Madeira News Blog

Dramatic photo from Tom … well you know what I mean : "East river going to mercados … all from that photo point has been destroyed".

Many thanks to Paul for sending these in : 

Viva Madeira 2! – Tourists urged not to cancel holidays.

The impact will be quick to pass and Madeira will soon recover and return to normal hopefully within days.

Source of photograph

…says Michael Blandy, chairman of the Blandy group, which has five hotels on the island and caters for the majority of British visitors to Madeira.

The Daily Telegraph article continues:

Michael Blandy said many people had been put off coming to Madeira but predicted that the impact would be quick to pass and that Madeira would soon recover and return to normal "hopefully within days.

"In reality it is a very small area that has been affected and the authorities are working incredibly hard to restore the infrastructure and ensure a return to normality."

"Tourism chiefs have urged holidaymakers not to abandon Madeira as a tourist destination following flash floods and mudslides at the weekend that left at 42 dead and hundreds homeless" Link to The Daily Telegraph article

(CNN) – Cristiano Ronaldo is to play in a special benefit match for the victims of the Madeira floods and mudslides which have claimed the lives of at least 42 people. The world’s most expensive player has made himself available for a game between Portuguese champions Porto and a joint team from Madeira-based clubs Nacional and Marítimo.

No date has yet been set for the match, but Ronaldo has said he will help in "whatever possible way" after the tragic events of the weekend. Porto coach Jesualdo Ferreira added: "Porto want to express their condolences for all that has happened and, as a club, do everything necessary to help Madeira."

Real Madrid forward Ronaldo was born and grew up in Madeira and has a special football center named after him, which is next to the Nacional stadium. The 24-year-old paid his own tribute after scoring the first goal in Real’s 6-2 rout of Villarreal on Sunday, lifting his shirt to reveal a t-shirt bearing the name "Madeira" on the chest

"Nobody can be indifferent to such a tragedy, especially me," Ronaldo told the official Real Madrid Web site, www.realmadrid.com. "I was born and raised on the island. It’s given me so much. This is why I want to make myself available to help in whatever possible way.

"I would like to help official bodies and organizations to minimize the effects of this great tragedy and to get over them as soon as possible." Former World Player of the Year Ronaldo moved to Real Madrid from Manchester United in the summer for a record $120 million fee. CNN LINK

Don’t forget that there are heavy rains forecasted for today. The intensity is not comparable to that of Saturday, but with just 6 days between the two precipitations, there could be effects beyond the normal because everything is still so wet. There is also a separate warning for strong winds in Funchal and the high zones. This is from the BBC … many thanks to Pete for the link.

More heavy rain is forecast for Madeira later in the week, following the devastating floods on Saturday.

The island lies directly in the path of more storms developing in the topical Atlantic. The first of the storms is forecast to hit on Wednesday with a further more intense storm on Friday. With the clean up operation underway, the new storms are unwelcome news, raising the possibility of further destruction. As the funerals are held for the victims of the floods it is feared the death toll could reach 70. The winter months are normally the wettest part of the year in Madeira, but this winter has seen a succession of low pressures pass over the island. After hitting Madeira, the storms will then head northeast bringing disruptive weather to the Portuguese mainland and Spain. Nina Ridge explains why Madeira is seeing a series of storms.

And finally, another link from Paul …

European Parliament emergency debate on Madeira’s floods: 24 February 2010

European Commissioner Günther Oettinger confirmed that money from the EU’s solidarity fund was already being directed to the Portuguese island. Link to video of the whole or most of the debate:

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

Today’s main news headline : Total damage amounting to €1.3 billion – Early calculations show astronomical budgetary needs that the Regional Government takes to Brussels today.

Insurers already paid the downtown traders.

Via rápidas and expressos are safe.

