Madeira News Blog

(9th August). Today’s main news headline : ‘Madeira Government Puts The Wine Companies To Resolve Surpluses – The secretary Manuel António and the social democrat Jamie Ramos promised that there would not be a a grape left to sell. With the excessive production, the government, in election times imposes on the companies that they buy more than they need’. There is already too much wine in stock, but for "electoral reasons" the government commits the ‘wine houses’ to buy more grapes than they need. Now there are 14 million litres of wines in stock here, but an export market of little more than 3 million litres annually. Over / high production also should result in a drop in grape prices, and it is this problem that scares our leaders. The problem is not just political, but relates to the sustainability of the whole sector. We produce more wine than there is demand, and as a result the companies that produce and export Vinho Madeira are starting to feel economic difficulties in managing very large stocks of wine. Guarantees to growers given by our leaders and politicians did not go unheeded, and as the government cannot buy the excess grapes, and nor can the PSD social democrats, the private sector has been committed. Manuel António Correia, Regional Secretary for the Environment and Natural Resources, is now waving money at the merchants, having secured a line of credit of €3.5 million, especially to ensure that the total grape production of 2009 is brought up. The incentive is that the merchants can borrow the capital necessary, and the government will then pay the loan interest (100% year 1, 90%, 50%, and 50% in the 4th and final year). The situation has arisen in part because the government has wavered in imposing production limits on the farmers, by hectare. Exports registered a sharp fall last year, with the devaluation of the British pound cited as the main reason. Unbelievable.  I am sure there must be some European law which prevents this sort of thing, but as it is not a direct state subsidy perhaps not. Did you know there is a ‘Madeira sem alcool’ (alcohol free Madeira wine)?

‘TV Inspires More Crime Than The Immigrants’. The isolated cases – the death of the businessman of Porto Santo (kidnapped and murdered) may give a different idea, but the police guarantee that Madeira is still safe. The husband that murdered his wife during divorce proceedings (Calheta), or the man who stabbed his neighbour to death over a land dispute. This is still the pattern of homicides on Madeira, but the Judiciary Police still regard this region as the safest in Portugal, both in numbers and the behaviour of the population. The regional coordinator of the PJ says that the environment here is relaxed, and one can move around day and night, on foot or by car with total free will, unlike parts of Porto or Lisbon where one needs to take precautions when travelling, or going to a cashpoint machine. He says that crimes such as the Porto Santo kidnapping, are what the PJ term ‘imported crime’, the roots in this case being Brazilian. The other crimes (mentioned) are the same as always, but now have lost weight and importance, but have not disappeared. The nature of other petty crimes has changed here, with drugs and the internet often at the root. The criminal types that operate here have changed targets, moving from city centre shops, out to residential areas. Crime victims now are often people living alone. Ricardo Silva, the regional coordinator of the PJ, does point out that imported crime comes more often and more harmful via television, than by the immigrants who came to Madeira in the last 10 years. He says that these TV images may encourage those who have criminal tendencies, but never had the courage to carry out what they were thinking, through their frustrations and hates.

‘Raul Solnado Died (1929 – 2009) – The creative comedian that entertained generations, but was also a very fine actor’. He is not Madeiran, but he is obviously very popular judging by the amount of media coverage yesterday and today. He is to be cremated today in Olivais.

Marítimo played Nacional in Machico last night, and the main front page photo today shows the ‘full house’ crowd wearing their ‘Chapeau de Esperança’ hats (Hat of Hope – fundraising for social causes) leading to the headline : ‘Solidarity Wins The Derby Match In Machico – Marítimo beat Nacional 3 – 0′.

