Madeira News Blog

(29th September). Today’s main news headline ‘Traffic Signposting / Signalling Full Of Faults – The motorist is often misled by the existing road signage or the lack of it. There are even incongruities between the vertical and horizontal signs. One realises it because there are those who enter onto the via rápida in the wrong lane’. It is also the main photo of today, of a main road with a sliproad, and I had to study it carefully for about 20 seconds before I saw the relevance … and what breathtaking incompetence, I am just not sure yet who from. The full article HERE also contains 8 other photos of such situations, but I not sure I understood all of them. Anyway, the roads signs are littered with flaws and inconsistencies, with the lack of electrical signage the most serious. Even the long established via rápida between Ribeira Brava and Caniçal still has problems in its signage, that could result in dangerous situations. Lots of examples given, so lets hope that the authorities get on the case and put them right. Any reader have a story, or even better a warning, about such situations?

‘Turned Back To The Sea 35 Years After’. An absolutely beautiful picture of a turtle swimming underwater accompanies the headline (not the one shown here). Freedom after 35 years in captivity for a green turtle, from the Municipal Aquarium of Funchal. Tomorrow technicians from Zoomarine and the Portuguese Navy will return the turtle to the sea, complete with a satellite transmitter. It has spent 5 years in a rehabilitation environment for marine species in the Algarve, learning to find its own food, but no one knows how it will react back in the sea. The turtle was found injured in fishing nets in the 1970′s, and was taken in for treatment, which was successful. The tank where it lived for 30 years was inadequate in size, and in 2004 it was decided that it should be set free, but to do so it was necessary to spend rehabilitation time at the centre in the Algarve. The turtle still has around two thirds of it’s natural life cycle remaining, and indeed could still be a parent, until it reaches the age of around 50. The green turtle is the second largest species of  sea turtle, and on average an adult will weigh around 160 kg, with the potential to grow to around 300 kg.

‘Mitchell Moves Forward With Marítimo In Silence – The predicted exit of Carvalhal was confirmed. "Disaster" is how Berado describes the actual situation’. Mitchell van der Gaag has been put in charge of Marítimo for now, after Carlos Carvalhal parted company with the club yesterday. The coach of the Marítimo ‘B’ side team, who used to play for Marítimo, is Dutch, but has also played in Scotland for Motherwell, and for other clubs. A bit of name dropping I know, but I met him once in Ribeira Brava, and he sat and had a coffee with me and we talked football for about half an hour (while Mrs. Gaag was off shopping I think). A real nice guy, and I really hope he does well, ‘cos it’s not many professional footballers that take the time to sit and talk to a stranger. I happened to be wearing an obsolete Motherwell football shirt at the time, in case you are wondering. And of course you couldn’t fail to notice that we both have the same name.

The entertainment headline : ‘Brussels Welcomes Youngster From Porto Santo’. Danilo Mendonça is the first student of the ‘Conservatory – Escola das Artes da Madeira’ (CEPAM) to  enter higher education in a piano course in the Royal Conservatory of Brussels. Danilo is described as a diligent student, exemplary, very dedicated and hardworking. His teacher says he lives for the piano, and in three years his development is without comparison. He is already in Brussels, and will spend 3 years there to graduate, and then another two to become a master of his instrument. I think he is 18 years old, but it doesn’t actually say in the article. The future Cristiano Ronaldo of the ivories perhaps.

‘Death Overshadows Weekend’. In the regular weekend traffic report, the death of a 39 year old man [already reported here] in Funchal overshadowed the weekend that had 21 traffic accidents, 11 of which were in Funchal, with the one death and five people ‘slightly’ injured. Santa Cruz and Machico had 5 accidents each. 8 drink drivers were also detained, four of those were in Funchal.

‘Man chased thief and recovered a woman’s stolen handbag – The snatch occurred at the exit of a bus in Livramento’. The woman’s bag was snatched on Sunday night by a man aged between 20 and 30 years old, but the incident was spotted by a physical education teacher, who gave chase and recovered the stolen bag and returned it to the owner. It was at this point that the article said that the teacher actually gave chase in his car, which spoilt the whole story a bit, apart from the happy ending of course. Even PE teachers can be lazy these days it seems, as he actually turned the car around to give chase. What happened to those days when PE teachers would abandon their car in the middle of the road, drivers door left wide open, sprint after the thief, rugby-tackle him, and then hold him down whilst members of the public gathered around, clapping in appreciation? I miss those days.

