Madeira News Blog

Today’s photo – Many thanks to Pete … "On today’s (Thursday) blog the article on Cleaning reveals the Fontes de João Dinis. You said there is a well, are here two photos for you, 2nd well is working water coming out, The 1st again another well, but dry. I am not clear which one in the blog, so I thought I’d send you both photos".

Many thanks to Paul for this. It was covered yesterday, but with different articles I think :

4 marine protected areas on the extended continental shelves of the Azores as well as mainland Portugal. On the 24^th March the WWF in Funchal, Madeira “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.” “The four sites – on the southern Mid Atlantic Ridge, Altair Seamount, Antialtair Seamount and Josephine Bank – together cover an area of 120,000 square km rich in vulnerable deepwater communities, including cold-water coral reefs, sponge fields, coral gardens, and deep sea bony fish, sharks and rays.”

OSPAR Convention. The announcement of marine protected area status was made at an international North Atlantic environmental commission (OSPAR Convention) meeting attended by UN fisheries and seabed agencies in Funchal, Madeira. It follows three of the four sites being declared being declared off limits because of the use of destructive bottom fishing gear just under a year ago.

Image : Map of the marine area and the 15 contracting parties of the OSPAR Commission for the protection of the marine environment of the North-East Atlantic.

Ground breaking progress on ocean governance. Stephan Lutter, International Marine Policy Officer with WWF Germany said it was ground breaking progress on ocean governance : “It comes at a time when the political and economic boundaries in our oceans are shifting. We would wish that all Coastal States who have submitted claims for an extended continental shelf beyond the limit of 200 nautical miles were taking their obligation to protect the marine wildlife out there as seriously as Portugal.” All four of the new marine protected areas will be unique in legal terms, with the coastal state in charge of protecting the natural resources of the seafloor, and international bodies to protect marine biological diversity in the corresponding High Seas waters.

“Charlie-Gibbs Fracture Zone”. This new legal arrangement opens up possibilities of improving protection to the first pilot marine protected area in international waters of the North Atlantic, the so-called “Charlie-Gibbs Fracture Zone” located on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge which was agreed by contracting parties to the OSPAR Convention on the in 2008.

Also from Paul :

No danger of Portugal being sucked into the same sort of debt whirlpool as Greece. "European Union president Herman Van Rompuy said on Friday (26^th March) there was no danger of Portugal being sucked into the same sort of debt whirlpool as Greece. "The problem is completely different for Portugal," Van Rompuy said when asked if he feared that Lisbon might be next to seek help dealing with a bulging annual deficit and national debt. "I really believe that the situations are not in the least comparable and that the markets realise that, and will realise that in the coming days," he added.

Photo : Herman Van Rompuy, ex-Belgian prime minister now EU President

"You can only compare what’s comparable," Van Rompuy added, also distinguishing between what had happened in Athens and fears over Spain’s high deficit.

Portugal’s decision to freeze public sector wages was "a step in the right direction”. European Central Bank chief Jean-Claude Trichet meanwhile said that Portugal’s decision to freeze public sector wages was "a step in the right direction." Link to full article

REMEMBERED TO PUT YOUR CLOCKS FORWARD ONE HOUR?

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

DIÁRIO 27/03/2010

FRONT PAGE NEWS

Ancient bridges should stand.  Funchal Council want to keep the old pedestrian bridges wherever possible. Two that are repairable after storm damage are Cidrão (photo) and D. Manuel over the ribeira de Santa Luzia. Bridges that have to be demolished or partially rebuilt are: near the old headquarters of Nacional connecting rua do Tanoeiros and Rua da Alfândega; Til and Rua da Carne Azeda over the ribeiro do Livramento (behind the Jardim de Santa Luzia); over the ribeiras and ribeiros near the Mercado and Minas Gerais; in Laranjal (Estrada Comandante Camacho de Freitas), Fundoa, Quinta Falcão, Casabranca and the ponte do Livramento.

MADEIRA

Two thousand truckloads of inerts. Over two thousand lorry loads of aggregates have been dumped at a landfill at the mouth of the ribeira da Alforra in Câmara de Lobos. Thousands of cubic metres of material, mainly earth, have stained the sea front of this fishing town. This landfill is now closed. The mayor admits the brown stain in the sea has a bad visual impact but the urgency of the situation justifies using this option.

