Madeira News Blog

Today’s photo – Many thanks to Pete … "I told you the ball was too big".

Only the one carnival photo received at ‘going to print’ , so back to normal today.

Tess asked me to plug her Madeira carnival coverage on her blog A YEAR IN MADEIRA. Happy to oblige, and well worth a visit with a ‘first hand’ write up of Saturday night’s cortejo, complete with photos.

Many thanks to Elaine (out East) for this web snippet :

Demographics of Madeira. This fotopedia site has photos and information about the island. Combines Wikipedia articles and photos from flickr. Also projects for Portugal and other countries.

Tobi recommends : "This is a great site, shame there are only 2 places on the south coast covered but I hope they add more". VISIT MADEIRA

Paul asks : Could trams be a solution to traffic congestion in Funchal?

What it could be like … some video clips of the trams in Lisbon including what’s like a rollercoaster ride: Lisbon tram 28. Stay with the film to where the streets get really narrow and there’s a car parked where 2 tracks pass! VIDEO

Tram Clip from the Wim Wenders film too: Lisbon Story 1994: VIDEO

This one is from Tom … did you know Cristiano Ronaldo likes blondes OVER 18s ONLY

Nacional only managed a home draw 1 – 1 yesterday against Rio Ave. Braga hosted Marítimo and won 2 – 1,  keeping the home side just four points adrift of league leaders Benfica, with a game in hand. Both our Madeira football teams are now on equal points (25), and both in reach of a European placing.

Many thanks to Elaine once again for yesterday’s top news stories & some web links :

Diário now has a slide show of 32 photos of the Carnival Parade. PHOTO LINK

They certainly had the right Carnival theme this year for the weather. Diário has an 11 minute video. I suppose YouTube will have videos soon. VIDEO LINK

This theatrical piece, God’s Garden, was mentioned in January 30th blog. A critic’s review in yesterday’s Independent newspaper. 

God’s Garden, Linbury Studio, London. Breathing Irregular, Gate, London. Don’t tell the bride – there are oats to sow in paradise. Lush: that’s the word for Madeira. The plant life, the landscape, the fado singing, even the local Portuguese dialect – all aspire to the luxuriant softness of its cosseting climate. The choreographer Arthur Pita has family there, and in God’s Garden, a striking 75-minute touring piece of dance theatre and live music, transmits the distinctive colour of island life, including its darker shades. In outline it’s the prodigal son story, a tug-of-war twixt home – all be it a poor, peasant one – and the lure of elsewhere. In a sunny courtyard (design by Jean-Marc Puissant) three generations of one family eat, drink, squabble, even sleep, when the wine and late-night fado render them senseless … Independent newspaper

DIÁRIO DE NOTÍCIAS 14/02/2010

FRONT PAGE NEWS

‘Ponta do Pargo Resort’ opens in April 2012. (Drawing of the main building of the hotel complex). The new luxury hotel complex, Ponta do Pargo Resort, seeks a rating of five stars and is due to be completed in April 2012. This is when the new golf course will open in the area, which is to be built by the Society for the Development of West Point. An initiative of the British company, Morgan Forbes – Developing Investments, the new resort-hotel will have 68 accommodation units, some suites with an area of 80 square metres. It will be located in one of the best areas surrounding the new golf course and is so far the only hotel unit planned for the site. The project has been submitted for planning permission. The project has been designed by the Madeiran firm, MSB Arquitectos, for minimal impact on the site and to overlook the sea and golf course. The budget is 12 million Euros and will be supported by sales of units in the international market. The project has been reported in the British press and there are already 20 customers interested. The sales of portions of properties adjacent to golf courses is a widespread practice in Southern Europe and Northern America. The construction could begin later this year. Meanwhile, the project is being marketed in England and there are negotiations with a prestigious international real estate promotion and sales company in Madeira, aimed at attracting the more wealthy client. Morgan Forbes is bringing the press to Madeira, British and Swedish journalists and TV stations, to promote the resort to golf lovers. The director of the investment company, Michael Nascimento, has parents in Porto da Cruz and is a Londoner, and owns a chain of food and drink outlets around Canary Wharf. He admires Madeira and has some investments here but this is his biggest project on the island.

