Madeira News Blog

Today’s photo – Many thanks to Tom …

Many thanks to Becky for sending in this snippet and video :

"The Jersey Football Association Capita Centre of Excellence Year-9 age group is to play four matches in Madeira next month." HERE

Many thanks to Elaine (East) for these website links :

Links with Gibraltar – Madeira Disaster Collection.  HERE

Informative blog about Madeira Wine. HERE

Many thanks to Elaine [West] for this :

SPAD receives help from a German institution. Anima – Hilfe für Tiere (Help for Animals) has donated 10 large kennels for animals. The German institution for the protection of animals ‘Anima – Hilfe für Tiere’ ( ‘Help For Animals’) has given SPAD ten large kennels that will be placed in the Vasco Gil Kennel Site.

The request for help from SPAD came just days after the storm of 20 February, when some animals were brought to the institution because they had lost both owners and their home. At the time, SPAD asked all those wishing to contribute to the work of the association to help supply plastic cages (used or new) for animals to be properly collected. The appeal reached Germany and ‘Anima’ quickly dealt with the deployment of 10 large kennels. Next Thursday, March 25, from 14.30, the kennels will be handed over. On site, a group of five volunteers will be available to unpack and prepare them so they can be finally used by SPAD.

It should be recalled that several years ago ‘Anima’ collaborated with initiatives in Madeira. Recently the German institution has financed free sterilization campaigns in Porto Santo and a number of stray animals (dogs and cats) are sent to Germany each year to homes and families that ‘Anima’ has found for them. In 2008 ‘Anima’ received a total of 28 dogs which were then sterilized and delivered to new owners. Last year various animals from Madeira were received by the them, many of them Huskies. These dogs, although pedigree animals, do not adapt to Madeira’s climate and are often abandoned.

Many thanks to Paul for this :

‘Sisi’ Elisabeth, Empress of Austria & Queen of Hungary (1837-1898) & Madeira. In the 1860′s Elisabeth was considered the world’s most beautiful monarch. In the 1870′s she became the most famous, and probably also the world’s best, female equestrian but, in 1859 left her husband and small children to live in seclusion on Madeira, Corfu, and in Venice. “The Empress had exchanged a carefree country life with the strict etiquette of the Imperial Court and could hardly adapt to it. Francis Joseph loved his wife dearly, but he ruled over an empire of 50 million people and had little time to be with "Sisi" who felt lonely. "I wish he were no emperor", she confided her former governess.”

Sisi likened to Princess Diana. “Little wonder then that following her tragic death Princess Diana was often likened in obituaries to Sisi: Both were women of extraordinary beauty and represented their countries with dignity and elegance. Both succeeded in winning a special place in people’s hearts even amidst the ceremony and protocol of ancient dynasties. Both were dedicated to social causes. And both died tragically before their time.”

Photo : Memorial of Elisabeth (Österreich-Ungarn), also named Sisi, in Funchal, Madeira closed to the Casino. At this location a hotel was located, where Sisi was on holiday.

Sisi Film & Musical. “The romantic legend of how Sisi and Franz Joseph met has been immortalized in the wonderfully romantic and melodramatic Austrian "Sisi" Films starring Romy Schneider as young Sisi. The musical "Elisabeth", which has attracted tourists from all over the world to Vienna for more than five years, is much more realistic.”

In 1998 a hundred years after she died from wounds inflicted during an assassination attempt exhibitions throughout Austria commemorated her life. They documented the intriguing life story of a woman who was an "empress against her will", who was at once fairy-tale princess and liberated woman, a dieting fanatic and expert equestrian, a poet and inveterate traveller.