‘English Tourists Still Enchanted With Madeira’. "Madeira has developed greatly over the past 30 years, but remains a popular destination, beautiful, pleasant and safe to visit." This statement was made by the British commander William Kent, during the inaugural and final visit of the cruse ship ‘Tahitian Princess’, which took place last Saturday at the port of Funchal. "The first time I arrived at this port was in March 1976, and I was amazed at the beauty of the island", he added. He also emphasized the quality of Madeiran cuisine: "Whenever I’m here I have lunch with some of the crew members. Today, we decided to have lunch in the ‘Montanha’. In addition to superb views of Funchal, the service is very good. I suggested the black scabbard fish, known as espada to the Madeirans. At the end a fine glass of Madeira wine" he explained. The next passage of the cruise ship here will be on the 29th of May next year, with the oddity that it will then be sporting a new name: ‘Ocean Princess’. I certainly hope he wasn’t ‘taking the wheel’ afterwards.

A report from "European Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker" has revealed that mobile phone sales in Portugal have hit record lows. In the second quarter this year, sales fell 9% compared to the same quarter in 2008, but increased by 36% compared to the first quarter.

‘More than 2200 buildings ‘energy certified – This will be one of the topics discussed at the ‘FIC 2009′. In just a few months, there is strong take up’. The energy certification of residences and buildings is going at a fair pace now, with a very slow take up initially, with just 36 inspections until the end of January this year. Funchal has more that 1,000 residences certified, with over half of those in São Martinho, followed by Santo António, the two most populated areas there, and with the highest concentrations of new buildings. The ‘National System of Energy Certification and Air Quality in Buildings (SCE), was adapted on Madeira in January 2008. The scale of assessment ranges from A+ (best) to G (worst) and involve the services of a trained assessor, of which there are 45. The certificate is compulsory to obtain permits for construction and habitation for new properties, and for sales and rental of existing properties. MORE HERE (only in Portuguese of course).

(30th August). Today’s main news story : ‘Inter-Island Voyages More Expensive In The Region – To travel by plane between the islands of Madeira costs triple that in the Azores and the Canaries. Airport taxes also penalise the connection between Madeira and Porto Santo’. The Diário conducted a study in the three locations mentioned, about the cost of inter island travel, by air and sea. The conclusion is that mile for mile, the good people of Madeira pay more, and one of the main reasons is the direct government subsidies given (or not given). Cheaper fuel prices and economies of scale also play a part, as well as airport taxes. One of the conclusions is that inter-island travel in the Azores, by sea, costs €0.07 per mile, whilst here it costs €1.20 per mile. By air it costs on SATA between the Azores €3.50 per minute of air travel, whilst here the comparative cost is €9.60 per minute, charged by the same airline. In the Canary Islands the state subsidises residents by almost 60%, the Azores by 25%. Nothing for Madeirans, although those who live on Porto Santo do have an entitlement of 35% discount. It’s a long article, but if anyone wants to know more the two charts on these links sum it up MADEIRA TRAVEL MADEIRA TRAVEL 2

All people suffer from post-holiday syndrome on returning to work and their routines – Syndrome is "a longer version of the sensation that people feel Sunday night, having to return to work". Fatigue, concentration problems, and irritability, are symptoms that experts associate with the post-holiday syndrome, which this time of year affects those who, after a rest period, have to return to work and the routine of everyday life. Many according to a report are suffering from anxiety. An expert on the subject recommends an easing back into the routines, by going to bed early and getting up earlier, and anything else that helps readjust the routines more gradually. I guess that day then for many is tomorrow?

‘Engineer Rui Vieira Died – The agronomist and politician was aged 83′. He was the first director of the Jardim Botânico (Botanic Gardens) of Funchal, and a Euro MP for the CDS / PP. He died yesterday of cancer. 

