six markets, a sum of EUR 900 for the projects which is very good. The objective now is to make the show more attractive to tourists and Madeira.

Priests should be alert to the challenges of “global society”

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"Given the challenges of our globalized society, urged focus on pastoral care, the evangelization of culture, family, youth, new media and the preparation of pastoral services. Sunday morning’s Mass included the ordination of three new priests at the Cathedral, the Bishop of Funchal , D. António Carrilho , said the priest should prepare communities for " matching effectively, the demands of modern times ", hence the need for " training , human , theological , spiritual and pastoral . "

"Given the challenges of new social and cultural realities of today’s world , especially in the face of moral relativism and religious indifference , the priest , being a living witness and contagious of God’s infinite love for every man and every woman , "he said .

Today’s ordained new priests, natives of Machico, Porto Moniz and Santana. With these orders, the Diocese of Funchal now has 78 priests.

From Robert :

The Ponta do Garajau Headland in Madeira and it’s Macabre Past

The Headland today:

The Ponta do Garajau is one of the most spectacular headlands in Madeira.
With wonderful views along the island’s southern coast, from Ponta de São Lourenço in the east to beyond Funchal in the west, the headland has been developed over the past few years in an effort to encourage more tourists to the spot. A cable car transports visitors down to the newly refurbished beach facilities. A large car park has been built and further plans exist for building holiday accommodation.
However, few visitors that pass this way are aware of the macabre past that the Ponta do Garajau has witnessed.

The British in Madeira:

The British have had a long association with the economic development of Madeira.
In particular, during the 18th and 19th centuries, many British expatriates settled in Madeira and set about making their fortunes. The evidence of the British influence is still plainly evident throughout the island today.
The famous Reid’s Palace Hotel, Blandy’s Wine and the embroidery industry are all examples of current Madeiran businesses that have a historic British connection.
Nowadays, the British have lost their once powerful grip when it comes to controlling local companies. However, visitors from Britain still account for a major chunk of Madeira’s tourism income.

The Brazen Head:

Which brings us back to the Ponta do Garajau, a tourist destination that is surely due to grow in popularity.
In the past, this headland was known as the Brazen Head by the many British expatriates who made Madeira their home. It was also a destination that few wished to visit and some never returned from.
Prior to the 1770′s, local Madeiran law forbid any person not of the Roman Catholic faith to be buried on the island. This edict hit the British community in particular. Not only were there many British families living on Madeira, but most were of the Protestant persuasion.
Because of its geological properties – a narrow headland, with a sheer drop into relatively deep waters – a trip along the Brazen Head became the final journey for many British who died on Madeira. The bodies of the deceased were carried to the tip of the headland and, from there, consigned to the waves.

Jesus Christ Statue:

One of the main attractions at the Ponta do Garajau today is the large statue of Christ the Redeemer which gazes out towards the waves of the Atlantic Ocean with outstretched arms.
You may be forgiven for believing that this statue was erected in response to the many deceased souls whose mortal remains perished at this location. In fact, the statue was inaugurated in 1927 and has no linkage with the Brazen Head past. ~

http://www.love-madeira.com/christ-statue-garajau-history.php

The history of Christ the Redeemer statue

http://www.youtube.com/v/1kb-ZOYinKQ&hl

We have visited Madeira many times over the last few years and have always found the locals to be friendly and welcoming.  In particular,

it is certainly reassuring for a tourist in a foreign country to find restaurant menus, information leaflets etc. in your own language.

As British travellers, we appreciate the fact that English is widely spoken and used. 

However, we have also found that the locals really respond positively if we attempt a few words in Portuguese.

Just attempting to order our meal, or simply saying "thank you" or "good day" in Portuguese usually brings a broad smile from our hosts.

For those of you who plan to visit Madeira and would like to engage in a little local banter, the BBC features an excellent microsite that introduces you to the basics of Portuguese.  See Talk Portuguese

The British Channel Island of Jersey recently celebrated Madeira Day.

For photos of the event Click Here

he Bailiff, the Chief Minister and the Constable of St Helier invite you to a special celebration at St Thomas’ next Thursday, for Madeira Day. Starting at 7pm with a Mass in Church, with greetings from our island leaders and a letter from the President of the regional government of Madeira. The Mass will be musically supported by three singing groups. After Mass there will be food and wine, dancing and singing, inside and outside of St Thomas’ Hall.

From Paul :

Spotted 30 June, pm off South-west Coast of Madeira from Lobosonda website…

The manta ray (Manta birostris) is the largest species of the rays. The largest known specimen was more than 7.6 metres (25 ft) across, with a weight of about 2,300 kilograms (5,100 lb). It ranges throughout tropical waters of the world, typically around coral reefs. They have the largest brain-to-body ratio of the sharks and rays.^[2]

Many thanks to Sue, Robert & Paul for sending in a contribution(s) for this blog.

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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 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 only send in ‘exceptional’ or very topical photos by email attachment, as they take quite some time to process. Links to photos that are already online take much less time. Anything submitted for inclusion will be ‘cut and pasted’  to the blog very likely unchecked and unaltered, so please check anything through before sending it in, especially ‘automatic translations’, to avoid any ‘afterthoughts’. Blogs will be published when there is sufficient material to make one worthwhile. I can’t always respond to emails, so please accept my thanks in advance, and the attribution on the blog itself. Der.

You can email dermadeira-blog@yahoo.co.uk with any articles etc., but to save time and delays, please use the comments for minor contributions and to ask any questions. Please don’t send in copyrighted / restricted material.

Madeira News Blog / madeira4u © 2007 – 2010 All Rights Reserved

Tomorrow is the first day of the São Pedro festa in Ribeira Brava, that runs through from Saturday evening (the main night) through until Tuesday. The main ‘leisure area’ will be at a higher level than ever before (you will see what I mean when you get there).

Most will already know that drinks prices are hiked upwards in almost all of the bars, supposedly to cover extra staff costs (yeah right!), so I will give a free plug to a new bar / cafe that has pledged not to do so, and neither does it overcharge foreigners and visitors.

The London Café Bar opened last week, and is located at the bottom of the Brava Mar Hotel on the sea front, on the corner by taxi rank. Coral Balão €1 guaranteed, and also say hello to Otilia (subject to spelling) the owner, a smashing rather petit lady that lived in London for some years, and you will also normally be treated to free ‘dentinhos’ of a quality that is hard to find anywhere else these days.

Pack yer purses and wallets well … Ribeira Brava needs yer dosh this weekend and always! Thank you!

This is from Robert :

If you visit Funchal as a tourist you can expect to be approached by timeshare agents that are promoting various holiday-based properties.

As highlighted recently on the madeiraislanddirect.com blog (see 6th June 2010, Works and harassment annoy tourists) there is some concern regarding timeshare representatives and the tactics that a few employ.

Whilst touting for timeshare business in public places is not prohibited in Madeira, the Regional Secretary of Tourism and Transport does liaise with such operators to help ensure the reputation of Madeira as a quality tourist destination.  In particular, timeshare agents should not use harassing tactics or aggressive behaviour when engaging with holidaymakers.

The Hotel District of Funchal, along the Estrada Monumental, is a popular place for timeshare agents to hang out.

If you know that you definitely do not want to purchase a timeshare property, it’s best just to pretend you don’t understand a word of the language the agent is talking.  After all, they haven’t got a clue about what part of the world you originate from!  If you make any reply or comment, the more persistent agents are likely to view you as fair game.

In the meantime, enjoy the comical video showing 3 minutes in the life of a timeshare agent. . .

And, if you are feeling the need to rise to a challenge, view the video walk from the District to Funchal City Centre and see how many timeshare agents you can spot on the way.  All will be revealed at the end of the video.

Contributions below from Paul :

Biodiversity: the Great Whales. BBC Feature:

In the year of biodiversity great feature by the BBC on the Great Whales. Many of these species are sighted in the Ocean off Madeira such as the blue, fin, sei, sperm, bryde’s

caption : sperm whale

LINK

From Madeira to Morocco.  The annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) which was in Madeira last year and is now in Agadir Morocco has opened with attention focussing on a deal that could regulate whaling for 10 years.

The opening session was swiftly adjourned so that delegates could begin a day and a half of private talks. Some observers condemned the secrecy, one commenting that recent UN talks on North Korea’s nuclear programme were held in public – so why not on whaling? Conservation groups are split on the merits of pursuing a deal.

Photo caption : minke whale on a stick

Some argue for maintaining a hard line against all whaling, while others believe agreement could improve the current picture, where Iceland, Japan and Norway set their own quotas and run their hunts without international oversight.

Video: New Zealand Foreign Minister Murray McCully and Iceland’s commissioner to the IWC Thomas Heidar on the talks

link to full BBC article:    Also : Why Greenpeace won’t compromise on commercial whaling:

The ROV & the Portuguese Continental Shelf. "A proposal is underway for the government to extend the Portuguese Continental Shelf beyond 200 nautical miles, with representation made at the United Nations to the Commission on the Limits of the Extension of Continental Shelf. "

caption : ROV working on a subsea structure "The new Saab Seaeye Falcon ROV"       link to full article:

Danny Profile from BBC: Danny the 26-year old Portuguese midfielder

"Venezuela are the only South American country to have never appeared in a World Cup finals, but at least they can cheer on one of their own at this World Cup when Caracas-born Danny lines up in the colours of Portugal.

Madeira connection: Maritimo. "When his family, who were of Portuguese origin, moved to the island of Madeira he developed as a player through the Maritimo youth system.

Five goals in his first 10 games saw him snapped up by Sporting Lisbon for €2.1m (£1.74m), although they immediately loaned him back.

He only played 12 games for Sporting as he found it hard to get a place in the team ahead of the likes of Ricardo Quaresma, Cristiano Ronaldo, Sa Pinto, Joao Pinto and Mario Jardel."

caption : Ricardo Carvalho (4), Christian Poulsen (2), Danny (16), Portugal 2-3 Denmark, Lisbon September 10 2008

"They sold him to Dynamo Moscow in 2005, where he linked up with Portuguese international team-mates Maniche and Derlei.

He excelled in the Russian capital and his performances prompted Zenit St Petersburg to fork out an astonishing transfer fee of €30m (£24.8m), smashing the previous highest fee for a Russian club of €16m (£13.2m), set by Maniche when he moved to Dynamo.

International recognition finally came just after his big money move to Zenit and he scored his first goal against Brazil, albeit in a 6-2 hammering.

A serious knee injury sustained last May ruled him out for much of the season, but he impressed on his return to book his World Cup place.

He scored the winning goal and was named man-of-the-match in the 2008 Uefa Super Cup final against Manchester United on his debut for Zenit."     LINK

The ‘austerity’ measures in the Portuguese economy are biting already. A trip to my local Finanças Office on Tuesday, as happens most years, in order to to complain about my tax bill, was met with a totally closed response for the first time. "We cannot help. Everything is more complicated this year. We cannot submit amended tax returns anymore", I was told. I was actually expecting exactly that, but the usual helpful flexible approach had gone, and will it ever return I wonder. I think not. Shame, as it was the first time I had ever tackled the rather complex Portuguese tax rules single handed. Der

Everything else from Elaine :

In search of an insular EU policy? In the last couple of months various insular Regional administrations repeated their demand for a stronger inclusion of ‘insularity’ in the EU agenda. The claim is more than ever timely due to the ongoing economic crisis that affects sensitive insular areas more than the mainland regions. HERE

News from Diário de Notícias and Jornal da Madeira

TUESDAY JUNE 22nd

FRONT PAGE NEWS

Man dies in bush fire. The semi-charred body of a man was found by the Fire Department of Ribeira Brava on Sunday night in an area where there had been a forest fire the previous night. The 64 year old man was found just over a kilometre away from where he lived in Estrada do Lugar da Serra in the parish of Campanário. When the family noticed that he was missing at Saturday lunchtime, they searched for him until nightfall. At 21.00, a column of smoke was noticed from the area where he was found. The family alerted the services on Sunday and his body was found that evening. The man often went missing for a few days at a time. He had mental and physical disabilities and had a history of smoking and consuming alcohol.

Commission of Inquiry begins today. This Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry will examine and evaluate the indebtedness of the Region. This inquiry was forced on the Regional Government by the Socialist Party. They want it to clarify: the amount of Regional debt, the accountability of the State to the Region, the impact of the high debt on the economy, external transfers and the levels of credibility abroad. The socialists are worried about the financial impact on Madeiran life at present and in the future. The direct debt is now over 1,100 million euros and adding on the indirect debt, the total debt reaches 1,500 million euros. The long-term debt created by Public Sector Enterprise seriously undermines the flexibility of the Regional budget when necessary to help economic and social development. The illegal lack of transfers from the State will affect future generations as the amount of debt will rise.

Great chorus and Air Force open the Day of the Region. The celebrations for the Day of the Region will start differently this year. The opening concert takes place at 21.30 in the Parque de Santa Catarina on June 30th. This year, the Air Force Band and four choirs of GCEA, helped by schools of the region will present the free concert. The Day of the Region is the 1st July and is a public holiday with official ceremonies held.

ECONOMY

Recipe to combat the crisis. If Alberto Jardim was the Prime Minister of Portugal, he would not accept the dictates of the European Union on limiting the deficit. He would negotiate a longer period to control public spending in order to create jobs. "If we reduce investment, we increase unemployment which in turn will reduce purchasing power, causing bankruptcies and unemployment rises again," he argued, saying this model to combat the crisis is the one that caused it. He accused Europe of having a decadent system in terms of values and this decadence extends later to the economic plan – ‘Eurosclerosis’.  Madeira must have an alternative to this constitutional model – a model for a democratic society. Jardim has not made any decision about continuing as President. He says he will not go when his opponents want him to, but when the people want him to. This is democracy. He knows this is not good news for his adversaries.

CULTURE

Council guarantees Festa do Pescador. The Mayor of Machico guarantees that the Festival of the Fishermen will continue despite financial restraints. The council is injecting 20,000 euros into this event which will be held at Caniçal between the 25th – 27th June. Without this help, the Parish Council of Caniçal would be unable to pay tribute to fishermen and revive usages, traditions and customs. Several sea front restaurants will have menus exclusively of seafood.

Fado contest to revive this tradition in Gaula. The First Contest of Fado – Gaula 2010 will be held on Saturday at 21.00 at the Salão Paroquial de Nossa Senhora da Luz. It will involve both amateurs (first half) and professionals (second half), including the fadistas Carlos Amaral, Manuela Nobre and Amália do Rosário. The President of the Parish of Gaula, Élvio Sousa, wants to revive this tradition since for forty years fado was sung in houses and public spaces but the ‘hunger’ for this culture has faded. This free event is financed by the parish council.

MULTIMEDIA

‘Classics’ exhibited on Avenida Arriaga. Seven more photos of the Antique and Classic Car Show at the Avenida Arriaga, held until tomorrow the 23rd June. PHOTOS

WEDNESDAY 23rd JUNE

FRONT PAGE NEWS

Government pays 3.2 million euros to Valor Ambiente. The Regional Government is the only shareholder of this waste treatment company. The government has taken on the responsibility for some of the debt to prevent the enterprise from collapsing. The firm had liabilities of 117.8 million euros at the end of 2008. In 2010, the government transferred 8.6 million euros from the Regional Budget, having applied for co-financing from the EU and receiving 10.4 million euros under the Intervene+ program. In recent years, the Regional Budget has injected 80 million euros into this company.

MADEIRA

Illegal scrap dealer ignores eviction notice. It is difficult to remove the illegal scrap yard at the entrance of the Parish of Canhas, in the locality of Fregueses Novos. It is near the ribeira de Santiago on the border between the parishes of Ponta do Sol and Canhas. The council has sent three notices requiring the owner to remove the scrap metal but the situation remains unchanged. The piles of scrap metal are not restricted to private land but are also strewn in the street and on the old footbridge connecting Calçada to Fregueses Novos, spoiling the landscape. All legal mechanisms have to be exhausted before the council can forcibly remove the scrap metal. The council has asked the Regional Directorate of the Environment to inspect the area to strengthen their case.

Air Force will have two ‘landmarks’ in the Region. The Portuguese Air Force (FAP) celebrate 58 years in the Region with a series of events starting on Saturday June 26th. There will be two monuments, one on Selvagem Grande (inaugurated on the 4th July) and the other on the Avenida do Mar (inaugurated 16.00 on Saturday). A book will be launched on Saturday called  ‘Aviação na Madeira’ (Aviation in Madeira) by Mário Correia, Comandante Vilhena and Tenente Coronel César Rodrigues. From 17.00 next Saturday until July 4th, there will be an exhibition about the work of FAP at the Escola Secundária Francisco Franco, open from 15.00 – 23.00 hours. There will be a performance by the air acrobatic team, Rotores de Portugal, at 17.30 on 27th June at Madeira Airport, on the 28th June at Câmara de Lobos and on the1st July at Porto Santo. On the 2nd July, the Air Force Band will join Vânia Fernandes for an official celebration concert at the Congress Centre of Madeira. On the following day, 3rd July, there will be a Mass at 10.30 am in the Igreja do Colégio, a military ceremony at the Avenida do Mar from 11.30 and an Air Festival will start at 16.30 in the bay of Funchal. During this commemorative week, FAP will have ‘equipas cinotécnicas’ demonstrations (dog handling) and hold several baptism flights of military planes and helicopters, including a F16. Poster on the FPA website: HERE

Video of long interview in Portuguese but with some interesting footage (including obligatory moustache): VIDEO

ECONOMY

MadeiraShopping provides an oleão. There is an oleão near the panoramic lift in Parque -1 where containers of used cooking oil can be deposited. The oil will be recycled by the firm Oleotorres.

AP Madeira notes decline in tourism. The Association for the Promotion of Madeira is concerned about the current situation of tourism. Compared with the first quarter of last year, there was a decrease of 43,000 tourists (-12.9%) and 248,000 overnight stays (-14.6%). The occupancy rate fell 5% to 42.8% and hotel room RevPar fell 16% to 24.89 euros. The directors said the causes were: economic recession in the source markets, loss of the pound against the euro, February 20th disaster and disruption in air traffic.

Restaurants in the marina guaranteed until the end of the year. The restaurants in the Marina of Funchal will not be affected by the planned upgrading of the area until the beginning of 2011. The work should take about 8 months from that date.

CULTURE

Traditional music and the OCM on the 1st July. This year, the Classical Orchestra of Madeira (OCM) has an alternative proposal for the second concert marking the Day of the Region. The free concert will be held in Santa Catarina Park on July 1st. The music played will be ‘Pop Symphony’ – a fusion between classical music and traditional Madeiran music. Various traditional Madeiran music groups have said they will perform free of charge, as will the orchestra.

Many thanks to Robert, Elaine and Paul for sending in a contribution(s) for this blog.

—————————————————————————————————————————————–
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 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 only send in ‘exceptional’ or very topical photos by email attachment, as they take quite some time to process. Links to photos that are already online take much less time. Anything submitted for inclusion will be ‘cut and pasted’  to the blog very likely unchecked and unaltered, so please check anything through before sending it in, especially ‘automatic translations’, to avoid any ‘afterthoughts’. Blogs will be published when there is sufficient material to make one worthwhile. I can’t always respond to emails, so please accept my thanks in advance, and the attribution on the blog itself. Der.

You can email dermadeira-blog@yahoo.co.uk with any articles etc., but to save time and delays, please use the comments for minor contributions and to ask any questions. Please don’t send in copyrighted / restricted material.

Madeira News Blog / madeira4u © 2007 – 2010 All Rights Reserved

"Martin has passed some info on for the classic car rally , i have tried to translate as best i can".

The classic cars are on show in Funchal from the 14th June – 26th June.

The Classic Car Rally will run from the 23rd June – 26th June with the programme as follows.

23 June -  Verify Documents, Scrutinising and Techniques 19.00 – 20.00 on Av. Arriaga Funchal

24th June -  Inaugural Proof.

25th June – STAGE II – Camara de Lobos – São Vicente – Porto Moniz – Calheta

26th June – STAGE III – Machico – Santana – Funchal – Funchal

Several contributions below from Paul :

Porto "City of events". Expresso invited three Porto tourist firms for a trip on a tourist sightseeing bus. During the tour of the Old Port Mario Ferreira, founder of the Douro Azul, Barrias Augustine, owner of Majestic coffee and Rodrigo Pinto Barros, hotel entrepreneur and president of APHORT – Portuguese Association of Hotel, Catering and Tourism, spoke about the ambition of making Port "The City of events". VIDEO

Tips to boost tourism in the city. The three businessmen gave tips on boosting tourism in the city. Mário Ferreira maintained an independent promotion of the destination port and the creation of specific programms for tourists from cruise ships that dock in Leixoes and are in the city for 6 hours.

Barrias Augustine spoke of "urgent urban rehabilitation, to capitalize on the festas of S. Joao and to capture new attractions for the lower part of the city such as a casino
Enhancement of the the living room of the city & ‘I Love Porto’?

IMAGE CAPTION : Porto – Palau de la borsa – Sala àrab

Barros Pinto proposed a great music festival and the enhancement of the Avenue of the Allies as the living room of the city, welcoming stores of the big brands, in line with what is happening in other proncipal European cities. Also he shared with fellow travelers the suggestion of Porto replicating the campaign of New York and launching the slogan ‘I Love Porto’.

All believe that the price / quality ratio is one of the strengths of the city which gaining international notoriety after being European Capital of Culture and the football Euro 2004 championships. The increase in low cost airline flights is boosting demand too. Statistics show that the Porto and the North of Portugal is the fastest growing nationally for overnight stays with an  increases of 3.3% in 2009 and 6.7% in the first quarter of this year.

Steam trains in Portugal. Expresso reports : "Um passeio no comboio histórico a vapor Régua-Pocinho-Régua.."

Above image caption : Henschel & Son locomotive in Linha do Douro, Portugal

Image caption : "I was amazed to find these steam locomotives just left to rust away at Régua, in Portugal’s Douro Valley. I understand that they had been out of use since the mid 1980s, and this photo was taken in June 1991."

Photo Gallery of the steam train service operating now in the Douro: HERE

José Saramago, master of what-ifs. The Guardian books blog entry titled:

A communist who quarrelled with the church and fell out with Castro, the Portuguese Nobel laureate was wedded to the ‘possibility of the impossible’ and to the questioning of ‘truths’

image caption : Jose Saramago in San Sebastián at the International Film Festival 2006

Everything else from Elaine :

Holidays in the Algarve more expensive than the Caribbean? One week in the Algarve, in a five-star hotel including breakfast, could cost a couple in the region of €1,500. However, a week’s all-inclusive package (which includes all transport, food and beverages within the resort of choice) to destinations such as Punta Cana (Dominican Republic), Mexico (Riviera Maya), or Venezuela (Margarita Island), costs in the region of €2,000. Alternatively, the Portuguese could opt to ‘Staycate’ on the Islands of the Azores or Madeira, where the most affordable seven-night bed and breakfast package in a 4-star hotel costs in the region of €450 and €600 respectively. HERE

Price plunge puts Portugal top of holiday hotspots. Anyone thinking of a last-minute budget holiday in the sun should head to Portugal, according to a survey which claims prices there have fallen by more than 40% over the past 12 months. In its latest holiday costs barometer, Post Office Travel Money reports prices have plunged in a number of eurozone destinations. It says the biggest fall in prices has come in the Algarve area where the cost of eating out and of typical holiday purchases fell 42% in the last year. That means Portugal has ousted Bulgaria as the cheapest destination on its list. The total cost of the basket of goods bought in Portugal has fallen from £66 last year to £38, making it extremely good value for British holidaymakers. HERE

Welcome to Madeira. Arrival guides – the largest network of free travel guides. HERE

Costa Magica Tenerife and Madeira. YouTube video recorded from the Splendour of the Seas on March 30/31 2010.

