88 Madeira Consorcio Meeting 22.4.2017
Apr 26, 2017 at 11:36 am | Posted in Posts | Leave a commentTags: Bread, democracy, Funchal, lawrence lessig, lazzarus, liquid, penta, walldorf
U. gave out the group’s contact list on paper again
Foundation.
M.is in negotiations with one of the family members who has access to the website, Also, the “IRS” handout has been stalled. Some issues need to be resolved at the Foundation first.
Escola de Semente:
R V contacted U to help him set up a fundraising project ; U gave him the best option for Portugal site (www.ppl.pt) and R V will study what is needed to set up a fundraising drive (photos, video, gifts, content).
The Bread Project:
E will give GV’s number to Uso she can call him and remind him that he intended to order bread. But: we must assume he that wanted to find a way to get the know-how.
M. has a contact for E for a shop in Praça A. for rent, this could be a good place for a bakery at a low price.
The Foundation is getting its own bread oven, not to feed the children (they get a lot of bread as donation) but to teach them how relate to and produce their food in a natural way.
Penta presentation
C gave us a presentation of the Penta project.
This is an Association in Funchal with a few members promoting an upgrade on the education concept behind the Walldorf schools. The major point is that the parents need to be educated before the children. Adults should have an integrated approach to their own lives, working will all five (Walldorf is based on four) of their own elements (Emotional, Mental, Vital, Physical and Spiritual). Children then copy their parents – even if parents do not see the results of this copying behavior reflected to them. This can be done by Art Therapy, Family Drama (“Constelação familiar”, to get rid of old ghosts in the closet) and other techniques. The Association also organizes walks and creates “insight” labyrinths in nature
C is a medical doctor but studies psychology and has received training on this approach from two teachers who now live in the UK (http://www.lazzarus.net/ ) The Association would like to get them over to Funchal to give training to the parents and teachers in Escola de Semente.
Other Stuff:
Al is offering Acupuncture in Funchal, in a practice in Rua da Carreia 100.
“Mundo Sustentável”, the used good resale place is behind the Forum, below the “Po de’Arroz” hairdresser’s shop.
Also very interesting:
Lawrence Lessig Our Democracy no longer represent the people:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJy8vTu66tE
And liquid democracy can be found here:
87 Madeira Consorcio Meeting 11.3.2107
Mar 12, 2017 at 12:38 pm | Posted in Posts | Leave a commentTags: Bread, gluten free, Madeira, madeira consorcio
Support for the Foundation
As mentioned before, the Foundation relies on private funding only. The stock market is providing less income than before but another point is that the judge in charge of the Court of Families and Minors is of the opinion that children should be given to foster parents,
The Foundation has been very quiet about their work so far, but times change and more funds are needed so the Foundation needs to show more face. From a website and handouts via Diario ads up to TV interviews , everything is possible. The management team needs to decide how far they want to go with public exposure.
The Foundation is fully compliant with the law. Social Security made a full check up. Transparency and compliance are the essential for fundraising efforts.
D & S have a good example of how it should be done with http://www.refugio.pt/ (nice website – clean, simple and welcoming), a well-known entity in the Algarve for just the cases the Foundation is caring for as well (“emergência infantil”).
We shall help the Foundation with marketing efforts, to strengthen the base for ongoing fundraising. D proposed the 0.5% Tax Donation avenue. Private citizens can donate this amount to a charity of their choice, with no cost to themselves, Accounting companies can even set this up as a default option, informing their clients that if they do not say otherwise, the accounting can set up their donation automatically.
Fir this to work, word needs to get out that the Foundation is asking for this help. This can be done be email to all contacts and former alumni. The request for help can also go out via A5 handouts, with an appealing text in (not too complicated) Portuguese, citing the Foundation’s NIF number.
