Indolents of Santa Cruz ; PIGS of Europe – have your say ; ITN footage from 1964
Today’s photo – Many thanks to Rita … Topiary display at Palheiro Gardens
Many thanks to Elaine (East) for this web snippet :
Did they have camels here? This is totally worth spending all of Saturday working, and still working at half-past midnight: I’m transcribing the 1825 journal of someone sailing from Scotland to Australia in 1825. The journey takes about four months. It is fascinating and awesome, and at one point there are sharks.
- Santa Cruz, Madeira, in the mid-1820s:
"The natives of Santa Cruz are very indolent, & Greedy as soon as we went on shore they ran after us begging. The dress of the women is very peculiar; they have a blanket that covers the head & hangs down their back & on their head over the blanket is a hat, the same hat as is worn by the men. Camels are very common there instead of draught horses, they carry very heavily burdens on their back; the ass also in Santa Cruz is very plenty & a small kind of horse, there are no Carts there. Oxen are also in great abundance & instead of dragging by the neck they drag by the horns a sort of sledge without wheels, & upon this machine they drag their wine & water; the natives drive the horses & oxen into the sea & swim along with them to wash them." SOURCE
Many thanks to Becky for this video and snippet : Fado "A Júlia Florista" na Ilha da Madeira
Brilliant old ITN programme called ‘Roving Report’ presented by Sandy Gall in January 1964. "Report on the island of Madeira in the Atlantic Ocean which can only be reached by sea. However the sedate traditional way of life is likely to change as the airport under construction is nearly finished." Sadly, ITN archive won’t let you hear the audio of clips 1, 2 and 7 (of 8 clips in total) unless you pay a fee to licence it, but there’s enough here for a very worthwhile watch even if some of it is without sound. Fascinating to see how the island has changed in the last 46 years and strange to think of a time when there was no airport. HERE
"I noticed in today’s (Monday) blog there was a mention about a tsunami from a Canary Island. I was doing some studying the other day about the Lisbon Earth quake in 1755 and there is a small mention about how it affected Madeira as well as many other parts of the world. Thought the link here be of interest" … Pete LISBON EARTHQUAKE
‘PIGS’ – article adapted from BBC articles. Links below.
The BBC wants comments and information from people who live in these countries: Portugal, Ireland, Greece or Spain? “PIGS is a horrible acronym. But this is how the financial markets refer to the troubled and heavily-indebted countries of Europe – Portugal, Ireland, Greece and Spain.(Some analysts use PIIGS to include Italy – Europe’s longstanding biggest debtor.)” The BBC is after answers to these questions:
How bad is the economic situation in your country?
How has it affected you and your family?
What measures have you taken to cope with the economic crisis?
“Greece has dominated the concerns of investors since late last year, when concerns over whether it will be able to pay off the 300bn Euros ($419bn; £259bn) in government debt it currently owes. The euro has been battered over the past month as some even started to fear the break-up of the eurozone.Now the European Union has agreed a deal to rescue Greece – with perhaps other wrecked economies to be helped at a later date.”
Just how bad a situation are the PIGS in, and how does that compare with the UK for example?
GREECE – Economy, in European Union : Thirteenth-largest
Latest GDP figure: -0.3% (Third quarter of 2009) ; Gross debt in 2010, forecast : 125% of GDP ; Gross debt in 2007 : 94.5% of GDP ; Jobless rate : 9.7% ; Population : 11,260,402 Stocks performance in 2010 : -10.5% (to 11 February)
IRELAND – Economy, in European Union : Fifteenth-largest
Latest GDP figure: 0.3% (Third quarter of 2009) ; Gross debt in 2010, forecast : 82.9% of GDP ; Gross debt in 2007 : 25.4% of GDP ; Jobless rate : 13.3% ; Population : 4,450,014 Stocks performance in 2010 : -1.5% (to 11 February)
SPAIN – Economy, in European Union : Fifth-largest
Latest GDP figure : -0.1% (Fourth quarter of 2009) ; Gross debt in 2010, forecast : 66.3% of GDP ; Gross debt in 2007 : 36.2% of GDP ; Jobless rate : 19.5% ; Population : 45,828,172 ; Stocks performance in 2010 : -13% (to 11 February)
PORTUGAL – Economy, in European Union : Seventeenth-largest
Latest GDP figure: 0.9% (Third quarter of 2009) ; Gross debt in 2010, forecast : 84.6% of GDP ; Gross debt in 2007 : 63.6% of GDP ; Jobless rate : 10.4% ; Population : 10,627,250 ; Stocks performance in 2010 : -9.7% (to 11 February)
Portugal – with its high borrowing and sudden reversal in economic fortunes – has been lumped in the same category as its Mediterranean neighbours.