Some accesses reopen today – the road network of Funchal, weakened, recovers a little. See everything on the map. Traffic returns to within a few blocks from the centre of Funchal on Friday. Funchal Council president Miguel Albuquerque urges caution in relation to the weather. Movement is restored Friday in five streets around the city centre. In the daily update issued by Funchal Council on Thursday, Miguel Alburquerque announced that the traffic is returning this afternoon to various parts of the city. Parque do Campo da Barca also reopens Friday. With the forecasts of wind and rain for Friday and Saturday, Alburquerque once again reaffirmed that the authorities are prepared for any event, and stressed that there is no reason for panic or fear, but caution is necessary. The president warned people to be careful with their cars alongside water courses, in areas where there are land slides, and areas where there are trees at risk of falling. SEE MAP

Timor gives thousands to Madeira – Díli ignores the discourtesy and repays the friendship shown by the Madeiran people to the East Timorese cause in 1999. When East Timor was the stage of destruction and desperate for help, Madeira didn’t send a single cêntimo. The response has come regardless, with a donation of $750,000 (€556,000), from the government of the country, to help the victims of the catastrophe. The donation has been made as an act of ‘solidarity and support towards the people and authorities’ of Madeira, after the president of East Timor had sent a message of condolences to his Portuguese counterpart. In 1999, whilst on holiday in Porto Santo, Madeira’s President Alberto João Jardim guaranteed that he would not give "a cêntimo" for East Timor, causing harsh reactions throughout the country. "The popular philosophy taught me that each one should govern itself", said the president of the Regional Government on 29 August 1999. Later, after much controversy, in the Region and on the Continent, the statement was softened, albeit symbolically. Jardim then said he was never against helping the Timorese people, but only that Madeira could not spare the money to give any support. So Uncle Bertie’s blunders go back many years, crossing international boundaries, and upsetting innocent people in very difficult positions through no fault of their own. At least East Timor had the common sense to recognise that the words of one absolute idiot were not the words of a decent and generous people, and thank goodness for that, as that is a sizable and much needed donation to help the recovery of our island … and it comes from one of the poorest countries in the world.

List of the 18 missing people – The number of people going missing in the storm reduced. The number of dead remains at 42.

Government rejects assistance offered by the Azores – They had 9 firemen and equipment ready to load on board to send over here. Santo Costa dismissed the offer, despite of having zones in need of help. The article itself then refers to 12 firemen and a coordinator-inspector, coming from the brigades in Ponta Delgada, Ribeira Grande, and São Miguel, of rescue specialists in areas of difficult access. There is an agreement between the two archipelagos and the Canary Islands to send mutual support in the event of catastrophes. The Azores team was assembled, equipped, and ready to go last Saturday, but on Sunday it was disbanded after those responsible for civil protection on Madeira (Santos Costa and Francisco Ramos Jardim) did not consider the help necessary. Politics over people is seems. Recent friction over the Regional Finance Law, and political differences in government colours are no doubt the underlying factors in my opinion. It is absolutely incredible that when some outlying areas have still not received much needed help, that a couple of idiot politicians could turn their backs on such an offer that had been prepared especially for this purpose, and set up through funding by the European Union.

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. 

‘Positive news’ after the flood from Paul, including statistics from The Regional Government of Madeira. Many thanks Paul. Der

Visit of European Commissioner Mr. Johannes Hahn

The European Commissioner Mr. Johannes Hahn will visit the Autonomous Region of Madeira on the 6th and 7th of March to get acquainted with the finance needs to restore Madeira Island.

Show called “A flower to Madeira”

On the 28th of February a show will be organised called “A flower for Madeira”, organized by SIC (private Portuguese television channel) and “Coliseu dos Recreios”, with the patronage of His Excellency the President of Portuguese Republic and the participation of various Portuguese artists, in order to raise funds for Madeira victims.

Museums are reopened.

Next Sunday. Madeira will have the 1st Cruise Ship calling at the harbour of Funchal with 4.500 tourists.

Alternative excursions for tourists: local tourists operators are launching alternative excursions in Madeira Island.

Schools will be reopened Saturday ? and next Monday.

Public services are operating with reduced services and will be normalized soon.

Public transportation, in Funchal, is available with 32 routes.

Statistics:

Deaths estimated: 40

Wounded: 18 people are still in the Hospital.

Missing People: 18

Dislodgments: 563 people, 170 families are reallocated in temporary shelters.

Water Supply : In Ponta do Sol and Ribeira Brava, especially in Serra D’Água and Meia Légua the situation will be restored as soon as possible.

