Madeira News Blog

Today’s photo – one of mine today for a change … A white peacock in the Municipal Gardens in Ribeira Brava.

Many thanks to Paul for this important message from the dolphins, and also the Jet2 snippet :

Swimming with dolphins: latest research. “In the open sea off the coast of Portugal, Amanda Stafford, of The Dolphin Connection, tells clients to wait for the dolphin to approach them – and keep their hands to themselves. If dolphins aren’t feeling sociable, they make it obvious. "Dolphins in the wild can go in so many directions," she says. "You have to be able to read their behaviour to see when they’re interested in socialising." Photo : Bottlenose dolphin.

British researchers have found that swimming close to bottlenose dolphins and trying to touch them can be highly stressful for the aquatic creatures – preventing them from resting, feeding or nurturing their young. Swimming with dolphins may be sold as a life-affirming experience, but research shows that it can be traumatic for the sea mammals themselves. So is it time to stop? Link to full BBC article

Madeira: enchants those lucky enough to visit.

-flavoursome and honest style of Portuguese cuisine,

-a year-round sub-tropical climate

-world-class varieties of fortified wine

Jet2.com, has launched the North West region’s first low cost service to the beautiful island of Madeira from Manchester Airport. Jetaway magazine article, magazine of Jet2.com

Thanks a lot to Becky for this we snippet and video :

“We wanted to show our support for Madeira, after the tragic flooding and mudslides in February and we decided to choose this worthy cause for which one of our colleagues at the British Honorary Consulate in Madeira is already involved as a volunteer”, the Embassy said in a statement sent to The Portugal News this week." PORTUGAL NEWS

Home movie of Madeira in 1955.

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

DIÁRIO 21/03/2010

FRONT PAGE NEWS

Illegal streams.  Legally, the public water domain covers a strip of land of 10 metres width alongside non-navigational water, for example banks of streams. This would mean that the Minas Gerais building in Funchal is illegally built on public land bordering the Ribeira de São João. These public areas could be converted into mini dams to prevent the build-up of water and debris, for example at Fundoa. This has been done in Portugal where dams have been used to produce hydroelectric power of less than 10 MW and they supply 16% of the electricity produced in Portugal. Irresponsible dredging (without channelling) and deposition of material into the stream will cause a blockage at the mouth when there is an exceptionally high flow. The land upstream has to be forested without any illegal quarrying to prevent run-off into the streams. The diagram shows 10 solutions to 10 problems.

MADEIRA

Clean Portugal.  Volunteers yesterday joined this initiative to clean Portugal in a day. Multidisciplinary teams included scouts, schoolchildren, military and firefighters. Câmara de Lobos had the most volunteers, over 300. They spent four hours in the morning cleaning the county then the authority supplied lunch, a diploma, and since it was the Day of the Tree, they were also rewarded with a tree for participating. In Santana, the councillor responsible for the environment joined a team of 12 and they cleared 700 kilos of rubbish out of a stream bed (photo). Another team of 12 in the parish of São Jorge cleared viewpoints. Santa Cruz had less rubbish than expected but 50 volunteers still managed to remove 120 100-litre sacks of rubbish and three car loads of large items. They worked in the forested areas of Santo da Serra, Gaula and Camacha as well as on the beach at Portinho in Caniço. The sea front at Ponta do Sol is now cleaner thanks to the actions of 20 people who cleared away wood, iron and other debris.

Three million Euros for works in Funchal. The council has amended the budget to allow 14 contracts to be signed for urgent works that start next week. Recuperation of paths and lanes in São Martinho, Santo António, São Roque, Imaculado Coração Maria, Santa Luzia, Monte and São Gonçalo are a priority. Caminho do Cabeço dos Lombos in Monte and the Estrada Luso-Brasileira are important roads that need to be repaired. Damaged pavements and infrastructure in the baixa area of Funchal will be attended to. The council will undertake a geological survey of unstable slopes in eight areas. These were a cause of landslides that affected homes – Três Paus/Eira do Serrado, Trapiche/Curral Velho, Laranjal, Alegria, Fundoa, Corujeira/Cabeço dos Lombos, Tornos and Babosas. The study will produce recommendations for future occupation of these areas, risks and preventative actions. If houses cannot be reoccupied, the council will provide alternative accommodation. 291 homes that suffered minor damage will be repaired as it is psychologically important for the owners to be back in their own homes.

