Madeira News Blog

A couple more old bus photos taken from the photographic exhibition in Ribeira Brava. The photos don’t have any commentary, so I have no idea when they were taken, or when these fine vehicles were last in service.

I mentioned last week that I had received in the post the AKI Xmas catalogue, full of Christmas decorations, and not much else. The IZI equivalent arrived this week, again packed with Xmas decorations, but also a lot of ideas for gifts also. Lots of DIY stuff and power tools for men, and gardening tools and equipment too, so I have my preferences picked out. However when I paged through again to look for Xmas presents for the ladies, I couldn’t find any kitchen items at all, nor cleaning equipment, or ironing boards or suchlike. In fact there was nothing household at all, so is the IZI store really like this? Is this part of a worldwide conspiracy against men, as I had hoped that maybe I had left this attitude behind years ago?

Following an article a couple of days ago, it seems that RTP Azores has employed a journalist of mixed origin and language skills to provide news stories in English. TAKE A LOOK

One for the MADEIRA WINE buffs.

Tough games for our local football teams this weekend. Both games are on Sunday. Firstly Nacional visit Leixões at 4 pm, but the hosts are not as good as they were last season, so a bit of a chance of a result. At 6 pm, Marítimo host the big name of Porto (SportTV1), who aren’t playing that well this season, having changed their style of game somewhat.

Have a good weekend! 

Another whacking great contribution from Elaine from yesterday, many thanks … is no one else going to help?

TAP cheaper than Easyjet. D.Cidade looked at the websites of both carriers for prices of flights leaving Funchal on the 28 December and returning from Lisbon on the 2nd January (end-of-year celebrations). Easyjet, advertised as a budget airline, lowest inclusive price was 450.98 Euros. If the return flight was on the 1st January, the total was 362.98 Euros, i.e. 88 Euros less. TAP for 28 December to 2 January was 399.91 Euros which is 51.07 Euros cheaper than Easyjet. If returning on the 1st January, TAP website price was 334.91 Euros which is 28.07 Euros cheaper than Easyjet.

Drugs killed 19 in four years. Between 2005 and 2008, 19 people died in Madeira due to illicit drug use. The actual number is probably higher as the official figures only account for those who died after hospitalization, i.e. not those who died outside the hospital setting.  The European Monitoring Centre report indicated a 45% increase between 2006 – 2007 in drug overdose deaths in Portugal due to an increase in cocaine use. Of the 314 who died, 91% were male. In Madeira, according to the Director of Drug Prevention, "The average age of first drug use is lower than the national average, as is the percentage of consumers per number of residents." In 2001 in Madeira, 8.6% of the population consumed drugs at least once, and in 2006 this had fallen to 5.2% compared to the national average of 12%. Prevention is focused on the individual rather than the drug consumed.

A 25 and 34 year old couple detained today for trafficking 24,300 doses of heroin. The wife is Portuguese and the husband a foreigner. They already have criminal records.

Madeiran computer usage above the national average. In Madeira, 58.3% of households have a computer at home and 49.7% have Internet connection, mainly through broadband. The only place in Portugal to exceed this number is Lisbon where 60% of households have a computer. Nationally, 9% of items bought are over the Internet but only 7% in Madeira, despite the fact it is an island. The majority of orders were for travel, accommodation, holiday-related services, computer software and electronic equipment. Most users are between 16 and 54 years, especially under 34 years of age and 51% are male. —- Could be low sales due to unavailability as many Portuguese sites will not deliver here and costly in postage, or people shop when they fly to Lisbon.

Stolen condoms machine! A condoms vending machine was stolen from outside a pharmacy in Santana early one morning, without witnesses.

Parliament using a law that no longer exists. The Socialist Party MP Jacinto Serrão accused Parliament of "negligence" in relation to a matter  of "utmost importance for the region". The Regional Government sent a report to Parliament on participation in the European Region. The application of EU funding and participation in EU programs presented to Parliament was under a legislative decree, which is based on a national law which does not exist. The law was repealed three years ago and replaced by another one which is more favourable to the Autonomous Regions. Under this new amendment, Parliament could comment on anything that came from Brussels, so this later law needs adopting.

Hybrid and electric cars will have cheaper parking. From January 1st, car parking in Funchal will be half price for such cars. 150 places will be created for these cars, which is 10% of all parking where parking meters are used. These spaces will be in Aljube, Hospital Velho, Avenida do Mar and the zone of Ajuda, and other areas. The owners of such cars will have to obtain a green sticker from Funchal Council to put on their windscreens. Such areas are reserved only for ecological cars or there will be a none-parking fine applicable. The meters will have two buttons, one for the normal tariff and a green one.

