Madeira News Blog

Today’s Photos Thanks to  Martin L … Christmas lights in Ribeira Brava

CLICK ON THE PHOTOS FOR A FULL SIZE VIEW

"Hotels in the Portuguese town of Funchal on the Atlantic Island Madiera are also favoured by travellers; hotels in the port town have an average of 79.31 points and are fourth in the overall European Reputation …" TRAVEL NEWS GAZETTE

ALSO : Amusement park in Ponta do Sol – Giga Park A COUPLE OF PHOTOS

A short video here from the 4TH FUNCHAL INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

This from the RTP Azores website :  The number of domestic violence complaints filed in the Azores amounts to 3.6% of the national total, but the region recorded a 3.9%decrease compared to the same time last year. According to data from a report issued by the General Direction of Internal Administration, the number of complaints filed to the PSP and GNR increased by 12% nationwide in the first half of 2009 compared with 2008. The document says that police forces received 14,600 complaints during the first six months of this year, i.e. 1,570 cases more than in the first half of 2008. The most complaints were filed in Madeira which recorded a 24.6% increase over last year while mainland Portugal saw the number of cases rise by 12.4%.

"DARTMOUTH — Joseph Sousa, age 83, of Dartmouth, MA passed on Friday, December 4, 2009 at Brandon Woods in Dartmouth … he was the driving force in creating the Museum of Madeiran Heritage and was tireless in his dedication and promotion of Madeiran culture and history. He received numerous honors for his many outstanding accomplishments". MORE

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

Bonus item : Caniço in 1933 (on the Casa do Povo site).

More than 150 cars sold. It is a ‘safe bet’ for the Group Camacho. Of the approximately 200 cars set out in the VI Used Car Show, more than 150 were sold. The show was between the 2 and 6 December and more than 600 euros was collected for the ‘Hat of Hope’ charity.

Fighting begins with the ordinary citizen. President of the Council for the Prevention of Corruption in Portugal states that the idea that ‘favours’ for benefits are ‘a normal thing’ must stop. He is  also President of the Court of Auditors and pointed out that corruption is a phenomenon for us, not for others, and knocking at the door of every citizen. "Corruption starts as a small favour and may end up in  a crime. The fight against corruption starts at the common citizen. "In public departments, citizens undoubtedly see they will be treated more quickly if they give something to state officials. This certainly has to end once and for all." He reinforced, "People may think they are attended to more quickly if they corrupt. This can even be seen as a normal thing, but it must cease." "If we reach positive objectives in the fight against corruption, we will obtain better results in public administration, and overall, the affirmation that the State is like a good person." That is, the better that corruption is tackled, the more effective will be the public administration machinery, and less justification for corruption. Laws can only be deterrents if they give rise to sanctions. The Council for the Prevention of Corruption has been active for a year and he is sympathetic to the fact that people are usually sceptical about new institutions.

Air quality is better. In Funchal, the average annual carbon monoxide content has decreased by about 25% since 2007. São João (Edificio 2000) monitoring station data analyzed. There might be two explanations; the decrease in car traffic in the city and/or improvements in vehicle carbon monoxide filtration equipment. The annual average CO content fell from 522 micrograms per cubic metre to 401 this year. The lowest monthly averages were also achieved during this year, a continuing trend downwards. Two years ago, the highest monthly concentration was in January at 700 micrograms and the highest this year was in March but even so, was less than 500 micrograms. There are lower levels during the warmer months coinciding with the holiday period when there is less car traffic. Similarly, the highest daily averages are falling, from 1,300 micrograms in April 2007 to less than 700 per day this year. The highest hourly concentrations of CO for the last three years reached almost 4,000 micrograms which are lower than the legal maximum of 10,000 micrograms of CO per cubic metre. The maximum this year has not exceeded 2,000 and they coincide with the peak traffic times at 08.00 and 18.00 hours.

Christmas competitions in Machico. Getting ready for Christmas in Machico. The local council has released details of the usual seasonal competitions. Until January 4, ‘Machico More Sweet’ to preserve and disseminate traditional Madeiran confectionery and liqueur recipes. Competition of Display Units for shops from 15 December to 12 January. Nativity Contest to revive the symbolism of the traditional Madeiran presépio for people both inside and outside their homes.

61 year old woman brutally attacked. Occurred on Saturday night in Funchal by her brother using a hoe handle, after a history of threats. She has a broken arm and hand, scars and wounds and has been advised bed rest for eight days. She will make a formal complaint to the police, from which he retired but is still covered by disciplinary regulations.