Photo : Empress Elisabeth of Austria, 1864

Video compilation of the Austrian trilogy "SISSI-The Young Empress"

Sisi’s hold on the popular imagination remains undiminished. “Sisi was already a legend in her lifetime. And especially in Budapest (Hungary) many buildings or institutions are named after her, and Elisabeth is still the most often given girl name in Hungary. Even a century after her death, Sisi’s hold on the popular imagination remains undiminished. This can be seen in the popularity of Sisi films and the musical "Elisabeth", which has run for years in Vienna. The sites where the empress lived continue to draw tourists from the world over. Among these are her apartments in Schönbrunn Palace, the Hofburg, and the Hermes Villa in Vienna, her tomb in the imperial burial vault of the capital’s Capuchin Church, and the imperial villa in Bad Ischl, as well as many other places throughout Austria.” Link to full article

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

DIÁRIO 23/03/2010

FRONT PAGE NEWS

PEC threatens the solvency of public enterprises. Compliance with the rules contained in the Stability and Growth Pact (PEC), which the Regional Government had no objection to, may be disastrous for the Regional accounts as the State will limit borrowing for all public sector companies. The Government of the Republic, in addition to maintaining the rule of zero net debt to the entities of the Regional and Local Administrations, unless in response to emergencies, will also constrain new financial liabilities when public companies use community funding. Thus, public companies will have lower limits for liabilities as neither Governments can risk having to input capital into these companies. Also, the higher the corporate debt, the worse the country’s external debt. According to Diário, public enterprises have increased their bank liabilities seven fold in six years. Some of these debts are to suppliers and if they cannot resort to credit, the inability to invest and make payments will worsen. Madeira’s contribution to the Portuguese deficit is zero. In 2007, Madeira had not reached the borrowing limit that the EU imposed on the State in the PEC. In 2008, Madeira made a positive contribution to the implementation of the PEC as it still had a net lending capacity of one million Euros, helping to balance the public accounts. — An expert in financial affairs commented that the reason that the 4.1 million Euros subsidy to the Jornal da Madeira stays the same as last year, is probably because no bank will lend to the company. The case is to be heard in the EU Court and if they rule the subsidy is illegal and fine the company, who pays and what happens about any debts?

30,000 pensioners below the minimum wage. Most are women on survivor’s pension of 180 Euros per month. The minimum wage for 2010 is 475 Euros. A similar petition was sent last year, with half the present number of signatures, to the Legislative Assembly of Madeira. This year, the petition will also be sent to the Assembly of the Republic as last year, the two government argued that it was each other’s responsibility.

Public Ministry accuses gang of using children in drug trafficking. A trial started yesterday in Funchal with 19 defendants, including two Italians. 16 attended the hearing, all from social housing estates in Câmara de Lobos, two will be tried in abstentia and one is on the Continent. Six defendants are in prison custody, including two Italians and two Guineans, one is electronically tagged and seven are women. The drugs were imported from Guinea, Senegal and the Netherlands via three couriers, two of them Italian and a child who was detained at Madeira Airport in October 2008 carrying 572 grams of heroin. The drugs were stored in the home of one of the defendants in Bairro da Torre, mainly for local distribution. Many of the children/families of the accused have been used to deliver/collect drugs and money. There is wiretapping evidence to support this allegation. The largest haul was in November 2008 when 12,549 individual doses of heroin (1,045 grams) were detected inside the bodies of the two Italians.The heroin was to be transferred to the Guinean who has spent five years in prison for a previous trafficking offence. The drug gang is suspected of operating from at least mid-2007 to August 2009 and the drugs brought into the country were cocaine and heroin. The Guinean is suspected to be the ringleader. Two of the defendants fabricated a construction company to try to justify the origin of the drug money. Items were seized during house searches, for example mobile phones, home-cinemas and LCDs. Large deposits into the bank accounts of the defendants, especially the ringleader, were traced between January and December 2008 (29,500 +11,570 + 41,915 Euros).

MADEIRA

Revive the neighbourhood by planting trees. 300 school children in the county of Ribeira Brava congregated at the school at Serra de Água as part of the celebrations of World Tree Day. The best way to mark the day was to plant trees. The mayor and a school delegate planted a tree then each school followed suit. This location was chosen as it was the area most devastated by the storm, to plant a symbol of hope and to highlight the rebirth of the parish. The tree planting was followed by entertainment, games and a lunch courtesy of the municipality.

