Madeira News Blog » domestic violence

Hahn’d over the dosh Johannes ; Thieving from the homeless ; Strategic buildings at risk

admin — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 03:00:00 +0000

Today’s photo – Many thanks to Tom … "Vintage hidden view point on St. Luiza street behind house # 152. No one knows about it I guess".

Many thanks to Becky for these web snippets :

"This afternoon the wardrobes and cupboards here will be a little emptier. We wish the best of luck to everyone associated with the collection and hope that it makes the lives of the people of Madeira a bit easier in the short term." MORE

"We left Madeira in the middle of the night, stealing away from our hotel, from the sleepy-eyed night clerk we roused from slumber on the lobby’s wicker furniture who watched us drive away through the glass lobby doors, from the sea finally quiet and the stars which we could see for only the second time in a week, with the yellow lights of the city guiding us, the air calm, the night quiet, the whistling wind at last abated–we left the island more full of peace than when we arrived". BLOG STORY

"A bit more on Funchal ships over the years" … Pete. HERE

"Comment here about Graf Zeppelin passed over Funchal" … Pete HERE AND HERE SIGHTING / PHOTO

Also from Pete … "Johannes Hahn, European Commissioner flying over Funchal looking at February flood damage on the 7/3/10. Thanks for all that Pete.

Which is rather good timing, as Paul kindly sent this in, along with the CR article :

Know your EU Commissioners: Johannes Hahn : Without a doubt the most significant EU Commissioner for Madeirans indeed all Madeiran residents is Johannes Hahn, European commissioner for regional policy who is now responsible for a policy that accounts for about one-third of the EU’s spending. He is expected to overtake agriculture as the single biggest budget item. He was of course in the Region to assess the floods damage and discuss scope for EU support with the President of Madeira’s regional government, Alberto João Jardim. The Madeira visit follows up a meeting the Hahn held with the Portuguese Interior Minister, Mr Rui Pereira, in Bruges (Belgium) on 26 February.

The sheer scale of regional spending, roughly €50 billion per year, makes Hahn one of the more important figures in the college.

Johannes Hahn, lover of baroque music and a keen sailor, is that rare breed of politician who does not feel a constant need to talk.

Philosopher: “At university, Hahn quickly discovered that philosophy suited him far better than law. His whole outlook on life changed soon after, however, when, aged 22, he was diagnosed with cancer. “If you are confronted with death, your priorities change,” says Hahn, who still goes for regular check-ups at the age of 52.”

Vienna man: “spent his entire life in Austria’s capital, Vienna, occupying the same flat for the past 24 years”. To read Johannes Hahn’s profile and CV click to this ARTICLE

Imagine Ronaldo playing for Australia!

Had the planets aligned differently, Cristiano Ronaldo might have been playing for the Australian national team rather than Portugal.

“Maria-Angela, 80, and Jose, 81, have had 13 children and four live with them in Perth. Ronaldo, 25, was just a child when Vivieros – who works as a cleaner – moved to Australia to find a better life about 20 years ago.

These days Vivieros pines for the beauty of Madeira, but his parents – who migrated to Perth about a decade ago – are settled and have no wish to return. ”They look after me and I look after them as well,” Vivieros said. ”Now my life’s here.”

Western Australia boasts a Portuguese population of about 8000 and 85 per cent are from Madeira, according to the Portuguese consulate in Perth. The Madeirans started arriving in large numbers in the 1950s and many settled in Fremantle as fishermen.” Link to full article

Marítimo only managed a dreary 0 – 0 draw on Madeira yesterday with Académica. Nacional play tonight, and could climb to 5th in the league table if they win.

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

DIÁRIO 07/03/2010

FRONT PAGE NEWS

Infrastructures in areas of risk. Link to the map is on yesterday’s blog. Infrastructures of strategic importance are in areas at risk. These include those needed in an emergency, for example fire stations and health centres. Porto Santo is one of the three regions in Portuguese territory that are most at risk if global temperatures increase by two degrees over the next few years, (December 2004 study). Madeira is at risk depending on volcanic activity on the island of La Palma in the Canary Islands. A BBC documentary said that in the worst case scenario, a tsunami tidal wave could reach Madeira within a few hours. By the end of the century, it is predicted that the archipelago will have an average temperature increase of 2 – 3 degrees with a 35% reduction in current rainfall. Water availability will decrease by 40 – 50%, (Filipe Duarte Santos, September 2006). Madeira has a population density (310 inhabitants / square km) higher than the EU and national average. 75% occupy only 35% of the territory, mainly on the south coast. 45% of the population (130,000) reside in Funchal, (1,500 inhabitants/ square km). Since 1991, only two counties have increased in population, Câmara de Lobos (10%) and Santa Cruz (26.7%). The first increase is natural and the second as a result of improved road access to Funchal. The development of the Calheta – Machico transport network has allowed a more equal distribution of the population on the south coast, resulting in Funchal losing 12,000 inhabitants between 1991 and 2001. Due to the physical characteristics of the territory, the north coast has been consistently losing population and represents less than 10% of the total population of Madeira.

MADEIRA

‘Delusional fantasy’ reported in the London newspapers. This story has been reported in previous blogs. Diário has picked up on the Daily Mirror and Daily Telegraph reports of the discovery of a nail from the time of the crucifixion of Christ, on the Ilhéu da Pontinha (Forte de S. José). Élvio Sousa of CEAM says it is purely delusional fantasy, agreed by Brian Philp from the Centre for Archaeology. Élvio Sousa guarantees that reports that objects have been found on this site are manifestly false. In the area of the dig, there were found objects from the eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth centuries, however there are some remnants that can be traced to the seventeenth century. He said it is sensationalism to say that these were found in a wooden box by the sea, perfectly preserved for over two thousand years. The nail that was found is strong, but is just like the ones used in constructing residential dwellings in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, and there are many of these found in the excavation. Contacted by Diário, Renato Barros the owner of Forte de São José, said he himself found the pieces therefore it was a finding, not an archaeological discovery. He added that 200 – 300 people visit the Fort each day and a "person from the British Museum" took note of the relics and then returned to London where the museum authenticated the pieces. He said he would not give any further details, as they will be divulged in Madeira in conjunction with museum officials.

Lack of salary causes strike in Jardim da Serra hotel. Tired of not receiving their wages on time, 16 of the 20 employees of the Hotel Quinta do Jardim da Serra started a two-day strike yesterday. The staff have repeatedly threatened to go on strike since last year for wages paid in arrears, and job insecurity since early 2009. The situation worsened at the end of last year when the salary was two months in arrears but a strike was suspended as the company said they would pay the salaries. The staff are on strike now because they have not received wages for December and the Christmas bonus.

Thieves take items donated for the homeless. Dozens of articles donated by the public for victims of the storm of February 20th were stolen from the warehouse at Rua do Brasil, Nazaré. The burglars entered through the door to the rubbish storage area. According to the president of the charity Cáritas Diocesana do Funchal, they took appliances such as toasters, kitchen mixers and hairdryers. The charity had already suspected that the warehouse could be subject to a possible burglary as some volunteers had noticed on Friday, a group of individuals who attempted to divert products. The doors will be reinforced and the police have been asked to investigate. As well as the army, police will patrol the area.

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

MPT [Earth Party] makes possible Serrão [PS-M leader] as vice of the table of parliament.

Women of Madeira that telephone to APAV answered in the Azores – On the Day of the Woman there is a signalling of the lack of an office of APAV on Madeira, the presence of 20 complaints of domestic violence per week to the PSP Police, and the myths amongst the young people that consider the pressure and the jealousy to be normal. Victim support for Madeira’s battered women is handled initially in the Azores, by the Associação Portuguesa de Apoio à Vítima (APAV), as there is no office on Madeira. This is despite of there being 511 complaints to the Public Security Police in the first six months of 2009. The calls to a Madeiran number are automatically rerouted to Ponta Delgada, in the Azores. The distance causes some difficulties, as often the women are desperate and need information immediately, but the staff of APAV in the Azores need to contact someone on Madeira to seek further help, to give support and if necessary access to sheltered accommodation.

