More titbits (2) from Becky … many thanks. "In 1420, a genuinely epochal event took place on a small, isolated, previously uninhabited island in the Atlantic, some 360 miles west of Morocco. That year, the Portuguese fleet – the most advanced in the world at the time, thanks to Prince Henry the Navigator – located Madeira. Within two years they had established an agricultural colony there. It was the first great stride in European imperialism, the first of the west’s extra-European, extra-Mediterranean possessions, the first overseas colony to be settled and developed for the benefit of the motherland … "Madeira is a quirk, a lovely quirk". A SHORT HISTORY OF MADEIRA I don’t know if it is all factual, but definitely an interesting short read. Der

"The slave, in many societies, apart from the economic function, also affirmed itself by the sumptuary value, being, in some of them, a way of social distinction. In Madeira, just like in some European areas, this is evident, as it can be observed in the works of Gaspar Frutuoso. In relation to Machico, he says: "there were many coloured females and very well treated and of rich voices, which is a sign of the old nobility of its residents, as in all the big and rich houses there is this multiplication of the servers". However, in the Lombada of Arco da Calheta, lived Dona Isabel de Abreu, the widower of Joao Rodrigues de Noronha, son of Funchal’s captain, with two farms "very thick", having at her service a female moor as "her private". Slavery in Madeira in the 15th and 16th centuries

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"I think I found heaven in Funchal. It is this small, beautiful island owned by Portugal. I even asked the car rental place if they were hiring, but since I don’t speak Portuguese, they had no idea what I was saying!! The city was really beautiful and clean, the mountain villages were so romantic, and the cliffs by the ocean … oh the cliffs!! I lovered it!" An extract from a cruisers blog, but not much else said, but there are a few photos HERE. We lovered having you here too Hayley, on the island of Funchal.

Paul (Paul do Mar) kindly sent in this next contribution :

Surfing in Madeira: Paul do Mar, Calheta

link copyright free

“Paul do Mar is the most consistent spot on the Island”. “Paul do Mar is the most consistent spot on the Island” writes a Brit here in Madeira last year 2009 surfing and on his honeymoon!

“Madeira is basically a huge rock sticking out the sea, about 1 hr wide and 30 minutes top to bottom by car.” So let’s talk about the surf in Madeira first. Madeira is basically a huge rock sticking out the sea, about 1 hr wide and 30 minutes top to bottom by car. There’s 18 known spots and ALL of them are pretty tricky to surf.

"here’s the bad news..". 5 of the spots are very rarely surfed due to being difficult to access. 4 have been severely compromised by sea walls or swimming pools (which is heartbreaking … truly). 2 are highly dangerous (which around here means don’t even think about it!). 3 are just not that good wave wise.

"And the good news..". The remaining spots are all pretty much sick! There’s no kooks! by that I mean everyone is super friendly and courteous and knows how to take their turn -very refreshing.

"I think the gnarlyness will always keep the numbers down". I’m really not sure I should be writing this, I’d hate the place to change, but I think the gnarlyness will always keep the numbers down. These pics were all taken with surf in the 2 – 4 ft barely breaking range, I’m not sure I’d fly over on a big forecast!!

The blog and great photos of surfing in Madeira: HERE Thanks a lot Paul, not sure I understand all the surfing terminology, but great photos including mid-air dolphins! Der

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

You might have had this link before when the book was first published but it relates to the present exhibition in Funchal, and nostalgia seems popular. The text is in Portuguese but it is well worth a look for the numerous coloured illustrations of this artist’s work, especially from page 58 through to the final page (p 202). ‘O Funchal na Obra de Max Romer 1922/1960′.

This has 3D panoramic images of Madeira website (beta version). visitmadeira

DIÁRIO 27/01/2010

MADEIRA NEWS

More alleged victims of sexual crimes. In 2007, there were 38 alleged victims of sexual crime, in 2008, there were 23 and 29 last year. Most were under 16 years old and nine (7 girls, 2 boys) were under the age of 14 and 11 (10 girls, 1 boy) were aged between 14 and 16 years. Those over 16 were females aged 17, 24, 30, 32, 46, 59 and 65 years old and males aged 35 and 50 years old. It is known that depending on the country, only 50 – 90% of sexual crimes are reported, usually due to social reasons, embarrassment, fear, slow justice system and dependence on the offender. Only 8% of abusers are total strangers (paedophiles) as the crimes are usually a result of family behaviours associated with alcoholism and social factors (incest or aggression).

