Madeira News Blog

Today’s photo – Many thanks to Becky … Sunrise from Quinta das Vistas last Saturday morning

If you live in the South West of England, and enjoy cruises that takes in Madeira, you will be pleased to know that from December 2010 cruises will be available starting from Falmouth, on the Ocean Countess. MORE

TAP Portugal from 3rd July 2010 to 18th September 2010 is operating 2 weekly flights Funchal – Madrid with a seasonal service using an Airbus A319. In the Summer of 2009, it operated the flight once a week.

The Top 10 Five Star Hotels for under 50 pounds Compiled by trivago.co.uk

Hesperia Fira Suites, Barcelona, Spain
Radisson Blu Centrum Hotel, Warsaw, Poland
Royal Mare, Crete, Greece
Meliá Mare Madeira Resort & Spa, Funchal, Portugal
Bristol Kempinski, Berlin, Germany
Swissôtel Tallinn, Estonia
Hospes Amérigo, Alicante, Spain
Vincci Selección Estrella del Mar, Marbella, Spain
Hotel Excelsior, Dubrovnik, Croatia
Hilton Helsinki Strand, Helsinki, Finland

"Tunisia, Gran Canaria, Kos and Madeira are set to be amongst 2010’s holiday hotspots according to leading package holiday provider, Jet2holidays. These new destinations feature in Jet2holidays brand new Summer 2010 brochure for the very first time, with the tour operator predicting a huge demand for the new destinations as families look to combine value for money with the ultimate holiday experience in 2010. With great value offers available  including ‘kids stay free’ places and £30 per person deposit deals Jet2holidays is doing their best to get UK holidaymakers away for less this year". FULL ARTICLE

The UK Daily Telegraph newspaper has published a guide to finding accommodation in Portugal and the archipelagos HERE. Of course our sponsor Madeira Island Direct will normally be the first point of call.

And the last of today’s web snippets came in from Becky … many thanks :

Batista in exile from Cuba, living in a Madeira hotel (1959)

Blog by Executive Purser of P&O Cruises ARCADIA

It will be an action packed weekend in the Liga Sagres as Braga host Sporting to open the round tonight (RTP 20h45), and Porto travel to Madeira to face Nacional on Saturday (SportTV 17h00). Marítimo make a visit to struggling Leixões on Monday night (SportTV 20h15).

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

DIÁRIO DE NOTÍCIAS 28/01/2010

FRONT PAGE NEWS

CMF allows urbanization of Socorridos. There is strong political pressure by the Social Democrats to pass this plan. This vast area is north of PIZO – Industrial Park of the West Zone, and includes an area where two people were killed in 2008, after reaching the installations of Tâmega. This private firm is used in this development project and own land there. In the PDM (Municipal Plan) of Funchal, the area is classified as urban green zone for recreation and leisure, although it has never been used as such. The Urbanization Plan includes an industrial area, as presently exists, and it could lead to a new residential area being constructed. There is strong political pressure as people in high positions in the PSD have indirect and direct interests. The area around Ribeira dos Socorridos is protected in the PDM as it includes an area for the public water supply and an ecological reserve.

MADEIRA NEWS

Golf threatens bird refuge. The construction of the golf course in Ponta do Pargo might jeopardize the continuity of an Area Important to Birds (IBA) and the habitat of various species. This alert was issued yesterday by SPEA. "The Regional Government starts the destruction of one of the last places of low population on the island, where there are several species of birds," some unique in the world. The start of the construction work coincides with the breeding season and all the nests in that area will be lost. In a previous plan, POTRAM, this area has been defined for agricultural or livestock use and this potential is not allowed to be reduced or destroyed.

International recruitment company in UMa. The company ‘Best Personnel’ specializes in recruiting graduates of Nursing, Dentistry, Mental Health and Pharmaceutical Science for work abroad. In Portugal, nurses have difficulty finding work whereas there are serious shortcomings in countries like Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom. Many nursing graduates want to work in the United Kingdom and it is easy to register with the Board of Nursing and Midwives. They fill in an on-line form then within 10 days receive an application package and submit this with copies of their passport, birth certificate, criminal records check, certificate in nursing and a statement from the Order of Nursing. They then just wait for their registration number. — English language test?

Police identify six for theft and receiving stolen goods. The police collected enough clues from crimes carried out earlier this month in São Roque to arrest six people in Funchal. They arrested two people for theft and retrieved gold jewellery, phones, audio equipment and a replica gun. They then identified a third person who bought stolen items. The police located and retrieved a high-end car (Mercedes-Benz) that had been stolen in Santa Cruz and was to be sold later on a stand. It was returned to the owner and the three individuals responsible were arrested. The six defendants were aged between 25 and 31 years old.

Rubble in place for more than a month. 80 year old Angelina Candida Pereira has difficulty entering or leaving her house. The collapse of part of a supporting boundary wall in Travessa do Papagaio Verde in São Martinho during the December rains is the cause. Other residents in this area have difficulties due to these stones on the pathway. São Martinho Parish Council have been notified and in turn, have informed the land owner and hope the debris will be cleared away soon.

ECONOMY SECTION

New navigation guide. The Transatlantic Crossing Guide will be published in summer 2011. 20 pages are devoted to the marinas, ports, boatyards and harbours of Porto Santo and Madeira. The information was collected by an American, Donald Street, who has met the administrators and visited these areas and on Saturday, will visit Porto Santo. The data will also be used to update nautical charts to be published in January 2011. This American has many publications and works for Lloyd’s of London insurance agency. His visit to the region was supported by Quinta do Lorde and with the co-operation of the Association of Promotion of Madeira.

