"Here’s something different. Local Madeira spider, may be someone can tell me what type it is?" Pete.

Many thanks to Becky for these videos :

How to find the British Cemetery in Funchal

Tragedy in Madeira – Before and After  (interesting side by side photos accompanied by some truly awful music… has anyone ever written a song about Madeira that was any good?!  Come on, Der, I’m expecting ‘Ribeira Brava, Ribeira Brava’ to buck the trend…).

Many thanks to Paul for this :

Cedary, layered 1780 Borges Bual Madeira ($2,450) that could have been drunk by Thomas Jefferson.

Image caption: A bottle of 1843 Bual Madeira

John Pierpont Morgan likes to sip old vintages of Madeira with his fellow industrialists while cruising New York harbor on his steam yacht Corsair.

Why vintage Madeiras have begun to attract more collectors in the past three years

Image caption: Thomas Jefferson, portrait 1791, the 3rd President of the United States.

“The wine is surprisingly delicious, its caramel and candied fruit flavors and lively acidity intact after more than two centuries.

Which is why vintage Madeiras have begun to attract more collectors in the past three years. For several hundred to several thousand dollars, you can sip pieces of history that still taste good and aren’t in enough demand to inspire fakes.” Link to full article

Sheila sent in these photos of the ‘Garajau dog’ abandoned at home by his owner :

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

Storm interrupts holidays holidays of the deputies – The Peoples Party pressured and the parliamentary recess will be suspended to approve urgent assistance to those harmed.

Arsenal supportive towards Ribeira Brava – The shirt of footballer Eduardo delivered to the ‘face’ of the tragedy. The photo shows Ismael Fernandes, president of Ribeira Brava, presenting the Arsenal shirt to José Feliz, the lad that lost 7 family members and was badly injured himself on 20th February in a landslide in Pomar da Rocha. The official shirt of the number 9 of Arsenal of London, Brazil born Eduardo da Silva, was given to young José Feliz. All of the Arsenal team signed the shirt, which was first of all auctioned for £600 and then given to Ismael, who was in London for a weekend fund raising event.

Today’s main news headline : Taxman and Social Security facilitate reconstruction – Reduced bureaucracy in response to the storm : based on a legal counsel the Directorate of Finance waives the bank guarantee for traders and businessmen engaged in reconstruction. Social Security will also facilitate.

[Recovery] Works in all the city except in Laranjal – The complaint continues. After the street clean the machines just disappeared. The debris remains there. And there are three bodies to be found. That’s the big picture today, and it’s certainly not the first time the Diário has given front page coverage to the plight of Laranjal in Santo António, that seems to have got left behind in the clean up and rebuilding. There are not even any men or equipment there on clean up work, whilst the rest of Funchal is still busy in that respect. The Diário refers to it as a "scene of death and destruction". Still missing are a young lady and her 9 month old baby, and a 16 year old neighbour. Few of the residents have been able to return home, through damage to their homes and fear of new landslides.

United Nations widens campaign to Madeira – In April, there will be launched here a mineral water for commercialisation to help in humanitarian causes of the ONU. The ‘Earth Water’ brings Fátima Lopez, the boyfriend of Madonna and maybe Luís Figo. As for who that is in the yellow dress in the bottom right hand corner to today’s front page, I have no idea, as it doesn’t appear to be Fátima Lopez (I thought she was older with shorter hair). The launch of the initiative will be at the Vine Hotel in Funchal on 14th April. All seems a bit odd to me … Madeira itself will be targeted to raise money for the ONU and it’s causes, at a time when it needs money raised for itself?

Swan Lake is "an extraordinary challenge" – The Diário watched two scenes of the ballet that joined together the Moscow Tchaikovsky Ballet and the Classical Orchestra of Madeira. It must have been a spectacular two and a half hours with 50 rather fit Russian ladies, probably some blokes too, and that was just the dress rehearsal. But unlike the Diário, Der’s blog doesn’t get free tickets for reviews, especially for the real thing tonight, so no review from me. There are still some tickets left (€50) if you are quick.

The main sport / football headline today : No sport headline … that’s two days running!

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 teaser, news of a bargain flight or item in a supermarket. Please help keep this blog going … without user contributions it won’t survive. Please don’t send in automatic translations (like Google translator) without checking them through and correcting them first, thanks.

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

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

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

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

Please don’t send in copyrighted material.

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

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

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

Madeira News Blog © 2007 – 2010 All Rights Reserved

Ken emailed me with this story, thank you : Unfortunate Experience. Having met our family who are on a visit to Madeira, at the airport last night (Saturday, 27th March), we were driving home in Tandem, myself leading my son who was driving a hired car, to go to our home in Estreito da Calheta. Going down the long decline on the Expressway after the exit to Madeira shopping, we were in the right hand lane as we didn’t want to drive faster than about 80 km per hour. Cars were obviously passing us as usual in the left hand passing lane, going down the hill towards the big bridge in the valley. Suddenly we noticed that the flow of passing cars had slowed to our pace, and in fact the pace of cars ahead of us in the right hand lane had also slowed to below 70 kph. The reason soon became clear as we saw a small car ahead in our lane weaving dangerously from side to side. It sometimes went right across the middle line of the road and then back again. The car we saw later was an older model Ford Fiesta, dark blue/black. Both lanes of traffic were reduced to the speed of the offending car, the driver of which seemed to be under the influence of alcohol or perhaps something else.

One or two cars tried to overtake the weaving car, but were forced back by the erratic track of the offender. With the number of cars backed up behind us, my son who is a driver with years of experience of driving on the freeways in and around Los Angeles, who was in the hired Ford Focus, decided to lead the way in overtaking the offender, which he did but for his troubles received a slight side swipe from the inebriate driven vehicle. This was as we were going through Câmara do Lobos at about 20H10. Once my son had overtaken him, the driver of the offending car seemed to get a grip on himself, and stick more to the right hand side of the road than he had previously, and the backlog of cars then followed my son’s example, and went past the offending car. After the rush petered out, we too were able to pass the car. It was driven by a sole occupant. Prior to our overtaking him , whilst he was going through a tunnel, he was in fact so far over to the right that he ran against the walkway curb.

I wonder if any of your other readers were perhaps involved in this incident and can perhaps tell us what the final outcome was. We unfortunately didn’t take the registration of the car. We just hope that no disaster happened either to the stupid driver, or any innocent bystander.

Many thanks to Elaine (East) for these web snippets :

Madeira appeal could top 100,000 pounds. Jersey Appeal

PUT YOUR BEST FOOT FORWARD WITH OUR GUIDE TO HIKING HOLS More calorie-based incentives – do the walk, you get to have your Madeira cake and eat it. NEWS OF THE WORLD

Many thanks to Becky for this video and web snippet :

Madeira Island – as beautiful as ever

A comprehensive travel blog from 2008:  "Funchal itself clusters in a valley around a pleasant bay but, as I said, don’t expect a beach. The sea-shore offers only dingy pebbles, and you won’t see anyone bathing. I only saw a few kids on the pebbles and one of the few homeless to be found there. This particular chap was dressed as if for the Arctic, wore the traditional woollen hat with side-flaps – the story has it that these are so the men can let them down to block out nagging wives – they’re considering it for export – and he wore a huge gold chain and medallion around his neck along the lines of a mayor. (Unless he was, indeed, the mayor of Funchal, I would have thought that the police should have taken a closer look at his regalia than I did.)" TRAVEL BLOG

"A nice balanced piece I thought" – Adrian. Bargains to bag as Madeira gets back to normal – Places that rely on tourism for their livelihood develop the ability to bounce back from disaster.  Madeira hit the news in February when a month’s worth of rain fell in just one hour, triggering appalling landslides that temporarily paralysed the island’s capital, Funchal. It was a cataclysmic event that claimed 42 lives and made 200 homeless. Yet within days, the Portuguese island in the Atlantic, famous for its mild climate, was attempting to convince travellers that it was back in business. Previous experience of such disasters suggests that people are inevitably affected by the negative news stories. The TV cameras reveal awful pictures of destruction yet there is no follow-up which shows that things have returned to normal. The Madeira tourist office has vociferously appealed to people not to cancel planned holidays to the island – with limited success. The result is that, in the words of one UK Madeira specialist: "Bookings have fallen off a cliff." In these situations the way to recovery usually lies through cut-price deals. For anyone planning to travel in April, for example, there are extraordinarily good buys to Funchal. Teletext Holidays WEBSITE is offering a seven-night package to a three star hotel for just £186 including a return flight from Gatwick – seven nights’ half-board at a top-grade hotel costs £444. While there are still signs of damage, the message is that Madeira is almost completely back to normal. At the prices currently available, it’s a prospect too good to miss. Frank Barrett.  (Mail on Sunday Travel 28/03/10). Many thanks Adrian.

‘Cheetahs of the Deep’ and other whales off the Calheta Coast! The blog site of the whale & dolphin watching boat ‘Lobosonda’ is reporting with photos impressive sightings in the last few days. Among them are Pilot Whales. The North Atlantic Ocean population runs, in a band that runs from South Carolina in the United States across to Madeira, the Azores and Morocco.

Length (metres): Adults are 3.5 – 6.5 metres in length. When they are born short-finned pilot whales are about 1.4-1.9 metres long.

Weight: At birth, Short-finned Pilot Whales weigh about 60kg (135lb). A fully grown adult will weigh between 1 and 4 tonnes.

Diet: Fish, Squid, Octopus

Life span is about 45 years in males and 60 years in females for both species. Image caption: Globicephala macrorhynchus, The Short-finned Pilot Whale (Globicephala macrorhynchus)

Logging, lobtailing, slapping flukes, porpoise and spyhopping. Short-finned Pilot Whales are very sociable and are rarely seen alone. They are found in groups of ten to thirty, though some pods are as large as sixty. They are sometimes seen logging and will allow boats to get quite close. They rarely breach, but may be seen lobtailing (slapping their flukes on the water surface) and spyhopping (poking their heads above the surface). Before diving, they arch their tails and raise them above the surface. When coming to the surface to breathe, adults tend to show only the top of their head, whereas calves will throw their entire head out of the water. Adults occasionally porpoise (lift most of the body out of the water) when swimming particularly quickly. They are known as the ‘Cheetahs of the Deep’ for the high speed pursuits of squids at depths of hundreds of metres.

Fin whales off the Calheta Coast! Also, Lobosonda has sighted Fin whales. “In the morning there were 4 fin whales that rushed very fast to the east, in the afternoon there were 3 fin whales which went for a while just beside our boat.” They are the second largest whales and the second largest living animal after the blue whale growing to nearly 27 metres long. They live to 94 years of age. Its food consists of small schooling fish, squid, and crustaceans including mysids and krill. Image caption: Fin whale off the Calheta Coast, Madeira.

Image : Fin whale size.  Wiki pages: FIN WHALE PILOT WHALE Link to Lobosonda’s blog:

Many thanks to Paul for all that information on our oversized neighbours. 

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

To purchase a house on Madeira is more expensive – A bank assessment in the Region comes up with values superior to the national average by almost 25%. The price of construction is higher, and the consequent bank evaluations even more so. Madeira has the highest rating in Portugal. According to a study by the National Institute of Statistics, the average bank evaluation on housing in Portugal, during the month of February, stood at 1,183 Euros per square meter, or 0.5% less than in January, but more than 4.5% higher compared to February last year. However the banks have evaluated the value per square metre on Madeira to be €1,470, 24.2% higher than the average for Portugal.

Today’s main news headline : Storm already caused three lawsuits – There are two criminal complaints lodged by relatives of victims (crane and landfill) and an investigation initiated by the MP (Babosas). One of the cases (pictured) is of a crane that fell in Laranjal killing people. One of the lawsuits has actually been instigated by the Prosecution Service (MP) itself, after hearing news and complaints about the situation in Babosas, something that the MP has the power to do. There will be other such cases for sure, as 6 months are allowed from the date of the incident to formalise complaints.

Diocese doesn’t comment on the suspicions of paedophilia – There are cases of two padres on Madeira. But Paço says to the Diário that doesn’t talk "based on conjecture". And that "if there are cases being investigated, they should be investigated, proved, and that each one  assume their own responsibilities". The Diocese ignores investigations of members of the clergy suspected of sexually abusing minors that occurred in 2008 and 2009, according to church spokesman, Father Marcos Gonçalves. The Justice Police are investigating cases following the receipt of anonymous letters.

Free calls to South Africa and Venezuela. Almost old news really, as Cable TV company Zon offers free calls to fixed phones in those two countries between 9 pm and 9 am, from next month. That’s using the telephone package that costs €9.99 per month. The change has happened as Zon increased the list of free-to-call countries from 20 to 30. They now include Austria, Germany, Andorra, Belgium, Denmark, France, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, United Kingdom, Sweden, Switzerland, Chile, Peru, Australia, China, Japan, Croatia, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Canada and USA. With Canada and the USA  you can also make free calls to mobile networks, no doubt subject to some restrictions or conditions, before someone finds out otherwise and sues me.

Social Democrat Party conditions representative of the Socialist Party on the table of the Legislative Assembly of Madeira – Ramos only accepts Serrão.

PP [Peoples Party] criticises deputies on holiday with support, when there are matters from the storm to be dealt with.  Had to guess that one a bit, seemed an impossible headline to translate, but even the Diário often makes errors, even on the front page.

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. 

—————————————————————————————————————————————–
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 teaser, news of a bargain flight or item in a supermarket. Please help keep this blog going … without user contributions it won’t survive. Please don’t send in automatic translations (like Google translator) without checking them through and correcting them first, thanks.

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

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

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

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

Please don’t send in copyrighted material.

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

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

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

Madeira News Blog © 2007 – 2010 All Rights Reserved

Many thanks to Paul for these two contributions :

PORTUGAL SCORES A GOAL FOR CROSS-BORDER FOOTBALLERS! A Dutch citizen had been living in the Portuguese Algarve since he was 5 years old. He played amateur football at junior level for several years, but when he turned senior, the Algarve Football Association presented him with a Portuguese Football Federation ruling that stated that only one non-national player is allowed on each amateur team.

EU rules on the free movement of persons. As a result, he was unable to register for his preferred team, because they already had one non-national registered. Several other clubs turned him down for the same reason. In the end he had to stop playing competitive level football for some 3 years until he heard about SOLVIT. The Portuguese SOLVIT centre contacted both the Algarve Football Association and the Portuguese Football Federation, alerting them to this discrimination against non-Portuguese EU citizens and pointing out that they must abide by EU rules on the free movement of persons. Subsequently, SOLVIT Portugal received a copy of an official communication, dated 4 July 2005, from the Portuguese Football Federation to all Portuguese amateur associations and clubs stating that there should be no restriction regarding the number of amateur EU national football players. The rules now only restrict the number of non-EU nationals allowed to play. Solved within 3 weeks. Cartoon caption: SOLVIT HELPED A  BRITISH COUPLE GET PERMANENT RESIDENCE IN CYPRUS

SOLVIT: ‘free’ EU on-line problem solving network. SOLVIT is an on-line problem solving network in which EU Member States work together to solve without legal proceedings problems caused by the misapplication of Internal Market law by public authorities. There is a SOLVIT centre in every European Union Member State. SOLVIT Centres can help with handling complaints from both citizens and businesses. They are part of the national administration and are committed to providing real solutions to problems within ten weeks. Using SOLVIT is free of charge. SOLVIT LINK

Art in Calheta Region in March: Prazeres Gallery & Casa das Mudas.

Photo : One of the works in Ângela Costa’s exhibition ‘O Tempo passa, as memórias ficam’.

Ângela Costa’s exhibition was opened on Friday at the Prazeres Gallery in the ‘Quinta Pedagogica Complex’ behind Prazeres Church. Its title is: ‘O Tempo passa, as memórias ficam’ The artist was born in Funchal.

Casa das Mudas exhibition.

Photo : the first exhibition of the young artist Zé Maria opens on Saturday evening (27^th March).

Also, at Casa das Mudas another international art centre in Calheta the first exhibition of the young artist Zé Maria opened on Saturday evening (27^th March).

For more information see the venues’ websites: Casa das Mudas    Prazeres Gallery

Thanks a lot to Elaine for these web snippets :

Official – Crime down. 27/3/2010 Eyebrows were raised this week when the Government announced that the number of crimes perpetrated in Portugal during the course of 2009 had fallen by 1.2 percent. Violent crimes were also down, dropping 0.6 percent on the total for the year before. But while the Government was patting itself on the back for overseeing this reduction, police forces stressed that these statistics should be treated with caution and that the battle against crime was far from being won. ARTICLE

Sponsored shave for Madeira. HERE

Many thanks to Becky for this video and web snippet :

The arrival of the AIDAluna yesterday – looks like a beautiful day, wish I had been there instead of a rather grey London.

How did I survive without knowing about dredging today.com ?!  (sorry to have used the lowest form of wit) RIVETING ARTICLE

This translation is from yesterday’s Diário, many thanks to Elaine (West) :

Swiss in Porto Moniz to sample honey. Usually the honey with a lighter colour is weaker and softer. A group of Swiss beekeepers were present last Thursday night at the Centro de Ciência Viva do Porto Moniz (CCVPM), where they were able to appreciate the qualities of Madeiran honey. Carlos Pestana, beekeeper and promoter of the event, said that the cultural exchange will allow the release of the product abroad through several photos in a specialty magazine. In this kind of charm offensive, the organization offers a taste of honey in the region. Carlos Pestana said that on the table were 20 products from a number of locations all different in their colouring. A beekeeper in his spare time, he said that "all the honey produced in a sensible way is good honey." He added that the other main condition that determines the quality of the product is caution. "It is prudent not to use antibiotics to fight disease. If they are used, comply with the safety limits and the specific quantities,” he said.

Carlos Pestana explained that "often the brightest honeys are weaker and softer. These are more for children and the elderly, precisely because they are kinder on the stomach," adding that contrary to what has been disclosed, honey should not be eaten on an empty stomach. From a foreign perspective René Zumsteg stated that "good honey is produced in this beautiful island" and in his view this is due to the amount of water and flowers that abound in the region. The event was also attended by Valter Correia, mayor and director of the Câmara, and Liliana Sousa, director of CCVPM. This meeting also sampled traditional regional poncha, a product widely appreciated by the visiting delegation. There was time for a visit to the Unidade Primária de Extracção de Mel in Santa, Porto Moniz, and the group also visited an apiary located in Malhadinha, in the parish of Canhas, at the invitation of a local beekeeper.

After Marítimo’s spectacular win 3 – 2 against Sporting on Friday night, the Madeira ‘double’ was on and a good possibility, but Nacional blew it in the 90th minute. They led most of the match away at relegation candidates Vitoria Setúbal and ended up losing 2 – 1.

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

DIÁRIO 28/03/2010

FRONT PAGE NEWS

International Business Centre loses 409 firms. At the end of 2009, the IBC or Fee Zone had 3,221 companies registered. This was 409 fewer companies than at the end of the previous year, a drop of 11.2%, therefore less income for the management firm. The only increase was in companies registering with the International Ship Register (MAR) but this was only 0.8% more (238 to 240). In 2001, the Free Zone had 6,242 firms registered or 48.4% more. In 2009, the IBC contributed 20 – 23% of PIB (GDP), mainly from the International Services, MAR and Industrial Companies sectors with a lesser contribution from Financial Services. Competition comes from Malta and Luxembourg. There have been more companies lost already this year.

MADEIRA

88 packets of noodles for a lunch for volunteers. 500 volunteers were given a lunch to thank them for their support in the cleaning and solidarity campaign after the tragedy. This was organized by the Community Development Association of Funchal. The president, Ricardo Silva, first thought of forming a troupe wearing jackets and boots for the Flower Festival Parade but decided it was best to forget that fateful day. The owner of the restaurante do Mercado Abastecedor supplied the pasta, olive oil and chouriço, Empresa de Cervejas supplied drinks and the market stall holders provided fruit for dessert. The lunch cost 2.50 Euros to cover other expenses, not to make a profit.

Endless work upsets those who live in Garajau. The enlargement of the Estrada do Garajau in Caniço is putting people who use this road daily and the resident population on the verge of a nervous breakdown. These works have been ongoing for more than two years and do not seem to be coming to an end. The work was authorized by the Government on the 14th July 2007 at a provisional cost of 1 million and 300,0000 Euros. The delays have been due to difficulties in expropriations, thus there is no completion date, which could be some time yet. They have been working on sections of road instead of in phases due to the intensity of traffic.

ECONOMY

Three Madeiran establishments listed in the Expresso’s ‘Boa Cama Boa Mesa’ Guide.  This guidebook is published by the newspaper Expresso and is the benchmark for the accommodation and catering sectors in Portugal. The 432 page guide includes hundreds of restaurants, places to stay and useful information for unforgettable moments. The sector  ‘Boa Cama’ was won by the ‘Pousada do Porto – Palácio do Freixo’, run by the Pestana Group who received the Platinum Key. 25 Gold Keys included Madeira’s ‘Choupana Hills’ and ‘The Vine’. Included in the 25 ‘best’ in the sector ‘Boa Mesa’ was listed the ‘Il Gallo D’Oro’ restaurant at the Cliff Bay Hotel, led by Chef Benoît Sinthon. This restaurant was awarded a Michelin Guide star in 2008 for its Mediterranean and Iberian inspired aromatic cuisine.

Revenue in Porto Santo no longer enough to pay the staff. The first two months of this year were the worst for a decade for the hotel trade in Porto Santo. Prospects for Easter are bleak. 75% of the beds were not available this year due to some hotels closing for the low season. 20% less passengers used the airport and 18% fewer sailed on the Lobo Marinho during these two months. Total revenue fell dramatically from 2007 (62.8%) and the price per bed also decreased by 5 Euros per night. In 2007, the income covered the staffing costs but this year it only covered 41% of the costs. The resorts and local residents of Porto Santo are suffering a diminishing economy.

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

Suspicions cast a shadow over the police statute – The Trade Union Association says that the government ‘bought the  peace’ with the officials at the cost of operations and taxpayers.

Today’s main news headline : Fight in farming against lack of water – The storm of February destroyed almost all of the principal levadas of the Region and predictions point to 3 months for the repairs. The Directorate for Agriculture and the IGA join forces to speed up the process. Madeira’s farming output is at risk, as there is more than a month since the filling of the farming water supplies, and there are already cases where insufficient water has been provided. All the blame lies with the storm of 20th February, which damaged the infrastructure of the water distribution network. The principle levadas of Tornos, do Norte, das 25 Fontes, do Galhano and do Faial, to name the most important, make up 600 kilometres of levadas in need of repair. Worried farmers spread around the island, with hoses in hand, are resorting to drinking water to save their crops. The Regional Directorate of Agriculture (DRA) and the Institute of Water Management (IGA), have joined forces to advance quickly with the repair work that is classed as "unprecedented in the region". So a quick calculation says that it will be the end of June before the work is completed, add to that the ‘Madeira productivity factor’, and we are well into Summer. Expect a rather expensive salad on your plates in the coming months!

The securing of the slopes [landslide risks] has also moved forward, but case by case.

Gouveia discards his immunity – The ex-leader of the Socialist Party of Madeira goes to court to respond to the complaint of Jaime Leandro.

Renewables don’t slow down petroleum  – Despite the penetration of new energy sources, petroleum based electricity consumption shoots up.

75% occupation on the first few connections of the new route – ‘transavia.com’ started the new Porto – Madeira connection on Sunday. Since 4.30 pm yesterday Madeira has it’s second connection with the continent through the low-cost airline Transavia. The first flight had 135 passengers, and the first 3 flights have sold around 75% of seating capacity for the French Company [I just translate, if you disagree please write to the Diário]. Madeira’s tourism boss, Conceição Estudante believes that the new flights will open up Madeira to those from the north of Portugal and also Northwest Spain. If all goes well the 4 weekly flights of Transavia could turn into daily flights in or after October.