U.prepared a text and showed it to the Team. The Portuguese has to be fixed and the text polished and improved. M will do this with his Team as soon as possible (Tax declarations will be delivered as of April 1st), then we’ll receive the final text. U will deliver prints , E. & Gr can take the handouts to the cinema in Ponta do Sol, etc.
D suggested that the Foundation tries to set up a list of former students to draw them in for support. They might want to keep in touch with each other as they, after all, all, grew up together.
He also suggested asking former students for an annual donation, it can be small but it would strengthen their sense of belonging. Another way is via estate planning: donors can help by bequeathing houses or funds after their demise.
Special projects can be used to attract donations as well. Esaid that an “institution” (no better word for it yet) can expect support from a community when it offer something to this community, e.g. theatre plays, concerts , Christmas tree lighting on the grounds, etc. (the group was not enthusiastic about Christmas plays, though) .
Web site upgrade
U has received the access codes to the existing website and worked on the background to improve things. She will acquire some photos of children, and S.Z. could provide photos of the home and hopefully the staff, to add them to the website. We also need the WORD originals of the annual report 2016, there is good material in there to fill the pages. (The Foundation has a good team, this should be emphasized as well.)
U will look at a PayPal Donate button (other option: MBNet) to suggest donations. This can be set up with a 10€ minimum as PayPal takes a cut for the payments, albeit on a lower rate for an IPSS.
In our time, with more and more angst ruling the people, it is important to strengthen the ties in the community so that people contact and get to know each other. Fear cannot take hold so much if you know your neighbor and community.
The Bread Project:
E met with G.V. who is interested in the gluten-free-bread as he cannot produce it in his two (or more?) bakeries. E gave him a sample and received a very good feedback.
We discussed the price, D was skeptical if the price is not too high. R.V: has the experience, he is often educating the clients on nutrition and value and he says that the price is not too high, compared with the bland quality of industrial gluten-free bread, and that he can “sell” the price to his clients.
We also discussed the possible production of the grains on the island. At the moment, they can be bought from Italy (Tuscany) , Austria and the US.
E received some originals , he can have them planted here but the yield will not better, and the cost would be the same (around 6€/kg). Planting them on Madeira would be sustainable, creating work, helping the community… great idea, but is has to be kept for the future.
83 Madeira Consorcio Meeting 17.9.2016
Sep 18, 2016 at 11:11 am | Posted in Posts | Leave a commentTags: Bread, Escola, Funchal, madeira consorcio, madeira think tank, mark zuckerberg, meeting, mundo sustentavel, Portugal, recycly, vegetarian friendly
The Bread Project:
V gave E. a “plastic” bag, to store bread and keep it fresh. The bag, produced in Austria, is not made with oil but of plant material, and decomposes easily; it can be re-used several times. The bag can be printed on. The producer is www.naku.at.We discussed the logo and design for linen bags for sale along with the bread.
We also spoke about the support we want to give the Escola de S..
We shall propose to their Team to create a blog for them, based on the text that we developed after the July meeting with them. U is going to send the approved content to Do. to look at. E.has photos; we need those for a blog. U will ask Ma. for their bank details so we can perhaps also add a PayPal donation button.
We also spoke about fundraising and how to go about it
Do. said the most important issue for fundraising is to answer the questions on what the project is and what they need. The fundraisers also need to propose adequate gifts as thank you for the donations received, e.g.
- a postcard with children’s paintings for a donation of 5€,
- for 10€ a donor would get a mug,
- and for 25€ he would get a yearbook,
- for higher amounts he would receive a mention of his name as sponsor on a (movable) plaque in the school.
An ongoing fundraising effort would be better that an occasional action, with the receipt of money from time to time.
“Teaching” support
There we have many options. S.used to go to her children’s school and read a poem which would inspire the children to make a drawing/painting about the topic, S. then gave assisted them in this. Such visits can lead to the composition of a yearbook, also as Thank You to donors.
Rui A.could do physics experiments with them, and so on…
Additional info.
