Madeira News Blog

TODAY’S PHOTO : Thanks to Elaine O Sol … Cisne Branco, one of the tall ships berthed in Funchal harbour last week.  It’s registered in Brazil and was on its way to the Cape Verde islands. Elaine will be pleased to know that from now on she will no longer be referred to as Elaine O Sol, as she is now promoted and in future will just be ‘Elaine’.

Talking of boats, if anyone on Porto Santo sees the yacht ‘Cantare’ stop over in the next few days, please ask if they need another ‘BOAT BUNNY’, and let me know, thanks.

Petrol goes down  2 cêntimos a litre on Monday, diesel by 1 cêntimo.

‘Jardim Agrees With Sócrates’. The headline I never thought I would see. Both the president of Madeira and the prime minister of the Republic agree that the airline TAP should be closed down and a new airline formed to rejuvenate the company financially. The company has massive financial problems, but European rules prevent the government from intervening.

‘New Whale Museum opens doors next summer – Santos Costa was at the location that costs €6 million’. The new Whale Museum in Caniçal was visited by the regional secretary for social matters was visited on Friday. The visit was also attended by Jacques Solaires, a French environmentalist, who helped design the contents of the museum.

The ‘Orange’ weather warning has now been extended to at least Monday, with strong winds and heavy rain all over Madeira.

I presume some of you have computers with Windows Vista, so just to say Service Pack 2 is available, and it didn’t update automatically with me, I had to do it manually. This should fix any problems with the original version, particularly security issues, and hopefully provide some improvements too.

UPDATES :

Talking of TAP and their financial problems, they are touting for new travellers to Madeira in their new campaign. €36 to Madeira from Lisbon & €52 from Porto, one way, for travel November to March (excluding around Xmas / New Year). Also €30 a room per night in the Calheta Beach Hotel, and €49 in the 5 star Hotel Melia.

In today’s new headlines:

‘Ribeira-Braveneses Want The Sea-Front Back – Traders in the centre complain of the mishaps of the reconfiguration of the sea front area’. They miss the days (5 years ago) when the tourist buses used to stop alongside the esplanade (now they stop at a car park just outside the main town). The population complains about the consequences of the new format of the town. Traders say there is a shortage of customers, shoppers complain about the lack of parking, and taxi drivers say that they are far from the buses (?). I couldn’t agree more, its a right mess, a nice looking mess, but a mess nether-the-less. As for the shortage of car parking, I think the Diário forgot to mention the word FREE. Plenty of parking around at a price, and maybe a short walk.

Number 220, Rua de Santa Maria, presumably in Funchal, fell down yesterday evening, putting neighbours houses in danger. The building has been unoccupied for 10 years. Neighbours had warned the authorities that the building was dangerous, as pieces had fallen off, but were told that that there was no danger. Yesterday the complete roof collapsed inside the building in a huge cloud of dust, and neighbours had to be evacuated. There is another headline ‘Rain Collapses 4 Houses In Funchal’. The picture was taken in Rua da Fábrica.

A big sigh of relief for Marítimo, as they whopped Académica 4 – 2 away from home, breaking a run of 3 consecutive defeats. Baba scored twice in the top performance so far this season. Nacional play Guimarães at home on Monday night (SportTV1 6 pm).

Today’s news translations : many thanks to Elaine in Garajau & Paul :

Inauguration Required Intervention of the Police. The PND party (Democrats) have often interfered with Jardim’s inaugurations, saying they are electioneering and their leader, Coelho, has often attempted speeches when Jardim is speaking. During  the inauguration of the new link road between the port and the expressway. Jardim’s supporters and the PND leaders clashed, a cameraman was allegedly too close to Jardim, and the police and security guards had to intervene resulting in a  police cordon between the PND leaders and Jardim’s supporters. Jardim has accused the police of working at the behest of Lisbon, by allowing the PND to interfere too much, and they are there to protect the government and it is the first time in 31 years of autonomy that the police lack control.

