Madeira News Blog

TODAY’S PHOTO : Thanks to Selina … "The waterfall by Modelo in Ribeira Brava was extremely fierce, dark brown in colour from all the soil in the water. This picture was taken during a downpour on Sunday morning".

‘Easton resident, native of Madeira, follows calling to become a Spanish teacher – Blue Hills Spanish teacher is well-versed in five languages’. Worth a quick visit to read the beginning bit about the differences in education, and although things have vastly improved here, the kids / parents still have to buy their school books. BOOKS FOR FREE

‘Wind Power in Portugal’. Although not specifically about Madeira, quite an interesting article about renewable energy policy and achievements in Portugal. THAR SHE BLOWS

"Hi all, I have found a website for anyone wanting to learn a new language, you can find it at www.livemocha.com . There are about 160 hours of lessons in 21 different languages available for free, including Portuguese.

The livemocha site offers social-networking tools that augment the online lessons and let users add hints and tips. You are given a personal homepage where you can see what lessons you have taken, how far you have progressed, and how fast you are learning. The site also supports video chat so you can hook up with other students and practise conversations. The site is totally web based, and easy to sign up which I have done, lessons seem quite easy to start you off, and could be a good free way of getting some practise in Portuguese". Tobi.

In today’s news : ‘Seasonal Flu Vaccinations Start On Monday – The campaign gives free jabs  to at risk groups’. The health centres of Madeira will start the injections next week, with the over 65′s, people with chronic conditions and respiratory problems, and other ‘at risk’ illness groups at the head of the queue. 27,000 vaccines were ordered, 3,000 more than last year.

As for Gripe A swine flu, last weeks figures were released and the numbers remain unchanged, with no new cases confirmed from the 10 that were tested. The count since the start remains at 40, mostly being foreigners, with just 4 cases of secondary transmission so far.

‘Mosquito Bites Increase In The Last Few Days’. The complaints have noticeably increased, but it is not possible to confirm whether the ‘Aedes Aegypti’ was responsible, or other mosquito species, particularly as studies in July have shown the AA population to be low. A new study started yesterday looking at the AA population density, and the effectiveness of the insecticides being used.

‘Rock Fall Hits Via Rápida – Junction at Quinta Grande closed in the direction of Ribeira Brava’. At around 2.30 yesterday afternoon a rock fall closed the via rápida, forcing drivers to exit the road at Quinta Grande and rejoin at Campanário. No one was hurt and and the damage caused was minimal. It was hoped to clean up the area and have it reopened last night. The TV coverage didn’t show much evidence of the rock fall, but the workmen were up on the rockface clearing off loose material.

The main news headline today : ‘Fire In Quinta Escuna Creates Political Controversy – The company that owns the property in Santa Cruz said it is the "victim of an act of vandalism" and involves the movement ‘Juntos Pelo Povo’ (JPP) in a communication about the fire of suspect origin on Sunday. The case is already in the hands of the law. JPP threatens it own lawsuit’. The company that administers the Quinta Escuna, Tijolo Branco, has sent a communication to the Diário making 5 points about the fire, that was started by a tyre and petrol, and could have caused much more damage if the emergency services hadn’t arrived quickly. The basis for the blaming of the JPP, who are contesting all the seats in Sunday’s local elections, seems to be based on the fact that an organised event was cancelled due to bad weather, and the fire occurred soon after, after many of the JPP supporters had "frequented the taverns and bars of Santa Cruz". A fire of suspect origin eh? I would suggest that a burning tyre accompanied with petrol was slightly more than ‘suspect’, especially if the rest of the car was missing at the scene.

‘Delays – The Complaints Increase : Correios [Post Office] delay payments to the retired, that increase by more than five thousand in a year’. Madeira has over 37,000 retired pensioners, but add to that those with ‘survival pensions’ and disability pensions, the number rises to close to 64,000, rising by an average of 524 each year over the last decade. These people complain about the services of Correios in sending their pensions, and the Association Of Retirement of Madeira has called a conference next week to discuss the matter. There should be a counter just for complaints at the Correios, as the service just seems to get worse and worse. For me lately, stuff delayed by weeks, stuff correctly addressed but returned to sender, masses of repeat and out of date junk mail, and then last week an attempted delivery that wasn’t when the postman couldn’t be bothered to ring the doorbell, and left a card instead. The days when the bills arrive before the direct debits are taken from the bank have become a rarity. Darn contractors, no pride in the job and the lack of local knowledge, are probably the main reasons, and if we could get Uncle Bertie to give them as good a slating as he did with the police, then maybe the Correios bosses might sit up and take notice.

