Madeira News Blog

TODAY’S PHOTO : Thanks to Vic … Navigator of the Seas passing Caniço / Reis Magos, with a rather familiar looking foreground.

This weekends football : Both our teams are in action on Sunday, and both unusually on TV (SportTV1). Nacional host Setúbal at 6 pm, and Marítimo visit Sporting, kick off at 8.15 pm. The big game of the weekend is today between Braga and Benfica, the two top sides in the Liga Sagres.

Deputies (MPs) in the regional assembly are not interested in being vaccinated – The vaccination plan against Gripe A is underway, and the MPs are included in the priority groups. The move started yesterday on Madeira, but our politicians showed little interest. Some through fear, others because they did not see why that MPs should be in a priority vaccination group, and of course they are under no obligation. The article showed that in almost all the parties, that there was no intention to be vaccinated, except a PSD social democrat who said she was going to consult her doctor first. Well of course if you are a PSD member, you have to consult someone, as decision making skills are not one of the key requirements  to represent your party and the electorate, as Uncle Bertie decides everything. Blog writers it seems do not come within the priority groups, but do I care … I still have 1.5 litres of © Toranja Poncha © chilling in the fridge, and that should keep the swine flu away for at least two nights. 

Madeira studies new areas for fishing for the black espada fish – The regional secretary for the environment and natural resources presented the project ‘MARPROF’. Due to the reduction in the catch of the fish new fishing zones are being sought. The project MARPROF (I won’t bore you with what it stands for) has the objective of investigating marine biodiversity, and coming up with ways to develop the fishing sector of the archipelagos of Madeira, the Azores, and the Canary Islands. Shrimps and deep water crabs are other species sought that that have economic potential for Madeira. So that’s the environmental solution for overfishing is it, go and overfish elsewhere. I think I could manage without espada for a couple of years to let the stocks recuperate.

PSD-M presents proposal for a law that creates a pension supplement worth €65 – Supplement is compensation for the costs of insularity. The social democrats of Madeira will present the proposal, that will give Madeira’s pensioners the extra 65 Eurobucks monthly, in the Assembly of the Republic of Portugal. If approved it will benefit 30,000 pensioners through old age, disability, or social reasons. Hmmmmmmm, I smell a rat here. Should the AR approve the proposal, and I can’t really see that being on an island affects pensioners more than anyone else working or living here, then there would be a uproar that everyone else deserves the same, here, on the Azores, and maybe on the mainland too. No this is a political dagger, knowing that the idea will be rejected, giving more ammo for the PSD-M against the PS socialist government.

Petrol prices take a bit of a hike on Monday with a 2.c rise per litre. Diesel will rise by 1.c.

Have a great weekend !

Many thanks to Elaine for her contribution from yesterday’s news :

26th Chestnut Festival at Nun’s Valley this weekend. Begins Saturday afternoon at 18.00 with traditional games, a fashion show at 20.00 and animation between 21.00 and 23.00 with Enio Fernandes. The main event is Sunday. The exhibition opens at 09.00 and mass in the Parish Church at 11.30. At 12.00 there is the official opening with the parade at 12.30. Tradition folklore groups start performing at 14.00 and a ‘Miss Chestnut 2009′ competition from 19.30 to 22.00 then entertainment continuing throughout the night. —- No ‘Mr Chestnut 2009′! Perhaps they should have a Miss Chest and a Mr. Nuts Elaine? Der

Madeira exports hospital waste. The Region is sole shareholder of Valor Ambiente which refuses to allow hospital waste to be incinerated at Meia Serra. Refusal is on the grounds that the consortium who built the incinerator and equipped it did not meet the requirements specified. The hospital waste was incinerated there for a year but caused environmental concerns. It is now incinerated in Spain at a cost of €1.2 million a year. The cost of exportation and incineration is being charged to the consortium who built Meia Serra, who are challenging this in court. The Region still owes €18 million for the construction of Meia Serra and €5 million operating costs. At Meia Serra, it costs 1.15 Euros / kg and transportation costs of  €0.08. Exportation to Spain, the cost is estimated by the Diário to be 1.23 Euros / kg.

Diário also complaining that animal waste is not being incinerated but entering landfill instead. At present, the amount is 40 tons a month, which is not an environmental hazard but could be in future due to soil contamination. The amount of clinical and animal by-products increased 74% last year, and the courts are normally slow to settle disputes.

