Madeira News Blog

Today’s photo – Many thanks to Pete … Ship in Funchal harbour Wednesday 3rd February

Thanks a lot for Becky for coming up with a few more web snippets for our enjoyment. These two are very nicely written, and well worth a visit :

“The natural beauty of the place really is staggering though unfortunately, many visitors don’t get to appreciate all that the island has to offer. Too many remain in the capital, Funchal, and delighted by its pretty cobbled streets, gorgeous gardens and stunning situation fail to venture into the rugged interior. Those who do will be rewarded by towering mountains, breathtaking views and a taste of rural life that has hardly changed over the past century. What a refreshing change from the usual hurly-burly of life in London!” ONE FOR THE GOURMETS

“The wheels were lowered. The plane was coming in to land. And yet, from the window, all we could see was a fast-approaching mass of blue. Unless an aircraft carrier made a last-ditch appearance on the scene we were all going to get very wet. I nervously made a mental note of the location of my lifejacket. The Portuguese girl in the seat next to me dug her Nancy Dell’Olio nails into my arm. Then miraculously, at the very last, Madeira sprang out beneath us. A tiny porcupine of an island, each of its rocky prongs holding a spectacular viewpoint on its tip. The plane of passengers burst into spontaneous applause.” THIS IS NOTTINGHAM

Many thanks to Elaine for this whopping contribution from yesterday’s news top stories :

DIÁRIO 09/02/2010

FRONT PAGE NEWS

Pollution of the pond of Lugar de Baixo. This is "an untapped potential", according to the environmental agency Quercas. The Lagoa do Lugar de Baixo is a unique coastal habitat for migratory birds from the North Atlantic. Yet it is polluted with rubbish and has not been cleaned for five years. The proposed environmental education centre lacks facilities and is only half used. In 2005, a group of students from Ponta do Sol removed 19 bags of rubbish.  A guide to the birds that visit the pond was published by the DRA but there has been little other work on this area of 3,500 square metres which is one of the main points for bird watching in the region. The Regional Director of the Environment explained that the protocol with the local offices of Tourism,  Environment and the Society for the Development of the West Point (SPDO) was not realized. He said it is the latter who own the area and they must make the first move. The pond is polluted by both rubbish deposited by humans and rotting vegetation. The local council know about the degradation and the mayor said he had already contacted the DRA about a joint cleaning operation. The DRA recognize the importance of the area as a place of ecological sensitivity but deny responsibility for the management or cleaning of the area and state the responsibility belongs to the owners SPDO. Eight years ago, Quercus made a 46 page report on the environmental restoration of the area and proposed that a frequent analysis of the water quality was needed. Obviously, this has fallen on ‘deaf ears’.

Left Bloc takes the Jornal da Madeira to the Committee at São Bento. The extensive debate on the Portuguese media, specifically any pressure from the Government of the Republic and schemes to control the media, takes place shortly in the Assembly of the Republic and will include the ‘case’ of Madeira. All opposition parties require clarification by José Sócrates on issues related to some media, in particularly any attempt to purchase TVI by PT, the end of ‘Jornal de Sexta’ of Manuela Moura Guedes, the case of Público and  recent controversy involving the journalist Mário Crespo.The Left Bloc has promised to forward a request for a parliamentary inquiry into the situation of the media in Madeira, in particular the Jornal da Madeira. The Left Bloc (BE) is limited at a regional level as it has only one deputy and cannot ask for a parliamentary inquiry. Pressure on journalists and media companies and the situation of Jornal da Madeira, owned wholly by the Regional Government, are some of the things that over the years, the opposition have denounced in Madeira. Recently, in the Assembly of the Republic, the CDS raised the issue of unfair competition caused by the Jornal da Madeira receiving several millions of Euros per year from the Regional Government.

