Madeira News Blog

Today’s photo – Many thanks to Bird … "A nightmare alligator-giraffe hybrid monster machine is devouring the Savoy Hotel!"

Thanks a lot to Paul for the following contributions : 

Portugal: global clean-tech leader! The country has a population of 10 million people and covers a land area of 92,345 sq km. As the sunniest spot in Europe, with a long coastline and abundant wind, the country intends to take advantage of what nature has given it, and establish itself as a global clean-tech leader.

Strategy: Portugal expects to generate 31 per cent of all its energy from clean sources by 2020. The country already exceeds its 2010 renewable energy targets. Portugal’s renewable energy plans include the world’s largest wind, wave and solar energy facilities.

The world’s first commercial wave farm became operational in 2008. This facility will provide only a modest amount of electricity to the grid, but, Portugal has set an ambitious generation target of 550MW by 2020. Backed by significant government incentives, the wave energy sector in Portugal is poised to take off.

World’s largest solar power farm in Portugal? The solar sector also benefits from similar support. The world’s largest photovoltaic solar power farm is currently being built in eastern Portugal. The facility, capable of generating enough power for 30 000 homes, represents a play by the country to become a global leader in solar technology.

Photo : Solar power plant (Serpa, Portugal)

The article includes:

-measures taken to stimulate the uptake of renewable energy sources

-Transport Sector targets and measures

-Residential and Services sectors targets and measures

-Industry targets and measures

-Public sector targets and measures:

-Information and communication measures:

-Fiscal measures.

-Financial measures and incentives:

As part of the Action Plan, in September 2008 the Portuguese government began distributing 5 free high-efficiency light bulbs to each of the poorest 13 per cent of households in the country. Link to full article with other links

PUPILS of St John’s Primary School have unveiled a lasting tribute to a fellow pupil who died in a tragic shooting accident while on holiday last year. João Calaça-Sousa (8) died from massive blood loss last November after accidentally shooting himself while playing at his aunt’s house in Venezuela. JERSEY PRESS

Many thanks to Elaine for these two links :

Portugal shows the way on high seas protected areas.  Madeira – WWF today praised Portuguese authorities for announcing the establishment of four marine protected areas on the extended continental shelves of the Azores as well as mainland Portugal. ARTICLE HERE         AND MORE DETAILS

Storming weekend for MML Sports cars. This weekend saw a pair of excellent results for drivers at the wheel of MML Sports Mitsubishi rally cars. António Nunes narrowly missed out on the Group N class victory on Rally Porto Santo Line, the first round of the Madeira Rally Championship while David Westenbrink claimed fifth in his first outing in the Lancer WRCar on the Tank-S rally, round two of the Dutch series. HERE

Shalk, who lives in South Africa, dropped me a line to say : "A lesson in how to get around in Madeira! You have to go up to go down and you have to go down to go up! You have to go right to go left; you have to go left to go right. You have to go around to go straight and you have to go straight to go around. You have to drive right to be right, but if you drive left you wrong. You have to forward to go backwards and you have to go backwards to go forward". Thanks Shalk, I think I will take the weekend to digest that one. Der.

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

DIÁRIO 26/03/2010

FRONT PAGE NEWS

5.4% increase in crime. Nationally, there was 1.2% less crime in 2009 than 2008 but in Madeira, it increased by 5.4%. There are 30 – 40 reported crimes per 1,000 inhabitants. The ratio of violent and serious crimes was 1 – 2 per 1,000 inhabitants, or 294. This put Madeira in the top ten of the eighteen administrative districts, the most violent area being Lisbon with a ratio of 4 crimes per 1,000 residents. In the category of crimes against the person, which includes bodily harm, threat or coercion, Madeira was above the national average with an increase of 34.43% compared to 23.32% nationally. Crimes against life in society, including driving under the influence of alcohol, forgery and passing counterfeit currency, 16.41% increase versus a national average of 12.54%. Changes in the prevalence of some other crimes were below the national average. Domestic violence increased by 8.4% compared to 10% on the mainland.

"We are forgotten for hours." On the National Day of the User of the Health Service, Diário questioned the quality of the service. Patients complained of delays and lack of vacancies for consultations. There is a shortage of family doctors in Madeira and sometimes patients go at 7 am to get an appointment. There were no complaints about health care professionals, who were said to be attentive and sympathetic. The Regional Council of the Medical Association received only six complaints that merited an investigation in 2009, showing that the health care services have improved significantly. Doctors and nurses said patients rights do not leave the drawing board. For example, people have the right to a family doctor and nurse but many do not. After receiving treatment in hospital, there is not always continuity in care. There is a right to privacy but the wards are too overcrowded for this to happen. The President of the Order of Nurses said that people do not look after their own health enough and the emphasis is on treatment rather than health promotion. Nurses are on strike on March 31st over a proposed salary scale.

Petrol station on Porto Santo closes at Easter. The main petrol station on Porto Santo will close when the contract with Galp ends on April 1st. There is no attempt by either parties to renew the contract with complaints on both sides, as previously reported. If the petrol station closes on Wednesday, the only one left is a small one that shuts on holidays and Sundays. Porto Santo Council want a petrol station installed immediately in the Industrial Park. The other option is the possibility of having a filling station on land where a camp site is planned.

MADEIRA

Census of the Galinhola attracts 52 volunteers. Next week, there will be the first regional census of this bird, the Woodcock. 35 volunteers are coming from different parts of the country, Spain, Italy, Austria and the Netherlands to help. This is a partnership between SPEA and the Natural Park of Madeira to assess the impact of power lines on vulnerable birds and to identify key locations. This species, Scolopax rusticola, has a ‘vulnerable’ status and is one of the least known birds on the island. The population count will take place between 28 March and 2 April during one hour before sunset and one hour after, at 100 observation posts.