Shark’s fin soup has a lot to answer for. HERE

Funeral for Portuguese Nobel Laureate in Lisbon. Hundreds of people have paid their last respects to author, Jose Saramago, the only Portuguese writer to have won the Nobel Prize for Literature. Euronews video HERE

News from Diário de Notícias and Jornal da Madeira

SATURDAY 19th JUNE

FRONT PAGE NEWS

Football and beer in someone else’s house. Youths were arrested yesterday afternoon in Anjos, Ponta do Sol while casually sitting on the sofa, drinking beer and watching a World Cup match. They had illegally entered the house and were surprised by the arrival of the police who had been alerted by neighbours. There was extensive damage to the interior of the house and outside areas. They originally protested their innocence but then admitted they had forced entry, allegedly with the aim of robbery. Six were minors and the other five were arrested and the case will be heard at the Court of Ponta do Sol. The house is a vacation home belonging to a lawyer living in Funchal and has been burgled twice before, the last time was within the last three weeks.

Porto Santo beach and Laurissilva have the vote of CR9. Cristiano Ronaldo has decided to help these two candidates for the 7 Natural Wonders of Portugal competition, after an appeal from the Vice-President of the Regional Government, João Cunha e Silva. Ronaldo posted his message on Facebook yesterday and it immediately received 3,446 approvals. In the first month of voting, the website registered less than 100,000 votes and these two Madeiran candidates were not amongst the favourites. Preferences were for: Arquipélago das Berlengas, Grutas de Mira de Aire, Lagoa das Sete Cidades, Paisagem Vulcânica do Pico, Parque Nacional Peneda- Gerês, Portinho da Arrábida and Ria Formosa. The 7 least voted for were: Algar do Carvão, Furna do Enxofre, Parque Natural da Arrábida, Parque Natural do Sudoeste Alentejano e Costa Vicentina, Ponta de Sagres, Pontal da Carrapateira and Portas de Rodão. The final voting date for the 21 finalists is September 7th with details on the website HERE.

ECONOMY

Binter connects Madeira to Tenerife. BinterCanaries announced on Friday the new schedule of flights between the Canary Islands and Madeira. There will be direct flights between Tenerife and Madeira in addition to those already existing between Gran Canaria and Madeira. The new link will operate from Los Rodeos between July 12th – September 13th. Flights between Tenerife and Madeira will be on Mondays at 12.00 and Saturdays at 11.10 while return flights are scheduled for 14.00 on Mondays and 13.00 on Saturdays. Flight times are maintained between Madeira and Gran Canaria; 12.00 on Thursdays and 11.00 on Sundays and returning on Thursdays at 14.00 and Sundays at 13.00. Since 2004, Binter has flown 110,000 passengers between these two islands. Flight time is 80 minutes on ATR 72-500 aircraft.

Geothermal project will move forward. Under the Energy Policy of the Region, new opportunities in the area of clean energy will be studied, including geothermal energy. European strategies aim to: find alternatives to oil, fight climate change, increase the energy security of countries and stabilize the price of energy products. The Region has already focused on hydro, wind and solar power and there are projects studying the possibilities of marine biofuels in Porto Santo and natural gas in Madeira. Promising geothermal sources in Madeira might be found at a depth of 3 – 4 kilometres and any sites need to be identified.

SUNDAY 20th JUNE

FRONT PAGE NEWS

New species found in the Selvagens. After a week of work, new species of marine flora and fauna have been found both on land and at sea at Selvagem Pequena. They have been discovered by researchers of the Task Group for the Extension of the Continental Shelf. Fifteen scientists are studying the coastal zone, a team of divers on the Creoula are studying depths between 5 and 25 metres and below 25 metres, the Oceanographic Vessel Gago Coutinho will be used after it has been repaired. Today, the team sails for Selvagem Grande. The researchers were surprised at the amount of litter they came across, for example plastics, toys and yogurt cartons and they set aside a day to remove them. Photos showing the researchers at work, species found and some of the litter. MULTIMEDIA

ECONOMY

Recovery of Madeira highlighted in the Portugal Travel Awards. The Regional Secretariat of Tourism and Transport was honoured yesterday at Vilamoura in the Algarve. The jury of the ‘Publituris Portugal Travel Awards’ highlighted the restoration of Madeira as a tourist destination after the February 20th floods. They acknowledged the work done by all entities but were disappointed that Madeira could not send a representative to receive the prize. Nominations were made by journalists then three candidates were selected in each category for final voting through the Internet. Madeira this year had few representatives in the 16 categories. Hotel Choupana Hills and Porto Bay Hotels & Resorts were among the finalists but failed to win their respective categories. At the end of the awards ceremony, a film promoting tourism in Madeira was shown and the award will be sent directly from Faro to Madeira on Monday.

MULTIMEDIA

‘Madeira, nome de flor’ coloured the bay. Slideshow of 13 photos from the third fireworks show in the Festival do Atlântico 2010. Last night’s show was presented by the firm Luso Pirotecnia. MULTIMEDIA

MONDAY 21st JUNE

FRONT PAGE NEWS

Regional Government wants to demolish warehouses licensed by the council. These warehouses are situated beside the stream at Tabua in Ribeira Brava. The two businessmen who own the warehouses have not heard about this decision but say they will comply providing they are properly compensated as relocating will be expensive. The Mayor of Ribeira Brava is surprised to hear about the demolition request since the warehouses were licensed and built before there was a local business park where the Vice-President of the Regional Government said they should be. When the Vice-President visited the area, he saw that the buildings restrict the flow of the stream and create a bottleneck that had caused flooding on February 20th. Ismael Fernandes does not want to enter into wars and in the same way as the council does not interfere in matters of the government, the council do not want the government interfering in matters that concern only them.

61 insolvencies declared in less than 6 months. Between January and June 18th, there were 83 applications for insolvency with the majority for businesses. The outcomes were 61 declarations of insolvency and 21 processes of closure with recovery orders. In 2009, there were a record 89 insolvencies. Countering this trend, there were 15,016 viable businesses in February 2010. That month, 62 businesses were started, 10.7% more than the previous month and in May, 67 enterprises were started which is 19.64% more than in April. These are good signs of economic recovery.

MADEIRA

Five years in prison for drug trafficking. A 38 year old woman was sentenced to five years and six months in prison at Porto Santo Court yesterday. She was the ringleader of a small network who imported drugs through the postal system. Another defendant was found not guilty but her son was given a suspended sentence and will be accompanied by social reintegration services. During the police operation, a 22 year old son of the former defendant fired a shotgun five metres away from a police officer but the bullet hit the patrol car. He will be sent to trial on July 12th for attempted homicide and resisting arrest.

There’s life above the Avenida do Mar.  "We are not animals, we are people of flesh and blood." This outcry of rebellion comes from those who are still waiting four months later for storm damage restoration work. They want to know why money donated to the island has not been used, for example funds collected by SIC. The meeting called by the CDU was attended by more than a hundred residents from places as disparate as Monte, Curral das Freiras, Lombos, Escadinhas da Estrela, Vasco Gil and Poço do Morgado. A woman criticized Sr. Alberto João (Jardim) for talking only of Funchal and Serra d’Água but not mentioning Curral where a mother has to wait ten years for her son to be officially declared deceased as his body has not been found. Another woman said that there had been 13 deaths in Poço do Morgado and some bodies have not been located. There are human and animal remains in the rubble which are beginning to smell and attract mosquitoes in the heat and there are open sewers which are a public health hazard. These words were echoed about Largo das Courelas and such scenes generate memories and distrust.

Another article reported that the Regional Secretary for the Environment and Natural Resources said an additional 1.3 million euros in subsidies will be available to farmers to help cover losses.

Participation of Madeira enchanted visitors. The oldest and most important agricultural event held in Portugal, the National Fair of Agriculture, took place in Santarém on 5th – 13th June. Twenty-one companies from Madeira took part and more than 40,000 visitors on June 12th responded enormously to the opportunity of tasting regional products. There was a culinary demonstration when two chefs prepared Madeiran cuisine, using genuinely Madeiran produce. There was a total of 166,000 visitors during the nine days of the event.

Miss Switzerland 2010 candidates in Porto Santo and Madeira. The twelve candidates visited Porto Santo for a photo shoot and filming yesterday. They travelled with 30 members of the media on the Lobo Marinho. On 24th June, there will be a photo shoot and filming in the centre of Funchal at the Avenida Arriaga and Forte de São Tiago. The TV broadcast will be on September 25th in Switzerland and should attract an audience of 1.8 million viewers. The event is supported by the Association for the Promotion of Madeira, Reid’s Hotel, TAP and the Regional Secretariat of Tourism. A farewell dinner will be held on June 25th.

EVENTS

Safe Summer campaign. This campaign runs from July 1st to September 15th. During periods when residents are absent from home, the police can be requested to carry out surveillance to prevent intruders. They can also provide information on home security. The application form can be filled out at police stations or on-line (at least 48 hours beforehand) through the Portal do Cidadão and choosing  the option “Verão Seguro – Chave Directa”.

ECONOMY

Fewer fish landed in the Azores. There was a 25% fall in the volume of fish unloaded at Azorean ports than over the same period in 2009. Between January and May, the Azorean fishermen auctioned 2,528 tonnes of fish compared to 3,390 in the first five months of last year. This reflects a reduction in the local fish stock and it is the worst year for fishermen in decades. To promote the recovery of local fish stocks in the seas of the Azores, there needs to be a temporary suspension of fishing.

MULTIMEDIA

Landslide victory celebrated in the Largo do Municipio. Portugal and North Korea match celebrations today. HERE 

Many thanks to Tobi, Paul and Elaine for sending in a contribution(s) for this blog.

—————————————————————————————————————————————–
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 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 only send in ‘exceptional’ or very topical photos by email attachment, as they take quite some time to process. Links to photos that are already online take much less time. Anything submitted for inclusion will be ‘cut and pasted’  to the blog very likely unchecked and unaltered, so please check anything through before sending it in, especially ‘automatic translations’, to avoid any ‘afterthoughts’. Blogs will be published when there is sufficient material to make one worthwhile. I can’t always respond to emails, so please accept my thanks in advance, and the attribution on the blog itself. Der.

You can email dermadeira-blog@yahoo.co.uk with any articles etc., but to save time and delays, please use the comments for minor contributions and to ask any questions. Please don’t send in copyrighted / restricted material.

Madeira News Blog / madeira4u © 2007 – 2010 All Rights Reserved

Intervention of Nacional player prevents England from taking lead! reports FIFA on the England v Algeria match:

"….it took a last-gasp intervention from Rafik Halliche to prevent England from taking the lead…"

image caption : Wayne Rooney is tackled by Rafik Halliche on June 18th in the England v Algeria match

Rafik Halliche (born September 2, 1986 in Algiers) is an Algerian footballer who currently plays for C.D. Nacional in the Portuguese first division on loan from S.L. Benfica, as a central defender.

Lynne Truss muses on ‘git’ Ronaldo. BBC Radio 4

interesting….

Nacional Madeira in the Sun!
"An Algeria who boasted ‘household’ names like Rangers’ Madjid Bougherra, once of Crewe, and relegated Portsmouth’s Nadir Belhadj and Hassan Yebda. And others from Slavia Sofia, Nacional Madeira, Sochaux, Bochum and Valenciennes. And an Algeria who shamed the so-called cream of the Premier League."

The Sun reports on the England v Algeria World Cup Match on 18 June, 2010 HERE

Mais visto no YouTube: Vídeo a gozar com a BP faz sucesso na Internet

In English Title of Video: BP spills coffee :

Axl, Slash & the other Guns N’Roses are coming to Portugal! Expresso reports:

Guns N’Roses are playing at the Atlantic Pavilion in Lisbon on October 6th and according to the report will be joined by Slash. This is the first concert of the American rock band in Portugal and is part of a tour which the Guns started in 2009.

image caption : Slash with Gibson doubleneck (black Gibson EDS-1275) – Cropped version + sharpen

The current lineup comprises lead vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarists Ron "Bumblefoot" Thaland DJ Ashba, rhythm guitarist Richard Fortus, bassist Tommy Stinson, keyboardists Dizzy Reed and Chris Pitman and drummer Frank Ferrer. Guns N’ Roses’ mid-to-late 1980s and early 1990s years have been described by individuals in the music industry as the period in which….

"they brought forth a hedonistic rebelliousness and revived the punk attitude-driven hard rock scene, reminiscent of the early Rolling Stones." source: wiki

image caption : GN’R live in 2010

link to full Expresso article:

Visual humour inspired by world cup performances? Also from Expresso:

Goodbye Meryl Streep and Robert Redford….hello…..??

Will Spaniards want to wear Swiss watches

Expresso writes "authors unknown"

Link to page:

Rather than do a ‘Redwood’, when someone’s birthday party is coming up I make the effort to learn the words, and promptly forget them soon after. With another one next week, I thought I had better do a ‘refresher’ and found this rather entertaining video  as a learning aid. It’s probably the Brazilian version, but as normally only the first verse is sung, it doesn’t make much difference. Complete with amusing ‘outtakes’ at the end. Der

Everything else from Elaine :

(Portuguese only.) Casa do Velho. A geological heritage site in Curral do Velho, Paúl da Serra. HERE

Buckle up when you fly into these airports.  While Bhutan is the most extreme example—only eight pilots in the world are qualified to fly into Paro—a number of the world’s airports, from St. Maarten in the Caribbean to Madeira Airport in Funchal, can present challenges for pilots. "A lot of these airports require additional training and route familiarization because they’re so crazy," says one commercial pilot who flies international routes. According to aviation experts, mitigating factors range from the truncated length of runways to unique atmospheric and meteorological conditions, dramatic geographical settings, heavy air traffic, or a combination thereof. "Sometimes it’s just the way the airport is laid out that makes it a pain," says the pilot, referring to whether an airport is situated askew. HERE

For the Love of Port. Madeira: A Five-Week Stay. – Have you seen the news, my brother says. It’s Saturday evening and our five weeks stay in the outskirts of Funchal is only two days away. Normally I am useless at packing, starting the evening before, but this time it’s different. Spending 36 days abroad with two small children needs planning and a “to do” list of quite impressive length.

- No, why, is my answer, wondering a bit why my brother calls to ask me that.
- Madeira, he says, is on the news. There’s been some kind of flooding in Funchal. A lot of people are dead.
My first reaction is one of renunciation; it can’t be that bad. But when looking at the pictures wired out from Madeira on all news channels, I suddenly realize why my brother asked – our vacation. I am trembling at the thought that we might have to cancel; not for the fact that the insurance company will quote force majeure – no, we want to go to Madeira! HERE

News from Diário de Notícias and Jornal da Madeira

THURSDAY 17th JUNE

FRONT PAGE NEWS

Councillors of Câmara de Lobos summoned to repay money. The Court of Auditors condemned the Mayor of Câmara de Lobos, Arlindo Gomes, for endorsing ‘more’ work on four municipal contracts. Other councillors are also liable to pay fines for not voting against additional work, even though they knew the contract had been completed. The Court accused ten councillors in that county and the fines total 68,290 euros. An example is the construction of the Estrada Municipal Variante – Ribeira da Alforra. This was completed in November 2005 for the sum of 4,926,778.68 euros. In June 2006, the architect Ricardo Fraga stated that additional work was necessary and a contract for 1,222,091.47 euros was awarded, but it was not evaluated at monthly intervals or completed in the time stated. The other contracts awarded for extra work were: Renovation of the Largo da Republica €294,999.80, Caminho Municipal Seara Velha de Baixo – Curral das Freiras €113,607.64 and Estrada Municipal Ribeira do Escrivão – Quinta Grande €244,654.18.

‘Florestas’ opposed to bunkers at Santo. It is difficult to license bunkers for storing tonnes of fireworks for the pyrotechnic shows in Madeira. The storage site in question is on 70,000 square metres of land situated in Ribeira de João Gonçalves, next to Santagro and above the Levada da Serra do Faial. The proposed site was to be reforested and is near Casa Velha which is the breeding centre for red grouse. The application for a licence to Santa Cruz Council is contested by the Regional Directorate of Forestry and the residents of Santo da Serra. Carlos Macedo for Macedos Pirotecnia says the installation of the warehouse is not incompatible with reforestation. The small building will be 48 square metres on terrain of 70,000 square metres, so the security margin will be greater than the legal radius of 40 metres. The risk is only when fireworks are handled as they are packaged securely for transport and storage. The opinions of the Civil Protection, Environmental and Health Authorities are all favourable but residents are cautious and fearful.

MADEIRA

Initial funding will arrive in July. The first grants from the State Budget under the Lei de Meios should arrive in Madeira in July. Madeira will receive 200 million euros between 2010 and 2013, divided into portions of 50 million euros per year, transferred monthly. The Cohesion Fund will reinforce funding by 265 million euros and 5 million euros will come through the PDAC. The European Investment Bank will provide support to the amount of 250 million euros but the first installment will not be until September. The minister responsible for finance, Ventura Garcês, thanked those who have helped in the recovery without any compensation so far, and the government will try to advance money as soon as possible. The government is trying to quickly access the 30 million euros from the European Solidarity Fund. An amended Regional Budget will be discussed in the Regional Legislative Assembly on 13th July.

Rain hampered cherry production. Cherry production this year is substantially lower than previous years. The heavy rains during the flowering season are the main reason for less fruit at this weekend’s two-day Cherry Festival in Jardim da Serra. This year’s cherry production is 20-30% down on last year. The traditional ethnographic parade begins on Sunday at 15.00 and this year it will recreate the killing of the pig. There will be demonstrations of how to make a cherry cocktail and cherry cheese-cake with Madeiran requeijão.

Altares de São João with guaranteed entertainment. The exhibition of decorated altars starts tomorrow and lasts until June 26th. The exhibition is a collaboration between the Junta de Freguesia da Sé and traders and businessmen in the area around Praça do Carmo. There will be musical entertainment daily provided by Estudantina, Enfertuna,Tuna D’Elas, TUMa (Tuna Masculina da Universidade da Madeira), Banda D’Além, Banda Distrital, Banda Municipal and Trio do Funchal.

Madeira Wine promoted in the U.S.A. The training ship Sagres anchored at the Port of San Diego on June 10th. During the official reception for 300 guests commemorating the Day of Portugal, the Ambassador of Portugal made a toast with Madeira Wine. This is an example of the permanent presence of Madeira Wine in America. Despite the economic crisis, the downward trend is reversing and there has been a considerable increase in the amount sold in the first months of this year. There will be two promotional activities in June when 200 participants – distributors, journalists, importers and sommeliers – will have the opportunity to taste 30 different types of Madeira Wine. These events are co-funded 70% from EU funds and the remaining amount is from the Regional budget. The American market is the fifth volume of business in the area of Madeira Wine and 135,779.75 litres were exported to America in 2009, equivalent to 824,715.72 euros.

Regional Government to build a new bridge at Ribeira Brava. Although not a priority for reconstruction in relation to the amount of storm damage as a consequence of last February’s floods, the Regional Government is aiming to build a new bridge over the stream at Ribeira Brava. The structure will be fully suspended over the bed of the stream and will be in the same place as the old arch bridge that collapsed during the floods. An alternative metal footbridge is currently in place to allow pedestrians to cross the stream.

SESARAM certification ensures quality of its services. On the Regional Health Authority’s website, SESARAM stated that contrary to reports, the activities of health care establishments and services have improved substantially in terms of both quality and quantity. This year, there have been 24.7% more operations, 17.5% more consultations and 29.3% more treatments carried out by the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, compared to last year. Better care has reduced attendances at the Emergency Department by 9.3%, paediatric emergencies by 13.5% and 10.7% fewer attendances for emergencies at Health Centres. In-patients had shorter stays (5.2% fewer days) and similarly at Health Centres (36%). This month, the Board of Directors will sign a contract with the international quality accrediting body CHKS (formerly King’s Fund), to maintain quality accreditation.

ECONOMY

TAP supports travel to Madeira for Miss Switzerland 2010 candidates. TAP is helping the recovery of tourism to Madeira by relocating the candidates of Miss Switzerland 2010 to Madeira for a few days of filming. The entourage will arrive on Saturday 19th June on TP1633 flight at 17.10. They will participate in a photo shoot and filming at Madeira Airport when they arrive.

POLITICS

Secretary and Clinical Director blamed for the health crisis. The Socialist Party led the session yesterday in the Legislative Assembly of Madeira to propose the establishment of a commission of inquiry into the situation of malaise in the Regional Health Service (SESARAM). This is to support the clinical staff and to highlight a lack of clinical materials and medicines. Manuel Coelho (PND) accused the Clinical Director, Miguel Ferreira, of being "a man conflicted and complex" that "pursued the best views of the hospital" and that "has already been tried in a medical negligence case for the death of a poor child". Leonel Nunes (PCP) sketched the profile of the Regional Secretary for Social Affairs "as one of the most irresponsible people" who has held that title. The instability in the health service caused by the replacement of management positions was noted, and Roberto Almada (BE) hypothesised that the degradation of the provision of health care in the public sector was to deliberately push users to the private sector. In response, the Social Democrats lamented the "absolutely false and gratuitous accusations" made by opposition MPs "to create instability and social unrest" in that sector, and defied the MPs to abandon their immunity and prove their allegations in court. The Social Democrat MEP said the changes in the Regional Health Service are to provide a better service and better health care.

Quotes

"There is no shortage in the Region of totally incompetent public managers who are not dismissed." – Lopes da Fonseca (CDS/PP)

"It is better to pay low salaries (to public administrators) and higher premiums to those who achieve results." – Jaime Silva (MPT)

FRIDAY JUNE 18th

FRONT PAGE NEWS

Region exempts taxes for photovoltaic company. The argument between the Parish Council of Caniçal and Machico Council over the installation of a photovoltaic park has been resolved. To prevent logging in the serras of Caniçal, the solution is to have the park in the Zona Franca Industrial da Madeira (Industrial Free Zone) in Caniçal. The Regional Director of Forestry was against the felling of trees and said the permit approved by Machico Council did not comply with the law. This solution preserves the acácias in the only serras of Caniçal and provides tax relief to Grupo Nutrotons, but deprives the Region of Corporation Tax. The company will invest 20 million euros to install 28,000 solar panels in an area of 100,000 square metres. The annual production of 12 GWh should begin in October.

Brazão at OIT for 9 days costs 24,000 euros. The inclusion of the Regional Government in the Portuguese delegation participating in the Annual Conference of the International Labour Organization (OIT) at Geneva will cost more than 24,000 euros for transport and accommodation. The Regional Secretary of Human Resources, Brazão de Castro, will be present as an observer and will accompany the Regional Director for Labour, Rui Silva. The meeting has been extended from the usual seven days to nine days this year. Besides these two delegates, there will be two from the Azores and representatives from the Government of Portugal, employers and trade unions. The Regional Secretariat of Human Resources is using the favoured travel agency of the President of the Regional Government, Top Atlântico, which is charging 24,155.06 euros or 2,684 euros per day. For last year’s meeting, Top Atlântico charged 14,945.35 euros or 2,135.05 euros per day. Another trip by Brazão de Castro in April 2009 for five days amounted to 10,383.32 euros and the price for one in June to South Africa for 11 days was 19,944.68 euros.

MADEIRA

Pirotecnia Atlântica builds a new warehouse. This company has been based in Madeira since 2002. It has received a licence to build a second warehouse to store up to 30 tonnes of products. This is in response to a lack of storage for fireworks imported for the big events.

‘Semana do Mar’ at Porto Moniz. Carlos Costa, who became famous from the show "Idols", will take part in this event in Porto Moniz. He is a good choice as he is a native of that county. The four day festival normally attract thousands of people, and this year it will also be a gastronomical event with local restaurants serving food related to the sea. Traditional music will be provided by Banda D’Além and Xarabanda and light music by Salsinhas da Abalada and Cool Feel Band.

EVENTS

Freed inmate sent to psychiatric hospital. A 45 year old man has just completed his 20 year prison sentence for aggravated homicide. There are concerns about whether he is a danger to society, so he has been ordered to stay at the Casa de Saúde São João de Deus for assessment and rehabilitation. Psychiatrists and probation officers will decide whether he can be safely returned to society. He had been given the nickname ‘Psychopath’ in prison for his coldness to other people and he is very knowledgeable about martial arts. He was initially convicted for seven years for the attempted murder of a girl but only served four years. He then committed a murder in 1992, for which he showed no regret at the time.