MADEIRA

Carnival maintains 2009 funding but attracts fewer tourists. Current forecasts indicate 10% fewer tourists – 62% – than 2009 but the budget is still 350,312 Euros. The decrease is thought to be because the Carnival is early this year, whereas last year it was at the end of the month. A manager of the hotel sector, António Trindade, said that over the past three or four years, the hotels have been practically full. They must concentrate on the traditional British market in future years, as there are no new emerging markets. The Carnival events are being increased this year with a new Carnival attraction on Sunday. Friday is children’s day, 1,100 taking part in the ‘Carnaval das Crianças’ between 10.30 – 12.00 at the Placa Central da Avenida Arriaga . Between 15.00 – 17.30 along the Avenida Arriaga, ‘Carnaval Solidário’ has 200 participants, followed by a party in the Jardim Municipal, organized by the Association for Community Development. On Saturday evening, 1,095 take part in the main parade, ‘Cortejo Alegórico’, which starts at 21.00. There will be fireworks ten minutes beforehand at the Parque de Santa Catarina. The OCM plays at the Praça do Município from 22.00. A new parade on Sunday between 21.00 – 23.00, ‘Carnaval das Avenidas’ (Carnival of the Avenues), involves three of the groups that participate on Saturday: ‘ Fura Samba’, ‘Caneca Furada’ and ‘Os Cariocas’. There will be one group performing at each of the following locations: central area of Avenida Arriaga near the Sé, in front of the Regional Secretariat of Tourism and the Pier. This new idea is to act as a bridge between the main event and the following Tuesday’s ‘Cortejo Trapalhão’ which starts at 16.00. Program on the official Tourism site in five languages.

Carnival with varied agenda at various locations in the region. The Carnival parade in São Vicente takes place at 10.30 on Friday 12 February, taking the theme International Year of Biodiversity. Participating are all the local schools, social services institutions and day centres. After the procession, the council has prepared a variety show in the Municipal Gardens.

Vandalism and arson at Santo António. Early yesterday morning, vandalism and an alleged arson attack on two trucks caused more than 100,000 Euros of damage. The one that was vandalized had the windows broken and the interior ransacked and the other had the front tyres set alight. This is possibly linked to another suspected arson attack. A fire broke out at the Complexo Desportivo do Marítimo, an infrastructure to support the youth and veterans of the football club. Damage was not as bad as first expected; damaged electrical wiring, paintings, aluminium and glass.

LREC and Meteorology interested in partnership. The Regional Laboratory of Civil Engineering and the Institute of Meteorology of Madeira are interested in forming a partnership to study the climate and landscapes of the region.They would combine data from the weather stations and automatic monitoring stations of LREC to help prevent natural disasters.

POLITICS

Free JM costs each Madeiran 16 Euros. The media agency Lusa has calculated that every year, each person in Madeira ‘pays’ 16 Euros for the Jornal da Madeira. Lusa arrived at this conclusion by dividing the four million Euros that each year the Executive transfers to the Jornal da Madeira by the population size of 255,000. The newspaper also receives advertising revenue. It is distributed free to some outlets. The published opinions are all assigned to the PSD and the Government. These complaints have also gone to the Competition Authority and the EU. In comparison, every Portuguese resident subsidises the three state-run media channels: RTP, RDP and Lusa by less than 15 Euros each year. Most of the money transferred from the State Budget goes to RTP which has a number of public channels: RTP1, RTP2, Madeira, Azores, International, Africa and RTPN.

BE protest against millions to Barreiros. The Left Bloc has calculated that the 31 million Euros the Regional Government will spend on the remodelling of the Estádio dos Barreiros would create about 1,100 jobs in the region, a decrease of almost 8% in the number of unemployed. This justifies a protest vote in the Legislative Assembly against the "waste" in the construction of the stadium of Clube Sport Marítimo. This would be a significant number of jobs at a time when the region has more than 14,000 unemployed and companies are going through a serious crisis. For the BE deputy, the Government has shown "not to be socially and politically serious or responsible in defining their priority areas for action."

Coelho accuses the judges of being "subservient". José Manuel Coelho, (PND) compares the courts of the Region to the military dictatorship that ruled Brazil in the 1960s. He says the judges "persecute" the democrats. "The judges are not independent and are subservient to the jardinista regime." In the court case of the PND directors of the journal Garajau, Coelho accuses the Government of defamation. At issue are the texts in the journal that accuse the lawyer Cunha e Silva of being a legal advisor to the Port of Funchal and not declaring this income to the Constitutional Court. Coelho accuses the Government of abusing taxpayers’ money to pay the lawyer Garcia Pereira to defend Cunha e Silva when it is a case of "personal issues". Garcia Pereira is one of the most expensive lawyers in the country, receiving 5,000 Euros every time he comes to Madeira, at a time when there are plenty of unemployed local lawyers.