President of  the ’7 Wonders of Portugal’ visits the region. A team of judges will visit the Laurissilva forest in São Vicente this morning, starting at the Boca da Encumeada. The Laurissilva forest has been entered in the category, Forests and Woods.

Stabilization of the soil is a priority for forestry.  Afforestation projects stabilize the soil by the root system of plants holding the soil particles together, and protects against rainfall and winds. There is also organic matter created which helps to protect and change the soil structure and makes it more resistant to erosion. Trees such as the eucalyptus, pine and acacia are not being used as they compete with other species. The forests of Madeira occupy 54,000 hectares of which only 33,000 hectares are effectively covered by trees, occupied by too many introduced cultivated species. For public safety, the Regional Government is to buy 600 hectares of land in strategic areas of the serras in Ribeira Brava, Câmara de Lobos and Ponta do Sol.

ECONOMY

Jet2 in-flight magazine promotes Madeira. The February/March 2010 in-flight magazine of Jet2 (Jetaway, 80,000 copies) has a three page article about Madeira. The British low-cost carrier flies from Manchester and the article is based on a trip last December arranged by the Association for the Promotion of Madeira. The article is called ‘Living levada loca’ and compares the Laurissilva forest to the Brazilian rainforest. — Internet copy

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

Fish revenue falls 14%.

Cars of the  PSP [Police] are ready for delivery 5 months – The 10 vehicles are waiting for despatch on two ‘stands’. The 10 squad cars have been here, already adapted and licensed,  since October with two dealerships. The Police Officers Trade Union is convinced that the Police Command have no money to pay for them.

25% live from pensions on Madeira.

Today’s main news headline : Crisis arrives to hit subsidies. With the safes empty (see picture) the Madeira government gave 57% less. The total value of subsidies in 2009 was €229 million. Cuts penalize more companies and public entities. Support reinforced for sport, culture, and councils. [loan] Guarantees double to €32 million. There is a special supplement on the matter in today’s Diário, the online edition at least. The first charts shows just about everything that receives government funding getting slashed last year. In high level terms, where the regional government provided €539 million of subsidies in 2008, it provided to the same sectors (associations, councils, culture, sport, education, religious bodies, companies and public companies) just €229 million in 2009. The hardest hit sector was that of companies and private companies, that saw it’s state handout cut from €377 million to €66 million in that same period. Just picking out a couple of examples from the complete and detailed breakdown that stretched to 8 pages. In sport, the Palheiro Golf Club saw it’s state handout quadrupled, and I didn’t even know that Uncle Bertie played golf. Funchal Tennis Club has seen its handout drop from €106,312 to €14,748 in two years. Overall the sport sector saw a slight increase in subsidies in 2009.

‘Green stopper’ stretches itself to Câmara de Lobos, Ribeira Brava and Ponta do Sol. Manuel António Correia announced the acquisition of lands for the purpose of reforestation. So the government coffers are empty (see main photo on today’s front page), but the government has announced that it to purchase 600 hectares [6 million square metres] of land in the interests of public safety. Very commendable objective, but why is it necessary to purchase all of this land in ‘strategic areas’ to replant it with whatever is needed to stop the topsoil collapsing in another storm that is statistically likely to be at least 100 years from now. Why not just plant whatever is needed, without actually buying all that land? Is anyone going to object?

The main sport / football headline today : Benfica thrash FC Porto and conquer the League Cup. Can’t deny that 3 – 0 was a good thrashing, started off by the worst ‘frango’ in goalkeeping history. After so many years of winning almost everything, it’s would have been embarrassing for any Porto supporter yesterday, not just to lose the cup to their fierce rivals, but to give it to them on a plate.

União win the II division, South zone.

[sports] leaders offended with the "ignorance" of Arlindo Gomes. The president of Câmara de Lobos council said this week that he wouldn’t stand for blackmail, and council grants would be cut.

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 other material.

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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 – Many thanks to Rita … Steam engine on the production line of the sugar cane factory in Porto da Cruz.

