Madeira News Blog

Today’s photo – Many thanks to Eiryl … flowers of the Brazilian kapok tree – photo taken September 2009

Madeira is a Portuguese archipelago in the mid Atlantic Ocean. It is one of the Autonomous regions of Portugal, with Madeira Island, visible in this orthorectified image, and Porto Santo Island being the only inhabited islands.

Madeira is an archipelago with volcanic origins from a Hot Spot, so is not geographically part of a specific continent, but Madeira belongs and has belonged ethnically, culturally, economically and politically to Europe for 600 years despite being geographically closer to Africa. Thanks to Earth Snapshot.

"Madeira is a Portuguese archipelago located in the mid Atlantic Ocean. The archipelago consists of 2 populated islands, Madeira Island and Porto Santo Island as well as 2 groups of unpopulated islands, Desertas and Selvagens Islands. Madeira is formed from a massive volcano eruption on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean over 5 million years ago. How much do you know about Madeira? Prior to writing this post, I only know that Cristiano Ronaldo is born and raised in Madeira!" Beautiful Places On Earth Includes a video.

"If you tell friends you are going to Madeira Islands, they would probably say, “Wow!” and then give you a quizzical look even before they finish the interjection. Madeira? Where is that? Well, a lot of people would ask the same question especially if you are from the other part of the world. Besides, even if you have a map, it would probably not come easy for you to find where these little jewels are. Who could locate dots in the Atlantic anyway?" FAMOUS WONDERS – Top 100 wonders

Do we have any readers in Cornwall in the UK I wonder? If so, this might be of interest, with flights being offered from Newquay Airport this year : March 24 – Madeira from £499 for flight and hotel. There may be more? : FULL ARTICLE

Global Hotel Alliance (GHA) is delighted to start 2010 by welcoming Tivoli Hotels & Resorts as their latest member, as the rapidly-growing alliance now extends its reach to include two important new markets, Portugal & Brazil, with one of the regions’ most respected brands. Founded in 1933, Tivoli owns and operates some of Portugal’s most reputed hotels in locations such as Lisbon, Sintra, Coimbra, the Algarve and Madeira. In 2006 they have expanded into Brazil, with a luxury resort in Praia do Forte in Bahia and more recently with a landmark hotel in Sao Paulo. GLOBAL HOTEL ALLIANCE … anyone know anything about it, as apparently it is about to launch a loyalty programme?

A brief guide to the Madeira Banana Tree … but is it a tree?

Here are a couple of articles from the Jornal da Madeira kindly translated and sent in by Vanessa Swesnik :

Fewer Passengers in Madeira’s Airport : According to statistics released by ANAM – Airports of Madeira – traffic through Madeira’s airport fell 4.1% from 2008 to 2009. Last year Madeira’s airport received a total of 2,348,040 passengers, 100,534 less than in 2008.

In regards to the movement of aircraft, the airport infrastructure agency also reported a fall of 3.1% from 2008, with a total of 25,162 aircraft movements.

The fall in the number of passengers is due to the reduction in international air traffic, which had a cut of 16.6% from 2008. Madeira’s airport received 1,145,736 passengers originating from international flights last year, 227,910 less than in 2008.

Domestic air traffic up 11.9% : Conversely, the number of passengers from domestic flights rose 11.9% in 2009. A total of 1,190,075 passengers on domestic flights passed through Madeira’s airport, 126,154 more than in the same period of 2008.

It’s easy to conclude that Madeira’s airport managed to limit its loss of passengers in 2009 thanks to the increase in passengers originating from the domestic market. The year was marked by the consequences of the international financial crisis which caused a decrease in passenger traffic in airports at the national and international levels.

As for Porto Santo airport, information from ANAM shows a cut of 8.4% of passengers in 2009,  a total of 121,034.

For the month of December, Madeira’s airport had 4.4% less passengers than the same month in 2008. In total, 161,749 passengers passed through the airport.

The cut in that month is also due to the decrease in passengers from international flights (-15.7%) and the number of passengers from domestic flights rose 6.5%.

Uruguay will be the 4^th South American Country in which the hotel group will be present; Pestana announces a new hotel in Montevideo. The future Pestana Montevideo Hotel results from the reconstruction and renovation of a building from the beginning of the 20^th century which housed one of the most famous and aristocratic clubs of Uruguay – the Jockey Club. The building is considered emblematic of the city and has been classified as a Historic National Monument since 1975. Its Art Deco architecture is evident from its façade as well as its numerous decorative stained glass windows, marble, wood panelled walls, and large bronze doors.

The building is located on the most important street of the city- June 18^th Avenue, and only a few meters from the “Old City”, the historic district which houses the Presidency of the Republic, theatres, art centres and a commercial zone.

Brazilian architect, Jaime Morais, will be in charge of the interior and exterior. He is responsible for various other projects of Grupo Pestana in Portugal, Brazil, Argentina, and Venezuela. Morais was also responsible for the extraordinary decoration of the recently inaugurated Pousada do Porto. The reconstruction work will begin in March 2010 with hopes to end in the first quarter of 2012.