ECONOMY

A large fishery in the sea of Calheta. An American on vacation in Calheta caught a Blue Marlin, 3.72 metres long and weighing 368.5 kg. Sasha Chidiak now tops the list of Big Game Fish fishermen for catches in the seas of the region. The Blue Marlin was donated to welfare institutions.

LATE NEWS

The writer José Saramago has died. Saramago won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1998 and was 87 years old. He died this morning and although widely reported in the Portuguese media, few details are known. He was an eminent Portuguese writer and skilled in the art of controversy (polemizar), as shown in his last book, Abel e Caim. He lived in Lanzarote but visited Portugal frequently. Saramago is the father of the biologist Violante Saramago Matos who works and lives in Madeira. The funeral will be held tomorrow when Saramago’s body will be transferred to Portugal. Condolences are mainly from politicians as he was a communist who took a role in the resistance to the fascist dictatorship. (q.v. April 28th 2010 blog.)

Many thanks to Paul  and Elaine for sending in a contributions for this blog.

—————————————————————————————————————————————–
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 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 only send in ‘exceptional’ or very topical photos by email attachment, as they take quite some time to process. Links to photos that are already online take much less time. Anything submitted for inclusion will be ‘cut and pasted’  to the blog very likely unchecked and unaltered, so please check anything through before sending it in, especially ‘automatic translations’, to avoid any ‘afterthoughts’. Blogs will be published when there is sufficient material to make one worthwhile. I can’t always respond to emails, so please accept my thanks in advance, and the attribution on the blog itself. Der.

You can email dermadeira-blog@yahoo.co.uk with any articles etc., but to save time and delays, please use the comments for minor contributions and to ask any questions. Please don’t send in copyrighted / restricted material.

Madeira News Blog / madeira4u © 2007 – 2010 All Rights Reserved

Contributions from Paul :

Portuguese New York publishing executive races to lose weight and compete at sport’s highest level. bicycling.com reports

"João Correia has perhaps the most unlikely story in pro cycling. A Portuguese junior champion as a teenager and promising neo pro, Correia gave up racing for the corporate world and became a fat New York publishing executive—literally fat, topping out at 205 pounds. Three years ago, as associate publisher of Bicycling, he decided to race again to lose the weight. "

Image caption : João Correia

"After two years with Bissell Pro Cycling while maintaining his career in publishing, Correia has given it all up to compete at the sport’s highest level for the Cervelo TestTeam at a time when most pros are thinking about retirement. Is he insane, or living a dream come true? You can also follow João on his blog at BLOG."                Link to site and photo source:

Calheta fishing ..we went fishing off the Calheta coast yesterday in a small boat and caught some ‘Grey Triggerfish’ commonly known as ‘Peixe-porcos’

Cascais. The UK Daily Mail reports:

“Cascais… has been transformed from a run-down fishing village of a few thousand inhabitants to a highbrow getaway.

Image caption : Boca do Inferno (Mouth of Hell) at Cascais, Portugal

In 1870, King Luis I made it the location for his summer retreat. Then exiled royal families from Italy, spain and Bulgaria all took up home here during the Spanish Civil war and world war II. within a decade, its population grew to almost 30,000…”

LINK

World Cup in Porto! INTLGYMNAST.COM reports:

"Approximately 100 gymnasts including an Olympic and World Champion are competing at the 1st Portugal World Cup. Admission to the event is free to the public.

Among the international stars expected are Olympic champion Chen Yibing (China) and world champion Diego Hypolito (Brazil).

Image caption : Olympic champion Chen Yibing (China)

New Chinese national champion Feng Zhe is also on the men’s roster, as are World Cup medalists Flavius Koczi (Romania), Samuel Piasecky (Slovakia), Ali Al-Asi (Jordan), Alexander Shatilov (Israel), Yevgeny Sapronenko (Latvia, Filip Yanev (Bulgaria), Wajdi Bouallegue (Tunisia), Regulo Carmona (Venezuela), and Isaac Botella and Rafael Martinez (Spain).

Left image caption : world champion Diego Hypolito (Brazil).

Portugal’s entrants

Portugal’s entrants include top all-arounders Manuel Campos, 15th at the 2009 Worlds in London, and Gustavo Simoes, the bronze medalist at the 2008 Junior Europeans in Lausanne. The host team women’s lineup includes four-time national champion Zoi Lima — the silver medalist on floor exercise at the 2009 Osijek World Cup — and Russian-born Ekaterina Kislinskaya, 16.."     Link to full article:

Everything else from Elaine :

Shopping with Feeeeeling. As I poured my coffee this morning,  I said "good morning" to my Madeira Rooster.  You see,   I decorate the house,  my ears,  my body, and my internal organs  with stuff bought while on  vacation.   For some totally bogus reason,  traveling lubricates my spending senses,  lulling me into a drunken state of  free spending.   This is not helped if the currency is foreign;  then the money resembles tokens for the merry-go-round and I instantly devalue their worth.  An overpowering need to sentimentalize and remember every place I visit culminates in the purchase of  roosters, paintings, shorts,  and exotic-sounding Mexican pharmaceutical prescriptions (wart cream in Spanish comes off sounding like Verrrrrrruga). HERE

News from Diário de Notícias and Jornal da Madeira

MONDAY JUNE 14th

ECONOMY

Fugas magazine highlights Madeira. This magazine accompanies Saturday’s editions of the Portuguese newspaper Público. To celebrate 10 years of continuous publication, the editorial decided on a top-ten list of the journalist’s best experiences. For Portuguese beaches, a prominent position is given to the beach at Garajau which hoisted the Blue Flag for the first time this year. Madeira Magic comes first in the category ‘recommended for families’. The Laurissilva forest features in ‘nature walks’. For golf, Madeira won two places for Santo da Serra and Port Santo. The Estalagem da Ponta do Sol was voted one of the best hotels. Blandy’s Bual 1920 (bottled in 2006) was one of the ten best wines of the last decade. It was called ‘gigantic and stunning’ and ‘absolutely monumental!’.

MULTIMEDIA

Avenida Arriaga’s showcase of classic cars. The Classic Motor Show is coupled with the Volta à Madeira – Classic Rally. Antique and classic cars are displayed on the Avenida Arriaga in Funchal until the 23rd June. Examples of cars to admire are:1960 Facel Vega from France, a 1929 ‘very British’ Rover, Jaguar, Mercedes, MG, Rolls-Royce, Chevrolet and Alfa-Romeo. The Classic Car Rally will be held between the 24th – 26th June. The inaugural event at the Avenida Arriaga is on Thursday 24th June from 20.00. The first stage will be on Friday between Câmara de Lobos and São Vicente and the last stage on Saturday between Machico, Santana, Machico and Funchal. Slideshow of 13 photos of the Classic Motor Show:

TUESDAY 15th JUNE

FRONT PAGE NEWS

Porto Santo Line receives 150,000 euros. The Regional Government decided to amend its contract with the Porto Santo Line to aid the construction of two maritime stations in the ports of Funchal and Porto Santo, in respect of the principle of Additionality to Community Funds. The new contract changes the formula of co-funding so the government pays 150,000 euros to the Porto Santo Line. As part of the concession granted in 1996, Porto Santo Line had to build the two passenger terminals, subject to financial contributions by community and regional funds. The terminals are to ensure the security and greater mobility of citizens through the provision of services with quality, comfort, safety and environmental protection. The maritime links to and from Porto Santo are essential, both to promote the island of Porto Santo in terms of tourism and to partially mitigate the effects of double insularity on its resident population. The Porto Santo Line invested 444,000 euros in the construction of the terminals, and the EU funds were based on the eligible amount of 288,000 euros since the expenses of the developer were not considered. Update in Wednesday’s newspaper. The amount of Regional and European support was always 150,000 euros (no change in the contract), and at the end of the period of the concession, the stations will become part of the heritage of the Region of Madeira.

—-Google translator, "the Government decided to amend the contract entered into with the Porto Santo Line to aid the construction of two railway stations at sea". 

MADEIRA

Urban and coastal study in Funchal. The coastal areas of Funchal are part of a worldwide project ‘Solutions for Environmental Contrasts in Coastal Areas’. The European Commission approved the project in October 2009 which studies coastal cities in Italy, Belgium, England, Sweden, Israel, India and Vietnam. The project focuses on problems of occupation of coastal areas, the sustainability of urban growth and coastal tourism, in different contexts. The Mayor of Funchal said it is important to study the occupation of the coastline, as in that city there are positive and negative results from its evolution. "The reserve of Garajau is an example of how we can reconcile coastal protection with a city that has more than 1,300 inhabitants per square kilometre."

Porto Bay donates 40,000 euros. Porto Bay Hotels and Resorts created a fund for the victims of the February storm. Half of the amount was collected between February and May during a campaign targeted at hotel customers. The remainder was donated by the group who decided to double the value of this ‘Small Gestures, Big Hopes’ fund. Caritas and the Red Cross were chosen to receive the donations.

Police pass the Armas ferry through a ‘fine comb’. The Spanish ship owner Naviera Armas was yesterday the subject of an enforcement action directed at combating drug trafficking. Officials of the PSP, Maritime Police, GNR, Customs and Excise Department and the Immigration Department participated in the operation. Several cars and passengers were searched but no narcotics were seized. A Moroccan citizen, in transit from Portimão to the Canary Islands, was sent to hospital feeling unwell. This was followed up by judicial inspectors to confirm that he really was sick as it aroused suspicions that he could be an illegal immigrant. These suspicions were not confirmed and he resumed his journey along with his wife.

ECONOMY

Jet2.com will have two more scheduled flights to Madeira in 2011. The British low-cost airline Jet2.com announced last week two more scheduled flights from the UK to Madeira. One from Manchester and one from Leeds/Bradford. This decision of Jet2.com arises due to the great demand that exists on the route from Manchester to Madeira, which will have two weekly flights from April 2011, on Mondays and Fridays. The flight from Leeds/Bradford will begin in February 2011 and will be held on Mondays. The British company will use Boeing 737-300 aircraft with a capacity for 148 passengers. Reservations and ticket sales are bookable on the company website (www.jet2.com). These routes are supported by the Program ‘Initiative:pt’ and ANAM, Turismo de Portugal and the Associação de Promoção da Madeira. The entry of Jet2.com to the Manchester route was the culmination of three years of negotiations in conjunction with the Governments of the Republic and the Region and reinforces this important market to Madeira. The entry of British tourists into Madeira suffered a decline of about 20% in the last twelve months, largely due to the crisis in the UK where the sale of package holidays decreased significantly, especially for destinations of higher quality and higher price than the Mediterranean beaches and Spanish islands. The extra flights to Madeira by Jet2.com improve the prospects for traditional hotels and dwellings for timeshare and tourism, which have also suffered losses in the past two years. Jet2.com has been in existence for 30 years, carried eight million passengers last year, currently sells 87% of its tickets through its Internet website and is considered one of the most punctual airlines in the UK.

Cost of living up 1.7% last year. In Madeira, the cost of a basket of essential goods was cheaper in May 2010 than in the previous month, but the cost of living has risen over the past year. The annual change was 1.7%, meaning a basket of essential goods costing 10 euros last year, this year costs 17 cêntimos more. Comparing the rate of change in May 2010 with the averages from the previous three months, housing, water, electricity, transport, gas and other fuels recorded the highest growth rates. Communications showed the highest price reduction.

WEDNESDAY 16TH JUNE

FRONT PAGE NEWS

Ten days of summer festivities in C. Lobos cost 77,000 euros. Despite the financial squeeze, Câmara de Lobos Council is investing 77,000 euros for the ten days of the Festas de Verão. The festivities centre on the car park in front of the bay and run from Friday June 25th to Sunday July 4th, with particular focus on musical entertainment and six restaurant stands that promote the outstanding gastronomy of Câmara de Lobos, (Peixe-espada Preto). Because of the crisis, regional groups have been hired but they still account for a large slice of the budget – 32,000 euros. One of the highlights is the fireworks show in the bay on Monday 28th June, the eve of São Pedro. This multimedia show with fireworks and lasers is expected to last 10 minutes and will cost the municipality 20,000 euros. This show, the popular marches (11 groups and 600 participants), the Festival Regional de Talentos and the extensive musical entertainment program are the main attractions of this year’s edition. Vânia Fernandes and Sofia Relva are the highlights of the opening day, on Sunday there is the Regional Festival of Talents, and the popular marches are on the same day as the fireworks show (Monday). The entertainment program starts at 19.00 and ends at midnight, except on the Saturday and eve of the holiday when it extends for another two hours.

PSD inquiry is a form of pressure on the media. The PSD-M is asking the Legislature to establish a Commission of Inquiry on the ‘Media in the Autonomous Region of Madeira’. This has raised vehement criticism from all opposition parties. Phrases used by the opposition are "fraud", "world upside down" and "revanchismo" (type of revenge). The PSD point out that the opposition persists in making allegations of manipulation of the media by the Regional Government. The social-democrats want an investigation into: the freedom and independence of the press, impartiality of journalists, political and economic independence of the organs of the media, public service television and radio, and the possibility of expression and confrontation of different points of view. The Commission must hear, among others, the members of the administration of the Jornal da Madeira, Empresa Diário de Notícias, the Director of RTP/RDP-M and journalists from the media. Later this month, the Ethics Committee of the Assembly of the Republic will hear members of the administration of the Jornal da Madeira, the Empresa Diário de Notícias and the group Liberal. The PSD say the parliamentary Commission of Inquiry is to safeguard regional autonomy and the competence of this body of self-governance of the Region (ALM).

ECONOMY

Excellence III in port.  Returning to the region for refuelling, the luxury mega-yacht Excellence III arrived from Port Everglade in Florida on Monday evening and sailed yesterday for the Mediterranean. Built in 2001 in the shipyard A & R Donald Starkey, the boat measures 57.3 metres long and 10.70 metres wide. The cruising speed is 14 knots and there are satellite systems on board for communications and the Internet. The six master suites may receive a total of 12 guests and are equipped with plasma and communications systems and surround sound systems. The crew consists of 14 members. With a weekly rental of 300,000 euros (I double-checked), customers can enjoy various entertainment and sporting equipment, among which are two 7.5 metre boats, two jet skis, various windsurfing boards, two kayaks and equipment for fishing and scuba diving.

Marriage on the beach arrives at the Golden Island. The Pestana Group launched to the national and international market a new product that might attract to Porto Santo a new type of tourist. This product is weddings on the beach, which have been growing in popularity in the Caribbean with European and American tourists. The five-star Pestana Porto Santo has direct beach access for weddings in the ‘Caraíbas Portuguesas do Atlântico’. The Pestana group has launched a new summer campaign that provides free accommodation for two children from 2 – 12 years, if staying in the parent’s room. Each child is also given a 10 euros voucher every day for use in the hotel. This campaign is applicable to the Pestana Carlton Madeira, Pestana Sintra Golf (near Lisbon) and Pestana Delfim in the Algarve, until the 30th September.

Arraial de São Pedro attracts hundreds of stallholders. The arraial de São Pedro in the Vila da Ribeira Brava will have about a hundred stalls this year. The festival is held from Saturday 26th to Tuesday 29th June. Stallholders will be selling craft items and food and beverages. Combined with bars and stalls licensed on private land, there could be two hundred businesses continuing this tradition that is one of the most popular arraiais in the Region.

CULTURE

Festas de Santa Cruz from Friday. From June 18th – 29th, to enhance the culture of the county and encourage the return to normal life after the events of February 20th. This year’s edition takes place in a restrained manner with a certain austerity, cautioned the Mayor of Santa Cruz. The budget is limited to 10,000 – 15,000 euros so there will be a lot of local talent.

Program
Market Square
Day 18 – 21h30 Brass Ensemble, 22h30 Black Dog Blues Band, 23h30 DJ Marco Camacho.
Day 19  – Folklore Meeting beginning at 20 hours with performances by folklore groups of the county, 22.30 Encontros da Eira.
Day 20 – 15 hours – Traditional games, 20 hours – meeting of bands.
Day 21 – 14 hours – Tournament of cards and dominoes. In the evening at 21h30 Guasakaka.
Day 22 – 21 hours – First Festival of Social Dance: Sevillanas, Latin Street Dancers, Latin Dance Floor, New Generation, Santo da Serra, Jovidancers; Karaoke with Joe Silva.
Day 23 – 20:30 Portuguese Group of London and 21h30 Marchas dos Santos Populares.
Day 24 – 19 hours – opening of the 3rd Edition International Art Biennale, 21h30 the Classical Orchestra of Madeira revisits Santa Cruz, accompanied by pianist Antonio Rosado.
Day 25 – 10:30 am Solemn Session of the Municipality, 21.30 Forgotten Roads, Coolfeel and DJ Daniel Caires.
Day 26 – 21:30 Banda Municipal de Santa Cruz and Tuna Estudantina Madeira, followed by  Kontraband.
Day 27 – Festival de Despique from 15 hours.
Day 28 – 18.00 Romagem de São Pedro followed by novena/missa da Vigília. 22.00 Grupo Reis Magos in the Festas de São Pedro.
Day 29 – 20.00 Eucharist followed by the Procession of the Festas de São Pedro.  

Many thanks to Paul and Elaine for sending in a contributions for this blog.

—————————————————————————————————————————————–
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 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 only send in ‘exceptional’ or very topical photos by email attachment, as they take quite some time to process. Links to photos that are already online take much less time. Anything submitted for inclusion will be ‘cut and pasted’  to the blog very likely unchecked and unaltered, so please check anything through before sending it in, especially ‘automatic translations’, to avoid any ‘afterthoughts’. Blogs will be published when there is sufficient material to make one worthwhile. I can’t always respond to emails, so please accept my thanks in advance, and the attribution on the blog itself. Der.

You can email dermadeira-blog@yahoo.co.uk with any articles etc., but to save time and delays, please use the comments for minor contributions and to ask any questions. Please don’t send in copyrighted / restricted material.

Madeira News Blog / madeira4u © 2007 – 2010 All Rights Reserved

Apparently it has been advertised in the Brit, so we need to get a message to folks ASAP.
It clashes with PORTUGAL playing in the Mundial, plus some other operational reasons.

Many thanks SUSAN

Contributions from Paul :

$1.3 million scientific award work from Portuguese Champalimaud scientific foundation

Associated Press reports: Two US scientists have won a $1.3 million (euro 1.07) award for their work in understanding how humans see, the Portuguese Champalimaud scientific foundation said Friday.

The Champalimaud award was established four years ago with a bequest from Antonio Champalimaud, a wealthy Portuguese businessmen who lost his sight. It claims to be the largest monetary prize in the field of vision and one of the biggest scientific prizes in the world.The private foundation was created when Champalimaud bequeathed a quarter of his euro2 billion ($2.43 billion) estate when he died in 2004. Link to full article:

António de Sommer Champalimaud (Lisbon, Lapa, March 19, 1918 – Lisbon, Lapa, May 8, 2004) was a Portuguese banker and industrialist that in 2004 was the wealthiest man in Portugal. He earned his fortune with insurance, banking and cement industries which were nationalized after the Carnation Revolution of 1974. After living in exile in Brazil for seven years, he returned to Portugal and rebuilt his companies. Source: Wiki

The Champalimaud Foundation is a private Portuguese biomedical research foundation, which aims to support the biomedical sciences, focused in particular, on the fields of neuroscience and cancer. In addition, the foundation’s António Champalimaud Vision Award carries one of the highest monetary prizes (1 million Euros) of any science prize and is, financially, the World’s largest in the field of vision. The Champalimaud Foundation is headquartered in Lisbon.

Image caption : The Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, due to open in Lisbon, Portugal on October 5th 2010

The Champalimaud Foundation’s high-tech research center, scheduled to open in 2010 at the mouth of the River Tagus in Lisbon, is to feature diagnostic and treatment units for cancer patients on the lower floors and research labs above, that will develop research on cancer and neuroscience. Source: Wiki

Crazy about cork? Associated Press Reports:

Portugal, where more than half the world’s cork comes from…

Cork is the outer bark of the cork oak tree, found in the Mediterranean and, in particular, Portugal, where more than half the world’s cork comes from. The trees are a remarkable renewable resource; the bark can be harvested every nine or 10 years for the life of the tree — most live to about 200. A tree in its prime, at 80 years old, can yield 440 pounds of cork. That’s enough raw material to produce about 25,000 natural wine corks.

Image caption : orkensammlung (ca. von 10-50 Jahre alt)

Cork is durable, lightweight, naturally insulating, fire and rot resistant, and has a soft, pliable quality. It can be shaved thin enough to be used as a fabric for anything from handbags to upholstery. In thicker forms, or layered over other materials, cork makes great furniture and building materials. For some great photographs and history about cork’s production and use over the decades, go to the Canada-based Jelinek’s website as well as the Portuguese Cork Association’s site. Simple Forms Design, the studio of Portuguese designers Alzira Peixoto and Carlos Mendonca, won the 2008 REDDOT Design Award for their cork bath collection, which includes geometric laser cut mats, soap dishes and even washbasins.

"Despite being such a traditional material, cork can be employed in very innovative and unexpected ways," the pair wrote on their Web page. Link to full article:

Discovering Portuguese Design at the New York MOMA. Posted by Bonnie Mackay Director of Merchandising, Creative and Marketing, MoMA Retail. “Throughout our travels we were blown away by how many young designers were putting a modern spin on their country’s design traditions and incorporating Portugal’s indigenous materials in their work.”

Image Caption : Whistler Cork Creamer, Sugar, Cups, and Teapot from Destination: Portugal

"Destination: Portugal” exhibition of goods. MOMA’s design store now features "Destination: Portugal," an exhibit of goods from that country’s best designers. There are cork umbrellas, envelopes and stylish tableware.
Founded in 1929 as an educational institution, The Museum of Modern Art, New York is dedicated to being the foremost museum of modern art in the world. Link:

Paula Rego has been made a Dame. "Dame Maria Paula Figueiroa Rego, DBE, GCSE (born 1935) is a Portuguese painter, illustrator and printmaker, who has lived in Britain since 1951. She was born in Lisbon to a rich family, during Salazar´s regime, which would be a later influence in her work. Rego started painting at the age of four. She attended the English-language Saint Julian’s School, Carcavelos, Portugal before studying at the Slade School of Art". Source Wiki:

Image caption : One of artist’s paintings that she talks about in the film below.

Paula was married to the artist Victor Willing and they became part of the London Group of artists which included David Hockney. Her work is often cartoon like and uses ideas and images from fairy tales with a twisted and sometimes sinister edge.
BBC Film of Paul Rego talking about how she decides what to draw and who is going to be the most important character: FILM     Radio 3 interview

The European Central Bank (ECB) has held eurozone interest rates at a record low of 1% for the 10th month running, as expected.

ECB president Jean-Claude Trichet said growth would be "moderate and uneven".

It follows a meeting of EU finance ministers earlier this week to discuss cuts in budget deficits. Mr Trichet welcomed the commitment by the finance ministers to take immediate action to address budget deficits, describing it as "essential".

The ECB’s policy committee meeting was unusually attended by EU monetary affairs commissioner Olli Rehn, who also attended the eurozone finance ministers meeting. BBC

Everything else from Elaine :

Pedro Ramos – Black Scabbard Research Centre. "This book is inspired by the birthplace of the artist, Madeira Island. BSRC gained form while gathering information and references for a new project. The book presents original work as well as appropriated content from local newspaper clippings, video stills from local tv stations, images received via email by friends and family members, etc." HERE

Madeira Island Nature’s Paradise. Video by Pedro Teixeira, taken from the website holding the largest online image archive of Madeira: www.madeiraarchipelago.com.  This archive is constantly updated, for example has photos from the recent sixteenth century market in Machico. HERE

Portugal: New Year in Madeira from 999 euros for 7 nights. This holiday includes 7 nights at the 4 **** Hotel Girassol in Funchal on a half board basis with New Year’s Even dinner and live music in the hotel. Enjoy a full day guided excursions to the East Island, the West Island and a  half day tour to the Botanical Gardens. HERE

News from Diário de Notícias and Jornal da Madeira

SATURDAY 12th JUNE

FRONT PAGE NEWS

New hospital not until 2020. The most optimistic prediction for the new Hospital of Funchal is 2020 or 2021. The hospital has been promised by the Regional Government and the PSD-M for more than a decade. The project has not been entered for financial support from the State as a project of common interest, meaning that only after 2013 can finance be obtained from Lisbon for a project costing billions of euros. When a tender was launched for the project in 2004, a time scale for the construction was 6 – 8 years then another 2 -3 years for it to enter into normal operation. If an application is entered in 2013 for State support, the new Hospital of Funchal will be fully operational in 2022 – 2024, ie 12 – 14 years time. Land has already been expropriated in Santa Rita and some owners are still waiting for compensation.

