Madeira News Blog

Today’s Photo Thanks to Derek  … close up of a rock strata

Breaking one of my normal rules of scope, there is an tribute here to the English lady who died here on Sunday after a fall on a walk. RUTH HOLDWAY

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

‘Balloon Bar’ robbed while still open. The Yacht Bar, or ‘Balloon Bar’ was attacked this morning while it was still open. More than 2,000 Euros in cash was taken at about 1.30 am from the basement office. The office is next to the toilets so the thieves did not arouse suspicion and with the sound of the speakers, no one heard anything. They were not filmed by the video surveillance cameras. "We spent a lot of money on alarms and security systems but it was the fourth time this year we have been robbed," lamented the manager of the bar in the Avenida do Mar. The theft was detected at two o’clock by an employee who went to the basement for ‘stock’. Both the office door and drawer containing the money had been broken. "This was the work of more than one person, because no one would dare to do this by themselves without having another to watch." "We had a full house and with the finalists (students) the evening was very busy." The manager also complained about crime in the area, "They attacked the bolo do caco stand, the tourist information kiosk, even the beach umbrellas." The Yacht Bar is managed by the Regency hotel group and has been the victim of several assaults, in one of which the thieves took about 5,000 Euros.

Aggression motivated the man wielding knives.  The mother of the 19 year old who was arrested last Friday morning, after walking around Funchal with no shirt on and a knife in each hand, maintains that the attitude of her son was in response to an act of aggression against him. "He was standing by the gate with friends when a man appeared, who he did not know, and punched him," she told the reporter, admitting that the attitude of her child was not the best. "My son was wrong and will pay for it, but saying that he had a chain around his neck or has a mental disorder are completely untrue." On the basis of this alleged aggression, he has relationship problems related to an ex-girlfriend. "He broke it up but she did not accept it." She alleged the police were exaggerated in their response, "No one was hurt, so I do not understand how it forced him to spend the night with the police."

Vacancies at the Institute of Employment. October closed with almost 13,000 registered unemployed and of 400 job vacancies, there were still 256 unfilled. Being older than 35 and having less than ninth year education is the worst situation for gaining employment. Candidates with more ease in getting a job are aged between 20 and 30 years of age with qualifications higher than the 9th year. The age group most affected by unemployment is 25 to 34 years old. Some candidates will not accept jobs requiring lower qualifications or a different skill level. This year, the largest number of job offers (36%) are in catering, 16% in commerce and services and 10% for vendors, operators and demonstrators. There is an imbalance between supply and demand. The Institute has negotiated with some employers to give employment to people with higher qualifications than required. If the job seeker is on unemployment allowance, they have to take any job offered that fits with their education and professional experience. In the last three years, half of the jobs in construction have been lost, dropping from 30,000 to 15,000. Those not entitled to unemployment pay have returned to South Africa, Luanda and Senegal. There are no signs of improvement with reduced EU funds, no private investment and no public funds. The number of unemployed electricians is growing, with wage arrears and no right to compensation. Companies are shutting down and not paying money due, as in the 1970s, and some electricians are saying they will try their luck in Jersey.

More funds for Madeira. The opposition parties are preparing to approve an amendment to the Finance Law that will give more money to Madeira. The State may have to reimburse Madeira about 400 million Euros in the next State Budget. On December 11, Parliament will discuss a resolution by the Assembly of Madeira which aims to replenish the first Finance Law for the autonomous regions, rather than the current law which came into force in 2007 by votes of only the Socialist Party. The document provides a replacement of the money lost from Madeira this year in transfers from the State and it seems, will even be approved. The document will only change the part that concerns the region of Madeira, leaving protected statutory rights acquired by the Azores in the current legislation.

Easier to switch banks. Rules making it easier for customers to switch banks for current accounts came into force in almost all other countries in the European area on November 1. On December 1, Portugal enforced these EU rules, including the possibility of the new bank acting as an intermediary in the amendment and the obligation of the former to provide all necessary information. The former bank must provide the customer and the new database all information about payments, for example direct debits or standing orders, and where possible, without costs. The old bank will have to provide the necessary information within seven days and the new bank has the equivalent time to restore normal operations in question.

Return to Alfândega not until after summer. Rent of Tecnopolo prolonged until the next legislative session. The members of the Legislative Assembly of Madeira debunked to Tecnopolo in April for eight months while the Alfândega building was being renovated and redecorated. Now it is known that the return to the old Customs House on the Avenida do Mar will be prolonged until the end of next summer. There was a delay in opening the tender for the works, which only happened in May. The other delay is due to the structure of the building. The annexe to the building, designed by Chorão Ramalho and built in the 1980s, is very degraded and requires significant strengthening. Currently, this annexe is being excavated and damaged material removed, then it will need to be renovated. The pond at the top of the building will be eliminated as it was responsible for many of the detected infiltrations. The works should be completed in the summer and then sound installations, computer equipment and video need to be installed. The rental of the premises at Tecnopolo and parking lots total more than 230,000 Euros per year and this sum could double to meet the new deadlines (a delay of more than 10 months). The initial cost of the renovation was €1.2 million but this will suffer a major increase.

