Fishing haul declines ; Quarter of the population are pensioners ; Agricultural losses
Today’s photo – Many thanks to Pete … "Taken 21st February".
Many thanks to Becky for sending in this web snippet and video :
"A St Davids artist based in Madeira has described the devastating scenes that forced him to flee his home." – an interesting response to this article has been added by someone from Paul do Mar. From the UK Western Telegraph HERE
I can’t imagine who would have written that response (joking), but talk about an gross exaggeration on the whole situation from those interviewed, especially on the rain situation generally. Der
Postais Antigos da Madeira – postcards from MADEIRA ISLAND & FUNCHAL PORTUGAL
Thanks to Pete for these : Clean up Portugal campaign | Programme 1 | Programme 2
Thanks to Paul for this one.
Know the ‘Madeiran Fortalezas’
image caption:São Tiago fortress in Funchal, Madeira
Fortaleza de São Tiago, Funchal, Madeira. The Fortress of St James was built between 1614 and 1637 in response to the frequent raids on Funchal by pirates. The complex is now a Monument of Regional Interest and is used to further cultural awareness. It includes a contemporary art museum and a restaurant. Read more:
Many thanks to Elaine once again for yesterday’s top news stories :
DIÁRIO 22/03/2010
FRONT PAGE NEWS
A quarter of the population live on pensions (social security). 25.9% of the population live on pensions, slightly less than the national average of 26.9%. In January 2010, there were 64,257 pensioners although a person can receive more than one pension (old-age, survivor’s, invalidity). From December 2008 to January 2010, there was an increase of 939 pensioners and the cost increased from 252.2 million Euros to 264 million Euros. Most pensions are for retirement, about 15% of the population or 37,673 Madeirans. The total cost is 13.5 million Euros at an average pension of 360.36 Euros. For survivor’s pension, the numbers are: 7.4% of the population, 18,387 receiving an average of 180.36 Euros, totalling 3.3 million Euros. In the case of disability, there are 8,197 disabled people, 3.3% of the population, at a total cost of 2.9 million Euros or 350.52 Euros per pensioner. The vast majority of pension recipients are women, 43,090: 23,592 retirement, 4,455 disability and 15,133 survivor’s. There were only 3,254 men receiving survivor’s pension, a total of 500,000 Euros compared to 2.8 million Euros paid to women.
Fish, poultry and livestock declined in 2009. In 2009, fish landings decreased by 7%, the auction price per kilo decreased by 8% and the revenue decreased by 14% or 2.3 million Euros. The espada-preta (swordfish) catches suffered the most, 22.4% fewer landings. 3.9% more tuna fish were caught. For cavala and chicharro (mackerel and horse mackerel), the catches increased but the revenue was less due to poor quality, reinforcing the fact that fish stocks are deteriorating each year. Over the past 12 years, 2009 was the worst for fishermen. Livestock production had a poor year reflecting the declining interest in farming. There were 23.5% fewer pigs and 13.3% fewer cattle slaughtered. 9.2% more poultry were raised last year and egg production increased by 1.5%.
MADEIRA
Agriculture scarce. Rain and winds have hampered the growing of vegetables in the region with less variety on sale. ‘Sorteio de Cabazes de Primavera’ started yesterday and runs until May 30th. Over the next 11 Sundays, when 5 Euros worth of regional horticultural products are purchased from the Farmers’ Markets in Santana, Prazeres and Canhas, the purchaser receives a ticket for two raffles for baskets of produce, held on the 25th April and 20th May.
House in danger of falling down the slope. For the past three weeks, landslides and rockfalls have been a daily occurrence in the area of Urbanização da Montanha, in São Gonçalo. A neighbour has alerted Funchal Council about the house in question but the owner cannot be contacted. The fire brigade has visited on three separate occasions but taken no action. The land underneath the balcony and yard has subsided and if this continues, the neighbour is worried that the two-storey house will fall onto the road below.
POLITICS
CDS confirms ‘fiction’ of budgets. The CDS-PP predict an economic recession this year after analysing the Court of Auditors report on the 2008 Regional Budget. 2008 Accounts show a debt of 230 million Euros. 44% of tax revenue (327 million Euros) was absorbed by institutes and autonomous funds. The amount of interest paid for delays in paying suppliers increased by 35% to 23.3 million Euros. The Regional Government continued to support public sector enterprise despite losses of 70 million Euros. The Health Service debt was 431 million Euros. In 2008, the total direct and indirect debt was 1.9 billion Euros. With these debts, the government cannot raise funds to meet its commitments.
Councils postpone projects to alleviate emergencies. A month after the devastating storm, councils are having to rethink their programs of activities. In Ribeira Brava, the damage amounts to 80 million Euros and the planned Emigrant Museum has been postponed. Losses in Calheta, 4 million Euros, result from landslides, cleaning streams and damaged water networks. Savings will be focused on the June summer festivities, hiring artists of lower prestige. In Santana, the council has to find 3.5 million Euros to repair the damages. The slopes were extensively damaged and the auditorium at São Roque do Faial will now be delayed until 2011. The councils have sent reports of losses to the Regional Government but do not know if they will receive any financial support, or the amounts they will receive.
