Madeira News Blog

Today’s photo – Many thanks to Rita … Banana wash production line at the co-operative in Madalena do Mar.

"I had always heard of Madeira as an island that was out there off the African coast but only old people went there and the weather might be dodgy. But I got the opportunity to visit it at the end of January this year and how wrong was my perception. It is a beautiful island with varied and magnificent scenery – mountains, valleys, tropical gardens, golf courses, wind surfing. There is plenty to do even at night time with a huge selection of restaurants and plenty of bars with music and night clubs. So I found out that it is not just for the over 70s". MORE

I have no idea where this photo was taken, it was on a website unrelated to Madeira, but the tug boat is called ‘Funchal’. Is it here, or can anyone shed any light on the vessel?

Many thanks to Pete who emailed me with this creative and very sensible suggestion :

Mosquitoes in your garden? Try planting these! Marigolds, Ageratum, Catnip, Rosemary, Geraniums, Basil, Lemon Balm, Garlic and onion. I have also seen on eBay Mosquito Dunks that you drop in water.  I personally like to try plants rather than chemicals because they are safer for pets and the environment. You can also help by emptying water containers regularly that plants stand in, including anything that stores water.  You can find other plants and ways of getting rid of Mosquitoes by searching the internet. If they fail, you still have a colourful garden, which everyone can admire.

Also many thanks to Elaine (out West) … from yesterday’s Diário de Notícias :

Exhibition unites painting, literature and music – The works of six artists and the texts of six writers, inspired by various musical pieces, are part of ‘Third Bank’, an exhibition opened yesterday which will be open to the public until February 26 at the Teatro Municipal Baltazar Dias. Sofia Moniz Alves is the coordinator for the ‘Third Bank’, which includes contributions by Ana Luísa Amaral, Pedro Proenca, Teresa Gonçalves Lobo, Fernando Pinto Amaral, Nuno Júdice, Regina Chula, Avelino Rocha, Helga Moreira, Isabel Mendes Ferreira, Agostinho Santos, Lucia David and Porfirio Al Brandão. "The objective was to unite the art of bisexuality. Each writer was paired with each of the artists, making writing, visual art and music one work," Sofia Moniz Alves explained. To this end, next to each table is a text and an MP3 player with music that inspired the works. Also available to the public until 26 February is a catalogue of CDs, whose content is the basis of the exhibition. Entry is 7 Euros.

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

For any nautical bloggers, RTP is following the Sagres Portuguese Navy training ship: SAGRES. The Portuguese Navy site has an English version

Diário online poll : How do you rate the debt of the region?

Alarming 79% ; Normal 8% ; Understandable 10% ; Negligible 3% ;

DIÁRIO 06/02/2010 – FRONT PAGE NEWS

Lagoa do Santo wastes two thirds of water captured. Built in the early 1980s with the purpose of irrigating Santo da Serra golf course and providing water for the municipality of Santa Cruz, the Lagoa do Santo da Serra has never been fully operational. This reservoir has a capacity of 1 million cubic metres of water but takes no more than a third of this amount. It was the first artificial lake in the region, costing the equivalent of 4 million Euros. The problem is the asphalt lining the reservoir so it was drained in mid-2009 but found to be in a worse state than expected. The reservoir has been redesigned and work will begin in May and is expected to be finished by mid-2011, when it should have a capacity of 700,000 cubic metres of water. Originally, the reservoir took water only from the Levada da Serra Faial which is currently being restored. New work means that it should be able to receive water from other sources, water from Ribeira de Boaventura via the Lagoa das Águas Mansas. To help irrigation of agricultural land in the area and provide water for the municipalities of Machico and Santa Cruz, there will be two additional new reservoirs: Lagoa da Portela and Lagoa da Ponta do Pargo.

MADEIRA

Ten places for foreigners. If approved in Lisbon, Madeiran employers will be able to hire only 10 workers from outside the EU this year. This proposal is by the Regional Executive. Last year, they wanted a quota of 20 and despite the Portuguese Government raising it to 58, only 22 were employed. Extra bureaucracy is needed and employment opportunities are dwindling as unemployment presently stands at 13,000. The large public works are over and there are no new investments. This is a national trend as last year only 25% of the quota for immigrants was used, filled by Venezuelans, Brazilians, Africans and Ukrainians.

Four robbers arrested by PSP. They are responsible for crimes committed in Funchal. A 34 year old Mozambican national was sentenced to nine months in prison. He was in possession of several items including computer equipment and perfumes, and was responsible for a dozen thefts from cars parked in public car parks. The police caught him in the act while he was inside a car after having forced open the door. Three suspects from Nazaré were arrested, aged between 18 and 27 years. They had violently robbed an 80 year old woman and most of the stolen item have been recovered.

PSP threaten Carnival floats. Eight days before the Carnival parade, the Regional Commander of the Police has met with the Regional Secretariat of Tourism and Transport concerning security arrangements. One of the changes brought forward is that floats are obliged to be covered by liability insurance in case of accidents which cause damage to third parties; spectators and those taking part. In a previous event a float slid for a few metres down the Avenida Zarco, causing a scare. There is confusion about whether the safety standards will be identical to last year or if additional checks will have to be made to the floats, which could mean significant changes to the bodywork and mechanics.

CARNIVAL PROGRAM

13 February, Saturday
Festivities in the Lower Town
10:00 – 13:30 – Carnival Party Band
10:00 – 15:00 – Marching Band
15:00 – 20:00 – Marching Band
19:30 – 23:00 - Puppet Theatre Group on the route of the Float Parade
20:50 – 21:00 – Fireworks
21:00 - Carnival Float Parade

Route: Departing from Praça da Autonomia (south side), Avenida do Mar e das Comunidades Madeirenses (southbound lane), crossing to the northbound lane (opposite the Marina Shopping Centre) and going up Rua Dias Leite, Infante Roundabout, Avenida Arriaga (northbound lane – as far as Banco de Portugal), Avenida Zarco (northbound lane), Rua Câmara Pestana and Praça do Município.

Themes of the groups taking part in the Float Parade

- "Treasure Island" - Veteranos da Folia
- "Divinities of the Sea" – Os Cariocas Samba School
- "Nymph Fantasies" – Associação de Animação Geringonça
- "The Portuguese Sea" – Associação Fura Samba
- "The Sea and Piracy" – Caneca Furada Samba School
- "The Revelry of the Ocean" – Turma do Funil
- "The Delights of the Sea" – João Egídio Andrade Rodrigues
- "Secrets of the Sea" – Fábrica de Sonhos

22:00 – Carnival Music Show, at Praça do Município

ECONOMY

Blue Merlin fishing tournament. The third edition of Madeira Blue Merlin competition is to be held during the 11 – 13 June in the sea around Calheta. Last year, there were 15 teams and this year, 25 will take part. They arise from Madeira, Azores, Portugal, United Kingdom, Germany, Luxembourg, Spain, the Canary Islands, South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago and the USA. Caught fish have to be released alive back to the sea. The winner will represent Portugal in the Hawaiian International Tournament in 2011. Teams consist of three to six members with another one to film for validation purposes. Registration fee is 600 Euros per boat. This tournament is intended to honour the surgeon António Ribeiro who at 96 years old was probably the oldest participant for this type of fishing.

JORNAL DA MADEIRA

FRONT PAGE HEADLINES – Finance Law passed.  Finance Law must be met.

Diário highlights a constitutional challenge but Jornal da Madeira have only one paragraph about this possibility. Two long articles about the battle, giving their reasons and financial figures for the law since they say the public are confused. (Not surprising!) According to the Diário, there are eight days for the PS socialists to ask the Constitutional Court to judge the law and the Court has up to 25 days to rule, by which date it is too late to enact the law in time to focus on the State Budget of 2010. If unconstitutional, Cavaco Silva has the difficult decision to pass the law (political instability) or veto it and face the consequences of turning against Jardim. If he vetoes the law, it must return to Parliament and be approved by two thirds of the deputies. Later today in Diário, it was reported that Jardim said that the law is "not unconstitutional" but the PS request for a constitutional challenge is a "serious threat". He said the passing of the law shows the possibility of a "historic compromise" and might "liberate" Portugal from a "party that has no ideology or value". Jardim also says a coalition should be formed to govern Portugal.

Alcohol prevention. There will be a proactive prevention of substance misuse in a joint initiative by the police, Regional Service of Drug Prevention and the Alcoholics Association, Mão Amiga. It will last from 0.00 to 03.00 on Sunday morning in the main centres of nightlife in Funchal. Information leaflets on the harmful consequences of drug and alcohol abuse and other substances will be handed out by the police. Those interested will be allowed to try the ‘test balloon’, independently of whether they intend to drive, to allow them to determine their fitness to be behind a wheel. The drug prevention, rehabilitation and therapy teams will be available. This is to be followed by a police surveillance operation on the main roads of Funchal from 03.00 to 08.00, focusing on driving under the influence of alcohol. The representative from Mão Amiga says they want to inform young people on how to enjoy themselves without having to consume harmful substances. They are there to educate, provide information, answer questions, so people can meet them and see they are helpful and friendly, and to help those with an alcohol problem. It is more appropriate for young people to go out and meet real friends than ‘virtual friends’ through computers. The first harmful substance imbibed tends to be alcohol before some graduate onto drugs which are more difficult to abandon.