The Pestana Montevideo Hotel with be a luxurious 5 star hotel with 100 rooms, a spa, an indoor pool, and many meeting and event rooms. It will have two restaurants, one of which will be located on the top floor with an excellent view of Montevideo. This property will be especially desirable for the corporate and event worlds, but it will also be an excellent option for those who travel for leisure in Montevideo. Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, and Spain will be the principal markets for the property. The Uruguayan locale has been studied by Grupo Pestana for years. For Dionisio Pestana, President of the Group, “the entrance into a new country in South America is part of our growth strategy for the continent. It’s very important that we are present in the major cities of South America and are promoting cross-selling among the different properties and countries. This building is exactly what we were looking for.”

This from Elaine out West, many thanks:

‘Gigapark’ prolongs stay to recover losses : The visit of the amusement park in Ponta do Sol has been extended until the end of next weekend. During this period, the cost of the entertainment will be just one euro. The Aquatic Show is continuing, but only until Thursday, and on these last three days its ticket price will be five Euros.

Initially scheduled to end yesterday, Gigapark will remain open until Sunday 17^th to try to mitigate the losses suffered due to the bad weather, especially the almost constant rain. During these last six days in Madeira, the amusement park will work in a similar way to the so-called ‘day of the Euro’. That is, every day all the many diversions available to children and adults will cost just one euro. Also, the Aquatic Show will continue until next Thursday with its three white sharks and two seals performing open sessions at 21:30 for only five Euros.

Marcos Vaz, head of Gigapark, says that this is an exceptional measure, which comes not only from the consequences of unusual weather, which affected the park nearly every day, particularly in December, but also the difficulty in getting space for the trailers and equipment on the next trip of the Armas ferry bound for Portimão. He also stressed that this extension is intended to allow the opportunity for Madeirans to further enjoy the fun of the largest Christmas market set up in the region.

T’other Elaine of the East, also covered the same article, with the comment : I think this is right but check beforehand if you are planning to go (you both had the same figures Elaines, so good enough for me. Der). Judging by the present weather, they might not recoup the losses. It is also the beginning of the Festival de Passeios a Pé today until 16 January, the guided walking tours along levadas and veredas. There are 60 people signed up this year, mainly British, and you can join until the day before the scheduled walk. (Two page article outlining the walks in Diário Cidade, Monday January 11, available online).

Many thanks to Elaine once again for a whopping summary of yesterday’s top news stories :

PT participates in a consortium to reduce energy consumption. Portugal Telecom is participating in a consortium launched yesterday in London that aims to reduce by 1,000 times the energy consumption of communication networks. The consortium, called Green Touch, is led by Bell Labs and PT joins the ‘telecoms’ AT&T, China Mobile, Swisscom and Telefonica, university research laboratories, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, French Government laboratories and Samsung.

Arm wrestling between the PSD and PS on the Law of Finance. The Commission of Budget and Finance will discuss 16 proposals to amend the Regional Finance Law. The tug of war continues between the two main parties about funding for the autonomous regions. The PS want to delay the debate, as explained by Vítor Baptista, "What we think is that this law is framed in the State Budget for 2010 and to postpone the debate will raise awareness among political parties." This matter should be negotiated within the Budget. Guilherme Silva for the PSD replied that according to the mandate there has to be a meeting and a postponement is only possibly by consensus. If the PS win more time, they can seek advice on each of the initiatives. The PSD ask where were the parliamentary negotiations? Vítor Baptista explains, "So far no negotiations." Guilherme Silva adds, "Thursday is the day for the parties to meet about their proposals or absence of them."

Baeta keeps his wife as head of office. The Mayor of Calheta, Manuel Baeta Castro, reappointed three members that were already included in the previous term, for his office of support staff, led by his wife Conceição Castro as the head of the office. Francisco Gouveia and Fátima Câmara are respectively, assistant and personal secretary. The opposition, although they both show some suspicion about the usefulness of these positions, have different views, the CDS (Communists) are more critical than the PS (Socialists). The CDS complain that these offices of support staff to the Council are not important. The new PS councillor, Sofia Canha, admits that it "may be overstated"  the decision to occupy the three positions of political trust, "but may be justified for reasons unknown." Hence the benefit of the doubt. "Let’s see if future action by the Council justifies these employees." The appointment of the mayor’s wife leads to more distrust, the CDS-PP say it is a "controversial issue" and ethically it leaves "many doubts". Sofia Canha prefers, "to believe in the good faith of the people" about the legitimacy of family choice expressed by Manuel Baeta. She believes the mayor has employed his wife for political and professional reasons rather than for personal reasons and favouritism. The Mayor of Calheta justifies the position for better coordination of administrative, financial, social and cultural activities of the Town Council.

São Vicente will provide support to 1,800 elderly. The Municipality of São Vicente has 1,800 residents over the age of 65, more than 30% of the inhabitants. A communication system will be installed in their homes so they can alert the civil protection and fire authorities. Other support will be provided, for example help with mobility difficulties and meals. Social workers will assess individual needs in collaboration with the churches and Vicentians. The aim is to ensure a more dignified life.