Quote from Jardim in Sao Vicente, "Who is ridiculous cannot earn the respect of the people."

Anger at Mix of Politics and Church. The Feast of Our Lady of the the Rosary began yesterday and ends Monday. In Sao Vicente, the PS and PSD parties have been paying for some of the entertainment. The local priest denies any knowledge of this but the public is not happy about their involvement and want the Bishop to intervene.

Weather Stories. An 83 year old lady and an elderly couple have been rehoused by the council after their homes made uninhabitable by rain damage. A car in a garage was destroyed when the roof collapsed. Trees blocked roads in Monte. The walls and old bridge around the riverbed at Ribeira Brava have been reinforced before the heavy rains arrived (pictured). The ‘Pes Livres’ walking club have still continued their program, Ponta do Pargo to Encumeada, this weekend despite the weather warnings. SPAD has rearranged the annual Blessing of the Animals from the 4th to now the 10th October. It occurs by the Statue of Francis of Assisi in the Municipal Park in Funchal.

Jardim ‘Boxed the Ears’ of the Madeira Business Parks. He states the management have not marketed the Business Parks enough and wants the councils to attract more clean industries. There are also talks underway to develop more trade with African countries.

Portugal is probably happy with Brazil hosting the next Olympics.

OCM Celebrates 5 Years of the Park with the Show ‘Popsinfonico’. It has been an ambition of the conductor Rui Massena of the orchestra to fuse popular and classical music and pay a tribute to traditional Madeiran music. This will be for the celebrations on the 10th October of the Madeira Theme Park in Santana. There will also be other groups involved, clowns, acrobats, jugglers, face painting and traditional craft workshops for the tourists to have a go during that weekend. Special ticketing/opening arrangements and details on their website www.parquetematicodamadeira.pt

Nun’s Valley Has New Garden. Sao Vicente Will Have Wine and Water. New garden inaugurated in Nun’s Valley, for both tourists and locals, with four sculptures entitled ‘The Fountain’. Sao Vicente plan to redevelop the old winery to help promote the local wine. The council also plan a pond including a waterfall, a mill, entertainment stage, open-air amphitheatre, market for local handicrafts and produce.

Will be Born the Party of the Animals. 200 signatures so far collected for political representation of a party member to represent legislation for animal welfare in Portuguese territories. There is an online petition, but you need to be a voter to participate. WEBSITE IN ENGLISH

Swine Flu vaccination program starts at the end of the month with 1100 doses. First, some health professionals and other personnel essential for the island security/utilities, if medically advisable. Then pregnant women and people under 65 years with chronic illnesses.

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TODAY’S PHOTO : Thanks to Jaquine … Caniçal’s boats all dressed up & ready to take ‘Nossa Senhora’ out to sea … (you probably know the story, something about a lost piece of a picture or a cross which was found years later floating in the sea).

"Madeira is one big fruit and vegetable basket, and much of the produce finds its way on to the menus, along with the garden’s own haul of home-grown vegetables, herbs and fruit trees. Jardins do Lago’s banana crop is a breakfast staple and you are guaranteed a selection of the island’s daily catch (although carnivores sacrifice meat for fish at their peril)". An independent report on a hotel from the UK Daily Telegraph QUINTA JARDINS DO LAGO

Don’t forget that news / articles will 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.

You can email blog@madeira4u.com with any large contributions or comments and photos

(more…)

(22nd September). Today’s main news headline : ‘Region Refuses To Pay President ‘Do MAR’ – Óscar Gonçalves went yesterday to complain to the Madeira executive, and to the representative of the republic’. It’s a new battle between Madeira and Lisbon. This time due to the International Shipping Register of Madeira (MAR), and the choice of Oscar Gonçalves to chair the MAR Technical Commission. Normally it is the role of the Government of the Republic to nominate the president of the Technical Commission of MAR, but obtaining the agreement of the Madeira government as a matter of unwritten protocol. However, Óscar is little known in the world of shipping, but a well known collaborator of the socialist party PS-Madeira, and the government (PSD) here complained that it had not been consulted about his appointment in May, as had been customary in the past. As a result the government here have refused to pay his salary, as well as restricted his movements outside of Madeira. They argue that he is not qualified to carry out inspections and surveys for vessels registered with MAR, which they say is one of the legal requirements. The matter is now in the hands of the appropriate authorities in Lisbon. MAR has 157 commercial vessels registered, 14 of which are passenger ships.