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

Martins Júnior is a beloved priest – He has been suspended since 1977, but continues to celebrate in Ribeira Seca. There are those faithful in the community, some with 50 years, waiting for the bishop, the confirmation and a canonical solution to the priest that they held in such high regard. "The crime of Padre Amado". Suspended nearly 33 years, Martins Júnior continues faithful to the community of Ribeira Seca. In July 1997 the then Bishop of Funchal suspended Martins from his post, and performing any acts associated with his former role. The charge was disobedience, and the first element of that was political activity, still in the aftermath of the Carnation Revolution in 1974. It’s a long story, full of religious terminology that I don’t understand in any language, and I now wish that I hadn’t chosen this story at all. But anyway, Martins, now aged 72, never accepted the suspension order (or be tried by ecclesiastical court) and continued his priestlike activity until the present, undertaking Mass, baptisms and funeral duties in the parish of Ribeira Seca. The current Bishop of Funchal, D. António Carrilho, has said that he is hopeful of resolving the situation (but that was back in 2007).

In politics : Law of Finances agitates the Socialist Party – Bernardo Trindade and Miguel França deny conflict.  Carlos César [Azores] doesn’t believe in the presidential veto. The socialists are now looking for the resignation of President Albert João Jardim following the episode with the Regional Finance Law. Madeira’s representative in the Lisbon assembly, Bernardo Trindade, says that Jardim is now a problem for Madeira now that he doesn’t have a weapon against Lisbon. The socialists of Madeira do admit that the new law is fairer for Madeira than the one passed in 2007, as it has reduced the ‘positive discrimination’ that favoured the Azores. França was the only socialist MP to vote against the government, but any talk of a rift as a result in local politics is being played down.

Diabetes costs a packet – The costs have risen. On Madeira there is expenditure of €4 million per year on medicines. That cost is just for the regular medicine, the more expensive stuff is not included in that figure. There are around 26,000 diabetics on Madeira, and estimates suggest that there are another 50,000 that may already be pre-diabetic. The responsible director in Hospital Central do Funchal said that the cost in the last year had escalated around half a million Euros. This was in part down to the use of more effective medicines, that were more expensive.

Today’s main news headline : Societies ask for €100 million more – The loan aims to avoid bankruptcy of the Development Societies and of Madeira Parks. The loss is €98.5 million, and the businesses pay just 18% of the costs.

The main sport / football headline today : Expectations boosted – With the defeat of Sporting, Marítimo and Nacional have a new incentive in the fight for a European placing. Huge surprise to know that Sporting lost at home against Académica last night. The action with our local teams starts at 3 pm, but only on the radio TSF-M / RTP.

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 photos / videos.

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

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Today’s photo – Many thanks to Eiryl … Roasted chestnuts / castanhas

"Have just returned from Madeira, super weather except for one very wet day. It was lovely to see the Xmas lights and displays. Sending 3 of my pics, first, fish drying on a boat at Câmara de Lobos, second, the roasted chestnuts – I can still smell them when I look at the photo, and third, sailor spotted at the top of the mast. There were so many cruise ships in this time and it was good to read on the blog about the history of the old yacht with funnels which we saw coming into harbour. We have a long wait to our return in February". Eiryl.

Apologies to Eiryl, as that was sent in nearly 3 weeks ago … you remember, when we used to have good weather? The other photos mentioned will follow in the next few days.

On the 1st of January 2010 the owners of classic cars and motorcycles will meet together at 4 pm in Praia Formosa to take part on a new year’s parade through the streets of Funchal. This is the first time this event takes place and it was named "Funchal ON". So if you will be wondering around Funchal do not miss this opportunity to admire some old beauties riding along the city. Thanks to Madeira Help for that little snippet.

What 2010 might have in store for the travel industry – TravelMole Guest Comment by Thomson and First Choice managing director Dermot Blastland. "… As for destinations, we’re expecting the top short haul destinations for summer 2010 to be the Balearics, mainland Spain, the Algarve, Italy and Madeira". LETS HOPE SO!

"In 2008, Italian and European investigators uncovered a €3 million fraud over subsidy claims for fictitious tobacco, involving at least one cooperative, putting 80 individuals under arrest and recovering the cash. Meanwhile, on the small Atlantic island of Madeira, which is part of Portugal, two banana cooperatives benefited from almost €1 million in illegal subsidies or nonpayment of duties during a decade of scamming, according to court judgments. In the harshest of a series of sanctions, the president of one of the cooperatives, Fernando Gonzalez, received a five-year prison sentence and €1,000 fine, under appeal, after being convicted of looting €316,000 in subsidies. Some of his cooperative’s claims were made in the names of farmers who died years earlier". This was published in some American newspaper WHAT CORRUPTION ON MADEIRA – WHATEVER NEXT!

Elaine (East) sent in the final article from the Christmas traditions series that was running in the Jornal da Madeira in the run up to Xmas. Many thanks.

Traditional food at Christmas. Delights to mark this season are bolos and broas de mel, liqueurs, meat in garlic and wine, chicken soup, ‘torresmos’ and pork cooked in many forms. Christmas Eve guests are offered typical seasonal sweets, like bolo de mel, broas and home-made liqueurs. Lunch on Christmas Day has a very special significance for the vast majority of local people. It is a time for the immediate family to meet and those who have departed to eternity remembered, and not to forget those who are absent in countries of emigration. The main menu integrates chicken and pork, and especially meat in wine and garlic, which is made in different ways according to the parishes. Modern families use restaurants. In the past, meat from animals raised at home had a special flavour. The fruit for dessert is traditionally pineapple, both for flavour and aroma. Pickles are made at the beginning of December, an English condiment based on an assortment of vegetables (or fruit) pickled in vinegar, whose origin refers to the time of British rule over India. Good cider vinegar is flavoured with cinnamon, black pepper, cloves and nutmeg. Spring onions in sauce are often included, and the meat seasoned with wine, wine vinegar, garlic, cloves and bay leaves. Also on the table there should be pao jamon, bolo de rei, stuffed turkey and bacalhau.

Local specialities are as follows. Porto Moniz, ‘Carne Santa’ – pork and beef marinated overnight. Santana, ‘Carne da Noite’ – pork from the animal killed a week before in the ‘função do porco’, with wine, bay leaves and pumpkin accompaniment. Santo António da Serra in Machico, ‘Bucho de Porco Recheado’ – pork entrails stuffed with rice, garlic and parsley. In Santa Cruz, ‘Carne Frescal’ – meat marinated in white and red wine, Madeira wine and garlic for three days. In Funchal, ‘Sarapatel’ – pork blood and pork liver cooked with onions, tomato, parsley, pears, nuts and raisins.

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

The web-cam photographer has been down to Av. Arriaga again. A good photo of the camels on Sunday, CAMELS Today it’s Santa’s train.  TRAIN

Sales started yesterday. December 28 to February 28, the official dates of the winter sales. Some shops are waiting until January. There are discussions to reduce the period as two months is too long for the size of the population here, and to have a later starting date.

Communists note Funchal is less competitive. The Assembly of the Municipal of Funchal will vote this afternoon on a proposal of the CDU for an immediate formation of a working group to investigate alleged loss of competitiveness of Funchal, even in the regional context. The proposed study will take a year to report back. The Communists propose that representatives from the Municipal Assembly should form the group. The data has been collected by the National Institute of Statistics in a study called, ‘Local Purchasing Power’, which indicates that Funchal looses purchasing power compared to other municipalities in the region. Funchal Council is also discussing its budget today and plan to reduce running costs and maintain investment in priority sectors. More rigour will be applied when assessing investment projects. The accounts need to balance with a decrease from a 114 million Euros budget this year to 108 million Euros next year. They expect to save 3 million Euros in operating expenses – a large sum. 48% of the budget is retained for investment. They want to take advantage of low interest rates in the international money market and only spend 75% of the budget by the end of the year. The Socialist Party indicate they will vote against the budget as it lacks rigour in defining priorities when the Council has less money to spend. Half of the investments are in public works and bureaucracy instead of the environment, culture and social action.

8,000 to see the fireworks. 8,000 tourists and 3,300 crew will take the opportunity to see the fireworks on New Year’s Eve. The increased port traffic starts tomorrow, December 30, with the cruise ships Queen Victoria (2,000 tourists, 900 crew) and AIDAluna (2,250 tourists, 634 crew) due at 7.15 and 12.00 hours, respectively. The Cunard ship will stay moored until the early morning of December 31 and then has to go out to sea at 6.00 am to make room for another ship. The lifeboats will be used to ferry tourists ashore, weather permitting. She finally sails at 1 am on January 1 2010. The AIDAluna normally calls on Sundays but the timetable has been altered for the fireworks spectacular and will also leave at 1.00 am on January 1 2010. On December 31, the Oriana  (1700, 760) will occupy the position vacated by the Queen Vic., arriving at 07.00 and the Boudicca  (793, 363) will be alongside until 2 am the following day. At 22.00 on the 31 December, the Amadea (600, 244) will moor behind the AIDAluna and remain until 18.00 hours the following day. The sixth and final ship to arrive to watch the display is the Saga Ruby (650, 379) which approaches at 23.00 on December 31 and stays offshore until 7am on January 1 2010.  The Lobo Marinho ferry will join other boats at sea at 23.00, for spectators to obtain a sea view. — Hopefully, the Oriana will not miss out this time.