Jaquine said : The Galinhola bird pictured translates as our fairly common woodcock (or snipe).  I think it’s a young woodcock as the markings look right.  It’s still common in the British Isles, in fact  they’re still regarded as fair game in a shoot, although they move very fast & don’t get caught often.

Nine million Euros for repairing irrigation channels. The Regional Government has embarked on an emergency plan to repair agricultural irrigation channels damaged on February 20th. Eight contracts have been signed at a cost of nine million Euros to minimize the effects on agriculture and regional economy. The funding will come from the EU and the Regional Budget. 100 channels with a total length of over 600 kilometres need repairing, which should take 250 workers 90 days.

250 lorry loads removed from the pond.  Progress report on the clean up of the lagoa do Lugar de Baixo. This is the only tidal lagoon in the region, rich in biodiversity and of great ornithological interest. Over the past fortnight, inert materials and sludge deposited by the storm have been cleared out and the project is ongoing. The Regional Directorate of the Environment and the ponta-solense council are funding the operation and hope to improve the area, making it more visibly attractive than previously. Care is taken not to disturb two reed beds where migratory birds are nesting. After the heavy dredging, which should finish next week, Sanas boats will be used for more delicate cleaning.

Police are promoting destination Madeira. The Public Security Police (PSP) today are ‘selling’ Madeira as a "safe and enjoyable" tourist destination. The action is intended to strengthen the trust and confidence of the foreign and local communities, especially in tourist areas. This is in relation to events of 20.02.2010. The operation between 09.00 and 21.00 in the main hotel district and tourist areas in Funchal, is in cooperation with Regional Tourism, Cultural Affairs, Madeiran Executive, Funchal Council and the Folklore Group of Boa Nova. Leaflets will be distributed in English: ‘PSP: Portugal, Safer Place – Madeira Islands: Welcome to the Atlantic’s safest paradise’. A study in 2007 showed that 99% of tourists classified Madeira as a safe and tranquil destination and the police want to build on this. Crimes related to tourists are "isolated", mostly petty theft.

ECONOMY

Ryanair based in the Algarve rather than Madeira. Due to the inertia of the Madeiran authorities, Ryanair will not be flying to Madeira. Ryanair had wanted incentives available through the Fund for New Routes to bear the cost of certification of its pilots. The regional authorities considered this proposal unacceptable because this incentive has not been granted to any other company. Ryanair has made an agreement with ANA-Airports of Portugal (1.2 million Euros), Turismo de Portugal (1.2 million Euros) and Algarve hoteliers (600,000 Euros). This announcement stunned Bernardo Trindade, the Secretary of State for Tourism, who did not even know about this proposal and wants to know what is going on. Ryanair will fly to Faro this summer which will boost tourism and the economy, denied to Madeira, as the low-cost carrier offers competitive rates.

JORNAL DA MADEIRA

REGIONAL

Cocktail competition on March 31st. The Madeira Bartenders Association will hold this event at the Porto Mare Hotel from 14.00 – 18.00. The winners will represent Madeira at the national competition in May which will be held in Madeira. 30 bartenders will demonstrate their creations and the art of making cocktails.

Nuno Teixeira wants compensation for banana producers. He wants support for banana producers in Madeira and the Canary Islands. The EU and Latin America have reached an agreement to reduce the import tariff. This will adversely affect Madeira and the Canary Islands due to the physical characteristics of the islands and the small sizes of plantations. There are 2,800 producers in the region and this agricultural sector covers 600 hectares. 14,000 tonnes of fruit were produced last year.

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

Old bridges should remain [stay as footbridges] – Cidrão and D. Manuel : The council tries to avoid demolition, despite of the damage. Other already came down. Quite agree, keep them than as footbridges rather than demolish or reopen to traffic. I wish that was what we had done in Ribeira Brava, with one side of our now totally demolished 100+ year old bridge, being perfectly OK for pedestrians. But the council knocked it down, and what we now have is a shiny brand new metal footbridge in its place.

Today’s main news headline : Support  contradicts criticisms of businesses – Since February 20, 136.7 million Euros were allocated to companies affected by the storm. The numbers diminish the complaints from business associations. Around 800 traders have already been included.

Clocks go forward tonight.

Theatre commemorates its day without guarantees – The theatrical activity will only survive if the participants were to have other jobs. One actor, for example, is a policeman.

The main sport / football headline today : Carvalhal came bringing European hope – Marítimo beat Sporting by 3 – 2 and returned to a league ranking close to the access to the Europa League.

Today is the day of Benfica – Sporting Braga. Paiva (ex-Benfica) and Fernando Luís (ex-Braga) give the motto for the game for the title.

Passos Coelho is the new leader of the national Social Democrat Party – Paulo Rangel wins comfortably on Madeira, but stays in second place. I watched this last night as the results came in, and this has now created quite an interesting situation. Sweet Manuela Ferreira Leite has now gone, and bless her for trying, but she was just no match for the smoothie statesman José Sócrates. Pedro Passos Coelho managed to get 61% of the vote nationally, with Rangel taking just 34%, and forget the other two candidates. But in polls released just a couple of days ago, Rangel had a decent lead over Coelho when punters were asked the question "who would be the best party leader?". In responding to the question "who would make the best prime minister?" however, the punters went for Coelho. That analysis fits perfectly with my own assessment, and I have no personal knowledge about these two men or  their abilities, except to say one is probably a stout and whippet man,  and the other a G&T and ex second hand car salesman type. So last night’s results tell us that the PSD membership at large has opted for ‘prime ministerial potential’ over party leadership and stability, no surprise really, with the current Socialist Government just itching to be toppled.

