Madeira News Blog

(6th August). Today’s main front page photo shows an empty hospital corridor . ‘More ‘Green Routes’ Are Going To Speed Up Emergencies – After the quick accesses created for patients with sepsis and strokes, there follows quick-routes for coronaries and traumas’. ‘Vias Verdes’ or ‘Green Routes’ are the latest fashion in Funchal Central Hospital, so those attending the emergency department with serious health problems can bypass the triage system and the waiting room queues, and get seen and treated that much quicker. By the end of this year there will be 4 such green routes, and these are coupled with the new computer system that manages admissions and allocations, ensuring that patients with these 4 dangerous conditions have a greater chance of survival and less chance of enduring ill health. The World Health Organization estimates that there is a reduction of about 20% of the number of deaths of trauma victims alone, in countries where there are routes direct to the place of medical treatment. A hospital spokesman states that not all ‘victims’ will enter the’ Via Verde ‘. A hospital spokesman said the fast-track system will be activated depending on the clinical situation of each patient, but in case of danger of life or loss of a bodily function, then the ‘Via Verde’ is immediately implemented. Makes sense, but doesn’t make sense, if you ask me. If a patient still has to assessed, then surely the fast-track should be up to the point of assessment, and from there it is a matter of prioritising and reallocating doctors and treatment.

’25 Works Of Various Types To Finish In The Summer – The project was to take advantage of the school holidays. In the end, the traffic didn’t diminish’. Traffic returned with a shock in Funchal. Paving work starts today in São António and has started on the road 5 de Outubro in Funchal, making necessary an access change at the end at Avenida do Mar, causing some confusion. Drivers complain about the lack of signs about the changes. But the local authority says that the works are important, and August is the best time to do them. Anyway the article gives comments on several of the works, and it seems like disruption is the key word. Couldn’t agree more that school holidays are the best time for essential road repairs and upgrades, but 25 in Funchal, all in one month! I am sure more sceptical readers will have already thought … road improvements x 25 … inaugurations x 25 … elections in September / October … but I believe deeply in the integrity of this government, and would say to these people that Uncle Bertie is just looking after us all, thinking of our safety, and creating employment. Long live Bertie!!!

‘Police Make The "Biggest Seizure Ever" Of Ecstasy On Madeira – The authorities seized 17,450 units of the drug’. Through the criminal investigation squad of Câmara de Lobos, an important drug distribution network has been broken in the north of the island, particularly São Vicente. The police did a stake out in order to catch and arrest 5 individuals and seize 300 ecstasy doses, and then on searching the residence of one of the 5 they found the rest of the evil haul, as well as €1,470 in cash. The police say that the drug seized has been popping up at venues recently, particularly large music events. The 5 arrested are aged between 23 and 36, three male and two female.

"Easiest And Cheapest Solution" – Quercus regrets the authorization given for the slaughter of Pombo Torcaz’. "We regret that option for the easier and cheaper solution was taken instead of actually taking the steps necessary and appropriate in order to protect the Torcaz Pigeon" said the representative of the environmental organisation Quercus, especially as the authorisation is for an indefinite period. The order was made by Regional Secretary for Environment and Natural Resources (SRARN), but Quercus argue that crops should be protected with nets and scarecrows, with compensation for farmers with crop losses. There seems to be some difference of opinion on whether the bird is called Trocaz or Torcaz, but the bird was extensively hunted here for 4 or more years until 1989, when it was given a protected status. The pigeon is particularly fond of cabbage.

In football : ‘The ‘Exchanges’ Of Players That Stir Up Rivalry’. With a local derby match due to be played in Machico on Saturday, rivalry between Nacional and Marítimo has been stirred up between the two clubs, after the signing of ex-Nacional defender Alonso by Marítimo. Hardly front page news I know, but with the new football season just a week away, I think the daily front page football story is already back in force.

Following last week’s serious fires in parts of Santa Cruz, the local firemen are out and about cutting down the bigger Eucalyptus and Pine trees that are considered to pose a future fire risk to the population. Householders are being advised to ensure that their properties have a surrounding "clear area" of at least 10 metres, and not to light fires (prohibited anyway during Summer months), and outside of this period to contact the fire department to supervise fires (average cost around €10).

‘Detained And Identified A Trio Of Robbers Who Carried Out A ‘Rally’ Of Churches’. Only a little place in the newspaper, but a big story on the news last night and today. Three men were arrested yesterday by Ribeira Brava police suspected of a spate of church robberies over the last few days. They were about to do the same with the church in Tabua very early morning when a police patrol spotted them, catching them after an attempted escape. The problem has been mainly in the north of Madeira, but the police believe they have the men responsible. The ‘getaway’ car was stolen, and had false plates, and was believed to have just been used in another church robbery in Conceição in Ponta do Sol where the donation box and other property was stolen.