‘Função do porco’ tomorrow in Camacha. At the Casa do Povo, the Christmas festivity program has been released. The range of festivities and celebrations include performances by traditional groups and institutions of the ‘capital of the traditional Madeiran culture’. Tuesday December 8 at 15.00 is the traditional ‘função do porco’. Nuno Abreu, the President of the Casa do Povo explained, "The pig will come already dead for the procedures of cleaning and cutting." The various steps of the ‘função’ were then explained, which result in the prepared pig cut into five sections. —- I will leave out details in case there are any vegetarian readers.

Quartet in Port; port full with up to 7,400 tourists. Four cruise ships in port today has meant that the arrival of the ferry Volcan de Tijarafe from Portimão has had to be delayed until 18.00, because the normal mooring site will be occupied by the Balmoral. The ferry will leave for the Canary Islands two hours later, freeing the pier/ramp for the Lobo Marinho arrival at 20.15. The four cruise ships are the AIDAluna (2,250 tourists), MSC Orchestra (2,600), Balmoral (1,200) and the Island Escape (1,400).

‘Weekbreak’ includes the Pousadas de Portugal. The product ‘Weekbreak’ is the result of partnership between Travelport and ‘Life is Beautiful’. The stays at the Pousadas de Portugal, operated by the Pestana Group, have prices ranging from 79.90 to 119.90 euros, ensuring brand new and better experiences at Christmas. These are available through travel agents and promoted as unique Christmas presents for families and friends. The first proposal is an inspiring evening for two, with breakfast included, in one of the 20 Pousadas de Portugal. The second proposal is a pack of two night stays for two people in the 31 pousadas. Pousadas de Portugal are restored buildings of architectural heritage with high quality modern interior furnishings. Ancient palaces, monasteries, convents and fortresses have been restored. The Pousadas de Portugal package includes the North, Central, Alentejo, Algarve and the Azores. The other packages include;  Country Escapes, Spa and Rituals, Charming Places, Hotel and Spa, Youth Hostels and Paradores of Spain. More information www.myweekbreak.com —- Photo is the Convento de Santa Clara in Vila do Conde, one of the proposals.

2,000 already have solar panels and other environmental news. By the end of November 2009, there were more than 2,000 Madeirans who have benefited from the ‘Medida Solar Termico 2009′ campaign, providing tax relief expiring at the end of this year. At the end of the year, individuals are eligible for a reduction of 50% of the purchase of solar heating panels from the beginning of the year until the end of the month. A family can save up to 70% of annual water heating costs, even on cloudy days up to 60% of need can be achieved. Already including Government support, the initial costs vary from 600 to more than 3,300 euros and the panels should last for up to 20 years. Details online www.paineissolares.gov.pt. For anyone interested in ‘clean energy’, another article states that 94% of wind farms in Portugal have been approved since 2005. There will be 76 in total (1,057 turbines), mainly located in mountainous areas of the Northern and Central Interior. SPEA criticize the lack of strategy in locating wind farms as they are sometimes installed in migration routes of birds. By 2010, the Portuguese Government predicts that about 45% of electricity will be generated from renewable sources. Quercus in Madeira have drawn a list of twelve tips that allow one to save the environment and lessen spending this season. Energy saving, recycling and using rechargeable batteries are some of the tips for a ‘greener’ Christmas. Saving on lighting, utilizing recycled wrapping paper, offering helpful gifts, taking advantage of the Christmas decorations provided by the Councils, for ‘sustainable consumption’. The Regional Director of the Environment at the UN summit on climate change in Copenhagen and Quercus are concerned about water management as there are decreasing amounts of rainfall in Madeira.  Madeirans have to rationalize water consumption, streams have to be maintained by cleaning and the Government has constructed reservoirs to secure water resources for agriculture.

"So who is the ass?" The CDS-PP in Câmara de Lobos Council still want the second access road to Nun’s Valley that was proposed in the last reunion of the Council. It is recalled that recently the President of the Government, Alberto João Jardim, described as "illiterate" all those who defend a second alternative road to the interior of Nun’s Valley. Roberto Rodrigues, author of the proposal submitted by the CDS-PP in that authority is convinced that these words of the President of the Regional Government will have negative effects on the next electoral results of the PSD. Rodrigues claims that he has no doubt that in the next election, the electorate will know the Curral gave proper response to the President. "I am convinced that in the next election, the vote of the people of Curral das Freiras will make people aware about who is after all the ass in this whole story."