This from the Jornal da Madeira : ‘Hot Spring: Cause Of The Jellyfish? In the season for beach outings, life has not been so good for those who like the sea. The jellyfish have tormented, almost daily, those who go to the sunny beaches. Already many people have been stung’. The uneasiness arrived before the beach season began. Almost daily came the creatures with three names (alforrecas, águas-vivas, and medusas), clinging along the coast, particularly along the south of Madeira. Many people have been stung, and some say the beach season has been ruined by the creatures that have stopped holidaymakers enjoying a dip, without any fear, in the Atlantic. The beach and pool complex lifeguards have had a lot of extra work as a result too. At the Lido in Funchal for example, they have to do several underwater exploratory dives a day, to see if there is a jellyfish problem, but even so swimmers are still getting stung. The Jornal spoke with a biologist, who said the species encountered this year is different to the usual less troublesome creatures. It is called ‘Pelagia noctiluca’, and is a species that likes to hang around at the waters surface, and stings more than most species. It is not very dangerous, but is able to sting with contact with any part of its lower body. The biologist who has been here since 1992, says this has been the worst year he has seen here for jellyfish. He said this species also occurs in the Mediterranean, in numbers for maybe several years, and then they just disappear, the cycle there being between 10 to 14 years. It could be different here, and the increased numbers are more likely to be to do with a hot Spring than with sea pollution. A medical doctor says that there are people extremely sensitive to the stings that can burn ‘incredibly’, and children are known to cry a lot and spend the rest of the holiday fed up. One sting to a child can completely ruin a holiday, he said. Some people feel a burning for a few hours, and then it just passes, and the victim stays on the beach. With some the sting mark will remain for months. Home treatment recommendations include applying vinegar or alcohol (externally), and any moisturising cream will help relieve the pain. There are also creams containing corticosteroids that "are excellent" but they should only be used on the recommendation of a doctor or pharmacist. If you don’t have any alcohol or vinegar to hand after being stung, there is another ‘home made’ liquid that most people have available at a moments notice, carried around in ones bathing costume, though quite how you get it from the dispenser to the jellyfish sting will depend on personal preferences. The article definitely says use "your own", just to make sure there is no confusion. Was I hibernating I wonder, as I am sure I missed that ‘hot Spring’.

(8th August). ‘Nobody Takes Responsibility For The ban On Selling Wine On Porto Santo – After the council, now it is the Regional Inspectorate of Economic Activities saying that it is the law that prohibits. The product has its days numbered’. The reactions to the news of the ban on the sale of Vinho Seco wine on Porto Santo, by glass or bottle, on the fruit stalls, continues to cause reactions, this time from IRAE. In a statement on the subject the Regional Inspectorate of Economic Activities rules out responsibility for the ban, behind the cover of "law enforcement". According to a statement from the IRAE on Friday, "in the Summer of 2007, complaints were received that bottled wines and aguardente were being sold, allegedly adulterated, in market stands located on Porto Santo". The IRAE then moved in and seized bottles, under their legal obligation, but the complaints were not verified.  They did not make any ban on the sales, but point out that the law requires tax to be paid and proper labelling of bottles with the seal of assurance, and that there should be hygienic conditions within a licensed authorisation. The council on Porto Santo has already distanced itself from any decision to ban Vinho Seco. That’s every festa on Madeira cancelled forever then, or dry at least. I hate to think what would happen if someone looked into the sale of food at these festas (in terms of hygiene), but for sure it will happen one day.

Petrol (gasolina 95) rises two cêntimos a litre in price tomorrow, to €1.211. Diesel rises by 1c per litre.

From the Jornal da Madeira : ’1,715 Accidents In The First 6 Months Of 2009 – The number has dropped, police commissioner Pimenta says that many people have taken the advice of the police, but there has been an increase of breaking limits, some with fatal consequences and serious injuries as a result’. The overall accident count has been reducing since 2003, when there were 5,950, with last year reporting 3,035 for the whole year. So far this year there have been 10 road accident fatalities, the latest being on 1st August, 70 serious injuries, and 518 light injuries. More than half of all accidents are caused by excess speed.

The number of drivers caught without driving licences by police is escalating. 170 people have already been detained, in just the first 7 months of 2009. The whole of 2008 led to 198 detentions for this crime, with the numbers growing for the last 5 years. It doesn’t say so, but I suspect that more police checks are behind the reasons.

The bridge ‘ponte do Bettencourt’, by the ‘Bazar do Povo’ in Funchal was reopened to traffic on Saturday evening … early! The reinforcing / repairs works were shorter than expected because the north platform was found to have been in better condition than was expected, and with the use of prefabricated girders. The job was supposed to have taken until next month (then add two more months for Madeira). There are still some jobs left to do, but they will be finished this week.

(4th August). The main front page photo today shows a packed group of emergency workers : ‘Accident In Oeiras Kills Three Youths Of Portuguese Descent’. The children of emigrants from Ribeira Brava, aged 19, 15, and 13, died early yesterday morning in a car accident’. The two younger children, living in Venezuela with their family, were in Portugal on holiday when the head-on collision happened. The older teenager lived in Ribeira Brava and had gone to the continent to join the family holiday.