PSP accused of violence and torture. The family of a 46 year old man has made a complaint to the prosecutor against the Public Security Police for aggression and acts of torture committed by agents on that individual. According to the brother of the alleged victim, it started around 17.30 on Thursday when Rui Duarte Nunes, known as Dude, was approached by two police officers of the Rapid Intervention Brigade (BIR) in the area of Quinta Deão. The officers took his brother to an area close to the parish council building and began an unprovoked attack. They punched and handcuffed him and reinforcements came, witnessed by family members who live nearby. Rui Nunes was taken to the Regional Command of the PSP and when released at 20.30, he could hardly walk. He was taken by ambulance to hospital where he was treated until 2 am. Wounds were on his face, back, abdomen, behind his ears, feet and pepper spray had been thrown in his eyes. Rui Nunes attended court where the judge ordered him to go to the Forensic Medicine department for photographs to be taken. The PSP argue that he had attempted to assault them. His brother said that Rui is a drug abuser but neither violent or a criminal.

ECONOMY

Traders received 136.7 million Euros of aid. A month after the catastrophic events on February 20th, 800 traders have received 136.7 million Euros in compensation. 45 applications of less than 75,000 Euros, totalling 2.3 million Euros have been approved and another 130 are being processed by the banks for a total of 8.3 million Euros. In the final stage are 15 applications totalling 3 million Euros that are for more than 75,000 Euros each. The total so far is 5.4 million Euros of funds set up by the Governments of the Republic and Madeira granted to 180 traders, averaging 30,000 Euros each. Funchal Council has secured 350,000 Euros for 150 traders or 2,500 Euros each. Insurance firms have paid 123 million Euros for 683 claims, an average of 180,000 Euros. Firms with 40/60 employees can ask Social Security to pay 70% of wages and contributions for three months. Among the companies that have received bank aid to secure jobs, 32 are micro-sized, 12 small-sized and one medium-sized firm. They received 2.3 million Euros or 51,000 Euros each. Support has been given to 10 firms in the tourism sector, 8 in the service sector, 3 in the transport sector and 2 construction firms. The most support has been to firms in Funchal and other areas are Santa Cruz, Câmara de Lobos, Machico and Ponta do Sol. 40 other companies have benefited from 1.5 million Euros from credit lines to help with cash flow problems.

ANAM current debt is reduced to 206 million Euros. ANAM manages Madeira Airport and the results in 2009 are an improvement since the previous year due to better management. The passenger numbers fell 4.3% despite a fall of 6.5% through European airports. The main shortfall was a 20% decrease in passengers from the United Kingdom, made up by Easyjet passengers from Lisbon. The net income for 2009 fell from minus 10.3 million Euros in 2008 to minus 7.2 million Euros. ANAM paid 60 million Euros to the banks to reduce the debt by 25% and interest rates were lower. This left a debt at the end of 2009 at 206 million Euros.

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

Socialist Party of Madeira already assures support for Passos Coelho – Guilherme Silva was the delegate of Rangel [loser in the PSD elections], but accepts the victory of the new leader, from whom he expects solidarity. The party activists of PSD-Madeira backed a loser, with 86% of the vote going to Paulo Rangel. Madeira was the only region of Portugal that gave Rangel a majority. Silva said "we always count on each other on the day following the result of an internal party election … it is a saying that the PSD always had". He highlighted the "significant victory" of Pedro Passos Coelho and added that he believes that this is a "strong leadership, capable and consistent to provide opposition to the Socialist Party and José Sócrates". Hmmm … normally that sort of statement would come from the party leader for Madeira, but perhaps Uncle Bertie was just too busy to face the press!

Pharmacies flee from supplying syringes – Complaints accuse drug addicts of ruining the environment. Chemists say that they were obliged to refuse the exchange of syringe ‘kits’ in their shops in order to restore a ‘good environment’. Thefts, threats, injuries, altercations, and a bad atmosphere are the reasons given from withdrawing from the syringe exchange programme, with some shops in downtown Funchal having left the scheme a year ago. "It was a service that we offered for the State and society, but today we can not afford to lose customers because things are not easy," says Ana Mafalda Rodrigues, technical director of the Portuguese Pharmacy, located on Rua João Tavira. The movement of drug addicts in the establishment troubled customers who felt intimidated with the way they spoke and asked for assistance, without regard to who was ahead in the queue, she explains, adding that for such a decision to be taken the occurrence of "some thefts" was also taken into account.