Open letter from a Danish Newspaper to Mark Zuckerberg: http://www.aftenposten.no/meninger/kommentar/Dear-Mark-I-am-writing-this-to-inform-you-that-I-shall-not-comply-with-your-requirement-to-remove-this-picture-604156b.html
We have a recycling shop behind the Forum, “Mundo Sustentavel”, They accept used goods for household, decoration & more and resell them; the proceeds are split between the seller and the shop: Tel 291619768, info@mundo-sustentavel.com
Frente Mar has some shops out for public tender for rent in/near the Lido Swimming pools, several artists are working there.
The list of 10 vegetarian-friendly restaurants in Funchal :
http://frommadeiratomars.com/pt/10-vegetarian-friendly-restaurants-in-madeira/
D & S like “Olive” in Oudinot best, the restaurant needs business so we should all go there and recommend it.
Also very good: “Tipografia” in the Castanheiro Boutique Hotel. “Mania de Cozinha” in S. Pedro is closed due to fire damage.
Our next meeting will be in mid-October,
78 Madeira Consorcio Meeting 17.3.2016
Mar 19, 2016 at 4:21 pm | Posted in Posts | Leave a commentTags: Bread, disruptive, old age home, peer to peer, quinta das eiras, sea water, supper club
We had an animated meeting in the station. G. was so kind as to provide our parched throats with Tilia Tea
We spoke about the Bread Project. E.has now ordered 500 long-handled linen bags with a very nice logo, ideal to transport two big loaves. He will continue to wrap the bread in paper bags, this is necessary to catch the Omega 3 which stems from the seeds. T.
He sells around 20 breads a week and wants to buy a professional kneading machine in order to streamline his work.
The legal side: he is now testing the waters and has no special licenses yet. M. and C. said that in their neighborhood, there is a villa where loads of honey cakes are produced in a private environment. U.has the idea that E., instead of renting a place, should try to install his small production as an add-on in such a place. The honey cake “factory” is totally busy, so it would be impossible for him to get space and time, but the members will keep their ears open, maybe we come across such an opportunity. M.knows a baker who closed a bakery in Funchal, he will speak to him about the place, and if he can sell E.used machines. It is very important to keep the costs down at this stage.
E.would like to create a foundation to serve as basis for the project, which, like the Scottish bakery, could employ handicapped people and would not need to make a profit. It would also promote the production of special wheat on the island. He then could create a small business on the side to make money for himself (he doesn’t want to get rich with this, he wants to give support to the island). The idea of a foundation is a big endeavor and needs to follow many regulations, so D. suggested that he start as small businessman /sole trader in sales, as this could be set up with low taxation. D.said that the idea of a foundation would be better for the grain production.In any case, he has to establish a secure market first. C.said that the demand will inevitably grow as more and more people realize that normal food causes many allergies.
The http://www.herdadedecarvalhoso.pt/ in the Alentejo produces a lot of organic food.
A small excerpt from a text by E.: “The … Project envisions the rebirth of our most genuine and ethnographic traditions, by endowing our breads with transversal societal principles – in short, making bread that bears humanity in itself – foodstuff evolved from the common nutritional projection to a superior dimension… Bread can then be a truly transcendental food, for it feeds kinaesthetically our senses, but our soul too.”
Note: The best baker in Paris is Portuguese !
We also spoke about the Supper Club idea. U.thinks it would be a good idea to create a website and have several members from the group offer different experiences: V.can offer Austrian cuisine (as we know, very yummy), E.Brazilian specialties, C.Smorgasbord, etc. G’s original idea is to have a book club, and members could have a cake & coffee while they are there, they could also borrow and return the books in the other venues. This would create a social atmosphere so that people, residents and tourists alike, could get to know each other and have discussions.
U.could set up a website to take recreation requests. It is very important that the persons attending such an event are members of the club, then this is a private event and the venue does not have to adhere to any restaurant regulations.
