Madeira News Blog

Today’s photo – Many thanks to Martin … A Bentley Derby 1923, that competed in the 2009 ‘Volta da Madeira’.

OLD CASKS (PIPAS) NEVER DIE 

Well I certainly missed some notable news stories whilst ‘off line’, and the transfer of Câmara de Lobos hero Rúben Micael from Nacional to Porto must take the tastiest biscuit. Rúben Micael Freitas Ressureição player profile Anyone know how much Porto paid for the lad?

Another one of those travel / destination guides for Madeira … but I don’t mind the extra effort if it persuades a few more tourists to take a holiday here and spend their luverly dosh EVERY LITTLE HELPS 

Becky wrote in about helping out with material for the blog : “Once you’ve had a chance to read all the various suggestions re. the blog and submissions, maybe you can let us know what you think is best – I’m happy to contribute the best I can but maybe need pointing in the right direction as to when and where and what”.

It seems that we may have some extra contributors after the blog ‘time out’, and many thanks for the offers and half-offers. We will never have enough helpers I guess, so please help us balance the workload and share information. If you are thinking of sending in a news story, I guess the only way to ensure there is no duplication is if you put something in the blog comments to say what you are going to work on so other helpers don’t do the same thing. Any other ideas on how to manage this gratefully received, but people should really do what they want to do, as it is not right for me to dictate.

What would be ideal of course would be to have a number of regular contributors with either particular areas (like Vanessa has) or days of ‘duty’, but we are probably far from that at the moment. If someone would like to ‘specialise’ please let me know, but it does mean a regular commitment.

Another thing someone could help me with is the ‘snippets’ or ‘titbits’ like those above. As there is no translation involved, then it might be quite easy for someone to do. I could arrange for the alerts to be sent once a day, not necessarily every day for just one person, and then someone could check them out and if they are worth a mention it’s just a question of formatting them to be ‘cut ‘n pasted’ ready to go into the next blog (that would be explained) and emailing me. That alone would save me up to an hour a day to do something else. Or perhaps someone would like to a be a YouTube monitor (or any similar website) and just check every few days to see if there is are any new interesting and relevant videos posted.

Many thanks to Elaine for this huge contribution.

Ribeira Brava Philharmonic Band travels to Venezuela. The Banda Municipal da Ribeira Brava will tour Venezuela this year to perform to the large immigrant community. It will probably be during the summer, including the Day of the Region. 30 to 40 band members will stay for a week. The Mayor of Ribeira Brava promised to support the trip although it is the result of an invitation by a group of Luso-Venezuelan emigrants. The council supports such projects because they promote culture, represent the country and allow closer ties with the immigrant community. It benefits the emigrants as they meet together at such functions and many migrated decades ago but they never forget their roots.

Communists suspect the CDS will no longer back the Regional Finance Law / PS maintain their position. The regional directorate of the PCP-Madeira suspect that the CDS-PP will approve the State Budget of the Socialist Government and not the Regional Finance Law, as wanted by the Prime Minister José Sócrates. The PCP leader Jorge Cordeiro said, “The signs are worrying for Madeira.” “Everything indicates that the Regional Finance Law and the interests of Madeira have been transformed into a bargaining chip, particularly by the CDS.” The communist leader said the vote on the law was postponed twice then the PS and CDS approved another postponement. If the law is not passed, it is likely that poverty and unemployment will increase in Madeira. The PS-M maintain the position on the Regional Finance Law that they held in the 2007 elections, when they only received 15% of the vote. They insist there is an error as the GDP is inflated by the effect of the Free Trade Zone which has resulted in a loss of transfer of 500 million Euros from community funds. PS leader, Jacinto Serrão, says the relationship between Lisbon and Funchal leads to insults and attacks on the Government of the Republic and asks the Minister of Finance, Teixeira dos Santos, not to be so stubborn so both parties can negotiate.