Cunha e Silva takes Calheta to court. The Vice-President of the Regional Government wants the Municipality of Calheta to stop the construction of a house near his holiday home. The house is being built within 400 metres of his second home in Lombo da Igreja in the parish of Estreito da Calheta. Cunha e Silva challenges the size and position of the house and that it provokes concerns about the environment, landscape, urban planning and the quality of life of citizens. This court action is despite Calheta Council being PSD, the same political party as the Regional Government. The Mayor of Calheta is surprised at the application for an injunction as he is personally acquainted with Cunha e Silva, but has not discussed the matter with him since it is the council that makes the decisions.

MADEIRA

Lobo-marinho in world exhibition. A photo of a member of the lobo-marinho colony of the Desertas is part of the Wild Wonders of Europe photographic exhibition. 60 of Europe’s best photographers exhibit images of wildlife living in 48 European countries. The 80 works were selected from a total of 200,000 photos. This photo of the seal was taken by Nuno Sá and was on the cover of the Portuguese edition of the National Geographic magazine last May. The exhibition is to raise awareness of European biodiversity conservation and it is expected that 700 million people will visit this exhibition when it tours Europe and America until 2012. Exhibition portal: HERE

Blessing of the statue of Our Lady of Fatima. This afternoon, the Bishop of Funchal blessed a white marble statue of the image of Our Lady of Fatima. It is placed in the garden attached to the churchyard of the parish church of Imaculado Coração de Maria, in memory of the visit of the Pilgrim Image to the Diocese of Funchal.

Hundreds of worshippers resume the tradition. For the first time in more than two decades, the image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was taken out of the church of Boa Nova and carried in the procession last night. Hundreds joined in the festivities which were especially emotive for the elderly as this tradition had been forgotten in this parish. Other parishes normally have an effigy of the patron saint in their religious processions.

ECONOMICS

Estudante retreats on increased transport costs. Conceição Estudante said the Regional Government will not raise the cost of using public transport until January 2011. This is despite previous reports that ticket prices will increase. The bus company Horários do Funchal is technically bankrupt with costs 13% higher than revenue, and the company is dependent on transfers from the Regional Government that have not been forthcoming for the past two years.

Armas has a new ferry. Naviera Armas has a new ferry called the ‘Volcán de Teide’, which will enter service at the end of November, not yet confirmed for this region. It is the largest ship in the fleet, measuring 175.7 metres long and 26.4 metres wide. This ferry can accommodate 1,500 passengers and 353 cars. There are 114 cabins sleeping up to four people, four double cabins, two double cabins for disabled people and two penthouses. Top speed is 24 knots. The present ferry Volcán de Tijarafe has been operating in the region since June 2008.

COUNTRY

Portugal joined the EEC 25 years ago and is for the better. 25 years ago this morning, Portugal signed the Treaty of Accession to the EEC. The Prime Minister at the time was Mário Soares and the signing took place at the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos in Lisboa. The Portuguese have seen their living standards improve and some essential goods were more expensive in 1985. A breakfast consisting of one litre of milk and four bread rolls would have cost 80 escudos or 40 cêntimos, today 1.20 euros. The maximum permissible price for bread was 4,50 escudos (0.02 euros) and a litre of half-fat milk 62 escudos (0.31 euros). In real terms, the minimum wage is higher today. In the mid-80s, the main transport was either public transport or small cylinder motor bikes and the number of cars has increased from 119.4 to 421.1 per thousand inhabitants. Unemployment is far worse as there were 341,800 unemployed in 1985 whereas there are presently 592,000 registered unemployed in Portugal. After 25 years of accession to Europe, a snapshot of Portugal shows: more unemployment, higher wages, more expensive bread but the price of milk has fallen, more cars on the road and cheaper fuel. The Employers Confederation said that access to European Funds to modernize the economy and open borders have been the main benefits to Portugal. Employers also said that joining the single currency and the present economic crisis have been the biggest tests in economic terms that Portugal has faced since 1986. Advantages to Madeira of accession have been the development and maintenance of agriculture, fisheries and the environment. European funds have enabled infrastructure development, especially of transport and roads and joining has allowed unprecedented development. Madeira is the country that has most benefited from membership and has had the fastest convergence with the EU average. The biggest challenges that EU countries will face in the next 50 years are thought to be: world globalization, creating jobs, becoming more competitive, economic decline, integration of immigrants, demographic decline, climate change and relationship with the Islamic world. The 25 years of joining the EU are celebrated today with a return to the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos by the Portuguese and Spanish politicians Mário Soares and Felipe González. There will be ceremonies in Lisbon and Madrid as Spain joined on the same day. Speaking at the solemn ceremony at Lisbon will be the Portuguese Prime Minister, José Sócrates, the Head of the Spanish Government, José Luis Zapatero, the President of the European Commission, Durão Barroso, the President of the European Parliament, Jersy Buzek and the President of the Republic, Cavaco Silva. 

MULTIMEDIA

Crossing Madeira on foot.  A team of five people started crossing Madeira on foot today. The journey began at Porto Moniz at 8 am and is scheduled to finish on Sunday at Prainha, Caniçal at 17.00. The route is divided into two phases of 45/50 km, stopping at Encumeada for an overnight rest. The  journey can be followed on HERE. Slideshow of places visited: HERE

Crash at Santa Cruz Rally. Bruno Fernandes and Mauro Sousa in a Toyota Yaris crashed at the rally that was won by Vitor Sá. PHOTOS

SUNDAY 13th JUNE

FRONT PAGE NEWS

Jardim’s trip to Europe costs 28,000 euros. The President of the Region left on Tuesday for a marathon fortnight of meetings in three European countries. For air travel, hotels and car rental during his visit to Brussels, Strasbourg and Norway, the travel agent that Quinta Vigia always uses, Topatlântico, charged the treasury 280,342 euros. Keeping his trips secret is based on the law that states: a contract is declared secret when the execution must be accompanied by special security measures for the protection of essential interests of the Portuguese State. The Tribunal de Contas warned last year that not all trips by Jardim required such special security measures and that Quinta Vigia abused the law, but this ruling is ignored.

MADEIRA

Debris from the storm in Ribeira Brava. For more than three months, the large quantity of debris resulting from the clearance after the last great storm has been stored on the seafront of Ribeira Brava. This was supposed to be an interim solution and there have been no effective measures to reduce the effects on public health or the visual impact. IA Saúde verifies that although there is organic waste in the debris, there is no risk to public health. There were assurances that the debris would be removed before summer, but the municipality has other priorities since it has many requests for help after the havoc caused by the storm.

1.8 million euros for nature conservation. The region will soon start two new nature conservation projects financed with EU funds. The Office of the Natural Park of Madeira (SPNM) will receive funding through LIFE-Nature and LIFE-Communications for two projects totalling 1.8 million euros, financed 75% and 50%, respectively. One project is to halt the loss of European biodiversity through the recovery of Ilhéus do Porto Santo and the adjacent marine area. The other project has the theme, ‘Communicating for sustainable socio-economic, human enjoyment and biodiversity of Natura 2000 sites in the archipelago of Madeira’. This project aims to promote and enhance the compatibility between the development of socio-economic and cultural activities, such as fishing, agriculture and nature tourism, and management of Nature Reserves, classified areas, habitats and species listed in directives that support the Natura 2000 network. Since the early 1990s, the National Park has been the main beneficiary of fourteen LIFE projects and has been involved in another nine. The conservation of Freira da Madeira was considered one of the best LIFE-Nature projects for 2007 – 2008.

CULTURE

Paula Rego honoured by Queen Elizabeth II in England.  Paula Rego was among dozens of people honoured by Queen Elizabeth II in her birthday celebrations. The artist received the Order of the British Empire for her contribution to the arts. "I was completely surprised," said Paula Rego, quoted in the Guardian newspaper. "What is it for? I don’t do anything but paint pictures." Paula Rego was born in Lisbon in 1935 and attended the Slade School of Art in London in 1954. Married to an Englishman, Paula Rego has lived permanently in England since 1976. Recognized around the world, she is placed among the four best painters living in England.

House-museum invests in the work of Roberto Cunha. This Madeiran artist devoted himself mainly to clay figures but also excelled in caricature, produced puppets and oil paintings. He lived from 1901 to 1966 and the Casa-Museu Frederico de Freitas has made an inventory and invested in more than 200 pieces of his work to display to the public.

MULTIMEDIA

Atlantic Festival 2010. ‘Magic in the Air’, the second fireworks show in the 2010 edition of the Festival of the Atlantic will have surpassed the expectations of any audience, especially visitors to the region. Video: HERE

—-Unfortunately, this Diário video does not show the entire 20 minutes but it would be worth a search on YouTube etc. 

Many thanks to Paul and Elaine for sending in a contribution(s) for this blog.

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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 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 only send in ‘exceptional’ or very topical photos by email attachment, as they take quite some time to process. Links to photos that are already online take much less time. Anything submitted for inclusion will be ‘cut and pasted’  to the blog very likely unchecked and unaltered, so please check anything through before sending it in, especially ‘automatic translations’, to avoid any ‘afterthoughts’. Blogs will be published when there is sufficient material to make one worthwhile. I can’t always respond to emails, so please accept my thanks in advance, and the attribution on the blog itself. Der.

You can email dermadeira-blog@yahoo.co.uk with any articles etc., but to save time and delays, please use the comments for minor contributions and to ask any questions. Please don’t send in copyrighted / restricted material.

Madeira News Blog / madeira4u © 2007 – 2010 All Rights Reserved

Several contributions from Paul :

Portugal’s strong recovery! ‘Buy Association’ reports:

“Portugal has had the highest percentage growth in all of Europe: first quarter of this year”
“…the first country to come out of the recession”. “ It is also predicted to have a three-percent growth each year until 2017…”

image caption : The Portuguese city of Evora

“Real estate experts have noted that investors started snatching up homes last year when the property market offered good deals in a rough economy. But with the recent news of the Portugal’s strong recovery—the country welcomed 11 million tourists last year—serious investors are back and putting money down on properties, according to agents and developers.

Some of the more popular destinations are along the Silver Coast, where apartments begin at £40,000, and nine-story homes are going for £160,000. Others are heading to the countryside and buying existing developments. Rural northern and central areas, which are far away from tourist spots, are most in demand, possibly signalling that the new wave of investors that are more interested in peace than a loud, celebratory city.

Another easy draw is Portugal’s year-round sun. Brits seem especially interested in a prolonged summer, as 38,000 British expats live in the country.” LINK

The Duke of Wellington & the Iberian Peninsular campaign. BBC British history in-depth:

“Wellington is remembered as the conqueror of Napoleon and as one of Britain’s finest soldiers, despite starting life as a violin-playing Anglo-Irish aristocrat.”

Image caption : Portrait of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington

“He told a friend that he would not be chased off the continent as so many other similar forces had been, because he had made a study of French tactics, and would not be at any kind of psychological disadvantage in relation to the enemy. ‘They may overwhelm me but I don’t think they will outmanoeuvre me’, he said. ‘First, because I am not afraid of them, as everybody else seems to be; and secondly, because if what I hear of their system of manoeuvre is true, I think it a false one against steady troops. I suspect that all the continental armies were more than half beaten before the battle was begun – I, at least, will not be frightened beforehand.’ It was a brave boast, but fully justified by subsequent events.

The Iberian Peninsular campaign started off well after victories at Rolica and Vimeiro. Soon afterwards, however, Wellesley was superseded in command by two generals,

Sir Harry Burrard and Sir Hew Dalrymple, who signed an armistice with the French that allowed the defeated enemy safe passage home, with all their arms and booty and even transportation in Royal Navy vessels. Back in Britain there was outrage at the terms of what was called the Convention of Cintra, and an ‘inquiry’ (which was effectively a court-martial) was heard in the Great Hall of the Royal Hospital at Chelsea. After several weeks, Wellesley was finally acquitted.

Soon after the Cintra inquiry closed, Wellesley returned to the Peninsula, once again in command. In one of history’s great coincidences, however, the time he had spent in England had coincided with the two months that Napoleon had campaigned in Spain. So the two men missed confronting one another, and only came face to face for the first and last time at the battle of Waterloo six years later.

The leadership Wellesley showed in the Peninsular campaign was exemplary…

Having resumed command in Portugal in 1809, Wellesley – aided at all times by the Portuguese army and the Spanish guerrillas – spent the next five years trying to expel the French from the Peninsula. He took not one day’s leave as he campaigned backwards and forwards across Portugal and Spain, occasionally being forced to retreat because of the pressure of numbers opposing him, but never losing a battle or even so much as a single cannon. He was almost always outnumbered by the huge French forces that were occupying Spain in the name of Napoleon’s brother, King Joseph of Spain. The leadership Wellesley showed in the Peninsular campaign was exemplary; he won a reputation for expecting the best from his men, and for being a harsh disciplinarian when he did not get it. Yet his troops also knew he never risked their lives unnecessarily.”           Link

Despite his many personal connections with Portugal, Columbus was not granted the royal patronage he sought in Portugal. BBC British History in-depth:

"According to tradition the request was denied on the ground that it was:
-too expensive
-that Columbus was only a ‘visionary’ and was
-wrong about distances and measurements, and
-that such a plan was contrary to Portugal’s commitment to finding an eastward route to Asia by travelling around Africa

Image caption : Columbus landing in San Salvador, October 12, 1492

To a 15th-century explorer, royal sponsorship was a necessity, not a luxury

Who else but a monarch could conduct diplomatic relations, colonise land and create an ultramarine government? It was no coincidence that the Age of Discovery occurred at the same time as the appearance of the first truly national governments in western Europe. In addition to royal backing, however, any successful commercial enterprise also needed the support of the bourgeoisie…"

To understand Columbus’ motives and deeds requires an understanding of the 15th-century world in which he lived. To read more:

‘O Alquimista’. "The Alchemist (Portuguese: O Alquimista) is an allegorical novel by Paulo Coelho first published in 1988. It has been hailed as a modern classic. The Alchemist was originally written in Portuguese and has since been translated into 56 languages, winning the Guinness World Record for most translated book by a living author. It has sold more than 65 million copies in more than 150 countries, becoming one of the best-selling books in history.

Image caption : Paulo Coelho

This magical journey details the amazing adventure of a young spanish Shepard named Santiago. Santiago has a recurring dream about a great treasure waiting for him at the Pyramids of Egypt. Santiago, unlike most people, decides to follow his dream in life and pursue his destiny. On the way, he encounters love, danger, opportunity and disaster."

Source: Wiki:

Everything else from Elaine, who very thoughtfully sent the material in early so I could concentrate on the football tonight :

Jet2.com Launches Majestic Madeira from Leeds Bradford for Summer 2011! Jet2.com, has launched Yorkshire’s first low cost service to the beautiful island of Madeira from Leeds Bradford Airport. Flights to Madeira (Funchal) are now on sale starting from 49.99 one way including taxes, and start on 14th February 2011 running through to 31st October 2011. The weekly Monday morning service follows hot on the heels of Jet2.com’s highly successful Manchester to Madeira route which started this year. Holidaymakers can also take advantage of holiday packages with Jet2holidays.com from £299* per person for a 7 night 3 star break starting from May 3rd 2011. HERE

Mum is saved after a mountain fall. A COUPLE had to be dramatically rescued after they fell down the side of a mountain on the holiday island of Madeira. Ron and Lyn Budulis were descending a mountain in the Nuns Valley in Madeira when Lyn suddenly lost her footing on the narrow steep slope. HERE

World Cup – is it heaven or hell? On Friday, the world’s biggest sporting event kicks off in South Africa. For some, the World Cup promises a month of delights – but for others it’s four weeks of torture. We speak to two women with opposing views. I’m really not interested in the World Cup and the best part is we’ve booked a holiday to Madeira and we go on Friday, so we’ll miss the first week!  Or at least I hope I will. As soon as my boyfriend Chris realised the date, he said we would have to find a pub to watch England’s matches. So on the first day of my holiday I’ll be traipsing round trying to find a pub showing the match. I think he’s found an Irish bar where he’s convinced it’ll be on – but I keep telling him it won’t.  HERE

UKIP in the UK, as well as MPs in Madeira, complaining about access to the EU Solidarity Fund. Millions go wanting on Cumbria flood relief. UKIP has slammed a decision not to apply for millions of pounds to help rebuild Cumbrian communities following last November’s floods….This year, the Solidarity Fund was mobilised to help Portugal because of flooding in Madeira, and Poland is in process of applying. HERE 

Family fun for all at Reid’s Palace in Madeira, Portugal.  Reid’s Palace in Madeira, Portugal introduces “Fun at Reid’s”, an affordable luxury escape for families that offers parents a complimentary second room for the kids when booking in June or September 2010, with no minimum stay. Children between the ages of two and 17 can stay at the hotel for free and have access to a fabulous range of fun activities offered at the family friendly hotel starting at only € 405 (approximately USD $495*) per night. HERE

Isango – Tours in Madeira. Discover our collection of holiday tours, sightseeing, activities, best things to do and attractions in Madeira. HERE

Madeira News. Morgan Forbes investment site with a selection of news articles aimed at the British market. HERE

Hope you are on a good commission there Elaine! Der

News from Diário de Notícias and Jornal da Madeira

THURSDAY 10th JUNE

FRONT PAGE NEWS

Rock in Rio cost only 100,0000 euros. The Regional Secretary for Tourism corrected a typing error in the information on the official website which stated they had paid one million euros for promotional events at Rock in Rio. The actual amount was 100,000 euros. To this amount, 35,000 euros needs to be added for entertainment at the promotional space.

"Red Cross also deserved to be honoured." In today’s solemn ceremony for the Dia de Portugal, Camões e das Comunidades Portuguesas, the President of the Republic decided to award three fire brigades – two in Funchal and one in Ribeira Brava – for relief work on February 20th. Some members of the Portuguese Red Cross are upset that volunteers have not been acknowledged. Others state they do not need thanks or honours. The list of names sent to Portugal was drawn up by the Representative for Madeira, Monteiro Diniz, the President of the Regional Government and the Mayor of Funchal. Two honours were awarded posthumously to José Francisco Nascimento Capelo and Francisco Fernandes Belo. Capelo worked for Estradas da Madeira and he died in service at Serra de Água when his stranded car was buried in a landslide. Belo was a firefighter and saved his family from their storm damaged house then died when he risked his life to help a trapped neighbour.

Sun and beaches ‘conditional’. Cloudy days with some showers in the north are forecasted for the holiday weekend until Sunday. The map shows the conditions of the beaches around the island – closed, conditional or open.

MADEIRA

Fewer births and more deaths for the first time in 9 years. In 2009, there were fewer births and more deaths in the region resulting in a negative natural increase in the population (-0.11%). The actual increase in the population (0.10%) was from an increase in the migration rate (0.20%). The resident population was estimated at 247,161 in 2008 and 247,339 in 2009. In 2008, Santa Cruz was the municipality with the largest growth (3.2%) while Porto Moniz (-1.3%), Santana (-0.6%) and Funchal (-0.6%) had the largest negative changes. The young (0 – 14 years) represented 17.7% of the population, the working age group (15 – 64) 69.3%, and the elderly 13%. Funchal had the highest population density and Porto Moniz the lowest. There were 73.6 elderly for every 100 young residents aged between 0 – 14 years. The birth rate was 10.9 per thousand. The municipalities with the largest increases in births were Porto Santo and Santana and those with falling rates were Calheta, Ponta do Sol and São Vicente. In 2008, there were 7,201 foreign residents registered in Madeira, an increase of 3.1% holding a residence permit. Brazilians accounted for 17.4% of all foreigners residing in Madeira, those from the United Kingdom 12.5% and from Venezuela 11.6%. In the good old days when I was at school, we used to call a ‘negative increase’ a ‘decrease’ … political correctness to blame perhaps. Der

Plainclothes officer apprehends tourist’s assailants. Two individuals suspected of assaulting an elderly tourist on the access to Funchal Marina were arrested by an off-duty police officer. The officer witnessed the two grabbing the tourist’s bag and running off. He went in pursuit of them and initially lost them but he later intercepted the two at different times after they had separated. The bag was recovered but despite identifying the suspects, the victim chose not to formalize a complaint.

ECONOMY

Hotels full in Porto Santo, half full in Madeira. Today, Day of Portugal, brought to Madeira a few hundred domestic tourists. For the current week (7 – 13 June), the average occupancy of Pestana Group hotels in Madeira and Porto Santo is 60%, with Porto Santo hotels completely full today and well packed until Sunday. Next week (14 – 20 June), the percentage of occupancy declines to 45% in Madeira and 28% in Porto Santo. The Pestana Group has 1,669 rooms in regional hotels. Porto Santo suffers from seasonality, the peak time lasts from August to mid September. This summer, the weekly charter flight from the UK to Porto Santo will bring around a hundred clients each week and they might balance the fall in the national market, as last year they accounted for 80% of hotel guests. In Madeira this week, the most expensive hotels are the most penalized. Four-star hotels are on average 65% occupied whereas some of the luxury hotels have less than 50% occupancy. The Atlantic Festival this month has not attracted tourists in greater numbers than last year and the largest falls in both occupancy and income are from visitors from the UK and Germany.

TAP losing passengers to low-cost carriers. The figures for January – May indicate that since last year there has been a 9% decrease in TAP flights from Porto, and a 11% decrease from Lisbon to Madeira. Travel to Madeira still suffers from February’s natural disaster and the economic crisis in Portugal has led the Portuguese to cut travel costs. In the first quarter of 2010, TAP lost 9% of its market share of the number of flights to ‘low-cost’ carriers, 6% in Porto and 3% in Lisbon. The number of passengers fell 5% (4% in Porto and 1% in Faro). In Madeira, TAP accounted for 33% of passengers carried and 40,638 passengers flew with easyJet, Transavia and Air Berlin.

CULTURE

Madeira now has a waxwork. The footballer Cristiano Ronaldo, dressed in the Portuguese national team colours, is now on show at Madame Tussauds in London. The waxwork replica went on display yesterday alongside David Beckham and Steven Gerrard. The figure took four months to model at a cost of 150,000 pounds (181,000 euros), and needed more than 300 measurements and dozens of photographs. This footballer was modelled after Madame Tussauds was inundated with requests to see this idol close up, and is on display in time for the World Cup in South Africa. The first football coach to be immortalised in wax was José Mourinho in 2005.

The thousand words World Press Photo 2009. The 2009 winning photos can be seen from July 8th at Baltazar Dias. Slideshow of 12 photos.

XII Meeting of Cultural Groups of Santana. Slideshow from last weekend’s event in S. Roque do Faial. HERE

FRIDAY 11th JUNE

FRONT PAGE NEWS

Health tourism revives Porto Santo. Thalassotherapy accounts for 6% of hotel revenue with the Talassoterapia Baleeira used by 25% of the guests staying at Hotel Vila Baleeira. The Porto Santo Hotel has a Spa providing treatments with hot sands and the Spa is sought after by English and Norwegian tourists. Health tourism could be used to promote Porto Santo in winter months. Since the nineties, Porto Santo Hotel has run a pilot clinic providing treatments to patients who were followed up by medical and scientific teams. The sand at Porto Santo is very fine, non-abrasive and has a strong adherence to the skin. It has higher levels of calcium oxide, magnesium oxide and strontium than other sands and these chemicals are beneficial to health. The thermal properties are also unique since the diffusion of heat is high and the cooling rate is low. The hotel has commissioned another study recruiting a group of doctors so they can determine the effects of treatments with hot sands.

