Madeira News Blog

Today’s photo – Many thanks to … Pete : "Funchal first cruse liner waiting to dock since disaster.  Thought you may like it not docked yet". The AIDAluna of course, and a nice way to start the week in a positive way, with some signs of normality returning. Der

From Tobi by email : "I haven’t put this on the blog as i think Madeira has had enough bad news over the last week, But if you think people should know then I’m happy for you to post.

My best friend from Caniço went to Funchal for a drink around 10.30 pm Thursday night, as he travelled through São Martinho a large rock hit the underneath of his car, he stopped to have a look, he was approached by a man who held a knife to his throat and told him to get in the car and drive up the road, up the road 4 other men were waiting , they robbed him of money, jewellery and mobile phone. He was not hurt but of course very shaken, he drove straight back home to contact police.

I’m quite shocked about this, and i would guess the rock was left in the road or thrown underneath the car on purpose so these people can select who they rob, as he has a nice car. I guess he was lucky he is on a small island, ’cause if it had happened on mainland the car would have gone too. I remember back home Gipsy’s used to leave things in quiet roads, so people would have to stop to remove the obstruction and then they would rob them, I just hope this is not a new crime starting here. Thanks Tobi … and I think people should be aware, so you have been advised! Der

Many thanks to Elaine (East) for these web snippets :

A geological explanation of why the floods happened.   …The city centre sits on slightly sloped ground, while outer suburbs perch on the mountain slopes around the city. On February 19-20, 2010, when heavy rain poured down on the island, the high suburbs suffered mudslides and floods. As this map illustrates, the slopes around Funchal surround the city in a semicircle, so water flowing down the mountains was concentrated in the bowl where the city is located. The devastating floods killed at least 42 with 18 still missing as of February 23, according to the government of Madeira … MORE

The great Madeira cleanup. Secretary General of the UN World Tourism Organization Taleb Rifai comments on the hotel and Tourism industry after the recent natural events in Madeira… "The quick response action undertaken by the competent authorities at local and national levels, together with the support of the EU, have been instrumental in this catastrophe. The city centre sits on slightly sloped ground, while outer suburbs perch on the mountain slopes around the city. On February 19-20, 2010, when heavy rain poured down on the island, the high suburbs suffered mudslides and floods. As this map illustrates, the slopes around Funchal surround the city in a semicircle, so water flowing down the mountains was concentrated in the bowl where the city is located. The devastating floods killed at least 42 with 18 still missing as of February 23, according to the government of Madeira … MORE

A one minute Euronews video. The cleanup operation has begun on Madeira after the floods and landslides that ravaged the Portuguese island last week. VIDEO

Many thanks to Becky for these videos / web snippets :

When looking at the Costa Serena gliding into Funchal, you don’t imagine that it could leak.  Another reason I don’t go on cruises.

 
Only 9 seconds, but something good to watch when stuck anywhere other than Madeira. 

Many thanks to Paul for this useful information x 3 :

Roads back open on the 28^th Feb (Funchal) :

· Campo da Barca Bridge.

· Rua do Carmo to Rua do Oudinot

· Jaime Moniz High School to Carmo Bridge

Bridge closed temporarily

·The bridge near Lavradores Market will be closed for cleaning

Source: Official Report from Regional Government of Madeira – 28/02/2010

It was a one off event, a catastrophe that isn’t likely to happen again, and one that the island will soon recover from says British victim

Roger and Gillian Wilson, British holidaymakers, have spoken for the first time of the ordeal they endured when the taxi in which they were travelling between hotels with another British couple was hit by a mudslide.

He praised the emergency services on Madeira and hoped that tourists would not be put off coming to the island because of the recent tragedy.

"It is a wonderful place and the people of Madeira have been truly fantastic. It was a one off event, a catastrophe that isn’t likely to happen again, and one that the island will soon recover from," insisted Mr Wilson.

"Tourism is the life-blood of Madeira and I really hope people will be sensible enough to realise that it is still worth coming here – we will definitely be back for another holiday," he said. Source: Telegraph Newspaper

Paul do Mar collects for flood victims

Paul do Mar’s inhabitants have been collecting food items for flood victims all week. The initiative has been led by a young soldier in the village and supported by the Paul do Mar Casa do Povo. The leaders are hoping to get an army truck here today on Sunday to transport it to Funchal for distribution. If an army truck is not available it will go to Funchal in private trucks soon.

Another email from Tobi : "I have a new set of photos on Flickr. The big clean up has been going on for a week now round the island , and I’m totally amazed at how fast it has happened. See the clean up pics here

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

DIÁRIO 28/02/2010

FRONT PAGE NEWS

Diário honours the victims and the heroes. A photographic record of those who died and those involved in the rescue. Today’s magazine also has a 26 page photographic record of the disaster. Both available on-line. THE VICTIMS      THE PHOTOS

