Madeira News Blog

TODAY’S PHOTOS : Thanks to Selina … "This is a view of the Sea front Marina, just after the rains had finished at 1.30 pm on Sunday afternoon (4th October). The sun had just come out and everything was drying up. The area was mostly deserted, the entrance by the tunnel was closed again due to a small rockfall. We walked along the marina to view the huge amount of water cascading down in the waterfall, behind the marina buildings. The car parking at the far side was under water, resembling a very large swimming pool".

Lord of The Rocks is continued with today’s instalment – "Flip Rocks".

Read on dear reader if you dare……

The Saturday sun rose orange above the green lands – Flip and Robin looked North to the bad lands and, saddened by the gathering orange dust cloud of Percy’s bad men gathering to fight them (a little bit) looked a right angle to the West – to Percy’s seat. It was huge and worth many swiggles and had many places to sit in the great palaces that Percy had had built – some for him, his family and some (empty) just to get the swiggles from the European Union….

"Flip" said Flip and Robin (hood) winked……"we can’t fight them this way, for they are too many, I have a cunning plan……."

And so it was that Flip and Robin spent all the day travelling up and down the secret steps deep into the ground where the FlipFloppers stone lay, buried and hidden from Percy. They carried away many many precious stones (and rather nice pieces of precious metals as well) from the stone but their task was huge…..they needed help. And so it was that Flip secretly summoned his "Just Poor People" friends and they also secretly began carrying away many many good bits of the stone, soon they had nearly all the people from the green lands helping and some also from the land of the Whales boyyo.

Flip and Robin handed out the good bits of stone (worth many swiggles) to all their peoples and by the rise of the not so orange sun on Sunday, everyone had a plenty and a promise of no longer being "Jolly Poor People" but "Justly Proud Participants" of the rule of their lands – they had more squiggles than even Percy!

And it came to pass that Percy did hear of this and he and his bad, greedy family and friends all rushed into their tunnel towards the stone to grab what they could……but so big was the hole left by Flip and Robin and the JPP that Percy and ALL fell headlong into and down the hole never ever to be seen ever again (promise)!

This of course left Flip and Robin to rule fairly over the Land of the (one less) Rock with a fair hand and heart and ALL the people of the lands lived happily ever after.

Ah, I think I am seeing a bit of a picture here, and it sounds like today is an important day!

"We are also thinking of stopping at Porto Santo, when we leave Funchal.  Porto Santo is the other inhabited island of the Arquipelago Madeira.  The Arquipelago is made up of five islands but only two Madeira and Porto Santo are inhabited.  Porto Santo is known for its long white sandy beach.  Not counting tours, there are less than 3,000 people on the island". If you have been following the voyage of the Resolution, this is the next short episode of the captains (b)log. What happened to the other 2,000 people on Porto Santo though? RESOLUTION

The gym at Ribeira Brava has introduced two new classes, and as a promotion they are free to attend during October.

1. Kickboxing – Mondays 7.30 pm

2. Indoor Cycle ? – Tuesdays & Fridays 8 pm

I am off to do my duty very soon. The PS gets my vote today, as they gave me the most goodies (baseball cap, pen, pencil and notepad), although I really did want the oven mitts, I have managed to forgive that oversight now. The BE left block came a close second choice, having the catchiest campaign song, but I think that would be an even more wasted vote anyway. DD (democracy day) has come at last, or will Unc. Bertie have his henchmen out with big sticks. I will let you know if I see any.

Porto Santo is all out of petrol. A breakdown in the main filling station has meant that excess demand had drained all the petrol elsewhere. The Portugal Airforce has already started an operation to provide petrol to the island. The petrol station with the breakdown cannot be fixed until Monday. I can think of more disastrous scenarios I must admit, after all, apart from emergency situations, it wouldn’t do anyone any harm to to a bit of walking on a Sunday.

I received an email from someone who lives on Madeira on last night asking me to send them money to help them out of a ‘desperate situation’. It looked like a hoax, and it turned out to be just that. Apparently many hotmail accounts have been hacked, allowing crooks to use the email accounts of innocent people to try and con the contacts in their address book.

UPDATES :

You can probably guess the big front page story today, especially if you followed the football yesterday. Cristiano Ronaldo promised a goal, and went off injured instead, but the team went on to win despite an inconsistent performance. Portugal 3 Hungary 0. They need to win against Malta on Wednesday to stay in 2nd place in the group and reach the play-off games for next years World Cup.