UPDATES

Transavia launch Madeira-Nantes for 74 Euros. Promotional trips between March 28 and June 30. This fare is for only the outward journey and tickets must be bought before 31 January. This low-cost carrier will fly four times a week between Porto and Madeira at an introductory price of 40 Euros. The trip at the promotional price to Nantes is via Porto.

JORNAL DA MADEIRA

More help for IPS. The Parliamentary Group of the PSD visited the Lar Intergeracional da Santíssima Trindade in Tabua to assess the conditions in the institute which has a capacity for 35 elderly and 19 children. They praised the excellent work and conditions in terms of support services, health services, rehabilitation and integration. The centre will soon have accommodation for four young women to help them become independent. This institute is supported by Ribeira Brava Council and Social Security but still needs private businesses and volunteers to help.

Nymph Fantasies at the Carnival Parade.  The Associação Geringonça has taken this as its theme and has about 160 participants and two floats. The floats will carry mythical figures: sea gods, nymphs and of course, a ‘queen of bateria’. The band will consist of 18 musicians and for the first time, there will be 8 disabled people participating. As in previous years, an original song will be sung, this year by Sofia Relva from the ‘Funchal a Cantar’ competition. The overall carnival theme is Seas and Oceans and the predominant colours will be blue, green, silver, white, orange and pink – colours of the bottom of the sea. Geringonça bought the materials last October and rehearsals began at the beginning of this month. The Carnival Parade is on the evening of 13 February in Funchal. Associação Geringonça has participated the past 23 years and also participates in carnivals in Machico and Câmara de Lobos.

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

Convention to discuss the language brings Soares -  José Eduardo Agualusa is going to take the lead to lecture about Portuguese, in February.

Today’s main news headline : The real debt of the Region is alarming. Madeira : 4.6 billion Euros ; Azores 917 million Euros. Since the pardon of António Guterres, the debt of the Region to the bank shot off into unthinkable numbers. A bank report, that the Regional Government contests, says that we owe five times more than the Azores. Also in a separate article, Portugal’s Finance Minister Teixeira dos Santos says that "the numbers speak for themselves", and that between 2006 and 2009 the direct debt of Madeira doubled. He also pointed out that 10 years ago, Portugal took on Madeira’s existing debt and left us with a clean slate.  The report mentioned is from the bank BPI, so no doubt it has some errors, but it claims that Madeira’s debt equates to 92% of its PIB (Gross Domestic Product). The debt belongs to all elements and levels of government, including the public companies and partnerships. I don’t know why this has suddenly hit the headlines again, as that is nothing new except probably an escalation of the figures. I make that around €18,400 of debt  for every man woman and child living on Madeira, around 3 times the minimum (and most common) wage, and nobody seems the least bit concerned, least of all the politicians in charge. Somebody will have to pay for it sometime, and all the wonders that President Jardim has brought to the island will most certainly still be stinging us long after Uncle Bertie has expired with his reputation almost intact.

Snow slows today ready to increase tomorrow – The weather station sensor of Areeiro broke down and the Observatory is unable to say officially that it snowed. But yesterday the temperature was at zero and there was a white cloak on the serra. The snow fell in the highest zones of Madeira yesterday,  but with the equipment broken it is not possible to say officially whether it is snow or hail up there above 1,500 metres. During the night sub-zero temperatures were registered, that were still there after daybreak. Despite the wind and low temperatures, some enthusiasts were out there making snowmen on top of their cars, as is traditional. And just to prove the point the main front page photo today shows a snowy landscape, though it looks like that fine powdery snow variety.

Jewellers forced to to night rounds – The traders are scared by the wave of robberies and appalled with the lack of police. Already there have been two robberies in downtown Funchal this month, and the owners are scared and doing their own patrols. There is a really surprising fact in this article, but I don’t have time for any more, so it’s over to somebody else I’m afraid.

The main sport / football headline today : Nacional – Porto opens diabolical round – The firstly classified in the League play each other. Yes I know it doesn’t make much sense, but I don’t write it, I just translate. Perhaps someone will delve into the article and clarify matters, but I won’t be holding my breath.

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 Thanks to  Eiryl … another photo of a lava cave in São Vicente

"Madeira: land of the zimmer frame. God’s waiting room, where pensioners sunbathe in their overcoats. Madeira, like the sticky bottle of wine named after it, sweet, old-fashioned, lingering in the back of the cupboard. Why would any youngish person want to spend their winter holiday in a place that shares its name with their granny’s favourite cake?" … "It’s reputation as a haven for the elderly is just not fair". SUNDAY TRIBUNE

"On a visit to that little fishing village [Câmara de Lobos], I stopped off at one of the fisherman’s bars on the right hand side of the bay. One old sea dog there emptied pint glass after pint glass while filling my head with fantastical stories about the island. According to him, there are very short, ancient-looking creatures living here that are not actually human. ODD BUT INTERESTING – THE PEQUENINOS

“Madeira is the seventh destination in the world, after the Douro Valley in Portugal, the City of Mexico and Riviera Maya in Mexico, the Principality of Andorra, Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, and the Eastern Townships in Quebec, Canada, to recognize the value of a measurement system like the SMED and to sign a partnership agreement with the CED. As in these destinations, the Madeiran authorities will set up a working group whose objective will be to implement the recommendations made in the official SMED report” IT’S OFFICIAL … MADEIRA HAS BEEN SMED’ed