Men and machines go to Serra de Água. By the end of today, the dredging of the streams in Funchal should be completed. The Regional Government has asked the construction companies to transfer their workforce and machinery to start an immediate large-scale intervention in Serra de Água. Only the mouth of the ribeira de São João still requires intervention. This was the most complex job as almost 300 metres were totally clogged with stones and other inert materials, forcing the water to divert into the tunnel and causing serious problems in the area of São Lázaro. The staff of Tâmega have worked 24 hours a day since last Sunday to ensure the safety of the city. The ribeiras of Santa Luzia and João Gomes have been cleared and just areas of walls need to be reconstructed. When this phase has been concluded, the excavators and lorries, more than 100 of each, will start constructing the tunnel between Meia Légua and Serra d’Água in Ribeira Brava. This tunnel will cost around 40 million Euros. They will also need to attend to the main stream in the area, channelling it where necessary. Over the past seven days, 200,000 cubic metres of stones and other debris have been removed from the three streams in Funchal. The inert material (gravel) is worth more than half a million Euros in the commercial market. The Regional Government has made no decision about the fate of the recovered material – inerts and mud. At present, builders do not require inert material and transportation costs are high – 13,000 trips would be needed to move the entire stock. The fate of the roundabout at Dolce Vita has not been decided. The machinery started clearing the streams on the Saturday afternoon (20th February) despite the intense rainfall then the company increased the number of men and machinery when the gravity of the situation was realized, under the command of Santos Costa. At the end of yesterday, both Santos Costa and Alberto Jardim went to each of the streams to personally thank the employees and directors of the companies responsible for the cleaning.

Navy maintains search in Santo António. This search began last week with divers, doctors and special surveillance equipment sent to the stream and police closed the road between Rampa and Caminho do Laranjal and sealed off the area. The Navy teams are slowly working their way up stream to the bridge at the cemetery of Santo António. They are searching for the body of Manuel Nunes, a former sacristão (Sexton) of the Sé. There are also suspicions that two women have been swept away after flooding in Laranjal which lies above the stream. Bags belonging to them have been found in the reeds. Their house has been destroyed and it is thought they were trying to flee during the storm last Saturday. This is an area where there has been much destruction and many deaths, the firefighters rescued many from their houses but it is also the area where the crane used in the construction of the new cota 500 (expressway) fell. The residents fear that the other cranes are unstable, especially during the recent winds. A week is not enough time for the neighbours to mourn the losses in this area. The storm destroyed 80% of the sewerage in the high areas of this parish. The old sewerage tanks are being reactivated until the pipes can be repaired. The water supply is not affected by the sewerage problem but residents are still advised to boil it first. One of the photos is of a 14 year old who helped rescue neighbours.

MADEIRA

Since October, bad weather has been front-page news. The previous bad weather cannot parallel the tragedy of Saturday 20th February, but the weather has often made front-page news since October 2009. October 3rd, it was reported that three houses had collapsed in Funchal after heavy rainfall. October 5th, several landslides and accidents were due to rain. On October 6th, it was reported that the rainfall was abnormal compared to the past 30 years and a 300% increase over Summer. December 16th, floods and landslides and December 19th, waves, rain and wind caused damage throughout the region. 23rd December, streams overflowed at São Vicente and Madalena do Mar, and São João was without water. 24th December, houses at risk in São Vicente and four parishes of Santana without water. The promenades at Faial and Madalena were destroyed, homes and cars damaged by falling trees in Santa Cruz and flooding and landslides in Funchal and Curral das Freiras. 27th December, the bad weather had left Ponta do Sol without water. December 29th, families displaced in Monte and isolated in Serra d’Água. In 2010, 3rd February, a day and night of bad weather caused chaos throughout Madeira, particularly in Santana and Porto da Cruz and areas of Machico were left unrecognizable. February 16th, the sea caused damage and on February 18th, it was reported that the sea had engulfed many coastal infrastructures.

RG3 still needs help. Donations needed of: deodorant, toilet paper, flour, corn, coffee, chocolate, gel and / or shaving cream, rice, cereals, salt, cream, pasta, after-shave, nappies and adult incontinence pads, colónias para bebés (?), bath gel for infants and adults, and hair conditioner.

Lions Club of Funchal opens an account. To raise funds to help resettle victims of the flood. NIB of bank account for donations, account in CGD is: 0035 0336 0011 7092 9305 0.

ECONOMY

AidaAluna brings tourists. After six cancellations of cruise ships, the Port of Funchal returns to normal today. 2,250 German tourists arrived and were greeted with a warm welcome and presented with flowers. This charm offensive was by the Port Administrators who also laid on a bus to transport tourists to downtown Funchal. A symbolic day for the region. The Costa Europa, a frequent visitor, suffered a serious accident the day before yesterday while mooring at Sharm el-Sheik in Egypt. The strong wind pushed the ship against the wall of the port, killing three crew members and two passengers were injured. The hull was damaged and the cruise had to be ended. In April, the ship will operate under charter to Thomson Cruises with the name Thomson Dream.

APAVT and TAP to see reconstruction. Tomorrow, a delegation form the Portuguese Association of Travel Agents and Tourism is expected in Madeira to see the progress of the recuperation of the regional infrastructure following the recent floods. The president and vice-president will meet the Regional Secretary of Tourism and Transport to hear an account of initiatives taken to support the resumption of tourism. Journalists from the major Portuguese tourism publications will also be flown in by TAP, accompanied by the airline’s general manager.

JORNAL DA MADEIRA

REGIONAL

All displaced to be rehoused by the end of March.  The chairman of the IHM said that all housing situations caused by the storm of 20th February should be resolved by the end of March. In Funchal, Santa Cruz and Câmara de Lobos, people would either be temporarily or permanently rehoused. The same for Ribeira Brava, but the IHM has no vacant accommodation so they are looking for leasing or purchasing housing, (which is scarce), or asking emigrants with empty property to temporarily lease it. In other counties, there are fewer people to be accommodated. The various authorities will see if those temporarily rehoused can go back to their own homes or if the houses cannot be recuperated.