Funchal kennel receives 10,000 Euros a month from the council. This is the amount SPAD receives from Funchal City Council and presently houses 124 stray animals in 53 cages. Money is required to manage the kennel, animal feed, vet consultations and medical treatment. The previous five year contract with the council has just been renewed for another five years. The main option for the animals is adoption and they are only destroyed if clinically necessary. There are stray dogs on the streets fed by private individuals and do not come to the attention of SPAD and some of these dogs are too aggressive to be domesticated. The kennel is situated in Vasco Gil, Santo António. — Costs around 80 Euros per dog per month.

Funchal has 106 square metres of gardens per inhabitant. Funchal is the city with the highest number of square metres of green areas per inhabitant. It contains 500 hectares of green areas (14.9% of the county) and the numbers of both public and private gardens are increasing. Local schools have educational activities to promote awareness of urban agriculture, the care and diversity of botanical species and the need to preserve urban gardens and trees. Presently, there are 159 allotments distributed in S. Martinho, S. Pedro and Santa Maria Maior. The Mayor of Funchal opened an exhibition which is the first initiative by the council in the International Year of Diversity. As well as endemic species, the climate allows the cultivation of species from Latin America, Africa and Australia. Work will begin on the Jardim do Amparo at the end of March.

Nurses on strike hits all services. The Nurses Union asks people not to attend health centres today and tomorrow (Wednesday and Thursday). This regional strike is in support of the national strike and to show how angry nurses are with the way they have been treated by the governments. Only minimum services will be guaranteed. Some health centres do not employ nurses and the president of the union asks people not to seek out these centres. Nurses are dissatisfied with salary issues, workload/overtime and changes in the regional health service. UPDATE: 91% on strike today.

ECONOMY

Marco Polo in port for 50th time. The first visit was on the 25 December 1966. This cruise ship arrives from St Lucia in the Caribbean and after a 12 hour stay, goes to Lisbon. 600 passengers on board. The ship was built in 1965 in Germany and named the Alexander Pushkin. She was used for scheduled services between Montreal and Leningrad. From 1975 – 1979, the ship started to be used for cruise itineraries and was owned by Transocean Tours until 1990. The ship was renovated and Orient Lines renamed it the Marco Polo in 1991. The first stop in Funchal under this name was on 22 November 2000. The ship can accommodate 848 tourists and 450 crew. She is in Madeira five times this year; 8 and 21 March, April 7 and 25 October.

99,000 passengers less. Madeira International Airport received 2,336,114 passengers in 2009. This was 99,616 passengers less than during 2008. This represents a decrease of 4.09%. In the country, Lisbon airport had the most passengers. There were 0.81% fewer passengers through Madeira Airport between October – December 2009 than during the same period in 2008. The most used airports were Lisbon, Porto and Faro and overall in all four airports, there was a 2% increase in passenger numbers over the last quarter of 2008. As for movements at Madeira Airport, during the last quarter of 2009, there was a decrease of 3.2%. Overall, there was a 8.74% decrease in flights in 2009 than 2008. —Flights must have had an increased occupancy rate.

POLITICS

Members give a day’s pay to the Haiti appeal. The Legislative Assembly will send a day’s pay to the Haiti earthquake victims fund. The day’s pay of 47 MPs is 3,600 Euros. This was proposed by Leonel Nunes (PCP) and approved unanimously. — Salary must be about 3 times the minimum wage.

UPDATES

Diocese gathers 32,830 Euros for Haiti appeal. Donations sent to Caritas and any further ones can be made via the Diocese of Funchal website. 

JORNAL DA MADEIRA

Funchal Pharmacy has fast robot. From the 15th February, the pharmacy in Dolce Vita will have a robot for storage and dispensing of medicines. The investment is 200,000 Euros. The employee enters the request in the computer and the robot dispenses the medicine in 18 seconds. The storage capacity is 14,000 boxes and it takes 18 seconds to dispense 3 packages, which are sent to the counter. This gives a more personalized service as the medicine is dispensed quicker. This is the first pharmacy in Madeira to use this equipment and there are only nine such robots in Portugal.