Today’s main news headline : 409 companies leave Business Centre – It is a sharp fall in just one year, but the exit from the International Business Centre of Madeira was already happening since 2001. In 9 years, 3021 companies abandoned Madeira.

Geraldine Chaplin come to the Festival of Cinema. I had no idea who she was, but a quick peek at the article says that she is an actress of great renown, but also the daughter of Charlie Chaplin. However, there is another famous guest who I am well aware of, as he features in my DVD collection … Terry Jones, of Monty Python fame. The festival runs from the 10th to the 17th April, in Funchal of course, in the Teatro Municipal Baltazar Dias.

The main sport / football headline today : Benfica ‘tidies up’ Braga and the Premier League – The Benfica ‘nation’ can start to celebrate : yesterday, Luisão scored the victory goal before Braga and will have ‘swept away’ the issue of the title for this season. There are still six games left this season, and with a gap of 6 points between league leaders Benfica and second placed Braga, it’s a bit too early to be celebrating methinks, although I don’t have much doubt that the Diário’s assumption is correct. 6 weeks of noisy gloating Benfiquistas to put up with until the season end, and then even more after … I think I might go into a Spring hibernation. It’s been a long long time since Benfica have has a successful season, and I don’t actually begrudge them that, it’s just that obnoxious manager Jorge Jesus that I can’t stand. His behaviour cannot be described as anything other than legalised yobbery and he sets a disgraceful example to football supporters. No wonder hooligan problems are hitting the Portugal headlines with increasing regularity.

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 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 … D’Oliveira’s wine lodge, Funchal … "ever so old"

More titbits (2) from Becky … many thanks. "In 1420, a genuinely epochal event took place on a small, isolated, previously uninhabited island in the Atlantic, some 360 miles west of Morocco. That year, the Portuguese fleet – the most advanced in the world at the time, thanks to Prince Henry the Navigator – located Madeira. Within two years they had established an agricultural colony there. It was the first great stride in European imperialism, the first of the west’s extra-European, extra-Mediterranean possessions, the first overseas colony to be settled and developed for the benefit of the motherland … "Madeira is a quirk, a lovely quirk". A SHORT HISTORY OF MADEIRA I don’t know if it is all factual, but definitely an interesting short read. Der

"The slave, in many societies, apart from the economic function, also affirmed itself by the sumptuary value, being, in some of them, a way of social distinction. In Madeira, just like in some European areas, this is evident, as it can be observed in the works of Gaspar Frutuoso. In relation to Machico, he says: "there were many coloured females and very well treated and of rich voices, which is a sign of the old nobility of its residents, as in all the big and rich houses there is this multiplication of the servers". However, in the Lombada of Arco da Calheta, lived Dona Isabel de Abreu, the widower of Joao Rodrigues de Noronha, son of Funchal’s captain, with two farms "very thick", having at her service a female moor as "her private". Slavery in Madeira in the 15th and 16th centuries

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"I think I found heaven in Funchal. It is this small, beautiful island owned by Portugal. I even asked the car rental place if they were hiring, but since I don’t speak Portuguese, they had no idea what I was saying!! The city was really beautiful and clean, the mountain villages were so romantic, and the cliffs by the ocean … oh the cliffs!! I lovered it!" An extract from a cruisers blog, but not much else said, but there are a few photos HERE. We lovered having you here too Hayley, on the island of Funchal.

Paul (Paul do Mar) kindly sent in this next contribution :

Surfing in Madeira: Paul do Mar, Calheta

link copyright free

“Paul do Mar is the most consistent spot on the Island”. “Paul do Mar is the most consistent spot on the Island” writes a Brit here in Madeira last year 2009 surfing and on his honeymoon!

