Madeira News Blog

Today’s Photo Thanks to Karen  … View from Pico dos Barcelos

It looks very familiar to me Karen, perhaps someone sent in a similar one? Lovely view.

"Funchal is by far among one of the prettiest places we’ve been so far on this cruise. We we docked, we look out over our balcony to see that the sun was shining and all the white buildings with the red roofs were sparkling in the sunlight". Lots of photos, and a bit of mickey taking too. CRUISERS PRIVATE BLOG

The Madeira specialists  have updated or revised their website ATLANTIC HOLIDAYS

"The World Centre of Excellence for Destinations (CED), a World Tourism Organisation (WTO) institution, has assessed the Madeira Islands as a tourist destination based on 15 parameters". I DON’T KNOW WHAT THAT’S ALL ABOUT?

This weekend’s football : Marítimo host Olhanense tomorrow at 4 pm. Nacional make the trip to Leiria on Monday with the kick-off at 8.15 pm. Neither game is televised. The game between Benfica and Académica on Sunday is on RTP at 8.15 pm.

Have a jolly good weekend!

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

Lisbon almost forced to give money for the new hospital. The possibility of the State providing capital for the construction of the new Hospital of Madeira is nearer. All because the CDS-PP delivered a draft resolution urging the Government of the Republic to regulate what the Regional Finance Law provides: "The establishment of projects of common interest between the Republic and the Regions." In the document the centrists recall that 30 months after the law is in force, the decree on these projects, which are promoted for strategic or national interest, was not elaborated and approved and impedes the Autonomous Regions to nominate projects and works for this important financial instrument. Following these rules, the Assembly of the Republic asked the opinion of the Regional Government and the Legislative Assembly. Jardim has already decided in favour of a move to proceed with these rules as soon as possible. Apart from having a view applicable to the new Central Hospital of Funchal, the reason behind this initiative of the centrists, the type of project the Regional Government would like to see the State finance is the access to the maritime station at the port of Funchal and the fishing port at Câmara de Lobos. The Regional Government asks for haste in approving the law, so that it enters into force in time for the Regions to obtain funding for projects in the next State Budget. With this political will in Madeira and the support of the opposition in Lisbon, applications for projects of common interest could soon be a reality. The classification of a project as being of community interest is subject to approval by the Government of the Republic and the Regional Government, so the final decision is down to Jose Socrates. Even if the decision is positive, little is known about the conditions of financing by State funding.

Seismic activity of magnitude 3.7 on the Richter scale felt in Madeira and Porto Santo. The Institute of Meteorology noted at 12.05 yesterday, an earthquake of magnitude 3.7 (Richter) with epicentre about 16 kilometres North of the island Deserta Grande. The intensity reached III on the Mercalli scale (from I to XII) and was felt in Machico, Santa Cruz, Caniço, Funchal and Porto Santo. There was no record of any damage and some people asked the authorities for assistance. It was the second episode in less than two months in the same area; on 23 October 2009, 2 km away, activity of magnitude 2.8 Richter or grade II/III Mercalli.

Santa Cruz launches a program for the Christmas period to promote local trade. The Municipality is launching a program from December 9 to January 13, called ‘What is ours is good!’ In an effort to boost local businesses, customers are to be rewarded for buying in the county. For every 10 Euros of purchases, the customer receives a voucher that can be entered in a tombola. The draw will take place on January 16 but the value of the prizes will not be determined until the number of traders taking part is known.

Industrial parks are full. The Business Park in Câmara de Lobos is to build 11 new units due to the high demand from regional businesses. 12 units have just opened and there are 5 in Funchal and 5 in Ponta do Sol opening early next year. By 2011, there will be a total of 50 units. The Government’s strategy has been to create infrastructure and incentives for the regional economy to maintain levels of production and income. The park has been built so that industrial units are not in urban and residential areas, and to provide better technical and working environments.

