Madeira News Blog

(9th September). Today’s main news headline, and photo, showing an officer having an award pinned on him (or her?) : ‘More Commendations In The PSP – The distinctions, many of them "pointless", quadrupled in the last four years. The changes in the leadership of the Regional Police Command explains the abundance of ‘rewards’. The sub headline reads : ‘Pointless distinctions make Madeira the ‘El Dorado’ of distinctions’, a comment made by the trade union for police officers, who say the statistics are unparalleled elsewhere in Portugal. One explanation given is that outgoing police commanders hand out commendations like ‘tips’, and usually they change every 3 years, but there were two changes in 6 months. In just the first 4 months of this year, the number of commendations in recognition of "high technical competence", is pretty much the same as for the whole of 2008. The distinctions are intended to recognise police officers "who have committed deeds of extraordinary courage or exceptional dedication in the defence of persons, or property, or assets, risking their own life" and those that demonstrate in their career "an elevated level of technical and professional competence", and those having "elevated abilities of leadership or command", or who have provided "relevant service that contribute to the prestige of the PSP and the country", according to the police statute that governs the matter. The commendations count in career progress. I think that’s a bit mean spirited to refer to distinctions as ‘pointless’, after all they are recognition of a job well done somewhere, and now some officers must be thinking now it was all just talk. Anyway the whole crime and public order scene here has changed an awful lot in 4 years, so the numbers of commendations alone, as shown on the chart, don’t mean much without knowing what the awards were for. When I was in the boy scouts, they handed out merit badges like sweets, but they still meant something even though the chances were that everyone else had the same, or would have soon. You even had to sew them on yourself in those days, but I bet these days they are self adhesive, or laser impregnated, or something easy. I don’t remember ever getting a badge for sewing though?

‘Jellyfish Oblige SANAS To Double Assistance – 60 bathers were stung in just one day in Calheta’. Jellyfish have proved this summer to be the main headache for the lifeguards of SANAS, and there has been no year like it for at least the last ten years, with so many cases. With this Summer still underway, already there are 2099 cases of assistance recorded, compared to 1003 for the same period in 2008, with jellyfish being a major contributor to the difference, instead of minor cuts and falls as normal. An analysis of the numbers show that women have been more vulnerable to jellyfish stings than men, and also younger people and children tended to be more likely victims. Funchal of course had the most call for the recorded lifeguard assistance (43%), followed by Calheta (11%), Reis Magos (7.4%) and Ribeira Brava (7%). Most of the assistance given was in the sea (57.1%), followed by in swimming pools (20.3%), and the rest were categorised as ‘other’ which includes problems encountered on the beach. Three cases involved resuscitation associated with drowning (all successfully executed), whilst drowning without loss of consciousness occurred 9 times. 23 rescues were undertaken for cases of exhaustion. A spokesman for SANAS said "We’re not on the beaches to take care of children", and urged parents and family not to delegate this responsibility to lifeguards, so they can be stretched out on their towels sunbathing.

‘Europe Gave 926 Thousand Euros For A Card That Doesn’t Exist – ACS received funds for the project that never got off the drawing board’. Lino Abreu presented (with pomp and circumstance), in December 2004, an innovative project of the Association of Trade and Services (ACS), called the ‘Cartão das Ilhas Atlânticas’, which was a customer loyalty card useable on the islands of Macaronesia. At a press conference in January 2005, Abreu announced that the new card would be distributed with 15 days, with a computer software programme accessible in the Canaries, Madeira and the Azores, to manage the ‘loyalty awards’. However, the project that received €926,224 in European funds never moved of the paper it was written on because of technical difficulties attributed as "the fault of the Spanish", but the Chamber of Commerce and Services continued to receive payments from the EU. The project may still be implemented, although the Diário is of the opinion that the period permitted has now been exceeded.

‘Two More Cases Of Gripe A – Madeira has now had 35 confirmed cases’. That’s two new confirmed cases in the week until Sunday. Nearly all the cases so far are imported, mostly from the UK, Canary Islands, and Venezuela.

Today’s front page sports headlines : ‘Field Without Official Measurements Cost One Million – The synthetic pitch at Paul do Mar is 5 metres short’. The renovated football facility (it is certainly not a stadium), now has a synthetic pitch, and is due to be inaugurated on Sunday. However, one small problem, it is ‘prohibited’ from being able to host games under the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF), despite the €1.1 million investment, because it is only 59 metres wide, 5 metres short of the minimum imposed by new rules, introduced by the FPF in June, for international games. All is not lost however, as the pitch may be suitable to host other games, and that possibility is being looked in to. Paul do Mar is not the only victim of the new FPF rule, as a pitch in Calheta is also affected, and after the end of this season will also fall foul of the rule. The Regional Secretary behind the project, justified the situation, claiming that "the (€1.1m) improvement was made in view of the room that was available, and it is sufficient for regional events, and that Calheta already has other facilities that could host international matches". The field size "corresponds to the regional regulatory requirements", he said.

