Madeira News Blog

Today’s photo – Many thanks to Tom … "annobannana growing in a very unusual place"

Many thanks to Becky for some more web snippets :

‘Funchal by the Moonlight’ composed by Eurico Thomaz de Lima (1908-89) the Portuguese pianist-composer and performed by Miguel Campinho. It’s a shame the stills keep repeating themselves (I have loads of photos of Funchal by moonlight I could have contributed!) but an enjoyable piece of music all the same.

Madeira – Island of Wine (1968) – another old clip from British Pathe but in glorious colour. I didn’t realise that the bullock carts were painted in the same yellow and blue as the taxis, or at least they were in 1968.  A couple in suitably garish polyester hurtle down the hill at "Monty" and we get to see some old and new wine production methods. HERE

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

Mardi Gras/Fat Tuesday/Malasada Day/Shrove Tuesday/Pancake Day. Traditional ‘malasada’ still cooked by many Portuguese in the USA on Fat Tuesday. In 1878, Portuguese labourers from the Madeira and Azores came to Hawaii to work in the plantations. These immigrants brought their traditional foods with them, including a fried dough pastry called the "malasada." Today there are numerous bakeries in the Hawaiian islands specializing in malasadas. PUTTING ON THE KILOS

The "Boz" Ball of 1842. … Downing’s talents likely warmed Dickens, too. When writing home to England of the tribute paid him in New York, Dickens attached a newspaper clipping from the Extra Boz Herald — a special edition — that elaborated on the sumptuous bill of fare: 50,000 oysters, 10,000 sandwiches, 40 hams, 76 tongues, 50 rounds of beef, 50 jellied turkeys 50 pairs of chickens and 25 of ducks; also “2,000 fried Mutton Chops—cold” and 12 Floating Swans, a new device”.

Lest one forget dessert, there were: 350 quarts of jelly and blanc mange, 300 quarts of ice cream, “300 pound of Mottoes”, “2,000 Kisses”, “25 Pyramids —one cost $30, and had the ‘Curiosity Shop’ on the top”, besides almonds, raisins, apples, oranges, cakes and “Ladies Fingers in thousands”.

And to wash all of that down, one chose from: 2 hogsheads of Lemonade, 60 gallons of tea, 1½ barrels of Port, 150 gallons of Madeira, unspecified quantities of Claret and coffee … full article

EFSA’s Opinion on the Prohibition of GM Crops in Madeira HERE

Photo slide show of Madeira on Vimeo. Images from the island that has changed my life … HERE

DIÁRIO 15/02/2010

FRONT PAGE NEWS

Five weekly charters from Finland in the Spring. The predictions of the various tourist operators in Finland who promote Madeira as a destination, are for increased sales and increased capacity in the coming months. This good news follows on from estimates that the numbers will increase from last year, as there are positive indicators, for example the withdrawal of regular cheaper packages to long-haul destinations like Thailand. Last year, between January and May, there were 21.2% fewer visitors from Finland than in 2008. They did spend longer here though, an average of 6.3 nights compared to 5.7 in 2008, so only a 11% drop in overnight stays. As well as the charter flights planned to Madeira, TAP will fly five times a week between Lisbon and Helsinki. This Spring, the fourth largest tour operator in Finland, Lomamatkat, has included Madeira from the 21st February until the last week of April, using Primera Air flights with seating for 190 tourists. Lomamatkat are affiliated with Windsor Travel in Madeira and highlight Madeira on their website. On February 19th, two tour operators, Almatours and Hispania, start a weekly charter using Bulgarian aircraft, until the end of April. On February 20th, there are an expected 50 Finnish visitors, coming via Lisbon. On February 22nd, another weekly visit is launched with Aurinkomatkat and Ok-Matkat operators, until the end of April. They will use aircraft with seating for 220 passengers.

Horários do Funchal will not return to old route. The bus route no 4 now has low occupancy but the bus company will not alter the route back to the previous one. They will make adjustments when they have monitored the movement of passengers. The cause of anger among passengers is that they have to take two buses to get to the centre of Funchal. The Green Line buses along the Estrada Monumental do not run every five minutes as scheduled. There are no bus shelters along this route to protect those waiting from the weather.