There is a link to the supper club “28A” (#restaurantsareforstrangers) in Lisbon on Fluffbook, there is very little information on it. They cook recipes by Jamie Oliver.
There is also a new Supper Club in Madeira at http://quinta-das-eiras.madeirahotel24.com/en/. Quinta das Eiras has an all- inclusive price for Lunch and after 4 pm, drinks and cakes etc.are charged on a normal cost; people can even take out a horse for a ride. The Quinta can take up to 25 – 100 persons and they are well booked.
This is a new peer-to-peer business and it is disruptive to the restaurant business.
Other issues:
U.informed that there is an initiative by a German doctor to create a “sheltered community “ or old age home in Madeira with an international chain. The group thought that this could be a fruitful project. There will be a meeting in mid-April about this.
Note. A. will need a new job as of September, she is trained in biotechnology and will contact the lab in Canicalto see if they would be interested. She is also very well suited for administration jobs
Tip from E.: sea water, rich in magnesium, is the best medium to cook vegetables, rice and potatoes (Fajã dos Padres serves wonderful potatoes, you don’t need a main course after that).
Our next meeting will be in mid-April
76 Madeira Consorcio Meeting 22.1.2016
Jan 24, 2016 at 12:40 pm | Posted in Posts | Leave a commentTags: Bread, Consorcio, ferry, hash house harriers, ideas, Madeira, mainland, newspaper, pharmacy, porto santo, residents, tourists
We met in the Station in the Lunch room, and started off with a bread tasting. Ca. brought some very good ginger cookies, made by himself! What a Surgeon’s hands can do…
Z., represented her parents, so U and E gave a brief introduction of our work and goals.
We are trying to develop ideas for new business on the island, such as medicinal herbs. We also visit places of interest; such as the Sugar Cane factory in Ribeiro Seco/Funchal, the Meia Serra waste processing plant and the firefighters in Funchal.
One of the issues facing us now if that, if we have good ideas, they cannot come to fruition if we cannot find the person/s best suited to pick them up and turn them into reality. We also want to have more exposure of our work to the public.
E and Uhad a meeting with the managing Director of JM (former Jornal da Madeira) and presented our idea of a communication channel from the population (and from us) to the Government by way of short ads with ideas (not complaints!).
He didn’t pick this up but instead wants us to publish our ideas every two weeks in a column (he said, with 3000 words, it’s more likely that he meant 3000 characters).
U. would like to wait until the newspaper is sold – which according to E’s info, should be soon. D.is also of the opinion that it is better to go in with the New instead of going out with the Old (in this case, the management).
In another project with the JM, D. and U. are working with them to develop a once-per-week English page ( A3 folded once =4 pages) as an add-in and a stand-alone, to reach the foreign Residents and Tourists. Advertising should be able to support the cost. This would fill the gap left by the demise of The Brit a few years ago. In this paper, we could also place our ideas and have (anonymous) food critics’ reports.
The ferry to the mainland:
We also talked about the subsidy game going on for the Ferry which is still not visible anywhere. Subsidies are killing entrepreneurial efforts. E.said that the group of interested shipping companies is now ganging up to pressure the Government for higher subsidies. The Sousa group which seems to hold an amazing number of essential enterprises on both islands, is probably going to come out on the top again.
The Ferry to Porto Santo:
E.said that there should be a continuation of territorial continuity; this is not a problem in the Canary islands. Ferry traffic there is voluminous and never interrupted.
Public transport is (like water) a public service and should not be in the hands of private enterprises. (Ca. mentioned that for example, telephone connection is not a public service per se.) The ferry to Porto Santo should have a contract which stipulates that it must run 52 weeks of the year. If the transport company is not willing to provide the service around the year, then it should lose the license.
Every discussion leads to the problem of corruption, part of the human nature. Added to this is the fact that the Portuguese, especially the Madeirans, do not have a fighting spirit.
