Madeira News Blog

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

This from Elaine out West, many thanks:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ships brought 30 thousand more in 2009.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

If anyone else can oblige with the translation of any of the ‘blank’ or sparsely filled headlines, or other news stories, here is the link. All contributions much appreciated. 

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

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

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

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(17th August). The last story from today’s front page : ‘The Daily Expense That Jardim Is Said To Pay On Porto Santo Wouldn’t Be Enough To Pay For Camping – The houses with tennis and sea access are cheaper than a little tent’. This story comes up every year, the issue of the politicians and the rich and famous who get taxpayer subsidised holidays on Porto Santo, and I for sure know we have already covered the story here at least once already this year. But it’s on the front page again. Anyway, the two houses owned by the ‘Presidency of the Government’, on Porto Santo, one of which is currently rented by President Jardim on holiday there, cost €10 per day, a price at which "Alberto João Jardim wouldn’t be able to manage to erect a tent for two people in the camping park", according to the Diário. The two houses are under the direct administration of the Presidency, so it sets the prices, and manages the bookings, for the members of the Executive and their families. Jardim is also accompanied by family, and two police officers for security purposes. Meanwhile a few hundred metres away lies the ‘Parque de Campismo’, where according to the price list on the website, a payment of €10 would not allow a couple to spend the night there, and based on the dimensions of Jardim and his entourage (without police) he would have to pay €11.60 a day. For that, unlike the government houses, there would be no hot water. The Diário then takes it’s inquiry to the hotels, where it concludes that one could not find a room there in high season for less than €50. The two holiday houses have been used by Jardim and the Executive for almost the last 30 years, and nothing else like this exists in all of Portugal, with politicians in other walks having to fund their own holidays in full. The Diário concludes that during the last 20 years that Jardim has saved himself around €50,000, enough to buy a top of the range car.

‘PS Recovers Posters – The re-candidature of Emanuel Câmara uses the election posters of 2005′. The socialist party candidate is the same one from four years ago in Porto Moniz, and the election posters appearing in the streets are a little yellowed with age, but reusable. The date ’2005′ that showed back then has had to be cut out (bottom left corner), but the candidate says he is following the 3 ‘R’ rule, for recycle, reduce, and reuse, as part of his ‘green credentials’. Sources close to the politician however say that is not the main reason, it is a shortage of funds for political advertising and also the late announcement of candidacy that are responsible. Just as well he was already grey haired then, and there is no truth in the rumours that that until a week ago the man had a full beard and moustache set, and now keeps walking into lampposts. Too subtle … sorry!

I could have got 4 ‘Câmaras’ in that headline, but was stuck for space : Câmara runs for Câmara, but doesn’t need a film in the câmara of the câmara.

A quick look at matters of the economy : 

’100 largest companies: Best practices – Healthy environment. Producing energy using wind and water from the drains of Quinta do Lorde, that wants to be the model environment’. It is a controversial project that the company SA is developing in Caniçal, being Quinta do Lorde. Why build 49 buildings in an area of natural park with huge impacts, although paradoxically it was taken as an example of good environmental practice. The president of the company Ricardo Sousa says that the project invested in the "implementation of an eco-resort, a sustainable tourism community, self sufficient in energy and water, part of a strategy for restating Madeira as a (green?) tourist destination’. The construction is "based on exploiting renewable energy resources and high energy efficiency in the buildings and equipment, a strategy that gives high standards of comfort with lower energy consumption, minimising the environmental impacts". The project is even installing a desalination unit, capable of producing 100 cubic metres of drinking water a day from sea water. A waste water treatment plant will also be installed, to process all the sewerage, then to be used for keeping the gardens green. Three wind generators and an area of solar panels will be used to generate energy. Much more in facts and figures :
Sousa is the majority (84%) shareholder of the company of 100 shareholders.
The total project costs are around €100 million, or which €4 million came from state incentives.
The cheapest house will cost €1.2 million, whilst apartments will start at €380,000.
The total project covers 163,750 square metres of natural park land.
‘White man speaks with forked tongue’ is what springs to mind, but regardless, some wealthy folks who don’t give two figs about the environment, or who are persuaded by said ‘forked tongue’ that they are actually doing a good thing, will buy. To those people I say that when you are sat on your very comfortable loo in the morning generating electricity and fresh water, just remember that old adage ‘what goes around comes around’, and then go and make a nice cup of tea and hope they got the plumbing right.

(16th August). The last story from yesterday’s front page : ‘Businessman Loses €5 Million Due To Popular Actions – Miguel Viveiros moves forward with his new project of gravel in Machico after a difficult financial phase resulting from, according to the businessman, of popular actions that stopped him continuing three works during two years’. The ‘self made man’ stopped works in Santana, Machico, and Caniçal, and was forced to rethink his plans without losing sight of his investments. The €5 million lost was due to three court actions, and that figure didn’t include interest and bank charges, or lost revenue and opportunities, and not to mention the two hundred people put out of work. I have no idea if the legal actions were frivolous or not.

(15th August). ‘Inflation Rate For Portugal And Ireland Is The lowest In Europe’. In the 12 months until July 2009, both countries registered annual inflation of just 0.5%.

