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Happy & Prosperous 2016

Nº. 023 January 2016

January fiestas – glossary of fiesta terms – Animal fiesta – Fighting for Bulls – ABC Spanish Cookery – Michelin awards – ASIMEPP – Yoga for Everyone – Bookshelf – OARI Hotline – Civil War Volunteers – No-Do Online – AdmitOne Film Club – Shakespearian musicals – Third Housing Boom – Day of the Tree sustainable development – Solar Energy in Morocco – Menudos Voces – Shrinking the Shape – Pictorial History - New year Concert.

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fiestas of january We hope you have all enjoyed the fiestas of Winter or should we say Christmas and New Year as winter is not over and winter fiestas take place this month with San Anton. In many mountain towns and homes the slaughtering of the pig or animals that will be prepared for future use in the snow bound places - la matanza. Neighbours of La Mata hold a perky porky BBQ at this time.

The Dictionary of the Spanish Language has a lot to say about fiestas. It is a very Spanish word that has found its way into other languages. The dictionary tells us that it a day in the ecclesiastic calendar of greater solemnity than others, and which the faithful have the obligation to hear Mass, to make good works, and abstain from servile work. Movable fiestas depend on the lunar Easter calendar, which is not celebrated on the same day each year, such as Corpus Christi. The dictionary also tells us that fiesta is a day in which the Church celebrates the memory of a saint - Saint Andrew for example.

But a fiesta is also when we celebrate a solemn national or civil day.

It describes fiesta as - joy, a day in which the population recreates (itself) or as a meeting between people to celebrate some event or simply to distract them or entertain them.

Fiesta also relates to vacations that are jealously guarded such as Christmas, Easter etc., when, normally, businesses close up and employees and employers alike have a break from toil.

For the man in the street a fiesta is a party and no-one does it better than the Spanish who will organize a fiesta for any little excuse, whether it be for someone’s birthday, a community of owners to get together, or someone’s saint’s name day. So for every Tom, Dick or Harry there is an excuse to take the opportunity and have a fiesta in your name. aormi@icloud.com

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National fiestas

1 January - New Year’s Day 25 March - Good Friday 1 May Labour Day 15 August - Asuncion 12 October - Pilar patroness of Spain 1 November - All Saints 6 December - Constitucion Day 8 December - Inmaculada 25 December - Christmas In addition Capital cities of the Provinces will have two more days fixed by each local government, Then we have a day for each Autonomous Community - Valencia, Murcia. Andalusia etc. e.g. Valencia 9th October.

There are some national feast days, which can be substituted by individual regions.

The Monday following the Epiphany of Jesus (6th January) 19 March -. San Jose Holy Thursday (Maundy Thursday) 25 July - Santiago Apostol December - the Monday following the Immaculate Conception on 8th December.

Every year each town will print a Labour Calendar fixing the holidays for the year eg Torrevieja Monday after Easter Monday is a local holiday.

If a particular fiesta is of special interest it can have one of two denominations appointed by the To u r i s t Board:National Touristic Interest or Regional Touristic Interest which are self-explanatory. A few like the Valencian Fallas or the bulls of Pamplona, are considered to be of International Touristic Interest.

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Solidarity Calendar still available

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We have put together some fiesta terms, but know that there are many others, so if you know some terms please send us an email with the information.

GLOSSARY OF TERMS arcabucerĂ­a baile bandas banderas barraca popular barrio Belen bellas/bellezas

cabalgata carnaval carrozas castillo aormi@icloud.com

the firing of arquebuses and blunderbusses during Moors and Christian festivals. dance either a musical group or an official notice flags, sometimes used in folklore dancing outside party, often in a marquee with music and dancing district of a town Nativity scene (Bethlehem) or crib - some are full size figures. beauty queens

parade, usually of horses, best known the Three Kings on 5th January carnival, normally February to March coaches or carts castle or a wooden used in fiestas Torrevieja Outlook

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castillo hinchable

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bouncy castle

castillo de fuegos artificiales firework display cofradia a guild or brotherhood usually part of Semana Santa. processions comparsa a group in a festival or a guild.

Contrabandistas pirate group in Moors & Christian festivals concurso competition.

Cremá burning of the hogueras or fallas bonfires. damas de honor maids of honour for beauty queen. danzas populares típicas traditional dances. desembarco disembarkation of Moors. desfile parade. diana early morning reveille, usually by a musical band and fireworks disparos de arcabucería firing of guns disfraces fancy dress costumes dolcaina/duzaina a musical instrument with different names in the Spanish regions, but basically rather like a tin whistle Embajada Ambassador of Moors or Christians entrada entrance encierro bull run into bullring Encuentro meeting, usually in Semana Santa processions Entierro de la Sardina The Burial of the Sardine, connected to fiestas during Lent.

Fallas/ hogueras, fogueras A bonfire usually of paper and wood figures feria fair - which could be a fun fair or medieval market or a cattle fair. fiestas patronales town’s patronal festival fogueres paper and wood figures for burning (see niñots) hermanidad brotherhood or guild hogueras paper and wood figures for burning mascletas fire crackers exploding in lines.

Mig Any/Media Año - this denotes a mid-year fiesta six months before the main one.

Moros y Cristianos Moors and Christians niñots name of individual figures in the fallas or hogueras Nochebuena Christmas Eve Nochevieja New Year’s Eve aormi@icloud.com

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novena ofrenda de flores pasacalles pasadobles Pastoretes penitente petardo preg贸n procesi贸n marinera Reina retreta romer铆a

nine - usually religious connotation of nine days of prayer. flower offering, usually in a procession. parade through the streets. music and dance associated with bulls. shepherds in Christmas celebrations. hooded penitent in Semana Santa parades. firecracker. opening speech for fiestas. sea procession of boats. queen of fiestas. retreat of armies during Moors & Christian fiestas. pilgrimage, often in caravans, romero is rosemary put on the staffs of pilgrims.