The main sport / football headline today : Defeat in Setúbal complicates the situation for Europe – The victory goal arrived in the last moments of the fixture. Those in charge at Nacional continue to believe that the Europa League is still a possibility. Of course it is … a mathematical possibility, not a realistic one.

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. 

—————————————————————————————————————————————–
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 teaser, news of a bargain flight or item in a supermarket. Please help keep this blog going … without user contributions it won’t survive. Please don’t send in automatic translations (like Google translator) without checking them through and correcting them first, thanks.

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

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

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

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

Please don’t send in copyrighted material.

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

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

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

Madeira News Blog © 2007 – 2010 All Rights Reserved

Many thanks to Paul for this. It was covered yesterday, but with different articles I think :

4 marine protected areas on the extended continental shelves of the Azores as well as mainland Portugal. On the 24^th March the WWF in Funchal, Madeira “praised Portuguese authorities for announcing the establishment of four marine protected areas on the extended continental shelves of the Azores as well as mainland Portugal.” “The four sites – on the southern Mid Atlantic Ridge, Altair Seamount, Antialtair Seamount and Josephine Bank – together cover an area of 120,000 square km rich in vulnerable deepwater communities, including cold-water coral reefs, sponge fields, coral gardens, and deep sea bony fish, sharks and rays.”

OSPAR Convention. The announcement of marine protected area status was made at an international North Atlantic environmental commission (OSPAR Convention) meeting attended by UN fisheries and seabed agencies in Funchal, Madeira. It follows three of the four sites being declared being declared off limits because of the use of destructive bottom fishing gear just under a year ago.

Image : Map of the marine area and the 15 contracting parties of the OSPAR Commission for the protection of the marine environment of the North-East Atlantic.

Ground breaking progress on ocean governance. Stephan Lutter, International Marine Policy Officer with WWF Germany said it was ground breaking progress on ocean governance : “It comes at a time when the political and economic boundaries in our oceans are shifting. We would wish that all Coastal States who have submitted claims for an extended continental shelf beyond the limit of 200 nautical miles were taking their obligation to protect the marine wildlife out there as seriously as Portugal.” All four of the new marine protected areas will be unique in legal terms, with the coastal state in charge of protecting the natural resources of the seafloor, and international bodies to protect marine biological diversity in the corresponding High Seas waters.

“Charlie-Gibbs Fracture Zone”. This new legal arrangement opens up possibilities of improving protection to the first pilot marine protected area in international waters of the North Atlantic, the so-called “Charlie-Gibbs Fracture Zone” located on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge which was agreed by contracting parties to the OSPAR Convention on the in 2008.

Also from Paul :

No danger of Portugal being sucked into the same sort of debt whirlpool as Greece. "European Union president Herman Van Rompuy said on Friday (26^th March) there was no danger of Portugal being sucked into the same sort of debt whirlpool as Greece. "The problem is completely different for Portugal," Van Rompuy said when asked if he feared that Lisbon might be next to seek help dealing with a bulging annual deficit and national debt. "I really believe that the situations are not in the least comparable and that the markets realise that, and will realise that in the coming days," he added.

Photo : Herman Van Rompuy, ex-Belgian prime minister now EU President

"You can only compare what’s comparable," Van Rompuy added, also distinguishing between what had happened in Athens and fears over Spain’s high deficit.

Portugal’s decision to freeze public sector wages was "a step in the right direction”. European Central Bank chief Jean-Claude Trichet meanwhile said that Portugal’s decision to freeze public sector wages was "a step in the right direction." Link to full article

REMEMBERED TO PUT YOUR CLOCKS FORWARD ONE HOUR?

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

DIÁRIO 27/03/2010

FRONT PAGE NEWS

Ancient bridges should stand.  Funchal Council want to keep the old pedestrian bridges wherever possible. Two that are repairable after storm damage are Cidrão (photo) and D. Manuel over the ribeira de Santa Luzia. Bridges that have to be demolished or partially rebuilt are: near the old headquarters of Nacional connecting rua do Tanoeiros and Rua da Alfândega; Til and Rua da Carne Azeda over the ribeiro do Livramento (behind the Jardim de Santa Luzia); over the ribeiras and ribeiros near the Mercado and Minas Gerais; in Laranjal (Estrada Comandante Camacho de Freitas), Fundoa, Quinta Falcão, Casabranca and the ponte do Livramento.

MADEIRA

Two thousand truckloads of inerts. Over two thousand lorry loads of aggregates have been dumped at a landfill at the mouth of the ribeira da Alforra in Câmara de Lobos. Thousands of cubic metres of material, mainly earth, have stained the sea front of this fishing town. This landfill is now closed. The mayor admits the brown stain in the sea has a bad visual impact but the urgency of the situation justifies using this option.

PSP accused of violence and torture. The family of a 46 year old man has made a complaint to the prosecutor against the Public Security Police for aggression and acts of torture committed by agents on that individual. According to the brother of the alleged victim, it started around 17.30 on Thursday when Rui Duarte Nunes, known as Dude, was approached by two police officers of the Rapid Intervention Brigade (BIR) in the area of Quinta Deão. The officers took his brother to an area close to the parish council building and began an unprovoked attack. They punched and handcuffed him and reinforcements came, witnessed by family members who live nearby. Rui Nunes was taken to the Regional Command of the PSP and when released at 20.30, he could hardly walk. He was taken by ambulance to hospital where he was treated until 2 am. Wounds were on his face, back, abdomen, behind his ears, feet and pepper spray had been thrown in his eyes. Rui Nunes attended court where the judge ordered him to go to the Forensic Medicine department for photographs to be taken. The PSP argue that he had attempted to assault them. His brother said that Rui is a drug abuser but neither violent or a criminal.

ECONOMY

Traders received 136.7 million Euros of aid. A month after the catastrophic events on February 20th, 800 traders have received 136.7 million Euros in compensation. 45 applications of less than 75,000 Euros, totalling 2.3 million Euros have been approved and another 130 are being processed by the banks for a total of 8.3 million Euros. In the final stage are 15 applications totalling 3 million Euros that are for more than 75,000 Euros each. The total so far is 5.4 million Euros of funds set up by the Governments of the Republic and Madeira granted to 180 traders, averaging 30,000 Euros each. Funchal Council has secured 350,000 Euros for 150 traders or 2,500 Euros each. Insurance firms have paid 123 million Euros for 683 claims, an average of 180,000 Euros. Firms with 40/60 employees can ask Social Security to pay 70% of wages and contributions for three months. Among the companies that have received bank aid to secure jobs, 32 are micro-sized, 12 small-sized and one medium-sized firm. They received 2.3 million Euros or 51,000 Euros each. Support has been given to 10 firms in the tourism sector, 8 in the service sector, 3 in the transport sector and 2 construction firms. The most support has been to firms in Funchal and other areas are Santa Cruz, Câmara de Lobos, Machico and Ponta do Sol. 40 other companies have benefited from 1.5 million Euros from credit lines to help with cash flow problems.

ANAM current debt is reduced to 206 million Euros. ANAM manages Madeira Airport and the results in 2009 are an improvement since the previous year due to better management. The passenger numbers fell 4.3% despite a fall of 6.5% through European airports. The main shortfall was a 20% decrease in passengers from the United Kingdom, made up by Easyjet passengers from Lisbon. The net income for 2009 fell from minus 10.3 million Euros in 2008 to minus 7.2 million Euros. ANAM paid 60 million Euros to the banks to reduce the debt by 25% and interest rates were lower. This left a debt at the end of 2009 at 206 million Euros.

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

Socialist Party of Madeira already assures support for Passos Coelho – Guilherme Silva was the delegate of Rangel [loser in the PSD elections], but accepts the victory of the new leader, from whom he expects solidarity. The party activists of PSD-Madeira backed a loser, with 86% of the vote going to Paulo Rangel. Madeira was the only region of Portugal that gave Rangel a majority. Silva said "we always count on each other on the day following the result of an internal party election … it is a saying that the PSD always had". He highlighted the "significant victory" of Pedro Passos Coelho and added that he believes that this is a "strong leadership, capable and consistent to provide opposition to the Socialist Party and José Sócrates". Hmmm … normally that sort of statement would come from the party leader for Madeira, but perhaps Uncle Bertie was just too busy to face the press!

Pharmacies flee from supplying syringes – Complaints accuse drug addicts of ruining the environment. Chemists say that they were obliged to refuse the exchange of syringe ‘kits’ in their shops in order to restore a ‘good environment’. Thefts, threats, injuries, altercations, and a bad atmosphere are the reasons given from withdrawing from the syringe exchange programme, with some shops in downtown Funchal having left the scheme a year ago. "It was a service that we offered for the State and society, but today we can not afford to lose customers because things are not easy," says Ana Mafalda Rodrigues, technical director of the Portuguese Pharmacy, located on Rua João Tavira. The movement of drug addicts in the establishment troubled customers who felt intimidated with the way they spoke and asked for assistance, without regard to who was ahead in the queue, she explains, adding that for such a decision to be taken the occurrence of "some thefts" was also taken into account.

Today’s main news headline : 409 companies leave Business Centre – It is a sharp fall in just one year, but the exit from the International Business Centre of Madeira was already happening since 2001. In 9 years, 3021 companies abandoned Madeira.

Geraldine Chaplin come to the Festival of Cinema. I had no idea who she was, but a quick peek at the article says that she is an actress of great renown, but also the daughter of Charlie Chaplin. However, there is another famous guest who I am well aware of, as he features in my DVD collection … Terry Jones, of Monty Python fame. The festival runs from the 10th to the 17th April, in Funchal of course, in the Teatro Municipal Baltazar Dias.

The main sport / football headline today : Benfica ‘tidies up’ Braga and the Premier League – The Benfica ‘nation’ can start to celebrate : yesterday, Luisão scored the victory goal before Braga and will have ‘swept away’ the issue of the title for this season. There are still six games left this season, and with a gap of 6 points between league leaders Benfica and second placed Braga, it’s a bit too early to be celebrating methinks, although I don’t have much doubt that the Diário’s assumption is correct. 6 weeks of noisy gloating Benfiquistas to put up with until the season end, and then even more after … I think I might go into a Spring hibernation. It’s been a long long time since Benfica have has a successful season, and I don’t actually begrudge them that, it’s just that obnoxious manager Jorge Jesus that I can’t stand. His behaviour cannot be described as anything other than legalised yobbery and he sets a disgraceful example to football supporters. No wonder hooligan problems are hitting the Portugal headlines with increasing regularity.

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 teaser, news of a bargain flight or item in a supermarket. Please help keep this blog going … without user contributions it won’t survive. Please don’t send in automatic translations (like Google translator) without checking them through and correcting them first, thanks.

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

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

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

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

Please don’t send in copyrighted material.

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

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

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

Madeira News Blog © 2007 – 2010 All Rights Reserved

Thanks a lot to Paul for the following contributions : 

Portugal: global clean-tech leader! The country has a population of 10 million people and covers a land area of 92,345 sq km. As the sunniest spot in Europe, with a long coastline and abundant wind, the country intends to take advantage of what nature has given it, and establish itself as a global clean-tech leader.

Strategy: Portugal expects to generate 31 per cent of all its energy from clean sources by 2020. The country already exceeds its 2010 renewable energy targets. Portugal’s renewable energy plans include the world’s largest wind, wave and solar energy facilities.

The world’s first commercial wave farm became operational in 2008. This facility will provide only a modest amount of electricity to the grid, but, Portugal has set an ambitious generation target of 550MW by 2020. Backed by significant government incentives, the wave energy sector in Portugal is poised to take off.

World’s largest solar power farm in Portugal? The solar sector also benefits from similar support. The world’s largest photovoltaic solar power farm is currently being built in eastern Portugal. The facility, capable of generating enough power for 30 000 homes, represents a play by the country to become a global leader in solar technology.

Photo : Solar power plant (Serpa, Portugal)

The article includes:

-measures taken to stimulate the uptake of renewable energy sources

-Transport Sector targets and measures

-Residential and Services sectors targets and measures

-Industry targets and measures

-Public sector targets and measures:

-Information and communication measures:

-Fiscal measures.

-Financial measures and incentives:

As part of the Action Plan, in September 2008 the Portuguese government began distributing 5 free high-efficiency light bulbs to each of the poorest 13 per cent of households in the country. Link to full article with other links

PUPILS of St John’s Primary School have unveiled a lasting tribute to a fellow pupil who died in a tragic shooting accident while on holiday last year. João Calaça-Sousa (8) died from massive blood loss last November after accidentally shooting himself while playing at his aunt’s house in Venezuela. JERSEY PRESS

Many thanks to Elaine for these two links :

Portugal shows the way on high seas protected areas.  Madeira – WWF today praised Portuguese authorities for announcing the establishment of four marine protected areas on the extended continental shelves of the Azores as well as mainland Portugal. ARTICLE HERE         AND MORE DETAILS

Storming weekend for MML Sports cars. This weekend saw a pair of excellent results for drivers at the wheel of MML Sports Mitsubishi rally cars. António Nunes narrowly missed out on the Group N class victory on Rally Porto Santo Line, the first round of the Madeira Rally Championship while David Westenbrink claimed fifth in his first outing in the Lancer WRCar on the Tank-S rally, round two of the Dutch series. HERE

Shalk, who lives in South Africa, dropped me a line to say : "A lesson in how to get around in Madeira! You have to go up to go down and you have to go down to go up! You have to go right to go left; you have to go left to go right. You have to go around to go straight and you have to go straight to go around. You have to drive right to be right, but if you drive left you wrong. You have to forward to go backwards and you have to go backwards to go forward". Thanks Shalk, I think I will take the weekend to digest that one. Der.

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

DIÁRIO 26/03/2010

FRONT PAGE NEWS

5.4% increase in crime. Nationally, there was 1.2% less crime in 2009 than 2008 but in Madeira, it increased by 5.4%. There are 30 – 40 reported crimes per 1,000 inhabitants. The ratio of violent and serious crimes was 1 – 2 per 1,000 inhabitants, or 294. This put Madeira in the top ten of the eighteen administrative districts, the most violent area being Lisbon with a ratio of 4 crimes per 1,000 residents. In the category of crimes against the person, which includes bodily harm, threat or coercion, Madeira was above the national average with an increase of 34.43% compared to 23.32% nationally. Crimes against life in society, including driving under the influence of alcohol, forgery and passing counterfeit currency, 16.41% increase versus a national average of 12.54%. Changes in the prevalence of some other crimes were below the national average. Domestic violence increased by 8.4% compared to 10% on the mainland.

"We are forgotten for hours." On the National Day of the User of the Health Service, Diário questioned the quality of the service. Patients complained of delays and lack of vacancies for consultations. There is a shortage of family doctors in Madeira and sometimes patients go at 7 am to get an appointment. There were no complaints about health care professionals, who were said to be attentive and sympathetic. The Regional Council of the Medical Association received only six complaints that merited an investigation in 2009, showing that the health care services have improved significantly. Doctors and nurses said patients rights do not leave the drawing board. For example, people have the right to a family doctor and nurse but many do not. After receiving treatment in hospital, there is not always continuity in care. There is a right to privacy but the wards are too overcrowded for this to happen. The President of the Order of Nurses said that people do not look after their own health enough and the emphasis is on treatment rather than health promotion. Nurses are on strike on March 31st over a proposed salary scale.

Petrol station on Porto Santo closes at Easter. The main petrol station on Porto Santo will close when the contract with Galp ends on April 1st. There is no attempt by either parties to renew the contract with complaints on both sides, as previously reported. If the petrol station closes on Wednesday, the only one left is a small one that shuts on holidays and Sundays. Porto Santo Council want a petrol station installed immediately in the Industrial Park. The other option is the possibility of having a filling station on land where a camp site is planned.

MADEIRA

Census of the Galinhola attracts 52 volunteers. Next week, there will be the first regional census of this bird, the Woodcock. 35 volunteers are coming from different parts of the country, Spain, Italy, Austria and the Netherlands to help. This is a partnership between SPEA and the Natural Park of Madeira to assess the impact of power lines on vulnerable birds and to identify key locations. This species, Scolopax rusticola, has a ‘vulnerable’ status and is one of the least known birds on the island. The population count will take place between 28 March and 2 April during one hour before sunset and one hour after, at 100 observation posts.

Jaquine said : The Galinhola bird pictured translates as our fairly common woodcock (or snipe).  I think it’s a young woodcock as the markings look right.  It’s still common in the British Isles, in fact  they’re still regarded as fair game in a shoot, although they move very fast & don’t get caught often.

Nine million Euros for repairing irrigation channels. The Regional Government has embarked on an emergency plan to repair agricultural irrigation channels damaged on February 20th. Eight contracts have been signed at a cost of nine million Euros to minimize the effects on agriculture and regional economy. The funding will come from the EU and the Regional Budget. 100 channels with a total length of over 600 kilometres need repairing, which should take 250 workers 90 days.

250 lorry loads removed from the pond.  Progress report on the clean up of the lagoa do Lugar de Baixo. This is the only tidal lagoon in the region, rich in biodiversity and of great ornithological interest. Over the past fortnight, inert materials and sludge deposited by the storm have been cleared out and the project is ongoing. The Regional Directorate of the Environment and the ponta-solense council are funding the operation and hope to improve the area, making it more visibly attractive than previously. Care is taken not to disturb two reed beds where migratory birds are nesting. After the heavy dredging, which should finish next week, Sanas boats will be used for more delicate cleaning.

Police are promoting destination Madeira. The Public Security Police (PSP) today are ‘selling’ Madeira as a "safe and enjoyable" tourist destination. The action is intended to strengthen the trust and confidence of the foreign and local communities, especially in tourist areas. This is in relation to events of 20.02.2010. The operation between 09.00 and 21.00 in the main hotel district and tourist areas in Funchal, is in cooperation with Regional Tourism, Cultural Affairs, Madeiran Executive, Funchal Council and the Folklore Group of Boa Nova. Leaflets will be distributed in English: ‘PSP: Portugal, Safer Place – Madeira Islands: Welcome to the Atlantic’s safest paradise’. A study in 2007 showed that 99% of tourists classified Madeira as a safe and tranquil destination and the police want to build on this. Crimes related to tourists are "isolated", mostly petty theft.

ECONOMY

Ryanair based in the Algarve rather than Madeira. Due to the inertia of the Madeiran authorities, Ryanair will not be flying to Madeira. Ryanair had wanted incentives available through the Fund for New Routes to bear the cost of certification of its pilots. The regional authorities considered this proposal unacceptable because this incentive has not been granted to any other company. Ryanair has made an agreement with ANA-Airports of Portugal (1.2 million Euros), Turismo de Portugal (1.2 million Euros) and Algarve hoteliers (600,000 Euros). This announcement stunned Bernardo Trindade, the Secretary of State for Tourism, who did not even know about this proposal and wants to know what is going on. Ryanair will fly to Faro this summer which will boost tourism and the economy, denied to Madeira, as the low-cost carrier offers competitive rates.

JORNAL DA MADEIRA

REGIONAL

Cocktail competition on March 31st. The Madeira Bartenders Association will hold this event at the Porto Mare Hotel from 14.00 – 18.00. The winners will represent Madeira at the national competition in May which will be held in Madeira. 30 bartenders will demonstrate their creations and the art of making cocktails.

Nuno Teixeira wants compensation for banana producers. He wants support for banana producers in Madeira and the Canary Islands. The EU and Latin America have reached an agreement to reduce the import tariff. This will adversely affect Madeira and the Canary Islands due to the physical characteristics of the islands and the small sizes of plantations. There are 2,800 producers in the region and this agricultural sector covers 600 hectares. 14,000 tonnes of fruit were produced last year.

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

Old bridges should remain [stay as footbridges] – Cidrão and D. Manuel : The council tries to avoid demolition, despite of the damage. Other already came down. Quite agree, keep them than as footbridges rather than demolish or reopen to traffic. I wish that was what we had done in Ribeira Brava, with one side of our now totally demolished 100+ year old bridge, being perfectly OK for pedestrians. But the council knocked it down, and what we now have is a shiny brand new metal footbridge in its place.

Today’s main news headline : Support  contradicts criticisms of businesses – Since February 20, 136.7 million Euros were allocated to companies affected by the storm. The numbers diminish the complaints from business associations. Around 800 traders have already been included.

Clocks go forward tonight.

Theatre commemorates its day without guarantees – The theatrical activity will only survive if the participants were to have other jobs. One actor, for example, is a policeman.

The main sport / football headline today : Carvalhal came bringing European hope – Marítimo beat Sporting by 3 – 2 and returned to a league ranking close to the access to the Europa League.

Today is the day of Benfica – Sporting Braga. Paiva (ex-Benfica) and Fernando Luís (ex-Braga) give the motto for the game for the title.

Passos Coelho is the new leader of the national Social Democrat Party – Paulo Rangel wins comfortably on Madeira, but stays in second place. I watched this last night as the results came in, and this has now created quite an interesting situation. Sweet Manuela Ferreira Leite has now gone, and bless her for trying, but she was just no match for the smoothie statesman José Sócrates. Pedro Passos Coelho managed to get 61% of the vote nationally, with Rangel taking just 34%, and forget the other two candidates. But in polls released just a couple of days ago, Rangel had a decent lead over Coelho when punters were asked the question "who would be the best party leader?". In responding to the question "who would make the best prime minister?" however, the punters went for Coelho. That analysis fits perfectly with my own assessment, and I have no personal knowledge about these two men or  their abilities, except to say one is probably a stout and whippet man,  and the other a G&T and ex second hand car salesman type. So last night’s results tell us that the PSD membership at large has opted for ‘prime ministerial potential’ over party leadership and stability, no surprise really, with the current Socialist Government just itching to be toppled.

Anyway, what does that mean for Madeira? The fact that President Jardim had told his followers on Madeira that they could vote as they liked, maybe indicated that perhaps he already knew that he was backing a loser … but they voted for Rangel anyway. The fact that Uncle Bertie said he didn’t care who won as the party would still amble in ‘mindless disarray’, confirms that he knew that he was on for a hiding. As I have said before, Jardim hates Passos Coelho with a vengeance, and had made no secret of the fact up until a week or so again when the two men tried just slightly to publically paper over the cracks. Coelho probably won’t want to go near Jardim, and Jardim wouldn’t stoop to Coelho even in the name of party unity, and it just remains to be seen if he takes a softly softly approach (which would probably last just a few weeks)  or adopts immediately the open-air sniper strategy. There is one other possibility not to be ruled out, that Jardim may try and establish a breakaway party, but I believe this was tried once before and failed. I shall be watching with interest …

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. 

Many thanks to Jaquine for this article from yesterday’s Diário :

Pestana Hotels Turn Out the Lights. All the hotels of the Pestana Group situated in the archipelago of Madeira will be in candle-light in their exterior areas and some communal rooms tomorrow (i.e. Saturday 27th), between 20.30 and 21.30.  The reason is the enrolment of the hotel group in the Hour of the Planet, a major worldwide initiative in the fight against climate change by WWF, the global conservation organisation. ‘It is increasingly important that firms, governments and citizens fight against climate change in
defence of the planet.  Through joining this initiative, the Pestana Group intends not just to contribute to the preservation of the planet but to take part in the greater voluntary platform of citizens against climate change’ says a note distributed yesterday by the biggest national hotel group.

The Hour of the Planet started in 2007, in the Australian city of Sidney, where two million people turned out their lights.  In 2008, more than 50 million people in the whole World participated in the Hour of the Planet.  Portugal joined this movement in 2009, and for the second consecutive year the results have been beyond expectations, with the strong support of various cities and towns of the country. ‘The Pestana Group cannot stop helping this campaign in which it aims to stand out and make a difference and start a real change in behaviour’ added the communication.

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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 teaser, news of a bargain flight or item in a supermarket. Please help keep this blog going … without user contributions it won’t survive. Please don’t send in automatic translations (like Google translator) without checking them through and correcting them first, thanks.

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

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

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

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

Please don’t send in copyrighted material.