——Thalassotherapy uses the tonifying, hydrating and rejuvenating properties of seawater and seaweed to help you feel better and healthier.

MADEIRA

Tradition becomes a pastime. Over 30 farmers with a total of about 300 sheep gathered yesterday at the XIV Edição da Festa das Tosquias, a day long event in Ribeira dos Boieiros in the parish of Camacha. This event is to maintain the tradition of sheep shearing. In previous years, there would be 2,000 sheep but there are now legal limits on the number allowed in forest areas to prevent over-grazing. Some residents of Camacha still make traditional woollen articles including garments for folklore groups. A book is being written on the subject of barretes de lã (woollen caps).

—–After 1870, the traditional conical cap called a carapuça went into disuse and men wore a barrete de orelhas (woollen hat with ear flaps) and women a head scarf. Carapuças are worn by modern folklore groups and woollen barretes can still be bought today. Prints of barretes (carapuças) from 1821 – 1850. FOLKLORE

CULTURE

Died: Maria Aurora. Maria Aurora died this morning. She was a journalist, writer and poet and a popular presenter for RTP-M. She represented Madeira abroad through her writings.

—Many condolences in the comments section.

Jardim issues statement about ‘hatred of the Diário’. Reaction to the news about the earnings European politicians.

The Office of the President of the Madeira has just issued a statement reacting to the news published recently in the Diário, in which it was noted that European politicians are earning less, while stating that the head of government in Spain, Zapatero, receives an amount less than that received by the Madeiran President.

Referring to the news the statement announces that ‘dozens of times the Diário dwells on the wages of the Government’s legitimate president and his pension entitlement, which he has paid for during his whole life, like any other citizen."  The statement, signed by President’s deputy Paulo Pereira, believes that the news is "exploiting cheap, base feelings of envy”.

Finally, it stresses that the Jardim’s position on the payment of fair wages to those who want to work and against those who do not want to work has already been made public.

Many thanks to Paul and Elaine for sending in contribution for this blog.

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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 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 only send in ‘exceptional’ or very topical photos by email attachment, as they take quite some time to process. Links to photos that are already online take much less time. Anything submitted for inclusion will be ‘cut and pasted’  to the blog very likely unchecked and unaltered, so please check anything through before sending it in, especially ‘automatic translations’, to avoid any ‘afterthoughts’. Blogs will be published when there is sufficient material to make one worthwhile. I can’t always respond to emails, so please accept my thanks in advance, and the attribution on the blog itself. Der.

You can email dermadeira-blog@yahoo.co.uk with any articles etc., but to save time and delays, please use the comments for minor contributions and to ask any questions. Please don’t send in copyrighted / restricted material.

Madeira News Blog / madeira4u © 2007 – 2010 All Rights Reserved

"We did this beautiful walk in May 2010.The starting point is opposite the Bar A Calcadinha at the western end of Marocos. The scenery is spectacular as you walk in and out of each of the valleys. You look over the rooftops of Machico and get views of the Desertas islands and Pico do Facho. Wild flowers adorn the sides of the levada and the mimosa trees were in full bloom. The valleys are terraced and every available strip of land has some crop growing on it. After passing the bar O Jacare we found a group of dedicated workers re building the levada which had suffered during the floods of February, they were walking along the levada with wheelbarrows of cement which had been mixed on a road above the levada and sent down a shoot. It certainly makes you stop and think when you see just how much work goes into building and maintaining these water channels, I have done many a mile on the levada walks and enjoyed the scenery, wild flowers etc but seeing the work that goes into making this possible makes me appreciate them even more." Carol Ann UK.

This is from Robert :

It’s rugged, it’s narrow, it’s slow and it’s old.

So why does the regional authority in Madeira maintain the Old North Coast Road, even though a new, wide, fast highway has been built alongside it?

The answer is, of course, tourism.

The Old North Coast Road, or Antiga ER101 as it is known locally, is a favorite with many of the tourists that flock to Madeira every year.

And, why is the Antiga ER101 such a tourist favorite? Simply, because it’s rugged, it’s narrow, it’s slow and it’s old.

For many visitors to the island, the original coastal road in the north west tip of the island offers the opportunity to experience Madeira in the raw, exactly how it was before the need for speed prompted the blasting of endless kilometers of tunnels through the volcanic rock that gave birth to the archipelago.

View this video of a journey along the Old North Coast Road Full article can be found here on  SQUIDOO

How nice that this blog we have two more contributors than usual. Wouldn’t it be great if more people ‘chipped in’ once in a while? Der

Several contributions from Paul :

‘The Sagres’. SDNN.com reports:

The historic Portuguese tall ship Sagres is in San Diego Bay for a one-week stay.

“The ship was built in 1937 at the Blohm & Voss shipyard in Hamburg, Germany. It was captured in 1945 by U.S. Forces during World War II and was later given to Brazil for use by its Navy as a training ship.

Image caption : photo by Lopo Pizarro

In 1962, the ship was purchased by Portugal for use by its Navy as a training ship and renamed Sagres, after a historic port that was the starting point for many Portuguese explorers and navigators.

Below image caption : Downtown San Diego Skyline at night, viewed from Coronado towards Downtown

It is the sister ship to the U.S. Coast Guard’s Eagle.” Link:

Portugal, the Philippines & Portugal’s National Day. mb.com.ph reports:

“The National Day of Portugal marks the date of Luis de Camoes’ death in June 10, 1580. Camoes wrote the Os Lusiadas, Portugal’s national epic poem celebrating Portuguese history and achievements.

Portuguese citizens and Portuguese immigrants around the world celebrate this holiday. In London, England, this year’s celebration will be held on June 21, 2010, in Streatham Common Park. In the United States, the most recognized Portugal Day celebration is the Portugal Day Festival in Newark, New Jersey.

As a European Union (EU) member state, Portugal actively participates in EU programs of cooperation in the Philippines. Portuguese exports to the Philippines amount to about US$5 million a year.

Octopusses. Portugal’s main export to the Philippines are semiconductors, octopusses, holiday decorations, automotive parts and textiles, machinery, wood and dairy products.
The Portuguese Parliament approved a set of reforms that strengthened free enterprise and denationalized industries on June 1, 1989. Portugal’s economic upturn in 1996 was due basically to EU transfers and the removal of trade and other barriers.
These were decisive influences on growth in the last decade. The main industries of Portugal include textiles, wine, footwear, cork, paper, chemicals, and fish canning.
Like Spain, Portugal is historically and culturally linked to the Philippines.

image caption : An anonymous portrait of Ferdinand Magellan , 16th or 17th century (The Mariner’s Museum Collection, Newport News, VA)

The first Portuguese to set foot on Philippine soil was Ferdinand Magellan. He came to our islands in 1521 in the service of Spain. The Portuguese and the Filipinos share the same predominant religion; some 97 percent of the Portuguese are Roman Catholics…” LINK

Know your Jellyfish! Times of Malta reports:

Differences between Portuguese man-o-war, the by-the-wind sailor (Velella velella) & common mauve stinger (Pelagia noctiluca)

“A potentially dangerous Portuguese man-o-war or blue bottle (Physalia physalis) jellyfish was spotted off Xlendi, Malta last weekend and reported to the authorities as the Spot the Jellyfish study got underway.”

Image caption : Portuguese man-of-war

Portuguese man-o-war are rare around Malta, and the International Ocean Institute and the University of Malta, which are conducting the study said that most of the reported sightings involved large numbers of the common mauve stinger (Pelagia noctiluca) and of the harmless by-the-wind sailor (Velella velella) which is in fact a floating colonial hydroid colony with its own sail."

"The aim of the initiative, which is conducted in a large number of other countries, is not to scare locals and tourists off the beach but to gather much needed scientific records and to generate public awareness about the ecological role played by jellyfish and the changing nature of our seas." LINK

EU mobile phone charge cap is legal. BBC website reports:

“The price of calls between European Union countries will remain capped. Caps on mobile phone call charges made while travelling within Europe will stay in place after four phone giants failed to have them overturned.

The four – Vodafone, T-Mobile, Orange and Telefonica O2 – challenged rules put in place by the EU in 2007.

Image caption : Two women text messaging on their cell phones in a coffee shop on the campus of California State University, Fullerton.

These put a maximum limit on charges for calls and other mobile services.

The EU said that by 2011, the maximum charge for making an inter-Europe call would be 35 euro cents (29p) and for receiving a call, 11 cents.

These charges apply to customers who are in one of the 27 European Union countries but out of their home network and therefore passing through a rival system.” LINK

Portuguese water dog runs circles around Obama. Daily Mail reports:

"It was meant to be a walk in the park. But, with his hands gripped tightly around his dog’s red leash, Barack Obama is clearly struggling to show Bo who’s boss. Dressed casually in a white open-neck shirt with the sleeves rolled up, the stressed U.S. president gritted his teeth in embarrassment as he failed to gain control of the family pet…"

image caption : Per this photo’s caption from the official White House website, "The Obamas welcome Bo, a six-month old Portuguese water dog and a gift from Senator and Mrs. Kennedy to Sasha and Malia, recently at the White House".  Link to article and photos

And the rest from Elaine :

Brit Holiday Makers Head Back to Eurozone with Jet2.com. Last summer saw a rise in the Great British Staycation, with holiday makers choosing to stay within UK shores for their annual get away’s or head for less-pricey resorts in Egypt and Turkey, outside of the costly Eurozone. But now, with more paella for their Pound and extra sangria for their Sterling, Brits are once again flocking to their perennial favourite sunshine spots. HERE

Madeira: recipes and information from BBC website. Madeira is a fortified wine that comes from the island of the same name. Different grape varieties are used to make the four types, which range from dry to sweet. It can be served chilled and drunk as an aperitif, but is also used extensively in cooking in the same way as you would dry sherry. HERE

Postugal – Portugal on stamps. Postage stamps in the category: Madeira. HERE

News from Diário de Notícias and Jornal da Madeira

TUESDAY 8th JUNE

FRONT PAGE NEWS

Large crowd at the opening of Pingo Doce. The Pingo Doce supermarket at Anadia reopened yesterday after renovations, with the new look. The February 20th floods completely destroyed the shop. People filled the store and surrounding areas – to a lesser extent at Dolce Vita – as a proof of brand loyalty, as noted in the inaugural speech of Pedro Soares dos Santos of Grupo Jerónimo Martins. He said the reopening is a symbolic sign of recovery after the tragedy and of confidence in the future of Portugal and the Region. Also, loyalty rewards loyalty, because of the years of support of madeirenses. The President of the Regional Government in his opening speech highlighted the immediate availability of the Executive President Soares dos Santos – the first private call he received on February 20th – offering help to the Region and this gave him "extraordinary strength" at a difficult moment. He hopes to personally thank the portuense (from Porto) entrepreneur with an honorary decoration on the Day of the Region on July 1st. Jardim suddenly stated that those who do not want to work will lose social protection, which should be directed to those who really need it. Negotiations are still underway with the insurer AXA Portugal for the two destroyed supermarkets although the amount claimed has not been disclosed. There were no employees made redundant and more staff have been employed. Pingo Doce has 900 employees in the region and a third have served the company for over 10 years. There are 15 stores in Madeira, the first opened almost 20 years ago. Over 25,000 customers visit regional Pingo Doce stores daily and the store at Anadia is the most successful branch in Portugal. The Executive President of Jerónimo Martins made one million euros immediately available after the storm of February 20th. This served to buy an apartment block for those made homeless.

60 shops yet to reopen. In lower Funchal, reporters counted more than 60 commercial establishments still closed after the consequences of the storm of February 20th. Some enterprises will not reopen, suffering a lack of capital and unable to comply with the rules of the business recovery helpline. The Association of Trade and Services ensures that 20 – 22 companies are waiting for approval of funds by the support line so they can reopen. Photo slideshow: HERE

Water unpaid for 11 years. Since 1999, debts owed to Funchal Council by IDRAM for water consumption at sports facilities in the county have reached 2.5 million euros. With the council’s budget squeezed by the reconstruction effort, council officials and the Regional Secretary of Finance met the President of IDRAM to try to find a solution, but any outcome has not been disclosed. The President of the club Marítimo said they were also owed thousands of euros by IDRAM.

MADEIRA

Seasonal fruit sold on the streets until 31st October. In downtown Funchal, 16 licensed traders have started selling regional seasonal fruit. They are authorized to operate on weekdays with one stall holder licensed to trade in São Martinho at weekends. Among apricots, strawberries, bananas and papayas, the fruit most sold despite being the most expensive is the cherry. There are lower yields this year with the consequences of the bad weather, which is reflected in the price. Sales of cherries do not differ much from last year despite the increase in price and they sell for 4.50 euros per kilo.

ECONOMY

Yacht of the Year in Funchal. The MY Ingot has moored at Funchal Port during a repositioning cruise from the Caribbean to the Mediterranean, where it will be chartered for summer. It was built in 2008 in the Burger Boat Company shipyard, one of the most prestigious shipyards in the United States. The aluminium super structure measures 46.56 metres long and 9.04 metres wide. The yacht cruises at 13 knots with a top speed of 15 knots and has a navigational range of 4,000 miles. This mega yacht has nautical leisure equipment on board to allow guests to enjoy kayaking, jet skiing, windsurfing and game fishing. The Ingot received the International Award in 2009 for the best yacht in the category of yachts up to 50 metres in a ceremony at Ft. Lauderdale in Florida last October. The interior area is 5,025 square metres with 4,150 square metres of exterior floorspace, including recreational areas. There are four king-size VIP cabins with heated floors and finishes in rare marble, granite and onyx.

ECM launches special labels on ’7 Natural Wonders of Portugal’. With the aim of supporting the two regional candidates in this contest – the beach of Porto Santo and the Laurissilva forest – the ECM (Beer Company of Madeira) has launched special labels today. They contain information on these two applicants and how to vote. Coral will have six million bottles with labels and for Brisa, Brisol and Laranjada bottles, there are one million labels printed. Voting on the 21 finalists ends on September 7th. Details on the site: HERE

CULTURE

“Feira do Mel” in São Vicente. São Vicente Council, the Secretary for the Environment and Apimadeira (Beekeepers Association) present the first Honey Fair on the 25th – 27th June. With five beekeepers in the county, more than a tonne of honey is produced annually. There will be a honey exhibition in the town centre where the beekeepers will sell their produce and a photography exhibition on the subject of honey production.

Regional artists in “Festas de Verão” in Câmara de Lobos. Program of Summer Festivals from the 25th June – 4th July. Incorporates the Festa do Peixe Espada Preto and Marchas de São Pedro. Regional artists will be performing: Vânia Fernandes, Sofia Relva, Denisa, Cristina Barbosa, os Karnak Seti, os Seis pro Meia Dúzia and Kontra Band. Marches on Monday June 28th at 21.30 followed by a fireworks show at midnight.

Santos Populares in the city of Machico. Popular saints are celebrated in Machico and the emphasis is on São Pedro with marches on the 27th June. The Festas dos Santos Populares commence on the 20th June with the 5º Concurso de Joeiras. These traditional creations (photo) are made of paper and scallop cane and the contest is held on the promenade in the city of Machico. At 18.00 on the 23rd June, the 14º Concurso de Fontanários commences when 25 – 30 decorated fountains are visited for judging by the Casa do Povo and the Parish Council, accompanied by Machico Municipal Band. On Sunday 27th June, São Pedro is honoured by marches at 17.00 along the principal roads. From 18.30, there is entertainment provided by Tuna da Banda Municipal de Machico, Grupo de Folclore de Machico and Grupo de Fados de Machico, followed by a show by Jorge Canha at 20.00.

TODAY’S USELESS FACT

Portuguese are the third largest consumers of fish. Octopus and sardines are the favourite fish of the Portuguese who consume 57 kilos of fish per year per capita, more than double the European average of 21.5 kilos. This requires two thirds of the fish to be imported to Portugal. Top global consumers are the Icelanders and Japanese. In Portugal, octopus, sardines, redfish, tuna, swordfish and cod are the most common fish eaten. Mackerel, prawns, bream and grouper are next on the list of 20 preferred fish. Today is World Oceans Day and this survey by the League for the Protection of Nature is to highlight that consumption must be sustainable. Source: Diário Digital

WEDNESDAY 9th JUNE

FRONT PAGE NEWS

Region spent a fortune on Rock in Rio. The presence of Madeira in the festival Rock in Rio has cost a million euros. The firm Better World paid this amount to rent advertising space at the site where the concerts took place. This is equivalent to 200,000 euros per day, far beyond the amount spent on other events to promote Madeira as a tourist destination. The Socialist Party believe this is money wasted by the Regional Government in the present time of crisis. The sum seems excessive when the SIC gala accumulated 535,000 euros and the Portuguese Red Cross raised 1.3 million euros and the Regional Government contributes 970,000 euros to the Association for the Promotion of Madeira. Rock in Rio cost an additional 800,000 euros to the Region through the organization of FeVinho. The Socialists have written to ACIF and APAVT for their comments on this promotion, especially the cost/benefit involved. Raquel França said they were pleased with the outcome as the Tourism to Madeira stand had 15,000 – 20,000 visitors per day, calculated on the number of t-shirts distributed. The event promoted Madeira to a younger audience than usually targeted.

Port receives 35,000 more and airports lose 20,000 passengers. For May, the number of cruise ships visiting Funchal was 5.8% higher than last year and the number of tourists grew 25.5%. There were only 3 cruise ships from which passengers could start and finish their journey in Funchal – Island Escape, Seven Seas Mariner and the Ruby Princess. There was an increase in the number of tourists in all of the first five months of this year and they generated 11.6 million euros for the regional economy. The effect of the Icelandic volcanic ash cloud caused 9.5% fewer passengers disembarking at Funchal and Porto Santo airports. Over the five five months of the year, Madeira Airport had a 10% fall, and Porto Santo Airport a 18.9% fall in passenger numbers and ANAM (Airports Authority) lost 1.8 million euros.

MADEIRA

Recovery is ongoing without receiving any money. The Vice-President of the Regional Government, Cunha e Silva, visited the channeling of streams that overflowed on the 20th February in the county of Santa Cruz. He said the rapid promulgation of the Lei de Meios by the President of the Republic is needed to pay companies and workers. He said they have not received any solidarity money from either the EU or Portugal to pay for this type of work. Cunha e Silva was visiting the sites of Ribeiro Serrão (Camacha) and Eiras (Caniço). He does not know how much has already been spent on works in progress which are based on trust.

Many thanks to Carol Ann (photo), Robert, Elaine and Paul for sending in a contribution(s) for this blog.

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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 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 only send in ‘exceptional’ or very topical photos by email attachment, as they take quite some time to process. Links to photos that are already online take much less time. Anything submitted for inclusion will be ‘cut and pasted’  to the blog very likely unchecked and unaltered, so please check anything through before sending it in, especially ‘automatic translations’, to avoid any ‘afterthoughts’. Blogs will be published when there is sufficient material to make one worthwhile. I can’t always respond to emails, so please accept my thanks in advance, and the attribution on the blog itself. Der.

You can email dermadeira-blog@yahoo.co.uk with any articles etc., but to save time and delays, please use the comments for minor contributions and to ask any questions. Please don’t send in copyrighted / restricted material.

Madeira News Blog / madeira4u © 2007 – 2010 All Rights Reserved

10,000 metre Portuguese champion. AFP reports:
“Britain’s Somali-born Mo Farah and Portugal’s Ines Monteiro took the honours in Saturday’s 10,000m European Cup race in Marseille.

Farah timed 27min 28.86sec in seeing off France’s Abdellatif Meftah, second in 28.12.83, and Jose Manuel Martinez of Spain, who clocked 28:13.82.

1st image caption : Mo Farah during EC Cross 2008

Farah added the title to last week’s success over the same distance in London.

2nd image caption : Ines Monteiro during Rotterdam Marathon 2008

Monteiro took the women’s race in 31:13.58 ahead of Germany’s Sabrina Mockenhaput (31:23.86) with another Portuguese, Sara Moreira, third in 31:26.55.” Link to full article:

Cure for rheumatoid arthritis a step nearer. Daily Mail reports:

“Researchers from the University of Lisbon in Portugal say the discovery is an improvement on existing treatments which do not target the source of pain, but merely mask its symptoms. A cure for rheumatoid arthritis is a step nearer after scientists found an antibody which treats the cause of the pain rather than just the symptoms.

Image taken from HERE 

Image caption : In a finding which offers hope to millions in severe pain, tests have shown that anti-CD4 antibodies attack the white blood cells that cause the debilitating disease without affecting other cells.” HERE

“Daniel Fernandes’s journey from the soccer fields of east and south Vancouver to a goaltending job with Portugal’s World Cup team was not easy…”. The Province reports:

“In ’98, he (Daniel Fernandes) skipped school to watch World Cup on TV. Now Portugal goalie is part of it…..

Daniel Fernandes’s journey from the soccer fields of east and south Vancouver to a goaltending job with Portugal’s World Cup team was not easy. There have been plenty of potholes.” Read                  Read more:

Daniel Márcio Fernandes (born September 25, 1983 in Edmonton, Alberta) is a Portuguese-Canadian footballer. He currently plays for Iraklis Thessaloniki F.C. on loan from VfL Bochum. Wikipage:

Portugal’s first same-sex marriage ceremony. Associated Press reports:

“A lesbian couple wed Monday in Portugal’s first same-sex ceremony since the predominantly Catholic country introduced a law allowing gay marriage last month. Teresa Pires and Helena Paixao, divorced Portuguese mothers in their 30s who have been together since 2003, married in a 15-minute ceremony at a Lisbon registry office. "This is a great victory, a dream come true," Pires said as the couple kissed and hugged.

"Now we’re a family, that’s the important thing," Pires said, adding they would continue to fight for equal rights for homosexuals, including adoption. The ceremony came less than a month after Portugal’s conservative president ratified a gay marriage law passed by Parliament in January. His approval made Portugal the sixth in Europe to let same-sex couples wed.” HERE

IRON BABY. VISAO magazine reports: "uma curta paródia à saga Iron Man…." HERE

The BBC have produced a 5 minute ‘biographical’ video of the Portugal football team ready for next weeks first game  HERE Everyone got their Vuvezelas now? Even more important, has anyone mastered the art yet. Plenty of tips on the Portuguese TV. Der

Everything else from Elaine :

Casa Das Mudas.  Contemporary landscape architecture photos of the Arts Centre in Calheta. HERE

Enigmatic, Remote Laurelforest. These are the shots taken of the endemic forest Laurissilva in remote parts of Madeira island by Jorge Góis. HERE

A regular visitor until October and the first to use the new port station. Celebrity Cruises’ Eclipse: ship review. Celebrity Cruises is taking on the UK’s established cruise lines by basing its classy new ship Celebrity Eclipse in Southampton and tweaking its American style to appeal to the British, who are expected to make up 80 per cent of passengers on each sailing. There are kettles in cabins, Yorkshire pud and mushy peas on the menu and one lounge will offer pub quizzes and games.