“Madeira is basically a huge rock sticking out the sea, about 1 hr wide and 30 minutes top to bottom by car.” So let’s talk about the surf in Madeira first. Madeira is basically a huge rock sticking out the sea, about 1 hr wide and 30 minutes top to bottom by car. There’s 18 known spots and ALL of them are pretty tricky to surf.

"here’s the bad news..". 5 of the spots are very rarely surfed due to being difficult to access. 4 have been severely compromised by sea walls or swimming pools (which is heartbreaking … truly). 2 are highly dangerous (which around here means don’t even think about it!). 3 are just not that good wave wise.

"And the good news..". The remaining spots are all pretty much sick! There’s no kooks! by that I mean everyone is super friendly and courteous and knows how to take their turn -very refreshing.

"I think the gnarlyness will always keep the numbers down". I’m really not sure I should be writing this, I’d hate the place to change, but I think the gnarlyness will always keep the numbers down. These pics were all taken with surf in the 2 – 4 ft barely breaking range, I’m not sure I’d fly over on a big forecast!!

The blog and great photos of surfing in Madeira: HERE Thanks a lot Paul, not sure I understand all the surfing terminology, but great photos including mid-air dolphins! Der

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

You might have had this link before when the book was first published but it relates to the present exhibition in Funchal, and nostalgia seems popular. The text is in Portuguese but it is well worth a look for the numerous coloured illustrations of this artist’s work, especially from page 58 through to the final page (p 202). ‘O Funchal na Obra de Max Romer 1922/1960′.

This has 3D panoramic images of Madeira website (beta version). visitmadeira

DIÁRIO 27/01/2010

MADEIRA NEWS

More alleged victims of sexual crimes. In 2007, there were 38 alleged victims of sexual crime, in 2008, there were 23 and 29 last year. Most were under 16 years old and nine (7 girls, 2 boys) were under the age of 14 and 11 (10 girls, 1 boy) were aged between 14 and 16 years. Those over 16 were females aged 17, 24, 30, 32, 46, 59 and 65 years old and males aged 35 and 50 years old. It is known that depending on the country, only 50 – 90% of sexual crimes are reported, usually due to social reasons, embarrassment, fear, slow justice system and dependence on the offender. Only 8% of abusers are total strangers (paedophiles) as the crimes are usually a result of family behaviours associated with alcoholism and social factors (incest or aggression).

Funchal kennel receives 10,000 Euros a month from the council. This is the amount SPAD receives from Funchal City Council and presently houses 124 stray animals in 53 cages. Money is required to manage the kennel, animal feed, vet consultations and medical treatment. The previous five year contract with the council has just been renewed for another five years. The main option for the animals is adoption and they are only destroyed if clinically necessary. There are stray dogs on the streets fed by private individuals and do not come to the attention of SPAD and some of these dogs are too aggressive to be domesticated. The kennel is situated in Vasco Gil, Santo António. — Costs around 80 Euros per dog per month.

Funchal has 106 square metres of gardens per inhabitant. Funchal is the city with the highest number of square metres of green areas per inhabitant. It contains 500 hectares of green areas (14.9% of the county) and the numbers of both public and private gardens are increasing. Local schools have educational activities to promote awareness of urban agriculture, the care and diversity of botanical species and the need to preserve urban gardens and trees. Presently, there are 159 allotments distributed in S. Martinho, S. Pedro and Santa Maria Maior. The Mayor of Funchal opened an exhibition which is the first initiative by the council in the International Year of Diversity. As well as endemic species, the climate allows the cultivation of species from Latin America, Africa and Australia. Work will begin on the Jardim do Amparo at the end of March.

Nurses on strike hits all services. The Nurses Union asks people not to attend health centres today and tomorrow (Wednesday and Thursday). This regional strike is in support of the national strike and to show how angry nurses are with the way they have been treated by the governments. Only minimum services will be guaranteed. Some health centres do not employ nurses and the president of the union asks people not to seek out these centres. Nurses are dissatisfied with salary issues, workload/overtime and changes in the regional health service. UPDATE: 91% on strike today.