Today’s sports headline, in football again : ‘Real Madrid Win (3 – 2) With A Goal From Ronaldo – The Madeiran put away a penalty to score one of the goals of the victory of the ‘merengues’ in the start of the Spanish league’.

‘Ponta Delgada Waiting A Civic Centre – With the festival ‘at the door’, it is clear also that it lacks a public bathroom in the centre of the parish’. This sounds like one of those gripping local features that I thought had disappeared a few weeks ago. It has a nice photo of a petrol station / cafe, and a few local men going about their business on the front page of today’s newspaper, but I couldn’t copy that, so we have a scenic view instead. Aside from the WC, it seems that Ponta Delgada has just about everything except adequate parking, and having it’s own petrol station is indeed a great privilege. Aside from that it has it’s own multibanco (ATM), post office, pharmacy, and even a swimming complex. The civic centre was promised to the people ten years ago. As for life there, there is a small drug problem, but mostly out of sight, but people continue to feel safe in the parish. Next weekend is the festa of Bom Jesus, that is one of the most popular and well attended on Madeira, and that is one of the reasons so many people complained about the lack of a public toilet. Like everywhere else here, the youngsters don’t want to work the land their families worked for generations.

‘Funchal Câmara Doesn’t Back Down On The Projects Of Clean Public Transport – President Miguel Albuquerque  assures that the ‘Eco Line’ and the ‘Green Line’ will not affect the taxis’. Despite the opposition of the taxi drivers, Funchal Council will not back down on the projects for environmentally friendly public transport. Eco Line goes into free travel on Tuesday, and September 22nd sees the start up of the Green Line, which connects Praia Formosa Beach to the city centre. The president of CMF believes that the controversy with the taxi drivers is being fed and used by politicians on the eve of elections. As regards to the Green Line, which replaces the various existing buses, Albuquerque states that it will not be free travel, and what changes is that the new buses are environmentally friendly.

‘The president of the Azores, Carlos César, argued yesterday that the Portuguese autonomous regions can not be treated equally by the state – Madeira to Porto Santo is 40 miles, but Santa Maria to Corvo is over 600 miles’. He directed his speech at the elections of 27th September, and to support the re-election of José Sócrates, Prime Minister. In his view, the Government of the Republic can not "treat in the same way things that are different," noting that the Azores are composed of nine islands and Madeira of just two. So the Azores should be entitled to a "positive discrimination" within the Regional Finance Law, which determines the amount of money that comes from the state to the autonomous regions. In other words he argues that the Azores should receive more state money than Madeira. That reality, according to the PS president, "the PSD and Manuela Ferreira Leite (party leader) have not understood" accusing the Social Democrats of wishing to change the calculations of transfers from the islands so as to "harm the Azores". "It is therefore crucial and fundamental to the Azores that the PS and José Sócrates win in the elections of 27th September", he appealed.

UPDATES :

Following the earlier story about the new environmentally friendly buses in Funchal, the council has said it wants to take out out the hotel coaches / buses that frequent Avenida do Mar, and encourage tourists to take the new ‘Green Line’ buses instead. The idea is to reduce congestion along the Avenida and the Estrada Monumental, by taking out the coaches which often carry very few passengers. That means tourists will have to pay for transport in and out of downtown Funchal.

‘RTP-M Interviews 12 Candidates In 12 Days’. The TV station of Madeira has decided to interview the 12 main candidates from the political parties that are standing in the national legislative elections on 27th September. The first one starts on Tuesday, and they will be shown after the 9 pm news. Each candidate or party representative will be given around 30 minutes to express their ideas and positions to the Madeira public. The channel is also considering having debates, but nothing is decided yet.