Story of Gibraltar evacuees sent to Wandsworth during World War Two to be documented.  While 1,500 evacuees were taken to Jamaica and 2,000 to Madeira, thousands of evacuees arrived in London as the Battle of Britain was becoming intense, Joe said. HERE

Italy Finance Police Uncover 30 Million-Euro-Tax-Evasion Ring.  June 4 (Bloomberg) — Italian finance police said they uncovered a global tax-evasion ring that avoided paying more than 30 million euros ($36 million) after a routine roadside check on two “luxury SUVs” from Monaco and San Marino. Nine people including four Rome-based accountants were arrested in the investigation, which began after a background check on the drivers showed they had no registered assets, according to an e-mailed statement today from finance police in Frosinone, a city about 90 kilometers (56 miles) south of Rome. The network used a series of front companies based in tax- havens including Panama, Portugal’s Madeira island and San Marino, a landlocked republic within Italy, police said. The group evaded paying more than 30 million euros in taxes over the last three years alone, according to the statement. Italy loses about 120 billion euros a year in unpaid taxes and a government plan to overhaul the fiscal system will crack down on evasion, Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said on May 26. Finance police the same day raided branches of 16 banks and two fiduciaries across six regions amid a probe into potential tax evasion involving accounts in San Marino, which the Finance Ministry has said will remain on an Italian blacklist until it adopts international standards on taxes and money laundering. HERE

—–Saturday’s Diário has more details. This is not the first time the Italian authority has found undeclared money held by companies registered off-shore in Madeira. Last March, the Starfin group had 44% of their capital held by three off-shore companies – ‘Mariscal -Consultadoria’, ‘Kurasi Investment’ and ‘Kiwexim Investment’. The labyrinth of companies involved a fourth in Madeira (Glencove Corporation) and others established in Panama, Luxembourg, Cyprus, UK and even Afghanistan.

News from Diário de Notícias and Jornal da Madeira

SATURDAY 5th JUNE

FRONT PAGE NEWS

A ‘monster’ in Pico do Areeiro. Interview with Rocha da Silva, the Director of Regional Forestry, for the World Environment Day. He agrees with Raimundo Quintal that the Pico do Areeiro is the ‘Beauty’ and the radar being installed there is the ‘Beast’. The other controversial work, the teleférico do Rabaçal, has been suspended because the Regional Government has decided to prioritize the reconstruction after February’s storm and proceed only with works already on the ground. There are more than 800 visitors to Rabaçal every day and the site needs changes to generate more employment.

Companies appeared at the ‘right time’. The Vice-President responded to yesterday’s report that the Socialist Party has 400 questions about Development Companies. He said that the Socialist Carlos Pereira has a simplistic view limited to only economic and financial analysis. The Development Societies have been based on social, environmental, cultural and sporting activities. They have invested in a significant recovery of degraded areas of historical relevance and the promotion and preservation of nature and landscape in public areas. Without these, Madeira would not have achieved the economic growth and employment levels that have occurred at a time when there was a large fall in EU funding and a lack of solidarity from the State.

Cristiano Ronaldo partners failed to deliver project. Prestige Plaza has not delivered a plan for their proposed resort in Porto Santo to the local council. Construction on the sea front between Campo de Baixo and Ponta da Calheta would require changes to the new urbanization plan. The limit for tourism beds is 4,000 and currently there are: 2,300 already licensed, 1,282 in the unfinished Colombo’s Resort, the Pestana Group has 600 new beds and there are 200 in other small enterprises. If the council approved the 800 bedded Prestige Plaza tourist complex, the limit would be exceeded. There is also the Plan of Urban Golf covering 400 hectares with the possibility of building a tourist village with 1,500 beds. The occupancy of tourist beds has fallen from 48% in 2007 to 37.5% in 2009 with a subsequent fall in prices and revenue.

MADEIRA

Praia da Ribeira Brava still in poor condition. The bathing complex of Ribeira Brava is still unappealing to bathers. The dredger in the basin where the beach is situated causes a disturbance and the sea is coloured with earth. There is a lot of debris amongst the pebbles from the winter floods and the wooden footbridges hardly exist. Consequently, the beach, recreational area, pool and ‘chapinheiro’ (paddling pool) are deserted.

Manuel António announces new forest park. The formal announcement that the government will invest 3.8 million euros for the reforestation of 500 hectares of serras in Santo António, São Roque and Câmara de Lobos. This land has recently come into public ownership by expropriation to create a green cap. The investment will be reimbursed from European Union funds and will provide 400,000 trees, viewpoints and 10 kilometres of paths. The areas will be made more accessible to increase public awareness of their importance and the stone paths will assist access by firefighters. Several endemic species will be introduced to areas less exposed to the wind -  loureiros (laurels), cedros da Madeira (cedars) and teixos (yews). In more exposed areas, the solution is to plant pinheiros (pines) and abetos (firs). Natural forest in Madeira now covers 17,000 hectares whereas in 1972, it covered 12,000 hectares.

Skipper dies in the Selvagens. The skipper of the yacht ‘Symbol of Hope’ died aboard the boat yesterday, whilst en route to the Canary Islands. The patrol vessel Cuanza immediately went to the scene after the Captaincy of the Port of Funchal received the information. There were four other crew members on board, all Portuguese nationals, and a replacement skipper was provided by the Natural Park of Madeira to safely navigate the boat back to Funchal. The patrol vessel transported the body to Funchal for an autopsy as the cause of death must be established. It is not known if the death occurred when the boat was in the largo das Selvegens or harboured in that archipelago.

Jet skis are new. SANAS has this year the novelty of three jet skis for rescue at sea. They will be positioned on the most popular beaches in the region. There is the need for a rescue station at Porto Moniz as there are often maritime accidents in this area. There will be a meeting between Porto Moniz Council and SANAS this week to discuss the creation of the station before the end of the year.

ECONOMY

Portosantense emigrant caught a Blue Marlin weighing 300 kilograms. A 55 year old Portosantense who emigrated to Venezuela 33 years ago, captured a Blue Marlin weighing 300 kilograms off the coast of Porto Santo. Whilst on vacation there, he was invited aboard the ‘São Pedro’ fishing boat. The catch occurred near the Ilhéu de Baixo and it took two hours to land the fish. He took the Blue Marlin to the auction of Porto Santo but no buyer emerged. He decided to send it to Funchal in a cold box in the Lobo Marinho ferry but did not indicate the final destination.

250 kg Blue Marlin caught in Calheta. Caught about three miles from the parish of Jardim do Mar. The owner of the boat ‘Jenita’ said he was unhappy that they could not free the fish that had become entangled in the lines, to release it back to the sea. Part of the fish will be delivered to institutions and the other half is for residents of Jardim do Mar.

SUNDAY 6th JUNE

FRONT PAGE NEWS

Persecution of Jardim goes to the Representative. The parliamentary leader of the Socialist Party in Madeira has asked the Representative of the Republic in Lisbon to intervene to restore the law after the actions of the President of the Regional Government. André Escórcio wrote to Monteiro Diniz, questioning the actions of Alberto Jardim on the rights and freedoms of citizens and his attempts to impose fear. The first example was last week when the Regional Secretary for Social Affairs chose for the new Director of Oral Health, a girlfriend of one of his sons who had less than two years professional experience. When the dentist Doris Marques accused him of favouritism, her contract was terminated that afternoon by the direct order of Alberto Jardim. The letter also refers to the situation of the media in Madeira. According to an editorial in the Diário, the resignation of the former director of the newspaper was in response to persecution by the President, unfair competition and direct pressure on the newspaper and journalists.The Regional Government simply ignores the parliament. Escórcio recognizes that the powers of the Representative of the Republic are very limited but hopes that dialogue by Diniz could have positive results and avoid major conflicts.

MADEIRA

Research on underwater Selvagens. The largest ever Portuguese scientific expedition aims to investigate the mar das Ilhas Selvagens. A multidisciplinary team of 73 specialists will use the Vera Cruz (replica of a 16th century caravel – sailing ship), two ships of the Portuguese Navy and a remotely operated vehicle for sampling at depths. The team will thoroughly investigate the aquatic and coastal part of the Selvagens Islands to make an inventory of the flora and fauna and marine habitats. The scientific operation is a partnership between the Institute for Nature Conservation and Biodiversity and the Task Group for the Extension of the Continental Shelf (EMEPC). The co-ordination by EMEPC is possible as the United Nations now acknowledges Portuguese sovereignty of 2 million square kilometres of continental shelf.

ECONOMY

Works and harassment annoy tourists. Taxi drivers trying to sell journeys and timeshare sellers need regulating at the Port of Funchal. Some comply with the law and are cordial to tourists but others are more insistent and aggressive and are hated by tourists. The construction of a car park on the Cais Norte do Porto restricts the footpath on Avenida Sá Carneiro and caution is needed, especially when heavy lorries and buses pass by. The Regional Secretary for Tourism said neither they or the police had received any complaints when they surveyed visitors to the new port. She did acknowledge they had recently met such operators to inform them of the law and ask them not to damage the image of Madeira as a quality tourist destination. HERE

MULTIMEDIA

‘Emotions of Colour and Light’ in the bay of Funchal. Video of last night’s fireworks show for the opening of the Atlantic Festival. The first of four performances, one every Saturday in June. VIDEO

Expedition from North Africa desembark in Machico. Video of the arrival and parade of the expedition from North Africa in Saturday’s ‘Mercado Quinhentista’ (16th century market) celebrations in Machico. VIDEO

MONDAY 7th JUNE

FRONT PAGE NEWS

DJ’s party ends in shooting. Shots were fired from the hillside above the premises where the licensed private party was held in Calhau de São Jorge in Santana. The party was going well at 5 am in the morning when it ended abruptly after a 16 year old was shot in the hand and three individuals were detained by the police in the midst of the confusion. The person responsible for the incident has not been identified and it is suspected that it was someone who was barred from entry for being drunk and was taking revenge. The party organizer, Duarte Nunes, hired five private security guards to bar entry to anyone who was intoxicated or under the influence of drugs. Witnesses spotted two lanterns on the hillside and shortly afterwards, shots were fired. One pellet struck a 16 year old boy in his hand and the five policemen who were posted outside the room went up the slope but could not locate those responsible in the darkness. In the confusion and due to excessive drinking at the party, three people had to be detained for trying to vandalise a police car. Forensic officers arrived later that morning to try to find the cartridge to enable them to identify the weapon and owner.

MADEIRA

Southwest beaches stained brown. From Câmara de Lobos to Calheta, there are few beaches not affected by the post-storm intervention of streams at Ribeira Brava and Ponta do Sol. The artificial beach at Calheta fares better whereas the beaches most affected are in Ribeira Brava and two in Ponta do Sol – in front of Vila and Madalena do Mar. The beach of Vigário in Câmara de Lobos is polluted by works upstream and the alternative Complexo das Salinas on the other side of the bay has cleaner water and a swimming pool.

ECONOMY

TAP admits to making "great efforts" to rehabilitate the market in Madeira. Tourism to Madeira was greatly affected by the storms of February 20th, although the Vice-President of TAP airlines explained that most of the decrease in passengers is due to source markets grappling with economic difficulties. The outbound market of England still lives in great economic difficulty, people are flying less and the value of the pound is lower, and this introduces a lot of pressure because it is a very strong market for Madeira. Help does not come from mainland Portugal where the economic crisis has also cut travel. Therefore, TAP is seeking new markets for Madeira, including Russia and Spain, from where in summer there will be a new direct flight Barcelona-Funchal. TAP is looking for new markets for Madeira that have potential for growth. Catalonia is one of the most prosperous regions of Spain and its capital, Barcelona, is the second most important and richest cities in the country. It is also an opportunity for Madeirans to explore the countless attractions there and hundreds of cruise ships call at the crowded port of Barcelona. Until now, anyone who wanted to take a cruise from Barcelona had to bear the cost of a connecting flight to Lisbon. Losses in revenue caused by the ash cloud which stopped flights for almost a week at the end of April will not be reflected in ticket prices. Due to a huge supply, there is an international and European price war in a very competitive market. TAP estimates over 12 million euros in losses due to the ash cloud crisis. Since flights have resumed, some companies have increased prices between Europe and the United States by 20% but this will not happen with TAP flights.

Many thanks to Paul and Elaine for sending in a contribution(s) for this blog.

—————————————————————————————————————————————–
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 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 only send in ‘exceptional’ or very topical photos by email attachment, as they take quite some time to process. Links to photos that are already online take much less time. Anything submitted for inclusion will be ‘cut and pasted’  to the blog very likely unchecked and unaltered, so please check anything through before sending it in, especially ‘automatic translations’, to avoid any ‘afterthoughts’. Blogs will be published when there is sufficient material to make one worthwhile. I can’t always respond to emails, so please accept my thanks in advance, and the attribution on the blog itself. Der.

You can email dermadeira-blog@yahoo.co.uk with any articles etc., but to save time and delays, please use the comments for minor contributions and to ask any questions. Please don’t send in copyrighted / restricted material.

Madeira News Blog / madeira4u © 2007 – 2010 All Rights Reserved

World Cup: Algerian Defender plays for CD Nacional Madeira. Goal.com reports:
“..the least known of the Algerian defenders (Rafik Halliche) , but…certainly not the least talented. His aggressive play and his combativeness on the ground make …him an essential element of the team.”

Image caption : Logo of C.D Nacional

“Having proven reliable in the Algerian league, he was recruited by Benfica Lisbon, and then sent immediately on loan to Nacional Madeira.” wikipage on Rafik Halliche:

Eusebio on….

Football : "Football nowadays is just commercial. Television commands the times of the games. The players are very good, obviously. I’m happy for the modern-day player who signs his contract and makes lots of money. The players of my era helped make that possible. "I respect the football of today but the football of my time was better. Football hasn’t got better, it has just evolved, from the ball to the boots to the shirts to the training methods – everything around them. Pelé, George Best, Cruyff, Garrincha would have been amazing players today.

"When we played Real Madrid and won 5-3 [in the 1962 European Cup final – Eusébio scored two] it was soaking wet and the ball ended up weighing a kilo. It didn’t have a brand. That’s why Pelé or Garrincha, if they played now, would be so wonderful. Consider their boots. There was no personalised footwear from Adidas. We’d have one pair for all surfaces, and the kitman would change the studs according to the conditions. Sometimes they’d do it in a rush and a nail would still be in there. You’d take your boot off and there would be blood from where the nail had penetrated your foot. Back then we made money, but we played for the love, it was all heart."

image caption : Escultura do futebolista Eusébio da Silva Ferreira, no Estádio do Benfica (Lisboa, Portugal).

African football : In this fraternal spirit he urges Africa’s World Cup contenders to assume a strong group mentality: "The problem is that the players are quite individual. I wish the players would get together and work together. If that happened African football would take another leap forward."

Portugal’s record : And he chafes when asked why Portugal have failed to convert talent into international trophies:

"What a lot of people don’t know is that Portugal have won tournaments, just not at senior level. Their juniors have always been very strong in World Cups and European Championships.

"The problem is that when people think of Portugal and these great players they forget it’s a very small country. It’s not easy. Portuguese clubs have won European trophies, but it’s a very fine line between success and failure at international level and it’s a very small country.

"Compare Brazil to Portugal and it’s David and Goliath". Compare Brazil to Portugal and it’s David and Goliath. The colonies in Africa – Angola and Mozambique – had four players in the Portugal side in 1966 and that’s gone now because these countries have their own national sides. You’ve lost that stream of players."

Ronaldo & Messi : Of Ronaldo he says: "I know him very well, he’s a very good professional, a hard worker. At Real Madrid when all the players leave training he stays there and takes free-kicks, takes penalties, takes the ball on his own, dribbles. His work ethic is very good, without the coach asking him to do it. When my colleagues were back at home eating I’d still be practising and Ronaldo is the same, a real hard worker. I’m not a Barcelona fan but I very much admire Lionel Messi. I haven’t seen him train. I know Ronaldo a lot better. Currently, Messi is the best player in the world. He writes his name all over the pitch."

To summon the spirit of his era – the 60s and early 70s – just ask whether Ronaldo might surpass him as Portugal’s nonpareil. "I’m a footballer, not a pundit," he says. "Seven-times best footballer [in Portugal], top scorer at the World Cup, voted into the all-time Fifa top 10. Those are just the facts. I’m not sure whether anyone can surpass that. It’s up to you guys to decide. I’m proud to say I’ve done something for the good of football. I don’t compare myself to anyone."

The greatest of all World Cup goals?
He points to Carlos Alberto – Brazil’s 1970 World Cup-winning captain, who is with him in London, and who scored arguably the greatest of all World Cup goals. "There are things you can’t forget, moments in history like that." Link to full ‘Guardian’ interview article with Eusebio:

Portuguese celebrations in Shangai. The Shanghai Daily reports: Four Portuguese drivers arrived in Shanghai after a 16,000-kilometre overland trip through Europe and central Asia to China. The quartet drove along the route taken by Italian traveller Marco Polo during his odyssey to China in the late 13th century. Riding in two sport utility vehicles filled with gear, they left Portugal’s central city of Leiria on May 1, and arrived at People’s Square in Shanghai.
Image caption : Statue of Marco Polo in Hangzhou, China, near the West Lake

The five-week trip made it possible for them to celebrate Portugal’s Pavilion Day tomorrow.

"The links between Portugal and China go back a long way. And it is precisely for this purpose that the trip will be carried out: with the intention of strengthening these relations, while permitting us to know other cultures on a journey that is expected to be fantastic in all aspects," they wrote on their Website before the start.

Afonso Cerejo came up with the idea as he lives in Jiangsu Province’s Changzhou city.

The other three team members are Rui Gaspar, 54, Luis Abreu, 48, Joao Caiado, 26.

The expedition team traveled across 13 countries in almost 40 days LINK

‘Queen in concert’. English.Eastday.com reports: “Portugal celebrates its National Pavilion Day today with concerts by renowned fado singer Mariza. The first Portuguese artist to be nominated for Grammy Award, Mariza is a renowned interpreter of fado music and will perform at the Expo Center at 11am and 8pm.

Image caption : Mariza at Pavilhão Atlântico, Lisboa, 2007

She is seen as the reigning queen of fado, a style of Portuguese folk music dating back to the early 1800s.” "I lived in a traditional Lisbon neighborhood and have always sung the fado – I understand myself through it," Mariza says. LINK

Needlework Nuns – trousseaux. The Times of India reports: “In this life, the beauty of the trousseaux is evanescing, particularly in Goa, the card carrier of the tradition. In this Portuguese palimpsest, only the ghosts of certain conventions remain….”

Image Caption : Trousseaux de mariées dans la médina de Tunis

Link to full article:

Art in Calheta: dancing on Sunday afternoon to Chopin at Casa das Mudas: ‘Maiorca’! The Music Festival of Madeira moves to Calheta at 5pm on Sunday. VIDEO

Choreography by Paulo Ribeiro with: Pedro Burmester (piano), Erika Guastamacchia, Marta Cerqueira, São Castro, Gonçalo Lobato, Pedro Mendes and Romulus Neagu (dancers). Promotional video by João Pinto; light design by Nuno Meira; costumes by Ana Luena and music of F. Chopin (Preludes)

image Caption : ‘Casa das mudas international art centre’ perched on cliffs above Calheta marina and beaches.

The Porbeagle (Lamna nasus) shark. Here’s an image of the sharks mentioned in a recent posting:
“One shark, a juvenile male, migrated over 2400 km to Madeira off the west coast of Morocco during the wintertime…” link:

Image caption : Porbeagle (Lamna nasus) sharks
Wikipage on the shark:

Many thanks to Paul for sending in the contributions for this blog.

—————————————————————————————————————————————–
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 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 only send in ‘exceptional’ or very topical photos by email attachment, as they take quite some time to process. Links to photos that are already online take much less time. Anything submitted for inclusion will be ‘cut and pasted’  to the blog very likely unchecked and unaltered, so please check anything through before sending it in, especially ‘automatic translations’, to avoid any ‘afterthoughts’. Blogs will be published when there is sufficient material to make one worthwhile. I can’t always respond to emails, so please accept my thanks in advance, and the attribution on the blog itself. Der.

You can email dermadeira-blog@yahoo.co.uk with any articles etc., but to save time and delays, please use the comments for minor contributions and to ask any questions. Please don’t send in copyrighted / restricted material.

Madeira News Blog / madeira4u © 2007 – 2010 All Rights Reserved

Centopeia / Centipede … the biting kind.

From Paul :

“A united Europe is not a uniform Europe” Internal Market Commissioner Michel Barnier says The outermost regions are important parts of the EU, despite their distance from mainland Europe.  Reuters reports: “Times are hard in distant corners of the European Union, even when the sun is shining and the euro zone’s debt problems are thousands of miles away…”. “Leaders of nine regions on the edges of the EU are asking the rest of the 27-country bloc to pay more attention to their needs and shape investment policies better to their problems, exacerbated in some cases by the global economic crisis.”

image caption : EU Internal Market Commissioner Michel Barnier

The first Forum for Outermost Europe. “The voices of territories as far away as the Indian Ocean and South America are rarely heard at the heart of the EU. So leaders from these regions, the most distant of which was the island of Reunion, a French territory about 9,000 km (5,640 miles) from Brussels, took the chance offered by the first Forum for Outermost Europe. The leaders said EU support should be better tailored to their specific needs and their efforts to strengthen their traditional economic sectors, boost competitiveness and develop entrepreneurship.” “Rather than demanding more funding, they want more flexible and better targeted funding to suit the problems they face such as remoteness, insularity, small size, difficult topography and climate, and economic dependence on a few products.” link to full article:

Euractiv.com reports : The European Union now has nine outermost regions (ORs).
With the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon, the European Union now has nine outermost regions(ORs): the four French overseas departments (Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Réunion and Martinique), two French overseas collectivities (Saint Barthélemy and Saint Martin), the autonomous regions of Portugal (the Azores and Madeira) and the Spanish Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands.

Since 1999 the European Union has recognised the special situation of the outermost regions (their insularity, remoteness, small size and economic dependence) in relation to the other European regions.

On Euractiv.com it states: Barnier himself has argued that he has a longstanding bond with these ‘ultrapériphériques (ultra-peripheral)’ regions, both as a former EU commissioner for regional policy and as a forceful backer of Article 349 of the Lisbon Treaty, which gave special recognition to the ORs’ status. Regional Policy Commissioner Hahn described Barnier as an "expert and friend" to the nine regions.

Outermost regions worst hit by crisis. Barnier noted that this was a particularly difficult time for the ORs, given that the global economic crisis had hit the EU’s weakest regions particularly hard. This point was echoed repeatedly by politicians from the nine regions (see ‘Positions’).

The French commissioner outlined a number of other key factors that could potentially hamper the regions’ ongoing development. These include the upcoming EU budget review, which could be "tough" on the ORs if they failed to maintain the same level of funds; the ongoing global trade negotiations, which without a "positive income" could severely impact on the ORs’ economic productivity; and the simple fact that in the enlarged EU, it is more difficult for the ORs to make their presence felt, given that they are represented by three out of 27 countries as opposed to three out of 15.

image caption  : João Cunha e Silva, Vice-President of the Regional Government of Madeira

Euractiv.com reports that:

João Cunha e Silva, vice-president of the Regional Government of Madeira, called for "differentiation" in the EU’s approach to the ORs. "EU decision-makers must ensure that their policies are specific to us," he argued, adding that Article 349 of the Lisbon Treaty already specifies that this is the case.
Without differentiation, "EU policies will do more harm than good," he claimed, adding that the adaptation of EU rules to the ORs’ unique situation was the key "lever for development". "Our natural limitations are permanent," he said, and concluded that mere "increased in GDP won’t make these go away". link to full article:

Internal Market Commissioner Michel Barnier said: “I hope that this day marks a turning point in the evolution of the relationship between the EU and these regions, which are still perhaps too unknown and misunderstood on the European continent”.

Everything else from Elaine :

Celebrity Eclipse in new Funchal terminal. Funchal Daily Photo has four images of the recently opened maritime station. This was the first test of the workability of the station when 2,217 British tourists and 1,213 crew passed through and the overall results were positive. HERE

Madeira 2010, day 1, a walk in Prazeres. Called Not a Photo Diary but don’t be fooled. Photo/text record of five days of levada walking and a visit to the sugar cane factory in Calheta. Photographic evidence of landslides affecting the levadas. HERE

Satellite-linked Tagging of Porbeagle Sharks. Scientists at the Marine Institute, Galway, are working with anglers around Ireland to study the migration and diving behaviour of porbeagle sharks (Latin name – Lamna nasus) in the northeast Atlantic. Porbeagle sharks are one of the top marine predators around Ireland, but very little is known about their movement patterns in the northeast Atlantic….One shark, a juvenile male, migrated over 2400 km to Madeira off the west coast of Morocco during the wintertime. HERE

News from Diário de Notícias and Jornal da Madeira

WEDNESDAY JUNE 2nd

FRONT PAGE NEWS

Ronaldo promotes Madeira in Spain. Cristiano Ronaldo is going to be the face of the new campaign promoting Madeira as a holiday destination to the Spanish. This is after several years of delayed or inconclusive negotiations because of disagreements with the company that manage his career or other commitments. Ronaldo will provide his services for free this summer. There is currently a lack of demand in the Spanish market because of economic difficulties in Spain. It is hoped that the appeal of Cristiano Ronaldo is persuasive and enhances the appeal of Madeira as a summer holiday destination.