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

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

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

Madeira News Blog © 2007 – 2010 All Rights Reserved

Tom also said : Russian Ballet is going to happen in Funchal on April 01 at the Congressional Centre. Tickets are for sale in the tourist info office @ 50 Euros each.

Thanks a lot to Elaine (East) for this web snippet :

Voyages of Christopher Columbus. A detailed account including the discovery of Madeira (excerpt from The Exploration of the World by Jules Verne online at ONLINE).

Many thanks to Paul for the table tennis contributions below :

Table tennis in Madeira. “Table tennis in Madeira, with its headquarters in Funchal, has made notable progress; nowadays there is an annual international tournament, an ITTF Junior Circuit event and Marcos Freitas is the islands leading light.”

Photo : Marcos Freitas, ranked 8th in the world as an under 21 player. Link to Marcos Freitas’ website: HERE

Tribute to Abilio Carvalho da Cruz in Funchal. “Recently, in Madeira Abilio Carvalho da Cruz was recognised for having contributed to no less than 50 years of unstinting work to the sport of table tennis. He has coached throughout the world, especially in Spanish speaking countries; wherever he has visited, his efforts have been appreciated.

He is a former winner of the Boys Singles event at the European Youth Championships; now a formidable force on the ITTF Pro Tour. Table tennis for Abilio da Cruz started at the age of nine as a player in Lisbon, he became the national champion, later the Technical Director and organised a series of programmes for schools and coaches. Later, he became a global traveller; his coaching exploits are a geography lesson.Furthermore, he has no intention of resting on his laurels.”

Planning for a new training centre in Madeira. He is involved with the planning for a new training centre in Madeira and especially is desirous of continuing to help countries in particular in Africa and Latin America. Link to ITTF News article

This weekends football : The big match of the weekend is here tonight, as Marítimo take on Sporting, both teams looking for points to secure a place in Europe next season. One talking point will be the return of Sporting manager, Carlos Carvalhal, who was sacked by Marítimo at the beginning of the current football season. SportTV1 8.15 pm. Nacional play away at Setúbal on Sunday at 4 pm, but it’s not televised. The big game is tomorrow, and that could decide the champions this season as Benfica host Braga.

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

DIÁRIO 25/03/2010

FRONT PAGE NEWS

Homeless and neglected. There are still people homeless in the high area of Lugar da Serra in the parish of Campanário. In the locality of Terreiros de Baixo, one house has disappeared, another is partially destroyed and the roof of the third has been damaged by a landslide. Two houses are situated below the road that leads to this isolated settlement in the hills. The seven occupants of one of these old houses have lived for more than a month in an annexe to their badly damaged property which is unfit for habitation. There is no water and the electricity supply is precarious as a street lamp has fallen onto the house. The owners of the uninhabited destroyed house live abroad and regularly come to Madeira. The woman living in the house with a damaged roof is frightened to return as she lives alone. They say they are forgotten about and without any support. The council has photographed the damage but has not returned or communicated. The farms have also disappeared. As time passes their hopes fades.

PS present alternative to Jardim’s PEC. The Madeiran socialists want an immediate debate on the PEC (Stability and Growth Programme) of José Sócrates, that Alberto Jardim has approved. They state that Jardim’s government has imposed higher taxes for businesses and households and a lower minimum wage than in other regions of the country. Other measures of the Regional Government are: transport costs are higher therefore penalise the economy and consumption of essential goods; unfair competition in the public / private sector; delays in payments to suppliers; absurd investments at high outlays with inadequate returns and a total absence of measures to promote the diversification of regional economy. They state that the negative measures of PEC need not be applied to Madeira as it is an autonomous region. The Socialist Party agree with some parts of PEC: tax on stock market speculation; tightening public investment; raising taxes on the banking sector and increasing taxes on income above 150,000 Euros.

The PSD will make available votes if the PS request them. The election of the Vice President of the Legislative Assembly of Madeira failed yesterday. The leader of the Socialist Party, Jacinto Serrão needed 24 votes out of 47. The PSD guaranteed 10 votes in favour as it is committed to a vice president from the opposition to avoid plurality. The opposition parties, mainly socialist, had to return 14 ‘yes’ votes in the election but the outcome was one vote short. This result means there is no-one elected at present, down to the internal politics of the Socialist Party. The Socialist Party must request more votes from the PSD but Jacinto Serrão said they will not do so, he will not be subject to a second vote and has appealed to Cavaco Silva to intervene. Monteiro Diniz, the Representative of the Republic said the Socialist Party must submit another candidate.

MADEIRA

New houses will be built in at least two estates in Serra de Água. The Housing Association of Madeira (IHM) has ruled out the idea of building a single neighbourhood of 25 houses to relocate the families displaced by the storm of February 20th. A team of architects, an engineer and the Director of Heritage Services went to the area to assess two or three locations they have in mind. To place 25 houses in one location would have a high impact on the area and there are not many areas in Serra de Água that could support so many houses. Since this neighbourhood was badly battered by the storm, they have to be cautious. The families come from different locations so if they build at least two estates, they may be able to get near to the original areas. In the county of Ribeira Brava, the council hopes to rehouse the 17 homeless families by the end of the week. It is difficult to find accommodation to rent in Serra de Água, especially small units for the elderly.

Casa de Saúde de São João de Deus launches fundraising campaign. The Fundação São João de Deus which manages this hospital in Trapiche, is raising funds for those displaced by the storm who are still residing there. The campaign slogan is ‘Help us to help’ (‘Ajude-nos a ajudar’). Donations can be sent by cheque of postal order or through the Multibanco (Entidade 20952 e Referência 777 777 77) or bank transfer to NIB 0033 0000 4536 7133674 05. The hospital needs the following items delivered, either new or used: games and educational books for adolescents (10 years), blankets, pillows, sheets and towels, clothing and footwear (ladies sizes 36 to 40 and mens sizes 40 to 43). The 20 families temporarily housed in this institution are being helped by the army, Casa do Voluntário da RAM and Caritas. Their situation is managed by Social Security and Funchal Council.

Dog rescued had no chance of survival. The president of SPAD said the dog rescued on the 17th March in the vicinity of Palheiro Golf after about a month buried in debris, has been subject to euthanasia. The dog had lethal serious injuries, fractures to the limbs and lumbar spine, and a humane and dignified death was the only option. Several people were interested in adopting the dog but he would not survive. As a result of this case, there have been serious threats made over the phone to vets working at SPAD. One vet has had to stop working with the association. On the issue of overcrowding, the president said they house 200 animals but being confined in a small cage for a long period of time harms the quality of life. The adoption rate is 40%.

ECONOMY

Aggregates pass through tourist area. Last week, for the third time this month, a boat carrying aggregates docked at Porto Moniz and unloaded thousands of cubic metres of sand. Half a dozen lorries were waiting and after loading drove off in the direction of São Vicente. The noise and pollution from unloading and transporting the inerts is affecting tourism. The Administration of the Regional Ports say it is an exceptional situation and the inerts are for the access road between Meia Légua and the tunnel da Encumeada. The town already has a paucity of tourists who are unhappy about this new ‘attraction’. Businessmen complain it is affecting trade and a councillor proposed compensation. The Mayor of Porto Moniz said he had been informed by the Ports Administration that this transport would occur and it is not illegal for lorries to use the roads in the centre of the village. He said it is favourable to the construction companies who are building houses in the northern region, as it is cheaper to transport by sea.

POLITICS

Taiwan gives 10,000 Euros. Taiwan gave a cheque for 10,000 Euros for Madeira to the Assembly of the Republic in Lisbon. It will be forwarded to Madeiran deputies (PSD, PS, CDS) who will then distribute the funds to institutions helping the victims of the storm. This ends a diplomatic embarrassment since Taiwan has no representation in Portugal. Lisbon did not want to upset China, that considers Taiwan as part of its sovereign territory, and did not want to offend the generosity of Taiwan. This solution took several weeks to formulate by the centrist deputy who is the President of the Committee of Foreign Affairs.

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

Dispute closes the petrol station on Porto Santo during Easter – If the retailer and supplier don’t settle in the meantime, the island will lose the main filling station. The current contract between the company that operates the petrol station, and the fuel supplier Galp, expires on 1st April, with neither party in a position to renew the contract. The dispute involves debt, obsolete and damaged equipment, and irregular opening times amongst other issues.

Today’s main news headline : Reported crime increased 5.4% on Madeira – The ratio for  reported crimes in the Region is 30 to 40 crimes per 1000 inhabitants. The annual report of the Internal Administration puts Madeira in ninth position for the districts with the most increased levels of crime in 2009. Last year nationally there was a decline of 1.2% in reported crime compared to 2008, but Madeira bucked the trend.

Waiting times for consultations wear out patients – On the Nacional Day, users blame the scarcity of family doctors but they praise the physicians and nursing staff.

Grievances : Storm used [as an excuse] to sack. The organisation that represents the trade unions of Madeira has received "many complaints", none yet been formalized, from workers who have lost their jobs since the storm of 20th February. Most cases come from the hotel and commerce sectors.

Party activists choose the 18th leader of the Social democrat Party – Regardless of the winner, President Jardim believes that everything will remain the same. Nearly 90 thousand PSD activists will be able to vote today for the new party leader to replace Manuela Ferreira Leite. There are only really, according to polls, two of the 4 candidates in the running, led by Passos Coelho and followed by Paulo Rangel. "What will happen, whoever wins, is that the party will continue in the same disorganised state of mind that it currently goes around in," considers Jardim.

The main sport headline today : Marítimo and Sporting tonight in atypical match – Carvalhal returns to Funchal in silence and with Izmailov in the entourage.

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. 

For anyone who has the Zon Box HD + DVR : Tobi has ‘had the man around from Zon’ (CaboTV) because his newish Zon box crashed and won’t record. I have had similar problems with mine, but not nearly as bad it seems. Zon are trying to fix the problem through automatic software updates, but the last attempt failed again, so no timescale yet for resolving. The man from Zon showed Tobi a workaround, and Tobi has kindly typed out the instructions for me, but it’s a bit lengthy to put on the blog if no one else has the problem. If anyone wants the ‘temporary fix’ instructions just email me and I will respond. If there are a lot of people with the problem then I will post the solution on the blog.

Don kindly sent in this link: SPAD FACEBOOK however it is mostly in Portuguese … you can follow the discussions about SPAD and the latest issues. Perhaps someone would like to post details about the ongoing story and ask for advice before doing anything too rash?

Top tip for UK folks … thanks to Paul : Top 10 late holiday deal of the week – March 28: Madeira! Head for Madeira and stay at the luxury five-star Madeira Regency Palace in Funchal for 414 pounds pp including seven nights’ b&b and flights from Gatwick leaving April 30.

Photo : A view of Funchal towards east from Pico da Cruz (261 m)

Full article in ‘the Mirror’ UK newspaper

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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 teaser, news of a bargain flight or item in a supermarket. Please help keep this blog going … without user contributions it won’t survive. Please don’t send in automatic translations (like Google translator) without checking them through and correcting them first, thanks.

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

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

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

Please don’t send in copyrighted material.

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

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

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

Madeira News Blog © 2007 – 2010 All Rights Reserved

Many thanks to Elaine (East) for these website links :

The Rede – traditional transport now for hire in Funchal. HERE

The Classical Orchestra, OCM, has a new website with an English version. HERE

Many thanks to Paul for this interesting piece and the link to the WSJ video:

The socio-economic and employment situation in Madeira. Over the past decade, Madeira has seen dynamic economic growth with GDP per capita in 2003 reaching 90 % of the EU-25 average – above that of most of mainland Portugal.

Much of this growth has been driven by the increasing importance of the services sector in the economy, including real estate and tourism services, which complement more traditional industries such as agriculture and fishing. While in the past Madeirans would emigrate to find work, economic growth has largely reversed this trend and today the region has generally lower unemployment by Portuguese standards.

Employment also grew by 5 % in the decade up to 2004, in particular in the 25-44-year age group. Growth in the services sector has contributed to rising levels of female employment that reached 41.8 % in 2004, although this remained below the EU target of 60 % then. Education levels are also improving. Between 2000 and 2003 the number of workers without basic qualifications fell to 8.6 % and those with basic, secondary and higher levels of education all increased. This feature is due to earlier investments in the education and training system in Madeira.

However, among job-seekers, 3 in 4 of them have less than a secondary level of education. The number of long-term unemployed has been stable at around one-third of the total unemployed. Madeira is making extensive efforts to develop its economy and private sector in ways that capitalise on the particular advantages the region can offer, including by making significant infrastructure investments even though these are less than in the earlier 2000-2006 funding period.

To sustain economic growth and rising employment Madeira now needs to expand its labour market and provide its workers with the skills the Madeiran economy and businesses need today and in the future.

The European Social Fund. The European Social Fund, created in 1957, is the European Union’s main financial instrument for investing in people. It supports employment and helps people enhance their education and skills. This improves their job prospects.

Source: Information service of DG Employment, Social Affairs & Equal Opportunities Communication Unit, Brussels

ESF priorities in Madeira. Madeira’s strategy for ESF funding has global objectives :

-to significantly increase the level of education and training among its people, and in

particular in technology-related areas,

-to create more jobs in ways that support entrepreneurial initiatives

and the requirements of the regional labour market;

-to improve social cohesion and regional governance.

To achieve these objectives the ESF Operational

Programme has two main priorities:

Priority 1 : Education and training

Priority 2 : Employment and social cohesion

Portugal Downgrade Adds To Debt Woes. A solution to Greece’s budget woes remains elusive for the EU. Now Fitch’s downgrade of Portugal reminds investors, again, that Athens is not alone in the dark. WALL ST JOURNAL VIDEO 

Also an article on the issue and impacts from the BBC HERE

Madeira fungi                    Thanks to Pete

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

DIÁRIO 24/03/2010

FRONT PAGE NEWS

Cleaning reveals the Fontes de João Dinis. This water source has been buried for decades in the gardens that separate the Palácio de São Lourenço from the Avenida do Mar. The mudslide that hit Funchal on the 20th February entered these gardens and on removing the debris, this public water supply was uncovered. It was built 520 years ago. In 1490, Funchal Council approved the water from the ‘Altinho das Fontes’ when they built the first fort which became the Palácio de São Lourenço. Historians have identified the Fontes de João Dinis from photographs from the 1930s, before the Avenida do Mar was constructed. Photographs from the twentieth century prove that the fountain was still in good working order. The fountain is to be left on view when the centuries old pebble pavement and gardens are renovated.

MADEIRA

Luso-Canadians gather one million Canadian dollars. Over the past month, 700,000 Canadian dollars have been collected for Madeira and the community hopes to reach one million. The campaign started on TV and radio stations for the Portuguese in Canada. A festival of folklore arranged by the Canadian Madeira Club brought together 18 dance groups and the club hosted three dinners to raise money. Last weekend, the largest union for civil construction workers held a dinner for 1,100 people and collected 280,000 Canadian dollars. The union has 46,000 members of which several thousand are Luso-Canadians.

Solidarity takes three mayors to London. Miguel Albuquerque, Ismael Fernandes and Arlindo Gomes, the Mayors of Funchal, Ribeira Brava and Câmara de Lobos, respectively, will go to the solidarity dinner in London on Saturday. All 800 tickets have been sold and the organizers could have sold another 500 if the room at the Ibis Hotel at Earls Court could accommodate more. It is uncertain if the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson can attend and the event will not be broadcasted live on RTP-Madeira as previously reported. The dinner costs a reasonable 30 pounds per person including drinks. Also present will be the President of Marítimo (Carlos Pereira), Ricardo Pestana from the Banif bank, the Ambassador of Portugal, the Portuguese Consul, the Madeiran Advisor and the leader of Lambeth Council. More than 60 volunteers will help prepare and serve food and drinks. The two singers, Vânia Fernandes and Adelaide Ferreira provide live entertainment.

ECONOMY

TUI Germany should have two winter flights again. Two charter flights that were cancelled three years ago during the winter season 2007/8 are being renegotiated. Until four years ago, these flights brought 70,000 tourists to Madeira. Over the past four years, the German market along with other European markets fell by 20%. Last year, TUI brought 50,000 tourists from Germany. Negotiations are for two flights from Frankfurt and Dusseldorf with Stuttgart as another option. If the deal materialises, TUI will no longer use Air Berlin, a low-cost carrier that connects Madeira to more than a dozen German cities, although many are indirect flights. Proposals for more routes for Air Berlin to fly to Madeira are not as promising as hoped.

Reid’s Palace is one of the ten top historic hotels.  Reid’s Palace luxury hotel, part of the Orient-Express chain, is listed as the fifth most outstanding historic hotel in Europe and the United States. The list was compiled on the British Trivago hotel comparison website from customer evaluations and prices. It is cited as having an excellent location on the south coast of Funchal and a brief history of the hotel is included on the Trivago website. The top hotel is the 1861 five-star Palace Beau Rivage in Lausanne, Switzerland. The list is HERE

JORNAL DA MADEIRA

REGION

New leader of PSD will not be invited. A few days before Friday’s election of the new national leader of the PSD, Alberto Jardim warns that there will be no-one from Lisbon invited to this year’s PSD-M Festa do Chão da Lagoa. The festa is scheduled for the last weekend in July. Jardim thinks the internal bickering and intrigues will continue within the national party. Regardless of who wins, even if it is Paulo Rangel, he says the leader could not efficiently organize the party structure. Although there are 15,000 PSD members in Madeira, only 8,000 can vote at the national level. — Jardim said the national PSD would continue "um albergue espanhol" – Spanish hostel, asylum ? Anyone know what this phrase means?

RAM wants to integrate into OSPAR. A meeting of representatives from six countries in OSPAR is being held in Funchal. The inclusion of Madeira in the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Northeast Atlantic would be beneficial to the region, along with the inclusion of the Canary Islands. The Azores are already in OSPAR. This would help to protect the marine environment which is a vital resource for Madeira. This intention must be formalized by the Regional and Republic Governments. At the conference, Madeira won praise for the protection of marine species and preservation of biodiversity. Illegal fishing in international waters is a worry for the representatives and the Madeiran fishermen are having to go further out to catch fish in deep water.

Several hypotheses for the inerts stored at the bay of Funchal. The Regional Director for the Environment acknowledged that the debris stored at the bay of Funchal prejudices the image of the city. He says it was the right decision due to the circumstances of the tragedy. It is unthinkable to move the material elsewhere on land, especially to higher areas from where it could be washed down again. It would take thousands of trucks to move it all. The several hypotheses would have to be studied both economically and environmentally. The material could be kept where it is to add another zone by the sea. It could be moved to other coastal areas requiring protection from the sea, for example the bathing complexes at Lido and Barreirinha. It could be dumped at sea, as allowed by law as it is from a tragedy, and to reduce environmental impact would have to be deposited between 2,000 – 4,000 metres deep.

EVENTS

Whale sighted off the coast of Paul. A whale was spotted about 400 metres off the coast of Paul do Mar for a few minutes at around 11.30 am. It could have been a sperm whale and was offshore near the cafe area and the statue of fishermen. Although it is normal to see whales in the region, especially in this area, it is unusual for them to be so close to land. The information is recorded on a database at the Whale Museum for the regional authorities and the European Commission and used in studies and educational programs.

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

Those made homeless forgotten in Campanário – Storm left people without house losing hope : the authorities just photographed the damage.

Collapse in telecommunications obliges the move of the networks to safer locations.

Today’s main news headline : Rangel plays down autonomy – The motion of the candidate preferred by [president] Jardim to lead the Social Democrat Party set aside just one paragraph on the autonomy issues. Hmmmm … I reckon this is a bit of naughtiness by the Diário to put a spanner in the works of President Jardim’s voting plans in tomorrow’s national PSD leadership election. I don’t think Jardim cares for any of the candidates to be honest, and he has given the PSD members on Madeira his blessing to vote for who they want (theoretically at least). What would be really interesting is if Passos Coelho wins the leadership election, because Jardim hates him with a vengeance. Should Coelho win, then we will have a bizarre situation where Jardim is then more closely aligned to his new buddy, and ex-worst enemy, Prime Minister Sócrates of the Socialists, than to his own party at national level. 

Social Democrat Party already agrees to give the votes asked for by the Socialists – Another mess in the Parliament. Serrão was not elected and asked for the intervention of [president] Cavaco. At night, the PSD said that it would give the necessary votes.

Socialist Party has an alternative PEC [Programme of Stability and Growth] for Madeira.

Incentives to businesses without tax demands.

The main sport headline today : FIA confirms triumph of Vítor Sá on Porto Santo [rally] – The software used was approved. A rival of the Madeiran had claimed that the winning car had been ‘enhanced’ outside of the rules, after last weekends victory.

Football : Twist in the ‘Hulk case’ leads to resignation of Hermínio Loureiro from the League of Clubs.

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. 

BTW – Someone sent me an email today, one of those supposedly funny ones, titled ‘How to tell male and female birds apart [without a close inspection]. It used these two Madeiran Gaivotas to illustrate the point. I am not sure I really understood the joke, and I certainly didn’t find it at all amusing, but I thought I had better warn people that it is going around. Der

Finally, from me at least, going back a few days, there was a controversial article on the website of a Welsh newspaper, which has prompted at least 3 blog readers to comment that the article is inaccurate. The article practically claimed we suffered an event of Haiti proportions last month, and that it was necessary to flee Madeira. Have a look! and maybe also comment HERE

Update from Sheila : Alone in the garden of an empty Garajau apartment, this dog is dying from neglect. The Police know about this; SPAD knows about this and many of us know about this. Attempts to trace the owner of the dog are being made, even by the President of SPAD, Sr. Goncalo Santos himself. He told me over the telephone yesterday: "I cannot break into private property to save a dog". The English tourists, who have been staying in the flat next door to the dog, have been trying to lower water and food over the wall down to the animal. Tomorrow, these visitors are returning to the U.K. Then the plight of this dog will become even more desperate.

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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 teaser, news of a bargain flight or item in a supermarket. Please help keep this blog going … without user contributions it won’t survive. Please don’t send in automatic translations (like Google translator) without checking them through and correcting them first, thanks.

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

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

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

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

Please don’t send in copyrighted material.

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

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

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

Madeira News Blog © 2007 – 2010 All Rights Reserved

Many thanks to Becky for sending in this snippet and video :

"The Jersey Football Association Capita Centre of Excellence Year-9 age group is to play four matches in Madeira next month." HERE

Many thanks to Elaine (East) for these website links :

Links with Gibraltar – Madeira Disaster Collection.  HERE

Informative blog about Madeira Wine. HERE

Many thanks to Elaine [West] for this :

SPAD receives help from a German institution. Anima – Hilfe für Tiere (Help for Animals) has donated 10 large kennels for animals. The German institution for the protection of animals ‘Anima – Hilfe für Tiere’ ( ‘Help For Animals’) has given SPAD ten large kennels that will be placed in the Vasco Gil Kennel Site.

The request for help from SPAD came just days after the storm of 20 February, when some animals were brought to the institution because they had lost both owners and their home. At the time, SPAD asked all those wishing to contribute to the work of the association to help supply plastic cages (used or new) for animals to be properly collected. The appeal reached Germany and ‘Anima’ quickly dealt with the deployment of 10 large kennels. Next Thursday, March 25, from 14.30, the kennels will be handed over. On site, a group of five volunteers will be available to unpack and prepare them so they can be finally used by SPAD.

It should be recalled that several years ago ‘Anima’ collaborated with initiatives in Madeira. Recently the German institution has financed free sterilization campaigns in Porto Santo and a number of stray animals (dogs and cats) are sent to Germany each year to homes and families that ‘Anima’ has found for them. In 2008 ‘Anima’ received a total of 28 dogs which were then sterilized and delivered to new owners. Last year various animals from Madeira were received by the them, many of them Huskies. These dogs, although pedigree animals, do not adapt to Madeira’s climate and are often abandoned.