‘Robberies In Garajau And On The Levada Dos Tornos – Youths steal the cash register and have the police waiting when they arrive home. Couple robbed at knifepoint in Camacha’. The first story is about a Café / Bar called ‘Brites’ in Garajau, that was robbed at around 4 am yesterday morning, when 2 young men smashed the shop front glass window, and took the cash register, containing just some change. The two robbers, who were regular customers in the bar, took the till to a car park to open it, where they were caught on video camera in the act, along with the registration plate of their car. Police were able to identify the owner of the car, the mother of one of the men, and when they arrived home the police were there waiting. They were taken back to the crime scene, where they apologised to the owner, returned the stolen money, and offered to pay for the damage caused, which included the €400 cash till, the broken window, an aquarium, and a fridge. It is possible that that the same two men had also tried to break into a bar in Cristo Rei, hurling a rock at the front window, which didn’t shatter as it was double glazed, but caused around €200 worth of damage all the same. The sophistication of the crimes and the intelligence of the criminals of Madeira never ceases to amaze me, and once again the police do a great job in cleaning up the mess. I have no idea whether the men involved here were charged, but often an apology to the owner and the payment of the losses and damages suffices, showing the forgiving and kind hearted nature of people here. Personally I would have wanted them strung up if they had done that to me, but there again there are men who have committed far greater crimes but still legally walk our streets. PS Dare not mention who for fear of reprisals.

The other story sounds much more serious, as two German tourists were robbed at knifepoint on the Levada dos Tornos, in the zone of Vale Paraíso, Camacha. He surprised the couple, and demanded the valuables that they were carrying. He stole the rucksack and about €100, but apart from being shocked, the couple were unharmed. The rucksack was later recovered by police, less the money. The police have a description of the suspect and are conducting investigations. I hate doing these stories more than anything, as levadas are supposed to be such safe and peaceful places … and of course still are. The police normally catch these thugs, but it’s best to be aware that there are occasionally problems in just one or two places. How people will obtain such information after next week I don’t know, but I hope they can ask at hotels or go on accompanied tours, or at least find out about any risky areas from somewhere.

’36 From The Savoy Refute Dismissal – The case started yesterday in court’. The collective dismissal of staff from the now closed Savoy Hotel in Funchal is in court, with 36 workers challenging the SIET Savoy Group decision to dismiss them. Their aim is to reverse the decision, and guarantee themselves future employment. The trade union representing the workers said it was the only option open to them once negotiations with the employer had failed. Win and they have their jobs back, lose and they will be entitled to compensation based on length of service. Many of the 99 workers have already accepted the termination and compensation package offered, when the hotel closed to be demolished, to make way for a new Savoy Hotel.

After yesterday’s story about the school of in São Martinho (Funchal) that failed to be ready on time because of building problems, it seems that São Martinho kids are stricken with bad luck, or good luck depending on the point of view. ‘Lombada School in São Martinho Fails To Open At The Start Of The School Year – A lack of staff has left parents and students at the school gate’. They turned up, but that’s as far as they got, as the school remained closed when staff didn’t turn up. The situation caught some parents off guard, along with 250 kids, even though there had been some communications about potential problems. Teachers weren’t lacking, except for the maths teacher, but one cleaning lady was on holiday, one was transferred, and the other one remaining refused to work alone. The knock on from that is that the catering staff and auxiliaries didn’t then turn up for work for fear of being put on cleaning duties. According to the government Education Department the situation has been resolved and the school is now fully operational. It wouldn’t happen in the private sector for sure, and if I had been in charge I would have had those parents in scrubbing the floors and doing the cooking, and sent the non-teaching staff off to meet those ex-Savoy Hotel workers.

