Many thanks to Becky for sending in this web snippet and video :

"A St Davids artist based in Madeira has described the devastating scenes that forced him to flee his home." – an interesting response to this article has been added by someone from Paul do Mar. From the UK Western Telegraph  HERE

I can’t imagine who would have written that response (joking), but talk about an gross exaggeration  on the whole situation from those interviewed, especially on the rain situation generally. Der

Postais Antigos da Madeira – postcards from MADEIRA ISLAND & FUNCHAL PORTUGAL

Thanks to Pete for these : Clean up Portugal campaign | Programme 1 | Programme 2

Thanks to Paul for this one.

Know the ‘Madeiran Fortalezas’

image caption:São Tiago fortress in Funchal, Madeira

Fortaleza de São Tiago, Funchal, Madeira. The Fortress of St James was built between 1614 and 1637 in response to the frequent raids on Funchal by pirates. The complex is now a Monument of Regional Interest and is used to further cultural awareness. It includes a contemporary art museum and a restaurant. Read more:       

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

DIÁRIO 22/03/2010

FRONT PAGE NEWS

A quarter of the population live on pensions (social security). 25.9% of the population live on pensions, slightly less than the national average of 26.9%. In January 2010, there were 64,257 pensioners although a person can receive more than one pension (old-age, survivor’s, invalidity). From December 2008 to January 2010, there was an increase of 939 pensioners and the cost increased from 252.2 million Euros to 264 million Euros. Most pensions are for retirement, about 15% of the population or 37,673 Madeirans. The total cost is 13.5 million Euros at an average pension of 360.36 Euros. For survivor’s pension, the numbers are: 7.4% of the population, 18,387 receiving an average of 180.36 Euros, totalling 3.3 million Euros. In the case of disability, there are 8,197 disabled people, 3.3% of the population, at a total cost of 2.9 million Euros or 350.52 Euros per pensioner. The vast majority of pension recipients are women, 43,090: 23,592 retirement, 4,455 disability and 15,133 survivor’s. There were only 3,254 men receiving survivor’s pension, a total of 500,000 Euros compared to 2.8 million Euros paid to women.

Fish, poultry and livestock declined in 2009. In 2009, fish landings decreased by 7%, the auction price per kilo decreased by 8% and the revenue decreased by 14% or 2.3 million Euros. The espada-preta (swordfish) catches suffered the most, 22.4% fewer landings. 3.9% more tuna fish were caught. For cavala and chicharro (mackerel and horse mackerel), the catches increased but the revenue was less due to poor quality, reinforcing the fact that fish stocks are deteriorating each year. Over the past 12 years, 2009 was the worst for fishermen. Livestock production had a poor year reflecting the declining interest in farming. There were 23.5% fewer pigs and 13.3% fewer cattle slaughtered. 9.2% more poultry were raised last year and egg production increased by 1.5%.

MADEIRA

Agriculture scarce. Rain and winds have hampered the growing of vegetables in the region with less variety on sale. ‘Sorteio de Cabazes de Primavera’ started yesterday and runs until May 30th. Over the next 11 Sundays, when 5 Euros worth of regional horticultural products are purchased from the Farmers’ Markets in Santana, Prazeres and Canhas, the purchaser receives a ticket for two raffles for baskets of produce, held on the 25th April and 20th May.

House in danger of falling down the slope. For the past three weeks, landslides and rockfalls have been a daily occurrence in the area of Urbanização da Montanha, in São Gonçalo. A neighbour has alerted Funchal Council about the house in question but the owner cannot be contacted. The fire brigade has visited on three separate occasions but taken no action. The land underneath the balcony and yard has subsided and if this continues, the neighbour is worried that the two-storey house will fall onto the road below.

POLITICS

CDS confirms ‘fiction’ of budgets. The CDS-PP predict an economic recession this year after analysing the Court of Auditors report on the 2008 Regional Budget. 2008 Accounts show a debt of 230 million Euros. 44% of tax revenue (327 million Euros) was absorbed by institutes and autonomous funds. The amount of interest paid for delays in paying suppliers increased by 35% to 23.3 million Euros. The Regional Government continued to support public sector enterprise despite losses of 70 million Euros. The Health Service debt was 431 million Euros. In 2008, the total direct and indirect debt was 1.9 billion Euros. With these debts, the government cannot raise funds to meet its commitments.

Councils postpone projects to alleviate emergencies. A month after the devastating storm, councils are having to rethink their programs of activities. In Ribeira Brava, the damage amounts to 80 million Euros and the planned Emigrant Museum has been postponed. Losses in Calheta, 4 million Euros, result from landslides, cleaning streams and damaged water networks. Savings will be focused on the June summer festivities, hiring artists of lower prestige. In Santana, the council has to find 3.5 million Euros to repair the damages. The slopes were extensively damaged and the auditorium at São Roque do Faial will now be delayed until 2011. The councils have sent reports of losses to the Regional Government but do not know if they will receive any financial support, or the amounts they will receive.

CULTURE

Baltazar Dias reopens on April 10th. The storm caused 500,000 Euros of damage to the Municipal Theatre Baltazar Dias in Funchal. It will reopen for the symbolic Film Festival of Funchal. The Mayor of Funchal arrived at the theatre on the afternoon of February 20th to find waist-deep mud in the audience area. Volunteers, including scouts, cleaned the theatre and there have been changes to improve facilities, for example the red carpet removed to make the acoustics better. The building has been rewired and painted, new alarms systems added and the furniture, floors and doors are nearly completely renovated.

JORNAL DA MADEIRA

REGIONAL

Government will acquire 600 hectares in the west. The Regional Government will acquire, if necessary by compulsory purchase, 600 hectares in the counties of Câmara de Lobos, Ribeira Brava and Ponta do Sol. This is to make a forest that will protect diversity, water resources and the security of people living downstream. The government has just bought 25 plots of land totalling 332 hectares at a cost of 674,000 Euros. Later this year, a start will be made on planting 400,000 trees, finishing in 2011. The investment of 4.3 million Euros is from EU support and the Regional Budget. With this latest acquisition, the government possesses a total of 1,760 hectares of the serras of Funchal and Câmara de Lobos in the project launched in 2001 – ‘Tampão Verde’. Including the Ecological Park, the most strategic land in the serras are in public ownership. In 2003, 50,000 head of cattle were banned and removed from the publicly owned areas to end over-grazing. In the last 15 years, the government has afforested 908 hectares and planted one million and 200,000 trees in the serras. 

São Vicente investing in promoting the Laurissilva forest and county. The Mayor of São Vicente said the council intends to strengthen the investment for the promotion of the county. The Laurissilva forest is to be promoted in order to increase notoriety and visibility at the national level, to enable it to be one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Portugal. The mayor is confident that the forest will win the category Forests and Woods on 11th September. The forest is natural, the oldest in Portugal (Tertiary Period – 20 million years old) and contains 500 different endemic species, an important point as this year is the International Year of Biodiversity. The judges visited the region yesterday as a symbolic gesture and to testify that nature has not been spoilt; that Madeira continues to be a wonderful island to visit.

Porto Santo has a barbusano.  Porto Santo Council and the firm Porto Santo Verde planted yesterday, the World Day of the Forest, a tree in the gardens of Alameda Infante D. Henrique. For the national celebrations of the centenary of the Republic, the national committee challenges the Portuguese councils to plant a tree related to the indigenous forest. The barbusano is a tree belonging to the Laurissilva forest which is extinct in Porto Santo. This tree species is endemic to the Golden Island and it is important to reintroduce the Barbusanos as it adapts well to the island.

CULTURE

‘Funchal, Funchal’ single to be released this week. Luís Jardim wrote and recorded this music to raise funds for the victims of the storm. It will be released on CD-single at the end of this week and all sales revenue goes to the funds for Madeira. It was featured on the SIC fund-raising program ‘Uma Flor para a Madeira’. Luís Jardim is a producer who has worked with respected names in international music and hopes the worldwide Portuguese communities will buy the single. An initial release of 5,000 – 10,000 copies with more produced according to demand. The video clip of this official theme can be seen in full on YouTube

UPDATES

Clocks go forward one hour at 01.00 Sunday. This will mark the beginning of Official Summer Time.

EU approves ‘Cultural Festivals of Madeira’. The EU approves this project for support from community funds until 2013. The four major events covered are: Meeting of Philharmonic Bands in May, Music Festival of Madeira in June, the Festival Atlantic Roots (traditional music) in July and the Organ Festival in October. The Festival of Music will be scaled down from a month to 4 – 13 June.

Diário Question. A month after the tragedy what is still causing concern?

People to relocate 22%

False promises 23%

No plans 28%

Lack of money 16%

Excessive bureaucracy 11%

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

Today’s main news headline : PEC limits debts with public companies – The Programme of Stability and Growth [PEC] threatens to interfere in the public accounts of Madeira. The State is going to squeeze indebtedness.

30 thousand pensioners with pensions below the minimum salary originate petition to the parliaments. Pensioners and retired people are claiming an extra €65, and ARPIRAM have delivered a petition to the Legislative Assembly to stake the claim. I suppose that we will have to get used to the idea that as the State squeezes to re-establish an acceptable deficit in Europe, more and more people will feel the effects, and protests like this will pop up with increasing regularity. Can you imagine the public sector workers carrying on peacefully knowing that their pay is restricted until 2013, and medical staff and teachers here are always in dispute over pay and conditions. The Portuguese are not like the Greeks [yet?] but the squeeze here is going to bite just as hard given time, and I just hope we don’t have to witness here the unrest seen in Greece recently. The ones we won’t see a bad reaction from of course will be those on the minimum wage, in tourism, hotels, shops, bars and restaurants. Any trouble from them and they can be easily replaced. Nothing wrong with peaceful petitions from the pensioners of course, but I guess that won’t be on government priority list until the next elections loom.

Aguiar-Branco proposes more autonomy. The removal of the post of Representative of the Republic [for Madeira] is one of the intentions of the candidate for the leadership of the Social Democrat Party, who expects an interesting vote on Madeira, on Friday. Uncle Bertie also wanted to remove this post I recall, and it was supposed to be a measure included in constitutional reform. What happened after that I have no idea, but maybe this guy will win over UB in the voting, as more autonomy is just what he likes. Can’t wait until Friday when this annoying drawn-out election is over.

"[State] subsidies decrease but guarantees rise" – David Caldeira stresses that the ‘cut’ does not define the big picture. Following on from yesterday’s article that government handouts to public and private organisations have reduced by 57.5%, some financial expert is suggesting that for those organisations affected there is a way forward.

Drug trail judgement in Funchal with 19 suspects – The majority of those involved live in Palmeira, Câmara de Lobos. There are also two Italians to answer charges.

Government has it’s eye on the support – Jardim assures that "tough" measures were taken at the end to avoid exploitation. The Executive is going to present in the Madeira Assembly a proposal of a certificate "that assures that all the entitled beneficiaries don’t stray from the legally established priorities". All about the allocation of the money raised following the storm on the 20th February.

‘Caruncho’ with thematic parties starting from the 26th – Academic camp, cutting ribbons, rock nights, and the prom of the finalists [students] to close on the 10th April. Don’t even ask! I turned to Google translator for help with this one, but it made even less sense. I presume from the photo that this is all about the celebrations of the final year students, and it’s called ‘Semana do Caruncho’ [Woodworm Week].

The main sport / football headline today : The World Cup 2010 is going to decide who is the best – Lionel Messi, Wayne Rooney or Cristiano Ronaldo : One of them will be the Best in the World and the decision will take place in South Africa. Rooney? How did he get on that list?

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. 

Sheila sent me this email she received this morning, hoping someone would be able to help : "I received this e-mail and, as time is so short if this poor dog is to be saved, I wondered whether any Blog readers might be able to help. I have notified SPAD and just about everyone else I know, who might be able to help. This is a lot to ask, I know, but as there is no RSPCA in Madeira, I would welcome any and all suggestions from your contributors". Sheila

Original email :  Golden Retriever in extensive distress in Garajau :

"There is a dog in Bloco G or H, in Edificio Quintas I, Estrada do Garajau,  Garajau, Caniço, The dog is in the garden at the end of the block, immediately behind the villa that is at the front of the apartment complex Edificio Quintas 1. It is the second last apartment block in Garajau before going round the valley to Caniço.

No one lives in the apartment where the dog is and it has not been fed for 3 days at least. Our friends have been trying to feed the dog, by throwing in food over the wall, but the dog is not eating it, because it is dehydrated because it does not have any water. They can’t put water over the wall.

We know the owner has been taken to court in the past over the dog and so the case is known, but that was primarily because the dog was barking. Now the dog is suffering from lack of care.   The dog can be seen, by walking up the steps at the side and behind the villa and one can look over the wall down onto the dog. It is a beautiful looking dog, but wont be for long without food or water".

I am not on the island, so I cannot do anything about it. Can you suggest some ways to end this poor dogs suffering?

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

You can email blog@madeira4u.com with any large contributions and other material.

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

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

If you post a comment and are not registered on this site (free), your comment will be moderated, so please do not waste time with spam postings.  If you register, your comment will be posted automatically. If you register, your email address will not be passed to any other party … promise!

Please send any topical or Madeira related photos or videos to Der at blog@madeira4u.com to appear on this blog. Photos may take a while to appear, depending on the number waiting. Please don’t send copyrighted material.

The headline news & other snippets reviewed here on the blog are mainly from the Diário de Notícias of Madeira, although news from any source is used and welcome.

The blogs in the ‘uncategorised’ category come from the old madeira4u blog.

IF YOU NEED HELP WITH ANYTHING ON THIS WEBSITE, TRY THE MENU ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE ‘USEFUL LINKS’ & ‘TIPS & HELP’

Madeira News Blog © 2007 – 2010 All Rights Reserved

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

Vimeo site. Daniell77 has uploaded two videos of the natural areas of Madeira. Narration in Portuguese. HERE

Origin of the ukulele in Hawaii. The SS Ravenscrag was a British barque, historically most famous for bringing Portuguese immigrants Joao Fernandes, Augusto Dias, Jose do Espirito Santo and Manuel Nunes to the islands, as these men are considered to have introduced the ukulele to Hawaii. This ship sailed from Madeira and reached Honolulu on the 23rd of August in 1879. This date is now honoured as the birth of the ukulele. MUST HAVE BEEN PAINFUL GIVING BIRTH TO A UKULELE

Don kindly send me in this playlist of Carnival 2010 Videos, so you can while away an hour or two … Thanks Don.  YOUTUBE

From Tess : A short write up on Caniço’s carnival. What better way to laugh away the rain than to bring in the clowns?

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

Some odd links today.

Slideshow of the cortejo Trapalhão

An extensive personal blog about his love of wine, including Madeira Wine and his satisfaction with tasting different (expensive) ones. An Ounce of Madeira, A Step Back in Time. ….However, while I admit to approaching wine with the erudition and delicacy of Fred Flintstone, I do have a confession to make. I have acquired a grape-based guilty pleasure that has, somehow, managed to make me into a full-on, hardcore, lover of wine; a connoisseur, aficionado, and unabashed lover of a particular kind of wine you may have never heard of. It’s called Madeira, and it changed my life…..

Is this how us punters are conned? Selling sweet wines. …If clients are hesitating when recommended a wine, give them a drop to taste. It costs almost nothing to offer 1 or 2 cl but it works well. Especially if there is a couple and you give the lady to try the sweet wine (women usually can’t resist sweet wine ;o)). After seeing her face begging for more of that, the gentlemen on the other side of the table has no changes to back off from ordering it … MORE

A factual account of Madeira. Perpetual Traveller. Funchal. The island of Madeira belongs to Portugal, but thanks to the special statute it was given, since 1976 it has been autonomous from an administrative point of view. It is a beautiful island, with a constant spring climate that attracts tourists all year round. It has wild and harmonious vegetation, jagged coastlines and enthralling, breathtaking panoramas. MORE

DIÁRIO 17/02/2010

FRONT PAGE NEWS

Ferry delayed by a 4 hour wait for the berth to be free. The Administration of Harbours decided to keep the 138 passengers who had sailed for 24 hours from Portimão on board the ferry "Volcan de Tijarafe waiting. The ferry was to berth only after the AIDAluna left at 17.00 to leave a vacant space for the Lobo Marinho. The captain of the ferry had reported a delay in the arrival to Madeira which was originally scheduled for 13.00 but now expected at 17.00. Despite the forecasted delay, the ferry passed the Ponta de São Lourenço at 13.00, so the captain decided to slow down and take four hours over a journey normally taking 45 minutes. The sailing of the AIDAluna was delayed by an hour as there was a problem in removing the portaló (gangplank to the entrance?). Then the pilot had problems climbing aboard the Volcan de Tijarafe due to high waves. The ferry docked at 17.45 and sailed again at 20.20 with 64 passengers, a further delay due to a damaged machine. The Porto Santo Line had originally cancelled yesterday’s trip but improvements in sea conditions and the reduction in wind speed allowed the ferry to sail at 12.00 and leave Porto Santo at 19.00 with 450 passengers.

Madeira lost 117,000 tourists in 2009. The region lost 117,000 tourists and 693,000 overnight stays resulting in a reduction in revenue of 42 million Euros. There were 9.1% fewer tourists than the previous year and a 11.2% reduction in the number of nights stayed. The average stay lasted 5.2 nights, the worst figure since the record of 6.7 nights in 2000. There was a sharp increase, 18.1%, in the number of overnight stays by Portuguese last year but they are less profitable visitors as the average stay lasted 2.8 nights. The Portuguese secured 16.3% of all overnight stays, an increase from 13.3% in 2000. The loss in revenue to Madeira, amounting to more than 115,000 Euros per day, shows the region is loosing competitiveness. December was the worst month with only 34% occupancy and the annual occupancy rate was 52.1%. The worst months are the first four in the year and November and December. Last year, the average decrease in international tourism was 4% and the only region to increase tourism was Africa (5.1%). The decrease in values for different areas were: Europe 5.6%, Asia and the Pacific 1.9%, Americas 5.1% and 5.6% in the Middle East. 

MADEIRA

Câmara de Lobos joins the Wine Association. This is the third county in the region to join the Associação de Municípios Portugueses do Vinho (AMPV). The other two counties are Porto Moniz and São Vicente. Since the AMPV was formally established, it has more than six dozen associated municipalities. Câmara de Lobos has been traditionally associated with viticulture and is responsible for more than half the annual production of Madeira Wine.

President of the Taxi Association assaulted. The President of AITRAM was attacked by a former head of the association. He was sworn at whilst in the Dolce Vita mall then punched in the face. He left but was pursued and took refuge in the interior of a company in Rua dos Aranhas, where he was assaulted. People came to his rescue and he went to the hospital for treatment of his injuries. When the police arrived at the scene, the alleged aggressor had disappeared.

São Vicente will have a carta de risco (risk charter). The physician-mayor of this municipality will have a risk document drawn up even if it is "politically expensive". There will be restrictions on constructions, especially in areas close to streams. The initiative comes from a history of disasters occurring in winter, particularly in 1979 when people died after being buried in landslides.The council will enlist experts in the areas of civil engineering, geology and hydraulics and the recommendations will be incorporated into the revised Municipal Plan, PDM.  A ‘carta de risco’ outlines natural hazards that can occur, the prevention and repair of damage, civil protection plans and implementation of systems for monitoring events and alerting people. Planning, land use and conservation of the environment are a prime target for study.

Infiltrations in the Bairro da Nazaré. For over 20 years, residents in the social housing complex in the neighbourhood of Nazaré in Funchal have complained of rain entering the apartments. A resident complained he had spent 500 Euros in an attempt to fix the problem and had to replace a water damaged washing machine and refrigerator. On the top floor, a middle-aged couple no longer bother to have the damage repaired because the same problem recurs. Residents have notified the IHM, responsible for the building, but they visit then say they have too many repairs to do.

CULTURE

Benjamin Marques in focus in Madeira International Art Biennial. The Biennial will open on June 15th and the works of art will be displayed over several areas. This year it will pay homage to the Portuguese artist Benjamin Marques with a display of eight of his works. This is the third edition of this arts exhibition and the inauguration will be held at the Casa da Luz (Electricity Museum) on June 15th. The event ends on July 31st. The works and artists will also be represented in other areas of Madeira: from June 18th at the Casa de Cultura de Santana; from 24th June at the Casa da Cultura de Santa Cruz and at the Library of Estreito and Civic Centre of Ponta do Pargo, at dates to be announced. The photo is one of the works of Benjamin Marques in the collection titled, Géologie.

UPDATE

CDS-PP and PS want to know when the new hospital is to be built. A previous request by the CDS-PP for a meeting of the parliamentary Committee on Health and Social Affairs with the Regional Secretary for Social Affairs was rejected by the PSD. The CDS-PP now request a meeting with the Secretary for Social Affairs, the Director of the Hospital Dr. Nélio Mendonça, the Director of SESARAM, Trade Unions and the Order of Doctors to clarify the date of commencement of construction of the new hospital in Funchal and other issues. A socialist councillor stated that the health of patients in Madeira is not a priority for the government of the PSD-M. Otherwise they would have already built a new central hospital instead of spending money on a golf course at Calheta (17 million Euros, only the first phase), tennis courts and more roads and tunnels. The centrists are concerned about  the climate of persecution that lives in the Regional Health Service, with constant conflicts between doctors and nurses, the Clinical Director of the Hospital, SESARAM and the Trade Unions of the Health Professionals. The two opposition parties express concern over the debt of the service, the budget of 323 million Euros and debts in payments to suppliers and banks as well as more than 80 million Euros owed to the National Association of Pharmacies. Marmeleiros Hospital and the Health Centre of Bom Jesus are obsolete and there have been complaints from doctors about lack of medicines and hospital beds.

JORNAL DA MADEIRA

FRONT PAGE NEWS

Medical records online. The medical records of users of the health service will be online by the end of this year. Thus, doctors may have access to them at any hospital or health centre in the region. The emergency department of the hospital and the health centres have computerized records but they are presently not all connected on the same system. This will save both time and cost as the doctor can see the medical history, latest information and tests carried out.

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

Today’s main news headline : War of the posters without solution – The agreement in Funchal failed. The BE and PCP only take down their [political] posters when the council stops using their electronic displays. This story has been kicking around since last year at least, and I really can’t be bothered to read it again. The communists / other parties, who entered into an agreement last year to restrict their political propaganda posters in Funchal, particularly in the tourist areas (below Cota 40), noticed that the ruling Social Democrats in the council were using the electronic street display boards (public property) to spread their political propaganda instead, wherever and whenever they wanted. End of agreement of course, and the BE and PCP still have posters up and have no intention of removing them.

The sea swallows the coast – The transgressive phenomenon is a reality for Madeira and Porto Santo.

Madeira left in the dark – Thunderstorm caused the black-out. Rui Rebelo, president of the Electricity Company of Madeira said that the bad weather that caused the power cut was felt especially on the north coast, and had caused "an atmospheric discharge that focused on the 60 Kw lines" leading to the automatic shutdown of electrical systems for safety reasons. Rui says that in these circumstances the reactivation of the electricity takes some time because it is necessary to restore the electricity in a phased manner. Well actually it was just after day-break, which was quite handy. I was without ‘luz’ for around half an hour I think, but as the mains-powered digital clock stopped, it is difficult to be absolutely sure. The article says it was out nearly an hour, but the entity upstairs keeps an eye out for me, and must have realised that my early morning cup of tea was lacking.

Low visibility at Madeira Airport – Flights have been cancelled and planes have been obliged to divert. The Porto Santo ferry, Lobo Marinho, cancelled its voyage. Wind and rain, but mostly poor visibility caused the problems at the airport, and 3 flights were cancelled up to the time of the Diário report, and another 7 diverted, two of which, coming from Stanstead and Amsterdam went to Faro.

More than 14 thousand unemployed – Madeira records the biggest increase in the country compared to the same period in 2009. The latest figures have been released by the Institute of Employment on Madeira, and show a horrifying increase of 45.3% January to January, when there were 14,432 registered unemployed. The Algarve came a close second with 43.7%, and the Azores third with 38.2%. In terms of annual average statistics, there were increases registered in all the regions of Portugal. The highest was in the north of Portugal (11%), and Madeira with 7.6% was one of the lower statistics. That latter figure I find hard to believe, as a quick calculation implies that there must be 176,000 people working here in a population of around 260,000. Perhaps it is my maths that needs closer scrutiny?

Ribeira Brava will try out ‘Census 2011′ in March. The Pilot Survey will be held all over the country from March 1 to May 31. We are now entering the final stage of preparing for the 2011 Census. According to the website of the Regional Directorate of Statistics of Madeira (DRE), the "dress rehearsal" for the actual operation of the census will take place from the 1st of March, in the municipality of Ribeira Brava. 30 interviewers will be recruited by the DRE and NSI and then will be sent to the towns of Ribeira Brava (16 interviewers), Serra d’Água (3), Tabua (3), and Campanário (8), so that within three months they can collect "thorough data on the Buildings, Accommodation, Families and Individuals." The collection of information for statistical purposes should be made face to face with the population.

Madeiran wins slot in television series – Joana Ponte is a vampire in the series ‘Lua Vermelha’ [Red Moon]. I haven’t watched this series on SIC, but a few days ago I saw a bit when channel hopping, and it looked quite interesting. But if SIC wanted to recruit for monster / weirdo roles in the series, surely Uncle Bertie would have been the first choice. He has nothing else constructive to do, and he wouldn’t even need any make-up. If that doesn’t get me deported, then I reckon I am safe here for the rest of my days!

The main sport / football headline today : Intelligence of Rúben decisive in the victory – The Madeiran made the difference again, even weakened. In the end he shone. And what an unusual winning goal it was he set up, as Porto beat Arsenal 2 – 1 in the Champions League knock-out game. The visitors manager Arsenal Whinger was moaning about it on the news this morning, saying that the referee should have given a penalty to Porto, not an indirect free kick. What planet is that bloke from? Benfica play tonight in Germany. It’s on SIC at 8 pm.

If anyone else can oblige with the translation of any of the ‘blank’ or sparsely filled headlines, or other news stories, here is the link. All contributions much appreciated. 

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

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

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

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

If you post a comment and are not registered on this site (free), your comment will be moderated, so please do not waste time with spam postings.  If you register, your comment will be posted automatically. If you register, your email address will not be passed to any other party … promise!

Please send any topical or Madeira related photos or videos to Der at blog@madeira4u.com to appear on this blog. Photos may take a while to appear, depending on the number waiting. Please don’t send copyrighted material.

The headline news & other snippets reviewed here on the blog are mainly from the Diário de Notícias of Madeira, although news from any source is used and welcome.

The blogs in the ‘uncategorised’ category come from the old madeira4u blog.

IF YOU NEED HELP WITH ANYTHING ON THIS WEBSITE, TRY THE MENU ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE ‘USEFUL LINKS’ & ‘TIPS & HELP’

Madeira News Blog © 2007 – 2010 All Rights Reserved

OLD CASKS (PIPAS) NEVER DIE 

Well I certainly missed some notable news stories whilst ‘off line’, and the transfer of Câmara de Lobos hero Rúben Micael from Nacional to Porto must take the tastiest biscuit. Rúben Micael Freitas Ressureição player profile Anyone know how much Porto paid for the lad?

Another one of those travel / destination guides for Madeira … but I don’t mind the extra effort if it persuades a few more tourists to take a holiday here and spend their luverly dosh EVERY LITTLE HELPS 

Becky wrote in about helping out with material for the blog : “Once you’ve had a chance to read all the various suggestions re. the blog and submissions, maybe you can let us know what you think is best – I’m happy to contribute the best I can but maybe need pointing in the right direction as to when and where and what”.

It seems that we may have some extra contributors after the blog ‘time out’, and many thanks for the offers and half-offers. We will never have enough helpers I guess, so please help us balance the workload and share information. If you are thinking of sending in a news story, I guess the only way to ensure there is no duplication is if you put something in the blog comments to say what you are going to work on so other helpers don’t do the same thing. Any other ideas on how to manage this gratefully received, but people should really do what they want to do, as it is not right for me to dictate.

What would be ideal of course would be to have a number of regular contributors with either particular areas (like Vanessa has) or days of ‘duty’, but we are probably far from that at the moment. If someone would like to ‘specialise’ please let me know, but it does mean a regular commitment.

Another thing someone could help me with is the ‘snippets’ or ‘titbits’ like those above. As there is no translation involved, then it might be quite easy for someone to do. I could arrange for the alerts to be sent once a day, not necessarily every day for just one person, and then someone could check them out and if they are worth a mention it’s just a question of formatting them to be ‘cut ‘n pasted’ ready to go into the next blog (that would be explained) and emailing me. That alone would save me up to an hour a day to do something else. Or perhaps someone would like to a be a YouTube monitor (or any similar website) and just check every few days to see if there is are any new interesting and relevant videos posted.

Many thanks to Elaine for this huge contribution.