Electricity : Electricity is being established all over the Island, with the exception in small areas.

Communications : Mobile phone connections and fixed communications network are operating in the entire Island.

Solidarity : We inform that there is an official fund which is BANIF – International Bank of Funchal with the IBAN PT 50003800011986711677151 and SWIFT CODE BNLFPTPL.

OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

Do consider only the information given by the Regional Government.

Official information can be followed on : TWITTER     MADEIRA ISLANDS TRAVEL

New updates are available on the Government’s official tourism website HERE

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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.

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Today’s Photo : Thanks to Vic … a Caniço sunset

"Funchal on the Portuguese Island of Madeira is the site for Vitor Sa vs Kiatchai Singwancha January 14 with the TWBA super middleweight title at stake. This could be the first ever professional boxing match there". BOXING NEWS You heard it here first! Funny name that, Vitor Sa, as that is the same name as the Madeira rally driver and son of Jorge Sã, owner of the Hiper Sã supermarket chain here.

Don’s website has a new video showing Funchal at Christmas. It’s about 10 minutes long. XMAS ON MADEIRA Lets hope it gets us a few extra tourists for the festive season, as  I think we need them.

Tour operator Holiday Options has shut down after entering administration. The company, which specialised in holidays to destinations such as Croatia, Corsica, Sicily, Cape Verde, Madeira and the Azores, shut down on Tuesday after 16 years in operation. A spokesman for the company said no passengers had been left stranded and all forward bookings, thought to been around 1,100, would be taken over by Cambridge-based Light Blue Travel.

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

Return of Marcelino Andrade shakes HCF. More turmoil at the hospital between the staff and the managers of the health service (SESARAM). This time it is related to the return of Marcelino Andrade to the hospital. For five years he was the president of Santo António, after a friendly invitation by president Jardim. In the recent elections, the PSD selected another president and he is free to return to the health service. The turmoil is due to the rumour among staff that he is to be employed on the Board of Directors of SESARAM. Some Directors of Services would resign if that happened and there was to be a protest mass resignation which was cancelled by SMS last night. The opposition is based on credibility and technical issues. Andrade explained that he wishes to return to working in the orthopaedic services. SESARAM said they will keep the present Board of Directors and such rumours are designed to destabilize the services.

Bio Madeira week in the Largo da Restauração. In the region, 5% of agricultural land is devoted to organic farming and is increasing. The week is to "sensitize the community to the economic, social and environmental aspects of organic farming." Bio Week runs from the 23 – 29 November. Initiatives will also occur around the island. In 2008, there were 240 tons produced and an additional 130 tons of bananas. The theme of the week this year is ‘Growing Sustainably’. There have already been training initiatives held in people’s homes, schools, town halls and hotels involving about 9,000 people spread between farmers, students, teachers, parents and the general public. The activities next week will include an organic food fair, culinary demonstrations by hotel chefs, presentation of books for children and adults about the various perspectives of organic agriculture, and theatrical and musical competitions for children, promoted by the schools. On the 29th at Jardim da Serra, endemic species will be planted to offset carbon dioxide emissions. Full program on the website: www.sra.pt

Presidency rejects blame for the transfer requests by the police officers. The Government rejected accusations that Jardim’s comments are the cause of the requests for transfers out of the region. The statement clarifies that the people responsible for what happened are the current command and not the officers and agents. The statement also refers to the Madeiran police officers on the continent who have been unsuccessful with transfer requests to the region.

Exercise in Rabaçal involves more than one hundred people and various media. Exercise ‘Missing 09′ begins early tomorrow morning. The training exercise in Rabaçal will be coordinated by the Regional Service for Civil Protection and involve the armed forces. Two different scenarios; the disappearance of a group of 15 tourists in the area and an accident involving a passenger bus in the section towards the Casa do Rabaçal. There will be observers from the National Authority for Civil Protection, National Institute of Emergency Medicine and observers from the Azores and the Canary Islands.