London sends 2,500 kilos of donations. The Portuguese Catholic community attending the Scalabrini Church in Oval, South London, collected 2,500 kilos of donated goods over the past three weeks. The collection was begun on the 21st February and includes infant and children’s clothing, underwear, shoes and linens. During the Masses, 1,500 pounds sterling was collected and the amount was made up to 1,800 pounds from church funds to send the 100 boxes to Madeira. It would normally cost 5,000 pounds to send the container but for the generosity of the haulage firm C. R. Trans/Service, where a Portuguese immigrant works. The container left England last week and arrives in Madeira within a week. It will be forwarded to the Association for Community Development in Funchal/Community Centre of Santo Amaro.

New marine protected areas. Several proposals for the establishment of marine protected areas in waters beyond national jurisdiction will be discussed informally between today and Thursday in Funchal. Attending will be representatives from six countries that signed up to the OSPAR Convention (Germany, France, UK, Netherlands, Spain and Portugal), and NGOs such as the Worldwide Fund for Wildlife, Northeast Atlantic Ocean Fisheries Commission, International Union for the Conservation of Nature and the Institution for Conservation of Marine Biology.

ECONOMY

Demolition of the Savoy Hotel is ahead of deadline. The demolition of the Savoy Hotel started in January with a deadline of ten months. The main building is already in ruins and the reception area, gardens, shopping area and car parks are unrecognizable. This is despite the effects of the storms in February. Demolition by implosion was ruled out and the work has to comply with noise and environmental laws. A significant amount of the material will be reused. The firm responsible for the demolition and building of the new hotel is CASAIS. The project architect João Francisco Caires said the new hotel will include classical and traditional Madeiran architecture in proximity to English colonial architecture. The entire project is scheduled to take 36 months at an estimated 120 million Euros. Completion is aimed to be in time for the New Year’s Eve celebrations in 2012.

POLITICS

Tough measures to prevent exploitation. The Regional Government has decided to submit to the Legislative Assembly a proposed law to ensure all entities benefit, and to prevent exploitation of funds for the renovation of Madeira. Careful prioritization will help people and areas affected by the storm and to avoid duplication, the Government will find out who has benefited from other mechanisms such as insurance. The final relocation is underway and 400 new homes are needed and another 400 require renovation. At present, 53 families are still in public establishments, a situation the Executive wants resolving before Easter. The government said any aggregates that are being collected are authorized. The Marine Police is monitoring the situation and has found one case of illegal dumping of flood deposits at the mouth of the stream at Madelena do Mar.

CULTURE

Santa Cruz is still the City of Culture. It was previously reported that Santa Cruz Council had given up the project City of Culture 2010 as it had to redirect finances to storm damage repair work. The council now ensures that the project will go ahead with updates to the cultural program. The mayor has met Rui Massena, the conductor of the OCM, about the possibility of the classical orchestra opening the program but cannot confirm if this will occur. The county has the advantage that the mayor, José Alberto Gonçalves, is the president of the Madeira Classic Foundation that manages the OCM.

JORNAL DA MADEIRA

REGIONAL

Gaia calls to Porto to help Madeira. The municipalities of Funchal and Gaia will launch a series of meetings before Easter with businesses in Porto to obtain building materials and furniture for 291 houses. The Vice-mayor of Gaia is impressed with the recovery effort in Funchal and will appeal to businesses in the region of Porto where there is a tradition of furniture manufacture. These 291 houses are outside the risk area and are partially damaged. Other councils in Portugal have pledged help, for example 100,000 Euros from Amadora.

Coração da Madeira helps Serra d’Água. Now this voluntary organization has finished its work in RG3, the volunteers went to Serra d’Água with 74 boxes of donated clothing collected at the church at Nazaré over the past month. In partnership with the English Church, the volunteers will begin to distribute bed linen and clothing to various locations of need.