Five arrested and 34 weapons seized in Nun’s Valley. Police operation lasting six hours on Saturday / Sunday, including house searches. Four people arrested for possession of prohibited arms and one for driving without a licence. The weapons seized included twelve firearms, two extendible batons, three replica firearms, five daggers, one sword, three machetes and a whip. In addition to weapons, 107 pyrotechnics were also seized and 24 large blue cans labelled as bleach but containing 600 litres of alcohol. The police also carried out roadside checks and monitored 88 vehicles. In a statement the police said that Nun’s Valley "reveals some disturbing deviant behaviour, particularly the high rate of domestic violence and alcohol consumption." These were the reasons for "adoption of a strategic intervention in order to prevent and tackle illegal activities."

Câmara de Lobos has 45 million euros budget. The Municipality of Câmara de Lobos is expected to have for the next financial year another Municipal Budget of the order of 45 million euros. Last year’s budget was 45.23 million, this years has declined by around 300,000 euros to 44.9 million. In order to prevent a debate on the Budget Plan 2010 at the next public meeting on December 18, and also because the Municipal Assembly meets a day before the last meeting of the town council, a special meeting has been scheduled for next Friday by the mayor to debate and vote on the Budget Plan. The approval should be easy as the PSD have absolute majority against the three opposition parties. The PS (Socialist Party) reject the Budget is lower due to the Local  Finance Law but because the Regional Government has reduced transfers. The MPT (Earth Party) believe that special attention should be given to the quality of life and money not to be diverted for what can be classified as ‘megalomanias’. The CDS-PP stresses that the crisis also comes to the Council and it is also the fault of the Regional Government because it does not meet the contracts-program.

More than half a thousand requested retirement. This year, a total of 516 public employees have requested early retirement. It is a very high value, more than double than in some recent years and not the record only because last year’s accumulation represented two years (2007 and 2008), reaching a total of 625 retirements. Almost a third (139) were from the educational section, of which 74 were teachers, possibly reflecting the turmoil that resulted from the new arrangements for evaluation and career development. Another significant share of outflows were from the areas of social services and health, with 172 retirements, as follows: 139 from the Health Service, 33 from Social Security, 3 from Health and Social Services Administration. 17 doctors retired (including 14 Heads of Departments), more than in any previous year, a phenomenon that should not be alien to the restructuring of the Central Hospital of Funchal. Also 44 nurses left active service. High outputs in the Department of Natural Resources (43), the 11 local Councils (53, 26 in Funchal), ANAM (19), RAMEDM- Roads of Madeira (13) and Social Equipment (13). The sum of the pension these 516 retirees are entitled to reaches a total value of 581,000 euros, that is, an average monthly pension of 1,125 euros. This is slightly below last year’s value of 1,169 euros. Men on average earn 76 euros less pension than women but the ‘millionaire pensioners’ barely cover women, last year 8 out of the 10 highest pensions were awarded to men. In the last 10 years, 3,918 public sector pensioners have been created, an average of 391 per year. The highest pension among the 516 retirees this year was awarded to a notary who is entitled to receive 4,500 euros a month.  It is about 20 times more than the five people who received the lowest pension of 227 euros per month. Among the other beneficiaries of the ten highest pensions, six were doctors, a nurse, a university professor and a deputy.

Lights go on today in São Vicente. The illuminations start today at 21.00 in São Vicente, also in the centres of Ponta Delgada and Boaventura. There will be two presépios in São Vicente, one Madeiran in the lobby of the Municipal Building and a large one in the Municipal Garden. The illuminations will continue until January 22, day of the patron saint of the county, which is a municipal holiday. The Night Market is on December 18, with Christmas carols.

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

Plan for the mountain range include Rabaçal cable car – The popular action is in progress. The time has come to join the ‘class action’ against the cable car that is planned for construction in Rabaçal. The action was instigated in March by two environmental organisations, both with the intent of putting a stop to the project. ‘Quercus National Association for Nature Conservation’ and ‘The Friends of the Ecological Park’ asked the Administrative Court of Funchal (TAF) for a declaration of nullity or annulment of the decision of the Madeira Government, approving the planned construction in the laurissilva forest, an area classified as "biological reserve" by the Council of Europe, and as a world natural heritage site by UNESCO.

Funchal Council identifies trees of public interest.

Future of the land doesn’t get decided just in Copenhagen.