Many thanks to Becky for finding some extra titbits :

Another (recent) dip into the blog of Executive Purser of P&O Arcadia.  He must have visited Madeira quite a few times, but still seems to enjoy it. "They are building a new Cruise Terminal at the Pier which should be open later this year – it appears to be all falling into place. We had 8 Shore Excursions operating along with a shuttle bus service into the town." PURSER POWER

Dolphins near Funchal, from YouTube posted on 7th February 2010.  I love the excitement they bring to the passengers on ‘Sea Pleasure’.  I’ve never been on a trip like this in all the time I’ve visited Madeira but I think I might try one after seeing this.

And also a handy tip from Pete … many thanks :

Have you thought about making your own bread? Nice soft large loaf. Something you can get your teeth into.  In Madeira the supermarkets they do an excellent flour. The Nacional Pão Caseiro flour,  most the ingredients are there, and all you add is sugar, butter, milk, and water.  Bread makers from Madeira forum are from €40, which is good value. The only problem is the loaf is soon snapped up. Now where that bread and butter.

Many thanks to Vanessa Swesnik for this complete article :

Loja do Cidadão installs number dispenser at Dolce Vita

Kiosk outside of store allows residents to manage time and handle their various responsibilities

Imagine you’re trying to run errands in or around Dolce Vita before heading to the Loja do Cidadão.  You can better plan your time management with a number dispenser on the second floor of the mall that began operating yesterday.

Upon getting a number to pay your electric or water bill, the monitor of the kiosk will tell you how long the line is so you can decide if it’s worth going to the Loja do Cidadão at that moment or if you should go later on in the estimated time until customer service.

LC’s director, João Lomelino, stated that this initiative being “pioneered in Portugal” as a compliment to the “physical and technical development” program of services offered could extend to other locations in Funchal.

He is appreciative of the receptiveness of Chamartín (Dolce Vita’s parent company) and the technological support of Portugal Telecom and MCC- Computadores; he also points out that this initiative not only contributes to the improvement of LC’s services, but also “makes peoples’ lives easier- which is really what interests us.”

Director of Dolce Vita, Timothy Broad, justified the acceptance of the offer as a way to create more “comfortable conditions for patrons” of the mall and to “eventually bring more of them.” PORTUGUESE ORIGINAL

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

DIÁRIO 10/02/2010

FRONT PAGE NEWS

Man dies hours after hospital discharge. A 61 year old who had emigrated to Venezuela had returned to Madeira for a holiday and was due to return on Sunday. Late on Monday in Campanário, Camilo José Almada fell down steps and hit his head. He was taken to the local health centre then to the Hospital in Funchal where he was kept overnight for observation. He was discharged after radiological examination did not detect any unusual pathology. Camilo Almada was taken to his friend’s house but complained of feeling unwell, particularly in the abdominal region. He was then found dead an hour later at his friend’s residence. He had been unhappy about being discharged as he felt weak and access to his home was via steep stairs, which is why his friend was accommodating him. There will be an autopsy then a decision taken whether an internal enquiry is needed into his hospital care.

Controversy leaves 46 families waiting for a home. Impasse between Santa Cruz Council and the Institute of Housing and Urban Renewal (IHRU). The construction of the residential block started five years ago and was only completed late 2008, after a class action stopped the works. The council  has invested 4,276,000 Euros but the IHRU say additional work is required for the completion of the building and until then, will not transfer the amount they owe to the council. These additional works have been delayed by financial difficulties and there are 46 families waiting to move in. The council have put forward a new date for completion which is this summer. In 2009, the IHRU paid only 12,000 Euros to the council but the amount owed which should have been paid between 2003 – 2006 is 1,800,000 Euros. The council is paying interest on its loan, which has already totalled 550,000 Euros and could have been used on other projects.

MADEIRA

Carnival MadeiraShopping. Three parades held on the 13, 14 and 16 February with the Modelo mascot, Popota, present on all three dates. It is an opportunity for everyone to create, innovate and reinvent clothing, accessories, face painting and even mimic the look of their idols. Three themes for the children’s parades: 13th February at 14.00, especially for young children, "Carnaval dos Pequenitos"; 14th February at 14.00 for Valentine’s Day,"Os Modelitos de S. Valentim" and 16th February at 18.30, the day of the traditional Fun Parade (Cortejo Trapalhão), "A Moda dos Trapalhões".