Ribeira Brava Philharmonic Band travels to Venezuela. The Banda Municipal da Ribeira Brava will tour Venezuela this year to perform to the large immigrant community. It will probably be during the summer, including the Day of the Region. 30 to 40 band members will stay for a week. The Mayor of Ribeira Brava promised to support the trip although it is the result of an invitation by a group of Luso-Venezuelan emigrants. The council supports such projects because they promote culture, represent the country and allow closer ties with the immigrant community. It benefits the emigrants as they meet together at such functions and many migrated decades ago but they never forget their roots.

Communists suspect the CDS will no longer back the Regional Finance Law / PS maintain their position. The regional directorate of the PCP-Madeira suspect that the CDS-PP will approve the State Budget of the Socialist Government and not the Regional Finance Law, as wanted by the Prime Minister José Sócrates. The PCP leader Jorge Cordeiro said, “The signs are worrying for Madeira.” “Everything indicates that the Regional Finance Law and the interests of Madeira have been transformed into a bargaining chip, particularly by the CDS.” The communist leader said the vote on the law was postponed twice then the PS and CDS approved another postponement. If the law is not passed, it is likely that poverty and unemployment will increase in Madeira. The PS-M maintain the position on the Regional Finance Law that they held in the 2007 elections, when they only received 15% of the vote. They insist there is an error as the GDP is inflated by the effect of the Free Trade Zone which has resulted in a loss of transfer of 500 million Euros from community funds. PS leader, Jacinto Serrão, says the relationship between Lisbon and Funchal leads to insults and attacks on the Government of the Republic and asks the Minister of Finance, Teixeira dos Santos, not to be so stubborn so both parties can negotiate.

Panelo with lack of cabbage. Today, Chão da Ribeira in Seixal hosts a festa for the traditional free panelo. The problem this year for residents is to obtain enough cabbage or grelos (similar to spinach). The wild pombos (pigeons) have devastated the local crops. The panelo is usually cooked using cabbage and semilhas (Madeiran potatoes) grown in Seixal and salted pork from the tradition of ‘killing the pig’ in December. This traditional panelo started around forty years ago when families decided to gather on the last Sunday in January at the Chão da Ribeira to consume the remains from Christmas. Pork, chicken or beef are cooked in a Portuguese manner then served with wine from Seixal. Tradition dictates that the panelo is served on a tablecloth on the ground and the afternoon spent with family and friends.

Diocese collects 18,000 Euros for Haiti. The Diocese of Funchal has received 18,000 Euros in donations and the charity Caritas will forward it to Caritas in Portugal which in turn will deliver the money to Caritas in Haiti. Both the headquarters and warehouse in Port-aux-Prince are still standing. Caritas always helps areas where reconstruction and rehabilitation are needed, for example after the December 2004 tsunami and more recently, in Peru. One or two years after the money has been sent, a commission goes to the area to see how the funds have been used.

‘Park and Ride’ this year in Funchal. Funchal City Council want a single fare to cover using the car parks situated outside the city and transport into Funchal on buses run by Horários do Funchal. ‘Park and Ride’ has been attempted before but failed due to a lack of adherence. Car parks with spare capacity are located at Clube Naval and Rua Bela de São Tiago, near Largo da Força. The council are in talks with the companies managing the car parks as they want to make the price attractive to users so they gain financially. The service will benefit people who commute daily from Câmara de Lobos and Caniço. The council want to reduce the number of cars travelling into the city centre to reduce pollution and petrol consumption. Economists talk of an increase in the price of petrol in the near future. The cheapest monthly cost for a car park in Funchal is 90 Euros and the council want the new scheme to reduce this to 55 Euros.

Romeira closes municipal company. The Mayor of São Vicente, Jorge Romeira, will close a municipal company created four years ago by his predecessor Humberto Vasconcelos. The company Promovicente was created with the approval of the PSD councillors and the PS have always been against this decision. This company was created to promote the municipality and they were almost exclusively paid to promote cultural, social and sports activities. Jorge Romeira insists the activities of the company are only suspended. His motto is ‘clean’ and he has a tendency to cancel projects of his predecessor.

37 accidents in a month and a half at Porto Novo. The majority of accidents occurred on a 26.8 km stretch of the Via Rápida 1 in the direction Funchal/Santa Cruz, after the end of the bridge at Porto Novo. Some drivers blame the maintenance of the road by Vialitoral but the area has road signs that indicate danger in unfavourable weather conditions, as experienced between this period of 1/12/2009 and 17/01/2010. The firm’s statistics taken from speeds measured by 54 counters indicate that the majority of accidents were due to excessive speed.

Azores receive two billion Euros more than Madeira. Plenty of numbers in this article which are summarised in the diagrams shown. A study by the Regional Government condemns the State and Europe for guaranteeing in the past 12 years, 28% more for the Azores. The Regional Government is considering a full-scale campaign in national newspapers to publicise the amount the State has allocated to each region, especially the disparity between the Azores and Madeira. Declarations by the leader of the Azores have led to a break in the relationship with Alberto Jardim. Carlos César has said that the revision of the law would undermine the Azores. Under the present law, the Azores receive 60.5% of the money transferred from the State and Madeira receives 39.5%. With the revised law, the Azores would receive 52% and Madeira the other 48%. At present, the Azores receive 20% of the Cohesion Fund and Madeira receives 4%. The Regional Government say that the GDP (PIB) of Madeira is more than that generated by the Azores, due to high public investment and it should not be penalized for this. Since the 1998 Regional Finance Law, the GDP of Madeira grew 97% whereas that of the Azores grew 73%. Accused of spending, Jardim says that the Regional Government has spent 26.6% GDP whereas the Azores has spent 31% GDP. The State has spent 45.8% GDP which rose at the end of last year to 51.3% GDP.

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

Socialist Party of Madeira criticizes the “stubborn ones” affecting finances – The congress closes with some stick given to President Jardim and [Finance Minister] Teixeira dos Santos.

Minister ‘buries’ the Finance Law. Finance Minister Teixeira dos Santos is sticking to his guns with a ‘no’ to the Regional Finance law amendments, put together and submitted by President Alberto João Jardim of Madeira. “Why is it that one would give several tens of millions more Euros to Madeira in this conjuncture?” he asks. He says that both the Assembly of the Republic, and his own Socialist Party, are not available to do the revision requested, and that no one would understand why a government would approve the amendments of the Social Democrats of Madeira at a time when the county needed to keep a tight reign on public expenditure. It looks like Uncle Bertie will have a tough end to his dictatorship long period of rule then, with some tough choices ahead. What will he do … stop lining politicians pockets … cancel the €45 m redevelopment of the Marítimo stadium … flog off a few more publically owned assets. No I don’t think so, they would be easy solutions. Look out for cut-backs in job-rich community projects I reckon, especially in those areas where the PSD-M didn’t fare so well in the recent elections.

Today’s main news headline : GARBAGE CONSUMES 31.5% OF BUSINESS SUPPORT – The Regional Government has committed almost a third of the support destined for extra help given to company operations. And it did it to the benefit of the public body that manages the waste, the ‘Valor Ambiente’ [Environmental Value].

Scrap collections reduce to a half. Less scrap metal in the streets, with just 8 abandoned cars towed away per month during the last year. The considerable reduction comes after concerted efforts by local councils and police to do something to stop the problem. Making people aware of the importance of protecting the environment and the image of this tourist destination has been a key facet of the actions taken. Abandoned vehicles have been a problem for a long time, especially in areas distanced from population centres and main roads, and that problem still remains. Anyway, the figures in 2006 were 20 a month, and that last year was down to 8 a month. Owners traced as having abandoned cars face a fine of between €250 and €750, with the upper limit rising to €2,500 if the car is in a state of scrap. I don’t suppose it could be anything to do with the fact that people don’t have the money to replace their cars these days? The Diário mentions several such zones, popular for car-dumpers, but fails to mention Boa Morte [Good Death] which last time I went through was littered with decaying vehicles, but nether-the-less I was tickled that the place was perhaps named as such as it was the final resting place for old cars.

Crisis obliges working in unfamiliar areas – Not even the marketplace for work  can offer opportunities that match university qualifications. Find out about some examples.

The main sport / football headline today, and also the main picture :  Rúben makes an almost perfect debut – The Madeiran debuted for FC Porto in the League Cup and deserved praise. Saturday he plays in the Choupana [Nacional, Madeira ... the club he has just left].

Victory of Nacional was insufficient. Nacional beat Guimarães 1 – 0 yesterday in the league cup, but it wasn’t enough to move from the group to the next stage of the competition.

Manuel Machado retakes his place tomorrow. The manager of Nacional, who was critically ill in hospital with a post-operation infection before Xmas, is back at work tomorrow, some months sooner than originally expected.

There are still 3 more sports headlines to go, but that’s enough for me, save to say that my lads of Ribeira Brava beat Porto Moniz 2 – 0 yesterday, leaving them clear at the top of the Madeira Series league table.

Many thanks to Elaine out West for this from the Jornal da Madeira :

New link to Madeira. In early summer the Azorean airline SATA will start a new route between Ponta Delgada, Funchal and Faro, using the new Bombardier Q400 Dash, the first of which will be delivered today in Toronto. “This new service, which will be held twice a week, will depart from and arrive the same day in Ponta Delgada, allowing the connection between the Azores, Madeira and the Algarve,” said one SATA source, speaking to journalists in the Canadian city. In a ceremony at the Bombardier plant in Toronto on Monday SATA received the first of four Q400 NextGen Dash, acquired by an investment of 74 million Euros. The aircraft will arrive at Ponta Delgada at the end of the month, allowing SATA to begin the certification process to enable them to start operations in late February. The four planes purchased by SATA should all be flying by the end of the first half of this year, replacing the existing ATP aircraft. The new Dash Q400 NextGen will operate routes between the islands of the archipelago on routes between the Azores, Madeira and the Canary Islands and the link between the two islands and the Algarve which starts operating at the beginning of Summer. Fleet renewal SATA Air Azores began last year with the arrival of two Bombardier Q200, which replaced the Dornier that the company used for links to the smaller islands. The two Q200 will ensure links between Funchal and Porto Santo and the routes to the islands with lower demand in the Azores archipelago, in particular Corvo, the smallest island of the Azores.

If anyone else can oblige with the translation of any of the ‘blank’ or sparsely filled headlines, or other news stories, here is the link. All contributions much appreciated. 

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

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

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

If you post a comment and are not registered on this site (free), your comment will be moderated, so please do not waste time with spam postings.  If you register, your comment will be posted automatically. If you register, your email address will not be passed to any other party … promise!

Please send any topical or Madeira related photos or videos to Der at blog@madeira4u.com to appear on this blog. Photos may take a while to appear, depending on the number waiting. Please don’t send copyrighted material.

The headline news & other snippets reviewed here on the blog are mainly from the Diário de Notícias of Madeira, although news from any source is used and welcome.

The blogs in the ‘uncategorised’ category come from the old madeira4u blog.

IF YOU NEED HELP WITH ANYTHING ON THIS WEBSITE, TRY THE MENU ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE ‘USEFUL LINKS’ & ‘TIPS & HELP’

Madeira News Blog © 2007 – 2009 All Rights Reserved

This is Dorrie’s private video diary taken on Madeira, when on hols I guess. Hear about the bad side of her stay as she struggled with our weather problems.

A short private blog of a cruiser : WE’LL BE BACK WHEN IT’S SUNNY

"The pebbled beaches of Madeira such as the Praia Formosa beach at the western end of Funchal with its palm tress and splendid botanical gardens bordering it make for a delightful attraction for tourists. Calheto and Machico are important tourist beaches where the golden sand has been imported.  The golden beach that stretches to about 9 kilometers in neighbouring Porto Santo is of course, magnificent and cannot be missed out". QUITE A NICE REVIEW OF OUR ARCHIPELAGO

I see that the GUINESS BOOK OF RECORDS is still showing 2006 as the world firework display record – "Largest firework display : The record for the largest firework display consisted of 66,326 fireworks and was achieved by Macedo’S Pirotecnia Lda. in Funchal, Madeira, Portugal, on 31 December 2006". Has anyone seen any official confirmation that the 2010 display reset the record for Madeira?

This from Elaine out West … many thanks

Only eleven flocked to the “cut price” circus – Bad weather and small audiences forced the cancellation of the session, but there were the complaints … On Tuesday night some people who wanted to see the 21.30 Circus Aquatic Show, which was in Ponta do Sol until yesterday, saw their hopes dashed because of the cancellation of the show.

A situation which caused dissatisfaction and even prompted some complaints from those who felt aggrieved by making the trip to Ponta do Sol to watch a circus show that ultimately did not materialize. Moreover this was not the first time this has happened during the circus’s fateful stay in Madeira, mostly because of bad weather that has been fairly relentless.
Antonela Gouveia was one of those present for what would be the penultimate session of the show in the Region. She told the DIÁRIO that while she was waiting in expectation of the opening of the show a young man appeared who said he was the owner’s brother (Jorge Cardinali), trying to justify the cancellation of the show as "it was not worth opening the circus, with tickets at only five euros”. Antonela criticized the lack of information determining a minimum number of spectators to allow the show to take place.

João Azevedo, who is responsible for the show, confirmed the cancellation of that session "because in total there were only 11 people". Faced with such a small number of spectators, he said there was no justification for holding the show and regretted the resulting inconvenience.

"We are here to work. We did not come here for holidays," he added, pointing to the effects of bad weather, which yesterday also made itself felt at the time of the show. He felt that had been responsible for poor attendances and called for understanding and even tolerance in the circumstances.

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

Jardim cancels test period promised to successor. At the last political meeting at Quinta Vigia, Alberto João Jardim changed the deadline so the new leader will now be announced at the Easter 2011 congress. For a long time, he has guaranteed his successor will be chosen in 2010 and have a year to prepare for the October 2011 regional elections. He will resign during the summer, leaving the new leader two months to prepare, which is considered not enough time.  Another scenario is that Jardim will stay on but this seems unlikely after his recent speeches.

Recording failure requires new statements. A public complaint has been made against the Police Commissioner Roberto Fernandes. In 2004, when he was sub-commissioner at Câmara de Lobos, a traffic accident occurred involving one of his family. There were discrepancies over times, dates and alcohol test results, which were investigated after an anonymous letter. He was investigated for abuse of power, falsification, denial of justice and malfeasance. He was then promoted to Commissioner of the Police of Funchal. For his defence, he submitted audio recordings of the witnesses statements but the judicial authorities now realize these are inaudible, so if the case goes to trial, new statements will be needed.

Vandalism – revenge attacks. On farmland in Campanário, vandals have destroyed banana plants. Some had been deliberately cut, sometimes only the bunches targeted. This act occurred during the first week of this year and was only discovered last weekend by the owner. The land owner has no doubts as to the perpetrator as he has been previously threatened by the owner of neighbouring land. It is not the first time this has happened and this time, he has reported the case to the police. It is bad enough with some of the crop destroyed by the bad weather.

Increases in illegal limpet harvesting, amongst other crimes. Statistics of crimes detected last year by the GNR (National Republic Guard – part of the police force). Increased limpet harvesting was due to bad weather and fewer preventive measures. In 2009, 26 illegal harvesting of limpets were detected by the GNR and Service for Protection of Nature (SEPNA). The maximum catch permissible is 2 kg/day/person. 16 offences occurred in Garajau Reserve and one in Rocha do Navio Reserve (Santana). 10 cases of caça submarina (underwater spear fishing) but no instances of using explosives. 5 cases of illegal sport fishing. 747.45 kilos of fish were seized, worth 4.067,22 euros. Other offences detected were mainly: 458 tax offences, 657 breaches of the Highway Code, 7 cases of illegal gambling and 5 breaches of the street trading laws. Both at Santo da Serra and Funchal, counterfeit goods were confiscated, worth 14,960.30 euros – clothing, CDs, DVDs. The GNR consists of 194 individuals and now have a new commander. There are also 28 officers based at Caniçal (commercial port), 20 at the airport and 15 at Porto Santo. They have maritime powers, up to a range of 12 miles. — A quick calculation, overall crime has decreased.

Flights from Moscow bring more to the region. The five weekly flights from Lisbon to Moscow have had a good occupancy rate, a service that began last June. Several Russian travel agents now have packages to Madeira especially with the ease of flying between Lisbon and Madeira. 50% of the Russians arriving in Lisbon come to Madeira and the rest either stay in the Portuguese capital or go to the Algarve.

SATA confirms flight to Faro. SATA will have two weekly flights between Madeira and Faro in the Algarve in the coming summer season, using the new Q400 NextGen aircraft which have 80 seats. At present, passengers must go to Lisbon and this discourages holidaymakers. In future, these new aircraft will be used on the Madeira – Ponta Delgada link and in summer, for the Canary Islands and the Algarve. The increased number of passengers carried over the last quarter was not enough to counteract the global economic crisis in which SATA Internacional had 1.5% fewer passengers than 2008.

Regional Government allow GESBA to borrow 7 million. The public owned management company of the banana sector, GESBA,  has authorization from the Regional Government to obtain a banking loan of 7 million euros. This is to pay the liabilities of two cooperatives. These cooperatives have severe financial problems despite the strong community support they have received over several years. There is a history of guarantees at high cost to the government as the banana business cannot exist without public subsidies.

Jardim accuses Teixeira dos Santos of using the review of the Finance Law for tax rises. Alberto Jardim today accused the Minister of Finance of using the fair review of the Regional Finance Law as a pretext to threaten the Portuguese with tax rises. The review, according to Jardim, seeks only to restore justice under the law legislated by the Gutterres Government/Sousa Franco. The socialist government has for political purposes destroyed a law that was agreed by the Socialist Party itself.  José Sócrates said, "The Government of the Republic will not give more money to the Government of Madeira and the PS does not accept the Law on Regional Finances defended by PSD-M." The changes introduced by his government were "fair". This was in reply to the national PSD leader, Manuela Ferreira Leite accusing the Government of the Republic of pursuing a discriminatory policy in relation to Madeira for political revenge. Guilherma Silva, a PSD member of the Assembly of the Republic said, "The money is not for the Portuguese Government, it is for the Portuguese."

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

Today’s main news headline : Sócrates says "enough!" – "Enough! With this government my lady deputy cannot count on the alteration of the Regional Finance law and giving more money to Madeira". The warning of [Prime Minister] Sócrates to Manuela Ferreira Leite [leader of the Social Democrat Party] was given yesterday in São Bento. It’s bad news for Jardim and is even surprising to the politicians in his own Socialist Party. Already one is talking about new national elections. I was thinking this the other day, that the Socialists without an overall majority in the Lisbon Parliament, are finding it a real struggle to govern either with or without the support of the opposition parties. It was always going to be a tall order, and of course as always the politics and monkey business take priority over the needs of a floundering economy and it’s people. Even with another election, I don’t see how it will necessarily resolve matters, and if it is still possible then the PS should first look again at the possibility of a coalition.  Uncle Bertie will be hopping mad no doubt, and after Marítimo get thumped by Benfica tomorrow, it will be a weekend he would rather forget.

Horários do Funchal opts for the ecology but changes don’t please  – The issue is in the West zone : the [bus] passengers are obliged to flow onto the Estrada Monumental.

Accidents force the stopping of dumping – Only after 5 accidents in the area muddied due to the movement of mud laden lorries, in São Vicente, the Regional Government suspends the clean up operation. The 5 road accidents occurred in the space of just 3 days, with one person receiving facial injuries, and the Regional Secretary, responsible for the big mud clean up after recent storms, has given the order to suspend the clean up works in the area of Paço da Areia. The accidents have been happening where cars are skidding out of control near to the mud dumping site at the coast (in the sea).

Rock fall in Madalena flattens banana crop.

‘City Council of Culture’ remains for Santa Cruz.

The main sport / football headlines today : 5 thousand places in the ‘Cauldron’ sold out in the last 4 days – Mitchell can’t count on Marcinho for the coming of Benfica. How on earth Marítimo’s stadium ever got the nickname of the ‘Cauldron’ is still one of life’s great mysteries for me. You would be lucky to see two men and a dog there during some games.

Nacional fight for fourth place in Alvalade today.  That’s the home of Sporting in Lisbon of course. G’luck!

A sea of colour. The first mention I have seen this year I think of next months Carnival. The article mentions an organisation that is preparing it’s piece for the parade (Cortejo) on 13th February, that has the theme ‘Fantasias de Ninfa’ [Nymph] which sounds intriguing. Preparation for some of the participants started in last October.

and just a few more snippets to finish up …

This is a nice blog, and account of somebody’s visit here, with lots of photos. A PHOTOGRAPHIC JOURNEY

Biggest IT retailer expanding to Africa, Madeira and Azores (from Portugal News Online). Chip7, Portugal’s largest computer retail chain, is expanding its business this year to Angola, Mozambique and Cape Verde in Africa and Portugal’s autonomous regions of Madeira and the Azores, the company’s founder said. Miguel Monteiro, also Chip7’s majority shareholder, told Lusa he expected to conclude master franchise contracts in the three African Lusophone states and the two Portuguese Atlantic archipelago by the end of this year. Good news for us computer buffs!

Hundreds of different locations from north to south of mainland Portugal, Madeira and the Azores, have been nominated as candidates to become one of Portugal’s ‘Seven Natural Wonders’. The official list of places that can be voted upon was made public last Thursday in Lisbon. Organisers of the project New 7 Wonders of Portugal, have dodged giving the specific number of valid applications, but confirmed the number was in “the hundreds”. MORE

Have a great weekend!

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

If you post a comment and are not registered on this site (free), your comment will be moderated, so please do not waste time with spam postings.  If you register, your comment will be posted automatically. If you register, your email address will not be passed to any other party … promise!

Please send any topical or Madeira related photos or videos to Der at blog@madeira4u.com to appear on this blog. Photos may take a while to appear, depending on the number waiting. Please don’t send copyrighted material.

The headline news & other snippets reviewed here on the blog are mainly from the Diário de Notícias of Madeira, although news from any source is used and welcome.

The blogs in the ‘uncategorised’ category come from the old madeira4u blog.

IF YOU NEED HELP WITH ANYTHING ON THIS WEBSITE, TRY THE MENU ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE ‘USEFUL LINKS’ & ‘TIPS & HELP’

Madeira News Blog © 2007 – 2009 All Rights Reserved

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. 

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Today’s photo – Many thanks to Elaine (west) … presépio in Santana

 EIB loan for air transport within Azores and Madeira – The European Investment Bank (EIB) has granted a €37 million loan to SATA Air Acores for the acquisition of four turboprop aircraft to provide inter-island transport services within the Azores archipelago, replacing the same number of older aircraft. The aircraft will be operated by SATA from its home base at Ponta Delgada (Azores) on essential public services within the Azores and Madeira islands as well as on services to the Canary Islands in Spain. The new aircraft will replace less fuel efficient aircraft. Source Europolitics : Are the new aircraft operating yet on the Madeira – Porto Santo domestic route?

"Dear Friends, walking on Madeira is a spectacular experience. You have the oppertunity to walk a " thousand miles" track on the levada’s around the island and in the mountains. Funchal is the best starting point for walks for the east side. Ribereira da Brava, app. 10 miles from Funchal a very good starting point for the west side of the island. We have been here to celebrate the "Reveillion 2009/2010" with fireworks not seen before in the world". A short explanation of the "levada" walks 

Ribereira da Brava eh, that rings a bell somewhere.

Not really what I was expecting at all, but worth a quick visit for something a little different :  A Walk thru Funchal’s Dark Side

Dear Madam or Sir, I am sending you an article or letter about Madeira and sustainable mobility, which I hope will be interesting for you to publish. Kind regards. (Marta).

BETTER ISLAND FOR LOCALS AND TOURISTS – Yesterday, my husband and I came back from our wonderful holidays on this island, thinking about a couple of improvements for locals and tourists.

Firstly, there should be more road security especially for pedestrians. Non-expensive traffic calming measures, which would reduce excessive car speed, would certainly favour all citizens. No tourist wants to be almost run over by a car and no local citizen wants his or her child involved in a serious accident either.

Secondly, considering the effects of climate change and also the increasing overweight problems of some locals and tourists, a basic environmental traffic plan should be carried out. That would include car sharing, car pooling and electric vehicles including electrobikes. If traffic calming on small roads and streets were to be achieved, electric bikes should only need some bike lanes in places where the road could easily be widened. Of course electrobikes have a limit and could not be used in all the steepiest places but in some places they would prove efficient.

Finally, the implementation of all mentioned would be a major benefit for everybody in terms of general health and economic growth.

MARTA POMBO SALLÉS, SANT BOI DE LLOBREGAT (BARCELONA)

Thank you Marta, and I can assure you that I cannot be of the least assistance, but I do hope that somebody super-important will read your comments and suggestions. Der

This is from Elaine (west) from yesterday’s Diário … many thanks.

December rain breaks records - The city of Funchal had its highest amount since 1931. In December 2009 Funchal had its highest rainfall since 1931, when records began. According to Mafalda Mitchell, a meteorologist at the Meteorological Observatory in Funchal, there has not been a day in the month in which rainfall was not higher. The amount of precipitation for December in Funchal reached 286.1 millimetres. In terms of daily precipitation it was lower than usual. The maximum stood at 38.8 millimetres. What was crucial, according to Mafalda, was the fact that it rained heavily for several days during the last month of 2009.

In Pico do Areeiro, the figures go up much higher. The amount of monthly rainfall was 1102.9 millimetres, whereas the average between 1971 and 2000 was 447.7 millimetres. In terms of temperature, there were no major changes. In Funchal, the maximum temperature in December was 23.6° on the 14th, and the minimum of 13.5 on the 30th and 31st. These figures reflect a rise of a degree in the norm for the month of December. In Pico do Areeiro the maximum temperature was around 14.1°, also on the 14^th and a minimum of 1.2 on the last day of the year.

The Institute of Meteorology (IM) yesterday announced the data for December, reporting the month as having the most rain of the 21st century in continental Portugal. The IM also observed high winds associated with low pressure systems that affected the whole of the continent, particularly in the west (23 December), when there were exceptionally strong winds. "In Madeira there was an extreme situation in terms of intensity of winds, with gusts registering above 100 km / h for more than 20% of the month“, the report states.

In the Azores, the rainfall was also much higher than normal, being the second largest amount recorded since 1931. In terms of temperature in Portugal in December, the trend of recent years was confirmed. This was the seventh consecutive December to have temperatures below normal, with an anomaly of -0.6 °, -0.4 ° and -0.5 ° for maximum temperatures, minimum and average, respectively. The heavy rain ended Portugal’s 10 month drought and means that the Water Institute can confirm that there will be no restrictions on water use.

Marítimo blew it at home yesterday against Guimarães, losing 0 – 1.

Many thanks to Elaine for yesterday’s top news headlines :

Fuel prices increase on Monday Price of fuel will rise two cêntimos.

Agricultural Cooperative teaches gardening Workshops are free, begin today and take place every Saturday between 10 – 11 am, until the end of the first quarter of 2010. Promoted by the Agricultural Cooperative of Funchal to provide basic knowledge of gardening to the general public. The events are limited to the first 20 arrivals and occur at the premises of the Cooperative in Sao Martinho.

Contingency plans to be updated Next week, the Civil Defence has meetings with the Councils. The municipal emergency plans require updating and new plans are being prepared to include recent legislative changes in 2008/9. These plans identify critical areas and measures to deal with different situations. Rather than just the municipal assembly approving plans, they must now also be approved by the Regional Service for Civil Protection and the Bombeiros of Madeira.

Two elderly ladies gagged and bound at home Two sisters, one 79 and the other 81, with mobility problems, were gagged and bound inside their house in Amoreiras in Arco da Calheta. This was around 1.30 am on Wednesday morning when two individuals, wearing gloves and with their faces obscured, forced an entry and threatened to murder them if they did not say where their savings were. The two aggressors stole cash and gold articles, then later one of the women managed to free herself and ask the neighbours for help. The local population are worried, especially elderly residents living alone because the two robbers have not yet been identified or caught. The women were frightened and shocked, suffered bruising from the tape wound around their face and were taken by the police to Calheta Health Centre. Maria da Conceição Teixeira continued to explain what happened. "They began by locking the dog in the kennel. They broke down the door of the residence with an iron crowbar (pe-de-cabra). They burst in with lanterns, to prevent using the lights so as not to draw the attention of the neighbourhood. They said, "We are not aggressors" but the first thing they did was to put tape on our mouths to keep us from screaming. Then they tied our hands so we could not do anything and asked us with threats where the money was. I said that the retirement money was in the post but they would not know that. They searched everywhere, emptied drawers, looked under beds and took all the money we had left for expenses. They stole the valuable pieces we had, including a two metre gold chain, two rings and a necklace, all made of gold.  We experienced moments of terror inside the house. When the individuals left us in those conditions, I manage to free, with difficulty, the adhesive tape around my mouth and phoned the neighbours for help. – who were celebrating the Dia de Reis – and they almost immediately came to our aid." Yesterday morning, scattered around the floor of the access to the house, were cigarette butts and a cigarette packet of a particular brand that is not known locally. This indicates that the attackers spent time hiding near the house before engaging in the crime, smoking cigarettes.