Hospital is at the limit. Disruptions in the supply of medicines, lack of beds, old and outdated facilities, not enough money and a climate of conflict between health professionals and administration, the Central Hospital in Funchal is on the edge. A new hospital is desperately needed but the relationship with Lisbon does not help. Marmeleiros is even worse, the hospital should have been closed years ago and the wards are cold, poorly insulated with mould growing on some walls. The President of the Union for Nurses wants it to become a home for the elderly when the new hospital is built. Medicines sometimes run out due to a lack of money and late payment to suppliers. There are also difficulties in paying suppliers of other requirements. There are also pressures from the ageing population, the economic crisis making private consultations less affordable and a poor network of primary care. The number of complaints to the management from doctors has increased from an average of five per year over the last ten years to 110 last year. The clinical director insists the unions’ complaints about the quality of health care provided are nonsense and that Madeira has good services in terms of quality and safety. The new hospital plans were drawn up in 1992 and finally submitted in 2004 to the Regional Government. Land for it in Santa Rita is still being expropriated. The same plan recommends the closure of Marmeleiros.

MADEIRA

São Roque do Faial Carnival Parade. Casa do Povo de São Roque do Faial is holding a Carnival Parade next Tuesday, February 16, at 18.00. The parade will be through the centre of the parish as it has been for the last four years. From the Casa do Povo, along Rua da Igreja, across the new bridge to the restaurant Sanroque and back to the Casa do Povo. Activities will continue in the evening in the Casa do Povo. This initiative is to maintain the tradition.

Works in Cabo Girão close road. Access to Quinta Grande closed for three months. Upgrading of the viewpoint and access, which includes widening of the road.

JORNAL DA MADEIRA

Sonhos and malassadas sweeten the Carnival. The Carnival is celebrated three days before Lent, which begins on Ash Wednesday and ends at Easter. The traditional foods at this time of year are the sonhos and malassadas (deep fried doughnuts), The recipes can have either pumpkin or sweet potato added to improve the taste and lightness, and they are served drizzled with regional cane syrup. Malassadas are made from dough made from flour, water and baker’s yeast then eggs added. Pumpkin puree can be added. Spoonfuls of the mixture are deep fried. Some people use baking powder but this gives a more compact texture. Historically, Carnival time started on the Dia dos Reis, 6 January, and each Sunday was celebrated with large meals, thus known as Domingos Gordos. Each parish has its specific feijoadas de Carnaval (bean stew), the best being made in the north of Portugal, especially transmontanas where they use the regional smoked meats. In Beira Litoral, a feijoada with pig’s ears and turnip is accompanied by white rice. Recipes for traditional Madeiran food and drink on the following website, in Portuguese only. MADEIRA RECIPES

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

A very thin newspaper today. I reckon after a late night covering the carnival in Funchal on Saturday, the boss must have given the reporters the day off yesterday.

Abortion law reduces paternity tests – Besides the analysis of illnesses, of cytogenetics, and the tests for paternity, The Genetics Laboratory wants to move on to forensic [criminal] work. Due to the effects of the abortion law introduced in 2008, the need for paternity testing has reduced, and the laboratory in the University of Madeira is looking at new business in new areas, and is almost saturated with work. 

Today’s main news headline :  Finland is going to send five weekly charter flights – Good news for tourism : the operators guarantee to the hotels of Madeira 10 thousand tourists until May. The predictions of various Finnish tour operators that offer the Madeira option are for an increase of sales to our island, and the consolidation of an increase in capacity over the next few months. Although it is unlikely that the levels of Finnish tourism achieved in 2008 will be achieved this year, the indications are positive. A big fat welcome to our Finnish friends … lovely people.

Jardim already lost the ‘home game’ with Passos Coelho – In the previous election, Coelho won in Funchal, against the instructions of Jardim. This story, over a squabble between between these two PSD politicians, has been running for a few days since the National Council of the Social democrat Party convened  to discuss the selection of a new party leader. Jardim has a serious problem with Coelho [as well as most of Portugal] whose attitude he did not like over the amendments to the Regional Finance Law.

Change of [bus] routes leaves Horários empty.

This one is ‘off’ the front page, but I read it anyway : Mobile phones should be unblocked without charging. DECO, the consumer defence organisation, and the competition authorities are recommending the prohibiting of charging for unblocking mobile phones [tied to single operators], once the contract, called here the loyalty period, has expired. And if it doesn’t happen then then courts should force the operators to refund the unblocking fees. "There is not any reason, technical or legal, for the operators of mobile phones to continue keeping the phones blocked after the loyalty period has expired, the period in which the customer is tied into a contract", said a DECO spokesman. Fees charged for unblocking range from €50 to €116, and a study shows that only around 30% of customers currently have unlocked phones.