First seal cub to be born in 2009. Population of seals (Monachus monachus) in the region is now 39. On the 25th October, the rangers at the Desertas Islands observed the first cub of the year. The colony has at least seven breeding females and the majority of births occur in October and November, so they are hoping for more. The conservation project was begun in 1988, with three main guidelines: monitoring, protection and education. Monitoring is increased at this time of year to identify the mothers, observe the behaviour of the animals during the breeding season and be attentive to the emergence of new individuals. The local seal population is increasing, whereas worldwide the number of seals is decreasing and its range too. The world population is 500.

Madeiran immigrants in England struggling. Some have been going through financial difficulties, to the point of being obliged to seek help of the Portuguese Sports Centre and Cultural Club in London to eat. The situation has worsened with unemployment associated with the economic crisis. The problem was felt most strongly at the beginning of this year but the situation is gradually improving due to economic recovery in England and increased employment. People usually only temporarily ask for help until they can get a new job.  There are also social problems like alcoholism, drug addiction and mental health problems. There is one person who is unemployed and homeless who goes to the club everyday to eat. They have paid three times for him to return to Madeira but he keeps returning, over the past two years. Even with the crisis, it is always easier to get work in London than Portugal. The main requirement for employment is a good command of English, which has improved during the past few years. The club helps the immigrants to integrate, especially new arrivals.

Landslide in Colmeal blocks road in Nun’s Valley. Firemen form Câmara de Lobos had to unblock the road to allow the bus to pass yesterday afternoon, an operation which took an hour. Landslides are common in this region and difficult to prevent due to a nearby high escarpment which is difficult to reinforce.

Second false distress alarm. Maritime Police and SANAS yesterday morning responded to a distress flare in the bay of Funchal. This flare was fired during training carried out by the Regional Directorate of Fisheries. The Port of Funchal had authorized the training but the location was not as expected, hence the Port Captain decided to launch a rescue.

SANAS has acquired a Mobicall system that will allow a fast and reliable communication to avoid wasting valuable time in responding to a rescue alert. The investment was 10,000 Euros.

Trial between Jardim and Carlos Pereira in 2010. Reported yesterday that Pereira is suing Jardim for 35,000 Euros. At today’s hearing, it was decided that there is a case to answer and due to the Court’s agenda, it will be in mid-2010.

Still  lack of fuel on Porto Santo. Lack of petrol and diesel causing problems especially for public transport, tourism and rent-a-car sectors. It is worse at the weekends resulting in queues of cars and motorbikes at the city centre filling station. GALP is the only supplier and they say they are unaware of the problems and it is the petrol station managers who are liable.

Madeira is studying new fishing areas for Black Scabbard fish. Due to the reduced fishing haul, the Secretariat for the Environment and Natural Resources is looking for new fishing areas. Want to innovate and develop the fishing industry of the Azores, Madeira and the Canary Islands. Shrimp and crab are other species with economic potential in Madeira. Whoops a bit of duplication there, sorry Elaine, but your piece has a photo. Der

PSD introduce a draft bill to increase benefits by 65 Euros a month. If approved by Parliament, to be included in the State Budget 2011. Will help 30,000 people receiving benefits for old age, incapacity or social benefit. Whoops again!

Man died after fall from the fifth floor.  Occurred on Friday afternoon. He was 53 years old and fell from the fifth floor of a building located in the Praça da ACIF, at the rear of the Loja da Cidadão. He was a civil engineer and married with three children. The PSP and Judicial Police are investigating the circumstances.

Prison guards denounce ‘malaise’ in the Prison of Funchal. Malaise, poor management of human resources, lack of dialogue and respect of their status experienced by prison guards. The blame is aimed at the Director of the Prison, Fernando Santos, by the President of the Prison Guards Union. —– There have been strikes recently.

Moviflor opens new store in Funchal. Will open to the public on Saturday at 10.00 until 22.00 with opening offers this weekend. 2,600 square metres of furnishings and decorations. Located at the Caminho de Santa Quiteria next to Madeira Shopping and the previous shop in Funchal is closed for renovations.