Landfill will be transformed into banana plantation. The landfill area at Porto Novo will be used for banana production. The area is 20,000 square metres and should produce 70 tons of bananas per year. A similar project using land in Caniçal for experimental projects for table wine production has been successful. The land will remain publically owned but the farming and management of the land will be a private enterprise and the owner may apply for support funds. The upgrade of the landfill will also have a positive impact on the landscape. The government is developing a project for experimental banana production. This project will explore the selection of plants, irrigation systems and methods of production. Once the project has been finalized, it will be open for tenders. The Regional Government is encouraging private individuals to expand their production to land which up to now, has not been used for agricultural purposes.

Funchal to double the number of gravediggers. The Council of Funchal need 10 more ‘cemetery assistants’ for their four cemeteries. This need was highlighted yesterday at the cemetery at São Gonçalo where the family had to wait in the mortuary chapel for half an hour after the Mass for four gravediggers to arrive. This increased the natural distraught felt by the family. The problem is enhanced by the council’s commitment to burial.

Injured Paraglider in Intensive Care.  A Swiss paraglider was injured yesterday afternoon after falling into the sea about 100 metres from the shore at Madalena do Mar. He was assisted by his friends, the Navy and SANAS. He was found unconscious, presumably from the ingestion of sea water, resuscitated by the EMIR team then taken by ambulance to the Hospital Dr. Nélio Mendonça in Funchal. He is presently in Intensive Care. The cause of the accident is unknown. Madalena do Mar is very popular with paragliders who often use the promenade as a landing site.

ECONOMY

Ford car sales led in 2009. Ford was the best brand for vehicles sold in the region last year, due to the new Ford Fiesta and Ford KA. There were 26.5% more Ford vehicles sold last year than in 2008 although overall, vehicle sales fell 23.8%.

POLITICS

Two cheques transferred four days before the new leadership at São Jorge Two cheques for 22,500 euros were signed during the week of the inauguration of the new president of the Parish Council of São Jorge. Teófilo Cunha was elected for the  CDS/PP and said he was surprised to find the parish council had no money when he took office. The previous party was the PSD with João Reis as president. This "embezzlement" accusation is for a cheque for 2,500 euros to the Clube Desportivo e Recreativo de São Jorge and one for 20,000 euros to the local Casa do Povo. These two organizations during previous years had received ridiculous amounts from a parish council that was short of funds. These two large grants were given in the days after the votes had been counted. The former president replies he has a "clear conscience". At first he said the cheques were dated before the election but later he said they were dated in the week before the inauguration of Cunha. He admits there was a two month delay in the transfer of funds after the decision was made in August and September, but cannot explain why. A lawyer is examining the accounts and transactions.

CULTURE

Carnival parade at Santa Cruz. On Sunday 14 February at 16.30. Organized by the Casa do Povo de Santa Cruz, local Junta de Freguesia and Santa Cruz Council.  Route: Rua do Bom Jesus, Rua Irmã Wilson, Rua 17 de Junho, S. Fernando, Rua da Praia e do Ribeirinho, Ponte Nova to the Praça Dr. João Abel de Freitas. Caniço Carnival Parade on Tuesday 16 February at 17.30. It starts near the C.T.T. Information on this SITE

Machico has a year of intense cultural activity. Gastronómica de Machico celebrates 25 years and brings Mariza to Madeira on August 4th. The main attractions planned by Machico Council this year are: V Festival of ‘Live Dancing’ on April 24th at 21.00 at the Pavilion of Caniçal; V Market Fair between 4 – 6 at the centre of Machico and the 25th Gastronomy Week from July 30th to August 8th in the central square next to Forum Machico. The top act will be the fado singer Mariza on 4th August. September 5 – 6, the Grape and Agricultural Festival is held at Porto da Cruz.

JORNAL DA MADEIRA

ECONOMY

Madeira betting on the market in Estonia. The market in Estonia is recognized by the Tourism Department as having a great potential. Representatives are at the Tourest fair in Tallinn between the 12 – 15 February and the Region is advertised throughout Estonia. The first direct flights to Estonia started between September and October 2008 and there is now another operator on this route. Top Tours begin flying on Friday using the airline Smartlynx with aircraft with 173 seats. These weekly flights are until 23rd April then begin again in September. Horizontal Travel fly weekly from March 11 to 29 April, using aircraft with 189 seats. Flights then begin again from 3 September to 18 November. This means some weeks there will be 362 seats available from Madeira to Estonia.