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

Nurses : Some on strike and others coveting – International company recruits graduates in Madeira University. Strike adherence yesterday was 92%. Hospitals and health centres were very affected on the first day of the nurses strike. Vaccines against Gripe A swine flu were suspended, and also no tests were undertaken in most of Madeira’s health centres. The hospitals were pretty much closed, with just enough cover for emergencies and inpatients. In the health centre in Santo António for example there were just two nurses working the morning shift, but none in the afternoon. Those patients or customers with appointments are forced to reschedule their visits for another day. The strike finishes today says the Diário, although on the radio just now they said it was tomorrow?

Today’s main news headline : Cavaco orders understanding – President of the Republic intervenes in the negotiation process that returned to delay the voting on the Regional Finance Law. Several lead stories on the proposed amendments of the Regional Finance Law yesterday, which was delayed yet again. A working group was then set up to negotiate an agreement with the government, on the suggestion of a PSD deputy, after the socialist government indicated that it was willing to discuss the matter [rather than face a defeat in the vote]. The vote is seemingly rescheduled for today, giving the working group just 24 hours to reach an agreement. President Jardim of Madeira said that the setting up of the working group is proof of "goodwill" by his PSD party, although in his opinion the deadline for voting is now Friday. What Madeira wants is "0.05% of public expenditure", he added. Finance Minister, Teixeira dos Santos, who threatened to resign if Madeira got its way, said he believes that the working group will take his appeal for responsibility and common sense seriously.

Budget penalizes Madeira by four million Euros.

Controversial proposal in dispute in the Naval Club – Allowing a new mandate to the current administration is the controversial issue that the members of the CNF reassess today.

Funchal Council authorizes urbanization in green zone – The plan for the valley of Socorridos was proposed by Tâmega and will be approved today in the Câmara Municipal of Funchal. There are elements of the Social Democrat Party of Madeira with interests in the zone. Also today’s main photograph, showing an unsightly builders yard full of plant and machinery

SATA is going to connect the Azores to Madeira every day. Using one of it’s new aircraft, SATA has announced that aviation history will be made in terms of regular connections between the two archipelagos. The changes, that will come in from the end of March using a Q400, will bring in daily connections between Madeira and São Miguel (Ponta Delgada) in July and August, and allow connections with the Algarve and Canary Islands. One extra advantage of the additional flights will be the transfer of tourists from Ponta Delgada who started their journeys in Canada (Toronto) and Boston in the USA with SATA International, with just very short transfer delays. This will allow Madeira tourism to better directly promote Madeira in and around the two cities. No mention of any new prices, but the new timetables are already in the process of being delivered to travel agents.

The main sport / football headline today : Can you believe it … there isn’t one!!

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

"Funchal is the prime spot for overseas property buyers; the capital enjoys sunnier and drier weather than the rest of the island and has all the amenities expected in a cosmopolitan city plus the international airport close". The usual BS from a property company, and if you have up to €429k spare, by all means read it, but I wouldn’t bother. ‘Healthy’ tourists prefer holiday homes to hotels

"When the leste blows – the wind that comes from the Sahara – the thermometer may rise to about 33ºC. But that does not happen often and, on this little Portuguese island, situated far out in the wide Atlantic, you can assume the temperatures will rarely rise above a pleasantly warm 24°. You may prefer to sleep with a blanket, but you won’t roast in the mid-day sun". HELLO MAGAZINE ON QUINTAS

Carlos Carvalhal, the ex Marítimo manager, who was sacked a few weeks ago after a pretty poor start to the new football season, has been appointed as the new boss of one of the biggest Portuguese teams. Sporting gave him the job after Paulo Bento resigned last week. Just shows that poor performance doesn’t stop one going up in the world … the world of football that is.