ECONOMY

Madeira guarantees the State more IVA than claimed. The Minister of Finances said that Madeirans pay less tax, IVA (VAT), than the rest of the Portuguese, used for political opportunism by Alberto Jardim. The rate of IVA is 30% less in Madeira and the Azores than the mainland, but Teixeira dos Santos left out the fact that this reduction only applies to consumers and not the companies that import goods and services that are consumed in the region. These reductions in the Azores and Madeira are allowed by the EEC and are designed to compensate for the higher transport costs of imports to autonomous regions. In his speech, Teixeira dos Santos hinted that Madeira is prejudicing the Portuguese taxpayer. Yet the State receives revenue from purchases that are bought in Portugal then imported to Madeira. The State also benefits from Portuguese telecommunication firms and banks based in the Free Zone. Madeirans generate more revenue; the income per capita (per person), without compensation from the State, is 33% higher than the Azores. The Azores benefit from a compensation of 471 Euros per capita whereas Madeira receives only 172 Euros, to compensate for IVA generated in the Region but not paid on the Continent. The income per capita is higher in Madeira than the Azores because of income generated by tourism and the higher cost of living. With a PIB (GDP) 45% higher than the Azores, the IVA revenue of Madeira is 35% higher than the Azores. — Usual spurious arguments as they are not comparing like-for-like: Continental Portugal, Azores and Madeira. No indications of the relative cost of living in all three areas.

UPDATE

Prime Minister denies giving directions to PT for the purchase of TV station. José Sócrates announced that PT had a "strategic intent" on buying TVI but this was totally beyond the control of the government. In Face Oculta, a case presently in the Portuguese courts, there is strong evidence that there was a plan involving the Prime Minister to control the TV station TVI. This case involves wiretapping to investigate allegations of corruption and economic crimes related to business enterprises of the State and private enterprises. There are 18 defendants.

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

Man dies two hours after release from hospital -  A fall yesterday sent the sexagenarian to hospital. He was released yesterday, but he wanted to stay in as a hospital inpatient. But he returned to Campanário. A little later he died.

Controversy keeps 46 families without a home. Five years later, the Council of Santa Cruz and the Housing Institute discuss the Salão complex. And the works don’t go forward.

Intensive Care invade the AVC Unit. The hospital department that deals with stroke patients is taking in more inpatients from intensive care, than there are actual stroke inpatients. The Hospital of Dr. Nélio Mendonça, in Funchal, says "It’s a matter of priorities". The clinical director of the Health Service Region (SESARAM), Miguel Ferreira, explains that the situation is not new, but adds that it is a timing problem.

Today’s main news headline :  UNESCO Ambassador evaluates the ‘Rabaçal Case’ – The disagreement over the cable car project in the mountains moves on to a new stage : discussion between the opposing parties in front of the international representative. The trip to Madeira was to be low-key, but the opinion of the UNESCO representative will be decisive regarding the building of a cable car in the Laurissilva forest.  The ambassador and an inspector spent two days here trying to understand the scope and impact of the proposals, and why environmental groups were so against it and sent a petition with thousands of signatories. The visit was kept confidential, but it is known that on Monday the ambassador spent the day in the area of Rabaçal, along with officials representing the Natural Park, Forestry, and the Environment, as well as the company promoting the project.  The beautiful landscape that would be affected by the project is the subject of the main photograph on today’s front page, and if the UNESCO representative took one look at that they would for sure be thinking no, no, no! I really really hope the plan is shelved, and if it is it would be doing debt-ridden Madeira a real favour. This project will cost a small fortune that will surely never be recovered through tourism revenues. In fact I reckon the plan can only really still be in existence through the sheer stubbornness of Uncle Bertie’s pals, as the economic case against the project must have overtaken the environmental case long ago. 

The main sport / football headline today : Benfica ‘bury’ their rivals Sporting – Thrashed (4 – 1)  by the reds in Alvalade [Sporting's stadium].

Winner of the Portugal Cup may not qualify for UEFA. Fifth place in the league will give access to Europe. If all goes to plan Porto will occupy the other place in the final against Benfica, but have to get past Académica first tonight (SIC 8.15 pm). As both the big teams will probably finish in the top five in the league, I doubt  whether they will really care about this method of entry to the Europa League, but should Académica pull off a miracle tonight … well then that would be a different story.