Construction of Caniçal Cemetery begins. The construction of this cemetery has been controversial. It was initially approved by the PSD councillors on 14 February 2009 and work was to proceed immediately by a contract between the Regional Government and the Council. The PS said this was electioneering work. Two months later, a petition with 1,100 signatures was presented to the Council for the cemetery to be installed north of the site proposed by the Council. In September, the work had to stop due to lack of payment to the owner of the land for the expropriation. Four months later, an agreement was reached that the payment of 24,000 Euros would be made in instalments. The owner wanted three requirements: payment for the land, payment of a debt of 30,000 Euros for the construction of the Estrada da Banda d’ Além which was finished in the 1980s, and the road named after a previous owner of the road that links the new cemetery to Feiteirinhas. Emanuel Gomes accuses the previous mayor, the Socialist Father Martins Júnior, of not paying for the work. He denies responsibility and said it should have been paid by previous PSD mayors who authorized the work. He added that the Council could not pay because the Regional Government had a financial stranglehold on the Council and they were forced to pay a debt of 1 million and 800,000 contos. Currently, this value corresponds to 9 million Euros.  —1 conto = 1000 escudos = 5 Euros.

Cases of the day. At the end of Rua das Hortas, in the vicinity of the old offices of ‘Peugeot’, there is a manhole cover which often lifts up and endangers the safety of vehicles and pedestrians. The Council of Funchal have the usual red tape around the area but this situation has existed for some time and needs to be resolved before an accident occurs, as the street becomes crowded at times.

Bus stuck between cars. Passengers on a ‘Horários do Funchal’ bus were forced to leave and continue their journey by foot after the vehicle became stuck in the middle of several cars parked illegally in Rua José Pedro de Ornelas. The bus, yesterday afternoon, was on the route Levada de Santa Luzia – Centro and the police were called. This is a frequent occurrence in the area. — Sorry, no photo of the bus.

Companies purchase bananas without going through the Government. From today, bananas can be bought and sold without going through GESBA, the body that the Government created to manage banana production. The company Frutas Douradas guarantees to purchase from producers. This company is also recruiting a team of banana pickers. There are no fixed prices, unlike GESBA, but the company guarantees that it will pay the same amount as GESBA. If demand is high, a higher price might be set and the producers need higher rates in winter to offset lower production rates. Until now, the company could not get EU subsidies but  it has recently been recognized by the Government which allows it to apply. It will export 26 – 30 pallets of bananas a week whereas currently, only 1 pallet a week is exported which does not satisfy the demands on the Continent. In the returning containers, normally empty, the firm will import goods. The  Volcán de Tijarafe ferry will be used and costs will be reduced by the firm investing in automated processing. This firm is beginning to deal in bananas as it has had requests from some producers, dissatisfied with GESBA, and requests from the Continent but it complains of not receiving enough bananas from GESBA to meet the demands. GESBA currently has the following rates in euro per kg. Winter (November to April): extra – 0.67; category I – 0.58 and category II – 0.476. During the summer months: extra – 0.65; category I – 0.56 and category II – 0.456. If the producers deliver the bananas to the warehouse, they are paid 10 cents per kg. On Friday, the CDU are meeting visiting MEPs to ask that the EU compensate regional producers of bananas who might have difficulties due to the Geneva Accord. The tariff for bananas imported from Latin American countries is to be reduced from 176 Euros / ton to 114 Euros / ton by 2017 and the regional banana producers might not be able to compete with U.S. multinationals operating in Latin American countries.

Eviction ends in arrest. A man about 60 years old, was arrested yesterday morning for being in possession of an arma de alarme (replica gun) and nearly 400 rounds of ammunition. The arrest was not for possession of the gun but for the extra ammunition which passed the legal limit. He was occupying an office in a building in Rua 31 de Janeiro and stressed that the weapon had never been used. The President of the Clube Desportivo Nacional had heard about the sale of the building in 2007, bought it and legalized the purchase in 2009. Last month, a court official and three police officers went to the building as there was a court order to evict this tenant. The man said it was cruel and inhumane as he had asked Rui Alves if he could remain there until the end of next month while he could find an alternative residence. He added, "I was sleeping on a sofa in the office."

Criminal cases.  The Coram company’s offices were broken into early on Saturday morning and 750 Euros and several cheques were stolen from the safe. A 24 year old man was arrested Sunday morning for stealing a purse from a 56 year old woman. This occurred in Azinhaga in Nazaré and the woman’s screams alerted a local person and the police, who were nearby and tracked down the suspect. The man, a drug addict lives in Curral das Freiras. A man was arrested on Sunday at the airport on suspicion of drug trafficking. More than 2 kilos of heroin were seized by Customs officials. It was hidden in a false bottom in his suitcase. This is enough for 27,000 individual doses with a street value of 540,000 Euros. The man is a 30 year old Portuguese resident of Lisbon, from where he was flying. A woman was attacked on Sunday by her husband with a machado (type of axe) in a case of domestic violence. This caused a deep wound in her hand and bruises to the face and happened in the presence of the four children, aged 7 to 11 years old. This violence has frequently occurred and has been brought to the attention of the court and the husband has been given a caution. The bombeiros of Ribeira Brava rescued the woman and took her to the Health Centre. The police are to proceed with a charge of domestic violence.

