Madeira News Blog

It wouldn’t take a genius to have predicted today’s headlines … royal visit and Madeira Wine Rally of course. I will do the headline for the rally, but as it is covered in English on Eurosport and with plenty of reports on the internet, I will just do the headline.

(31st July). Today’s main news headline : ‘Maximum Security On The Royal Visit – Not even at the arrival were there the traditional statements to the press. Juan Carlos, Sofia, and Cavaco Silva are already on Madeira, but what one saw most was the presence of the police’. The front page picture shows the king with the president of Portugal just arrived at the airport, surrounded by military police or army troops on inspection. All the cars parked in the VIP zone at the airport were searched regardless who drove them, with everything being opened, and scanned with an explosives detector. The visit that lasts until tomorrow started on a low note for the Diário, seemingly a little upset that the royal arrival was swamped by the police presence, and with the visitors not even making a statement to the waiting press. The article is a blow by blow account of every little detail form landing to dinner to bedtime at Reid’s and the Royal Savoy. The second headline ‘The entourage goes today to the chamber of The Wine Institute, to Monte, and to Cabo Girão’, I didn’t look into.

Madeira Wine Rally : The main picture shows a British Peugeot steaming through Funchal : ‘Meeke Confirms Status -  Leader of IRC wins in Avenida do Mar. Bruno Magalhães was the best Portuguese. Alexandre Camacho the quickest amongst the Madeirans. Today the contestants undertaken 12 special tests’. Many thanks to Tobi for the photos. MORE

‘Specialists Propose Mosquito Vigilance – A team of entomologists working on Madeira say that the possibility of dengue is strong and it is being studied’. The experts from the Medical Entomology Unit of the Institute of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (IHMT), have been here for two weeks doing their research on the mosquito Aedes Aegypti, and return home tomorrow. One of the team members said "It is extremely necessary to have a monitoring system, preferably linked to health, with trained specialist teams". 15 people were involved in the study, much of which was fieldwork. Some of the study was focused on the insecticides used to control the mosquito, and that process will have to continue with care, as it is possible the mosquito may develop a resistance after continuous applications. Lots of detail, but this probably says it all "… This is a job that has to be sustained and continued for years, decades or even centuries".

‘DRAC Publish Lost Book – The 16th Century Work Was Discovered By Aurelio Vargas’. The regional directorate of cultural affairs wants to publish this year a lost and rediscovered book ‘Argonáutica Cavalaria’ by a Madeiran author, Tristão Gomes de Castro. The book was rediscovered in Torre do Tombo in Lisbon. The issue is of particular significance and interest, at a national and even international level, as it is an old romance of chivalry of the ‘King Arthur and grail legends’ type. Aurelio Vargas is now back on Madeira, and a thanks to a grant from DRAC, for over a month has been "searching and doing some research on the biography of Tristão Gomes de Castro, who was a major character on the island of Madeira". He was born around 1539 – 1544, and died in 1611.

‘CMF Could Resolve The Problem Of The Minas Gerais Building Through Administrative Possession – The câmara wants the problem resolved by the end of 2009′. Building work was stopped some months ago near the Rotunda do Infante, because the developer built more floors than he had a permit for. But now Funchal council may consider taking ownership, still hoping that such an intervention will not be necessary. "I think the situation will be resolved with the project developer able to restart work, with the project properly licensed and the alterations duly authorized" said a spokesperson at CMF. 

‘Firefighters control fire in the Serrado das Ameixoeiras – Fire consumed barns and threatened some homes’. Santa Cruz fire brigade, with the aid of their colleagues in Machico, managed to control a fire that started about 1pm yesterday, on a steep inclination littered with ‘combustible material’ in Santa da Serra. The houses were protected by the firefighters, but it burned down two barns and an empty annex. Altogether 20 firemen fought the blaze with 7 vehicles involved. A later report at 9.30 last night said that the fire was still active.

Two more villains nabbed for drug trafficking, and 4,010 fixes seized in the process. The traffickers were just 18 and 20 years old. A good week for Madeira’s drug squad!