Today’s main news headline : Solidarity already raised €7.3 million. Companies and citizens are on a wave of notable generosity. Mota Engil on its own is giving 1.2 million Euros for 10 (or even 12?) houses for the homeless due to the storms of 20th February. But there are many and good examples that arrive from all the Country and Region. The generosity of companies and the Portuguese is unprecedented. The Diário has done an assessment of the various fund raising initiatives and bodies, to come up with the figure of €7.3 million, and has also concluded that over 40% of that figure is promised by companies. Aside from Mota Engil, Jerónimo Martins has pledged €1 million, BES (Banco Espírito Santo), €500,000, Montepio €150,000 (plus more direct help), Totta €100,000, and Galp Fuel €200,000, are amongst the most generous pledges to support the various fund raising initiatives. Amongst many other sources of support, the Portuguese Football Federation is giving €100,000, whilst the teams Sporting and naval have donated complete gate receipts. Two ‘countries’ have also given, with a €50,000 cheque from the USA Embassy in Lisbon, and €556,000 from one of the poorest countries in the world, East Timor. The list goes on, and on, and on ….

Pestana JR, R. Oudinote and the tunnel Sá Carneiro reopen. Funchal today will be better-off. Running late are Avenida do Mar and Rua do Anadia. As Funchal returns to normal, on a day to day basis at least, roads and tunnels are reopening albeit with restrictions in some cases. Rua Visconde do Anadia needs two or three more weeks before reopening, because the drains are completely blocked. Also the roads Avenida do Mar and Comunidades Madeirenses will continue with restrictions for some time, although there will also be some movement on the South side in a few days when drainage problems have been resolved.

The main sports headline today : Latest draw distances Marítimo from Europe – The ‘verde-rubros’ returned to distance themselves further from the objective of a European placing. The draw with Académica left the team of Mitchell in 10th place. Tonight Nacional close the weekend fixtures in Guimarães.

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.

If you post a comment and are not registered on this site (free), your comment will be moderated, so please do not waste time with spam postings. If you register, your comment will be posted automatically. If you register, your email address will not be passed to any other party … promise!

Please send any topical or Madeira related photos or videos to Der at blog@madeira4u.com to appear on this blog. Photos may take a while to appear, depending on the number waiting. Please don’t send copyrighted material.

The headline news & other snippets reviewed here on the blog are mainly from the Diário de Notícias of Madeira, although news from any source is used and welcome.

The blogs in the ‘uncategorised’ category come from the old madeira4u blog.

IF YOU NEED HELP WITH ANYTHING ON THIS WEBSITE, TRY THE MENU ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE ‘USEFUL LINKS’ & ‘TIPS & HELP’

Safe Summer protected 260 homes ; Sao Vicente helps elderly ; Domestic Violence under attack

admin — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 06:00:00 +0000

Today’s Photo Thanks to Eiryl … A happy lizard in the Botanical Gardens

"Madeira, the Portuguese island known as the floating island of flowers that lies offshore in the Atlantic just like the Spanish Canaries, provides an unusual sliver of Portuguese tradition but with a flavour of independence. The island no longer depends on its mainland parent for anything and unless you knew its history you could easily leave without having any clue about its mainland links". WHERE DO PEOPLE GET THEIR INFORMATION FROM ?

"Well, I am sure there is a whole lot of other exciting stuff, but Madeira pretty much trumps everything since there are only 10 missionaries there, it is pretty coveted. Irmã Draper has been looking at me about every 10 minutes for the past two days and saying something along the lines of…. you realize you are going to Madeira!" YOU WORK IT OUT AS I COULDN’T

Sue kindly sent in these news stories, many thanks :

Conductor of the Classical Orchestra of Madeira – Rui Massena in Dukes. The conductor of the Classical Orchestra of Madeira (OCM), Rui Massena, runs on Saturday, the Dukes, in Guimarães, the Orchestra of the North. The concerts will be interpreted works by Shostakovich (the opening party, op.96), Tchaikovsky (the Overture Romeo and Juliet) and the Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninov (Rhapsody on a theme of Panini, op.43 for piano and orchestra minor), which will feature the pianist Antonio Oliveira. Rui Massena is considered one of the youngest conductors Portuguese, is 36 years old, was born in Vila Nova de Gaia, began learning piano at six years old and runs the CMO since 2000. Graduated in conducting at the National Academy Orchestra under the guidance of Jean-Marc Burfin and continued his studies in Italy, with Gianluigi Gelmetti, and France, with Cristhian Manem. He was conductor of several concerts in some of the most prestigious venues in the world, cases of Dvorak Hall (Prague), Tonhale (Zurich), La Fenice (Venice), Carnegie Hall (New York) and New England Symphonic Ensemble. Directed José Carreras, Jose Cura, Mark Zeltser, Eva Maria Zuk, among many others, and orchestras in Portugal, Italy, Mexico, Finland, Switzerland, Austria, Belgium, Spain, Canada and the Czech Republic. Was the guest conductor for the Presidency of the Republic, for the concert commemorating the Day of Portugal – 10 June. Since 2005, Rui Massena is also the educational director of the Conservatory – Schools of the Arts of Wood and artistic director of the International Competition Wood Music

In the Region, under the Safe Summer Program – PSP oversaw 260 homes this summer.
During the summer of 2009, the PSP has overseen 260 homes in the region, under the Safe Summer program. This is a program in which the police carried out surveillance of homes during the holiday period of the owners, by their request. PSP-M emphasizes the effectiveness of the police action, since "there was a single residence associated with any anomaly, any theft or any other disturbance."

Municipality of San Vicente launches program to support basic needs – Board is helping the county’s elderly. The Board of St. Vincent will do a survey of people over 65 years living in the county and determine the conditions under which they live. The "Program 65 +", and called the initiative will, for example, building ramps to homes to provide easy access and guarantee the purchase of medicines or food, going to get them at pharmacies or markets. The Mayor of St. Vincent will promote a survey of the number of seniors over sixty-five years and their living conditions. The initiative comes under the Program 65 +, a project that will be led by the northern municipality as early as next January. Jorge Romeira, speaking to the JOURNAL OF MADEIRA, that it has already contacted a local association (the Association of Development of North Madeira), with the task of putting the project on the ground. The mayor notes that the project includes the removal of all persons over 65 years living in the municipality of San Vicente. "We know how they live, where living conditions if they are alone or accompanied and what their main needs," he explains. Our party, for example, will assess the person’s access between the road and the house in order to facilitate their mobility. "The project could include a cementing footpaths, placing of ramps instead of stairs, etc.." He said. But the initiative will also serve to assess other needs of the elderly. "People often do not have anybody to go buy drugs or foods. The project will include this service, "he added. He says that the support would be individualized and considered on a case by case. Socially, the Mayor of St. Vincent also announced that "promoting the improvement of municipal services for staff and users’ and recalls the construction of an old people’s home (Dona Hilaria Davis) and a public garden.

The program of the Regional Government and CMSV are also covered in the construction of the Bonaventure community centre, support for social housing, the creation of the Office for the farmer, by encouraging the construction of small "barns" on agricultural land and building partnerships with institutions such as Social Solidarity. There will be the implementation of activities of leisure, the creation of youth cards, social support to schools, jobs and sports, incentives for private companies to create jobs and promote employment Industrial Park of cherries for the promotion of employment.

Man tried to rob the bank but ended up surrendering to police. A man tried to rob today a bank branch in Covington using a weapon, but ended up surrendering to police, told Lusa the PSP. The individual, aged between 35 and 40, entered the branch of the BPI Europa Avenue, near the main shopping centre of the city at about 11:35 am, where he threatened staff with a knife. According to police sources, have asked for money, but then ended up surrendering voluntarily to the PSP still in place, and without having in possession of any amount of money. This case was submitted to the Judicial Police and the individual waits for the first interrogation in the Court of Covilhã .

Elaine very kindly provided yesterday’s top news headlines again :

Airport screening against Influenza A. There will soon be created at the airport a Line of Screening against Influenza A (Gripe A / swine flu). An announcement was made yesterday morning by the President of IASAÚDE at the seminar ‘Risk Assessment – New Risks: The Influenza A’. He took the opportunity to express concern about the fact that many people are not complying with measures to prevent the spread of the virus in the region. The airport has acquired sensors to detect temperature changes in passengers. Alongside this, there has been training for health professions. Mauricio Melim was keen to stress that the guidelines given by entities of Public Health "should be followed" as "We have a civic duty to prevent the spread of flu."