TAP has the second best year ever but increases surcharges. The airline carried more than 8.7 million passengers in 2009, a 3.4% fall since 2008. In December, there were 674,000 passengers, an increase of 3.3% more than the previous year, an occupancy rate of 72%.  On 3 January 2010, TAP achieved an occupancy rate of 88.6%, a figure never reached before. There were 36,004 passengers, the record for a single day. In 2010, TAP will restructure sales and reduce the supply to reduce costs. The fuel surcharge on routes between Madeira and the Continent increases from 9 to 12 Euros from January 20 2010. These charges are lower than those made on European routes and are in response to an automatic mechanism defined by the National Institute of Civil Aviation.

Dentist Convention resumes. The Dental Association are still pushing for residents to be reimbursed for dental services, similar to those for the rest of medicine. This has been negotiated since 2007 and they hope this agreement can become a reality by the end of this year. A protocol has already been signed with the Health Service but details need to be finalized. There is already Dentistry at the Health Centres of Porto Santo, Bom Jesus and Porto Moniz. There will be another dentist at Bom Jesus where there are already two dentists and a hygienist, after restructuring of the building. In Porto Moniz, dentistry is for 3 – 13 year olds and in Porto Santo, for 3 – 12 year olds. The Health Authority want to have dentistry at Machico Health Centre after construction works on the new building. Services are provided in the Emergency Room at the Hospital Dr. Nélio Mendonça and they are awaiting new equipment to allow more complex dental surgery.

São Vicente Council distinguish German tourists. The German couple have been visiting two to three times a year over the past fifteen years, bringing with them a group of more than 20 tourists. Hans and Petruta Schawarz first came in 1995 and are fans of walking, especially through the Laurissilva forest. Hans Schawarz said he enjoyed the cable car from Monte to Funchal and keeps returning as he is struck by the beauty of the island, enjoying the ‘adventure’ of the old roads. The Festa do Flor, Festa do Vinho and the New Year’s Eve fireworks display are highlights, especially as he comes to celebrate his birthday on the 31 December.

Pico do Areeiro: Without snow, but with poncha. Headline of Monday’s Diário Cidade. Last weekend, both Madeirans and tourists went to this area because of the forecast of snow. No snow but strong wind and rain. They stopped at the Abrigo do Poiso for a drink of poncha or a café de ceveda (barley coffee) to warm the body and soul. Pico de Areeiro is said to be extremely beautiful and charming when ‘painted’ white. — Sounds a great excuse idea.

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

Tourism of Portugal awards ‘The Vine’ – The honourable mention will be announced today in the opening of BTL. Hmmm, I think it already has.

Ships brought 30 thousand more in 2009.

The main photo on today’s front page shows a corner of a Zimmer frame, along with an ageing hand. The Regional Government clogs homes with hospital releases - The government will juggle the waiting lists for the homes, to put at the front of the queue 51 elderly people that were released, but stayed in the hospital. 79 cases remain unsolved.

Today’s main news headline : Madeira loses €157 million in 3 years – The cost of the financial noose of the Regional Finance Law has been calculated. If Lisbon approves the alterations proposed, Madeira will receive an extra €74.6 million just in this year. But the Azores could be tied.

And another along the same lines : Amendments to the Regional Finance Law would cost the state 82 million Euros – A report from the Technical Unit for Budgetary support shows that the changes would give Madeira more than 74.6 million Euros. Enough for another football stadium refurbishment, with a bit of change left over, or a new marina at Lugar do Baixo perhaps. Do you ever wonder about the priorities of this government?

TAP raises fuel surcharges on the Madeira route – an increase of €9 to €12 comes into force from 20th January.

Rigo shows in China and  already prepares America. I presume this is the artist that Paul wrote about on the blog yesterday.

Luís Sotero Gomes dies – The medical specialist in Otorhinolaryngology passed away a victim of a prolonged illness.

The main sport / football headline today : Stadium that cost €11.5 million sinks in Câmara de Lobos – The facility was inaugurated recently, but is already losing ‘altitude’. The Regional Government say that it is normal. Looks like our politicians opted for the cheap cement again, still what’s eleven million these days!

BTW, the stars of Benfica will be in Ribeira Brava for a 10 am training session on Sunday morning. They will be at the Centro Desportivo da Madeira, out by Modelo, preparing for the 8.15 pm game against Marítimo.

That’s all I can get for now, as the Diário website has gone down yet again, and they are obviously having a problematic week. Still with a blog today with almost 4,500 words already, is probably more than enough for a normal news appetite. 

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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Today’s Photo Thanks to Elaine (out West) … The newest wind turbine at Paul da Serra

"We departed a very sunny Madeira at 18.00 as the sun was sinking accompanied by around 100 Cory’s Shearwater outside the harbour entrance. All the passengers on deck watching departure were treated to a fantastic sunset, complete with Green Flash!" I am impressed that anyone passing through Madeira would recognise a Cory’s Shearwater, it took me years to identify what they were, and now I call them Cagarras, the Portuguese name. MARINELIFE BLOGSPOT

I know there are one or two artists who follow this blog, so this should be a real treat from Ella du Cane, and for others who who might be more interested in the text from 1909 of Florence du Cane. This is an actual book, complete, with all the artwork, published in the beautiful format produced by A & C Black back in those days, with titled tissue guards for the plates. You can flip the pages using the buttons in the top right corner, or just let it flip them for you so you can sit back and watch.  The flowers and gardens of Madeira 

There are loads of other ‘Madeira’ books on that website as well, so worth bookmarking!