ECONOMY

Marco Polo in port for 50th time. The first visit was on the 25 December 1966. This cruise ship arrives from St Lucia in the Caribbean and after a 12 hour stay, goes to Lisbon. 600 passengers on board. The ship was built in 1965 in Germany and named the Alexander Pushkin. She was used for scheduled services between Montreal and Leningrad. From 1975 – 1979, the ship started to be used for cruise itineraries and was owned by Transocean Tours until 1990. The ship was renovated and Orient Lines renamed it the Marco Polo in 1991. The first stop in Funchal under this name was on 22 November 2000. The ship can accommodate 848 tourists and 450 crew. She is in Madeira five times this year; 8 and 21 March, April 7 and 25 October.

99,000 passengers less. Madeira International Airport received 2,336,114 passengers in 2009. This was 99,616 passengers less than during 2008. This represents a decrease of 4.09%. In the country, Lisbon airport had the most passengers. There were 0.81% fewer passengers through Madeira Airport between October – December 2009 than during the same period in 2008. The most used airports were Lisbon, Porto and Faro and overall in all four airports, there was a 2% increase in passenger numbers over the last quarter of 2008. As for movements at Madeira Airport, during the last quarter of 2009, there was a decrease of 3.2%. Overall, there was a 8.74% decrease in flights in 2009 than 2008. —Flights must have had an increased occupancy rate.

POLITICS

Members give a day’s pay to the Haiti appeal. The Legislative Assembly will send a day’s pay to the Haiti earthquake victims fund. The day’s pay of 47 MPs is 3,600 Euros. This was proposed by Leonel Nunes (PCP) and approved unanimously. — Salary must be about 3 times the minimum wage.

UPDATES

Diocese gathers 32,830 Euros for Haiti appeal. Donations sent to Caritas and any further ones can be made via the Diocese of Funchal website. 

JORNAL DA MADEIRA

Funchal Pharmacy has fast robot. From the 15th February, the pharmacy in Dolce Vita will have a robot for storage and dispensing of medicines. The investment is 200,000 Euros. The employee enters the request in the computer and the robot dispenses the medicine in 18 seconds. The storage capacity is 14,000 boxes and it takes 18 seconds to dispense 3 packages, which are sent to the counter. This gives a more personalized service as the medicine is dispensed quicker. This is the first pharmacy in Madeira to use this equipment and there are only nine such robots in Portugal.

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

Nurses : Some on strike and others coveting – International company recruits graduates in Madeira University. Strike adherence yesterday was 92%. Hospitals and health centres were very affected on the first day of the nurses strike. Vaccines against Gripe A swine flu were suspended, and also no tests were undertaken in most of Madeira’s health centres. The hospitals were pretty much closed, with just enough cover for emergencies and inpatients. In the health centre in Santo António for example there were just two nurses working the morning shift, but none in the afternoon. Those patients or customers with appointments are forced to reschedule their visits for another day. The strike finishes today says the Diário, although on the radio just now they said it was tomorrow?

Today’s main news headline : Cavaco orders understanding – President of the Republic intervenes in the negotiation process that returned to delay the voting on the Regional Finance Law. Several lead stories on the proposed amendments of the Regional Finance Law yesterday, which was delayed yet again. A working group was then set up to negotiate an agreement with the government, on the suggestion of a PSD deputy, after the socialist government indicated that it was willing to discuss the matter [rather than face a defeat in the vote]. The vote is seemingly rescheduled for today, giving the working group just 24 hours to reach an agreement. President Jardim of Madeira said that the setting up of the working group is proof of "goodwill" by his PSD party, although in his opinion the deadline for voting is now Friday. What Madeira wants is "0.05% of public expenditure", he added. Finance Minister, Teixeira dos Santos, who threatened to resign if Madeira got its way, said he believes that the working group will take his appeal for responsibility and common sense seriously.

Budget penalizes Madeira by four million Euros.

Controversial proposal in dispute in the Naval Club – Allowing a new mandate to the current administration is the controversial issue that the members of the CNF reassess today.