Anyway, what does that mean for Madeira? The fact that President Jardim had told his followers on Madeira that they could vote as they liked, maybe indicated that perhaps he already knew that he was backing a loser … but they voted for Rangel anyway. The fact that Uncle Bertie said he didn’t care who won as the party would still amble in ‘mindless disarray’, confirms that he knew that he was on for a hiding. As I have said before, Jardim hates Passos Coelho with a vengeance, and had made no secret of the fact up until a week or so again when the two men tried just slightly to publically paper over the cracks. Coelho probably won’t want to go near Jardim, and Jardim wouldn’t stoop to Coelho even in the name of party unity, and it just remains to be seen if he takes a softly softly approach (which would probably last just a few weeks)  or adopts immediately the open-air sniper strategy. There is one other possibility not to be ruled out, that Jardim may try and establish a breakaway party, but I believe this was tried once before and failed. I shall be watching with interest …

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. 

Many thanks to Jaquine for this article from yesterday’s Diário :

Pestana Hotels Turn Out the Lights. All the hotels of the Pestana Group situated in the archipelago of Madeira will be in candle-light in their exterior areas and some communal rooms tomorrow (i.e. Saturday 27th), between 20.30 and 21.30.  The reason is the enrolment of the hotel group in the Hour of the Planet, a major worldwide initiative in the fight against climate change by WWF, the global conservation organisation. ‘It is increasingly important that firms, governments and citizens fight against climate change in
defence of the planet.  Through joining this initiative, the Pestana Group intends not just to contribute to the preservation of the planet but to take part in the greater voluntary platform of citizens against climate change’ says a note distributed yesterday by the biggest national hotel group.

The Hour of the Planet started in 2007, in the Australian city of Sidney, where two million people turned out their lights.  In 2008, more than 50 million people in the whole World participated in the Hour of the Planet.  Portugal joined this movement in 2009, and for the second consecutive year the results have been beyond expectations, with the strong support of various cities and towns of the country. ‘The Pestana Group cannot stop helping this campaign in which it aims to stand out and make a difference and start a real change in behaviour’ added the communication.

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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 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 other material.

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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 – Many thanks to Martin … Rolls Royce Phantom c 1922 displayed on Avenida Arriaga during the 2009 Volta da Madeira

"Due to the long established fishing tradition on the island, fish plays an important role on the daily menu of the locals.  When you have spent a few days on the island, you will soon discover that Madeirans also have a sweet tooth!  Everywhere on the island, in all the cafés, snack bars and restaurants, you will find a wide variety of cakes, sweets and desserts.  Besides the world-renowned Madeira Wine, locals produce their own wine from different grapes – the so-called ‘vinho seco’ (dry wine)". A well written and researched article from a cruise website TRY SOMETHING DIFFERENT

"Madeira is, essentially, 2 island, and not only does a little over 98% of its population live on just one island, but a huge part of that live in just one city, Funchal. This makes things incredibly easier from a managerial standpoint because then you CAN have any type of flight you want. All the Madeira Regional government has to worry about is the littler under 5,000 people living in Porto Santo". This article was written by a blogger in the Azores, on the problems of servicing the many islands with flights, including the ‘low cost’ factor. Quite an interesting read, and shows that we do pretty well here in comparison. LUSO’S LAIR

A short private blog with a few photos, mainly of the author … CARROT TOPS ARE GREEN

"Discovered in 1419 by Portuguese explorers, its strategic position and warm sub-tropical climate led to quick colonisation and nowadays around a quarter of a million Madeirans call this beautiful island home. Known locally as the ‘Island Of Flowers’, or ‘The Floating Garden’, Madeira certainly lives up to its nicknames and, in fact, boasts some of the most beautiful natural scenery you’ll find anywhere". ANOTHER MADEIRA REVIEW – CREST HOLIDAYS

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

Der, small news items today. If you want to make money, sell on the black market in Venezuela or become a doctor. No wonder the Health Service is in debt – I bet the article on the doctor’s cars gets some comments. The paper misprinted ‘Austin Martin’. This was the Google translation to a photo caption of the story I covered yesterday about a falling wall damaging a roof: ‘The day before yesterday, Matilde Gonçalves not resist the temptation to go to her house to lie down to eat three cats.’

Wind looses force from tomorrow. Today, yellow alert for wind up to 50 km/h and gusts up to 90 km/h in mountainous regions. A slight reduction in wind speed from tomorrow, a moderate 20 – 30 km/h wind from the west becoming weak, below 15 km/h. In mountainous regions, the wind will be moderate but should not exceed 35 km/h. Temperatures slightly below today’s maximum of 22 C and 18 C minimum temperature. Sea conditions about the same, temperature 18 C, 1.5 – 3.5 metres waves.

‘NetMadeira’ fraudulent e-mail. An e-mail asking for personal details was received yesterday by 1.5% of NetMadeira customers who use the 880 mailbox. NetMadeira, like other companies, does not ask users for their passwords or identification.

New Civil Protection website. This site has been updated to make it easier and quicker to find useful information. I had a look and it has a version in English and contains useful information. Examples include road closures, phoning about emergencies, location of fire stations, weather and health alerts, emergency first aid and there are good links. Website: Civil Protection — Might be one for Der’s right-hand side toolbar. OK, make a comment if you like it and we’ll see, but I know the sponsor wants to shorten the list rather than grow it. Der

Dates when nurses are on strike. For two days, 27 – 28 January. On the 29th, some will participate in the national demonstration at the Ministry of Health. There is a three day national strike but it is only for two days in Madeira. The proposed wage scale presented by the Ministry of Health in January is worse than the one presented in November.

SATA also increase fuel surcharge. As expected, following TAP’s announcement yesterday that they will increase the fuel surcharge for flights between the Continent and Madeira, SATA will similarly increase it for flights between the Continent and Madeira and the Azores. Increased from 9 to 12 Euros for flights from 20 January. In effect, this means an extra 3 Euros on each ticket except promotional fares. Promotional fares SATA Discount are unchanged for flights between Funchal and Porto Santo, and for other tickets the surcharge increases from 4.5 Euros to 6 Euros. Fuel surcharge is updated quarterly.