CULTURE
Baltazar Dias reopens on April 10th. The storm caused 500,000 Euros of damage to the Municipal Theatre Baltazar Dias in Funchal. It will reopen for the symbolic Film Festival of Funchal. The Mayor of Funchal arrived at the theatre on the afternoon of February 20th to find waist-deep mud in the audience area. Volunteers, including scouts, cleaned the theatre and there have been changes to improve facilities, for example the red carpet removed to make the acoustics better. The building has been rewired and painted, new alarms systems added and the furniture, floors and doors are nearly completely renovated.
JORNAL DA MADEIRA
REGIONAL
Government will acquire 600 hectares in the west. The Regional Government will acquire, if necessary by compulsory purchase, 600 hectares in the counties of Câmara de Lobos, Ribeira Brava and Ponta do Sol. This is to make a forest that will protect diversity, water resources and the security of people living downstream. The government has just bought 25 plots of land totalling 332 hectares at a cost of 674,000 Euros. Later this year, a start will be made on planting 400,000 trees, finishing in 2011. The investment of 4.3 million Euros is from EU support and the Regional Budget. With this latest acquisition, the government possesses a total of 1,760 hectares of the serras of Funchal and Câmara de Lobos in the project launched in 2001 – ‘Tampão Verde’. Including the Ecological Park, the most strategic land in the serras are in public ownership. In 2003, 50,000 head of cattle were banned and removed from the publicly owned areas to end over-grazing. In the last 15 years, the government has afforested 908 hectares and planted one million and 200,000 trees in the serras.
São Vicente investing in promoting the Laurissilva forest and county. The Mayor of São Vicente said the council intends to strengthen the investment for the promotion of the county. The Laurissilva forest is to be promoted in order to increase notoriety and visibility at the national level, to enable it to be one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Portugal. The mayor is confident that the forest will win the category Forests and Woods on 11th September. The forest is natural, the oldest in Portugal (Tertiary Period – 20 million years old) and contains 500 different endemic species, an important point as this year is the International Year of Biodiversity. The judges visited the region yesterday as a symbolic gesture and to testify that nature has not been spoilt; that Madeira continues to be a wonderful island to visit.
CULTURE
‘Funchal, Funchal’ single to be released this week. Luís Jardim wrote and recorded this music to raise funds for the victims of the storm. It will be released on CD-single at the end of this week and all sales revenue goes to the funds for Madeira. It was featured on the SIC fund-raising program ‘Uma Flor para a Madeira’. Luís Jardim is a producer who has worked with respected names in international music and hopes the worldwide Portuguese communities will buy the single. An initial release of 5,000 – 10,000 copies with more produced according to demand. The video clip of this official theme can be seen in full on YouTube
UPDATES
Clocks go forward one hour at 01.00 Sunday. This will mark the beginning of Official Summer Time.
EU approves ‘Cultural Festivals of Madeira’. The EU approves this project for support from community funds until 2013. The four major events covered are: Meeting of Philharmonic Bands in May, Music Festival of Madeira in June, the Festival Atlantic Roots (traditional music) in July and the Organ Festival in October. The Festival of Music will be scaled down from a month to 4 – 13 June.
Diário Question. A month after the tragedy what is still causing concern?
People to relocate 22%
False promises 23%
No plans 28%
Lack of money 16%
Excessive bureaucracy 11%
Today’s news headlines from the front page of the Diário de Notícias :
Today’s main news headline : PEC limits debts with public companies – The Programme of Stability and Growth [PEC] threatens to interfere in the public accounts of Madeira. The State is going to squeeze indebtedness.
30 thousand pensioners with pensions below the minimum salary originate petition to the parliaments. Pensioners and retired people are claiming an extra €65, and ARPIRAM have delivered a petition to the Legislative Assembly to stake the claim. I suppose that we will have to get used to the idea that as the State squeezes to re-establish an acceptable deficit in Europe, more and more people will feel the effects, and protests like this will pop up with increasing regularity. Can you imagine the public sector workers carrying on peacefully knowing that their pay is restricted until 2013, and medical staff and teachers here are always in dispute over pay and conditions. The Portuguese are not like the Greeks [yet?] but the squeeze here is going to bite just as hard given time, and I just hope we don’t have to witness here the unrest seen in Greece recently. The ones we won’t see a bad reaction from of course will be those on the minimum wage, in tourism, hotels, shops, bars and restaurants. Any trouble from them and they can be easily replaced. Nothing wrong with peaceful petitions from the pensioners of course, but I guess that won’t be on government priority list until the next elections loom.