Panelo with lack of cabbage. Today, Chão da Ribeira in Seixal hosts a festa for the traditional free panelo. The problem this year for residents is to obtain enough cabbage or grelos (similar to spinach). The wild pombos (pigeons) have devastated the local crops. The panelo is usually cooked using cabbage and semilhas (Madeiran potatoes) grown in Seixal and salted pork from the tradition of ‘killing the pig’ in December. This traditional panelo started around forty years ago when families decided to gather on the last Sunday in January at the Chão da Ribeira to consume the remains from Christmas. Pork, chicken or beef are cooked in a Portuguese manner then served with wine from Seixal. Tradition dictates that the panelo is served on a tablecloth on the ground and the afternoon spent with family and friends.

Diocese collects 18,000 Euros for Haiti. The Diocese of Funchal has received 18,000 Euros in donations and the charity Caritas will forward it to Caritas in Portugal which in turn will deliver the money to Caritas in Haiti. Both the headquarters and warehouse in Port-aux-Prince are still standing. Caritas always helps areas where reconstruction and rehabilitation are needed, for example after the December 2004 tsunami and more recently, in Peru. One or two years after the money has been sent, a commission goes to the area to see how the funds have been used.

‘Park and Ride’ this year in Funchal. Funchal City Council want a single fare to cover using the car parks situated outside the city and transport into Funchal on buses run by Horários do Funchal. ‘Park and Ride’ has been attempted before but failed due to a lack of adherence. Car parks with spare capacity are located at Clube Naval and Rua Bela de São Tiago, near Largo da Força. The council are in talks with the companies managing the car parks as they want to make the price attractive to users so they gain financially. The service will benefit people who commute daily from Câmara de Lobos and Caniço. The council want to reduce the number of cars travelling into the city centre to reduce pollution and petrol consumption. Economists talk of an increase in the price of petrol in the near future. The cheapest monthly cost for a car park in Funchal is 90 Euros and the council want the new scheme to reduce this to 55 Euros.

Romeira closes municipal company. The Mayor of São Vicente, Jorge Romeira, will close a municipal company created four years ago by his predecessor Humberto Vasconcelos. The company Promovicente was created with the approval of the PSD councillors and the PS have always been against this decision. This company was created to promote the municipality and they were almost exclusively paid to promote cultural, social and sports activities. Jorge Romeira insists the activities of the company are only suspended. His motto is ‘clean’ and he has a tendency to cancel projects of his predecessor.

37 accidents in a month and a half at Porto Novo. The majority of accidents occurred on a 26.8 km stretch of the Via Rápida 1 in the direction Funchal/Santa Cruz, after the end of the bridge at Porto Novo. Some drivers blame the maintenance of the road by Vialitoral but the area has road signs that indicate danger in unfavourable weather conditions, as experienced between this period of 1/12/2009 and 17/01/2010. The firm’s statistics taken from speeds measured by 54 counters indicate that the majority of accidents were due to excessive speed.

Azores receive two billion Euros more than Madeira. Plenty of numbers in this article which are summarised in the diagrams shown. A study by the Regional Government condemns the State and Europe for guaranteeing in the past 12 years, 28% more for the Azores. The Regional Government is considering a full-scale campaign in national newspapers to publicise the amount the State has allocated to each region, especially the disparity between the Azores and Madeira. Declarations by the leader of the Azores have led to a break in the relationship with Alberto Jardim. Carlos César has said that the revision of the law would undermine the Azores. Under the present law, the Azores receive 60.5% of the money transferred from the State and Madeira receives 39.5%. With the revised law, the Azores would receive 52% and Madeira the other 48%. At present, the Azores receive 20% of the Cohesion Fund and Madeira receives 4%. The Regional Government say that the GDP (PIB) of Madeira is more than that generated by the Azores, due to high public investment and it should not be penalized for this. Since the 1998 Regional Finance Law, the GDP of Madeira grew 97% whereas that of the Azores grew 73%. Accused of spending, Jardim says that the Regional Government has spent 26.6% GDP whereas the Azores has spent 31% GDP. The State has spent 45.8% GDP which rose at the end of last year to 51.3% GDP.