‘Producers Challenge Price Of Milk – farmers complain that they receive the same today as 20 years ago’. As most of our milk here is imported, I guess it’s relevant. Community directives combined with the effects of the crisis have left milk producers (but not the cows) complaining about what they are paid. "The European Union has decided to end the production quotas for milk at the worst time, in the height of the crisis" says the president of the association of young farmers in Porto. Now supply exceeds demand. He says the situation will resolve itself, as the producers become insolvent and go out of business, resulting in a shortage of supply, and then the price rises follow. It’s been quite noticeable here the price swings for milk sold on Madeira. Up until about two years ago I was paying 45c a litre carton, then up until a year ago I was paying 75 to 80c, but now you can get milk as cheap as 39c a litre.

(8th August). Today’s main front page photo shows a cafe esplanade with a reasonable number of clients sat at tables : ‘Overflow On Porto Santo, But Consumption Is Low – There are many people on holiday on the island, but the traders are aware of a reduction in spending. Business is weak’. High season is underway and the streets are full of people, especially since yesterday, but they are not spending much. They are spending much less, not just in the restaurants, but also on the night activities, especially the youngsters that are not visiting the night time locations they used to visit. This year with the crisis more visible and with still other worries (such as Gripe A), it is already certain that the economy of Porto Santo is going to suffer, and more so later in August when the hotel bookings are down (40 to 70% occupied, with some full).

‘Justice Police Search For 10 Missing People – They continue without giving any hopeful signs of finding the 10 registered missing people; two of them haven’t been seen since they were minors’. Ten people, adults, youths, and children remain registered as ‘disappeared’ by Madeira’s police. The oldest case goes back 10 years, the most recent happened this year, but all the cases remain open, although in some cases the police believe that it is just a case of people leaving home, as people sometimes wish to cut family ties and start a new life. Some of the others that go off ‘Without A Trace’ ask police not to tell their families. A spokesman for the PJ says that it is necessary to make a differential between the adults and children, as in the latter case the communication abilities may not be sufficiently developed to seek help. This complicates matters later on when old memories are lost and appearances change. Some of the cases are discussed: Sofia aged 2 went missing in 2004 from Caniço, kidnapped by her father; João Teles then aged 16, went missing from Câmara de Lobos in 1998. The JP have no doubt that some of them are dead, maybe from suicide, or have died naturally in a place where they won’t be found, in the wilderness or the sea perhaps.

‘Wings Of Portugal’ Return To Madeira – The acrobatic squadron shows its skills on the Day of Funchal, that will also repeat the historic parade’. The parade will have 700 participants and will be made up of period costumes representing Funchal’s history. The Council of Funchal (CMF) has decided to "show some dimensions of its history, that is over 500 years old", says president of CMF Miguel Albuquerque, "it is an example of the cultural wealth of the citizens". There is an invitation to everyone, those who want to participate, and those who want to watch in the streets. The route will be in the centre streets, much like last year, ending up outside ‘City Hall’. The airshow ‘Wings Of Portugal’ will also perform, as in 2008, along with other commemorative events. A full programme of events for 21st August will be released by CMF soon. Celebrating the closing of the ’500 year’ celebrations, or the forthcoming elections I wonder?

‘Zenit Of Danny On The Path Of Nacional – The Russians come first to the Choupana, on the 20th of this month, in the Europa league. Danny doesn’t play because he is continuing to recover’. Confirmation from yesterday of the news that Nacional play Zenit St. Petersburg over two legs this month. Danny, the star midfielder from Madeira, plays for Zenit normally, but it seems he is injured.

‘Miradouro At Portela With Face-Lift – Jardim says he will tighten the vigilance on illegal traders’. It was in front of a crowd of people in Machico that the president of the Madeira government inaugurated the miradouro (viewpoint) in Portela Thursday afternoon. The work cost €370,000 and gifted Machico with four new sales areas for local arts and crafts, in an area that Jardim said was a sought after tourist location, that was equipped with car and coach parking. 

‘Firefighters delivered a petition to Monteiro Diniz – Over 300 professionals united by the career’. The Regional Secretary of the National Association of Professional Firefighters (ANBP) went yesterday afternoon to the Palace of São Lourenço, and met with the Representative of the Republic, Monteiro Diniz, delivering a petition to implement a decree in Madeira Law (247/2007) which defines the legal regime (?) of the Portuguese Firemen. The document was signed by more than three hundred professional firefighters from the region, wishing to see their careers put on a level equal to their colleagues on the continent. The details of the difference between the firemen in Madeira and Portugal are not given, but I believe it is a matter of status, compared with other emergency services. Anyway, isn’t part of being an antonymous region a matter of taking the rough with the smooth, or is it OK to cherry pick the nice bits and then complain about the bits we don’t like. Just a thought, and certainly not wishing to upset our fine fire fighting forces.

(7th August). ‘Energy efficiency in RAM’. Factorenergia, in partnership with Consulglobal, and the Regional Agency for Energy and the Environment (AREAM) have established a protocol to support and promote the implementation of energy efficiency measures in Madeira’s businesses. This protocol aims to give companies greater facilities for access to EU funds and the advice necessary to enable a decrease in energy consumption. Using various technologies, from lighting, intelligent control of induction motors, installing variable speed drives, capacitor batteries, and other technologies that are observed to be the most appropriate. Companies that want to invest in renewable energy production (photovoltaic and / or wind), are also covered under this protocol. The reduction of costs is increasingly important to competitiveness and business efficiency, and accordingly this combination of efforts between these entities, is intended primarily to provide the link between the work of diagnosis and implementation of various solutions to save energy, with packages of financing through EU funds, which support up to 50% in grants. Companies interested may contact any of the entities involved to start the process of analysis, and the work necessary will be customized for each individual business.