Today’s main news headline :  Cheque mystery – Santana Council passed a cheque to its ex-president to the value of nearly €5,000, relating to entertaining expenses  in the final three years of his political mandate. Carlos Pereira left it in a office in the câmara from where it would come to be removed on the day that the new executive took office. The cheque showed up weeks later, in a donation box in Sé. When Pereira returned to his office to ‘clear out his desk’ he was pretty upset to find his cheque had disappeared, but his happiness returned when a council employee told him that his cheque had turned up in the donation box in Sé Cathedral in Funchal. The story seems implausible even within a comedy,  but Pereira confirms that the cheque was stolen by someone who had access to keys, narrowing it down to just a few people.  He thinks it was a prank in bad taste, because no one else could have banked the cheque, or an act of ‘pure malice’, as he sought to play down the matter. The matter was resolved when a priest at the Cathedral had called the council very surprised to have found the cheque that had appeared, with the name of the ex-president (PSD). Very upsetting, I could hardly swallow my breakfast cereal reading this tale of woe. It just goes to show that the PSD unpleasantness extends within the party, and is not just reserved for outsiders. Is there no system to stop a stolen cheque here then, as issuing a new one surely wouldn’t have been an insurmountable problem?

Almost 100 went to the Gripe A Centre and to the confusion. The treatment centre at Santo António was very busy and the users were muddled. 82 concerned / sick people had turned up at the new swine flu treatment centre by 5 pm yesterday, on its first day of operation, some having firstly gone to the Emergencies at the hospital (obviously not blog readers then!), and others went to Santo António when they should have gone to their local health centre. One father of a sick boy, said he first of all rang the ‘Health Line’, where he was told to go to the hospital, only to find that he ‘was knocking on the wrong door’. He was then told to go to Santo António, and he did so, despite actually living in Garajau and covered by the health centre in Machico. But common sense prevailed and the sick boy was attended to at Santo António. Some patients had to wait in the reception as the waiting room and corridor was filled with adults and children wearing green surgical masks. Talk about the unpleasant things people have to do in life sometimes, as this must rank amongst one of them … being perfectly healthy yourself and having to take a kid (who may or may not have Gripe A) into a room of festering germs, all eager to jump down ones throat. Must be almost as bad as going out to lunch with Uncle Bertie … no I jest … bring on the swine flu!

The public revenue doesn’t depend on the authorisation of the State.

Nacional celebrate 99 years with two victories – The Alvinegros went to Leiria winning by 1 – 2 and keep fourth place in the premier league. The other victory came from hospital : Manager Manuel Machado is now conscious and out of danger.

That’s all I have time for. If anyone else can oblige with any of the ‘blank’ headlines, here is the link 

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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 PHOTOS : Thanks to Sue … Quinta do Lorde

"Took advantage of the beautiful weather on Sunday and we went to do a check up on the status of Ponta de São Lourenço Peninsula where they are recreating a small typical coastal village that is called Quinta do Lorde Resort.  Things have moved in a year but cannot believe it will be finished in June 2010, which is their prediction date.  The initial start was made with the Marina (which does have one bar/restaurant) and some initial housing.  This development will include various bars and restaurants, plazas, incredibly a chapel, a gourmet shop, also, I was informed it will have its own supermarket and pharmacy.  Anyone interested in reading more able it should go to their web page www.quintadolorde.pt ".

You sound quite upbeat  about it Sue, but it is an ecological and visual nightmare in the situation where it was built. Not only that, the planning consent process was a farce, and the development is even bigger and higher than the consent that was ‘granted’ allowed. The PSD social democrats have managed to quash various attempts to uncover what really went on, through the Regional Assembly, including a forced public enquiry, and god only knows how many fat brown envelopes were involved. From a personal perspective I would say don’t visit, don’t buy, and tell anyone thinking of buying that they will be condoning ‘naughtiness’ on a breathtaking scale. (I didn’t use the word I really wanted to).

On the 1st of November 2009 3 American species of ducks were recorded in Madeira Island. Wood Ducks, the Green-winged Teal, and American Wigeons were spotted, with one species sighted for the first time. MADEIRA WIND BIRDS for more information and great photos, and a video.