Semana Santa Holy Week suelta de cohetes Rocket fireworks released suelta de vaquillas bulls released, usually in streets.

Taurina bull events tambores drums tiroteos firing of guns verbenas populares small, usually free, evening meal and gathering Virgen Virgin Mary, listed under hundreds of titles or virtues.

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16 OUTSTANDING FIESTAS There are 16 fiestas declared of Interés Turistico in Alicante Province.

The procession of Palm Sunday and the Misteri (Patrimonio de la Humanidad Heritage of Mankind) of Elche.

The Moors & Christians of Alcoy.

The Habaneras of Torrevieja.

The Hogueras of Alicante.

The Semana Santa processions held in Crevillente and Orihuela in addition are acclaimed at national level.

As are the following fiestas -. The Moors & Christians of Bañeres, the Els Bous a la Mar de Denia.

Fiestas of Interés Turístico are the Moors & Christians processions and festivities in the towns of Guardamar del Segura, Elda, Cocentaina, Villena, Callosa d’en Sarrià and Callosa de Segura, the San Bonifacio fiestas of Petrer.

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Fiestas of January 1st January

New Year’s Day - a public holiday throughout Spain.

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Alcoy representations of the Belén de Tirisit (a living nativity scene) that began on 23rd December and finish on 4th January.

The Sunday morning before the Epiphany (6th) Les Pastoretes (shepherds) celebrate in Alcoy. On the night of the 4th three Hogueras (bonfires) are lit on the Monte de San Cristóbal, representing the presence of the Three Kings. An emissary of the kings arrives in the town to announce the imminent arrival of their majesties.

On the Sunday morning prior to the Epiphany in Callosa de Segura the ‘Cantos de La Pastorela’ is sung.

1st and 6th

In Albatera a procession on these days, carrying the Virgin’s image.

5th January In most of the towns there is a Cabalgata de los Reyes Magos, a procession of the Three Wise Men. Of importance because of their splendour or antiquity and worthy of mention are: Alicante, Alcoy, Banyeres de Marila, Benidorm, Ibi, Xixona, Xàbia, Pinoso, Gata de Gorgos, San Juan de Alicante, Torrevieja, Villena and Orihuela.

6th/7th January In Cañada the ‘Auto de los Reyes Magos’ is a play of the arrival of the kings.

On the same day a similar act is carried out in Villena.

The ancient dance of the kings takes place in Tibi - Les Danses de Reis.

In Callosa de Segura the ‘Cantos de La Pastorela’ is repeated.

6th January Aleldo (Murcia) direction Sotana) La Estrella y Los Reyes Magos.

12th January In Muro de Alcoy ‘La Fireta de San Antoni’ is held.

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16 - 17th The patronal fiestas of San Fulgencio are held.

17th January Feast of San Antonio Abad with many places holding a service blessing animals. There are romerias to the hermitage of this saint held on either the preceding Sunday or the following Sunday, with a blessing of the animals. Alicante, Alcoy, Alfafara, Benidorm, Elche, Finestrat, Mutchamiel, Parent, Pedreguer, Pego, Sagra, Vall d Álcalà, Xàbia, Xixona are some of the places for these pilgrimages, not forgetting la Mata and Torrevieja.

A hoguera is burned in Benejama with an auction of a lamb to pay for the fiesta.

Jacarilla, Orihuela, Beniarbeig and Gata de Gorgos also celebrate this day.

In Salinas the fiesta of los Mayordomos is held.

A romeria takes place in Hondón de los Frailes.

19th January Xàbia celebrates SanSebastián, the town’s patron saint.

20th January Orihuela and Murla both hold romerías in honour of San Sebastián.

Fiestas are order of the day in Sax. 22 January

In the church of Agost there is a serenade of popular songs held heralding the patronal fiestas in hour of the Virgen de la Paz on the 23rd January.

26 January

The people of Dénia have a pilgrimage to the hermitage of Santa Paula.

31st January The Festividad del Niño Jesús del Milagro (also known as the Segundo Corpus) takes place in Alcoy.

San Antón is Spain’s patron of animals. He was born sometime in the 3rd or 4th century in Egypt. According to the legend he lived to 105 years of age. As a youth he gave away aormi@icloud.com

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his money to the poor and retired as a hermit to the banks of the Nile. Many cures have been attributed to his intercession especially a skin condition which has a burning sensation and hence the name “the fires of San Antón”.

Burning Flesh - Cleansing Fires In Villanueva de Alcolea this skin condition was rampant in the Middle Ages and disappeared thanks to the intercession of San Anton. The origin of this particular fiesta of San Anton may, perhaps, be traced to Villanueva de Alcolea where, according to legend, St. Antony cured a pig of an infirmity. However, he not only cured animals but during the Middle Ages he also worked miracles curing people of the pestilence which burned the flesh with fever. This has led to the saint’s feast becoming a Fire Festival in this town in Castellon Province held on the 16th January. People and animals parade around hogueras and a feast full of fear and happiness takes place. Some people, on gaily decorated horses, ride through aormi@icloud.com

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the labyrinth of streets leaping over fires. This represents the contemplative soul in ecstasy viewing Life as a dangerous game.

Here, during the fiestas, beasts and people jump over the many fires in the town.

T h i s connection has led to fire becoming a symbol of this saint and fires or hogueras are burnt on his feastday which is held with s p e c i a l devotion in the Va l e n c i a n Communidad, CataluĂąa and also in Mallorca.