‘Casa Pretoria’ fraud in Catalonia linked to Madeira. The Casa Pretoria fraud case has its epicentre in Catalonia and is being investigated by a top Spanish judge, Baltazar Garzon. There are links with various tax havens in Andorra, Switzerland, Gibraltar, Portugal and Madeira. The case relates to crimes of conspiracy, money laundering, corruption and falsification of documents to illegally divert European Cohesion Funds. 21 people have been indicted, of which 5 are in custody. Most are businessmen or hold senior positions in Municipalities in Catalonia. Results from investigations into real estate transactions have so far detected crimes in three municipalities to the sum of 44.4 million Euros. A member of the Socialist Party of Catalonia, Luis Garcia, was the instigator of the fraud. A business close to him was awarded a development project by municipalities involved in the fraud. The money received for favours was laundered through tax havens. Money invested in tax havens was used to purchase land which was subsequently reclassified through a network of middlemen and commissioning agents.

Promoting tourism occurs without any money. Promoting tourism affected by default of 2 million. Turismo de Portugal has not transferred 800,000 Euros and 1.2 million has not been transferred from the Regional Budget to the Association of Promotion of Madeira. Out of a budget of 5 million, this is a shortfall of 40% with less than 25 days until the end of the year, resulting in defaulting. With the 4 + 1 + 1 rule: for every 1 euro private funding, add 1 euro from the regional budget and 4 Euros from Turismo de Portugal. Turismo de Portugal refused to transfer money without regional authorities doing so, and is in the process of settling the payment of the remaining 30%. This is causing distrust and contracts amended by some operators. There is unease because the Regional Government has ended the extraordinary boost in funding and although the Regional Secretary of Tourism has an increase in budget, the Promotional Association will have a 2.3% cut in funding. In addition, there is uncertainty about the Government investing in emerging markets rather than the tradition markets of the United Kingdom, Germany and France which represent 47.8% of the tourists.

Carlos César says the Azores have not yet decided to support the proposal of Madeira. The President of the Regional Government of the Azores declined today to reveal its position on the proposed revision of the Regional Finance Law presented by Madeira, as they are still evaluating the document. During the election campaign for parliamentary elections, Carlos César repeatedly supported the Azores being positively discriminated against in relation to Madeira, arguing that it is an archipelago of nine islands, which have different needs than one that has only two islands in close proximity. The president of the regional executive, who is also the leader of the PS – Azores, criticized the actions of the opposition parties on the continent as they are not in government. "The opposition says the Government has not realized that it does not have an absolute majority in the Assembly of the Republic, but the truth is that the opposition does not yet understand that it is not in government."

Tourism honours German couple. The German couple, Egon and Astrid Roes have visited 75 times. They received a certificate, bouquet of flowers and a toast of Madeira Wine. Astrid Roes said he liked much of the island and when people asked why they favoured the island, he said they liked to experiment, and the island had always something to find, even after dozen of trips.

VII Meeting of the Africans People. 7 December in the Municipal Gardens, Funchal at 20.00. Music, dancing and food. There is a small African community in the region, only about 300 Africans.

Madeira reaches EU target for education. Madeira has managed to achieve some of the goals set by the EU for the level of education for 2010, others are still being achieved. 100% of children under 5 years are in pre-school education, 87.2% attendance at school and 100% at Basic Education are learning English. The drop-out rate of 12% still needs working on. Portuguese and Mathematics results are good at year 4 but decrease at year 6 and again at year 9.

Corruption in the police? Commissioner Roberto Fernandes is the commander of the police in Funchal and also leads the Public Relations Department of the Regional Command. But his past is overshadowing his career. When sub-commissioner of Câmara de Lobos in 2004, there were two incidents involving members of his family where there are allegations of falsification of the evidence. Based on an anonymous letter, alleging abuse of power, falsification and denial of justice, the Public Ministry began an investigation. This is awaiting a court hearing. His name is not ratified in the Official Gazette, possibly due to the pending court case.

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

‘Over the top’  operation at the arrival of Lobo Marinho – PSP, GNR, SEF and public prosecutors (?) searched cars and seized drugs yesterday evening on Porto Santo. The police, national guard, border and immigration control (amongst others) got wind that something was up, and were waiting for the Porto Santo ferry as it landed at the golden island yesterday. Searches were carried out, focused on the 37 cars that were being transported, and drugs were seized. The Diário says that it was waiting for an official statement on the matter and had no more details when going to press.