There will also be more parking spaces for motorcycles as there are more bikes up to 125 cc after the change in the law which allowed Category B licence holders to use vehicles up to 125 cc and 11 kw of power, This is to abolish the abusive parking which is occurring, for example when walking by Edificio 2000.

Maintenance of ‘Lobo Marinho’ will be in Madeira instead of Spain or Portugal. Annual maintenance work will be at Caniçal and prevent the ferry from sailing 16 trips between  12 – 30 January 2010. The decision needed a special permit and will employ 20 local workers from 6 companies. Cargo (fresh produce) will go twice a week via SATA flights, and the Porto Santo Line ferry will refund the difference in the air fare for residents on either island who have to fly.

French tourism promotional campaigns have worked. In October, there was a promotional campaign in Madeira for 150 French travel agents and journalists. SATA have also promoted the island. Madeira now features in some holiday brochures and between them, ‘Top of Travel’ and ‘Voyages Internacionaux’ have brought 800 French tourists here and they hope to double that number next year. The sale of Aigle Azur flights from Paris have exceeded expectations and if this continues, they will increase the frequency next summer.

Government not honouring its debts to contractors. The liquidity problems of the Region, justified by the Government reducing state transfers  and the prohibition of use of new bank loans, is causing havoc in dozens of the companies that provide services to the Region. The Government has 25 year contracts under part-private partnerships with Vialitoral and ViaExpresso for construction and operation of new roads. This year, the Region owes Vialitoral 58 million and ViaExpresso 25 million. Over the past three years, there has been failure in paying some of the money to the companies so they cannot pay back the bank loans, which accumulate interest, and this should be met by the Government. The Regional Government is awaiting permission to pay this debt under a program created by the Portuguese Government. The Government of Madeira initially received 574.2 million Euros for the projects and they pay ‘virtual tolls’ ranging between 0.1 and 0.2 cents for each vehicle on the roads. Over the contractual 25 years, they will pay 1,825 million Euros, varying between €38 million in 2002 and €100 million in 2015.

As Der mentioned, other complaints of non-payments. The SIRAM group of companies who installed the Christmas illuminations are irregular in payments to workers, especially for holiday bonuses from June / July and overtime.

Warning for travellers to Cabo Verde. The Portuguese Government has issued a warning about dengue fever carried by the mosquito Aedes aegypti. Since October, due to the outbreak of dengue fever in Cabo Verde, there have been 6,700 cases and 4 deaths. People travelling there have been advised to take special care. IASAÚDE is aware of the problem and last year when there was a similar problem in Brazil, special precautions were taken in Madeira. Travellers are advised to be vaccinated against yellow fever and use insect repellents. If a person shows symptoms, they are sent to the Service of Communicable Diseases for diagnosis. Since the mosquito has been identified on Madeira, care has been intensified.

Surveillance will tighten on Market Night. The street vendors will have to comply with hygiene standards and the space allocated to them. They have to pay a deposit before the event which is not refunded if the area is not kept clean. Extra litter bins and containers are provided but not always used. Last year, 18 stallholders were fined an average of 50 Euros, totalling 900 Euros. From the 10th December, there will be an increase in waste collection and they hope homeowners will make use of these to counteract the days over Christmas and the New Year when normal collections are missed.

‘Play the buzios’ competition in São Roque do Faial. Next Tuesday at 19.30 in the Casa do Povo, a competition to provide entertainment and teach children the art of making sounds out of this ‘instrument’ (conch shell). Awarded on merits of loudness, length of time and artistic ability. There will also be the Feast of São Martinho to revive the local tradition on the eve of São Martinho.

Individuals in a car assaulted an elderly woman.  An elderly woman was alone at a bus stop in Quinta Grande on Wednesday morning when a passenger of a passing car got out, threw her violently to the ground and stole a wallet containing about 100 Euros, personal documents and glasses. The woman went to the nearest residence for help, but unfortunately no individuals could be identified. A local resident claimed this type of crime has happened before and that criminals watch for people on their own.

Madeirans postpone buying a car. Up until September this year, there was a 26.28% reduction in the sale of new vehicles, to 2,130 cars and 296 commercial vehicles. At least 855 new cars were left at the dealers compared to last year. This means that both commercial and private buyers are buying fewer vehicles. There are faint signs of recovery and a lot of cars were previously bought using more readily-available credit. The tax incentives to buy hybrid or electric cars has had little impact as these vehicles are still very expensive. The picture is the same for used cars, and more diesel cars are selling than petrol cars. From the 11 – 15 November, there will be a used-car market at the Tecnopolo.