Also in football, Mitchell Van der Gaag has been confirmed as coach for Marítimo and his duties with Marítimo B have been given to Nélson Caldeira.

The main political story is of course the elections today : Madeira Elects 772 Councillors – They are in play in the organs of local power regarding the 11 regions of Madeira and the 54 freguesias (parishes), the president of the republic appealed for the vote. Cavaco Silva made a national broadcast on TV yesterday evening to try and get people out to vote today.

And finally from me : News in Black and White. The Diário newspaper completes 133 years in service today, and the Sunday magazine with today’s printed edition travels back to look at the newspaper in 1876. These days we are accustomed to around 50 pages a day, filled with photographs and information graphics, signed texts, interviews, letters from readers, cases of the day, colourful advertising media and then of course there is the online edition. Back in the old days it was a huge buzz caused by four-page black and white offering with no pictures or authors, produced without much graphical care or  design rules. No pictures it says, but just browsing through the news stories from 133 years ago one caught my eye about a lady in Santa Luzia who had just given birth to a very very  noisy stroppy baby, who threw all his toys out of his wooden wheel-less pram at the slightest little thing, and could insult all and sundry within range within just a few hours of being born. It’s not easy to read such old text, but let me see … yes I think his name was Alberto João Cardoso Gonçalves Jardim. Anyone ever noticed that Santa is an anagram of another rather scary word?

Yesterday’s news stories, courtesy of Elaine in Garajau :

MADEIRA NOT READY TO HAVE A EUROPEAN CAPITAL OF CULTURE. The Secretary of Education and Culture admits that Madeira is not yet ready to enter an application for the award.

DENUNCIATION OF CHEATING IN ALBUQUERQUE. The Communist candidate for Funchal stated that the council had announced eleven times the redevelopment of Pico dos Barcelos, and promised four green spaces/parks in Santo Antonio, but none created. "If Dr. Miguel Albuquerque participated in a film of Pinoccio, his nose would have grown so much that it would not fit on the screen."

‘FUGITIVO’ CASE WHICH ACCUSES 2 PSP OFFICERS OF ACCEPTING BRIBES POSTPONED UNTIL 9 DECEMBER. 12 defendants from a raid on a nightclub in 2006. Found ‘waitresses’ and ‘dancers’ appearing to be acting as prostitutes. The 2 PSP officers are accused of accepting VIP treatment at the nightclub for passing on information about raids. The 72 year old Brazilian ringleader, his 58 year old brother and other workers at the club are charged with various illegal activities including arranged marriages to Portuguese women. The women involved at the nightclub were Brazilian, some illegally immigrated.  

TWO ACCIDENTS YESTERDAY (FRIDAY) CAUSED LONG QUEUES ON HIGHWAY. Two accidents on the Santa Cruz/Funchal road. In the first one, a 33 year old woman had to be cut free from her Ford, which is to be scrapped, but she was released from hospital in the afternoon. She changed lanes without warning and a Ferrari driver from behind could not take avoiding action. His car will cost a few thousand to repair. –The commentators in the newspaper are not sympathetic to the Ferrari driver – excess speed? 

STUDENTS GIVEN TIPS FOR FLIGHTS PRICES. Students flying between Madeira and Lisbon can save money by booking in advance, booking directly via the websites of SATA, TAP and Easyjet rather than through travel agents, and a small change in date/time can make a difference. So instead of 400 Euros, the cheapest prices were for SATA 73 Euros, TAP 95 Euros and Easyjet 121 Euros, between 14-17 December and return 7-10 January.

PRAZERES GALLERY HAS FIRST ANNIVERSARY. The gallery in front of the Quinta Pedagogia has had 20,552 visitors to 11 exhibitions.

MSC ‘FANTASIA’ OFFERS CRUISES FROM FUNCHAL. November 23 and 4 December a 11 night cruise costs from 1380 Euros and a port fee of 130 Euros. A 6 day cruise on the 15 December costs from 878 Euros. An offer for an accompanying passenger.

MADEIRA TOURISM CHARM 170 FRENCH ON MONDAY. To coincide with the arrival of the low-cost carrier, the Tourism Office will host a two day tour of the island for French tour operators, tourism representatives, travel agents and media. They will have a welcome cocktail, dinner, trips to the Famers’ Market, wine lodges, Monte, walks, rides, jeep safaris and dolphin watching trips.