Yesterday’s top news stories thanks to Elaine again :

More details about the emergency exercise at the airport on Wednesday. On Wednesday at 00.30 there will be a full-scale exercise to test the Emergency Plan. The scenario has been set for this year. A bus with 32 passengers for a flight to Lisbon looses control and will hit the right wing of an aircraft, while 52 passengers are disembarking by foot and another 91 remain in transit on the plane. In the mean time, 109 passengers are boarding. The flight originated in Lisbon and is going to Caracas. The bus also collides with a refuelling vehicle, causing a spill of about 3,000 litres of gasoline which catches fire. As a result of the accident, there are 328 casualties – 13 dead, 10 seriously injured priority I, 20 seriously injured priority II, 10 slightly injured and 178 uninjured. In addition, 6 passengers go missing because they panic and flee, and 80 passengers have to be evacuated from the airport. The scenario is chosen by the probability of occurrence and to test equipment which the emergency services might be unfamiliar with using, for example to deal with a fuel spillage into the sea. As such, the Administration of the Harbours and Control of the Maritime Area will be present. This operation involves dozens of regional entities and about 160 extras, in addition to observers and assessors, and will last four or five hours. I thought these emergency exercises were supposed to have an element of surprise, but it seems that if all this was published in the newspaper beforehand everyone involved can have everything planned and prepared to the last detail … I’ll be home for tea honey! Der

5 neonatal deaths in Madeira in 2008. This was one less than 2007. There are decreases in both neonatal and perinatal deaths in the region. Nationally the infant mortality rate decline to 3.3/1000 live births and the neonatal rate decline to 2.5/1000 live births.

300 people on the waiting list for smoking cessation therapy. 45% of the 900 people attending for anti-smoking therapy at the Bom Jesus Health Centre since February 2005 stopped smoking. This is above the 20% national rate and 35% international rate due to more intensive therapy but there is a waiting list of 300 people and the treatment is not subsidized by the state. There are priority cases, for example people with lung problems, heart diseases and relatives of people who have quit smoking. There is a multidisciplinary team consisting of a doctor, nurse, psychologist and nutritionist. It is more successful as there are more consultations, between 16 and 18, and a person calls the user every day to try to motivate them. The main reason for failure is the cost of the medications which are not subsidized and range from 70 to 100 Euros. It would be cheaper to subsidize them than the health service treating resulting diseases, usually occurring 28 years after starting smoking. Since the tobacco advertising law was enforced in 2008, there has been a 5% decrease in tobacco sales and a decrease in the number of men smoking but an increase in female smokers.

CMF wants to encourage renovation of buildings. Funchal Council want to revise the municipal tax again in another initiative to encourage private investment in the renovation of houses. There is already a 50% reduction for residential use and exemption if the use will be for tourism. The mayor Miguel Albuquerque said that in recent years there had been a housing boom in the city centre. Therefore the council must make an effort to ensure affordable social housing in these areas such as in Cruzes and Alegria, and not introduce discrimination in terms of residents in the historic centre. He was speaking at the inauguration of a restored building in the Rua do Bispo, which includes six apartments, seven offices and three commercial spaces, and cost 1 million Euros to renovate, keeping the original facades and main features. (Shown in photo)

64 year old man arrested for sexual abuse against a child. Arrested on Friday for an alleged sexual abuse of a female child, up to the age of 13 years but no age specified. The offence occurred in Funchal and there is no family relationship between the man and the child. The man is prohibited from approaching children and could face up to eight years in prison. In March, a 17 year old was arrested on suspicion of rape of a 50 year old man and is in custody in prison.

An accident victim is seeking witnesses. The woman has fractures to both feet and one knee after a head-on collision last Friday in the Meia Legua tunnel in Ribeira Brava. A blue Fiat Panda was reversing inside the tunnel and she had to swerve to avoid it and collided with a van travelling in the opposite direction. There are several witnesses but no known registration number of the Fiat which left the scene, so any information should be passed on to the police.

Fine issued by GNR taken to the European Court. An emigrant from Madeira living in Luxembourg has refused to pay a 175 Euros fine issued by the GNR in Ponta do Sol in October and says he will take the case to Brussels. He was penalized for driving a car registered abroad that had exceeded the time limit of 183 days of exemption from taxation. He said he did not violate the law as the car had been in the region that same year but with another owner. "The car was mine but I sold it to my mother and thus the period of 183 returns to zero." The GNR said they might interpret the law in one way, and the Customs differently.

Airport receives 200 pieces from the private collection of Joao Carlos Abreu. The collection of  ‘Angels and Boys Choir’ will be on display at the Arrivals Area from 20 December and throughout the Christmas period. These figurines are made of clay, ceramic, cardboard and metal and many were collected in Portugal and Italy as well as other countries.