EVENTS

Two vehicles seized. Since the beginning of the year, there have been four cases of illegal dumping in the serras of Madeira. Last week, a Forest Ranger found two private cars were being used to dump material in Campanário, which came from the excavations for a house. The two cars have been seized as evidence and the case has been reported to the Directorate for the Environment. To recover the cars, the owners will have to first pay the fine for the breach. For dumping light material, fines for private individuals range from 1,500 – 3,740 Euros and for firms from 7,500 – 44,890 Euros. For heavier more damaging material, fines range from 25,000 – 37,500 Euros and for a firm, can go up to 60,000 Euros.

Guides and tourists still use footpaths. The Regional Directorate of Forestry is concerned about the number of people still walking along pedestrian paths despite the warnings, often encouraged by guides. Examples are the Caldeirão Verde and the Boca da Corrida/Encumeada. Eight pathways are closed at present: PR 7 Levada do Moínho (Ribeira da Cruz – Lamaceiros); PR 09 Levada do Caldeirão Verde (Queimadas – Caldeirão Verde), PR 10 Levada do Furado (Ribeiro Frio – Lamaceiros – Portela); PR 12 Caminho Real da Encumeada (Boca da Corrida – Encumeada); PR 14 Levada dos Cedros (Fanal – Curral Falso); PR 16 Levada da Fajã do Rodrigues (Fajã da Ama – Ribeira do Inferno); PR 17 Caminho do Pináculo e Folhadal (Lombo do Mouro – Caramulo – Folhadal – Encumeada); PR 18 Levada do Rei (Quebradas – Ribeiro Bonito); Levada do Norte and Levada dos Tornos.

ECONOMY

Mercado de Oportunidades from 25 – 31 March. The erection of 51 tents on the Avenida Arriaga started yesterday. The Opportunities Market is for the selling of old stock at discounted prices, specifically shoes, decorations, clothing, jewellery, domestic electrical appliances, linen, crafts, toys and perfume. Opening hours will be 10.00 – 20.00. The demand has exceeded supply, 80 traders expressing interest but only 60 can participate, so the remaining 20 have places reserved in the second phase in the second half of the year. There will be eight cruise ships in port during this period, especially on the 31st when there will be five.

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

ERC wants to know more names for RTP-Madeira TV – The regulatory entity says it has asked more explanations. RTP received nothing. And already three weeks have passed.

Today’s main news headline : Bureaucracy ties-up traders – The owners of shops badly hit by the storms of February are "fragile, frail and living in financial difficulties because the financial support is delayed in coming". The words are from Lino Abreu, from the Association of Commerce and Services, in disagreement with the excessive ‘red tape’. Whilst waiting for support, traders are just having to do what they can to recuperate what they lost, and are feeling pretty let down because the route to obtain support is complex and long-winded. Abreu says that some traders are so deflated by what has gone on, he fears that they will opt to close down rather than try and reopen their businesses. He says the process needs to be simplified because the traders need support right now. They need to provide strict evidence for their losses, and some of the documentation needed takes a long time to obtain.

Fountains of João Dinis return to see the light of day – The post-storm clean up has returned to view the old fountains, buried 70 years ago during works in the zone of the Palácio. They are going to return to provide drinking water and maybe inspire some old political jibes.

The Government is going to construct 25 homes in Ribeira Brava – The houses will be built in different communities. According to the Housing Association of Madeira [IHM] housing is still lacking for 17 families in the area, made homeless after the floods. IHM already have two or three locations in mind and is out and about looking for more land to built premises that will house several families. The decision to spread the housing is being taken to minimise the impact of the construction work, and also because there is a shortage of land with sufficient capacity for everything. 17 families still live in temporary accommodation, around 40 people. 

SITAM denounces late payment of salaries – The trade union met with the Regional Secretary for Human Resources. Due to the storm on 20 February, there are people who have still not received their salary from February.