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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TODAY’S PHOTO : Thanks to Tobi … Great shot of the Brazilian tall ship Cisne Branco here recently.

The second photo, sent in by Jenny, is of a tornado spotted over Estreito da Calheta this morning … thanks Jenny.

"It is very clean and neat, it reminded us of Hawaii. The city is built on rolling green hills. There is a tropical feel with beautiful foliage and temperate weather. The ride around town took about an hour and half. We did learn that the name Funchal come from the fennel plant. Which grows in abundance on the island". CRUISE VISITORS BLOG Hal will probably get a bit of a shock shock when he looks at his blog readers stats tomorrow … I tried to leave him a comment, but couldn’t get it to work, so don’t waste your time.

I am not sure what the exact relevance of this image of Uncle Bertie is, but I liked it anyway.

The next round of the Portugal Cup (taça) has been drawn, with games to be played on or around 22nd November. Madeira’s three remaining teams have drawn as follows:

Nacional v Fátima, Vieira or Mafra (yet to be played) v União, & Camacha v Vigor Mocidade

Pick of the draw for me (just because I like the name) is the Fishermen of Costa de Caparica of the 3rd division v Sporting. My money is on Sporting for that one, but that depends if there are no holes in the nets, their pitch and lines are well defined, and whether the  (s)kipper does his job well, and Rod comes into play, but either way it won’t be plain sailing.

One of yesterday’s news stories was that 11 Madeiran farmers have formed a ‘Club of producers for Modelo’, each with a contract to supply agricultural products to the supermarket chain. What a great idea, local farmers supplying fruit and veg to our local supermarkets, I wonder who thought that one up (and why didn’t they do it years ago?).

Another story yesterday about a young lady in Câmara de Lobos getting an electric wheelchair was nice to read. The 12 year old was given the wheelchair by the local council and a local community association. It might surprise some people to know that those who need wheelchairs don’t normally get given them. It is up to family to raise the money, and as you might guess that is often very difficult. However, there is a way to obtain wheelchairs for those who need them without spending any money, and it is ironic that smokers are the key. Cigarette packets brought on Madeira have a small sticker or seal called a ‘selo’ on the back (they peel off quite easily). A collection of such stickers that weigh one kilo can be exchanged for a wheelchair. We in Ribeira Brava have an ongoing collection, and to my knowledge at least 3 wheelchairs have already been provided, and we are very close to getting another. The stickers weigh very little, so many thousands are needed to reach the target each time, but if anyone smokes, or knows smokers, and can collect these and get them to me then it all helps the cause. Thanks in anticipation.

Yesterday’s news again very kindly supplied by Elaine. As I didn’t get a single response to the appeal for other news translators, then how long Elaine’s generosity will continue I don’t know, but when that stops the blog pretty much stops :

Large-scale emergency drill at the airport. In November there will be a simulation of an accident involving an aircraft on the ground, involving all means of assistance. Around 250 volunteers, mainly recruited from university students, will represent passengers, crew members, as well as family and friends of those who travelled on the plane. Participating students could learn about activities necessary for the development of tourism in Madeira; how the airport operates to ensure aircraft safety and emergency care. The airport will give more details on November 6th. The last emergency exercise was two years ago in 2007.

Regional Gerontology Plan 2009 – 2013. Presented to the public yesterday morning. This is the first of four plans to be presented by the end of the year by the Regional Secretariat for Social Affairs; plans for the homeless, domestic violence, and children and adolescents. This plan has 14 strategic objectives and 41 steps to be complied with, by 2013, to ensure a better quality of life for as many elderly people as possible. 15% of the present population is over 65, an increasing trend. More than 2,800 elderly are receiving income supplement (CSI) and the elderly are also entitled to financial, health, medication and food supplements. There are 1,300 beds in nursing homes and a waiting list of 800, and 3,000 have domestic help. They want to train and give financial support to family members who will work as carers, to keep elderly people in their own homes.

A survey by DECO in Portugal found that only 25% of the elderly have a healthy diet and the price of food is the deciding factor, then taste and food quality. Unhealthy eating habits worsen with advancing age. 3% experienced hunger in the previous week. Reasons for a poor diet are: dental problems (35%), financial (24%), lack of appetite (13%) and medications (12%).