Waiting 13 years for an asphalt road in Santa Cruz. ‘Impassable’ is the adjective used to describe Caminho da Fonte which is used every day by 30 people. This road is about a kilometre long and is in the rural ‘zonas altas’ of Santa Cruz. The area is believed by many to belong to the ‘Madeira Velha’, even though it is a five minute road journey into the centre of Santa Cruz. The road was originally only a short path then 13 years ago, it was widened to facilitate access to houses and agricultural land. For the past 13 years, every mayor has promised to asphalt it. There is a beautiful view over the bay and city of Santa Cruz. As the road is not asphalted, the land is purchased at a price lower than the normal market value, so in recent years there have been several new houses built there. They are licensed and have water and electricity services connected. A petition was delivered to the council in 2005 and another with 300 signatures three years later. The poor state of the road causes damage to vehicles and prevents access to agricultural land, as lamented by a 73 year old man who cultivates sweet potato, onions, beans and some fruit trees such as papaya and tangerine. The municipality said they would make it "passable in the meantime" while searching for an inexpensive solution.

Câmara de Lobos unable to close cow farm. The farm in Vereda da Ribeira da Caixa remains active as sanitary rules have been met, despite previous pollution into a stream and the Praia do Vigário. There are now a few dozen cows and bulls in poor living conditions in a shed with a corrugated iron roof. The people living locally complain about the smell and noise at night. There have been disputes with the farmer and staff which involved the police at one stage. The local mayor admits that the situation is not pleasing to the neighbourhood but he has no power to license or cease operations.

Court annuls trial. The Court of Appeal in Lisbon annulled the judgement of the Court in Funchal which sentenced a 31 year old mother to 16 years in prison for murdering her daughter with poisoned biscuits and juice when institutionalized at the Cecilia Zino Foundation. It was alleged to be ‘an act of selfishness’, ‘cold and ruthless’ and not ‘true love’ although the defence argued it was due to mental incapacity. The original trial was in November 2007, and in response to new evidence about the defendant’s liability, the Court of Appeal in November 2008 requested a new trial. The woman was interned at the Casa da Saúde Câmara Pestana but failed to abide by the rules so was sent to prison, where she is at present. The two psychiatrists are arguing that she suffers from a mental illness caused by previous relationship problems, preventing her from discerning good from evil and that you cannot fake a mental illness when you only try to kill your children when mentally disturbed. Their evidence is "strong and credible enough to raise serious doubts about the liability of the defendant."

Banana growers versus GESBA. Another allegation and counter-allegation saga, this time the banana producers versus the management board GESBA. The growers have a petition challenging the action of the management, but GESBA give an assurance that the sector is "calm". The management said that in October there occurred an exceptional situation due to climatic conditions, when the production levels were equivalent to those in August, when the production is higher. This, coupled with the fact that it rained some days, meant that there was some delay in cutting the banana. When it was dry enough to use the machinery, they normalized the situation. The management explained that of the 2,800 producers, only a relatively few had complaints. They say their essential role is to manage the collection and distribution of the larger quantity of fruit produced in the summer and the lower amounts during winter months.

Tivoli Madeira celebrates 10 years. Jardim highlighted the good quality Tivoli hotels, the excellence of service, particularly with regard to the five-star hotel in Funchal which yesterday marked 10 years of activity. There was a cocktail event for travel agents, tour operators and local hotel managers. —-Thought you’d enjoy the photo, has Jardim any liver left?

Praia Formosa without sand and Toco waits. Both projects suspended. The document first presented to the public in 2004, for the period 2007/2011 stated, ‘Improvement of the entire seafront of Praia Formosa and leisure areas, contracting a study for the installation of an artificial beach and its construction, if technically and financially possible.’ Another project in the ‘banho-maria’ is Toco. The Government and the CMF are considering pursuing a public-private partnership to overcome legal impediments encountered. If this is legally possible, then interested private parties will have to be found.