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

Socialist Party of Madeira criticizes the “stubborn ones” affecting finances – The congress closes with some stick given to President Jardim and [Finance Minister] Teixeira dos Santos.

Minister ‘buries’ the Finance Law. Finance Minister Teixeira dos Santos is sticking to his guns with a ‘no’ to the Regional Finance law amendments, put together and submitted by President Alberto João Jardim of Madeira. “Why is it that one would give several tens of millions more Euros to Madeira in this conjuncture?” he asks. He says that both the Assembly of the Republic, and his own Socialist Party, are not available to do the revision requested, and that no one would understand why a government would approve the amendments of the Social Democrats of Madeira at a time when the county needed to keep a tight reign on public expenditure. It looks like Uncle Bertie will have a tough end to his dictatorship long period of rule then, with some tough choices ahead. What will he do … stop lining politicians pockets … cancel the €45 m redevelopment of the Marítimo stadium … flog off a few more publically owned assets. No I don’t think so, they would be easy solutions. Look out for cut-backs in job-rich community projects I reckon, especially in those areas where the PSD-M didn’t fare so well in the recent elections.

Today’s main news headline : GARBAGE CONSUMES 31.5% OF BUSINESS SUPPORT – The Regional Government has committed almost a third of the support destined for extra help given to company operations. And it did it to the benefit of the public body that manages the waste, the ‘Valor Ambiente’ [Environmental Value].

Scrap collections reduce to a half. Less scrap metal in the streets, with just 8 abandoned cars towed away per month during the last year. The considerable reduction comes after concerted efforts by local councils and police to do something to stop the problem. Making people aware of the importance of protecting the environment and the image of this tourist destination has been a key facet of the actions taken. Abandoned vehicles have been a problem for a long time, especially in areas distanced from population centres and main roads, and that problem still remains. Anyway, the figures in 2006 were 20 a month, and that last year was down to 8 a month. Owners traced as having abandoned cars face a fine of between €250 and €750, with the upper limit rising to €2,500 if the car is in a state of scrap. I don’t suppose it could be anything to do with the fact that people don’t have the money to replace their cars these days? The Diário mentions several such zones, popular for car-dumpers, but fails to mention Boa Morte [Good Death] which last time I went through was littered with decaying vehicles, but nether-the-less I was tickled that the place was perhaps named as such as it was the final resting place for old cars.

Crisis obliges working in unfamiliar areas – Not even the marketplace for work  can offer opportunities that match university qualifications. Find out about some examples.

The main sport / football headline today, and also the main picture :  Rúben makes an almost perfect debut – The Madeiran debuted for FC Porto in the League Cup and deserved praise. Saturday he plays in the Choupana [Nacional, Madeira ... the club he has just left].

Victory of Nacional was insufficient. Nacional beat Guimarães 1 – 0 yesterday in the league cup, but it wasn’t enough to move from the group to the next stage of the competition.

Manuel Machado retakes his place tomorrow. The manager of Nacional, who was critically ill in hospital with a post-operation infection before Xmas, is back at work tomorrow, some months sooner than originally expected.

There are still 3 more sports headlines to go, but that’s enough for me, save to say that my lads of Ribeira Brava beat Porto Moniz 2 – 0 yesterday, leaving them clear at the top of the Madeira Series league table.