Many thanks to Paul for this :

‘Sisi’ Elisabeth, Empress of Austria & Queen of Hungary (1837-1898) & Madeira. In the 1860′s Elisabeth was considered the world’s most beautiful monarch. In the 1870′s she became the most famous, and probably also the world’s best, female equestrian but, in 1859 left her husband and small children to live in seclusion on Madeira, Corfu, and in Venice. “The Empress had exchanged a carefree country life with the strict etiquette of the Imperial Court and could hardly adapt to it. Francis Joseph loved his wife dearly, but he ruled over an empire of 50 million people and had little time to be with "Sisi" who felt lonely. "I wish he were no emperor", she confided her former governess.”

Sisi likened to Princess Diana. “Little wonder then that following her tragic death Princess Diana was often likened in obituaries to Sisi: Both were women of extraordinary beauty and represented their countries with dignity and elegance. Both succeeded in winning a special place in people’s hearts even amidst the ceremony and protocol of ancient dynasties. Both were dedicated to social causes. And both died tragically before their time.”

Photo : Memorial of Elisabeth (Österreich-Ungarn), also named Sisi, in Funchal, Madeira closed to the Casino. At this location a hotel was located, where Sisi was on holiday.

Sisi Film & Musical. “The romantic legend of how Sisi and Franz Joseph met has been immortalized in the wonderfully romantic and melodramatic Austrian "Sisi" Films starring Romy Schneider as young Sisi. The musical "Elisabeth", which has attracted tourists from all over the world to Vienna for more than five years, is much more realistic.”

In 1998 a hundred years after she died from wounds inflicted during an assassination attempt exhibitions throughout Austria commemorated her life. They documented the intriguing life story of a woman who was an "empress against her will", who was at once fairy-tale princess and liberated woman, a dieting fanatic and expert equestrian, a poet and inveterate traveller.

Photo : Empress Elisabeth of Austria, 1864

Video compilation of the Austrian trilogy "SISSI-The Young Empress"

Sisi’s hold on the popular imagination remains undiminished. “Sisi was already a legend in her lifetime. And especially in Budapest (Hungary) many buildings or institutions are named after her, and Elisabeth is still the most often given girl name in Hungary. Even a century after her death, Sisi’s hold on the popular imagination remains undiminished. This can be seen in the popularity of Sisi films and the musical "Elisabeth", which has run for years in Vienna. The sites where the empress lived continue to draw tourists from the world over. Among these are her apartments in Schönbrunn Palace, the Hofburg, and the Hermes Villa in Vienna, her tomb in the imperial burial vault of the capital’s Capuchin Church, and the imperial villa in Bad Ischl, as well as many other places throughout Austria.” Link to full article

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

DIÁRIO 23/03/2010

FRONT PAGE NEWS

PEC threatens the solvency of public enterprises. Compliance with the rules contained in the Stability and Growth Pact (PEC), which the Regional Government had no objection to, may be disastrous for the Regional accounts as the State will limit borrowing for all public sector companies. The Government of the Republic, in addition to maintaining the rule of zero net debt to the entities of the Regional and Local Administrations, unless in response to emergencies, will also constrain new financial liabilities when public companies use community funding. Thus, public companies will have lower limits for liabilities as neither Governments can risk having to input capital into these companies. Also, the higher the corporate debt, the worse the country’s external debt. According to Diário, public enterprises have increased their bank liabilities seven fold in six years. Some of these debts are to suppliers and if they cannot resort to credit, the inability to invest and make payments will worsen. Madeira’s contribution to the Portuguese deficit is zero. In 2007, Madeira had not reached the borrowing limit that the EU imposed on the State in the PEC. In 2008, Madeira made a positive contribution to the implementation of the PEC as it still had a net lending capacity of one million Euros, helping to balance the public accounts. — An expert in financial affairs commented that the reason that the 4.1 million Euros subsidy to the Jornal da Madeira stays the same as last year, is probably because no bank will lend to the company. The case is to be heard in the EU Court and if they rule the subsidy is illegal and fine the company, who pays and what happens about any debts?

30,000 pensioners below the minimum wage. Most are women on survivor’s pension of 180 Euros per month. The minimum wage for 2010 is 475 Euros. A similar petition was sent last year, with half the present number of signatures, to the Legislative Assembly of Madeira. This year, the petition will also be sent to the Assembly of the Republic as last year, the two government argued that it was each other’s responsibility.

Public Ministry accuses gang of using children in drug trafficking. A trial started yesterday in Funchal with 19 defendants, including two Italians. 16 attended the hearing, all from social housing estates in Câmara de Lobos, two will be tried in abstentia and one is on the Continent. Six defendants are in prison custody, including two Italians and two Guineans, one is electronically tagged and seven are women. The drugs were imported from Guinea, Senegal and the Netherlands via three couriers, two of them Italian and a child who was detained at Madeira Airport in October 2008 carrying 572 grams of heroin. The drugs were stored in the home of one of the defendants in Bairro da Torre, mainly for local distribution. Many of the children/families of the accused have been used to deliver/collect drugs and money. There is wiretapping evidence to support this allegation. The largest haul was in November 2008 when 12,549 individual doses of heroin (1,045 grams) were detected inside the bodies of the two Italians.The heroin was to be transferred to the Guinean who has spent five years in prison for a previous trafficking offence. The drug gang is suspected of operating from at least mid-2007 to August 2009 and the drugs brought into the country were cocaine and heroin. The Guinean is suspected to be the ringleader. Two of the defendants fabricated a construction company to try to justify the origin of the drug money. Items were seized during house searches, for example mobile phones, home-cinemas and LCDs. Large deposits into the bank accounts of the defendants, especially the ringleader, were traced between January and December 2008 (29,500 +11,570 + 41,915 Euros).

MADEIRA

Revive the neighbourhood by planting trees. 300 school children in the county of Ribeira Brava congregated at the school at Serra de Água as part of the celebrations of World Tree Day. The best way to mark the day was to plant trees. The mayor and a school delegate planted a tree then each school followed suit. This location was chosen as it was the area most devastated by the storm, to plant a symbol of hope and to highlight the rebirth of the parish. The tree planting was followed by entertainment, games and a lunch courtesy of the municipality.

London sends 2,500 kilos of donations. The Portuguese Catholic community attending the Scalabrini Church in Oval, South London, collected 2,500 kilos of donated goods over the past three weeks. The collection was begun on the 21st February and includes infant and children’s clothing, underwear, shoes and linens. During the Masses, 1,500 pounds sterling was collected and the amount was made up to 1,800 pounds from church funds to send the 100 boxes to Madeira. It would normally cost 5,000 pounds to send the container but for the generosity of the haulage firm C. R. Trans/Service, where a Portuguese immigrant works. The container left England last week and arrives in Madeira within a week. It will be forwarded to the Association for Community Development in Funchal/Community Centre of Santo Amaro.

New marine protected areas. Several proposals for the establishment of marine protected areas in waters beyond national jurisdiction will be discussed informally between today and Thursday in Funchal. Attending will be representatives from six countries that signed up to the OSPAR Convention (Germany, France, UK, Netherlands, Spain and Portugal), and NGOs such as the Worldwide Fund for Wildlife, Northeast Atlantic Ocean Fisheries Commission, International Union for the Conservation of Nature and the Institution for Conservation of Marine Biology.

ECONOMY

Demolition of the Savoy Hotel is ahead of deadline. The demolition of the Savoy Hotel started in January with a deadline of ten months. The main building is already in ruins and the reception area, gardens, shopping area and car parks are unrecognizable. This is despite the effects of the storms in February. Demolition by implosion was ruled out and the work has to comply with noise and environmental laws. A significant amount of the material will be reused. The firm responsible for the demolition and building of the new hotel is CASAIS. The project architect João Francisco Caires said the new hotel will include classical and traditional Madeiran architecture in proximity to English colonial architecture. The entire project is scheduled to take 36 months at an estimated 120 million Euros. Completion is aimed to be in time for the New Year’s Eve celebrations in 2012.

POLITICS

Tough measures to prevent exploitation. The Regional Government has decided to submit to the Legislative Assembly a proposed law to ensure all entities benefit, and to prevent exploitation of funds for the renovation of Madeira. Careful prioritization will help people and areas affected by the storm and to avoid duplication, the Government will find out who has benefited from other mechanisms such as insurance. The final relocation is underway and 400 new homes are needed and another 400 require renovation. At present, 53 families are still in public establishments, a situation the Executive wants resolving before Easter. The government said any aggregates that are being collected are authorized. The Marine Police is monitoring the situation and has found one case of illegal dumping of flood deposits at the mouth of the stream at Madelena do Mar.

CULTURE

Santa Cruz is still the City of Culture. It was previously reported that Santa Cruz Council had given up the project City of Culture 2010 as it had to redirect finances to storm damage repair work. The council now ensures that the project will go ahead with updates to the cultural program. The mayor has met Rui Massena, the conductor of the OCM, about the possibility of the classical orchestra opening the program but cannot confirm if this will occur. The county has the advantage that the mayor, José Alberto Gonçalves, is the president of the Madeira Classic Foundation that manages the OCM.

JORNAL DA MADEIRA

REGIONAL

Gaia calls to Porto to help Madeira. The municipalities of Funchal and Gaia will launch a series of meetings before Easter with businesses in Porto to obtain building materials and furniture for 291 houses. The Vice-mayor of Gaia is impressed with the recovery effort in Funchal and will appeal to businesses in the region of Porto where there is a tradition of furniture manufacture. These 291 houses are outside the risk area and are partially damaged. Other councils in Portugal have pledged help, for example 100,000 Euros from Amadora.

Coração da Madeira helps Serra d’Água. Now this voluntary organization has finished its work in RG3, the volunteers went to Serra d’Água with 74 boxes of donated clothing collected at the church at Nazaré over the past month. In partnership with the English Church, the volunteers will begin to distribute bed linen and clothing to various locations of need.

EVENTS

Two vehicles seized. Since the beginning of the year, there have been four cases of illegal dumping in the serras of Madeira. Last week, a Forest Ranger found two private cars were being used to dump material in Campanário, which came from the excavations for a house. The two cars have been seized as evidence and the case has been reported to the Directorate for the Environment. To recover the cars, the owners will have to first pay the fine for the breach. For dumping light material, fines for private individuals range from 1,500 – 3,740 Euros and for firms from 7,500 – 44,890 Euros. For heavier more damaging material, fines range from 25,000 – 37,500 Euros and for a firm, can go up to 60,000 Euros.

Guides and tourists still use footpaths. The Regional Directorate of Forestry is concerned about the number of people still walking along pedestrian paths despite the warnings, often encouraged by guides. Examples are the Caldeirão Verde and the Boca da Corrida/Encumeada. Eight pathways are closed at present: PR 7 Levada do Moínho (Ribeira da Cruz – Lamaceiros); PR 09 Levada do Caldeirão Verde (Queimadas – Caldeirão Verde), PR 10 Levada do Furado (Ribeiro Frio – Lamaceiros – Portela); PR 12 Caminho Real da Encumeada (Boca da Corrida – Encumeada); PR 14 Levada dos Cedros (Fanal – Curral Falso); PR 16 Levada da Fajã do Rodrigues (Fajã da Ama – Ribeira do Inferno); PR 17 Caminho do Pináculo e Folhadal (Lombo do Mouro – Caramulo – Folhadal – Encumeada); PR 18 Levada do Rei (Quebradas – Ribeiro Bonito); Levada do Norte and Levada dos Tornos.

ECONOMY

Mercado de Oportunidades from 25 – 31 March. The erection of 51 tents on the Avenida Arriaga started yesterday. The Opportunities Market is for the selling of old stock at discounted prices, specifically shoes, decorations, clothing, jewellery, domestic electrical appliances, linen, crafts, toys and perfume. Opening hours will be 10.00 – 20.00. The demand has exceeded supply, 80 traders expressing interest but only 60 can participate, so the remaining 20 have places reserved in the second phase in the second half of the year. There will be eight cruise ships in port during this period, especially on the 31st when there will be five.

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

ERC wants to know more names for RTP-Madeira TV – The regulatory entity says it has asked more explanations. RTP received nothing. And already three weeks have passed.

Today’s main news headline : Bureaucracy ties-up traders – The owners of shops badly hit by the storms of February are "fragile, frail and living in financial difficulties because the financial support is delayed in coming". The words are from Lino Abreu, from the Association of Commerce and Services, in disagreement with the excessive ‘red tape’. Whilst waiting for support, traders are just having to do what they can to recuperate what they lost, and are feeling pretty let down because the route to obtain support is complex and long-winded. Abreu says that some traders are so deflated by what has gone on, he fears that they will opt to close down rather than try and reopen their businesses. He says the process needs to be simplified because the traders need support right now. They need to provide strict evidence for their losses, and some of the documentation needed takes a long time to obtain.

Fountains of João Dinis return to see the light of day – The post-storm clean up has returned to view the old fountains, buried 70 years ago during works in the zone of the Palácio. They are going to return to provide drinking water and maybe inspire some old political jibes.

The Government is going to construct 25 homes in Ribeira Brava – The houses will be built in different communities. According to the Housing Association of Madeira [IHM] housing is still lacking for 17 families in the area, made homeless after the floods. IHM already have two or three locations in mind and is out and about looking for more land to built premises that will house several families. The decision to spread the housing is being taken to minimise the impact of the construction work, and also because there is a shortage of land with sufficient capacity for everything. 17 families still live in temporary accommodation, around 40 people. 

SITAM denounces late payment of salaries – The trade union met with the Regional Secretary for Human Resources. Due to the storm on 20 February, there are people who have still not received their salary from February.

Solidarity parade on the eve of the Flower Festival. Madeira’s favourite fashion designer, Fátima Lopes, is organising the event to take place on 17th April, in conjunction with Funchal Council. "I am preparing a solidarity event in April, that will revert to those who need it most," said Fátima. "It will be a big fashion show, open to everyone, with mannequins of the Face Models and many national public figures".

The main sport / football headline today : União SAD ‘half way there’ [?] – Jaime Lucas hopes that the ‘Ruben Micael case’ works out well.

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 teaser, news of a bargain flight or item in a supermarket. Please help keep this blog going … without user contributions it won’t survive. Please don’t send in automatic translations (like Google translator) without checking them through and correcting them first, thanks.

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

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

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

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

Please don’t send in copyrighted material.

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

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

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

Madeira News Blog © 2007 – 2010 All Rights Reserved

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.

Porto Santo has a barbusano.  Porto Santo Council and the firm Porto Santo Verde planted yesterday, the World Day of the Forest, a tree in the gardens of Alameda Infante D. Henrique. For the national celebrations of the centenary of the Republic, the national committee challenges the Portuguese councils to plant a tree related to the indigenous forest. The barbusano is a tree belonging to the Laurissilva forest which is extinct in Porto Santo. This tree species is endemic to the Golden Island and it is important to reintroduce the Barbusanos as it adapts well to the island.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Madeira News Blog © 2007 – 2010 All Rights Reserved

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

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

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

Madeira: enchants those lucky enough to visit.

-flavoursome and honest style of Portuguese cuisine,

-a year-round sub-tropical climate

-world-class varieties of fortified wine

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

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

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

Home movie of Madeira in 1955.

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

DIÁRIO 21/03/2010

FRONT PAGE NEWS

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

MADEIRA

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

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

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

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

ECONOMY

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

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

Fish revenue falls 14%.

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

25% live from pensions on Madeira.

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

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

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

União win the II division, South zone.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Madeira News Blog © 2007 – 2010 All Rights Reserved

Also three web snippets from Pete … many thanks  :

Tuna in Madeira 

Madeira how it developed since 1986          

The Sardinha de Paiva family, Madeira and more 

Many thanks to Paul for the next few articles :

Smartphone overseas internet warning from ‘Which’? The UK consumers’ association Which? is warning that people going abroad with smartphones can still face huge bills if they connect to the internet. By 1 July, new rules will come into force in the European Union which will cap bills for downloading data. But, until then, people travelling in Europe could face unlimited bills. And anyone visiting non-EU countries, like Turkey, the US or the Caribbean, will continue to have no limits on their internet usage.

Photo : Assorted smartphones

Bill shock. If you use your phone in the UK to connect to the internet, for example to check emails or go on Facebook, you don’t usually need to worry about the bill – most home tariffs include unlimited downloads. But, if you take a smartphone, like an iPhone, on your travels, it can have expensive consequences. One German man was reported to have been charged £41,000 after downloading a television programme onto his phone.

Advice. Which? advises users to go into their settings and simply turn off the data roaming facility. Users should, in any case, be warned about this whenever they arrive in a foreign country and their mobile operator is substituted by another. Otherwise, if you are travelling to Europe before the 1 July, you should get in touch with your phone company to agree a limit on data downloads. Those who want an allowance which is larger than 50 Euros should also contact their phone company, to get the limit raised.

Funchal: back in business! Independent newspaper article. “With its grand seafront promenade, black-and-white mosaic pavements, attractive historic buildings and old-fashioned shops and cafés, Funchal is back in business. The annual flower festival takes place 15-18 April.”

The Independent article gives great advice on 48 Hours In: Funchal.

Photo: Interior of the Igreja do Colégio off the City Hall Square (Praça do Municipio) in Funchal one of the best decorated Baroque churches in Portugal.

The Zona Velha. Paul has added in the commentary section of the article: Great article! Don’t miss the zona velha in Funchal!

Thee settlement of the island began more than five centuries ago in the traditional, colourful Santa Maria neighbourhood, the zona velha (old zone) where the street of that name, built in 1430, is the oldest thoroughfare in the city.

In this ancient neighbourhood there is the beautiful Church of Santa Maria Maior, which dates back to 1803, also known as Igreja do Socorro. the small Corpo Santo Chapel some fado houses, the Madeira cable car building, the starting point for the cable car up the city’s hillsides to Monte and a public beach.

In the yellow fortress on the Ocean front ‘Forte de São Tiago’ part of the defences against pirates is a Contemporary Art Museum and cafe, restaurant. Also  sent in by Elaine and Becky, but thanks anyway.

Art in Calheta region in March. On the evenings of the 19^th & 20^th March at the Casa das Mudas art centre was a dance spectacular to classic and contemporary music by students of the Funchal-based ‘Conservatorio’ to celebrate the International Year of Biodiversity 2010. It was a celebration of life on earth and of the value of biodiversity to our lives.

2010 International Year of Biodiversity: our lives depend on biological diversity. Video of UN Secretary General Welcome Message for the 2010 International Year of Biodiversity HERE

John Fadeff Exhibition: Prazeres Gallery. Meanwhile, a new exhibition starts at Prazeres Gallery titled: ‘New Work/Old Work’ of the North-American artist John Fadeff. Link to the Gallery website

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

South-African buys Atalaia – The new owner places faith in the hotel sector. The 106 room Hotel Atalaia in Caniço has been sold by the Pestana Group to a new South-African owner, who may refurbish of redevelop the complex, which will continue as a hotel. The hotel has been closed for two years, because it was not profitable.

Transavia promises a daily flight between Madeira and Porto.

Today’s main news headline : Illegal Rivers – The 10 metres of bank are ignored.

‘Protectionism in the Public Security Police’ arrives to the Attorney.

Energy crisis leaves Chávez in the darkness – Venezuela without rain will not avoid a ‘blackout’ in May. The Diário analysed ghost-towns on the brink of collapse with impacts on the September elections.

Bloco de Esquerda [Left Block party] admits that it runs a risk. Party leader in an interview admits that the BE is likely to leave the assembly. The party is skint. Oh dear … more sleepless nights for me then.

The main sports headlines today : Insinuations and complaints obscure the victory of [Vítor] Sá – Miguel Nunes assures that the car of Sá had more revs and attacks the preparer of both, Barroso Sport.

Works on the Barreiros [Marítimo stadium] suffers a delay of four months.

The Juniors of Nacional ‘attacked’ in the final of the challenge against Atlético.

Rui Alves [president of Nacional] is running for the presidency of the League.

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. 

Ah, at last spring has arrived, and it is just like a Spring day should be. We have a week of celebrations for the anniversary of the Junta da Freguesia here in Ribeira Brava, which has survived 548 years. It seems the council has pulled out all the stops this year with an extensive programme of events stretching through to next Sunday, probably to try and animate a population still hurt by the events of last month.

The Diário special edition yesterday, a month on from the February storm and floods, had a fairly balanced set of reports of the good and the bad of what has happened since then. The good of course has been well reported inside and outside of Madeira and Portugal. Two reports on the more worrying aspects caught my eye. One named a number of locations where it still looked like the storm hit yesterday. I can’t remember the names now, but Laranjal was one of them. Meanwhile the badly damaged sports stadium of Madeira in Ribeira Brava will be operational again within a month … ’nuff said?

The other one I will mention is the fact that the fund raising to help Madeira and it’s people, however successful, is not delivering the proceeds as hoped. How the Diário would know, I don’t know, as there are so many sources for this fund raising, but the report listed the amounts of money that had reached the final destinations so far, amounting to around a paltry €200,000. Quite how distribution of these donations is supposed to actually reach the pockets of those most in need, I don’t know, and it can’t be easy to decide who gets what and then actually get it to them. In the meantime solidarity within the population is hopefully keeping things going, but obviously it can’t go on forever like this.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Madeira News Blog © 2007 – 2010 All Rights Reserved

A couple of snippets from Elaine (East) … many thanks.

EC rules out further banana aid. ITS JUST BANANAS

Europe seeks closer cooperation on border security. Much of the smuggling from Africa runs from Tunisia and Libya to the Italian coast or its offshore islands, including Sicily, Panteleria and Lampedusa. Other smuggling routes run from Algeria and Morocco to mainland Spain while others target the Spanish African enclaves of Ceuta and Melila. Further routes target Spanish and Portuguese Atlantic islands, notably the Canaries, Azores and Madeira. FULL STORY

Many thanks to Paul for these three articles and video :

MADEIRA ON THE MEND – UK Telegraph Newspaper – "Those of us who were visiting at the time and arrived subsequently were also invited to similarly contribute. I am told that they did so in large numbers, which reflects how the Madeirans are regarded by those they look after so well, year after year."

"Louise Roddon’s article ("Madeira picks up the pieces", March 13) provided an excellent account of the hard work put in by the islanders to restore Funchal and its outlying towns and areas following the events of February 20. She captured their feelings of concern and sadness for their fellow islanders who had died or had been made homeless. Their other concern was that they hoped their regular visitors from many other countries would not be dissuaded from coming to Madeira by pictures beamed around the world in the immediate aftermath of the tragedy.

The article mentions the money and clothing donated by the islanders, but perhaps misses the point that those of us who were visiting at the time and arrived subsequently were also invited to similarly contribute. I am told that they did so in large numbers, which reflects how the Madeirans are regarded by those they look after so well, year after year.": ARTICLE

Photo : Monachus schauinslandi (Hawaiian Monk Seal) underwater at Five Fathom Pinnacle, Hawaii.

Madeira’s Monk Seals & Hawaii’s Monk Seals – Monk seals are a critically endangered species worldwide. Historically, there were three species of monk seals:

The Mediterranean monk seal found in the western Mediterranean Sea (primarily off the coasts of Greece and Turkey) and in the eastern Atlantic Ocean (off the coast of Africa and on the island of Madeira), and has a population of about 500.

The Hawaiian monk seal, which is found in the Northwest and Main Hawaiian Islands and has a population of about 1,100. The Caribbean monk seal was found in the Caribbean Sea but is now extinct after centuries of human exploitation and hunting.

Rare Hawaiian monk seal lands at UCSC’s Long Marine Lab: Scientists hope to learn secrets to save critically endangered species.

Ho’ailona, a gregarious male monk seal born in May 2008 who suffers from cataracts, was abandoned by his mother a few days after birth. He was rescued from a beach on the island of Kauai and nursed to health by scientists from the National Marine Fisheries Service for a few months before being released back to the wild on Molokai.

The dire status of the two existing monk seal populations has necessitated international conservation initiatives. NOAA scientists and managers are working with experts around the world to help recover monk seals, and the information gained from treating and monitoring Ho’ailona’s development will help future conservation efforts for the species. LINK  Elaine (East) also sent this one in … thanks.