"Nailed in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, the paradisiac archipelago of Madeira offers a different trip, to a wild corner which principal element is the Forest of Laurisilva, forest relic classified by the UNESCO like Natural World Patrimony. It is one of the few ones in the world that there preserves the purity that existed millions of years ago". I guess the author of this article meant well, but the writing style is just a bit weird. NEW WAYS TO USE THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

José Sócrates presents government programme for the next four years – MPs of the PSD and PS don’t assume for now any firm position. Thursday and Friday have been scheduled for debating the document. Rather than speculate about what the proposals will do for Madeira in terms of the revision of the regional finance law, Madeira’s MPs will wait to see the conclusions of the various parliamentary groups that  will meet to discuss the issues. With a reduced majority, Sócrates may have to negotiate with other parties both to the left and right, to get the programme accepted. As president Jardim already had the commitment of the PSD nationally to accept changes to the regional finance law (a pre-election deal), then it may stand a good chance of going through. Exactly what it will do for us the people in €€€s and our economy I can’t really tell you, as I can’t remember everything, but we will know fairly soon I would imagine.

Many thanks again to Elaine for a summary of yesterday’s main news article :

Portuguese consuming less. Following on from the report about fewer imports /exports in Madeira. Portuguese consumers are taking advantage of  falls in interest rates on housing loans to pay off debt and increase savings, but do not seem to consume more, preferring to defer purchases of higher value. This is typical behaviour in times of recession and crisis, and savings rates have risen. They have not started to buy for Christmas yet.

522 new cancer patients already this year. The numbers of cancers detected are increasing each year, as they are worldwide. 453 in 2005 and 614 last year. Increases are mainly in colon cancer and breast cancer which are thought to be due to less healthy lifestyles. Survival rates are improving due to early diagnosis and more effective treatment. Malignancy is still the second cause of death in Madeira, exceeded by cardiovascular diseases. In 2006, there were 462 deaths from cancers, breast cancer leading. About a thousand patients use the Day Hospital  facilities, mainly for oncological diseases as well as others.

Airport security guards want more recognition. Since May 2007, the access controls at the airport of Madeira are no longer the responsibility of the police but ‘Securitas’ security guards. These workers have minimal training and are not certified. They are regularly trained with bogus bomb threats without much knowledge of weapons or explosives. Despite the increased responsibility, they are in the same category as other security staff, e.g. supermarket employees. The responsibilities are not proportional to the category. They want a recognized professional career. They are responsible for passenger screening, staff screening and luggage security checks, e.g.. using x-ray machines and other detectors. The task of the police is to maintain public order and prevention of incidents. The National Association of Wardens wants the airport authorities and the Ministry of Internal Affairs to establish a new professional category for airport security staff that would create better conditions, wages and training. This was promised in March but has not been implemented. A ‘Securitas’ spokesman says it is up to the union and the authorities to resolve labour issues. The training is the same as for those working in other situations with an additional 71 hours of specific training for airport employment.

Residents do not want funeral directors in their apartment block. Originally a cafe was promised in the commercial area on the ground floor of the apartment block in Porto Santo. The residents now realize a funeral parlour is being installed. The conversion work has started without any notification, or authorization by the apartment owners, as established by law. Following their complaints, the council have stopped the building works as they are unauthorized by either the council or the residents. Any other types of trade will also need approval.

Rockfall threatened access to Nun’s Valley just before festivities. About 4.10 am, there was a landslide from the back garden of a house onto the Estrada da Eira do Serrado blocking the only access to Nun’s Valley, where they expected thousands of sightseers to the Chestnut Festival. The 72 year old owner immediately hired men and a lorry to clear the debris although it was still dark. The firemen visited later on Sunday and just put red tape across the area where there should have been a support wall to prevent the collapse but did not recommend that the owner moves out. The owner built the house 30 years ago and the council queried its legality. He has recently noticed cracks in the walls of the house which he blames on the increased traffic, especially lorries on the nearby road. He is hoping the council will start securing the area on Monday.

Councillors safeguard their own interests (receive more money). The later they leave, the more money they receive. The inauguration ceremonies for new councillors and mayors are on November 2nd instead of being in October. If the outgoing staff left in October, they would receive 10 months salary. By delaying to November, they receive an additional month’s salary and full Christmas bonus.

Constitutionalist Jorge Miranda believes that the Lisbon Treaty "is a mistake". "For better or worse, the Lisbon Treaty, which is almost a carbon copy of the former called the European Constitution severely limits the powers of state sovereignty and therefore it will also affect the relationship between States and Autonomous Regions." Jorge Miranda says the important thing is "to strengthen the participation of the Autonomous Regions in the European construction." He is pro-Europe but against the new agreement. "I am an advocate of European integration but not in this sense of very centralized and federalist."  —- From yesterday’s rant, Bertie for EU President?