Christmas Events Program 2009. Major points of the program. Friday 27th November starts the first phase of lighting in downtown Funchal, 4 December the second phase. On December 11th the music and performances in the city centre begin. On that day, there will be the official opening of the decorations in the city centre; an ethnographic village in the streets, a decoration in the Largo do Chafariz, in front of the Sé a Christmas Crib and other displays by the SRTT and in the Municipal Gardens. From December 11 to January 6, performances by brass bands, folk groups and groups from the Coordinating Office of Arts Education and puppet shows in the Avenida Arriaga. In front of the Municipal Park, there will be several animation projects for children. 2,500 people will be involved. New Years Eve will be celebrated by eight minutes of fireworks, consisting of 21 separate displays representing flora and fauna of Madeira. The Government will invest €5.2 million into Christmas and New Year and lighting will take over 50% and the fireworks most of the remainder. At present, the hotels are 50% occupancy for Christmas and probably more at New Year than last year. These will not make up for a poor year for tourism. —- Just checked the Tourism site, the full program is only in Portuguese so far.

Weather is part of the tourism attraction of the region. The regular mild climate is one of the main attractions of Madeira as a tourist destination. The Secretary of Tourism and Transport ensured that the region is doing its share to protect the environment and nature, focusing more on ecological projects. "Madeira is an island of ‘Spring’ and I hope that does not change." This is the debut year for the prize for the most environmentally friendly establishment. There are 14 entries from hotels, restaurants and companies involved in animation. The aim is to act as an incentive for companies to participate in more environmentally protection activities.

Volunteer Fair Thursday 24th to Sunday 29th November. In the Municipal Garden in Funchal. The Casa do Voluntário called on the institutions in the region to present work done over the years by the public, as well as sharing experiences and exchanging information, thus encouraging volunteering as an expression of active citizenship.

Christmas Parade. Parade dressed as Father Christmas to help support the two institutions that help children and win valuable prizes, is the challenge that Madeira Shopping throws to Madeira for next Saturday November 28. The Christmas Parade is scheduled for 15.00, leaving the churchyard of the Church of Santo Amaro and finishing at the House of Father Christmas at Madeira Shopping Centre. For each entrant (free) the Centre will donate 5 Euros to the Hat of Hope. Money will be divided between the two institutions; O Abrigo Nossa Senhora do Conceição and Lar São Filipe. The winning prizes are a playstation 3 from FNAC and a 100 Euros voucher for Modelo. At the end of the parade, there will be a concert by the students of the School of Arts and Music.

Court case after fire in the building Elias Garcia. On March 14 2004, a fire of unknown origin broke out in the garage of the building Elias Garcia III and forced the evacuation of the building. A 59 year old woman required treatment for carbon monoxide inhalation. The fire started in the basement car park and affected five cars, destroying three. It was fought by 10 fire engines and 40 fire fighters. The person whose car the fire originated in, is in the dock and there are questions as to whether it was due to either a short circuit or overheating, which he rejects. In the wake of the fire, the Municipal Service of Civil Protection carried out a technical audit that found security flaws and the absence of fire doors in the basement garage.

Regional Plan Against Domestic Violence 2009 – 2011. Since its formation in 2002 until last year, the Support of Victims of Domestic Violence Team has seen 619 people. Last year they saw 100 people and the number of people reporting violence is increasing each year. The most problematic ages are 30 – 34 and 40 – 44, followed by 25 – 39. The plan includes several lines of intervention; who to tell, raise awareness, educate, protect victims, prevent secondary victimization and qualify the professionals.

SANAS training course. Training 20 new lifeboat crew, selected from 60 candidates. There are more crew needed because of the opening of the Lifeguard Station at Santa Cruz and also needed for Funchal. The training lasts 120 hours, of which 70 are of a practical nature. Training in the following areas: help at sea, communications, meteorology, navigation, techniques for rescue at sea, organization of lifeboats, first aid, survival at sea, public relations and support for sports.

Irregularities in Areal Dourado. The Municipality of Porto Santo have delivered a complaint to the Court against some of the management of the municipal company Areal Dourado, which manages sports, social and cultural events. Some of the board of Directors are thought to use financial resources to their advantage.

Model Boat Championship. Organized by the Nautical Association of Madeira and held last Sunday at the Centro Nautico da Ribeira do Natal in Caniçal. The trophy ‘Liquid PC’ for radio-controlled boats winner was Goncalo Sousa. The wind was weak and variable, the participants experienced some difficulties because the small boats were unruly, forcing the organizers to postpone most races until the afternoon. With rising wind and tide, the races went ahead. The big surprise was Omar Vieira who won five of eight races with ‘Bleu’. 32 boats were entered in the races. —– I never knew there were model boat enthusiasts in Madeira. There will be train spotters in a couple of years too! Der.

Region has not secured 29.3% of the revenue. Never has the Government proposed a budget that the extra revenues represent 29.3%. This is the conclusion to be drawn from the fact that Ventura Garces admits that he would seek authorization from the State to borrow 230 million Euros, 15% of revenue, with ‘other revenues’, 219.5 million Euros which represents another 14.3% of revenue. In the proposal he assumes a sale of assets worth €140 million and shares worth €18 million. The State should transfer 15% of the revenue and the EU 5.7%. The budget depends on the State specially permitting the debt limit to be raised. Revenue is expected to decrease, 29% less IRC and 11% VAT receipts. The Municipalities will receive €34.5 million from the Regional budget, and €69.3 million transferred from the State. The Government wants to raise the debt limit by more than €180 million to reduce the time taken to repay suppliers, to repay public debt formed during the year and the existing loans.

Sue is back again with yet more, so it looks like I won’t be needed any more today … many thanks ladies. Der

Urban Plan of the Ribeira de S. John goes today for approval at the meeting of the CMF – Index construction will increase in Cabouqueira. The Municipality of Funchal will adopt today, the Urban Plan of the Ribeira de Sao Joao This is the third and final plan that involves the three main streams of the city over an area of 43 hectares. Among many other things, the document will provide a higher rate of construction in the area of Cabouqueira (behind Funchal Centrum) and also defines a set of rules for the area where the warehouse of the Sa. The Minas Gerais, only goes with the presentation of a project that meets the new rules, i.e., the decrease of some floors of the building….

General Luís Araújo says F-16 will come when "necessary and appropriate". Chief-of-Staff of the Air Force, Gen. Luis de Araujo, said yesterday on the island of Porto Santo that the F-16 aircraft will come to Madeira "when necessary and appropriate." "It’s in our plans when necessary and appropriate, deployment of F-16, one or two teams, to do surveillance and airspace control this part of the country when the radar is ready," said Gen. Luís de Ali on the sidelines of the ceremony of founding of the Aerodrome of Maderia / 3, based on the island of Porto Santo. The deployment of the Portuguese Air Force in Porto Santo, created 25 years ago, has from now on be called the Unit AM3: "This unit has been in the Air Force for a long time but was not named, this was a simple ceremony giving a name to one of our "children," stressed Luis de Araujo. The general said that is also in future projects to install a military parade, accommodation for officers, sergeants etc. in that unit which currently has 15 military and a score of officials . Luis Araujo also said that if his mandate is extended (ends December 18) next year "in principle" the Day of the Air Force will be held in Madeira. The unit commander, Col. Joaquim Ferreira, reiterated the "need" to be made "minor adjustments in the modules as staff will be implemented at a local set of tasks of logistical and administrative framework that are, to date, done by other units of the Air Force. He also called for a solution "with housing, healthcare, food and transportation to and from the continent, the personnel deployed in AM3. The ceremony brought together several prominent branches of the Air Force, Army, Navy, Police and members of the Regional Government also noted the Unity Day of Maneuvering Aerodrome No. 3 and appointment of Colonel Joaquim Ferreira as commander of AM3. It looks like we now know what that radar is for on top of the mountain!