‘Câmara Delivers 64 More Allotments – The new plots are in São Martinho and in Ilhéus (Funchal). The fashion is catching on and there are still 140 signed up on the waiting list’. In the latter location, the council has had the land since the 1970′s, but never used it. Conversion is work still underway at both sites. The plots are given out by the council free of charge for agricultural use, and come complete with water access / irrigation, a fence, and a garden shed. All the tenant has to do is sign a contract of responsibility. Funchal council is keen on its policy to provide allotments, as it not only increases green zones in the city, but also provides work and therapy for people, as well as feeding their families.

And just when I thought the somewhat more serious fires in Santa Cruz were already forgotten … ‘Santa Cruz Council and Madeira government are to give assistance to families affected by the fire in Santa Cruz – The objective is to restore the houses and substitute damaged equipment’. The Junta de Freguesia of Caniço (town council) is also there to offer support. In a communication, the council headlined "the enormous effort" made by the fire brigade to protect homes, with the goal almost achieved, with just one house losing a door and windows. The message also notes the support given to the firemen in tackling the flames, with the supply of water and milk(?). The release also calls for the land to be cleaned up, particularly near to homes. Perhaps the firemen used the water on the fires and drank the milk, but more likely that’s a colloquialism that hasn’t yet arrived to my eager brain. Anyway, nice job all round! As for the ‘offer’, with just one house damaged, it’s not going to be a very costly offer of aid me thinks.

Today’s top football story : ‘Pepe Yields Another €900,000 To Marítimo – At a crucial time Marítimo sees its finances boosted with another €900k. It is the transfer of Pepe still making money’. The player left Marítimo some seasons ago, but his subsequent transfer from FC Porto to Real Madrid brings in further revenue due to future transfer contract terms.

‘Airport Accident Has Preliminary Report – The investigation has the objective of helping to avoid further accidents’. The Office of Prevention and Investigation of Accidents with Aircraft, an agency of the Ministry of Public Works for Transport and Communications, has made public a report of the investigation into the crash that occurred at Madeira International Airport on 24th of May. The aircraft involved was used for aerobatics, and crashed on landing bursting into flames. One of the two occupants died afterwards in hospital.

A 46 year old man was found dead in a river in sítio da Alegria, São Roque. He is believed to have fallen 25 metres, and was reported missing on Sunday.

‘Street Teams In Nogueira’. The well known social problems in the neighbourhood of Camacha are now being monitored by two teams of ‘technicians’ from social security (services?), who have been working the streets for the last few weeks, with the aim of diverting young people from unacceptable behaviour. The work is done at night as much as during the day.

An assessment of the situation of the smoking laws introduced over 18 months ago is that people accepted them and obeyed very well, and there are very few problems with smoking in public or prohibited places.

‘Chapel Of São Cristóvão Was Vandalised Again In Another Assault’. The chapel in Jardim da Serra  was damaged during the break in, and the donation box was robbed, the fourth time this year. Not much was stolen as the collection box is emptied daily. Just a thought, but perhaps a note on the front door of the chapel ‘The Collection Box Is Emptied Daily’, might be helpful.

As previously covered, the collection of separated organic waste starts today in a trial in Funchal. The residents in Imaculado Coração de Maria had to buy their own brown recycling bins to participate in the project.

The president of the organising commission for the Rali Vinho Madeira guaranteed yesterday that the rally here will continue to be part of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC), for three more years.