New exhibition about whales and dolphins of Madeira in Ponta do Pargo. 4 December to 4 January in the Civic Centre. The exhibition is organized by the Whaling Museum in Caniçal and will display images taken between 2004 and 2006 of dolphins and whales that inhabit the seas of the Madeira archipelago. (The permanent exhibition at the Whale Museum is presently closed)

Porto Bay wants to open two more hotels in Brazil. The economic crisis in Europe has made the group rethink its strategy and take advantage of the good indications for the Brazilian market, with extraordinary economic growth and a series of events scheduled for the coming years. Three of their hotels have 500 beds in Rio de Janeiro, Buzios and São Paulo. In the future Olympic city of Rio, in Copacabana, the Porto Bay International hotel has 117 rooms and is also well placed for two airports and exploring the historic town, shops, museums, park and night life. They want to adapt or build a beach hotel in the northeast.

Naviera Armas and Ports Institute on a collision course. The Spanish owner ensures that they comply with the rules imposed by the licence to load and unload at the port. The regulator ruled the operation illegal. The company is working with their lawyers to provide their defence. The case could go to both the Portuguese and Spanish Governments.

Some of today’s news headlines :

There have been 4 new cases of Gripe A swine flu detected on Madeira this last week. Three of the cases came from Venezuela and Belgium. The big relief is that there have still not been any cases in our schools.

Madeira’s newest airline FlyMI made it’s inaugural flight today. The plane is on the TV as I type, already landed at Madeira airport, so I assume it has delivered it’s first cargo inbound from Lisbon.

On the front page of today’s Diário :

Support for ‘Flor do Mar’ refused by Tribunal de Contas (Audit Office) – In dispute is the contract of accommodation for the professionals that shoot the film. Flor do Mar is the national soap opera filmed on Madeira by TVI. Putting up 50 people for three weeks every month between September 2008 and last May, was too much said the tribunal. The arrangements were made through the secretary for Tourism and Transport, and have set Madeira back €423,040. The issue was that the cast and crew were accommodated in the ‘CS’ hotel, and the contract for accommodation should have gone out to tender. The tourism secretary has argued that it was all arranged as a matter or urgency to safeguard the public interest, and appealed the decision, but the appeal has been rejected.

The main headline today : Complaints in the hotel sector – The trade union talks of over one hundred cases of unpaid staff. The Chamber of Commerce of Funchal says that the numbers are worrying, but requires confirmation of the numbers. The TU spokesman says the salary arrears also extend to restaurants and other hotel establishments. The numbers relate to trade union members, when in fact between 50 and 60% of hotel workers are not in the trade union, saving themselves 1% of their salaries.

Madeira wants to widen the the timescales for applying for community funds of QREN.

Most of today’s front page is taken up with a photo of our two football teams, Nacional and Marítimo, pictured in a joint team pose : Derby game in Caracas – IV Banif Trophy to be played in Venezuela. The game will take place in may 2010, at the end of the premier league.

‘Night of the witches’ brought bad luck for 5 youths from Porto Santo – Inappropriate adventure suppressed by the police. That’s the name given to Halloween night in Portugal, although it is noticeable that ‘Halloween’, the actual name is becoming more popular. The 5 youths, who gathered together to play some pranks on Friday night, tried to rob an elderly woman wearing masks, and also raided an empty holiday home as a ‘haunted house’. It seems the police at the arrest were not happy with the situation, and gave the gang a good kicking, and that will be the subject of a counter complaint against the police.

Individual detained in Santa Catarina with 5 thousand doses in his body. The 25 year old Portuguese man was detained at the airport and taken to hospital where the drugs (cocaine) were removed through surgery. The drugs have a street value of €125,000. The man is being held in custody, and was under surveillance by police prior to his arrest.

Maiata : People insist on using dangerous road. Maiata is in Porta da Cruz, and the road in question is closed through danger of rockfall, a fact that does not worry the local population, who seemingly use it as they always have.

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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.

(more…)

TODAY’S PHOTO : Thanks to ???? … Fish market. Really sorry that in one of my absent minded moments I forgot to make a note of who sent it in, but if you can email me I will be sure to correct the situation with the rightful credit.

Maybe this was taken in the days when the espada fish was plentiful? On that subject, I don’t know if anyone remembers a couple of years ago, there was a big rumpus when the European Union tried to impose fishing quotas for the black espada fish, purely as a conservation precaution. Fishermen and politicians were most perturbed by the suggestion, and after a lot of wrangling eventually the EU dropped the proposal, making a special case for Madeira, where we insisted that the espada population was alive and well and plentiful. How exactly did we know that the espada population was alive and well and plentiful I hear you asking, the bl**dy thing lives about two thousand fathomythings below sea-level? I don’t think we did know for sure, and fed up with growing straight bananas we BS’d the EU, and now perhaps we have been found out?