Update in Thursday’s newspaper. Use of the photo of Ronaldo would normally cost 2 million euros. His image will only be used in Madrid with another strategy for the rival city Barcelona. The 663,000 euros investment in promoting Madeira in Spain will be repeated in the UK, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Denmark and France.

ECONOMY

More ferry trips. The summer schedule for the Lobo Marinho came into force yesterday with the Porto Santo Line increasing the number of sailings between Madeira and Porto Santo. In the next four months there should be a total of 282 trips, four more than in the same period last year. This month there will be 62 round trips, 68 in July, a record 88 in August and 64 in September. The ship will now sail on Tuesdays. There are time-table amendments to cater for the increased demand when many Madeirans take mini-vacations during public holidays (June 3rd and June 10th). Yesterday was Children’s Day and for the celebrations, the Porto Santo Line provided travel for 600 children at the nominal sum of 5 euros.

THURSDAY JUNE 3rd

FRONT PAGE NEWS

230 married couples want new social housing. A family of 17 complain that they live in an overcrowded T4 (four bedroom apartment) in bairro da Nogueira. The president of the public company that manages more than 4,500 homes subsidized by the Regional Government reminds tenants that family planning is their responsibility and not the taxpayers. Every year, 10 – 20 families who are tenants of IHM (Housing Investment in Madeira) are placed in new social housing. People are only rehoused for serious situations such as overcrowding, loss of mobility or family conflicts. 230 tenants want a new home after marrying and having children. The T4 accommodating 17 originally belonged to a mother of seven and three generations are now living there. Her married daughters and grandchildren are living at home whilst her two sons have emigrated to England. Her daughters say they cannot rent as their income is equivalent to the minimum wage. One daughter with her three children tried to occupy a neighbouring apartment that was designated to other tenants and the police had to intervene. The president of IHM acknowledges that overcrowding exists in some of the 344 homes in Nogueira, the second largest social housing neighbourhood in Madeira after Nazaré (1,400 apartments). He believes that families cannot be dependent on government assistance and must use alternative support programs. IHM house 11% of the population of Madeira or 26,000. Demolition of the 60 dilapidated homes in the south of Nogueira, known as the ‘Malvinas’, is underway. Some empty properties have been vandalised and are used for the consumption of illegal drugs but will soon be demolished. Families are being rehoused in the northern part of the estate, after the apartments have been repaired, to give them better living conditions and for the new strategy of social integration.

MADEIRA

Protest against the council closes street in Santa Cruz. A street in Santa Cruz, next to a building in a stage of litigation, was closed off by the 71 year old developer of the building in protest at the slowness of the council and the tribunal in resolving the dispute. He has placed concrete blocks at the entrance of Rua da Ponte Nova to block transit until the council grant a licence of habitability. The street is used by the public to access the building that was granted a licence by the previous council for mixed use – commercial, services and housing. There was a dispute with a neighbour and the Administrative Court in Funchal in 2007 ordered the demolition of the seven-storey building  but the developer appealed to the Supreme Court. The council is investigating the matter. The developer said he has lost too much money over the past five and a half years while waiting for an outcome. He emigrated from South Africa to invest in Madeira and has lost business opportunities and has had to make people redundant.

ECONOMICS

Journeys of Aquila in new book. The Madeira Story Centre museum for its fifth anniversary will receive Norman Hull, a former official of the old British Aquila Airways. He will present his latest book, Aquila to Madeira, The Story of Flying Boats to Funchal. The story refers to the time when the company’s seaplanes flew to the Port of Funchal. The company had a regular line of flying boats that directly linked Britain to Madeira in the 1940s and 1950s. Norman Hull will give the museum a plaque in memory of the 36 passengers and crew of the seaplane CS – THB "Porto Santo" that disappeared on the 9th November 1958. Aquila Airways was formed in 1948 by Barry T. Aikman who believed there was a future for seaplanes operating to destinations where it was not possible to arrive by plane. The event takes place on June 4th between 11.00 and 12.30 at Madeira Story Centre, Rua D. Carlos I, 27/29 in Funchal.

FRIDAY 4th JUNE

FRONT PAGE NEWS

SATA requirements threaten Porto Santo.  In terms of the tender in 2007, SATA airlines was required to fly four times a day and ensure the availability of 153,600 seats per year between Madeira and Porto Santo. The compensation from the State for providing this public service was set at 2.6 million euros for three years as the operating deficit would be 1.7 million euros. The occupancy would have to be 68.7% or 105,000 passengers. The number of passengers has steadily decreased from 119,311 in 2004 to 60,987 last year (39.7%). SATA currently uses the Bombardier Dash airplane with a capacity of 37 passengers. The load factor has been 38.6% this year and the contract ends in August. The State needs reasons from the Regional Government (Regional Secretary for Tourism) for continuing the subsidy. The cost of this flight path is expensive and 28.1% of the ticket price is for airport charges.

166 candidates for 4 nature warden vacancies. A surprising demand for employment in the Natural Park of Madeira. The present 34 staff are insufficient for the protected areas and nature reserves and for conservation, preservation and education projects. The Serviço do Parque Natural da Madeira (SPNM) is now accessible on Facebook  (HERE). There are photographs of the Reservas Naturais das Ilhas Desertas e Selvagens e do Sítio da Rocha do Navio, Reserva Parcial do Garajau, Rede de Áreas Marinhas do Porto Santo, Parque Natural and the Centro de Informação do Serviço (Núcleo dos Dragoeiros – São Gonçalo). There are daily updates with news and information.

400 questions ‘attack’ development societies. The Socialist Party has 400 questions for the Vice-President, João Cunha e Silva, and the Legislative Assembly. Socialists are concerned about the effects of the limits on access to borrowing by the Region on publicly funded projects. They question the results of ‘megalomanic works’ in parishes with a low population – restaurants and bars without customers. 650 million euros of projects have been implemented over the past ten years and the Socialists want these projects scrutinized. The big problem will start in 2012 when the Region will have to pay the debts owed for the projects of the Social Democrats. How will the companies generate revenue, meet financial commitments and generate employment? These questions need to be asked to solve the problems. The Socialists say the future is bleak: from 2012, for the next 10 years, each Madeirense will pay 280 euros, around 70 million euros, more than 5% of the total budget of Madeira. In addition, the Social Democrats are now responsible for managing over 700 million euros for the reconstruction following the storms of February.

MADEIRA

Lobo-marinho found dead on the north coast. A seal was found dead last Wednesday at Arco de São Jorge. The seal was identified as ‘Bi-risca’, one of the most fertile females in the breeding colony of Desertas. The body was removed with difficulty due to accessibility and taken to the Whale Museum in Caniçal for an autopsy to ascertain the cause of death. In 1988, the Region began to conserve the Lobo-marinho when there were only 6 specimens which have now grown to a colony of nearly four dozen ”Monachus monachus’ das Desertas. This is an endangered species as there are only about 500 individuals around the world.

More than 4,400 euros in aid to the region. Ângela Oliveira teaches Zumba, an activity that was created in 1996 and combines Latin dances with fitness. On May 1st, she presented a zumbathon, a three hour street show in London with 300 participants, which raised 3,700 pounds for three charities. She has been on vacation to Madeira to choose the charities. They all involve working with children, two preferring to remain anonymous and the other one is Criamar – Associação de Solidariedade Social para o Desenvolvimento e Apoio a Crianças e Jovens. The Associação e pelo Abrigo de Nossa Senhora da Conceição will receive a monthly donation. Ângela Oliveira was born in Mozambique and holds a Portuguese passport. She was shocked by the images of the storm of February 20th and wanted to help the region.

Spring Baskets yield 49,000 euros. This promotional campaign began in 2009 at the Sunday markets held in Santana, Prazeres and Canhas. Customers receive a raffle ticket for 5 euros of purchases of regional fruit and vegetables. In 11 Sundays, there were 9,808 tickets for 49,000 euros of purchases in the three Mercado dos Agricultores. The farmers/sellers have donated 12 baskets (4 per market) containing fruit and vegetables and homemade bread, honey and jams. Six were distributed on May 2nd and the next draw will be on the 6th June at all three markets.

CULTURE

Meeting of cultural groups. Takes place from 20.30 this Saturday (5th June) and from 16.00 on Sunday, opposite the church of São Roque do Faial. This event is organized by the local Casa do Povo and 26 groups with 500 participates will perform this year. The theme is Popular Culture and the aim is to show that culture exists in the northern county of Santana. The event is unique because of the diversity of groups taking part, from the theatre, tunas, folklore, choirs, dance and bands. Program:

Many thanks to Tobi (photo), Paul and Elaine for sending in a contribution(s) for this blog.

—————————————————————————————————————————————–
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 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 only send in ‘exceptional’ or very topical photos by email attachment, as they take quite some time to process. Links to photos that are already online take much less time. Anything submitted for inclusion will be ‘cut and pasted’  to the blog very likely unchecked and unaltered, so please check anything through before sending it in, especially ‘automatic translations’, to avoid any ‘afterthoughts’. Blogs will be published when there is sufficient material to make one worthwhile. I can’t always respond to emails, so please accept my thanks in advance, and the attribution on the blog itself. Der.

You can email dermadeira-blog@yahoo.co.uk with any articles etc., but to save time and delays, please use the comments for minor contributions and to ask any questions. Please don’t send in copyrighted / restricted material.

Madeira News Blog / madeira4u © 2007 – 2010 All Rights Reserved

This photo of Paul da Serra is from Tobi’s website HERE. Thank you.

These contributions are from Paul :

“The most zealously guarded secret in Portuguese cuisine, if not Portugal itself & monasteries.." reports the star.com:

There are only “..four people who knows the recipe of the treats that are produced there every day.” One is Clarinha, owner of the Antiga Confeitaria de Belem. The treats include the “pasteis de nata” the “pasteis de Belem.

Image caption (left) : Pastéis de Belém na Pastelaria de Belém, Lisboa, Portugal

Image caption (right) : Fábrica dos pastéis de Belém

“monasteries were technologically advanced enterprises where monks would do all kinds of experiments on wine, food, and plants.” “So when shipments of sugar cane began to arrive from Brazil in the sixteenth century, the monks in the monastery of Jeronimos mixed it with milk and eggs and created the very first pasteis de Belem”.

“A revolution in 1820 forced the closure of the monastery, and by 1837 the pasteis recipe had found its way into the hands of one Domingo Rafael Alves, the founder of the confeitaria and an ancestor of Clarinha’s. Soon his tarts were proving so successful that he scrapped the other stock from his general store in order to focus solely on the little treats.”  Link to full article: Tour of the factory – Antiga Confeitaria de Belem:

The first video of Zino’s Petrel at sea! Madeira Wind Birds report: Ultimate WP Pelagic Expedition: Madeira, May 2010 – 3-13 May, 2010 from Madeira Windbirds.

Expedition report by Hadoram Shirihai (Tubenoses Project / Extreme Gadfly Petrel Expeditions), with Catarina Fagundes and Hugo Romano (Madeira Wind Birds / Oceanodroma), and Frank Zino and Manuel José Biscoito(Freira Conservation Project (FCP) & Municipal Museum of Funchal) VIDEO Well done Madeira WindBirds and all the team involved!

Portuguese TV star on Britain’s Got Talent 2010. UNREALITY TV reports :
"Britain’s Got Talent 2010: Dance Flavourz Francis Cardoso is a Portuguese TV star. The leader of Britain’s Got Talent hopefuls Dance Flavourz has admitted that he already has a wealth of TV experience. The group impressed Simon Cowell with their carnival themed performance at their recent audition….." link to full article: 

Video: Season 4 Ep. 7 — Britain’s Got Talent: Flamboyant dance act Dance Flavourz take to the stage, led by Francis – who’s been peforming since he was 14 years old. With different styles and loads of colour, surely Dance Flavourz are the definition of variety?

The Sun newspaper reports: "THE leader of Dance Flavourz is already a celebrity in Portugal. Francis Cardoso, 37, said: "I used to appear on a number of TV shows and had my own dance insert on morning television." Francis added: "We love Latin groups and artists like Jennifer Lopez and Ricky Martin. "We get inspiration from big Bollywood productions and anything which features singing, dancing, fashion and colour." link to full article:

Portuguese-style menu may be good for the heart (the Southern European Atlantic Diet). Reuters Health reports "a new study shows that following the Southern European Atlantic Diet may also help protect the heart — as long as you don’t follow it too closely."

image caption : Tomato, spinach, fried seabass, mango, oil, salt and balsamic vinegar ?

"Residents of northern Portugal and a region in northwest Spain known as Galicia have "very low" rates of death from heart disease, Dr. Andreia Oliveira of the University of Porto Medical School in Porto, Portugal and colleagues note. In fact, heart disease death rates in this region are similar to those of France, Italy and Greece, where people tend to stick to a Mediterranean-style diet rich in fruits and vegetables, olive oil, whole grains and nuts, and relatively low in dairy products and red meat.

The Southern European Atlantic Diet, the traditional diet of northern Portugal and Galicia, consists of lots of fish, especially cod; red meat; pork; dairy products; legumes; vegetables; potatoes; and wine with meals, Oliveira and colleagues explain." link to full article:

The President of the Canary Islands calls for a two-year extension of the Hispanic-Portuguese fisheries agreement. FIS Portugal reports:

"The president of the Government of the Canary Islands, Paulino Rivero, is calling for a two-year extension of the Hispanic-Portuguese fisheries agreement, which allows Canary Island vessels to work in the Portuguese archipelagos of Azores and Madeira, and vice versa. “It has worked very well and is on the verge of expiring at the end of the summer. We have agreed to propose to Spain the renovation of this agreement for the next two years,” Rivero said.

image caption : Poster of  Paulino Rivero. Santa Cruz de Tenerife

Within the framework of the fisheries agreement signed in 2008 between the governments of Portugal and Spain, 38 artisanal fishing vessels of the Canary Islands can work in Azores and Madeira waters, and another 38 Portuguese fishing boats, in the Canary Islands.
During the official visit to Portugal, Rivero met with the minister of Agriculture of Portugal, Antonio Serrano; with the president of the Republic, Anibal Cavaco Silva; with the president of the Portuguese Assembly, Jaime Range; with the minister of the Environment, Dulce Passaro; and with the mayor of Lisbon, Antonio Costa, EFEreports.

image caption : Nasa image Canary Islands 2002
Rivero and Serrano “closed ranks” with respect to the defence of their traditional productions.

The Spanish official pointed out the “very good disposition of the Portuguese authorities in advancing a line of understanding with the Canary Islands.” Africa could be a “very attractive” market for both parties, he further noted." link to full report:

Condor Fishing Bank, Azores closed for two years to serve as the largest and sole, live laboratory of the North Atlantic Ocean in the world. FIS reported in Summer 2010:

"The research project, in collaboration with the University of Açores, the regional government and shipowners and fishers associations, will serve as reference for the future management of local seafood resources. “In these two years we are going to study [everything] from bacteria to cetaceans that inhabit the Condor Bank,” indicated Guy Menezes, of the Department of Oceanography and Fisheries in Horta. This research “will have influence over future policy decisions,” he added.

image caption : Pico island from Horta – Açores

Similarly, he noted that next July the Azores boat Noruega and further on the shipGago Coutinho, equipped with the robot Luso and the submarine Luta, of the Rebikof Niggeler Foundation will also arrive on the scene.

"In its beginnings, this project was purely scientific, but, naturally, it has a component more applicable to fishing,” Menezes said.

The scientists hope that once the fisheries in the area remain interrupted for 24 months, “some alterations in terms of the abundance of the species that inhabit it” are observed.

“This project is unique in global terms: nowhere that we know of has a [fishing] bank been closed purely for scientific experimentation on a large scale,” Menezes pointed out." Link to full article

Madeiran elected President of the Portuguese Table Tennis Federation. ITTF reports:

"Carlos Leon, for many years the driving force behind table tennis in the Atlantic island of Madeira, was elected President of the Portuguese Table Tennis Federation on Wednesday 2nd June 2010.."

image caption : Jose Miguel Ramirez (GUA) vs. Dymeis Gongora (CUB) – Table tennis men’s singles – Rio 2007 link to full article:

Descobrir Portugal a pé (Discover Portugal on foot).

image caption : walk to pico ruivo in Madeira

The Visao magazine Fotogallery of 10 walks on the Continent not Madeira : link:

From Der : It’s that time of year when the upper bedclothes start disappearing, and unfortunately also high season for a bicho (bug) that until now I though was harmless … but now I know better … the hard way as usual. The Centopeia (type of centipede) that has lots of long legs and whiskers, that tends to hang around on walls and ceiling corners, I was told by a doctor that it is attracted to the heat of our beds during the night, and has a rather nasty bite.

I awoke on Wednesday morning with an itch and small lump on my left index finger, and just thought it was another bloody mosquito. I applied copious quantities of that wonder potion ‘Betadine’ during the day, but unusually it had no effect whatsoever, and by that evening I had a throbbing highly swollen index finger, with a sizable black blister. The pain was quite intense. A trip down to the local chemist at around 11 pm, and the close analysis of my digit by two wonderful lady chemists resulted in a remedy of anti-inflammatory capsules, which surprisingly didn’t need a prescription (although the box said otherwise). I ought to go to the Medical Centre I was advised. Sod that I thought, it’s just another bloody mossie bite.

By the following morning, after a fairly painful and sleepless night (despite a reasonable dose of that non-prescription sleeping draught ‘Coral’), I removed the sticking plasters and almost fell out of bed in horror. In simple terms, multiply the pre-described symptoms above by ten, and you will have some idea.

Still thinking it was a mosquito bite, I decided that a trip to the Medical Centre was perhaps the best course of action, so off I went. Lots of people waiting, surprising considering it was a public holiday, but after a wait of just 20 minutes, I was in with the Doc, and a few minutes later I was in the treatment room. I won’t describe what happened then, just in case you are reading this at dinner time, but after a rather messy twenty minutes  I was despatched, prescription in hand. The Doc. told me what it was and what had caused it, and told me a little about these unpleasant creatures … the Centopeia.

So from there straight off to the chemist, and I have now have 4 prescription items, which thanks to residents discounts and some reluctant swopping of doctor’s preferred brand names with generic equivalents, I only spent €14 instead of the RRP of around €22. I have to take these all for a week, including antibiotics, one on a strict timetable that starts at 7 am each morning (hmm … I don’t think so!).

With just time for a quick coffee in the local square before the creature hunt back home, the waitress, spotting my heavily bandaged digit asked me what was up. I explained that I had been an early breakfast for a Centopeia, and I was then bombarded with facts, fiction, and tales of the dirty deeds of these ugly beasts. She told me that they often bite around the mouth area of the victim whilst sleeping, and in her words it is a ‘dangerous’ creature.

Back home again  I immediately spotted such a beast on the wall, and as most will probably know they don’t immediately leg it once spotted, but prefer the ‘play dead’ strategy, hoping that their dark brown bodies blend into the pale emulsioned walls, invisible to the human eye … ha! Anyway I caught it, inspected it, and it definitely was sporting  that ‘well-fed’ look, and even had a semi-insecti-smile between it’s bristling mega-whiskers. He was sent downstairs rather rapidly via the sewerage route, just like his cousin the day before. In Portuguese that is expressed as ‘a vinganca da vinganca’..

It’s not my intention to cause panic and a mass evacuation of the island, but if you see one these creepy crawlies in your bedroom, you might want to be sure that it sleeps elsewhere … on the sole of your shoe being a highly recommended alternative.

Many thanks to Paul for sending in contributions for this blog.

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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 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 only send in ‘exceptional’ or very topical photos by email attachment, as they take quite some time to process. Links to photos that are already online take much less time. Anything submitted for inclusion will be ‘cut and pasted’  to the blog very likely unchecked and unaltered, so please check anything through before sending it in, especially ‘automatic translations’, to avoid any ‘afterthoughts’. Blogs will be published when there is sufficient material to make one worthwhile. I can’t always respond to emails, so please accept my thanks in advance, and the attribution on the blog itself. Der.

You can email dermadeira-blog@yahoo.co.uk with any articles etc., but to save time and delays, please use the comments for minor contributions and to ask any questions. Please don’t send in copyrighted / restricted material.

Madeira News Blog / madeira4u © 2007 – 2010 All Rights Reserved

This photo is from Jon’s website HERE. Thank you.

From Paul :

Pilot whales off Calheta, Madeira. Whale & Dolphin watching boats are sighting a pod of up to 20 pilot whales off Calheta.

Image Caption : Whales, mother and calf, off Kona, Hawaii.

Pilot whales: “quite active and will frequently lobtail, spyhop and approach boats”. Adult males can reach up to 20 feet (6.1 m) and weigh up to 3 tons. Adult females measure up to 16 feet (4.9 m) and weigh up to 1.5 tons.[1] Life span is about 45 years in males and 60 years in females for both species. Both species live in groups of about 10 to 30 in number on average but some groups may be 100 or more.

Pilot Whales feed predominantly on squid. As compared to their other tooth-whale relatives they have many fewer teeth; numbering only 30 to 40 as compared to 120 in the bottlenosed dolphin. This is thought to be an adaptation to their squid eating diet.

The long-term survival prospects of both species look good. Indeed in its Red List of Threatened Species the IUCN lists both the Long-finned and Short-finned as "Lower Risk; conservation dependent". Source: Wiki:

From Carol Ann in the UK, by email: 2 wonderful weeks in Madeira

Holiday makers should not be put off visiting this beautiful Island. My husband and I spent two weeks on the island last year and have just returned from another two week holiday. The floods of February have done extensive damage up in the more remote parts of the island and this will take a lot of hard work and time to put right. Funchal is back to normal as far as tourism is concerned and the locals need tourists even more so please continue to support these lovely people. We went to walk the levadas and although some are damaged the work is being carried out to restore them, we did many miles on foot and the scenery is just breathtaking. I would say that this year our holiday was even better than last year. The locals have many stories to tell and the floods will no doubt leave them with memories but they are getting on with their lives and trying their hardest to get back to normal so please help by continuing to visit.

Everything else from Elaine  :

June Events. Official list from the Madeira Islands Tourism website. HERE

Madeira 2010 – Holiday Season. 5 minute video by Tony Pontes.

Madeira photos. Selection taken by TrekEarth website members.