Solidarity parade on the eve of the Flower Festival. Madeira’s favourite fashion designer, Fátima Lopes, is organising the event to take place on 17th April, in conjunction with Funchal Council. "I am preparing a solidarity event in April, that will revert to those who need it most," said Fátima. "It will be a big fashion show, open to everyone, with mannequins of the Face Models and many national public figures".

The main sport / football headline today : União SAD ‘half way there’ [?] – Jaime Lucas hopes that the ‘Ruben Micael case’ works out well.

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

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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 don’t send in automatic translations (like Google translator) without checking them through and correcting them first, thanks.

You can email blog@madeira4u.com with any large contributions and other material.

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

(more…)

Today’s photo – Many thanks to Pete … Porto Santo ferry back on duty Thursday 25 February (better late than never, but a bit of a photo backlog. Der)

From Pete … many thanks : "Wreck of the Soudan. (From the Illustrated London News, February 27, 1875.) The African Royal Mail Company’s steam-ship Soudan was wrecked on the night of the 2^nd inst. in Funchal Bay, Madeira. She was from Liverpool, bound for Madeira and the West Coast of Africa. She had a crew of forty-five, all told, and one passenger, in addition to the mails and a full cargo. On the 2^nd inst. she arrived at Madeira, about six in the evening, and came to an anchor off Low Rock …" MORE

Also from Pete : "photo of  Dolce Vita open yesterday, please take note Pingo Doce is closed still, with some other shops down stairs".

Many thanks to Elaine (East) for these web snippets :

For our ship-ahoy shipaholics.  Madeira is the name of a vessel that went down in a huge storm of 1905. There’s a harrowing story about her last hour that you can read about HERE. She broke in two against Gold Rock, less than a mile "up-lake" from the present day Split Rock Lighthouse.  Of course the lighthouse wasn’t there then–it was built a few years later after the owners of a bunch of ships that went down that night banded together and persuaded Congress to build one (I have a separate story about the lighthouse that I’m saving, but I should say that the lighthouse is the most iconic image of the North Shore, having been painted and photographed to death ) … ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Two helpful websites (in Portuguese only). The first gives useful worldwide and Portuguese links: HERE. The second is for local information and news: HERE

Promoting expensive apartments. Do you believe these estate agents? Madeira To Bounce Back Hard. The Madeira property market is unlikely to be severely affected by the recent flash-floods that killed 42 people at the end of last month. …Madeira property had seen a massive boost from its being seen as one of the safest places to buy; for being insulated from the international financial turmoil and this is expected to continue after the cleanup is completed. JUST BS?

Many thanks to Becky for this videos : Dance, Bertie, Dance!

Many thanks to Paul for these three articles :

Portugal v Brazil: Liedson: I’m going to give everything I’ve got to help Portugal win!

Portugal Striker Liedson born in Brazil is looking forward to the Brazil Clash. “The prolific hitman is relishing the prospect of playing against Brazil at the World Cup 2010…”. Portugal lock horns with Brazil, Ivory Coast and North Korea in the group phase of the World Cup and prolific hitman Liedson is particularly looking forward to the match against Brazil, his native country.

"I can barely wait for the World Cup to start. Any kid who likes football dreams of playing at a World Cup and I was no different. But to be honest I needed to work really hard and wait a long time to get that opportunity," said Liedson to fifa.com.

"I’ve got a lot of love and respect for Portugal. I’ve always been treated with a great amount of affection by the fans and what better way to thank them than with loads of goals. And that’s what I try to do every time I take the field. Link to full Goal.com article

How the banana industry can diversify!

World first in underwear – made from the weave of the bark from the banana tree, and soft organic cotton, ensuring ultimate comfort, with an eco friendly flavour that will keep you coming back for seconds!

27% Banana Fibre, 64% Cotton, 9% Lycra. Gentle machine wash in cold water. Do not tumble dry. Do not bleach or wring. Line dry in shade. Cool Iron. Do not iron waistband!

Link to site with videos!