Bridge mounted on Tuesday. The Mayor of Ribeira Brava announced that a military bridge would allow access to Fajã da Ribeira, replacing the one that was destroyed. Another bridge allowing access to Tabua should be constructed either that day or the next day. There is still no road access to north Tabua but road access to south Tabua is now opened. Still restricted access to Serra d’Água but trucks taking donated goods to the area are allowed and 40 military personnel are offering support to the isolated population.

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

Damages in commerce hit by the floods – The loss of rent in certain establishments is on the way to hitting 20 million Euros.

Today’s main news headline : Restaurants in the marina are going to ground – The storms and their destruction oblige the Ports to prepare for works : 8 units in Funchal Marina, amongst them restaurants and shops, are  going now to be demolished. The new structures will cost €5 million, and 100 workers will lose their jobs.

Anxiety surrounds the summit in Lisbon – [president] Jardim says  he trusts in [prime minister] Sócrates regarding the promised support. Parties expect money for the Region and responsibility.

Sócrates says that the priority is cooperation – The prime minister says that now is not the moment for "recriminations and disputes".

"If everything were to run normally, I will get to 2011 and say ‘cheerio, until next time’". Jardim admits to reconsidering his decision to quit the Regional Government in 2011.

Cleaning operations underway in Luso-Brasileira – Public Security Police asks residents to stay at home.

Citizens with an important role in the ‘return’ of Funchal - Life goes back to normal today in the capital, but with many constraints. The council requests understanding : the ideal action is to leave the car at home. The Diário shows the closed streets and authorised parking spaces. MAP SHOWING ROADS CLOSED / RESTRICTED & CAR PARKS OPEN

Rumours continue to disrupt the reconstruction and the searches.

"This is a superior people" – Jardim says he was not surprised by the speed of the clean up.

Schools reopen on Monday – The exception is the Language Academy of Madeira  that "for reasons of safety" will resume classes on Tuesday.

Traffic returns to almost all of the streets of Funchal – Six car parks are open starting Monday.

The storm in Madeira was only a "sign" of a global trend – The Director of the North American Centre for  Science and Technology for Coastal Margin Observation, warns : Portugal "is going to  live in the midst of climate change".

The main sport / football headline today : Alvalade returns to live a night of triumph – Gala exhibition of Sporting results in thrashing (3 – 0) of FC Porto. The ‘classic’ match raised around 30 thousand Euros for Madeira. Today Nacional v Belenenses – 8.15 pm SportTV1.

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. 

Many thanks to Paul for sending in these two links to articles :

1. What Atlantic Holidays, part of the Pestana Group, is advising its clients who booked or are considering holidays in Madeira. “The situation in Madeira has improved immensely in the last few days and the island is gradually returning to normal.” Atlantic Holidays part of the Pestana Group informs its customers on its website that: ”None of the tourist resorts nor the hotels have been affected and, therefore, we continue to operate our holidays as planned.” Link to their site with up to date images of the island

2. BBC Interview with Joao Camacho in Gloucester who runs Atlantic Holidays. “A storm of this magnitude has never happened before in Madeira so everybody is upset”, says João Camacho in Gloucester who runs Atlantic Holidays, interviewed on BBC Radio Gloucestershire. INTERVIEW

And here’s another one just in this morning … Island Escape, but no escape this week … thanks for the photo Pete.

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

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

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

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

(more…)

Today’s photo – Many thanks to Rita … "More dark satanic mountains!"

Thanks a lot for Becky for coming up with a few more web snippets (videos) for our enjoyment :

"A few more for you…. I would love to be able to help out on a more permanent basis, as you were asking for help the other day.  My only problem is that I’m freelance so sometimes I’m busy, sometimes not.  Just going into 4 months of very long days, so I know I won’t be able to offer on a regular basis yet, but will help where I can Der". Many thanks Becky, some nice videos.  I am still hoping that someone else will come forward to help with these snippets. 

Machico Antigamente (and some nice music to accompany it):

It seems a lot of effort to go to, just to mix a jug of Poncha, but I thank him for it! VIDEO

I made the mistake of watching this when I was hungry. Gastronomy week in Machico 2009. VIDEO

Many thanks to Paul (Paul do Mar) for this piece :

Bird-watching in the Madeiran islands

The total number of birds that can be observed on the island of Madeira which includes its Natural Park, almost three-quarters of the island, is around 220 species!

Bird-watching in Funchal: Ponta da Cruz is by far the best seawatching point in Funchal: Cory’s Shearwater, Bulwer’s Petrel, Little Shearwater, Manx Shearwater and sometimes Madeiran Storm-Petrel, Fea’s Petrel and White-faced Storm-Petrel can be spotted here.

Bird-watching in Calheta region

Ponta do Pargo has a very diverse birdlife. Because it’s still a very remote area, it has not changed over recent years and mixed woodland, agricultural fields and derelict houses define the landscape. Almost every species of passerines that occur in Madeira can be observed here. Seabirds like Madeiran Storm-Petrel and Cory’s Shearwater can also be seen here. Sometimes trans-Saharan migrants make a resting stop here

The best seawatching site on Madeira? Porto Moniz. Go to the coach parking lot, overlooking the natural swimming pools and look for a concrete wall, a good place to watch from. Here you could find: Fea´s Petrel, Bulwer’s Petrel, Cory’s Shearwater, Sooty Shearwater, Balearic Shearwater, Little Shearwater and Manx Shearwater. If lucky, it is also possible to see some whales and dolphins. Best time for seabirds is from late April to October.

Bird-watchers usually come to Madeira looking for rare seabirds, and the endemic species and subspecies of landbirds. Most of them are resident so it’s possible to find them almost every year.