Porto Santo may have ‘anopheles’.  Continuation of yesterday’s report about malaria in the region. Anopheles is the mosquito which can transmit malaria, if infected with the Plasmodium parasites. A detailed study about climate change in the region since 2006, discusses the possibility that the mosquito is present on the island of Porto Santo, although it is not found on the island of Madeira. It is thought the risk of contracting malaria is very low as the the local population of mosquitoes on Porto Santo are not infected with the parasite. Climate change will make it more favourable for the development of the parasites in the region but they need to be introduced by infected vectors, and all cases of malaria between 1996 and 2004 have been contracted abroad. The Department of Social Affairs ensures there is no cause for alarm as there are no vectors present in Madeira and malaria cannot be transmitted from person to person. The labs here can test for malaria. The relatives of the man in intensive care are upset about the way he was ’shuttled around’ for four days before admittance. The hospital originally sent him to Santo Antonio Health Centre for a test and immunization against influenza A, then on feeling worse the following day, he went to Machico Health Centre and sent home. He was finally admitted on Christmas Eve and is showing signs of organ failure. The other two infected men are responding well to treatment and should be released soon. — No mention of the number of malaria cases that have been brought here over the years. The symptoms of malaria – fever, headaches and malaise – are typical flu symptoms, especially prominent at the present time. Why didn’t the men take precautions against malaria if they were working in a highly infectious region (Equatorial Guinea)?

Tickets and passes increases – confusion! Someone cannot do their sums or the information is too vague. Bus tickets and fares will increase next year, as usual on January 1. According to the Regional Secretariat for Tourism and Transport, the average increases will be 1.85% for interurban buses and 1.19% for urban transport. An average increase of 5 cents per ticket. A 1.55 Euros ticket will cost 1.57 Euros, according to the Diário but a 1.55 Euros ticket in Funchal will increase to 1.60 Euros (3.2% ?), according to the J. Madeira. A 35.50 Euros social pass will increase to 40 Euros (12.7% ?). More detailed information will be published later this week. Better news is that milk and bread will not increase until at least March. CTT has published details of new prices for the postal service. PT will reduce fixed line prices by about 10.5% and offer unlimited calls within their network at weekends, from January 1. It is thought that mobile phones will have the same tariffs.

Vandalism puts gas tank at risk. The gas tank that supplies a block of flats situated near the Pico dos Barcelos viewpoint in Santo Antonio, was yesterday at risk of exploding. Two rubbish bins were destroyed by fire and damage to the infrastructure meant a temporary interruption in  ZON and Portugal Telecom cable television and Internet in the area. Immediately behind the rubbish collection containers is a gas tank, which could have easily caught fire. Vandals set fire to the area at 1.30 when there was poor visibility in the high zone. The Funchal bombeiros extinguished the flames but the charred remains are an eyesore for visitors to the viewpoint. There have been similar acts of arson at ecopoints recently, all at night, in the area of Courelas and near this viewpoint.

Urbanization Plan for Santa Cruz to be released on January 7. The plan is for the Portinho area. There will be installation of new equipment, transfer of public facilities and the creation of several recreational areas and green spaces. A new kindergarten and a new school are planned. Changes also planned for Vargem; some areas of the centre of Caniço will be closed to traffic with new litter bins and seats to make the area pleasanter for pedestrians, with new roads and areas of health and leisure. The cemetery, which is being repositioned, will become a garden.

Regional Government announces support to agriculture ranging from 85% to 100%.  At last, a statement from the Department of the Environment and Natural Resources announces financial support for storm damage which can cover between 85% and 100% of eligible expenses. The office of Manuel Antonio Correia said the Executive would use EU funds and the Regional Budget. The support will cover the costs of restoring agricultural land and infrastructure, eg crops, walls, buildings, irrigation systems and equipment. To cut bureaucracy, call centres have been set up from today and claims are a priority for processing. The CDU want the Government to  immediately use the Insurance Fund created in 1983.

Socialist lodges a complaint against the Regional Director of Forestry, Tamega and Coito Pita. The Socialist Party leader Joao Gouveia wants prosecutions against the Regional Director of Forestry (Rocha da Silva), the construction firm Tamega, as well as the Social Democrat Coito Pita, for storm damage. The construction firm is accused of illegal activity in the area of Ribeira Grande. The Director of the Forestry Department has direct responsibility for the construction of the road between Rosario and Encumeada. The Director of Forestry permitted Tamega to put stones in unsuitable areas as illegal landfill. Coito Pita owns the land situated below the Chao-dos-Louros, contiguous to Rocha da Silva’s property. Coito Pita blocked access to farmland via his road and after negotiations with Rocha da Silva, an alternative road was constructed. This involved removal of trees which were carried down the slopes in the storm.

Hectic day at the airport. Yesterday, due to strong gusts of wind, several hundreds of passengers had long waits to fly from Madeira. 17 cancelled flights (departures/arrivals), and delays in all flights scheduled to land on Monday morning. Some passengers had to wait more than eight hours and criticized the lack of information. Reporters could not find a satisfactory answer to the fact that charter flights from the U.K., Helsinki and Copenhagen were landing but not those of TAP and SATA. Ground Force could not explain why and the TAP headquarters in Lisbon could not be contacted.

Storm leaves families poorer. In Ribeira do Porco in Boaventura, the storm leaves stones deposited on the highway. Downstream, there is major damage. Five cars in Lombo do Urzal were damaged and walls and agricultural land have been destroyed. In Falca, machinery and a warehouse belonging to a construction firm have water damage. Heavy rain still falls in Ribeira Grande and Rosario, where there are more landslides and swollen rivers. The Councils have not yet drawn risk maps, which would take political courage, due to land becoming devalued and many present buildings disallowed.

Bad weather stories round-up. In Vasco Gil, the electrical cables were ripped down by a storm-felled eucalyptus tree. In Funchal, various roads closed, especially the Estrada Luso-brasileira, due to landslides. Officials had to use chainsaws to remove buganvilia (bougainvillea) from the Ribeira de Santa Luzia, after heavy rain caused it to fall into the water and block the water course.This plant also caused problems and had to be cut back on the Rua 5 de Outubro in Funchal. The only access to Curral das Freiras, the Estrada da Eira do Serrado, was cut off by falling eucalyptus trees, destroying power lines. Rubbish discarded thoughtlessly has washed down to the coastline, especially in Serra de Agua and Ribeira Brava. Falling trees destroyed the roof of a residence in Camacha (photo). Three eucalyptus and two pine trees fell onto the roof of the unoccupied Villa Viera Cardosa in Rochao. The owners live in South Africa. Neighbours had asked the family to cut the trees two years ago, as they recognized the potential danger. The family displaced at Monte yesterday will be temporarily housed in lodgings by Funchal Council. A landslide near the electricity station at Serra de Agua left about a dozen families isolated at Achada dos Aparicios. The only access road to the power station and their houses was blocked by the landslide. The Council unblocked the road by the end of the morning. The sea invaded at least one bar on the esplanade at Praia Formosa. The bar Barra Azul was affected last night and the bar is half destroyed. In front of the Atlantic Gardens, the footpath has been closed due to waves threatening the beach area. According to the IM, the coast of Madeira will be hit by strong waves until the end of the year. Two large ships are sheltering from the weather off the north coast and are being monitored by the Harbour of Funchal to ensure they do not come too close to shore. One is a large container ship, en route to Rotterdam, the other is a tanker.

—– The Bishop of Funchal reassures parishioners that the Church is still here for them during this terrible time. The Government has other matters on its mind; Jardim has put his ex-journalist skills to work by writing another preface to a book – this time about tax systems in the Region. New Year’s ‘Sexy Party’ at the Farmers’ Market will be safeguarded against the weather, already 500 tickets sold, mainly to the VIP area. The prices are 10 and 15 Euros whereas the Wine Institute’s Hollywood party tickets are 20 Euros.