As with many ancient festivities there is a touch of the pagan element - in this case, the winter fires. The fire acts as a purification rite and in some of the fiestas the ÂŤdevilsÂť leap over the fires to be purified. Often men on horseback leap over the flames in these rites.

Many of these fiestas are a strong representation of the ever present battle between Good and Evil which can be seen in many fiesta rites.

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San Anton feast is a day for animals to be blessed and it may be appropriate to remember that

by Dave Stewart in many Spanish fiestas animals are abused rather than blessed.

Since the early part of 1999 and up to 2002, ANPBA, the Asociaci贸n Nacional para la protecci贸n y el Bienstar de los Animales has made nearly 700 administrative denuncios (complaints) relating to the ill-treatment of animals during local fiestas. This has included complaints against some of those who fight in the bullring for irregularities in the legitimate regulations governing this art. The president of ANPBA said that more than 70,000 animals are used in Spanish fiestas throughout the year.

Fighting for Bulls

However, on the feast of San Anton pets are paraded with pride in many towns. Many local towns have pet services at churches where the animals are blessed and there is aormi@icloud.com

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likely to be one near you. Orihuela, Hondón de los Frailes, Jijona, Jacarilla, Pego, Pilar de la Horada and Javea all have this type of event. Each year some of these have farm animals, domestic pets which may include newts or snakes.

San Anton is Spain’s patron saint for animal welfare and many associations take the occasion to protest against cruelty of animals, either as sport or domestic. A tradition in many towns is associated with bulls. Some are world famous such as the July Pamplona San Fermin bull runs and subsequent fights in the ring. It was really Hemingway who made them famous writing with enthusiasm of the bravery and skill required in the bullring.

After a dozen deaths last year associated with bull events, a dozen municipalities, including Alicante, are planning to hold referendums on whether these should be banned, continued or watered down. Torrevieja used to have bull runs in the street when it was a small village but alter a Madrid lady complained in a Madrid newspaper about the cruelty she witnessed so they were discontinued. But bullfights were regular events and there was an ardent association organising these events.

Alicante anti-bull protest

Madrid has decided to take away €414,000 away from the €1,329,593 set aside for bullfighting-related activities.This money will be used to train personnel in the treatment of domestic abuse situations, to hire interpreters and to pay psychosocial teams to help victims of violence. In September, Madrid Mayor Manuela Carmena, pulled the plug on a €61,200 subsidy for the city’s bullfighting school.

Torrevieja used to have a bull run in the streets until a lady tourist complained in a Madrid Newspaper about cruelty.

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As we saw in the La Mata fiestas in September and the December Torrevieja patronal fiestas the bull running has taken a different format. This makes use of large inflated bulls with a man running inside, each one chasing the children down the streets to a rubber bullring in the paseo. All good fun which, apart from someone falling, is not particularly dangerous.

Last year a dozen people died as a result of bull fiestas. On July 14th, a 44-year-old French tourist died at Pedreguer after a bull gored him.On August 9th, a 32-year-old man died during a bull run in Villaseca de la Sagra, in Toledo province. He was recording the event on his Smartphone and failed to see the bull until it was too late. A man in his sixties was gored to death on Sunday during local fiestas in Cuéllar (Segovia), bringing the number of bull-related fatalities this summer to 12, the highest in the last 15 years.

The surgeon at the town bullring confirmed that a bull ran its horn through the heart of J.M.R.B., a resident of the Basque municipality of Rentería who was in Cuéllar with his wife.

Following a tradition in many Spanish towns, local authorities had permitted the chosen bulls to run through the streets for a few minutes along a pre-defined route. Often the danger spot is just before the bull run is funneled through the entrance to the ring causing congestion and people fall and are trampled on or gored. Dome events are open to everyone and many participants, including children, are not physically prepared for the run and rush of adrenalin.

Last year, there were 15,848 street events involving bulls, 2,000 more than in 2013, according to figures released by the Culture Ministry. I don’t know if blown up rubber bulls come into these statistics, but at least a dozen lives would have been saved.

Torrevieja's bull run nowadays tends to be a bit more harmless with blow up balloon bulls

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Of Spanish Cookery

by Pat Hynd

The idea of this section is to bring an idea of only some typically Spanish foods in the hope that you will be be adventurous in dining out.

Elzekaria is a Basque soup recipe with cabbage, haricot bean and garlic.

Empanadas are very common - pastries varying in size with either savoury or sweet fillings.

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Empanada de Bacalao is a pastry filled with de-salted cod, onion, green and red peppers, garlic. It is usually served with a tomato sauce.

Empanadas de Batallón are filled with ham, chorizo and red pepper.

Empanadas de Pascua are popular at Eastertime lamb, bacon and orange.

Empanadillas de Pescado are small fish and shellfish pasties with a breadcrumb coating and deep fried.

Emparedado de Mejillones is a sandwich you will find in Galicia with mussels and raw onion filling.

Ensaimadas are of Mallorcan origin and are large, flat, coiled yeast dough buns, usually drenched with powdered sugar and sometimes with a cream filling (angel’s hair) on special fiestas.

They take their name from ‘saim’ a local word for lard and are eaten dipped in coffee or hot chocolate.

Some are also savoury with ‘sobrasada’ a Mallorcan sausage spread.

Ensalada is a salad and there are of course infinite varieties.

Ensalada de Alubias Blancas con Bacalao haricot beans, salt cod, leek, green pepper, onion, oil in a vinagette dressing of tomato, oil and vinegar.

Ensalada de Atún, Tomate - Lettuce, tuna, roasted red pepper, garlic, green and black olives in a vinagrette dressing with spicy peppers.