Lobo acquitted with the four defendants The former mayor of Ponta do Sol, António Lobo, who was accused of serious crimes of fraud and bribery and four other defendants in this case, charged with bribery, were all acquitted due to lack of evidence. António Lobo was accused of receiving three cheques from a developer to facilitate the licensing of an apartment block in Ponta do Sol. The four other defendants were a contractor, financial advisor, and ex-deputy and ex-councillor, both PSD. All three cheques from the promoter of the apartment block had been deposited into the personal account of António Lobo but the court could not establish any resulting benefit to the contractor. The same decision was made for the alleged corruption by Lobo since it was the Council which approved the project. António Lobo is still serving six years in prison in Lisbon. All defendants said that justice had been done and criticized the media interest but the public present thought it was a controversial decision.

Madeira present five alterations to the law  Five proposed amendments to the Regional Finance Law which are discussed next week in Lisbon. The changes are aimed to receive the recovery of money owed to the Region due to the Regional Finance Law being enforced. Madeira wants to recover the money which the Region should be entitled to under the previous law of 1998, without prejudicing the Azores. The Madeiran Government wants to recover the 111.56 million Euros in budget transfers from the Portuguese Government which it failed to receive between 2007 – 2009. The second major change relates to existing penalties to the Region for exceeding the debt limit. This money should be retained by the State to pay the Regional debt or support projects of common interest. Projects of common interest should be included in the State budget (e.g. new Hospital of Funchal). The final changes are that adjustments should be made in the budget transfers.

Department of Infrastructure guarantees that aggregates are the property of the Region Reply to yesterday’s article in Diário about the dredging of more than 700 truckloads of stone from storm damaged regions. The methods taken are deemed necessary and urgent to restore the normality of physical spaces and the lives of people affected by the unusual recent storms. "It is necessary to act immediately, assessing the costs and benefits of decisions and above all, setting priorities for intervention, which are weighted by various factors in the present circumstances."  "In Madalena do Mar, the immediate dredging of the stream was identified as a priority because the weather is unstable, to prevent or minimize the impact of possible storms that may occur again." "Faced with this emergency, the SRES, acting within its powers contacted the two companies for this purpose, and all the material that is removed and deposited in their yards will be quantitatively controlled by monitoring." "Staff of the Secretariat will also identify and evaluate the areas adjacent to increased erosion, followed by the removal of selected materials by the process of dredging to strengthen these areas where it is technically justified." "The material taken from the mouth of the stream by the purpose of dredging is the property of the Autonomous Region of Madeira, and only in the case of leftover material, can be purchased by businesses. Should this occur, the value as may be determined is, yes, minus the total cost of dredging."

PS denounce illegal firms in Ribeira de São Vicente The Socialist Party call for an end to all industrial activity in the Ribeira de São Vicente. The activity is not licensed and the parish council, municipal council and Regional Government do not receive any contribution. The Socialist Party leader, João Gouveia, condemns not only the exploitation of the geological wealth of Madeira, mud and stones are deposited in the stream, threatening the flow of water and the town of São Vicente.

Passenger traffic drops 4.3% The number of passengers recorded in December passing through Madeira Airport fell 4.3% compared to 2008. In December 2009, there were 160,858 entries and exits against 168,065 in December 2008. Therefore, 7,207 fewer passengers. The decline reflects a drop of passengers on international flights (-15.7%), which is mitigated by the growth of domestic routes (6.5%).  In 2009, the number passing through the airport totalled 2,335,811 which is 101,756 less than 2008.

12% more patients treated in 2009 than 2008 in the Hospital of Funchal Data from the Office of Internal Medicine. Of the 10,756 patients treated, 5,735 were high problematic. The average length of hospitalization was 8 days with 12 days for those high problematic. Positive changes have come from the unification of the three previous departments: Medicine I, Medicine II and Medicine III. The areas of Internal Medicine are Internal Medicine, Hypertension, Prevention of Atherosclerosis and Dyslipidaemias, Prevention of Vascular Diseases, Metabolic Diseases, and Pulmonary Hypertension (in collaboration with Cardiology). Included are blood coagulation disorders / thromboembolic events in collaboration with Obstetrics.

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

Today’s main news headline : It is illegal to dump earth [mud] in the sea – Domingos Abreu, biologist and ex-regional director for the environment [DRA],  is against the view of the current holder of that post : There is no exception to the law and authorized dumping at the coastline of São Vicente should be prohibited. Abreu says that one "cannot combat evil with another evil, even though it may be lesser". Correia, the current DRA post holder says however that he has no official knowledge of dumping on the coast of São Vicente, and that the law allows exceptions for these sorts of cases. "It is a situation of public interest" he says, refusing to brand the dumping operation as illegal. One thing that is clear is that this island should have contingency plans for dealing with such matters, and despite of having had several years of similar weather problems and the consequences, still nothing seems coordinated or organised in coping with the aftermath.

Carlos Costa shakes ‘idols’ – Fátima Marques is anxious. In each show, the mother of the contestant rings 20 to 30 times to 760300508. I guess that is the number to vote for her, and the Diário has no shame in publishing that number on it’s front page. Just like I always say, it’s a big farce, but it seems that big farces are as popular as ever.

Jacinto Serrão reconquers PS-M – Serrão is the new leader – Victor Freitas lost the contest by 52 votes. At 8 pm Jacinto Serrão breathed a sigh of relief. The ‘blogs’ are singing victory, but the competition was fierce and the result did not become official until shortly after 10 pm. Overall Serrão won 665 votes, for leadership of the Socialist Party of Madeira, against the 623 of Freitas (and I have noticed that the difference is only 42, not 52). Funny thing that yesterday his name was spelt Vítor, so losers get a name change perhaps, or more likely an overworked Diário reporter with maths difficulties? COMPLETE RESULTS

APRAM [Port Authority] fosters unfair competition – The accusation is made in the action of the shipping companies in the scope of the operation ‘Armas’ Saturday. Naviera Armas has assured the Administrative and Fiscal Court of Lisbon that will comply with the law of Portugal, including the terms under which the operation in Funchal is licensed. The judge in the case had warned Armas that it was not operating within the law last Thursday. The port authority APRAM have also taken measures to ensure that the operations are legitimate, in which the ferry will use tractors carried on board to move freight from ship to land. The accusation of unfair competition is undeniably true of course. The Armas passenger ferry between Madeira and Portugal and the Canary Islands has an exclusive licence to carry freight as well as passengers in and out of Funchal, whilst the other shipowners have to load and offload freight elsewhere. The Armas operation needs the freight to make the ferry financially viable, so if it were to be stopped you can imagine the impact on this island … less tourists … and higher transportation costs, being two of the more obvious. I can’t see any way out of this except by giving the other ship owners a ‘sweetener’ to keep them quiet, and then at some time in the future go out to tender for a mainland ferry service for fright and passengers, when every one can compete (theoretically at least).

The front page headlines in sport / football : Marítimo continue leaky – The Verde-rubros register a third consecutive defeat at home to Guimarães in game played on a waterlogged pitch. That is also the main photo today, and it does look very wet. Marítimo lost 0 – 1, which also put their opponents in spitting distance of local rivals Nacional.

Footballers of Pontassolense threaten to boycott the derby game today, with União, if they don’t receive part of their wages in arrears.

F. Vieira confirmed in the ‘Dinner of the Supporters of Benfica’ on Saturday

If anyone else can oblige with the translation of any of the ‘blank’ or sparsely filled headlines, or other news stories, here is the link. All contributions much appreciated. 

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

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

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

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

If you post a comment and are not registered on this site (free), your comment will be moderated, so please do not waste time with spam postings.  If you register, your comment will be posted automatically. If you register, your email address will not be passed to any other party … promise!

Please send any topical or Madeira related photos or videos to Der at blog@madeira4u.com to appear on this blog. Photos may take a while to appear, depending on the number waiting. Please don’t send copyrighted material.

The headline news & other snippets reviewed here on the blog are mainly from the Diário de Notícias of Madeira, although news from any source is used and welcome.

The blogs in the ‘uncategorised’ category come from the old madeira4u blog.

IF YOU NEED HELP WITH ANYTHING ON THIS WEBSITE, TRY THE MENU ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE ‘USEFUL LINKS’ & ‘TIPS & HELP’

Madeira News Blog © 2007 – 2009 All Rights Reserved

Tess, who has lived here for two years, has just started her own new blog, sort of a diary really. I don’t mind giving the competition a plug, so here’s the LINK.

"To identify the chemical changes, Marques and his team used gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) to analyse Madeira wines produced from the four main grape varieties, with each wine aged for either five or 10 years. This analysis revealed that the wines contained varying concentrations of 37 different volatile compounds, including alcohols such as butanol, organic acids such as malic acid and esters such as ethyl citrate". A SCIENTIFIC ANALYSIS OF MADEIRA WINE

"Ronaldo became Manchester United’s first-ever Portuguese player. Initially, he requested for the number 28 as his jersey number because he didn’t feel that he could live up to the pressure of previous players such as George Best and David Beckham who wore the number 7 jersey". CRISTIANO RONALDO – BIOGRAPHY AND TRIVIA

Many thanks to Sue for some of yesterday’s news stories :

My apologies Sue, but I was out yesterday in the afternoon and it was too late to post this when I arrived back, hence some past tenses needed. Der

Singing of the Kings – The Municipal Garden suspended the ‘Singing of the Kings’ in the Quinta Vigia: The aunt of a Government official has died who was also the mother of one of the musicians and composer.  Tried to find this back again – so not 100% sure but if anyone was intending to go maybe you should check first.

Madeira remains on yellow alert – Due to wind and rain strong Institute of Meteorology put Tuesday on yellow alert, the third most severe of a range of four.   According to forecasts, in the afternoon the wind will intensify and mountainous areas of northwest there will be strong gusts up to 90 km / h.  Also the rain far will fall later and intensify during the night which may be by thunder. The state of the sea, the north coast to northwest the swell will be 3.5 to 4 meters. On the south coast the waves are from the southwest with 1.5 to 2 meters.

‘Choupana Hills’ nominated for ‘Best International Resort’ – Condé Nast selection of 25 resorts around the world the ‘Hut Hills’ is the only Portuguese

Choupana Hills Resort & Spa is among the 25 hotels selected by the Spanish edition of Condé Nast Traveller as candidates for its annual awards. The hotel units in Madeira are the only Portuguese representative and are candidates for the Condé Nast Traveller Award 2010 in the category of ‘Best International Resort’. The Condé Nast Traveller awards are chosen by voting on-line ‘on the’ site.

Marina closes indefinitely

The two accesses to the Marina do Lugar de Baixo have again been sealed. Judging from the damage caused by the relentless surf – two leaks in the protection wall in the marina dock area and is unlikely to reopen later this winter. The president of the West Point Development acknowledged Thursday that the ban on access to the marina will remain in the near future. "We are waiting for the time (sea conditions) to improve, so we can assess the damage caused and only then can a decision be taken accordingly," explained Paul Sousa. The marina has closed after the wave heights of the last weeks, three months after the end of September, when the president of the Regional Government has declared its opening in the municipality of Ponta do Sol giving orders to remove the fences and open the marina to public. However, while it was open, the beach area was little used.

Public good despite the rain for Circus – The return to school eased the demand recorded during the Christmas and end-of-year

It was felt that the weather during the Christmas season did not help to bring more public to the circus, but still, overall, the feeling was one of satisfaction, so much so that those responsible for these three circuses this year in the region are already planning to return next year. However, after the feast days, the audience decreased due to back to school and back to work, which means that at this stage discount campaign have been instigated.

Fernanda Alves, owner of Circus Brazil, located in Machico, says that attendance of people exceeded expectations. The rain and wind complicated performances a little, but the balance was positive. "Everything is going better than we thought. Due to the competition we have, we thought things were getting weaker, but no. During the week, the number of visitors did not exceed an average of two hundred, but after the weekend, all the daily sessions ranged between 1,000 and 2,000 spectators. Circus Brazil has conducted a session on weekdays, four on Saturdays and three on Sundays, but this week there will only ne one show on Friday. On Saturday, the hours remain the same but on Sunday the show will be held from 21:45 after this the tent will be dismantled. Although close to the farewell it is their desire to return next year, same location but with a different show.

The same desire was expressed Renato Alves, Circus Dallas. Mounted along the Madeira Technopole, the tent has a capacity of about two thousand people, but the average per show was around of 300 to 400 people. "For a few days was positive," said Renato. With the end of the holiday, the daily spectacle of 15 hours becomes more difficult to achieve, but nonetheless, it is expected a good crowd for 18 hours and 21h30. This week, the circus is distributing discount coupons, which allow the purchase of tickets for the 5 million adults and 2.5 for children. Although the rain has been above average and circus Dallas has already secured the contract for the next five years, at the Technopole. "There will be big surprises for next year," promises Renato Alves not only in the show content but with the animals. "We will try to bring something else, perhaps a white tiger or a white lion and more broad appeal." In Ponta do Sol, the rain was also the main enemy of the Circus Jorge Cardinali. "People want to come, the problem was the bad weather," noted John Azevedo. "We’ve been here 26 days and it rained 22 days." Some performances had to be cancelled as a precaution and the revenue will almost only to cover expenses. Still, John Anderson will return, but to Funchal and a groundbreaking show. One idea is to do a show with penguins. To attract more public, the circus Jorge Cardinalli is promoting two-euro discount on each ticket.

Circus Brazil – Machico. Circus Brazil, mounted next to the stage of Machico, promotes performances until 10 January. During the week, the sessions take place at 21.45. Saturdays, at 10, 15, 18 hours and 21:45 and Sunday at 15, 18 and 21.45, however, this week, only one show will be held on Friday and Sunday will be the last session. The great attraction is for the pair of clowns, but one of the big spectaculars is ‘The Magic of Harry Potter’ which is depicted in the poster. There are discounts for groups.

Circus Jorge Cardinalli – Ponta do Sol. This circus is installed at Giga Park ‘, which is in the residential area of Ponta do Sol for 11 days, the Circus Jorge Cardinalli greatest novelty is the ”Water Show, which includes the Pacific Ocean sharks and seals in Alaska. From Tuesday to Friday, there is a daily show starting at 21:30. On Saturdays, Sundays, Mondays and holidays, are held three sessions: 15.30, 17.30 and 21.30. Tickets cost 14€ for adults and children over 12, but there is now a 2€ discount.

Dallas circus – Madeira Technopole. The Circus Dallas, located on land anticipated for the expansion zone of Madeira Technopole, says with many animals, including lions and horses and for the first time, macaws, cockatoos and parrots that ride scooters and even perform in a small theatre. Three sessions are held daily, at 15, 18 and 20:30. The shows continue until 17 January. Tickets for the general audience is 15€ for adults and 7.5€ children, but there are coupons available that reduce the price to 5 and 2.5€.

Rather a long article but it shows how people try to survive against the elements and a plug or two probably would not harm – not a circus person myself, but the kids always love it.

Appointments via the Internet – For hospitals and health centres in the Region.

The Health Service of the Autonomous Region of Madeira (SESA) will, by the end of this term, put in place a project that involves the scheduling of appointments via the Internet as announced the JM president of that body, Almada Cardoso. In other words, users can dial "on line" to be consulted when the project is complete, from their homes or jobs or offices provided by the local media. The president emphasized the SESARAM project will also allow for users of the Regional Health Service to consult their consultation process, with confirmation of time delays or anticipation of any delay. On the other hand, the body is considering the implementation of a project some national hospitals, which would allows people registered for the surgery to monitor their position on the waiting list. It is anticipated that this project would advance during the term of the current administration SESARAM. The Ministry of Health announced in late December, that people scheduled for surgery can now consult the Internet as to their position on the waiting list and know how much longer they have to wait before their operation. To check the e-SIGIC, you must register with the Health Portal with the number of users, which entitles you to a password that allows access to the file. The Minister of Health recently said that several people had entered with an indication for surgical intervention approximately 170 thousand patients. In Madeira, the waiting lists affected, as reported recently were plastic surgery, vascular surgery (on the veins, in part because there is no blood) and otolaryngology as well especially removal of tonsils. This situation could be improved greatly with a second room for outpatient surgery, which will be launched next year. According to Almada Cardoso, "the lists” are only for surgery where there is less risk of life or loss of quality of life. In comparison, however, the example of oenological surgery, a patient is operated on average, two weeks after joining the list, "that is well below the national average, which is three months in more regions and 1.5 months in one or another regions.

… and more top stories from yesterday’s newspapers from Elaine … many thanks :

New Year’s Eve ‘positive’ The initial half of the night was for dinner and the fireworks display and then there were the post-midnight celebrations. In the main areas of Funchal, the public live performances were successful. According to the different organizations contacted, the major events in Funchal on New Year’s Eve were well attended. At the Casino, the three nights from the 29 – 31 were all a full-house with more than 400 people each evening. The revellers were well-dressed with spirits to match. For 2010 – 2011, the Casino will have a different format but with live bands again. The three night clubs on the Avenida Sa Carneiro began to fill from 3 am onwards when other parties finished. The Wine Institute (photo) had a good night and feedback was positive and although it was mainly young people, older age groups joined the party. The Molhe club was favoured for its view of the amphitheatre of Funchal and the night "went crazy", according to the manager. The Cafe do Teatro had 2,000 visitors that night and the manager stated, "It failed in nothing, the house was full." — Der heard that the Casino dinner and events cost 180 Euros on New Year’s Eve. I make that around 72,000 Euros takings plus drinks plus Casino bets.

Bad weather continues to punish cruise ships visits  The inaugural visit of the Silver Spirit today has been cancelled due to the conditions in the Atlantic. The captain had to reduce speed between Lisbon and Funchal, so the visit would have only lasted for four hours from 13 – 17 hours. The ship sails directly to La Palma in the Canaries instead. The Volcan de Tijarafe ferry was also delayed during the crossing from Portimão and arrived at 16.00 yesterday. A large wave higher than 9 metres damaged the bow of the ship but the journey to the Canary Islands was still possible at 19.00. All 230 passengers and the cargo of 140 vehicles were not affected, the captain received no complaints and said the passengers did not seem to realize what had happened. (Photo of ‘cosmetic’ damage).

Tree falls on top of car rented by tourists The accident occurred yesterday afternoon at Queimadas and slightly damaged the car but caused no injuries to the occupants as they were not present at the time. The car was parked in the car park of Casa de Abrigo das Queimadas and the Voluntary Firemen of Santana had to ask the Forestry Police for equipment to cut the tree to allow the car to leave. The car park is now shut and should reopen tomorrow when the area has been made safe. The portion of the highway in Madalena do Mar which was closed after a wall collapsed has now reopened.

Falling crane traps man. The crane was transported on a lorry when it toppled off onto another lorry travelling in the opposite direction. This accident occurred on a curved section of road in the area of Levada do Poiso, Ponta do Sol. After intervention by the Fire Brigade, the trapped man was freed, still conscious and taken by ambulance to hospital.

Fallen wall still causes concern A wall that collapsed on December 23, damaging a motorcycle and car, still leaves a house at risk. The accident happened in the Beco das Courelas in Santo Antonio in Funchal and damage to the street lighting has not been repaired despite the residents complaining to the council.

Madeiro still cannot discharge all of the fuel 17,000 tons of fuel was the tanker to supply the islands. The tanker originally arrived on Christmas Day but bad weather has hampered the delivery of fuel to Madeira and Porto Santo. Some fuel was delivered at Caniçal on the 2 January. Since then, she has gone to Porto Santo and will return on Wednesday for another attempt to transfer fuel to Socorridos.

Impact of the Geneva Agreement on Madeiran bananas The PCP (Communist Party) MEPs are visiting on the 15 January and are studying the marketing of bananas. They want to gather information which can be used to alert Brussels about the consequences of the impact of the Geneva Agreement. The EU pact with countries such as Brazil, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela leads to a substantial cut in import tariffs. The communists have asked the EU to support European producers as they are concerned on the impact of this agreement. They will also discuss concerns about GESBA, the organization which processes bananas in the region.

SPAR in Santa Cruz This will be the fifth, and for the present time the last of the Dutch-owned chain of stores to open in Madeira; the others are in Porto Moniz, Pilar, Funchal and Gaula. The shop should have opened on the 4 January but has been delayed due to the weather and will open sometime this week, date not yet known. The shop is in the Plaza da Cerveja and has a butchers, bakery, ready-meals, take-away and also sells magazines/newspapers and SPAR own brand groceries. The shops are placed in areas of tourism as the brand has a good image in countries such as the UK, France, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands etc. There are also a lot of Madeiran residents in South Africa where SPAR is a leading firm.

160 metres of Bolo Rei. This afternoon in the Praça do Municipio, the traditional Bolo Rei Gigante was larger than last years, reaching 160 metres. This tradition has taken place over the past five years. It contained hundreds of eggs, hundreds of kilograms of flour and many kilograms of crystallized fruit and sultanas and was baked according to tradition. Despite the weather, which improved this afternoon, the free slices were enjoyed by both residents and tourists. — SAPO video from last year – 150 metres and 300 kg cake. BIG CAKE

From Madeira Tourism – Events for January

from 12th to 16th – Madeira Islands Walking Festival
This is an organised group walking programme, along man-made waterways (levadas) or special trails (veredas), with specialised guides throughout, lasting for a period of 5 consecutive days. A total of 20 different walks have been selected, all having been classified and recommended by the Regional Government of Madeira. The participants have at their disposal a choice of 4 walks per day, these being of different duration and various levels of difficulty. Stay aware of information about this festival by checking out the official site, MADEIRA WALKING FESTIVAL

15th – Feast of Santo Amaro – Santa Cruz
Every year the saint’s day of Santo Amaro is celebrated throughout the entire island of Madeira, in a particularly festive and ceremonial way, when Christmassy delicacies are laid on every table. This is the day when families dismantle the Nativity scenes (lapinhas in the Madeira Islands), and "sweep the larder clean" – a tradition in which people visit family and friends to share the last of the Christmas season’s delicacies. The feast of the patron saint of Santa Cruz – Santo Amaro – is the most important religious feast of this borough. It’s a very lively three-day festival, which marks the end of the Christmas holidays.

from 26th to 28th – Madeira Orienteering Festival (Festival de Orientação da Madeira)
This is organised by the Funchal Mountain Club with the support of some official Madeira tourist organisations. It is held on the hills of Madeira and has the participation of both national and foreign athletes. This is a competition that blends in well with leisure activities and takes place in a setting offering permanent contact with Nature.

** Now it’s time, and with great pleasure that I can introduce Vanessa Swesnik. Vanessa is a recently qualified translator and interpreter, and fluent in Portuguese (Brazilian) and Spanish. Vanessa has joined the ‘team’, and will produce several articles a week for the blog in similar areas to the one below (preferring government, politics, economy, business, and environment). She is very busy, so the effort is much appreciated, but we have also talked about another exciting possibility that I may be able to share with you in the future, going in a quite different direction. Unfortunately, we are still way short of the number of contributors needed, so please don’t sit back and relax … or the blog will still have to close … yes seriously. Many thanks Vanessa for this article from yesterday’s Diário :

The last three months of 2009 confirmed that which was already a certainty: last year, with 89 insolvency proceedings of businesses, as individuals, collectives, or persons (also possible according to the law), broke all records in the Madeira Regional Authority.

In the last quarter, the rise levelled off with just 15 insolvency proceedings between October and December. In the three proceeding quarters (January to September), 74 insolvency proceedings were initiated by business owners or creditors. On average, that turns out to be 22 proceedings each quarter and 7.4 businesses publicly assuming financial difficulties for each of the 12 months in 2009.

During the first nine months of last year (according to the latest findings from Coface, a French multinational that publishes information on insolvencies and creation of businesses in Portugal), there was an increase of 184.6% in insolvencies compared to the homologous period of 2008, from 26 to 74.

According to unofficial accounts from the Portal Sitius of the Ministry of Justice- we had a total of 89 insolvency proceedings in 2009 compared to 36 in 2008. This increase of close to 150% reflects the initial idea: that despite everything, the last quarter showed a decrease in the number of insolvencies to enter into the 5 existing courts of the Madeira Regional Authority.

Funchal Stands Out in Front. Not all insolvency proceedings end in the dissolution and closing of a business. Naturally the majority of businesses that file for bankruptcy with the county court are in Funchal.

In the last quarter of 2009, there were 9 filed from Funchal, 4 from Santa Cruz and one each from Sao Vicente and Porto Santo.

Looking at the numbers from the entire year, Funchal “monopolizes” the grand majority of proceedings with 66. The other cases are distributed throughout Santa Cruz (19), Ponta do Sol (2), Sao Vicente (1) and Porto Santo (1).

Many times insolvency proceedings have served as a way to settle accounts and restart business activities, even if it’s at the expense of jobs as is indicated by unemployment statistics (also at record numbers in 2009).

But, as was reported earlier in the Diário (see edition 21/06/2009), according to Ruben Jardim Freitas, one of the principal administrators of insolvency proceedings in the region, there are fraudulent bankruptcies and others that end up being forced by the law or the heavy hand of Social Security.

Of all the businesses, either collectives or in individuals’ names, that are having difficulties and have closed their doors in 2009, there is a growing and still undetermined number of them that will no longer be part of the International Center of Madeira Businesses (or CINM). Practically every week there were dozens of businesses listed in the Regional Official Journal under “dissolution and closing of the liquidation of a business society” according to the Zona Franca’s Conservatory of Commercial Registry of Madeira, or Conservatória do Registro Comercial da Zona Franca da Madeira.

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

Year end helped the tills of the big hotels – They are just a few days, but the period around new year pleased the hotels and improved on the previous.

Today’s main news headline : Birth rate in 2009 was a record low -  The year ended with just 2,386 babies born in the Region, the lowest number ever. The decrease of 12% relative to 2008 is also a record.

São Vicente contract a company to dump mud in the sea – Mayor Jorge Romeira says that he has authorisation from the Regional Government and that he is complying with the standards :  dumping downstream. Quercus condemns the solution that has been polluting the coastline of Passo da Areia. No really, it’s a serious headline! The Diário front page photograph today shows exactly what the headline says, with a lorry having emptied it’s load, and a digger pushing the load down off the roadside onto what seems to be a beach. Nothing surprises me anymore about our government, nor its PSD politicians in São Vicente or anywhere, and the best I can hope for in this story is that the Diário has got it wrong and the picture is a fake, but the truth is I am bl**dy fuming. The article says that there are hundreds of truck loads, taking thousands of cubic metres, being the muck and sludge from the recent storm damage, for dumping in the sea. The environmental agency Quercus say that the action will have tragic consequences for marine life. Personally I would have used that mud etc. to construct a very useful grassy knoll quite near to the council offices in São Vicente. At times Madeira’s claim to be a ‘green’ island is an absolute mockery of environmental issues. Imagine the message that this action sends to the population, who are regularly reminded of the evils of dumping rubbish in the sea (and indeed rivers).

Humiliation in ‘Idols’ pricks islander – The young Madeiran Carlos Costa says the attack of jury member Moura Santos is going to backfire. The controversy started on Sunday live on the TV channel SIC, when Manuel Moura dos Santos said he hoped that the Madeiran Carlos Costa does not win the ‘Idols’. "I hope that you are not the winner of this competition because you are the idol that we do not need," he said after harshly criticizing the selection of music that the Porto Moniz competitor is doing in shows and in particular the song ‘I’m Here’. I have never watched one of these programs, but I remember our local celebrity Vânia Fernandes won this stupid competition one year, and went on to represent Portugal in the Eurovision song contest (… what a gal! … did I ever tell you that she gave me a big hug once?).  Anyway, isn’t the whole idea that the judges are controversial and are expected to harshly criticise the contestants who present them with such an opportunity? Stupid competition, and no doubt many stupid people enter, but I bet the judges earn a hatful of dosh, so maybe they are not so stupid. It seems that now there are several Facebook groups set up both for and against the singer. What a weird world we live in!

In sport : Today there is and exciting derby in the juniors – The captains of Nacional and Marítimo show ambition.

Hard to believe the report from Elaine earlier about that ship getting hit by a 9 metre wave and buckling the top rail (as shown in the photo above). The Naviera Armas ferry, ‘Volcán de Tijarafe’, was also damaged during the last journey between Portimão and Funchal, which although turbulent and far from pleasant, "there was no panic on board". The hull was damaged at the bow of the ship, but it will not prevent it from continuing its journeys.

If anyone else can oblige with the translation of any of the ‘blank’ or sparsely filled headlines, or other news stories, here is the link. All contributions much appreciated. 

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

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

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

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

If you post a comment and are not registered on this site (free), your comment will be moderated, so please do not waste time with spam postings.  If you register, your comment will be posted automatically. If you register, your email address will not be passed to any other party … promise!