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

The sea makes difficult the unloading of fuel – The tanker-ship ‘Madeiro’ has been waiting 5 days for suitable sea conditions to unload 18 thousand tons of fuel. The time is uncertain, but there are stocks to last at least a week. The three fuel terminals located at Caniçal, Socorridos and Porto Santo have been inaccessible due to weather / sea conditions, and supplies are running low for products like diesel and other fuels. The tanker-ship arrived here on Christmas day, and when conditions allow will unload firstly in Caniçal, and then Socorridos, before heading off to Porto Santo. At least that is the plan, but the reality is likely to be quite different as only safe unloading conditions will determine. The ship has been ’sheltering’ unanchored off the north coast of Madeira, between Ponta de São Lourenço and Porto da Cruz. Most of the fuel is destined for electricity production, where existing stocks should last until 6th January. Around 1,000 tons are for petrol stations. EEM spokesman Rui Rebelo said "Only a lot of bad luck will prevent the ship from docking in the next ten days," after which a break in electricity supply will be possible.

Today’s main news headline : Sócrates pays the electricity bill – Lisbon decided to end the stubbornness and deliver to EEM the value of the convergence rates. The process was started in 1998 by an agreement between the central and regional executives. But the money was burning until now. €26 million arrives today or tomorrow. This was an agreement to ensure that Madeirans were not disadvantaged in terms of the prices they pay for electricity consumed. The Electricity Company of Madeira produces electricity at a higher cost than in mainland Portugal, because of the cost of importing raw materials, transport costs, and the fact that that the Madeira market is comparatively small. A payment agreement made in 2003 was to ensure that the state contributed an amount annually until the year 2013, but until now any subsidies have been funded by the Madeira Government. Now, after a long struggle the state has agreed to pay the subsidies along with late payment costs (interest), after the matter was referred to the courts.  The money will be used to settle bank debt incurred due to the delay, and will not affect the prices paid by EEM customers.

French Tourism grows in times of crisis – ‘Top of Travel’ brought 16 thousand French in 2009 and wants to bring 20 thousand next year.

Classical Orchestra gives three concerts in Lisbon.

Storm insists on punishing Ponta do Sol. The sea has been relentless in the West zone – The force of the waves partially destroyed the beach bar at Ponta do Sol. The bar named ‘Maré Alta’ was damaged as the high waves ‘threw rocks’ at the structure.  Also Marina do Lugar de Baixo has two more ‘leaking’ fissures in the wall, and Calheta golden sand beach has returned once again to be a pebble beach. The president of Ponta do Sol council has said that he wants to enrol in the 2011 government programme to completely transform the protection for the town sea front. WATCH THE VIDEO Who said "water water everywhere, but not a drop to drink" … was it someone in Ponta do Sol?

Today’s top sport / football story : Marote doesn’t know the future of the ‘Series Madeira’ – The president of AF Madeira alerts to the uncertainty around the regional clubs. Marote wants to see three Madeirans at the 2010 World Cup Finals. No time to delve into the full story, but I am certain Sr. Marote will see his wish come true. For sure Uncle Bertie will wangle a few top match tickets for his pals and cronies, and no doubt the taxpayer will need to assist in this essential diplomatic mission. Whether the Madeiran footballing trio of Ronaldo, Danni and Micael will be there I have no idea.

An extra article from Elaine (East) from yesterday’s Jornal da Madeira, an  interview with the Manager of Macedo’s Fireworks. Many thanks Elaine.

Fireworks stations begin to be placed tonight. The placement of the launching stations for the fireworks display at the end-of-year in Funchal will start from tonight. According to Carlos Macedo, Manager of Macedo’s Fireworks, tonight they will begin to put the fireworks stations at the Avenida do Mar. He said, roughly at 00:00, one of the lanes of the Avenida do Mar will be cut off to traffic, for the placing of containers at the fireworks stations. This operation will continue even through the course of tomorrow, when there will be placed stations at sea (in areeiras) and the closed stations. Finally, on December 31, the remainder will be placed, particularly those that "are in more public areas, such as parks, streets, parking lots, etc.", to avoid bottlenecks and impediments to movement. It should be noted that this year, there will be 39 stations to launch fireworks in Funchal and one in Porto Santo. Compared to last year, there is one more fireworks station, namely the one that will be located at the Garrison of the Regiment No. 3. In total, as already announced, there will be 97,172 firings, that over eight minutes will bring a lot of colour and magic to this important tourist attraction of Madeira. "Fortunate Islands" is the theme of the show, which, as Carlos Macedo stressed, is inspired by the International Year of Biodiversity, which starts precisely on the 1 January. According to him, "our designer decided to set up a project to honour this jewel of nature, that is the Floresta Laurissilva and the fauna associated with it." As such, he stressed, "we will have a very colourful show, very noisy, with themes and effects related to nature and fauna." A variety of colours including green, orange, violet and white will cause a great show, which will be accompanied by a variety of sounds such as whistling, whooshing and crackling. "Let’s have a bit of everything," says Carlos Macedo.

The manager says that everything is being prepared for a great show and hopes the weather conditions will not ultimately harm it. This is because, he said, rain and humidity will not allow the smoke to lift. Moreover, he hopes that the sea is not choppy, so as not to hinder the process, also as regards the placement of fireworks. "We really fear the rain and the storm that’s going around," he confessed. It should be noted, however, that as Lusa (News Agency) said, citing the Regional Secretary of Tourism and Transport, weather forecasts point to an improvement in conditions from today in the archipelago of Madeira, "and there is expected a pleasant temperature and good weather for the last day of the year."

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. 

I think I have found another website that will show the world record attempt (breaking it’s own record) for the 2010 new year fireworks tomorrow night in Funchal, Madeira. I am still checking it out, and if I don’t confirm it later today I will ensure it is on tomorrow’s blog ready to click on and watch.

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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…)

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

Where has concrete city (Chocabloc) gone ???

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sue very kindly sent in this article :

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

My turn (Der) :

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(more…)

Today’s Photo : Thanks to Vic … a Caniço sunset

"Funchal on the Portuguese Island of Madeira is the site for Vitor Sa vs Kiatchai Singwancha January 14 with the TWBA super middleweight title at stake. This could be the first ever professional boxing match there". BOXING NEWS You heard it here first! Funny name that, Vitor Sa, as that is the same name as the Madeira rally driver and son of Jorge Sã, owner of the Hiper Sã supermarket chain here.

Don’s website has a new video showing Funchal at Christmas. It’s about 10 minutes long. XMAS ON MADEIRA Lets hope it gets us a few extra tourists for the festive season, as  I think we need them.

Tour operator Holiday Options has shut down after entering administration. The company, which specialised in holidays to destinations such as Croatia, Corsica, Sicily, Cape Verde, Madeira and the Azores, shut down on Tuesday after 16 years in operation. A spokesman for the company said no passengers had been left stranded and all forward bookings, thought to been around 1,100, would be taken over by Cambridge-based Light Blue Travel.

Many thanks to Elaine for this huge contribution from yesterday’s news :

Return of Marcelino Andrade shakes HCF. More turmoil at the hospital between the staff and the managers of the health service (SESARAM). This time it is related to the return of Marcelino Andrade to the hospital. For five years he was the president of Santo António, after a friendly invitation by president Jardim. In the recent elections, the PSD selected another president and he is free to return to the health service. The turmoil is due to the rumour among staff that he is to be employed on the Board of Directors of SESARAM. Some Directors of Services would resign if that happened and there was to be a protest mass resignation which was cancelled by SMS last night. The opposition is based on credibility and technical issues. Andrade explained that he wishes to return to working in the orthopaedic services. SESARAM said they will keep the present Board of Directors and such rumours are designed to destabilize the services.

Bio Madeira week in the Largo da Restauração. In the region, 5% of agricultural land is devoted to organic farming and is increasing. The week is to "sensitize the community to the economic, social and environmental aspects of organic farming." Bio Week runs from the 23 – 29 November. Initiatives will also occur around the island. In 2008, there were 240 tons produced and an additional 130 tons of bananas. The theme of the week this year is ‘Growing Sustainably’. There have already been training initiatives held in people’s homes, schools, town halls and hotels involving about 9,000 people spread between farmers, students, teachers, parents and the general public. The activities next week will include an organic food fair, culinary demonstrations by hotel chefs, presentation of books for children and adults about the various perspectives of organic agriculture, and theatrical and musical competitions for children, promoted by the schools. On the 29th at Jardim da Serra, endemic species will be planted to offset carbon dioxide emissions. Full program on the website: www.sra.pt

Presidency rejects blame for the transfer requests by the police officers. The Government rejected accusations that Jardim’s comments are the cause of the requests for transfers out of the region. The statement clarifies that the people responsible for what happened are the current command and not the officers and agents. The statement also refers to the Madeiran police officers on the continent who have been unsuccessful with transfer requests to the region.

Exercise in Rabaçal involves more than one hundred people and various media. Exercise ‘Missing 09′ begins early tomorrow morning. The training exercise in Rabaçal will be coordinated by the Regional Service for Civil Protection and involve the armed forces. Two different scenarios; the disappearance of a group of 15 tourists in the area and an accident involving a passenger bus in the section towards the Casa do Rabaçal. There will be observers from the National Authority for Civil Protection, National Institute of Emergency Medicine and observers from the Azores and the Canary Islands.