Funchal Council want the Madeira Government to pay ‘freebies’ of the hotels – Touristic usefulness in question. Under regional laws new constructions (particularly hotels in Funchal) can be exempted from paying council tax, at the decision of the local authority, that being the Câmara Municipal of Funchal (CMF). A great incentive for attracting investments in tourism, and great business for those investors, but of course it all leaves a gaping hole in the CMF coffers, a hole that has to be filled with local taxes from other IMI payers in Funchal. So some bright spark in CMF proposed that these losses should be paid for by the government of Madeira, and this was voted on and accepted in a council meeting. So now CMF will be the ones who approve all plans for new ‘touristic’ investments, and the ones who give the discretionary exemption of IMI taxes, and then ask the government for reimbursement from public funds, at the cost of all the taxpayers of Madeira. Good business for Funchal for sure.

Riu ‘chain’ starts in Brazil through the hand of the Madeiran Estêvão Neves. This is a hotel chain that has decided to enter the Brazilian market, thanks to a Madeiran businessman. A bit out of scope for this blog me thinks.

Today’s top news story : Jardim switches budget of Sócrates for €100 million – The PSD national is in tune with the strategy of the president of Madeira : The ‘orange benches’ guarantee the approval of the redistributive budget if there is a guarantee that the document contemplates increased debt capacity for the region. No time for me today to do this top story today, but if someone else is willing to translate, here is the LINK 

Rubbish piles degrade the roads of Porto Moniz – cans, paper, plastic, iron and even mattresses thrown on the public highways, a damaging scenario for the landscape in the district. The ‘population’ is breaking the law by dumping rubbish in areas where they shouldn’t be. An action that prejudices the attempts to attract more tourists to the area. As well as the rubbish already mentioned, there are washing machines and chairs, just dumped on the roadsides. The president of the council of Porto Moniz said he had no knowledge of such ‘tips’, but said that as soon as he was made aware he would have the areas cleaned up, and try and identify the offenders. What a disgrace! There are several photos, one even worse than this one. Some tourists will find this all quite attractive of course, more specifically the four legged disease carrying hairy kind.

… and of course the big football story : Draw pretty unfriendly for the World Cup – Brazil, Ivory Coast and North Korea. These teams will be the opponents of Portugal in the 2010 World Cup, that starts in June in South Africa. The draw, full of stars, decided that we play in Port Elizabeth, Cape Town and Durban. You heard it first on yesterday’s blog comments, with live coverage of Portugal’s fate, probably first on the internet worldwide. But what a contrived lottery it was, they might as well of picked out the four semi-finalists and not bother with the rest. And yes it was full of stars, if you can count that idiot Beckham. This is what a reporter for the UK Daily Telegraph said : 

"Seriously, what is it about David Beckham? Not only did he steal the show before the 2010 World Cup draw in Cape Town, he got a ticket onto the main stage, a kiss from Charlize Theron, and then stood there smirking … they clearly love him more than ever. Becks may look like a lesbian barmaid with his new half-mowed haircut, but put him in a room with suits and cameras and strange things happen".

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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 Thanks to Eiryl … Porto Santo ferry docked in Funchal

In yesterday’s Portugal Cup 4th round football matches, mixed results for our lads. União (Madeira) lost in a penalty shootout away to Mafra. The Mafra team came onto the pitch wearing protective masks as a protest, after attempts to postpone the game, because of squad members with Gripe A swine flu, were rejected.

Camacha however march on onto the next round, after beating Vigor e Mocidade by 1 – 0 in their home game. They should have won easily as the opponents were from series D in the third division.

Nacional struggled against Fátima in Funchal, with no goals in the actual game, but eventually qualified for the next round after winning a penalty shootout 4 – 3.

Elaine asked me to post this. I am clearly not having much luck in attracting sufficient help, so I really hope Elaine has more success :

WARNING BELLS ARE RINGING.