Cravo e Canela collection shows the "open air". On 7th December the store Clove and Cinnamon, now situated in Rua Vale da Ajuda, will display their collection of evening gowns and ceremonial clothing. The event is being produced by Eduardo Pinto and will have the support of the City Hall since it will use the promenade to the achievement of the parade. The idea, explained the head of the Journal da Madeira, "is to make not only our customers but also people who are in the street able to watch the parade." In a "showroom", the parade will start in-store, and the bridging will go through an entire corridor leading to the street, and run up to the parking spaces that are on the front of the store. According to Eduardo Pinto, this year’s event will again be attended by the British model Fiona (which, it should be noted, took the last two shows of the store) as well as Alexandra Vieira, Eva Lara, Yorain, Macedo and Licínia Roberta Laza. In enriching its collection, the Clove and Cinnamon decided to partner with AM Jewelry, a shop that will also show pieces of their jewelry made by prestigious international brands. Also of interest regarding the collection being presented on this day is that Clove and Cinnamon have chosen to display evening gowns and ceremonial clothing. "It will be a glamorous collection, very colorful, where flowing silks and fabrics are featured", said Eduardo Pinto.

and yet more from Sue with entertainment news …

‘Mega Park’ under the airport runway opens on 11 – Sponsor wants to revive Water Pena, the fun of Almirante Reis. Madeirans can count this year with a lively Christmas season, which will have several areas or appeal from 11 December. The fun is in charge of the ‘Mega Park’ and the Circus Brazil, which will repeat their presence of last year. The main novelty is the installation of ‘Mega Park Madeira’, in Water Pena, under the runway of the Madeira International Airport. For the first time in the region as responsible for ‘Mega Park’, Fernando Tavares promises, that the park will provide, "the rekindling the Almirante Reis”. We will have some of Madeira’s best attractions in Europe and worldwide. This park will have several new entertainment and cars already having met the new security laws. The controller of ‘Mega Park’ highlights the fun ‘New crazy kangaroo’, which in his opinion "skips, walks in circles and makes waves" and "Megadance ‘, a radical fun machine where people rise higher and will be suspended upside down (not the the faint hearted methinks!). This year also highlights the trail bumper that Fernando Tavares said is to be the best in Europe with its level of security. "The track is 50 feet long and all the bumper cars are already equipped with shock absorbers, seat belts for drivers and two ‘bags’ in fly ash (think this is probably “air bags”). All as required by law." Day 11 entry is free. The "Mega Park" invites the islanders to attend the official opening day, December 11, where all the attractions can be experienced for free. "We want to make a toast to the population. We believe that, thanks to the place where the ‘Park’ will be mounted and entertainment that we bring, we will cause a revolution in entertainment Madeira. The fair officially opens to the public on 12 December and will close down on 17 January. Fernando Tavares highlights Wednesday as the cheapest days to experience all the park, where each attraction costs one euro.

Circus Brazil back to Machico. Even the smallest will have the privileges this Christmas, with the return of the Circus Brazil, after a first appearance last year. The circus will be based on the same site last year, that is, near the football stadium UD Machico, a place where the leaders of the City Council say there is good accessibility and ease of parking. The debut of the circus is scheduled for December 11 and can be visited until 10 January.
This year, more people will have more attractions to watch at the circus, with the main novelty being a fantasy of Harry Potter, but could still see a show ring that is unique in the country. Also promoted still be some jugglers and a special show with clowns. The price of tickets remains the same as last year, and range from 12.50 Euros for adults and 7.50 Euros for children.

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.

Please send any topical or Madeira related photos or videos to blog@madeira4u.com to appear on this blog. Photos may take a while to appear, depending on the number waiting. Please don’t send copyrighted material.

The headline news & other snippets reviewed here on the blog are mainly from the Diário de Notícias of Madeira, although news from any source is used and welcome.

The blogs in the ‘uncategorised’ category come from the old madeira4u blog.

IF YOU NEED HELP WITH ANYTHING ON THIS WEBSITE, TRY THE MENU ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE ‘USEFUL LINKS’ & ‘TIPS & HELP’

Free Zone used for bribe payments ; Selvagens from space ; New space for organic crops

admin — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 06:00:00 +0000

Today’s Photo Thanks to Sue … "Just to think of sunny days … "

Some people publish their family holiday snapshots online, never expecting anyone to ever see them, so naked sunbathing photos are not recommended. I expect this lady will have a bit of a surprise when she sees her visitor stats tomorrow. TÂMARA’S MADEIRA HOLIDAY

"These two astronaut photographs illustrate the northern (top) and southern (bottom) Savage Islands. The two views were taken 13 seconds apart from the International Space Station; the geographic centre points of the images are separated by about 15 kilometres. Selvagem Grande, with an approximate area of 4 square kilometres, is the largest of the islands. The smaller and more irregularly-shaped Ilhéus do Norte, Ilhéu de Fora, and Selvagem Pequena are visible at the center of the lower image. Spain and Portugal both claim sovereignty over the Savage Islands". ILHAS SELVAGENS

"In an attempt to liven things up a bit, we started trying to determine which of the interesting looking fruits might be edible. These rather attractively purple bananas (you will need to click on the link to see the photo) turned out to be not only ripe, but deliciously sweet, and rather oddly crunchy, with seeds the size of peppercorns. I SUSPECT THOSE ‘WILD’ BANANAS WERE FAR FROM RIPE OR WERE NOT BANANAS worth a read and some nice photos

British lawyer laundered bribes to Nigeria – "The entire Nigerian bribery scheme was organised through London, according to the US authorities, taking advantage of Britain’s weak laws against overseas corruption. Labour ministers waved through a British loan guarantee for part of the deal in 2003, describing it as an example of "sound financial judgment". Cash flowed down an elaborate route, involving a subsidiary registered in Madeira, a Tesler company registered in Gibraltar and bank accounts in the Netherlands". LINK I doubt if the Madeira free zone needs this type of publicity as it is under so much scrutiny at the moment with accusations that it is effectively an ‘offshore’, but as this article was published in the UK Guardian newspaper, I doubt that reproducing this here will cause any further damage.

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

Government outlines new goals for organic production. Bio Madeira Week. At the time when the region has 5% of agricultural land classified as organic, the Regional Secretary for the Environment and Natural Resources yesterday set a challenge of increasing this area from 240 hectares to 500 over the next few years. In 2000, there were only 21 hectares devoted to organic farming. For these producers there are added incentives, e.g. payments higher than for traditional farmers – 30% more for organic grapes and bananas. The expansion of this type of agriculture is an opportunity and a factor of competitiveness. As Madeira is only a small island, farmers cannot compete on price so the produce must be of high quality and organic certification is a critical distinction.

Verandim yields and ‘betrays’ two elderly people. Two women, aged 69 and 79, were yesterday admitted to the Central Hospital of Funchal from injuries suffered in a fall from a balcony, about two feet up. They were leaning against a varandim (balcony) of iron when, for reasons not known, it gave way causing both to fall. They were assisted on site by the bombeiros and taken to the hospital. One had a cut on the scalp and both complained of back pain. The older woman was kept under observation in the Emergency Room and the younger one admitted to Orthopaedics. The accident occurred at a private house in Sao Roque.

Man denies domestic violence case. Following on from yesterday’s article about domestic violence in Porto da Cruz. "For 20 years I do not drink." The outburst from the man accused of scaring the daughter and ex-wife who live in a secluded area of Porto da Cruz. He denies the allegations that he appeared drunk on the doorstep and is sure that he has not seen his daughter since the divorce. Outraged and hurt about the complaints to the police and the Commission for the Protection of Children, he says he will proceed with a criminal complaint against his ex-wife and son. The marriage lasted for 25 years. In his version, the ex-wife will have given false information about the alleged appearances at the old family home. As for drink, every time he has been breathalysed in police stops over the past 20 years, the reading was zero. He has not seen his 11 year old daughter since the divorce at the beginning of this year, although access is guaranteed by the divorce ruling. It is the ex-wife who prevents him from seeing the daughter and he abides by her decision. He stills pays the maintenance every month. He insists he never injured the daughter and has only been to the house to collect his belongings.

Regional Development Forum. The current economic situation determines the theme of the World Forum of Regional Economic Development, which is taking place in Funchal until tomorrow. A key objective is to find concrete measures that are feasible and apply them to the various regions, whatever they are. About 70 people of various nationalities are participating in the Forum which began yesterday. They are from places as diverse as China, Russia, Ukraine, Australia, United States and Europe. Energy is expected to be a fundamental aspect of the future. Hence the presence of the Russians and Ukrainians in the meeting, " They open and close the tap." One aspect that is certainly discussed at the meeting is the importance of social aspects. Today the world and regions face a social crisis. "In some countries, more than half of young people are unable to find work."