Waiting 13 years for an asphalt road in Santa Cruz. ‘Impassable’ is the adjective used to describe Caminho da Fonte which is used every day by 30 people. This road is about a kilometre long and is in the rural ‘zonas altas’ of Santa Cruz. The area is believed by many to belong to the ‘Madeira Velha’, even though it is a five minute road journey into the centre of Santa Cruz. The road was originally only a short path then 13 years ago, it was widened to facilitate access to houses and agricultural land. For the past 13 years, every mayor has promised to asphalt it. There is a beautiful view over the bay and city of Santa Cruz. As the road is not asphalted, the land is purchased at a price lower than the normal market value, so in recent years there have been several new houses built there. They are licensed and have water and electricity services connected. A petition was delivered to the council in 2005 and another with 300 signatures three years later. The poor state of the road causes damage to vehicles and prevents access to agricultural land, as lamented by a 73 year old man who cultivates sweet potato, onions, beans and some fruit trees such as papaya and tangerine. The municipality said they would make it "passable in the meantime" while searching for an inexpensive solution.

Câmara de Lobos unable to close cow farm. The farm in Vereda da Ribeira da Caixa remains active as sanitary rules have been met, despite previous pollution into a stream and the Praia do Vigário. There are now a few dozen cows and bulls in poor living conditions in a shed with a corrugated iron roof. The people living locally complain about the smell and noise at night. There have been disputes with the farmer and staff which involved the police at one stage. The local mayor admits that the situation is not pleasing to the neighbourhood but he has no power to license or cease operations.

Court annuls trial. The Court of Appeal in Lisbon annulled the judgement of the Court in Funchal which sentenced a 31 year old mother to 16 years in prison for murdering her daughter with poisoned biscuits and juice when institutionalized at the Cecilia Zino Foundation. It was alleged to be ‘an act of selfishness’, ‘cold and ruthless’ and not ‘true love’ although the defence argued it was due to mental incapacity. The original trial was in November 2007, and in response to new evidence about the defendant’s liability, the Court of Appeal in November 2008 requested a new trial. The woman was interned at the Casa da Saúde Câmara Pestana but failed to abide by the rules so was sent to prison, where she is at present. The two psychiatrists are arguing that she suffers from a mental illness caused by previous relationship problems, preventing her from discerning good from evil and that you cannot fake a mental illness when you only try to kill your children when mentally disturbed. Their evidence is "strong and credible enough to raise serious doubts about the liability of the defendant."

Banana growers versus GESBA. Another allegation and counter-allegation saga, this time the banana producers versus the management board GESBA. The growers have a petition challenging the action of the management, but GESBA give an assurance that the sector is "calm". The management said that in October there occurred an exceptional situation due to climatic conditions, when the production levels were equivalent to those in August, when the production is higher. This, coupled with the fact that it rained some days, meant that there was some delay in cutting the banana. When it was dry enough to use the machinery, they normalized the situation. The management explained that of the 2,800 producers, only a relatively few had complaints. They say their essential role is to manage the collection and distribution of the larger quantity of fruit produced in the summer and the lower amounts during winter months.

Tivoli Madeira celebrates 10 years. Jardim highlighted the good quality Tivoli hotels, the excellence of service, particularly with regard to the five-star hotel in Funchal which yesterday marked 10 years of activity. There was a cocktail event for travel agents, tour operators and local hotel managers. —-Thought you’d enjoy the photo, has Jardim any liver left?

 

 

Praia Formosa without sand and Toco waits. Both projects suspended. The document first presented to the public in 2004, for the period 2007/2011 stated, ‘Improvement of the entire seafront of Praia Formosa and leisure areas, contracting a study for the installation of an artificial beach and its construction, if technically and financially possible.’ Another project in the ‘banho-maria’ is Toco. The Government and the CMF are considering pursuing a public-private partnership to overcome legal impediments encountered. If this is legally possible, then interested private parties will have to be found.

‘Caso da mala’. ‘Case of the suitcase’. The defendants in this trial in Lisbon are António Preto, Jorge Silverio and Sobral de Sousa. António Preto is a PSD member suspended from the Assembly of the Republic, accused of tax evasion. Silverio and Sobral de Sousa were on the Board of the property firm Serbro. Sebro attempted to avoid paying 347,000 Euros IRC claiming wrong address. Instead of ‘Rua do Castanheiro nos 1 a 3, 8 – Funchal ‘ the tax offices used the address ‘Rua do Castanheiro nos 1 a 38′ and the claim is that the postman attempted to deliver a registered letter to the wrong address. The Court of Funchal have not yet decided on this case but if they decide to cancel the debt, it will weaken the prosecution’s ‘caso da mala’. António Preto was a lawyer to companies of Virgilio Sobral de Sousa. Sobral de Sousa was a PS councillor in Amadora. He was a partner of a firm accused of fraud in the issue of driving licences, selling ‘packages’ to candidates in Madeira who went to the continent, with accommodation, for a guaranteed licence, for 4,000 Euros. During the investigation, telephone conversations were recorded between Preto and the leader of the PSD-Lisbon, detailing delivery of 39,956 Euros packed in suitcases to pay for his campaign. During this investigation in 2002, Preto was caught receiving a suitcase containing 25,000 Euros. This opened a second criminal proceedings and in 2005, Preto was accused of tax fraud and document forgery with suspicions of corruption. During a famous eavesdropping phone call, Preto was heard to say to Sobral de Sousa, "I’m here to receive money, pal, as I have never seen in my life." Corrupt lawyers … whatever next … you’ll be telling me next Elaine that there are corrupt politicians as well … well I’ll be darned Preto is both … why bother with a trial! Der

Air disaster occurred 32 years ago on the 19 November 1977. The Diário has a video interview with one of the survivors of the disaster when the flight TP425, a Boeing 727-200, plunged into the sea at Santa Catarina Airport with 164 people on board. The biggest disaster in the history of TAP caused 131 deaths. There were 33 survivors.

Madeira classified as a destination of excellence. The World Tourism Organization has an institute, the CED, which has distinguished Madeira in 13 of the 15 parameters under evaluation for classification as a tourism destination of excellence. In all 15 parameters, the performance was above average. Six had a level of excellence, 6 a level of high performance and 3 had reached average.

Police rescued a Madeiran trader kidnapped in Caracas for a week.  The 41 year old was riding a motorcycle in Caracas when he was forced into a vehicle by armed men and kept in captivity for a ransom of about 160,000 Euros. The ransom demand was made to his wife. On rescuing him, three men were killed who the police claimed were the kidnappers but in a radio program, a woman claimed one of them was her son. The suspects are thought to have been involved in 28 kidnapping cases.

Man attempts to rob a man leaving a pharmacy. In Nazaré yesterday morning, a man was leaving a pharmacy after collecting prescribed medications. A thief attempted to grab the bag of drugs but because he was ill, he just went away with the handles of the bag in his hand. There is a climate of insecurity in the area.

From today’s Diário newspaper front page :

Members of the Madeira government put relatives at the top of the vaccine waiting list – In the Health Centre of Santo António they say that the orders come from above. It was through this that at least vice president Cunha e Silva and his family were there for their vaccinations. Also there are doctors putting their children and friends at the front of the queue before they set off for holidays abroad. That’s today’s main news headline, but why? Did anyone really expect any different in the race for a limited supply of Gripe A swine flu medication. And this story is just the cases that have been discovered. The story already has 7 readers comments, and nothing very complementary I can assure you. Clear guidelines have been issued as to who the ‘at risk’ groups are and the priorities for administering the vaccine, but who would ever stop to think that by jumping the queue because you know somebody important, that a real ‘at risk’ person will be leapfrogged and maybe have to go without. Just human nature I suppose. No doubt Uncle Bertie has issued secret order for foreigners like me to be left until last, which of course would be totally expected, and I am certainly not complaining, as I still have adequate supplies of © Toranja Poncha ©.

Portugal may be top-of-the list – FIFA updates it’s rankings today and  decides the ‘pots’ on day 2. So having scraped through with a string of close but favourable results, the desire is now that Portuguese football team gets seeded and avoids any particularly difficult games in the group stages of the actual 2010 World Cup Finals in South Africa.

Santos Costa had a construction company when he was already regional secretary – The leader was a partner, with relatives, of a company of construction consultancy. But he says he has already left the company. The company offered services in the areas that Costa himself works, particularly in construction, promotion and marketing of real estate, tourism, hotel hospitality, and consultancy. Costa himself and his wife both held 40% of the shares, and the two children 10% each. The firm was created in April 2007, with a starting capital of just €5,000. In December 2008, company assets were stated as being around €300,000. Politicians in construction consultancy … stinks of a conflict of interest, especially for one that holds the very senior post of Regional Secretary responsible for ’social assets’. But it is not illegal! It seems that now the company belongs just to the wife and two sons, which makes me feel so much better. It’s only just after midday as I write this, and the article already has 13 readers responses on the Diário website., and I have read them all and found nothing but scorn and contempt for Costa. 

Why is it I feel guilty hogging all the top stories of the day? … I will leave these other two in case someone else wants a go …

Traffic continues in chaos around the schools – One of the reasons is the fact that only one quarter of the children take the bus to school. The winner is pollution.