Regional Plan for the Homeless 2009 – 2011. It is the adoption of a document entered into the objective of ‘Promotion of Social Inclusion and Prevention of Social Exclusion’. The plan intends to identify people living on the street, the issues why they are there and then integrate them into society with dignity. The plan is being implemented by the Regional Secretariat for Social Affairs, private institutions, parishes and municipalities. 35 people are already identified as homeless, scattered around the Farmer’s Market, Rua Dr. Fernao Ornelas and the Building 2000. They are to be reintegrated back into their family or if none, into institutions.

Fuel prices increase from Monday (midnight 2 November). Unleaded petrol up from 1.187 to 1.202  Euros and diesel 0.950 Euros a litre.

A quick look at today’s front page of the Diário :

Christmas anticipated to sell despite of the debt situation – The requests for help grow from families struggling with their commitments. Of 531 cases that went to the Consumer Defence entity, 160 are are about financial overcommitment. But still the race for Christmas shopping is underway.

In football : Draw of FC Porto livens the game (tonight) between the league leaders – Belenenses stall the champions. Poor first half by Porto, but dominated most of the second half, and were unlucky to end up with a 1 – 1 draw. Braga and Benfica play today for first place. 9.15 pm on SportTV1. Chelsea come to see Rúben Micael. Whilst I hope Nacional can hang on to Micael for as long as possible this season, for sure he will  be sold fairly soon, and what better buyers could there be than Chelsea, famous for paying stupid prices for average players.

There come the witches with a weekend of partying for Madeira. A creepy Halloween for all tastes. No evidence of witches and monsters yet in my town, and Halloween here it is still a hit and miss event, and sometimes passes by totally unnoticed. I saw a full page advert in yesterday’s Diário for Hiper Sã in São Martinho (I think), and it was all for Halloween products at incredible prices, and I reckon to get fully kitted up for a scary appearance you wouldn’t have gotten much change from €50. The Chinese perhaps haven’t got wind of this yet, but when the new megastore opens in Machico, they should be able to slash the price of future Halloweens, as after all most of the junk that people buy probably originates in China anyway.

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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. 

You can email blog@madeira4u.com with any large contributions or comments and photos / videos, or if you can contribute regularly, I can give you a special account that allows you to create your own blog postings.
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Please use the comments here for general chit-chat, or feel free to ask any questions … someone usually has an answer.

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TODAY’S PHOTO : Thanks to Selina … "The waterfall by Modelo in Ribeira Brava was extremely fierce, dark brown in colour from all the soil in the water. This picture was taken during a downpour on Sunday morning".

‘Easton resident, native of Madeira, follows calling to become a Spanish teacher – Blue Hills Spanish teacher is well-versed in five languages’. Worth a quick visit to read the beginning bit about the differences in education, and although things have vastly improved here, the kids / parents still have to buy their school books. BOOKS FOR FREE

‘Wind Power in Portugal’. Although not specifically about Madeira, quite an interesting article about renewable energy policy and achievements in Portugal. THAR SHE BLOWS

"Hi all, I have found a website for anyone wanting to learn a new language, you can find it at www.livemocha.com . There are about 160 hours of lessons in 21 different languages available for free, including Portuguese.

The livemocha site offers social-networking tools that augment the online lessons and let users add hints and tips. You are given a personal homepage where you can see what lessons you have taken, how far you have progressed, and how fast you are learning. The site also supports video chat so you can hook up with other students and practise conversations. The site is totally web based, and easy to sign up which I have done, lessons seem quite easy to start you off, and could be a good free way of getting some practise in Portuguese". Tobi.

In today’s news : ‘Seasonal Flu Vaccinations Start On Monday – The campaign gives free jabs  to at risk groups’. The health centres of Madeira will start the injections next week, with the over 65′s, people with chronic conditions and respiratory problems, and other ‘at risk’ illness groups at the head of the queue. 27,000 vaccines were ordered, 3,000 more than last year.

As for Gripe A swine flu, last weeks figures were released and the numbers remain unchanged, with no new cases confirmed from the 10 that were tested. The count since the start remains at 40, mostly being foreigners, with just 4 cases of secondary transmission so far.

‘Mosquito Bites Increase In The Last Few Days’. The complaints have noticeably increased, but it is not possible to confirm whether the ‘Aedes Aegypti’ was responsible, or other mosquito species, particularly as studies in July have shown the AA population to be low. A new study started yesterday looking at the AA population density, and the effectiveness of the insecticides being used.