Caracas – Funchal ticket doubles in price. Flights between Caracas – Funchal will cost twice the present price due to the exchange rate between the strong bolivar and the dollar. Last Friday, Hugo Chávez announced a devaluation of the national currency, which rose from 2.15 to 4.3 bolivars to the dollar. Thus, Luso-Venezuelans will have more difficulty in leaving Venezuela. The airline ticket between Caracas and Funchal rises more than 200%. The sale of flight tickets was suspended last Monday to allow the airlines to update the reservation system, as they have to be sold at the official exchange rate. There is no change in price for tickets sold in Portugal because the exchange rate for euro – bolivar stays the same. Exchange rate controls have been in place in Venezuela since 2003 to prevent obtaining unregulated foreign currency in the country. This also means imported goods are more expensive and people have been rushing to the shops to stock up. On the black market, due to demand the euro is worth three times more than the official exchange rate. Venezuela is said to be like a pressure cooker with no escape valve. — I think there will be mass exodus of Madeirans back here. The old houses in Madeira owned / inherited by Madeirans who have emigrated to Venezuela might finally be restored and made habitable. Many have been murdered recently, especially in Caracas.

Garage claims a doctor owes 83,000 Euros for work on his ‘fast-cars’. A well-known physician who works in family and occupational medicine, known for his display of top-of-the-range ‘fast-cars’ is facing a debt of 83,000 Euros owed to the workshop. At the end of December at Santa Cruz Court, a claim was lodged to recover the debt accumulated between March 5 2002 and September 10 2008. The garage, as far as Diário could establish, is ‘Auto Lazareto’ in Cancela and the claim is for unpaid mechanical repairs, bodywork and panel beating, painting and upgrades. The cars involved are: a red Ferrari, Jaguar, Golf, Aston Martin, 2 Toyota Yaris, Opel Astra, Maserati, Audi A6 and a Citroen AX. The claimant provided goods and services to the amount of 75,898.86 Euros plus interest, which have not been paid for. They acted in good faith and in a climate of friendship. Over seven years, the debt grew and the doctor postponed deadlines claiming financial difficulties and debts from third parties. Since September 2008, the doctor suddenly failed to appear at the garage to pay the instalments although he had been gradually settling the bill. He used his reputation as a reputable and distinguished doctor and it was his social status that led the workshop to grant credit. The doctor asked for urgent repairs to his Ferrari (photo) so he could lend it to Cristiano Ronaldo on his trips to Madeira, and repairs to other cars to lend to the singer Marco Paulo and other media figures whom he knows well. Diário contacted the doctor who denies he owes the money. He said he has not been notified of the court action, and if and when notified will challenge it, and if necessary will sue for defamation. — "Trust me, I’m a doctor."

Potato more than 10 kg in Tabua. This sweet potato was dug up from agricultural land in Tabua and weighs 10kg and 600g. The potato is of the type batata vermelha (red potato).

CDU support agricultural reserve areas. The communists want the region to adopt agricultural reserve areas. These would be located in areas where agriculture is most profitable in the region and would be adequately protected for this activity. They would not be ‘eaten away’ by construction works, for example the places chosen for the Câmara de Lobos football stadium (zona do Carmo) and the future Hospital of Funchal (Santa Rita), which absorb significant agricultural areas. Such reserves already exist on the Continent and the Azores. Edgar Silva accused the Executive of being "the grave digger of regional agriculture".

Census 2011. The National Institute of Statistics in conjunction with the Regional Government will hold a census in 2011. The last one was in 2001. 450 people are already being recruited who will carry out the survey and the period for the census will last from January to July 2011.

New Pestana hotel in Porto Santo. The Pestana Group are preparing to build a second hotel in Porto Santo. The work will begin later this quarter and will be a four star tourist village named Pestana Residence. It will include 250 apartments and the investment is 50 million Euros. The financing of the Colombo’s Resort is still uncertain as the banks are not interested in loaning the money to complete the development.

Vote of congratulation of the EU Treaty rejected. A vote of appreciation of the entry of the Treaty of Lisbon was rejected yesterday by the PSD, BE, PCP and only favoured by the Socialists who proposed the vote. The Socialist Serrão Jacinto considered that the Lisbon Treaty resolved the impasse the EU was plunged into and economic problems, thus constitutes "a tool that will give more power to the EU". He said that Madeira should appreciate the EU as it has used their funds to develop the country. "We must stand together in solidarity with those who were with us."

79 People in ‘virtual home’ in hospitals. 51 people who remained unnecessarily in hospital with ‘high dependency’ status have been transferred to homes; 28 to Dr. João de Almada, 15 in Lar de Bela Vista, 8 to Lar do Porto Moniz and one transferred to the Health Centre in Calheta. This has been after a joint effort by the Department of Health and Centre for Social Security. There are still 79 people left in a ‘virtual home’ in the two hospitals in Funchal. This is not ideal as they are likely to become infected and are ‘bed blockers’. The situation is aggravated by a waiting list of 800 elderly people for care home places. There are plans to provide 400 more nursing home places in the near future but with an increasingly elderly population, an additional solution is needed. To help keep people in the family home, there are 3,000 people receiving daily nursing and social care at home. Since 2008, the aim has been to pay family members to function as carers and there are 179 such people who receive 220.79 Euros from Social Security.

State will have to pay 82 million Euros in 2010 to restore justice to Madeira. The Technical Unit for Budget Support has proved that the current Regional Finance Law has lost Madeira 157 million Euros from 2007 to 2009. To remedy this, the State would have to transfer 82 million;  74.6 million to Madeira and 7.4 million to the Azores.

11.5 million investment in Câmara de Lobos football stadium is sinking. The soil along the wall that supports the newly opened stadium is sinking. This stadium, promoted by the Regional Government, has been open for six months and is already causing concern. The stadium cost 7.5 million Euros to build and an additional 4 million Euros to stabilise a slope overlooking it. The athletics track is uneven, also due to subsidence. The Regional Secretariat for Social Infrastructure say that this is normal settling of land.