Theatre celebrates 20 years of inclusive art.

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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. 

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

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

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The old abandoned mansion overlooking Funchal harbour

Received by email : "Hello, I’m flying out to Funchal on November 18th for my 4th visit and can’t wait! I’m doing some self-catering this time and am looking forward to going down to the fish market and buying some lovely espada. Yum, got to be the best fish in the whole world, cooked properly "Madeiran style". I fell in love with this old mansion house – vertically up from the Lido near the old fortress (the lido being the outdoor Art Deco pool next to the Fortaleza de São Tiago, at the base of the cliff). I always thought if I won the lottery I’d refurbish it and restore it to its former splendour. But does anyone know the history of this place and why it was abandoned? There’s also a picture of it on Google earth. I’m attaching a photo (above) I took a little while ago. MORE PHOTOS & GOOGLE EARTH LOCATION Christopher

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Anyone looking to book holidays on Madeira next year might find this summary of events and dates useful. It is probably all on the official tourism website, but as it is all simple and well laid out here I thought it may be of interest. 2010 EVENTS & FESTAS

I must admit I was a little irritated by the attitude of the Machico traders over the issue of the Chinese megastore being opened there, as had it been a Madeiran shop selling Chinese goods, as many do in part, then I guess most traders would have scowled and got on with life. There was a special report on the case on RTP-M last week, after the 9 pm news, and one of the people featured was a local lady who had a Chinese shop in Funchal, and she wasn’t getting any hassle as far as I could see. So it seems to me the fuss is not about what is being sold, it is about who is selling it. RTP news at the time had also dug up a bit of old footage (from around 5 years ago) of president Jardim having a pop at Indian and Chinese traders for competing against Madeiran businesses, and saying that they weren’t welcome here, so perhaps the attitude of the Machico traders can be in part be blamed elsewhere.  A similar thing happened on Porto Santo earlier this year when local traders raised a petition, and the Chinese business ended up going out of business, maybe not directly as a result of the opposition, but not nice to see all the same.

Anyway, slightly intrigued by the situation, and not fully convinced that the Chinese shops were that much cheaper as to be a threat to Madeiran businesses, I decided to pay a visit to my local Chinese shop, quite a small operation, and compare some prices and choices with other local businesses.

I needed sunglasses and T-shirts, so I wandered around the local traders first, and the sunglasses on sale ranged from around €7 to €8, and all appeared to be from the same manufacturer. In the Chinese shop, in again what appeared to be the same range as the other shops, they were priced at €6.50. So a close 1 – 0 to the Chinese.

As for T-shirts, that was a different story altogether, with the lowest price I found in a local shop (and there are loads in Ribeira Brava) being €13.95, with others costing up to around €25 in some places. In the €13.95 shop I was asked why I wouldn’t buy the ones I was shown, and I said I was unemployed at the moment and it was more than I was able to pay. The shop owner threw her hands up in horror, and said to her colleague "these are cheap, don’t you think so?", and her colleague agreed, and they were in fact the cheapest I was able to find, but to me that is not cheap for a T-shirt.

So the next day I wandered back into the Chinese shop and had a look through their stock, and found quite a few decent brand name* ones in ‘robust size’ for €7.50 each. I brought 3 and even managed to negotiate a deal with the shop owner, although she looked like she had swallowed a nest of fire-ants when I asked for a discount. She reluctantly knocked €0.50 off the total! So a very comfortable 2 – 0 to the Chinese. And … for both T-shirts and sunglasses, the Chinese shop had by far the most to choose from. So Machico traders beware!

* The brand name is that world famous Chinese company ‘Wel Hong – the symbol of outstanding quality’. Well they do hang well I must admit, and as for any other interpretation, I plead the fifth amendment.

(Source : Tribal Football): Blackburn eyeing Nacional Madeira’s Micael - Blackburn Rovers, an English premier league football club are eyeing a move for Nacional Madeira midfielder Ruben Micael. Rovers boss Sam Allardyce is attempting to set up a cut-price £4 million deal for the 23-year old who was recently called up to the Portugal national team. Allardyce is keen to beat off competition from bigger clubs who are also believed to be interested in Micael, whose contract expires in 2011. Portuguese giants Benfica are said to be interested but Blackburn are trying to get in there first, either in January or next summer to lure him to Ewood Park. €4 million eh! He’s good for sure, but I didn’t expect talk of so much money.

News that Leonel de Freitas, director of RTP Madeira, has resigned may or may not be good news. Not that I have any problem with the content and format of our local TV station, it’s simply because I don’t have a clue what is on and when. RTP-M actually has quite a good mix of programmes, but my attempts to watch the 9 pm news are generally thwarted by schedule variations and changes, and generally I haven’t a clue what is on and when. The teletext schedules for RTP-M, on the main RTP channel, are nothing like the reality. The Zon internet TV guide doesn’t include RTP-M, and my monthly TV magazine, TeleCabo, has the programme schedules, but why they bother I don’t know. So my appeal to whoever takes over as director of RTP-M … PLEASE PLEASE TELL ME WHAT’S ON AND WHEN (and then try and stick to it).

A huge news contribution from yesterday from Elaine … many thanks :

Congestion caused by tourist coaches at Almirante Reis.  Another ‘full house’ at the port yesterday with three cruise ships berthed. The tourist buses stopping near the cable car entrance where the Avenida do Mar redevelopment is occurring, led to traffic congestion, confusion and protests from other drivers. The usual parking area is closed to tourist buses, interurban buses and Caniço buses, so they are having to use a normal traffic lane. This will intensify as November is a busy month for cruise ships and will continue until the works are finished.

Porto da Cruz Health Centre postponed. Construction of the Health Centre postponed until next year, so the old centre will still be used for longer than anticipated. The contract was signed before the last elections for a new Health Centre, Social Security Centre and an Elderly Residential Home. They will cost 4.7 million Euros, and an initial 118,000 Euros was allocated for 2009 and the rest payable in 2010 and 2011. But after the elections, the original money allocated for 2009 has been transferred to the 2010 budget.

Too many people want allotments. The CMF has suspended the application for urban allotments due to over-subscription. There are 350 on the waiting list so Funchal Council is trying to find more areas before they re-open the application process. They should be able to prepare 50 lots in the area adjacent to the new Avenida do Amparo for February next year, and an additional 15 lots in Santo Antonio for residents in Ribeira Grande. Since the project begun in 2005, there have been 159 lots.

Lorry driver killed. A 34 year old driver of a water tanker died from abdominal injuries sustained in an accident in Rosário, São Vicente. He was negotiating a curve, left the road and went down a 50 metre escarpment and hit a wall. Rescue services had difficulties working in the area and he was imprisoned in the cab with his abdomen, chest and legs compressed against the wheel. Despite advanced resuscitation efforts, he died at the scene. The cause of the accident is not yet known. It had been raining but the vehicle could have malfunctioned or there could have been a sudden health problem.

Manuel Saldanha expelled from PSP. This 41 year old Commissioner of the Regional Command of the PSP was one of the ’strong men’ in the police force and had a promising career. He published a paper about the British police system called ‘Police in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland’. The trouble started in 2002 when there was a complaint in Porto Santo of him assaulting a man after an exchange of words in a bar/nightclub. An inspection in 2005/6 then found irregularities and delays in proceedings, and he was suspended for 169 days, and  a disciplinary penalty of compulsory transfer to Portugal, the first time this has happened. There he was convicted of drug trafficking and subsequently has been permanently dismissed.

Rui Moses changes the locks at Santana Council’s offices. After reports that people stay in the council offices, often late at night, in activities that are not work-related. He said that locks were changed because new people are now responsible for the management of the council facilities and not due to lack of confidence in employees. The opposition Socialist Party councillor Adelino Silvo was not convinced, saying that locks are usually changed due to a lack of trust and if there had been robberies, he expected details about such situations to be given.

Urgent debate on banana production. The PCP (Communist Party) want urgent talks with the Government about the nationalised company, GESBA, which is failing to collect the bananas and leading to producers having to bury them. The three problems are the company’s inability to collect all the production, failure to respond to market demand and failure in payments. This is deepening the economic and social situation in the region. GESBA and the The Secretariat for the Environment and Natural Resources deny there are these problems in collection and payment. They explain that winter production is lower and preference given to traders who buy in the summer. GESBA has already increased the price of bananas by 1 Euro in summer and 3 Euros in winter.

The Circus is returning to Machico this Christmas.  Same place as last year, at the football field in Machico. The first performance will be on December 11th. The main attraction will be an illusionist/magician named Harry Potter and a Luso-Spanish acrobat who is an expert ‘Olympic’ ring juggler. They already have some reservations for special performances for groups. Prices similar to last year.