Thousands stranded abroad as Scots airline Flyglobespan goes into administration.  SCOTLAND’S biggest airline Flyglobespan collapsed tonight as a last-gasp multi-million pound rescue package failed – leaving hundreds of employees facing the axe and thousands of holidaymakers stranded abroad. Up to 1000 jobs could be lost and all of the company’s plans have been grounded, leaving as many as 10,000 tourists stranded overseas. More than 5000 more holidaymakers face losing Christmas and New Year holidays as a result of the firm going in to voluntary administration. Edinburgh-based Flyglobespan had been trying to secure a s10million cash injection to carry on operating. But talks finally broke down today after three months. Bill Munro of Barrhead Travel, Scotland’s biggest independent travel firm, said: "This is a grim day for the industry and we will do everything we can to help. MORE – DAILY RECORD This was announced last night, and as the airline flies from Edinburgh to Madeira on Mondays, it will be bad news for many.

Elaine (East) kindly sent in another article from the Jornal da Madeira in the Xmas Traditions series :

CHRISTMAS 2009 – Living Christmas with the joy of the presépios

Since the year 1223, when Sao Francisco decided to represent the time and occasion of the birth of Jesus, and celebrate Christmas Eve with his brothers and citizens of Assisi in the forest of Greccio, presepios have been the essence of Christmas throughout the world.

The word presépio means ‘a place where they collect livestock, corral, stable ‘. However, this is also the name given to the artistic representation of the birth of Jesus in a stable. In Madeira and Porto Santo, the presepios always mark the presence of the Christmas season. Made of various materials, they continue to be one of the attractions both in private dwellings, as in churches and more recently in public places. At the time when plastic was not yet part of the everyday life of the population, the presepios and Madeiran lapinhas were constructed from paper, painted with vioxene, the sheets stuck with gum arabic (glue), or maize or flour paste. In early December, the sellers or grocery stores had a large quantity of vioxene, powders of several bright colours and glue that would serve to make the lapinha. After acquiring these products, it was time to get down to work and join the family for the construction of the lapinha. Once the structure was made, which may be of wood, trunks or scallop cane, the paper was put on, painted and before it had time to dry, the powders of various colours were applied, with emphasis on gold and silver.

The shepherds and various images of regional motifs were placed with great care, between the scene of the killing of the pig and the Madeiran arraiais with the representation of the procession, and the philharmonic band in the bandstand. These objects had already been acquired in previous years, or were renewed with purchases from the speciality house in Funchal. To make the streams they used cotton, and the ponds with fish were placed on small mirrors which gave the aspect of bright water. The cardboard templates could also have been purchased ready-made from the sellers or other commercial establishments, or cut out, because they had cardboard sheets with drawings of houses, churches and castles that were used for this purpose. After skillful gluing at the edges, these produced beautiful buildings.

The image of Baby Jesus was placed in the cave, Mary and Joseph were in the centre of the lapinha and they always had the prominent place with the oil lamp that would illuminate the scene during the Christmas season. Vegetation like the typical ‘goatlings’ and moss gave colour to the presépio. Depending on the space in the houses, the presepios were of different sizes and were the cause of admiration by visitors in rooms adorned with cheerful themes, where visitors were offered a glass of liqueur, honey cake or broas. For those who had less space at home, the solution was the ‘rochinha’. With socas made of scallop cane artistically arranged in the form of a pyramid, at the base was left a space for the cave in which to put the images of the Birth of Jesus. The paper that could be extracted from bags of cement, and others, was also painted with vioxene which gave it a brownish tinge, and glued to the socas and then painted with brilliant powders.

At present there are still many people who are faithful to the tradition of the presépio of the ‘old style’, and in many locations competitions are organized for the presepios and lapinhas, showing a lot of creativity.

Many thanks Elaine … I remember translating a story last Christmas on the subject of presépios and lapinhas, which implied that the construction of these was often very much a matter of social status, with the wealthy deliberately spending more money to have bigger and grander exhibits than their less well off neighbours, who they would then invite around to show off their ‘wealth’. The poorer families would often use items of fruit to make their displays more attractive, as well as costing less of course, but would make a lot of effort all the same to ensure that they were not the laughing stock of their village. LINK TO ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Madeira-web has been back to Câmara de Lobos for today’s photo.

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

Speed limit remains at 40 km. In 15 districts on the continent, Portugal has decided to limit the speed to 30 km per hour in some areas. The deputy mayor of Funchal, Bruno Pereira said there is no legal support to implement this change in Madeira. The areas in Funchal where accidents happen most are limited; Estrada Monumental, Camacho de Freitas and Rotunda D. Francisco Santana. Limiting the speed is not the answer, it would be better to utilize traffic lights and pedestrian crossings. "The reality of Funchal is different from a city like Lisbon since due to characteristics of the streets, even if the speed limit is 50 km/h, it is a value difficult to achieve." The Police Commissioner said, "The Region has done much in the area of road safety." Examples are pedestrianization of areas, and other ways to reduce accidents involve education, improvement of roads by lighting and road surfaces, police surveillance and radar monitoring.