PS does not celebrate November 25. As the Legislative Assembly of Madeira did not celebrate April 25 1974 by a special sitting, members of the PS (Socialists) will not participate in any ceremony dedicated to 25 November 1975. In the commemorative session they will recall the military action that led to the stabilization of democracy. On 25 November 1975, according to the PSD, a party which for years promoted the realization of this plenary, models of Communist rule were rejected. ALM celebrates this ‘consolidation’ of democracy but does not devote any space to the celebration of the Carnation Revolution that ended more than four decades of dictatorship in Portugal. The leader of the PS, João Carlos Gouveia, explained that it is a celebration by a right wing party that does not accept democracy, and is closer to the fascist regime that oppressed Portugal. A year ago, the session on November 25 did not have any members of the Socialists, Left Bloc or New Democracy Party.

Junta de Gaula against Jardim’s cuts. The JPP party (Together for the People) on Sunday in public denounced the cutting of public works by the Government and Council of Santa Cruz. The leader of the local Freguesia, also JPP, was also against the cuts. Élvio Sousa said it revealed a profound disregard for the interests of the Gaula population, a situation which needs to be explained by the mayor of Santa Cruz and the former executive responsible for the Freguesia of Gaula – that the analysis deceived the people of Gaula. He cannot understand how the work has been postponed when a framework contract has already been signed in March 2009. Élvio Sousa asks the following question: "To what extent are local councillors, who must defend the interests of the people of Gaula, ‘slaves’ of the masters in Funchal?"

ALM budget approved in eight minutes. Less than 10 minutes were enough to discuss and approve the budget for the ALM. Only the PCP communists referred to the famous ‘jackpot’ for the parties and the questions raised by the Court of Auditors in relation to the use of funds transferred by the Assembly. In discussing the accounts of the ALM in 2008, Baltasar Aguiar of the PND New Democrats commented on the high cost of parking, paid by Parliament (165,000 Euros per year). He also asked Miguel Mendonca why a trip to America that was to last 3 days ended up lasting 11 days.

Christmas Outreach Project. The Regional Secretariat for Tourism and Transport put forward an action of solidarity, aimed at the young. There will be a large Santa Claus in the Avenida Arriaga where you can deposit toys which will be distributed to children in institutions in the region. The toys will be distributed at the show ‘Singing of the Kings’ at the Municipal Park on January 5, 2010 at 20.00.

There will be less money in 2010. Presenting the budget for next year, Ventura Garces announced several cuts. The budget has been reduced to €1,531 million, €50 million less than 2009. The region should experience an increase in net debt of around €178 million resulting in a loan of 230 million Euros (still lacks the authorization from the State) and €52 million is needed to repay the loan. Another loan worth 50 million Euros might be applied for from the European Investment Bank. Sport will receive 11% less and agriculture will receive 14% less. The opposite applies to business development that increases 111%, employment over 37%, and tourism 6% more than 2009.

Meeting of the Union of Embroiderers in Turkey. The Madeira Union of Bordados (traditional embroidery) at a meeting in Turkey, want the creation of an International Federation of Home Workers. They want an Internet site to unite home workers from every country, and a Federation to fight for their rights. The Union has delivered its proposal to IBTAM to double the payments made to embroiderers, as an incentive. There are fewer and fewer workers due to the low income.

Car caught fire on motorway. A car caught fire yesterday on the Funchal – Ribeira Brava motorway. The incident occurred around 15.30 and the front of the Peugeot 206 was completely destroyed. Manuel Rodrigues, the owner, said that while going from Funchal to São Vicente, at the exit from the tunnel after Quinta Grande the car started to emit smoke and then fire broke out. This continued until the exit to Campanário. He used a fire extinguisher but it was the bombeiros who eventually extinguished the fire. The car was purchased in London and was brought to the region yesterday via the Naviera Armas. The fire might have been caused by a short circuit.

Cruises yield €40 million per year. The Ports Authority want to increase the number of calls by cruise ships, which is close to 300 per year. The objective is outlined at a time when the administration is preparing to make a new study on the satisfaction of cruise tourists who visit the island. Cruise ships tourism generates revenues of €40 million per year, but APRAM want to end the seasonality when May to August are quiet months. One way is the association with Medicuise which should give access to new routes. The last survey was in 2005 and this one will occur in the first half of 2010. It aims to update the data on spending patterns of the passengers and crews while on the island. It is recalled that in 2005, the study concluded that each passenger spent around 70 Euros a day. An EU survey concluded that crew members spend an average of 25 Euros per day. The inauguration of the new Maritime Station has been scheduled for next year, but no date fixed. The building will be completed by the end of this year then in the first half of next year, the equipment to operate it put into place. The cost will not be passed onto cruise ship passengers. The Traditional Trade Association want an extension of Saturday and Sunday opening to catch the weekend trade of hundreds of tourists when cruise ships call. Only last weekend there were 6,300 tourists who found a city deserted and empty. The authorities should promote tours to the city center and the Farmers’ Market. Sights of interest should also open at the weekend.

Government will encourage ‘Park and Ride’. The Horários Bus company, the Council of Funchal and the Regional Secretariat of Tourism and Transport are studying this concept. This initiative is intended to relocate parking from the city center to the periphery and make public transport sufficiently attractive so that people do not want to drive into the centre. A previous attempt at Viveiros did not work due to low compliance. The idea is to have two parking areas, one at the Western side and one at the Eastern side.

Police detain nine suspected of stealing from several homes in Funchal. Nine men between the ages of 20 and 59 are suspected of burglary and are thought to belong to a gang "presumably involved in concerted behaviour." Several items were seized including several pieces of gold, worth more than 6,000 Euros. The suspects are residents of Funchal, Santa Cruz and Lisbon.

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

Top story today : Demolition of Savoy starts in January – The hotel comes down in a process without implosion that will take 10 months. The developer Horácio Roque says that he intends to spend the New Year eve 2012-13 in a new building, budgeted at €120 million. Perhaps Mr. Roque is thinking of staying in another new hotel then, or perhaps in a hotel outbuilding? If it needs 10 months to knock down the old one (using traditional methods) and clear the site, that leaves just over two years to build a new one. This is Madeira … I have seen houses that have taken longer than two years to build. The bets are on! The idea is demolition with as little disturbance as possible, but that is of course impossible to avoid. I have pity for people in that zone that will have to put up with all this for years to come, particularly as this project was never necessary, and better options were available to revitalise the fortunes of the Savoy hotel, and for the loyal staff that were all sacked.

Debate concludes that the crisis is going to endure – The ’100 Biggest and Best’ (companies) united bosses of success in times of difficulties. I agree. An economy based so heavily on leisure will always be amongst the last out of recession, and I didn’t need to attend a conference of company bosses to work that one out.

In the Madeira budget for 2010, 29% of the revenue needed is not guaranteed. Someone else fancy a look at this one?

Health is in contention in the screening for Gripe A – Each exam costs more than 100 Euros and should be reduced. In January support for private analyses finishes. There seems to be two intertwined stories here, but the one in front of me says that tests and analyses samples taken by hospitals and health centres on Madeira, that went to private companies for processing, will no longer have the costs reimbursed from January. All such work will in future be undertaken by the Pathology Laboratory in Funchal Central Hospital. That’s old news, but maybe the effective date is new?

SATA wants to continue the operation Funchal – Porto Santo. President of the company showed himself to be interested in the contest anticipated for 2010. That can be no great surprise, as it has been well known for a long time that the Azores airline SATA brought two new (not brand new) planes to service the route. Quite why they will be flying from Funchal I am not sure, perhaps the usual airport at Santa Cruz is expected to fall into the sea next year. Cruise ships go to Funchal, not air traffic. You know what I have actually met people who think this island is called Funchal.

Madeira ground-breaker in the inventory of organs. Church organs that is. The inventory of church organs started on Madeira recently is the first of it’s kind in Portugal. It seems a book is to be published ‘Organs of the churches of Madeira’. It must be a job creation scheme? Surely no one is going to buy the book in sufficient numbers to make it a financially viable project.

Today’s sport headline, well two in one actually : Cristiano returns and Barcelona defeat Mourinho – The Madeiran is back tonight in the Champions league. Barcelona shone yesterday. Ronaldo is back for Real Madrid v FC Zurich after injury. Portuguese José Mourinho watched his team Inter Milan lose last night.

You can email blog@madeira4u.com with any large contributions and photos / videos.

