Jellyfish Invade ; 27 Year Old Temporary Accommodation ; “3 Crises” ; Car Radio Thefts
There were no updates made to the Diário website yesterday (day and evening at least), not even about Cristiano Ronaldo, so the bosses must have given everyone the day off.
(12th June). Today’s main photo is of Cristiano Ronaldo : ‘A Dream Of €94 Million : Ronaldo Is Now With Real Madrid’. No doubt this will go on for days, the TV and radio yesterday seemed to talk of nothing else, and I have no intention of following their example. Curious to know how much Real Madrid are paying Madeira’s boy wonder though?
‘Jellyfish Spoil Holidays – Many beach visitors limit themselves to sunbathing. Some of the braver ones came out of the sea stinging’. Several people were stung by the jellyfish during the holiday spell, as the South coast suffered an invasion of a "large quantity" of ‘águas-vivas’. The situation was detected Wednesday morning and lasted through until yesterday, although there were some stragglers still remaining to pester bathers. A spokesman for the Funchal beach management company reports three people were treated at the first aid posts, but nothing serious, just a few stings. Funchal life guards were told to warn bathers of the problem. In Santa Cruz, the alert was only made by those who got stung. The jelly fish normally stay out at sea, but were brought inshore by sea winds and currents. "It is rare that the stings are fatal, only when the victim is allergic to the venom, but even so it it is advisable to seek treatment. One should first remove any micro-tentacles stuck to the skin after leaving the water, scraping them off with a blade or card, after applying shaving cream. Vinegar can also be used to clean the affected area. If the victim is allergic and shows sign of shock they should taken to hospital", says the article. So add those things to you beach check list .. bathing costume, towel, sun tan lotion, shaving cream, a blade, and vinegar … You might as well have a shave whilst you are there! No problem over my way I think, as the beach and sea was heaving with bodies during both public holidays.
‘Just Seven Creches Open Today – Through measures taken yesterday, the Secretary for Education foresees much tolerance in the public facilities’. Parents who take their children to public kindergartens and day nurseries are going to have to find other solutions from today, as the courts have ruled these not to be essential services, and they are therefore being run at minimum service levels. The 7 centres open include one on Porto Santo. There are currently 993 children enrolled for day care, far above the number the state system can handle.
‘Temporary Social Zone In Place 30 Years – In Imaculado in Penha de França, there are prefabricated houses that were made for those returning from Africa and public servants. The asbestos roofs and drainage systems are falling apart’. The 27 temporary home are long past their ‘expiry date’, having been built in the late ’70′s for officials and refugees from former Portuguese colonies. They are still almost fully occupied, and the inhabitants have no idea whether they will one day they will be moved out. Interviews with several residents reveal lots of complaints, and aside from the obvious danger of deteriorating asbestos roofs, inhabitants say that the conditions are just not acceptable. Others are prepared to accept the problems and don’t want to move, being particularly happy with the rental costs of just €5 a month.
‘Portugal Is Living Three Crises Simultaneously’. That was said by a speaker during the opening of the National Congress of Portuguese Charities, which runs until Saturday in Funchal. Firstly the global financial crisis, first visible in 2007. Before that and still, Portugal is having it’s own financial crisis, creating it’s own financial and employment problems. The third crisis is one that Portugal has been facing for many years. It is a structural crisis that is linked with the end of the imperial cycle and decolonization, and with the democratization of political life and changes in Portuguese society, with integration in the EU, and reconstruction of a social market economy. That sounds more like 6 crises to me, but they all seem quite plausible.
Theft of car radios / sound systems is a growing crime on Madeira, particularly in Funchal and Caniço, and often even worse is the damage caused in breaking into the victims cars, and the theft of other items of value that are found during the robbery. Even cars in garages in apartment blocks are popular targets, as the robbers find it easy to enter and stay out of sight after the automatic garage doors give easy access, or there are other easy methods of access. The report comes after 10 cars were robbed and damaged in a communal garage yesterday in São Martinho, Funchal.