The country has vowed not to leave the eurozone, with its finance minister telling the BBC that it faced "an extraordinary and exceptional situation, due to a major financial and economic crisis without precedent in our recent history".
UNITED KINGDOM – Economy, in European Union : Third-largest
Latest GDP figure: 0.1% (Fourth quarter of 2009) ; Gross debt in 2010, forecast : 80.3% of GDP ; Gross debt in 2007 : 43.8% of GDP ; Jobless rate : 7.8% ; Population : 61,634,599 ; Stocks performance in 2010 : -4.2% (to 11 February)
Although the UK did officially come out of recession in the fourth quarter of 2009 – ending six consecutive quarters of economic decline – the growth was just 0.1%, much less than expected.
The UK government spent £85.5bn last year on bailing out the banks. Now, Chancellor Alistair Darling is predicting a record £178bn of borrowing in the current fiscal year.
With an election this year, Labour and the Conservatives have been sparring over the exact size of spending cuts and many economists have raised concerns that the UK could have its credit rating cut.”
Links: To send your experiences to the BBC click HERE SOURCE
Financial crisis: IMF boss says there’s no reason why the spillover to Portugal or to Spain will take place. "No one knows what’s going to happen tomorrow morning but there’s no reason why the spillover to Portugal or to Spain will take place"
Image: from wikimedia
"there’s no reason" to expect that Spain and Portugal would also need to call for external support, says IMF managing director Dominique Strauss-Kahn Link to BBC article
Many thanks to Elaine once again for yesterday’s top news stories :
DIÁRIO 09/03/2010
FRONT PAGE NEWS
Available for all. "I am available at any hour and any moment, as I always have been and I always am wherever I go." That is the message of the rally driver Bernardo Sousa. Diário asked him if he would be associated with any tourism promotion campaign carried out by the Regional Government. He said that no one has contacted him but he would be willing, not only abroad but also in Portugal. Three days ago, he won the Rally Torrié and soon will be competing in countries where the residents choose to spend their vacations in Madeira. Bernardo is taking part in the World Rally and says Madeira could draw dividends form the media attention. He will be in France, Germany and England and the events will be covered by television, newspapers and the radio. Bernardo will be going next to Jordan in early April. The events are usually covered by 200 journalists and the organization has its own TV channel and radio and their website is visited by many millions of enthusiasts. The photo shows the Flag of Madeira raised on the podium when he was in first position in the Campeonato de Portugal de Ralis de 2010. It was placed on the roof of his Ford S2000, in solidarity with the victims of the storm.
"We make a point not to put debris into the sea." Funchal Council will transfer the storm debris from Praia Formosa to a licensed landfill at Carreiras. Costa Neves, the Councillor for the Environment, said they would not deposit the debris and sludge into the sea, learning from past mistakes. The material is being separated; metal is sent for recycling and the sludge, stones, sand and wood are sent to landfill. The Regional Government was considering dumping the deposits by the Avenida do Mar into the sea. A portion of the landfill is being buried as it contains food from the supermarket in Anadia and other organic substances, which are rotting and affect nearby hotels. The cars damaged by the flood are being sent for scrapping, either to the area previously used for this purpose or to land in Fundoa. The owners have to decide whether to send them for recycling, depending on their insurance. Yesterday, the Armas ferry brought to Funchal a machine to clean the sewerage network, which is full of rubble which has also damaged the pipe work. The machine has been rented for a week at a cost of 20,000 Euros, and can clear the debris, check the pipes for breaks and repair them. It will operate in the Avenida do Mar and Market areas, then go to the outer regions of Santo António, especially to clear the pumping station at Trapiche. It will also be used at the Estação de Tratamento de Águas Residuais do Funchal. The inventory of houses damaged in Santo António is still being finished but roof tiles are being sent to home owners. The council will also assist owners in rebuilding their homes where the land has been assessed to be safe from further landslides. Each case will be individually evaluated and the home owners will also have to financially contribute.