Opposition calls special meeting. CDS-PP and PS will ask for explanations today from Romeira on the cancellation of some works. Rarely the PS and CDS share the same political views, São Vicente is an exception. The socialists and centrists requested a special meeting as they wanted to know more about cancellations of work. The mayor needs to explain the justification for the withdrawal of the improvement and asphalting of the road link between Ginjas and Paul da Serra. This work has been postponed for more than 20 years. The opposition also want to know whether there will be construction of the promenade at São Vicente. They are challenging many other issues of the mayor Jorge Romeira to try to derail them.

Madeira Wine and embroidery as Christmas gifts. The Regional Natural Resources launches a promotional campaign in the Farmers’ Market in Funchal. The campaign is launched on Wednesday to trigger Madeirans and tourists to buy these products for Christmas gifts. About seven thousand families depend on the sale of wine and embroidery products, so buying them as Christmas gifts is a great way to contribute to the economy and social life of the region. The campaign aims to promote Madeira Wine by associating it with a Madeiran lifestyle, refined and celebrational, suggesting one offers and increases consumption during the Christmas season and end of year. The campaigns represent an investment of 40,000 Euros. The consumption of Madeira Wine in the regional market is about 531,000 litres and represents around 3.8 million Euros.

Lorries overweight and noisy. 60 breaches detected in Operation Safe Environment. The police have been monitoring for breaches of the rules of environmental safety (digging and moving environmental materials). The campaign ran from 23 to 29 November and of the 456 vehicles stopped, 59 were found to be overloaded, too noisy, driving under the influence of alcohol or without proper licensing.

Porto Santo is the seventh in purchasing power. Porto Santo citizens have better purchasing power, 39.92% higher than the national average, which puts Porto Santo in seventh place among all cities. The unusual growth in wealth of the island can be attested to the fact that between 2005 and 2007, purchasing power per capita has risen 12% when the mean for the same period fell 1.2%. 48.2% of the workforce are eligible for a 30% increase in salary as compensation for the double insularity, which requires the regional and municipal budgets to inject an extra 2 million to improve the wages of those working in departments, services and other public structures. Residents on Porto Santo are privileged because they have twice the purchasing power of Madeirans living in the eight municipalities, surpassing even those in Funchal who have a purchasing power per capita 35.44% higher than the national average or 3.3% below that of the inhabitants of Porto Santo. The privileged situation is due to the structure of employment, most working in either public service or hotel work, so very few earn the minimum wage. Over the past seven years, Funchalenses saw their purchasing power rise 25.5%. The only other municipality where purchasing power increased was Porto Moniz, so in the other areas of Madeira, people have become poorer. In Portugal there is a positive association between the degree of urbanization and purchasing power.

Chefs challenged to choose local products. The Regional Directorate of Agriculture and Rural Development is to have promotional meetings with heads of national and regional cuisine, challenging them to cook dinner on the basis of Madeiran agro-food. This was the concept for a dinner recently held for more than 100 guests at the hotel Four Views Baia. The Regional director said that the challenge would also launch regional producers: SantoQueijo, OvoGirao, Engenho do Ribeiro Seco, Quinta Pedagogica dos Prazeres, Madeira Agricola and Horticalheta. "With pleasure, participants could enjoy for example, a starter of requeijao com abobora menina e tomate da Madeira with Mel de Cana da Madeira, and the meal itself of fresh lombos de tuna accompanied with a creme de abacante da Madeira. This initiative will be promoted using an increasing number of personalities and influential agents. The aim is a gourmet approach to dining, the consumers, whether professionals or individuals, enjoying regional products associated with the characteristics of taste, aroma, texture and freshness and not less important, the environmental aspects associated with agricultural awareness of the locality.

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

Gripe A arrives at the schools through the fault of parents – Carelessness obliges the new rules : Without medical certification, the students with the swine flu virus are obliged to stay at home for seven days. Parents skip the seven day quarantine period and increase the risk of spreading the the H1N1 virus, probably because of the fear of taking time off of work. A new instruction from the secretary for health is causing confusion amongst parents and guardians, and school administrations. It says that to avoid the virus spreading, medical certification is needed stating that the child is not affected by Gripe A, and such certification can be issued by an assistant doctor at a hospital or health centre. Meanwhile schools are refusing to accept certification from private doctors, when they are equally acceptable, because of confusion in the new rules. One case is mentioned where a mother whose child had a temperature (not Gripe A) was obliged to go to a doctor for a certificate, but as her family doctor only gives consultations one day a week, she had to kick up a fuss and get someone else to issue a certificate. Any student with a ‘flu like’ illness is affected by the new rules, and siblings of affected children are also obliged to stay at home for 48 hours, even without symptoms. Up until 29th November 39 schools on Madeira had outbreaks (two or more cases) of swine flu.