Paul is a member of SPEA. Here is a LINK to a really useful Factsheet, available in English, on bird-watching in all the Madeiran islands. Happy Bird-watching!

The European Central Bank (ECB) has kept eurozone interest rates on hold at a record low of 1% for the ninth month in a row. Member countries’ economies remain fragile and no increase in borrowing costs was expected this month. Some are showing signs of recovery, but with inflation low and continuing fears about the health of certain members, it is seen to be too soon to move rates. Credit / Source : BBC

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

DIÁRIO 08/02/2010

MADEIRA

CMF orders contingency plan. The Municipality of Funchal has invited tenders for the preparation of the Municipal Emergency Civil Protection Plan. There are national and regional guidelines for drawing up these plans. The first phase will be dedicated to the assessment of the levels of various risks already defined at the national level, each council indicating those that will occur most frequently in that municipality. These include national disasters such as landslides and those that can be generated by human means, for example from the transportation of hazardous material. In the second step, a survey of the existing resources available at the civil protection level to meet a catastrophe, such as a fire. These include bombeiros, council teams and contractors. The third phase is preparation of the plan itself. It will then be tested by simulation exercises. The company will have a year to draw up the plan which has a starting value of 150,000 Euros.

Neglect after bad weather. The Association of Friends of the Ecological Park of Funchal on Saturday visited the parishes of Faial, São Roque do Faial and Porto da Cruz. There are still areas of danger and neglect after the storms, jeopardizing homes and the expressway. There is a significant possibility of intense rainfall until the end of March so it is essential to take preventative action and clear areas.

Five ’7 Wonders of Portugal’ pre-finalists. Update on yesterday’s story. In this region, the following five of the nine original entries go forward to the next phase of the competition: Cabo Girão, Floresta Laurissilva, Ilhas Selvagens, beach at Porto Santo and the fossilized reefs and galleries of the Ilhéu da Cal.

POLITICS

Hospital will not meet the MPT. The Health Service of the Region (SESARAM) have not responded to the request made by the MPT (Earth Party)  last October. They asked the administrators for a meeting to discuss whether economics prevented the admittance of patients to hospital. The MPT have received complaints from users of the health service about lack of humanity in the hospital and discriminatory situations. The MPT are now handing the case over to the Ombudsman. They want to know if the hospital is governed by economic criteria when deciding whether or not to admit a patient. The MPT state, "Anyone who is a lifelong taxpayer is entitled to be treated with dignity and respect when ill."

Ismael critical of the stance of the CDS in Ribeira Brava.  The centrists say they will still submit proposals favoured by the population. The mayor, Ismael Fernandes, says his rejection of these proposals is not an obsession but a necessity as they are not part of the Plan of Action or this year’s Budget. Rafael Sousa (CDS) argues that such "proposed ideas were presented by the very people who feel the need for something to be done." "Why not change the Plan and give priority to works that are understood to be more useful," he challenges. "It is the people who decide at the time of voting on who actually cares." Ismael Fernandes continues unabated, stating that the Plan and Budget did not have the agreement of the opposition parties, so it was not the majority of the Municipal Council that accepted proposals that were not part of our election manifesto, they were approved by the majority of ribeira bravenses. A PS councillor considers this position to be too uncompromising and the PSD should show openness "to the possibility that opposition proposals are also viable and contribute to the improvement of the county."

CULTURE

Alberto Sousa sings on Valentine’s Day.  Alberto Sousa is a young Madeiran tenor who is invited by the Amigos do Conservatório de Música da Madeira (AACMM) to sing at the ‘Serenata de S. Valentim’ on February 14th at 18.00 at the Teatro Municipal Baltazar Dias. He will be accompanied by the Hungarian pianist, András Ervin Hennel, already well known to people in Madeira. The recital will consist of popular operatic themes. At present, Alberto Sousa is studying at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London for a Master’s Degree. Tickets are on sale at the theatre.

JORNAL DA MADEIRA

REGION

Registration for the Festa da Anona. The 12th edition of the Exhibition of Regional Anona takes place on the 27 – 28 February. Farmers can now enter the event until the 23rd February. The stands at Faial will be judged on the Sunday. The show helps to promote Faial and possibly increase exportation of the custard apple to Continental Portugal and France.

EVENTS

Driver assaulted at zebra crossing. The attack on a car driver on the Caminho do Poço Barral, near a large commercial area, happened eight days ago. At 23.00, she stopped at a zebra crossing to allow three ‘false pedestrians’ to cross. They pulled the car door open, dragged her into the road and stole her purse and phone. They then damaged the car when they realised the purse was empty. The woman’s immediate reaction was to leave the area as soon as possible, returned to her house then called the police an hour later. The police went to the area but could not find the suspects.

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

Bloco [Left Block] wants Jornal da Madeira discussed in the Assembly of the Republic – Madeira will be in the widened debate about pressures and control of Social Communication [Media] at a national level.

Today’s main news headline : Lagoon [pond] has a dump to be cleared waiting for 5 years – The protocol in order to create a centre of environmental education in Lugar de Baixo and enhance ecotourism was never advanced. Quercus also made a study of redevelopment in 2003 that fell on ‘deaf ears’.  That is that large pond along the sea side of the road, that is near to the main sea-front café, and was full of ducks last time I looked. The main front page photo today shows the state of the place, and you have to look closely to see that the forefront ‘greenery’ actually consists of hoards of empty green bottles. Aren’t some people disgusting!