‘Caso da mala’. ‘Case of the suitcase’. The defendants in this trial in Lisbon are António Preto, Jorge Silverio and Sobral de Sousa. António Preto is a PSD member suspended from the Assembly of the Republic, accused of tax evasion. Silverio and Sobral de Sousa were on the Board of the property firm Serbro. Sebro attempted to avoid paying 347,000 Euros IRC claiming wrong address. Instead of ‘Rua do Castanheiro nos 1 a 3, 8 – Funchal ‘ the tax offices used the address ‘Rua do Castanheiro nos 1 a 38′ and the claim is that the postman attempted to deliver a registered letter to the wrong address. The Court of Funchal have not yet decided on this case but if they decide to cancel the debt, it will weaken the prosecution’s ‘caso da mala’. António Preto was a lawyer to companies of Virgilio Sobral de Sousa. Sobral de Sousa was a PS councillor in Amadora. He was a partner of a firm accused of fraud in the issue of driving licences, selling ‘packages’ to candidates in Madeira who went to the continent, with accommodation, for a guaranteed licence, for 4,000 Euros. During the investigation, telephone conversations were recorded between Preto and the leader of the PSD-Lisbon, detailing delivery of 39,956 Euros packed in suitcases to pay for his campaign. During this investigation in 2002, Preto was caught receiving a suitcase containing 25,000 Euros. This opened a second criminal proceedings and in 2005, Preto was accused of tax fraud and document forgery with suspicions of corruption. During a famous eavesdropping phone call, Preto was heard to say to Sobral de Sousa, "I’m here to receive money, pal, as I have never seen in my life." Corrupt lawyers … whatever next … you’ll be telling me next Elaine that there are corrupt politicians as well … well I’ll be darned Preto is both … why bother with a trial! Der

Air disaster occurred 32 years ago on the 19 November 1977. The Diário has a video interview with one of the survivors of the disaster when the flight TP425, a Boeing 727-200, plunged into the sea at Santa Catarina Airport with 164 people on board. The biggest disaster in the history of TAP caused 131 deaths. There were 33 survivors.

Madeira classified as a destination of excellence. The World Tourism Organization has an institute, the CED, which has distinguished Madeira in 13 of the 15 parameters under evaluation for classification as a tourism destination of excellence. In all 15 parameters, the performance was above average. Six had a level of excellence, 6 a level of high performance and 3 had reached average.

Police rescued a Madeiran trader kidnapped in Caracas for a week.  The 41 year old was riding a motorcycle in Caracas when he was forced into a vehicle by armed men and kept in captivity for a ransom of about 160,000 Euros. The ransom demand was made to his wife. On rescuing him, three men were killed who the police claimed were the kidnappers but in a radio program, a woman claimed one of them was her son. The suspects are thought to have been involved in 28 kidnapping cases.

Man attempts to rob a man leaving a pharmacy. In Nazaré yesterday morning, a man was leaving a pharmacy after collecting prescribed medications. A thief attempted to grab the bag of drugs but because he was ill, he just went away with the handles of the bag in his hand. There is a climate of insecurity in the area.

From today’s Diário newspaper front page :

Members of the Madeira government put relatives at the top of the vaccine waiting list – In the Health Centre of Santo António they say that the orders come from above. It was through this that at least vice president Cunha e Silva and his family were there for their vaccinations. Also there are doctors putting their children and friends at the front of the queue before they set off for holidays abroad. That’s today’s main news headline, but why? Did anyone really expect any different in the race for a limited supply of Gripe A swine flu medication. And this story is just the cases that have been discovered. The story already has 7 readers comments, and nothing very complementary I can assure you. Clear guidelines have been issued as to who the ‘at risk’ groups are and the priorities for administering the vaccine, but who would ever stop to think that by jumping the queue because you know somebody important, that a real ‘at risk’ person will be leapfrogged and maybe have to go without. Just human nature I suppose. No doubt Uncle Bertie has issued secret order for foreigners like me to be left until last, which of course would be totally expected, and I am certainly not complaining, as I still have adequate supplies of © Toranja Poncha ©.

Portugal may be top-of-the list – FIFA updates it’s rankings today and  decides the ‘pots’ on day 2. So having scraped through with a string of close but favourable results, the desire is now that Portuguese football team gets seeded and avoids any particularly difficult games in the group stages of the actual 2010 World Cup Finals in South Africa.