MILLENNIUM BCP WILL OPEN SATURDAYS. This bank will open on Saturdays from today. Anadia branch 9.30 to 13.30.

… and today’s too … thanks Elaine :

Quinta do Lorde resort promoted in England and France. 99 apartments and 23 single houses for sale. Already promoted in Madeira, promotion in England to begin in November through Savilles Estate Agency in London, then Glasgow in February and Manchester in September. They are betting on selling to the UK market as there is a strong English tourism base. They are using Savilles which have an exclusive clientele. Also promoted on the web sites of the Daily Telegraph, Sunday Times and Financial Times. It will then be promoted in December at the Cannes International Luxury Travel Market fair, which is only open to ‘VIP buyers’, who have to be able to prove that they have a certain income and lifestyle to visit it. Later promotions in Sweden, Finland and Denmark. They still do not know when the resort will be finished and  realise that now is a difficult time to sell. —Another half-sold development?

Eco Line occupancy rate has tripled. To reduce mobility needs, traffic congestion and accidents in Funchal, energy consumption and pollution, the Eco Line buses have been made free since the 1 September and their usage has tripled. There already is one Green Line bus (no 1) running between Piornais and the city centre and the Funchal Bus Company is buying more buses (hybrid technology or electrical) to run one every seven minutes. This is part of the CIVITAS project, involving the council, Technology and Science Park and Energy and Environment Agency. They are still surveying the usage of  buses in order to plan a better service.

Fraudulent PSP e-mails. These e-mails, purporting to come from the police, are still being issued and the police are getting about 50 enquiries a week. These notify the recipient that they are required to attend a court hearing but the attached file contains a ‘phishing’ message.

Condominium Management Companies more competent. The Bureau of the ACIF Business Condo has eight members which represent 50 – 60% of the sector. There is a draft law to be debated, which has been designed over the last three years, to regulate the industry. The management firms often have problems with 20 – 30% of the owners and recovering debt by litigation is expensive and lengthy, so a last resort.

Young people want more time with parents. Lack of love, values and dialogue, summarises more than 3,500 people aged between 12 and 21, enrolled in the Youth Service at Bom Jesus Health Centre, Funchal. These are from dysfunctional families which now occur in all sectors of society. The parents do not have time for them, no family meals and no joint activities. This service is run by a 24-strong multidisciplinary team, including 4 doctors, 8 nurses, 3 psychologists and a nutritionist, who promote healthy lifestyle and less risky behaviour. Last year they started three new projects, for pregnant teenagers, eating disorders and sexually-transmitted diseases. They next want to be able to monitor health of pre-adolescent 10 to 13 year olds. —Unfortunately, sign of the times.

SPAD requests the inclusion of  animals in the declaration of IRS. At yesterday’s  Blessing of the Animals ceremony in Funchal Municipal Park, there was much barking, with a few dogs but no cats. The SPAD (equivalent of the PDSA) representative wants the cost of pets to be deductable in tax returns.

Best way to book travel? It has been thought that Travel Agents might disappear because of increased use of internet booking, but the cheapest deal might not always be the best, mainly due to the conditions and limitations of the cheaper tickets. Travel agents often have agreements with airlines so they can offer good rates not seen on websites, and the service charge pays for them and security as the agents do not receive commission. It is easier to book a holiday package through a travel agent, and they build up knowledge over time so can advise. WTTC-affiliated agents are more secure.

Voting complaints. In Sao Roque do Faial, a complaint about PS propaganda leaflets near the ballot box (illegal). Also several complaints about the politically-known arranging transport to polling stations (influence?).

—–I noted that last night at the Santana Theme Park OCM concert, they also erected screens for those wanting to watch the football match.

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

You can email blog@madeira4u.com with any large contributions or comments and photos / videos, or if you can contribute regularly, I can give you a special account that allows you to create your own blog postings.
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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 Selina … "The waterfall by Modelo in Ribeira Brava was extremely fierce, dark brown in colour from all the soil in the water. This picture was taken during a downpour on Sunday morning".