Law of Sponsorship doesn’t excite – The philharmonic [orchestra] of Santana received a van from a private sponsor. A rare case, say DRAC. The ‘Banda Municipal’ received the 9 seater minibus from constructor Zagope, a rare event indeed according to the directorate for culture, because the law that covers such donations makes the act of giving uninteresting to potential donors, who prefer to give to more visible causes, like certain sports. We don’t need sponsors to buy transport for cultural or sports groups in Ribeira Brava, our local council will just go out and buy a new bus at the drop of a hat, and then leave them parked unused for days on end where they shouldn’t  be.

Carnival 2010 – around 2,710 people involved this year. The hotel occupation is estimated at 62%, 10% less than in 2009. I just included it because I though it was a fantastic picture.

BTW – don’t forget that this Friday is the day of the Children’s carnival parades. It doesn’t get publicised like the adult events, but you can see some fantastic ‘home made’ displays, even if not mega-synchronised, with kids of all ages, and a few teachers and parents involved too. It’s big in Funchal, and in Ribeira Brava (late morning) also. If you know of any places or times of these parades, please share your knowledge.

Diocese ‘kicks into touch’ the solution of Padre Martins – The pilgrim image [Fátima] was always going to Ribeira Seca. But the Case of Martins Jr complicated the issue.

The main sport / football headline today : ‘Vuvuzelas dos Magriços’ fazem furor – In South Africa the 2010 World Cup is already boiling. Sometimes I just can’t get a headline to translate into anything sensible, and it’s a case of seeking native knowledge to resolve it. But this one I persisted with and eventually cracked it, thanks in part to Wikipedia. A vuvuzela, sometimes called a "lepatata" (its Setswana name) or a stadium horn, is a blowing horn, approximately one metre in length, commonly blown by fans at football matches in South Africa. Os Magriços was the nickname of the Portugal national football team which reached third place in the 1966 FIFA World Cup in England. So what the headline actually says is ‘Plastic Trumpets used during the 1966 Portuguese World Cup games’ are all the rage. Not quite as punchy when translated, but worth the wait don’t you think? Unfortunately I am all out of time now as a result, but at least I cracked it!

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. 

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

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

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

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

(more…)

Today’s photo – Many thanks to Eiryl … flowers of the Brazilian kapok tree – photo taken September 2009

Madeira is a Portuguese archipelago in the mid Atlantic Ocean. It is one of the Autonomous regions of Portugal, with Madeira Island, visible in this orthorectified image, and Porto Santo Island being the only inhabited islands.

Madeira is an archipelago with volcanic origins from a Hot Spot, so is not geographically part of a specific continent, but Madeira belongs and has belonged ethnically, culturally, economically and politically to Europe for 600 years despite being geographically closer to Africa. Thanks to Earth Snapshot.

"Madeira is a Portuguese archipelago located in the mid Atlantic Ocean. The archipelago consists of 2 populated islands, Madeira Island and Porto Santo Island as well as 2 groups of unpopulated islands, Desertas and Selvagens Islands. Madeira is formed from a massive volcano eruption on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean over 5 million years ago. How much do you know about Madeira? Prior to writing this post, I only know that Cristiano Ronaldo is born and raised in Madeira!" Beautiful Places On Earth Includes a video.

"If you tell friends you are going to Madeira Islands, they would probably say, “Wow!” and then give you a quizzical look even before they finish the interjection. Madeira? Where is that? Well, a lot of people would ask the same question especially if you are from the other part of the world. Besides, even if you have a map, it would probably not come easy for you to find where these little jewels are. Who could locate dots in the Atlantic anyway?" FAMOUS WONDERS – Top 100 wonders

Do we have any readers in Cornwall in the UK I wonder? If so, this might be of interest, with flights being offered from Newquay Airport this year : March 24 – Madeira from £499 for flight and hotel. There may be more? : FULL ARTICLE

Global Hotel Alliance (GHA) is delighted to start 2010 by welcoming Tivoli Hotels & Resorts as their latest member, as the rapidly-growing alliance now extends its reach to include two important new markets, Portugal & Brazil, with one of the regions’ most respected brands. Founded in 1933, Tivoli owns and operates some of Portugal’s most reputed hotels in locations such as Lisbon, Sintra, Coimbra, the Algarve and Madeira. In 2006 they have expanded into Brazil, with a luxury resort in Praia do Forte in Bahia and more recently with a landmark hotel in Sao Paulo. GLOBAL HOTEL ALLIANCE … anyone know anything about it, as apparently it is about to launch a loyalty programme?

A brief guide to the Madeira Banana Tree … but is it a tree?

Here are a couple of articles from the Jornal da Madeira kindly translated and sent in by Vanessa Swesnik :

Fewer Passengers in Madeira’s Airport : According to statistics released by ANAM – Airports of Madeira – traffic through Madeira’s airport fell 4.1% from 2008 to 2009. Last year Madeira’s airport received a total of 2,348,040 passengers, 100,534 less than in 2008.

In regards to the movement of aircraft, the airport infrastructure agency also reported a fall of 3.1% from 2008, with a total of 25,162 aircraft movements.

The fall in the number of passengers is due to the reduction in international air traffic, which had a cut of 16.6% from 2008. Madeira’s airport received 1,145,736 passengers originating from international flights last year, 227,910 less than in 2008.

Domestic air traffic up 11.9% : Conversely, the number of passengers from domestic flights rose 11.9% in 2009. A total of 1,190,075 passengers on domestic flights passed through Madeira’s airport, 126,154 more than in the same period of 2008.