Madeira Wines & Spirits Festival. Update on yesterday. It was promoted yesterday on one of the catamarans and they were lucky enough to see dolphins. Access is 5 Euros a day, 7 Euros for 2 days and 9 Euros for all 3 days. This entitles you to a wine tasting cup and free entry to other activities.

—— If anyone goes, can they tell us what it is like. (The newspapers are heavily promoting it).

New Savoy Hotel. They hope to start the demolition before the end of the year, which should take 10 months, and redevelopment will take between 3 and 4 years. There will be 828 beds in 4 blocks, both in the hotel and apartments. 371 housing units split between standard rooms and apartments, ranging from T0 to T4 duplex. There will be more green areas in the 18,794 square metre site than before.

‘Atlantis’ special program. 10th anniversary of the RTP-M program. A special 2 hr recording today at the Casino which will be broadcasted on RTP-M, RTP-Azores and RTP-International. The program includes traditional folklore groups from Camacha and the Choir of the Portuguese in Caracas who are presently visiting the region and performing around the island.

Fire brigades better prepared for forest fires. From next Summer, there will be nine new vehicles spread around the region. The fire brigade will take part in an exercise at Madeira Airport on November 18th. There will be further exercises on the 19th and 20th at Rabacal to test the response at two scenarios of serious accidents with multiple victims. One will be a disappearance of a group of tourists in adverse weather conditions and another will be an accident involving a passenger bus.

Postponement of increase in the fees of private doctors. Consultation fees remain at 55 Euros until 2011 due to the present economic climate which is causing a drop in the number of consultations.

Fuel increases on Monday. Unleaded 95 octane up by 1 cent to 1.21 Euros and diesel will be 0.97 cents.

Businessman António Lopes acquires abandoned village in Portugal. António Lopes was for many years involved in the construction industry in Madeira. He has brought the abandoned village of Vieiro in Portugal which has been uninhabited for over 30 years and consists of about 24 houses which are now in ruins. It has taken 26 years to locate all the owners. He wants to rehabilitate the homes, primarily for tourism.

Mercarte in the Largo da Restauração on Saturday 7th. November. 09.00 to 18.00. Mercarte Madeira – Fair of Art and Craftwork. Both traditional and contemporary articles for sale.

A quick look at the front page news of today’s Diário :

Company of group involved in ‘Hidden Face’ received licence on Madeira before it was even created. It’s a long story of bigger consequences, but this particular part relates to a company set up on Madeira this year called Resatlântico, licensed in waste management, which apparently received its licence before the company was even formed.  The Department for the Environment says it followed the same legal regime that applies to all applications, and the company had not enjoyed any preferential treatment.  The  facts may say otherwise,  with ‘Resatlântico – Waste Management Ltd.’ not legally registered in the commercial registry office until May 11th, 2009, but the first license request in that name was received by the Department for the Environment two months before (March 3rd, 2009), via the Regional Secretary for Planning and Finances / Office of the Free Zone (Zona Franca), and an amended licence was thereafter issued, dated 19th May 2009. Hard to believe there would be any wrongdoing methinks. Busy people with so many brown and white envelopes passing through their hands often get dates mixed up.

Today’s top news story : Health and electricity owe €985 million – The Madeira health service has a passive debt of €484.6 million at the close of the 2008 economic year. The negative trend is worrying. Also the Electricity Company (EEM), despite of good economic indicators, registered in the same period a passive debt of €500,500,000. I can’t believe that last figure is correct … that must represent carrying a debt of around €5,000 for every customer EEM has on Madeira.

Contest for the Botanic Garden takes out director – Biologists surprised with opening for candidates just for agricultural engineers, leaving out the current post-holder. The regional secretary responsible has launched a recruitment process for a new  services manager of the ‘Jardim Botânico da Madeira – Eng. Rui Vieira’ (as it is now officially called). Roberto Jardim, who took the office left vacant by Susana Fontinha eight years ago, has a degree in biology, as did his predecessor.

Services through the loudspeakers causes controversy – The early morning masses in Lombada da Ponta do Sol are the origin of a police complaint. The câmara tried to make the priest more sensitive, that agrees to desist. All it needs is a letter to justify the matter before the faithful. The church ‘broadcasts’ the service to the community at 7.30 am on Sunday mornings, much to the annoyance of some locals. A complaint to the police under ‘noise laws’ was passed to the council to deal with, and the priest was approached. He will stop the broadcasts once he has some documents he needs to justify the move to the people. Unbelievable how the church thinks it has a free licence to impose itself in peoples lives whether they want it or not. I can live with the church bells, and even the occasional broadcasted services, and I even quite like the local events that now and again that close the town streets to traffic, and after all I did see the nearby church when I brought my house. But what I really detest is what is coming in just a few weeks, and that’s the 5 am mega-bangers day after day in the lead up to Christmas, but local traditions override national laws it seems.