Santos Costa had a construction company when he was already regional secretary – The leader was a partner, with relatives, of a company of construction consultancy. But he says he has already left the company. The company offered services in the areas that Costa himself works, particularly in construction, promotion and marketing of real estate, tourism, hotel hospitality, and consultancy. Costa himself and his wife both held 40% of the shares, and the two children 10% each. The firm was created in April 2007, with a starting capital of just €5,000. In December 2008, company assets were stated as being around €300,000. Politicians in construction consultancy … stinks of a conflict of interest, especially for one that holds the very senior post of Regional Secretary responsible for ‘social assets’. But it is not illegal! It seems that now the company belongs just to the wife and two sons, which makes me feel so much better. It’s only just after midday as I write this, and the article already has 13 readers responses on the Diário website., and I have read them all and found nothing but scorn and contempt for Costa. 

Why is it I feel guilty hogging all the top stories of the day? … I will leave these other two in case someone else wants a go …

Traffic continues in chaos around the schools – One of the reasons is the fact that only one quarter of the children take the bus to school. The winner is pollution.

Theatre celebrates 20 years of inclusive art.

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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.

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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.

(more…)

Today’s Photo : Thanks to Eiryl … Water lily at the Palheiro Gardens

"Wedged in by mountains and the Atlantic, Madeira Airport requires a clockwise approach for which pilots are specially trained. Despite a unique elevated extension that was completed back in 2000 and now expands the runway length to what should be a comfortable 9,000 feet, the approach to Runway 05 remains a hair-raising affair that pilots absolutely dread. They must first point their aircraft at the mountains and, at the last minute, bank right to align with the fast-approaching runway". DIAMOND PILOTS

"On our quest to explore sunny islands in the Atlantic Silke and I have already visited Tenerife and Gran Canaria. Our latest exploratory trip took us to Funchal on the Portuguese island Madeira. We were welcomed by sunshine, blue skies and a gentle breeze which was a relief after the dreadful autumn weather in England". Nice photos. MATT & SILKES BLOG

Many thanks again to Elaine for yesterday’s news. Can anyone else PLEASE help out?

Island Escape cruises selling well. Thomson Cruises Island Escape will sail for seven night cruises, departing and returning to Funchal, from the 11 January to the 19 April. These will be weekly with stops on Monday in Funchal. Already 400 places have been sold, mainly through Abreu agency to Madeirans. The price is "very nice", according to the one of the directors, at 389 Euros plus 100 Euros in taxes. He highlights the value of the ship as there are free dining facilities. There is a buffet for breakfast and lunch and a restaurant for an informal dinner. There is a night buffet and another buffet open 24 hours a day. The ship has 746 cabins for 1,750 passengers and has 500 crew members. —- Dear Santa Claus …..

Mother complains of assault by supermarket security. A mother of a 15 year old made a complaint to the police, alleging there was an assault on her son when he was inside a large commercial area at Rua Dr. Brito Camara, in front of Edificio 2000. The boy was with friends inside a supermarket yesterday evening when "He was taken to a room by a security guard to see what was in the bag, and when he left shortly after he was bleeding from the nose and mouth." The mother took the boy to the Emergency Room for treatment. Regarding the alleged assault, the progenitor regrets what happened since, in his view, "Even if the group were causing fuss or noise in that commercial area, there would possibly be another way of dealing with the matter."

Educating for tourism. This initiative is to make students aware of the importance of tourism and provide an insight into the day of a tourist. Activities will simulate a ride in a tour coach with a translator guide, reserve air tickets and hotel rooms, check-in at the airport, check-in at a hotel and visit areas such as the dining room, hotel room and learn how to make a bed, bar and learn how to prepare a cocktail, kitchen, laundry, maintenance area and conference room. More than 2,000 students will participate and the investment of 16,000 Euros is spread between various travel agencies and the Directorate of Tourism. —– Learn how to make a bed and a cocktail. The things they teach in school today!