The Jornal da Madeira yesterday did a feature, prompted by the visit of the King and Queen of Spain, on royal and celebrity visitors, noting that these days the ‘famous’ are not such frequent visitors. In the 19th century there were more famous visitors, because it was believed that the air here had therapeutic value, especially for tuberculosis victims. Here is a quick rundown of the top names : Empress Leopoldina of Austria (1817), Empress Elizabeth, better known as Sissi, of the Austro-Hungarian Empire (1860′s), Queen Adelaide of England (1847), a few Mexicans and more Austrians, The last emperor of Austria, Carlos (1922), D. Carlos and Queen Dona Maria Amelia in 1901, D. Carlos and Queen Dona Maria Amelia in 1901, British prime minister Winston Churchill (1950′s), Mrs Franco (the Spanish dictators wife) 1958, Charles Gustav XVI and Queen Silvia of Sweden (1986), prince of Saudi Arabia (1980′s), Pope John Paul II on 12 May 1991, all the presidents of Portugal, opera singer Kiri Te Kanawa in 2000, ex PM of Britain Margaret Thatcher 2001, Queen Silvia of Sweden 2002, Der the blogger 2003, and author / writer John le Carré 2009. Reid’s Hotel claims to have a list of 78 famous guests that have stayed there.

TODAY’S PHOTO : Thanks to Tobi … The Book Fair in Funchal this month.

A very thin newspaper yesterday, I have no idea why. Perhaps someone’s sick or on holiday?

Anyway, as a result I had time to make an overdue and debut visit to my local Social Security Office, having received a letter a couple of weeks before. It’s a nice new facility, I think it opened 3 or 4 years ago if I remember correctly. As I usually find with government offices, you wander in and think where the hell do I go. The front desk was unmanned and gathering dust, so I went and asked someone in the waiting room before making my next move, afraid of jumping some sort of invisible queuing system. I was pointed to a door, waited two or three minutes, and was in and out within 15 minutes. I was very impressed, especially as the clerk tried to speak to me in English without being asked, although rather unsuccessfully. They even gave me a document to prove I had been and delivered the certain ‘proofs’ I was requested to supply, and I don’t owe them any money, which was the icing on the cake.

Travel Weekly has just published a write-up for Madeira, and although the author didn’t get it quite right on several counts, it’s generally a pretty favourable review : TRAVEL WEEKLY

Please don’t forget that news articles will now be posted at various times during the day – Check back regularly and keep yourself up to date.

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

(more…)

(25th May). On national TV news it is reported that many immigrants are leaving Portugal, and that the population continues to get older and poorer.

The Portuguese Society for the Study of Birds (SPEA) marked the World Day of Biodiversity and the European Maritime Day (May 22) with the launch of a book ‘Áreas Importantes para as Aves Marinhas em Portugal’ (Important areas for sea birds in Portugal), the result of a collaboration effort of four years with some of the main organisation connected to the seas of Portugal. Many unknowns on the distribution of seabirds in Portugal now have scientific answers. For example, where is it that the rare Freira do Bugio goes to feed, before returning to it’s home on the Ilhas Desertas … Madeira of course. You don’t even need to buy the book, because there is a rather nifty website that lets you view / read all 260 pages on-line SEA BIRDS OF PORTUGAL

Sr. Duarte, Duke of Bragança in the Azores, has come up with the great idea that the autonomous regions of Madeira and the Azores should form part of the political system in Portugal, in the same way that it is structured in the UK, which has Scotland. "The UK gives maximum autonomy to the maximum of national unity" said the wise old duke.  So give me a minute to analyse this ………………………………………………….. OK, I think I now have it. So Portugal would have to become separated like England ………………………………… Then Madeira would have a say on how Portugal is run on national and ‘non-national’ matters, and run itself with autonomy in ‘non national’ matters. Meanwhile Portugal MPs would have no say on the ‘non national’ matters of Madeira … put very simply. I think Uncle Bertie and the cronies, and maybe even the Madeirans, would be very happy with that. Believe me, as a honorary Scotsman, and a honorary Madeiran (christened ‘Zarco’), I can see the argument from all sides. I am also an honorary Egyptian named Akmed, but that story is a little fuzzy.

(24th May). A study shows that more than half of the population of Portugal is overweight, and  14.2% of these cases are defined as obese.