Ensalada de Endibias con Pollo has chicory, cooked chicken breast, tomato, garlic, parsley, and sometimes prawns, in a vinagrette dressing of olive oil, tomato, vinegar.

Ensalada de Frutas - mixed fresh fruit salad in season with a lemon and honey dressing.

Ensalada de Frutas en Almibar - a most unimaginative but common dessert - tinned mixed fruit in syrupy sauce.

Ensalada de Patata con Vinegreta – boiled potatoes, lettuce, cucumber, onion, and hard boiled eggs in a vinegrette dressing of olive oil, vinegar and mustard.

Ensalada con queso is idiazábal cheese with tomatoes, chicory, cucumber, asparagus tips in a vinagrette dressing.

Ensalada de arroz is a rice salad with tomatoes, green peppers and onion in an oil and vinegar dressing.

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Ensalada de Tomate is sliced tomatoes and onions in garlic dressing, garnished with olives.

Russian Salad Ensaladilla Rusa This has to be one of the most popular tapas on the Costa Blanca. It is cheap and easy to prepare, looks good and goes a long way. One of the distinguishing flavours of a true Russian salad is the addition of capers.

8 medium potatoes 1 medium carrot, diced 175 grams fresh peas 2 hard-boiled eggs, cooled, shelled and cubed.

A 200 grams tin of tuna fish, drained and flaked.

1 diced red pepper.

115 grams tinned sweetcorn 40 gr. black olives 350 ml. mayonnaise.

A large spoonful of chopped capers.

Boil the potatoes and cook until done. Drain, and when cool, cut into 6 mm cubes.

Boil the carrots, and peas for about 5 minutes, drain.

Mix the potatoes with egg, tuna, carrot, peas, pepper, corn and olives in a large salad bowl. Just before serving add the mayonnaise to the vegetables and coat the ingredients.

Smooth the salad down and dress with slices of red peppers and/or anchovy fillets. Remember that in the heat you must handle mayonnaise with care making sure that it is fresh to prevent food poisoning. Some people cut corners by using frozen prepared vegetables.

Ensalada Sevillana has red peppers, onions, tomatoes, olives and rice.

Ensalada Valenciana is lettuce and orange slices in an oil and vinegar dressing.

Escabeche de Boquerones is fried aormi@icloud.com

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anchovies soused in herbs and vinegar and eaten cold.

Escalopes de Ternera Labrador is a veal or ham sandwich deep fried.

Espaguetis a la Crema - Spaghetti is very often on menus and this one is in a cream sauce with saffron and grated cheese cooked on top.

Espaguetis Boloñaisa – Spaghetti Bolognese - minced beef and tomato sauce with spaghetti. Really this is a much abused dish as some restaurants boil the mince, add tomato paste, and that’s your lot. I learned this from a chef from Naples who cooked it all afternoon in a college, tasting it all the time, adding a bit of something here and there.

What he did differently was not to add a splurge of tomato/beef sauce on top of spaghetti, but layer the cooked spaghetti in deep casserole dishes for four people, then add in a lot of sauce and put in the oven for about ten minutes with a sprinkling of

parmesan at the end. It was so delish I could eat a whole dish myself! Here we are fortunate to have tomato frito which is a great ingredient. But there are plenty of recipes out there using bacon or mushrooms or even a dash of Worcester sauce.

2 tbsp olive oil 400g/14oz beef mince 1 onion, diced 2 garlic cloves, chopped 100g/3½oz carrot, grated 2 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes or fresh tomatoes or tomato frito 400ml/14fl oz stock including a good splurge of wine (use a chicken or beef stock cube) aormi@icloud.com

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Spoonful of balsamic vinegar A good pinch of Oregano 400g/14oz dried spaghetti salt and pepper Preparation method Heat a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add a tablespoon of olive oil and once hot add the chopped onion, garlic, beef mince and a pinch of salt and pepper.

Cook the mince until well browned over a medium-high heat (be careful not to burn the mince. Remember it is not just mince but a sauce.

Add in the liquids and grated carrot and the tomatoes to the pan and stir well to mix, bring to a simmer and then reduce the temperature to simmer gently for 45 minutes, or until the sauce is thick and rich. Taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary.

When ready to cook the spaghetti, heat a large saucepan of water and add a pinch of salt. Cook according to the packet instructions. Once the spaghetti is cooked through, drain and add to the pan with the bolognese sauce. Mix well and serve.

Espaguetis Carbonada – spaghetti with a cream sauce containing ham, mushrooms and onion.

Espáragos – Asparagus is a favourite starter, usually from a glass jar, served with mayonnaise.

Espáragos Andaluz is asparagus tips in oil and garlic served with croutons of fried bread.

Espáragos a la Plancha - fresh asparagus with smoked salmon, olives, hard boiled egg, and a mayonnaise sauce.

Espáragos con Guisantes is asparagus with peas in a creamy white sauce.

Espáragos Hervidos are asparagus in melted butter and either a vinagraitte or mayonnaise sauce.

Espinacas a la Catalana is sautéed spinach with raisins, pine kernels, garlic and anchovies.

Estofado is a cooking term for stewed meat.

Estofado de Buey is an Asturias dish of beef stewed with onions, root vegetables, red wine and herbs.

Estofado de Carnero is found in Extramadura and is mutton stuffed with bacon and stewed with vegetables and herbs. aormi@icloud.com

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Estofado de Conejo y Legrumbes is a Leon rabbit and vegetable casserole dish.

Estofado de Costilla - a casserole of pork spare ribs potatoes, carrots, onion, green pepper.

Estofado de Vaca (or ternera) is a beef or veal casserole with oil, wine and herbs.

Estofado de Vaca EspaĂąola is an

excellent choice of marinated beef stewed with bacon, olives, vegetables and herbs.