‘Xenophobia in Jersey – The Constable of St. Helier says he was "shocked" by the controversy over the Rue de Funchal’. The change of name of a street in St. Helier, Jersey, from James Street to Rue de Funchal, is at the heart of a controversy with "xenophobic" overtones, that has been stirring for a few days in the population centre of the capital of this British island. "The case is serious". Rue de Funchal was named in recognition of the island’s British connection with Portugal, including the important community of Madeiran immigrants. READ MORE
I am quite surprised really. I have never been to Jersey, but I though it was quite upmarket, and even if that is a false impression, perhaps some people forget that the Madeirans go there and take all the c**p minimum wage jobs that the locals won’t do, and that alone should be a reason for gratitude rather than racism.

It was destined for sure, as I made the observation yesterday that Madeira probably didn’t have any ‘live’ Gripe A cases, that within an hour of the posting that 4 new swine flu cases were reported. The 4 new cases are ‘imported’, as were the previous 12. The truth is that I forgot that we have now moved to a weekly reporting system for Gripe A cases, and we will only get  a ‘balance’ in future every Wednesday. Nationally, a big jump yesterday took Portugal over the 400 confirmed cases.

(5th August). According to the Jornal da Madeira, Funchal Central Hospital treated 770 cases of intoxication in 2008. 360 of these were alcohol consumption, 123 were accidental, and 287 were premeditated ingestion of poisons, pills and other toxic substances.

(9th June). ‘Jersey Warns Traffickers From Madeira – The authorities on Jersey came to Funchal to protest and correct the situation with the police to stop the drug traffic from here to there. They are also preparing a campaign to alert about heavy prison sentences’. The advertising campaign warns of heavy penalties of imprisonment for those caught drug trafficking, involves the Jersey Police and Customs, and is aimed at drug dealers from Poland, Madeira, Portugal, and the United Kingdom. The Jersey authorities, with police and other security units, came to Madeira in May to meet their counterparts here to discuss strategies to prevent the problem, which is rife over there because of the high prices that drugs are sold for. Only last August, a Madeiran was sent to prison for 3 years for possession of less than 10 grams of heroin, and another in October for three and a half years, caught with 12 grams of the same drug, brought from Madeira. In one of those cases the prosecution even accepted the defence that the drug was for personal use. What an embarrassment … even I feel embarrassed! That’s one export Madeira doesn’t want, especially to a country that provides work for so many Madeirans, and welcomes them into the community as well. I know it’s just a few idiots spoiling matters for everyone, but can’t they see the potential damage? There are expressions that covers this situation, that have the word nest, backyard, or bed, but as they contain a swear word I will refrain from repeating, oh hang on, how about ‘biting the hand that feeds you’. The equivalent announcement from yesterday (in English of course) is here in the JERSEY EVENING POST

‘Barardo Remembers That He Invested Here Instead Of Favouring Brazil – The businessman is irritated with the delay of the Câmara that holds up the demolition of the Savoy. Among many messages, he says that "talk doesn’t create jobs" ‘. Joe Barardo, the administrator of the group responsible for the Savoy’s plans, believes the plans submitted for demolition are complete, and that Funchal council (CMF) has no real grounds for delaying the matter. In the plans the destruction of the two hotels by implosion is preferred as being quicker and cheaper, but CMF are looking into dismantling as a safer option. Referring to Sunday’s election results, Berardo is "concerned with the dissatisfaction of the Portuguese people" with the political situation, enough to "spread fear also in the business world", and he shows growing concern for the growing support for the Left Block and Communist Parties, and fears for nationalisation. Joe Berardo again emphasized that "investors can not wait that long for the administrative decisions of licensing authorities, because the market position is very complicated". He also refers to the plans to 10 years ago to demolish the site for the Royal Savoy, and said there were no reservations or objections then. I think I must have woken up on a different planet this morning … communism, nationalisation, implosions in busy tourist zones … what has this guy been smoking!

‘Fishing Boat Was In Danger At Open Sea Near São Vicente – 5 crew members were rescued by another boat in the area’. The ‘Encumeada’ was spotted adrift early this morning, with the alarm raised at 5am. The authorities mustered all the resources they could from civil protection and the fire brigade, to rescue the crew members from the boat that was taking on water 3 miles offshore, and even the Merlin helicopter was summoned. But a nearby boat, the ‘Felicidade Rocha’ actually beat them to it and made the rescue, and was in the process of towing the vessel in distress towards Porto Moniz.