Please send any topical or Madeira related photos or videos to Der at blog@madeira4u.com to appear on this blog. Photos may take a while to appear, depending on the number waiting. Please don’t send copyrighted material.

The headline news & other snippets reviewed here on the blog are mainly from the Diário de Notícias of Madeira, although news from any source is used and welcome.

The blogs in the ‘uncategorised’ category come from the old madeira4u blog.

IF YOU NEED HELP WITH ANYTHING ON THIS WEBSITE, TRY THE MENU ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE ‘USEFUL LINKS’ & ‘TIPS & HELP’

Madeira News Blog © 2007 – 2009 All Rights Reserved

"Sunway are delighted to introduce the breathtaking island of Madeira. This wonderful island has so much to offer from many historical monuments, squares and streets in the capital of Funchal to enchanting gardens, picturesque villages and amazing landscapes". MADEIRA HOLIDAYS FROM IRELAND

Apparently this website is also showing the Funchal 2010 fireworks live on the internet tonight, but it may well be linked back to the website link that I gave you a couple of days ago NEW YEAR 2010 FIREWORKS MADEIRA

Lets hope the weather stays good for tonight’s celebrations, and that a new firework world record is secured for Madeira.

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

39 farmers have already signed up. Many more are expected to follow. On the first day after the Government announced financial assistance for storm damage, 39 farmers have registered. There is no time limit for applying, or limit to the amount of funds applied for. 18 farmers were from Funchal, 11 from São Vicente, 5 from Santana, 3 from Ponta do Sol and 2 from Calheta. Teams of experts are to survey the damage and monitor risk areas; Sao Vicente Council has already set one up.

Sea damages areas at Praia Formosa. The promenade between Praia Formosa and Doca do Cavacas has been closed due to bad weather. Bars have been partially destroyed, small pebbles washed onto the promenade, and the swimming pools at Barreirinha, Doca do Cavacas and Lido lashed by 3.5 – 4.5 metre waves. The bar Barra Azul has had further damage, the Docas Cafe was also badly affected and the Yacht Bar has lost its rock staircase. The administrator of the Frente Mar Funchal says losses are huge and will estimate the cost after the end of the year, when he expects an improvement in the weather.

Danger in the Tres Paus. Part of the Caminho dos Tres Paus in Santo Antonio collapsed last weekend. Funchal Council erected security barriers but the residents continue to use the road. They want a protective wall constructed, especially after two men died last year after a car skidded in that area.

Large rock hits a home and threatens others. A large rock fell onto a residence located at Travessa do Ribeira Canavial in São Roque. It was part of a landslide which occurred at 23.30 last Monday. Officials have surveyed the damage but the Council say they are not responsible for clearing the escarpment and will notify the owner of the land to undertake this work.

Court of Auditors censures IHM construction in Figueirinhas.  The Court says the IHM (Housing Investment of Madeira – social housing) should respect the Code of Public Contracts. 50 residential units were built in Figueirinhas in Funchal through a contract between the IHM and the company Soconstroi. The contract was for 2.838.179,34 Euros but the final cost was 3.215.022,09 Euros. The units were completed in 1998 but the contract was not sent for approval until 2000. After an additional contract, which caused the increase in the cost, the work was finally approved six years after the expiration of the five year guarantee.

Fewer ships, more tourists. Table of the number of cruise ships and passengers visiting for the New Year’s Eve fireworks display, since 1962 (shown below).  In 2007, there were the most cruise ship passengers (13,156 from 12 ships). There might be problems ferrying more than 3,000 passengers from the two ships berthed offshore this year, due to forecasts of bad weather. The Queen Victoria has a 24-hour delay and hopes to anchor offshore at 7 am tomorrow. For the third day running, the ferry could not sail for Porto Santo.

TOP 10 of the Port of Funchal on 31 December
Year – Ships – Tourists
1962 – 10-5440
1964 – 10-5800
1968 – 13-6892
1969 – 12-6400
1974 – 9-5077
2001 – 9-7935
2002 – 10-9539
2005 – 11-8670
2007 – 12 – 13.156
2008 – 8 – 7.200

* Many fail to buy tickets until the last minute – Getting ready for New Year’s Eve. From the Jornal da Madeira. On the eve of another End-of-the-Year night, there are many offerings for the night of reveillon, shown by the various advertisements that already appear in the pages of newspapers. Prices vary depending on the economic possibilities of each and depending on what they want. In general, there are already many tickets sold for the festival of the passing of the year. However, the contacts we made told us that most people leave it until the last minute to buy the entrance tickets. A fact that, as we mentioned, not only has to do with "the habit of doing things at the last minute" but above all due to indecision. Because as we explained, "as a couple it is easier to decide", which is not true of groups. Although again, as we mentioned, there are also groups that prefer to buy the tickets on time to avoid some of the members being left out. As for the animation, there is also a bit of everything and for all tastes. From dance music with renowned DJs, to live music through performances by musical groups. In general and in relation to the hotels, we found attempts to present a special program for guests, but also for the many Madeirans who choose to enter the New Year in hotels. But the party is not only in hotels, clubs or other places that usually open the doors to mark New Year’s Eve. For the last night of this year, there is also a show provided by the Association of the Light Orchestra of Madeira, which will take place between 21.00 and 04.00 in the Municipal Garden of Funchal. Before the fireworks, in downtown Funchal between 10.00 and 20.00, there will be performances by brass bands and folklore groups. In the Central Square next to the Cathedral of Funchal, the Children’s Choir of the Office of the Coordinator of Arts Education will perform between 18.30 and 19.20. Also in the area of Avenida Arriaga, but in the garden situated to the north of the Palacio de Sao Lourenco, the Ensemble of Accordions of the Office of the Coordinator of Arts Education is also expected to perform between 11.00 and 11.50. I saw in last nights Diário that the Casino has a special do with dinner tonight. For a bargain €180 a head one can feast and then frolic … how the other half lives eh! Der

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

What changed and what awaits us – 56 pages. Looks like the good people from the Diário have produced a bumper year end supplement with today’s newspaper. If I see an online edition I will provide a link to it, but no sign of it yet.

Danger of collapse in the valley [of the Nuns] – Bad weather caused openings in the road and lands. There are fear of a landslide in Curral das Freiras, into the river, after significant cracks appeared in the road (ER 107) and nearby land. The cracks have been getting bigger since the beginning of the week. MORE PHOTOS The danger area is between the centre of Curral das Freiras and sítio do Colmeal. Residents are very concerned that the rockfall could be considerable. The first cracks appeared on Monday in the tarmac, soon after the tunnel exit, and are growing in size. Cracks in the nearby land, just below the road, have also appeared, in land belonging to the Levada Commission. Huge quantities of earth have been deposited there over the years with the story being that there would be cultivation and forest planting. The president of the Câmara Municipal of Câmara de Lobos, Arlindo Gomes, says that the earth deposited actually supports what is above, and that from what he knows "the situation is under control". With your track record in misleading the public Sr. Gomes, I think I would be off from there like a shot if I was unfortunate enough to live in the area at risk!

Today’s main news headline : Jorge Romeira calls-off the work plan of Humberto – The sea front zone of São Vicente, that was one of the flagship projects of ex-president Humberto Vasconcelos, doesn’t have conditions to move forward, according to the new council president Jorge Romeira, who will also do in his own style administrative restructuring. The project goes to the ‘Greek calendar’ [indefinitely], with no possibility of starting in the next few years. Romeira also intends to do some ‘housekeeping’ to organise his empire in his own style. The sea front redevelopment has now been dropped from the council programme, due to lack of funding, even more so now due to the damage caused by the abnormal rain fall in recent weeks, and the resulting need for priority expenditure. Don’t councils have insurance policies here? That will come as a bit of a shock to the locals I would imagine, as that was a much needed project for trade and to generally improve the visual aspect of the area. I wonder if that was mentioned in the small print of the PSD Social Democrat Party election manifesto a  few months back? 

100 police in the streets to guarantee safety later tonight – ‘Operation Fim do Ano’ [year end] runs on the night when 39 firework posts will light the night sky. Here you can see a list of the ideal places to watch the fireworks.

ARTICLE & MAP OF THE TOP FIREWORK VIEWPOINTS

The most profitable in the world expected today on Madeira. With a portrait photo of a thoughtful looking Cristiano Ronaldo, who may of lost the title of the world best footballer, but has now taken David Beckham’s crown as top money-spinner in the game. The Madeiran revealed yesterday in an interview with a Spanish sports newspaper his desire to "regain the Golden Ball" and his ambition to be "the best player in history." "Thank God I have already won the trophy once for best player in the world, but I hope to win it back again. This year or next I will come back to win the Golden Ball," said Ronaldo, who fills the front page of the Marca newspaper. In a revealing interview he confessed his admiration for the Spanish actress Penélope Cruz, and his ignorance of the main places of night time entertainment in Madrid. He doesn’t like bullfighting either. The newspaper said that Ronaldo, now 24, could generate up to €80 million a year in advertising revenue, dethroning David Beckham as the adverting idiot icon in the world of football.  

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.

If you post a comment and are not registered on this site (free), your comment will be moderated, so please do not waste time with spam postings.  If you register, your comment will be posted automatically. If you register, your email address will not be passed to any other party … promise!

Please send any topical or Madeira related photos or videos to Der at blog@madeira4u.com to appear on this blog. Photos may take a while to appear, depending on the number waiting. Please don’t send copyrighted material.

The headline news & other snippets reviewed here on the blog are mainly from the Diário de Notícias of Madeira, although news from any source is used and welcome.

The blogs in the ‘uncategorised’ category come from the old madeira4u blog.

IF YOU NEED HELP WITH ANYTHING ON THIS WEBSITE, TRY THE MENU ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE ‘USEFUL LINKS’ & ‘TIPS & HELP’

Madeira News Blog © 2007 – 2009 All Rights Reserved

Anyone fancy a cruise starting from Madeira? : The Island Escape sails from Funchal, Madeira on January 18th, heading for Agadir, Morocco; Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, and Palma, before returning to Funchal. Fares for the seven-night cruise start at £489, including flights. Go to CRUISE  INFORMATION or call 0800 280 2614.

Elaine (East) managed to catch up on the Christmas traditions series that was running in the Jornal da Madeira in the run up to Xmas, so here is another. Many thanks

Councils in Festa. All municipalities in the region have prepared for this festive season. In Funchal, as just about everywhere, the Council marks this time of celebration. From Câmara de Lobos to Santa Cruz, passing through the other municipalities on the south and the north coast, there are plenty of illuminations and presépios to announce the birth of Jesus. In Câmara de Lobos, on the Avenida Nova Cidade, a presépio, almost full scale, represents the birth, surrounded by a very characteristic flower at this time, precisely, the manhas de Pascoa. The city centre also has some illuminations, as well as in other small housing areas. In Ribeira Brava, in the gardens of the town hall, a presépio has been a special attraction. Again, the illuminations which are characteristic of this season dominate, in particular in the centre of this locality, and also in the area by the sea. Later in Ponta do Sol, we found that several bright ornaments were placed in the county seat, with themes related to Christmas. The presépio was also being prepared, next to the municipal building. The county further west of the region is also alluding to this season. A presépio, and a pine tree topped with a star, are some of the outstanding features. Beginning on the north coast, at Porto Moniz, various illuminations and a presépio next to the natural pool announce this festive period. This is also the case in São Vicente, where the streets have a new colour, with various arrangements of illuminations depicting Christmas and a small presépio next to the church, marking the festival. In Santana, in front of the town hall, was being prepared a presépio, and in the centre of town, the lamps announce a special period. Back on the south coast, the illuminations and the usual Christmas presépio by the municipality are some of the outstanding features. The same happened in Santa Cruz, where the birth of the Boy Jesus was also represented next to the church.

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

Rain and strong wind until Wednesday. Rain and strong wind forecasted until the early morning of Wednesday. The Regional Civil Protection recommend caution, especially with the risk of flooding, landslides and mudslides. Delays and cancellations at the airport this morning but conditions improved later on in the day. The Porto Santo ferry did not sail this morning. Good weather expected for the end of the year fireworks display. The worst region affected in Portugal has been Torres Vedras, in the West region, with an estimated 53 million Euros of damage. This is an agricultural region with major damage to horticultural greenhouses, forestry, agricultural land, municipal facilities and infrastructure, hotels, businesses and homes.

Three hospitalized with malaria. The three who were on Christmas vacation in Madeira, after working in Equatorial Guinea, have been admitted to the hospitals in Funchal, two in Marmeleiros Hospital and the other one is in Intensive Care in Dr. Nelio Mendonca Hospital. There might be another case, a Brazilian, whose health is worsening but the screening test is expensive. They were initially diagnosed as having influenza, when they presented with symptoms to a Health Centre at the beginning of the month. Before departing to Guinea, they were advised by the staff at the Bom Jesus Health Centre to stay in Africa if they developed symptoms – fever, headaches and nausea. The Clinical Director at the Dr. Nelio Mendonca Hospital said that medicines have been ordered for the three men. He has asked the doctors to be more aware of the symptoms of malaria as a lot of men are working in Guinea on construction contracts.

PJ clueless about the whereabouts of Martins. He is wanted for the kidnap (half a million Euros ransom was demanded) and murder of Guilherme Alves, who was a businessman in Porto Santo, and found dead in a water tank in Camacha on 17 July 2009. José Gabriel Libano Martins is on an international arrest warrant with an extradition request from Portugal. He is thought to have fled to Brazil, where he is supposed to be married to a local woman, giving him nationality status. Three other suspects have been arrested. The case has a time limit for investigation of a year which can be extended for a complex case. The police will not give details of progress, even to the family. There is a case to be heard in the Court of Porto Santo, on February 4 2010, where Jose Martins as the plaintiff, has mounted civil action against a married couple for civil construction negotiations. The other case, on 2 February 2010, where he is the accused, the MP has brought a case against the construction company Erucasa.

Ponta do Sol population buy bottled water. As a result of flooding in the area of Rabacas, the pipeline was damaged, and in Ponta do Sol and parts of Ribeira Brava, the water has been unsafe to drink since December 24. Despite two tankers of water in the area, the locals have brought bottled water and used home reservoirs and local springs. The Regional Secretary for the Environment and Natural Resources estimates the supply will be restored by the middle of the week.

Car hit by stones in Encumeada. A landslide on Christmas Day caused damage to the windscreen and bodywork of a car whilst travelling in Encumeada. The woman and four year old in the car went into shock and had minor injuries which were attended to at the Health Centre at Câmara de Lobos.

Two families resettled in Sao Vicente. Ribeira Grande was hardest hit by the storm, 50 people affected and two families resettled in the Hotel Praia Mar in São Vicente. The local population had previously alerted the authorities to work on a road in the Laurissilva Forest, in which earth was deposited in two water courses near Corgo do Atalho and Ribeira Grande. They had also complained to the authorities that trees in Rosario needed cutting to prevent obstructing the flow of water. They were told a permit was required, and although promises were made during the election campaign, no action was taken afterwards. (11 photos on the Diário website).

Three now homeless in Monte. Three people in Tilas in Monte had to leave their dwelling due to rain causing the collapse of a retaining wall. The back garden has already ‘disappeared’. This occurred at 7.30 this morning and they will spend the night at the Pensão of the PSP.

Anonymous donor enables boy’s funeral. The son of Madeiran immigrants in Jersey who was killed in an accident with a firearm on 13 December, while visiting family members in Venezuela, was buried yesterday in Caniçal Municipal Cemetery. The funeral was finally accomplished thanks to a donation of 17,000 Euros (15,000 pounds sterling) by a person who requested anonymity. João Calaca Sousa, aged 8 years, died as a result of firing a gun he found while playing with a cousin, hours after he arrived in Caracas to visit his uncle. The family, from Caniçal, could not afford to pay for the transport of the body to Madeira. The Jersey community, particularly colleagues of the child’s father who is employed by a rent-a-car firm, after the case was highlighted by the local media, launched a campaign to raise funds and the final sum was achieved after an anonymous donation.

Assault suspects deny the PSP version. Two of the three men arrested by Funchal policemen on the night of 21 – 22 December, allegedly about to commit a robbery, refuted the allegations. Paulo Pina and Paulo Nunes, aged 40 and 39 years respectively, said they were at a warehouse in Boa Nova, guided by a third person, to buy dog food which was sold below market price. "The salesperson entered by the building’s front door and being in possession of the controller that opened the door of the store, told us where to go and we had not suspected that something was wrong." Paulo Pina drove his truck into the garage and after he began carrying bags of dog food, a fourth person came in shouting, "Thieves, thieves." The defendants said at least one shot was aimed in the direction of the salesperson, who fled through the interior of the garage. They were panicking and stayed where they were, when the fourth man returned, instructing them to lie on the floor. Paulo Pina, a former soldier, grabbed the wrist of the man who was pointing the gun at them and with the help of his colleague, was able to overpower him and take the gun. They repeated to him that they were not thieves and he fled, out through the front door, as had the salesman. They also left, with the truck remaining inside the garage. They started to go to the Police Station in Funchal to report the matter when they met a patrol car on the Estrada Conde Carvalhal, and flagged it down and reported the incident. The police removed the gun, handcuffed them and took them to Funchal Police Station. The man who was the owner of the gun arrived later and claimed the gun belonged to Paulo Pina who was asked to sign a form to verify that. The police are looking for the salesperson. The military cap in the photo printed by the press was from the truck in the garage. The Diário reporter could not get an official comment over the phone from the Regional Command of the Police.

Hotel occupancy 70% in the last 4 days of the year and 19,000 tourists expected to arrive through the airport.  In the last four days of the year, there are 137 flights scheduled to arrive with 22,000 seats and at this time of year, the load factor is usually 85%. Assuming the visitors stay for 3 – 4 nights, the occupancy rate of the 28,000 hotel beds will be as low as 70%. The actual rate will probably be lower as many have only booked for 2 – 3 nights and not everyone will require hotel accommodation. Despite this, many hotels have sold out for New Year’s Eve, for example the Pestana group of hotels on the island. There are also similar high occupancy levels in some areas of Portugal, especially the Algarve and in Porto. In comparison, the Tourism Secretary is optimistically expecting a 90% occupancy rate in Madeira.

2010 commences with new Coral beer campaign. 27 December – 3 January, the manufacturers, ECM, are having a publicity campaign. With 133 medals from the Monde Selection, (79 gold, 32 grand gold), the Coral Branca has 19 medals. The latter will be marketed as light, refreshing and enjoyable. Coral will be back marking its presence at the best parties on the island, details of the beers on their site cervejacoral — Judging by the website, the white is the low alcohol version.

Manuel Antonio Correia rejects criticism. The Regional Secretary for the Environment and Natural Resources responded to the MPT (Earth Party) leader, Isidora, accusations that the Government is not alleviating storm damage in Ponta do Sol. He said the Government’s actions could not be publicized as the media offices were closed over the Christmas period. The Government, Ponta do Sol Council and the IGA have worked long hours during the 23, 24 and 26 December. Isidora also unfairly criticized Santos Costa, who had been to the area on the 23 and 24 December. The Government also paid attention to areas in Santana, São Vicente, Ribeira Brava and Machico. "I want to assure the public that everything that was humanly and technically possible to lessen the damage was done." The mayor, Rui Marques, also agreed with Manuel António. The Council had two employees working on Christmas Day to ensure that residents had access to a water supply.

Almada back with protest. Roberto Almada of the Left Bloc (BE) accuses the Regional and Local Governments of allowing materials to build up in waterways, leading to their narrowing, despite warnings from opposition politicians and environmentalists. This was particularly evident in São Vicente. When Parliament returns next week, he will lead a protest vote that the Government has behaved irresponsibly.

Gouveia wants National aid for São Vicente. The PS leader and councillor at Sao Vicente said that the area needs millions of Euros in aid due to extensive storm damage. He believes that the Parish Council, County Council and the Regional Government cannot meet the bill, so they will have to go to the National Government and the EU for funds. In Rosario, the damage is particularly bad with houses destroyed, municipal roads blocked and damaged, and farm land under water. He wants Alberto Jardim and José Sócrates to act. Unlike the CDS leader, he does not criticize the governments and authorities for damage in Ribeira de São Vicente since, "there will be other storms that will flood the town again."

Rodrigues attacks Jardim and confronts Sócrates. Yesterday, it was reported that he would write to Sócrates, expecting financial aid to tackle regional storm damage, as has been given to the Azores, and he is also writing a critical letter to Jardim. The CDS leader, José Manuel Rodrigues, starts his letter with the sentences, ‘We are deeply surprised and concerned to note the silence and alienation of the Government. There has been considerable damage to roads and agriculture, networks of water supply were affected; private companies had heavy losses, many farmers saw their crops lost and some land disappeared, some families lost their homes, many Madeirans did not have Christmas. When we expect a reaction from the Government to this reality, we are witnessing a silence and alienation unacceptable.’ There were no Government officials contacting people and comforting families. He was surprised that Jardim had not convened the Council of Government in order to take concrete measures. He agreed with most opposition politicians that the Government was responsible for damage in recent days by the poor construction of certain public works and the disposal of earth in the waterways. He suggests three specific measures: to survey the damage to companies and individuals and ensure support as stipulated in the budget; use national funds and evaluate the possibility of European funds.

Demand goes up 435%, supply only 20%.  A report from a PhD thesis about cruise ship movement at the Port of Funchal over the past 50 years. Ships are 3 times larger, the number of calls increased by 94% with 4 times more tourists but the port capacity has increased by only 20%. Lots of facts and figures and helpful charts for anyone specially interested.

Culture news. No municipalities have applied for the title, ‘City of Culture 2010′, the first time since its conception in 2007 by the Regional Government. It was created to decentralize culture, preserve the identity of people, help local economic development and make culture accessible to all. This year the title was held by Câmara de Lobos where the most notable event was the opening of the new Municipal Library. The Government contributes financially to the project but not enough to make it attractive in the present economic situation. An unusual headline, ‘Carlos Costa receives death threats.’ This young Madeiran singer is the winner of the talent competition, Idols. The threats were made through the phone and began in December but ended when the producer decided to bug the phone to listen in.

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

* Gripe A : Two more dead and a woman at risk – With the diagnosis of H1N1 Swine Flu, the woman gave birth and now is in a serious condition due to an eclampsia. Eclampsia (Greek, "shining forth"), an acute and life-threatening complication of pregnancy, is characterized by the appearance of tonic-clonic seizures, usually in a patient who had developed preeclampsia. (Preeclampsia and eclampsia are collectively called Hypertensive disorder of pregnancy and toxemia of pregnancy). Two men aged 37 and 47 died from the infection in the last week, both suffered with obesity.  That takes the death toll on Madeira to 5, and the overall number infected since the start to 676. Last week there were 143 suspected swine Flu cases, with 75 confirmed, 46 of which were women. 4,000 new ‘Pandremix’ vaccines are due to be received by tomorrow, 2,000 more than were originally expected. The next at risk group to be treated are children up to the age of 12.

Tickets and bus passes increase in 2010 – The rise hits urban and interurban buses. Urban prices will rise 1.19% and interurban 1.85%. A ticket that now costs €1.55 will rise to €1.57, so lot’s of fiddly change to mess around with.

* City ‘Volta’ without rain or shine – Rui Pedro Silva and Fernanda Ribeiro win the race spoiled by TAP and SATA.  Silva won the 51st ‘São Silvestre’ race in Funchal on his first attempt, despite intense rain, and despite having run and won the Marathon in Porto the previous day. Ribeiro won the female version for the fourth time.

Today’s main news headline : Guarantees from the Regional Government nailed to the ceiling – Many of those who received guarantees from the Madeira government failed to get paid on time, reveals the Court of Auditors. Who is  coming in with €5 million is the government. That is, the taxpayer.

It’s a toss up to define which is the main headline picture today, but I will go for another storm damage one over the winner of the São Silvestre  race. The landslide shown completely blocks a road, and seems to contain bits of a building : Storm leaves families even poorer – Damages in São Vicente. Families homeless in Monte and cut-off in Serra de Água. In Ponta do Sol 5 thousand continue without water. There is support, but only for agriculture. The picture is the same one as above, with the story from Elaine.

I think that’s the gloomiest front page I have ever seen in my years on Madeira, with death, disease, homelessness, ravaged lands and homes, contaminated water, government defaulting on supplier payments, public transport costs rising, and the airlines a-soiling. It’s normally around now that the press look back on the year, and summarise the good and bad highlights, but today’s front page seems to have captured it all except for the financial crisis and unemployment, and we can’t forget those manipulated national and local elections of course. What’s your highlight (or lowlight) of 2009?

One bit of better news though is that the weather forecast for tomorrow night is looking much brighter in Funchal, ready for the big night. The forecast for the passing of the year is to be without any rain, and little more than a breeze, just in Funchal. Elsewhere the rain will continue to fall, the wind will be strong, and there is the possibility of snow on the highest peaks.

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.

If you post a comment and are not registered on this site (free), your comment will be moderated, so please do not waste time with spam postings.  If you register, your comment will be posted automatically. If you register, your email address will not be passed to any other party … promise!

Please send any topical or Madeira related photos or videos to Der at blog@madeira4u.com to appear on this blog. Photos may take a while to appear, depending on the number waiting. Please don’t send copyrighted material.

The headline news & other snippets reviewed here on the blog are mainly from the Diário de Notícias of Madeira, although news from any source is used and welcome.

The blogs in the ‘uncategorised’ category come from the old madeira4u blog.

IF YOU NEED HELP WITH ANYTHING ON THIS WEBSITE, TRY THE MENU ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE ‘USEFUL LINKS’ & ‘TIPS & HELP’

Madeira News Blog © 2007 – 2009 All Rights Reserved

Today there are no promises of what is to come, and as I write this I don’t even know if there will be much in the way of news stories, aside from the continuing bad weather that is. Feel free to use the comments for Xmas messages, or whatever you like. Sometimes on Xmas day we get a celebrity visitor or two …

Tobi kindly sent in some video links, bad weather and a very dodgy aborted plane landing … many thanks :

SÃO VICENTE

BAD WEATHER 1

BAD WEATHER 2

ABORTED PLANE LANDING

I saw this on Don’s blog, and I realise it is 2008, but it’s better than nothing … which is what I have … not a single photo.

Many thanks for the messages and emails. Merry Xmas to all … have a great day. Der

Elaine (East) noticeably absent for a week, dropped me a line yesterday, and now all is crystal clear :

Der, Happy Christmas. Glad you are having a day off and company (hopefully). I have finally sat down with a glass of wine (first of many), ready for the festive season. I had an enforced stopping of blogging – did anyone notice—- No? Is it worth me keeping going after Christmas, writing fewer news items with less time taken up? Why do all the devils come at once and at Christmas? Devil no.1 the man downstairs who will not allow the condo. to put scaffolding on his ‘private property’, to repair cracks in the walls (again). Means our living room and bedroom walls are cracked, discoloured, growing mould and plaster peeling off. He has already spent 15,000 euros and will fight all the way to the appeal courts etc. if necessary. More money than sense and a long expensive battle. Devil no. 2 the weather. Combined with no.1 the walls downstairs are worse and for the first time, water down the attic walls. The wind has raised the tiles and rain seeped underneath (according to the condo. man). Silicon tube needed and a new place to live. Devil no.3 the f*** b*** who killed my computer. Why? Thought the bloggers might want to know what NOT to do if they have a similar attack.

WHAT NOT TO DO IF YOUR COMPUTER IS ATTACKED

1. Don’t just pray the anti-viral software will find the Trojan warriors – it won’t. Especially if embedded in the antiviral software/start-up screen and they keep turning off windows defender and firewall. Applications then slowly shut down until the computer becomes completely unusable, even in safe mode. Should have used registry clean-up tool?

2. Remember to take the computer details to the shop so you can buy the correct hard disc drive. O.K. as remembered after buying the wrong one last time.

3. Don’t get confused with the BlueRay manufacturer of HDD and Blue Ray videos, or the shop assistant has to try to understand why you are saying it is the wrong HDD.

4. Replace HDD – easy as have done it before. Screwdriver handily included in the box.

5. When re-installing windows, get the correct discs (not your older version from a previous computer) or you waste money at the local Internet cafe trying to find out why it won’t accept the product key. Wrongly conclude it is because you have activated windows once. (OEM software).

6. Then read the Microsoft manual and find you could have used a settings transfer wizard before the old computer died.

7. Find you can’t get the Internet. Ring up ZON and get someone who mutters about network adapters (?) He says you can set up the modem with the USB port and you realise you have been following the wrong instructions as you are using Ethernet (?) Modem is OK – phone working etc. so you phone again and get a different operator who says she will send someone out.

8. Wait 2 days for ZON to come (wrong time of year) and he fixes it in 6 minutes. Still wonder why you were supposed to install the VGA driver.