MADEIRA

As predicted, large tree blocks road. As predicted in DIÁRIO on February 2nd, a section of the boundary wall around the garden of Quinta Jardins do Imperador in Monte was destroyed by a falling tree. The large tree has completely blocked the road and residents have to use an alternative route. This is the second time the wind has blown down a tree from this garden into the road and again, the branches have to be cut off before the firemen can clear the area of debris.

Mercado Municipal de Câmara de Lobos not to be renovated. The building housing the old fire station and the Municipal Market will not be renovated, as planned in 2009. There was to be a new car park to take the pressure off the one in front of the bay that cannot accommodate the visitors to the area. Despite the setback caused by a lack of money, the mayor said the whole area needs to be restructured. A lift was also to be installed to all floors of the building. Traffic and pedestrian areas were to be upgraded to allow the shops on the ground floor to open outside the market, so they can still function when the market is closed. The car park in the front of the market needs upgrading to allow the space to be used for events and fairs held outdoors.

ECONOMY

Island Escape returned to Funchal early. The bad weather in the Atlantic has forced changes in itineraries, especially on the route Canary Islands – Madeira. The captain of the Island Escape decided to miss the scheduled stop at La Palma and came directly to Funchal from Las Palmas. This meant the cruise ship docked in Funchal at 20.00 on Sunday instead of 7 am today. There were 1,300 tourists on board including 200 who were on the one-week cruise which started last Monday in Funchal. The Island Escape will leave at 23.00 today after 200 British tourists have flown in to board the cruise ship. The extra day in Funchal for the 1,300 visitors is good news for the revenue of Madeira.

UPDATE

Strong waves attract the attention of locals and visitors. Strong sea waves hit the Marina do Lugar de Baixo and the coast of Porto Moniz.  At the Marina, the protecting wall has been destroyed in four places.

— Video on MADEIRA BLOG.

Sea wrecks havoc in Praia Formosa.  The peak of high tide at 14.45 struck the entire area of Praia Formosa. The force of the waves destroyed a wall so the sea washed the promenade and entered swimming pools belonging to hotels. The swimming complexes at Lido, Barreirinha and Ponta Gorda were better protected due to the orientation of the waves. The cement blocks in front of the Docas Bar did not protect it and tables, chairs and cigarette vending machines were smashed. Last December’s storm did 1,000 Euros of damage to this bar. None of the showers at Frente Mar withstood the strong waves. The wooden terrace of Barra Azul was washed into the sea during the night. Video of damage

Carnival Parades rescheduled. Due to the bad weather, tonight’s carnival parade at Porto Santo has been cancelled. The Carnival Parade at São Vicente has been rescheduled, now on the 18th February. Ponta do Sol also cancelled their parade and it will be held next Sunday.

JORNAL DA MADEIRA

FRONT PAGE NEWS

Revellers ‘in love’. In Machico, São Pedro helped, as the sun made itself felt for the Carnival Parade. The event attracted 1,700 participants from schools and institutions of the county. As yesterday was St Valentine’s Day, some people used this theme, parading with hearts, teddy bears and cupids and there was a symbolic wedding. Biodiversity was the theme of the parade at Porto Moniz. One poster stated, "Biodiversity is life!" in a call to protect the environment. The Simpsons, witches and butterflies were portrayed by participants. Fura Samba troupe had to cancel their appearance as their costumes had been damaged by the weather during Saturday’s Main Carnival Parade. Despite the rain, Câmara de Lobos Carnival Parade went as planned. Ribeira Brava also managed a procession yesterday afternoon with representations of scenes from everyday life.

REGION

Farmers worried about the purchase of grapes in September. The MPT (Movement for Earth) party want the Regional Government to tell the farmers what they can expect from the grape harvest in September, so they can decide if it is worth planting. The farmers need to have a guarantee about the purchase of grapes less than 9 degrees (alcoholic content) and the price per kilo. It is essential to preserve this agriculture that contributes to the green landscape and the production of Madeira Wine from the negra mole. The farmers work in uncertainty and need to know that they will get paid for grapes less than 9 degrees, as previously these had been thrown away as the pay was to be less than that of 2008.