President of the RTP in lightning discreet visit. The President of the Radio and Television of Portugal, Guilherme Costa, had a lightning visit to Funchal yesterday, previously unannounced and was not available to speak to journalists. The leaders of RTP-M also declined to comment. The workers of RTP-M were stunned as they had expected a formal meeting on Thursday to discuss the replacement for the retiring director and the future plan for equipping the regional centre. It is only known that the president talked at length with the retiring director, Leonel Freitas.

The 2010 budget depends on bank loans. The Regional Government will formally ask the State to amend the debt limit so it can go to the banks for loans to finance the Regional public investment. This revenue is needed to avoid an increase in unemployment and keep the economy going through wages and spending. It is difficult to cut current expenditure without affecting the quality of life of the population, for example health and education account for 75%. The current expenditure will be maintained by tax revenues and transfers from the State. Some investment finance should be available from the EU but the regional component has to be funded and Madeira has no money for this. Without bank loans the situation will be dire, the Regional Government cannot invest, major corporations will collapse and unemployment will soar. The Regional Government will have to depend on support at Lisbon of the PSD and CDS. The review of the Regional Finance Law introduces a new concept of the debt limit and possibly allows the State to endorse loans. The Regional debt to suppliers could surpass 150 million Euros by the end of this year and the Regional Government needs a new way of settling such debts as from June next year, the EU requires Member States to pay suppliers within 30 days. The PCP have delivered a package of 39 measures to cut ‘megalomaniac projects’ to the Regional Secretary of Planning and Finance. These are in economic and social areas to be included in the Budget next year. Jardim has already put the brakes on promises the Government made in some municipalities but some projects cannot be postponed, for example the new hospital in Madeira and a new small hospital in Porto Santo.

‘Estelinha’ and the conflict over the chapel. ‘Estelinha’ – popular name for Estela Pereira Ferreira – a 73 year old resident of Campanário who holds the keys to and receives the money from the promises for the Capela de Nossa Senhora do Bom Despacho (Chapel of Our Lady of Good Order). She has done so for more than 40 years on behalf of the local population. Several parish priests have been in the region but none have been able to clarify the ‘jurisdiction’ over the private chapel which belonged to Conde Canavial. There have been bitter exchanges and suspicions between ‘Estelinha’ and some priests, disagreements over public/pulpit money. In 2004, the priest and the diocese refused a baptism in the chapel, other times there have been weddings, Masses and christenings. Now the Mass is limited to festive seasons and the priest has to ask ‘Estelinha’ to open the door. ‘Estelinha’ says she has the permission of the owner to manage the chapel and has a ‘commission’ to pay for the upkeep made from received money and the ‘gold’ of Our Lady given by Conde Canavial. With conflict over the ownership of this property over the past 15 years, this ‘commission’ is not enough for the people to legally claim ownership of the chapel. Also conflicts over payment for repair work and the door and the roof were restored with the ‘commission’, not by the parish. The chapel is in a magnificent setting with a beautiful view and it is worth tourists asking to see inside. It was founded in 1672 and restored in 1762. In 2007, the Regional Government classified it as a monument of public interest and with this classification, it is in an area for special protection.

Unemployment decreases in the third quarter. Unemployment fell 0.2% over the second quarter of 2009. It stood at 7.9% in the third quarter of 2009. The national unemployment rate grew 0.7% to 9.8%.

Christmas shopping hours proposal. The union SITAM handed a proposal to the CMF that commercial areas close on Sundays and public holidays and at 20.00 in the week before Christmas. This is defended by a lack of consumers.

Consultations in the hospital increased 5.9% in the first halves of the years 2008 and 2009. Consultations at Health Centres also increased by 8.4%. Almada Cardosa of SESARAM stresses that the increased efficiency proves that the staff are not dissatisfied with the new management. "There is a great motivation and increased production with the same conditions." —- No strikes then?

PSD support new fisheries policy. The PSD Parliamentary Group wants Madeira, as an outermost region, to be treated differently by the European Parliament and they need a new fisheries policy for Madeira. The fishing vessels need upgrading to compete with the major industrialized countries and the large industrial vessels. They need to discuss with the MEP their concerns about levels of stocks of many species, not just the black scabbard fish. Also need to be able to manage stocks when there are future imbalances. The new fishing port at Câmara de Lobos will become a reality in 2011. It will be the largest fishing port in the region and the infrastructure will include the Regional Directorate of Fisheries, the auction and all the infrastructure related to the port.