It’s easy to conclude that Madeira’s airport managed to limit its loss of passengers in 2009 thanks to the increase in passengers originating from the domestic market. The year was marked by the consequences of the international financial crisis which caused a decrease in passenger traffic in airports at the national and international levels.

As for Porto Santo airport, information from ANAM shows a cut of 8.4% of passengers in 2009,  a total of 121,034.

For the month of December, Madeira’s airport had 4.4% less passengers than the same month in 2008. In total, 161,749 passengers passed through the airport.

The cut in that month is also due to the decrease in passengers from international flights (-15.7%) and the number of passengers from domestic flights rose 6.5%.

Uruguay will be the 4^th South American Country in which the hotel group will be present; Pestana announces a new hotel in Montevideo. The future Pestana Montevideo Hotel results from the reconstruction and renovation of a building from the beginning of the 20^th century which housed one of the most famous and aristocratic clubs of Uruguay – the Jockey Club. The building is considered emblematic of the city and has been classified as a Historic National Monument since 1975. Its Art Deco architecture is evident from its façade as well as its numerous decorative stained glass windows, marble, wood panelled walls, and large bronze doors.

The building is located on the most important street of the city- June 18^th Avenue, and only a few meters from the “Old City”, the historic district which houses the Presidency of the Republic, theatres, art centres and a commercial zone.

Brazilian architect, Jaime Morais, will be in charge of the interior and exterior. He is responsible for various other projects of Grupo Pestana in Portugal, Brazil, Argentina, and Venezuela. Morais was also responsible for the extraordinary decoration of the recently inaugurated Pousada do Porto. The reconstruction work will begin in March 2010 with hopes to end in the first quarter of 2012.

The Pestana Montevideo Hotel with be a luxurious 5 star hotel with 100 rooms, a spa, an indoor pool, and many meeting and event rooms. It will have two restaurants, one of which will be located on the top floor with an excellent view of Montevideo. This property will be especially desirable for the corporate and event worlds, but it will also be an excellent option for those who travel for leisure in Montevideo. Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, and Spain will be the principal markets for the property. The Uruguayan locale has been studied by Grupo Pestana for years. For Dionisio Pestana, President of the Group, “the entrance into a new country in South America is part of our growth strategy for the continent. It’s very important that we are present in the major cities of South America and are promoting cross-selling among the different properties and countries. This building is exactly what we were looking for.”

This from Elaine out West, many thanks:

‘Gigapark’ prolongs stay to recover losses : The visit of the amusement park in Ponta do Sol has been extended until the end of next weekend. During this period, the cost of the entertainment will be just one euro. The Aquatic Show is continuing, but only until Thursday, and on these last three days its ticket price will be five Euros.

Initially scheduled to end yesterday, Gigapark will remain open until Sunday 17^th to try to mitigate the losses suffered due to the bad weather, especially the almost constant rain. During these last six days in Madeira, the amusement park will work in a similar way to the so-called ‘day of the Euro’. That is, every day all the many diversions available to children and adults will cost just one euro. Also, the Aquatic Show will continue until next Thursday with its three white sharks and two seals performing open sessions at 21:30 for only five Euros.

Marcos Vaz, head of Gigapark, says that this is an exceptional measure, which comes not only from the consequences of unusual weather, which affected the park nearly every day, particularly in December, but also the difficulty in getting space for the trailers and equipment on the next trip of the Armas ferry bound for Portimão. He also stressed that this extension is intended to allow the opportunity for Madeirans to further enjoy the fun of the largest Christmas market set up in the region.

T’other Elaine of the East, also covered the same article, with the comment : I think this is right but check beforehand if you are planning to go (you both had the same figures Elaines, so good enough for me. Der). Judging by the present weather, they might not recoup the losses. It is also the beginning of the Festival de Passeios a Pé today until 16 January, the guided walking tours along levadas and veredas. There are 60 people signed up this year, mainly British, and you can join until the day before the scheduled walk. (Two page article outlining the walks in Diário Cidade, Monday January 11, available online).

Many thanks to Elaine once again for a whopping summary of yesterday’s top news stories :

PT participates in a consortium to reduce energy consumption. Portugal Telecom is participating in a consortium launched yesterday in London that aims to reduce by 1,000 times the energy consumption of communication networks. The consortium, called Green Touch, is led by Bell Labs and PT joins the ‘telecoms’ AT&T, China Mobile, Swisscom and Telefonica, university research laboratories, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, French Government laboratories and Samsung.

Arm wrestling between the PSD and PS on the Law of Finance. The Commission of Budget and Finance will discuss 16 proposals to amend the Regional Finance Law. The tug of war continues between the two main parties about funding for the autonomous regions. The PS want to delay the debate, as explained by Vítor Baptista, "What we think is that this law is framed in the State Budget for 2010 and to postpone the debate will raise awareness among political parties." This matter should be negotiated within the Budget. Guilherme Silva for the PSD replied that according to the mandate there has to be a meeting and a postponement is only possibly by consensus. If the PS win more time, they can seek advice on each of the initiatives. The PSD ask where were the parliamentary negotiations? Vítor Baptista explains, "So far no negotiations." Guilherme Silva adds, "Thursday is the day for the parties to meet about their proposals or absence of them."