MADEIRA
Marote case opens with exchange of accusations. Two of four accused of embezzlement (the abuse of power and economic participation in business negotiations) were in court yesterday. The ex-vice-president of Funchal Council, Rui Marote, is one of those accused. The Public Ministry has scrutinized the process of providing cleaning supplies to Funchal Council and concluded there had been collusion to promote three companies that supply chemicals to the council. In court, there were the environmental engineer and former head of the Division of the council, and the technical engineer who was the Director of the Department of the Environment. The former head of the Division is accused of using council services to clean a house in Santo da Serra. He replied the work was out-of-hours, unpaid and council products were not used. The former Director of the Department of the Environment said it was standard practice for products to be directly purchased, with a ceiling of 2,500 Euros per requisition. The purchase of only three supplies passed this limit. A warehouse employee told the council there was over-consumption of products by the Division headed by the engineer. The defendant then blocked new acquisitions, so only external ordering was allowed. The stress involved caused his admittance to the Casa de Saúde São João de Deus.
South Africa in solidarity. Casa da Madeira de Joanesburgo, Club Sport Marítimo de Joanesburgo, Red Skins and Madeira Golfe have helped to collect 72,000 rands for Madeira. They used the African NGO (non-government organization) called ‘Gift of the Givers’, which has recently distributed more than 360 million rands in aid throughout 27 countries. In South Africa, it has 20 units which treat 40,000 patients each month. By Saturday, it had received 10 tons of clothing, food, bottled water, baby food, nappies, medicines and other products intended for Madeira. The organization was still busy helping Haiti when it received a phone call informing of what had happened in Madeira. After 48 hours of assessing the situation, the organization decided to appeal for help. The goods should be delivered within three weeks. The Casa Social da Madeira in Pretória has raised 125,000 rands.
Weather forecasting model not implemented for 7 years. The Centre for Geophysical Sciences in Lisbon University proposed to the Institute of Meteorology in 2003, a project for high resolution, more detailed forecasting of weather conditions in the Azores and Madeira, 48 hours in advance. The Institute of Meteorology agreed to participate but only the Azores progressed with the project; Madeira lacking partners. For the weather forecast for Madeira, the Institute uses a European model, which is the best global model but it does not have enough spatial resolution to represent the topography of Madeira sufficiently. To compensate for the island’s physical characteristics, additional regional data is collected from remote radars and satellites. The installation of the high resolution model would cost no more than 100,000 Euros. The diagram shows the model used by the Centre for Geophysics in Lisbon to allow more detailed forecasts, thanks to high resolution orographics (how hills and mountains affect the weather – BBC website).
Cruelty to animals not reported. Few cases of animal cruelty actually reach the authorities. Complaints to the police about mistreatment and neglect are rarely followed up, as it is not practical. Instead of the general public going directly to SPAD (Society for the Protection of Domestic Animals), they only receive complaints through the Regional Directorate of Veterinary Medicine, PSP or GNR. The complaints are not accompanied by documented evidence, such as testimonies, videos or photos, so they cannot prosecute. People are also afraid of complaining because of fear of reprisals. Fines for violence to animals range from 500 Euros to 3,740 Euros or up to 44,890 Euros if the perpetrator is a legal entity (company or institution). Neglect is a punishable crime, alongside irresponsible ownership of dangerous or potentially dangerous animals. Animals which are involved can be seized, with the intention of adoption.
LATEST NEWS
Flower Festival "is already sold out". The Regional Secretary for Tourism said that hotels are largely full, a "good omen" for the tourism industry after the storm of February 20th. Three and four star hotels are almost all fully booked and five star hotels are going that way. But the President of Porto Bay Group, António Trindade, cautions this optimism, saying that high occupation rates are not a reality. If there is too much optimism it could generate a disincentive for agencies to sell Madeira. He said the market is reacting positively to the events of February 20th but there are still many beds to fill.
Museum of Sugar will only reopen within a year. The Museu do Açúcar or "Cidade do Açúcar" in Praça Colombo, one of the most emblematic and important museums in Funchal, requires 300,000 – 400,000 Euros of repair work after the flood of February 20th. DRAC is still at the stage of assessing and costing the damage. The building was damaged and 30% of the exhibits are missing, mainly small items. The only other museum to be affected is the privately owned religious museum, Mary Jane Wilson in Rua do Carmo. Water entered through the front door of the Museu do Açúcar and the collection in the basement was completely flooded. Members of the public and the Instituto dos Museus e da Conservação have volunteered to restore damaged items. It could have been worse because many of the most valuable items are in the Palácio da Ajuda in Lisbon for the exhibition, ‘Obras de Referência dos Museus da Madeira – 500 Anos de História de um Arquipélago’. This exhibition of 300 museum pieces from Madeira, representing 500 years of an archipelago, should have ended on 28th February but is extended to April 6th and the extra ticket returns will go to Madeira.
