Madeira News Blog

(16th July). ‘Neighbourhood Of Bad Name And Scorn – Permanent tension. Inhabitants are unwelcome in the market for employment. Children without ATL(?). Families attempt to flee from there’. Nogueira doesn’t have a solution. Madeira’s government creates better conditions, but the residents wreck everything. It’s an area where unemployment is a true reality, where the residents suffer the fact nobody wants to employ someone living in Bairro da Nogueira, where the social problems just get worse. The population is stigmatised by drug addiction, where children have nowhere to pass their free time this Summer because the ATL(?) was vandalised and closed years ago. The more structured families appeal to the government to be moved out, while the neighbourhood becomes each day more of a ‘social labyrinth’. The area is of ill repute as far as Madeira is concerned, and the most scorned part of the island. They look to new alternatives, but this neighbourhood is at a crossroads of problems without solutions in sight. This long article is quite a scary read, it really is. I don’t think I have ever read such a damning write up about anywhere on Madeira. Whilst the day times are comparatively quiet, at night the streets come to life with people with drug and alcohol problems, and then there is often violence. The police are not respected, and the area even has the makings of a no-go zone. Everyone is watching everyone else, with a particular eye for strangers says the article.

‘Worker Dies Of Electrocution In Works In Bemposta, Machico’. The accident occurred when part of a cement mixer touched high voltage cables. A 39 year old man died, another was taken to the emergency unit in Funchal Central Hospital with serious electrical burns. An investigation into the incident has commenced.

‘Police Operation Against Drug Barons Bursts Into Estreito’. Estreito de Câmara de Lobos was the latest target for armed police wearing helmets, bullet proof vests, and protective clothing, in the fight against drugs. The operation started at daybreak yesterday, and took locals by surprise. The police were equipped with a court search warrant to raid a premise heavily suspected of being a ‘drugs barn’. Two men were arrested and detained, one was later released. The police also seized a vehicle, drugs, articles related to drug trafficking, and cash exceeding €20,000.

‘CMF Pays ‘Time & Hours’ Bad Debt Of 2005′. Funchal Council is making gains with it’s efforts to clear old debts, but the auditors of the court responsible for checks say that the council could be penalised through paying interest to the state. Some of the debts go back as far as FOURTEEN YEARS! Under the state programme which loosely means ‘Pay On Time’, auditors discovered that 91% of the backlog related to debts from 2007 & 2008, amounting to over €9 million. Much of the debt was not accounted for properly, and one debt for the supply of sand from a construction company was 4,943 days old.

‘Madeira On The End Of The List’. We are in the region of Portugal that builds the most new homes and apartments, and with the lowest rate of rehabilitation. It is also the region with the worst record for delays in building works.

In sport : ‘A Record In The International Meeting On Madeira’. Pole-vault, or ‘Jumping With A Stick’ as the Portuguese actually translates, brought a new national record in the XIV International Athletics Meeting on Madeira yesterday. A junior athlete managed a height of 5.11 metres at the sports stadium in Ribeira Brava.  

  
Photo caption : With the opening of a new miradouro (viewpoint) in Achada at a cost of €93,000, Funchal now has 24 miradouros.

‘Rivers Flow Against Europe – Europe wants to re-naturalise our rivers and water courses, but Madeira moves towards artificialisation’. Under a European directive (200/60/EC), all member countries should make their rivers and streams comply with ecological quality objectives, and be there for the enjoyment of the people, moving back towards a natural state without evidence of man made intervention. Hélder Spinola, of the environmental agency Quercus, says that Madeira is going in the opposite direction, and not only in Funchal. The EU directive is aimed particularly at combating pollution, although on Madeira, because of the specific nature of the topography of the island, there are other concerns such as safety and public protection. The head of Quercus is particularly concerned about the more frequent floods, caused by the higher frequency of heavy rainstorms that deposit more water in shorter periods. He refers to the choking of waterways with increasing numbers of concrete walls, bridges and roads, spreading throughout the island, although the effect is now slowing if only due to the lack of money for new works. Any specific new initiatives now seem to focus on water quality, and not on the wider issues of managing natural water resources.

Portugal news : As of this morning 107 cases of Gripe A (H1N1 swine flu) have been recorded, but of these 104 victims have already been treated and released.

’45 workers contest their dismissal by the Savoy – The decision was made yesterday in a session with the trade union representing hotel workers’.  The 45 workers, who did not sign the termination agreements from the SIET Savoy Group, will challenge the collective dismissal through two lawsuits, with the objective of returning to work. 55 workers who accepted the termination of their employment received a payment based on length of service, and are now able to receive unemployment benefit. The Savoy hotel was closed a couple of months ago, in preparation for demolition to make way for a new hotel.

‘Friends of the Park’ are in action Saturday in Areeiro and Cabeço da Lenha – The Association continues the project of planting trees and shrubs which began in 2001′. The indigenous trees and shrubs will be planted in the Ecological Park and in the Field of Environmental Education in Cabeço da Lenha. The general public are invited to participate. Those interested should make contact by phone or fax on 291783999, or by e-mail to amigosdoparque@gmail.com before 5pm on Friday.