Dog disappeared from the circus. Circus Brazil in Machico was yesterday without two of the three dogs that were part of the show. One was a hit and run victim. The other, Nina, was the star of the show and has been missing since last night. The dog is a brown poodle wearing a pink collar. The dog is two years old and has been in training for eight months. The circus goes to Lisbon on Saturday. Any information, please phone 968072755. If found after Saturday, please contact Joaquim who works at Circus Dalas at Madeira Tecnopolo.

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

Very unusually the Diário moves out of Portugal for the big photo and headline : Earthquake in Haiti kills 100 thousand – The numbers are of course not confirmed, because there are bodies buried. But the tragedy results in the destruction of one of the poorest countries in the world, very vulnerable to natural disasters.

Video catches boss that wanted to fire – Bakery in Machico filmed employee suspected of stealing, but the video didn’t serve as proof and the management even incurred expenses.

Moisés opened presents sent to employees – The president of Santana [council] took care of the Christmas presents and opened them in front of everybody, with the names of the benefactors. Bottles and cheeses were kept for the office Xmas party. Moisés diverts the presents for employees to the council. Bottles, cheeses, liquors, wines, chocolates and watches were kept. Not everybody was happy. The new president of Santana Câmara never ceases to surprise. This time, after the office Xmas lunch held in the school canteen in Porto da Cruz, the boss ordered all Christmas gifts to be received at work to be taken directly to his office. And it wasn’t just the employees, with bosses, politicians / councillors also told to fall-in-line, with the spoils claimed as property of the treasury. Rui Moisés confirmed to the Diário that he had taken the action … "I respect everything that is personal. However, from the time the delivery is made in the council it ceases to belong the individual", justifies the president to explain the his position, not withstanding that the move has a questionable nature. Some of the bottles (costing in excess of €30 each) were drank at the staff gathering, but the rest of the goodies were retained. It has been suggested that things like the watches be auctioned, but Moisés guarantees that they will serve as ‘offerings’ in official functions. Since he was elected last October and took up his post, PSD politician Rui has made waves throughout his constituency, with staff, locals, local businesses, and even his predecessor, and since then has probably made the front page more times than Uncle Bertie himself. But is he the real thing we ask? Is he a PSD politician determined to crack down on corruption and special favours, as Portugal portrays as an urgent priority, or are there ulterior motives more in line with what we are accustomed to in the Socialist Democrats of Madeira? Will there be a man with a boné and dark glasses with a stall at the nearby Sunday market selling certain goods this weekend I wonder? I would like to think that his motives are genuine, but I think we need to give this a few more months, or even years, before concluding that someone has broke that stereotypical image we all know so well.

Today’s main news headline : Strike and lack of vaccines threaten to make matters worse in health – The ventilators [breathing aids] arrive at the end of the month, guarantees the company that won the public tender process. But the vaccines for Gripe A have run out again. And the nurses foresee more disruption during the three day strike.

Jardim keeps quiet over Regional Finance Law and State Budget – But he praised the stance taken by the CDS / PP, MPT, and PCP over the Regional Finance Law.

The main sport / football headline today : Nacional draw and stay with one foot out of the [next phase] of the League Cup – The ‘Alvinegros’ now depend on the results of others to progress to the next stage. With just one point from their first two group games after a 1 – 1 away draw yesterday, Nacional are bottom of their group, with a tough game remaining against Guimarães on Madeira.

‘Chapéu da Esperança’ [Hat of Hope] delivers donation of €5,000 to charitable institutions. I have no time to read the article this morning due to a rare foray into Funchal, but I hope that this annual fund raising event managed more than €5,000, with all the effort put in. It must cost so much more than €5k just to organise. It all seems a waste of effort when you compare with the €45 million of taxpayers money given to Marítimo to redevelop its stadium. And yes I am getting repetitive.

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.

(more…)

Today’s photo – Many thanks to Eiryl … flowers of the Brazilian kapok tree – photo taken September 2009

Madeira is a Portuguese archipelago in the mid Atlantic Ocean. It is one of the Autonomous regions of Portugal, with Madeira Island, visible in this orthorectified image, and Porto Santo Island being the only inhabited islands.

Madeira is an archipelago with volcanic origins from a Hot Spot, so is not geographically part of a specific continent, but Madeira belongs and has belonged ethnically, culturally, economically and politically to Europe for 600 years despite being geographically closer to Africa. Thanks to Earth Snapshot.

"Madeira is a Portuguese archipelago located in the mid Atlantic Ocean. The archipelago consists of 2 populated islands, Madeira Island and Porto Santo Island as well as 2 groups of unpopulated islands, Desertas and Selvagens Islands. Madeira is formed from a massive volcano eruption on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean over 5 million years ago. How much do you know about Madeira? Prior to writing this post, I only know that Cristiano Ronaldo is born and raised in Madeira!" Beautiful Places On Earth Includes a video.

"If you tell friends you are going to Madeira Islands, they would probably say, “Wow!” and then give you a quizzical look even before they finish the interjection. Madeira? Where is that? Well, a lot of people would ask the same question especially if you are from the other part of the world. Besides, even if you have a map, it would probably not come easy for you to find where these little jewels are. Who could locate dots in the Atlantic anyway?" FAMOUS WONDERS – Top 100 wonders

Do we have any readers in Cornwall in the UK I wonder? If so, this might be of interest, with flights being offered from Newquay Airport this year : March 24 – Madeira from £499 for flight and hotel. There may be more? : FULL ARTICLE

Global Hotel Alliance (GHA) is delighted to start 2010 by welcoming Tivoli Hotels & Resorts as their latest member, as the rapidly-growing alliance now extends its reach to include two important new markets, Portugal & Brazil, with one of the regions’ most respected brands. Founded in 1933, Tivoli owns and operates some of Portugal’s most reputed hotels in locations such as Lisbon, Sintra, Coimbra, the Algarve and Madeira. In 2006 they have expanded into Brazil, with a luxury resort in Praia do Forte in Bahia and more recently with a landmark hotel in Sao Paulo. GLOBAL HOTEL ALLIANCE … anyone know anything about it, as apparently it is about to launch a loyalty programme?