"The island is a veritable mixing plant ’subtropical zone where the spread banana, cane sugar, warm temperate Mediterranean-type, which has encouraged the cultivation of the vine area of primeval forest (forest gold), unique relic of the Tertiary Era before the great period of glaciation". Interesting writing style if nothing else! I GOT MY WORDS MIXED UP

I had a rare foray into Funchal yesterday, thanks to a letter I got from those good people at Radio Popular, telling me that there is 10% off everything I could carry (or in this case have delivered FOC). Saved me a pretty centythingy. Santa Catarina park was interesting, with the university students out in force, as part of their initiation week. The name of the game was to throw a water-filled balloon in the air over a group of novices, and hope that they would catch it without it bursting. The punishment for failure was a large number of press-ups, or a dying-fly impersonation lasting several minutes. Nice, and yet not one student appeared drunk … how is that possible. Saw the ship National Geographic Explorer in harbour. Aside from that I was glad to get home from our hot, sweaty and polluted mother city. No shortage of tourists from what I could see.

A very quick looks at today’s Diário headlines :

Lobo Case : ‘Cheque for campaign’ mix up. A cheque for €10,000 created confusion between building contractor and politicians. The judgement started yesterday with António Lobo silent. Elaine already has most of the story covered, but Lobo is saying nothing in court. I haven’t looked at the article yet, I will do so tonight, but I can see already from this headline how this innocent misunderstanding occurred, and I think if someone suddenly gave me a €10,000 cheque I would be also be inclined to be confused.

Super-Shop upsets trade in Machico – The Chinese enterprise with various businesses obliges local traders to put into perspective the closure of their shops. ACIM (a sort of chamber of commerce) strongly threatens to obtain a court injunction. What a horror, I can’t even begin to imagine what a Chinese version of a Madeiran minimum wage must look like, but that aside, once again the locals clash with the Chinese over competition.

Homeless of Funchal lose their ‘street beds’. The shop owners of Rua do Carmo are arranging to cover up the recesses in their shop fronts. Meanwhile an anti-poverty plan is on the way. According to this morning’s TV news, 18% of the population of Portugal is now living within the definition of poverty.

Counting of rifles in the PS-M. The race for the leadership of the Socialist Party of Madeira between Serrão and Victor proceeds with much ‘hidden play’. They are going to appear supportive of each other, but only on ‘drip-feed’ rate.

Nacional wants to avoid surprise in the cup. Varzim, club of the Madeiran Gonçalo, is the opponent today.

Thanks again to Elaine in Garajau for the news from yesterday : 

The Lime Route Museum, ‘Rota da Cal’ has a free cultural event on Saturday 17 October. Begins at 10.00 am in Lameiros near São Vicente. Rethatching event to renew expertise. At 15.00 a group from Boaventura will perform using traditional instruments. —–To celebrate International Day of Older Persons and International Day of Music.

Cavaco summons Diniz. Main headline about Cavaco Silva, the President of the Republic, calling Monteiro Diniz, the Representative of Madeira, to Lisbon to talk about the ‘cases’ of campaign events during the elections. Diniz just seems to give an account of the issues and that they had not influenced the results.

Embroiderers (bordadeiras) criticize passitivity of IVBAM. The Syndicate of Embroiderers accuses the Government body, the Institute for Wine, Embroidery and Handicrafts (IVBAM) for passitivity. According to Maria Gananca, there are difficulties due to competition from the Asian market and lack of quality training. Innovation is important, for example, jeans, handbags, watches and wedding dresses but tradition must be preserved. Tapestry is in even more crisis as market demand is low and there are only two companies and the few embroiderers are older.

School children visit the statue of Our Lady of Fatima. The statue has been visited by a large number of  locals as well as organized school visits. The photo shows the children offering flowers, and they also had hymn singing and a recitation of the rosary. The statue will be in the Se Cathedral until Sunday.

Court in awe with negligence in the tunnel. The continuing trial about the explosion during the construction of the tunnel in Nun’s Valley in 2003 when four workers died. A security expert gave evidence that the detonators were not appropriate given the weather conditions (water running down the walls and into the prepared holes for the explosives) and the ‘Jumbo’ drilling machine was running on electric rather than diesel power. The training of the operator of the explosives was weak and the explosives were detonated during the lunch hour. The trial resumes on the 5th November.