—————————————————————————————————————————————–

Please use the comments here for general chit-chat, or feel free to ask any questions … someone usually has an answer.

The headline news & other snippets reviewed here on the blog are mainly from the Diário de Notícias of Madeira, although news from any source is used and welcome.

The blogs in the ‘uncategorised’ category come from the old madeira4u blog.

IF YOU NEED HELP WITH ANYTHING ON THIS WEBSITE, TRY THE MENU ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE ‘USEFUL LINKS’ & ‘TIPS & HELP’

Classical Orchestra homeless ; Adoption rate falling ; Pessimistic forecast until 2011

admin — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 06:00:00 +0000

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.

You can email blog@madeira4u.com with any large contributions and photos / videos.

—————————————————————————————————————————————–

Please use the comments here for general chit-chat, or feel free to ask any questions … someone usually has an answer.

The headline news & other snippets reviewed here on the blog are mainly from the Diário de Notícias of Madeira, although news from any source is used and welcome.

The blogs in the ‘uncategorised’ category come from the old madeira4u blog.

IF YOU NEED HELP WITH ANYTHING ON THIS WEBSITE, TRY THE MENU ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE ‘USEFUL LINKS’ & ‘TIPS & HELP’

UK to Porto Santo flights to resume in 2010 ; Levada worker died in rockfall ; What’s up Doc !

admin — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 06:00:00 +0000

Today’s Photo : Thanks to Eiryl … the Fountains outside Machico Civic Centre

Yesterday’s top news stories :

Fear and discontent among doctors. Doctors in the region are concerned and dissatisfied with certain situations in the Health Department. This is demonstrated by the growing number of applications for legal help to the Independent Union of Doctors throughout the year. Between 2001 and 2008, there were on average 4 requests per year and the number has soared to nearly 95 this year. Most complaints are related to salary, working hours, working legally and young doctors enquiring about the new labour code. People are "scared and unhappy" with the current management of SESARAM which is why the number of complaints has increased in the past few months. There is also concern about recruitment of doctors and the lack of career advancement when working in the region. They are meeting with representatives of the Nursing Union to have a concerted action for fighting for better working conditions and health care, as nurses are also "unhappy, worried and discouraged". Family doctors are concerned about new rules that SESARAM want to implement for lists of patients at health centres.The numbers of patients assigned to each doctor will not exceed 1500, to include for each household only the people who most often seek health services. So there will be people of the same family, who because they are healthier, may be excluded from the lists of users of health centres.

More violence and drug abuse this year. So far this year, 780 domestic violence cases (663 last year) and 232 cases of drug crimes (177 last year) reported to the police. The police are also encountering more resistance to arrest, from 11 cases to 28 this year. Overall, reported crime has increased, from 8,641 to 9,139 cases. The crimes on the increase were crimes against property, against the person and bounced cheques. On the decrease were corruption, driving without a licence or under the influence of alcohol, and violence against the elderly or children. There are more cases than last year still waiting to be heard by the Prosecution Services, up from 5,753 to 6,082, of these 135 waiting since 2006 or earlier. Only 13.2% of the cases end in a criminal charge, most of the others are filed due to lack of evidence. In the first half of 2009, the police served 478 warrants, resulting in 260 arrests and 37 individuals escorted to prison under tight security.

More people taking up Occupational Unemployment. This year, 755 people were placed on the Occupational and Unemployed Workers Benefit Program. The unemployed undertake an occupation-related activity and it reinforces the workforce, especially in social institutions, people’s homes, local cultural and sports associations and public administration services. Preference is given to those who have been unemployed longer or belong to social groups more difficult to integrate. It is beneficial as it keeps people employed, they receive an additional allowance and they might be taken on permanently. There are three programs, including one for people over the age of 55 years, some with restrictions on the length of time on the program, and everyone receives at least the minimum wage of 459 Euros.

New church in Jardim da Serra. Cost €2.6 million, of which €1.9 million was from the Government and new land had to be acquired. It occupies an imposing site at the top of a hill in Machico municipality, visible from a distance. Although it has traditional elements, it is based on a new design and has the capacity for 425 worshippers which by the seat / aisle arrangement can be doubled to provide for up to 1,000. The architect has designed seven other churches on the island and three more are in the design stages.

SITAM wants the Church to state its position on Christmas and Sunday opening hours. The Office, Commerce and Services Union wants the Church to help in its negotiations with the Town Hall on the schedule for Christmas trade opening hours to ensure that workers get enough rest days. They are awaiting the Diocese response to a one and a half year old petition against shops opening on Sunday. The Union also proposes a 5% salary increase and this year, there have been 5 or 6 bankruptcies in this sector.

Levada worker died yesterday at work. He was 47 and died after being semi-buried by a landslide of rocks on the Levada da Serra, between Ribeiro Frio and Santa da Serra. He was an employee of a private company and a colleague warned him and could not free him, already unconscious, due to the volume of rocks. The bombeiros (fire brigade) from Santa Cruz had difficulty accessing the area quickly as it is about 4 km from the nearest road and the Emergency Medical Team declared him dead in situ. The Regional Inspectorate of Labour have opened an investigation.

A 63 year old British tourist was rescued by the bombeiros after a fall in the Levada dos Tornos and had a suspected broken leg. A number of foreign tourists have fallen in this area.

‘Missing Face’ inquiry extends to Madeira. This corruption investigation, ‘Faca Oculta’, based in Lisbon is about Manuel Godinho and the rapid licensing of his waste treatment firms. The network of his firms in the region is being investigated for evidence of corrupt ‘illegal favours’ from Government officials.

Prints of Paula Rego to be exhibited in Prazeres. The prints from galleries in Lisbon and Porto will be at the Galaria dos Prazeres from the 27th November (10 – 13 and 14 – 19 hours). There will be 17 lithographs from this famous Portuguese artist shown in two rooms. Six prints are in the ‘Series of Wine’ and confirm the importance of literature to Paula Rego’s artistry.

Regulatory body ruling on political fairness in broadcasting. The Regulatory Body approved a resolution calling on the insistence of the whole RTP television network to comply with regulations concerning the equal representation of all political parties. The regulations were begun to be broken in 2007.

Atlantic Holidays (Pestana) returns to Porto Santo from May 31 2010. Resumption of direct flights from Gatwick to Porto Santo on Mondays until November 1 2010. The flights will be with Viking Airlines which uses a Boeing 737-300 with a capacity of 148 passengers. This replaces the bankrupt XL Airways. Between 26 July and 31 August, the flights will alter and be from Norwich to Madeira due to the busy domestic tourism period to Porto Santo.

Portugal is the top EU country with a rapidly ageing population. From 1980 to 2008, the percentage of people aged over 65 increased from 11.2% to 17.4%. Following Portugal are Spain, Italy, Germany, Greece and Sweden. Ireland has the youngest population with an average age of 35.1 years. In Portugal, the average is 40.5. It is also below the European average for assistance to families. The birth rate is at a ‘critical level’ of 1.34. —– The EU wants Portugal to reduce the high deficit and debt levels by 2013, so the future does not look good for either Portugal or Madeira.

Used car market. Opens today at Tecnopolo until Sunday 15th. Free entrance. Opening hours are 18.00 to 22.00 and at the weekend from 11.00 to 20.00. There are 200 cars and motorcycles and 15 companies (3 dealers and 12 multi-brand stands) are participating. Some companies also have promotional campaigns to attract customers.

Tivoli Hotel 10th anniversary. The Atlántico Restaurant has been refurbished and is to reopen with capacity for between 550 and 700 diners, one of the largest restaurants on the island. The opening event on the 18th at 19.00 will be attended by Alberto Jardim and there will be different celebratory activities in the following 10 weeks. The hotel has 317 rooms, of which 43 are suites and last year had a 62% occupancy rate which has increased this year.

Many thanks to Elaine, who did all the work today!

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.

The headline news & other snippets reviewed here on the blog are mainly from the Diário de Notícias of Madeira, although news from any source is used and welcome.

The blogs in the ‘uncategorised’ category come from the old madeira4u blog.

IF YOU NEED HELP WITH ANYTHING ON THIS WEBSITE, TRY THE MENU ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE ‘USEFUL LINKS’ & ‘TIPS & HELP’

Firemen abandon Nogueira ; 17,000 dependent on benefits ; Too much demand for ambulances

admin — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 06:00:00 +0000

TODAY’S PHOTO : Thanks to Tobi … The cruise ship AIDA Luna

Many thanks also to Tobi for this piece on the Ilhas Desertas : (Source : Essential Magazine).