Aguiar-Branco proposes more autonomy. The removal of the post of Representative of the Republic [for Madeira] is one of the intentions of the candidate for the leadership of the Social Democrat Party, who expects an interesting vote on Madeira, on Friday. Uncle Bertie also wanted to remove this post I recall, and it was supposed to be a measure included in constitutional reform. What happened after that I have no idea, but maybe this guy will win over UB in the voting, as more autonomy is just what he likes. Can’t wait until Friday when this annoying drawn-out election is over.
"[State] subsidies decrease but guarantees rise" – David Caldeira stresses that the ‘cut’ does not define the big picture. Following on from yesterday’s article that government handouts to public and private organisations have reduced by 57.5%, some financial expert is suggesting that for those organisations affected there is a way forward.
Drug trail judgement in Funchal with 19 suspects – The majority of those involved live in Palmeira, Câmara de Lobos. There are also two Italians to answer charges.
Government has it’s eye on the support – Jardim assures that "tough" measures were taken at the end to avoid exploitation. The Executive is going to present in the Madeira Assembly a proposal of a certificate "that assures that all the entitled beneficiaries don’t stray from the legally established priorities". All about the allocation of the money raised following the storm on the 20th February.
‘Caruncho’ with thematic parties starting from the 26th – Academic camp, cutting ribbons, rock nights, and the prom of the finalists [students] to close on the 10th April. Don’t even ask! I turned to Google translator for help with this one, but it made even less sense. I presume from the photo that this is all about the celebrations of the final year students, and it’s called ‘Semana do Caruncho’ [Woodworm Week].
The main sport / football headline today : The World Cup 2010 is going to decide who is the best – Lionel Messi, Wayne Rooney or Cristiano Ronaldo : One of them will be the Best in the World and the decision will take place in South Africa. Rooney? How did he get on that list?
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.
Sheila sent me this email she received this morning, hoping someone would be able to help : "I received this e-mail and, as time is so short if this poor dog is to be saved, I wondered whether any Blog readers might be able to help. I have notified SPAD and just about everyone else I know, who might be able to help. This is a lot to ask, I know, but as there is no RSPCA in Madeira, I would welcome any and all suggestions from your contributors". Sheila
Original email : Golden Retriever in extensive distress in Garajau :
"There is a dog in Bloco G or H, in Edificio Quintas I, Estrada do Garajau, Garajau, Caniço, The dog is in the garden at the end of the block, immediately behind the villa that is at the front of the apartment complex Edificio Quintas 1. It is the second last apartment block in Garajau before going round the valley to Caniço.
No one lives in the apartment where the dog is and it has not been fed for 3 days at least. Our friends have been trying to feed the dog, by throwing in food over the wall, but the dog is not eating it, because it is dehydrated because it does not have any water. They can’t put water over the wall.
We know the owner has been taken to court in the past over the dog and so the case is known, but that was primarily because the dog was barking. Now the dog is suffering from lack of care. The dog can be seen, by walking up the steps at the side and behind the villa and one can look over the wall down onto the dog. It is a beautiful looking dog, but wont be for long without food or water".
I am not on the island, so I cannot do anything about it. Can you suggest some ways to end this poor dogs suffering?
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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.
Cherimoyas. Some consider the cherimoya one of the most delicious fruits available, but its commercial production is limited by a short growing season and shelf life. The cherimoya is native to the valleys of Ecuador, Colombia, and Bolivia, spreading to Chile and Brazil during ancient times. The United States Department of Agriculture imported cherimoya seeds from the Madeira Islands in 1907. 
Stopped work obstructs stream. Residents living in the vicinity of the Ribeiro do Moreno in Santa Cruz are worried by debris from the floods of February 20th blocking the water course. The stream runs beneath the airport and is obstructed between the bridge linking Rua de São Sebastião to the placa do aeroporto (?). Flooding closed the Rua de São Sebastião and Rua de Santa Catarina for three days. The cause of the blockage is a seven year old concrete and iron remnant from when a petrol filling station began to be constructed. The construction was stopped when there was a dispute over inheritance of the land. The injunction has not been lifted and the structure still stands in the stream. The case is under review.
Compensation rises to 133 million Euros. The Portuguese Association of Insurers estimates the amount of compensation claimed after the storm of February 20th will reach 150 million Euros. Already, 1,532 claims have been recorded. Originally, they estimated a loss of 60 million Euros. This is the worst event in the history of Portuguese insurance.
More than two hundred put to work in zones affected by the storm. The exercise repeats at the month end. Two hundred and forty-two people will be put to work in local institutions and charities in the areas most affected by the storms of 20th February. The program of recruitment of workers was set up by the Government, and is aimed at the unemployed receiving unemployment benefits. The deadline for applications ended on Monday, but at the end of the month the recruitment drive will be reopened for another wave of applications. The placement program for unemployed does not have any cost to local authorities or to social institutions that provide support to victims of the storm. Workers continue to receive unemployment benefits increased by 25% of the regional minimum wages, in addition to allowances for transportation. 