The final front page article today has a photo that makes no sense at all : ‘Ministers Come To Support Bernardo – A circuit of lectures will include a minister and several secretaries of state’. The objective is to discuss "key areas for the Region" with Bernardo Trindade, the socialist candidate for the parliament, as part of a set of initiatives that will take place from 7th September. He has invited several members of central government to take part, as well as other personalities from Madeira. "The aim is to trigger thought and discussion, and seek to decentralize initiatives," says Bernardo Trindade. The first lecture is scheduled for September 7th in Santa Cruz, and will be dedicated to the environment and spatial planning. The roadshow then goes to Câmara de Lobos (8th), Funchal (10th), administrative simplification will be the subject on 12th, then to Ponta do Sol (14th) to discuss agriculture, and then Machico to discuss employment. Porto Santo will be the venue to discuss tourism and transport on the 16th, with a final lecture still to be arranged on the 18th to discuss policies for autonomy.

‘Sócrates Against Social Security Proposed By The PSD’. The prime minister and secretary general of the Socialist Party, José Sócrates, said yesterday in Faro that he disagrees with Social Security based on "every man for himself", and criticized the social democrats for defending the capping of the Portuguese Social Security, as outlined in its prospectus presented to the public on Thursday. He said what was being proposed certainly means the "privatisation" of part of Social Security, and it would be "a bad decision for the country".

A very thin newspaper today, so that’s it for now. With the holiday season over tomorrow, perhaps there might be a few more journalists on duty.

(19th June). The hotel sector is going through a hard time, and unemployment after the Summer is likely to rise. That is the opinion of the president of ACIF, the Hospitality Bureau.

‘Businessmen In Tourism Say That This Summer Will be The Worst Of The Modern Era’. Comparable to 1975 they say, but the President of Tourism of Portugal disagrees and says it won’t even be the worst of this decade for the sector, but maybe the worst in the last three years. He believes that the tourism sector can finish with a loss not exceeding 10% in both terms of number of tourists and revenue.

The owners / administrators of Funchal Design Hotel were a little surprised to find their hotel up for sale on the website ‘Madeira Legacy’. The hotel that opened in June last year is up for sale at €2.5 million, and the administrator contacted denied having any involvement. The issue of hotels being sold on the internet was raised yesterday in the Legislative Assembly of Madeira (but not really sure why?).

At a meeting yesterday to discuss ‘green transport’ measures, Funchal Council (CMF) announced that travel on the ‘Linha Eco’ buses would become free of charge. The president of CMF is to sign a protocol with the Regional Secretariat for Tourism and Transport that will improve ‘urban mobility’ in Funchal. The fours buses owned and operated by the ‘yellow bus company’ Horários do Funchal, operate within specified city boundaries. The non-polluting buses were made free for a short period at Xmas 2008, and the initiative was a great success (wonder why?). The initiative will cost CMF €100,000 a year, money it intends to raise through institutional advertising.

Also, CMF is to announce soon and officially, the introduction of a ‘Green Line’, soon after the Summer. This will use non-polluting hybrid buses to connect Funchal centre and the zone of Ilha, running every 7 minutes at peak times, along the Estrada Monumental. This idea replaces another project announced around 5 years ago, for a surface level metro covering the same route.

A project called CIVITAS Mimosa is to revolutionise mobility in Funchal. Funded with €24.4 million by the European Union, Funchal is one of five European cities selected to promote more sustainable transport in urban areas. The challenge is set in eight categories : the restriction of access, vehicles and cleaner fuels, public transport of passengers, fare integration, lifestyle with less use of car, measures of mobility management, and transport management and logistics. The project also covers the cities of Bologna (Italy), Gdansk (Poland), Tallinn (Estonia), and Utrech (Netherlands). Some of the measures mentioned in supporting the project are prizes for companies with low polluting vehicles, half price parking for owners of electric / hybrid vehicles, new park and ride schemes, a rental service for bicycles and scooters, public transport ‘on call’, a public transport planning centre, new entry systems in pedestrian zones, bicycles allowed on public transport, SMS mobility service, search and orientation systems through GPS, and an mobility observatory.

I am not sure what most of these things mean, but I think I woke up on a different planet this morning, and if I didn’t, will I still be trundling around on a 40 year old Rodoeste bus next year polluting the countryside. Or will my local buses be prohibited from entering the new clean City of Funchal by an army of smoke sucking alien sentinels powered by moon sensitive organic solar panels. More importantly will Uncle Bertie have to actually leave Funchal to smoke his daily carton of Cuba’s finest?