A brief guide to the Madeira Banana Tree … but is it a tree?

Here are a couple of articles from the Jornal da Madeira kindly translated and sent in by Vanessa Swesnik :

Fewer Passengers in Madeira’s Airport : According to statistics released by ANAM – Airports of Madeira – traffic through Madeira’s airport fell 4.1% from 2008 to 2009. Last year Madeira’s airport received a total of 2,348,040 passengers, 100,534 less than in 2008.

In regards to the movement of aircraft, the airport infrastructure agency also reported a fall of 3.1% from 2008, with a total of 25,162 aircraft movements.

The fall in the number of passengers is due to the reduction in international air traffic, which had a cut of 16.6% from 2008. Madeira’s airport received 1,145,736 passengers originating from international flights last year, 227,910 less than in 2008.

Domestic air traffic up 11.9% : Conversely, the number of passengers from domestic flights rose 11.9% in 2009. A total of 1,190,075 passengers on domestic flights passed through Madeira’s airport, 126,154 more than in the same period of 2008.

It’s easy to conclude that Madeira’s airport managed to limit its loss of passengers in 2009 thanks to the increase in passengers originating from the domestic market. The year was marked by the consequences of the international financial crisis which caused a decrease in passenger traffic in airports at the national and international levels.

As for Porto Santo airport, information from ANAM shows a cut of 8.4% of passengers in 2009,  a total of 121,034.

For the month of December, Madeira’s airport had 4.4% less passengers than the same month in 2008. In total, 161,749 passengers passed through the airport.

The cut in that month is also due to the decrease in passengers from international flights (-15.7%) and the number of passengers from domestic flights rose 6.5%.

Uruguay will be the 4^th South American Country in which the hotel group will be present; Pestana announces a new hotel in Montevideo. The future Pestana Montevideo Hotel results from the reconstruction and renovation of a building from the beginning of the 20^th century which housed one of the most famous and aristocratic clubs of Uruguay – the Jockey Club. The building is considered emblematic of the city and has been classified as a Historic National Monument since 1975. Its Art Deco architecture is evident from its façade as well as its numerous decorative stained glass windows, marble, wood panelled walls, and large bronze doors.

The building is located on the most important street of the city- June 18^th Avenue, and only a few meters from the “Old City”, the historic district which houses the Presidency of the Republic, theatres, art centres and a commercial zone.

Brazilian architect, Jaime Morais, will be in charge of the interior and exterior. He is responsible for various other projects of Grupo Pestana in Portugal, Brazil, Argentina, and Venezuela. Morais was also responsible for the extraordinary decoration of the recently inaugurated Pousada do Porto. The reconstruction work will begin in March 2010 with hopes to end in the first quarter of 2012.

The Pestana Montevideo Hotel with be a luxurious 5 star hotel with 100 rooms, a spa, an indoor pool, and many meeting and event rooms. It will have two restaurants, one of which will be located on the top floor with an excellent view of Montevideo. This property will be especially desirable for the corporate and event worlds, but it will also be an excellent option for those who travel for leisure in Montevideo. Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, and Spain will be the principal markets for the property. The Uruguayan locale has been studied by Grupo Pestana for years. For Dionisio Pestana, President of the Group, “the entrance into a new country in South America is part of our growth strategy for the continent. It’s very important that we are present in the major cities of South America and are promoting cross-selling among the different properties and countries. This building is exactly what we were looking for.”

This from Elaine out West, many thanks:

‘Gigapark’ prolongs stay to recover losses : The visit of the amusement park in Ponta do Sol has been extended until the end of next weekend. During this period, the cost of the entertainment will be just one euro. The Aquatic Show is continuing, but only until Thursday, and on these last three days its ticket price will be five Euros.

Initially scheduled to end yesterday, Gigapark will remain open until Sunday 17^th to try to mitigate the losses suffered due to the bad weather, especially the almost constant rain. During these last six days in Madeira, the amusement park will work in a similar way to the so-called ‘day of the Euro’. That is, every day all the many diversions available to children and adults will cost just one euro. Also, the Aquatic Show will continue until next Thursday with its three white sharks and two seals performing open sessions at 21:30 for only five Euros.

Marcos Vaz, head of Gigapark, says that this is an exceptional measure, which comes not only from the consequences of unusual weather, which affected the park nearly every day, particularly in December, but also the difficulty in getting space for the trailers and equipment on the next trip of the Armas ferry bound for Portimão. He also stressed that this extension is intended to allow the opportunity for Madeirans to further enjoy the fun of the largest Christmas market set up in the region.

T’other Elaine of the East, also covered the same article, with the comment : I think this is right but check beforehand if you are planning to go (you both had the same figures Elaines, so good enough for me. Der). Judging by the present weather, they might not recoup the losses. It is also the beginning of the Festival de Passeios a Pé today until 16 January, the guided walking tours along levadas and veredas. There are 60 people signed up this year, mainly British, and you can join until the day before the scheduled walk. (Two page article outlining the walks in Diário Cidade, Monday January 11, available online).

Many thanks to Elaine once again for a whopping summary of yesterday’s top news stories :

PT participates in a consortium to reduce energy consumption. Portugal Telecom is participating in a consortium launched yesterday in London that aims to reduce by 1,000 times the energy consumption of communication networks. The consortium, called Green Touch, is led by Bell Labs and PT joins the ‘telecoms’ AT&T, China Mobile, Swisscom and Telefonica, university research laboratories, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, French Government laboratories and Samsung.