Many thanks to Elaine out West for this from the Jornal da Madeira :

New link to Madeira. In early summer the Azorean airline SATA will start a new route between Ponta Delgada, Funchal and Faro, using the new Bombardier Q400 Dash, the first of which will be delivered today in Toronto. “This new service, which will be held twice a week, will depart from and arrive the same day in Ponta Delgada, allowing the connection between the Azores, Madeira and the Algarve,” said one SATA source, speaking to journalists in the Canadian city. In a ceremony at the Bombardier plant in Toronto on Monday SATA received the first of four Q400 NextGen Dash, acquired by an investment of 74 million Euros. The aircraft will arrive at Ponta Delgada at the end of the month, allowing SATA to begin the certification process to enable them to start operations in late February. The four planes purchased by SATA should all be flying by the end of the first half of this year, replacing the existing ATP aircraft. The new Dash Q400 NextGen will operate routes between the islands of the archipelago on routes between the Azores, Madeira and the Canary Islands and the link between the two islands and the Algarve which starts operating at the beginning of Summer. Fleet renewal SATA Air Azores began last year with the arrival of two Bombardier Q200, which replaced the Dornier that the company used for links to the smaller islands. The two Q200 will ensure links between Funchal and Porto Santo and the routes to the islands with lower demand in the Azores archipelago, in particular Corvo, the smallest island of the Azores.

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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(27th June). Today’s main news headline : ‘Gouveia Pays Subscriptions Of Members In Order To Be Leader – João Carlos Gouveia (leader of PS-M) took on the party subscriptions for socialists that gave him their leadership vote. He did it through a cheque, that was never taken to the bank because there were no funds. The question returned to the agenda in January. Now, Gouveia doesn’t pay alleging that it is wrong to cover the subscriptions of others’. He says that he is now going to make a donation to the Socialist Party. This was back in July 2007 when he was elected party leader, when at the party congress the president demanded subscription payments from delegates, many of whom were supporters of Gouveia. The party rules say that one cannot vote if subscriptions are unpaid. He allegedly wrote out a cheque there and then for at least €6,000. Already hung and drawn, but probably not quite yet quartered.

President Jardim confirmed yesterday what was already widely known. The social democrat candidates for the 11 presidents of the câmaras (council) will remain as currently in post, apart from in Porto Moniz, São Vicente, and Santana.

There is an article on the reaction of President Jardim to the proposed purchase of a large stake in the holding group of TVI one of the top Portuguese television companies. The purchase, estimated to be around €100 million, is being considered by PT, Portugal Telecom. Jardim calls it scandalous. I don’t know what the big deal is as mergers in these sectors are common place, and anyway, Portugal’s government has a golden share in PT and can block or approve major decisions by the company.

The President of the Republic of Portugal has today confirmed that the national elections will be held on Sunday 27th September. Cavaco Silva called for calm in the election campaigns. The President expects to see the “real” problems and concerns discussed.

‘João Mota Repeats In The Classics – João repeats his ritual of kissing the champagne. It didn’t produce the brilliance of previous years, but nether-the-less it was a pleasing event’. João Mota and Miguel Correia won this years XXII classic car rally in a 1971 MG B. I can’t believe he is really called Mota (look in your dictionary).

‘Festival Of São Pedro Later Tonight In Ribeira Brava – The popular saints complete the triangle. The tradition takes thousands today to the mythical Ribeira-braven festival’. (Not my words, nor my plug this time). More than 15 bands and 850 participants will take part in the parades at 9pm, for the first time on the night before the night before the day of Saint Peter. the parades are followed by a concert by José Malhoa. Lots more, but a bit late in the day to publish it now.

(24th June). Today’s main news headline : ‘Mandatory To Change The Economic Model – Or Madeira must reduce its running costs or cut back on investments. The suggestion comes from a study of the Catholic University, commissioned by ACIF, to evaluate the effects of the Regional Finance Law’. The study also suggests salary cuts, and offers new economic models that will work better with Madeira’s circumstances. The headline says it all really, but why was it necessary to commission a study, and what good is it now halfway through the financial year. As a quick bit of background, the Portuguese government slashed the budget application for Madeira at the end of last year, so it has been well known for over 6 months that the government here would have to cut back on it’s spending plans. But could this government not actually figure out itself that if the budget was smaller it would have less money to spend, or is this study just a way of making it bleedin’ obvious?

