Madeira News Blog

(16th August). Today’s main news headline : ‘Priests Critical But Not Political – José Luís Rodrigues, the controversial parish priest of São Roque and São José, doesn’t mix faith with politics. But he will continue to intervene and give his opinion. On the sacraments, he says that he resists the baptism. And the times show that it is not worthwhile that the parishes continue with festivals on the day of Chão da Lagoa’. The first part of the headline deliberately rhymed in Portuguese, and can you believe it also still does in the English translation! Anyway, this is an routine interview with the said parish priest, but it makes the Diário’s top story today.

‘São Pedro : Contrasts Of The Hospital At Achada. Problems in the neighbourhood of the hospital contrast with the development of Achada’. It’s another one of those Diário featured locations, not really news. Achada is in the high zone in the Funchal parish of São Pedro.  Angelina Baeta has to climb 119 steps to get to her home, on the 7th floor of block 14 of the Bairro do Hospital. It has been around two months since the lift that served the building broke down, the other one as far as Angelina recalls, stopped working around 20 years ago. She doesn’t suffer as much as others with the delay in the repair, it is much worse for the aged and sick that live there. "I have a neighbour aged 92 that lives on the 6th floor who hasn’t managed to get out of her home since the elevator broke", she uses as an example. She has to rely on neighbours to do her shopping. The blocks have other problems with access, allowing drug users to enter the buildings, poor hygiene conditions and unpleasant smells from urination inside the building. Another neighbour says that the majority of people who live there are good people, but the frequency of problems with drugs, assaults, and violence are a concern. Ismael has lived in Achada almost 50 years, and has seen all the big changes in the area. He says many people live there, and it is quiet, without much thieving. What is missing is a supermarket, as with the old one closed down, it is now necessary to go into Funchal. The crisis has hit hard. One shop owner said "everything is closing".

‘Constructions In The Sand Livens Up The Beach Of Porto Santo’. This years national sand sculpting competition continued yesterday with an event on Porto Santo, with around 40 children taking part. The ‘senior’ event was won by a local lad with a lion sculpture, who also won the event last year, and will now go on to compete in the final in Portugal next month. The competition has been going since 1952, with two categories for those aged between 6 and 10, and 11 to 14. The junior event yesterday was also won by a local lad who sculpted a rat (or mouse). In the centre of the picture you will see ‘Panda’, from the TV channel with the same name, that has been covering the event.

‘Moped Licences For Youths Aged 14 Years – The Association of Motorcycling ensures that the young Madeirans have equal conditions with Portugal and the Azores’. The provision to drive a moped (under 50cc) at 14 or 15 already existed here, but there has been no ‘driving school’ available here to conduct the training, so one had to go to the mainland to obtain the certificate. Now the AMM is taking on this responsibility on Madeira. The law says that those aged 14 and 15 are treated differently from those aged 16 and over, as they are not able to show the maturity needed to ride a moped on the roads without training.

‘Draw Very Fair In The Debut Game Between The Europeans – João Aurélio was the figure in headline yesterday in the Choupana: he scored the goals of Nacional and Sporting. Today Marítimo challenges Benfica in the stadium of light’. In the opening game for Nacional yesterday, the Nacional player João Aurélio scored twice in the same goal, but the result ended up as a 1 – 1 draw.

The CDU (communists) of Santa Cruz have launched an on-line petition to save the city centre market in Santa Cruz, which the council want to move to the edge of the city. PETITION www.simaomercado.blogspot.com

(15th August). Yesterday’s stories from the festival at Monte left one with mixed stories about whether trade was up or down for those with ‘barracas’. The Jornal da Madeira did it’s own piece yesterday, and I am sure purely by coincidence interviewed the same seller of bolo de caco, who said that business was better than last year, and he had already sold 300 bolos de caco by 8pm on Friday, as well as the bread with chouriço (sausage) preferred by the tourists (who obviously haven’t seen the sausage in it’s complete form). But meat sellers were struggling, and I don’t know the price per kilo, but it’s clearly many times more than a €2 bolo de caco, so there’s the answer.