‘The Cherry Festival In Jardim da Serra next Sunday’. The regional secretary of the Environment and Natural Resources, Manuel António Correia, will be present next Sunday in the festive ceremonies of another year of the ‘Festa da Cereja’ in Jardim da Serra. The celebrations start on Saturday, at 2pm, with great entertainment, followed on Sunday by a number of initiatives, which include several musical performances, sporting tests, allegorical parade, and a cooking demonstration, among others. The event is organized by the Casa do Povo (House of the People).

An employee of Funchal Council (CMF) was convicted yesterday of ‘diverting’ €46,000, and sentenced to two and a half years imprisonment, suspended for the same period. The case dates back to 3rd July, 2007 when the Funchal Police announced that it had arrested an employee of a council, on suspicion of the crimes of embezzlement and falsifying of documents. The 47 year old woman admitted the charges, apologised, and acknowledged the need to repay the money.

Porto Moniz hoisted its ‘blue flag’ for beach quality this morning.

The residents of different parts of Caniço are dissatisfied with the current postal service, that is being undertaken by a company subcontracted by CTT (Post Office / Mail). The problem is not only in Caniço, but also in other areas of Madeira complaints are being made. Important correspondence such as bank letters, and water, electricity and telephone bills disappear without trace. Even if the victims go to the post office (Correios) to complain of the disappearance of letters, they are poorly served and end up without an answer. If the ‘CTT’ does not solve the problem, and refuses to reveal what it intends to do, the people of Caniçal are considering taking the case to another extreme. Join the club, my postal services went downhill two years ago. I am still waiting for my June TV magazine, which was sent from Portugal two weeks ago.

This from the UK Daily Telegraph today : Cristiano Ronaldo could miss Manchester United’s pre-season training next month, after withdrawing from Portugal’s squad for Wednesday’s friendly against Estonia with a suspected hernia injury. Ronaldo, 24, has returned to his home island of Madeira after complaining of pain in the lower abdomen prior to, and after, Saturday’s World Cup qualifying victory over Albania in Tirana.

‘Nenê Is No Longer Going To Dubai – Nacional and Al Nasr don’t reach agreement on the payment terms. Germany could be the destination for the goal wizard’. Following on from the news yesterday about the €5 million offer from Al Nasr.

(8th June). ‘Giant Fig Fed Five People – It was the result of a graft, and grew to 300 grams’. Found in Caniço, the fruit "seems to have been blessed with divine generosity". This fruit was protected from blackbirds until it split naturally, and then went to provide pudding for a family of five.  Not my area of expertise, but it doesn’t look that miraculous to me. I know a lot of readers here like to discuss fruit, so that’s why I included the story.

There were two political front page stories in the headlines on Thursday, both about as interesting as watching evaporation, but I ought to mention them for completeness.

‘PSD-M Contest News Of The Accounts’. The Secretary General of the Social Democratic Party of Madeira has taken-up his right to reply on matters reported in the Diário, as a result of the findings of an official audit of the accounts of the PSD-M. Firstly there was no illegality, as no sanctions were applied. Then there were points of the audit report that were reported out of context, that should have been part of a bigger story, resulting in distortion and inappropriate conclusions. Then it is said, “The PSD shows all accounts in all material respects, to be produced in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in Portugal”. … There is much much more, but the article finishes …  “With this clarification the truth is restored about the facts that were improperly disclosed to the Madeiran people by the Diário de Notícias of Madeira, and the journalist responsible for the news story”. There is no response from the journalist responsible for the original article, or the Diário, at this point.

‘Deputies Of PS-M Criticise Gouveia – A drop of water is the compromise to the PSD in the case of the vice-presidency of the Legislative Assembly of Madeira : André Escórcio refuses to be a chess piece’. The socialist MPs are disgusted with their leader,João Carlos Gouveia, and the small party is in revolt. The preferred candidate of the socialists was only able to achieve 23 of the 24 votes need to become the third vice-president, and now the leader is accused of conducting party business through the media. The position is a meaningless and symbolic one anyway, and one doesn’t know whether to blame the socialists, in self-imposed turmoil, or the social democrats for withholding agreed votes in their usual undemocratic and arrogant manner. I hope this one goes away soon, as it certainly doesn’t warrant front page coverage.

In another less prominent article, President Jardim has awarded a ‘honorary distinction’ to the Bailiff of Jersey (President of the Assembly / Chief Magistrate). He thanked the Bailiff of the British island, who has given support to Madeirans working on his island, and all the naturals and residents who have given and contributed to such a large number of Portuguese from Madeira, who continue to live there, many with family, and in perfect integration with the society of Jersey. The Bailiff in return thanked the president for the distinction, highlighting the excellent hospitality that has been given to his entourage during his visit to Madeira. Why does Jersey have so much space for Madeirans, anyone know? My guess is that there are not enough people to take the jobs locally, or they won’t accept the menial work, and the Madeirans are prepared to work as cheap labour.