The main sport / football headline today : Irregular launch in the origin of the victory of Braga – Madeira lost in the stadium of the 2nd placed team, following a glaring error by the referees assistant, Pedro Proença. At the Choupana [Funchal], Nacional drew with Rio Ave continuing without a win in the premier league in 2010.

If anyone else can oblige with the translation of any of the ‘blank’ or sparsely filled headlines, or other news stories, here is the link. All contributions much appreciated. 

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If you can, please contribute something Madeira related. A funny story or good or bad experience, a news item, or a story from a Madeira newspaper, a photo or video, a teaser, news of a bargain flight or item in a supermarket. Please help keep this blog going … without user contributions it won’t survive. Please don’t send in automatic translations (like Google translator) without checking them through and correcting them first, thanks.

You can email blog@madeira4u.com with any large contributions and photos / videos.

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Please use the comments here for general chit-chat, or feel free to ask any questions … someone usually has an answer.

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This came in at 12.55 am this morning from Migratory Bird …  many thanks for the exceptional effort. It is of course dear old Uncle Bertie disguised as Vasco de Gama at last night’s carnival. Great pic! Apparently he looked really pissed before the start, but who am I to judge Madeira’s top man.

Today’s normal photo – Many thanks to Pete … "Madeira life starts here …"

Many thanks to Becky for some more videos and a web snippet :

Some dramatic surfing in Jardim do Mar and Paul do Mar. I admire the skill, strength and tenacity required by those who surf to any degree. Like me, do you ever wonder who first thought of doing it? And what did they use… a plank of wood? (Uncle Bertie’s wallet perhaps … Der).

Max sings “Bate o pé” and shows us how to dance the Bailinho da Madeira…. 3 hops to the right, 3 hops to the left… come on everybody! (Probably easier after a glass or two of Poncha)

“We were taken to a typical tiny vineyard where picking was in progress. It was one of the most astonishing sights I’ve witnessed in 20 years of vineyard visits. The vines were mixed up with potatoes, cucumbers, tomatoes and melons. The fruit was shaded under heavy overhead pergola canopies. I saw bunches of grapes dangling alongside squashes. Looked at through the optic of conventional viticultural thinking, it was crazy”. WHAT THE HELL IS VITICUTURAL?

Tom sent me in that yesterday, but is it relevant to Madeira? Possibly, as Greece and Madeira have both been mentioned in the same news stories many times over the last week … but anyway I thought it was hilarious. Thanks Tom.

As promised, Tobi has come up trumps with a recipe for Sonhos :

You need :-

250 ml water
250 ml milk
1 teaspoon cinnamon
zest of a lemon
pinch salt
9 eggs (med)
120 grams butter
300 grams flour

Heat the water, milk, cinnamon, lemon zest, salt and butter in a saucepan, bring to boil, remove from heat and add all the flour, mix quickly with a wooden spoon, it will all come together like a dough, then start adding eggs 1 by 1, mixing them well into the dough before you add the next, the mixture will separate but don’t worry, but mix well, it really is hard work on the arm. When all mixed you should have a thick batter type, grab a tablespoon type spoon and get a spoonful of batter and push it off the spoon with another spoon into hot oil, they will puff up and float to top, turn and cook both sides till golden, remove and drain on kitchen paper, best served with Cana de Mel.

The texture of the batter needs to be thick, but not too thick, it should fall from a spoon but not fast and not run from it as you spoon it into the hot oil it will stay together, if the batter is a little thick add a bit more water and mix in well.

The oil needs to be very hot, I suggest you cook 4 at a time, try one and if it’s too heavy and doughy you need to thin the mix a little. Thanks a lot Tobi, got me thinking about Kentucky Fried Chicken now!

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

MADEIRA

Bad weather cancelled Children’s Carnivals. The Children’s Carnival Parade in Câmara de Lobos was cancelled because of persistent rain. According to Diário, similarly in Ribeira Brava, the parade through the town was suspended and they went to the local sports pavilion instead (photo).