Film of visit by The President of the European Commission after 20th of February storm

Official video of the visit by The President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso to Madeira in March 2010 to assess personally the damages caused by the storm that affected the island on 20th of February, 2010.

The President expressed his condolences to the regional government and to the families of the victims. He reiterated the readiness of the European Commission to assist the national and regional authorities, namely through the use of the European Solidarity Fund. Furthermore, the President was deeply impressed by the effort of reconstruction in this short period of time, which is already showing results, thus enabling this region to remain one of the excellent tourist destinations of Europe. Link to video 

Great plug for Madeira Durao, lets hope a few million people watched the interview. Did anyone see him when he was speaking to president Jardim in Funchal? He asked Jardim what was going to happen with all the inert (sand, rock etc.) material piled up from the clean up after the storm. Jardim was lost for words, stuttered, and finally spat out that it hadn’t been decided yet. And there was me thinking it might be sold off for construction, putting a bit more dosh into the pockets of those with stakes in the construction industry.

Many thanks for this from Selina : In  yesterday’s Diário newspaper an article about the funds for replacing the damaged cars in the storm. Information support for people who lost their cars in the recent storms. The controller Automotive Trade Association and Industry Funchal says there is demand for vehicles by people who have lost their cars in time, but not materialized because the deal pending legislation on the support announced. "We have a notion that 500 cars were actually lost in the rivers in flood, the land, the roads, but we have a forecast of more than 500 cars were in garages and were damaged, said Alfredo Mendonça. The Madeira executive announced last week that people with cars which were completely destroyed in the storm of February 20 can receive a grant of Euros and a deduction for three thousand Euros car tax on the purchase of a new one. This was discussed at a meeting of the executive, and has been reported that there is a line of credit in the CGD for the procurement of car under these circumstances. To qualify for this help, the owner must demonstrate that the recovery of the car is impossible and that the disaster was the direct cause of their destruction. Alfredo Mendonça says that there is "a demand for people to hire, but do not want to go another step because they do not know how they will handle" this support. "We are all waiting to get that law without which one can not do anything," he says. "It was said that there was a support of four thousand, but how are you going to handle this situation, and how will it be passed on to customers, how the participation will come to the brand owners do not know why there have been no public information," stresses.

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

DIÁRIO 19/03/2010

FRONT PAGE NEWS

Houses on a knife-edge. Several houses at the top of Fundoa in Monte are at risk and families can only visit during the day. Technicians from the IHM have visited but the families have not yet heard from the council when it will be safe to return. Many families want to return and not be rehoused. The rains have damaged the supporting walls and the foundations are visible. The houses originally had land in front of them but this has been gradually eroded away until they now overlook an abyss. The Regional Government had been asked to consolidate the escarpment by the Socipan bakery, which was damaged by a landslide. The technicians do not know if the houses can be saved. Teams have been prioritising those temporarily staying with relatives and in shelters, determining if their houses were overcrowded and if they need relocating. In Funchal, there are homes and families in areas at risk with an uncertain future.

MADEIRA

Our Lady of Fatima returns to Funchal.  At 15.00 on Sunday March 21st, the Pilgrim Image will leave the Church of São Jorge, accompanied by bikers on the journey to Funchal. Between March 21st and April 11th, the time devoted to Easter celebrations, the circuit around the parishes is suspended. From April 11th to May 12th, Machico and Santa Cruz will receive the image of Nossa Senhora de Fátima.

In Venezuela, April 25th will be transformed to Day of Madeira. In Venezuela, the ‘April Revolution’ this year will be associated with Madeira. The day the Portuguese remember the Carnation Revolution will be for fundraising activities. All the money raised will go into a single account and transferred directly to the Regional Government of Madeira. This is a curious date given the bad coexistence of Alberto Jardim with designated ‘ideals of the April Revolution’.

Homeless family refuse a house. A family of seven, victims of the storm of February 20th, refused resettlement in a house supplied by the IHM. The family visited the house in the Calçada do Pico and complained it was dirty and without furniture. They returned to the Youth Hostel where they had been temporarily accommodated but have lost the right of staying there for free, having to pay the normal fee of 11 Euros per night. The IHM cannot understand their decision, saying the T4 is excellent and is much better than what they had. Caritas said they had a lorry of furniture and equipment for the family and waited for an hour but they never materialised at the house. The family  have now lost the right to be rehoused. The photo shows the old house in Vasco Gil where they cannot return to as it is at risk.

Many of the flood losses are yet to be declared. Many of those whose assets were destroyed or damaged a month ago, including houses and cars, have not officially declared them. For vehicles, the owners are waiting for the law to be published that will set out the rules on compensation. The Regional Government has stated it will subsidize the cost of a new car by 1,000 Euros and allow a 3,000 Euros tax deduction. The two pre-conditions are that the car is irrecoverable and that the destruction was due to the disaster. Owners need to prove the destruction of the car through statements from the councils or police with, wherever possible, photographic evidence. For property damage, owners can contact the IHM, town halls or community development organizations. At present, the Recovery Program of Degraded Property (PRID) is for houses requiring reconstruction. Since the end of December, the Regional Directorate of Agriculture has received declarations of crop damage resulting from the harsh winter. The network for the receipt of declarations of damage has been extended after the storm of February 20th.

ECONOMY

New regional cruise ship. The Grand Voyager will begin on April 30th a series of 19 seven night regional cruises, allowing embarking/disembarking at Funchal. The Carnival group has confirmed the dates, prices starting at 500 Euros per person and sold through the agent, Blandy. The Grand Voyager will call at Vigo, Lagos, Casablanca, Arrecife, Las Palmas and Funchal. Dates when the ship calls at Funchal are: May 7, 14, 21; Thursdays in June – 3, 10, 17, 24; July 1, 8, 15, 22, 29; August 5, 12, 19, 26 and September 2, 9. The ship was built in Germany in 2000 and is registered in Madeira, which is why Portuguese is the official language on board. It measures 180.7 metres long, 25.6 metres wide and can carry 922 passengers and 360 crew members. This ship first called at Funchal on the 22nd April 2001 under the name Olympic Voyager.

POLITICS

Joint Committee to complete the evaluation within a month. João Cunha e Silva (the vice-president of the Regional Government and a member of the Joint Committee) wants the evaluation of the damage and examination of means of financing the reconstruction of Madeira to be completed within a month. All committee members visited the worst affected areas of Ribeira Brava yesterday morning and Câmara de Lobos in the afternoon. Today they go to the high zones of Funchal and then move on to the lower zone. Cunha e Silva acknowledged that the extensive damage required a lot of work, and more funding than available through the EU Solidarity Fund as the damage goes beyond the initial estimate of the Regional Government. He warned that the EU Solidarity Fund is not as substantial as people think and falls far short of expectations, so other sources of funding will need to be creatively used. Committee members emphasised the spirit of full cooperation between the two governments and said that the great effort and work the Madeirans have already done is "moving".

Building materials from the Continent for the reconstruction effort. Various councils and parish councils on the Continent have offered to send building materials to assist the rebuilding of Funchal. A shipping company will transport them for free. Via the council, BES bank distributed 55,000 Euros to commercial establishments from its solidarity fund. The council gave 2,500 Euros cheques to each trader to help clean and recuperate losses. The council has hired two companies to survey the houses affected by storm damage over the next two weeks. Reconstruction will depend on their recommendations, guided by financial experts and local development associations. 14 contracts have been issued by the council for areas requiring immediate work.

PS criticize structures on the beach. Jacinto Serrão, the leader of the Socialist Party will request a parliamentary hearing so the Regional Government, Porto Santo Council and maritime authorities can clarify aspects of the constructions that are destroying the beach of Porto Santo. The PS went to Porto Santo to see the walls and infrastructure that are being built on the beach. They concluded these accumulate errors and cause negligence, and call into question the sustainability of the beach which is a candidate for the Seven Wonders of Portugal. The structures are destroying the beach just to satisfy the particular interests of some. The socialists want to know the reasons for these constructions and the type of study undertaken before licensing. The economy of the island cannot be destroyed in this way, because of the desire of some who want to keep their houses on the dunes.

UPDATE

State received almost 200,000 Euros IVA from solidarity campaigns. The IVA was collected by the State from the premium rate promoted by TMN, PT and Sonaecom. The Ministry of Finance received 198,120 Euros in IVA from calls and sms messages of solidarity. It followed the law fully and retained this money. From three solidarity campaigns, a total of 991,170 Euros has been donated to Madeira. A campaign by TMN and PT permitted a phone call or sms message to be sent where the person contributed 0.60 Euros to Caritas Diocesana do Funchal. This campaign was adhered to by 61,000 people and raised 36,600 Euros. PT and SIC through the ‘Uma flor pela Madeira’ project raised 590,000 Euros. ‘Portugal Solidário – Ajuda a Madeira’ in conjunction with the Media Capital group collected 364,570 Euros for Caritas.

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

Líbano [José] Martins, murder suspect, in the end was not arrested. The Diário confirmed with the Brazilian government the notable error of the Portuguese authorities. Back again to the story of the gang leader, allegedly responsible for the kidnap and murder of an elderly businessman  from Porto Santo.

Today’s main news headline : Without money in sight. Today marks one month since the tragedy came and the reconstruction goes ahead, even without knowing when any money will come. True it is that the hopes rest with Lisbon (€500 million) and not with the European Union (€45 million). All the following headlines are related to the same story (except the sports headline). Today the Diário has a special edition to illustrate the events of the last month.

Political parties intensify criticism and demand technical studies.

Anadia [shopping centre, Funchal] reopens in May, remodelled.

List of the MP deflates rumours, pointing to the localities from where all of the 43 dead were removed.

Rain unleashes stress and fear.

Media coverage took the news of the storm to millions around the world.

President of Naval [football club] came to offer €55 thousand; the big clubs haven’t fulfilled their promises.

The signs of the storm – 28 days have passed from when the chaos started on the island. The reestablishment of the relationship between the central and regional governments, a wave of solidarity without precedent, and the capacity of the Madeirans to rebuild, are the signs of the storm that ravaged Madeira one month ago. The island has lived in exactly 28 days, also one Saturday, one of the worst moments in its history after being devastated by bad weather that caused 43 deaths, 8 missing, 120 injured, 600 homeless and caused huge material damage. On the day of 20th February, the middle of the morning, after a rainy night, the population was surprised by strong torrents of mud flooding Funchal, dragging huge rocks and debris that caused chaos in the Madeira capital. The situation stretched to other locations on the island, mainly on the west side, in the regions of Ribeira Brava and Ponta do Sol. The immense torrents of water dragged away everything they found in their paths, people, cars, houses, streets, bridges, communications and electricity posts and farming land, leaving a vast trail of destruction.

Funchal became impassable, the communication networks started to collapse and the motorway [via rápida] was closed. The news started coming in with images giving an account of Madeira suffering a great natural catastrophe, and a climate of despair set-in as fruitless attempts were made to contact relatives and friends by mobile phone.

Landslides, isolated populations, collapsing houses, vehicles and people swept away by the torrents, [underground] car parks filled with water, and hundreds of people made homeless placed in hosting centres were the stories that filled the news. In a demonstration of solidarity in order to be with the Madeirans, on that day, the prime minister of Portugal came to Madeira to observe the damage and announce the first measures of support, marking a new era in the relationship between José Sócrates and Alberto João Jardim. The president of the Madeiran government said that he needed the "axes and [gardening] tools to rebuild the island" and Sócrates guaranteed total solidarity from the State to the region.  There followed visits by the President of the republic, Cavaco Silva, from various other ministers, from the European Commission for regional development, and from the president of the European Commission, Durão Barroso.

After the the initial impact, reconstruction had become the watchword, a task that involved all the community in re-establishing normality, including the army that transported to Madeira a bridge to resolve the isolation of Fajã da Ribeira, in Ribeira Brava, that was familiar to all who visit the island. Three days later, some traders reopened their businesses and measures of support started to be announced, including the formation of a joint commission from the Government of the Republic and Madeira, that is already working out in the field to determine the investments needed for the reestablishment of normal life.

Some works that took place in Funchal, Ponta do Sol and Ribeira [Brava ?] will be the memories that will remain of that fateful day, especially for those that lost somebody in the storm.

The main sports headline today : [Vítor] Sá takes the leadership in the Porto Santo Rally – The start of the competition was marked by the withdrawal of Filipe Freitas.

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. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Madeira News Blog © 2007 – 2010 All Rights Reserved

From vines to wines … Pete

I think you requested ‘meat on the bone’ more detail of the austerity budget for citizens / residents. Well, this is a good starting point. I am sure more detail, guidance will be on its way from the Government. Paul.

PORTUGAL – STABILITY AND GROWTH PROGRAMME 2010-2013

Memo from the Ministry of Finance and Public Administration – 08 March 2010.

The memo includes:

-Reduction of the General Government deficit and correction of the public debt growth by 2013

-The compensation of employees expenditure will be reduced to 10% of GDP in 2013, through a decrease of at least 100 million Euros per year of the overall amount of this expenditure. This goal will be achieved through:

• the reinforced implementation of the “at least two out for one in” rule;

• a policy of strong wage constraints

Social benefits will be reduced from 21.9% of GDP in 2009 to 21.4% of GDP in 2013.

Intermediate consumption expenditure

• Definition of outsourcing expenditure ceilings;

• Definition of a ceiling for expenditure on military equipment, through

40% reduction in the amount defined in the LPM (Military Funding Programme); not establishing any new commitments for military equipment purchasing.

• Reduction and rationalisation of current operating expenditure based, in particular, on the streamlining of public procurement and shared services processes. Link to full memo

Two from Elaine (East) : Interesting  Festa da Flor poster.  HERE   

Helicopter flight anyone? HERE

From Tom : Expresso newspaper 6 of March Economy section – interview with one of the richest men of Portugal.

Alexandre Soares Dos Santos – owner of Pingo Doce stores all around Globe including Poland which he said is the Motor and tiger of arising Markets in Europe. He is there with 600 stores named Biedronka and he is going to open next 800. 60% of net profit of Grupo Jeronimo Martins, comes from Poland’s business. He said Russia and Ukraine are too corrupted to even think for him to invest.

On the home political front he said : The Prime-minister does not have psychological conditions to govern Portugal. Alexandre Soares fears an aggravation of the crisis with the increase of the unemployment and laments the situation. In a few months here (in Portugal) there will be  no government." Very strong statement of the Man who knows.

Thanks a lot Paul, Elaine, Tom and Pete for the above links and articles.

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

DIÁRIO 18/03/2010

FRONT PAGE NEWS

CDS want an investigation into the tragedy. Despite challenges by the opposition parties, the PSD has refused to establish a committee of inquiry into the tragedy of February 20th. The CDS-PP have formalized the request which requires 10 signatures from the opposition. The committee would assess responsibilities in the tragedy, especially licensing and building in areas of risk. The CDS think it is now time to take stock of the causes and consequences of the tragedy, especially to prevent the repetition of various situations. The main causes were: lack of planning and land management, improper occupation of land, construction on the banks and over the beds of streams and uncleared streams. The effects of the storms were exacerbated by insufficient afforestation of slopes and the dumping of earth and debris into waterways. The CDS propose immediate support to small businesses and families affected by the storms, cleaning streams and a review of the Municipal Master Plans and the preparation of plans for the coastline.

Taiwan wants to give money to Madeira but does not know whom to send it to. The solidarity has caused a diplomatic embarrassment as there is no representation of Taiwan in Portugal. The Portuguese Government does not want to anger China and does not want to offend Taiwan and refuse aid. If Taiwan gave money directly to Madeira, it would assume that these two regions are of similar status. (China considers Taiwan part of Chinese territory and not an independent state). The solution appears to be for the cheque to be given directly to Madeiran deputies in the Assembly of the Republic and then the funds distributed to the regional institutions.

MADEIRA

Crack could mean collapse. A fissure opened in a wall that supports land near the Business Park in Garachico in the parish of Estreito de Câmara de Lobos. The February rains have deepened the fissure and there could be subsidence of earth, trees and rocks if there are more episodes of intense rain. A landslide caused some damage a few days ago. The situation is being monitored by the council, Madeira Business Park and the Regional Secretariat for Social Infrastructure.

ECONOMY

Port news. The container ship BBC Scotland starts today replacing the Apollo on the Lisbon-Madeira route. The ship was built in China in 2002 and belongs to the shipowner Briese Schiffahrt. The ship is 100.58 metres long, 16.6 metres wide and has a draft of 6.4 metres. It has a gross tonnage of 4,090 tonnes and can carry 390 20-foot containers. Top speed is 15 knots, it requires a 15-strong crew and navigates under the British flag. The Lobo Marinho will sail two extra trips between Funchal and Porto Santo this weekend to increase availability for the ‘XIV Rally Porto Santo Line’. The extra trips are on Friday and Sunday as the rally takes place on the 19 – 20 March. — Is gross tonnage high for a ship with a volume of 10,685 cubic metres? (Diario original – arqueação bruta de 4.090 toneladas).

Madeira is selling well for Easter. Cape Verde and Disney in Paris are popular Easter holiday packages sold to the Portuguese public. There has a been slightly higher demand for Easter holiday tourism than in 2009. Both the Azores and Madeira are selling well. For long-haul, the Caribbean and Brazil remain the most sought after destinations. Tunisia and Egypt are also popular.

Choupana Hills Resort leads the nominations for the World Travel Awards. The WTA are the ‘oscars’ of tourism according to The Wall Street Journal. The Choupana Hills Resort leads the Portuguese nominations as it is a candidate in five categories and The Vine and Tivoli Madeira have three nominations. There are in total about 5,000 entries (airlines, tour operators, car rental firms, destinations and new hotels) from 162 countries. There are several Portuguese nominations. TAP is one of 10 airline candidates. Lisbon is nominated in four categories – Best Destination, Best Destination for City Breaks, Best Cruise Destination and Best Cruise Port. Several luxury hotels in the Algarve and some hotels in Madeira are also candidates.

UPDATE

Martins arrested in Brazil.  Líbano Martins is detained in Brazil for the suspected abduction and homicide of the Porto Santo businessman Guilherme Alves. Martins was detained on January 22nd and is in custody awaiting an extradition process. The alleged three co-perpetrators of the crime carried out in July 2009 were arrested a few days after it was committed. 

JORNAL DA MADEIRA

ECONOMY

Daily flight to Ponta Delgada.  The first SATA flight between Funchal and Ponta Delgada using the new Bombardier Q400 aircraft will be on Saturday. There will be initially two flights per week increasing to a daily flight in July and August. These aircraft have half the capacity of the current Airbus A320 but have lower costs, especially in fuel consumption. SATA hope to increase passenger numbers travelling between Madeira and the Canary Islands to the Azores and on the profitable North America routes. They also hope to transport more tourists on the Ponta Delgada / Funchal / Faro / Ponta Delgada link.

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

Father’s day – Facing the new challenges. The family of today, has a mother and father of equal competencies. Both need to be alert to modern dangers.

Today’s main news headline : Imprisonment of Martins in doubt – The Justice Police, quoting a note from the Minister for External Relations for Brazil, revealed the capture and detention of the alleged leader of the gang that kidnapped and killed Guilherme Alves. But the Federal Police of Baía denied to the Diário the imprisonment of Martins, saying that on the 22nd January he was just allowed extradition request [?]. The judiciary says that it is going to clarify the situation. There are now uncertainties about the arrest of José Martins, alleged gang leader in the kidnap and murder of the elderly Porto Santo businessman last year. The Brazilian Court has postponed the extradition order, and has not even confirmed the arrest. The Portuguese police, via Interpol, had applied for Martins to be extradited, and it seemed that had been accepted. What a mess … makings of an international incident here methinks if Martins  end up not being extradited, or was not arrested in the first place!

Unemployment bordering on fifteen thousand – Official data says that 14,984 are looking for work, and that constitutes an increase of 38.9% in a year. Only the Algarve is worse. In the Azores there is a clear downward trend. That’s the official version of events, so now as usual we just await the statement of Uncle Bertie, president of Madeira and the Social Democrat party, with their versions of the numbers of unemployed, predicted by Der this time to be between just 17 and 22 people.

Houses on ‘a knifes edge’ – In the high zone of Fundoa, there are houses in danger of imminent collapse. Residents, who have arranged safer lodgings, only go there during the day. Until now nobody [authority] has appeared to say what will happen in the future. I think this photo is up around Monte, and I saw a similar situation a couple of weeks ago around Boa Morte, many kilometres from Funchal, and it was even a bit scary driving past it. Still many places unvisited by the authorities it seems. This small island, at times, seems a lot bigger than many judge it to be.

The main sports headline today : Regional [Rally] starts today on Porto Santo – There are several candidates for the title. The Diário heard the plans of the 27 contestants. Special rally edition of the Diário.

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. 

Just announced, after the draw for the next round of the Europe League, that Benfica have drawn Liverpool, the first leg being in Lisbon. Liverpool won’t relish that after the last time they played Benfica in the Champions League. I think it was the year after Liverpool won it, that Benfica played pretty badly, but still managed to beat Liverpool home and away. I wait to be corrected …

"I nearly got caught out by a bogus email from Facebook the other day so beware. It is entitled something along the lines of "Facebook password reset confirmation customer support" and can do a lot of damage to your PC and steal your passwords". Jane. Thanks Jane, I got one too today, but luckily I saw your email first. Here the article about it on YAHOO

Thanks to Paul : Madeira and parts of the Continent on YELLOW alert today Friday: strong winds

Institute of Meteorology site: HERE                    Expresso: HERE

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Madeira News Blog © 2007 – 2010 All Rights Reserved

Thanks to Pete for sending in this really interesting snippet : "A huge hydro-electric power plant 250 kms south-east of Lisbon in Portugal uses Alstom technology to combine and store wind and hydro energies. This plant has a capacity of 260 megawatts and supplies energy to 175,000 households. The reduction in CO2 emissions is the equivalent to removing 185,000 cars from the road". VIDEO

And thanks to Paul for these two snippets :

£70,000 to date from Jersey Appeal for Madeira disaster. “CUSTOMERS and staff at one of the Channel Islands’ biggest retailers have dug deep and raised nearly £19,000 for the Jersey Side by Side appeal for Madeira.

Around £70,000 has been raised by the appeal so far after flash floods devastated the Portuguese island almost a month ago, killing 42 people and leaving around 600 homeless. A massive £18,980 of the appeal total has been raised by Sandpiper CI, the company that owns the M&S franchise in Jersey, along with Safeway and Checkers, in just one week. The total, which was raised in both Jersey and Guernsey stores, includes £1,000 from Sandpiper’s management, while the rest came from fundraising events among staff and customer collections.”

Have you seen the Large White Butterfly? “The commission cited the Large White Butterfly from the Portuguese Atlantic island of Madeira, which has not been spotted for at least 20 years.” READ MORE           I can’t imagine who thought up the name for it? Der

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

DIÁRIO 17/03/2010

FRONT PAGE NEWS

RTP, Sonae and Mota Engil rehabilitate the Serra d’Água. Those responsible for the RTP and Grupo Sonae solidarity campaign will meet tomorrow with the Governing Board of the Investimentos Habitacionais da Madeira (IHM), in order to determine which applicants should receive the donations. The campaign Together for Madeira (‘Juntos pela Madeira’) has raised 800,000 Euros already and the promoters have donated 1.5 million Euros, enough to build a small housing complex. Over one million phone calls were made in response to the RTP campaign, and the Sonae Group challenged thousands of Portuguese to round up their till receipts in Modelo, Worten and other stores in the group, a campaign that will continue until the 18th April. RTP is preparing a mega-program to be broadcasted on Sunday between 15.45 and 19.00 hours, also helping to promote the 7 Wonders of Portugal competition, in which the beach at Porto Santo and the Laurisilva forest are 2 of the 21 candidates. RTP is preparing a fundraising concert with one of the top Portuguese musicians. It will be transmitting the Flower Festival Parade and the program is to be dedicated to Madeira in solidarity with the reconstruction effort. It will include images of the cleaned baixa (lower) area of Funchal, without forgetting of course the strickened area of Serra d’Água. In the latter area, 25/26 houses need to be rebuilt, for which Mota Engil guarantees 1.2 million Euros on top of the donated 1.5 million Euros by the Sonae Group and RTP. A Portuguese company is offering 25 Teka kitchens, Tintas Dyrup is giving 25,000 litres of paint and Indutora will install the electrical wiring in the new houses. The company Paços de Ferreira is donating furniture. Faculdade de Arquitectura da Universidade Lusíada and the architect José Paradela are offering their services for free. Donations are deposited in a fund specially created by the Cruz Vermelha Portuguesa.