A favour please : please don’t send anything to the madeira4u blog email address provided unless it is directly related to the blog or Madeira. I know people mean well, and I enjoy a good laugh or an interesting story as much as anyone, but I am sometimes just overwhelmed with emails, and the more time I spend dealing with them, the less time I have for anything else in compiling or translating. Madeira articles, photos, news, questions, and other relevant contributions always welcome of course. Many thanks. Der.

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

Most of the front page is taken up with a great big photo along Praia Formosa beach in west Funchal. A huge wave has crashed onto the beach, and it seems that the water has climbed a small cliff to the foot of a building. Untamed sea returns in force causing damages – The Praia Formosa was the most punished, with promenade and restaurants badly hit. This this time, even the wall of ‘Madeira Velha’ succumbed. The promenade, according to the Diário, is unrecognisable, and at least two restaurants were damaged, and the beach is now somewhat less beautiful. Not even the large cement blocks positioned in front of the bars prevented the invasion of the sea. One bar owner reports a broken door, smashed tables and chairs, and the cigarette machine smashed. He said it was only in December that the bar was previously damaged to the value of around €1,000. The same article also reports much damage elsewhere. The fury of the sea was giving a ‘show’ in the marina at Lugar de Baixo and on the ‘promenade’ of Porto Moniz. Residents and visitors came along, with many there to take pictures of the force of nature. The marina at Lugar de Baixo was once again the centre of attention, with a new occurrence of flooding in the parking lot. Already ‘mangled’ by previous storms, the controversial infrastructure was taking again a right beating from the fury of the waves. There are already 4 parts of the sea wall missing, leaving the marina itself much less protected. The most significant problem is situated in the area between the pools and the docking area, where the action of the sea pulled out a concrete slab that makes up part of the protective wall. Much the same in three different locations are three more gaps, that are proof of  the inability of this ‘protection’ to halt the raging sea. Further west, the waves caused further damage between the beach and quay in Ponta do Sol, and also at Madalena do Mar the sea was hitting the wall of the coastal road, and there were other consequences. Calheta beach, as usual, lost more sand and gained more rocks, and now both sides of the bathing zone are in a similar state. Madeira continues on orange alert today, but that could be downgraded or even removed, as winds and rain ease off.

Today’s main news headline : Banana : Creditors smarting – The government assumed responsibility for the passive [debt] of the two banana cooperatives. Two years after, the business was even into profit, but the suppliers didn’t receive a cêntimo of the €7 million in arrears. The Regional Government asks another €30 million to pay the loan.

Fuel rationed and with queues on Porto Santo. The photo does show a queue of a dozen or so cars. This seems to be becoming quite a regular event, Porto Santo running out of petrol or whatever. Still, one can always keep a bicycle in the garage in reserve, as ones final destination on Porto Santo is never more than a few kilometres away.

Justice Police catch in Setúbal [Portugal] a member of the Martins ‘Gang’. Martins, with his gang, was the man who kidnapped and murdered an elderly businessman from Porto Santo last year, and since fled the country, and is believed to now be in Brazil. The other 45 year old gang member arrested on the continent, is suspected of the attempted murder of a 34 year old man in Quinta Grande, and is now being held in custody.  The man was shot 3 at times and seriously injured, but managed to survive.

The main sport / football headline today : Funchal gives up on ‘World Cup Square’ – The council doesn’t want to incur the expenses. At the same time, it is dealing with the matter of protecting trade in the city on the days of the games. Normally, for the two big football events (World Cup and Euro) the council puts up a big screen, and provides other facilities in the square in front of the town hall. I went to see a Portugal match there in 2008, and the quality of the screen picture was so bad, not to mention some bad behaviour from the fans, that I don’t think I would bother again.

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

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

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

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

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Today’s photo – Many thanks to Becky … "Some beautiful shimmery sea taken from Cabo Girão at the beginning of January".

And also the last two web links that Becky sent me are below. Many thanks Becky, there has been some really interesting stuff.