Complaint against the BIR. (More details after Der’s headlines yesterday). The father of a 17 year old boy is accusing a member of the BIR (Rapid Intervention Brigade) of assaulting his son in the early hours of Sunday. The Public Ministry is investigation his complaint. "My son and two friends went out at night, as do the young, and were preparing to return home when they were approached by the BIR." He said the three were on the Caminho da Achada at five o’clock in the morning, near the house of one of them, and talking about the possibility of the alleged victim returning to his home by motorbike. "His friends were saying that he’d better take a taxi home because he had been drinking." The BIR arrived and wondered what they were doing there. They asked the boy if he had been drinking and he replied, "What matters if I drank or not?" A member of the BIR slapped him across the face and his friends were advised to run or they would also be hit. He took his son to a private clinic for treatment for a cut lip and marks to the eye and face. The police cannot comment at present while ascertaining the facts for any criminal charges.

Fall of nine metres leaves man seriously ill. A 40 year old man is seriously ill in hospital after an accident yesterday on the fly-over on the highway at São Martinho. The Opel driven by him  was negotiating a curve and went through the safety barriers, ended up falling about ten metres. It is not known what caused the accident but it was raining heavily at the time. In a separate accident, a 50 year old man died immediately after falling only a few metres down the stairs in his apartment block.

Madeira lost tourists and Euros. More about the Oriana being unable to stay yesterday. The port was full with the MSC Fantasia and the Costa Marina, so there was no room for the Oriana to moor. The schedule depends on the order of arrival of the ships, and the owners, P & O, decided that the Oriana would still visit and rely on the lifeboats to ferry passengers to the shore. The ship stayed for a little over an hour for replacement of crew members but then left for Southampton, due to the bad weather. APRAM lost 10,000 Euros in port fees and other services. 22 buses had been hired, 10 as shuttle buses to the city centre and 12 to take 600 tourists to visit various attractions around the island. The failing to land 1,700 tourists had an impact on; Monte, where the ‘carrinhos de cesto’ men were waiting – expecting more than 200 tourists, the cable car, Botanical Gardens, Madeira Wine Cellars, 14 tourists had booked on the whale watching catamaran, others had booked jeep safari trips, and also the shops and cafes. An estimated loss of 30,000 Euros in revenue.

—- Sad photo of Oriana returning to the UK without staying. Yesterday, the complaints highlighted that it was a loss of older UK tourists. They need to find a solution as cruise ships are getting larger and becoming more popular. The port is increasing passenger numbers whereas today there is yet another article about a fall in hotel revenue. Average October room rates were 29.1 Euros, a fall from 35.1 Euros last year, a fall of 15.4% in room revenue and the total income of the hotel industry fell by 13.1%. Occupancy rate in October was 51.4% (57.7% last year) and so far this year, an overall fall of 11% from last year.

Debt varies with the pleasure of the political colour. Government and opposition have very different calculations with regard to the debt of the region.  According to the Socialists and Christian Democrats, the debt by mid – 2010 could reach more than six billion Euros. Whereas Ventura Garces, the Secretary of Planning and Finance and Filipe Ramos, the PSD spokesman, say the debt is less than a third of that value. The Secretary offered to "Teach the opposition to count." Ventura Garcia noted that the direct debt is only 18% GDP and according to Filipe Ramos, the current expenditure has been reduced by 5.2%. The debt will grow by more than 180 million Euros in 2010 to ensure the use of all funds. Garces acknowledged that the unemployment level is presently 13,000  and he will support some companies that will create jobs. Garces said that the State in the last legislature, cut off all possibilities for the Region to borrow. The opposition read the numbers differently. The PS accuse the Government of disguising the total disarray of public accounts. The PS spokesman listed, in a long speech, the various portions of the debt, which already exceeds the value of the regional GDP. "We walked into the abyss which leads to the governance of the PSD." The PCP said that already the Government cannot hide the scale of the financial disaster and that, "The reality shows that Madeira has reached the point of collapse." A BE member alerted the possibility of a new jump in debt because "Madeira would have to invent 500 million," to meet all commitments. The PS reckon the debt is worth 5 billion; direct and indirect debt, debt of public sector business, securitization of credits, operations of PATRIRAM (Ownership and Management of Public Assets), the unpaid burden and operations of Via Litoral and Via Expresso. The reduction of debt authorization from 129 million to 79 million is why, according to Ventura Garces, debt to suppliers remains above 85 million Euros, which will increase in 2010.

Electricity tariff increases by 2.5% in 2010. Around one euro on the average monthly bill of 40 Euros.

Saturday is Market Night in Santa Cruz. Saturday December 19 from 22.00 hours. Fair of Traditional Sweets and Liqueurs produced by the Casas do Povo, between 13 and 20 December from 18.00 to 22.00 in the Praça do Municipio, where the presépio is being constructed. Evening entertainment form 20.00 on the stage erected in the Praça do Municipio. Friday, the entertainment will be traditional Christmas carols. Saturday, dancing to Latin sounds and karaoke. Sunday, the groups from the Casa do Povo de Santa Cruz.

Conventual sweets sold in Rua da Carreira until January 6. ‘Smells and flavours of Christmas to the Kings’ theme. Promoted by Funchal Council, and the Association of Gastronomic Memories. The kiosks selling the conventual sweets close between 19.00 – 20.00 hours. Selling, torroes de Santa Clara, papas-de-anjo, barrigas de freira, sericaias and encharacadas. The Association sells two types of bolo-de-mel (Madeiran honey cake), according to a recipe from the XV – XIX century and one from the XIX – XX century. They differ due to the use of soda. They are also relaunching a sweet called ‘negritos’.

From Martin L & Paul (Paul do Mar), some more news on the Flyglobespan situation :

Airline Takes a Dive – Some news from Scotland that has a Madeiran slant to it and could be worth a space on the blog.