Der and myself are desperate for help. We are both taking far too much time on the blog, more than you would think (or I dare to admit). People really need to start sending Der articles or this blog will finish for good. We are both fighting hard to keep it going. Please don’t let everyone down by thinking your help isn’t needed or that your article won’t be interesting. Even a small contribution, regularly or otherwise, would help and encourage others. It would take some of the pressure off us both. The more diverse, the more interesting it could get for everyone.

Suggestions of how people can help:

Take a section of the online Diário. Front page, Madeira, Economy, Politics, Culture. I use Google translation toolbar, and other online translators are available.

Other newspapers online. Jornal da Madeira, Diário Cidade.

Tourism Board site. They will send you an email every month with details (in English). Also DRAC site has a monthly Cultural Agenda in English.

Scan newspapers and sites for articles about the island, tourist reviews and blogs.

Any travel articles. Ports, airports, organized tours, hotels.

Any experiences about your days out here, e.g. exhibitions, restaurants, cafes, bars, tours, museums, walks, places visited.

Local food with recipes and wine tasting.

Nature articles. Plants, birds, animals, environment, parks.

Local customs and culture.

Festivals and cultural events – coming or visited.

News and activities where you live, if on the island.

Shopping and offers.

Nautical events and special sports events.

Organisations and their events.

Any suggestions welcome.

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Elaine had very kindly again provided yesterday’s top news stories :

Enterprises, employment and tourism have money. Strengthening tourism promotion, incentives to businesses and jobs and greater investment in culture depends largely on ….. state.  At the end of the year, Madeira will have the largest direct debt in the history of the Region. For the bank loan guarantees, the Government has commitments in the order of 1,900 million Euros. Ventura Garces, the Regional Secretary of Planning and Finance will deliver tomorrow to the President of the Legislative Assembly of Madeira the proposed budget for 2010. As normal, 40% of expenditure is for public investment to secure employment through public works and to prevent people becoming dependent on meagre state benefits. Little is known of this year’s proposals. Tax revenue is expected to drop significantly next year so they are optimistic that the State will transfer €70 million early on. The European Union has provided a transfer of €75 million. The Regional revenue (tax etc) and transfers from the State and the EU will cover 86% of expenditure, so a loan is required for the remainder. Garces would not admit to the amount which he is asking the State to agree but it is thought to be more than €200 million, enough to repay the loan and secure payment to suppliers. Education and Health account for 73% of expenditure and Garces is worried about the spiralling costs of the departments, institutes and autonomous funds which represent 28% of total expenditure, and these levels could be cut. Incentives to business will cost €20 million and tourism will have an increase of almost one million Euros for promotion. In the next three years, €362 million will have to be repaid to banks, €52 million next year. The Government owes more than €150 million to suppliers, backed with loans amounting to €1,174 million. The Regional Government debt is expected to rise to €784.9 million by the end of this year, the highest value in history. This is justified by the debt being 17% GDP and the EU allowing up to 60% GDP or a debt limit of €2,760 million Euros. Jardim hopes to save tens of millions by his recent cuts.

Rocks continue to fall. The rock fall between Ribeira Brava and Tabua continues, along a section that has been sealed off to the public for almost two years.

Bad weather boosts road casualties. The number of accidents increased this week with rain and excessive speed for the conditions. There were 61 accidents that caused 19 minor injuries, compared with 45 accidents and 21 injuries during the previous week. Funchal (26 accidents, 8 injured), Santa Cruz (13 accidents, 3 injured), Câmara de Lobos (9 accidents, 3 injured). Friday was the worst day, 5 people taken to hospital and 15 accidents. The via rápida, where there are an average of 11 accidents per week, had the most accidents with 28 last week resulting in minor injuries to 6 people.

UMajuda helps schools in Achada and Rochão. This University organisation collects donations, especially for the younger age group. They have distributed dictionaries, children’s books, encyclopaedias, maps, video tapes, games and sports equipment to the schools in Rochão and Achada, as elsewhere in the region during previous years. The university musical groups ‘tunas’ have also visited the schools. They have also helped the elderly and the Red Cross and SPAD.

Support for the outermost regions are possible. One of the MEPs said that permanent funding for the outermost regions is not guaranteed from 2013, but it is possible under the Community Support Framework. He said that with the signing of the Lisbon Treaty, member states have not lost their sovereignty under a centralized Europe, as there are sometimes opt-outs if they think the matter should be debated nationally. Risks are that some countries will dominate and defend their own interests first. Costs will increase with an increase in the number of posts.