Actually I had a fantastic time birding and this was mostly down to a excellent Wildlife Excursion company called "Madeira Wind Birds". This is run by a lovely couple called Hugo and Catarina who do everything they can to ensure that their customers connect with the wildlife that they want to see…..Believe me, if you are doing Madeira for birds you can not afford to do it with out these two, your chances of successfully seeing all of the endemic species will be greatly reduced. From my point of view I will probably remember being 5400 feet up a mountain at midnight watching Zinos Petrels flying into their roosting ledges by moonlight for the rest of my life. So a special thank you to both of them for such a fantastic experience. HERE

Exhibition of Jewish Manuscript Treasures Reveals Centuries of Cultural Exchange. The Jewish Museum of London is launching its first major temporary exhibition since its reopening in March 2010 with an exhibition of Hebrew literary treasures on loan from the Vatican and major British collections. …A poignant feature of the exhibition is the original petition in 1655 of Rabbi Menasseh ben Israel to English ruler Oliver Cromwell, requesting permission for Jews to settle in England following their expulsion in 1290 by King Edward I. The petition is on loan from the Bodleian Library at Oxford University. Influenced by Messianic leanings, Rabbi ben Israel had sought to bring about the settlement of Jews throughout the world and even considered moving to South America where he had heard that the Seven Lost Tribes of Israel had settled. Rabbi ben Israel was born on the island of Madeira following the expulsion of his family, along with other Jews, from Portugal. He would later start the first Hebrew printshop in the Netherlands and become a mentor of philosopher Baruch Spinoza. HERE

News from Diário de Notícias and Jornal da Madeira

MONDAY 31st MAY

FRONT PAGE NEWS

Debt of 300,000 ‘drowns’ the water park. It is becoming an untenable situation for Onda Ibérica-Actividades Turísticas e Recreativas Lda, the firm operating the Aquaparque de Santa Cruz. The revenue does not cover the operating costs and the firm owes Santa Cruz Council 130,000 euros. An arrangement was made to repay 5,250 euros a month but the firm cannot honour this agreement. The water tariffs are the same as for residential consumers and the monthly rent is 8,500 euros. The firm owes 300,000 euros to Santa Cruz Council and the Metropolitan Development Company. The business is seasonal (81% users in July and August), dependent on weather conditions and affected by the global economic crisis. Opening of the park was delayed for two months after the February 20th storm. The number of people using the water park has steadily declined by 19%, from 47,168 in 2006 to 38,685 last year. Santa Cruz Aqua Park opens between May and November. Entry costs are: free for children under 5 and seniors over 65 years old, 6.50 euros for adults and 24 euros for a group of five people.

Government only makes small cuts. The Regional Government is ‘belt-tightening’ but only to a small extent, keeping the expenses that have been described as the biggest waste. More than 4 million euros are given annually to the Jornal da Madeira, 3.5 million euros to each of the professional football clubs and millions of euros are spent on lawyers. Government departments are having to cut costs. The number of administrators in the Health Service has been cut and some hospital services have merged. Underused nurseries and kindergartens have closed and some school sports subsidies have been reduced. The strategy of the Regional Secretary for the Environment and Natural Resources is to take full advantage of EU funds. Running the government costs 10 million euros per year for grants, salaries and the ‘jackpot’. Former MPs cost 1.6 million euros per year and the ‘jackpot’ for the political parties remains at five million euros.

MADEIRA

São Cristóvão celebrated. A procession of dozens of cars yesterday afternoon was the highlight of the celebrations of the Festa de São Cristóvão, which was held last weekend at Caramanchão in Machico. The procession left the chapel at Quinta de São Cristóvão, followed the regional road to the centre of Machico, then returned to the chapel.

TUESDAY JUNE 1st

FRONT PAGE NEWS

IHM signs agreement for funds for housing. The IHM has signed a contract in Lisbon to permit the transfer of 36 million euros to tackle the damage caused by the storm of February 20th. All processes can be conducted by the Region, thus making house reconstruction faster. The IHM is working primarily on rehousing the homeless and rehabilitating affected homes. All human and material resources of this state-owned company are assigned to these contracts, and only at the end of summer will the IHM be able to resume normal operations. The Hydraulic Services will decide if homes near the beds of ribeiras and ribeiros will be allowed to continue to remain there.

Safety and Enjoyment. Alberto Jardim stressed that the Port of Funchal last year led the national statistics, involving more than 400,000 passengers. This important economic mainstay in the Region must be guaranteed, safeguarding in the first place the security of the infrastructure. Despite this, there will be room for people to enjoy the port. He spoke yesterday at the inauguration of the Gare Marítima da Madeira and added, "It would be tragic for the economy of the Region if something were to happen, for not taking the necessary security measures." Internationally, security measures at ports are becoming more demanding and people are accustomed to being closely scrutinized when it comes to travelling by air. Some areas of the port will have public access but other areas will be restricted to authorized persons and cruise ship passengers. The public will have access to the ‘check-in’ area on piso zero and to the commercial area on this floor which includes a cafe/snack bar. Employees at the port will have better working conditions and passengers should find improved facilities, increased comfort and faster embarking/disembarking. It is hoped that the building designed by the architect Geraldes Pinto will become an architectural icon of Funchal. The cost of this project was 13 million euros, 62.8% reimbursed from the Cohesion Fund. The aim is to attract 320 cruise ships a year, representing close to half a million passengers who spend on average 80 euros (40 million euros). The cruise market indirectly contributes 1% of regional GDP at present. It is possible that the landfill along the Avenida do Mar will be transformed into a pier, increasing the number of berths. The station opens on June 3rd and the Grand Voyager will be the first cruise ship to benefit from this improvement. Video of inauguration ceremony: HERE

Councils lose 3.2 million euros with the new SGP. Under the Stability and Growth Pact (PEC), the Government of the Republic announced it would reduce transfers to the 308 Portuguese municipalities by 100 million euros. The 11 municipalities in the Region would normally expect to receive 72.6 million euros in addition to 8.1 million euros from income tax (IRS). The State guarantees the IRS payments for this year but still owes 8 million euros from 2009. The State transferred 69.3 million euros last year to the Region and if it keeps to this amount, the cut will be 4.4% but if it penalizes all municipalities equally, the amount will be 3.8% less to the Region (2.7 million euros). There could be other cuts in 2011 as the mayors have not charged residents the actual costs of basic services (water, refuse collection and sanitation), which is a requisite of the new Regional Finance Law.

Jardim beats Zapatero on income. Several European politicians are earning less from today. José Luís Zapatero’s (Spain) salary is reduced by 15% to 73,500 euros in 2011. The President of Portugal, Cavaco Silva, earns 103,810 euros and the Prime Minister of Portugal earns 103,000 euros per year. A special law in Madeira allows Alberto Jardim to receive a combined salary, pension and expenses of 143,000 euros as the 5% cut in salary has not been enacted. For politicians who are of retirement age, Madeira is an exception as those in Portugal are forced to choose to receive a full portion of either the salary or the pension and a third of the other.

MADEIRA

Lack of storage almost sunk the Atlantic Festival. The Atlantic Festival fireworks displays begin this Saturday but there has been confusion over where to safely store the large amounts of fireworks brought over from Portugal. On Thursday, a lorry was stopped from unloading its container because the area was not licensed for the storage of pyrotechnics and an alternative site was also inadequate. A similar event occurred last night at the Port of Caniçal and the container was nearly returned to the mainland. The President of the Portuguese Association of Pyrotechnics and Explosives Industries brokered an agreement. For previous shows on New Year’s Eve, the good will of the military and the police has led to co-operation so this should have happened this time.

ECONOMY

Britons fly direct to Porto Santo. Starting yesterday, the new direct link between the UK and Porto Santo. In the first flight from Gatwick Airport in London, 113 passengers travelled in an aircraft with a capacity of 148 passengers. João Camacho, Director of Atlantic Holidays, said there is much ignorance of this destination in the Kingdom of Her Majesty. This charter resumes the last direct connection which finished in September 2008. A contract was signed with XL Airways in 2009 but this airline failed. Flights are on Mondays until November 1st 2010. They stop in August when Viking Airlines will fly from Norwich Airport to Madeira Island. The interruption will be from July 26th to August 31st and this change of route is due to an increased demand for Porto Santo hotels during this period. For summer 2011, the link might be shared with another UK tour operator. Most passengers will stay at the Pestana Porto Santo as Atlantic Holidays is part of the Pestana Group and this is their best offer. For the next flight on June 7th, the Atlantic Holidays website quotes 499 pounds (596 euros) per person for half-board at the five-star Pestana Porto Santo. The four-star Hotel Vila Baleira package is 622 pounds and 688 pounds for the four-star Hotel Porto Santo, both bed and breakfast. Porto Santo has another international charter flight, direct from Italy.

CULTURE

Living history in Machico.  Next weekend, Machico goes back to 1508 with the V edição do Mercado Quinhentista. The primary and secondary schools of Machico hold a sixteenth century market and re-enact the period when the armada of Diogo de Azambuja visited Madeira for supplies. This navigator was on his way to conquer North Africa on the instructions of rei D. Manuel I. As well as market stalls, there will be dance, theatre, acrobats and  tournaments. The market opens each evening from Friday 4th to Sunday 6th at 16.00, followed by entertainment starting half an hour later. Program (Portuguese): HERE

Many thanks to Paul, Elaine and Carol Ann for sending in a contribution(s) for this blog.

—————————————————————————————————————————————–
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 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 only send in ‘exceptional’ or very topical photos by email attachment, as they take quite some time to process. Links to photos that are already online take much less time. Anything submitted for inclusion will be ‘cut and pasted’  to the blog very likely unchecked and unaltered, so please check anything through before sending it in, especially ‘automatic translations’, to avoid any ‘afterthoughts’. Blogs will be published when there is sufficient material to make one worthwhile. I can’t always respond to emails, so please accept my thanks in advance, and the attribution on the blog itself. Der.

You can email dermadeira-blog@yahoo.co.uk with any articles etc., but to save time and delays, please use the comments for minor contributions and to ask any questions. Please don’t send in copyrighted / restricted material.

Madeira News Blog / madeira4u © 2007 – 2010 All Rights Reserved

This Onion Festival photo is from Tobi’s website HERE. Thank you.

Some contributions from Paul :

Rambo or Ronaldo? Kansas City.com reports:

on a  photo supposedly released by the Portuguese Soccer Federation

image caption : Sylvester Stallone in Sweden in 1988 promoting "Rambo III

Ronaldo is training in the Estrela mountains in preparation for the World Cup soccer tournament taking place in June and July in South Africa. Link to full article:

"Jose is like me, a winner. His arrival makes me very happy..”. reports Portugoal.net

… on Portuguese football’s two most recognisable faces Mourinho teaming up with Seleccao captain Cristiano Ronaldo at the Santiago Bernabeu next season.

right image caption : José Mourinho

below image caption : Cristiano Ronaldo playing in 2006

Jose Mourinho will be presented as the new coach of Real Madrid on Monday. Link to article:

First female Portuguese pilot to loop the loop?

Expresso video

Portuguese mechanics are among the best in the world! Miguel Cunha e José Azevedo are mechanics of world championship drivers Jari-Matti Latvala and Mikko Hirvonnen who recently competed in the ‘Rally de Portugal’

image caption : Eddie Stobart rally car in Portugal 2009

Video: watch the boys bring Jari-Matti’s car back to life on day two Expresso video

Madeiran driver is youngest Portuguese rally driver to compete in the World Rally Championship (WRC). “Bernardo Sousa, 22 years of age, was the youngest portuguese rally driver to compete in the WRC. He began his sports career kart driving in 1999, reaching the fastest drivers in every championship he raced.

This fine results allowed the young Madeira Island born driver to jump in to a new world of rally competition, and in 2005 he began his rally career at Bingo Faial Rally. Disciplined, he engaged a fast adaption to this new driving style that allowed him to choose to pursue a rally career. In 2006 and 2007 he entered The Portuguese and Madeiram Rally Championships…

Image caption : Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VII IN 2009

Recognized as one of the biggest world rally promisses, Bernardo Sousa, wants in 2010 to proceed in his international career returning strong to the WRC…”

Video: Interview in English with Bernardo Sousa in 2008

Source Bernardo Sousa’s website:

Bernardo Sousa’s ID card
Surname::            Sousa
Name:            Bernardo
Date of birth:            May 16th, 1987
Place of birth:            Funchal, Madeira Island, Portugal
Place of residence:            Lisboa, Portugal
Height:  1m74
Car:      Smart for two
Heroes:            My parents, Ayrton Senna, Colin Mcrae
Alternative job:            Motorsport engineer
Most useful gadget: My laptop (mac), i think is one of the best gadgets I have, where ever i go, it always goes with me
Stranded on a desert island, with who?            My girlfriend
Dream holiday:            Bora Bora
Favorite travel destination:            Rio de Janeiro
Favorite food:            Pasta
Favorite drink:            Wine
Who would you enjoy talk to?  Unfortunately is not possible, but it would surely be
Mcrae or Senna.
A live person maybe Lewis Hamilton
Best feature:            I am a fast learner
Superstitions::            Nothing special
Situation that most scared you?     An accident in karting european Championship. I thought that i was going to remain in a wheelchair

Source Bernardo Sousa’s website:

Everything else from Elaine :

Cream Tea Birding blogspot includes photos of wildlife found throughout the world. Madeira Birds have definitely got a great thing going out in Madeira and they certainly know what they are doing when it comes to where to find those sought after seabirds. With Catarina’s sailing expertise, Hugo’s beloved and unique frozen chum blocks and both their knowledge of petrels at sea, together they can produce some of the best pelagics in the Western Palearctic. HERE

Spanish EU Presidency – Outermost Regions speak up for their strategic role and call for more EU support. The President of the Government of the Canary Islands, Paulino Rivero, closed the First Forum for Outermost Europe on Friday by calling for greater flexibility in the administration of European funding, as well as greater support for traditional products and help in combating unemployment. Rivero defended the “new strategic role that the most distant regions of Europe must play… from the point of view of security… in controlling illegal immigration in their geographical setting, and as platforms for cooperation and development with neighbouring countries”. HERE

Collection of travel blogs and tourist information. Madeira 2010    PHOTOS

(Link from Madeira Blog.) Set of creative photos on flickr.

News from Diário de Notícias and Jornal da Madeira

SATURDAY 29th MAY

FRONT PAGE NEWS

Creditors give serious blow to Colombo’s. The three main creditors – BCP, Banif and Casais – of Sociedade Imobiliária e Turística do Campo de Baixo, the promoter of Colombo’s Resort, have applied for insolvency to recover the 110 million euros of debt. This is despite 16 million euros made available by the State (10 million), the Region (1 million) and Porto Santo Council (5 million) if the creditors transformed 35 million euros of debt into equity but there has been disagreement over the assessment of work undertaken and value of the asset. There will be one of two solutions: either a buyer emerges who is interested in completing the project or alternatively, the acquisition of goods in order to pay the creditors. Banif and BCP lent 70 million euros and Casais lent 40 million euros but it is suspected that some of the money was diverted to other projects by Sílvio Santos and Joaquim Coimbra. 9 million euros approved by the Government of the Republic under the PITER incentive will be diverted to another project in the region. Dozens of companies that have provided materials and equipment might have their debts repaid. Alberto Jardim has always considered Colombo’s as a private investment but the increasing degradation of the unfinished tourist resort is a problem to Porto Santo Council for land management, environmental quality and tourism. The Madeiran Silvio Santos was the principal promoter of Colombo’s, the most ambitious resort to be built in Porto Santo, and will have lost 7 million euros.

MADEIRA

Average temperatures increased by half a degree. Between 2005 and 2009, the average annual temperatures increased by slightly more than half a degree centigrade. Last year, the annual mean temperatures ranged from 19.9 degrees centigrade in São Gonçalo to 20.4 degrees centigrade in Quinta Magnólia, in comparison with the temperatures in 2005, 19.3 and 19.7 degrees, respectively. In Porto Santo, annual mean temperature increased from 19.7 degrees centigrade in 2005 to 20.3 degrees last year. June to October were the warmest months and February the coldest. The region has a temperate climate with average summer temperatures not above 25 º C and average winter temperatures above 5 º C. Average annual solar radiation values have been consistent over the past five years and air quality has improved with fewer air pollutants (nitrogen oxides, ozone, carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide and particulates).

Bus lost its wheels on the road. A tourist bus lost two rear wheels whilst on the motorway and eventually managed to stop without causing any injuries to the passengers. The bus was in the area of Cancela, travelling between Santa Cruz – Funchal, taking tourists from the airport to their hotel. Neither the tour operator who rented the bus, JC Tours, nor the bus company, SAM, would comment on the accident apart from stressing that there were no injuries.

500,000 euros for the Atlantic Festival. Three new features this year. Some of the fireworks will be launched from floating platforms in the bay of Funchal. There will be no jury for the fireworks contest. The public can judge by placing votes in the tombolas in the Avenida do Mar, at hotels or on-line at festival atlantico. The third difference is that only Portuguese companies will take part, in a show of solidarity following the storm of February 20th. The fireworks displays on Saturday evenings will be: June 5th, Pirotecnia Minhota, "Colour and Light Emotions"; June 12th, HC & Filhos, "Magic in the Air"; June 19th, Luso Pirotecnia, “Madeira, Flower Name”; June 26th, Macedos Pirotecnia, "Charms". All displays start at 22.30 and last for 20 minutes. The Atlantic Festival incorporates the Madeira Music Festival and an exhibition will be held in the space InfoArte of SRTT.  Also included are the Festas de São João, with the Altares de São João from the 18th and Parade Marchas de São João on the 23rd. Of note, the Antique and Classic Car Show from the 14th on the Placa Central da Avenida Arriaga, and the XXIII Volta à Madeira – Classic Rally 2010 between the 23rd and 25th June.

Porto Moniz chose the best wines of the region. The Regional Competition of Bottled Wines took place in Porto Moniz yesterday. For white table wines, the winner was Rocha Branca 2007 and in second place, Barbusano 2008. For red table wines, the winner was Quinta do Moledo 2008 and in second place, Terras do Avô 2008. In the Madeira Wine category, HM Borges Sercial 10 Anos won and in second place, Justinos Sercial 10 Anos. For rosé wines, there was only Atlantis 2009. 11 producers entered 4 fortified wines, 1 rosé, 9 whites and 11 reds.

ECONOMY

Replenishment of the sand at Calheta. 3,800 tonnes of yellow sand are being unloaded at the port of Caniçal. The sand has been transferred from Morocco on the West Side bulk carrier. It will take about 120 lorry journeys to transport it from the port to Calheta beach. The last operation to replenish the beach was in June 2008 with 2,800 tonnes of sand.

EIB lends 75 million euros to EEM for ‘green energy’. The European Investment Bank has approved a loan to the Electricity Company of Madeira for investment in modernizing the infrastructure, improving energy efficiency and the greater use of alternative energy sources. This loan should guarantee the power supply to more than 135,000 customers in Madeira and Porto Santo. At present, 77% of energy consumed in the region is from petroleum derivatives and by 2016, renewable energy sources (wind and wave) should contribute to over 36%. The first loan from the EIB to the EEM was for 190 million euros in 2005. The EIB has previously granted two other loans to the region: 40 million euros to modernize the ports of Funchal, Caniçal and Porto Novo (total cost 100 million euros) and 200 million euros to the Regional Government to co-finance EU projects from 2000 – 2006 (total investment of 1,200 million euros).

Madeira Wine wins medals.  6 gold, 7 silver and 5 bronze medals were won in the category fortified wines at the London International Wine Fair held between the 18th and 20th May. This is one of the most important wine fairs in the world. In 2009, the total amount of Madeira Wine exported to Britain was 305,722 litres, representing 1,728,082 euros. Britain is the second export market and accounts for 11.88% of total exports. There were two Madeira Wine tasting seminars at the event. The first was titled Disaster Relief and was led by Charles Metcalfe, the founder of Wine International Magazine. The aim was to promote wines from regions affected by natural disasters, such as Madeira, Turkey and Chile. The second seminar, Madeira Blends, was led by Trevor Elliot, a member of the Association of Wine Educators. This association will publish a book later this year dedicated to Madeira Wine. 

CULTURE

Urban artisan exhibits on-line. Cláudia Gouveia owns a mini-shop in a stairwell at Rua do Bom Jesus,14 in Funchal. She creates original objects using traditional techniques and exhibits them on-line: COLOR HUGS

Festas de Santo António begin on the 12th. The tradition of celebrating the patron saint of this parish begins next Friday and continues until Sunday June 13th, the day dedicated to this saint. The highlight is the procession/contest of popular marches with three prizes of 1,000, 500 and 200 euros. The parish council has a budget for this festival of 14,000 euros this year, which is a reduction of between 10,000 – 12,000 euros from previous years, with extra funding provided by Funchal Council.

Calendar of Events.

4 de Junho, 21 horas, Os Lordes
5 de Junho, 21 horas, Los Cubanitos
6 de Junho, 21 horas, Kontraband
7 de Junho, 21 horas, Os Animatura (música tradicional) e TUMa (animação de rua)
8 de Junho, 21 horas, Banda Cró
9 de Junho, 21 horas, Xarabanda
10 de Junho, 21 horas, Grupo Folclórico do Centro Cultural de Stº António. E às 22h30, os Black Dog Blues Band
11 de Junho, 21 horas, Galáxia e Tuna D’Elas (animação de rua)
12 de Junho, 21 horas, Marchas Populares, comos ginásios de Santo António, S. Martinho, Casa Saúde João de Deus, casas do povo do Estreito, Ribeira Brava, Juventude Antoniana, Banda Filarmónica de St.º António, casas do povo do Monte, Imaculado Coração Maria e Geringonça. Às 23h30, Casino Summer Trio
13 de Junho, 15 horas, sessão solene. Às 21 horas, Banda Filarmónica de St.º António.

SUNDAY 30th MAY

FRONT PAGE NEWS

Price of fish increased 13%. In the first quarter of this year, there were 25.8% fewer tonnes of fish caught compared to 2009, leading to a price increase of 13% per kilo and the fishermen lost 14% revenue. The largest fall in income arose from 21.7% fewer tonnes of peixe espada caught. There were 37.7% fewer tonnes of tuna caught but due to the price increasing, the fishermen lost less income. Also, less mackerel (51.5%) and horse-mackerel (41.7%) landed. Investments by regional companies increased egg production by 22.6% and chicken meat by 10.1%. 26.5% fewer tonnes of pigs were slaughtered and 6.4% fewer tonnes of cattle. The trend in production over the past decade has been: -17.7% eggs, +50% chickens, -22.3% pigs, -16.15% cattle and -5.8% less fish although revenue to fishermen increased by 29.2%.

MADEIRA

Fewer beaches monitored at Machico. Four of the seven beaches and bathing complexes in the county of Machico will not have SANAS lifeguards present at numbers indicated in the new national surveillance laws. This is possible as there will be no beaches in this county with Blue Flag designation this summer season. The beaches with a reduced number of lifeguards but with some supervision are: Praia de São Roque, Praia da Ribeira do Natal and Prainha no Caniçal, and Praia da Lagoa no Porto da Cruz. Bathing areas with an increased number are: Praia de Machico and the bathing complexes of Porto da Cruz and Caniçal. This reduction of lifesavers at four beaches will save the authority 12,000 euros but the total cost still reaches 38,000 euros. It is difficult to use the Praia do Natal because of consolidation of the slopes north of the beach.

OCCURRENCES

Fall into ribeiro reveals danger. The fall of an individual into a ribeiro in Câmara de Lobos, in between Castelejo and Casa Caída, revealed a lack of safety for passing pedestrians. The man showed some degree of intoxication, according to witnesses, and was sitting on the wall of the bridge over the stream. He overbalanced and fell 10 metres, resulting in deep lacerations to his head and suspected internal injuries. The bridge was damaged by the storm of February 20th, allowing the stream to overflow and severely damage neighbouring houses. A large part of the wall is still temporarily replaced by wood despite this being brought to the attention of the council who still have a lot of repair work outstanding.

A late addition by email from Mike :

This is just out of interest, and I’m sure it would be to some people?

On Britains got Talent last night there were a dance troupe by the name of "Dance Flavourz" and they were led by a guy called Francis.

When we first started to go to Madeira some 12/14 years ago, Francis used to do the round of hotels with his dance troupe "Francis Dancers",after a few years they became known as something else? The last time we saw him in Madeira he was dancing at the Casino,that was until we saw him on TV last night.

The actual clip is now on Youtube.  (Dance Flavourz is easily googled ) I don’t know if anyone recognised him but the clip has been viewed 105000 times already.

We are always looking at your website / blog. regards Mike

Many thanks to Paul, Mike and Elaine for sending in contributions for this blog.

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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 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 only send in ‘exceptional’ or very topical photos by email attachment, as they take quite some time to process. Links to photos that are already online take much less time. Anything submitted for inclusion will be ‘cut and pasted’  to the blog very likely unchecked and unaltered, so please check anything through before sending it in, especially ‘automatic translations’, to avoid any ‘afterthoughts’. Blogs will be published when there is sufficient material to make one worthwhile. I can’t always respond to emails, so please accept my thanks in advance, and the attribution on the blog itself. Der.

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