CULTURE

Rota da Cal promotes free visits. The residents of  São Vicente can visit the Núcleo Museológico – Rota da Cal (The Lime Route and Museum Centre) for free. This is to promote the second anniversary of the centre and the campaign runs until December. There will also be guided tours for groups of 5 – 25 people, which will take an hour and need to be booked beforehand. Residents will be able learn about the rural heritage, production and use of lime. The two limestone quarries contain fossils which are over 5 million years old. There is also a lime kiln house which is the only working one left in the archipelago.

Fura Samba in Brazil. The anthem of Fura Samba with music and lyrics by Nuno Bastos is very fashionable in Brazil. The song is a tribute to the Portuguese fado singer Amalia Rodrigues and will accompany the Fura Samba troupe at the Carnival Parade on Saturday night in Funchal.

Elaine also kindly provided me with this web snippet …

"Bemocked and minimized in importance for years – it is now time to give Tinta Negra Mole some credit. Not only for the fact it can provide great varietal wines but also for in some extent rescuing Madeira against the hybrid invasion that invaded the island after the Phylloxera. Tinta Negra Mole (TNM), a cross between Grenache and Pinot Noir, was recently upgraded to a noble grape cultivated on the island of Madeira. However, that doesn’t change the consumer’s view over night and for many TNM is still the grape that is disguised as a Sercial, Verdelho, Boal….well, you get it. Its chameleon character has been both its trademark and weakness". Tinta Negra Mole – Give the grape a break!

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

‘Vice’ leads events for 25 years in the European Union – The Regional Government chose Cunha e Silva to coordinate the 25 year celebrations of the integration of Madeira  in the European Union in 2011. Madeira let the 20th anniversary go by, but the Silver Jubilee is to be marked with a programme built by João Cunha e Silva [just one person] who is a vice president in Madeira’s government.  2011 also just happens to be an election year for the position of President of Madeira, as the Diário points out. That’s a laugh if I ever heard one! Nobody has yet integrated in the European Union, yet alone Madeira! That great concept of ‘lets all get together and make life better’, but with all those member states with secret agendas that all read along the same lines [it´ll be good for us and those suckers, whilst we also continue to do our own thing]. As for Madeira’s participation in the EU, it takes us to a new level of cherry picking and fleecing the EU for every cêntimo possible, whilst doing an absolute minimum to interface to the favour of it’s European ‘partners’. It seems to me that there is more will to interface with South America, than with Europe. It’s not fair to blame Madeira of course, so let’s blame the Madeiran Government to be more precise. I wonder if there will be any political ‘overlap’ between the events and celebrations of the 25th anniversary and the election of Uncle Bertie’s new lap dog.

Today’s main news headline :  Parents more negligent – Last week, a desperate child crying in a car while the parents enjoyed themselves. It is one of 132 cases of the parental negligence phenomenon on the rise on Madeira.

Chávez frightens – The order of expropriation of businesses in the Plaza Bolivia generates concern amongst Madeirans.

Peoples action defeated – The court judged  unfounded the injunction proceedings brought by Gil Canha against ‘Quinta do Lorde’. Yet another attempt to right the wrongs of the costal development in Machico was buried by the courts.

Airport indicators in fall – the number of passengers and movements fell in the first month of 2010. Traffic statistics from Madeira Airport fell back once again according to ANAM, the airport operators. Compared to January 2009 there was a fall in movements of 2.4%, and 1.8% in the number of passengers to 158,322. Cargo also fell by 1.8% to 456 tons.

The main sport / football headline today : Refusals to the Region – The national teams of Portugal and the United States thank for the contact, but they are not coming here to prepare. The Portuguese Football Federation has ruled out Madeira as a preparation venue for the 2010 Football World Cup, saying that it was looking for ‘parameters’ specified by the technical team, led by Portugal coach Carlos Queiroz. Without saying where the chosen training venue would be, Gilberto Madaíl said that Madeira would be considered for a future opportunity though, and if possible, even a game. Other countries contacted to offer this preparation opportunity include  Australia, Spain, Brazil, Japan, Netherlands, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia. The approaches have been made through the embassies of those countries, based in Portugal.

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.

(more…)