Rather odd that Elaine, but I have the photographic evidence to prove that it did actually go ahead Friday morning. Der

Bad weather threatens parades. Orange alert. The weather forecast was not good for last night’s Carnival Parade and throughout the weekend. Showers today will be more frequent, with strong to very strong winds and gusts could reach up to 100 km per hour in the hills. The bad weather will continue on Monday but the rain will become weaker from the beginning of Tuesday afternoon in time for the Cortejo Trapalhão at 16.00 in Funchal.

Ribeira Brava Carnival Parade on Sunday. As mentioned yesterday by Der. Sunday afternoon at 16.30 with more than a 100 participants. The Cortejo Trapalhão goes from the secondary school to the sea front promenade. A similar event in Campanário begins earlier at 15.00.

Dolce Vita with the rhythm of Geringonça. A samba party celebrating the spirit of the Carnival in Brazil starts at 18.00 on Monday, in the restaurant area of the Dolce Vita commercial mall in Funchal. Visitors are invited to join in.

Carnival in Porto Santo will be on Monday evening. Several major changes this year and instead of Tuesday, as traditional, it will take place on Monday at 21.30.

ECONOMY

Promotion of Madeira in Dublin. A promotional campaign begins on February 15th in the main areas, shopping centres and railway stations in Dublin. A 45,000 Euros campaign finances 120 posters on the streets and on the 125 urban buses. Since October last year, SATA has a weekly flight to Dublin on Saturdays. This island is promoted as a "destination for nature with good weather all year".

TAP will not abandon Venezuela. TAP will continue to fly regularly between the main Portuguese airports and Venezuela. The local population in Caracas were worried it might abandon the route because of economic difficulties and foreign exchange rates. The number of flights decrease between April 22 and 4 June as there is a reduced demand for places. The strong bolivar currency, formed by a scheme of Hugo Chávez, is now at a rate that is three times lower than a year ago, which is forcing people wishing to travel to buy dollars three times more expensive than a year ago. (Travel in Venezuela is sold in U.S. dollars). The flight pattern might have to be adjusted in the following months and trade is seasonal. There is little competition for TAP, just the local carrier SBA Airlines. TAP has lost a few million Euros since the bolivar exchange rate was altered in January. The money it holds in Venezuelan banks has lost value.

Funchal Port surpasses the Canary Islands.  The movement of passengers on cruise ships through ports in Madeira and the Canary Islands last year amounted to 1,622,548 passengers, 6.6% more than the previous year. The Port of Funchal was the busiest with 435,821 passengers, having captured 26.8% of the tourists who made a cruise in the area of the Atlantic. Santa Cruz de Tenerife had 25.7% of the passengers. At Funchal, the increase was 7.5% and at Tenerife, 4%. This January, the number of cruise ship passengers grew by 6% over the same month last year and the number of calls increased to 25, two more cruise ships than last year. The market is expected to grow this year with 159 cruise ships already booked in the first half of this year, 19.5% over last year. There are a record 11 inaugural visits. April is one of the busiest months in Funchal due to the repositioning of ships in the southern hemisphere for the Mediterranean and Northern Europe.

CULTURE

23rd anniversary of ‘Tunacedros’. Tunacedros perform traditional songs remembered by the local residents and use traditional instruments. Founded in 1987, ‘Tunacedros’ da Casa do Povo de São Roque do Faial on Sunday celebrates its 23rd anniversary, with a series of initiatives that begin with a Mass of Thanksgiving in the parish church. At 11.30, flowers will be placed at the municipal cemetery to honour deceased members of Tunacedros. A birthday concert will begin at noon in the Casa do Povo with songs from the repertoire of tuna.

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

€12 million for hotel in Ponta do Pargo – The project, of the son of emigrants from Porto da Cruz, is going to complement the investment in the golf course. Work will start this year and the inauguration will be in 2012. I wonder who will doing the inauguration, as President Jardim says he will be leaving next year. Does the concept of a 19th hole exist here? Uncle Bertie would like that bit of a golf course the best I am sure.