Funchal Tuning Club accompany the Virgin. These are people who modify their vehicles, although illegal here but legal in some parts of the EU. This will be on November 4th when the statue goes from Acadas da Cruz to Ponta do Pargo. It will be in the Diocese of Calheta until the 26th November when it goes to Ribeira Brava and Ponta do Sol. —– An illegal convoy? Will police be in attendance? A bit different from the Popemobile, which was the first vehicle, then bikers, now tuners….next?

Between 2 – 8 November, the Science Centre in Porto Moniz will have the photographic exhibition of the first visit of the Pilgrim Statue to Madeira in 1948. The exhibition has hundreds of photos from the Vicentes Museum and is touring the country.

Elements of the civil protection will act as observers in a military exercise in the Azores. From Friday to Sunday, the Chairman of the Regional Service of Civil Protection and Firefighters (SRPCBM), the Head of the Division of Emergency Planning and the Commander of the Fire Department will be participating for the first time. They hope in the future that the defence forces in Madeira will be able to actively participate. It should help contingency planning.

Health professionals still reluctant to be vaccinated. The vaccination campaign against Gripe A (swine flu) did not begin as planned on Monday as IASAÚDE is still validating the list of priority cases, due to the nature of the vaccine, a strategy known as ‘play it safe’. Some health professionals on the priority list are refusing to be vaccinated, partly because it is a new vaccine, as has happened in France and Germany. The campaign should start on Wednesday or Thursday.

Purchases paid by credit or debit card may be more expensive. Portugal is implementing the Brussels Directive on Payment Services which means payment by cards will be taxed. This is to be enforced on November 1st. The President of the Association of Commerce and Services of Madeira questions the legality and appropriateness of this directive as "the rights of consumers might not be safeguarded, because it is not clear under what circumstances the fee is charged or not." It is not in the seller’s interests as they will have to notify the customer of the fee. DECO (consumers’ rights organization) also suggest it is illegal, as you cannot sell the same product for two or more different prices, according to the method of payment. The Portuguese are the only Europeans who do not pay ATM fees for withdrawal although there is an annual card fee. —— I do not know if it will affect people in Madeira who use Portuguese internet sites etc.

Museum of Sacred Art closed until November 3rd. Redevelopment of the exhibition space as some of the art pieces are going to be in an exhibition in Lisbon. Also, the City of Sugar Museum is shut at present.

Regional Library in Panteada might have longer opening hours, including Sunday. No decision yet. Due to an increased number of users, from 17,000 in 2005, to 35,000 this year. Mainly an increase in young people, and the elderly population are under-represented.

Portuguese Community Centre will open in London in 2010. 550,000 Euros (500,000 pounds) from Lambeth Council. The site, a building owned by Lambeth Council, will be confirmed and then the lease signed. The original idea was in 2004 and the money allocated in July 2008. In Lambeth, there are around 35,000 – 50,000 Portuguese, 15 – 20% of the local population. They are the largest foreign community in the area, owning cafes, restaurants and businesses. The Stockwell area has been named ‘Little Portugal’. The centre will also cater for immigrants from Brazil, Mozambique and Angola, and have advisory services on health, education, housing and employment. The heads of the centre also want to raise funds from the Portuguese authorities.

Quinta do Lorde development within the law. The Legislative Assembly of Madeira approved a 30-page report stating there was no illegality in the construction of the private enterprise in Caniçal. Illegalities had been raised on grounds of the areas of construction and environmental impact. There had been a previous 10,000 page report compiled by prosecutors, mainly 4 political parties and environmental group Quercus. The licensing was approved by all authorities, but there were particular problems with intrusion into the public maritime area. The resort was designed by an American company and will have 740 beds and 370 rooms spread between the hotel and tourist villas and apartments. It will employ 200 and indirectly employ another 100.

The Regional Government want the EC to create a specific financial program for the outermost regions. The MEPs are presently visiting the region to evaluate funding. Nuno Teixeira, the Madeira MEP (PSD) admitted that it will be difficult to achieve as it will be necessary to "change the rules that apply to all Member States, including the fashionable issue of GDP and its use as a criterion, which led to the departure of Madeira and the Canary Islands". The Regional Secretary of Planning and Finance, Ventura Garces, wants an extension to the time allowed to implement the EU funds, so Madeira is not penalised by loosing them.