Official websites of Government and councils lack maintenance. Lack of update. Regional statistics are out of date, some by two or three years. Most councils have not updated details about council members since the elections. Good examples are Câmara de Lobos, Porto Santo, Machico and Santa Cruz.

Bandolin Christmas Concert. December 12 at Teatro Baltazar Dias, Funchal, cost 5 Euros.

Lobo Marinho delayed due to power failure. An electrical failure late on Sunday night affected the electrical connections. The fault was detected at 8 am when the ferry was preparing to leave Funchal and delayed the departure. The electrical failure on the bridge and engine room made it impossible to leave the port of Funchal so a tug had to intervene at about 9.15 am. The failure did not affect the speed of the ship but it had to reduce speed to provide time for the tug to reach Porto Santo. The route normally takes 2 hours 10 minutes and took around 5 hours. The captain said the return journey should not be affected as tugs would be ready both at Porto Santo and at Funchal. The ship had about 200 passengers on board.

Government reinforces consular assistance in South Africa. Portuguese Government will reinforce assistance during the World Cup next year. They will also produce a brochure with local contact numbers for emergency assistance.

Builders guarantees on new properties provide most complaints. In 2008, the Office of Consumer Protection in Madeira received 305 requests for assistance in this area, and this year the number has already reached 289. For a period of five years, owners of new properties should be able to have any defects repaired by the builder. In reality, it is difficult to get the repair corrected and the person often has to go to court or pay themselves. They often find the builder has gone out of business or disappeared. Legal action has to be taken within three years of the complaint.

AIDS prevention. Madeira, like other European countries, faces serious problems that affect many young people, like drinking, smoking, drug addiction, sexually transmitted diseases and AIDS. This was stated at the conference yesterday, ‘Youth Without Risk’. Portugal has a staggering number of infected people, especially related to teenage pregnancy. Young people are educated about the transmission of AIDS but still do not use protection.

Burglaries in Barreiros. Burglaries  at the apartments Barreiros Golden and Stadium in Barreiros over the past two days have resulted in doors being broken down and around 8,000 Euros of gold and cash stolen. These occurred last Tuesday and Wednesday and the police have increased patrols.

Failure of lifts in apartment blocks force tenants to climb 150 stairs. Apartment blocks affected are Varzea Park in São Martinho and Caminho do Amparo, block A 1 North. The top flats on the ninth floor are 150 stairs up. Some older people refuse to leave the flats and this has occurred for two months now.

The ‘Madeira’ in documentary. Alzirino Henriques has produced a DVD about the ship ‘Madeira’ which used to transport goods and passengers between Madeira and Porto Santo. Its sinking on 21 October 2000 has led to its use as an artificial reef and this 30 minute video demonstrates the beauty of the flora and fauna which have colonised it. The video is in both Portuguese and English and the producer is Eduardo Costa, who has produced many local videos. It costs 15 Euros and can be purchased from FNAC, the Porto Santo Line and Tourism posts.