Bats misunderstood. There is a group of four Madeirans who have studied bats in the region since 2001. They have developed a project to determine the different species, estimate population sizes and identify and characterize habitats important to them, to ensure their survival. They are having to finance the project themselves after failed applications for both regional and national funding. This is despite published work by the researchers receiving international recognition. There are three known species of bats in the region and the Pipistrellus maderensis (Madeira bat) is one of the smallest in Europe. They feed on insects and therefore are central to the ecological balance of Laurissilva and agricultural areas. "Given that each bat eats around a thousand insects per night and if we have a population which is estimated at three thousand bats, this means that each day these mammals eliminate 3 to 4 million insects." The researchers fear that already there are less than the estimated three thousand bats in the region and the situation in Porto Santo is also worrying as it is estimated at less than 50 individuals. It is urgent to preserve and study the bats as contrary to their ‘bad image’, they aid in the conservation and ecological balance of Laurissilva, farms and forestry, which are in danger.

Wet roads cause two vehicles to overturn. The wet roads caused by rain, and reckless driving (excess speed) were the source of at least two vehicles overturning that have resulted in material damage to the vehicles involved in accidents yesterday. The first one occurred at 12.30 on the Machico to Funchal motorway and a 34 year old man was slightly injured. He had to be taken to the hospital and was discharged mid-afternoon after minor surgery. Half an hour later, another accident in Ribeira Brava and despite various ‘flipovers’, the driver left unscathed. He was on the motorway towards Serra de Agua and crashed and overturned in the tunnel of Meia Legua, in the vicinity of the Sports Complex. After a curve, he lost control of the vehicle and crashed near the tunnel entrance, hitting the footpath on the opposite side and the vehicle ended up on its side. Two cars collided on Sunday night on the Machico to Funchal motorway in a spectacular crash and damaged the exterior rails and the inside central cement blocks of the road.

Loja Diogo’s celebrates 20 years. On Saturday 21 November, the wine shop celebrates its 20th anniversary with free wine tasting between 15.00 and 19.00 hours. Wines from 20 producers will be available at the Hotel Four Views Baia, followed by a dinner costing 25 Euros, subject to reservation.

Rui Moses closes council employees car park.  The new mayor of Santana first of all changed the locks on the Town Hall, now he has closed the small car park next to the building. This has been used for more than 20 years for people working at the Town Hall. He justifies the decision on behalf of tranquillity and comfort for visitors to Santana. It is to preserve the dignity of the building, which is considered a flagship infrastructure and referred to for this reason. "It must be appreciated in tranquillity as the traditional thatched houses of Santana are in the gardens."

Petition challenges afternoon classes in Tabua. Parents of children in the first year at the basic school in Tabua are dissatisfied with classes in the afternoon, leaving the morning for extra-curricular activities. More than 80% of the parents have signed a petition but it has not been accepted and the parents are unhappy with the reasons given. Usually, following a recommendation from its own Regional Board of Education, years 1 and 2 are taught in the morning while classes for years 3 and 4 are in the afternoon. However in this school year, years 1 and 4 times have been exchanged. Parents of year 1 children complain that because the children are playing in the mornings, they are too tired for afternoon lessons and this affects their academic performance, some even falling asleep in the lessons. The reason given for year 4 children being taught in the morning is that there is evidence that these students demonstrate hyperactivity and medical studies have shown that such children should be taught in the mornings, and also year 2 children have priority over year 1.

Brussels reduce the catch of bluefin tuna by 40%. In the Mediterranean, the bluefin tuna stock has been decreasing since 1957 and has fallen 60.9% in the last 10 years. On the west coast of the Atlantic, the number of tuna has fallen by 82.4% between 1970 and 2007. At an international meeting, agreement has been made to reduce the total allowable catch from 22,000 to 13,500 tons from next year. Fishing for bluefin tuna in the Atlantic will be restricted to the period 15 May to 15 June. Madeira will have an Oceans Institute by the end of the year to explore the exploitation of surrounding marine resources.

Jardim cuts three works in Santa Cruz. Two are in Gaula, a 4 million Euros road linking Fazenda – Largo de Cerca, works at the praia das Fontes in Porto Novo, and a road to Meia Serra. Since the inauguration of the new Santa Cruz Council, there have been 316 building permits filed (declared obsolete), 196 of such between 2 November and 13 November, as a "symbol of great activity in that area by the city council.". —– retribution by Jardim again? At the opening of the new church at Jardim de Serra, he insisted Socrates "is the problem" and he is tired of colonialism by Lisbon, as Madeira is self-sufficient in all areas apart from Social Security. He said the complaint by Edgar Silva in the Diário yesterday about the Government giving money to the Church was printed because it is a newspaper taken by the Communist Party.