Technology destroys professions – In just 14 years, two thousand specialities have disappeared. And the knife sharpener  [person] that exists on Madeira doesn’t have a ‘heir’. I suspected that last bit might not be quite right, so I typed it in the Google translator and it gave me … And the knife that exists in the Wood does not have ‘dolphin’, so I stuck with my original attempt. The Diário says "The economy is not compatible with dreams and, in Madeira, the craft of knife is the next to disappear". During the period between 1980 and 1994, according to the records of the National Classification, 2100 job types were lost, including the typist, the laundress, and housekeeper, but the truth is that since then many other occupations have become obsolete. Technology in the manufacturing sector takes much of the blame, but more recent realities affect other sectors, such as banking. 20 years ago, the banks Totta or Banif for example, had twice as many employees as they have today, but many of these jobs have gone to outsourcing, and the introduction of the ATM / Cash points / Multibancos of course. Cutting to the chase, it  seems that the ‘knife grinder’ is one of the next professions likely to become extinct.

Today’s main news headline :  Conflicts and shortages put the hospital at the limit – lack of money has led to shortfalls in medicines. There are too many patients for too few beds. The number of staff complaints has soared. And now the clinical director cuts the leave for days off in the surgeries.

A cracking carnival photograph (not the one shown) has most of today’s front page, glamour, dancing, smiling … you know what it’s like I am sure: Parade in the rain – The rain damaged some of the parade floats, soaking the feathers and the spangles, but it didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of the thousand revellers.  It certainly pelted down where I was, well away from Funchal, but in the capital the Cortejo continued despite the rain, weaving it’s way around downtown Funchal. Umbrellas were all over the place, clenched by locals and tourists alike, all wanting to see the pirates, nymphs, jellyfish, sea gods, and mermaids, all there to create the theme of ‘The Seas and Oceans’. There were 8 troupes taking part this year.

MORE CARNIVAL PHOTOS FROM THE DIÁRIO (thanks Paul)

The main sport headline today : Bernardo : The moment of glory without any effect on the ranking – The Madeiran driver beat Loeb, Hirvonnen, Sordo, and Latvala yesterday in the superspecial of the rally of Sweden, but in general terms went down.

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.

—————————————————————————————————————————————–

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 Elaine out West … View looking over Cabo Girão cliff.

God’s Garden – at the Royal Opera House (London). Date: February 11th until the 13th. "As the sun beats down on the village of Porto Moniz, Madeira, a young man prepares to take the biggest step of his life and get married. While his family and friends rejoice at this momentous occasion, he is uneasy. The young man decides to take matters into his own hands and flees on his wedding day to sow his wild oats, leaving his heartbroken bride behind. When he eventually returns to the village, his family are delighted and celebrate his homecoming. He laps it up, believing that everything is as it was before he left, ignoring the fact that hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. God’s Garden is the latest full-length work from choreographer Arthur Pita and is based on the parable of the Prodigal Son. Using a combination of text, live music and dance, Pita’s exploration of love and betrayal promises a highly-charged and exciting evening’s entertainment". Anyone who happens to be in London on the dates mentioned might like to savour a little taste of Madeira MORE

I noticed one or two ears pricked up with this story yesterday, so this article gives more details on the birds affected … "Ponta do Pargo – the destruction of an IBA for a golf course. Unfortunately the economic crisis did not hit Madeira Island as it should and money is still being spent on the worst things… One of Madeira’s Important Bird Area (IBA) is being destructed for the construction of another unprofitable (the 3rd one already!) golf course… Ponta do Pargo is the westernmost tip of Madeira island and it was a very good spot for bird watching some of the endemic birds as Berthelot’s Pipit, Rock Sparrows and Spectacled Warblers but also for migrant birds where Stonechat, Wheater, Woodchat Shrike, Lapwing, Golden Plover, Hobby, Peregrine Falcon, Buff-breasted Sandpiper were some of the species already recorded there. MORE

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

Anyone need a Life Coach?! You have one on the island, and here she describes her move to Madeira: LIFE COACH – IS THAT A REAL JOB?

Extracts from an old (2003) BBC radio programme about Madeirans on Jersey, learning the language and some returning to Madeira. You need ‘Realplayer’ to hear the clips.

Becky has also very kindly donated a couple of stories from yesterday’s Diário de Notícias … many thanks.