Such corruption can be fought with transparency, another issue for publication in a newspaper. The Diario publishes a list of public contracts every month, with the top ten contractors and amounts. Old Contracts as the one for the Porto Santo Ferry should also be published; in the case of Sousa, his holdings should be made public as well. U. said that if such information is not allowed to be forgotten, by persistently repeating it, it will finally sink in, and people will react at some point. The question is how far the future owners of JM will be willing to go to publish information which is uncomfortable to the Have’s on the island.
We also spoke briefly about E’s project. He will make an experiment and dry his product(for preservation and export) to see how it comes out. It may, however, turn out to be too hard.
D.said that E.should grow his grains exclusively on the island. These grains are kept in seed preservation chambers, but why not use them now and keep them unaltered?
Z introduced us to the concept of the Hash House Harriers, a movement which organizes running events to support charities, with chapters all over the world. This is also an expat movement as the organizer used to come from the British Army. Have a look at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hash_House_Harriers
Our next meeting will be in mid-February
71 Madeira Consorcio Meeting 16.7.2015
Jul 19, 2015 at 12:22 pm | Posted in Posts | Leave a commentTags: Bread, crowdfunding, einkorn, emmer, Funchal, kamut, laboratory, luiz saldanha, madeira consorcio, Marine biology station, ocean observatory, Portugal, project, redistribution of wealth, splet, transparency
71 Madeira Consorcio Meeting 16.7.2015
Visit to the Marine Biology Station:
We visited the Marine Biology Station on Praia das Gaivotas, E’s place of work. The Ocean observatory is housed there, and Gr., although she is not officially back to work, also helps out there.
AL, one of the scientists, graciously showed us around. On appointment, she offers guided tours in English and Portuguese on a regular schedule. This would also be an interesting for tourists walks – nobody knows about it!
The station has an extensive library; the oceanographer Luiz Saldanha donated many unique books to the Station. The content is already available in digital format under www.cm-funchal.pt -> Ciencia ->Publicacoes. The Summer University students (Leicester) study here with E. One scientist is currently studying the impact plastic residue has on the marine animal world.
The station, dedicated to the study of the ocean and its species, is fifteen years old. It was supposed to be a part of a bigger complex; due to monetary restraints, the rest will not be built. The station has six floors and houses several, dedicated laboratories. The technical equipment (long lines of multiple tubes on the ceilings, big microscopes, lab bottles – empty as well as filled with something – is quite good. A rolling archive houses thousands of animal species in formaldehyde and alcohol.
The station works with in conjunction with UMa and the Municipal Aquarium in Rua da Mouraria. It is part of an international network of Marine Biology stations. Some preserved species from the Aquarium, are now housed in tanks in the Station, including the head of a once five-m long shark in formaldehyde. Some of the species stored may already be extinct by now.
The station has dedicated laboratories and teaching spaces; Gr was working in one of them. It also affords living space for visiting scientist. On the ground floor, above the beach, are two tanks which can accommodate turtles. One of the scientists is tracing them. Local fishermen also cooperate with the station; when they catch unusual species, they contact the scientists to collect them at the auction and take them to the station to be studied. The station is also a point of reference for scientists worldwide who want to compare species to ascertain of they found a new sub-species in our Waters.
Discussion:
We then started off by talking about the Redistribution of Wealth text.
The rich are not the problem; they can be a part of the solution. It’s a fact that the Portuguese have no culture of giving, they only think of themselves, their family and their friends. Since the times of Salazar, they are used to doing what they are told, they have no revolutionary traits – maybe something in that vein is starting now on the Algarve islets, due to the mass eviction of poor people (from illegal homes, endangered by rising water levels). They are also keen on subsidies which stop them from growing foodstuff for their own use and local sales. They also duly follow the seduction by advertising and throw away and replace instead of recycling, re-using and repairing products.
The Greeks import every lemon, now they will have to create an internal, local economy and start growing their own food. Where there is demand, supply will follow.
Wealth does not need to be measured by money, we can consider ourselves rich when we have a satisfying life.