Funchal Council authorizes urbanization in green zone – The plan for the valley of Socorridos was proposed by Tâmega and will be approved today in the Câmara Municipal of Funchal. There are elements of the Social Democrat Party of Madeira with interests in the zone. Also today’s main photograph, showing an unsightly builders yard full of plant and machinery

SATA is going to connect the Azores to Madeira every day. Using one of it’s new aircraft, SATA has announced that aviation history will be made in terms of regular connections between the two archipelagos. The changes, that will come in from the end of March using a Q400, will bring in daily connections between Madeira and São Miguel (Ponta Delgada) in July and August, and allow connections with the Algarve and Canary Islands. One extra advantage of the additional flights will be the transfer of tourists from Ponta Delgada who started their journeys in Canada (Toronto) and Boston in the USA with SATA International, with just very short transfer delays. This will allow Madeira tourism to better directly promote Madeira in and around the two cities. No mention of any new prices, but the new timetables are already in the process of being delivered to travel agents.

The main sport / football headline today : Can you believe it … there isn’t one!!

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 and article : Thanks to Jon … Reid’s Palace Hotel, which opened in Funchal in 1891, although the date of this photograph (taken from a book) is not known, it certainly is not long after the opening date. (I have spent about an hour cleaning it up, so hopefully it is something like the original, which didn’t copy so well. Der).

A young William Reid first landed on Madeira in 1836 as a 14 year old cabin boy with just £5 in his pocket. He worked his way to vast wealth in the burgeoning Madeira wine trade then set about letting property to visiting Europeans and bought several hotels, namely the Santa Clara, the Carmo (formerly Miles’s) and the Mount.

The first hotel to bear his name was started in 1887, designed by George Somers Clarke and called "Reid’s New Hotel". However William Reid died before it was completed, and his son’s William and Alfred opened the Hotel in 1891.

The book I have is by William and Alfred Reid and provides reference to all manner of things "past" in Madeira, not least of all an extract from a speech delivered by The Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (H.R.H. Duke of Edinburgh), at Trinity House Banquet, July 5th 1897:

"I hope that when you are drinking this toast you will pay special attention to the 1837 Madeira. It is Diamond Jubilee Madeira, and I procured it for the Trinity House in the year 1867, half way between the Jubilee".

The wine was bought from William Reid and enjoyed some 30 years later when his son’s still held the appointment as Wine Merchants, etc., to H.R.H. The Duke of Edinburgh. 

My book is the fourth issue and contains the above reference thereby dating it post 1897.

At this time (1897) the name of Reid’s had been changed to "Reid’s Palace Hotel" and the Reid’s Family no longer owned the Santa Clara Hotel which I believe was renamed "The Monte Carlo".

Jonathan L Parsons, facts and figures extracted from the above book and Reid’s Palace web site, all rights reserved.

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

500,000 Euros well spent. The opening of the ‘Works of Reference of the Museums of Madeira – 500 Years of History of an Archipelago’ at the Palacio da Ajuda in Lisbon. The event was attended by several notable people, such as the new Minister of Culture Gabriela Canavilhas, the Azorean President, former Bishop of Funchal, members of the Assembly of the Republic and the Regional Secretary for Tourism Bernardo Trindade. Alberto João Jardim was the Master of Ceremonies. They were satisfied with the quality and richness of the collection and Jardim was surprised by the wealth of the exhibits and some parts he could not remember having seen in Madeira. He outlined a new museum for the region, The Convent of Santa Clara. "I usually go there to weddings but I had no idea of this wealth," he said. The commissioner of the exhibition, Francisco Clode de Sousa seized the opportunity, "It has to be transformed into a museum. We have to think about it." The Flemish paintings were the most surprising and Jardim said, "They are what we take to Europe, the Belgians were astounded." The Azorean President said, "It is a work that should be coveted by major museums of the world." In the room devoted to religious art, Gabriela Canavilhas was impressed by the sheer size of the silver pieces. "How much was spent on insurance?" Jardim replied, "Not telling you." He said it was worth it, as the continentals deserve to know of these works. Gabriela Canavilhas said, "The only thing against the embroidery of Madeira is the price." Jardim replied that, "It is good, so you pay for it." Jardim wanted to know if they would recoup the 500,000 Euros expenditure through catalogue and ticket sales and Francisco Clode de Sousa said they hoped to do so. The exhibition can be seen until February 2010.