‘Erasmus’ Sent Away 117 Madeiran Students In 6 Years’. The programme, according to funding available, allows students at Madeira University to study abroad. The scheme is growing in popularity, but as there is no specific funding for the purpose, applications depend on the general funding of UMa being able to support the applications received. The programme has proved particularly popular for students in physical education and in languages, with the countries most selected being Slovenia (23), Spain (32) and the Czech Republic (32).

Bit of a school theme going today, so here’s another : ‘Gripe A : Teachers “are not a priority risk group”. Contingency plans against the H1N1 swine flu virus in schools caught the attention of the Teachers Union of Madeira, this week. Coordinator Marilia Azevedo regretted the fact that the infection prevention plans have been made only with students in mind. A spokesman for the matter (I have no idea where from), said that the health services and Regional Secretary for Education and Culture had been working together for some time, “[teachers] are not a priority risk group in particular, as the groups that are in contact with the sick are health professionals. I do not see that there needs to be a special scenario for teachers”. What gobsmacking incompetence, as infected teachers are as much of a problem as infected children to start with, but absent teachers cause a different problem altogether, and without them to control the children, the risk of cross infection is highly elevated. Just imagine if one infected teacher in the weekly staff meeting infects the whole teaching staff group … chaos!

’224 Citizens Of Funchal Try Out The Services Of Horários do Funchal For Free – Bruno Pereira, vice-president of Funchal Council will be one of the participants’. The famous yellow bus company of Funchal wants to attract new customers to its regular services of public transport. With this objective in mind the company yesterday started the week with a promotional project ‘Ad personam’. Under the initiative, which is part of a wider European action called ‘Intelligent Energy of Europe’, over 224 people aged between 18 and 60 years can travel free for a week on the bus network of Horários. The lucky 224 were selected from 805 respondents to a survey undertaken in May, and addition to this weeks freebie, will be able to obtain discounted bus travel for the rest of the year through a monthly pass.

The headline I thought I would never see : ‘Marina At Lugar de Baixo Reopens – It will open, but not for boats to moor there’. No firm date has been set, but it is virtually certain that the marina infrastructure will reopen to the public sometime this year, with boats allowed back in shortly after the Winter. Clean up work is still ongoing, including partial clearing of a cliff face. The badly damaged car park has been demolished, and will not be rebuilt, but other parking is available. I can hardly wait for Uncle Bertie’s reinauguration (right!), and to go and enjoy the swimming pool and tennis court, or even just taking a coffee there. I have never tried hard-hat swimming before, but I presume I will need a strap-on-version, as well chastity-belt type swimming trunks. As for the coffee, will the café staff be trained to ask “will it be one lump or two?”

The sport / football headline : ‘Cup Takes Marítimo To The Azores’. Our team travels to Santa Clara to play on the 18th October, in the 3rd round of the Portugal Cup. Nacional will go to the north of Portugal to take on Varzim. Both opponents play in the Liga Honra (the 2nd highest level), and so should not in theory present too much of a challenge. There are still other teams from Madeira left in the cup, but as there are no big name opponents involved, I will leave it there.

Work on the new cemetery in Caniçal has been halted for three weeks. A digger started work, but after a couple of days was taken away. The main problem is with expropriations, or compulsory land purchases. The €1m project wasn’t in the council work programme for the current mandate, but the decision was made to proceed urgently because the existing cemetery is absolutely full. Aside from the purchase of land, how can a cemetery cost anything like €1 million to build? Aside from some ground levelling and boundary walls, what else is there. Will it be fully equipped with ready-to-wear tombs and blank gravestones, or am I just out of touch with today’s cemetery construction prices?