Euskalgoxo - a dessert from the north of Spain consisting of junket, apples, cinnamon.

Â

There’s not that many Michelin starred establishments nearby on the Costa Blanca which is surprise and one wonders if the connoisseurs ever travel this way. This Michelin map marks those that are recommended.

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One of the best known awards for a restaurant is the Michelin star and even one star signifies a really good cuisine.

Spain is fortunate to have some of the best restaurants and chefs in Europe as there are 174 places bearing these stars . Eight of them have three stars, twenty with two stars, and 146 with one. Every Spanish region claims that its unique style of cooking is the best, and interestingly there are fifty restaurants in Catalunya and twenty in the Basque country that have stars, which, according to the Michelin guide, “warrant a journey and visit for an exceptional cuisine.” The annual Michel Guide has lots of information about traveling with not only their star recommended restaurants but many others including Hotels.

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ASIMEPP TORREVIEJA

BY PAT HYND

Looking at the annual floral procession during the patronal fiestas in December, one cannot be but impressed by the amount of associations registered in the Torrevieja. They show the spirit of solidarity that seems to be a mark of the town. Many of them are associations that never appear in the British media because they are Spanish based. Part of the ethos of Torrevieja Outlook is to increase integration and share information about solidarity.

The Association of Integral Health, Psyco-physical Improvements and Psico-sociales in Torrevieja (ASIMEPPP), presented in Torrevieja last November, the annual desktop calendar for 2016. Included is a brief series of information about fibrolmygeia - not forgetting the advertising of the sponsors of the calendar printing.

The presentation took place in their premises in calle Concordia Nº9, by the president of ASIMEPP, Almudena Valdés. 250 copies are on sale at the cost of 3 €. They can be acquired in ASIMEPP's headquarters.

ASIMEPP, like any other any NGO, is an Association without profit and that possesses a number of persons dedicated entirely to the mutual help of those affected with painful aormi@icloud.com

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infirmities. The purpose of the association is to offer the possibility of giving support, help and integral treatment to patients, relatives and friends affected by fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue and all kinds of rheumatic diseases or that deal with widespread pain.

Fibromyalgia syndrome is a common and chronic disorder characterized by widespread pain, diffuse tenderness, and a number of other symptoms. The word “fibromyalgia” comes from the Latin term for fibrous tissue (fibro) and the Greek ones for muscle (myo) and pain (algia).

Although fibromyalgia is often considered an arthritis-related condition, it is not truly a form of arthritis (a disease of the joints) because it does not cause inflammation or damage to the joints, muscles, or other tissues. Like arthritis, however, fibromyalgia can cause significant pain and fatigue, and it can interfere with a person’s ability to carry on daily activities. Also like arthritis, fibromyalgia is considered a rheumatic condition, a medical condition that impairs the joints and/or soft tissues and causes chronic pain.

Asimepp holds workshops for their 270 members in the therapeutics of tai chí, zumba, yoga and pilates, besides workshops of psychology of self-help on " Living with Fibromialgia " and " Expression of emotions and positive thoughts ".

Every organisation is well aware of the costs that affect them and there are times that this association has had financial problems. In June Asimepp received a donation of 4.500 Euros from the Caixa bank, with which a project financed IT equipment, new electrical installation in the headquarters at calle Concordia, as well as to cover the psychologist's service. The chairwoman of Asimepp, Almudena Valdés, received this support from the director of the head office of the Caixa, Jose Francisco Fernandez. Also present were the secretary, Mayte Miralles and the promoter of the payment, Fina Sánchez who does a

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tremendous amount of work for several Torrevieja associations and always willing to help within her capacity.

In May the association organise lots of events, including informative and cultural ones, to mark the annual Day of Fibrolmygeia on the 12th.

May 12th has been designated as International Awareness Day for Chronic Immunological and Neurological Diseases (CIND) since 1992. May 12th was chosen as it is the birthday of Florence Nightingale who was believed to have suffered from ME/CFS.

ASIMEPP - Asociación de Salud Integral, Mejoras Psicofísicas y Psicosociales en Torrevieja Address: C/ CONCORDIA Nº 9, Torrevieja ATTENTION MONDAY & FRIDAY: 10:00 – 13:00 Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday: 9:00 – 14:00 Monday to Friday afternoons 17:00 – 19:00

Tel: 966 927 140 – 650 041 560 Fax: 966 927 140 e-mail: asimepp@hotmail.com web: http://asimepp.org/ Presidente: Maria Dolores Herrera

aormi@icloud.com

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is for Everyone

by Jessica Laslett

Yoga has been around for a while now, at least a few thousand years, which would suggest that it probably carries quite a few benefits that are worth considering. Â The word yoga comes from the Sanskrit word 'yuj' which means yoke or union, referring to the uniting of the body and breath of the individual spirit to the universal spirit of all that is. Â There are many aspects to the true practice of yoga but what we have come to think of as aormi@icloud.com

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yoga in modern times generally refers to the most practical application, the physical practice of yoga known as Asana. Yoga is a discipline which, through a series of postures purifies and strengthens the body and clears the mind. Traditionally yoga was practiced for the purpose of building physical strength and stamina, preparing the body for spending long periods of time in meditation. These days of course, we can all benefit from these strengthening detoxifying effects for many different reasons other than trying to cope with meditation marathons.

Yoga carries all the benefits you would expect from any workout and so much more besides. A well planned yoga class will systematically work every muscle group, building strength and increasing flexibility, and that is just for starters. Each posture carries it's own unique set of benefits, both physically and mentally. From improving the health of joints, tendons, ligaments and vital organs to balancing the mind and the central nervous system.