9. Screen still not right – small square on a wide screen. Find more cds you need to install.

10. Getting there – slowly. Download antiviral software as soon as you can. Any other defences possible.

11. Spend the next week (or so) updating old software/trying to get the computer back to how you had it before.

Silver surfer 10/10. Computer skills 1/10.

HAPPY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE. HOPE NEW YEAR IS BETTER.

Thanks Elaine, igualmente, and great to have you back. Der

And then at 00.34 thus morning Elaine then sent in news from yesterday’s Jornal da Madeira … many thanks.

Market Night fulfils tradition. Thousands of people have kept alive the traditional Market Night, and the rain which struck the evening in Funchal, did not dissuade the enthusiasts of the festival, sponsored by the City of Funchal. The streets surrounding the Farmers’ Market, crowded with people, were filled with joy and colour, with stalls of various fruits, flowers and plants of the season, food, drinks and toys. Inside the flagship establishment of almost 70 years, thousands of people made last minute purchases to cheer the "Festa", with particular emphasis on fruits and vegetables. Animated, small groups of friends and family gathered, at times arousing the attention of the many tourists who were passing through. The group of singers, led by José Alberto Gonçalves, warmed the night in the fish market, with dozens of voices singing Christmas carols. The PSP controlled the traffic and public order, ensuring public safety.

Rain causes the dropout of six vendors. A councillor of Funchal, Rubina Leal, said that six vendors withdrew, who had requested from the authority licenses for Market Night. "This year the Market Night has 76 stalls selling food and drinks and joy. On the other hand we had six withdrawals of vendors, but this week the Board had more requests," said the councillor. Rubina Leal emphasized the involvement of different Council services in organizing the event; the office that organizes and distributes in the areas of market trade and services, civil defence with six teams, the fire department, transit and PSP.

People seek the gastronomic elements. Enthusiast of the Market Night, responsible for the ‘Gastronomic Memories of the Convent of Santa Clara’,  Joao Dionisio, praised the adhesion of Madeirans in maintaining the tradition of the Farmers’ Market. "Despite the rain and cold, this is a night to mark the experience of the Madeirans," he stated, adding that "the market is well placed to handle all these thousands of people." The islanders are increasingly looking for gourmet items. The space available in the market receives again this year many people who have tried tasting the sweets of the convent.

Not even the rain deters those who live the tradition. The lawyer and former president of the Parish of Santo António, Antonio Rentroia, is a constant presence at the Market Night. Despite the unstable weather, he did not want to miss, this time, the tradition two days before Christmas. "This is a night with a lot of tradition which does not waive," he stressed.
For Antonio Rentroia, "The rain does not thwart the good Funchalenses and Madeirenses to come to celebrate this evening, which is wonderful for keeping alive the tradition." The lawyer, assumed gourmet, did not abdicate from tasting the dishes typical of the season and "Festa", and was there to fulfil the ritual.

15 thousand sandwiches of meat in wine and garlic, during the night. By early evening, Heliodoro Caldeira, owner for 20 years of the establishment Bar Cyca, at the entrance to the Farmers’ Market, told JM that he had available for sale, about 15 thousand sandwiches of meat in wine and garlic. "We prepared 15 thousand sandwiches which represent about two tons of meat, i.e. the same quantity as 2008." The trader noted that the best year was 2005, when he beat all records with almost 20 thousand sandwiches and about 2.5 tons of meat.

In the House of Rui Adriano

A presépio to delight. An hour is not enough to identify the details of the big presépio built by Rui Adriano, president of the Society of the Development of the North of Madeira. The JM had the privilege to view a charming setting that captured our attention from the first to the last minute of the visit. Over 400 miniatures, of shepherds and figures, make up the presépio, staged with pictures that depict moments in the tradition of the people of Madeira, such as the traditional arraial (which does not lack the espetada), the "Balinho da Madeira", the folklore, the Christmas romagens , the bordadeira, the killing of the pig, the making of the wheat soup, among other experiences. Porto Santo is represented by a scenic landscape, in which there is a mill.  Also a vulcao (designed with the use of electricity) takes a prominent place in the immensity of detail, identifying the history of the region. Aspects of the Azores archipelago, including the re-creation of the procession of the Festa do Senhor Santo Cristo dos Milagres (held since the seventeenth century in Sao Miguel, Ponta Delagada) also are evident. Besides the two Portuguese islands, Brazil is also represented, through a selection of pieces that Rui Adriano acquired in areas in Vera Cruz. "This is a diaspora," classified Rui Adriano, who, with artistic vision, took into account its aspects: movement, depth and space. Running water and light effects make the overall scene even more attractive. The making of the presépio, mounted in a room of his house, under the stairs, began in late October. "A thorough job," complicated to make, but the final result, gives "a pleasure." For example, says Rui Adriano, the implementation of the square (with movement) took 15 days. Also the construction of an elevator took days to complete. Traditional elements, combined with creativity and the pleasure of seeing the work done, is more than enough reasons for all the years Rui Adriano has created a presépio, always surprising. "Christmas without a presépio is not Christmas!", considers Rui Adriano.

Snow covers Europe. Eleven European countries were yesterday, experiencing snowfall, including Portugal, but none of the states of the Old Continent were on red alert, according to the network of European meteorological services (EUMETNET). The snowfall in Bragança and Vila Real, on the mainland, was anticipated but the alerts in force were only yellow or orange (third and fourth levels of a scale of five). The Portuguese were more fortunate than other Europeans, including the United Kingdom, where the conditions indicated snow and ice, with the country on yellow alert. Travel of thousands of British continued yesterday, conditional, with serious accidents on roads in England, one of which killed two people, causing a further 47 injured. The most serious accident, in Townshend, occurred when a bus crashed on an icy road, killing two women and injuring 47 people. The bus, carrying 48 passengers plus the driver, left the road before it landed on its side. A police car that went to the rescue of the victims, also crashed, with the victims of the bus accident finally retrieved by helicopter.

Temperatures approaching historic lows. Yesterday, they were an expected 12 million people on the roads of the United Kingdom, under severe weather conditions and temperatures approaching record lows in some places. The freezing temperatures also disrupted air travel, with dozens of flights of Easyjet and British Airways cancelled.

An accident was recorded involving an American Airlines plane that overshot the runway while trying to land at the airport in Kingston, with 91 passengers slightly injured. In another incident, a Ryanair plane overshot the runway after landing at Prestwick airport in Scotland, due to bad weather. However, the Eurostar service, linking London to Paris and Brussels by the English Channel, resumed on Tuesday, after a three-day suspension due to bad weather, but Eurostar said yesterday that it was not yet operating completely normally.

With an indication of snowfall and strong winds, Austria had a yellow alert in place, and also Spain (orange alert). The Czech Republic was on orange alert, with estimates of snowfall throughout the country, a situation similar to that of Finland, the country on yellow alert in some locations and orange in other locations. In Germany, a yellow alert, was due to snowfall in most of the area, with strong winds and fog. In Ireland, there were indications of snow and fog, with yellow alert, while Italy was on orange alert, with expected rain and strong winds over most of the territory and snow in Piemonte. In Latvia, a country on yellow alert, it was assumed that the entire country was covered with snow. In Norway, on yellow alert, the weather service predicted snowfall and strong winds.

If you post a comment and are not registered on this site (free), your comment will be moderated, so please do not waste time with spam postings.  If you register, your comment will be posted automatically. If you register, your email address will not be passed to any other party … promise!

Please send any topical or Madeira related photos or videos to Der at blog@madeira4u.com to appear on this blog. Photos may take a while to appear, depending on the number waiting. Please don’t send copyrighted material.

The headline news & other snippets reviewed here on the blog are mainly from the Diário de Notícias of Madeira, although news from any source is used and welcome.

The blogs in the ‘uncategorised’ category come from the old madeira4u blog.

IF YOU NEED HELP WITH ANYTHING ON THIS WEBSITE, TRY THE MENU ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE ‘USEFUL LINKS’ & ‘TIPS & HELP’

Madeira News Blog © 2007 – 2009 All Rights Reserved

The Jersey Evening Post reports that traditions travel : Mr De Sousa said: ‘Last year I created something like this in Madeira where this sort of thing is typical. I think that this is the best thing for Christmas as you need more than just a tree to mark the occasion. We have even had one class of schoolchildren come and visit. They all took a picture and said how wonderful it was. People just love it and I am very happy to see them so excited.’ No room at the inn … but there’s space in the garage

What do you put on the dinner table at a climate conference? The answer: you make sure that the carbon footprint is low. Indeed, key ingredients for the royal banquet placed the emphasis on locally-sourced products rather than exotic materials flown in from afar … Madere Hors d’Age. Madeira is a fortified wine made in the Madeira Islands, which belong to Portugal. The wine is produced in a variety of styles ranging from dry to sweet wines. The islands of Madeira have a long wine making history dating back to the days when Madeira was a standard port of call for ships heading to the New World or the East Indies. To prevent the wine from spoiling, neutral grape spirit was added. On the long sea voyages, the wines would be exposed to excessive heat and movement which transformed the flavor of the wine as the wine producers of Madeira found out when an unsold shipment of wine returned to the islands after a round trip. Today, Madeira is noted for its unique wine making process which involves heating the wine up for an extended period of time and deliberately exposing the wine to some levels of oxidation. Judging from the outcome of the conference in Copenhagen, Madeira Wine also doesn’t reach the parts that other wines don’t reach. Madere Hors d’Age on the menu

Anyone thinking of checking in on the blog tomorrow, I can’t promise anything. I worked the last two Christmases, and the blog had as many visitors as any other day, but us bloggers need a few hours off now and again, as I said I can’t promise anything. I will make a posting I will prepare later, perhaps just a photo to start with, and we can see what happens from there. You can leave an Xmas message, a humorous one if you like, or whatever you fancy.

More than four thousand toys for needy children – Success of the campaign ‘Brinquedão’ is a result of the solidarity of the Madeirans. The collections centred in the Madeira Forum will result in 4,200 books and toys being given to children in institutions within Madeira’s social support network. The donations are both new and used, and were given in the build up to Christmas. The campaign almost doubled what was collected last year. The Foundation D. Jacinta Pereira de Ornelas and the Movimento de Apoio à Criança (Child Support Movement) are the beneficiaries of the initiative.

Crude oil slick sighted on the North of the island – A Navy ship was sent to the scene. The Navy is at the scene to measure the extent of the slick and collect samples for analysis.

Madeira is the main destination for the Portuguese during Christmas and through the new year – Crisis impedes a general increase in the end-of-year travel sales. The effects of the economic crisis are still making themselves felt, and the Portuguese are not spending much on travel during the festive season, although sales are expected to be close to the level registered in 2008. The travel agents are not suffering (financial?) losses compared to 2008, but any improvements are few and reduced (in  value?). According to the Portuguese Association of Travel and Tourism Agents (APAVT), sales of travel this year have fallen around 15%. Aside from the crisis, Gripe A concerns have taken their toll. APAVT data indicates that there is a growing demand for domestic destinations, at the cost of some travel locations abroad, and that Madeira is the clear favourite. The rise in the number of Portuguese holidaying on Madeira has really been a blessing this year, and I hate to think what the 13,500 unemployment figure would have been like if this hadn’t been the case. And that wouldn’t have happened without the general reduction in the price and additional availability of flying options between Portugal and Madeira. The politicians and airlines that made it possible for sure had other motives in their involvement, but even so they have unwittingly saved Madeira (so far) from a far worse economic crisis than the bad one we are currently facing.

Today’s news headlines from the front page of the Diário de Notícias, absolutely loads of them :

People defy the bad weather and come down to Market Night – The rain came at the time of the interval yesterday at the start of the night. The people took advantage. (hope that makes sense, as it doesn’t to me). I saw some coverage on the 9 pm local news last night, and quite a few people were milling around, but not too many smiling it seemed. Less people attended than usual, a fact confirmed by the fact there was less rubbish to clear up this morning. The clean up team was organised by the council to start work at 5.30 this morning in the Market Night vicinity. The counsellor in charge of the clean-up, Henrique Costa Neves, commented that "there could have been a little more civility", because the garbage ended up outside the catchment area and to some extent all over the city. Well of course he is right, and whilst I have no idea whether there were adequate rubbish bins spread around, he is being a bit of a humbug. Of course people make a mess, but when their behaviour is influenced by alcohol into the early hours of the morning, things can get even messier. Who supports the event, who issues licences to the sellers (who originate the rubbish), and who issues licences to those who sell the booze? … Funchal Council of course. Sr. Neves didn’t create the rubbish, but his council facilitated it!

Today’s main news headline : Nurses expose environment of terror – The president of the Order [of Nurses] say there there is a concerted action coming from the highest level to hide the problems in the health Service. The expulsion of the head of nursing at Santo António is an example of the "climate of fear and persecution". "There is a concerted action at the highest level of the hierarchy of the Health Service with the aim of silencing the more assertive voices, or silencing those who are closer to the users and that know the problems and needs". The complaint is made by Élvio Jesus, president of the Order of Nurses, who speaks of the existence of a "climate of fear and persecution" in order to silence those who know from the inside, what goes wrong in the health system of Madeira. This ‘climate of fear’ shows in the removal of the head nurse at the Health Centre of Santo António, who blew the whistle on doctors and politicians getting friends and families vaccinated quicker against Gripe A,  but also has deeper consequences. Nothing new here … it is reported frequently that the Health Service is run in the fashion that  Uncle Bertie runs the government, and that the government runs Madeira.  Even the Regional Health Secretary opts to keep quiet on the matter. Anyone attempting to speak out about a wrong is told to shut up, and probably threatened with some sort of big bertie stick if not.

The main photo today continues the weather theme of most of the last week, and shows a road and supporting wall which has half collapsed into a river, and looks like it will be very expensive to repair. Storm continues its destruction and  the spread of chaos – In São Vicente, isolated locations and houses are at risk of collapse.

Santana : 4 parishes (freguesias) without drinking water.

Torrent bursts through promenades at Faial and Madalena.

Santa Cruz : fall of trees damages houses and cars.

Floods and rock falls in Funchal and in Curral [Valley of the Nuns].

Mistakes cost more than €300,000 in a laboratory construction – Further works to will worsen the cost of the Veterinary Laboratory.

Elaine (west) has kindly covered some of the above bad weather stories … many thanks.

Bad weather devastates São Vicente – "The pig was drowned in the pen, the chickens and the dogs died". Most of the inhabitants of São Vicente woke up joyless, others with no desire to live. There were many tears shed throughout the day yesterday, particularly in sites of Rosário, Ginjas and Ribeira Grande, where the storm’s trail of destruction left a family homeless and several homes at risk of collapse. A desolate scene. The uplands of Rosário and Ribeira Grande were the worst affected, and there was panic to take care of several families. There was criticism of the lack of cleanliness of streams and of discharge of waste. The family of Leonitina Camacho was until yesterday afternoon the only one to be relocated. The water rose through the river bed destroying part of the house. A few meters from the entrance gate, the Vargem de Cima road was literally ‘bitten off’ by the current. "There was despair. No one got any sleep all night," she reported, her nerves still on edge. Nearby, Helena Silva was in tears as she tried to protect her husband’s car. "In another 10 minutes the river could sweep the car away.” Below, on the other side of the river lives Luciano Gomes. He is paraplegic and saw the water steal the few belongings he had. He told the Diário that all he had was some clothes and his wheelchair. "I have nothing left," he said. Waiting for the weather to improve was a group of men, all in their 30s. All knew that the weather report indicated more rain and more wind for a second night. José Manuel Rui Camacho had almost lost his cars. "The water nearly dragged them over the bridge. I had to tie them with rope otherwise they would have been in the river below," he said.

In Ginjas the picture, though bleak, does not compare to the neighbouring village. Fatima Lira lamented the loss of property and animals. "The pig is drowned in the pigsty. The chickens died, and the dogs," she weeps. In the village, the morning also brought the discovery of the damage. In the Galleon Trade Centre. Gabriel Cunha has not yet worked out the cost of the damage to his store. "It certainly exceeds 5,000 Euros," he estimated. The insurance policy provides cover the damage, but the construction of the pavement had facilitated the entry of water into his premises. However, another trader, Tomas Jesus, does not have insurance to cover his flooding totalling 2,500-3,000 Euros. Both lamented the loss of stock at a time when things are difficult. Ribeira Grande is causing greatest concern to the authorities. 50 residents are at serious risk. Cláudia Silva (21) could not get home. "I finished work at 10 pm and when I got here (on the bridge of Ribeira Grande) I saw that I couldn’t even get home on foot", she said. For 20 hours she tried to contact her father who was not at home. Then the phones died. "There was no phone connection, no way to travel on the roads, and no electricity. We were totally isolated from the rest of the world.” In the town the damage is enormous. In the worst case the water was up to the roof of a garage. Farmers were left without their plots of land. In the village of São Vicente the supporting walls of the chapel (built in 1694) were battered by the sea. The storm spared the religious monument. Above, the expressway between the roundabout and Loural Fire Station is closed.

PP Peoples Party  presents in São Bento [Lisbon Parliament] law to share out advertising.

‘Lobo Marinho’ returned to stay in Funchal. Commander of the ship predicts the next journey to Porto Santo will be on Saturday. Rough seas make docking impossible at Porto Santo, so the ferry returned to Funchal this Thursday morning. The first flights out today from Madeira went as planned, although a flight from Frankfurt had to stay airborne for a while until there was an improvement in weather conditions. The airport management company predicts that there will be some delays.

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 Thank you in anticipation.

Oh what bliss it was to sleep through the night last night without the mega-bangers at 5 am, 6 am, and 7 am for the Missa do Parto. I ended up sleeping through to 9.30 am undisturbed, and today was a day I really wanted to get up early, and now I am all behind. 9 days of just 3 or 4 hours sleep has taken it’s toll, and I am knackered, although from the comments the last few days it seems that many people are having a less than desirable run up to Christmas. A friend of mine coming from Ireland via England to stay over Xmas was supposed to have arrived Wednesday. His flight was cancelled, and he has had to stay in hotels and rebook a flight with another airline for tomorrow at a different airport (250 km away) because of weather problems in the UK. When he rang to tell me about the delays, I reluctantly told him of the weather problems at this end and the impact on flights, and he was none too pleased. If I can keep my eyes open long enough, I am really looking forward to tonight, as town will come to live after about 12.30 am, after the Missa do Galo has finished in the local church, but the feeling is locally that even if the rain holds off, many people will head home early and town will close much earlier than it normally does. It seems strange that the Missa do Galo (cock / rooster) is at midnight, as that would be the more apt name for the 9 early morning services. It was bedlam in the local Pingo Doce this morning, but I am glad I got there reasonably early, failing to find just potatoes, although they did have some really expensive ones.

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

If you post a comment and are not registered on this site (free), your comment will be moderated, so please do not waste time with spam postings.  If you register, your comment will be posted automatically. If you register, your email address will not be passed to any other party … promise!

Please send any topical or Madeira related photos or videos to Der at blog@madeira4u.com to appear on this blog. Photos may take a while to appear, depending on the number waiting. Please don’t send copyrighted material.

The headline news & other snippets reviewed here on the blog are mainly from the Diário de Notícias of Madeira, although news from any source is used and welcome.

The blogs in the ‘uncategorised’ category come from the old madeira4u blog.

IF YOU NEED HELP WITH ANYTHING ON THIS WEBSITE, TRY THE MENU ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE ‘USEFUL LINKS’ & ‘TIPS & HELP’

Madeira News Blog © 2007 – 2009 All Rights Reserved

Today’s Photos Thanks to  Martin L … Christmas lights in Ribeira Brava

CLICK ON THE PHOTOS FOR A FULL SIZE VIEW

"Hotels in the Portuguese town of Funchal on the Atlantic Island Madiera are also favoured by travellers; hotels in the port town have an average of 79.31 points and are fourth in the overall European Reputation …" TRAVEL NEWS GAZETTE

ALSO : Amusement park in Ponta do Sol – Giga Park A COUPLE OF PHOTOS

A short video here from the 4TH FUNCHAL INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

This from the RTP Azores website :  The number of domestic violence complaints filed in the Azores amounts to 3.6% of the national total, but the region recorded a 3.9%decrease compared to the same time last year. According to data from a report issued by the General Direction of Internal Administration, the number of complaints filed to the PSP and GNR increased by 12% nationwide in the first half of 2009 compared with 2008. The document says that police forces received 14,600 complaints during the first six months of this year, i.e. 1,570 cases more than in the first half of 2008. The most complaints were filed in Madeira which recorded a 24.6% increase over last year while mainland Portugal saw the number of cases rise by 12.4%.

"DARTMOUTH — Joseph Sousa, age 83, of Dartmouth, MA passed on Friday, December 4, 2009 at Brandon Woods in Dartmouth … he was the driving force in creating the Museum of Madeiran Heritage and was tireless in his dedication and promotion of Madeiran culture and history. He received numerous honors for his many outstanding accomplishments". MORE

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

Bonus item : Caniço in 1933 (on the Casa do Povo site).

More than 150 cars sold. It is a ‘safe bet’ for the Group Camacho. Of the approximately 200 cars set out in the VI Used Car Show, more than 150 were sold. The show was between the 2 and 6 December and more than 600 euros was collected for the ‘Hat of Hope’ charity.

Fighting begins with the ordinary citizen. President of the Council for the Prevention of Corruption in Portugal states that the idea that ‘favours’ for benefits are ‘a normal thing’ must stop. He is  also President of the Court of Auditors and pointed out that corruption is a phenomenon for us, not for others, and knocking at the door of every citizen. "Corruption starts as a small favour and may end up in  a crime. The fight against corruption starts at the common citizen. "In public departments, citizens undoubtedly see they will be treated more quickly if they give something to state officials. This certainly has to end once and for all." He reinforced, "People may think they are attended to more quickly if they corrupt. This can even be seen as a normal thing, but it must cease." "If we reach positive objectives in the fight against corruption, we will obtain better results in public administration, and overall, the affirmation that the State is like a good person." That is, the better that corruption is tackled, the more effective will be the public administration machinery, and less justification for corruption. Laws can only be deterrents if they give rise to sanctions. The Council for the Prevention of Corruption has been active for a year and he is sympathetic to the fact that people are usually sceptical about new institutions.

Air quality is better. In Funchal, the average annual carbon monoxide content has decreased by about 25% since 2007. São João (Edificio 2000) monitoring station data analyzed. There might be two explanations; the decrease in car traffic in the city and/or improvements in vehicle carbon monoxide filtration equipment. The annual average CO content fell from 522 micrograms per cubic metre to 401 this year. The lowest monthly averages were also achieved during this year, a continuing trend downwards. Two years ago, the highest monthly concentration was in January at 700 micrograms and the highest this year was in March but even so, was less than 500 micrograms. There are lower levels during the warmer months coinciding with the holiday period when there is less car traffic. Similarly, the highest daily averages are falling, from 1,300 micrograms in April 2007 to less than 700 per day this year. The highest hourly concentrations of CO for the last three years reached almost 4,000 micrograms which are lower than the legal maximum of 10,000 micrograms of CO per cubic metre. The maximum this year has not exceeded 2,000 and they coincide with the peak traffic times at 08.00 and 18.00 hours.

Christmas competitions in Machico. Getting ready for Christmas in Machico. The local council has released details of the usual seasonal competitions. Until January 4, ‘Machico More Sweet’ to preserve and disseminate traditional Madeiran confectionery and liqueur recipes. Competition of Display Units for shops from 15 December to 12 January. Nativity Contest to revive the symbolism of the traditional Madeiran presépio for people both inside and outside their homes.

61 year old woman brutally attacked. Occurred on Saturday night in Funchal by her brother using a hoe handle, after a history of threats. She has a broken arm and hand, scars and wounds and has been advised bed rest for eight days. She will make a formal complaint to the police, from which he retired but is still covered by disciplinary regulations.

‘Função do porco’ tomorrow in Camacha. At the Casa do Povo, the Christmas festivity program has been released. The range of festivities and celebrations include performances by traditional groups and institutions of the ‘capital of the traditional Madeiran culture’. Tuesday December 8 at 15.00 is the traditional ‘função do porco’. Nuno Abreu, the President of the Casa do Povo explained, "The pig will come already dead for the procedures of cleaning and cutting." The various steps of the ‘função’ were then explained, which result in the prepared pig cut into five sections. —- I will leave out details in case there are any vegetarian readers.

Quartet in Port; port full with up to 7,400 tourists. Four cruise ships in port today has meant that the arrival of the ferry Volcan de Tijarafe from Portimão has had to be delayed until 18.00, because the normal mooring site will be occupied by the Balmoral. The ferry will leave for the Canary Islands two hours later, freeing the pier/ramp for the Lobo Marinho arrival at 20.15. The four cruise ships are the AIDAluna (2,250 tourists), MSC Orchestra (2,600), Balmoral (1,200) and the Island Escape (1,400).

‘Weekbreak’ includes the Pousadas de Portugal. The product ‘Weekbreak’ is the result of partnership between Travelport and ‘Life is Beautiful’. The stays at the Pousadas de Portugal, operated by the Pestana Group, have prices ranging from 79.90 to 119.90 euros, ensuring brand new and better experiences at Christmas. These are available through travel agents and promoted as unique Christmas presents for families and friends. The first proposal is an inspiring evening for two, with breakfast included, in one of the 20 Pousadas de Portugal. The second proposal is a pack of two night stays for two people in the 31 pousadas. Pousadas de Portugal are restored buildings of architectural heritage with high quality modern interior furnishings. Ancient palaces, monasteries, convents and fortresses have been restored. The Pousadas de Portugal package includes the North, Central, Alentejo, Algarve and the Azores. The other packages include;  Country Escapes, Spa and Rituals, Charming Places, Hotel and Spa, Youth Hostels and Paradores of Spain. More information www.myweekbreak.com —- Photo is the Convento de Santa Clara in Vila do Conde, one of the proposals.

2,000 already have solar panels and other environmental news. By the end of November 2009, there were more than 2,000 Madeirans who have benefited from the ‘Medida Solar Termico 2009′ campaign, providing tax relief expiring at the end of this year. At the end of the year, individuals are eligible for a reduction of 50% of the purchase of solar heating panels from the beginning of the year until the end of the month. A family can save up to 70% of annual water heating costs, even on cloudy days up to 60% of need can be achieved. Already including Government support, the initial costs vary from 600 to more than 3,300 euros and the panels should last for up to 20 years. Details online www.paineissolares.gov.pt. For anyone interested in ‘clean energy’, another article states that 94% of wind farms in Portugal have been approved since 2005. There will be 76 in total (1,057 turbines), mainly located in mountainous areas of the Northern and Central Interior. SPEA criticize the lack of strategy in locating wind farms as they are sometimes installed in migration routes of birds. By 2010, the Portuguese Government predicts that about 45% of electricity will be generated from renewable sources. Quercus in Madeira have drawn a list of twelve tips that allow one to save the environment and lessen spending this season. Energy saving, recycling and using rechargeable batteries are some of the tips for a ‘greener’ Christmas. Saving on lighting, utilizing recycled wrapping paper, offering helpful gifts, taking advantage of the Christmas decorations provided by the Councils, for ‘sustainable consumption’. The Regional Director of the Environment at the UN summit on climate change in Copenhagen and Quercus are concerned about water management as there are decreasing amounts of rainfall in Madeira.  Madeirans have to rationalize water consumption, streams have to be maintained by cleaning and the Government has constructed reservoirs to secure water resources for agriculture.

"So who is the ass?" The CDS-PP in Câmara de Lobos Council still want the second access road to Nun’s Valley that was proposed in the last reunion of the Council. It is recalled that recently the President of the Government, Alberto João Jardim, described as "illiterate" all those who defend a second alternative road to the interior of Nun’s Valley. Roberto Rodrigues, author of the proposal submitted by the CDS-PP in that authority is convinced that these words of the President of the Regional Government will have negative effects on the next electoral results of the PSD. Rodrigues claims that he has no doubt that in the next election, the electorate will know the Curral gave proper response to the President. "I am convinced that in the next election, the vote of the people of Curral das Freiras will make people aware about who is after all the ass in this whole story."

Five arrested and 34 weapons seized in Nun’s Valley. Police operation lasting six hours on Saturday / Sunday, including house searches. Four people arrested for possession of prohibited arms and one for driving without a licence. The weapons seized included twelve firearms, two extendible batons, three replica firearms, five daggers, one sword, three machetes and a whip. In addition to weapons, 107 pyrotechnics were also seized and 24 large blue cans labelled as bleach but containing 600 litres of alcohol. The police also carried out roadside checks and monitored 88 vehicles. In a statement the police said that Nun’s Valley "reveals some disturbing deviant behaviour, particularly the high rate of domestic violence and alcohol consumption." These were the reasons for "adoption of a strategic intervention in order to prevent and tackle illegal activities."