On the main night, there was a much lower turnout than last year, maybe the weather put people off. The rain held off until about midnight, and then it didn’t really ease off again. We sent our reporter out with his cheap camera to record the highlights of the night, with not very impressive results. He claims he was out until 4am this morning because of the rain … I reckon there is more to that story than meets the eye!

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(27th June). Today’s main news headline : ‘Gouveia Pays Subscriptions Of Members In Order To Be Leader – João Carlos Gouveia (leader of PS-M) took on the party subscriptions for socialists that gave him their leadership vote. He did it through a cheque, that was never taken to the bank because there were no funds. The question returned to the agenda in January. Now, Gouveia doesn’t pay alleging that it is wrong to cover the subscriptions of others’. He says that he is now going to make a donation to the Socialist Party. This was back in July 2007 when he was elected party leader, when at the party congress the president demanded subscription payments from delegates, many of whom were supporters of Gouveia. The party rules say that one cannot vote if subscriptions are unpaid. He allegedly wrote out a cheque there and then for at least €6,000. Already hung and drawn, but probably not quite yet quartered.

President Jardim confirmed yesterday what was already widely known. The social democrat candidates for the 11 presidents of the câmaras (council) will remain as currently in post, apart from in Porto Moniz, São Vicente, and Santana.

There is an article on the reaction of President Jardim to the proposed purchase of a large stake in the holding group of TVI one of the top Portuguese television companies. The purchase, estimated to be around €100 million, is being considered by PT, Portugal Telecom. Jardim calls it scandalous. I don’t know what the big deal is as mergers in these sectors are common place, and anyway, Portugal’s government has a golden share in PT and can block or approve major decisions by the company.

The President of the Republic of Portugal has today confirmed that the national elections will be held on Sunday 27th September. Cavaco Silva called for calm in the election campaigns. The President expects to see the “real” problems and concerns discussed.

‘João Mota Repeats In The Classics – João repeats his ritual of kissing the champagne. It didn’t produce the brilliance of previous years, but nether-the-less it was a pleasing event’. João Mota and Miguel Correia won this years XXII classic car rally in a 1971 MG B. I can’t believe he is really called Mota (look in your dictionary).

‘Festival Of São Pedro Later Tonight In Ribeira Brava – The popular saints complete the triangle. The tradition takes thousands today to the mythical Ribeira-braven festival’. (Not my words, nor my plug this time). More than 15 bands and 850 participants will take part in the parades at 9pm, for the first time on the night before the night before the day of Saint Peter. the parades are followed by a concert by José Malhoa. Lots more, but a bit late in the day to publish it now.

TODAY’S PHOTO : Thanks to Sarah … an Estrelicia flower, or ‘bird of paradise’ as some clever flower seller came up with years ago

São Pedro fever is building in town, as the festival lighting and street decorations are still being mounted, and the ‘barracas’ are now being built on the beach, ready to sell espada, frango, and freshly cooked bolo do caco to the thousands of visitors expected over the weekend, and through to Monday (a public holiday in Ribeira Brava). The first event is tomorrow night at 10pm with an outdoor cinema showing ‘Golpe Quase Perfeito’ better known as ‘The Hoax’ in English. I would have thought that a film released in 2006 was a bit of a poor offering, but perhaps our council is a bit strapped for cash at the moment. I am told that a kilo of espetada (beef cubes) will be selling at around €18 a kilo, probably more than you would pay in a normal restaurant. Add to that the facts that you have to cook it and serve it yourself, and there are no accompaniments, so not a good deal really. Many people bring their own. People tend to save up their cêntimos for this event, so I am hoping that it won’t be crisis hit, and the many traders can make up a little profit in what has probably been a bad year for most of them so far.

Don’t forget that news / articles will be posted at various times during the day – Check back regularly and keep yourself up to date.

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