‘Rock Fall Hits Via Rápida – Junction at Quinta Grande closed in the direction of Ribeira Brava’. At around 2.30 yesterday afternoon a rock fall closed the via rápida, forcing drivers to exit the road at Quinta Grande and rejoin at Campanário. No one was hurt and and the damage caused was minimal. It was hoped to clean up the area and have it reopened last night. The TV coverage didn’t show much evidence of the rock fall, but the workmen were up on the rockface clearing off loose material.

The main news headline today : ‘Fire In Quinta Escuna Creates Political Controversy – The company that owns the property in Santa Cruz said it is the "victim of an act of vandalism" and involves the movement ‘Juntos Pelo Povo’ (JPP) in a communication about the fire of suspect origin on Sunday. The case is already in the hands of the law. JPP threatens it own lawsuit’. The company that administers the Quinta Escuna, Tijolo Branco, has sent a communication to the Diário making 5 points about the fire, that was started by a tyre and petrol, and could have caused much more damage if the emergency services hadn’t arrived quickly. The basis for the blaming of the JPP, who are contesting all the seats in Sunday’s local elections, seems to be based on the fact that an organised event was cancelled due to bad weather, and the fire occurred soon after, after many of the JPP supporters had "frequented the taverns and bars of Santa Cruz". A fire of suspect origin eh? I would suggest that a burning tyre accompanied with petrol was slightly more than ‘suspect’, especially if the rest of the car was missing at the scene.

‘Delays – The Complaints Increase : Correios [Post Office] delay payments to the retired, that increase by more than five thousand in a year’. Madeira has over 37,000 retired pensioners, but add to that those with ‘survival pensions’ and disability pensions, the number rises to close to 64,000, rising by an average of 524 each year over the last decade. These people complain about the services of Correios in sending their pensions, and the Association Of Retirement of Madeira has called a conference next week to discuss the matter. There should be a counter just for complaints at the Correios, as the service just seems to get worse and worse. For me lately, stuff delayed by weeks, stuff correctly addressed but returned to sender, masses of repeat and out of date junk mail, and then last week an attempted delivery that wasn’t when the postman couldn’t be bothered to ring the doorbell, and left a card instead. The days when the bills arrive before the direct debits are taken from the bank have become a rarity. Darn contractors, no pride in the job and the lack of local knowledge, are probably the main reasons, and if we could get Uncle Bertie to give them as good a slating as he did with the police, then maybe the Correios bosses might sit up and take notice.

UPDATES : Thanks again to Elaine in Garajau :

Funchal council demolish building in Rua de Santa Maria. They will demolish part of the building which partially collapsed on Friday, as it is a danger to passing people and adjacent buildings.

Shelter has new attic wing for boys. Funchal council will aid expansion of the shelter for young people, Our Lady of Conception, which at present houses 45 young people, although it can accommodate 50. It successfully helps them integrate back into society.

Camacha has a new Centre for Occupational Activities for children with special needs. Necessary due to geographic location often making travelling difficult to other areas.

Three parish councils provide training for the unemployed. Three areas of Funchal, Sao Martinho, Sao Goncalo and Imaculado Coraçao de Maria, will provide IT and commercial training, leading to recognized qualifications, for 15 people in each area. The courses last 15 months and they will receive a subsidy of 500 Euros.

Rain affected official inaugurations. The rain affected Jardim’s inaugurations of new roads in Câmara de Lobos and Ribeira Brava yesterday. In the first one, he had to use the PSD campaign car’s sound system. Usual refreshments were still served. Jardim looked favourably upon the rain, saying: "It is said that when there is rain there is happiness." "Thanks to God we always need plenty of water for our land, especially for these agricultural areas that have missed the rain". The photo with this story will appear tomorrow, for reasons that will soon become clear.

Two PSD rallies have been cancelled due to the rain, one at Santo António and one at Ponta do Sol.

Government has filed a complaint about Friday’s policing of the opening of the port tunnel. Unlawfully disturbing the activities of the Government can lead up to three years in prison. Jardim keeps stating he has no problem with the PSP of Madeira it is just outside influence (Portugal, I presume).

Political disagreements about the residential home in Porto Moniz. A PS candidate for the area complained that the opening of the home had occurred just prior to elections, although it is not ready to function or would employ as many people as stated. The Foundation which run the home have rebuffed this political accusation.

Usual complaints by all political parties about unfair electioneering by inaugurations, defamation and sweeteners.