Fire in Levada dos Moinhos, Viveiros, Funchal. A fire broke out early Friday morning and the firemen were in attendance from 00.45 to 1.20 am.

Suspect accused of corruption in Ponta do Sol financed the election campaign in 2004. Continuation of the case involving the former mayor António Lobo. The industrial construction businessman, Jose Angel Giestas, wrote a cheque for 10,000 Euros to finance the ‘campaign’ for a block of 29 apartments and 10,000 Euros for the Sports Association of Ponta do Sol. According to the prosecutors, the money went into the personal account of Antonio Lobo. The trial begins today with Lobo and 4 others in the dock for serious fraud and bribery.

Psychotropic drug use in Portugal has increased 36.6% in five years. Anxiolytics, hypnotics, sedatives and antidepressants. The High Commissioner for Health says it is important to know why so many psychiatric drugs are consumed. It is above the European average. Antidepressant use increased 26.4%. The President of the Portuguese Society of Biological Psychiatry explained, "Although there is a real increase in use of antidepressants in Portugal, Europe and around the world, there is no scientific evidence that this increase is due to bad clinical practice." "Growth in consumption is not related to the number of depressed patients as the use of antidepressants is a common practice in other medical specialities than psychiatry."

Links with another article. According to a Portuguese psychiatrist, one in five patients in general practice has depression. It is under diagnosed and undertreated, mainly because it manifests as physical symptoms and family doctors do not have enough time to talk to patients.

In another article, the President of the Misericordias in Portugal says there are more people who are ashamed to be in poverty, due to the economic crisis. This needs to be met with discreet support. ——Saturday is the International Day of the Eradication of Poverty ——-Saturday is European Day of Depression !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Highest percentage of pressure ulcers in the region occur in Madeira. Due to lack of training to caregivers, usually family members.

Army tests with real ammunition. As previously warned, the exercise in Ponta do Pargo. It occurred near the lighthouse and involved two anti-aircraft guns from 1981 but the military assures that they have up to date technology. The Association of Aeromodelists of Madeira participated with a remote controlled helicopter which simulated a landing approach by an enemy. The target for the guns were two sets of balloons (as shown). As well as spectators banned from the area, there was a liaison officer at the airport and one in a patrol vessel to ensure that vessels would not be in the area. —–Dad’s Army (?)

Genetics may define diet. In accordance with Der’s article about poor eating habits. There is evidence that the genetic profile of an individual can help in developing a proper diet although we are a long way from personalized ‘gene-diets’. A diet may have different responses in different individuals, e.g. a low-sodium diet might reduce blood pressure in some but not others, so they have to be as accurate as possible to avoid some diseases. The article then goes on to castigate us all for poor diet and thus destroying the environment. ——Today is World Food Day

Arun sails within the next 19 days. Two new support vessels for assistance at sea. There will be one boat for Santa Cruz and one for Porto Santo.

Linked to another article. The Commander of the Maritime Zone of Madeira, Coelho Candido, has just had a leaving presentation. He said that the Maritime Police are not yet ready for rescue at sea and that the navy will still assist.

Brussels proposes a 15% reduction in the catch of mackerel in Madeira and Azores. This will begin in 2010 but will not affect Madeira as the catches are already below the quota.

Leacock invests €14 million in a hotel in the Algarve. New five star hotel to be built in Lagos, similar to the Quinta Jardins do Largo and Quinta do Casa Branca in Madeira.

Câmara de Lobos feature. 174th anniversary of the municipality. In recognition, J. Madeira had an interview with the mayor, Arlindo Gomes. He attacked ‘dirty politics’ against him during the election campaign. The council want to create more social housing and day care centres. They will also help small and medium enterprises in the economic crisis. The council also want to see the night life returning, especially at weekends, the ‘câmaralobenses nights’. The President of the Municipality said, "The nights were well attended by people  from both inside and outside the municipality, which ended peacefully." "It’s hard to go downtown on a Saturday night and see almost no one in those cafes and bars which were once bursting at the seams." The many festivals are popular, for example, the Feast of the Black Scabbard Fish , Cherry Festival, Wine Festival and Chestnut Festival. Religious festivals are also important, e.g. patron saints of the nine parishes in the municipality. There have been many physical and social activities and summer activities for children. 45% of the population is under 25 years old. It  is also a tourist area, famous for scenery, espetada (beef on laurel skewers) and poncha.

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