Flyglobespan the Scottish travel agent and airline went into receivership yesterday with all flights being cancelled immediately. They flew to Madeira every Monday direct from Edinburgh and the Madeiran flights were usually fully booked, although in the past few months there were flights with several unsold seats. They have been in operation since 2002 and flew to several destinations in Europe, Canada, Florida, and Egypt. The airline had experienced cash flow problems and was trying to re-negotiate its finances but the deal did not proceed and they were unable to continue in business. It seems a few thousand passengers are stranded at various destinations, and although some them will be covered through the travel agency insurance arrangements, many will be unprotected as they booked the flights direct. Madeira is totally dependent on air traffic for its tourism and this demonstrates the precarious nature of the airline business and although Flyglobespan’s input to Madeiran tourism was probably minimal, it is nevertheless a loss of revenue to the island. Another event that could affect tourism income over Christmas is a threatened strike by British Airways staff across the entire Christmas holiday of 11 days.

You can get more details on the BBC news website. (in the Scottish section for Flyglobespan if you need clarification). BBC LINK

Article title: Flyglobespan, Scotland’s biggest airline has collapsed (Source: BBC News) :

“An operation is under way to fly back to the UK thousands of people left stranded after Flyglobespan, Scotland’s biggest airline, collapsed. Its parent company, Globespan, entered administration on Wednesday, with all flights cancelled and 800 jobs going. About 4,500 passengers are stranded – mostly in Spain, Portugal, Cyprus and Egypt. The Civil Aviation Authority will be repatriating about 1,100.” LINK 

The Labour MP for Edinburgh North Leith Mark Lazarowicz said: “It will potentially be a massive problem to those who have booked their Christmas holidays with the airline, or who are overseas now.” Source including film: STV SCOTLAND

Helpline: Flyglobespan passengers are advised to call a helpline from 10 am on Thursday and visit the website for further information in the meantime (see the link below). The call centre number is 0871 271 9000 for UK calls and +44 141 332 3233 for people calling from Europe.

‘Information for Customers’: official notice on the appointment of joint administrators to the Scottish travel firm, The Globespan Group plc and Alba Ground Handling Ltd including ‘Information for Customers’ FLYGLOBESPAN

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

Debt of €10 million surprises Porto Moniz – The debt increased 84% in 2008.

ANAM in technical insolvency. I have been through the newspaper and can’t find this article, so maybe it is just in the printed edition of the Diário? I will have a look tonight. But ANAM, who operate the airports of Madeira and Porto Santo, have been in a ‘technical insolvency situation’ for eternity, because of the huge debts they have to service through the last airport expansion.

It is Madeira that has more growth in the PIB (GDP). In 1995 Madeira had GDP / PIB growth 11% lower than the national average. In 2008 it was 28% higher.

Charge interest on delayed payments is the answer – Companies fed-up with a government that doesn’t pay on time. Companies that do work for the Madeira government that have not been paid are looking for both settlement, and interest on the outstanding debt relative to the delay in settlement. Madeira, over the last 12 years, has already paid €103 million in interest charges on delayed payments, and that excludes banks and credit institutions. Many of these companies are in financial difficulties, and news of authorisation for the Regional Government to borrow €79 million to pay suppliers (even though a much larger sum was requested and rejected) has left some anxiety in the air, as no one knows who will be at the front of the queue for the €79 m payouts. The ‘shareout’ will save some businesses, but with the total supplier debt standing at around €200 million, others will be left out in the cold. This does not include those on ‘payment arrangements’ (contractual arrangements to spread costs), who don’t know whether the next instalments will be paid or not. The legal recourse to recover such debts are not often used by companies for government debt, as there may be repercussions of course. One person interviewed, from the Association of Commerce and Services, believes that the €79 million will be used exclusively to pay the hundreds of small and medium sized companies.

Today’s main news headline : Justice Police catch Madeiran paedophiles - Suspects were made defendants after a sequence of home searches made on Tuesday throughout Portugal. "Second life" also happens on Madeira. The JP police took part in a national operation on Tuesday to combat paedophilia on the internet. At least two locations in Funchal were searched, but there could have been more. The national operation named ‘Second life’ resulted in the identification of 13 suspects, some of them Madeiran, who have been caught with computers and equipments used to store pornographic material involving children and hence committing criminal acts.

‘Crociere’ already has five ships registered in the ‘Mar’ – The biggest European cruise company opts for Registro Internacional of Madeira.

‘Jig’ and historic thrashing in the hour of farewell – Nacional is the first Madeiran club to score five goals in one game in European competitions. Ruben Micael shone on another perfect night. The final game of the Europa League for Nacional, until then without a win. But, what results lacked in the 5 earlier games, were soon forgotten. Not quite a perfect night as described, as the Austrian opponents actually scored first in the 5 – 1 result. In the other match of Portuguese interest, Sporting lost to a single goal by Hertha Berlim, a result that doesn’t affect Sporting’s guaranteed passage to the next phase of the competition.

Paul (Paul do Mar) has kindly come up with a ‘match report’ :

Nacional blow lightweight Austria away

CD Nacional bid farewell to the UEFA Europa League with their biggest ever European win, thrashing FK Austria Wien 5-1 in Funchal as slack defending consigned the visitors to bottom place in Group L.