Baeta keeps his wife as head of office. The Mayor of Calheta, Manuel Baeta Castro, reappointed three members that were already included in the previous term, for his office of support staff, led by his wife Conceição Castro as the head of the office. Francisco Gouveia and Fátima Câmara are respectively, assistant and personal secretary. The opposition, although they both show some suspicion about the usefulness of these positions, have different views, the CDS (Communists) are more critical than the PS (Socialists). The CDS complain that these offices of support staff to the Council are not important. The new PS councillor, Sofia Canha, admits that it "may be overstated"  the decision to occupy the three positions of political trust, "but may be justified for reasons unknown." Hence the benefit of the doubt. "Let’s see if future action by the Council justifies these employees." The appointment of the mayor’s wife leads to more distrust, the CDS-PP say it is a "controversial issue" and ethically it leaves "many doubts". Sofia Canha prefers, "to believe in the good faith of the people" about the legitimacy of family choice expressed by Manuel Baeta. She believes the mayor has employed his wife for political and professional reasons rather than for personal reasons and favouritism. The Mayor of Calheta justifies the position for better coordination of administrative, financial, social and cultural activities of the Town Council.

São Vicente will provide support to 1,800 elderly. The Municipality of São Vicente has 1,800 residents over the age of 65, more than 30% of the inhabitants. A communication system will be installed in their homes so they can alert the civil protection and fire authorities. Other support will be provided, for example help with mobility difficulties and meals. Social workers will assess individual needs in collaboration with the churches and Vicentians. The aim is to ensure a more dignified life.

Construction of Caniçal Cemetery begins. The construction of this cemetery has been controversial. It was initially approved by the PSD councillors on 14 February 2009 and work was to proceed immediately by a contract between the Regional Government and the Council. The PS said this was electioneering work. Two months later, a petition with 1,100 signatures was presented to the Council for the cemetery to be installed north of the site proposed by the Council. In September, the work had to stop due to lack of payment to the owner of the land for the expropriation. Four months later, an agreement was reached that the payment of 24,000 Euros would be made in instalments. The owner wanted three requirements: payment for the land, payment of a debt of 30,000 Euros for the construction of the Estrada da Banda d’ Além which was finished in the 1980s, and the road named after a previous owner of the road that links the new cemetery to Feiteirinhas. Emanuel Gomes accuses the previous mayor, the Socialist Father Martins Júnior, of not paying for the work. He denies responsibility and said it should have been paid by previous PSD mayors who authorized the work. He added that the Council could not pay because the Regional Government had a financial stranglehold on the Council and they were forced to pay a debt of 1 million and 800,000 contos. Currently, this value corresponds to 9 million Euros.  —1 conto = 1000 escudos = 5 Euros.

Cases of the day. At the end of Rua das Hortas, in the vicinity of the old offices of ‘Peugeot’, there is a manhole cover which often lifts up and endangers the safety of vehicles and pedestrians. The Council of Funchal have the usual red tape around the area but this situation has existed for some time and needs to be resolved before an accident occurs, as the street becomes crowded at times.

Bus stuck between cars. Passengers on a ‘Horários do Funchal’ bus were forced to leave and continue their journey by foot after the vehicle became stuck in the middle of several cars parked illegally in Rua José Pedro de Ornelas. The bus, yesterday afternoon, was on the route Levada de Santa Luzia – Centro and the police were called. This is a frequent occurrence in the area. — Sorry, no photo of the bus.

Companies purchase bananas without going through the Government. From today, bananas can be bought and sold without going through GESBA, the body that the Government created to manage banana production. The company Frutas Douradas guarantees to purchase from producers. This company is also recruiting a team of banana pickers. There are no fixed prices, unlike GESBA, but the company guarantees that it will pay the same amount as GESBA. If demand is high, a higher price might be set and the producers need higher rates in winter to offset lower production rates. Until now, the company could not get EU subsidies but  it has recently been recognized by the Government which allows it to apply. It will export 26 – 30 pallets of bananas a week whereas currently, only 1 pallet a week is exported which does not satisfy the demands on the Continent. In the returning containers, normally empty, the firm will import goods. The  Volcán de Tijarafe ferry will be used and costs will be reduced by the firm investing in automated processing. This firm is beginning to deal in bananas as it has had requests from some producers, dissatisfied with GESBA, and requests from the Continent but it complains of not receiving enough bananas from GESBA to meet the demands. GESBA currently has the following rates in euro per kg. Winter (November to April): extra – 0.67; category I – 0.58 and category II – 0.476. During the summer months: extra – 0.65; category I – 0.56 and category II – 0.456. If the producers deliver the bananas to the warehouse, they are paid 10 cents per kg. On Friday, the CDU are meeting visiting MEPs to ask that the EU compensate regional producers of bananas who might have difficulties due to the Geneva Accord. The tariff for bananas imported from Latin American countries is to be reduced from 176 Euros / ton to 114 Euros / ton by 2017 and the regional banana producers might not be able to compete with U.S. multinationals operating in Latin American countries.

Eviction ends in arrest. A man about 60 years old, was arrested yesterday morning for being in possession of an arma de alarme (replica gun) and nearly 400 rounds of ammunition. The arrest was not for possession of the gun but for the extra ammunition which passed the legal limit. He was occupying an office in a building in Rua 31 de Janeiro and stressed that the weapon had never been used. The President of the Clube Desportivo Nacional had heard about the sale of the building in 2007, bought it and legalized the purchase in 2009. Last month, a court official and three police officers went to the building as there was a court order to evict this tenant. The man said it was cruel and inhumane as he had asked Rui Alves if he could remain there until the end of next month while he could find an alternative residence. He added, "I was sleeping on a sofa in the office."