"Madeira a privileged place and an excellent luxurious destination. At only 1,5 hours of flight of Lisbon, Madeira it offers a warm reception, the happiness and friendliness of his people and the extraordinary beauty of his sceneries with multiple social, sports and cultural activities, they provide in any moment of the year an unbeatable ambience for the celebration of events, trips of incentives and conferences". A CHRISTMAS PLUG

Many thanks to Elaine (the one out West again) for sending in this article :

Classical Orchestra loses the Congress Centre. The Classical Orchestra of Madeira will no longer be able to perform from April at the Congress Centre, at least in its present form. The agreement concluded between the Pestana Group and the Regional Government for a period of three years which allowed the free use of space for training will not be renewed. The director of the Casino da Madeira, Carlota Cavaco, confirmed the news, but denied that the end of the partnership has anything to do with the controversial intervention of artistic director Rui Massena, adding that it was an agreement with the Government, not with the orchestra or with the Foundation. She said that the auditorium, with capacity for 600 tourists, is important for the Pestana Group, and for local events, shows which bring in tourists, and national and international conferences that are held there. The Pestana Group has invested six million Euros to keep the concession for another ten years.

The rest is from the normal Elaine (from the east I think?), with many thanks …

Father Borga at Christmas. On 12 December the Hospital’s Christmas show has many regional artists. The singing priest connected to the RTP ‘Praca da Alegria’ and SIC ‘Casos de Policia’ is the guest artist. The show is at the Forum Machico on the 12 December at 15.00. The authorities tried to book José Luis Borga last year but he was too busy as he is both a singer and a priest. He started playing the keyboards in a youth group with his brother, then played the viola and organ when at the Catholic University and won the 1983 Eurovision Song Contest with the song ‘Ancient Mariner’. He started his artistic career with his first album ‘Navigation’ which reached platinum status and his second disc was ‘Singing is Praying Twice’. The concert is especially designed for the elderly and hospital patients. The auditorium seats will be completely filled with users from residential homes, day care centres and patients.

ECM Christmas Drinks Campaign. The Empresa de Cervejas da Madeira (ECM) is having a Christmas delivery service to homes or businesses for individuals or companies. For example, if you want to order Coral beer, you can order an imperial machine, barrels and glasses and they will be delivered and collected, along with any bottles. They have a Christmas Products catalogue including wines from Portugal and Madeira, Madeira Wine and spirits. Ordering can be by phone.

Loja Diogos wine tasting well attended. About 500 people attended the 20th anniversary celebrations at the Hotel Four Views Baia. There were 20 producers with 99 different types of wines. The owners of the firm were surprised by the high number of people attending as well as 90 who stayed for the dinner that evening. Chefs from other hotels also attended who were finalizing their Christmas and New Year menus and wanted appropriate wines. It is a difficult time to sell wine, as customers prefer low prices, but there are many good wines at lower prices.

Members of the three major parties examine Jardim’s pessimistic forecast. In recent days, Jardim has repeatedly said that the next two years (until 2011) will be very difficult, saying cuts in funding, not only of the state budget, will force a rethink about better planning of the Government’s program which was presented in 2007. The leader of the PSD party, Jamie Filipe Ramos agreed and defended these ideas. He said it was inevitable that there would be a reduction in the money transferred from the Portuguese State as it had a decrease in tax revenues. He added that given these circumstances and constraints plus the difficult time for private investment, it is quite reasonable to be selective in public investment without losing the capacity to implement the Government’s programs. "It seems rather reasonable and even wise these days." Naturally, the opposition has a different view. The Socialist Party’s Carlos Pereira points out that it would require a "paradigm shift" and that Jardim and the PSD find external ‘scapegoats’ (Socialist Government in Portugal and recession) to try to evade its own responsibilities. He continued to say that the last two years were difficult and Jardim said he was going to resolve the problems and now after the elections, he says the next two will be. "It is a hoax, a lie sold to Madeira and now we are paying." He believes the plight of the regional economy started in 2000 when the region began to loose the pace of growth because it no longer had the capacity to invest and began to borrow significantly, to be paid by the regional budget. In addition, there was bad negotiation of EU funds. Lino Abreu, the CDS-PP member, believes the statements of Jardim show "a mood of some desperation." "We live in very difficult times and I agree when he says that 2010 will be the most difficult year since the crisis began in 2007." According to the Popular Democrat, "Madeira needs a new investment cycle, a new way of being in the economy. It is necessary to change the current paradigm, a vision and a strategy more focused on the regional economy, on economic factors and the key sectors that are still providing some jobs, like tourism. We need policies for the extraordinary special session in which we live."