Joint Committee meets in the region over the next two days. The Joint Committee created by José Sócrates to assess the amount of damage and the best use of funding for the reconstruction work after the storm on February 20th, meets for the first time tomorrow. Representatives from the Government of the Republic arrive tomorrow in Madeira for two days to look at the destruction of houses, roads and other public infrastructure that occurred in the worst affected areas. The committee will not monitor the regional authorities. The members will rigorously assess the help needed, cost it and then formulate a framework of cooperation between the State and Regional Governments through the Special Law of Regional Finances. The committee will also prioritise the work and what needs to be done later.

MADEIRA

Beach walls are provisional. Santos Costa, the Regional Director for Social Infrastructure, replies to yesterday’s report about walls built in the middle of the beach of Porto Santo. He explained that the walls are only provisional, built to prevent damage by the abnormally violent storms that occurred from last November to February 20th.  The photo shows the threat that the government is attempting to alleviate and the technicians will be able to decide on a technically and environmentally desirable solution when the sea is calmer.

Humanitarian problems in Funchal. The Report of the USA about Human Rights in 2009 revealed that Portugal and the archipelagos have humanitarian problems, although there have been improvements in prison overcrowding. With regard to Funchal, the report highlighted a young offender imprisoned for eight months with convicted adults. This was despite a special prison (prison-school) in Leiria for young offenders between the ages of 16 and 21 years old.

Excessive police force. A car was badly parked in a prohibited area while the driver went into a shop. On returning, he found a a police officer was fining him and he exchanged ‘bitter’ words with the officer who then asked for reinforcements. Two police motorbikes and two patrol cars responded using sirens and the unresisting man was forced out of his car, searched and arrested. This was watched by angry witnesses, an elderly woman in the front seat and accompanied by screams from a child of approximately nine years old in the back of the car. The two passengers were also taken to the police station. The Regional Command of the Police has not yet responded to the questions of the DIÁRIO.

ECONOMY

Madeira – Paris / Orly from 58 Euros. The airline transavia.com starts the promotion today for the new routes between Funchal and Nantes. The first flights begin at the end of March and the French low-cost carrier offers a discounted price for journeys made between 1 April and 15 July. Travel between Porto and Funchal is from 38 Euros in both directions. For Nantes via Porto, flights start at 58 Euros one-way. The all-inclusive web reserve system is totally transparent. The promotional campaign includes the transport of 20 kg luggage in the hold and 5 kg in the cabin.

POLITICS

Court of Auditors stop work by the council. The Court of Auditors has stopped a road being built in Camacha by Santa Cruz Council. The road was to link the Caminho Municipal da Portela, by the old church of Camacha, to Mato Grosso. The work was financed by both the Regional Government and Santa Cruz Council but the contract did not stipulate details of the co-payments. In 2005, the Tribunal could not obtain assurances that the council could honour their financial commitment and the work was prohibited. The municipality wanted to build a bridge linking this road to Mato Grosso, where the population is of a significant size. They began to build the bridge then were ordered to stop by the Court of Auditors. During the last storm, retaining walls were washed away and earth deposited inside the bridge, threatening the flow of  the ribeiro Pedro Lourenço and houses downstream. A date for the completion of the bridge depends on an agreement being made.

UPDATES

British Embassy supports Centro Porta Amiga do Funchal. The British Embassy in Lisbon has decided to help the Centro Porta Amiga do Funchal after the disaster of February 20th. Financial assistance will be raised through the Sport Relief Mile event, organized by a British charity each year. The race takes place on the 20th March, starting at the promenade of Oeiras at 10.30 am and finishes at the beach of Santo Amaro. If interested in making a donation, contact the Embassy by phoning 213924035 or e-mailing kate.christie@fco.gov.uk

JORNAL DA MADEIRA

CULTURE

Show raises over 23,000 Euros. João Carlos Abreu, President of Criamar, the charity for the Social Development of Children and Young People, handed over 23,803.65 Euros to the Association of Development of Ribeira Brava. This will go towards the reconstruction of houses damaged on the 20th February. The money was raised by performances in Lisbon by Filipe La Féria and by "Juntos Renasceremos" (Together Reborn) in Funchal.

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

Valter puts in the drawer [postpones] the library of Farinha – It took 5 months and a change of presidents in Porto Moniz in order that the project might cease to be a priority.

Contest of the pharmacies drops a clanger – Opinion of the ANF hinders the process. Competitors protest.

Today’s main news headline : MP requires efficiency in the Madeiran Inland Revenue – The coordinator of services of the Public Ministry in the region devastates the leadership of Fiscal Affairs. The annual report reveals there is late notification in the establishment of inquiries, ‘investigation’ that is not worthy of the name, "almost total ineffectiveness" in fighting tax crimes. Ho, ho, ho, I wondered when someone would notice. Great people, and very helpful in my tax office, but efficiency doesn’t ooze in the IRS of Madeira. Whoever this guy is he will have to change a complete culture of local standards, rules, and behaviours. If successful, that would cause some considerable hardship in the Madeiran cash community. Can’t say anymore than that for fear of reprisals.

Taiwan send money through the deputies – Storm causes diplomatic embarrassment.

Christian democrat Party, CDS,  asks for a commission of enquiry, CDU shows sites in need of recuperation.

Increased number ‘signed on’ in the Employment Centre – Madeira registers the second highest increase in Portugal. The numbers increased throughout the country, except in the Azores. Nationwide, there was an increase of 19.6% comparing the last two Februaries, and a 0.2% rise on January 2010. From January to February this year, the number of those ‘signed on’ on Madeira increased by 3.8%.

The main sports / football headline today : Jardim’s plan for the European season is at risk – The famous meeting in preparation for a triumphant season for Marítimo did not result in a dynamic winner.

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. 

Many thanks to Elaine (West) for this heart-tingling story :

Saved from the rubble after almost 30 days. A dog was rescued alive yesterday in São Gonçalo during cleaning of the site. A unique situation for those who witnessed it. Yesterday morning, a group of employees of a company that specializes in building found a dog trapped beneath the debris resulting from the tragedy of the 20th of February during a cleanup operation in the area of São Gonçalo,. Nearly a month after the storm, to everyone’s surprise, the animal was healthy, but with its hind legs, preventing it escaping and fleeing the scene. The black cocker spaniel was helped by another dog, which faithfully kept him company. According to the DIÁRIO, the animal was freed by firefighters and taken to the Society for the Protection of Domestic Animals (SPAD), while the dog which had protected its friend ran behind the car. "It was a shame not to bring those two together, because they seemed to be great friends," said one worker on site. As the animal appeared to have been well looked after, there is every reason to believe that it has an owner and that he was caught by the flood. The dog was found yesterday morning around 10 o’clock, when a group of workers took over the clean-up operation by Palheiro Golf in São Gonçalo. After the initial cleaning, the workers returned yesterday to the site to continue the work. The DIÁRIO also tried to establish with SPAD the state of the animal, but was refused any access to information by the management.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Madeira News Blog © 2007 – 2010 All Rights Reserved

Many thanks to Elaine (East) for that cartoon, and this web snippet :

Oceans of Wine: Madeira and the Emergence of American Trade and Taste by David Hancock. New Haven: Yale, 2009. This engaging and thoroughly researched (150 pages of endnotes) work delves into all aspects of Madeira from the growing of the grapes on the Portuguese island of Madeira to the merchants, shippers, and consumers. The often complex and changing transatlantic trade was not restricted to the British colonies, but among many nations. HERE

Becky kindly send in this link to a video of fantastic nature photography HERE

How our islands are made … Pete HERE                                      Thank you both.

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

DIÁRIO 16/03/2010

FRONT PAGE NEWS

Government builds walls on the beach.  To protect illegal small villas that were originally ‘casas da lancha’, the Regional Government is building walls in the middle of the beach of Porto Santo. These buildings were for storing boats and have been transformed into holiday homes over the past 20 years. Porto Santo Council has made a complaint to the government. The target of the main complaint was the house belonging to Carlos Machado, the ‘Posto Avançado da Democracia’ (shown). Carlos Machado is associated with Alberto Jardim and the first wall built was to protect his holiday home. These artificial barriers impede the natural movement of the sand and sediments and will have a significant impact on the size of the beach. The Regional Government has also allowed the sand dunes to be destroyed by the replacement of wooden boat houses, with the installation of septic tanks that are emptied at night time onto the beach. The width of the beach is now less than 40 metres in areas and some areas are completely submerged at high tide. Over the last three decades, it has been estimated that 350,000 cubic metres of sand have disappeared, equivalent to 23,000 lorry loads. 13,000 cubic metres per year are lost. There are also less sediments transported to the beach by streams, the flow lessened by constructions designed to control storm water. The houses impede the circulation of sand from the north to the south. To remedy the problem, the Regional Government need to dredge the sea bed to replace the lost sand. These holiday homes are illegal yet other structures have been demolished, for example the Bar do Henrique because it was not a wooden construction. The Ports Administration has identified a number of houses in an attempt to prevent their proliferation. Santos Costa, the Regional Secretary for Social Infrastructure has rejected replenishing the sand. He has also allowed the removal of large stones and pebbles that dissipate wave energy and prevent coastal erosion.

Santa Cruz terminate the contract of a firm dumping earth in the ribeira. An ironic situation arose. A construction firm in Santo da Serra was contracted by Santa Cruz Council to clean the estrada do Ribeiro Serrão (Camacha), that had become impassable after the storms on February 20th. The firm deposited the debris from the road into the Ribeiro Serrão, resulting in the council terminating their employment. The council already have a very rigid policy against individuals and companies that harm the county. The debris was being removed from the site of the Ponte de Pau and the action destroyed pipelines that carry drinking water to Camacha. This area had been without a drinking water supply for one week and the pipes had been repaired that very same day. The firm’s manager denied they had worked for the council but instead for ‘Estradas da Madeira’, and did not understand the accusation. The councillor backed his initial statement, adding that the firm dumped the earth into the stream to prevent having to transport it to temporary landfill sites.

MADEIRA

Expenses paid only when there is a conviction. Clarification of a previous report that the police have to pay for injuries sustained to the attacker, whilst defending themselves. Payments for medical treatment and social security contributions after aggressive incidents are paid by the perpetrators only if they are tried and convicted. The decision rests with the courts and not the health service. If the accused is innocent, the costs are paid by those who lose the court case. These procedures apply to both civilians and the police.

Social Security pays 15 million Euros to institutions.  In 2009, the Centre for Social Security transferred 15 million Euros to Social Security institutions and other not-for-profit institutions. This is 25% higher than in 2008. The number of institutions has not increased and they are mainly for children and the elderly, the latter increasingly in need of support.

ECONOMY

Two more dredges and the Zenith in port today. Two regional dredges started to clear the Port of Funchal after the storm of February 20th. Two more from Lisbon and Setubal will help them. One dredger, the Varosa, arrived yesterday morning with the aid of the Comandante Águas tug. It is 55 metres long, 11 metres wide and can hold about 670 toneladas (tonnage/tonnes ?) of inerts. The second dredger, the Gruamar, is transported from Setubal by the tug Monfort and arrives today. This vessel has a length of 39.4 metres and a width of 11.5 metres. Today is the inaugural visit of the cruise ship called the Zenith. Coming from Las Palmas in the Canary Islands with 220 tourists on board then sailing on to Lisbon. The ship was built in 1992 in Germany and is 208 metres long, 29 metres wide and can receive 1,374 passengers served by a crew of 657 personnel. 

Jorge Sá complains to the police about a dark campaign. A few days after the disaster of February 20th, an e-mail was circulated claiming that the Sá supermarket chain was taking advantage of the break in the drinking water network by raising the price of bottled water in some municipalities. Thousands of people in Madeira received this e-mail. The sender was identified as a former employee who is currently employed by a rival firm. A second e-mail was sent suggesting that people shopped at Pingo Doce supermarkets, mentioning that the owners of this chain were donating one million Euros to help the reconstruction effort, as opposed to the Sá Group not offering any financial help. The e-mail also alleged that Jorge Sá demanded that employees worked overtime without being paid to do so. Jorge Sá denies these accusations.

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

Today’s main news headline : Renovation of Serra de Água at the cost of privates [companies] – RTP Television and Sonae have clubbed together €1.5 million with the €1.2 million of Mota Engil, in order to guarantee the construction of 26 new houses.

The joint committee starts work tomorrow on the evaluation of Madeira [damage].

A mysterious ‘Crater’ disturbs Achadas da Cruz – The people are suspicious of something that the scientific community have promised to investigate.  The hole that is causing restlessness in Achadas has a diameter of one metre and a depth of 1.8 centimetres [yes I have double checked], and locals believe that it was caused by a meteorite. The hole appeared at the beginning of the month, a few days after the extreme rainfall, but the locals don’t believe that the two matters are related. Maria Pestana, owner of the land which took the hit, says that she can now laugh at the situation. However, in the beginning she was not amused at all, and even prayed about the event. She swears that in 78 years of life that she has never seen anything like it, and refuses to cover it up or peek into the hole. "It’s the power of God," she says. As for a reasonable explanation for the event, she refers to the fall of a "lightning bolt", or at worst, for "something more sumen" striking. What is ‘sumen’, and how can someone peak into a hole that is 1.8 cm deep? Sr. Diário reporter, I think you need to go back an remeasure the depth of that hole.

Undercover officer compromises ‘Caso da Mala’ [The case of the case] – An operation of the PSP [Public Security Police] raises a request of invalidity in a case under judgement.

Madeira promoted in Porto and in Vigo – ‘Tourism’ develops a promotional action following the new route of Transavia. The new air link between Funchal and Porto, by the French ‘low cost’ airline, has prompted the Regional Secretary for Tourism and Transport to promote Madeira in those two cities. Workshops have been organised with tour operators and travel agents.

Carlos Costa sings in the School Sports festival – The Madeiran ‘pop idol’ participates in the opening session of the event, on the 27th April.

The main sports / football headline today : Councillor condemns "blackmail" of the clubs – Arlindo Gomes [council president] criticises the leaders of Câmara de Lobos and Estreito and warns that he will reduce the support for sport. "Nowhere is there any commitment to continuity of support and the council is going to decide what will be allocated and how much it will allocate, within its capabilities." This is the response of the president of Câmara de Lobos facing the criticism he has suffered, because it has not yet been decided what support to give to sport.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Madeira News Blog © 2007 – 2010 All Rights Reserved

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.  ARTICLE Thanks Elaine, looks like a Anona to me, and if so is one of my favourite fruits and just coming into season now I think, and quite cheap too.

German submarine U-68 near sunk near Madeira Island … Pete ARTICLE     Thanks Pete

Jon kindly sent in a write up on progress in the clean up and repairs needed in Santa Cruz. Hover over a photo for a brief description, click on a photo for full size. Many thanks Jon …

23 Days After … "Partly in response to the (removed) query about the Vila Gale Hotel in Santa Cruz the other day but mainly as a small follow on to your report, I attach some photos of our local area, taken over the weekend and today. All our mains services are fully restored but clean up ongoing. All roads passable but some still without "edge" walls and undermined or with tarmac missing in parts and potholes. The landscape and forest area around and above us is deeply scarred with the water run off channels, trees and rock debris etc. – the face of the land changed forever. All local houses O.K. but I don’t know about those in the higher areas of Gaula and Santa Cruz. Ribeira bridges repaired in Santa Cruz and promenade now fully open but walk with care; damaged walkways, loose rocks and unstable cliff face ….. Hotel Gale seems to be operating normally although the public pebble beach that fronts it is not, somewhat bashed. All cafes/bars and restaurants fully up and running in Santa Cruz (town) itself and some tourists out and about spending money….the daily fruit/veg/fish/flower market is also open as normal and is as quaint as ever!"

Marítimo lost their league game last night at Paços de Ferreira 1 – 0, following on from Sunday night when Nacional were defeated at home by Benfica, again by a single goal.

If anyone should see a summary of the government budget cuts and changes, please let me know. So far over the last few days changes to taxes (increases for high earners), I have heard of restraints in public  services, including pay restrictions for public service workers, a cut in unemployment benefit (new ceiling imposed), and also reductions in allowable tax expenses (deductions for 2010) have been announced. It would be useful for many to have a summary. Thanks.

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

DIÁRIO 15/03/2010

FRONT PAGE NEWS

Criminal activity in 2009. Last year, Public Ministry investigations were for: 3,875 crimes against property, 1,264 against inheritance, 301 against the state and 80 unpaid cheques. Highlighted in the figures was the 42.5% increase in drug trafficking (285). There were the highest number of cases of domestic violence ever (1,025). Other prosecutions were: 597 for driving without authorization, under the influence of alcohol or other traffic offences, 46 charges of corruption, 33 cases of coercion and resisting arrest, 71 against sexual freedom and empowerment of children, 31 cases of violence against children and 6 cases of violence against the elderly. In the past 8 years, 11 men and 1 woman have been arrested for rape. Half were in their 20s and the two youngest were 17 years of age. More than half of the victims were aged between 40 and 65, and eight of the crimes were committed in the residence of the victim. 

Two families tried to take advantage of the storm. Two families from a social housing complex in Santo Amaro in Santo António attempted to take advantage of the bad weather of February 20th to get a better house from IHM. The eight people involved spent one night at RG3 but were detected immediately as false applicants.

MADEIRA

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.

‘Clean Portugal’ (‘Limpar Portugal’) has 121 volunteers in Madeira. The volunteers will try to clean the forests in one day – next Saturday. This is a nationwide campaign based on an initial event in Estonia in 2008. The event coincides with the Day of the Forest. So far, they have no offers of help from residents in São Vicente and Porto Moniz. Instead, the movement has volunteers from Funchal to Ribeira Brava and from Machico to Porto Santo. Posters advertising the ‘L’ day have the slogan: ‘We’ll do it. And you? You’ll stay at home’. To adhere: CLICK HERE

Boy injured in explosion. A nine-year old boy was injured on Saturday afternoon after finding a ‘bottle bomb’ while playing at his home in Lombo dos Aguiares in Santo António. This exploded in his hand and he has had minor surgery for hand injuries and facial burns. He will require plastic surgery later on.

Wettest winter since 1865. December – February 2009 / 10 was the wettest season since records began in 1865. The amount of rainfall was three times the normal rate between 1971 – 2000. During February, Funchal was the wettest area and had seven times the average amount of rain. This was also the most since 1865. Porto Santo had the third wettest winter since records began in 1940.

ECONOMY

Porto Santo Line solidarity with victims. Porto Santo Line will donate 50,000 Euros to two charities. The company’s revenue from ticket sales for last weekend’s six trips between Funchal and Port Santo is to be donated to the victims of the storm of February 20th. Previously, the firm had promised to make the donation up to the sum of 50,000 Euros, so they had to add a few thousand Euros. The ferry transported 673 passengers to Porto Santo and 700 to Funchal.

POLITICS

Region wasting funds for poverty reduction. The leader of the Socialist Party, Jacinto Serrão accused the Regional Government of not utilizing funds made available by the Government of the Republic for social intervention. "The social fragility of the region is deliberately hidden by the Madeiran Government." The government has not divulged the serious situation linked to Social Security, growing debts of businesses. Part of this hidden reality is the low rate of allocation of social benefits, much lower than given by the State, contradictory to the regional reality. One of the political consequences of new information the party has gained from the former president of Social Security, is that the Socialist Party request a parliamentary debate on the state of Social Security.

UPDATES

Swan Lake ballet in Funchal on April 1st. The Moscow Tchaikovsky Ballet, accompanied by the OCM, will perform Swan Lake at 21.00 at the Congress Centre of Madeira. This is the first big event in the program celebrating the centenary of the Clube Desportivo Nacional.

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.

Storms cause 40 million Euros losses in agriculture and forestry. The losses have been sustained by bad weather since December. 2,300 farmers have applied for grants for damage and they can claim for 85% of damage. The extraordinary storm of February 20th has led to the Regional Government to ask the EU to increase the support to 95%.

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

Council accuses company of filling the river with rubbish – Santa Cruz suppresses contract because of the dumping in Camacha. The company boss concerned denies everything.

‘The law of the stoppers’ with opposing interpretations – Prohibiting internal criticisms within the Social Democrat Part [national level] is ‘fascism’ for Filipe Malheiro, and an ‘act of courage’ for Rafaela Fernandes. This has been a main headline in the national media for several days now, when a resolution was passed in the PSD party conference that enables party leaders to expel members who openly criticise the party. Watch out Uncle Bertie, as it seems to be your favourite pastime! Somehow I don’t think any PSD party leader would have the guts to expel him, as it would just make the situation even worse. UB at the conference was treated as a hero by friends and foes at the conference, as he rides a high tide of public opinion due to the sympathy and the following reaction to the disaster of 20th February.

Today’s main news headline : Government raises [constructs] walls on the sandy areas – Gradually the houses on the beach front of Porto Santo have become holiday homes for the more powerful leaders. The Regional Government turned a blind eye, but prohibited new units. Now the fierceness of the ocean has led the government itself to the beach to protect these homes, starting through one of Jardim’s helpers. The sand dunes suffer. Even the Council of Porto Santo protests.

Storm : Santa Cruz quits from the ‘City Of Culture 2010′. The decision was taken by council president José Alberto Gonçalves, who considered it more important to focus on the need to rehome people and recuperate the area after the storm of 20th February.

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.

Nacional tourists feel the urge to visit Madeira – President of the Executive Commission of Mundovip is convinced that the national market is going to grow this year in the Region. Those responsible for the major tour operators are on Madeira today.

Boost in the promotion of the Flower festival in the internal market. Trinidade and Estudante [national and regional tourism bosses] discuss campaign for the winning and promotion of air routes.

Storms cause €40 million of damage in Madeiran agriculture. The Ministry of Agriculture is available to support proposals in Brussels.

The main sports / football headline today : Bad luck brings defeat and distances Marítimo from the Europa League – Lack of effectiveness and a great goalkeeping performance were the foundation of the defeat (1 – 0) in Paços de Ferreira.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Madeira News Blog © 2007 – 2010 All Rights Reserved

"Thought you may find this of interest.  Madeira’s isolated areas with Internet may be solved, with this new technology … Pete".