Câmara de Lobos has 45 million euros budget. The Municipality of Câmara de Lobos is expected to have for the next financial year another Municipal Budget of the order of 45 million euros. Last year’s budget was 45.23 million, this years has declined by around 300,000 euros to 44.9 million. In order to prevent a debate on the Budget Plan 2010 at the next public meeting on December 18, and also because the Municipal Assembly meets a day before the last meeting of the town council, a special meeting has been scheduled for next Friday by the mayor to debate and vote on the Budget Plan. The approval should be easy as the PSD have absolute majority against the three opposition parties. The PS (Socialist Party) reject the Budget is lower due to the Local  Finance Law but because the Regional Government has reduced transfers. The MPT (Earth Party) believe that special attention should be given to the quality of life and money not to be diverted for what can be classified as ‘megalomanias’. The CDS-PP stresses that the crisis also comes to the Council and it is also the fault of the Regional Government because it does not meet the contracts-program.

More than half a thousand requested retirement. This year, a total of 516 public employees have requested early retirement. It is a very high value, more than double than in some recent years and not the record only because last year’s accumulation represented two years (2007 and 2008), reaching a total of 625 retirements. Almost a third (139) were from the educational section, of which 74 were teachers, possibly reflecting the turmoil that resulted from the new arrangements for evaluation and career development. Another significant share of outflows were from the areas of social services and health, with 172 retirements, as follows: 139 from the Health Service, 33 from Social Security, 3 from Health and Social Services Administration. 17 doctors retired (including 14 Heads of Departments), more than in any previous year, a phenomenon that should not be alien to the restructuring of the Central Hospital of Funchal. Also 44 nurses left active service. High outputs in the Department of Natural Resources (43), the 11 local Councils (53, 26 in Funchal), ANAM (19), RAMEDM- Roads of Madeira (13) and Social Equipment (13). The sum of the pension these 516 retirees are entitled to reaches a total value of 581,000 euros, that is, an average monthly pension of 1,125 euros. This is slightly below last year’s value of 1,169 euros. Men on average earn 76 euros less pension than women but the ‘millionaire pensioners’ barely cover women, last year 8 out of the 10 highest pensions were awarded to men. In the last 10 years, 3,918 public sector pensioners have been created, an average of 391 per year. The highest pension among the 516 retirees this year was awarded to a notary who is entitled to receive 4,500 euros a month.  It is about 20 times more than the five people who received the lowest pension of 227 euros per month. Among the other beneficiaries of the ten highest pensions, six were doctors, a nurse, a university professor and a deputy.

Lights go on today in São Vicente. The illuminations start today at 21.00 in São Vicente, also in the centres of Ponta Delgada and Boaventura. There will be two presépios in São Vicente, one Madeiran in the lobby of the Municipal Building and a large one in the Municipal Garden. The illuminations will continue until January 22, day of the patron saint of the county, which is a municipal holiday. The Night Market is on December 18, with Christmas carols.

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

Plan for the mountain range include Rabaçal cable car – The popular action is in progress. The time has come to join the ‘class action’ against the cable car that is planned for construction in Rabaçal. The action was instigated in March by two environmental organisations, both with the intent of putting a stop to the project. ‘Quercus National Association for Nature Conservation’ and ‘The Friends of the Ecological Park’ asked the Administrative Court of Funchal (TAF) for a declaration of nullity or annulment of the decision of the Madeira Government, approving the planned construction in the laurissilva forest, an area classified as "biological reserve" by the Council of Europe, and as a world natural heritage site by UNESCO.

Funchal Council identifies trees of public interest.

Future of the land doesn’t get decided just in Copenhagen.

Today’s main news headline :  Cheque mystery – Santana Council passed a cheque to its ex-president to the value of nearly €5,000, relating to entertaining expenses  in the final three years of his political mandate. Carlos Pereira left it in a office in the câmara from where it would come to be removed on the day that the new executive took office. The cheque showed up weeks later, in a donation box in Sé. When Pereira returned to his office to ‘clear out his desk’ he was pretty upset to find his cheque had disappeared, but his happiness returned when a council employee told him that his cheque had turned up in the donation box in Sé Cathedral in Funchal. The story seems implausible even within a comedy,  but Pereira confirms that the cheque was stolen by someone who had access to keys, narrowing it down to just a few people.  He thinks it was a prank in bad taste, because no one else could have banked the cheque, or an act of ‘pure malice’, as he sought to play down the matter. The matter was resolved when a priest at the Cathedral had called the council very surprised to have found the cheque that had appeared, with the name of the ex-president (PSD). Very upsetting, I could hardly swallow my breakfast cereal reading this tale of woe. It just goes to show that the PSD unpleasantness extends within the party, and is not just reserved for outsiders. Is there no system to stop a stolen cheque here then, as issuing a new one surely wouldn’t have been an insurmountable problem?

Almost 100 went to the Gripe A Centre and to the confusion. The treatment centre at Santo António was very busy and the users were muddled. 82 concerned / sick people had turned up at the new swine flu treatment centre by 5 pm yesterday, on its first day of operation, some having firstly gone to the Emergencies at the hospital (obviously not blog readers then!), and others went to Santo António when they should have gone to their local health centre. One father of a sick boy, said he first of all rang the ‘Health Line’, where he was told to go to the hospital, only to find that he ‘was knocking on the wrong door’. He was then told to go to Santo António, and he did so, despite actually living in Garajau and covered by the health centre in Machico. But common sense prevailed and the sick boy was attended to at Santo António. Some patients had to wait in the reception as the waiting room and corridor was filled with adults and children wearing green surgical masks. Talk about the unpleasant things people have to do in life sometimes, as this must rank amongst one of them … being perfectly healthy yourself and having to take a kid (who may or may not have Gripe A) into a room of festering germs, all eager to jump down ones throat. Must be almost as bad as going out to lunch with Uncle Bertie … no I jest … bring on the swine flu!

The public revenue doesn’t depend on the authorisation of the State.

Nacional celebrate 99 years with two victories – The Alvinegros went to Leiria winning by 1 – 2 and keep fourth place in the premier league. The other victory came from hospital : Manager Manuel Machado is now conscious and out of danger.

That’s all I have time for. If anyone else can oblige with any of the ‘blank’ headlines, here is the link 

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

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

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

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

If you post a comment and are not registered on this site (free), your comment will be moderated, so please do not waste time with spam postings.  If you register, your comment will be posted automatically. If you register, your email address will not be passed to any other party … promise!

Please send any topical or Madeira related photos or videos to blog@madeira4u.com to appear on this blog. Photos may take a while to appear, depending on the number waiting. Please don’t send copyrighted material.

The headline news & other snippets reviewed here on the blog are mainly from the Diário de Notícias of Madeira, although news from any source is used and welcome.

The blogs in the ‘uncategorised’ category come from the old madeira4u blog.

IF YOU NEED HELP WITH ANYTHING ON THIS WEBSITE, TRY THE MENU ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE ‘USEFUL LINKS’ & ‘TIPS & HELP’

Madeira News Blog © 2007 – 2009 All Rights Reserved

This might be of interest to Irish readers, not that I was aware that SATA flies to Ireland.

"Madeira Late sale bargain prices – We have just received a further allocation of seats on the direct Scheduled SATA service to Funchal Madeira which departs every Sunday, the seats are on November 29, December 6 & 13 and January 10, 17, 25 & 31. Hotel Raga 4* B&B from €499 – Hotel Melia Mare 5* B&B from €599 – Hotel Tivoli 5* B&B + 5 evening meals from €699". IS THE RAGA REALLY A 4 STAR HOTEL?

Also for Irish readers, who may not know that Budget Travel has gone bust. IRISH INDEPENDENT 28 travellers are currently stuck here on Madeira.

"Sir Winston Churchill, one of Europe’s most recognisable political figures, was famous for his rousing speeches and war-time strength; what most people don’t know is how he concealed his ill-health from the world by taking recuperating holidays in Madeira". Another one of those Winston Churchill on Madeira articles, nice, but much the same as the many others. WINSTON ON MADEIRA

Can you imagine going into a shop to buy bananas here on Madeira, and getting home and opening the bag and finding that your bananas worked out at €1 each. It can happen I promise. The proof will follow in the next few days. Also if I remember I will tell you about a vegetable that can cost here as much as €20 a kilo, and it’s not a spice or anything fancy. Anyone noticed that broccoli and cauliflower have been remarkably cheap these last couple of weeks. My diet and freezer are filling up with both vegetables. What’s the most expensive fruit or vegetable you have seen? 

Rita sent in this story (or two) that she wrote for friends … many thanks.

We have a loja (shop) in Funchal where all the government departments have counters – you just take a ticket and await your turn – a very good system. However, when I visited the Estrangeiros (immigration) to renew my residency after five years I was told I had to ring a central number to get an appointment before they could deal with my application, despite the fact that there was nobody else waiting and the girl could have done it immediately. I then spent the next two days trying to navigate my way through the telephone system pressing the right button after a series of messages in Portuguese and then sitting for ever with some ghastly music playing in my ear. When I finally got someone to answer I was given an appointment at the loja for the next day, but it did not stop someone queue jumping me. After I had given my fingerprint which is the final detail of the application I asked the girl if she was happy with the new system – very much she replied – I kept my cool and remarked that although it was better for her it may not be so easy for her public…….! On the other hand I went to the laboratory to get my INR blood test done only to find that they must have gone through an inspection of some sort because up until now I have paid my 75 cents when they took the blood but this time was told I needed to wait and pay when picking up the results. When I did return for the results I was presented with an invoice for only 40 cents and was required to sign for the results. You win some – you lose some!!

Rita also sent me a fantastic photo, but that’s on the waiting list so it will be a little while before that treat appears.

Wednesday night was a bit special here in Ribeira Brava when our collection of ‘selos’ (the government seals that are stuck onto cigarette packets) reached the 1 kilogramme target. I don’t recall exactly when this particular collection was started, but it can’t be far off a year ago, but that’s another wheelchair ‘raised’ for someone who hopefully will now have a much better Christmas than they would have had. The collection for the next one is already underway. 

Another bit of local news is that the free Portuguese lessons for foreigners, in Ribeira Brava, will continue in the new year, and for now are planned to run until the end of the academic year (Summer 2010). Whilst new students will still be able to join, they should have an understanding of Portuguese at least a basic level, as obviously the classes have to move forward for the existing students, and newcomers with no knowledge will find it difficult to participate and impossible to understand. Anyone wishing to start from the beginning would be best to start by registering an interest at the school (or any school for that matter), but clearly the numbers would need to be sufficient to justify the expense, so it might mean a long wait. It also has to be said that my local school has not been impressed with attendance in the current class, with many joining initially and dropping out soon after, and also with some students who pop in and out of classes when they have time and no other commitments. I can pass on emails registering interest for new classes in Ribeira Brava, but I think it is better if people go in person. Another option, almost certainly quicker, particularly to get started and back into education, is to do the adult education classes with the locals. These are not specifically about the Portuguese language, but the teachers deal with older students who lack basic education in certain areas, and will move around the class focusing on the needs of the individuals enrolled. Of course these teachers may not speak any English or be quite limited in that respect, but I tried it with some success. In my opinion practically no one will learn Portuguese from 3 hours of weekly teaching, and any classes will need to be supplemented with other learning and practicing activities.

PS – For anyone who doesn’t know there will be no lesson in Ribeira Brava on Monday, but Wednesday will be a double lesson from 3 to 6 pm to make up the time.

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

Machico infested with rats. The municipality of Machico is infested with rats. The Council admits difficulties in controlling the pests and the misuse of rat poison. The plague is in evidence in the vacant lots (photo) and houses located near the local Ribeira. Incorrect use of poison has led to the development of poison-resistant rats. The Regional Directorate of the Environment extermination campaign did not work because of the number of derelict land plots which are in the vicinity of the Ribeira – and range of herbs which help the spread of rats – especially in the city centre. One example is the large piece of land at the back of the Church of Machico, about 3,000 square metres, left completely abandoned and was provided for the construction of the Parish Social Centre in a program in conjunction with the Regional Government. The environment authority asks owners to have their land cleaned up as if the majority are cleaned, but there are others who do not, the effect of the pest campaign is reduced.  The rats destroy seasonal fruits and agricultural crops. A land owner lamented: "The rats have been eating pears, avocados and papayas. Just last week, I left out a bucket full of 20 kilos of pears, but all eaten. The official admitted that the campaign of extermination had immediate positive effects in reducing the number of rats, but the plague returned quickly. This is due to poor application of poison. "Much of the success of the process of extermination was the proper administration of the poison in traps that were delivered to farmers." Of the 333 farmers, 78 did not use the poison as directed. The process of extermination has been carried out in two ways: The Council put poison in locations previously defined, while the Parish Council delivered rat poison to the farmers. But a lot of owners of vacant lots did not request rat poison. The Council have bought nearly 4 tons of rat poison this year.

Jardim Ramos abandons seminar. The criticism of the President of the Regional Board of the Union of Nurses, Élvio Jesus, meant that the Secretary of Social Affairs, Jardim Ramos, voluntarily left the room during the opening session of the seminar, accompanied by other members of SESARAM (Health Service Administration). Just before the opening of the seminar, Élvio Jesus, speaking to reporters, said he would take the opportunity to address "two or three issues of concern to nurses". Very critical, he began by pointing out that nurses are overworked, doing overtime "with great risk to themselves and to patients." "The tender announced (this month)  is not on the ground, we do not know anything." Although there is "strong pressure" to assign more nurses to community-based care, he warned it is "a huge waste of resources." Élvio Jesus also denounced the "climate of concern about what is happening in SESARAM", embodied in a petition which in a day and a half managed to gather over 600 signatures. The official went further, saying there were "illegalities that have to be repaired." When confronted with this criticism, even before the meeting, Jardim Ramos said that the tender for admission of nurses is being prepared and will be met. With regard to careers, the minister warned that in the region there is to be applied the "national career" pathway. He assured that there are nurses working overtime and that is why they are launching the tender, so he will ignore the petition. Jardim Ramos said that at the opening of the session he was confronted by Élvio Jesus, "with an intervention of Trade Union nature, offensive, disrespectful, completely devoid of civility and out of context of the meeting, which is why he decided to leave the room." He said he has always shown willingness to hold dialogue with the Nurses Union and the episode will not affect the commitment to maintain the dialogue."

Renewable energies. The Fourth Global Forum on Economy and Regional Development will be held in Funchal in 2011. This was announced by the President of the Association of Development of the Autonomous Region of Madeira (ADARAM) at the end of a workshop on alternative and renewable energies. The objectives of this workshop was to discuss how clean energy could be integrated into networks by 20 – 30% in the coming years. The aim is to achieve 20% in the short-term and European governments should speed up their investments so these objectives can soon be achieved, as in California, New Zealand and Denmark. The Portuguese company EDP is working with a German company to transfer technology to Portugal, for example for wind farms. Regionally, there is a political will to reach the goals set at a national and a European level although the archipelago relies heavily on weather conditions, rain and wind, to meet the aim to integrate 30% of all sources into the regional distribution network by 2017.

‘Winning the competition". Theme at the Conference of APAVT (Portuguese Association of Travel Agencies and Tourism). The recovery may be imminent and to do so they need to win the competition. A decrease in activity in the range 10 – 20% resulting in losses from the decrease in demand, taxation as well as inadequate cash flow problems arising from the postponement of credit. In a scenario not very encouraging, the President estimates improvements in 2010. The first signs appear in Asia and the United States, although not yet reflected in the invoices in Portugal. Training and having qualified employees is a priority. The congress will also discuss new forms of distribution – which models are effective and better protect customers – and sales – strategies to promote sales and customer loyalty.

119 creditors reclaiming €11 million from the bankrupt Elimar. The largest creditors are the banks but there are dozens of companies providing construction materials to receive money from this engineering company (one of nine companies of the group). After the first postponement on October 22, yesterday the Judicial Court in Funchal with a meeting of creditors, ruled for the liquidation of the company after a report by the insolvency administrator that recovery of the firm is impossible. Liquidation of the company is, however, suspended as a creditor asked for an embargo on the insolvency request arguing that the firm was solvent in December 2008 and seven months later presents a liability close to 14 million. The application of the embargo has not been decided by the judge. The report by the insolvency administrator lists the credits reclaimed that, with interest, already exceed 11 million. Anxious are the employees of the firm, whose claims have not been recognized but have to pay taxes and have been made unemployed. Elimar had 42 employees but the group founded 27 years ago (9 companies) has a total of 72 employees.

‘Hole’ in Areal Dourado estimated at 60,000 Euros. First reported yesterday. The diversion of funds of the municipal group Areal Dourado is estimated at approximately 60,000 Euros. No one from the Municipality of Porto Santo was available for comment but sources contacted yesterday revealed that in just over two years there has been diverted a large sum of money from the treasury of that company. Funds were used by the Board of Directors of the company for their own purpose including purchase of goods and services of various kinds. It is unknown how the funds were diverted. The participation of the local authority with the prosecution services involve all elements of the Board of Directors but it seems that the alleged irregularities have been committed by only one member of that body. However in order to clarify the real extent of the irregularities, the Municipality has chosen to refer the case to the Public Prosecutor’s Office, who are taking the necessary steps to determine the facts. The Municipality has also asked Areal Dourado to audit their accounts. The case has raised eyebrows in the locality because the sums involved are large given the size of the company concerned. The company is only partially owned by the local authority and is designed to perform in various areas such as event management and management of social and cultural facilities and even at the level of social action. It is the entity responsible for promotion of tourism activities, cultural, recreational and sports activities that will contribute to the integrated economic, social, tourist, sporting and cultural life of the municipality of Porto Santo.

Market Night at Santana. This Christmas season, do not miss the animation in Santana. The municipal program is a series of recreational and cultural initiatives for the coming days. The program highlights the Night of the Farmers’ Market, the Northern municipality’s first ever and to be held from 20 to 21 December. More than 20 producers expected. Various traditional performances to attract more tourists to the town centre. There will be two other features: The Feast of the Nativity, set for 20 December and Exponatal, between 11 and 18 December. The representation of the nativity is already promised to be one of the largest in the region and one of the most emblematic with live figures. This is to capture the attention of children who may, like other visitors, enter the crib. Exponatal is to promote the county, the products and help businessmen and industrialists of the municipality recoup their sales. This will be installed in the area next to the Municipal Building accompanied by musical entertainment performed by different associations in the county. On the 8 December, the Christmas illuminations will be switched on.

Recall of Ben-U-ron syrup. Although there are thought to be no risks to health, the syrup was withdrawn last weekend form pharmacies. A change in the colour of the syrup has been detected. Some people may still have affected lots at home and should not use them but deliver them to pharmacies.

Lions Club organizes Christmas Fair. Next weekend, Saturday and Sunday and aims to raise funds for social causes. There will be on sale various products offered by individuals and companies, as well as new and second hand clothes. Snacks will also be served and homemade pastries and cakes made by members of the club and helpers. Part of the revenue will be used for 12 Christmas baskets allotted to households in economic difficulties. An initiative in partnership with the Parish of Sao Pedro. There will also be 12 grants to help students at the University. The fair takes place at the premises of the Lions Club of Funchal at Rua Imperatriz D. Amelia 84, between the hours of 10.00 and 20.00 next Saturday and Sunday. 

Brussels warns of danger of Christmas lights. 30% of lights are dangerous and half with defects come from China. The main risk is electric shock. 25% had defective wiring, 23% had filaments too thin for the current which increases the risk of overheating and fire, 19%  failed the test of protection against electric shock by insufficient insulation. Brussels recommends consumers buy lights from reputable traders, ensuring compliance with safety standards and warn you not to leave lights on when leaving the home or at night.

ALM staff can receive 35% bonus. The special regime of work allows the entire permanent staff of the Legislative Assembly of Madeira, without exception, to receive monthly, 35% additional remuneration based on their basic salary. This is to replace overtime pay which was seen as an injustice. When they leave office, they are entitled to 8% of the salary. This is for as many years as they held in office.

Barclays open two new branches. 30 November, new branches at Calheta and Ajuda in Funchal.

Christmas Bazaar. Red Cross. 30 November to 5 December at 21 Rua Dr. Fernao Ornelas. Crafts, jams, liqueurs and many other items will be on sale.

Christmas opening hours. Traditional trade will close at 20.00, except the week of December 21. Closure on Sunday and opening on public holidays December 1 and 8.

Air Force records 200 evacuations per year. One mission every two days. These are evacuations of injured patients from Porto Santo by the E H 101 helicopter ‘Merlin’.

Foiled robbery at a hotel in Funchal. Two men attempted to break into a hotel on the Rua Imperatriz Dona Amelia in Funchal. Yesterday at dawn, the two suspects were seen trying to break one of the windows of the hotel reception. The police were alerted and were quickly on site but the individuals fled and escaped through the surrounding alleyways and streets. The attempted robbery occurred two months after the same hotel was the target of a robbery by four individuals. These men violently assaulted the hotel receptionist and stole 600 Euros. There had previously been an assault on a hotel when a safe was stolen and the receptionist jumped through a window and fractured a leg, when it was apparent the robbers were armed with metal bars.

Police to monitor the environment. To discourage breaches of legislation. Enforcement action started last Monday in several areas, mainly quarries, aggregate extraction and intervention at the level of protected species. This action will continue until 29 November and already some offenses have been identified.

Romeira files disciplinary proceedings against two officials. These are the fastest disciplinary proceedings in the history of the civil service. Based on an anonymous letter to the Council of São Vicente on October 8 2009 (three days before the elections), the then mayor Humberto Vasconcelos suspended immediately two municipal officials (a building inspector and an IT official). On 23 November, the new mayor Jorge Romeira filed disciplinary proceedings. The reason was for illegal dissemination of information and internal documentation, intentionally and in order to undermine the normal functioning of services. One was working with the Judicial Police. It is unknown who is the author of the letter. It came to the Council at 12.00 and in the afternoon there was drawn up the order to initiate the disciplinary proceedings and the next morning, the seizure of computers and related work. The suspended officials are studying the possibility of suing the Council.

Today’s news headlines from the Diário de Notícias :

The main news headline today : Radar of €25 million already dominates Areeiro – the works will finish in the Spring of 2010 and the radar will be operational in 2011. The tourists stick with the café and the souvenir bazaar. Defence creates a centre for environmental education. Regarding the Freira, it was already stated that it would not affected. The site is supposed to blend in with the barren landscape of Pico do Areeiro, but it is impossible to hide the impact of the radar itself. A placard written in Portuguese and English explains to visitors that the radar is necessary to improve vigilance in the seas around Madeira, and for airspace security. It’s old news now, as the environmentalists lost their battle a long time ago, and it’s just a question of waiting to see how ugly the facility turns out to be in a site of natural beauty. No doubt it will be a talking point for new visitors for eternity, or at least until it rusts into powder. "What idiot allowed that horrible thing to be built there", they will be saying to each other. Of course that idiot will be the faceless Ministry of Defence,  who clearly have the power to steamroller local planning laws, public opinion, and common sense, all in the name of national security.

Madeira Wine and ‘Barbeito’ distinguished in London – International award strengthens brand  prestige. The ‘Madeira Wine Company’ was given the title of best company in the sector of fortified wines, operating in London. The annual gala of the International Wine & Spirit Competition also praised highly the 30 year old Vinho Madeira Malvasia, produced by Vinhos Barbeito (Madeira), and awarded it the title of ‘Best Fortified Wine’. Several other awards too, but I won’t go on as I never really understood mankind’s obsession with fine wines, maybe someone can explain to me? Me, I just go to the local supermarkets, sniff out a bargain, enjoy drinking it, and then sleep very well. It has never occurred to me to sniff a wine, then take a mouthful only to spit it out again. Is there such a thing as an unpleasant-tasting wine?

Funchal Council criticised for changing plan to enable project of Minas Gerais – CMF denies favouritism. This building has been ‘on hold’ since July 2008 after Funchal Council noticed that it has more floors than it has planning consent for. It is a private development by the company Minas Gerais, and is situated in an area  that forms part of the ‘Urbanisation plan of São João’, in Funchal. The PDM (municipal plan for Funchal) requires that new developments conform with the limit of four storeys. However the PSD-M social democrats, the ruling party in Funchal council, voted yesterday to accept the urbanisation plan, which the other political parties did not. Now it seems that the Minas Gerais building will be able to continue in construction, albeit modified.

Insults in the council session in Ponta do Sol. Easily done!

Local authority of the Socialist Party in Santa Cruz criticises it’s own socialist government.

Under-20′s of Madeira want to assert themselves – Today our squad has two games for the ‘Eusébio Regions’. The target is to reach the final on Sunday. Our younger footballers set off for Lisbon yesterday for a regional tournament, named after Portugal’s most respected(?) footballer Eusébio da Silva Ferreira.

Trindade widens promotions to emigration – Portugal Tourism bets on South Africa and Venezuela during the coming year.

Please feel free to put some more meat on these or submit any other stories.

A news extra from Elaine : Car crime silly initiative – Come and get my valuables!

Police are going to leave notices on cars with belongings in sight inside. In order to prevent theft from cars, the police today began an awareness raising campaign that alerts owners to adopt behaviours that may prevent the occurrence of this type of crime. The initiative seeks to alert the owners of vehicles to the importance of not leaving valuables inside the car as this contributes to the risk of them being stolen. Thus whenever the Traffic Police detect the presence of certain objects or items in sight inside the car, they put a warning notice under the windscreen wipers. — They tried this in America and the UK, and not surprisingly crime went up as thieves knew which cars to target!

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

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

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

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

If you post a comment and are not registered on this site (free), your comment will be moderated, so please do not waste time with spam postings.  If you register, your comment will be posted automatically. If you register, your email address will not be passed to any other party … promise!

Please send any topical or Madeira related photos or videos to blog@madeira4u.com to appear on this blog. Photos may take a while to appear, depending on the number waiting. Please don’t send copyrighted material.

The headline news & other snippets reviewed here on the blog are mainly from the Diário de Notícias of Madeira, although news from any source is used and welcome.

The blogs in the ‘uncategorised’ category come from the old madeira4u blog.

IF YOU NEED HELP WITH ANYTHING ON THIS WEBSITE, TRY THE MENU ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE ‘USEFUL LINKS’ & ‘TIPS & HELP’

Madeira News Blog © 2007 – 2009 All Rights Reserved

"Madeira, the Portuguese island known as the floating island of flowers that lies offshore in the Atlantic just like the Spanish Canaries, provides an unusual sliver of Portuguese tradition but with a flavour of independence. The island no longer depends on its mainland parent for anything and unless you knew its history you could easily leave without having any clue about its mainland links". WHERE DO PEOPLE GET THEIR INFORMATION FROM ?

"Well, I am sure there is a whole lot of other exciting stuff, but Madeira pretty much trumps everything since there are only 10 missionaries there, it is pretty coveted. Irmã Draper has been looking at me about every 10 minutes for the past two days and saying something along the lines of…. you realize you are going to Madeira!" YOU WORK IT OUT AS I COULDN’T

Sue kindly sent in these news stories, many thanks :

Conductor of the Classical Orchestra of Madeira – Rui Massena in Dukes. The conductor of the Classical Orchestra of Madeira (OCM), Rui Massena, runs on Saturday, the Dukes, in Guimarães, the Orchestra of the North. The concerts will be interpreted works by Shostakovich (the opening party, op.96), Tchaikovsky (the Overture Romeo and Juliet) and the Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninov (Rhapsody on a theme of Panini, op.43 for piano and orchestra minor), which will feature the pianist Antonio Oliveira.  Rui Massena is considered one of the youngest conductors Portuguese, is 36 years old, was born in Vila Nova de Gaia, began learning piano at six years old and runs the CMO since 2000. Graduated in conducting at the National Academy Orchestra under the guidance of Jean-Marc Burfin and continued his studies in Italy, with Gianluigi Gelmetti, and France, with Cristhian Manem. He was conductor of several concerts in some of the most prestigious venues in the world, cases of Dvorak Hall (Prague), Tonhale (Zurich), La Fenice (Venice), Carnegie Hall (New York) and New England Symphonic Ensemble. Directed José Carreras, Jose Cura, Mark Zeltser, Eva Maria Zuk, among many others, and orchestras in Portugal, Italy, Mexico, Finland, Switzerland, Austria, Belgium, Spain, Canada and the Czech Republic. Was the guest conductor for the Presidency of the Republic, for the concert commemorating the Day of Portugal – 10 June. Since 2005, Rui Massena is also the educational director of the Conservatory – Schools of the Arts of Wood and artistic director of the International Competition Wood Music

In the Region, under the Safe Summer Program – PSP oversaw 260 homes this summer.
During the summer of 2009, the PSP has overseen 260 homes in the region, under the Safe Summer program. This is a program in which the police carried out surveillance of homes during the holiday period of the owners, by their request. PSP-M emphasizes the effectiveness of the police action, since "there was a single residence associated with any anomaly, any theft or any other disturbance."