Money is empowerment; it should not be kept under the mattress, it needs to circulate.
Ce would like to forbid the money flowing into sports in order to redirect the funds to social projects. Subsidies should be abolished.
- Education is the cornerstone to get the population to come away from the “Taker” model (Ishmael) and get them to fight for a more meaningful life.
- A good example is needed to create the right motivation. A good example is Sebastian Salgados “A Salt of the Earth” approach; Wim Wenders made the film (http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_salt_of_the_earth/ ). Salgado photographed a lot of wars and bad events, and then decided to dedicate himself to do good by reforesting a vast area of land in Brazil. (http://www.institutoterra.org/eng/conteudosLinks.php?id=22&tl=QWJvdXQgdXM=&sb=NQ==#.VauBqfmP_KB )
- People need to start to question things and they need to stop using subsidies, they can use crowdfunding to start up a business (kickstarter, indiegogo, for Portugal www http://ppl.com.pt ). A site comparing crowdfunding sites: http://www.crowdfunding.com/ it is mportant to choose well because the platforms charge at least a 5% fee for the campaigns.
- Transparency: everything needs to and will be disclosed on the internet in the future. The “traditional” administrator who thinks that he can do what he wants, without benign controlled, will be a thing of the past.
Crowdfunding is a new form of financing, open to all, not just the rich. D invested a bit of money in an apparatus, invented but yet to be developed and marketed, which replaces the cumbersome Sleep Apnoe masks many persons need to use.
Then E read us a text of his, with the story of how he came to like and bake bread of the highest quality. With this meeting, we came to the following conclusion:
We decided that it would be a good project for the group to promote E’s dream of a bakery and bread shop (no Café) to produce and sell his bread, based on old strains of grains (Spelt, Emmer, Einkorn. Kamut). We would help him get the funding through a crowdfunding site, and Ri could take good photos and produce a video for the site. We have to choose the best platform http://www.crowdfunding.com/ to reach the maximum national and international support. As incentive for the backers, E can offer bread subscriptions.
E’s bread can also be exported, he already had requests in this regard.
This would set a good example for the population of self-help to produce a local, Madeira-made product, with grains from Madeira Island, milled on site. A healthy, not genetically modified and not poisoned bread.
This group goal will also be in line with Ri’s idea that the group should focus and work on a meaningful concept
Our next meeting will be on WEDNESDAY 19.8.2015
Reunião no 12.7.2012
Jul 15, 2012 at 12:40 pm | Posted in Posts | Leave a commentTags: Bread, pao biologico
Bread dough which has risen and is ready to go in the oven (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Tivemos uma reunião animada, principalmente com o grupo de Agricultura, e com uma degustação de pão. O pão é feito por E. Moreira: ele compra o grão de agricultores orgânicos especiais, tritura-se, então é fermentado por 18 horas. O pão é livre de glúten, com frutas e / ou nozes, muito caro, mas bom. Seu problema: é feito em sua cozinha dele (muito limpo), assim não pode obter certificações. Se não estava lá na quinta-feira e não podia pegar um pedaço: é para venda em BioLogos. Há muitas pessoas que estão produzindo pão da casa e marmelada etc que não pode ser vendido de forma profissional, porque eles não tem condições de obter certificados para os seus produtos. Vamos trabalhar nisso.
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
We had a lively exchange, mainly in the Agriculture group, with a bread tasting. The bread is made by E. Moreira: he buys the organic grain from special farmers, grinds it himself, then it is leavened for 18 hours. The bread is gluten-free, with fruits and/or nuts, very expensive but good. His problem: it’s made in his (very clean) kitchen and he cannot get certifications:it’s for sale in Biologos.
There are many people who are producing home made bread and jam etc. and who cannot sell on a professional basis because they don`t have the conditions to get their products certified. We shall work on this.
Related articles
- Artist blows up bread in frustration (bigpondnews.com)
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