"Life the other side of the Island" … Pete VIDEO HERE

"Close to nature" … Pete ROOTS OF A PEOPLE

"This may be more interesting about a slooper that got involved with Madeira fort in 1825.  You can delete old story if you like, if it been used before" … Pete HERE

                             FUNCHAL

BEFORE AND AFTER

Thanks Pete, and Tom for the extra photos, 4 snippets from Elaine (East), many thanks …

Island Escape is the cruise ship based in Funchal that cruises the Canary Islands. Cruise passengers to sue over norovirus outbreaks. Hundreds of British holidaymakers are planning legal action against Thomson Holidays and Fred Olsen Cruise Lines after several outbreaks of gastric illness on the cruise ships Island Escape and Boudicca. HERE

Highlighting the new golf course complex at Ponto do Pargo as a good investment. Is it time to invest in golf property in Madeira? HERE

Interview with a wine writer. But life continues and so does our stay in Madeira. Half of the trip’s 36 days are now spent and what we’ve experienced so far are almost hard to understand. Treated like kings I am overwhelmed by the Madeiran’s generosity and the wine’s they produce! I thought I had tasted some great wines on the noble grapes but so far I’ve been tasting wines that now are new reference points for me – especially exceptional Boal’s from 1903, 1920 & 1922 from Pereira d’Oliveira and Blandy’s. HERE

Above website led me to his other blog Mad about Madeira. A salute to a classic wine HERE

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

DIÁRIO 14/03/2010

FRONT PAGE NEWS

‘War of the stones’ divides government and mayors. It is a scene of war that is causing eruptions within the government. Companies had been ordered to transport stones and other materials deposited by the floods to the Marina do Lugar de Baixo, but the Regional Secretary for Social Infrastructure thought this decision was dubious. In the Ribeira Brava Council and different departments of the Regional Government, there are suspicions that the deposits at the marina were just to solve the significant cost of building a protecting breakwater. The Mayor of Ribeira Brava is reluctant to withdraw the inert materials from the mouth of the streams as he wants them for later use in the county. For a long time the mayor has wanted an extension to the promenade between Ribeira Brava and Tabua. Using the deposited material for this construction would end the landslides onto the coastal road, provide landfill and a wall, and create a new promenade that links the two areas. The initial order to transport all the material to the marina will not be met as Santos Costa has made it clear that the material should be used for constructing retaining walls around streams and for roads, then any remaining deposits sent to the marina. In Serra de Água, Ribeira Brava, Tabua and Madalena do Mar, small contractors have been withdrawing stones from the streams for one or two large companies, at the request of the government. This has led to a complaint from the Mayor of Ponta do Sol, who opposes the policy of Santos Costa. It is doubtful it the government will pay for the large construction companies removal of this material which has great commercial value. The Mayor of Funchal, Miguel Albuquerque, has to find finances for losses of 200 million Euros. Miguel Albuquerque fell out with the government when Funchal Council would not join the new firm Água e Resíduos da Madeira. The council will now have to independently finance the repair of the sanitation and water supplies. Miguel Albuquerque’s challenging independent stance, and the public praise for the decision to store the deposits on Praia Formosa and Carreiras, might cause shock waves in the future (Jardim’s replacement).

Segadães said that "cheap becomes expensive". Problem: Some bridges collapsed and others were flooded. Solution: Build bridges above street level and pedestrian-only bridges in urban areas. Structural engineers have a role in the reconstruction of Madeira in the post-storm of February 20th. An alternative route is needed over the Ribeira de João Gomes (between Alto da Pena and Rochinha). One proposal is a flyover at Campo da Barca linking Rua Santiago Menor and cota 40. What is agreed is that bridges will not have to be affected  by any future flooding from the streams in lower Funchal or Ribeira Brava.  Arched bridges with support pillars in the streams are now known to be unsuitable. Funchal needs more pedestrian bridges to allow better traffic flow and roundabouts should not be built over streams. Antonio Segadães Tavares designed the award winning extension to the airport runway. He said he does not share the idea that the flood was a new event to the region but was a bit more than others. We need to learn from the flood and that "cheap becomes expensive". The vice-president of Funchal Council said it is now essential to have the Viaduto da Cota 120 – a second crossing over the Ribeira de João Gomes. The president of the regional section of the Ordem of Engineers said there is a difficult cost-benefit equation. Bridges above street level are ten times more expensive than those at street level. The visual impact is also important.

MADEIRA

Court recognizes owners of Urbanization VIP. In the litigation case, the court recognizes that the owners of these houses are entitled to take part in the proceedings. The nine town houses that constitute Urbanization VIP were licensed in 2002 by Funchal Council. They were then the target of a class action, having been built on an ‘urban green area’ as outlined in the PDM. In 2006, their construction and licensing were ruled illegal although some houses were already inhabited. The council then included them in the new Urban Plans for the area and the promoter ‘Conselheiro -Actividade Imobiliária, Lda.’ appealed to the court to revoke the interim decision. The judge dismissed the claim. In 2008, the council tried to resolve the dispute by issuing a licence but again this was ruled illegal. The home owners produced legal documents to prove they had acted in good faith but the court rejected their claim to be interested parties. This latter decision has now been overturned.

30 families waiting for a new home. More than 30 families are living in precarious conditions in Rua do Poço Barral, São Martinho. The rooms were already in a poor state before the bad weather this winter. They know there are others in worse conditions, such as those made homeless, but ask the authorities not to forget them. The houses were built illegally over thirty years ago. There are leaks, crumbling ceilings, cracked walls and constant damp. Their clothes and the house contents smell mouldy. The owners have delivered documented evidence to Funchal Council who said they would relocate the residents to solve the problem. The authorities insist they will rehouse the most needy first, although they do recognize that the situation is problematic.

ECONOMY

Biomass will not solve forest fires. The Regional Director of Forestry is not convinced the region will benefit from the installation of a new biomass plant in Santo da Serra. He has doubts about the operation of the plant and its impact on the Madeiran forests. Nutroton Energias want to build this plant. They have invested in renewable energy in Porto Santo and obtained a licence for the installation of large solar panels at Caniçal. A biomass plant is only profitable if the material for burning has a diameter more than 8 centimetres, whereas most of the undergrowth causing forest fires is of a smaller diameter. Thus, the Regional Director thinks the plant will not solve the problem of forest fires. The Department of Forestry is there to protect and promote the forests, so needs to know beforehand if any timber is to be felled. To cause deforestation in order to produce energy is not reasonable. 60% of forests are on private land and the owner’s permission is needed for logging. Raw material for biomass combustion is cheaper if it is imported, as it is difficult to access land in Madeira because of the topography of the island as opposed to the Continent. Imported wood needs to be free from pests. If the process leads to better forests, it is welcomed. An expert said that a biomass plant is only useful if revenue is taken from both heat generated (70%) and electricity produced, as if only electricity is provided the income drops to 22%.

Data on forests in Madeira.

59,000 hectares of forests, half of which is natural forest.

16,000 hectares could be used for biomass, or 153 tons of trees.

Calheta has the largest area of forests in the region.

Bush and herbaceous plants occupy 24,000 hectares of the forests.

POLITICS

Court detect illegalities in the accounts of MPT. After the accusations, Ismael Fernandes now produces his evidence at the Constitutional Court. He alleges that irregularities in the accounts of the electoral campaign for the last regional elections were committed by the Earth Party and its financial agencies. He was the former president of the MPT and justifies his actions: he did not notice the dates when he sent the bills to the accountant; lacked experience and did not act in bad faith. The MPT failed to submit to the Constitutional Court a statement of campaign revenue and expenses. The audit identified expenses amounting to 16,923.90 Euros, supported by invoices issued after the election, which cannot be considered campaigning expenses.

More later maybe … especially if someone would be kind enough to contribute something …

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Madeira News Blog © 2007 – 2010 All Rights Reserved

Many thanks to Becky for these two videos :

I’m sure you must have seen this footage of a base jumper hurling himself off Cabo Girão on a motorbike, as it’s from 2006, but I hadn’t seen it before and having recently stood at the viewing point of Cabo Girão, it has made me feel a little queasy …  just the thought of it  (and what a waste of a motorbike, too!)

Some great footage of someone’s day trip to Madeira (hang on, a day trip?!) in January 2010, with a Levada walk to Queimadas, Caldeirão Verde.

Thanks a lot to Paul for these three pieces :

Should we go to Madeira? The UK Daily Telegraph, 12 March 2010: Pat Dawson, from Bath, writes : "We have booked a week’s holiday in Funchal, Madeira, starting on March 23 but it’s difficult to discover what the situation is after the terrible floods. We are reluctant to cancel as we know how much the island depends on tourism, but if the centre of Funchal is cordoned off and most of the excursions aren’t running, is it worth going? We have booked independently so we can cancel our hotel up to seven days beforehand, but we would forfeit the flight".

Gill Charlton replies : In response to the many emails we have received from readers, Telegraph Travel sent Louise Roddon to Madeira this week to assess the damage. Link to Louise Roddon article. She discovered that the capital, Funchal, has recovered remarkably quickly, while areas in the interior, such as Ribeira Brava, have borne the brunt of the landslides. The island’s famous gardens and levada walks are almost all open, as the clean-up effort continues in earnest." The Telegraph, 12 March 2010

Support for Madeira from the American Senate, Washington. “Senator Kerry said the state of Massachusetts stands proud of its long-standing historical ties to the people of Madeira. "With their seafaring and cultural traditions, Portuguese-Americans have en-riched the Bay State beyond measure," he said. "I am fortunate to be married to a woman who takes great pride in her Portuguese heritage. Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Madeira as they work to overcome this disaster and rebuild their island paradise."

Photo : Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts

Sen. Brown reminded how a tragedy like the one occurred in Madeira can reveal the strength of the bonds that exist within communities.

"In this case, the bonds are very strong as Massachusetts owes a good deal of its history to the contributions of Portuguese-Americans," he said. "We offer thoughts and prayers for the victims and their families, and our full support in their time of need."

Sen. Reed said U.S. officials continue to work to ensure the safety and well being of about 400 U.S. citizens on the island.” Link to full article

Archaeologists declare nail a ‘fantasy’ crucifixion-relic. "AN ARCHAEOLOGIST who identified a first-century Roman nail, which has been claimed as a possible holy relic kept by the Knights Templar in Madeira, said last week that it could not possibly have been used in a crucifixion."

Elaine found a couple of articles in The Portugal News Online:

Government measures welcomed. Prime Minister José Sócrates was this week the recipient of unprecedented praise as he unveiled a host of measures to quell fears Portugal could follow in Greece’s footsteps and further undermine confidence in the financial stability of the Euro Zone and its members. HERE

Guess what? It was a wet February, says Met Office. Data from the IM shows that large quantities of rain fell last month, particularly in Madeira, where average daily quotas of rain were between 144.3 millilitres (on February 20th) and 129 millilitres (February 2nd), in Funchal. HERE

Diário today repeated this article but added that Funchal had 3% more visits and 8% more passengers in transit (yearly total of 435,821). Portugal sets new record for number of cruise ship visitors. Last year cruise ships brought a record-breaking number of passengers to Portugal, setting a new high after more than 940,000 tourists disembarked from their liners at a Portuguese port. HERE 

Tess emailed with this, thanks : "A few days back you had a feature on the blog about UK company ‘Naturetrek’ promoting a whale-watching holiday to Madeira.  This was also featured in the Travel Section of last Saturday’s UK Guardian under recommended family activity breaks in Europe.  A 5-day holiday joining a team of marine biologists for daily whale & dolphin watching trips on a privately chartered vessel costing from £895 inclusive of flights, transfers, accommodation, most meals, boat trips & guiding.  Seems that the UK papers are doing their bit to get the tourists coming back.  Fantastic!" TESS’S BLOG

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

DIÁRIO 13/03/2010

FRONT PAGE NEWS

Police officers have to pay hospital charges for treating offenders. Police officers are being notified by the Hospital of Funchal to pay the cost of medical care of individuals with whom they have engaged in physical confrontation while working for the police service. The president of their union said this is unique in the country and is "absurd and unacceptable". The bill for medical treatment is sent to those whom the victim perceives to be the perpetrator of the aggression. 98% of notifications are not paid and the health service resorts to litigation procedures. The police are taking their case to the national director of the police force.

MADEIRA

Santa Cruz seeks justice in resettlement. Delays in the relocation of 51 homeless families in Santa Cruz is intentional and designed to avoid situations of injustice among the population in need. This is the conclusion drawn from words spoken by the Deputy Mayor of Santa Cruz. "We could have already relocated all the families but they would be more satisfied if they were in other areas. We have talked to the homeless on the situation and they all prefer to be resettled in their parish of residence. We do not rehouse the families from Santo da Serra in Funchal." "The Council has made every effort so people can return to their homes, but this was only possible in cases that just required clearing the access or the threat of landslides." In total, 12 families have been resettled and the five who remain in shelters should be relocated next week. The number of homeless families in Santa Cruz decreased from 83 to 63 this past week. 12 of these are related to the housing recovery project, leaving a total of 51 requiring permanent accommodation.

Caracas reunion of 600 people for Madeira. More than 600 people attended the Thursday evening party of solidarity (vinhada) in Caracas for the victims of the storms in Madeira. The organizers are counting on the support of the Venezuelan authorities, taking into account the system of exchange controls in force in the country that prevent freely obtaining foreign currency. If the money is transferred at the official exchange rate, it will be worth three times as much (in Euros) than at the unofficial market rate. It helps that the Venezuelan Government understands the great need of Madeira at the moment. —Hugo Chavez offered help to the Regional Government but I never found out if they took up the offer, so I presume they did not.

AJAMPS gave a homeless baby a surprise. The Young Entrepreneurs of Madeira and Porto Santo (AJAMPS) surprised Letícia Oriana on her first birthday with birthday cakes and a performance by clowns. The family were made homeless after the storm of February 20th and are staying at a Youth Hostel. They lived with their grandmother near Trapice in Santo António, Funchal. The house accommodated six people and sustained considerable damage and the ceilings are at risk of falling down. The 57 displaced people staying in the hostel were invited to lunch and dinner paid for by AJAMPS. Contributions were from members, friends and businesses and the vice president said it was rewarding to see these people smile.

Penalties in civil service affect region. Government employees in Madeira did not join the nationwide strike on March 4th, due to the recent disaster that hit the region. The Stability and Growth Pact passed by the Portuguese Government applies to civil servants in Madeira. Measures introduced to decrease the budget deficit are: freezing of wages; increased taxes on income over 150,000 Euros; retirement age increased from 62.5 to 63 and to 65 in 2012/2013; for early retirement the penalty increases from 4.5% to 6% of pension for each year. The latter measure was envisaged for 2015 but has been brought forward to 2010. The autonomies have some power to mitigate some of the points in question but the regional governments have not expressed an intention to reverse these national rules.

Madeirans complain more. The Serviço de Defesa do Consumidor (SDC) has been in greater demand by local people. Last year they received 624 complaints, far more than the 467 in 2008. In 2009, SDC responded to 4,398 requests, of which 3,774 were for information. The remaining 624 cases were complaints that centred around: movable property (208), real estate (108), banks and finance companies (93), essential services (90), transport (47), tourism and leisure (22), distance selling (21) and insurance (16). More people (1,068) needed debt counselling and information before using credit. 104 cases involved arbitration. They can also resolve complaints from citizens of other European countries who purchase goods or services from entities located in the region.

POLITICS

Solidarity in London unites mayor and Albuquerque. Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London and Miguel Albuquerque, the Mayor of Funchal are the leading players in a day of solidarity for Madeira, which takes place on Saturday March 27th in London. A fundraising dinner for 800 diners in Earls Court is the primary activity of a day that will also have other events with a single objective; raising money for authorities and institutions that are spearheading the reconstruction of affected areas and supporting people affected by the floods. The dinner is in the Ibis Hotel in Earls Court, one of the most prestigious in London. The Madeiran businessman José Silva has organized the events after being contacted by a group of friends in London. All the local Portuguese community organizations and the Ambassador and Consulate of Portugal in London have been directly involved. Other fundraising events are: raffles, auctions and other similar activities; contributions from individuals and large companies; contact with the media and exclusive interviews with Sky News and Sky Sports are being negotiated to highlight the cause. The President of CS Marítimo will be present, along with other sporting personalities who will be announced soon. Entertainment at the dinner event is provided by Maria Aurora from the program ‘Atlântida’ presented by RTP-Internacional, and possibly Madeira’s celebrity singer Vânia Fernandes will attend.

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

Users want Lido ready for Summer – Even without the swimming pool, the bathing complex is in the Summer projects. But Funchal Council does not guarantee reopening, even partial. Come rain or shine, Summer or Winter, the weekends are not the same without a trip to the Lido bathing complex. The destruction caused by the storm does not deter the regulars at the Lido complex, remaining faithful to the location, at least whilst the beach remains open. The restoration works needed will mean the closure of the complex, which is not going down well with some regulars, who want the sea access to remain open, and other spaces left open, with just the pool closed. I have to say that this ‘statement’ from the Diário took opinions from just a handful of people who frequent the facility at Lido, and is hardly representative of many thousands of people who at the moment have far more important and complex priorities.

Today’s main news headline : Stone of the storms causes row – Santa Costa ordered the taking of stones from the storm torrents to the marina at Lugar de Baixo. Then, he retreated, the president of Ribeira Brava appearing in the confusion. The question persists : the stone is being given or sold?

One doesn’t mess with nature – The alert comes from Segadães Tavares, an engineer that has received awards, by the way of the destruction of February, for example with the bridges. "That what is cheap ends up expensive", he reminds. Accompanied by a picture of the bridge over the Ribeira Brava, in the process of being pulled down after the February stone damage. It’s about time someone with credibility came along and said this. A few days after the storm that caused so much death and destruction, President Jardim was quoted in the media [I can't remember the exact words, but this is close enough] … "We have been hit by nature before, and come back to win, and we will do so again". What sort of message does that send to a population who look to Jardim for leadership, and even sensible advice? Everyone with their head screwed on knows that you don’t mess with nature, you work in harmony and within constraints … that is if you want to avoid problems in the future of course.

Beneficiaries of social integration growing – In just one year, the social security payments increased to take in another 1,277 claimants. Today the total is 8,122.  The beneficiaries of this social support received, on average, just €92.81 in January, a little below the national average. The growth in the claimants shown is from December 2008 to December 2009. The number of claimants has been growing since 2005, except for a slight exception in 2008. The true number of poor people who need this support is not discussed, as not everybody qualifies of course, but there are I know many many more worthy cases than stated in the headline figure from the Social Security report.

Storm confuses the strategy of [Jacinto] Serrão – Leader of the socialist party of Madeira believes that it is possible to beat Jardim.

Jardim considers that the extraordinary convention "is not going to get anywhere". In the week that precedes the direct [leadership] elections Jardim is going to get together with the PSD party activists in all the regions of Madeira.

The main sports / football headline today : Wave of red invades the Choupana [the stadium of Nacional] this afternoon – Nacional hosts the league leaders in a stadium where one foresees a clear majority of Benfica supporters. L.F. Vieira promises housing to some families made homeless by the bad weather.

Many thanks to Elaine (West) for this piece from today’s Jornal da Madeira:

“Help for Madeira” in Machico Forum. On Saturday, April 20 there will be a solidarity show entitled "Help Madeira” in Machico Forum. The event, organized by the Council of Machico, is aimed at raising revenue to help in the reconstruction of Madeira. Beginning at 20.30, the show will feature several figures and prominent guests in the field of regional music and, in particular, of the county.

The programme includes performances by Vânia Fernandes (closing the show), Pedro Garcia and Sara Cooper, former competitors from "A Song For You", the group Flores de Maio, Claudia Nobrega, São de Leste, the Grupo de Fados de Machico, the “tuna” of the Banda Municipal de Machico / Casa do Povo of Machico, Amigos da Música/De Passagem, Prestige Dance, Metamorfose, Nuno Nicolau, Folk Group of Machico, among others. The show is expected to last about three hours.Tickets are on sale from the Freguesia in Machico and at the Machico Forum priced ten Euros.

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. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Madeira News Blog © 2007 – 2010 All Rights Reserved

Today’s photo – Many thanks to Pete … Porto Santo ferry back on duty Thursday 25 February (better late than never, but a bit of a photo backlog. Der)

From Pete … many thanks : "Wreck of the Soudan. (From the Illustrated London News, February 27, 1875.) The African Royal Mail Company’s steam-ship Soudan was wrecked on the night of the 2^nd inst. in Funchal Bay, Madeira. She was from Liverpool, bound for Madeira and the West Coast of Africa. She had a crew of forty-five, all told, and one passenger, in addition to the mails and a full cargo. On the 2^nd inst. she arrived at Madeira, about six in the evening, and came to an anchor off Low Rock …" MORE

Also from Pete : "photo of  Dolce Vita open yesterday, please take note Pingo Doce is closed still, with some other shops down stairs".

Many thanks to Elaine (East) for these web snippets :

For our ship-ahoy shipaholics.  Madeira is the name of a vessel that went down in a huge storm of 1905. There’s a harrowing story about her last hour that you can read about HERE. She broke in two against Gold Rock, less than a mile "up-lake" from the present day Split Rock Lighthouse.  Of course the lighthouse wasn’t there then–it was built a few years later after the owners of a bunch of ships that went down that night banded together and persuaded Congress to build one (I have a separate story about the lighthouse that I’m saving, but I should say that the lighthouse is the most iconic image of the North Shore, having been painted and photographed to death ) … ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Two helpful websites (in Portuguese only). The first gives useful worldwide and Portuguese links: HERE. The second is for local information and news: HERE

Promoting expensive apartments. Do you believe these estate agents? Madeira To Bounce Back Hard. The Madeira property market is unlikely to be severely affected by the recent flash-floods that killed 42 people at the end of last month. …Madeira property had seen a massive boost from its being seen as one of the safest places to buy; for being insulated from the international financial turmoil and this is expected to continue after the cleanup is completed. JUST BS?

Many thanks to Becky for this videos : Dance, Bertie, Dance!

Many thanks to Paul for these three articles :

Portugal v Brazil: Liedson: I’m going to give everything I’ve got to help Portugal win!

Portugal Striker Liedson born in Brazil is looking forward to the Brazil Clash. “The prolific hitman is relishing the prospect of playing against Brazil at the World Cup 2010…”. Portugal lock horns with Brazil, Ivory Coast and North Korea in the group phase of the World Cup and prolific hitman Liedson is particularly looking forward to the match against Brazil, his native country.

"I can barely wait for the World Cup to start. Any kid who likes football dreams of playing at a World Cup and I was no different. But to be honest I needed to work really hard and wait a long time to get that opportunity," said Liedson to fifa.com.

"I’ve got a lot of love and respect for Portugal. I’ve always been treated with a great amount of affection by the fans and what better way to thank them than with loads of goals. And that’s what I try to do every time I take the field. Link to full Goal.com article

How the banana industry can diversify!

World first in underwear – made from the weave of the bark from the banana tree, and soft organic cotton, ensuring ultimate comfort, with an eco friendly flavour that will keep you coming back for seconds!

27% Banana Fibre, 64% Cotton, 9% Lycra. Gentle machine wash in cold water. Do not tumble dry. Do not bleach or wring. Line dry in shade. Cool Iron. Do not iron waistband!

Link to site with videos!

"superb piece of journalism from the UK Telegraph" –

"Madeira lives on. It’s time to go back" 3 weeks after the floods … that’s the verdict of ‘The Telegraph’ newspaper who visited Funchal, Monte, Ribeira Brava, Serra de Água, Ribeiro Frio and Pico das Pedras.

"What I had seen convinced me that Madeira is very nearly back to normal. The majority of roads are open, as are hotels, bars, walks and most restaurants. The mess is visible in parts, but not ruinously so. Madeira lives on. It’s time to go back." Link to full article

This weekends football : Big big match tomorrow as Benfica arrive on Madeira to take on Nacional. The game is on at 6 pm if you fancy a trip to the Choupana, as it’s not on TV (…. just kidding! SportTV1). The other team, called Marítimo I think, travels to Portugal to take on Paços de Ferreira, on Monday evening. SportTV1 8.15 pm.

Tourist delivers 20 kilos of aid – A British tourist is going to deliver 20 kilos of toys and clothing to the homeless in Madeira. While staying in accommodation at Cabo Girão, this British citizen called the hotel when he heard of the tragedy, and instead of cancelling the vacation, wondered what he could do for people affected by floods. He paid for the transportation of 20 kilos of extra baggage to be able to bring help to people who had lost everything. This extra baggage includes toys, crayons, underwear, all in accordance with the list of priorities published by Caritas. This morning the tourist has handed over the aid, which will be delivered Garrison Regiment No. 3. Many thanks to Elaine (West) for that from yesterday’s Diário.