There are many different styles of yoga, from slow gentle stretching as found in Yin Yoga to the dynamically athletic practice of Ashtanga, and pretty much every style variation in between. Regardless of the style, yoga should be performed as a mindful physical practice, connecting the body's movement and breath with an emphasis on calming the fluctuations of the mind. When the practitioner begins to gain control over these elements, using the breath to calm thought and find a place of focused stillness, it soon becomes possible to expand this skill into other areas of aormi@icloud.com

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life. For this reason yoga can be a powerful tool in managing depression, anger issues and other mental disorders.

There is a misconception amongst many that you have to be very flexible to do yoga.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Of course there are yoga postures that require extreme flexibility, but you will find that your local yoga classes are filled with a complete mix of abilities and body types, every size and shape can practice yoga, no exceptions. A good teacher will teach in such a way that the postures are appropriate and accessible for everyone in the class, giving modifications where appropriate, assuming the class is not specifically stated as being for advanced students..

Whether you want to experience yoga in a spiritual context, or as a physical workout, or a hybrid of the two, there are classes out their to suit every need. If you are inclined to try yoga for the first time it is certainly worth shopping around to find a class and a teacher that you feel comfortable with. Don't hesitate to contact the teacher in advance to find out a bit more about the kind of class they teach in terms of style and level. If your first experience is not quite what you had hoped for it is certainly worth trying elsewhere until you find what you are looking for. Don't be put off by the type of venue where the class is held, you will find a variety of yoga styles in every environment from gyms to yoga studios, maybe even in a teacher's home, it is the personality of the teacher and the quality of their teaching that counts. aormi@icloud.com

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We all know that it can be daunting trying a new experience for the first time, especially when you are not quite sure what to expect or you are worried about not being able to ‘keep up’. I often hear yoga students lament that they wish they had started yoga sooner, to which I reply that they started at the perfect time for them, the practice comes into your life when you are ready for it and not a moment sooner.

Yoga is a journey with no final destination, we are not trying to get anywhere with it, we are simply experiencing improvement, the unfolding of every moment, every movement and every breath towards increased strength, better health and a calmer more balanced mind.

Website: www.yogaandmeditationtorrevieja.weebly.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yogaandmeditationtorrevieja Proud Supporter & Ambassador of: Aurobelle Clothing www.aurobelle.com Froothie http://www.froothie.es

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Bookshelf

by Pat Hynd

Riots - Terrorist attacks - Neo-Nazi violence.

We live in very turbulent times with a modern type of warfare that stalks the streets we walk. Every day we see on television broadcast scenes of riots, terrorist atrocities, extreme organizations of Neo-Nazis violence or Islamic fanatics.

This story is a debut by Dorothy Cummings McLean, the author of "Seraphic Singles" (in the USA, "The Closet's All Mine", and in Poland, "Anielskie Single") and of this new book "Ceremony of Innocence: A Novel." She is a columnist for the Toronto "Catholic Register" and a blogger. She lives near Edinburgh, Scotland with her husband and two thriving pots of rosemary.

The plot of this latest book has been influenced by newspaper headlines as she plunges into modern day Germany as home of Neo-Nazis.

In modern-day Germany, journalist Catriona McClelland has seen it all while covering the contemporary European scene for a Catholic news organization. Keeping herself above the political fray in her professional life, she has also managed to keep herself from personal entanglements —still hurt from the wounds of a broken relationship. Things come to a head when her boyfriend Dennis, frustrated with a lack of commitment, leaves her for Suzy Davis, an idealistic young Canadian who is involved with a left-wing protest aormi@icloud.com

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movement. But when Suzy is murdered… who is complicit and who is innocent?

It is a trip into a scene of political extremism and spiritual confusion that marks so many people today.

Ripped from the headlines, Ceremony of Innocence is a very contemporary novel of Europe on the edge of social breakdown. Train stations are bombed and migrants targeted for violence as journalists and other tastemakers watch from their positions of privilege.

Dorothy Cummings McLean’s realistic narrative does not describe the feats of heroes.

Rather, it unnervingly lays bare the way religious faith and moral reasoning can be easily manipulated and compromised.

It is an insight into modern day Europe that many seem to think is organized by Germany and is vibrantly original. As a debut there are glimpses of the authoress’s favorite writer - Grahame Greene.

— Stuart Reid, former editor, The Spectator had this to say:“A fast-paced thriller in which Terrorist International wages war against Europe, America and Christian civilization. All human life is here-drugs and degenerate music; neo-Nazis, enigmatic spooks and terrified Muslim immigrants; bombs, quarreling lovers and scheming Eurotrash—and, underpinning everything is sorrow, contrition and hope.”

Ceremony of Innocence by Dorothy Cummings McLean is available in bookshops and online through the usual book links - ISBN 9781586177317

aormi@icloud.com

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Hotline Help

It is obvious that the current mayor of Torrevieja is keeping to his

promise to do away with the OARI office, therefore cutting a valuable link between the town hall and the international community.

However, the Partido Popular that opened this office six years ago with Graham Knight, wishes to continue to offer residents the support and assistance p ro v i d e d by the government of Eduardo Dolon and the OARI office under Jean Paul Mulero.

So any person or entity needing advice can contact Jean Paul by email

torreviejalink@gmail.com or by phone at 619 930 505 Jean Paul speaks Spanish, French and English perfectly.

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History in Black and White Civil War Volunteers

by Andy Ormiston

Demoralize the enemy from within by surprise, terror, sabotage, assassination. This is the war of the future. Adolf Hitler These words seem to have been taken to heart by the Islamic fanatics today. There is a lot of debate about what should be done to nationals who join them – should they be allowed to return to their home, have their nationality and passports taken away, treated as traitors, imprisoned, or what? Syria is obviously a civil war that is fast developing into a world war three - as Pope Francis has said several times. Can we learn anything from the Spanish Civil War 1936-39 and discover anything from the foreigners who joined the ranks of both armies?