(2nd August). Today’s main news headline . ‘RED FLAG – There are hotels with red flags and beaches with yellow flags because of dirtiness and jellyfish. The ‘Environment’ says that the tests produce good results. The bathers are on dry land’. The people see rubbish that the entities deny exists. Four beaches have already taken down their Blue Flags since the official start of the beach season. There is rubbish in the sea nearly every day, but the Regional Director for the Environment doesn’t know about any cases of pollution in the swimming zones. The fortnightly water test results have been good, with the only bad result being at Praia do Vigário, that doesn’t have a Blue Flag. Four of the twenty Blue Flags awarded this year have already been taken down. That includes the one at Madalena do Mar, that won’t be returning, after the water was found to be cloudy due to discharges from the land. Lido, Calheta (and Madalena) are singled out several times in the article for particular criticism, mentioning pollution coming from hotels, of an unpleasant origin. “As for jellyfish, biologists guarantee that there is no connection between the plague this year and dirty water, but the truth is, that when the sea is dirty, there are more jellyfish, and the those responsible hoist the yellow beach flags to avoid any hassle”. The jellyfish are common in Madeira’s waters, but for many years they have not been seen in such large numbers, with so many bathers stung, and they are the biggest cause of complaint this year. Did I wake up on a different island this morning? For anyone thinking of visiting Madeira this article would be quite off-putting, and I actually left out some of the more specific and unpleasant parts. I can only say from my experience, and I have been in a beautifully clear clean jellyfish free sea this week, that in my opinion there may be some places with problems as reported, but they must be vastly outnumbered by clean safe places round the island. Funchal, through the high concentration of population, hotels, boats etc. is bound to have more problems than elsewhere, but it is is also much better equipped to respond to any reports of pollution very quickly after notification. The very relevant photograph above courtesy of the Diário de Notícias.

‘Cavaco Wants To Bring Princes To Madeira – Joan Carlos said goodbye yesterday to Madeira and is going to encourage Spanish businessmen to invest in the region’. After the kings, the princes. The President of the Republic expressed the wish to see the Spanish princes come to Madeira, and made an invitation to the future king / queen of Spain, Carlos and Letizia, whilst on the golf course designed by Seve Ballesteros. The Spanish king and queen returned home yesterday, finishing their royal visit on Porto Santo, but after Juan Carlos said he would like to return to Madeira. On Porto Santo the beach was empty as people flocked to see the royal visitors. At the airport, because of tight security, the goodbye was witnessed mostly by tourists. The royal walkabout in Funchal earlier was very tight in security terms. Rubbish bins were removed, and mobile phone networks were disconnected in the vicinity. Anyone watching from windows was ordered to close them, and retreat back into the room.

In a separate article : ‘Juan Carlos promises greater business cooperation – The King will present the case for Madeira to businessmen from the private transport sector’. The royal visit has already served to promote Madeira for tourism in Spanish territory, and has also provided publicity for some of the problems of the regions, particularly those related to being a remote island.

‘Young Man Dies In Motorcycle Accident In Campanário’. The 25 year old died yesterday afternoon after coming off of his motorbike in a tunnel on the via rápida at Campanário. He was a natural of Caniço. That’s the ninth road death on Madeira so far this year, with 5 within the last month.

The main front page photo today shows two drivers on top of their car, with champagne, after winning the Wine Rally : ‘Basso Makes It Three In The Vinho Madeira – The Italian driver makes the party in the 5th edition of a rally that lasted until the final special test, because of the pressure of Bruno Magalhães, 2nd placed. Alexandre Camacho secured the final place on the podium’. Basso (and Dotta) have participated here 5 times, and won in three of those. The Madeira team came in a very respectable third. FULL STORY & RESULTS

‘More Generics Sold – The market share of generic medicines on Madeira has already hit around 10%’. The search for the cheaper alternatives increases. Between June 2008 and June 2009, 629,100 packages or bottles of such medicines were sold here. That’s around 10% of the market, up from 572,000 on the same period the year before. The total expenditure on generics was under €7 million, around €1 million less than the year before, due to government forced price cuts. Health professionals are also obliged to tell patients that generic drugs are as effective as the brand names, but they are not obliged to prescribe them.  A new campaign to further the cause has the motto “Don’t you think that being ill already costs enough?”, and will run until October.

Around 50,000 Madeirans have already applied for the Cartão do Cidadão (Citizen’s Card), around 20% of the population. That happened in just one year. The single card replaces the multitude of cards each citizen has for identification, health, tax, social security, and voting.

‘Fires Oblige Alert – The fires in Santa Cruz were under control yesterday, but the area was still under observation’. A team of 20 firefighters spent all day yesterday on surveillance duty in the areas affected by fires since Friday morning. The fire only threatened houses (but not according to RTP national news, that said two houses were quite damaged and had film footage of one), but a warehouse was damaged by the fire. It was eventually confirmed at the end of yesterday that all fires had been extinguished.

There will be restrictions on the via rápida between Funchal and Cancela from tomorrow until the 13th August for roadside repairs. Some exits will also be affected.