UPDATES : Thanks again to Elaine in Garajau :

Funchal council demolish building in Rua de Santa Maria. They will demolish part of the building which partially collapsed on Friday, as it is a danger to passing people and adjacent buildings.

Shelter has new attic wing for boys. Funchal council will aid expansion of the shelter for young people, Our Lady of Conception, which at present houses 45 young people, although it can accommodate 50. It successfully helps them integrate back into society.

Camacha has a new Centre for Occupational Activities for children with special needs. Necessary due to geographic location often making travelling difficult to other areas.

Three parish councils provide training for the unemployed. Three areas of Funchal, Sao Martinho, Sao Goncalo and Imaculado Coraçao de Maria, will provide IT and commercial training, leading to recognized qualifications, for 15 people in each area. The courses last 15 months and they will receive a subsidy of 500 Euros.

Rain affected official inaugurations. The rain affected Jardim’s inaugurations of new roads in Câmara de Lobos and Ribeira Brava yesterday. In the first one, he had to use the PSD campaign car’s sound system. Usual refreshments were still served. Jardim looked favourably upon the rain, saying: "It is said that when there is rain there is happiness." "Thanks to God we always need plenty of water for our land, especially for these agricultural areas that have missed the rain". The photo with this story will appear tomorrow, for reasons that will soon become clear.

Two PSD rallies have been cancelled due to the rain, one at Santo António and one at Ponta do Sol.

Government has filed a complaint about Friday’s policing of the opening of the port tunnel. Unlawfully disturbing the activities of the Government can lead up to three years in prison. Jardim keeps stating he has no problem with the PSP of Madeira it is just outside influence (Portugal, I presume).

Political disagreements about the residential home in Porto Moniz. A PS candidate for the area complained that the opening of the home had occurred just prior to elections, although it is not ready to function or would employ as many people as stated. The Foundation which run the home have rebuffed this political accusation.

Usual complaints by all political parties about unfair electioneering by inaugurations, defamation and sweeteners.

Fishermen in Câmara de Lobos complaining. Saying that politicians only think of them during election time. Still want a fishing port, and subsidies during the low season similar to those in Machico and Caniçal. Also, poorer catches of the black scabbard (espada) fish.

PSD confident to win Câmara de Lobos. Usual pre-election poll says they will return to power, as in 2001 and 2005, with 5 seats and 2 to the PS. They will get 50 – 54%  of the vote, less than 61.4% in 2005, and the PS 15.4% instead of 17.6% last time.

PS candidate for Funchal asks the Minister of Finances to resolve the situation of €8 million owed by the Portuguese State. Claims that there has been 5% IRS withheld from the 2009 Budget, 5.4 million Euros from Funchal council and when including other municipalities, 8 million Euros should have been transferred in February.

Porto Santo has emergency plan. More details of proposed work on the island. There will be an emergency fund for housing repairs, food assistance and assistance with medical expenses, especially to the elderly. Road improvement, expansion of the Residential Home, Arts and Crafts Workshop, Cultural Centre, Library and Archive and Fire Department.

Colombo’s Resort still stagnates. Work stopped in 2008 when the developer SITCB needed 60 million Euros to complete the project. Difficulty in obtaining investment and bank loans due to the financial situation. In July, there was supposed to be a memorandum between public and private companies to restart the work but still no progress. Was due for completion in summer 2010. There are still negotiations about the continuation of the works on Madeira Palace Hotel, and management of the Quinta da Lorde Resort in Caniçal.

‘Costa Serena’ will start cruises from Funchal next January. The Costa Cruises Portugal promoter confirmed that you will be able to board in Funchal on the cruise from next January.

Date of next year’s International Film Festival still not certain. Not yet confirmed that it will be 10 – 17 April 2010.

‘Overcoming the Fears’ exhibition opens in the Electricity Museum. Opens at 6 pm tonight. Illustrating the UN’s eight Millennium Development Goals, established in 2000 by 189 Governments.

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