Petition for abandoned animals. The ‘Greens’ are starting petitions in Funchal and Santa Cruz, the counties where the problem is greater.  They think the problem of abandoned animals cannot be solved by just goodwill and are against euthanasia, believing that sterilization is a better way to control the population of cats and dogs. They want two kennels to be set up and a more effective registration of domestic animals. They also want the kennels to have housing programs for vacation time in order to avoid abandoning pets during the holiday period. —- A Diário reader commented, how do you subscribe?

Ruckus at the hospital. The Rapid Intervention Brigade (BIR) of the police had to intervene last week to resolve a ruckus that started at the entrance of the Emergency Room of the Hospital Dr. Nelio Mendonca in Funchal. There had been a previous robbery attempt on an elderly couple by a young person and the violence came from the relatives of the victim who decided to take justice into their own hands. The youth was injured and went to the hospital to receive assistance but was again attacked inside the Emergency Room. The BIR calmed tempers and took the youth to the police headquarters.

Domestic violence in Porto da Cruz. After a divorce was granted, the ex-husband still insists on going to the house where his ex-wife and daughter live. The eldest son, worried because his mother lives in an isolated area of Porto da Cruz, has called the police and also reported the matter to the Commission for Children. The father goes to the house at night time and once attacked and frightened the daughter. Her 25 year old brother, who has lived with domestic violence for years, said his father flees before the police arrive and they conclude the ex-wife is fabricating the story. The complaints were first made in September and the father now gets drunk and takes friends to scare the mother and sister. He says his sister is scared and has difficulty at school. He has only heard promises but no action since he complained. The mother has asked for victim status at the police station, but they still say she imagines it as they have no evidence. The brother is married and cannot always be with his mother but is concerned for the safety of his mother and sister and does not know where else to ask for help and protection. 

Surfer in trouble between Jardim and Paul do Mar. A surfer was in trouble yesterday morning forcing the deployment of naval means of assistance. A Maritime Authority and a SANAS launch were sent but before arrival to the area, the surfer had managed to return to dry land, safe and well.

Bishop calls for inner reflection at the end of the liturgical year. The brothers Vicentinos organized an open-air mass which began with a procession from Caniço Church to the Statue of Cristo Rei at Garajau. There was a small stage at the statue which served as an altar for the celebration of the Eucharist, which was attended by seminarians and the Movement of Catholic Scouts. —- I saw the procession along the Estrada do Garajau. It was well attended and they were singing as they went along.

Christmas Gifts purchases awaiting the Christmas bonus. Purchases are limited to cheaper decorations, cookware gifts, pyjamas, slippers and children’s books. Larger electronic goods are being viewed but not sold. Some people are waiting for the Christmas sales. 8 – 24 December is traditionally the busy period.

IHM and squatters. On November 17th, the Diário reported that the IHM had 15 days to evict a family of five who were occupying social housing in Nazaré. The aunt had lived there for three years then was admitted to a nursing home and as the son had emigrated, he had no legal right to live there. The other family members illegally moved in. The IHM (landlord) will allow children and third parties to live in a place temporarily as long as there is no overcrowding, although the rent may increase depending on income. They cannot tolerate people who take advantage of someone with advancing age or disease problems, move in then consider it a fait accompli. They have several of these cases, along with ‘squatters’ returning after a divorce or economic hardship. They usually only resort to court proceedings for failure to pay the rent and since 1978, arrears have totalled nine million Euros. 803 tenants do not pay on time and 358 are complying with a payment plan.

24 children adopted this year. The majority are aged between four and six years. There are 19 other children in a situation of adoptability, all older than six years, and 97 couples or single women on the waiting list to adopt. It is more difficult to find suitable couples to adopt when the children are older and when there are siblings, one case is of three siblings and the social services do not want to separate them. Older children tend to end up in institutions, occasionally after a failed compulsory pre-adoption period. In 2010, there will be specific training for people wanting to adopt. There has been a decrease in the number of families for fostering, at present 30. No children are waiting for a family. There is to be an awareness campaign to increase the number. Currently, 73 children are being fostered and 9 were fostered this year.

Metropolitana and OPM use port areas and do not pay anything. The Court of Auditors is preparing an audit of APRAM (Ports Authority) and have concluded that the business model developed by the Regional Government adversely affects the public interest as there is under-capitalization. The company Metropolitana occupy the North Terminal and have not fulfilled a concessionary contract. Recently, the vice-president of the Regional Government has tried to raise revenue from the infrastructure. The Terminal dos Socorridos da Cimentos Madeira pay a fee to use the port at a value considered too low. The Auditors also question why the Government have not paid APRAM a concession for the area where the balloon was installed. They also want to know why the port operators OPM do not pay to use the ports. Although concessions are beneficial for the price of goods and services, the Court questions more than 70 of the licensing or concessions. The experts denounce the Region spending 240 million Euros on the ports, €190 million on Funchal, Porto Santo and Caniçal, the only ones with any commercial revenue, while APRAM was forced to spend another €53.7 million on small ports that do not generate any revenue. This has led to APRAM having a liability of €227 million and accumulated losses of €56.6 million.