One of the newest opportunities in nature tourism on Madeira is the chance to spend 1 or 2 nights on the Desertas Islands. The islands which dot the horizon from the south, south east of Madeira trigger much curiosity, and visiting the islands has been allowed for some time now, but staying over night has only just become possible. Madeira Natural Park, that manage the nature reserves on the islands, want to attract a growing number of people, but in controlled numbers to help promote the work they do, and raise awareness of good environmental habits.

Anyone can take advantage of this opportunity, all you have to do is ask the Madeira Natural Park for permission. From there you will need a tent or sleeping bag and anything else you may need to spend your time on land.

The islands are very popular for bird watchers and are a great place to see the Monk Seals , and don’t forget the Desertas Wolf Spider. Photo : Wardens house on the Desertas

Madeira Natural Park can be contacted on 291 214 360, or diliamenezes.sra@gov-madeira.pt or WEBSITE

I know we have a few Mandolin Orchestra fans amongst us, so this might be of interest. ‘Fabio Machado was born in Funchal, Portugal and started studying mandolin at the age of 9 years. He joined the Madeira Mandolin Orchestra (Recreio Musical União da Mocidade) and became its Concertmaster for several years, performing in several venues as a soloist’. NEW BOOK IN ENGLISH Anyone know what the differences are between a Bandolim a Ukulele and a Mandolin? I certainly don’t!

"Madeira is a tropical island. The Laurissílva Forest, in the Madeira Natural Park, is the largest evergreen forest in the world – a fact that has earned it classification as a world heritage site". I thought we were sub-tropical, but anyway I didn’t know about the "largest evergreen forest in the world" bit, but that’s what it says HERE. Is it true?

This is an article composed of an interview with a travel journalist, and although it does cover Madeira briefly, it might also be useful or of interest to anyone thinking of travelling to PORTUGAL

Some of today’s main news stories :

Public Libraries celebrate 30 years – Various activities will mark the occasion. An exhibition, a video of the history, a children’s guide and other projects will be announced today. Details on the LIBRARY WEBSITE

17 thousand people living on benefits – The number of Madeirans who depend on social benefits to survive grows. It is the crisis intensifying the situation in the world of poverty and unemployment. Today’s main news headline. In September there were 8,685 on unemployment benefit, and 8,372 on social integration income (RSI). Over a year the people totally dependent on the state that receive theses two benefits has increased by 4,735. The picture, which is reflected nationally, shows no signs yet of improvement. Loads of unemployed over my way, as what little tourism there was plunged a long time ago, and other Summer seasonal work starts to decline. I think I know as many unemployed as employed people, but generally I don’t need to worry about them too much … all resourceful people, normally with a foot in both camps, if you know what I mean.

Firemen abandon Nogueira – Brutal aggression to a fireman leads to the closure of the fire station. The 43 year old fireman was violently assaulted on Saturday night, with a bottle, leaving him with serious injuries to his face and arm. He was released from hospital after treatment (stitches) early the following morning. Yesterday the fire station was empty, with no flags flying, leaving Camacha now to depend on Santa Cruz central fire station for service. Three men, an ambulance, and a light fire fighting vehicle have now been moved to Santa Cruz. A spokesman for the fire brigade said that "many situations in that location have already occurred, but never as serious as this". On this morning’s TV news it said that the fireman was breaking up a fight between two people outside the fire station when he was attacked.

Cultural centre in London in difficulties – The 27th birthday party just served to expose the financial problems. The president J.M. Sousa is going to put up a fight.

Health professional may refuse the Gripe A vaccine – The Orders of Doctors and Nurses are recommending that the professionals accept the vaccine. The acceptance of the swine flu vaccine is not obligatory.

Ambulance company insufficient – 24 ambulances and 36 teams of ESB are not enough for nearly 500 transport requests per day. The patients complain of long waits. The company promises to boost resources. The Empresa de Serviço de Bombeiros is equipped to respond to 300 transport requests per day, but the reality is around 430 daily requests to take people to hospital. The current poor level of service is generating many complaints, as patients are left waiting at their front door, miss meals, and miss doctors appointments. Last month generated more complaints than ever before. ESB has bases in Funchal, Machico, Santana, São Vicente, Ribeira Brava and Porto Santo. With it’s 24 ambulances and 36 teams (2 in each), it provides free transport for the users of SESARAM.

Djalma pair in latest victory of Marítimo also gets a big chunk of today’s front page. Marítimo managed a fine 3 – 1 victory over Paços de Ferreira yesterday afternoon, that lifts them to 7th in the premier league. Nacional face Benfica away tonight. Watching the goals on this morning’s news, with three sides of the football pitch closed off due to the €45 million redevelopment project, one might have expected the remaining side to have been full of supporters, but it was far from that.

Yesterday’s top news stories courtesy of Elaine :

Domestic violence complaints continue to increase. Leave the region to escape the aggressor. More bad statistics. The number of complaints about domestic violence have risen, 702 by the end of August against 896 last year. Monthly average of 86 compared to 37 in 2006, 56 in 2007 and 75 last year. The Regional Plan Against Domestic Violence is being finalized, ready for public presentation on November 25th, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. These figures are no worse than the rest of Europe. Madeira has three shelters for women where they can live for a period of months until they can be reintegrated back into society. Some get new homes and jobs, others return to the abuser. Some are forced to leave the region, often to shelters on the mainland. Women complain after around 35 attacks as they often stay with the abuser for years, and abuse can be learnt by children. Abuse can be physical, psychological, sexual, coercion or threat. There is also elderly abuse, often reported by aides to the home. To get help with abuse, a criminal complaint should be filed but there are also three other ways: a social emergency line (phone helpline by Social Services), private institutions, police have specially trained staff and the shelters providing 41 beds. A break-down of regional statistics since 2006. ——No analysis given, e.g. demographic changes

Alexandre Camacho wins the Faial Rally but bids farewell. Due to lack of sponsorship / money. He had an easier win than predicted due to early withdrawal of Miguel Nunes because of engine breakdown.

—–Thought you would enjoy the photo of the cat having a lucky escape.

Commemoration of 99 years of Marítimo. 600 supporters (including Jardim) at a dinner held in the well-decorated club pavilion. Included a large cake as ‘a birthday party without a cake is not a party’. Carlos Pereira, the President of Marítimo criticized the rival club (no mention of name) for using expensive flights when travelling abroad and the hostile media. He thanked Jardim for the construction of the future stadium and Government support. —– Cake for 600!

Region ‘rejects’ promotion in ‘El Corte Ingles’. Madeira under-represented at the fair in the commercial centre in Lisbon for local produce from Portuguese and Spanish islands. There is not enough space for Madeiran products, only showing bolo de mel, cane sugar, poncha and Madeira wine (not many varieties), products which are almost impossible to buy in Portugal.

Port has a ‘full-house’. Saturday had a full-house with four cruisers and three on Sunday. Saturday, the Arcadia arrived at 12.00 but could not berth until 18.00 when another ship left, and stayed overnight. The Diário highlighted that the local commercial areas remain closed on a Sunday and the daily information given on reception advises a visit to the farmer’s market, described in the brochures as ‘unique, beautiful and pleasant’.

Military ready for new security threats. Speech by the Commander of the Military Zone on Army Day on Saturday. The three branches of the armed forces, security forces and civil protection have undergone new training to protect against terrorism, transnational crime and accidents or natural disasters. The ceremonies were also to welcome back the soldiers who have spent a year in Kosovo. In the past 20 years, Portuguese soldiers have been in Africa, East Timor, Bosnia and Kosovo. —– No mention of Iraq or Afghanistan.

1420 staff at 284 polling stations for September 27 elections cost 108,000 Euros. Each person will receive 76.32 Euros but it will take four months to pay them all. Each station required five members – a president, vice-president, secretary and two tellers.

Food Bank Against Hunger in Madeira in 2010. Part of the European venture to avoid food wastage whilst others go hungry. In Portugal, including the Azores, the 17 units cater for 250,000 people. The charity volunteers in Madeira are already being trained. Food is donated from hotels, retailers, individuals, often from excess agricultural production, and supermarket collection campaigns.