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

DIÁRIO 12/03/2010

FRONT PAGE NEWS

Regional Government will no longer support the subsidy for insularity. Civil service workers normally have a 2% pay increase to subsidise the extra cost of insularity – living in Madeira rather than on the Continent. This year is the last time they will get this allowance; from next year the subsidy will be index linked to the difference in national and regional inflation. Over the past five years, the average difference was 0.5% but inflation has often been identical in both countries. 30% of Madeirans work as public employees or equivalent, 35,000 at a cost of 688.6 million Euros or 14% GDP. The amount saved next year will be 13.7 million Euros and will be diverted to reconstruction funds. It is unclear what the situation on Porto Santo will be with a subsidy of 30% or 2 million Euros. — Dodgy statistics again? 35,000 public service employees – probably 50% of the working population, not 30% of Madeirans. Surprisingly, I cannot find this article in JM to check the figures.

MADEIRA

Inerts dumped on the beach at São Roque. The debris dredged from the stream at Machico has been dumped on the pebble beach at São Roque. This controversial decision was taken by Machico Council and the mayor believes this is the best option. He said that the pebbles already on the beach were formed from inerts originally in the stream, so this is just an increase of what is normally there. He does not think the beach is large enough for all the debris so some of it will have to be transported elsewhere. The mayor hopes the beach will be ready for bathers in the summer season. It is expected to be a busy season in the East because of the damage to some beaches in the West and Funchal. The socialists in the council doubt this hasty decision and would like a technical study of the impact on the coastline of Machico.

Animals not included in the process of resettlement. Many of the families made homeless by the storm are also without their pets. This is because many of the condominiums used for resettlement do not allow dogs. The association PATA has received applications from families who could not take their dogs to their new home, and after accommodating three of these, has run out of space for the other ten dogs. This has increased the anxiety of the families at a time when they are coping with having lost their home. Unfortunately, some families have to abandon their pets. According to PATA, the authorities should think about pets when they rehouse families.

Free dental check-ups. Until the end of March, 17 dentists in Madeira are carrying out free check-ups, without treatments or x-rays. This is the 11th edition of Oral Health Month organized by Colgate and SPEMD. If you want to participate, phone the Blue Line between 12 – 23 hours, daily: 808 305 306.

Gulbenkian Foundation supports Madeira. The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation will support the resettlement of the elderly in Ribeira Brava by a donation of 300,000 Euros to the Centro Social e Paroquial de S. Bento da Ribeira Brava. Accommodation will be in the building next to the Centre after it has been adapted for the elderly who cannot return home or join their family.

Three Madeirans arrested for crimes abroad. Two women, 45 and 54 years old, and a 21 year old man were arrested on Wednesday by the Criminal Investigation Department of the Judicial Police (PJ). They are wanted on European Arrest Warrants for crimes in Austria, France and Poland; murder, a crime of a sexual nature and drug trafficking, respectively. Their cases will be heard in the Court of Appeal in Lisbon for a decision to either release them, extradite them or serve a prison term in Madeira.

Cousin of Cristiano Ronaldo dies after traffic accident. The 32 year old man died Tuesday night at the Hospital Dr. SMF Mendonça as a result of injuries sustained in an accident in Caniço. The death of Miguel dos Santos Fernandes is another tragedy for the family who were made homeless on the 20th February. The victim’s mother is the sister of the footballer who is reportedly coming to the funeral today at the cemetery at São Martinho. In order to attend he has cancelled a publicity event at the Estádio Santiago Bernabeu. The accident occurred last Friday at 12.35 hours at Livramento, Caniço. The victim was travelling on the motorway between Funchal and Santa Cruz when the car flipped over several times and eventually halted on vacant land. The cause of the accident is unknown. The car belonged to his employer, Portugal Telecom, and the Fire Department had to use equipment to extract him from the interior. He was married and lived in Edifício VIP VIII in Caniço.

POLITICS

Socialist Party want to reduce airport charges. The Socialist Party thinks it is about time to lessen the difference between rates at airports in Madeira and the Continent. They will present to the Legislative Assembly of Madeira a regional draft decree to reduce this discrepancy, which ultimately has negative consequences throughout the economy of Madeira. They want to change the current rates, requiring the charges not to exceed the average value of similar charges applied in other domestic airports. The airport can then become more competitive. This is now even more essential after the storm of February 20th, since it is necessary to create additional incentives for the entry of tourists to the region. Over the years, Madeira Airport charges have soared to the detriment of Madeirans and people wanting to come to the region, including national and international tourists. For example, in 2002 the airport tax paid by passengers in Madeira was 10.94 Euros and currently stands at 48.30 Euros, more than quadrupled.

PCP promotes petition for new hospital. The PCP want the Legislative Assemblies of Madeira and the Republic to discuss the construction of the new Central Hospital of Funchal. They need at least 4,000 signatures for the petition to go to the Legislative Assembly of Madeira. The Assembly of the Republic rejected a proposal that funds come from the PIDDAC of 2010. PCP argue that the hospital is in the national interest, therefore should be paid for by the State. The Madeiran deputy Hugo Velosa is on the side of the PCP, and voted against the PSD who did not want to amend the PIDDAC. This did not go down well with the parliamentary group but his position represents the position of all PSD-M deputies, preferring to put the interests of Madeira before the interests of the party.

UPDATES

Dolce Vita reopened today. Only the third floor shops are open. The restaurant area should be operational within two weeks. The car park should reopen within a month. A date for the Pingo Doce supermarket has not been announced.

EU will help Madeira but cannot commit to dates. The European Commission President,  Durão Barroso, reaffirmed that the EU will contribute to the rebuilding of the parts of Madeira affected by the storm of February 20th, but could not commit to dates. He visited the island to express solidarity and personally become acquainted with the damage. He said funds can be applied retroactively and the contribution will not solve everything. The date for decisions will be in October or winter. In addition to the Solidarity Fund, there are 550 million Euros in other funds that can be made available to Madeira. Immediate funding cannot be granted as the EU requires proof of damage. He has great confidence in the future of Madeira, highlighting the dynamism of Madeirans and the history of proper use of structural funds. About the reconstruction effort he witnessed, "I have never seen in Europe so many machines and people at work."

JORNAL DA MADEIRA

FRONT PAGE NEWS

"I’ll give a hug of solidarity." Durão Barroso flew in last night and stayed at Reid’s Hotel. His schedule was: Tabua (9.25 am),  Meia Légua – Serra de Água in Ribeira Brava (10 am) and then the downtown area of Funchal at 12.00. After a working lunch at the Albatroz restaurant near the airport, he gave a press conference at 12.50 then flew out at 13.20.

IHM makes an intensive inventory. 60 families relocated, 110 still waiting. 54 of the 60 families (235 individuals) have been rehoused in Funchal. Most of the larger families have been found new homes. There are still 250 people in temporary shelters (110 families). Technicians of the IHM are working in the counties affected; Funchal, Ribeira Brava, Santa Cruz and Câmara de Lobos. They survey houses for the possibility of restoration and look at homes for the government to lease or purchase, in collaboration with Cáritas, councils and Social Security. It will not be possible to rehouse all those displaced in Serra de Água back to this parish. Santa Cruz and Câmara de Lobos councils have many offers for renting which are being considered. They aim to have everyone out of the shelters by the end of this month.

REGIONAL

Funchal Council award 14 contracts. These are for urgent renovation work of storm damage. The value is 2.9 million Euros. The streets most affected by the storm are to be recovered and retaining walls constructed to prevent further landslides and allow access to homes. The safety of road users and pedestrians will be met. The traders and homes affected by the storm of 20th February will be exempt from paying IMI (council tax) for 2010 and 2011. 300,000 Euros have been donated to 120 entrepreneurs (2,500 Euros grants) from two financial establishments.

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

Storm ruins strategy of Serrão – One of the more serious consequences of the recent happenings  for the Socialist Party of Madeira is the Jardim – Sócrates friendship, confesses the new socialist leader in an interview.

Today’s main news headline : Hospital makes the police pay for medical treatment for the ruffians – SESARAM is to telling alleged perpetrators to pay for medical treatment for their victims. The measure affects police officers in the performance of their duties. The ASPP says the procedure is unprecedented in the country, and will take the case to the national director of the Public Service Police.

Parents, students and head teachers isolate teachers.

[Durrão] Barroso discards [the responsibility] to Lisbon for the bulk of the support – The President of the European Commission repeated yesterday the visits of other dignitaries : He was moved by the destruction from the tragedy and pointed to [José] Sócrates.

EU will help Madeira, but cannot commit to dates – The procedures do not depend solely on the European Union. The European Commission President, Durão Barroso reaffirmed that the European Union will contribute to the rebuilding of the Madeira affected by the storms of 20 February, although "one can not commit to dates." In the first place he said, it is necessary for the Portuguese authorities to make their evaluation and claim, and then  there are other EU institutions involved. The Commission President pointed out that there are nearly €550 million in other funds "that can be made available to Madeira", a region with "great experience in the management of these financial supports, and can use it to increase its competitiveness and sources of growth for the prosperity of all the locals". "The European Union will help through its Solidarity Fund and matters are well underway," he said, stressing: "I myself personally found out about the verified damage".

Government returns to giving insularity subsidy – Jardim does a U-turn on the decision made on Thursday. It’s in order to not to lose an argument used in Lisbon and Brussels. Another related headline says … End of awarding the insularity subsidy is the wrong step – Jacinto Serrão pushes for a gradual increase of the payment to 5%.

"The PSD is in 47th place on my priority list" – President Jardim is going to be in the convention despite saying that the Social Democrat Party is not one of his worries.

The main sports / football headline today : None!

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. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Madeira News Blog © 2007 – 2010 All Rights Reserved

Many thanks to Becky for this video and web snippets :

Pastéis de Nata recipe…  well, you’re going to need something sweet after that fish…

A poem called ‘Madeira from the Sea’ by Sara Teasdale (1884-1933 Missouri, United States)

Pete sent in this video that he found on Don’s blog … thank you both.

Elaine (East) emailed : "Madeira Tourism March e-mail has finally arrived. Only 2 events in March and both are sports and held in Porto Santo, so mainly April activities". Many thanks Elaine.

Madeira Island Open, 8 – 11 April. The Madeira Islands will be hosting the Madeira Island Open 2010 golf tournament from 8 to 11 April, which is part of the main PGA European Tour and is set to take place for the second time at Porto Santo Golf Course. This tournament on the European calendar brings together some of the sport’s finest practitioners each year to contend for victory hole by hole. Under tour rules, the top seventy players after the first two days of play contest the last two days of the tournament. The conditions at Porto Santo Golf Course have never been better, which will certainly contribute towards the success of this event. Golf brochures on the WEBSITE

International Film Festival, 10 – 17 April. This year the Madeira Island’s 5th International Film Festival will include debates, street entertainment, guided tours and parties at night. The event is supported by the Regional Secretariat of Tourism and Transport / Official Tourism Board and will form part of the Annual Calendar of Tourist Entertainment. The film festival is an annual event, highlighting the art of cinema on the Madeira Islands. The programme revolves around an international short and feature film competition, all showing for the first time in Portugal and presided over by an international jury. Those responsible for the films will be there to present their work and take part in this celebration of cinema. The programme will also feature the Panorama informative section, a reflection of current world cinema; a retrospective dedicated to a filmmaker or a country; the "AnimArte" section especially for younger viewers, and various tributes. The presence of celebrities from the world of cinema adds credibility to the festival and increases the international profile of the event. This year the Career Award will be dedicated to the actress Geraldine Chaplin, daughter of one of the greatest figures in the history of cinema and granddaughter of the playwright Eugene O’Neill, as well as the actor Michael York, who shot to fame after appearing with Liza Minelli in the film Cabaret. Information on the official film festival WEBSITE

Flower Festival, 15 – 18 April. Celebrating spring and the wealth of flora it brings us every year, the city of Funchal is once again the stage for this sumptuous spectacle that will please both the eyes and nose. The theme for this year’s Flower Festival, set to take place between 15 and 18 April, is "Earth", tying in with the celebrations for the International Year of Biodiversity. The festivities begin on Thursday 15 April with the opening of the Flower Market in the Central Square of Avenida Arriaga, the Flower Exhibition at Largo da Restauração and the construction of delicate floral carpets along the main streets of Funchal. On Saturday morning, thousands of youngsters will take part in the Children’s Parade, each carrying a flower to place in a mural known as the "Wall of Hope", located in Praça do Município. Doves will be released to mark the end of the wall’s construction and there will also be a show for the children. Sunday brings another dazzling event: the Grand Flower Parade. Hundreds of flower-themed floats and characters will make their way through the city in lavish style to the sound of music in keeping with the Festival, displaying arrangements of many different species of flower typical to the island and leaving soft and ephemeral perfumes in their wake. Program 2010

New Air Links. The Madeira Archipelago will be serviced by new air links this year from various European cities, breathing extra life into the tourism sector and improving air accessibility to this destination. In mid February, the tour operator Atlantic Holidays announced a charter service between London and Porto Santo that will operate during two different periods: from 31 May to 19 July and from 6 September to 25 October. This will be the second time that this operator establishes a direct charter link from the United Kingdom to Porto Santo. Similarly, on 21 February Finnish operators began five new charter flights between Finland and the Autonomous Region of Madeira. The English airline Jet2.com has announced a new direct connection every Monday between Manchester and Madeira, beginning 3 May. The establishment of this connection by the British company is a consequence of the increased demand for the Madeira Islands in this market.

Many thanks also to Elaine (East) for these web snippets :

By a Holistic Psychologist/Health Therapist (?) and Der’s favourite ‘job’, Life Coach. "Madeira clean up puts the world to shame! Ladies and Gentleman, if I ever had any doubts that I was living in the wrong place, let me tell you that over the last week and a half those doubts have been completely erased. Madeira may be a small island but heck, when it comes to getting its ass into gear, (excuse the expression) by God, it surely shifts it … " MORE

Will she be back?  "Madeira floods. The news from Madeira lately has been shocking, but maybe not so surprising. Given the way the island was deforested shortly after it was discovered, the Maderenese have been paying for it ever since. Friable volcanic rock and steep unstable slopes in a semi-tropical oceanic position, flash floods like this appear to be a seasonal occurrence, although in most years these floods, although devastating, are fairly localised and small scale in their effects. I saw many landslips whilst walking on the Levadas last November, and they were all being fixed by the resident workforce the Levaredos within hours of being reported. This time it is’nt going to be so easy to sort things out …" SOMETHING FAMILIAR THERE? Also sent in by Becky, thanks anyway.

Many thanks to Anna for writing in yesterday … (for tomorrow, please read Friday (today)).

"RTP Madeira had an interview with Feliz which was broadcast last night (Wednesday), and probably shown again this morning. Looks like he was wearing his Nike trainers! It really brings home how devastating the floods were when you focus on one particular case. He has gone back to school/college where it appears he is taking a multimedia course, Good luck to him. They flashed up bank details for donations.

My kids are doing a sponsored walk tomorrow (FRIDAY) with their school, walking round Santa Catarina park, all money going to the flood fund. People outside of Madeira can donate as a webpage has been set up on Justgiving.com there is a video and a short piece explaining what happened in Madeira and what the school is planning to do. I know there are rules on your blog (and rightly so) re websites but if you can post the weblink there may be some people who read the blog who may wish to donate something. So far donations have come from Europe, Caribbean, Russia and South Africa If you want to take a look and see if you are happy to put it on your site here is the link. Thanks LINK

It takes a little time and obviously easier to just buy but I wonder if anyone is interested in making their own bolo do caco? we found a recipe on line and tried it out and it works! we think the recipe needs a little fine tuning but it is fun to do and great for kids to "help" with! will send recipe". Many thanks Anna … does it contain sweet potato, as I don’t think I have ever actually tried the genuine version, and not even seen it on sale anywhere. Der 

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

DIÁRIO 11/03/2010

MADEIRA

Estradas da Madeira accused of destroying a vineyard. A farmer complained that the company Estradas da Madeira and the rocheiros have thrown rocks onto his portion of 3,000 square metres of grapevines used in the manufacture of verdelho wines. The damage has lost two years of work and caused heavy financial losses. 3,000 Euros spent on this community project have been lost. Several landslides hit the access road to Arco de São Jorge on February 20th. Witnesses claim the cleaning machines are responsible for the rocks on his land. The Secretariat of the Environment has advised him to make a formal complaint at the police station. Estradas da Madeira said human lives come first and cleaning was a necessity, but they will investigate when they have details of the claim.

Marote denies favours to the Union and his son. In the continuation of the Marote Case in court, Rui Marote, a former vice-president of Funchal Council, said he did not abuse his position to promote Clube de Futebol União (CFU) or the company ‘Placar Vertical’  – of which his son is a partner. In 2002, Rui Marote was responsible for sport and finances. He decided, without consulting any other councillors, to spend 101.962.09 Euros to pay for sports equipment for the Union and lesser amounts went to the Club Sport Marítimo and the Associação de Futebol da Madeira. Without public tender, (illegal), equipment was purchased from ‘Placar Vertical’ at a cost of 24,036.07 Euros but the council was billed for 101,962.09 Euros, through 51 separate invoices. The equipment never entered the warehouse or supply division of the council. His defence was that the purchase of the equipment was the result of a meeting between three leaders of the Union and his son. The equipment was justified as it benefited the EU, other clubs like Nacional and Marítimo, and the policy of promoting sport was an electoral promise. The judge questioned whether support for sport should have been a priority at a time when the council was technically bankrupt. Marote said he had no knowledge that ‘Placar Vertical’ was involved until later on, and had never suggested they should be a supplier to the council.

One week, two large landslides. Jardineiros and Pauleiros are angry that they do not know what to do to gain the attention of the ‘deaf ears’ of the government. This was until the Mayor of Calheta suggested in an interview for TSF-Madeira, that the construction of a tunnel would provide an alternative access route to Jardim do Mar. Residents have petitioned for a more secure access to Jardim do Mar and Paul do Mar but without any results. Within the last week there have been two large rockfalls onto the present road and the last one occurred around 00.45 this morning, near the exit of the tunnel that links Paul do Mar. It blocked the road, preventing children from attending schools at Calheta. There is a history of landslides, especially after heavy rainfall giving rise to new water channels in the escarpment. An option for the residents is to use the route Paul do Mar/Fajã da Ovelha.

Macau sends aid to Madeira. 30,000 Euros donated to the Santa Casa da Misericórdia do Funchal (charity). This has been deposited in the fund created by the União das Misericórdias Portuguesas (UMP).

Analysis proves water quality. In 15 different areas of Funchal, samples of drinking water have been sent for microbiological analysis to ensure that the water is fit for consumption. IASAÚDE – part of the health service – published the results yesterday afternoon on their website, certifying that the water can be safely consumed. Dozens of people have used the emergency service of the hospital with gastrointestinal complaints, such as vomiting and diarrhoea, but these are not related to the recent storm affecting the water supply network. A viral infection is responsible, often occurring at this time of year, and is currently affecting other countries such as England and Sweden. The President of IASAÚDE said it is possible that some of the viral gastroenteritis diagnosed in the region could have been caused by viruses ‘imported’ by visitors.

Survivor of Pomar da Rocha has his own solidarity fund. José Feliz Abreu is the only survivor of a family of eight, victims of landslides in Pomar da Rocha in Ribeira Brava, during the storm of February 20th. He is 19 years old and after two weeks in hospital, he has now returned to Ribeira Brava. He has had some fingers of his right hand amputated, hampering his return to work at a petrol filling station and restaurant. The local school and friends have started a fund to help him start a new life. Contributions to: BANIF, NIB 0038 0000 3867502177117. — Alternatively, contribute to Der’s fund for him. No please, if you can, send any help direct to Feliz. Thanks Der

LATEST NEWS

Opposition wanted the suspension of the work at Barreiros. The opposition parties wanted the immediate suspension of work on the Estádio dos Barreiros and instead, the 31 million Euros should go towards the recovery of Madeira. At issue was the discussion of a protest vote by the BE against money being wasted on a football stadium. All opposition parties supported the vote although some parties saw the necessity of a new stadium for Marítimo. The PSD rejected the vote, arguing that it was not a capital expenditure of 31 million Euros, but an endorsement for 15 years. They also argued that it will create jobs and generate tax revenue.

European Parliament adopts resolution on disaster. Joint Committee to be established. 5% repayment of IRS to councils. Members of the European Parliament approved a resolution on the effects of the storm of February 20th, expressing the need for assistance to the region for economic and social development. The voting was 474 in favour, 7 against and 50 abstentions. All Portuguese MEPs supported the document. The resolution calls for the mobilization of the Solidarity Fund and a review of regional programs funded by the EU. The document called for the rapid deployment of the maximum amount from the Solidarity Fund. José Sócrates has signed the order creating a Joint Committee to determine the damage and cost of the reconstruction of Madeira. After the survey, the Special Law of Finances for Autonomous Regions will be created  for the next three years. The Government wants to present in April to the national parliament the amount of solidarity money the State wants to transfer to Madeira. The Joint Committee’s work is essential as regards the engagement of external aid, such as the EU Solidarity Fund. Parliament has approved the proposal to re-enter in the State Budget the transfer of 5% of IRS revenue to the councils of Madeira and the Azores, and payment of arrears. Votes in favour by the PSD, PCP, BE, CDS-PP and socialist deputies. Teixeira dos Santos (Minister of Finance) was against this proposal as the councils on the Continent automatically receive 5% of IRS revenue, so the autonomous regions would get 100% of revenue and the State only receives 95%. Arrears amount to 5,671,839 Euros for the Azores and 8,085,960 Euros for Madeira.

Travel Agents complain of serious consequences of the strike by pilots. The six day strike by the Union of Civil Aviation Pilots is from the 26 – 31 March. According to the Portuguese Association of Travel Agents, this will cause serious problems for tourists that travel for the Easter holiday. It will affect scheduled flights, including those to Madeira. Alternatively, the Union of Civil Aviation Pilots says the strike by TAP pilots will not affect Madeira, as the operation to and from Madeira will be maintained, since it is considered urgent that the normal activity of tourism returns after the effects of February 20th.

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

Jardim goes to the  convention but doesn’t commit himself – Critic of the situation of the three candidates and then attempting to launch Marcelo, the leader of the Social Democrat Party of Madeira delays his declaration of support to the national party leadership. President Jardim seems to be on the side of Paulo Rangel in the leadership race of the PSD, but the Europe MP will have to wait and see if Jardim publically declares himself in that direction. Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa is the ideal candidate for the leader of Madeira, but he will not get the vote of Jardim because he is a ‘no hoper’.

Music festivals on the account of Europe – DRAC without funds for the major annual events. The Regional Directorate of Cultural Affairs (DRAC) must now rely on a share of European funds for organizing its annual cultural festivals, under the program INTERVENE +. The Music Festival of Madeira, the Festival of Traditional Music ‘Atlantic Roots’, the Regional Meeting of the Philharmonic Bands in Ribeira Brava, and a new Organ Festival to be held in October should all proceed with 80% of the funding provided through Europe.

Today’s main news headline : Regional Government stopping its support for the cost of insularity – Madeiran civil service workers receive this month the final subsidy of 2%. Starting next year, the value will be fixed according to the rate of inflation, that doesn’t guarantee the current insularity subsidy.

Families of the eight disappeared give up hope – Twenty days after the tragedy, the families cannot even mourn for those who were taken by the storm. "Without face, without trace", 20 days on there are still 8 missing people from Funchal, Ribeira Brava, and Curral das Freiras. These are families who can not mourn for their loved ones that have not appeared. They do not want a ‘presumed death’ to prevail over the right to a dignified funeral.

Machico dumps inerts [flood deposits] on the beach at São Roque.

Durão Barroso visits Madeira to "express solidarity" and ensure support – The President of the European Commission travels this morning to the locations most affected by the storm.

The main sports / football headline today : Draws in the Europa League generate disappointment in the Luz [Benfica camp] and hope for Alvalade [Sporting camp] – Marseilles tied with Benfica right at the end, Sporting held Athletic Madrid with a player less for an hour.

Cristiano Ronaldo may arrive today for the funeral of his cousin.

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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