Full-scale exercise at the airport on Wednesday morning. The scenario begins with a collision of a bus with the wing of an aircraft and a refuelling vehicle, leading to a fuel spillage and subsequent fire breakout. The exercise will start at 00.30 and last for 4 – 5 hours.

Portuguese smoke on average for 28 years. On average, Portuguese start smoking around 17 year old and stop at 40, and consume 18 cigarettes per day. A high percentage of smokers and former smokers older than 40 years have respiratory symptoms and changes in respiratory function. It is worrying that they start smoking early as at the age of 17, the lungs are still growing and have not reached full respiratory function. 10% of the Portuguese have COPD, half still continue smoking after diagnosis and it is the fourth leading cause of death in Europe.

Ribeira Brava residents want more roads. Another Jornal da Madeira post-election interview session with residents. They want the seafront enlarged by another 15 metres to form an area similar to the one before it was redeveloped as a square, so the tourist buses can stop there again. Central parking would also help the area. Complaints about robberies at São João especially as there are many single elderly living there. —– I think Der will agree with their ideas.

Overnight stays in September down 8.5%. Loss of 49,200 tourists compared to last year and the occupancy rate was an average 60%. A total of 528,200 nights in September 2009 and the visitors stayed 0.4 days longer than in 2008. The region was 2.5% above the national average which fell 6%.

This from today’s front page of the Diário newspaper :

The main news headline today : 2010 budget requires loan – Madeira desperately needs to increase its debt. The regional government is going to formally ask the state if it can go to the bank.

The Câmara of Funchal demands €5.5 million and prepares a legal action against the state. This relates to money that Funchal council says should have been transferred this year from central government, under the local finance law.

Romeira works in the chamber part time – The new president of São Vicente will be councillor in the morning, and doctor in the afternoon. Roberto Silva, leader of the Association of Municipalities, says that since 25th April [1974] he has never seen anything like it. That was back 35 years ago, when Portugal was the poorest country in Western Europe, and never had there been a part time president it seems. 35 years on, Portugal is still the poorest country in western Europe (depending where your boundaries are of course), and now has a part-timer. And I know the question in most people minds at this moment will be "but isn’t Uncle Bertie part time?", but he is not in fact. The fact that he doesn’t take his seat in either the regional or Portugal assemblies, is misleading. He is actually very busy doing inaugurations, in between his disappearing acts (when he leaves Madeira and nobody knows he has gone (or where)and when he will come back, but manages to run up expenses of hundreds of thousands of Euros a year). Romeira is a private consultant, and there is no known case in Portugal of a câmara president working like this, even though it is permitted in law. His council salary will be reduced accordingly. The PS opposition leader called it a "true political fraud", and he is right, as this intention was not declared before the voters made their choice last month, in a constituency where the PSD support is noticeably weaker.

High tension in the ‘war of Bosnia’ – Portugal received with insults and spitting. That’s not very nice. By 9.30 pm tomorrow night, if all doesn’t go to plan, there will be a big depression over Portugal and Madeira, and it won’t have anything to do with the weather. If all does go to plan, expect to see Thursday full of smiley faces and sunshine.

Festival of Digital Art brings names and tourism – The shows runs in December in the Centro das Arts, Calheta, with 100 Germans amongst the audience. It’s a festival of experimental digital music and digital video, to be held between 4th and 7th of December. Artists are coming from Germany, Sweden, Mexico, England, Austria and Ukraine.

Parishioner refuses to deliver the key to the parish priest – ‘Estelinha’ administers the Chapel of Bom Despacho, in Campanário, for over 40 years and, in the name of the people, she says that she is not going to give the key to the padre. The probable story of the day for me, with Estelinha pictured prowling in front of the locked chapel, with the key clenched in her left fist (the key is actually visible in the front page photo of the Diário). But why is she doing this you ask? Well I don’t know yet, as I am going to save it for a read tonight. Maybe Elaine will tell us tomorrow. Maybe someone else will make a supreme effort and delve into the story and share it with us all.  Who knows?

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