Fishermen in Câmara de Lobos complaining. Saying that politicians only think of them during election time. Still want a fishing port, and subsidies during the low season similar to those in Machico and Caniçal. Also, poorer catches of the black scabbard (espada) fish.

PSD confident to win Câmara de Lobos. Usual pre-election poll says they will return to power, as in 2001 and 2005, with 5 seats and 2 to the PS. They will get 50 – 54%  of the vote, less than 61.4% in 2005, and the PS 15.4% instead of 17.6% last time.

PS candidate for Funchal asks the Minister of Finances to resolve the situation of €8 million owed by the Portuguese State. Claims that there has been 5% IRS withheld from the 2009 Budget, 5.4 million Euros from Funchal council and when including other municipalities, 8 million Euros should have been transferred in February.

Porto Santo has emergency plan. More details of proposed work on the island. There will be an emergency fund for housing repairs, food assistance and assistance with medical expenses, especially to the elderly. Road improvement, expansion of the Residential Home, Arts and Crafts Workshop, Cultural Centre, Library and Archive and Fire Department.

Colombo’s Resort still stagnates. Work stopped in 2008 when the developer SITCB needed 60 million Euros to complete the project. Difficulty in obtaining investment and bank loans due to the financial situation. In July, there was supposed to be a memorandum between public and private companies to restart the work but still no progress. Was due for completion in summer 2010. There are still negotiations about the continuation of the works on Madeira Palace Hotel, and management of the Quinta da Lorde Resort in Caniçal.

‘Costa Serena’ will start cruises from Funchal next January. The Costa Cruises Portugal promoter confirmed that you will be able to board in Funchal on the cruise from next January.

Date of next year’s International Film Festival still not certain. Not yet confirmed that it will be 10 – 17 April 2010.

‘Overcoming the Fears’ exhibition opens in the Electricity Museum. Opens at 6 pm tonight. Illustrating the UN’s eight Millennium Development Goals, established in 2000 by 189 Governments.

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

You can email blog@madeira4u.com with any large contributions or comments and photos / videos, or if you can contribute regularly, I can give you a special account that allows you to create your own blog postings.
—————————————————————————————————————————————–

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

(more…)

(30th September). ‘President For Teachers Defends Against Insinuation – In The Jornal da Madeira, Jardim encouraged the president of SPM not to forget who helped in her election. Marília Azevedo reacts’. The president of the Teachers Union of Madeira (SPM) reacted with a certain irony to the suggestion of Alberto João Jardim, who expressed an opinion in an article published yesterday in the ‘JM’, which alludes to some help, not specified, that was supposed to have led Marília Azevedo to victory in the election for the presidency of the union. "Dr. Alberto João is a lawyer, so he did not vote for me for sure", she said, noting that only teachers in the union could vote in that election. Therefore, she says that she has no knowledge "to whom he is referring" in his article.  She added that his statement did not bother her and she will not waste "a lot of time thinking about it, because it is an opinion". Jardim made the insinuation after the union expressed concerns about the fact that teachers career progressions had been stalled since 2005.

‘Manor House Donated To The Region Falls Into Abandonment – The ‘Solar do Aposento’, in Ponta Delgada, is shown in the guide books, but the tourists knock on the door with their noses’. The north coast historic building was given to Madeira 6 years ago, that is also known as the Museum of D. Hilária Freitas, is part of Madeira’s heritage, but it is abandoned and the maintenance neglected, and outside the weeds are taking control. The building is also not secure with old doors and windows, and there are fears for the security of the contents. The Solar was bequeathed to Madeira by the owner, who died in 2003. It is a building of 18th century civil architecture, and contains works of arts, antique furniture, chandeliers, and religious artefacts. It was officially adopted as a "property of public interest and local value" by the government in 2002. Ponta Delgada council are talking about it’s use as an old peoples home, and this could happen by 2011. ‘Knock on the door with their noses’ .. what a wonderful expression. I must remember that one next time the postman says he called (leaving a card) but no one was home, when for sure I was.

In today’s football headline : ‘Marítimo Not Rushed For Manager – SAD maritimista presents €1.4 million of losses’. At the general assembly of the club, attended by 92% of its capital holders, Marítimo declared losses of €1.4 million for the last season. The temporary coach appointed this week for Marítimo’s first team is also staying in charge of the ‘B’ team, and will remain in charge until a new coach with a proven track record can be appointed. Just as well Marítimo didn’t have to pay for it’s stadium then, or the €45 million needed to revamp it, thanks to Madeira’s government and taxpayers, otherwise the end of season accounts would have looked much much different.