There might be an agreement drafted about placing of election posters.  During this year’s election campaigns, the numbers and sites of political posters was bad for tourism and led to many complaints from rival political parties. There might be an agreement drafted for a uniform system which can then be adopted by each county. There were agreements several years ago to reduce the visual impact, but they were voluntary, and of course didn’t last long. We still have posters up in Ribeira Brava nearly three weeks after the elections finished, and the PSD annual ‘Chão de Lagoa’ rally posters usually stay up until the following year. Der

New book by Dan Brown will go on sale in Funchal at midnight on the 29th October. ‘The Lost Symbol’ will be on sale at Betrand stores, FNAC and Tangarine. 140,000 copies will be available locally and in Funchal, it will only be available at that time in Betrand Forum Madeira. A limited and numbered edition will be available from the FNAC website, with a 2 Euros voucher. I can’t believe they hope to sell 140,000 copies, that’s more than one between two for the whole population of Madeira, including tourists! Der

‘Mission Recycle’ collection of electric coffee makers. ‘Delta Q’, who make coffee pods, in partnership with ‘Amb3E’ are bringing their recycling awareness campaign to Madeira. If an electric coffee maker, either used or damaged, is taken for collection for recycling, the person will receive a discount of 50 Euros off a ‘Delta Q’ coffee machine. The first ten deliveries in the morning and afternoon will receive a machine at a token price of 10 Euros. The collection van will be at the Praceta do Infante in Funchal on November 3, Largo da Praça in Machico (6 – 8 November) and Rua Eng. Pereira Ribeiro in Ribeira Brava (9 – 10 November), and Praça do Infante, Funchal (11 – 13 November). Website www.missaoreciclar.org.

Modelo wants to increase quota of local agricultural products in regional stores to 50%. Within four or five years.

Municipality of Funchal to pay homage to the hero of Poland Jozef Pilsudki. Marshal Jozef Pilsudki was responsible for the independence and unification of Poland after World War One. He spent from December 1930 to March 1931 in Madeira. The President of the Polish Parliament and the Ambassador of the Republic of Poland in Lisbon will attend the day of celebrations. The roundabout at the intersection of Rua do Esmeraldo and Caminho do Pilar will be named after him at 11.30 tomorrow. A bronze bust by the sculptor Ricardo Veloza will be unveiled at 12.00 by the building of the Legislative Assembly of Madeira in the Rua Dr. Antonio Jose de Almeida. After lunch with president Jardim at the Quinta Vigia, the delegation will visit the exhibition of photographs assembled by the Vicentes Museum at the Regional Directorate of Tourism.

From the front page of today’s Diário :

Expropriation in São Vicente with police and gunshot into the air – Owners contest the moving in of construction machinery without explanations on the part of the council. Sounds like another bungled compulsory land purchase. The photo shows a JCB diggers with it’s shovel raised, ready to attack a cultivated allotment or garden, but it stopped in it’s tracks when it heard gunfire.

Pioneering plan to help the aged – There are 41 measures including projects for retirement and voluntary and paid work. Jardim Ramos says that life doesn’t finish at 65. The elderly also want more money. Continuing the news coverage from Elaine’s report above.

The main headline today : Privatisation in sight in the Hotel School – The government project will offer a solution to the difficulties that have marked the management of the establishment, where €4.5 million of Madeira’s annual budget are spent annually. The guardianship doesn’t confirm the efficiency.

Nacional is not going to contest the incidents in the ‘Luz’. After a dreadful performance by the referee on Monday night’s game against Benfica, it seems Nacional will not take the matter further. It had so much TV and media coverage anyway, that there should be no need for Nacional to take action, it should be initiated by football’s authorities.

Assembly wants Sócrates to pay for a new hospital – Proposals of the PCP and PP on the regional law of finances were accepted. Now the regional assembly of Madeira wants to retrieve what the ‘garrotte’ took away. Nothing new there then, but I guess it formalises the approach already taken, that a new hospital project should be state rather than a Madeira project, but of course it is all about who would pay for it. If I was prime minister Sócrates, I would want a very good explanation of why Madeira was able to give away a very valuable piece of real estate and €45 million for redevelopment to Marítimo football club, but has no money for such essential health service improvements?