Thanks again to Elaine for this one : Today’s main news headline : Government technicians deceive farmers - The development of agricultural projects in the region is a right mess. The ‘scheme’ omits information for the person requesting official support, generates unforeseen charges and involves technical work that is not allowed in an association. The Regional Government technicians prepare the farmer’s projects for the Farmers Association and the farmer pays for the project! Farmers can apply for public funding for investment projects and the Government heralded the technical support to apply for the funds free to the farmers. But when they have applied, the farmers have been surprised to receive an invoice for the preparation cost from the Farmers Association. The eligible maximum amount of preparation costs can be 5% of the project (or 10% for biological products) which amounts to a 2,750 Euros invoice for an investment project of 100,000 Euros, even though the project might not be approved. The Government technicians also work as technicians for the Farmers Association, and prepare the projects for the Farmers Association that charge its members. The problem started in July 2008 when the Government agreed free technical preparation (by Government technicians) only for investment projects of less than 5,000 Euros (small) and all others were to be covered by the Farmers Association. The Government seeks to benefit about 2,000 farmers for small investments and 445 other farmers for medium and large investment projects, until 2013. The President of the Farmers Association assumes that the Association has technical staff who are also part of the Regional Government and they are allowed to prepare the projects outside work hours. This is not so because to avoid a conflict of interest, public officials who want to take part in private-functions must seek permission to do so. The Government staff are also directed to warn the farmer of a project costing more than 5,000 Euros that it will go through the Farmers Association. The Government said it will not stand for any violations and promised to investigate cases and if appropriate hold disciplinary meetings.

Thanks again to Elaine for this one : Councils are waiting for €8 million from the Republic of Portugal – The budget has not been paid since January and concerns tax transfers of the state budget. More than 8 million Euros and by the end of the year, will exceed €9 million, the amount that the Government of the Republic should transfer to the eleven Councils in Madeira in relation to IRS from the State Budget. Since January this year, the 5% has not been paid. This is not how the Government of the Republic have interpreted the rules after the approval of the Local Finance Law. The executive of Prime Minister Sócrates believes that since the tax receipts are in the Autonomous Regions (Azores and Madeira), the Regional Governments should support this payment. In the middle of this tug of war are 30 Municipal Councils, (11 in Madeira and 19 in the Azores). The Regional Municipalities say this is discriminatory as their Portuguese counterparts on the continent continue to receive this money directly from the State Budget. This debt has led to various complications in the management of annual budgets of municipalities, especially for the largest municipalities. To the Mayor of Porto Santo, the big problem is that income tax receipts were entered in the budget of the Council, and this value has not been paid. "This is so since January. The problem is that we introduce these funds in the budgets of the Councils and then no money comes. Of course, there are payments in arrears. If we do not receive these funds, we begin to have difficulty paying, for example, wages to our employees." There are also delays in payments to suppliers. "I know some municipalities have paid small suppliers, because these debts are easier to pay off, however we know this money is needed by businesses. We are in the situation where you pull the blanket to the head and uncover the feet." Because they feel discriminated against compared to other municipalities in the country, the Association of Municipalities of both the Azores and Madeira have been working together to solve the problem. The matter has been put to the Prime Minister, Jose Sócrates and they are still waiting for him to resolve the problem, hopefully soon. The hope of the Associations of Municipalities of the Azores and Madeira also turns to the National Assembly, thanks to the majority that the opposition parties have achieved in recent elections and subsequent reduction of power of the socialists. The two municipal associations have sent to the regional delegations of the parties that are represented in Parliament, a document to explain the situation. They will not send the document to the PS because the party in Madeira agreed with this law. The Mayor of Porto Santo says they want to resolve the situation through dialogue but in the extreme case will go to court, entering an injunction against the decision. The Government of Madeira has been in discussion with the Government of the Azores because they also feel discriminated against.