Link to Canhas will be realized, Calheta Health Centre earlier. The link to Canhas in Ponta do Sol will be completed but the forecast is not until 2012. Jardim said that as the work is so complex and deadlines changed, he might not be able to inaugurate it. The Centre for Health and Social Security at Calheta will be completed earlier than expected as the project will begin immediately and not in 2010.

Headlines from the front page of today’s newspaper … feel free to add more ‘meat’ to the stories :

Offences of Jardim reduce PSP Madeira – Political accusations and mainland issued during the [election] campaign result in ‘lows’. The repercussions of President Jardim’s behaviour and accusations of a police force controlled from Lisbon. Some officers have requested transfers, cheesed off with Jardim’s behaviour and attitude toward the police.

Today’s top news headline : Expenditure in the port divides opinions – The project is to provide facilities to embark and disembark in the comfort of covered passageways. But the investment of €3 million is not peaceful between the shipping agents, because the equipment will not be 100% functional.  This is about the installation of walkway equipment that will be used to embark and disembark some passengers arriving by ship (ferry or cruise), similar to the facilities used for planes, where a moveable corridor is moved into place to allow passengers to enter or leave the ship through a moveable corridor mechanism, as shown.

European Popular Party [PPE] brings 500 to Madeira – The assistant secretary general of the PPE is in the region preparing a meeting for October 2010. The PPE is the major ‘family’ of Euro MPs in the European Parliament, with nearly 300 inside the group. The event, scheduled for 13th – 15th of October 2010 will see a congress held here under the theme of ‘study days’. The event is likely to be one of the major events of the year, with around 500 people expected to attend, representing the 27 member states of Europe.

Festival of ‘Tunas’ livens up Funchal in December. With no specifics about this as I haven’t read the article yet, if you get the chance you should get along to witness this, as it is worthwhile. The ‘Tunas’ are bands from the universities of Madeira and Portugal, and the ones I have seen have always been all girls or all boys, normally up to around 20 in a group, but regardless have been really entertaining. Whilst other students may spend their spare time ‘down the pub’, these students put their effort into music and entertainment. What is different is the ‘extra’ entertainment they provide, often quite challenging and athletic, and I would imagine also very tiring.

War today on the road to South Africa – The atmosphere in Bosnia continues to be hostile to Portugal on the decisive day for entry to the World Cup. In South Africa, where Ronaldo already shines, the Portuguese community sees it’s pride in check. The second leg of the playoff between Bosnia and Portugal is tonight, on TVI (channel 4) at 7.45 pm. It’s do or die time, and the 1 – 0 home game lead has to be protected, or it’s no visit to South Africa for the World Cup Finals next year, and a big disappointment for the three Madeiran players likely to be in the squad.

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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 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

‘Elevator Of Fajã Fell With 17 People On Board – A cable came loose and two people were injured after a 50 metre fall, until the the safety [brake?] mechanism was activated’. The two injured foreigners were taken to hospital, with one said to be "serious", after the accident in Fajã dos Padres. The lift was on the way up when the cable ‘came loose’. Both tourists were released from hospital later, one suffered an exposed fracture to a hand, the other with chest pains. How terrifying! That lift is the one west of Cabo Girão, and the total height of the glass lift ride according to one source I found is 250 metres, one of the highest in Europe. I contemplated going on it a few years ago, but chickened out having arrived there.

‘Line Continues In Order To Narrow The Street – Câmara de Lobo tries to avoid returning €2.1 million to the EU’. One white line that saves the council €2m, but it is not yet certain the solution found by the council will be accepted by Europe. This story has been batted around for months and months, but it may be that finally it is resolved. EU funding was granted for a agricultural road in Limoeiro, a road that should be around 4 metres wide. The council then built a road 5.5 metres wide, that did not qualify for the funding, and it had to be returned, as the council decided it was out of the question to narrow the road. Some bright spark then had the idea of making a 1.5 metre strip down one side, and reserving the lane for pedestrians, a sort of pavement. The remaining road is then 4 metres, and therefore qualifies. Well that’s the theory, but the road isn’t then really wide enough for two cars to pass, so one will end up driving on the ‘pavement’. If the European bureaucrats were stupid enough to be conned out of XXX’s of millions for other scams and white elephants by Madeira, no doubt this will be another con to add to the list. As you may have gathered, and I am taking the side of the taxpayer on this one, as clearly the original application was a con … does that look like a farm track in the photo?