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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. 

You can email blog@madeira4u.com with any large contributions or comments and photos / videos, or if you can contribute regularly, I can give you a special account that allows you to create your own blog postings.
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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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(22nd September). Today’s main news headline : ‘Region Refuses To Pay President ‘Do MAR’ – Óscar Gonçalves went yesterday to complain to the Madeira executive, and to the representative of the republic’. It’s a new battle between Madeira and Lisbon. This time due to the International Shipping Register of Madeira (MAR), and the choice of Oscar Gonçalves to chair the MAR Technical Commission. Normally it is the role of the Government of the Republic to nominate the president of the Technical Commission of MAR, but obtaining the agreement of the Madeira government as a matter of unwritten protocol. However, Óscar is little known in the world of shipping, but a well known collaborator of the socialist party PS-Madeira, and the government (PSD) here complained that it had not been consulted about his appointment in May, as had been customary in the past. As a result the government here have refused to pay his salary, as well as restricted his movements outside of Madeira. They argue that he is not qualified to carry out inspections and surveys for vessels registered with MAR, which they say is one of the legal requirements. The matter is now in the hands of the appropriate authorities in Lisbon. MAR has 157 commercial vessels registered, 14 of which are passenger ships.

‘Robberies In Garajau And On The Levada Dos Tornos – Youths steal the cash register and have the police waiting when they arrive home. Couple robbed at knifepoint in Camacha’. The first story is about a Café / Bar called ‘Brites’ in Garajau, that was robbed at around 4 am yesterday morning, when 2 young men smashed the shop front glass window, and took the cash register, containing just some change. The two robbers, who were regular customers in the bar, took the till to a car park to open it, where they were caught on video camera in the act, along with the registration plate of their car. Police were able to identify the owner of the car, the mother of one of the men, and when they arrived home the police were there waiting. They were taken back to the crime scene, where they apologised to the owner, returned the stolen money, and offered to pay for the damage caused, which included the €400 cash till, the broken window, an aquarium, and a fridge. It is possible that that the same two men had also tried to break into a bar in Cristo Rei, hurling a rock at the front window, which didn’t shatter as it was double glazed, but caused around €200 worth of damage all the same. The sophistication of the crimes and the intelligence of the criminals of Madeira never ceases to amaze me, and once again the police do a great job in cleaning up the mess. I have no idea whether the men involved here were charged, but often an apology to the owner and the payment of the losses and damages suffices, showing the forgiving and kind hearted nature of people here. Personally I would have wanted them strung up if they had done that to me, but there again there are men who have committed far greater crimes but still legally walk our streets. PS Dare not mention who for fear of reprisals.

The other story sounds much more serious, as two German tourists were robbed at knifepoint on the Levada dos Tornos, in the zone of Vale Paraíso, Camacha. He surprised the couple, and demanded the valuables that they were carrying. He stole the rucksack and about €100, but apart from being shocked, the couple were unharmed. The rucksack was later recovered by police, less the money. The police have a description of the suspect and are conducting investigations. I hate doing these stories more than anything, as levadas are supposed to be such safe and peaceful places … and of course still are. The police normally catch these thugs, but it’s best to be aware that there are occasionally problems in just one or two places. How people will obtain such information after next week I don’t know, but I hope they can ask at hotels or go on accompanied tours, or at least find out about any risky areas from somewhere.

’36 From The Savoy Refute Dismissal – The case started yesterday in court’. The collective dismissal of staff from the now closed Savoy Hotel in Funchal is in court, with 36 workers challenging the SIET Savoy Group decision to dismiss them. Their aim is to reverse the decision, and guarantee themselves future employment. The trade union representing the workers said it was the only option open to them once negotiations with the employer had failed. Win and they have their jobs back, lose and they will be entitled to compensation based on length of service. Many of the 99 workers have already accepted the termination and compensation package offered, when the hotel closed to be demolished, to make way for a new Savoy Hotel.