Arm wrestling between the PSD and PS on the Law of Finance. The Commission of Budget and Finance will discuss 16 proposals to amend the Regional Finance Law. The tug of war continues between the two main parties about funding for the autonomous regions. The PS want to delay the debate, as explained by Vítor Baptista, "What we think is that this law is framed in the State Budget for 2010 and to postpone the debate will raise awareness among political parties." This matter should be negotiated within the Budget. Guilherme Silva for the PSD replied that according to the mandate there has to be a meeting and a postponement is only possibly by consensus. If the PS win more time, they can seek advice on each of the initiatives. The PSD ask where were the parliamentary negotiations? Vítor Baptista explains, "So far no negotiations." Guilherme Silva adds, "Thursday is the day for the parties to meet about their proposals or absence of them."

Baeta keeps his wife as head of office. The Mayor of Calheta, Manuel Baeta Castro, reappointed three members that were already included in the previous term, for his office of support staff, led by his wife Conceição Castro as the head of the office. Francisco Gouveia and Fátima Câmara are respectively, assistant and personal secretary. The opposition, although they both show some suspicion about the usefulness of these positions, have different views, the CDS (Communists) are more critical than the PS (Socialists). The CDS complain that these offices of support staff to the Council are not important. The new PS councillor, Sofia Canha, admits that it "may be overstated"  the decision to occupy the three positions of political trust, "but may be justified for reasons unknown." Hence the benefit of the doubt. "Let’s see if future action by the Council justifies these employees." The appointment of the mayor’s wife leads to more distrust, the CDS-PP say it is a "controversial issue" and ethically it leaves "many doubts". Sofia Canha prefers, "to believe in the good faith of the people" about the legitimacy of family choice expressed by Manuel Baeta. She believes the mayor has employed his wife for political and professional reasons rather than for personal reasons and favouritism. The Mayor of Calheta justifies the position for better coordination of administrative, financial, social and cultural activities of the Town Council.

São Vicente will provide support to 1,800 elderly. The Municipality of São Vicente has 1,800 residents over the age of 65, more than 30% of the inhabitants. A communication system will be installed in their homes so they can alert the civil protection and fire authorities. Other support will be provided, for example help with mobility difficulties and meals. Social workers will assess individual needs in collaboration with the churches and Vicentians. The aim is to ensure a more dignified life.

Construction of Caniçal Cemetery begins. The construction of this cemetery has been controversial. It was initially approved by the PSD councillors on 14 February 2009 and work was to proceed immediately by a contract between the Regional Government and the Council. The PS said this was electioneering work. Two months later, a petition with 1,100 signatures was presented to the Council for the cemetery to be installed north of the site proposed by the Council. In September, the work had to stop due to lack of payment to the owner of the land for the expropriation. Four months later, an agreement was reached that the payment of 24,000 Euros would be made in instalments. The owner wanted three requirements: payment for the land, payment of a debt of 30,000 Euros for the construction of the Estrada da Banda d’ Além which was finished in the 1980s, and the road named after a previous owner of the road that links the new cemetery to Feiteirinhas. Emanuel Gomes accuses the previous mayor, the Socialist Father Martins Júnior, of not paying for the work. He denies responsibility and said it should have been paid by previous PSD mayors who authorized the work. He added that the Council could not pay because the Regional Government had a financial stranglehold on the Council and they were forced to pay a debt of 1 million and 800,000 contos. Currently, this value corresponds to 9 million Euros.  —1 conto = 1000 escudos = 5 Euros.

Cases of the day. At the end of Rua das Hortas, in the vicinity of the old offices of ‘Peugeot’, there is a manhole cover which often lifts up and endangers the safety of vehicles and pedestrians. The Council of Funchal have the usual red tape around the area but this situation has existed for some time and needs to be resolved before an accident occurs, as the street becomes crowded at times.

Bus stuck between cars. Passengers on a ‘Horários do Funchal’ bus were forced to leave and continue their journey by foot after the vehicle became stuck in the middle of several cars parked illegally in Rua José Pedro de Ornelas. The bus, yesterday afternoon, was on the route Levada de Santa Luzia – Centro and the police were called. This is a frequent occurrence in the area. — Sorry, no photo of the bus.

Companies purchase bananas without going through the Government. From today, bananas can be bought and sold without going through GESBA, the body that the Government created to manage banana production. The company Frutas Douradas guarantees to purchase from producers. This company is also recruiting a team of banana pickers. There are no fixed prices, unlike GESBA, but the company guarantees that it will pay the same amount as GESBA. If demand is high, a higher price might be set and the producers need higher rates in winter to offset lower production rates. Until now, the company could not get EU subsidies but  it has recently been recognized by the Government which allows it to apply. It will export 26 – 30 pallets of bananas a week whereas currently, only 1 pallet a week is exported which does not satisfy the demands on the Continent. In the returning containers, normally empty, the firm will import goods. The  Volcán de Tijarafe ferry will be used and costs will be reduced by the firm investing in automated processing. This firm is beginning to deal in bananas as it has had requests from some producers, dissatisfied with GESBA, and requests from the Continent but it complains of not receiving enough bananas from GESBA to meet the demands. GESBA currently has the following rates in euro per kg. Winter (November to April): extra – 0.67; category I – 0.58 and category II – 0.476. During the summer months: extra – 0.65; category I – 0.56 and category II – 0.456. If the producers deliver the bananas to the warehouse, they are paid 10 cents per kg. On Friday, the CDU are meeting visiting MEPs to ask that the EU compensate regional producers of bananas who might have difficulties due to the Geneva Accord. The tariff for bananas imported from Latin American countries is to be reduced from 176 Euros / ton to 114 Euros / ton by 2017 and the regional banana producers might not be able to compete with U.S. multinationals operating in Latin American countries.

Eviction ends in arrest. A man about 60 years old, was arrested yesterday morning for being in possession of an arma de alarme (replica gun) and nearly 400 rounds of ammunition. The arrest was not for possession of the gun but for the extra ammunition which passed the legal limit. He was occupying an office in a building in Rua 31 de Janeiro and stressed that the weapon had never been used. The President of the Clube Desportivo Nacional had heard about the sale of the building in 2007, bought it and legalized the purchase in 2009. Last month, a court official and three police officers went to the building as there was a court order to evict this tenant. The man said it was cruel and inhumane as he had asked Rui Alves if he could remain there until the end of next month while he could find an alternative residence. He added, "I was sleeping on a sofa in the office."