Bartenders Association participate in Wine & Spirits Festival starting on Friday 6th November. Starts Friday 6th until Sunday 8th at the Congress Centre at the Pestana Casino Park Hotel, from 15.00 to 21.00 hours. To promote wines and help visitors appreciate and enjoy wine more. There will be about 50 producers and 300 wines, with workshops (17.00 to 19.00), cooking demonstrations by 14 chefs (16.00 to 21.00)  and a Wine Shop. On the last day, a cocktail competition will run from 15.00 to 19.00 for the Grand Marnier Trophy with about 30 barmen. Four winners will represent Madeira in the Algarve in December and the winner will represent Portugal at the World Cup next September in France. A gourmet dinner with  four participating chefs at the Hotel Four Views Baia on November 6th at 21.30, priced 30 Euros inclusive, bookable online. Website for the festival: www.sensusvini.com —- Anyone know about entrance fees?

British Ambassador visiting Madeira on the 6th to 8th November. Private family visit with some public engagements. Saturday 7th a Cocktail Party for the British community resident here at the English Church, and on Sunday, a Remembrance Day Service at 10.50 am.

Police catch two burglars in the act, and a ‘Good Samaritan’ has her handbag stolen . There have been a spate of robberies in Funchal. Acting on a complaint, the police on patrol in Rochinha caught two men when they were preparing to leave a house with 600 Euros of stolen goods. In Nazaré, an elderly woman tripped and fell and when a woman left a table she was sitting at to go to her aid, a 28 year old man stole the rescuer’s handbag. By the description of the thief, the local police quickly apprehended him and he confessed to the theft. He agreed to return the bag, documents and keys to the owner but 280 Euros in cash were missing.

Shock Store at Madeira Shopping – reduced fashion goods. Third time this event has been held. Started yesterday and until the 8th. November, from 12.00 to 22.00 hours. Discounts, some more than 50%, on big brands such as Dolce & Gabanna, Gucci, Rosa Cha, Armani and Miss Sixty. Some discounts in shops that participated in the Fashion Week, e.g.. Sun Planet, Bata, Quebramar and Springfield. Until the 18th, if you spend 20 Euros, you can enter a draw for 8 gift vouchers of 500 to 2,000 Euros. The Christmas decorations will be installed next week and Santa Claus will arrive at the end of the month.

Herdade dos Coelheiros wants to increase wine sales in Madeira. Two days ago, in the restaurant ‘Abrigo do Pastor’, the wines from the Herdade dos Coelheiros were offered to potential customers. The wine producers have changed their business strategy to work directly with regional distributors. The wine comes from the Alentejo region and they introduced the Chardonnay grape variety to the region. They try to produce a quality product rather than quantity, around 230,000 litres (200,000 bottles) of 8 different wines. The classic is ‘Tapada de Coelheiros’ white and red. Other notable ones are ‘Tapada de Coelheiros Garrafeira’. and ‘Tapada de Coelheiros Chardonnay’. They also produce a more rare and exclusive ‘Branca de Almeida – Tinto’. The more accessible wines are ‘Roda dos Coelhos’ and ‘Vinha da Tapada dos Coelheiros’. 60 – 70% of the sales are to the domestic market and Madeira accounts for about 5%, which they aim to increase to 10%. They are producing a new wine called ‘Ciranda’ white and red soon.

Another wine topic, the producer and exporter of Madeira Wine, ‘Justino’s Madeira Wine’ has a new logo. They are rebranding to try to strengthen their national and international market. The new image will be shown for the first time at the Wine & Spirits Festival on the 6 November.

Five-star hotel room prices fallen 25.20%. In Portugal, hotel revenue has fallen an average 15 and 20% and in some cases, as much as 40% and next year’s outlook is poor. Room prices have fallen to an average 52.9 Euros for five-star hotels and 30.14 Euros for a three-star hotel room. The largest fall in room rates was Lisbon to an average of 46.64 Euros. Five-star hotel room rates in Lisbon fell most (27.28%) and Madeiran hotels had the second largest decrease in rates (25.2%).

Government facilitates access to business support. It will be easier to apply for business incentive programs. Financial aid now available for projects that maintain jobs as well as those that create jobs. For small enterprises and individual entrepreneurs who are having difficulty accessing credit. Between 2007 and 2009, the Government granted 103 million Euros in aid.

In addition, the European Regional Development Fund can now be used by countries like Portugal to support housing in disadvantaged areas. Countries joining the EU before 2004 have previously been excluded.

But that "program" !…. Long rant by Jardim in his newspaper against the Portuguese Socialist Government program and its provocative financial revenge against the people of Madeira.  It threatens to intervene in matters which come under the jurisdiction of the Legislative Assembly of Madeira. —— Constitutional arguments are brewing. I do not think life is going to get easier between Jardim and Sócrates.

The Court of Auditors concluded that the contract of purchase and sale of future credit for the amount of 150 million Euros by the Government in 2007 led to an increase in debt in the region, resulting in an increase of approximately €64 million. This was a complex transaction by the Government to try to hide it from the debt allowed for that year. In the future, they must  submit annual cost projections to the Court and ensure the transactions have the consent of parliament.

Training sailing ship in Porto Santo and the Swedish students visit the UMa. The STS Alva is a training ship and harboured at Porto Santo due to Funchal port being full yesterday. The crew are 40 Swedish students, and they visited the University of Madeira on an exchange visit. It sails on Saturday for Tenerife.

 

 

 

From the front page of today’s Diário de Notícias :

Antibiotic Spending Excessive. Madeirans take too many antibiotics. Only between January and September this year nearly €2 million was spent on Madeira, to buy over 200,000 packages of antibiotics.

Crisis takes Madeirans out of the dentist’s chair – Since January, the consultations visibly diminish. Increases … only the cancellations. Of course, with the cost of dentistry here, and being outside of the health service, it’s probably one of the most unpopular items of expenditure on the island. You only have to look around to see the impacts of dental costs with so many gappy smiles. I have only been to the dentist here once in 6 years, and that was in an emergency, but since discovering © Toranja Poncha © I have never had to go since.

End in sight for the series ‘Flor do Mar’. Verified information is not available, but the ex-popular TVI series (or soap), filmed on Madeira, may finish up this weekend, and the channel TVI refuses to confirm or deny. The series has run the equivalent of 280 episodes, nearly every night since last November, and for a long time led the national viewing ratings … that was until TVI changed the starting time. It was partly funded through a grant of €500,000 from the Madeira government. In my opinion money well spent for improving domestic tourism. It was becoming more and more obvious that the series was coming to an end, as more and more of the Flor do Mar characters started roles in other dramas and soaps on TVI. Morangos Com Açúcar alone has 4 that I have spotted so far.

The main headline today : Government debt catches Via Litoral – ‘Insolvent’ Treasury tied-up €58 million, leaving the concessionary company to fail on its commitments to the bank. The Madeira government blames the situation, which affects many companies that have contracts with or provide services to Madeira, on the failure of central government to transfer money. A debate that has been going on far a long time. The contract mentioned is for our roads, but we could see the impacts of this arising in other sectors soon too.

Alvinegro dream stays at half way – The fatality repeated itself and the draw against Athletico Bilbao has brought Nacional again almost to the end. Now it just remains to challenge in the two games left to honour the shirt and try and bank some Euros. Qualification now is almost impossible. Nacional 1 – Bilbao 1 in the Liga Europa. They came close to winning, but let in an equalising goal towards the end of the game

I had better call it a day there, as with over 3,600 words, this is probably the longest blog ever.

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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. 

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…)

(2nd September). Today’s main news headline  : ‘Hospital Cause Of Incurable Illness – A young person aged 24 went into Funchal Central Hospital Emergency Department six months ago with abdominal pains and left with a hospital infection. She lives today "a hell", without good health and scarred by the "inconclusive" surgical interventions. Her mother tells the drama and asks for help. "Hospital also kills" is the title of her letter of desperation’. About 8% of those admitted to hospital suffer ‘hospital infections’. Cutting a long story short the girl went to hospital in February suffering with abdominal pains and vomiting, and underwent various tests, including for pregnancy, but was diagnosed with a hemorrhagic cyst and a gall bladder problem, and was operated on and her appendix removed. According to the mother the diagnosis was not even certain. Anyway she contracted the infection, and since then the lives of patient and mother has been "hell".  The trips back and forth to hospital, including in Portugal, and the effects of the infection have been numerous. The Diário contacted the clinical director of the Regional Health Service (SESARAM), Miguel Ferreira, who said he is aware of the case, but said that with regard to such infections – (infections caught in hospital facilities) – "there is nothing to do". Infections are frequent, and are caused by bacteria which cannot be killed, he said.

The main photo today shows a couple of ladies cleaning and cutting bananas : ‘Madeira Government Takes Possession Of The Banana Factory – A conflict between partners initiates the ‘nationalisation’. The solution conflicts with community rules. Although it might finish with the dumping of tons of bananas in Meia Serra waste processing plant’. Madif, the company of the banana processing plant in Ponta do Sol, was hit by internal disputes, that should oblige the regional government to nationalise the company and take on the management. The plant has had problems since it was opened in 2004, with breaks in production and low productivity, the collapse of the banana cooperative, and the presence of a Spanish partner who wanted to change the terms of operation. Obligations arising from the aid given by the European Union further complicate the matter.