17 years in prison for three drug traffickers. All from Câmara de Lobos, including the ‘drug baron’. Two brothers aged 22 and 36 received sentences of five and a half years, and the third of six years. They sold cocaine and heroin to users in their homes for ‘lucrative’ incomes in 2008. Two denied the accusations and one refused to speak in court. The ‘drug baron’ had individual drug doses hidden inside ‘Kinder’ eggs and these were both in his home and buried in surrounding land belonging to other people, as well as plastic bags containing money. —– Kinder surprise! You know who to take on your next Easter egg hunt.

—– Article in the Daily Telegraph on the 4 June 2009 entitled ‘Postmistress foils Kinder egg cannabis delivery’. A village sub-postmistress in Cambridgeshire foiled a dealer’s attempts to mail drugs hidden in Kinder eggs after she detected suspicious smells from the parcels. He received a 12-month suspended sentence and ordered to complete 220 hours of community work.

Portugal news.

First of 16 lynx arrives on Monday to prevent extinction of the species that only exists in the Iberian Peninsular. They do not know the population numbers but that they are not stable and they have been threatened for several decades. The female lynx to arrive at the centre in Silves in the Algarve is called Azahar, the Arabic name for orange blossom.

The first luxury hotel to be built on the west coast of the Algarve has the natural park as a selling feature. Leacocks are to build a five-star hotel in Aljezur in part of the Natural Park of Southwest Alentejo and Costa Vicentina. Some hotel areas will be below ground so as not to interfere with the surrounding area.

Portuguese Phonographic Association President asks the new Minister of Culture to control "unruly access to music via the internet, which is killing the music industry". Recently in the British Daily Mail, a Columbian singer, Shakira, argued the opposite, supporting illegal downloading as "It is a way to democratize the music and the music is a gift."

In the inauguration of the sixth Portuguese government in 15 years, there was the usual repeated lists of promises and the difficulties facing the country. Antonio Guterres, 15 years ago, highlighted modernization of the economy and increased productivity needed. In that speech, the President, Cavaco Silva fainted and afterwards apologised for the disruption, caused by the death of his father. Then four years later, Guterres highlighted Social Security reform. Barroso in 2002 highlighted public accounts. When Barroso resigned to go to Brussels, Pedro Santana Lopes pledged to maintain strict financial discipline. He gave a confused speech by not sticking to the script. Eight months later, Sócrates said pharmacies would not be exclusively allowed to sell non-prescription drugs. On Wednesday, Sócrates started his second term, with a reduced majority, so might have to seek agreement with the opposition to get his policies passed. Has been talk of a coalition but ridiculed by Jardim, who still calls the Portuguese ‘masochists’ for re-electing socialist governments. Jardim Ramos of the Madeiran Government still hopes for good relationships with Lisbon, especially for funding for the new hospital as a community project.

You can email blog@madeira4u.com with any large contributions or comments and photos / videos, or if you can contribute regularly, I can give you a special account that allows you to create your own blog postings.
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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.

The headline news & other snippets reviewed here on the blog are mainly from the Diário de Notícias of Madeira, although news from any source is used and welcome.

The blogs in the ‘uncategorised’ category come from the old madeira4u blog.

IF YOU NEED HELP WITH ANYTHING ON THIS WEBSITE, TRY THE MENU ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE ‘USEFUL LINKS’ & ‘TIPS & HELP’

New Law By "Retard" ; Shootout On Porto Santo ; Girl Missing 5 Years ; Jellyfish Warnings

admin — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 11:54:14 +0000

(29th July). Today’s main photo headline is of a part completed building : ‘Not Even The New Plan Saves Minas Gerais – The plan of São João that CMF wants to approve tomorrow leaves the building embargoed’. The story is more about an urbanisation plan for the Ribeira de São João (PURSJ) in Funchal, something covered here before in a recent blog. The zone of the plan includes the partly built offices of the company Minas Gerais, which had work stopped over a year ago when CMF (Funchal Municipal Council) noticed that it had two more floors than in the plan approved by the council. The plan PURSJ will go to public consultation next month, but includes major change to roads, a new roundabout, and defines residential and business areas and the green zones. The zone is huge and starts at the Rotunda do Infante going north towards São João, and incorporates the building mentioned, meaning that it stays in limbo whilst the PURSJ plan goes through the necessary approvals.

‘Parole For Father Of The Girl That Didn’t Reappear – The man served 5/6ths of his sentence and already has work’. Sofia Catarina Andrade de Oliveira went missing on 22nd February 2004, from the residence of her mother in Câmara de Lobos, taken by her father Luís Encarnação that evening. She is now 7 years old. The couple were separated after living in the Azores, and the mother moved to Madeira with her daughter. Only the father knows where she is, and he was sentenced to prison for nearly six and a half years in prison for his kidnapping act after being arrested back in the Azores, but he never revealed her whereabouts, only saying that she was well. He is now out on early parole for good behaviour, and has already found work.

‘Domestic Violence Gives Suspended Sentence To Doctor’. The court in Funchal sentenced yesterday a dentist for abusing his wife. The one year prison sentence was suspended for one year, with the aggressor achieving the minimum sentence, in what could have been up to 5 years in prison. He was also ordered to pay €13,500 to his victim in damages, including personal injuries, when the victim was seeking €50,000. The reports of insults, threats, and physical violence went back as far as 1996, with the victim spending several periods of up to 3 months in illness as a result. The man didn’t even attend court for the sentencing, and now has the option of appealing.

‘Prizewinning Fagundes Vasconcelos In Cerveira’. A work of the Madeiran artist was acquired by the museum in Via Nova de Cerveira for €3,600. It is called ‘Parade of Vanity’.

If you are interested in the Madeira Wine Rally starting tomorrow, it is worth buying today’s Diário to get the free supplement with maps and timetables.

‘Market Of Ribeira Brava Goes from Bad To Worse – Half of the commercial units are already closed. The others agonise’. Of the ten units available, just 5 have survived the crisis. The low movement of customers, the redesign of the sea front that reduced passing traffic, the high level of competition between the traders, and the switch from the escudo to the €uro, are some of the reasons given for the situation. The latest to close its doors this year, was the restaurant / pizzeria located on the 1st floor, where they also occupied the terrace area. The fruit traders on the same level complain that since that happened business has got even worse, as even less people go upstairs. Shame, but normally people complain about the high rent charged by the council, but no mention in this article. One of the fruit sellers is OK, but the other one, Senhor 3in1 repof, keep well away from if you value your money.

‘Police Vehicle Targeted During An Arrest On Porto Santo – No police were injured as shots were fired by a 23 year old man’. But the car was pretty messed up by fire from the shotgun. The man was arrested shortly after the gunfire. Need I mention that it was over charges of drug trafficking, and 390 doses of heroin were seized. I ask you … what idiot would open fire on police on Porto Santo … even if you did get away where would you run to, where would you hide? Lets hope the king of Spain doesn’t pick up a copy of today’s newspaper, as he is off to Porto Santo at the weekend.

‘Prohibited access to the sea at Lido – Presence of jellyfish results in cordoned access to the sea for swimmers’. Access to the sea in the Lido Bathing Complex was ‘closed’ to the public due to the presence of jellyfish in the water. I think that was on Monday, but a later article says that yesterday a yellow flag was raised, and there was restricted access to the sea. There were also jellyfish reported at Praia Formosa.

The programme for the visit of the King and Queen of Spain tomorrow has been released, and it is pretty much as already stated. Anyone into royal visits will have the best opportunities for a royal wave at the airport at 6.30pm tomorrow, or an a Funchal walkabout on Saturday. It is confirmed that the trip will finish with a visit to Porto Santo.

(28th July). This story came from the ‘dark side’ yesterday : ‘Autonomy frees us of ‘silly laws’ – Alberto João Jardim said the new law will not apply to the roundabouts of Madeira’. Jardim said yesterday that a new law that prohibits the placement of statues and trees on roundabouts will not be applied. He points out that our independence allows us "to get rid of silly laws", ensuring that we keep our values and principles. The new law was (I think?)made by the president of Funchal council, and Jardim dealt with him in the most diplomatic way he knew, by saying "whoever made this law on the roundabouts is mentally retarded, and the danger is that these retards try to treat other people as retarded". Uncle Bertie! … that is your most likely successor you are talking about … show restraint please.