Criminal cases.  The Coram company’s offices were broken into early on Saturday morning and 750 Euros and several cheques were stolen from the safe. A 24 year old man was arrested Sunday morning for stealing a purse from a 56 year old woman. This occurred in Azinhaga in Nazaré and the woman’s screams alerted a local person and the police, who were nearby and tracked down the suspect. The man, a drug addict lives in Curral das Freiras. A man was arrested on Sunday at the airport on suspicion of drug trafficking. More than 2 kilos of heroin were seized by Customs officials. It was hidden in a false bottom in his suitcase. This is enough for 27,000 individual doses with a street value of 540,000 Euros. The man is a 30 year old Portuguese resident of Lisbon, from where he was flying. A woman was attacked on Sunday by her husband with a machado (type of axe) in a case of domestic violence. This caused a deep wound in her hand and bruises to the face and happened in the presence of the four children, aged 7 to 11 years old. This violence has frequently occurred and has been brought to the attention of the court and the husband has been given a caution. The bombeiros of Ribeira Brava rescued the woman and took her to the Health Centre. The police are to proceed with a charge of domestic violence.

TAP has the second best year ever but increases surcharges. The airline carried more than 8.7 million passengers in 2009, a 3.4% fall since 2008. In December, there were 674,000 passengers, an increase of 3.3% more than the previous year, an occupancy rate of 72%.  On 3 January 2010, TAP achieved an occupancy rate of 88.6%, a figure never reached before. There were 36,004 passengers, the record for a single day. In 2010, TAP will restructure sales and reduce the supply to reduce costs. The fuel surcharge on routes between Madeira and the Continent increases from 9 to 12 Euros from January 20 2010. These charges are lower than those made on European routes and are in response to an automatic mechanism defined by the National Institute of Civil Aviation.

Dentist Convention resumes. The Dental Association are still pushing for residents to be reimbursed for dental services, similar to those for the rest of medicine. This has been negotiated since 2007 and they hope this agreement can become a reality by the end of this year. A protocol has already been signed with the Health Service but details need to be finalized. There is already Dentistry at the Health Centres of Porto Santo, Bom Jesus and Porto Moniz. There will be another dentist at Bom Jesus where there are already two dentists and a hygienist, after restructuring of the building. In Porto Moniz, dentistry is for 3 – 13 year olds and in Porto Santo, for 3 – 12 year olds. The Health Authority want to have dentistry at Machico Health Centre after construction works on the new building. Services are provided in the Emergency Room at the Hospital Dr. Nélio Mendonça and they are awaiting new equipment to allow more complex dental surgery.

São Vicente Council distinguish German tourists. The German couple have been visiting two to three times a year over the past fifteen years, bringing with them a group of more than 20 tourists. Hans and Petruta Schawarz first came in 1995 and are fans of walking, especially through the Laurissilva forest. Hans Schawarz said he enjoyed the cable car from Monte to Funchal and keeps returning as he is struck by the beauty of the island, enjoying the ‘adventure’ of the old roads. The Festa do Flor, Festa do Vinho and the New Year’s Eve fireworks display are highlights, especially as he comes to celebrate his birthday on the 31 December.

Pico do Areeiro: Without snow, but with poncha. Headline of Monday’s Diário Cidade. Last weekend, both Madeirans and tourists went to this area because of the forecast of snow. No snow but strong wind and rain. They stopped at the Abrigo do Poiso for a drink of poncha or a café de ceveda (barley coffee) to warm the body and soul. Pico de Areeiro is said to be extremely beautiful and charming when ‘painted’ white. — Sounds a great excuse idea.

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

Tourism of Portugal awards ‘The Vine’ – The honourable mention will be announced today in the opening of BTL. Hmmm, I think it already has.

Ships brought 30 thousand more in 2009.

The main photo on today’s front page shows a corner of a Zimmer frame, along with an ageing hand. The Regional Government clogs homes with hospital releases - The government will juggle the waiting lists for the homes, to put at the front of the queue 51 elderly people that were released, but stayed in the hospital. 79 cases remain unsolved.

Today’s main news headline : Madeira loses €157 million in 3 years – The cost of the financial noose of the Regional Finance Law has been calculated. If Lisbon approves the alterations proposed, Madeira will receive an extra €74.6 million just in this year. But the Azores could be tied.

And another along the same lines : Amendments to the Regional Finance Law would cost the state 82 million Euros – A report from the Technical Unit for Budgetary support shows that the changes would give Madeira more than 74.6 million Euros. Enough for another football stadium refurbishment, with a bit of change left over, or a new marina at Lugar do Baixo perhaps. Do you ever wonder about the priorities of this government?

TAP raises fuel surcharges on the Madeira route – an increase of €9 to €12 comes into force from 20th January.

Rigo shows in China and  already prepares America. I presume this is the artist that Paul wrote about on the blog yesterday.

Luís Sotero Gomes dies – The medical specialist in Otorhinolaryngology passed away a victim of a prolonged illness.

The main sport / football headline today : Stadium that cost €11.5 million sinks in Câmara de Lobos – The facility was inaugurated recently, but is already losing ‘altitude’. The Regional Government say that it is normal. Looks like our politicians opted for the cheap cement again, still what’s eleven million these days!

BTW, the stars of Benfica will be in Ribeira Brava for a 10 am training session on Sunday morning. They will be at the Centro Desportivo da Madeira, out by Modelo, preparing for the 8.15 pm game against Marítimo.

That’s all I can get for now, as the Diário website has gone down yet again, and they are obviously having a problematic week. Still with a blog today with almost 4,500 words already, is probably more than enough for a normal news appetite. 

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. 

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

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

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

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

(more…)