During the Spanish Civil War thousands of foreigners enlisted in the armies of both sides.

Many historians point to the Spanish Civil War as a battle between Communist and Fascist, but this over simplifies the matter as there were so many other entities and ideologies involved. So many groups seeking control in 1936 meant that it was several months before the legitimated elected coalition government of the Second Republic finally took the reins and led the country in fighting the rebels of the Franco-led army who were backed by the fascists, Carlists, the Church, and several other small groups.

Can we learn anything from this tragic civil war?

The Geneva Conventions do not specifically define the term "civil war". They do, however, describe the criteria for acts qualifying as "armed conflict not of an international character", which includes civil wars. Among the conditions listed are four requirements:

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- The party in revolt must be in possession of a part of the national territory.

- The insurgent civil authority must exercise de facto authority over the population within the determinate portion of the national territory.

- The insurgents must have some amount of recognition as a belligerent.

- The legal Government is "obliged to have recourse to the regular military forces against insurgents organized as military."

The so-called Islamic State has been clever in its leadership by calling it as such, appointing a Caliph and using the term caliphate, which to some people means that all Muslims, wherever they may be, should be part of it and owe allegiance to the caliph. SIS makes no secret of its ultimate ambition: A global caliphate secured through a global war.

To that end it speaks of "remaining and expanding" its existing hold over much of Iraq and Syria. It aims to replace existing, man-made borders, to overcome what it sees as the Shiite "crescent" that has emerged across the Middle East, to take its war -- Islam's war -to Europe and America, and ultimately to lead Muslims toward an apocalyptic battle against the “disbelievers." So although there is a semblance of civil war it has gone beyond borders. But as Graeme Wood wrote "Caliphates cannot exist as underground movements, because territorial authority is a requirement: Take away its command of territory, and all those oaths of allegiance are no longer binding.� No matter what your religion it is easy to select verses from a holy book and take them out of context and twist or tweak their real meaning.

Let us have a look at the foreign input in the Spanish civil war. Although thousands of foreigners, mostly Germans, Italians Moroccans, joined the Fascist army of General Franco it was the Republican cause, with its mixture of ideologies, which attracted thousands of foreigners to enroll in the famous International Brigade - highlighted by the international Press. This is important as it brings into the homes of everyone battles going on far away. Today it has gone a stage further as television brings terror ideas right into the home of everyone as it happens. The media do a great job in their reporting, but aormi@icloud.com

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as we saw in Paris (and also in California) attacks, there needs to be a time lapse between when the reporting happens; as with smartphones terrorists can tap into television and know that a stupid CNN reporter is in bushes 40 yards away and telling everyone what the police are doing. They can act accordingly anticipating what the police are planning.

As early as July 1936 young idealistic foreign men and women were arriving in Barcelona and other large towns, desperate to join the fight against fascism. Before the International Brigades were formed there were already over 4,000 foreigners determined to fight against fascism. Of the more than 30,000 “armed tourists� who came to Spain from all over the world, the majority came from working class backgrounds and had social and communist sympathies. Very few British workers had passports so they pretended to have a weekend in Paris. Those who did have passports had them confiscated by the Catalan Communist Party. British Special Branch officers were stationed in Paris to try to dissuade possible British fighters joining the affray in Spain. In published National Archives documents (KV5/112) the British intelligence reckoned that over 4,000 British citizens were involved in the war and actually produces on-line a listing of many of them. Irishmen also came this route to join the Spanish Republican cause.

Some volunteers never reached Spain.

On May 30 1937 the small Spanish coastal steamship "Ciudad de Barcelona" was torpedoed and sunk off the Catalan coast of Malgrat by an Italian submarine serving with the Nationalist forces. More than a hundred volunteers perished along with supplies and equipment. More survived to write about it and in 1954 diving enthusiasts explored the wreck.

Today police try to stop youngsters leaving their home country to go to Syria, but one wonders just what resentment is growing within them and will they impress other youngsters by their actions?

aormi@icloud.com

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Although officially there was a policy of non-intervention in the Spanish conflict by 27 nations, the general public held their own views and several ambulances were sent from Britain, and cyclists made a sponsored bike run from Glasgow to Barcelona to help raise funds for the Republican fighters. Working class Londoners contributed towards an ambulance sent to the Republicans and many others donated from USA, Ceylon and New Zealand.

Initially the majority of volunteers had no real political alignment, the British Battalion became mainly communist indoctrinated by commissars, fighting in all the main battles of the Spanish civil war and proved to be a hard-hitting, dependable force. The brigades were noted for their berets, which had become a common headgear since it first arrived in Spain from Scotland at the end of the 18th century. 2,300 men served in its ranks: five hundred and thirty-three were killed and the majority of the others were wounded at one time or another. Although initially only a few men were communists, during their training and in the fighting more than fifty per cent became communist party members.

In September 1936 some had already arrived in Barcelona and formed the Tom Mann Centuria and were involved in some early fighting until it was announced that a special foreign brigade would be created. This first group was sent to the new base at Albacete and attached to the Thaelmann Battalion and took part in the fighting to the west of Madrid as the Republicans were retreating. Other British were attached to the French Commune de Paris which suffered many losses. The siege of Madrid that began on 8th aormi@icloud.com

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November 1936, is one of those pioneering battlegrounds in which the first massive bombing raids by the Nationalist forces were part of an indiscriminate bombing campaign and over a thousand civilians were killed.