Great collection of old photographs of Funchal

Travel journal of Kezia Payne DePelchin 1881-1882

A 2 and a half minute diving video filmed in Funchal :

I recall a short while ago we had a discussion about bandolins, ukuleles and such musical instruments, and I came across this article that mentions Madeira being responsible for the ukulele coming to Hawaii … "Coleman says the biggest surprise was the wealth of ukulele music created in Hawaii in the late 19th century. Many of the instrument’s signature tunes were written by members of the Hawaiian royal family, who embraced the uke after an earlier version of the instrument was introduced to the islands by Portuguese sailors from Madeira". FULL ARTICLE

Nacional took a bit of a home thrashing yesterday afternoon, losing 0 – 4 at home to FC Porto. Even worse than the 3 – 0 defeat they suffered in the Dragão earlier in the season. Despite being in a European position, our lads have the leakiest defence in the Liga Sagres, having conceded 33 goals in 17 matches.

Anyone else watch that Futsal (5-a-side court football) match on RTP last night. It was the final of the European Championship in Hungary. Spain had it all wrapped up with a 3 goal advantage with just a few minutes to go. Then Portugal scored twice, and missed another chance to tie the game. It finished 4 – 2. Shame about the result but a fantastic ending.

Vanessa Swesnik very kindly sent in this article (an exact translation of the original HERE for any Portuguese language students) :

Vila Porto Mare Distinguished among the Nation’s Resorts

Hotel complex received the highest certification of food security and management

The hotel complex, Vila Porto Mare, received the Foresee Gold Certificate of Excellent Food Hygiene Standards from LusoCristal Consulting, a prestigious international consulting firm, for its food security systems.

This is the first time a Portuguese resort has received the Gold Certificate which is rewarded to units that score above 80% in three consecutive surprise reviews to assess four key concepts of food hygiene and best practices: cross-contamination, preparation, storage, and proper cleaning.

The Vila Porto Mare, owned by Madeira’s Porto Bay Hotels and Resorts, consists of three hotels (The Eden Mar, The Porto Mare, and The Residence), four restaurants, five bars, various pools, sports fields, and a spa.

“This recognition reflects the excellent levels of food safety control, for both food and drink, in all of its restaurants, kitchens, and bars,” emphasizes a press release distributed yesterday by the hotel group.

Located in the Lido region, Vila Porto Mare houses a lush 13,400 square meter botanical garden with a collection of 43 palm species- a very significant diversity.

The parent company announced yesterday that, “Vila Porto Mare Resort has finished an initiative to identify and tag at least 365 unique species that reside in its gardens which places it among the Exceptional Class of the Floral Diversity Index.”

Sugarcane, grapevines, and banana trees, the three most important plants of the Madeira landscape, combine harmoniously with ornamentals to evoke the economic history of the Island.

To carry out the ecologically sustainable management style adopted, water is used from the Levada dos Piornais to drastically reduce consumption and equipment was installed to compost leaves, coffee grounds, eggshells, and leftover produce to reduce the need for chemical fertilizer.

They recently added flower beds with vegetables, aromatic plants, and medicinal plants to provide guests with new smells and flavours. Endemic species were also added to the property’s vegetation.

Tours are given to explain this botanical abundance of Vila Porto Mare as part of the resort’s entertainment offerings.

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

DIÁRIO 30/01/2010 – FRONT PAGE NEWS

Horários do Funchal is technically bankrupt.  At the end of 2008, the firm that runs the local buses in Funchal (yellow buses) had a negative equity of 1.6 million Euros and liabilities of 30.3 million Euros, 32.8% more than the previous year. This is despite 3.5 million Euros from the Regional Government. The company generated 24.5 million Euros in business but this did not cover the 28.1 million Euros operating costs, an operating loss 36% worse than the previous year. 21.6% of the expenses were for fuel and 41.1% for labour costs. The company has short, medium and long term debts to banks and debts to suppliers. During the year, an investment of 4.8 million Euros purchased 20 new buses.

INDICATORS

The firm had 277 vehicles and 621 employees (375 drivers);
The average fleet age was 14.9 years;
The company had 1.3 drivers per vehicle;
This year the company transported 27 million passengers …
… in 66 routes in a network of 189 kilometres;
1,009,909 trips were carried out and covered 7.4 million kilometres;
The occupancy rate stood at 18% and the average capacity was 80 passengers;
The average speed was 18 kilometres per hour;
The cost per km was 3.81 and the gain only 3.33 Euros;
The buses consumed an average of 64.22 litres per 100 km
Each bus has consumed 26,550 Euros per year;
The company acquired 4.773 million litres of diesel
The cost per km with fuel was 0.63 and 0.17 per passenger
GVA per employee (19,327 Euros) in 2008 was 2.4% lower;
The personnel costs represent an annual cost of 18,518 Euros per employee.