Custody for suspected drug trafficker – The cocaine seized could yield close to 126 thousand Euros if it were to be sold on the street. A man of 33 years, of foreign-birth, is in custody in the Prison of Funchal (EPF) after being caught by the Judicial Police (PJ) last Tuesday with 5,070 individual doses of cocaine. The arrest, revealed yesterday by the coordinator of the Criminal Investigation Department of the PJ in Funchal, Ricardo Silva, was made in Madeira International Airport, where the individual, who is originally from an African country, landed on a domestic flight. "From the prevention investigations carried out, we collected strong evidence that culminated in the seizure of 5,070 individual doses of cocaine, carried inside the body, which was aimed at being trafficked in the Autonomous Region of Madeira," said the Judiciary in a statement. The man was taken to the Hospital Dr. SMF Mendonça, where the drugs – valued at around 126 thousand Euros – were withdrawn from his body. This was an isolated situation, which is not related to other investigations of the PJ, which has already prevented about 10 thousand individual doses of drugs – heroin, cocaine and cannabis – from arriving on the streets of Madeira. The numbers given are not read as indicators of increased consumption, but with a more effective police force and the dwindling supply of drugs in Madeira.

Aldo Lima takes ‘stand-up comedy’ to Chega de Saudade. It is an initiative of solidarity that brings Aldo Lima to Madeira. The comedian presents a show of ‘stand-up comedy’ this Friday at Chega de Saudade. The event will help the earthquake victims in Haiti and will also feature live music and dj’s. According to Chega de Saudade, there will be no entrance charge at the door, so it is through the consumption at the bar that the money will revert to the AMI.

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

DIÁRIO 29/01/2010 – FRONT PAGE NEWS

Jewellers feel unsafe and make their own security patrols. There have been a number of robberies on jewellery shops in the centre of Funchal despite alarms, surveillance cameras and reinforced doors and windows. The shop owners complain about the low police presence on the streets at night and at weekends and visit their shops several times to inspect the premises. Most of these jewellers are uninsured against burglary because of the expense, conditions imposed and not many companies will provide cover due to the high risk involved. Most of the robbers are not caught or items recovered. The target of robberies at these shops and private residences are gold items as the price is high because of global demand.

MADEIRA

Work at Jardim da Serra moving ahead without a budget. The Parish Council of Jardim da Serra has draft plans for the renovation of the Quinta Leonor but have not costed the project. This building belongs to the Region but has been assigned, on a temporary basis, to this Parish Council to be used in a project for the development of socio-cultural research and agro-forestry. It is thought to be a potential use of community funds and will also need private and public investment. 4,000 square metres of land in the Sítio da Fonte Frade, practically opposite the School of Jardim da Serra, are included in the plan. This project is of public interest as it concerns the development of rural communities, the development and promotion of farming and regional products and the social, economic and cultural role of farming. There will be three areas of work: preservation of ethnography, preservation of biodiversity and rural tourism, leisure and education.

Over €58 million spent on medicines. During 2009, Madeirans spent more than 58 million Euros on medicines and pharmaceuticals, buying 6,700,000 units (packages). There has been a decline in the amount spent since 2007 despite more units dispensed in 2009. The explanation is the decrease in prices ordered by the Government of the Republic and generic medications accounting for 9% of those bought. There is still a lot of self-medication and Infarmed (government organization) warn of the dangers of buying over the Internet as there are many illegal sites. They produce a list of approved sites on their website: APPROVED PHARMACIES.

Giga Park continues in Ponta do Sol. A smaller version of the Christmas entertainment park will remain until at least Easter, possibly until October. It has been renamed the Amusement Park of Ponta do Sol. The new opening hours are: Friday 19.00 to 2 am; Saturdays, Sundays and holidays from 16.00 to 2 am.

Customs seize a kilo of drugs. Customs at Madeira Airport arrested a Madeiran man in his 30s who had heroin and hashish hidden in his underwear. This kilogram of drugs is equivalent to 5,500 doses. He had flown from Lisbon. This is the second arrest this year by Customs, the previous amount was two kilos of heroin or 27,000 doses.

ECONOMY

A classic in port. The tall ship, Stavros S Niarchos, returns to the Port of Funchal and will stay until 14.00 on Sunday. This ship belongs to the Tall Ships Youth Trust, a non-profit making organization. Since 1956, TSYT has catered for 70,000 young people of different nationalities. Madeirans first joined this initiative in November 2006 with the support of Navigation Blandy. The ship will take on youngsters at Funchal for an 11 day trip of the Canary Islands at a cost of 229 Euros each. Tomorrow, 40 youngsters of different nationalities, some flown in, will join the ship. The ship has two masts with 18 sails, is 60 metres long and was built in Devon in 2000, modelled on a XVIII Century sailing ship. The ship has two engines, an air conditioning system, desalination plant and modern radar, sonar, GPS and communications systems.