Councils not creating advisory bodies in matters relating to youth policy. Porto Santo is the only exception, i.e. working within the law. The main reason given is that the recent elections have not allowed them to comply with the law. There are also financial constraints as the councils have to finance logistical and administrative support to the advisory bodies.

Police arrest 8 and seize 6 weapons. Special Crime Prevention Operation on Saturday night / Sunday morning in Câmara de Lobos, Ribeira Brava and Calheta. 7 arrests associated with driving while under the influence of alcohol and the eighth individual was arrested for possession of a prohibited weapon and receiving a stolen gold bracelet. 32 other individuals were identified. Searches of vehicles, people and premises resulted in the seizures of 6 weapons including an alarm gun, rattle (?), knife with an 11 centimetre blade, a 1 metre long baton and 2 pairs of scissors. There were 46 traffic offences and 12 violations of the law at 5 nightclubs. 65 police officers were involved.

Back to me (Der) :

The leading news headline from today’s Diário : Public Service Police victim of fraud investigate dentist – The police’s own social services bring an inspection team to Madeira because of medical bills with exorbitant charges. There is at least one dental practice in Funchal under investigation, where the 700 police here have special arrangements for dental treatment under a state protocol. The inspection will involve interviewing around 20 police officers who received treatment from the alleged fraudster. In question is that the treatment described on the bills submitted is considerably more elaborate than the treatment actually given, and the state (Ministry for Internal Administration) may have been ripped-off to the tune  of tens of thousands of Euros.  Ha, join the club! So it’s not just me. Expect to read in the next few days the headline ‘Dentist found lying in Funchal gutter after a good flossing’.

Not even the ‘sales’ help the hotel industry – ‘Full house’ for New year doesn’t soften the loses. Hotel bosses confirm that the tradition still goes on as always, but they say that it has gone bad. The principal hotels in Funchal and in Madeira are generally sold out for New Year, but it has been a bad year in terms of hotel occupation rates and that will still reflect in the financial results.

’100 Biggest and Best’ disputed and awarded – Three invited guests participate in the conference. The consecration is today at 5 pm. Entrance is free. My personal favourite headline of the today, as it means we are almost at the stage where I won’t have to keep reading about it anymore for almost a year. Company news for the sake of it is boring, unless you own one of those companies of course, but I lost count of how many times the Diário gave front page coverage to their own little showpiece. The Diário even had the cheek to publish a supplement yesterday, Financial Times style, and while it might have been almost ‘red’ all over, I would bet my bottom Euro that it certainly wasn’t ‘read’ all over … anywhere.

This got headlined twice : The most sought after toys only for order – Games, films and dolls head the favourites lists. Many are already sold out. A month to go until Christmas and already there are toys sold out – Consoles, dolls, and toy cars lead the favourites list. Despite the crisis and with still a month to go until Christmas, some gifts can only now be acquired by advance ordering, as they are sold out on the shop shelves. Even then there are no guarantees they will be delivered in time for Xmas. One toy in case is the figure ‘Naruta’ in the ‘Brinca kids’ series, but the shops still display the publicity regardless. This year the trend continues as always, with girls preferring dolls including Nancy’s and Barbies, and boys prefer toy cars and figures such as Gormiti’s and Bionicle. No mention of ‘Action Man’, is he out of fashion these days? I had one once, but it was a cheap squeezy Chinese version with no moving parts … what an embarrassment. Every time my pals had a ‘action man get-together’, I had to pretend that my ‘action man’ was off sick. I think they called him the ‘out-of-action-man’ in the end.

… and finally : Ex-deputies (MPs) request ‘reintegration’ – Maximiano Martins may receive up to €30 thousand. Sérgio Marques studies his case. I can’t really be bothered to delve into such political stories, but from memory these were two Madeiran gentlemen ‘displaced’ by recent elections from political roles in the Portugal Republic.

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(30th September). ‘President For Teachers Defends Against Insinuation – In The Jornal da Madeira, Jardim encouraged the president of SPM not to forget who helped in her election. Marília Azevedo reacts’. The president of the Teachers Union of Madeira (SPM) reacted with a certain irony to the suggestion of Alberto João Jardim, who expressed an opinion in an article published yesterday in the ‘JM’, which alludes to some help, not specified, that was supposed to have led Marília Azevedo to victory in the election for the presidency of the union. "Dr. Alberto João is a lawyer, so he did not vote for me for sure", she said, noting that only teachers in the union could vote in that election. Therefore, she says that she has no knowledge "to whom he is referring" in his article.  She added that his statement did not bother her and she will not waste "a lot of time thinking about it, because it is an opinion". Jardim made the insinuation after the union expressed concerns about the fact that teachers career progressions had been stalled since 2005.

‘Manor House Donated To The Region Falls Into Abandonment – The ‘Solar do Aposento’, in Ponta Delgada, is shown in the guide books, but the tourists knock on the door with their noses’. The north coast historic building was given to Madeira 6 years ago, that is also known as the Museum of D. Hilária Freitas, is part of Madeira’s heritage, but it is abandoned and the maintenance neglected, and outside the weeds are taking control. The building is also not secure with old doors and windows, and there are fears for the security of the contents. The Solar was bequeathed to Madeira by the owner, who died in 2003. It is a building of 18th century civil architecture, and contains works of arts, antique furniture, chandeliers, and religious artefacts. It was officially adopted as a "property of public interest and local value" by the government in 2002. Ponta Delgada council are talking about it’s use as an old peoples home, and this could happen by 2011. ‘Knock on the door with their noses’ .. what a wonderful expression. I must remember that one next time the postman says he called (leaving a card) but no one was home, when for sure I was.