‘Astronomy Night – Night of the stars – Calheta puts out the lights on Saturday to assess light pollution’. The tour of ‘Astronomy Night’, to mark the international year of astronomy, moves to Calheta this weekend. Measurements will also be taken to establish the levels of light pollution, and to make the population aware of the "dangers of the use of excessive light", which cause "serious environmental and social damage".

(15th July). ‘Living Close To A School Does Not Guarantee Places – School denies ‘connections’ and says that the morning shift is not available to all students’. The secretary for education says that living near to a school does not guarantee a place, and although there are rules that may give priority to locals, parents are finding out that the reality is quite different. Also, as many children will be allocated an early or late ‘shift’ in school, this also is not determined by ‘connections’. The later shift has a worse reputation in education terms, a situation denied by one school leader in the article.

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It’s the Banana Exhibition / Festival in Madalena do Mar this weekend. I believe it starts Saturday evening and runs through to Sunday night, but I am sure someone will correct me if necessary.

(10th June). Today’s main photo shows a father and son looking out over the subject of the news article (but I could swear they are superimposed onto the photo) : ‘Rifle Range Disgusts Residents – Neighbours of RG3 already wrote to Sócrates’. "If when Peter Albuquerque brought an apartment in São Martinho, he had known of the rifle range RG3 right in front, he never would have purchased". Shortly after he and his wife and 9 month old son settled in the hell started, with gun shots from the drills from the armed services and police at all hours. No decision has been taken yet, but it is in the hands of the minister responsible for defence, who is part of the Cabinet of Prime Minister Sócrates who was sent a letter of complaint. It is the same situation with other neighbours. I thought to start with silly sod for buying it there, but it seems there is a training camp / facility there and the rifle range has been moved recently to a position near to people’s homes.

‘Celebration of Corpus Christi Goes Out To Madeiran Communities – The Mass at Church College (Igreja Colégio) will be broadcast by RTP International’. The Choir of Orfeão Madeirense participate Thursday in the Eucharistic celebrations of Corpus Christi in Funchal. The event can be watched around the world through the channel RTP International.

‘Ex-leader Of PS Coordinates Controversial Project’. I am not absolutely clear on the implication of the headline here, but basically it is a story of a new development of 6 houses in Boa Nova, Funchal, where the actual building seem bigger and different to the approved plans. You know the routine, neighbours complain, council gets involved, and then you find that an ex-councillor with an interest in the project was actually on the council when planning consent was granted. Just coincidence surely?

‘Madeira Has A Suspected case Of H1N1 – A man has been taken into hospital in Funchal as a preventative measure’. The 52 year old man returned from the United States with flu like symptoms. He is "clinically well" and awaiting the results of the screening tests expected today from Lisbon. Bit of an odd story really as H1N1 could be regular flu, but one suspects they are looking for the swine variety, or even the bird variety.

‘Savoy Hotel Workers Ponder New Ways To Fight – The employees await the result of a letter from Madeira’s president to the Group Siet Savoy’. The workers from the Savoy Hotel met yesterday to discuss new ways to fight their collective dismissal, and aside from the court action already underway, they have decided to wait until 23rd June, and at that time may commence ‘street action’ to make their protest. I wonder what Uncle Bertie’s letter to the Savoy says, after the government backed the proposal to knock down the old Savoy … probably starts something like this … Dears Sirs, I know we were in agreement about knocking down the Savoy Hotel, but I don’t recall you mentioning that the staff would be laid off as a result …

’24th Gastronomic Fair Of Machico’. Plans are underway for the annual food fair, with interested participants invited to come forward next month. The event will run from 31st July until 9th August, with the usual objective of sharing traditional Madeira cuisine with whoever is willing to eat it.

With so many problems of insecurity in Venezuela due to political tension and an uncertain future, may Portuguese emigrants are considering the possibility of returning home as an escape route, if the worst comes to the worst. Madeira has a huge emigrant population living in Venezuela.

‘Santa Cruz Doesn’t Have Water Charge Collectors – The Council alerts after attempts to fraud’. The council says that it has no collectors for money owed for water consumption, and residents should only pay their bills in the places ‘listed’, being "payments made directly in cashiers in council premises, in payshops in CTT, and through bank transfer". Reports of people posing as official collectors should be passed to the police.