Opposition parties want an investigation into the Regional debt. The parliamentary group of the PS (socialists) will be supported by the PCP (communists) and CDS-PP (Christian democrats) if they want an inquiry into the size of the Regional debt. This would be sufficient support required for an investigation; a minimum of ten signatures. A previous proposal was rejected by the PSD. The PCP want a clarification of the extent and consequences of the debt of the region, including both direct and indirect debt.  A bank study pointed to a debt of 4.6 billion Euros or 92% GDP. The socialists estimate the debt as 6 billion Euros. Interest charges and expenses on the debt are over 250 million Euros annually.

MADEIRA

20% suffer from anxiety disorders. Today is the final day of a two-day conference at Pestana Casino Park bringing together 800 mental health specialists, a meeting held every two years. Results from a survey of the prevalence of mental illness in the region will be published soon, indicating that 20% Madeirans suffer from anxiety disorders which can occur more frequently at times of crisis. Psychotic illnesses are less prevalent and 5% of regional mental illness result from the consumption of alcohol. A bipolar disorder specialist stated that recent surveys showed this disorder occurs in four times more patients than diagnosed if the usual criteria for the manic phase are used.

Association of Casas do Povo da Madeira without money leads to resignations. Five officials resigned last month because they have five months of salaries in arrears. The company ACAPORAMA has a liability of 265,000 Euros. The financial difficulties make the association ineligible for future Regional Government subsidies as they cannot fulfil the present contract. Last year, the subsidy was 57,000 Euros to cover the cost of different activities. 36 of the 40 Casas do Povo in the region are in this association.

Exotic species in the wild. Although Madeira is an island and there is close monitoring at the airport and animals for sale, it is difficult to prevent the illegal entry of exotic animals or plants into the region. The biggest problem is the maritime link, species entering from a yacht or a car travelling from Europe on the ferry. The import of exotic species has been regulated since 1999, especially for those endangering the ecosystem or dangerous to humans. The major threat is from species accidentally introduced through imported materials, like sand or wood. Such materials, for example the Moroccan sand for the beaches, is subject to a quarantine period. The photo shows a 2 metre long python found recently in the area of Pináculo in São Gonçalo. It was dead, presumably after a road accident, and was either abandoned in the region or had escaped from the owner.

Youth assaulted outside a bar.  A 20 year old went to a bar at 11 am on Sunday morning, in the area of Palheiro Ferreiro, to buy tobacco. The establishment was closed but seeing a light on and hearing voices inside, he knocked at the door. He was told the bar was closed but explained he just wanted to buy tobacco. Suddenly, the owner emerged and attacked the man, punching and kicking him, but he managed to escape to his house. His brother took him for medical attention and he has a broken arm, cuts and bruises. The police are investigating his allegations.

Bombeiros had to help two elderly tourists. On the levada do Curral dos Romeiros, two British tourists aged 79 and 87, had to be helped to the end of the levada. They had mobility difficulties associated with old age and were found by locals at 7 pm.

ECONOMY

An unusual ship. Next week, this unusual ship named the Monge, will visit the Port of Funchal to allow the crew a rest period. The A 601- Monge belongs to the French Navy and carries 232 crew members. The ship is the only one operating in Europe with the role of supporting combat missions involving missiles. There are two Super Hornet helicopters on deck. The ship arrives at 9 am on 3 February and departs at 9 am on 6 February.

Madeira self-sufficient in eggs. The Girão Group opened a new poultry centre yesterday, enabling Madeira to be self-sufficient in egg production for domestic and industrial use. The investment was one million Euros, 50% from institutional funds. This company accounts for 60% of the regional distribution and presently only imports 20% of its eggs. The new centre in Campanário in Ribeira Brava has a capacity of 90,000 birds. Each year, 25 million eggs are produced earning the firm 4 million Euros. The company started 35 years ago in Quinta Grande in Câmara de Lobos.