‘Culture is the new ‘trump card’ for the promotion of Madeira – Department of Tourism increases its investment in the domestic market. Exhibition, theatre [?] and a new mini-series of TVI were some of the initiatives of the campaign launched on Tuesday in Lisbon’. In order to raise the awareness of the richness and cultural vitality of Madeira, the secretary of tourism, in partnership with the Department of Education and Culture will promote an exhibition of pieces from various museums on Madeira, in the Ajuda Palace, in Lisbon. Madeira has also been confirmed as a venue for a new mini-series on TVI (channel 4). These initiatives are part of the package that the government is banking on to attract tourists from Portugal to our region. In the latter case, the belief that the national TV series made here, Flor do Mar, has already increased tourism and warrants further exploring. As well as a new advertising campaign presented in Lisbon yesterday, the half yearly tourism figures were presented, showing a 15% rise in tourists coming from Portugal, with over 30,000 more coming here. Over the last two years, around 220 to 230 thousand Portuguese have come each year, increasing Madeira’s share of the domestic market. Another article talks about the initiatives outlined costing €680,000.

The new mini-series set on Madeira will run when the existing soap ‘Flor do Mar’ has finished, and filming will start in November. The new series doesn’t yet have a name, but will be the project of TVI, as was Flor do Mar, that received some funding from the Madeira government.

"One Doesn’t Even Make A Cêntimo For A Coffee" – Taxi drivers of Porto Moniz pass through days without having a fare’. The Diário’s featured location this week, covers the taxi drivers plight, where they go days without a customer and have weeks where they earn little more than €5. The crisis has not helped. The two drivers interviewed say they are tired of spending the day sitting on the rank at the Praça do Lyra, and also complain about the transport service provided for the sick, saying that the ambulance charges twice the price per kilometre that they do. The traders of Praça do Lyra are also suffering, with one seller of regional handicrafts saying his sales have dropped by 25%. Limited car parking also affects business.

‘PSP seized 300 doses of cocaine and €1500 resulting from drug trafficking – Officers from the Funchal Police detained a foreign individual and identified two drug drug addicts. The alleged activity was operating in the area of Avenida Arriaga’. Police intercepted on Sunday morning a male of foreign nationality in possession of several packages of cocaine and €1,500 in cash, allegedly resulting from illegal activity. Police had spotted a number of individuals seemingly buying / selling drugs and moved in. Subsequently they identified a house used for transactions, and in the house was found a precision scale, a prohibited weapon, several mobile phones and money. The individual detained is now subject to weekly reporting at a police station until investigations are complete.

12 suspected Gripe A cases were tested on Madeira in the last week, but only one man of 46 years from Venezuela was found to test positive for swine flu. He was taken into intensive care, but his condition is stable. That takes the total from the beginning to just 40 confirmed cases, with just one case in two weeks. Early days I know, but isn’t it reassuring that we are in the lucky position of knowing the age, sex, and nationality of all our Gripe A victims, whilst other countries have lists amounting to hundreds or thousands on a weekly basis. Just doing my bit in case any potential ‘non infected’ tourists come across this posting and fancy paying us a visit.

‘Oral Health Month Also On Madeira – 17 dentists on Madeira and Porto Santo join the initiative running during October’. In order to prevent oral diseases and improve education for proper oral hygiene among the Portuguese population, Colgate and the Portuguese Society of Estomatologia?? and Dental Medicine (SPEMD) are carrying out in October the 10th edition of "Oral Health Month". 15 of the dentists are in Funchal. They will be available next month to do free dental check ups (without treatment or radiographic examination). The annual initiative has allowed so far 95,000 free check ups since it’s first year, and more dentists are joining up. The main conclusion from 2008 was that less than 1% of adults have completely healthy gums and teeth.

Next Tuesday the cruise ship ‘Black Prince’ arrives in Funchal on its 594th and final visit. The ship has been in service nearly 43 years. Several initiatives are being planned to mark the final visit, including a short lecture on the ‘Black Prince’, which will take place tomorrow, 1st October at 18:30 pm, in the auditorium of FNAC in Madeira Shopping. The ship has been sold to a Venezuelan company, and it expected to remain in tourism activities.