"superb piece of journalism from the UK Telegraph" –

"Madeira lives on. It’s time to go back" 3 weeks after the floods … that’s the verdict of ‘The Telegraph’ newspaper who visited Funchal, Monte, Ribeira Brava, Serra de Água, Ribeiro Frio and Pico das Pedras.

"What I had seen convinced me that Madeira is very nearly back to normal. The majority of roads are open, as are hotels, bars, walks and most restaurants. The mess is visible in parts, but not ruinously so. Madeira lives on. It’s time to go back." Link to full article

This weekends football : Big big match tomorrow as Benfica arrive on Madeira to take on Nacional. The game is on at 6 pm if you fancy a trip to the Choupana, as it’s not on TV (…. just kidding! SportTV1). The other team, called Marítimo I think, travels to Portugal to take on Paços de Ferreira, on Monday evening. SportTV1 8.15 pm.

Tourist delivers 20 kilos of aid – A British tourist is going to deliver 20 kilos of toys and clothing to the homeless in Madeira. While staying in accommodation at Cabo Girão, this British citizen called the hotel when he heard of the tragedy, and instead of cancelling the vacation, wondered what he could do for people affected by floods. He paid for the transportation of 20 kilos of extra baggage to be able to bring help to people who had lost everything. This extra baggage includes toys, crayons, underwear, all in accordance with the list of priorities published by Caritas. This morning the tourist has handed over the aid, which will be delivered Garrison Regiment No. 3. Many thanks to Elaine (West) for that from yesterday’s Diário.

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

DIÁRIO 12/03/2010

FRONT PAGE NEWS

Regional Government will no longer support the subsidy for insularity. Civil service workers normally have a 2% pay increase to subsidise the extra cost of insularity – living in Madeira rather than on the Continent. This year is the last time they will get this allowance; from next year the subsidy will be index linked to the difference in national and regional inflation. Over the past five years, the average difference was 0.5% but inflation has often been identical in both countries. 30% of Madeirans work as public employees or equivalent, 35,000 at a cost of 688.6 million Euros or 14% GDP. The amount saved next year will be 13.7 million Euros and will be diverted to reconstruction funds. It is unclear what the situation on Porto Santo will be with a subsidy of 30% or 2 million Euros. — Dodgy statistics again? 35,000 public service employees – probably 50% of the working population, not 30% of Madeirans. Surprisingly, I cannot find this article in JM to check the figures.

MADEIRA

Inerts dumped on the beach at São Roque. The debris dredged from the stream at Machico has been dumped on the pebble beach at São Roque. This controversial decision was taken by Machico Council and the mayor believes this is the best option. He said that the pebbles already on the beach were formed from inerts originally in the stream, so this is just an increase of what is normally there. He does not think the beach is large enough for all the debris so some of it will have to be transported elsewhere. The mayor hopes the beach will be ready for bathers in the summer season. It is expected to be a busy season in the East because of the damage to some beaches in the West and Funchal. The socialists in the council doubt this hasty decision and would like a technical study of the impact on the coastline of Machico.

Animals not included in the process of resettlement. Many of the families made homeless by the storm are also without their pets. This is because many of the condominiums used for resettlement do not allow dogs. The association PATA has received applications from families who could not take their dogs to their new home, and after accommodating three of these, has run out of space for the other ten dogs. This has increased the anxiety of the families at a time when they are coping with having lost their home. Unfortunately, some families have to abandon their pets. According to PATA, the authorities should think about pets when they rehouse families.

Free dental check-ups. Until the end of March, 17 dentists in Madeira are carrying out free check-ups, without treatments or x-rays. This is the 11th edition of Oral Health Month organized by Colgate and SPEMD. If you want to participate, phone the Blue Line between 12 – 23 hours, daily: 808 305 306.

Gulbenkian Foundation supports Madeira. The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation will support the resettlement of the elderly in Ribeira Brava by a donation of 300,000 Euros to the Centro Social e Paroquial de S. Bento da Ribeira Brava. Accommodation will be in the building next to the Centre after it has been adapted for the elderly who cannot return home or join their family.