POLITICS

Madeira Wine interests South Korea. The Ambassador of South Korea, Kang Dae-Hyun, visited the region and was impressed by Madeira in general and in particular by Madeira Wine. He thought the 50 million South Koreans would also enjoy the wine. Promotion of the wine would have to be studied and the free trade agreement between the EU and South Korea, which comes into force this year, will make this traditional product a tax-free import.

PND accuse construction company. In Caniço, Edifício Assomada Park has various building flaws and failures. José Manuel Coelho blames the firm responsible for constructing the building, ‘Só Trabalho’. Faults listed were: leaking roof, poor quality painting, many cracks on the lower floor, and pumps for the sewerage tanks not functioning so the tanks are overflowing. The residents have complained to the company as the building is under guarantee but have had no reply. Coelho also criticized Santa Cruz Council and government departments.

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

New cities continue as towns – The fever of changing to city status didn’t bring more people or business. Accompanied by a nice photo of the ‘A Frame’ houses in Santana, with a few tourists milling around. A phenomenon over the last few decades saw several towns (or even villages in my opinion!)  apply for and obtain city status, because they (the politicians) thought the grass would grow greener. Silly! Just because you have a shoe-shine booth and a fresh water drinking fountain doesn’t make you any better than anywhere else, and does not improve the quality of life or bring trade flooding in. Caniço, Machico and Santana are such examples of Madeira’s ‘cities’. Silly cities!

Today’s main news headline : Majority of the deputies [MPs] amass jobs – The case is blatant on the benches of the majority party : almost all of the 33 Social Democrat deputies in the Regional Assembly work on a part-time basis. On the side of the opposition, few have other such extra activities. The teachers dominate. So what. It’s not against the law, and all over the world politicians supplement their miserly political salaries, using their status to get top part-time jobs, and short change the voters who put their faith in them. Of course the ruling party politicians can attract the best paid jobs, as they are the ones with power and influence that their employers need, and not their powerless political opponents. To suggest that Madeira is any different to anywhere else is not the case, and Madeira’s PSD politicians deserve a pat on the back for being as morally corrupt as many other politicians  worldwide without being seen to break any laws or ethical obligations. Silly story!

Doctors slow the addiction of turning to plastic surgery – There are already two thousand surgical procedures of reconstruction and for cosmetic reasons per year. There are already cases of Madeirans addicted to plastic surgery. The situation is not very common, but the specialist in Cosmetic Surgery and Reconstruction, Manuel Figueiroa, admits that some people who fall into this group have passed through his office. He says that he has refused surgery several times because there was no necessity, a decision that doesn’t normally go down well with the patients, who often go elsewhere, sometimes abroad, to get what they want. Silly people!

Estêvão Neves studies a new investment in Brazil. I don’t really care what this bloke is doing in Brazil, but how dare he have two accents on his first name. I have only ever come across this before with the name Cristóvão, and vowed to never have nothing to do with any person with this name, nor the parents. If life isn’t tough enough already, putting stress on a word in two places needs a skill in linguistic gymnastics that I just don’t possess. Silly name!

Another main story, off the front page : Carlos César thinks they are "completely ridiculous" the justifications of Alberto João Jardim – The president of the Azores government advises Jardim to save on the current expenditure. Referring of course to the alterations to the Regional Finance Law proposed by President Jardim and his Social Democrat Party on Madeira, and the attempt to squeeze out more funding from the state budget. "I don’t want to offend AJJ, but some of the arguments are completely ridiculous" said César in comments to journalists in the Azores. Referring in particular to the justification that Madeira needs more money because of the geographical features of the archipelago, because Jardim has already bored through mountains and made tunnels all over the place. In the Azores, the problem is quite different with many ports and airports on the islands that cost a huge amount to maintain. "Also nothing is comparable between the current expenditure in Madeira and the Azores" he said. Quite right Sr. César, and why one archipelago has to use the other to justify its own financial needs is totally absurd, and any justifications should be made on the merits of the case in question. Silly Bertie!

The main sport / football headline today, as mentioned above, has the lions share of the limited space :  Referee ‘pushes’ FC Porto for the goal feast – The return of Rúben Micael to the Choupana was notable by the controversial refereeing of Carlos Xistra. [Nacional Coach] Machado didn’t hold back his refereeing criticisms. Jesualdo Ferreira [Porto Coach] praised the Madeiran reinforcement [Micael] : "He is a top notch player". Silly referee!