Also : ‘Only A Victory Will Allow The Luso Dream’. Referring to tonight’s World Cup Football Qualifier of course, Hungary v Portugal. Live on TVI, channel 4, at 7.45 pm.

Also : ‘Unprecedented : Marítimo Plays Sunday Morning’. Keen not to lose SportTV coverage, (and presumably the money involved?), Marítimo and Sporting Braga have agreed to bring forward their game, originally scheduled for Monday night, to Sunday morning (11.15 am). The situation is due somewhat by a problem with the floodlights at the Barreiros ground in Funchal. We will all still be in church then, won’t we?

UPDATES :

‘Council Approves An Additional Storey On The Atelier Melim Building’. The project situated on the Estrada Monumental, in the heart of tourist Funchal, is next to the Hotel CS. I think that takes it from 6 to 7 levels, but I am not 100% sure of the exact format or structure. The building licence was issued in August 2008 for the construction of the commercial centre and tourism apartments.

‘Renewal Of Walks Of Pico Ready In Less Than A Year – The council estimate that €1 million will be needed for the redevelopment of the area surrounding the Fortaleza (fortress) of Pico’. The project will start in November to improve the zone, which has suffered as a result of a large increase in population and ‘urban interventions’. To regenerate the site, Funchal council have acquired the entire surrounding area, amounting to 6,700 square metres. The new look site will include an ‘urban park’, a children’s play ground, a ‘green’ space with leisure features, view points, and a rich botanic feel, serving the local population. Some building refurbishment is also included in the project, which is expected to take up to one year to complete.

11 people were caught walking on the via rápida last week (Ribeira Brava – Caniçal). They were removed, along with 6 animals, 27 largish objects. 10 car accidents and 68 breakdowns were also dealt with.

The Association of Portuguese Insurance Companies has said that it would be "highly irresponsible" to cover claims arising from Gripe A swine flu against health insurance policies, and that doing so could lead to bankruptcy for some insurers. According to the association, APS, no insurance company "can measure the risk of an epidemic or pandemic, nor as to its frequency, nor as to its extent, nor as to its cost", and hence such occurrences are excluded from policies. 

(6th September). Today’s main news headline : ‘Cattle In Extinction – Of the number of cows that existed on Madeira 20 years ago, only 20% remain’. The article refers to cattle of regional origin, and in 2007 the livestock count was just 2,500. The regional livestock sector is in danger of disappearing due to declining interest in raising livestock, and the new rules imposed by the government and the European Union. Today we can even say that the regional cattle stock moves towards extinction. Proof of this is the drastic reduction of livestock that occurred in the last two decades, which has further worsened in recent years. In 1986 Madeira had over 11,500 cattle, and that has reduced by around 80% since then. According to a managing partner of the largest importer of live cattle in the region, the reduction is mainly linked to the "lack of interest among farmers" and "lack of information" and "bureaucracy surrounding the raising of animals." A situation he stresses that "is getting worse, and the way this is going, in 10 years there will be no cows left. Less significant, but no less disturbing was the reduction in the import of animals for fattening and slaughter. In this particular case, says Manuel Gaston, "there was a drop between 30 to 35% compared to two years ago". The reasons are mostly related to the national and international crisis. "This is more about the economic situation. The civil construction has slowed, there is less work, wages are low and, obviously people opt for other meats like chicken and pork, which have been very cheap", he said. The situation does not just affect cattle, with livestock declining also for pigs, down from 26,500 in 1986 to 13,300 now. The number of sheep has also reduced in that period from 12,996, to 2,699 at the end of 2007, but that statistic is closely linked to the decision by the regional government to remove sheep from the mountains and countryside, which led to many farmers abandoning this activity.

‘More Support – The crisis obliges the Social Security to expand its budgets for the institutes of solidarity’. The Social Security Centre Madeira (CSSM) gave €6.1 million to Private Institutions of Social Solidarity (IPSS) and other non-profit institutions of social support during the first half of 2009. Compared to the same period last year that was €300,000 more, with the number of support organisations increasing from 57 to 58. The biggest beneficiary was the Centro Social e Paroquial de São Bento, which received over €947,000, followed by the Centro Social Paroquial de Santo António with nearly €700,000, the Santa Casa da Misericórdia da Calheta with €512,000, and the Centro Social e Paroquial da Santíssima Trindade da Tabua with €437,000. The president of the Board of CSSM, Bernadette Vieira, said that this increase is a reflection "of investments that have been made in the areas that benefit senior citizens and children", and  stresses, that needs tends to increase, not only due to the emergence of new institutions of support and social solidarity, but also due to some serious social problems arising from the economic crisis.