‘Easton resident, native of Madeira, follows calling to become a Spanish teacher – Blue Hills Spanish teacher is well-versed in five languages’. Worth a quick visit to read the beginning bit about the differences in education, and although things have vastly improved here, the kids / parents still have to buy their school books. BOOKS FOR FREE

‘Wind Power in Portugal’. Although not specifically about Madeira, quite an interesting article about renewable energy policy and achievements in Portugal. THAR SHE BLOWS

"Hi all, I have found a website for anyone wanting to learn a new language, you can find it at www.livemocha.com . There are about 160 hours of lessons in 21 different languages available for free, including Portuguese.

The livemocha site offers social-networking tools that augment the online lessons and let users add hints and tips. You are given a personal homepage where you can see what lessons you have taken, how far you have progressed, and how fast you are learning. The site also supports video chat so you can hook up with other students and practise conversations. The site is totally web based, and easy to sign up which I have done, lessons seem quite easy to start you off, and could be a good free way of getting some practise in Portuguese". Tobi.

In today’s news : ‘Seasonal Flu Vaccinations Start On Monday – The campaign gives free jabs  to at risk groups’. The health centres of Madeira will start the injections next week, with the over 65′s, people with chronic conditions and respiratory problems, and other ‘at risk’ illness groups at the head of the queue. 27,000 vaccines were ordered, 3,000 more than last year.

As for Gripe A swine flu, last weeks figures were released and the numbers remain unchanged, with no new cases confirmed from the 10 that were tested. The count since the start remains at 40, mostly being foreigners, with just 4 cases of secondary transmission so far.

‘Mosquito Bites Increase In The Last Few Days’. The complaints have noticeably increased, but it is not possible to confirm whether the ‘Aedes Aegypti’ was responsible, or other mosquito species, particularly as studies in July have shown the AA population to be low. A new study started yesterday looking at the AA population density, and the effectiveness of the insecticides being used.

‘Rock Fall Hits Via Rápida – Junction at Quinta Grande closed in the direction of Ribeira Brava’. At around 2.30 yesterday afternoon a rock fall closed the via rápida, forcing drivers to exit the road at Quinta Grande and rejoin at Campanário. No one was hurt and and the damage caused was minimal. It was hoped to clean up the area and have it reopened last night. The TV coverage didn’t show much evidence of the rock fall, but the workmen were up on the rockface clearing off loose material.

The main news headline today : ‘Fire In Quinta Escuna Creates Political Controversy – The company that owns the property in Santa Cruz said it is the "victim of an act of vandalism" and involves the movement ‘Juntos Pelo Povo’ (JPP) in a communication about the fire of suspect origin on Sunday. The case is already in the hands of the law. JPP threatens it own lawsuit’. The company that administers the Quinta Escuna, Tijolo Branco, has sent a communication to the Diário making 5 points about the fire, that was started by a tyre and petrol, and could have caused much more damage if the emergency services hadn’t arrived quickly. The basis for the blaming of the JPP, who are contesting all the seats in Sunday’s local elections, seems to be based on the fact that an organised event was cancelled due to bad weather, and the fire occurred soon after, after many of the JPP supporters had "frequented the taverns and bars of Santa Cruz". A fire of suspect origin eh? I would suggest that a burning tyre accompanied with petrol was slightly more than ‘suspect’, especially if the rest of the car was missing at the scene.

‘Delays – The Complaints Increase : Correios [Post Office] delay payments to the retired, that increase by more than five thousand in a year’. Madeira has over 37,000 retired pensioners, but add to that those with ‘survival pensions’ and disability pensions, the number rises to close to 64,000, rising by an average of 524 each year over the last decade. These people complain about the services of Correios in sending their pensions, and the Association Of Retirement of Madeira has called a conference next week to discuss the matter. There should be a counter just for complaints at the Correios, as the service just seems to get worse and worse. For me lately, stuff delayed by weeks, stuff correctly addressed but returned to sender, masses of repeat and out of date junk mail, and then last week an attempted delivery that wasn’t when the postman couldn’t be bothered to ring the doorbell, and left a card instead. The days when the bills arrive before the direct debits are taken from the bank have become a rarity. Darn contractors, no pride in the job and the lack of local knowledge, are probably the main reasons, and if we could get Uncle Bertie to give them as good a slating as he did with the police, then maybe the Correios bosses might sit up and take notice.

UPDATES : Thanks again to Elaine in Garajau :

Funchal council demolish building in Rua de Santa Maria. They will demolish part of the building which partially collapsed on Friday, as it is a danger to passing people and adjacent buildings.