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

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

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

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

(more…)

(22nd September). Today’s main news headline : ‘Region Refuses To Pay President ‘Do MAR’ – Óscar Gonçalves went yesterday to complain to the Madeira executive, and to the representative of the republic’. It’s a new battle between Madeira and Lisbon. This time due to the International Shipping Register of Madeira (MAR), and the choice of Oscar Gonçalves to chair the MAR Technical Commission. Normally it is the role of the Government of the Republic to nominate the president of the Technical Commission of MAR, but obtaining the agreement of the Madeira government as a matter of unwritten protocol. However, Óscar is little known in the world of shipping, but a well known collaborator of the socialist party PS-Madeira, and the government (PSD) here complained that it had not been consulted about his appointment in May, as had been customary in the past. As a result the government here have refused to pay his salary, as well as restricted his movements outside of Madeira. They argue that he is not qualified to carry out inspections and surveys for vessels registered with MAR, which they say is one of the legal requirements. The matter is now in the hands of the appropriate authorities in Lisbon. MAR has 157 commercial vessels registered, 14 of which are passenger ships.

‘Robberies In Garajau And On The Levada Dos Tornos – Youths steal the cash register and have the police waiting when they arrive home. Couple robbed at knifepoint in Camacha’. The first story is about a Café / Bar called ‘Brites’ in Garajau, that was robbed at around 4 am yesterday morning, when 2 young men smashed the shop front glass window, and took the cash register, containing just some change. The two robbers, who were regular customers in the bar, took the till to a car park to open it, where they were caught on video camera in the act, along with the registration plate of their car. Police were able to identify the owner of the car, the mother of one of the men, and when they arrived home the police were there waiting. They were taken back to the crime scene, where they apologised to the owner, returned the stolen money, and offered to pay for the damage caused, which included the €400 cash till, the broken window, an aquarium, and a fridge. It is possible that that the same two men had also tried to break into a bar in Cristo Rei, hurling a rock at the front window, which didn’t shatter as it was double glazed, but caused around €200 worth of damage all the same. The sophistication of the crimes and the intelligence of the criminals of Madeira never ceases to amaze me, and once again the police do a great job in cleaning up the mess. I have no idea whether the men involved here were charged, but often an apology to the owner and the payment of the losses and damages suffices, showing the forgiving and kind hearted nature of people here. Personally I would have wanted them strung up if they had done that to me, but there again there are men who have committed far greater crimes but still legally walk our streets. PS Dare not mention who for fear of reprisals.

The other story sounds much more serious, as two German tourists were robbed at knifepoint on the Levada dos Tornos, in the zone of Vale Paraíso, Camacha. He surprised the couple, and demanded the valuables that they were carrying. He stole the rucksack and about €100, but apart from being shocked, the couple were unharmed. The rucksack was later recovered by police, less the money. The police have a description of the suspect and are conducting investigations. I hate doing these stories more than anything, as levadas are supposed to be such safe and peaceful places … and of course still are. The police normally catch these thugs, but it’s best to be aware that there are occasionally problems in just one or two places. How people will obtain such information after next week I don’t know, but I hope they can ask at hotels or go on accompanied tours, or at least find out about any risky areas from somewhere.

’36 From The Savoy Refute Dismissal – The case started yesterday in court’. The collective dismissal of staff from the now closed Savoy Hotel in Funchal is in court, with 36 workers challenging the SIET Savoy Group decision to dismiss them. Their aim is to reverse the decision, and guarantee themselves future employment. The trade union representing the workers said it was the only option open to them once negotiations with the employer had failed. Win and they have their jobs back, lose and they will be entitled to compensation based on length of service. Many of the 99 workers have already accepted the termination and compensation package offered, when the hotel closed to be demolished, to make way for a new Savoy Hotel.