Suspect ship prevented from approaching. Since November 9, the ship has harboured off Madeira, as it does not have permission to enter. It has a ‘black flag’ because of the conditions under which it was registered in Togo, and the certificate is not recognized within the EU. The ‘Newhope’ approached the island for medical aid for an injured crewman. A SANAS boat transferred the Syrian sailor to the hospital in Funchal where he was treated then returned to the ship. He was accompanied by two Maritime Police officers and an immigration officer. Safety certificates for the ship have expired so the Maritime Authority will not allow it to approach as it is a safety threat. The ship crew have requested fuel, food and water and other supplies as they say there are not enough for travel to the Canary Islands or Morocco. The Portuguese authorities have refused as they are suspicious that for the intended trip from Brazil to India, the ship did not carry enough reserve fuel and supplies. The Maritime Authority has prohibited it to enter the 12 mile restricted area and the navy is monitoring its position.

New pharmacies in 2010. IASAÚDE (Administration of Health and Social Affairs) are opening tenders for one in Monte and one in São Roque. They will replace the ones that have closed to re-open in other areas. Judging by the requests for information, there are a lot of candidates to open the pharmacies. There are strict rules for the positioning of pharmacies, for example they must serve a minimum of 3,500 inhabitants in the municipality unless there is not one within 2 kilometres, or the locality has fewer than 4,000 inhabitants. 

Armed man walked around Funchal. A man armed with two knives walked around Funchal yesterday afternoon, menacing the public until arrested by the PSP. He was tall, bare-chested with a chain around his neck and appeared mentally unstable. He was first detected in Rua do Comboio and finally arrested in Rua do Aljube and he was taken to the Regional Command Centre.

Funeral 35 years later. Funeral of Gabriel Ferreira Telo who died 35 years ago, aged 23, while serving in the army. He died at the siege of the garrison at Guidage in Guinea. Most of the dead were buried there. His remains were recovered by the League of Soldiers. The casket containing his remains will be taken today to the Monument to the Madeiran Combatants Overseas, at Nazaré. It will stay there overnight then be transported to Paul do Mar for a Mass, and buried in the cemetery at the same place as his father, with military honours.

Chapel transformed into a drug den. PND councillor Gil Canha asks for the urgent restoration of the Capela da Nazaré. It is used by drug abusers, the roof is in danger of collapse and local householders also use it to dump rubbish. He says it has the same fate as the Capela de Nossa Senhora do Rosário in Fundão, which is completely in ruins. He condemned the Government’s priorities of investing millions of Euros in new churches instead of preserving the religious heritage.

Transavia confirm air route Porto to Madeira. Transavia.com a low-cost carrier, part of the Air France – KLM consortium, will offer four weekly flights between Porto and Madeira from March 2010. Next winter, they hope to increase flights to six a week.

41% more Dutch tourists via KRAS. This Dutch operator has increased the number of tourists travelling here by 41% this year to 4,500. The Dutch stay on average for 11 nights due to the flights schedule. The firm are hoping to double the number they bring here next year. In 2008, 33,278 Dutch visited the region and represent 3.2% of the tourists.

Nematode threatens 6,000 hectares of pine. The nematode worm which attacks pine wood is carried by an insect vector and damages the trees leaving them subject to attack by other pests. Of the 52,000 hectares of forestry, 6,000 are occupied by pine trees. They are fragmented and scattered around the island and only the older and vulnerable trees would die. Pine trees are not endemic and are not of economic importance. The nematode has been detected in trees in Palheiro Ferreiro and the infected trees felled and burnt. The Directorate of Forestry have drawn up a plan for approval by the Government in case there is an increase in the nematode numbers.

Hospitalized children will have GPS bracelets. For protection against child abduction, especially those at risk, as has occurred in Portugal.

Socialist Party ask for explanations about the company formed by Santos Costa. After yesterday’s report in the Diário that Santos Costa formed a firm while he was part of the Regional Executive, responsible for a related area. They want a Commission of Inquiry set up. The CDU (Communists) want the Regional Government to submit to the Regional Parliament all the details of any contractual and/or other connections of the Regional Public Administration with the company which Santos Costa was a partner of and which currently belongs to his family.

Driver hits lamp post then flees. On Friday night at 22.30 in the Estrada João Paulo II. A green Land Rover mounted the pavement and hit a lamp post, dragging if for a dozen metres then came to a halt. The driver left the scene before the PSP arrived around 23.15. Both the car and the lamp post were damaged and there was a mini blackout of other street lamps along the road.