Municipality of San Vicente launches program to support basic needs – Board is helping the county’s elderly. The Board of St. Vincent will do a survey of people over 65 years living in the county and determine the conditions under which they live. The "Program 65 +", and called the initiative will, for example, building ramps to homes to provide easy access and guarantee the purchase of medicines or food, going to get them at pharmacies or markets.  The Mayor of St. Vincent will promote a survey of the number of seniors over sixty-five years and their living conditions.  The initiative comes under the Program 65 +, a project that will be led by the northern municipality as early as next January.  Jorge Romeira, speaking to the JOURNAL OF MADEIRA, that it has already contacted a local association (the Association of Development of North Madeira), with the task of putting the project on the ground.  The mayor notes that the project includes the removal of all persons over 65 years living in the municipality of San Vicente.  "We know how they live, where living conditions if they are alone or accompanied and what their main needs," he explains. Our party, for example, will assess the person’s access between the road and the house in order to facilitate their mobility. "The project could include a cementing  footpaths, placing of ramps instead of stairs, etc.." He said.  But the initiative will also serve to assess other needs of the elderly. "People often do not have anybody to go buy drugs or foods. The project will include this service, "he added.  He says that the support would be individualized and considered on a case by case. Socially, the Mayor of St. Vincent also announced that "promoting the improvement of municipal services for staff and users’ and recalls the construction of an old people’s home (Dona Hilaria Davis) and a public garden.

The program of the Regional Government and CMSV are also covered in the construction of the Bonaventure community centre, support for social housing, the creation of the Office for the farmer, by encouraging the construction of small "barns" on agricultural land and building partnerships with institutions such as Social Solidarity. There will be the implementation of activities of leisure, the creation of youth cards, social support to schools, jobs and sports, incentives for private companies to create jobs and promote employment Industrial Park of cherries for the promotion of employment.

Man tried to rob the bank but ended up surrendering to police. A man tried to rob today a bank branch in Covington using a weapon, but ended up surrendering to police, told Lusa the PSP. The individual, aged between 35 and 40, entered the branch of the BPI Europa Avenue, near the main shopping centre of the city at about 11:35 am, where he threatened staff with a knife. According to police sources, have asked for money, but then ended up surrendering voluntarily to the PSP still in place, and without having in possession of any amount of money. This case was submitted to the Judicial Police and the individual waits for the first interrogation in the Court of Covilhã .

Elaine very kindly provided yesterday’s top news headlines again :

Airport screening against Influenza A. There will soon be created at the airport a Line of Screening against Influenza A (Gripe A / swine flu). An announcement was made yesterday morning by the  President of IASAÚDE at the seminar ‘Risk Assessment – New Risks: The Influenza A’. He took the opportunity to express concern about the fact that many people are not complying with measures to prevent the spread of the virus in the region. The airport has acquired sensors to detect temperature changes in passengers. Alongside this, there has been training for health professions. Mauricio Melim was keen to stress that the guidelines given by entities of Public Health "should be followed" as "We have a civic duty to prevent the spread of flu."

Christmas Events Program 2009.  Major points of the program. Friday 27th November starts the first phase of lighting in downtown Funchal, 4 December the second phase. On December 11th the music and performances in the city centre begin. On that day, there will be the official opening of the decorations in the city centre; an ethnographic village in the streets, a decoration in the Largo do Chafariz, in front of the Sé a Christmas Crib and other displays by the SRTT and in the Municipal Gardens. From December 11 to January 6, performances by brass bands, folk groups and groups from the Coordinating Office of Arts Education and puppet shows in the Avenida Arriaga. In front of the Municipal Park, there will be several animation projects for children. 2,500 people will be involved. New Years Eve will be celebrated by eight minutes of fireworks, consisting of 21 separate displays representing flora and fauna of Madeira. The Government will invest €5.2 million into Christmas and New Year and lighting will take over 50% and the fireworks most of the remainder. At present, the hotels are 50% occupancy for Christmas and probably more at New Year than last year. These will not make up for a poor year for tourism. —- Just checked the Tourism site, the full program is only in Portuguese so far.

Weather is part of the tourism attraction of the region. The regular mild climate is one of the main attractions of Madeira as a tourist destination. The Secretary of Tourism and Transport ensured that the region is doing its share to protect the environment and nature, focusing more on ecological projects. "Madeira is an island of ‘Spring’ and I hope that does not change." This is the debut year for the prize for the most environmentally friendly establishment. There are 14 entries from hotels, restaurants and companies involved in animation. The aim is to act as an incentive for companies to participate in more environmentally protection activities.

Volunteer Fair Thursday 24th to Sunday 29th November. In the Municipal Garden in Funchal. The Casa do Voluntário called on the institutions in the region to present work done over the years by the public, as well as sharing experiences and exchanging information, thus encouraging volunteering as an expression of active citizenship.

Christmas Parade. Parade dressed as Father Christmas to help support the two institutions that help children and win valuable prizes, is the challenge that Madeira Shopping throws to Madeira for next Saturday November 28. The Christmas Parade is scheduled for 15.00, leaving the churchyard of the Church of Santo Amaro and finishing at the House of Father Christmas at Madeira Shopping Centre. For each entrant (free) the Centre will donate 5 Euros to the Hat of Hope. Money will be divided between the two institutions; O Abrigo Nossa Senhora do Conceição and Lar São Filipe. The winning prizes are a playstation 3 from FNAC and a 100 Euros voucher for Modelo. At the end of the parade, there will be a concert by the students of the School of Arts and Music.

Court case after fire in the building Elias Garcia. On March 14 2004, a fire of unknown origin broke out in the garage of the building Elias Garcia III and forced the evacuation of the building. A 59 year old woman required treatment for carbon monoxide inhalation. The fire started in the basement car park and affected five cars, destroying three. It was fought by 10 fire engines and 40 fire fighters. The person whose car the fire originated in, is in the dock and there are questions as to whether it was due to either a short circuit or overheating, which he rejects. In the wake of the fire, the Municipal Service of Civil Protection carried out a technical audit that found security flaws and the absence of fire doors in the basement garage.

Regional Plan Against Domestic Violence 2009 – 2011. Since its formation in 2002 until last year, the Support of Victims of Domestic Violence Team has seen 619 people. Last year they saw 100 people and the number of people reporting violence is increasing each year. The most problematic ages are 30 – 34 and 40 – 44, followed by 25 – 39. The plan includes several lines of intervention; who to tell, raise awareness, educate, protect victims, prevent secondary victimization and qualify the professionals.

SANAS training course. Training 20 new lifeboat crew, selected from 60 candidates. There are more crew needed because of the opening of the Lifeguard Station at Santa Cruz and also needed for Funchal. The training lasts 120 hours, of which 70 are of a practical nature. Training in the following areas: help at sea, communications, meteorology, navigation, techniques for rescue at sea, organization of lifeboats, first aid, survival at sea, public relations and support for sports.

Irregularities in Areal Dourado. The Municipality of Porto Santo have delivered a complaint to the Court against some of the management of the municipal company Areal Dourado, which manages sports, social and cultural events. Some of the board of Directors are thought to use financial resources to their advantage.

Model Boat Championship. Organized by the Nautical Association of Madeira and held last Sunday at the Centro Nautico da Ribeira do Natal in Caniçal. The trophy ‘Liquid PC’ for radio-controlled boats winner was Goncalo Sousa. The wind was weak and variable, the participants experienced some difficulties because the small boats were unruly, forcing the organizers to postpone most races until the afternoon. With rising wind and tide, the races went ahead. The big surprise was Omar Vieira who won five of eight races with ‘Bleu’. 32 boats were entered in the races. —– I never knew there were model boat enthusiasts in Madeira. There will be train spotters in a couple of years too! Der.

Region has not secured 29.3% of the revenue. Never has the Government proposed a budget that the extra revenues represent 29.3%. This is the conclusion to be drawn from the fact that Ventura Garces admits that he would seek authorization from the State to borrow 230 million Euros, 15% of revenue, with  ‘other revenues’, 219.5 million Euros which represents another 14.3% of revenue. In the proposal he assumes a sale of assets worth €140 million and shares worth €18 million. The State should transfer 15% of the revenue and the EU 5.7%. The budget depends on the State specially permitting the debt limit to be raised. Revenue is expected to decrease, 29% less IRC and 11% VAT receipts. The Municipalities will receive €34.5 million from the Regional budget, and €69.3 million transferred from the State. The Government wants to raise the debt limit by more than €180 million to reduce the time taken to repay suppliers, to repay public debt formed during the year and the existing loans.

Sue is back again with yet more, so it looks like I won’t be needed any more today … many thanks ladies. Der

Urban Plan of the Ribeira de S. John goes today for approval at the meeting of the CMF – Index construction will increase in Cabouqueira. The Municipality of Funchal will adopt today, the Urban Plan of the Ribeira de Sao Joao This is the third and final plan that involves the three main streams of the city over an area of 43 hectares. Among many other things, the document will provide a higher rate of construction in the area of Cabouqueira (behind Funchal Centrum) and also defines a set of rules for the area where the warehouse of the Sa. The Minas Gerais, only goes with the presentation of a project that meets the new rules, i.e., the decrease of some floors of the building….

General Luís Araújo says F-16 will come when "necessary and appropriate". Chief-of-Staff of the Air Force, Gen. Luis de Araujo, said yesterday on the island of Porto Santo that the F-16 aircraft will come to Madeira "when necessary and appropriate." "It’s in our plans when necessary and appropriate, deployment of F-16, one or two teams, to do surveillance and airspace control this part of the country when the radar is ready," said Gen. Luís de Ali on the sidelines of the ceremony of founding of the Aerodrome of Maderia / 3, based on the island of Porto Santo. The deployment of the Portuguese Air Force in Porto Santo, created 25 years ago, has from now on be called the Unit AM3: "This unit has been in the Air Force for a long time but was not named, this was a simple ceremony giving a name to one of our "children," stressed Luis de Araujo. The general said that is also in future projects to install a military parade, accommodation for officers, sergeants etc. in that unit which currently has 15 military and a score of officials . Luis Araujo also said that if his mandate is extended (ends December 18) next year "in principle" the Day of the Air Force will be held in Madeira. The unit commander, Col. Joaquim Ferreira, reiterated the "need" to be made "minor adjustments in the modules as staff will be implemented at a local set of tasks of logistical and administrative framework that are, to date, done by other units of the Air Force. He also called for a solution "with housing, healthcare, food and transportation to and from the continent, the personnel deployed in AM3. The ceremony brought together several prominent branches of the Air Force, Army, Navy, Police and members of the Regional Government also noted the Unity Day of Maneuvering Aerodrome No. 3 and appointment of Colonel Joaquim Ferreira as commander of AM3. It looks like we now know what that radar is for on top of the mountain!

Cravo e Canela collection shows the "open air". On 7th December the store Clove and Cinnamon, now situated in Rua Vale da Ajuda, will display their collection of evening gowns and ceremonial clothing. The event is being produced by Eduardo Pinto and will have the support of the City Hall since it will use the promenade to the achievement of the parade. The idea, explained the head of the Journal da Madeira, "is to make not only our customers but also people who are in the street able to watch the parade." In a "showroom", the parade will start in-store, and the bridging will go through an entire corridor leading to the street, and run up to the parking spaces that are on the front of the store. According to Eduardo Pinto, this year’s event will again be attended by the British model Fiona (which, it should be noted, took the last two shows of the store) as well as Alexandra Vieira, Eva Lara, Yorain, Macedo and Licínia Roberta Laza. In enriching its collection, the Clove and Cinnamon decided to partner with AM Jewelry, a shop that will also show pieces of their jewelry made by prestigious international brands. Also of interest regarding the collection being presented on this day is that  Clove and Cinnamon have chosen to display evening gowns and ceremonial clothing. "It will be a glamorous collection, very colorful, where flowing silks and fabrics are featured", said Eduardo Pinto.

and yet more from Sue with entertainment news …

‘Mega Park’ under the airport runway opens on 11 – Sponsor wants to revive Water Pena, the fun of Almirante Reis. Madeirans can count this year with a lively Christmas season, which will have several areas or appeal from 11 December. The fun is in charge of the ‘Mega Park’ and the Circus Brazil, which will repeat their presence of last year. The main novelty is the installation of ‘Mega Park Madeira’, in Water Pena, under the runway of the Madeira International Airport. For the first time in the region as responsible for ‘Mega Park’, Fernando Tavares promises, that the park will provide, "the rekindling the Almirante Reis”. We will have some of Madeira’s best attractions in Europe and worldwide. This park will have several new entertainment and cars already having met the new security laws. The controller of ‘Mega Park’ highlights the fun ‘New crazy kangaroo’, which in his opinion "skips, walks in circles and makes waves" and "Megadance ‘, a radical fun machine where people rise higher and will be suspended upside down (not the the faint hearted methinks!). This year also highlights the trail bumper that Fernando Tavares said is to be the best in Europe with its level of security. "The track is 50 feet long and all the bumper cars are already equipped with shock absorbers, seat belts for drivers and two ‘bags’ in fly ash (think this is probably “air bags”). All as required by law." Day 11 entry is free. The "Mega Park" invites the islanders to attend the official opening day, December 11, where all the attractions can be experienced for free. "We want to make a toast to the population. We believe that, thanks to the place where the ‘Park’ will be mounted and entertainment that we bring, we will cause a revolution in entertainment Madeira. The fair officially opens to the public on 12 December and will close down on 17 January. Fernando Tavares highlights Wednesday as the cheapest days to experience all the park, where each attraction costs one euro.

Circus Brazil back to Machico. Even the smallest will have the privileges this Christmas, with the return of the Circus Brazil, after a first appearance last year. The circus will be based on the same site last year, that is, near the football stadium UD Machico, a place where the leaders of the City Council say there is good accessibility and ease of parking. The debut of the circus is scheduled for December 11 and can be visited until 10 January.
This year, more people will have more attractions to watch at the circus, with the main novelty being a fantasy of Harry Potter, but could still see a show ring that is unique in the country. Also promoted still be some jugglers and a special show with clowns. The price of tickets remains the same as last year, and range from 12.50 Euros for adults and 7.50 Euros for children.

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Sheila suggested to me that we look out for other funny photographs, especially signs like this, road signs, warning signs etc. Anyone have anything they can send in please?

It has gone midnight as I write this, in what may be my final story. Not much point in going to bed, as I have a raging toothache, for reasons that will become clear very soon, and the only relief I have is the soothing effects of Becks Bolero (nothing to do with somebody called Jeff, or brands of beer), but help is on the way. This month as you know has been an attempt to make this a community blog, with mixed results. With most of today and tomorrow still to go we have almost already beaten the previous blog record (under Madeira Island Direct) for the number of visits, although the number of contributors required is nowhere near that required, with half a dozen or so real heroes making a real effort to keep it going. But the sponsor is due to decide very very soon how or if the sponsorship will continue. I have a couple of really good (in my opinion) stories still to contribute, so whether I will get to write them or not we will soon know.

I had a little chortle yesterday, as I read some of the comments, especially after Martin had asked what Garajau was like as a place to live in. This was a man asking a question about what a place was like to live in, and god bless Elaine and Sue, but he didn’t want to know about hairdressers and knitting shops, he needed to know the hard facts about Garajau, and the script from a good estate agent would have been far different, although I did get a sniff of a curry house and pizza joint, so full marks for that.

Had I been ‘selling’ Garajau, I would have informed Martin … "that all the houses and apartments have rooms to sleep, rooms to eat, and rooms to watch TV, and Garajau also has an aguardente plant". "What was that last bit again?", Martin would have asked, and as I explained the meaning of Poncha, his eyes would have widened, his jaw would have dropped, and his cheque book would have been out, with poor old Mrs. Martin having absolutely no say on the matter.

Anyway I digress, as I wanted to explain about Garajau aguardente, which I think I may have mentioned before contains a section of bamboo cane or similar stick, around 15 cm in length. I really have no idea whether this stick is included in the one litre of aguardente, or is in fact a bonus, and the liquid contents are in fact one litre, and not one litre less the stick. I was quite concerned about this when I brought the bottle a couple of weeks ago, and had every intention of emptying the rather unattractive bottle into a measuring jug. But deterred by the price of the rather juiceless lemons at the time, it was a week or so later that I made the last batch of poncha, and in the excitement I totally forgot to measure the bottle contents, but next time I definitely won’t forget. (Going from Becks Bolero to Kylie Mynooogie at this stage, and the toothache is no longer soothed).

Anyway (again), no doubt some people will be thinking at this stage, "why the hell I am I reading this trash", so I should clarify that this stick is equal to a very very good night’s sleep in its equivalent liquid form, so it easily warrants a good discussion.

Anyway (yet again), the story started earlier in the night as I invented ‘Toranja Poncha’. I assume I invented it, as nobody has ever mentioned it before … or am I wrong?. With the benefit of being a citrus fruit much less sweet than oranges, and much cheaper and juicier than the lemons available at the moment, at €1.29 a kilo in Pingos, surely it was worth the risk as an investment, purely for the prevention and cure for Gripe A I thought.

Anyway (yet yet again) the brew was made just a couple of hours ago with the secret ingredients of aguardente, bee honey, and fruit juice, and the resulting potion is currently chilling in the fridge as I write, hopefully ready to ease my aching tooth and ensure at least a little bit of shut eye tonight.

Anyway ( … ), back to the Garajau aguardente and the stick. Having now made my second poncha batch and totally emptied the liquid contents of the bottle, I was finally able to extract the stick and undertake some scientific analysis of the offending item. Firstly, unlike sugar cane as seen being chewed by desperate agricultural workers who forgot their sandwiches, this cannot be chewed. These men are born with special iron teeth for chewing sugar cane. Do not even attempt to chew, unless you want a set of choppers just like the average sandwichless agricultural worker walking our country roads with a scythe on his shoulder … please take my word for it … do not attempt to chew it. It also cannot be sucked out or wrung-out as a means of extracting its valuable contents. Thirdly, do not put it in the liquidizer unless you also want a blade bent upwards at right angles. I have not yet decided what to do with it, as it is like having a large piece of high grade gold ore, but no smelting gear, but I would imagine it might do well as a distress flare or incendiary device. If I find the solution in time I will post it here.

My next report, on the aroma, taste and health benefits of ‘Toranja Poncha’ will also follow … assuming I survive the experience that is. It’s been chilling now for 47 and almost half a minute, so I think it should now be in perfect supping condition, but I won’t be back here tonight to report, that’s a certainty.

"We headed off from the bay about 1.00 pm and set sail on a bearing that would take us along the western side of the Isles Desertas which are essentially a couple of volcanic islands that rise up thousands of metres from the sea bed and as their name describes, are extremely deserted and remote, with just a couple of park wardens who live there, ensuring the very strict access laws are enforced to the letter". The fleeting visit of Sunboy the Sailboat to our archipelago.

Many thanks to Elaine again for the pick of the stories from yesterday’s news :

False shipwreck. SANAS, Navy, Maritime Police and the Portuguese Air Force (a ‘Merlin’ from Porto Santo) were engaged yesterday morning in a search and rescue operation following an emergency signal issued by a fast-launch sinking in the area between Madalena do Mar and Calheta. The effort was called off when the signal was traced to a boat in dry dock in Calheta. The launch had been impounded in 2005 when seized at the request of the Spanish authorities on suspicion of being used by an international network of drug traffickers. It is not the first time for a false rescue situation. The Commander of the Maritime Zone said, with both amusement and irritation, "It was an actual operation that ultimately served as training." The reasons that led to the activation of the EPIRB emergency signal are being determined to try and prevent a future occurrence. It is reassuring to other boat owners to hear of the operation.

2.5% of gambling revenue (12 million Euros) can solve many of the problems of sport. The final amendments to the Finance Act, affecting transfer of money from the State to the Region, are to be sent to the Portuguese Government for approval. 12 million Euros could be collected from the lotteries run by the Santa Casa de Misericordia. At present, the Madeira Government only receives 0.2% of revenue. In 2008, out of a total revenue of €492.8 million, Madeira only received about 980,000 Euros. The amendments propose that the autonomous regions shall be entitled to a share proportional to the quota of the people in each country. Madeira represents 2.5% of the Portuguese population and the Azores 2.3%. With this amendment, Madeira would have received €12.3 million. The money is to be spent between the sectors of social welfare, home affairs, sports and culture.

24 Unemployed Graduates in Senior Education. The focus on training professionals in gerontology is one of the objectives of the new Gerontology Plan 2009 – 2013. The University of Madeira launched a course in 2005/6 for Senior Education, to cater for demographic changes and new social demands. Few graduates have employment and complain that there are few career opportunities in the area as the training and regional authorities do not know about their degree, which is not listed in the National Classification of Qualifications used when they register at the Institute of Employment. The new Gerontology Plan will increase demand for their abilities.

Ex-deputy of the Socialist Party exchanges "hard day-to-day politics" to become manager of a business park. Maximiano Martins has accepted an invitation to be an administrator of Lispolis which runs a Lisbon business park of about 100 technology based companies. The revenue of the firm is €2 million and he will be responsible for presenting new projects of the association involving investments of millions of Euros. —-‘Jobs for the boys’

Metal detector at the entrance of the Judicial Court in Funchal results in security guards confiscating razors, knives and guns. Fewer offensive weapons are now taken to court, at first about twenty but now no more than three a day. Most people do respect the judges and the courts. Flared tempers usually lead to verbal aggression but sometimes they spill over into violence, especially in cases arising form long-standing family disputes. —— No indication of how long the detector has been there. They were installed late last year if my my memory serves me, as I recall almost the exact same story in January this year. Der

Landfill washed into the sea is no different from deposition after rainfall. Reply by the MDS after a complaint reported by the Diário yesterday about the construction of the promenade near Praia Formosa. They say that the temporary landfill which might be washed into the sea is no different from normal deposition when rainfall increases the flows of streams. They allege the statement was political exploitation by the Communist Party.

Still no licence application from the Chinese megastore. Machico Council, who also have to give authorization,  have received an application but the Regional Directorate of Trade, Industry and Energy have not. The store is supposed to be opening in November.

Lisbon orders review of ‘factoring’ debts used by Funchal Council to circumvent the debt limit, costing 327,000 Euros in commissions and interest. In 2008, the Tribunal de Contas (Court of Auditors) acquitted the council of ‘factoring’ debts to suppliers. This was to reduce the amount of interest payable and therefore beneficial to the council. ‘Factoring’ is when the suppliers are paid through the bank using short-term credit and the council have a duty to pay the bank and not the suppliers. Lisbon has upheld the appeal that this does count as debt. This latest ruling means that the mayor, Miguel Albuquerque might be liable to pay a fine of 6.50 Euros, Rui Marote a former councillor 9,000 Euros and Pedro Calado a councillor 1,350 Euros.

The President of the Tribunal de Contas has also complained that parliamentary groups in the Legislative Assembly are not submitting accounts supporting transfers they have received, but refused to name them.

Carlos Pereira sues Jardim for 35,000 Euros. Carlos Pereira is the deputy of the Socialist Party in the Regional Assembly (Parliament). Pereira manages a consulting firm and is suing for loss of dignity and professional competence, and as it is a civil case Jardim does not have immunity from prosecution. There have been previous court cases between these two. —– Who hasn’t Jardim offended?

Conference for school leavers to warn them about becoming victims of international trafficking networks. Illegal immigration and trafficking involving sex and labour exploitation. For labour exploitation of Portuguese, the main countries involved are the Netherlands, United Kingdom, France, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Spain and Ireland.

Mortgage interest rates the lowest ever. 2.36% in September, the average repayment was 263 Euros. —- Will this stimulate buying?

Government promotes organic farming to schoolchildren. Organic farming is increasing both in terms of farmers and area under cultivation. Between 2000 and 2008, the area under cultivation has increased from 21.5 hectares to 237 hectares, and the number of farmers from 17 to 77. This is an increase of over 350% and represents 5% of the total cultivated area of Madeira and Porto Santo.

In 2010, there might be centres for medical and psychological evaluation (CAMP) for assessment for a driving licence. This law has just been passed in Portugal and will be applicable in Madeira if the Regional Government decides to implement it. The applicant has to pay the fee whereas at present they just need a free medical certificate from the family doctor. This includes anyone over 70 who needs to renew their licence. Psychological evaluation will only be necessary for applicants in certain groups.

"Obrigado Madeira!" The only words said in Portuguese by the President of the Republic of Poland, visiting yesterday for the tribute to Marshal Josef Pilsudski. He praised Poland’s good relationship with the region and highlighted similarities between both countries; reclaimed democracy and freedom in  Europe and NATO, and growth despite the present economic climate. He said that Madeira "is a bit of a different world." He was "delighted" to see the statue of Polish Pope John Paul II. Miguel Albuquerque said that Funchal and Gdansk had a good partnership. The Polish representative said that 80% of Poles want to stay in the EU because they feel safer.

Google Street View coming to Madeira. According to Diário Cidade. The areas visited will be Funchal, Câmara de Lobos and Caniço. The data will be available in about two months time and the purpose is to aid tourism, education and housing.

Hunger strike next to Tribunal da Vara Mista in Funchal. The man involved is unhappy about salary issues related to an accident when falling seven metres off scaffolding during the construction of a building next to a school in Santa Cruz last year. He sat near the Tribunal entrance from 15.00 Tuesday, stayed overnight and was persuaded to leave late Wednesday by a lawyer and a relative.

Brazilian war frigate, ‘Defensora’ in port. The frigate has been to Scotland for training exercises with Navies from different countries, and has stopped here on its return to Brazil. It is an opportunity to make contact with the Portuguese Navy and Portuguese people, and to enjoy the hospitality of Madeira.

From today’s news (back to Der) :

Many may not remember, as there have been no reports for months, but ‘Baby Rodrigo’, the Madeiran born baby who needed and eventually received a bone marrow transplant earlier this year, eventually rejected it and died in Funchal yesterday. Rodrigo was diagnosed with leukaemia six weeks after birth, and a nationwide hunt was launched to find a donor, but unsuccessfully. Eventually, at the twelfth hour, an international search found a suitable donor in Germany, and the operation was successfully undertaken in Lisbon in May. He died in hospital in Funchal yesterday aged just 14 months.

From today’s Diário front page :

Madeira exports hospital waste that ought to be burned in Meia Serra (at the waste processing plant). A war between the Valor Ambiente and the consortium contractor of the waste processing plant pulled back the treatment and systems of hazardous waste years ago. The current procedure is more expensive.

Main headline : Council sues Metropolitana – The Development Society plays down the critics of the irregular dumping connected with its works on the Public Walkway project in Praia Formosa, making an analogy with the mud that on a rainy day is washed naturally from the rivers into the sea. Funchal Council reacts with an action that will result in a fine for Metropolitana. I just realised that Elaine covered it above, so it looks like the same story has been promoted to the front page.

Queiroz counts on Ruben Micael. Micael (photo),  from Câmara de Lobos, that plays (a blinder) for Nacional, has been selected by national coach Carlos Queiroz for the preliminary squad to play against Bosnia in the World Cup play-off game. The selection, thought by many to be overdue, may lead to a regular place in the Portugal squad that will go to South Africa next year, that is of course if they can beat Bosnia on 14th and 18th November. Another Nacional player João Aurélio has been selected for the national under-21 squad to play against England (14th November) and Greece (17th November).

Romeira invites daughter-in-law to be assistant. The auntie of the daughter-in-law will be secretary of the president of São Vicente, that appointed his colleague at the hospital as office manager. Hope that’s correct, and isn’t it great to know that nepotism still rules here on Madeira.

—————————————————————————————————————————————–
If you can, please contribute something Madeira related. A funny story or good or bad experience, a news item, or a story from a Madeira newspaper, a photo or video, a teaser, news of a bargain flight or item in a supermarket. Please help keep this blog going … without user contributions it won’t survive. 

You can email blog@madeira4u.com with any large contributions or comments and photos / videos, or if you can contribute regularly, I can give you a special account that allows you to create your own blog postings.
—————————————————————————————————————————————–

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

If you post a comment and are not registered on this site (free), your comment will be moderated, so please do not waste time with spam postings.  If you register, your comment will be posted automatically. If you register, your email address will not be passed to any other party … promise!

Please send any topical or Madeira related photos or videos to blog@madeira4u.com to appear on this blog. Photos may take a while to appear, depending on the number waiting. Please don’t send copyrighted material.

The headline news & other snippets reviewed here on the blog are mainly from the Diário de Notícias of Madeira, although news from any source is used and welcome.

The blogs in the ‘uncategorised’ category come from the old madeira4u blog.