After yesterday’s story about the school of in São Martinho (Funchal) that failed to be ready on time because of building problems, it seems that São Martinho kids are stricken with bad luck, or good luck depending on the point of view. ‘Lombada School in São Martinho Fails To Open At The Start Of The School Year – A lack of staff has left parents and students at the school gate’. They turned up, but that’s as far as they got, as the school remained closed when staff didn’t turn up. The situation caught some parents off guard, along with 250 kids, even though there had been some communications about potential problems. Teachers weren’t lacking, except for the maths teacher, but one cleaning lady was on holiday, one was transferred, and the other one remaining refused to work alone. The knock on from that is that the catering staff and auxiliaries didn’t then turn up for work for fear of being put on cleaning duties. According to the government Education Department the situation has been resolved and the school is now fully operational. It wouldn’t happen in the private sector for sure, and if I had been in charge I would have had those parents in scrubbing the floors and doing the cooking, and sent the non-teaching staff off to meet those ex-Savoy Hotel workers.

‘Erasmus’ Sent Away 117 Madeiran Students In 6 Years’. The programme, according to funding available, allows students at Madeira University to study abroad. The scheme is growing in popularity, but as there is no specific funding for the purpose, applications depend on the general funding of UMa being able to support the applications received. The programme has proved particularly popular for students in physical education and in languages, with the countries most selected being Slovenia (23), Spain (32) and the Czech Republic (32).

Bit of a school theme going today, so here’s another : ‘Gripe A : Teachers “are not a priority risk group”. Contingency plans against the H1N1 swine flu virus in schools caught the attention of the Teachers Union of Madeira, this week. Coordinator Marilia Azevedo regretted the fact that the infection prevention plans have been made only with students in mind. A spokesman for the matter (I have no idea where from), said that the health services and Regional Secretary for Education and Culture had been working together for some time, “[teachers] are not a priority risk group in particular, as the groups that are in contact with the sick are health professionals. I do not see that there needs to be a special scenario for teachers”. What gobsmacking incompetence, as infected teachers are as much of a problem as infected children to start with, but absent teachers cause a different problem altogether, and without them to control the children, the risk of cross infection is highly elevated. Just imagine if one infected teacher in the weekly staff meeting infects the whole teaching staff group … chaos!

’224 Citizens Of Funchal Try Out The Services Of Horários do Funchal For Free – Bruno Pereira, vice-president of Funchal Council will be one of the participants’. The famous yellow bus company of Funchal wants to attract new customers to its regular services of public transport. With this objective in mind the company yesterday started the week with a promotional project ‘Ad personam’. Under the initiative, which is part of a wider European action called ‘Intelligent Energy of Europe’, over 224 people aged between 18 and 60 years can travel free for a week on the bus network of Horários. The lucky 224 were selected from 805 respondents to a survey undertaken in May, and addition to this weeks freebie, will be able to obtain discounted bus travel for the rest of the year through a monthly pass.

The headline I thought I would never see : ‘Marina At Lugar de Baixo Reopens – It will open, but not for boats to moor there’. No firm date has been set, but it is virtually certain that the marina infrastructure will reopen to the public sometime this year, with boats allowed back in shortly after the Winter. Clean up work is still ongoing, including partial clearing of a cliff face. The badly damaged car park has been demolished, and will not be rebuilt, but other parking is available. I can hardly wait for Uncle Bertie’s reinauguration (right!), and to go and enjoy the swimming pool and tennis court, or even just taking a coffee there. I have never tried hard-hat swimming before, but I presume I will need a strap-on-version, as well chastity-belt type swimming trunks. As for the coffee, will the café staff be trained to ask “will it be one lump or two?”

The sport / football headline : ‘Cup Takes Marítimo To The Azores’. Our team travels to Santa Clara to play on the 18th October, in the 3rd round of the Portugal Cup. Nacional will go to the north of Portugal to take on Varzim. Both opponents play in the Liga Honra (the 2nd highest level), and so should not in theory present too much of a challenge. There are still other teams from Madeira left in the cup, but as there are no big name opponents involved, I will leave it there.

Work on the new cemetery in Caniçal has been halted for three weeks. A digger started work, but after a couple of days was taken away. The main problem is with expropriations, or compulsory land purchases. The €1m project wasn’t in the council work programme for the current mandate, but the decision was made to proceed urgently because the existing cemetery is absolutely full. Aside from the purchase of land, how can a cemetery cost anything like €1 million to build? Aside from some ground levelling and boundary walls, what else is there. Will it be fully equipped with ready-to-wear tombs and blank gravestones, or am I just out of touch with today’s cemetery construction prices?