Sue very kindly sent in these news stories, many thanks …

The funeral of cabo Telo was held in the presence of hundreds of people – "Now he is in his own country". Hundreds of people gathered yesterday at the church of Paul do Mar for the last farewell to the first cabo (corporal) Gabriel Telo, killed in action 36 years ago in Guinea Bissau. The funeral closes a case of a group of soldiers, of whom two were from Madeira – the cabo and the soldier Telo João Nunes Ferreira. The process of exhumation and repatriation of the bodies to Portugal took about three years. The Union of the paratroopers was the body who started this rescue – being three elements of this special force among the 11 corpses – which now ends with this funeral, the last of the bodies were removed from Guidaje in Guinea Bissau. Now closed, in fact, a course whose objective was to bring home the bodies that had been buried in that cemetery campaign in Guinea, explained the president of the Parachute Regiment, General Avelar de Sousa, who yesterday attended the ceremony. Several entities had joined forces for the task to make this last tribute to the soldier, who died on May 25, 1973 (not 1963 as incorrectly written yesterday). Miguel Mendonça, chairman of the Legislative Assembly of Madeira, in the morning put a wreath at the urn of the soldier, while still at the monument to the Madeira overseas soldier. A little later, in Paul do Mar, the district where  the cabo was born, Monteiro Diniz attended the funeral, ex-Representative of the Republic to Madeira, also Brazão de Castro, regional secretary, and Manuel Baeta, Mayor of Calheta, among other personalities. The process of exhumation and repatriation of the bones of cabo Telo opened a wound in the family that they had spent decades trying to heal. Mother, Flora Telo, never gave up so that the memory of the son would not be forgotten. During the last 36 years she insistently repeated stories about Gabriel, highlighting the qualities of this young man, who was sacristan in the church, the same church that hosted the final farewell ceremony. Yesterday, the upset prevented Flora Telo from saying what that final moment meant for her. The day before, however, she confessed that she still felt "a great longing for my son." And looked towards the sky and called to Gabriel. "He was a good dear son, as a child" and he helped in the church, she recalled. The arrival of the remains opened wounds of the past in the family, but, despite the moments of pain and anxiety, no one regrets the decision. Yesterday, Gabriela Telo, his sister two years younger, said one feels ‘satisfied’ that Gabriel was now "closer" to the family. The youngest of the sisters, said she felt "a mixture of emotions that were impossible to describe." Still, she said that at that very moment, outside the cemetery, she felt "a joy, because he is now at home. These last days have been a difficult time, with resentment, but now that he is here in our cemetery in his country, it is now a relief." With the funeral of cabo Telo "we have closed, in fact, a path with the objective  to bring back the bodies that had been buried in that campaign cemetery in Guinea", said the president of the Parachute Regiment, General Avelar de Sousa, who yesterday attended the farewell ceremony of the soldier from Madeira, who died 36 years ago in Guinea Bissau.

Regional success against smoking in national press. At present, about 45 percent successfully quit smoking with smoking cessation consultations from the Health Centre of Bom Jesus. Compared to internationally, the success average here is 35 percentage points higher. Having just celebrated "No Smoking Day", which leads people to seek consultation  at the Health Centre of Bom Jesus. Ermelinda Alves said there are several reasons. Some people, because they became aware that tobacco is bad for their health, causing heart and lung disease, and that it is the cause of many cancers, and therefore making the decision to quit. One of the reasons that have more recently led to consultations relates to the economic crisis, where people cannot afford to smoke and come here to seek help to quit. There are also younger people who have young children who, at school, hear their teacher says it’s bad for health, and then the children ask their parents to quit and come to visit. But, of course, that success will be achieved when the smoker makes that decision, and has a strong motivation to quit smoking.

Mini-series will be shot in RAM. After the success of the TV series "Flor do Mar", Madeira will return this year to be the scene of another project of the TV company TVI. After the series (Flower of the Sea) that "exceeded expectations" in terms of growth in the number of tourists from Portugal visiting Madeira, the regional secretary for Tourism and Transport, said that the private channel is preparing a new Portuguese mini-series to present to their viewers in the first quarter of next year. Filming will take place in Madeira in December. "The plot is funny, but I will not reveal", said Conceição Estudante, explaining that the purpose of not wanting to remove the mystery around this new project is to ensure it commands a good audience in Portugal. The exact date when the mini-series will go on air also remains unknown.

Cakes, cakes, liqueurs and pork – In times gone by all these products were made at home and since the beginning of December there was a great hubbub, especially from the ladies in the preparation of these delicacies. Recipes for cakes and liqueurs were often kept in the minds of people and passed on to subsequent generations. A tradition that has persisted over many generations was the so-called "Night of bread." At a time when there were few existing bakeries in Madeira and Porto Santo, families gathered on the evening of 23rd December to bake the bread in the oven. The hard work was done with joy and often the sound of typical melodies of Madeira. Even today in some parishes, especially in the city of Funchal this tradition is maintained. The meat of the pig that was killed on the 8th of December, or the next few days after that date, provided an enormous amount of different recipes.