Rehabilitation Centre for children with mental disabilities receives Government funding. The new unit was inaugurated in September and is to receive Government funding. It is a short stay unit with eleven beds. —- One of a few projects inaugurated pre-election, before operational or funded.

Jorge Ferreira has died. The former parliamentary leader of the CDS-PP and founder of the New Democracy Party (PND) has died in Lisbon at the age of 48, after a long illness.

Future of the only auction room in Funchal is seriously compromised. Article in Friday’s Diário da Cidade. Due to the economic crisis and the failure of people to appreciate antiques. The father and son who run the auction rooms also criticize the law for failing to protect them.  The octogenarian said that they used to have 4 or 5 sales running simultaneously. Now the rooms are in their hour of death. People are ‘idiots’ as they buy modern articles which are more expensive than similar older ones they sell. They also have no legal protection when people bid for items and then fail to collect them and pay, after getting ‘auction fever’ then when they go back home they realise they do not have enough money. They often contact the local museums with pieces of cultural heritage value but they do not have enough funds to purchase them, as the Government prefers to spend money on a football stadium and other projects.

The front page news stories from today’s Diário :

Budget 2010 focuses on tourism and employment – The proposal is delivered tomorrow in the Madeira Assembly. According to the predictions, the debt hits a new record. The budget leans towards incentives for companies to create employment, and boosting promotion of tourism. By the end of this year Madeira will have the biggest debt ever in the history of autonomy … €1.9 billion. The guaranteed income for the new budget (tax revenues, state and EU funding) will only cover 86% of projected expenditure, so the rest of the money will have to be borrowed, and that needs to authorised by the Republic. If my maths is correct, that’s around €7,600 for every man, woman and child on Madeira, an absolutely staggering sum for such a small economy with such limited means of generating income. When you think that that is the debt after all the state and European funding that Madeira has received over recent years, funding which is now in increasingly short supply, how on earth are we going continue to survive (let alone grow) and repay our debts under the leadership of this Madeira government that lives for today and worries about the consequences tomorrow. President Jardim may think he will retire in 2011, leaving a legacy to be proud of, but the true legacy he will leave will be a millstone around the neck for all of us living here for many many years to come. This €1.9 billion is not just a figure on paper, it is real debt that has to be repaid to lending institutions.

Crisis and alcohol associated to suicide – Psychiatrist Ricardo Alves is alert to the virtual life of young people and to the access  to weed-killers. This is an interview with the head psychiatrist in the health service, who talks of the role of alcoholism in suicides, and the fight to reduce the rate of 10 suicides per 100,000 people, of which probably 80 to 90% have alcohol problems. He condemns the sale of alcohol to minors, psychotic patients and intoxicated individuals. He also recommends legislation to control the sale of weed-killers through ‘responsible traders’, and talks about the ‘virtual world’ that many youngsters live in and the dangers they face through the internet and online ‘chat’. Many suicides stem from the depression and stress, caused by situations such as unemployment and loss of financial standing. Currently there are four psychiatrists in the hospital, all alert for the signs of suicidal individuals, and by 2011 there will be two more in the team. At present there are between 300 and 350 adult consultations per month.

Accident Saturday causes five injuries on the roads. Three road accidents yesterday injured five people, including a mother and her two children, injured in an accident in Santa Rita and taken to hospital. A 25 year lady was also hospitalised after a road accident in Santa Cruz, and also a 55 year old women in the area of Cabo Girão.

Three teams from Madeira attempt to progress in the ‘Cup’ – Nacional, União SAD, and AD Camacha have strong possibilities of passing to the 5th round. Camacha host Vigor da Mocidade this afternoon (3 pm), and are clear favourites to win. Nacional are also at home this afternoon against CD Fátima from the league below, and though obviously favourites, Nacional struggled a bit in the previous round against lesser opposition from that same division. União kick off at 2 pm against 2nd division Mafra.

The top headline today : Irregular list makes a botch-up in the ACIF (Funchal Chamber of Commerce) – Unhappy associates with the only list say that there are candidates that the regulations don’t contemplate and they prepare the refutation. That’s all I have time for today, but if someone feels the urge to put some meat on this story, you will find it through this link : ACIF

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