Three Madeirans arrested for crimes abroad. Two women, 45 and 54 years old, and a 21 year old man were arrested on Wednesday by the Criminal Investigation Department of the Judicial Police (PJ). They are wanted on European Arrest Warrants for crimes in Austria, France and Poland; murder, a crime of a sexual nature and drug trafficking, respectively. Their cases will be heard in the Court of Appeal in Lisbon for a decision to either release them, extradite them or serve a prison term in Madeira.

Cousin of Cristiano Ronaldo dies after traffic accident. The 32 year old man died Tuesday night at the Hospital Dr. SMF Mendonça as a result of injuries sustained in an accident in Caniço. The death of Miguel dos Santos Fernandes is another tragedy for the family who were made homeless on the 20th February. The victim’s mother is the sister of the footballer who is reportedly coming to the funeral today at the cemetery at São Martinho. In order to attend he has cancelled a publicity event at the Estádio Santiago Bernabeu. The accident occurred last Friday at 12.35 hours at Livramento, Caniço. The victim was travelling on the motorway between Funchal and Santa Cruz when the car flipped over several times and eventually halted on vacant land. The cause of the accident is unknown. The car belonged to his employer, Portugal Telecom, and the Fire Department had to use equipment to extract him from the interior. He was married and lived in Edifício VIP VIII in Caniço.

POLITICS

Socialist Party want to reduce airport charges. The Socialist Party thinks it is about time to lessen the difference between rates at airports in Madeira and the Continent. They will present to the Legislative Assembly of Madeira a regional draft decree to reduce this discrepancy, which ultimately has negative consequences throughout the economy of Madeira. They want to change the current rates, requiring the charges not to exceed the average value of similar charges applied in other domestic airports. The airport can then become more competitive. This is now even more essential after the storm of February 20th, since it is necessary to create additional incentives for the entry of tourists to the region. Over the years, Madeira Airport charges have soared to the detriment of Madeirans and people wanting to come to the region, including national and international tourists. For example, in 2002 the airport tax paid by passengers in Madeira was 10.94 Euros and currently stands at 48.30 Euros, more than quadrupled.

PCP promotes petition for new hospital. The PCP want the Legislative Assemblies of Madeira and the Republic to discuss the construction of the new Central Hospital of Funchal. They need at least 4,000 signatures for the petition to go to the Legislative Assembly of Madeira. The Assembly of the Republic rejected a proposal that funds come from the PIDDAC of 2010. PCP argue that the hospital is in the national interest, therefore should be paid for by the State. The Madeiran deputy Hugo Velosa is on the side of the PCP, and voted against the PSD who did not want to amend the PIDDAC. This did not go down well with the parliamentary group but his position represents the position of all PSD-M deputies, preferring to put the interests of Madeira before the interests of the party.

UPDATES

Dolce Vita reopened today. Only the third floor shops are open. The restaurant area should be operational within two weeks. The car park should reopen within a month. A date for the Pingo Doce supermarket has not been announced.

EU will help Madeira but cannot commit to dates. The European Commission President,  Durão Barroso, reaffirmed that the EU will contribute to the rebuilding of the parts of Madeira affected by the storm of February 20th, but could not commit to dates. He visited the island to express solidarity and personally become acquainted with the damage. He said funds can be applied retroactively and the contribution will not solve everything. The date for decisions will be in October or winter. In addition to the Solidarity Fund, there are 550 million Euros in other funds that can be made available to Madeira. Immediate funding cannot be granted as the EU requires proof of damage. He has great confidence in the future of Madeira, highlighting the dynamism of Madeirans and the history of proper use of structural funds. About the reconstruction effort he witnessed, "I have never seen in Europe so many machines and people at work."