Today’s sports headline : "Television Rights Are A Scandal" – The president of the General Assembly of Nacional tackles the moment of the "4th best" in Portugal’. An interview with Miguel de Sousa, president of AG Nacional, who considers the football club to be the best in Portugal, outside the ‘big three’ on the continent. He says that Nacional and FC Porto are the fastest growing clubs in terms of fans, because of their successes. As regards TV coverage, he says the obligations placed on the clubs are a scandal when the media concentrates so much on the ‘big three’, and the revenue from TV coverage is not distributed fairly.

‘Eco’ Freebie Attracts New Customers- Around 50 people regularly use the ‘Eco Line’ buses, the trips that used to cost 50 cêntimos are now free’. One of the Eco bus drivers said that yesterday that "many strange faces" boarded his bus. The Funchal buses run Monday to Friday between 8 am and 8 pm, and Saturday until 2 pm. The 4 buses can carry 8 seated passengers, 11 standing, and also has space for a wheelchair.

Any table tennis fans? The Funchal Junior Open begins today. Everyone a Winner in Funchal (in English).

‘Madeiran On The Up On The TV In Latin America’. Gavo Figueira is an actor in a soap called ‘Oye Bonita’ in Columbia, that is also being shown in Venezuela, where he also had roles in several soaps. He is also a model and writes books. Born on Madeira, but raised abroad, he has been in acting since he was aged 12.

An unnamed ‘electrical shop’ in Fórum Madeira was under fire for what was showing on a large LCD TV screen. Dad said that his three year old son turned to him and said "what are those people doing", and he looked around to see a hard-core pornography film being shown on a huge screen in the shop. The man complained and the film was switched off. The Diário said that the manager was not available to explain the situation.

UPDATES : 

‘Three New Cases Of Gripe A Confirmed On Madeira’. 24 suspected cases of swine flu H1N1 were investigated in the last week, with just 3 with positive tests, taking the total to 33 since the first case. All three came from abroad.  Two cases admitted to hospital prior to the latest count are doing well, although one is stable in intensive care.

‘Council ‘Without Hands’ For Leakage Repair Work – On average there are 12 ruptures daily in the drinking water system in Funchal’. One case was reported a month ago, but still has water running off down the road, getting the locals wet as traffic passes by. The council is aware of the leak, but works have not yet started, and the repair teams have not been able to attend all the leaks reported in recent weeks. Funchal council says it has had to raise a tender contract to deal with the most urgent cases, almost all in the east of the city. A major contract will be awarded for pipework renewals, but that won’t happen until January. A counsellor explained that the new leaks are coming quicker because works in the west of Funchal raised the pressure in the water network.

‘Passenger Airlifted From The Armas’. A passenger was airlifted off the ferry on its way to the Canary Islands, and taken to Funchal Central Hospital. The navy rescue was undertaken Monday night by the Merlin helicopter, 112 km south of Madeira, to deal with a man who lost a finger on board the ferry.

The 24 year old man caught twice with stolen cars in just a few days, and without a driving licence, has been released again by a judge ‘awaiting trial’.

‘President On The Way Out Helps PS’. The PSD president of Santana, on his way out from the job which he has held since 1984, voted with the socialists on a proposal to lower property taxes (IMI) in Santana from 0.7% (of valuation?) to 0.6%. A rare event indeed for a social democrat to side with socialists on matters of public finance. The meeting had 2 counsellors from PS-M and 2 from PSD-M, but chairman Carlos Pereira had the casting vote to block the proposal had he needed it. The reason given by the socialists for the cut in IMI taxes is that Santana has high levels of population leaving the area, and those left are in an ageing population. The lower taxes might be an incentive for families to stay in the area.

I just liked this picture of Uncle Bertie, delivering a speech about how his "dreams for autonomy" have not yet been realised, and the "the story will build itself stone by stone, until the objectives have been met". It looks more like he is telling a fishing story after a few jugs of vinho seco if you ask me.

(20th July). ‘Jardim Discredits Poll – The president of the government says that it is a strategy to distract the voters’. Referring to the election poll about people’s intentions to vote ‘if the national elections were held today’, carried out by the Diário (see yesterday’s blog), Jardim says it is a tactic to disinterest voters. He claims that the Diário always carries out surveys that show the PSD in a strong position, because then people will decide that there is no need for them to vote. Why not get your pet newspaper to do one Uncle Bertie, that way you can waste a bit more taxpayers money, and at the same time use the information to discredit the Diário … I don’t think you would take up that challenge somehow.

‘Parties Prepare Cheap Campaign – Some political parties say they have less than a thousand Euros to spend per district’. The main party leaders are busy doing their accounts, with two election campaigns to fund, and these have to be submitted to an auditing function within the next few weeks. The task is not yet completed, but it is becoming clear that there is less money for propaganda and festivities, and budgets are expected to be between 30 and 60% lower than 4 years ago. The CDS / PP says it will spend a third of what it had in 2005, and the spend will be restricted to just what the state gives the party for this purpose. The socialists will have cuts of at least 20 – 30%. The Left Block of Madeira (BE) says it will have little over €1,000 to spend across each the 11 districts of the two islands, and their campaign will be very modest. The BE coordinator also says it would be disrespectful to spend too much in a time when people are suffering financial hardship and unemployment is so high. The social democrat coordinator says it is too early to tell, but he expects the largest party of PSD ‘to follow the general trend’. As an example he said that the forthcoming festival (rally) in Chão da Lagoa will cut back to having a ‘B list’ artist (group/musician?). Ok times are tough in politics, great for the population at large me thinks with less hype and eyesores. However, the council here in Ribeira Brava arranged a almost surprise concert night here for last night, presumably funded by taxpayers money, but with no political presence. Was this an attempt to gain ‘brownie points’ with the electorate using public money, or an act of pure benevolence with the PSD gaining no advantage whatsoever? 

Just 6 articles in the main political section of the Diário today, but 5 were election / candidate related.

In the economy :

(20th July). ‘Zona Franca On A New Black List – The Italian government places Madeira amongst the financial paradises’. Italian ‘anti-crisis’ legislation has named the tax advantageous facility at Caniçal as an undesired offshore tax haven because of new tighter criteria, according to an Italian newspaper. The new law which pinpoint locations where businesses would pay less than half the tax (13.75%) they would pay in Italy, means the government would take action against them. "The surprise is that with these new parameters there are some important European partners such as Great Britain, the Netherlands, Ireland and some fiscal zones in Portugal (such as Madeira) and Spain (like the Canary Islands) that are likely to fall inflexibly under the Italian law, in the same way that as the Cayman Islands or the Cook Islands do", said La Repubblica newspaper. That’s typical of Italian politicians to be a step behind the rest of Europe, that already accept Madeira’s tax zone as open and transparent in it’s operations … somebody needs to buy them all a cornetto to cool off those overactive political brains.

‘100 Biggest : Sá Employs More Than One Thousand – The Madeiran group counts on 1,178 employees in the units spread around 5 regions of Madeira and also in Lisbon’. It looks that this is the Diário featured company this week, and as it’s a household name I will cover it today. Fifty-three years after opening a small shop (Pérola dos Cafés), Jorge Sá now heads a group that is one of the largest employers on Madeira. It has 20 ‘points of sale’, of which 4 are traditional Hiper Sá stores, and several others with different brand names, as well as a hotel in the Azores. 633 of the employees are employed in Funchal. 76% of the employees are women, and overall there is a "curious" average age of around 36. The company takes its training seriously, ensuring that employees have 35 hours a year. Staff costs amount to €12.8 million per annum, and turnover for the group was €140.4 million in 2008. So is the Diário suggesting that Jorge Sá prefers to employ ‘young chicks’, I for one wouldn’t believe that!

‘Farmers Earn 60% More In Eight Years’. President Jardim said yesterday that the average income of the Madeiran farmer increased from €2115 to €3379 between 2000 and 2008, citing official data from Portugal. Banana producers, on average, increased their income by €317 between 2007 and 2008, he said at the Banana Show in Madalena do Mar, as production rose by 11%. Banana exports also increased by 10.7%. It is hard to believe that so much manual effort brings so little reward to farmers. In some countries in the world farmers wouldn’t get out of bed for less than 10 times that.

‘Expomadeira Exceeds Expectations – The Economic Activities Fair of Madeira closed yesterday in Funchal’. The results were very good, with the attendance of public and businesses / exhibitors, and even sales, that covered the 9 days of the event. 73,000 people came, 2,000 more than last year, and that was with a full day still to go. The event does provide entertainment and facilities for families, so it is not just a dull day of business. This year was the 26th year for the event.

(19th July). ‘Ricardo Salgado, President OF BES, Says That The Worst For The Banks Has Now Passed’. In an interview with the Diário, he states that in world banking the worst has passed, because there is now money available, but we are still in a negative economic cycle that no one knows exactly when it will end. As for his own bank Espirito Santo, he says it was one of the few in Europe that managed to raise it’s own capital without state intervention or help, and is now looking at developing new business in Africa.