Most of today’s front page is taken up with a photo of Cristiano Ronaldo with that agonising look he specialises in when he misses a scoring chance : ‘The Cursed Lack Of Aim – Liedson makes his debut with a goal but Portugal didn’t go beyond the draw (1 – 1) in Denmark. Faced with the triumph of Sweden in Hungary, our team fell to 4th place in the group and now has to rely on the others to enable it’s arrival at the World Cup’. It was just one of those games, when Denmark had just one shot on goal and scored, and Portugal had 15 at the last count and scored once. The referee was taking a bit of stick on the TV news this morning too, for not giving a pretty obvious penalty. With 3 games left against Hungary (x 2) and Malta, Portugal now need Sweden to slip up to have any hope of a play-off position.

‘Paul Loses Fishermen – The land of ‘sea captains’ awaits the construction of a fish market and for a civic centre’. Another headline : "Some Work The Land, Others Work The Sea" – Paul do Mar marked by emigration’. With 20 years Carlos Ferreira swapped Paul do Mar for Panama four years ago. Since then he has travelled around several Latin American countries on board tuna fishing vessels. The story of Carlos is no different from most of the inhabitants of Paul do Mar, a neighbourhood marked by emigration where "some work the land, others work the sea", explains Maria Fernandes, who at 64 years has also been an emigrant in South Africa. Australia, Panama, Samoa, Venezuela and England are other destinations for ‘pauleiros’. It is in the sea that the majority seek a living and better conditions in life. "It is very worthwhile," says Carlos Ferreira, who has no regrets having spent so much of his life at sea. "You earn a lot of money," he stresses. But in this "corner of heaven" not everything runs to form. There is still much to be done. The population welcomes the progress in the work on the Civic Centre, but complains about the lack of employment, and the health centre, for failing to offer a permanent service. It looks like the Diário series ‘Through Madeira’ is back. Marked by emigration it may be, but also marked by strewn concrete blocks like much of our coastline I see from the photo.

UPDATES :

‘Five Thousand In Grape Harvest Festival’. An estimated 5,000 people, including many tourists, went to Estreito de Câmara de Lobos yesterday morning to see the 32nd Festa das Vindimas. The Diário observed that the festival goers snubbed the risks of Gripe A swine flu, passing around drinking classes from person to person, a high-risk behaviour. One visitor was dazzled by the party and with the island, saying "It’s very beautiful. I’m really enjoying it. Madeira is beautiful". Herminia Lopez, a Luso-Venezuelan visiting Madeira for the first time praised the festival, "I loved it. It is very interesting". The regional secretary for tourism said that the wine festivals are well consolidated as tourism events, a fact proved by the 75% hotel occupancy, but she still aiming to improve on that. Grape production this year is expected to fall short of that achieved last year, and the harvest is also delayed as a result of weather conditions.
The photo is from Estreito de Câmara de Lobos yesterday.

‘Families should make contingency plans – The Director-General of Health states that each one must have their own procedures’. "We are informing all the Portuguese that the principal contingency plans are those of families", he said, referring of course to Gripe A swine flu. He also said that the obese, asthmatics, diabetics and those who have chronic problems, should consult their doctors beforehand to prepare protocols and procedures, to work to in the event of contracting Gripe A. "We are not at great risk, but it may be in the Autumn or Winter that this will happen" he added, stressing that at that time, "everyone should know what to do". The President of the Board of Health and Social Affairs, Maurício Melim, also present at the awareness initiative, said that the regional authorities will continue to invest in a plan of prevention, with particular attention for children, pregnant women, and the chronically ill.

‘Dog Show With More Breeds – The Lido Gardens filled yesterday afternoon and the appeal of the organisation was heard’. 65 dogs were entered and judged in several categories. The organiser took the opportunity to appeal to people not to abandon dogs, and to ensure that they were sterilised. There is a slideshow HERE with more photographs.

The International Wine Challenge (IWC) in London came to distinguish one wine made in Madeira as being the best in its category. The award for the best dessert(?) wine in the world was given to Verdelho 10 Old Reserve produced by Vinhos Barbeito. The election of a Madeira wine as the best liqueur(?) in the world is of great importance, since Madeira will increase its exports when the quality of its wine is recognized in such a way. Two other Madeira wines were also awarded at the event last week. Henriques & Henriques won a medal with a Malmsey of 2001, and also a Bual Colheita 1993 was among the winners. (It’s a bit tricky translating wine terminology, so a bit of guesswork was involved … just in case anyone was thinking of going out to buy a bottle of one of those mentioned).