From behind
With coach Manuel Machado still too ill to perform his duties, Predrag Jokanović captained Nacional’s sinking ship, but soon had reason to regret stepping into the breach. Schumacher gave Austria the lead on 21 minutes but, from then on, it was all Nacional. Rúben Micael and Mateus gave them the lead by half-time, the former doubling their advantage after the break before Darko Tomašević and Felipe Lopes pumelled the visitors into submission.

Sloppy opening
Nacional started slowly, Leandro Salinas screwing a seemingly unmissable chance woefully wide before a ducking defender allowed Milenko Ačimovič’s cross to come to Schumacher, whose first-time shot arrowed through Rafael Bracali’s legs and in. Then the tide turned. The hosts levelled two minutes later, the unmarked Rúben Micael completing a languid one-two with Mateus by stroking home from inside the box. The latter saw the Austria defence part invitingly again on 33 minutes; his run from midfield met no challenge before he flicked deftly inside the undefended Robert Almer’s right-hand post.

Classy saves
Having been afforded little chance to do so earlier, Almer showed his skills between the posts by pushing Nejc Pečnik’s goalbound downward header on to the crossbar before the interval, and his opposite number proved no less agile as the second half kicked off, with Bracali brilliantly denying Schumacher a second.

Resistance crumbles
Austria then gave up the ghost. A swift break through midfield on 57 minutes saw Rúben Micael breeze through for Nacional’s third, and it was 4-1 four minutes later, Tomašević rising unmarked to head in a sweeping Rúben Micael free-kick. Felipe Lopes made similarly light work of heading Nacional’s fifth from Mateus’ cross.

UEFA report with video – first success in the Europa League group stage

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 Thank you in anticipation.

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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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Today’s Photo Thanks to  Derek … Jardim do Mar coast

A CRUISE PASSENGER’S ASSESSMENT (Prinsendam cruise in November 2009) : "Madeira (Funchal) – Our last stop before the transatlantic journey, this lush island is such a paradise … I was there at the end of November and the sun was shining, many flowers in bloom and everything was just so green. I did the hop on/hop off here too – be sure to get off and wander. This was my favorite port – the sloping mountainside covered in red roofed homes was quite a sight as I made my way up in the cable car … another activity everyone must try. It’s all just so picturesque. I didn’t try the Madeira wine – mistake! The food was good – lovely soft local cheese blended with al dente pasta, a small salad, chocolate mousse pie and wine for only 10 Euro. I also bought a bottle of local port and a nice big bag of local sea salt to take home to friends – such a nice touch. jmk171′s Rating: 5+". Never heard of anyone taking sea salt as a present for friends … won’t break the bank, that’s for sure.

"They originated as purely experimental devices, but small satellites are now taking on a growing number of operational roles alongside their full-sized counterparts. A conference next year will discuss how the evolution of small satellites is spurring a radical increase in data availability and knowledge-based services. The event is the latest in a series covering Small Satellite Systems and Services – the 4S Symposium. Taking place every two years, the 4S Symposium has enjoyed progressively greater international participation since it began in 1992, with 25 nations represented at the 2008 event in Rhodes, Greece. The next 4S Symposium will take place from 31 May to 4 June on the Portuguese island of Madeira". FASCINATING STUFF … WHERE IS THE PLAIN ENGLISH VERSION?

Portugal’s capital city, Lisbon, has, according to the findings of an international study published this week, surpassed London on the ‘World’s Most Expensive Cities’ list regarding the purchasing of common goods, like food. Based on the differences between prices of goods as simple as milk, a coffee or a hamburger, it has been established that all of the afore-mentioned and many other consumables are now more expensive to buy in Lisbon than in London. A study by international price-comparing company PriceRunner International has ranked Lisbon as the 14th most expensive capital city in the world, one place above London, which this year fell one position from 14th to 15th. MORE ON THE PORTUGAL NEWS (thanks to them, and thanks Elaine for the tip-off).

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

Paid night watchmen in Funchal. Funchal Council presented last week a proposal for licensing the legal activity of night watchmen in the city of Funchal. The intention is that from 2010, they can be paid by voluntary contributions from people in areas where they will be working. This activity will start in the city centre and later extended to other areas where their intervention is needed. The night guards will be a link between the population and the PSP. Regulation will allow direct action in areas for trade and tourism and in residential areas. Candidates need to be Portuguese, between the ages of 21 and 65, have compulsory education, be very fit and hold no administrative post. To prevent confusion between their work and the police, the role of the night watchman is to patrol and conduct surveillance in the area for the protection of people and goods. They cannot use a weapon but later may be licensed to use dogs. They will wear a uniform and the only financial support from the Council will be for their training.

Cabo Girão redevelopment. The present redevelopment of the viewpoint at Cabo Girão should take a year and a half to complete (first quarter of 2011), costing over 2 million Euros. There will be a glass floor suspended over the cliff and the entire area renovated to enhance the panoramic view. Until then, there will be limited access, both on foot and by car, especially for the next six months. There will be new pedestrian and vehicle access, landscaping, a tourist information centre, exhibition centre, cafeteria, shops and toilets. The viewpoint itself will extend over the cliff, by a steel structure with a glass floor that accentuates the feeling of height above the sea (580 metres). The cafe will have a terrace suspended above the ravine, where you can enjoy the spectacular scenery that attracts many tourists to one of the finest views of Madeira.