(9th June). ‘Jersey Warns Traffickers From Madeira – The authorities on Jersey came to Funchal to protest and correct the situation with the police to stop the drug traffic from here to there. They are also preparing a campaign to alert about heavy prison sentences’. The advertising campaign warns of heavy penalties of imprisonment for those caught drug trafficking, involves the Jersey Police and Customs, and is aimed at drug dealers from Poland, Madeira, Portugal, and the United Kingdom. The Jersey authorities, with police and other security units, came to Madeira in May to meet their counterparts here to discuss strategies to prevent the problem, which is rife over there because of the high prices that drugs are sold for. Only last August, a Madeiran was sent to prison for 3 years for possession of less than 10 grams of heroin, and another in October for three and a half years, caught with 12 grams of the same drug, brought from Madeira. In one of those cases the prosecution even accepted the defence that the drug was for personal use. What an embarrassment … even I feel embarrassed! That’s one export Madeira doesn’t want, especially to a country that provides work for so many Madeirans, and welcomes them into the community as well. I know it’s just a few idiots spoiling matters for everyone, but can’t they see the potential damage? There are expressions that covers this situation, that have the word nest, backyard, or bed, but as they contain a swear word I will refrain from repeating, oh hang on, how about ‘biting the hand that feeds you’. The equivalent announcement from yesterday (in English of course) is here in the JERSEY EVENING POST

‘Barardo Remembers That He Invested Here Instead Of Favouring Brazil – The businessman is irritated with the delay of the Câmara that holds up the demolition of the Savoy. Among many messages, he says that "talk doesn’t create jobs" ‘. Joe Barardo, the administrator of the group responsible for the Savoy’s plans, believes the plans submitted for demolition are complete, and that Funchal council (CMF) has no real grounds for delaying the matter. In the plans the destruction of the two hotels by implosion is preferred as being quicker and cheaper, but CMF are looking into dismantling as a safer option. Referring to Sunday’s election results, Berardo is "concerned with the dissatisfaction of the Portuguese people" with the political situation, enough to "spread fear also in the business world", and he shows growing concern for the growing support for the Left Block and Communist Parties, and fears for nationalisation. Joe Berardo again emphasized that "investors can not wait that long for the administrative decisions of licensing authorities, because the market position is very complicated". He also refers to the plans to 10 years ago to demolish the site for the Royal Savoy, and said there were no reservations or objections then. I think I must have woken up on a different planet this morning … communism, nationalisation, implosions in busy tourist zones … what has this guy been smoking!

‘Fishing Boat Was In Danger At Open Sea Near São Vicente – 5 crew members were rescued by another boat in the area’. The ‘Encumeada’ was spotted adrift early this morning, with the alarm raised at 5am. The authorities mustered all the resources they could from civil protection and the fire brigade, to rescue the crew members from the boat that was taking on water 3 miles offshore, and even the Merlin helicopter was summoned. But a nearby boat, the ‘Felicidade Rocha’ actually beat them to it and made the rescue, and was in the process of towing the vessel in distress towards Porto Moniz.

‘The Cherry Festival In Jardim da Serra next Sunday’. The regional secretary of the Environment and Natural Resources, Manuel António Correia, will be present next Sunday in the festive ceremonies of another year of the ‘Festa da Cereja’ in Jardim da Serra. The celebrations start on Saturday, at 2pm, with great entertainment, followed on Sunday by a number of initiatives, which include several musical performances, sporting tests, allegorical parade, and a cooking demonstration, among others. The event is organized by the Casa do Povo (House of the People).

An employee of Funchal Council (CMF) was convicted yesterday of ‘diverting’ €46,000, and sentenced to two and a half years imprisonment, suspended for the same period. The case dates back to 3rd July, 2007 when the Funchal Police announced that it had arrested an employee of a council, on suspicion of the crimes of embezzlement and falsifying of documents. The 47 year old woman admitted the charges, apologised, and acknowledged the need to repay the money.

Porto Moniz hoisted its ‘blue flag’ for beach quality this morning.

The residents of different parts of Caniço are dissatisfied with the current postal service, that is being undertaken by a company subcontracted by CTT (Post Office / Mail). The problem is not only in Caniço, but also in other areas of Madeira complaints are being made. Important correspondence such as bank letters, and water, electricity and telephone bills disappear without trace. Even if the victims go to the post office (Correios) to complain of the disappearance of letters, they are poorly served and end up without an answer. If the ‘CTT’ does not solve the problem, and refuses to reveal what it intends to do, the people of Caniçal are considering taking the case to another extreme. Join the club, my postal services went downhill two years ago. I am still waiting for my June TV magazine, which was sent from Portugal two weeks ago.

This from the UK Daily Telegraph today : Cristiano Ronaldo could miss Manchester United’s pre-season training next month, after withdrawing from Portugal’s squad for Wednesday’s friendly against Estonia with a suspected hernia injury. Ronaldo, 24, has returned to his home island of Madeira after complaining of pain in the lower abdomen prior to, and after, Saturday’s World Cup qualifying victory over Albania in Tirana.

‘Nenê Is No Longer Going To Dubai – Nacional and Al Nasr don’t reach agreement on the payment terms. Germany could be the destination for the goal wizard’. Following on from the news yesterday about the €5 million offer from Al Nasr.

(8th June). ‘Giant Fig Fed Five People – It was the result of a graft, and grew to 300 grams’. Found in Caniço, the fruit "seems to have been blessed with divine generosity". This fruit was protected from blackbirds until it split naturally, and then went to provide pudding for a family of five.  Not my area of expertise, but it doesn’t look that miraculous to me. I know a lot of readers here like to discuss fruit, so that’s why I included the story.