‘Spread the words’ stirs three thousand children – The project of Funchal Council started in 2008 and develops the enjoyment of books in 6 groups. The scheme aims to boost interest in books and reading amongst children of a very young age (up to 1st cycle basic school), and now has 3,011  participants. At a gathering in Santa Catarina park in Funchal, the children are first allowed to run around and play. "It must be like this" one of the monitors said, explaining that otherwise the youngsters would not focus on the books. After half an hour of running the kids are ready to learn and discover another world. The sessions last about an hour, but it various according to the age of the group, as the younger ones tend to have shorter sessions. So what do the kids think of it all you must be thinking? The Diário obliges with some interviews :

Beatriz, four years old,  confesses not to have books at home because she does not like them. She prefers her dolls, and straight away opened both hands when asked how many had. Rodrigo, of the same age, said he had four books and a remote-control car. "My dad reads to me when I ask" he said, but the subject was soon diverted to his car, a favourite because "it is new and has a remote control with batteries," he said enthusiastically, with all his wisdom. At this age the memory plays tricks and it is not easy to remember the stories, or even the school. Pedro remembers the ‘Spark’, the adventures of the ‘Hero’ but had trouble remembering the other characters in his books. But Rodrigo prefers the story of the ‘Three Little Pigs’ "And the big bad wolf that blows the house" he said, before scattering with the others, hoping a few more minutes of play.

In football : Nacional is going to sell Rúben Micael and Filipe Lopes. The game today at Werder Bremen is "all or nothing", but also a shop window for the business already determined by Nacional president Rui Alves. The article also has the big front page photo today, an odd and slightly surreal picture of players in training. Nothing other than an away win will give Nacional any chance of progressing in the Liga Europa, and even that would then depend on the result of the other match in the same group. Nacional will be playing in near freezing temperatures, with their manager still seriously ill in hospital, so the signs are not good, but the team is fired up by the talk of a ‘walkover’ by Werder Bremen. Players Micael and Lopes will be on their way out of the club in the January transfer window  admits Nacional’s president. The Diário claims to know that Rúben Micael is going to play in England for a transfer fee around the €10 million mark, but adds that a number of scouts (not the sort with toggles) will be at tonight’s match. 6 pm SportTV1.

Unfortunately my laptop is bleeping with just 9 minutes left in the batteries, so I have to go with 2 stories left untranslated … someone help me out here please, pretty please. Elaine stepped in again, as usual … is there  really no one else who can help us out with news stories and translations?

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If you can, please contribute something Madeira related. A funny story or good or bad experience, a news item, or a story from a Madeira newspaper, a photo or video, a teaser, news of a bargain flight or item in a supermarket. Please help keep this blog going … without user contributions it won’t survive. Please don’t send in automatic translations (like Google translator) without checking them through and correcting them first, thanks.

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

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

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Today’s Photo Thanks to 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.

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If you can, please contribute something Madeira related. A funny story or good or bad experience, a news item, or a story from a Madeira newspaper, a photo or video, a teaser, news of a bargain flight or item in a supermarket. Please help keep this blog going … without user contributions it won’t survive. Please don’t send in automatic translations (like Google translator) without checking them through and correcting them first, thanks.

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

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

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

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

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

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

A very quick looks at today’s Diário headlines :

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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If you can, please contribute something Madeira related. A funny story or experience, a news item, or a story from a Madeira newspaper, a photo or video, a teaser, news of a bargain flight or item in a supermarket. Please help keep this blog going … without user contributions it won’t survive. 

You can email blog@madeira4u.com with any large contributions 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.

(more…)

Loads of stuff in today’s news, so here is a bit of a clear out …

(17th June). Tuesday’s heavy rain caused many collisions, accidents, and breakdowns on the major roads, resulting in traffic congestion all along the via rápida. One accident at night involved 3 vehicles colliding, with a woman taken to hospital, but released in the morning.

A number of complaints have been made about the state of the pond in the Municipal Gardens in Funchal. Aside from being dirty, there is insufficient oxygen in the water, and the fish are dying.

Registrations are open for the Summer Course "We speak and write Portuguese", a free intensive course for an elementary level of Portuguese as a Foreign Language. Classes begin on 2 July and finish on the 31st. The main objective of this elementary level course is learning the Portuguese language and improving the language skills of students, and it is open to foreigners. The course is organised by the Departamento de Estudos Romanísticos, but I have no more information nor have any idea where this is, but if somebody is interested and finds out and lets me know I will post the information here.

Around 11,000 laptop computers are due to be delivered to Madeira by the 15th July, to be distributed to junior school children. Many children will receive them free, whilst better off families will have to pay some contribution.

The traditional craft of embroidery on Madeira is under threat, because of new rules on Social Security contributions. Company contributions will increase from 10 to 20.3%, and individuals will pay 9% instead of 2.3%. Many companies in this sector have already closed in recent years.

‘Madeira Beats Record – A new European record has been established in coarse fishing’. A 30kg Spearfish was caught a mile off the coast of Ponta da Cruz. The previous record had stood for 22 years. Nice photo of the dead fish, who got the hook caught in its eye causing serious injury, and had to be killed rather than released. I bet that fact will be omitted from the record books.