In football : Madeiran Leonel Pontes in charge of Sporting. Following the shock resignation of Sporting boss Paulo Bento, his deputy will replace him for now. Leonel was born in Porto da Cruz, and was a tutor of Cristiano Ronaldo. Manuel Machado of Nacional was favourite to replace Bento in Lisbon, but it is believed he is not interested in leaving the Madeira club.

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Yesterday’s main headline : ‘Society For Performing Rights Tightens Checks – The regulating entity strengthens itself to tackle background music in bars and hotels, and against pirating of internet copied CDs and DVDs’. Having already checked many shops and businesses on Madeira for the unlicensed playing of music and copied CDs, and turned many silent, the SPA is going to move on to bars and hotels and those “less sensitive” to copyright laws. The coordinator of the action from the Portuguese Society of Authors, says that there are many who just do not attempt to respect the law, and as a result a team from Lisbon is here to develop a system of surveillance in order to identify and prevent violations. In addition, the intention is to develop information sessions for younger people as a way to curb constant violations, especially when it comes to copyright breaches through internet downloads. Music in bars will receive particular attention, whether it is prerecorded or live performances. The SPA is concerned about the lack of knowledge in the area, pointing out that many people do not know that the refusal of payment of a licence is a crime, and a denial of the remuneration to artists, many who depend on this money to live. The spokesman adds that some authors, due to the crisis, are going through serious financial problems, unable even to pay their rent. The SPA represents around 25,000 composers, authors, photographers and painters, with over 100 located here on Madeira. They claim that the licence rates payable here for entertainment are the lowest in Europe.

‘The Schools Already Finalise The Paperwork To Receive The MAGALHÃES*. – The parents of the students are going to pay according to family benefit criteria’. The process of buying laptops for the 14,000 first cycle students in our schools has started with some urgency, although 8 months behind schedule and the mainland initiative. The schools themselves are coordinating the project, with the enrolment forms starting to be sent out to parents this week. What parents will have to pay to equip their children depends on their financial situation, based on the family allowances they receive (to be confirmed through the Social Security). Some of the most disadvantaged parents will not have to pay, with others paying either €20 or €50 per laptop. The small computers have 1GB RAM, a 30GB hard drive, 22cm screen, webcam, and a battery that should last 3 hours (yeah right!), and should be internet ready, although the terms of that are still unfinalised with the mobile internet service providers on Madeira.

* the word Magalhães doesn’t exist in the dictionary, but a bit of internet research suggest a Portuguese Navigator, a strait (of water), and an obsolete piece of 1980′s software. However, I have opted for laptop computers for school children, as that is what is pictured and fits the article perfectly.  

A new website is due to be launched today at www.sesaram.pt. The ‘Serviço de Saúde da RAM’ (Health Service of Madeira) is the one-stop-shop for everything you need to know about the health service, but it is only available in Portuguese. I have had a look through the various menus and options, and it seem pretty good. There are helpline contacts for health issues, a pharmacy locator for Madeira (though according to that the two in Ribeira Brava don’t exist yet), and details of all the health facilities on Madeira (opening hours, specialist activities etc.). It covers details about the health service organisation, the various programs and initiatives underway, news, useful links, events etc. Pretty useful for Portuguese speakers with computers and internet access I would think. It also has a facility for making complaints, suggestions, and even to thank whoever may deserve it.

‘Madeirans Are Pioneers In Making High Quality Concrete – AFA ensures legal requirements are met making it unique on Madeira’. Avelino Farinha & Agrela (you know, the heavy trucks you meet at every tight road bend) is the first Portuguese company to produce ‘hydraulic concrete’ to a guaranteed standard that meets Europe’s strictest requirements. That opens the door for them to apply for and take on all sorts of works. The process began in 2007 with the award of ISO 9001 in management systems, and the right to use the CE mark with various products, and that was extended in 2008. AFA have invested more than €500,000 in laboratory equipment and staff training to get to this point. Lots more on the subject, but interesting facts about concrete can only stretch so far. It suffices to say that by the time this government finishes skimming Madeira with concrete, it will either sink in the Atlantic, or the owners / shareholders of AFA and their suppliers will be very rich people. Whether that includes any of our politicians who knows?