Caritas has not suspended the request for food aid. Contrary to previous reports, please deliver donations to the charity’s warehouse in Rua do Brasil nºs 76 e 79, not military units. It still requires: food, toiletries, household linen (bedding, towels etc.), crockery, furniture, cooking equipment (cutlery, pans, plates etc.) and help with transporting donations throughout the region.
Quote of the day.
Rui Caetano, PS councillor in Funchal Council. He was to make a complaint against the Regional Government but has decided not to, because of the political partnership with the State after the floods of February 20th. He said, "In the meantime, much water has passed under and over the bridge."
Today’s news headlines from the front page of the Diário de Notícias :
‘ON’ animates the ‘Old Zone’ in July. ON Fusion Art by Porto Bay is from 16th to 18th July, in it’s 3rd edition, with the promise to fill the old zone of Funchal with art. Paintings, photography, crafts, design and multimedia, fashion, dance, street theatre, and more, will be arranged in Largo do Corpo Santo, Rua de Santa Maria, Jardim do Almirante Reis and the Hotel Porto Santa Maria.
Health Service owes €50 million – The pharmaceutical industry and the suppliers of medical equipment equipment demand the defaulted payments.
Today’s main news headline : Support for new cars – the state and Madeira promise help to those that lost their cars in the latest storm : 4 thousand Euros for the scrapping, and access to a line of credit, to a global value of €10 million. Must be great news for car owners, especially those who didn’t have the right insurance to cover their losses, and yet another show of cooperation between the two levels of government. The government of Portugal having just agreed a very tight budget, with plenty of cuts and restrictions, must be living a nightmare with what is happening on Madeira and the eventual cost, but must flow with the tide of solidarity that has swept the country,. Let’s be honest here … they are damned if they do, and damned if they don’t.
Social Security boosts grants for the funerals of minors.
Suspicions oblige searches in Ribeira Brava and Curral das Freiras.
"It was promised that there will be special solutions for special situations". The Prime Minister assured Ventura Garcês, who will "attend to the situation in the Region". The Government of the Republic signed the order on Wednesday to form the Joint Committee for surveying the damage caused by the storm.
Inert materials [sand, stone, etc.] from the storm help out in the marina of Lugar de Baixo. €40 million would be needed, a sum that the government will now save, putting to use the materials brought down by the water torrents. The problem of Lugar de Baixo marina may finally be resolved, as some creative thinking from the authorities and technical bods came up with the plan to dump deposit the sand, dirt, stones, and garbage accumulated from Serra d’Água through to Ribeira Brava, and also Tabua river, to form part of a frontal protection. Two problems solved in one go, what great news … or is it?
Ministry of Defence will invest in military communications in Madeira – The current system revealed flaws during the storms on 20 February. Augusto Santos Silva guarantees that the system will be corrected.
The main sports headline today : Parents disgrace youth andebol [handball]. Apparently at a game in Funchal on Sunday, the kids did OK, ending up with a drawn match, but some of the parents disgraced themselves with verbal abuse and threatening behaviour to opposition players and supporters (parents). I wonder why parents think it acceptable to behave so badly? Nothing to do with professional footballers surely, hefty pay cheques, spoiled brats, get away with murder. Of course there are some good and honest ones as well …
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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Santa Cruz Carnival Parade has less troupes due to lack of financial support. There will be three troupes and 200 participants, fewer than in previous years, due to a lack of financial support from the local Casa do Povo. Two of the three missing troupes are ‘Malta do Furor’ and ‘Amoreiras’. The director of Malta do Furor explained that they will participate at Gaula but the costumes and floats are expensive to make. Santa Cruz Council indirectly supports the Carnival Parade by financing the Caso do Povo who always organize it. The Caso do Povo have financial limitations but still provide six buses and a meal after the parade. There will still be 500 participants on Sunday.