After yesterday’s story about the school of in São Martinho (Funchal) that failed to be ready on time because of building problems, it seems that São Martinho kids are stricken with bad luck, or good luck depending on the point of view. ‘Lombada School in São Martinho Fails To Open At The Start Of The School Year – A lack of staff has left parents and students at the school gate’. They turned up, but that’s as far as they got, as the school remained closed when staff didn’t turn up. The situation caught some parents off guard, along with 250 kids, even though there had been some communications about potential problems. Teachers weren’t lacking, except for the maths teacher, but one cleaning lady was on holiday, one was transferred, and the other one remaining refused to work alone. The knock on from that is that the catering staff and auxiliaries didn’t then turn up for work for fear of being put on cleaning duties. According to the government Education Department the situation has been resolved and the school is now fully operational. It wouldn’t happen in the private sector for sure, and if I had been in charge I would have had those parents in scrubbing the floors and doing the cooking, and sent the non-teaching staff off to meet those ex-Savoy Hotel workers.

‘Erasmus’ Sent Away 117 Madeiran Students In 6 Years’. The programme, according to funding available, allows students at Madeira University to study abroad. The scheme is growing in popularity, but as there is no specific funding for the purpose, applications depend on the general funding of UMa being able to support the applications received. The programme has proved particularly popular for students in physical education and in languages, with the countries most selected being Slovenia (23), Spain (32) and the Czech Republic (32).

Bit of a school theme going today, so here’s another : ‘Gripe A : Teachers “are not a priority risk group”. Contingency plans against the H1N1 swine flu virus in schools caught the attention of the Teachers Union of Madeira, this week. Coordinator Marilia Azevedo regretted the fact that the infection prevention plans have been made only with students in mind. A spokesman for the matter (I have no idea where from), said that the health services and Regional Secretary for Education and Culture had been working together for some time, “[teachers] are not a priority risk group in particular, as the groups that are in contact with the sick are health professionals. I do not see that there needs to be a special scenario for teachers”. What gobsmacking incompetence, as infected teachers are as much of a problem as infected children to start with, but absent teachers cause a different problem altogether, and without them to control the children, the risk of cross infection is highly elevated. Just imagine if one infected teacher in the weekly staff meeting infects the whole teaching staff group … chaos!

’224 Citizens Of Funchal Try Out The Services Of Horários do Funchal For Free – Bruno Pereira, vice-president of Funchal Council will be one of the participants’. The famous yellow bus company of Funchal wants to attract new customers to its regular services of public transport. With this objective in mind the company yesterday started the week with a promotional project ‘Ad personam’. Under the initiative, which is part of a wider European action called ‘Intelligent Energy of Europe’, over 224 people aged between 18 and 60 years can travel free for a week on the bus network of Horários. The lucky 224 were selected from 805 respondents to a survey undertaken in May, and addition to this weeks freebie, will be able to obtain discounted bus travel for the rest of the year through a monthly pass.

The headline I thought I would never see : ‘Marina At Lugar de Baixo Reopens – It will open, but not for boats to moor there’. No firm date has been set, but it is virtually certain that the marina infrastructure will reopen to the public sometime this year, with boats allowed back in shortly after the Winter. Clean up work is still ongoing, including partial clearing of a cliff face. The badly damaged car park has been demolished, and will not be rebuilt, but other parking is available. I can hardly wait for Uncle Bertie’s reinauguration (right!), and to go and enjoy the swimming pool and tennis court, or even just taking a coffee there. I have never tried hard-hat swimming before, but I presume I will need a strap-on-version, as well chastity-belt type swimming trunks. As for the coffee, will the café staff be trained to ask “will it be one lump or two?”

The sport / football headline : ‘Cup Takes Marítimo To The Azores’. Our team travels to Santa Clara to play on the 18th October, in the 3rd round of the Portugal Cup. Nacional will go to the north of Portugal to take on Varzim. Both opponents play in the Liga Honra (the 2nd highest level), and so should not in theory present too much of a challenge. There are still other teams from Madeira left in the cup, but as there are no big name opponents involved, I will leave it there.

Work on the new cemetery in Caniçal has been halted for three weeks. A digger started work, but after a couple of days was taken away. The main problem is with expropriations, or compulsory land purchases. The €1m project wasn’t in the council work programme for the current mandate, but the decision was made to proceed urgently because the existing cemetery is absolutely full. Aside from the purchase of land, how can a cemetery cost anything like €1 million to build? Aside from some ground levelling and boundary walls, what else is there. Will it be fully equipped with ready-to-wear tombs and blank gravestones, or am I just out of touch with today’s cemetery construction prices?