Criminal cases.  The Coram company’s offices were broken into early on Saturday morning and 750 Euros and several cheques were stolen from the safe. A 24 year old man was arrested Sunday morning for stealing a purse from a 56 year old woman. This occurred in Azinhaga in Nazaré and the woman’s screams alerted a local person and the police, who were nearby and tracked down the suspect. The man, a drug addict lives in Curral das Freiras. A man was arrested on Sunday at the airport on suspicion of drug trafficking. More than 2 kilos of heroin were seized by Customs officials. It was hidden in a false bottom in his suitcase. This is enough for 27,000 individual doses with a street value of 540,000 Euros. The man is a 30 year old Portuguese resident of Lisbon, from where he was flying. A woman was attacked on Sunday by her husband with a machado (type of axe) in a case of domestic violence. This caused a deep wound in her hand and bruises to the face and happened in the presence of the four children, aged 7 to 11 years old. This violence has frequently occurred and has been brought to the attention of the court and the husband has been given a caution. The bombeiros of Ribeira Brava rescued the woman and took her to the Health Centre. The police are to proceed with a charge of domestic violence.

TAP has the second best year ever but increases surcharges. The airline carried more than 8.7 million passengers in 2009, a 3.4% fall since 2008. In December, there were 674,000 passengers, an increase of 3.3% more than the previous year, an occupancy rate of 72%.  On 3 January 2010, TAP achieved an occupancy rate of 88.6%, a figure never reached before. There were 36,004 passengers, the record for a single day. In 2010, TAP will restructure sales and reduce the supply to reduce costs. The fuel surcharge on routes between Madeira and the Continent increases from 9 to 12 Euros from January 20 2010. These charges are lower than those made on European routes and are in response to an automatic mechanism defined by the National Institute of Civil Aviation.

Dentist Convention resumes. The Dental Association are still pushing for residents to be reimbursed for dental services, similar to those for the rest of medicine. This has been negotiated since 2007 and they hope this agreement can become a reality by the end of this year. A protocol has already been signed with the Health Service but details need to be finalized. There is already Dentistry at the Health Centres of Porto Santo, Bom Jesus and Porto Moniz. There will be another dentist at Bom Jesus where there are already two dentists and a hygienist, after restructuring of the building. In Porto Moniz, dentistry is for 3 – 13 year olds and in Porto Santo, for 3 – 12 year olds. The Health Authority want to have dentistry at Machico Health Centre after construction works on the new building. Services are provided in the Emergency Room at the Hospital Dr. Nélio Mendonça and they are awaiting new equipment to allow more complex dental surgery.

São Vicente Council distinguish German tourists. The German couple have been visiting two to three times a year over the past fifteen years, bringing with them a group of more than 20 tourists. Hans and Petruta Schawarz first came in 1995 and are fans of walking, especially through the Laurissilva forest. Hans Schawarz said he enjoyed the cable car from Monte to Funchal and keeps returning as he is struck by the beauty of the island, enjoying the ‘adventure’ of the old roads. The Festa do Flor, Festa do Vinho and the New Year’s Eve fireworks display are highlights, especially as he comes to celebrate his birthday on the 31 December.

Pico do Areeiro: Without snow, but with poncha. Headline of Monday’s Diário Cidade. Last weekend, both Madeirans and tourists went to this area because of the forecast of snow. No snow but strong wind and rain. They stopped at the Abrigo do Poiso for a drink of poncha or a café de ceveda (barley coffee) to warm the body and soul. Pico de Areeiro is said to be extremely beautiful and charming when ‘painted’ white. — Sounds a great excuse idea.

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

Tourism of Portugal awards ‘The Vine’ – The honourable mention will be announced today in the opening of BTL. Hmmm, I think it already has.

Ships brought 30 thousand more in 2009.

The main photo on today’s front page shows a corner of a Zimmer frame, along with an ageing hand. The Regional Government clogs homes with hospital releases - The government will juggle the waiting lists for the homes, to put at the front of the queue 51 elderly people that were released, but stayed in the hospital. 79 cases remain unsolved.

Today’s main news headline : Madeira loses €157 million in 3 years – The cost of the financial noose of the Regional Finance Law has been calculated. If Lisbon approves the alterations proposed, Madeira will receive an extra €74.6 million just in this year. But the Azores could be tied.

And another along the same lines : Amendments to the Regional Finance Law would cost the state 82 million Euros – A report from the Technical Unit for Budgetary support shows that the changes would give Madeira more than 74.6 million Euros. Enough for another football stadium refurbishment, with a bit of change left over, or a new marina at Lugar do Baixo perhaps. Do you ever wonder about the priorities of this government?

TAP raises fuel surcharges on the Madeira route – an increase of €9 to €12 comes into force from 20th January.

Rigo shows in China and  already prepares America. I presume this is the artist that Paul wrote about on the blog yesterday.

Luís Sotero Gomes dies – The medical specialist in Otorhinolaryngology passed away a victim of a prolonged illness.

The main sport / football headline today : Stadium that cost €11.5 million sinks in Câmara de Lobos – The facility was inaugurated recently, but is already losing ‘altitude’. The Regional Government say that it is normal. Looks like our politicians opted for the cheap cement again, still what’s eleven million these days!

BTW, the stars of Benfica will be in Ribeira Brava for a 10 am training session on Sunday morning. They will be at the Centro Desportivo da Madeira, out by Modelo, preparing for the 8.15 pm game against Marítimo.

That’s all I can get for now, as the Diário website has gone down yet again, and they are obviously having a problematic week. Still with a blog today with almost 4,500 words already, is probably more than enough for a normal news appetite. 

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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