Porto Santo Line keeps prices the same. Porto Santo Line run the maritime ferry, ‘Lobo Marinho’, between Madeira and Porto Santo. They will not increase prices this year, in a bid to attract customers. Turnover (cargo) fell 14% last year although the number of passengers increased by 3% to reach 361,275. The drop in business meant a loss of 1 million Euros in turnover. In four years, the cost of travel to Porto Santo has increased a little over 2% and the price for residents is kept uniform throughout the year. The winter season (October to March) is 19.9% cheaper and 40% of passengers travel then. Resident rates are 38.3% below the average ticket price but they are not publicly subsidized, unlike in the Azores. Porto Santo Line are exempt from port charges to compensate for the reduction for residents. A fuel surcharge was not added last year following a drop in fuel prices. Porto Santo Line promotes packages – travel plus hotel, groups of two or four passengers in a car – which can drop the ticket price by 20 – 50% during the winter season, and summer discounts are smaller, 3 – 10%.
Debt of Madeira Palace is 7.5 million. The Hilton and Sheraton hotel chains are in discussion about the management of the construction of the Madeira Palace hotel. The work stopped for several months last year. The construction company has 50 employees on the site but is having a problem due to the developer owing them 7.5 million Euros. The construction company cannot carry out any more work and the licenses expire in March, but should be easily renewable.
Fábrica dos Sonhos and Geringonça in Machico. Geringonça has been invited to open the Carnival Parade in Machico on Sunday at 15.00. Fábrica dos Sonhos (Factory of Dreams) will be the final act. This will be the tenth time Geringonça has taken part in Machico Carnival. Local schools and youth organizations will participate along with the Municipal Band of Machico.
People power stops advance of the machines – Yesterday morning was one of tension in Madalena [do Mar]. Despite of the police presence, the exit construction works from the tunnel didn’t get started. There is a thought provoking picture of an elderly lady, armed with an umbrella, ‘getting booked’ by the village bobby. Both Elaine and I have both given this story plenty of coverage, so not much more to add really.
Machico continues in commotion – Whilst the chamber of commerce ACIM mobilises the ‘troops’ against the Chinese megastore, Jorge Sá, who invested €15 million for just 1,500 square meters in the Hiper Sã supermarket, warns : "They are going to explode the trade of Machico". The president of the council says : It is the law that decides. The first boxes are already being unloaded as the picture shows. The ACIM says that there are two Chinese ‘Grande Bazares’ being opened in Machico, and the president of ACIM is preparing three initiatives that will develop over the next few days. A difficult situation, but Jorge Sã for one should keep his hypocritical views to himself, as how many businesses did he close when he opened his supermarket in Machico (and the rest of the island for that matter). Only one way to beat these things, and that is to compete, but these traders and local businessmen seem to think that they can cherry pick and enjoy the parts of European legislation that suit them, and ditch the rest. Would there be the same rumpus if it was a Madeiran entrepreneur importing and selling these good in a superstore? Anyway, I feel the fears will be unfounded, as they won’t be as cheap as people expect, the quality will often be dubious, and the people of Machico will ultimately decide who lives and who dies.
Illegal landfill born in Campanário – The site is close to houses and has no authorisation. The council of Ribeira Brava says that is is for agricultural purposes; The Forestry authorities talk of a car park. 
Warnings of ‘Danger of Death’ surround park dos Lamaceiros – It is a leisure zone with a well discovered and a transmission antennae nearby. Until today nothing bad has happened, but those responsible admit to expanding the precautions. Refreshing change in this world for something to be done before someone gets hurt or killed … wonder what brought that on? 
Renovations and surveys for the two rescue boats ‘Arun’ cost almost 200,000 Euros. These two boats were acquired from England in 2003 and for the past six years have been in dry dock. This has cost SANAS 198,600 Euros, more than double the purchase price of 82,300 Euros. The law forced the name of the boat which is now operational to be changed to ‘Saviour of the Sea’. The boats had to be remodelled, bilge pumps and more batteries fitted, the communications systems changed from English to Portuguese, video surveillance systems installed and all documents had to be translated into Portuguese.
Publifunchal bring mobile advertising to Madeira. Four ‘Vespas’, bikes with advertising placards on trailers, were in evidence in Funchal yesterday. There will also be people walking around with advertising placards on their backs. Also expect advertising cards placed in car windscreens. This has arisen to help businesses in the time of economic crisis. It is due to a partnership between the firms Publifunchal and WON.