Shelter has new attic wing for boys. Funchal council will aid expansion of the shelter for young people, Our Lady of Conception, which at present houses 45 young people, although it can accommodate 50. It successfully helps them integrate back into society.

Camacha has a new Centre for Occupational Activities for children with special needs. Necessary due to geographic location often making travelling difficult to other areas.

Three parish councils provide training for the unemployed. Three areas of Funchal, Sao Martinho, Sao Goncalo and Imaculado Coraçao de Maria, will provide IT and commercial training, leading to recognized qualifications, for 15 people in each area. The courses last 15 months and they will receive a subsidy of 500 Euros.

Rain affected official inaugurations. The rain affected Jardim’s inaugurations of new roads in Câmara de Lobos and Ribeira Brava yesterday. In the first one, he had to use the PSD campaign car’s sound system. Usual refreshments were still served. Jardim looked favourably upon the rain, saying: "It is said that when there is rain there is happiness." "Thanks to God we always need plenty of water for our land, especially for these agricultural areas that have missed the rain". The photo with this story will appear tomorrow, for reasons that will soon become clear.

Two PSD rallies have been cancelled due to the rain, one at Santo António and one at Ponta do Sol.

Government has filed a complaint about Friday’s policing of the opening of the port tunnel. Unlawfully disturbing the activities of the Government can lead up to three years in prison. Jardim keeps stating he has no problem with the PSP of Madeira it is just outside influence (Portugal, I presume).

Political disagreements about the residential home in Porto Moniz. A PS candidate for the area complained that the opening of the home had occurred just prior to elections, although it is not ready to function or would employ as many people as stated. The Foundation which run the home have rebuffed this political accusation.

Usual complaints by all political parties about unfair electioneering by inaugurations, defamation and sweeteners.

Fishermen in Câmara de Lobos complaining. Saying that politicians only think of them during election time. Still want a fishing port, and subsidies during the low season similar to those in Machico and Caniçal. Also, poorer catches of the black scabbard (espada) fish.

PSD confident to win Câmara de Lobos. Usual pre-election poll says they will return to power, as in 2001 and 2005, with 5 seats and 2 to the PS. They will get 50 – 54%  of the vote, less than 61.4% in 2005, and the PS 15.4% instead of 17.6% last time.

PS candidate for Funchal asks the Minister of Finances to resolve the situation of €8 million owed by the Portuguese State. Claims that there has been 5% IRS withheld from the 2009 Budget, 5.4 million Euros from Funchal council and when including other municipalities, 8 million Euros should have been transferred in February.

Porto Santo has emergency plan. More details of proposed work on the island. There will be an emergency fund for housing repairs, food assistance and assistance with medical expenses, especially to the elderly. Road improvement, expansion of the Residential Home, Arts and Crafts Workshop, Cultural Centre, Library and Archive and Fire Department.

Colombo’s Resort still stagnates. Work stopped in 2008 when the developer SITCB needed 60 million Euros to complete the project. Difficulty in obtaining investment and bank loans due to the financial situation. In July, there was supposed to be a memorandum between public and private companies to restart the work but still no progress. Was due for completion in summer 2010. There are still negotiations about the continuation of the works on Madeira Palace Hotel, and management of the Quinta da Lorde Resort in Caniçal.

‘Costa Serena’ will start cruises from Funchal next January. The Costa Cruises Portugal promoter confirmed that you will be able to board in Funchal on the cruise from next January.

Date of next year’s International Film Festival still not certain. Not yet confirmed that it will be 10 – 17 April 2010.

‘Overcoming the Fears’ exhibition opens in the Electricity Museum. Opens at 6 pm tonight. Illustrating the UN’s eight Millennium Development Goals, established in 2000 by 189 Governments.

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

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

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

(more…)

Bit of a holy day today, the day of Fatima. Probably lot of church services happening, I saw a procession with candles last night.

Anyone fancy a free professional football match? Today at 6pm, in the ground at Choupana, The national Stadium of Madeira’, you can watch Nacional play Marítimo in the semi-final of the Madeira Cup (taça), for a place against Caniçal in the final.

How’s life treating you today? Hows the weather over your way? Please use the comments here for general chit chat, or feel free to ask any questions.

Please send any topical photos to blog@madeira4u.com to appear on this website, they may take a while to appear. Please don’t send copyrighted photos