55 fishermen were considering protesting. Due to the renovation of the Port of Funchal, São Lázaro was to be closed at the end of this month. The boat owners, who said it was difficult to remove their boats, met yesterday afternoon and were considering various forms of protest. The area has been used for 40 years, some boats for fishing and others for sport, some to earn a living. The owners were pleased to negotiate the permanency of their craft in this area.

JORNAL DA MADEIRA

Carnival 2010 – Turma do Funil depict mythical figures of the oceans. In line with the Carnival Parade overall theme, Seas and Oceans, this group takes the theme, The Ocean in Folia (Infopedia – lively dance or great fun, spree). On the night of 13 February, there will be 150 participants in this dance group and the costumes will focus on orange, green, purple, black, white, silver and turquoise. Accessories include feathers, stones, pieces of mosaic and chains of coloured sequins. Rehearsals take place in the Casa da Cultura de Câmara de Lobos. The Flag Bearers are the Goddess of the Sea and the ‘Mestre de Sala’ symbolising the King of the Ocean, Neptune, in foaming waves. Following, there will be fishermen delighted by mermaids, and floats depicting the lost island Atlantis with oysters containing precious pearls in the ruins of the submerged island. Then young children will depict pirates looking for treasure followed by animated girls dancing next to sailors. The Rainha da Bateria and revellers will pay tribute to the people of Câmara de Lobos introducing the Espada-Preto fish and  the boat ‘O Xavelha’. At the opening of each group of dancers, there will always be a pair of open wings representing the magnificent coral reefs. A guest will represent Vasco da Gama.

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

Catalogue lacking from the war in the west – The artists of the exhibition ‘Linha de Partida’ [Line of Departure] that has been running for a year in the Casa das Mudas, has Ricardo Veloza under fire.

Today’s main news headline : Horários of Funchal in technical bankruptcy – the company shows it’s own capital as negative and has already had a passive loan [debt] of €30 million at the end of 2008.

Government puts forward another €250,000 for management of the Jornal da Madeira. Is this never going to end? Despite the complaints of the Diário de Notícias at an international level, nothing changes, and the taxpayer is still funding the political mouthpiece of President Jardim’s government. And no doubt the other negative aspects of this state sponsored propaganda mechanism are alive and well, with government advertising expenditure deliberately targeted to ensure that the competition to the Jornal is pretty much excluded from benefitting.

Salaries in arrears prompt rout in the Association  of the Casas do Povo [Social Centres].

Opposition make possible inquiry of the Socialist Party about regional debt – The PP and PCP ensure enough signatures to allow a commission of inquiry proposed by the PS , in order to determine the value of the debt denied by President Jardim.

In Lisbon, after several concessions, there is discomfort on the Social Democrat bench with the Regional Finance Law.

Agreement : Transition period began and nobody understood. I bet a few people will look at this headline today and wonder what this is all about, as it shows a paper with various Portuguese words shown and their new replacements with simplified spelling. The idea is to ensure some level of language consistency in the Portuguese speaking world, a move which is not going down particularly well on this side of the pond at least. Some examples : Lectivo will become Letivo, Correcção will become Correção, and Jóia will become Joia. The changes should also reflect better the way the words are actually pronounced.

The main sport / football headline today :  Madeira doesn’t attract stages – Other regions of tourism try to attract teams. Through here there is a lack of reaction. Today Nacional – FC Porto 17h – SportTV and TSF. Despite what it sounds like, the article is saying that at the moment there are national teams looking for warm-up games in preparation for the World Cup this year in South Africa, and are looking for fixtures, or training venues at least, in Europe. The article says it is up to the Regional Government to attract interest, since there is no other entity that can promote all the sports facilities and stadiums of Madeira and Porto Santo. The Diário was unable to get any response from the relevant government department.

An extra headline article that I thought was worth a mention, or a look rather, shows our great President Alberto João Jardim in his famous peg-leg pose. "I will not resign". Jardim asks the parties not to further postpone the vote on the Regional Finance Law. The guarantee of Jardim is that if there is no change in the Law of Regional Finance (LFR), the president of the Regional Government of Madeira is not going to resign. Well he has given them Hobson’s choice really, and getting rid of Uncle Bertie in exchange for losing a few million Eurobucks would have been a worthy exchange indeed. Back to the grassy knoll plan then I think.

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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