The main photo on today’s front page shows a rather unpleasant slick seeping into the sea : ‘Factory Contaminates The Sea At Porto da Cruz – The discharges polluting the waters continue to keep the bathers off the beach’. The acidity of the pollution is dangerous to life. The beach of Porto do Cruz opens the Summer season the same as in the past, with pollution in the sea. The story is repeated every year, as the factory that make aguardente (rum) from sugar cane causes a discharge onto the beach of Alagoa. The problem is the overlap between the two things, and the yellow liquid that gives off a strong odour is giving the beach a bad image. The Diário assessed the beach users for an opinion, and there were just 6 users. 2 German couples were there, but they saw the pollution and chose not to go in the water, and two other swimmers went to the far end to avoid the discharge. Clearly a long term solution is needed to contain the discharge. But for now, if we had to choose a Madeira without poncha, or without Alagoa beach, it’s a tough call.

‘Armed Wallet Thieves Return To the Levadas’. Tourists were held at knifepoint on the Levada dos Barreiros on Monday morning, by a man now being sought by police, seemingly knowing who he is through similar crimes. He told them to hand over all valuables, but ended up with only €30, before running off. There are concerns that the robbery will discourage tourists from walking the  Levada dos Piornais(?).

‘Extraction Of Sand And Gravel In Faial Is Legal’. After months and months of arguing about the illegal extraction of materials from Ribeira do Faial, a parliamentary commission has now decided that work can continue there as long as the jobs are safeguarded and the environmental requirements are observed. This followed a petition by locals to keep the operation going, after it was shut down several months ago.

The first phase of the national exams finished yesterday.

There will be strike of technicians in the health service here and nationally on Thursday and Friday. Amongst other services, radiology, physiotherapy, operating theatres, external consultations, and clinical analysis will be affected.

The front page also covers a Summer fashion festival on 24th July in the Naval, but as I don’t understand fashion I probably have no hope of understanding it in Portuguese.

‘Trade Union Demands Guarantees In The Agreement With The Savoy’. All negotiations from now on are to be between the legal advisers of the Association of Hotels of Madeira and the Savoy Hotels Group SIET. A meeting yesterday discussed the commitment to those 45 workers who are already on their way out (as a result of the demolishing of the old Savoy Hotel), but are expected to rejoin the staff in the new hotel, when rebuilt.

‘Talents Put To The Test In Câmara de Lobos – The Regional Talent Festival takes place next Tuesday’. Eleven contestants representing each region of Madeira will compete in the 10th edition of the contest, which forms part of the Summer Festa between 26th June and 1st July. One judge will also be appointed from the 11 regions, but they cannot vote for their local talent. The most successful region is Funchal, who won in 3 consecutive years 2003 to 2005. Parades are scheduled to take place on Sunday at 9.30pm, in Câmara de Lobos, with 800 participants in 14 troupes. The theme of the day is ‘Culture’. The night will be a long one, with a carnival dance, and fireworks with music at midnight.

‘Classics To The Conquest Of The XXII Rally – The rally starts today and includes various Ferrari Models’. "Ferrari invade the avenue", all ten of them on Avenida Arriaga, on the day that marks the 22nd tour of Madeira, organised by the Classic Car Club, with support from Funchal Council and the regional secretary for transport and tourism. After all the paperwork and formalities for the 40 teams, the first stage will be the traditional opening challenge, that starts at around 8.30pm tonight. The main event starts tomorrow, with two days on the road, divided into several sections, and then the winner for 2009 will be decided. Tomorrow the event sets off from Santa Cruz at 10am, and will end up in São Vicente around 5.30pm. Friday the day starts at 9.30am at Câmara de Lobos (don’t forget to lock your car people), and should end up in Funchal (at the podium) around 4.30pm. The winner will be announced at 8pm, and the prize giving will be at the Regency Hotel at 11.45pm.