In today’s football headline : ‘Marítimo Not Rushed For Manager – SAD maritimista presents €1.4 million of losses’. At the general assembly of the club, attended by 92% of its capital holders, Marítimo declared losses of €1.4 million for the last season. The temporary coach appointed this week for Marítimo’s first team is also staying in charge of the ‘B’ team, and will remain in charge until a new coach with a proven track record can be appointed. Just as well Marítimo didn’t have to pay for it’s stadium then, or the €45 million needed to revamp it, thanks to Madeira’s government and taxpayers, otherwise the end of season accounts would have looked much much different.

‘Culture is the new ‘trump card’ for the promotion of Madeira – Department of Tourism increases its investment in the domestic market. Exhibition, theatre [?] and a new mini-series of TVI were some of the initiatives of the campaign launched on Tuesday in Lisbon’. In order to raise the awareness of the richness and cultural vitality of Madeira, the secretary of tourism, in partnership with the Department of Education and Culture will promote an exhibition of pieces from various museums on Madeira, in the Ajuda Palace, in Lisbon. Madeira has also been confirmed as a venue for a new mini-series on TVI (channel 4). These initiatives are part of the package that the government is banking on to attract tourists from Portugal to our region. In the latter case, the belief that the national TV series made here, Flor do Mar, has already increased tourism and warrants further exploring. As well as a new advertising campaign presented in Lisbon yesterday, the half yearly tourism figures were presented, showing a 15% rise in tourists coming from Portugal, with over 30,000 more coming here. Over the last two years, around 220 to 230 thousand Portuguese have come each year, increasing Madeira’s share of the domestic market. Another article talks about the initiatives outlined costing €680,000.

The new mini-series set on Madeira will run when the existing soap ‘Flor do Mar’ has finished, and filming will start in November. The new series doesn’t yet have a name, but will be the project of TVI, as was Flor do Mar, that received some funding from the Madeira government.

"One Doesn’t Even Make A Cêntimo For A Coffee" – Taxi drivers of Porto Moniz pass through days without having a fare’. The Diário’s featured location this week, covers the taxi drivers plight, where they go days without a customer and have weeks where they earn little more than €5. The crisis has not helped. The two drivers interviewed say they are tired of spending the day sitting on the rank at the Praça do Lyra, and also complain about the transport service provided for the sick, saying that the ambulance charges twice the price per kilometre that they do. The traders of Praça do Lyra are also suffering, with one seller of regional handicrafts saying his sales have dropped by 25%. Limited car parking also affects business.

‘PSP seized 300 doses of cocaine and €1500 resulting from drug trafficking – Officers from the Funchal Police detained a foreign individual and identified two drug drug addicts. The alleged activity was operating in the area of Avenida Arriaga’. Police intercepted on Sunday morning a male of foreign nationality in possession of several packages of cocaine and €1,500 in cash, allegedly resulting from illegal activity. Police had spotted a number of individuals seemingly buying / selling drugs and moved in. Subsequently they identified a house used for transactions, and in the house was found a precision scale, a prohibited weapon, several mobile phones and money. The individual detained is now subject to weekly reporting at a police station until investigations are complete.

12 suspected Gripe A cases were tested on Madeira in the last week, but only one man of 46 years from Venezuela was found to test positive for swine flu. He was taken into intensive care, but his condition is stable. That takes the total from the beginning to just 40 confirmed cases, with just one case in two weeks. Early days I know, but isn’t it reassuring that we are in the lucky position of knowing the age, sex, and nationality of all our Gripe A victims, whilst other countries have lists amounting to hundreds or thousands on a weekly basis. Just doing my bit in case any potential ‘non infected’ tourists come across this posting and fancy paying us a visit.

‘Oral Health Month Also On Madeira – 17 dentists on Madeira and Porto Santo join the initiative running during October’. In order to prevent oral diseases and improve education for proper oral hygiene among the Portuguese population, Colgate and the Portuguese Society of Estomatologia?? and Dental Medicine (SPEMD) are carrying out in October the 10th edition of "Oral Health Month". 15 of the dentists are in Funchal. They will be available next month to do free dental check ups (without treatment or radiographic examination). The annual initiative has allowed so far 95,000 free check ups since it’s first year, and more dentists are joining up. The main conclusion from 2008 was that less than 1% of adults have completely healthy gums and teeth.

Next Tuesday the cruise ship ‘Black Prince’ arrives in Funchal on its 594th and final visit. The ship has been in service nearly 43 years. Several initiatives are being planned to mark the final visit, including a short lecture on the ‘Black Prince’, which will take place tomorrow, 1st October at 18:30 pm, in the auditorium of FNAC in Madeira Shopping. The ship has been sold to a Venezuelan company, and it expected to remain in tourism activities.