IF YOU NEED HELP WITH ANYTHING ON THIS WEBSITE, TRY THE MENU ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE ‘USEFUL LINKS’ & ‘TIPS & HELP’

Madeira News Blog © 2007 – 2009 All Rights Reserved

I have never seen this website before, but it has some nice photos to which it seems you can add your own FOTOPEDIA

I was reading a website yesterday about property prices, that claimed that Madeira property prices "survived the downturn relatively unscathed and is (are) already looking at some growth now things are recovering". It also says that "Madeira offers a unique opportunity to buy property in the safety of an established property market, amidst the climate, growth potential and low living costs of an African nation". What absolute BS. I won’t even put a link to the article on the site as I usually do. Whether that is a foreigners perspective of the property market here, or just marketing BS I don’t know, but anyone considering buying here should be aware that the island economy and property market is still in recession. As for an African nation cost of living, generally speaking, that would explain the starvation, poverty and poor health suffered by many in Africa if they have to  pay Madeiran prices with African wages (I am of course referring to the underdeveloped parts of Africa).

"Fancy pan-fried frogs legs with chervil sauce or steamed wild sea bass with oyster tartar? These are just two of the creations Chef Antoine Westermann spoils his guests with at The Vine, Design Hotels™’ newest member hotel in Madeira. At UVA, the hotel’s gourmet restaurant, the award-winning chef creates fusion cuisine at its best. Locals have also discovered this gem – for its culinary delights as well as the spectacular views". According to the article they have a dog cooking the restaurant specialities, and I wondered if they are also serving any Korean dishes to the "Locals (who) have also discovered this gem". Bit out of my price range I suspect, and I certainly suspect its prices put it out of the reach of the vast vast majority of the local population. FROG LEGS A LA WOOF

Trindade reappointed as Secretary of State for Tourism – Socrates rewards work done in the last mandate. Prime Minister José Sócrates will bring in Madeira’s Bernardo Trindade as Secretary of State for Tourism. The Daily News of Lisbon says that the reappointment is the recognition of work done during the last legislative term. Trinidade currently occupies his place in the National Assembly as a deputy elected by the PS-M socialists in September, and will be replaced next week by Miguel França, number two on the election list submitted by the PS-M. The ‘swearing in’ of Secretaries of State is scheduled for next Saturday. That can only be good news for Madeira, it’s just a great pity that president Jardim gives the impression that he hates his guts. Welcome back Bernie-the-Bolt.

Many thanks to Elaine for this huge news contribution from yesterday :

Road construction in São Vicente begins with the police and a shot in the air. There was no official notification by the municipality that the construction of the road  between Feiteiras and Levada do Poio in Sao Vicente would begin. Confusion started at 14.30 when Jose Mendes was informed that his land was being "invaded by strangers". He went to the land but was too late as the bulldozer had already started and he has lodged an injunction for an immediate halt. He heard a shot but does not know who fired the bullet. The construction workers gave an alternative story, that they were warned via their mobile phones that locals were heading their way. This was collaborated by locals who said the owner of the land, enraged, left his car and was in possession of a firearm. João José Mendes says he does not know who the contractor is as there are no identifying signs. The council, annoyed, later tried to contact the president and executive of the services department but everybody was in a meeting. There was criticism about the time the police took to respond and it is for the bulldozer driver to decide whether to make a complaint against the person who fired the shot. The Diário could not get a reply from the mayor of the council, Humberto Vasconcelos.

Government is considering privatizing the Professional School of Hospitality and Tourism. Of the 4.5 million Euros a year, €2.5 million are for staff costs and €1.8 million for goods and services. The Department of Education and Culture is considering a public tender for privatization as many firms provide similar qualifications at less cost. The school has 460 students, 318 in residence and 50 staff. It was founded in 1967 and became under the Regional Educational Department in 1983 and a new building inaugurated in 1997. The building contains a 4 star hotel with 20 rooms for training purposes, and the qualifications are recognized by local businesses.

Controversy over Portugal’s new Government legalizing same-sex ‘marriages’. The Catholic Church and some people representing Madeira in Parliament disagree with the new law, especially as it is to be a priority when they think there are other more pressing concerns, e.g. economic difficulties. Regarding the possibility of a referendum, a representative of the Diocese of Funchal said, "If it is tabled in Parliament, it will be presented many times until they approve." The legislation was proposed by the BE (Left Block) on grounds of non-discrimination and freedom. The Socialist Party said it would be debated at the ‘"appropriate time", especially as the Socialist Government in Portugal has a relative majority, which means dialogue. The CDS-PP think a legal safeguard of rights is needed but not the term ‘marriage’. The Social Democrats think prioritizing it is "scandalous" and "an insult" when the "country is in crisis" and that the term ‘marriage’ is inappropriate in a secular society.

Collision at Quinta Grande damaged two parked cars. A car damaged two vans at dawn, about 04.15 on the 15th October and did not stop. Surveillance video (shown) has been released and it is thought to be a metallic grey Polo. The police and owners are appealing for information.

Nurses unhappy. Regarding the recent changes in management and the way nurses are not consulted about changes, a petition is circulating the health service. They worry that what has happened with doctors (sudden dismissal via phone) and now with nurses will spread to other health professionals. A meeting of the Union of Nurses representatives with the Regional Secretary for Social Affairs is set for October 30th, when career changes will also be discussed. —- Usual internal politics and management making all the decisions. More strikes?

An "environmental attack" in the construction of the promenade in the zone of Soccoridos.  The Municipal Council of Funchal have complained about the amount of gravel put down, needed for construction machines, which they think will wash into the sea and cause pollution. They say the level is higher than the contractor SMD originally stated and have sent a report to the Regional Department of the Environment and Maritime Police.

Collision between three cars and a motorcycle. No casualties but damage to the vehicles. It occurred at rush hour yesterday afternoon at the entrance to the Funchal – Machico expressway at Santo António and a 15 km queue formed.

The post of the Representative of the Republic is in jeopardy. Monteiro Diniz is the Representative, and a lawyer and has made comments about legalities of some actions of the Regional Government, in the newspaper Expresso. After such comments and his distance from the present Regional Government, the PSD-M and Jardim now want to end his position. His comments about the legality of the removal of the Socialist  Victor Freitas from the Legislative Assembly have not helped. (It depends on which parts of two conflicting laws you apply). Victor Freitas said, "What happens in the Legislative Assembly of Madeira is that democracy is suspended, the PSD does what it wants, does not comply with the Constitution or the Regulations of the Region." He said that the rules were subverted illegally, "This must be one of the worst situations that has attended the Regional Assembly." Diniz is not commenting publically, responding to Jardim’s letter in private, which accused him and the Portuguese Government of outrageous colonial imposition and dividing the people of Madeira.

Cunha e Silva meets with Barroso and urges his support for the region. The Vice President of the Region presented Barroso with an 80-page memorandum highlighting the importance of maintaining European Union support for the production of tradable goods, agricultural production, fisheries, energy, tourism and transport. "I tried to raise with the President of the European Commission the need to simplify the procedures and rules of access to funds."  The other Presidents of the Autonomous Regions at the meeting in Brussels were also optimistic about  Barroso’s support as he is knowledgeable about the issues surrounding the Portuguese autonomous regions. I know what I would do with an 80 page memorandum, and it wouldn’t involve any reading. As for simplifying the access to European funding Cunha e Silva must be joking. The rules are there to make sure European taxpayers money is allocated fairly and properly where most needed, and with Madeira’s record in bogus applications for funds and misusing them, the EU should make Madeira a special case and tighten the rules even more. Der

Jardim just wants justice. In the official reception to the Committee on Regional Development of the European Parliament, Jardim also re-iterated the need for continuity of funding, especially in the transport sector and specific legislation for the Free Zone. "We do not want privileges, we just want justice. We have reached a good level of development, but we need continuity. Just because the GDP has reached a high level, it does not mean that we do not need more." In response, the Greek delegation member praised the projects they had visited and saw their positive impact on the development of the island, although he had some reservations about the future allotment of funds. The airport, wind farm and water distribution network were seen to be good implementation of EU funds. —- They are worried as Madeira has exceeded 75% of GDP (gross domestic product) per capita of the EU average. This means it is no longer eligible for continuation of the present EU support after 2014. The Free Zone ends in 2011 (tax haven).

Easyjet carried 25% more passengers than expected on the Lisbon – Funchal route. In October 2008, they predicted 152,000 in the first year but flew 190,000 people. An average of 16,000 a month and an occupancy rate of 86%. It is in the second position in numbers of passengers flown via Madeira Airport, increasing its market quota from 7.5% to 13.4%.

Madeira invited to join Medicruise, the largest association of Mediterranean cruise ports. Formal entry will be at the 35th General Assembly in Monaco. This is important for the growth of the industry in Madeira and as a seasonal tourist destination. The 72  most important ports of the Mediterranean and surrounding areas are in the organization. Madeira joining will help maintain the sustainable growth of the cruise ships and passenger port, and break the summer seasonality. It will help promotion, and influencing regulation and monitoring by the European Council. Lisbon, Portimão and the Azores are already members.

Regional Secretary of Tourism and Transport wants subsidies to residents for travel between the autonomous regions and the continent. Wants the new Government of the Republic to give a more fairer subsidy to people travelling by either air or boat. Also need to resolve issues about maintaining the investments in the fishing port at Caniçal and Madeira Airport.

Santa Cruz Council wants more police in Nogueira. The council is assessing the situation and has spoken to the Regional Command of the PSP, especially after the attack on a fireman. Want to be able to resolve issues before violence occurs. The mayor did not deny a drug trafficking problem and gang fights, but also spoke of the work done by the Community Centre and that it is generally a good neighbourhood with some situations arising giving it a bad image. —- No motive for the attack on the fireman given. I do not know if the police have any information about who was involved.

More about the Gerontology Plan. The idea is to promote autonomy and independence to keep people in their own homes, rather than residential care. Admits there is not enough resources and this is only the beginning. One major part of the plan is to make health care more easily accessible through the regional health centres by determining present limitations. Early diagnosis of elderly-related illnesses and health education about them, and priority treatment for chronic illnesses to prevent future complications. Opportunities for both paid and unpaid voluntary work. The elderly will have a right to choice in the context of the end of life. There will also be creation of legal representation for the elderly, and a hotline in case of abuse. More social facilities and the re-structuring of help services. There will be community-based care and informal carers will be trained and regulated by law, at present there are 72. Small local residential units will be created and support networks developed for dementia and dependence.

Anyone recognise this from 16 years ago, exactly to the day?

Eight people died as a result of the floods of 29th October 1993.

Mud, debris, and rubble ‘todo o lado’. Heavy rains made rivers overflow, and eight people were carried away by the force of the waters.

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If you can, please contribute something Madeira related. A funny story or good or bad experience, a news item, or a story from a Madeira newspaper, a photo or video, a teaser, news of a bargain flight or item in a supermarket. Please help keep this blog going … without user contributions it won’t survive. 

You can email blog@madeira4u.com with any large contributions or comments and photos / videos, or if you can contribute regularly, I can give you a special account that allows you to create your own blog postings.
—————————————————————————————————————————————–

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

If you post a comment and are not registered on this site (free), your comment will be moderated, so please do not waste time with spam postings.  If you register, your comment will be posted automatically. If you register, your email address will not be passed to any other party … promise!

Please send any topical or Madeira related photos or videos to blog@madeira4u.com to appear on this blog. Photos may take a while to appear, depending on the number waiting. Please don’t send copyrighted material.

The headline news & other snippets reviewed here on the blog are mainly from the Diário de Notícias of Madeira, although news from any source is used and welcome.

The blogs in the ‘uncategorised’ category come from the old madeira4u blog.

IF YOU NEED HELP WITH ANYTHING ON THIS WEBSITE, TRY THE MENU ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE ‘USEFUL LINKS’ & ‘TIPS & HELP’

Madeira News Blog © 2007 – 2009 All Rights Reserved

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

From the front page of today’s Diário :

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

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

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

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

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

—————————————————————————————————————————————–
If you can, please contribute something Madeira related. A funny story or good or bad experience, a news item, or a story from a Madeira newspaper, a photo or video, a teaser, news of a bargain flight or item in a supermarket. Please help keep this blog going … without user contributions it won’t survive. 

You can email blog@madeira4u.com with any large contributions or comments and photos / videos, or if you can contribute regularly, I can give you a special account that allows you to create your own blog postings.
—————————————————————————————————————————————–

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

If you post a comment and are not registered on this site (free), your comment will be moderated, so please do not waste time with spam postings.  If you register, your comment will be posted automatically. If you register, your email address will not be passed to any other party … promise!

Please send any topical or Madeira related photos or videos to blog@madeira4u.com to appear on this blog. Photos may take a while to appear, depending on the number waiting. Please don’t send copyrighted material.

The headline news & other snippets reviewed here on the blog are mainly from the Diário de Notícias of Madeira, although news from any source is used and welcome.

The blogs in the ‘uncategorised’ category come from the old madeira4u blog.

IF YOU NEED HELP WITH ANYTHING ON THIS WEBSITE, TRY THE MENU ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE ‘USEFUL LINKS’ & ‘TIPS & HELP’

Madeira News Blog © 2007 – 2009 All Rights Reserved

My family recently visited the caves at São Vicente and had an excellent afternoon there. The caves are well signposted from the main Ribeira Brava-Sao Vicente road, and although the car park was busy we managed to get a space.

The admission fee includes a guided tour of the caves with the guide giving a commentary in English and Portuguese. The commentary was very informative and gave a good insight into the formation of the caves. The tour takes about half an hour, and at the end there is a short film of how Madeira was formed millions of years ago. The film is in Portuguese with English sub titles.

There is a small café on site supplying snacks, but my family and I had a picnic in the small adjacent gardens, which are beautifully landscaped. We found the experience to be interesting and educational and worth the admission fee. Adults 8 Euros, children (5-14) 6 Euros, and children under 5 free.

Many thanks to Martin L for that article, and the photos.

"New flights to open up Madeira property market … Funchal is without doubt the busiest town on this relatively quiet island, it has the appeal of the port plus amenities such as restaurants and shops to satisfy every visitor plus the added bonus of the most sunshine on the island!" W A L O C Typical BS from a property sales point of view, and for the record, Lugar de Baixo has the most sunshine, and in particular the part going through to the pontinha at Ponta do Sol.

"Funchal, Portugal – After an interesting first leg between La Rochelle and Funchal, the 83 remaining skippers (out of 85) of the Mini Transat have set off again, and are now sailing their tiny 21 foot boats singlehanded across the Atlantic, towards Salvador de Bahia in Brazil". GREAT PHOTOS HERE

We will be seeing the FIVE THOUSANDTH blog comment / contribution in the next few days … maybe our sponsor Madeira Island Direct will offer a special prize to the 5,000th poster, maybe not, but for sure I will be in trouble for suggesting it.

Following on from what was reported yesterday : Jardim Is Going To Make A Complaint Against The PSP – The president of the government already dispensed with his security personnel. Alberto João Jardim says that the police did not defend him from "a group of troublemakers" at the opening of the new express road to the port of Funchal. He also decided to dispense with the services of the unit of personal security that usually accompanies him at the inaugurations, and yesterday at a road inauguration in Lombo da Rocha he was unaccompanied. Dodgy ground El Bertie. You might be in charge of the island, but upsetting our fine police force is a dangerous path to tread … and getting rid of your security leaves you open to a direct attack from ‘the Rabbit’, possibly leaving you with a carrot stuck just where you didn’t need it.

UPDATES :

A great big photo of this large old building on today’s front page of the Diário, on Calçada do Socorro, but no headlines or any words at all. Inside it says that there are over one hundred houses in the historic zone of Funchal in danger of collapse. The threat of ‘administrative possession’ by Funchal council is having some effect, with some owners planning to do some restoration work. Just go through the Rua de Santa Maria to see the situation: Several buildings in an advanced state of degradation, some already in ruins. Throughout the street at least 13 buildings are ‘falling apart’ and / or uninhabited. The situation is repeated throughout Funchal, from Santa Maria Maior to São Pedro, from Sé to Imaculado and to Santa Luzia. Many of the properties are occupied by drug addicts, ruffians, and homeless people.

"Moral obligation to look out for the animals" – World Day of the Animal is marked today with a gathering in Santa Catarina Park at 5 pm. The man trying to set up a political party to represent animal rights, Rui Almeida, says that poor treatment and animal abandonment are "a sign of the times", and is proof that  society is losing its values. He wants to see the end of bullfighting and dog fighting, and defends vegetarianism. What’s for lunch today then Rui?

The weather is causing some problems at the airport, and a few flights today are reported as delayed, in one extreme case by 5 hours. It may be the same Easyjet plane that was diverted last night perhaps. Worth checking first – airport link on the right hand side of this page.

Today’s new stories courtesy of Elaine (Garajau) / Paul, many thanks :

Jardim against ‘Gaps’ in Madeira. Raining torrents last night for political rally in Calheta but Jardim still continued. Thanked people for voting him back in and talked again about "the madness that has gripped the people of the continent" (Socialist Portugal). He said the people of Madeira must be united and not allow gaps which lead to political instability and misunderstandings. Jardim cannot understand how the Bishop da Igreja Mana (?) can be both a Christian and standing as a member of the Socialist Party in the area – hypocrisy.

At another inauguration he praised the mayor of Porto Moniz, saying that the redevelopment for the local population has not affected the tourism of the area.

—I presume the mayor is PSD. (He was Elaine, but isn’t he one of those who got sacked?)

Fair with Better Conditions. Santa do Serra now has a redeveloped area for both a meeting place and agricultural market. — The photo shows the bystanders at the inauguration sheltering from the pouring rain whilst the mayor is out in the open for the photo-shoot.

ETAR will Serve 180,000 People in Four Years. The present sewerage system covers 165,000 people and there are to be three new treatment plants, those in construction in Caniçal and Calheta will serve an additional 12,500 and a new one planned for Funchal (2012). They will prevent summer water shortages and full coverage should be by 2015. The population of Madeira is 202,000 so the rest are on either simplified systems or individual arrangements. In Porto Santo, the population is 25,000 and the plant recycles the water so the resulting fresh water is used to irrigate the golf course and agriculture.

Unemployed People with Higher Qualifications. December 2008, 32,256 unemployed graduates in Portugal, 38% of total unemployed. 62% of these had university qualifications, the rest from polytechnics.

Savings in Electricity Consumption Equal to Ponta do Sol and Santana. EEM (electricity company) is implementing two campaigns to promote energy efficiency in lighting, by the end of July 2010. They are to replace 250,000 incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent lamps for domestic use and 50,000 for trades and services. The reduction in domestic consumption should lead to reduction in cost to consumers of just under 1.4 million Euros per year and trade 434,000 Euros per year. 

During the campaign, March – December 2008, 20,000 customers received 197,700 lamps. 381 trade customers received 15,236 lamps. This equates to a reduction of 20 GWh a year electricity consumption, i.e. 2% of total, is equivalent of Ponta do Sol and Santana in 2007. — So presumably, relatively few left for domestic use.

This new campaign means that you can exchange up to 10 bulbs, the replacements available in various different sizes screw caps and wattages. The prices are 0.96 Euros for standard, 1.56 Euros  for spiral and 2.40 Euros for the classic format. Pay at time of purchase from any shop in the MES or through electricity bill.

Joao Carlos Abreu on ‘Sound of Music’. He is to play in the English version of the musical at Funchal Baltazar Dias theatre between the 13 – 23 October. By the theatre company MADS.

Transat Departure. Favourable weather conditions for yesterday’s departure of the 83 boats, with good wind but small waves, so they went rapidly out to the open sea. Navigation is easier and faster now but will still be difficult in parts during the 3100 mile leg to Brazil, scheduled for October 20th. The only Portuguese is Francisco Lobato. As they are lone sailors, they are carefully monitored by medical teams and are accompanied by technical teams and arbitrators to ensure the rules are met.

Informal Ministers of Agriculture Meeting on Monday. 27 ministers will meet in Brussels to talk about the milk crisis. Expect 5,000 demonstrators who are against the new EU regulations on milk quotas. Authorities are worried about violence. — Still no decisions about long-term prices of dairy products.

British Conservatives want a Referendum on the Lisbon Treaty. Several members of the Conservative party are pressing David Cameron to hold a referendum on the treaty. Boris Johnson in an interview in the Sunday Times states that there should be a debate, especially if Tony Blair is to be the President of the EU. (Diário Digital Political section). —Brief article just states it is the eve of their conference, and that the election is not till next year.

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‘Cavaco Silva Adds More Fuel To The Fire’. ‘President of the Republic Accuses Prominent Socialist Leaders Of Manipulation – Cavaco Silva believes that they tried to stick it on the PSD’. Silva made a 10 minute broadcast to the nation last night over the shocking affair of his office being ‘bugged’. He accused "prominent personalities of the party in government" of manipulation, and trying to stick it [the blame] on the national president of the PSD, in order to divert attention during the elections. 

‘ERC Accuses Lack Of Balanced Reporting’. The Regulatory Authority for Social Communication (ERC) issued yesterday a statement outlining the main points of a decision on a complaint made by the PS-M socialists against the newspaper Jornal da Madeira. At issue was the supplement ‘autárquicas2009′ and the fact that in publishing this material, it just referred to the position of the PSD social democrat câmaras, omitting the views of opposition parties. The ERC decided that there was, in that supplement of  J da M, "a blatant violation of the duties of pluralism". The complaint of PS-M alerted to the fact that during the pre-campaign for the elections, the behaviour of the newspaper was detrimental to candidates of the opposition parties. The ERC concluded that "the lack of pluralism in the information provided leads to a serious breach of the principle of equality and impartiality, contributing for the benefit of certain political forces over others". The recommendation of the ERC, which summarizes the deliberations, should be published by the J da M. This ERC sounds like a toothless watchdog to me, if there is no further action taken other the publication of it’s findings. Still, on the positive side, had it given the Jornal a massive fine, who would end up paying it … us taxpayers of course.

‘Câmara ‘obliges’ some to give up school by not paying for student transport – In Câmara de Lobos parents have to pay between 15 and 90 Euros for each child to study’. It is an accusation from the CDU communist party that parents are having to take their children out of school because they don’t have the money to pay for school transport. A CDU spokesman says that the council is one that has "turned its back on education, on the crisis, and on parents that have children studying".

The main front page photo today today is an eye-catching colourful shot inside the farmers market : ‘Bosses Annoyed With Market opening – Lack of information fell badly for the traders that preferred to relax on the Day of the City of Funchal’. The majority of traders only knew from the newspapers that Funchal Council had decided that the market (Mercado dos Lavradores) would be open, and those contacted by the Diário said they did not want to work on that public holiday, preferring to relax along with everyone else from Funchal. The stalls were open from 7 am until 4 pm, and trade was weak. One flower seller said she had just €20 in the cash till at the end of the day. The shops of downtown Funchal were also running on ‘half gas’, but bars and some restaurants were full of customers.

‘Rescued From The Sea Of The North With A Tragedy Imminent – SANAS, the Navy and FA undertook an operation together that finished in a difficult rescue, at night, of a 20 year old man in the high seas of São Vicente’. A helicopter, lifeboat, and the launch ‘da capitania’ fought for 4 hours against bad weather. The 20 year old man who was catching ‘lapas’ (limpets) on the reefs of São Vicente was rescued in the dark by a combination of rescue teams, and survived thanks to being in good shape physically, the diving suit he was wearing, and his rescuers of course. He was seen as it was getting dark, and a surfer bravely tried a rescue and had to be rescued himself, but as darkness fell the fisherman was lost from sight. The alert was raised about 7.30 pm and the authorities rushed to attend, along with the Merlin Helicopter stationed on Porto Santo. The rescue was achieved around 11 pm. A spokesman breathed a sigh of relief, saying these night time operations don’t always go so well.

’5 Dead In Rock Fall On A Beach Of Albufeira’. 4 women and a man died after a huge rockfall on the beach of Maria Luísa in the Algarve. 6 more were injured, one seriously. One expert believed that the cliff face, which was already identified as ‘at risk’, fell after a slight seismic activity. Four of the dead were women, killed just after midday yesterday. 8 people were rescued, including the injured mentioned. Work is still underway to clear the location, but there will not be any more survivors found.

‘SPAD Received 184 Animals Up Until 19th August’. The number has been less this year according to a spokesman for the Society for the Protection of Domestic Animals. Of the 184 animals received in just 19 days, 57 have already been adopted. The SPAD adoption campaign held in May will probably be repeated at the end of the Summer.

The emergency landing of the SATA shuttle service at Porto Santo yesterday, resulted in one injury, a man with a light fracture to his left foot, after a drop of around 3 metres on exiting the aircraft. He said he was pushed by another passenger in panic. The escape chute on the rear exit was not put in place until after all the passengers had left the plane. A vice president of the Assembly of the Republic of Portugal was amongst the passengers.

‘Parents Deal With Purchase Of School Books’. It’s just a month to the start of the new academic year, but this year this year the sale of school text books has gone very quiet, in complete contrast with previous years, and especially last year. Large queues formed from late buyers, and supply problems from the publishers, have always caused a large headache with parents, not to mention the unwanted expense. This year, "Parents are being more responsible," says Agostinho Gonçalves, of Anny & Jhonny’s Bookstore, which sells textbooks for all subjects and levels, and to all parts of the Madeira and abroad. "There is much concern for purchasing the text books earlier", he stressed. This book shop alone orders more than 100,000 books a year. The text books needed are chosen by each school, so a wide variety are needed, although each book selected has to be adopted for a period of six years. For younger children, parents will have to find €60 – €75 for each child this year. In the secondary school this rises to €250 – €300 a year.

The sports headline today : ‘Nacional Prepares For FC Porto Thinking About Russia : Alvinegros (Nacional nickname) guaranteed a minimum of €900,000 if they eliminate Zenit St. Petersburg. But before that there is the game tomorrow in the Dragon’.

This weekend football : Marítimo are at home to Leixões on Sunday at 4 pm, and later on Nacional play away at the ‘Dragon’ against league champions Porto. (8.15 pm SportTV 1). There are currently 14 teams (out of 16) tied in second position in the league table, and I will stick my neck out and predict that will change significantly this weekend.

And from the political pages :

‘Solemn Session : Albuquerque says that the political class lives wrapped in cotton wool’. At the ‘Solene’ (solemn or serious) session yesterday in Funchal on the ‘Dia da Cidade’, in a 25 minute speech, one of the longest in 15 years, the President of Funchal Câmara Miguel Albuquerque accused the state of being "controlling, arrogant, and inefficient". The PSD politician was using a public engagement for political purposes, saying that politicians in the republic live in a glass dome. The last time I looked sr. Albuquerque you were one of the political class.

‘PND Help Jardim’. The New Democratic party launched a campaign yesterday afternoon, during Funchal 501, to help president Jardim pay the rent on the holiday home he is using on Porto Santo. The government owned property, reserved for the most deserved holidays for politicians and their cronies requires that a daily rent of €10 is paid by users, including Madeira’s president. According to José Manuel Coelho of the PND (aka The Rabbit), through a megaphone, Jardim does not deserve to be subjected to such "ingratitude", because despite being "retired", he still "cannot rest day or night, as he is always thinking about the welfare of Madeira and Porto-Santo". For everything that he has done for Madeira, especially "roads and concrete", and for being a "great world leader", at the level of Obama or Putin, he (The Rabbit) can not agree that Jardim has "to pay from his own pocket", for the holiday that he enjoys every year on Porto Santo. The money collected will be given to president Jardim. Yet another great wheeze from The Rabbit, the entertainment just doesn’t stop coming! Lettuce wait and see how much he raised for Uncle Bertie.

‘Candidate Denies Coming Together Of MPT (Earth Party) And The Orange Power – Lícia Agrela aspires in counting on the disenchanted PS supporters’. This is the next in the series of Diário interviews with the top candidates (head-of-list) for the national elections. The first question posed is about a ‘proximity between the MPT and the PSD, which she says is not correct and is just criticism made because of the MPT support shown for good policies (regardless of the political party responsible). As for the rest of the interview, I can’t be bothered. 

‘Santos Silva says that Ferreira Leite, in ‘democratic asphyxiation’, confuses the Republic with Madeira’. The Minister for Parliamentary Affairs in Portugal, Augusto Santos Silva, said yesterday that Manuela Ferreira Leite (PSD Leader) is confusing Portugal with Madeira, "where they don’t follow the main democratic principles". He was reacting to a radio interview given by the social democrat national leader in which she said that the main problem of Portuguese society is a "very complex democratic asphyxia", and that "people are afraid to speak out against the government because they have fear of retaliation". I can’t speak for Portugal, but yup, that’s definitely Madeira.

‘BE does not participate in the Day of the City – Left Block challenges Funchal to "think" about the city’. Left Block councillors did not participate in the formal session of the 501st anniversary of the city of Funchal yesterday, because they contest the fact that only the PSD speeches were permitted. A situation which has been repeated for several years. Only Miguel Albquerque, president of CMF and Alberto João Jardim, president of the regional government, were allowed to speak. Rodrigo Trancoso, candidate of the BE for the forthcoming council elections on 11th October, believes this is a clear trampling of democracy and challenges Funchal to think about the future of the city. That must have spoiled the day for everyone then, and it certainly got me thinking about Funchal, particularly on how to avoid going there during election time.