The last of the front page stories today : ‘Parties Repetitive – There are places and entities, almost always the same, that are tempting for the parties in campaign times’. Bit of a pointless article really, but here goes. The political parties always target the same institutions when on the election campaign trail. Some institutions refuse to get involved. Favourites are Funchal Central Hospital and the regions health centres, to highlight a lack of conditions, Madeira Education Centre, the Farmers Market in Funchal, to get nice colourful pictures, and Madeira Free Zone. Visits to the regional command centre of the police, to highlight security issues, and the employment office of course, are also popular. The PSD social democrats particularly like to associate themselves with the church, and charities are also popular. In terms of a good backdrop for TV interviews, Pico dos Barcelos is popular, being a good spot with a panoramic view over Funchal.

"Absolute Majorites Always Abuse" – To inaugurate in election times is a sign of a lack of democratic maturity’. Those were some of the messages from Paulo Portas, national leader of the CDS Christian Democrats, on Madeira yesterday for the party political rally in Prazeres. The party has a slight chance of a seat in the Assembly of the Republic, if all goes really well. Portas referred to two politicians in his criticism, José Sócrates and Alberto João Jardim, saying that in absolute majorities "they transform the power into abuse". We all know that inaugurations at election time are a speciality of president Jardim, to win votes, but this year prime minister Sócrates is being accused of copying Jardim by doing much the same thing. Not quite on the same scale, as Jardim does two a day, and Sócrates just one. 

(18th July). ‘Tripe of Aveiro’ gets its own space. "The real taste of Aveiro" is gaining market strength, and now has it’s own kiosk in the Centro Comercial Anadia in Funchal. After a year of tests, the sweet tripes with secret recipes went on sale on 2nd July, and is proving a success. Not even the employees know the recipes that make these animal stomachs so delicious. Amongst the flavours are chocolate, passion fruit, and strawberry, or they can be filled with ice cream or soft sweet(?) eggs.

‘Fatal Accident In Paul do Mar – A man died following a skid and the car turning over’. The third road death on the island this week happened at 7.40 am this morning in the tunnel going from Jardim do Mar. The 32 year old man was found in cardiac arrest and died later on in Calheta Health Centre.

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‘Bernardo Martins Rejects Candidature – The MP and former president of Machico Câmara already said to the local PS that he declined the invitation’. The socialists were banking on Bernardo to stand in the elections in Machico, but he refused at the last minute, highlighting more problems in the leadership of the party. He says he "does not feel prepared for a new political battle" and is said to feel a lack of support within his party, which may indicate is he preparing to quit his active political life.

‘Jerónimo And Portas Are The Only Certainties – Nacional party leaders want to include Madeira on their campaign trails’. With two elections in September and October, most of the leaders of the political parties want to cover all of Portugal, but normally Madeira is a secondary objective for most, but this year the six representatives in the Republic could make all the difference in what is seen to be a close battle. So far only the leaders of the PCP  and CDS-PP have confirmed they will be coming here for the official campaigns which start next month. However Manuela Ferreira Leite, leader of the PSD social democrats will be on Madeira at the end of this month (26th). She will speak at the festival (rally) in Chão da Lagoa which serves as the starting point for the PSD-M campaign.  Efforts are also being stepped up to bring Prime Minister José Sócrates to the Fonte do Bispo festival (rally) next month, the equivalent event for the socialists as Chão da Lagoa.

The environmental agency Quercus is not going to accept the decision to close the file on the inquiry into planning consent for the development at Quinta do Lorde (see Friday), and plans to appeal directly to the Procurador Geral da República (Attorney General’s Office). Quercus is very unhappy that it took so long to review the case, and still insists that the construction violates laws aimed at protecting the site from development.

Looking through the political section of the Diário has become a real chore recently, with election fever rife in the media if not in the population. It seems that normal political life has already gone out of the window, with just about every story containing the word ‘candidate’ or ‘election’. It probably seems worse than it actually is, as the other news is suffering a Summer shrinkage, which maybe is a natural phenomenon, or more likely is because reporters and newspaper staff are on holiday. Anyway, my point is that the names in the local articles probably don’t mean a thing to most readers, and the policies and manifestos are even more meaningless when all the political parties except one have absolutely no hope of coming to power. The Machico story above is a good example, but as it was on the front page of today’s newspaper, I included it. Anyway, bear with me, as I will continue to check the section each day, but will have less to report given the situation I have explained.