JORNAL DA MADEIRA

FRONT PAGE NEWS

"I’ll give a hug of solidarity." Durão Barroso flew in last night and stayed at Reid’s Hotel. His schedule was: Tabua (9.25 am),  Meia Légua – Serra de Água in Ribeira Brava (10 am) and then the downtown area of Funchal at 12.00. After a working lunch at the Albatroz restaurant near the airport, he gave a press conference at 12.50 then flew out at 13.20.

IHM makes an intensive inventory. 60 families relocated, 110 still waiting. 54 of the 60 families (235 individuals) have been rehoused in Funchal. Most of the larger families have been found new homes. There are still 250 people in temporary shelters (110 families). Technicians of the IHM are working in the counties affected; Funchal, Ribeira Brava, Santa Cruz and Câmara de Lobos. They survey houses for the possibility of restoration and look at homes for the government to lease or purchase, in collaboration with Cáritas, councils and Social Security. It will not be possible to rehouse all those displaced in Serra de Água back to this parish. Santa Cruz and Câmara de Lobos councils have many offers for renting which are being considered. They aim to have everyone out of the shelters by the end of this month.

REGIONAL

Funchal Council award 14 contracts. These are for urgent renovation work of storm damage. The value is 2.9 million Euros. The streets most affected by the storm are to be recovered and retaining walls constructed to prevent further landslides and allow access to homes. The safety of road users and pedestrians will be met. The traders and homes affected by the storm of 20th February will be exempt from paying IMI (council tax) for 2010 and 2011. 300,000 Euros have been donated to 120 entrepreneurs (2,500 Euros grants) from two financial establishments.

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

Storm ruins strategy of Serrão – One of the more serious consequences of the recent happenings  for the Socialist Party of Madeira is the Jardim – Sócrates friendship, confesses the new socialist leader in an interview.

Today’s main news headline : Hospital makes the police pay for medical treatment for the ruffians – SESARAM is to telling alleged perpetrators to pay for medical treatment for their victims. The measure affects police officers in the performance of their duties. The ASPP says the procedure is unprecedented in the country, and will take the case to the national director of the Public Service Police.

Parents, students and head teachers isolate teachers.

[Durrão] Barroso discards [the responsibility] to Lisbon for the bulk of the support – The President of the European Commission repeated yesterday the visits of other dignitaries : He was moved by the destruction from the tragedy and pointed to [José] Sócrates.

EU will help Madeira, but cannot commit to dates – The procedures do not depend solely on the European Union. The European Commission President, Durão Barroso reaffirmed that the European Union will contribute to the rebuilding of the Madeira affected by the storms of 20 February, although "one can not commit to dates." In the first place he said, it is necessary for the Portuguese authorities to make their evaluation and claim, and then  there are other EU institutions involved. The Commission President pointed out that there are nearly €550 million in other funds "that can be made available to Madeira", a region with "great experience in the management of these financial supports, and can use it to increase its competitiveness and sources of growth for the prosperity of all the locals". "The European Union will help through its Solidarity Fund and matters are well underway," he said, stressing: "I myself personally found out about the verified damage".

Government returns to giving insularity subsidy – Jardim does a U-turn on the decision made on Thursday. It’s in order to not to lose an argument used in Lisbon and Brussels. Another related headline says … End of awarding the insularity subsidy is the wrong step – Jacinto Serrão pushes for a gradual increase of the payment to 5%.

"The PSD is in 47th place on my priority list" – President Jardim is going to be in the convention despite saying that the Social Democrat Party is not one of his worries.

The main sports / football headline today : None!

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

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

You can email blog@madeira4u.com with any large contributions and other material.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sheila very kindly translated and sent in this article :

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

DIÁRIO 03/02/2010

FRONT PAGE NEWS

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

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

MADEIRA

BAD WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS

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

ECONOMY

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

POLITICS

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

CULTURE

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

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

JORNAL DA MADEIRA

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

More of the bad weather   -   Funchal

More of the bad weather   -   Santa Cruz

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

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

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

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

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

(more…)