‘Medicines Are More Expensive In Portugal – Electronic prescriptions will save the state €55 million a year’. More than half the medicines sold in Portugal and Madeira have a higher price than in other countries in southern Europe. It is estimated that 61% of medicines are more expensive here than in France, Spain, Italy and Greece. However, the good news is that we receive a good service in our 63 pharmacies. An ageing population means that our pharmacies are going to get busier in the future years. The new electronic prescription system mentioned cannot be introduced yet, as the law needs to be changed for data protection purposes. Can’t argue about the service in the pharmacies that I have used, it has always been excellent, despite the language difficulties I used to have. I even took a stray dog into my local chemist once, and they dealt with her very efficiently, although they didn’t offer any assistance in administering the treatment. I propose a round of applause for our excellent pharmacists at 5 pm this afternoon, anyone joining me?

For those who were miffed or inconvenienced during the TAP strike, and feel a grudge toward the airline, this might sway ones opinion. The pilots already earn an average of €8,600 a month, and are looking for a rise to take them to €9,600.

‘DECO Fail Fresh And Frozen Duck – Serious lapses in hygiene and storage result in a poor classification of the product’. 12 types of pre-packaged and frozen were tested, and found to be defective, mainly through lack of freshness in the innards. All the fresh and frozen products were failed as "unacceptable" by the consumer defence organisation.

A 59 year old man has died from his injuries in hospital. It seems that he fell 10 metres off a wall in Tendeira in Caniço.

‘Super São Roque And Sá Lead In The Low Prices – A study by DECO [consumer protection] analysed 70,000 prices for 181 products throughout Portugal’. Super São Roque and the Sá supermarkets in Santa Cruz, Ribeira Brava and São Martinho came out top on Madeira. One ‘basket’ contained 100 products for those who liked branded products, the other ‘basket’ contained 81 items for low budget customers. Santa Cruz Sá came out overall top, with São Roque in equal second place, but offers the cheapest shopping in Funchal. As for the most expensive, amongst others are the Pingo Doces in Anadia (Funchal) and Dolce Vita, and one of the Modelo stores came out badly as well. The analysis of data collected by DECO show that the savings in your shopping cart can reach €940 [a year?] without having to travel long distances and without cutting the list of products required. I am very surprised that my local Hiper Sá scored so highly. I will have to start going there again and see what the difference is after I switched last year. Anyway, that may be my last blog money saving tip, and may you save €€€’s until the next survey next year.

The ferry company Naveira Armas, that operates the services between Madeira and Portugal, is to put itself forward as a candidate to operate a ferry service for the Azores.

Marítimo lost 2 – 1 at home against Naval yesterday : ‘New Setback Intensifies Challenge For Carvalhal’.

‘Day To Choose Representatives – 260 thousand Madeiran voters elect today the six deputies that will represent Madeira in Lisbon. There are 12 parties and movements in total running in the legislative elections’. Another article I am going to skip, as it’s just churning over old ground. The c.250 ‘urns’ in 52 parishes opened at 8 am today. They will close at 7 pm, and the first projections are expected an hour later.

‘European experts monitor elections on Madeira – Observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe come to see if the elections are ‘clean’. Two observers from the OSCE are here to make sure that there is no monkey business going on. The observers are from Armenia and Bosnia, and have already made contact with the party leaders, candidates, representatives of the state, and journalists. The politicians and parties have also been forbidden from doing any campaigning or carry out any activities relating to the local elections on 11th October, until tomorrow that is.

Something I didn’t realise until now, that if there should be a change of government after today, it should be able to begin it’s functions at the end of October. However, the Assembly of the Republic cannot be dissolved until March 2010.

I can’t believe I have managed to get through the complete Diário today before midday, less than 3 hours. All the reporters must be out on election duty. Looks like I will have a bit of free time to skulk around the local polling stations this afternoon and mingle with the crowds. I may have a look at the Jornal later on, but there again maybe not.