PSP hold aggressor. A man has been identified and detained by the police early this afternoon following a warning by the public that a man was assaulting a taxi driver, and might even have the possession of a firearm. The man who was driving a truck carrying pine wood, placed the truck across the road to block the path of the taxi which had a client inside. The taxi driver was pulled from the car and shaken by the neck and threatened several times. Several motorists and residents witnessed the incident in São Matinho, near Edificio Varzea Park. After the scene, the assailant left the area and the taxi driver whose shirt was completely torn, also left. The police later intercepted and detained the van driver and a machete was found inside but no gun.

New luxury mega-yacht. The Northern Star, one of the most luxurious and modern mega-yachts in the world, anchored today in the Port of Funchal for six hours. Coming from Falmouth, en route to the Caribbean (Antigua), where it will operate for the coming months then return to Europe in late March 2010. Built in Germany in 2009, it became operational in July and ranks 67th on the list of today’s largest yachts, the first position belonging to the imposing Dubai with a length of 162 metres. The Northern Star is 75.6 metres long and 13.5 metres wide, it caters for 12 guests and 22 crew and has a maximum speed of 17 knots.

Mundovip Madeira prepares new destinations for Summer. SATA will continue to be the major partner. The new destinations in next Summer’s schedule are ones that are served by direct flights from Madeira. Negotiations with SATA about more flights to the Canary Islands, one of the main destinations for the past eight years. It might be possible to fly directly to Cabo Verde and better links to Canada.

Orchestra launches Symphonies of Mozart. Four years after accepting an invitation from EMI Classics to record five albums for the commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the birth of Mozart, the OCM launches tomorrow at FNAC five albums of Mozart’s symphonies. Both national and regional soloists were involved and some will be at FNAC tomorrow with the conductor Rui Massena at 15.00. The discs have been on sale since November.

Madeira in Autumn / Winter 2010 catalogue of Pierre Cardin. The French designer has chosen Madeira as background for the catalogue for the Autumn collection. Ponta de Sao Lourenco, Quinta da Eira in Santo da Serra, Paul da Serra, Chão da Ribeira (photo) in Porto Moniz and The Vine Hotel were chosen. He hired a German production team with the well-known Hamilton R. Pereira who is responsible for Fiat Punto, BMW, Jaguar, Zara, Nike, Air France and KLM adverts. They came for a week and brought international models including the English top model Ryan Thomas. Two days were spent at Chão da Ribeira. The photographer taking part, Tim Peterson, covered a top editorial piece in Vanity Fair about Michael Jackson. Pierre Cardin is 87 years old and founded his design house in 1950 and is responsible for unisex pieces, avant-garde and designing for men. One of his most famous ploys was the 1954 ‘bubble dress’. This year, he has been named global ambassador for the UN Organisation for Agriculture and Food.

More companies cancel Christmas gatherings. Restaurants show a 30 – 40% loss in demand since 2008. Due to the credit crisis, many companies are suspending traditional Christmas gatherings. Interview with Jose Brito, the manager of A Lareira in Caniço. In the first quarter of the year there was a drop in tourism, numbers increasing during the summer months but a decrease in customers again since then. Their main business is at the weekend and this Christmas is also looking poor, so far 30% less bookings than last year. Restaurants are traditionally visited at the end of Midnight Mass when families go for soup or hot chocolate. In Machico, the restaurant Escondidinho has 40% less bookings for Christmas lunch and dinner. The Council of Machico has cancelled its reservation there. To try to attract customers, the As Vides in Estreito de Câmara de Lobos is offering a digestive aguardente and the possibility of using a photography service on festival days upon payment for photos. The owner said, "In times of crisis, it’s time to innovate".

PSP pay the bill of the Finance Law. The Regional Command of the PSP is the only one in the country without funding because only in Madeira, the fines levied contribute to the Regional Budget. This limits the operation of the PSP. The Regional and Republic Governments have not decided on who takes the initiative for funding: the Ministry of Internal Affairs or the holder of the source of revenue from fines (Executive of Madeira). The PSP has paid the bill for litigation between the State and the Autonomy, since the Law of Regional Finance was announced with a cut in funds for Madeira. In Ponta do Sol, the Council has financed repairs to the dilapidated local police station and a new one is urgently required. New stations are required in other areas and new police vehicles are also needed.

Offended trader receives compensation. Four individuals who were aggressive towards a trader in Banda d’Alem in Machico three years ago, have been ordered by the Court to pay compensation. They were verbally and physically assaultive against the 53 year old haberdashery owner. The shop owner asked a woman driver not to park on a yellow line outside his premises as it was causing damage to his business. The four from the same family heard later on about the incident and thought he had used insulting terms and entered the shop for an explanation. A conflict occurred and local residents had to assist the shop owner and the police arrived. The aggressors had threatened to "take justice into their own hands" and said the proprietor failed to have the same view for every vehicle that stopped outside his shop, especially when it belonged to a relative. The trader is relieved they have been found guilty, as he has found it psychologically difficult when coming across these four in the street and his 15 year old son refused to attend the school in Funchal where one of the aggressors taught, (two of the four were teachers). The money will be donated to an institution which helps victims of domestic abuse.

Cribs in São Roque and Nun’s Valley. On Friday evening, the large manger at São Roque was inaugurated and can be visited between 15.00 to 22.00. It is at the Associação Cultural do Galeão. The theme is ‘Environment and Traditions’ and includes a wide range of figures typical of the region and religion. Every year a new crib is presented to captivate audiences, especially children. At Nun’s Valley, the Associação Refugio da Freira will present the crib on December 19 in the car park of the Civic Centre. It will  stay until January 17 and can be visited between 09.00 to 20.00. The crib is larger than previous years as the space for it is larger and there will be a raffle on the final day. The Casa do Povo in Ponta do Sol is having a Christmas nativity scene contest for all three parishes in that area. Their large public crib will be inaugurated between December 18 and December 20.