When the "Feast" had another flavour. Maria Fernandes 78 years clearly remembers the "Feast" and at times it is with some nostalgia that she refers to the many activities taking place in the build up to Christmas. "In the past it seemed that time was not moving. We waited with anxiety the arrival of December to experience the festival. And since there were many difficulties times, Christmas was a very special time because meals were better, we had cocoa and cheese, which during the other months of the year were a luxury. "Also important was the day the pig was killed. The entertainment around the event was varied" Maria Fernandes recalled. "On the eve of that day I almost could not sleep thinking about the task the next day. From early morning until the night I had so much to do with helping "Marchant" (the man who kills the pig), to prepare the various ingredients with the meat of the pig, the innards, blood and lard. And as it was a day of entertainment, I was always looking to play some pranks such as asking someone to go and get oil to lubricate the saw to cut the pork, or  placing of the nails in the pockets of some of the more intoxicated people. And throughout the day no one went hungry or thirsty, with coffee with brandy drunk early in the morning, and not forgetting the dry red wine". These traditional activities of yesteryear are still re-created in the present day by some cultural associations of the region. And in some rural parishes of Madeira, there are those who keep their Christmas with an authentic flavour.

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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.

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…)

(13th September). The last of today’s headlines : ‘Santo da Serra Takes In Biomass Plant – Nutroton invests €22 million for energy production’. Nutroton Energy, whose CEO is an ex PSD president, will install the biomass plant in the parish to generate electricity. The decision was taken unanimously by Santa Cruz councillors, after a proposal by the majority PSD. As well as produce clean energy, the plant will bring prosperity to the area, provide new jobs, and reduce the environmental problem of disposal of poultry waste. The land needed will be transferred without cost from the council to the company. The plant will have a capacity of 8 MW.

It’s probably more theoretical than practical for most of us, but the natural gas market reaches the final stage of liberalisation at the end of this year, a time when we the domestic consumers can choose our supplier, an option that is already available to large consumers. The liberalisation of the market started in January 2007, with EDP and Galp dominating the market up until then. Switching suppliers will cost nothing, but as most of us on Madeira probably use bottled gas we will not see much impact, although the impact of liberalisation on gas pricing is yet to be seen.

(12th September). ‘Fund Doesn’t Thrive – Only one family on Madeira has signed up to the fund created to help those who can’t pay their monthly bank mortgage payments’. The central government created scheme was there to help families during the crisis who were in arrears with their mortgages, by allowing them to give up ownership, but pay rent instead, until times improved. The truth is that the results show that the Portuguese, and Madeira in particular, did not believe in this product, which allowed the ‘tenant’ the right to buy back their property until the end of 2020. The banks were not keen to get involved, being one problem, but the massive retreat in interest rates also made the whole scheme less necessary.

‘Construction Slows But It Doesn’t Stop – Home building registers the lowest fall in Portugal’. It is a significant statistic. Madeira is the region of Portugal with the smallest fall in the construction of domestic properties, signalling that the crisis has not hit as hard here in the construction sector. In the first two quarters of this year, 275 homes were licensed, a fall of 27.6%. That compares with falls of 69% in the Azores, the worst, 55% in the Algarve, and 54% in Lisbon. In 2008 the number of residential buildings on Madeira was estimated at 82,735, with the actual number of homes within those estimated to be 119,995. 32% of these buildings are located in Funchal, 16% in Santa Cruz, and 11% in Câmara de lobos.

(13th September). The count for visiting cruise ships continues to impress. 35 are due in Funchal next month, and another 100 are expected in the final two months of 2009. The three month period will see over 220,000 tourists arriving by cruise ship, by far more than any other Portuguese port. November alone will see around 100,000 visitors here (54 cruise ships).

(12th September). ‘Lobo Marinho Will Undertake More Journeys To Porto Santo In October’. An extra six crossings will be fitted in, with Porto Santo Line rejigging it’s schedule for the big Porto Santo weekend of 3rd to 5th October. High demand for that weekend will be catered for through twice daily trips on 2nd, 5th & 6th October. Monday 5th October is a public holiday, and many Madeirans want to make a long weekend break on the golden island.