Today’s news headlines from the front page of the Diário de Notícias. Lots of them today! Far too many for one person to manage …

Fishing with losses of €2 million – The earnings and the catches register further decreases in the third quarter. The losses compared to last year have already reached €1.95 million according the the latest report form the National Institute of Statistics. The first 9 months of 2009 have seen revenues fall to €11.9 million. The drop in revenues is partly due to the  reduction in the Madeira catch, with September this year for example registering a 29% lower catch than in 2008. In the first 9 months of this year 957 thousand less kilos of fish have been landed. Tuna fish have been the exception, with 142 more tons caught so far this year.

Today’s main news headline : Debt is going to duplicate – Loans and other means increase by 125% the direct debt of Madeira that, at the end of 2010 will surpass the thousand million Euros. There is a shortage of funds to meet the budget for 2010, and tomorrow the ‘chancellor’ Ventura Garcês has to explain how the government will cope with the situation, the most difficult in recent years. This link to a webpage will enable you to see where the money is going MADEIRA BUDGET 2010 (you will need to enlarge the tables – bottom right corner of Windows Explorer 8).

Budget obliges government to make up €500 million.

Debate gets underway tomorrow in the Legislative Assembly of Madeira and favours monologue of Jardim.

Pregnancy terminations increase 46% in the Region – Single women, aged from 20 to 29, are the group with the most abortions. In the first 10 months of this year there were 210 voluntary pregnancies terminations, compared to 174 in the whole of 2008. Data collected since the new abortion law came into force on 1st January 2008 shows that 58% of the women are single, 36% are married, and 6% were divorced. 40% of the total are aged between 20 and 29, 6% are aged 40 to 49, and 20% are less than 20. The youngest of them all was a 13 year old girl. 16% of the total were foreigners living here. The increase in abortions is reflected nationally, but not nearly to the same extent according to the examples given in the article.

There are increasing numbers of students with scholarships. 1,470 young people receive government support for their further education, and €250,000 has already been spent on support. In the 2008 / 2009 academic year the number of such students was 1,372, and number that has already been exceeded in the current academic year, with a few more already waiting to be added to the list. One reason for the increase is the "global crisis that affects all families and that causes more students to seek this kind of support", says João Costa e Silva, Director of the Office of Education. Those students who study outside of Madeira receive monthly support of €170, and that amount also applies to those students from Porto Santo who come to Madeira for higher education. The total monthly cost to the Madeira government will work out at around €250,000.

Marítimo lose the game and fifth place – Rio Ave effectively impose the first defeat of Mitchel. Today’s rather pointless main front page photo shows some players milling around on the pitch. Marítimo missed a chance to go 4th in the league, and climb above Nacional who lost on Friday night. They lost 0 – 1 at home to Rio Ave yesterday afternoon, the first [league?] defeat under new manager Mitchel van der Gaag.

Jokanovic takes charge of coaching of Nacional.

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 … Thank you in anticipation.

Elaine has very kindly sent in a second contribution today: "Jornal da Madeira is having a series of articles on Madeiran Christmas traditions".

CHRISTMAS 2009 – The tradition of Christmas with the taste of honey – HONEY CAKE

Appeared in the heyday of sugar production in Madeira, honey cake, and through the centuries until today, remains as a symbol of Madeiran cuisine. The tradition dictates that this cake is prepared on December 8, Feast of the Immaculate Conception, which marks the beginning of Christmas in our region.

Although the honey cake is baked in industrial moulds to meet the demands of the business, there are still many people who prefer to do it at home, as with Rita Freitas who from a young age became accustomed to this art that has its secrets, because as she stated "there are many recipes for honey cake and each one has a special feature. What causes it to be tasty and look great are the amount of products that arise and the cooking time."

To make a honey cake at home is a task that requires much effort. It starts the day before the day to prepare the cake, when you buy the bread dough at the bakery in preparation for the baking at home. After a day of "rest" the dough is ready to receive the condiments, warm honey, grated orange or lemon, spices, almonds, walnuts, Cidrão and Madeira wine. Kneading is also a demanding job, as Rita Freitas said, emphasizing that "the person must have some strength in order to be a long time leaning over the bowl to knead, as tradition, but now there are machines that make this service quicker, but never as they did it before. Before then, It seems that the cake was better. But it is with joy knowing that then we will have a honey cake that will please many people."

The next step may be effected only three or four days after mixing, since in this work "we have to cover the dough with a cloth or blanket and let it rise in a warm place at a constant temperature. Then divide the dough into portions of 250, 500 or 750 grams depending on the size of the cakes. Put these portions of dough into round shapes, low and level and well oiled and take to bake in a hot oven, after having decorated the surface with half walnuts or almonds or pieces of Cidrão." When finished, honey cake is ready to be served at home visits of family and friends, or typical gatherings particularly those that are after the Mass do Parto. A lament of our speaker is that "the younger generation is no longer interested in making honey cake at home and thus this tradition will be lost. I still remember the time when in all the houses honey cakes were made and the joy that lived with so many people to help in making this cake. So then it seemed that Christmas was more joyful. But while I can I will continue to make homemade honey cake, not only to maintain the tradition but also that many can enjoy a real Madeiran treat."

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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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