300 Welshmen volunteered for the ranks of the International Brigades.

Thirty-three died during several battles. Today their bodies rest in Spanish soil, the majority of them in common unmarked shallow graves in the battlefields where they died.

Sweden has always been a recognised neutral state, but among those who left their bones buried in Spain are 173 Swedes, a small part of the fairly large contingent of Scandinavians who volunteered to fight in the International Brigades Aberdare Welsh Memorial and with a memorial dedicated to them in Stockholm. 325 Swedes did return from the civil war. Another recognized neutral country was Switzerland, but this did not prevent 766 of them taking the part of the Spanish Republic and forty fought on the Nationalist side: those who survived were later prosecuted by Swiss authorities for fighting for a foreign government while the others in Franco's camp escaped prosecution. About 800 Dutch fought on the side of the Republic and those who returned to Holland were stripped of their citizenship and had to re-apply for nationality to be restored.

In all 51,260 Europeans took part in the fighting, 20,000 of these were killed. Other nationalities came from all around the globe, estimated as over 8,000, almost half of these killed in action. Reliable figures are difficult to come by as they are quoted as anywhere between 60,000 to 70,000.

There are many war memorials to British volunteers in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland.

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Albacete was the base town of the International Brigades. In the six International Brigades men were usually distributed by nationality or language. The French had the largest number of volunteers (15,400) and formed the first Brigade under the Hungarian general “Kleber”. There was a large number of Polish (5,411) including the 13th Cavalry Brigade. Many anti-fascist Italians fought in various fronts (5,108). The North Americans wore an American type uniform with a dark blue shirt (3,874) and were mainly in the Abraham Lincoln Battalion (not a Brigade): Germans (4,324); Balkans (2.995). The British (3,504) tended to dress in leather pilot jackets with a Union Jack stitched on the sleeve and wearing baggy cavalry trousers. 165 Irishmen fought, but some refused to fight alongside the “British colonisers”.

Most of them fought in the front line where there were high casualties, estimated at 25,000 thousand dead and 3,415 disappeared or were taken as prisoners and their whereabouts unknown. One in every two of the survivors of these brigades suffered grave wounds. Most books reporting on the part of the International Brigades discuss the crucial contribution of the English speaking volunteers, but the men and women came from all over the world - India, China, Japan, most South American countries, Australia, Philippines, Canada, Scandinavian states, Eastern European nations, Turkey, Arabia, Australia, S. Africa, S. Rhodesia and Israel.

Franco’s order of 9th March 1937 specifically stated that any foreigner with a gun in his hand was to be shot. This order was never revoked during the civil war and if foreign Brigadists fell into the hands of the moros or Falangist then they were shot at once. The Italians tended to capture the foreigners and escorted them to Nationalist camps. In the front lines in the heat of battle many prisoners on both sides were shot out of hand, an expediency used in many battlegrounds by all soldiers as fighting troops cannot stop what they are doing to spend time and manpower on prisoners. There were just fewer than 3,000 Americans in the International Brigade and 290 were captured and of these aormi@icloud.com

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176 died after their detention. The Lincoln Brigade became famous mostly because of the American Press reporting.

27 British volunteers of the XI Brigade fell into the hands of the Italian Black Arrows of Mussolini at Guadalajara in March 1937: five of these were later condemned to death. On the 8th July 1937 a group of Austrian Brigadists were ambushed by the moros and the following day six of them were found by their companions with burned and mutilated bodies – eyes gouged out and castrated.

From August 1937 foreign soldiers who were captured by the Nationalist were imprisoned, but their officers continued to be executed. Ted (Edward) A. Dickinson/ Dickenson was murdered as a POW on 2nd February 1937, Jarama, after protesting the murder of two Jewish POW’s, Elias and Stevens. He was tied to a tree and shot through the head. He had calmly shouted to his men, “Salud Comrades” as he fell. One report says he was an Australian.

These are just some of the statistics and examples of the cruelty that occurs during a civil war and we are seeing even greater atrocities committed today. In every war the biggest number of casualties are civilians. Unfortunately, the present crisis has spread into the streets of every country and it looks as though it will be a long war affecting our children’s children and most certainly the face of Europe will alter.

The lead-in Hitler quote to this article has been assimilated by the ISIS lot as now they are killing newborn children with signs of disabilities such as Downs Syndrome, something that the Nazis were noted for as well.

aormi@icloud.com

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023 January 2016

No-Do Online

by Andy Ormiston

In my articles I have often referred to, or used, information from the No-Do newsreels that were shown in Spanish cinemas from 1942 to 1981.

This former state-controlled operation, which was closely associated with the Francisco Franco dictatorship, produced 4,018 films in all. Only seven have been lost, which is quite an achievement.

No-Do was short for Noticias y documentales (news and documentaries) The Group also cared for historical recordings and put together a section called ImĂĄgenes, a light feature programme.

Now, state broadcaster RTVE and the Filmoteca EspaĂąola Spanish film archive have provided free online access to a trove of recordings and documentaries produced by NoDo. The searchable database contains 6,573 files and 1,719 hours of video footage.

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It means that those interested, either as researchers or just curious, can view what may be the biggest news film archive in the world that is free. There are many others that require a fee, or one needs to be a professional researcher or historian to access them.

It also means that being on the Internet they can be accessed from a home computer.

There has also been a deal made with the Mexican Filmoteca to expand the NO-Do Collection with their archives.

One of the treasures that has been made available is Spain’s first major “talkie,” El misterio de la Puerta del Sol (The mystery of Puerta del Sol), which was filmed in 1929 and released in January 1930.

Unlike autonomous bodies such as the Prado Museum and the National Library, the Filmoteca still depends on the Culture Ministry for funding and continues to rely on its server for its own website.

Among footage is a short documentary about Torrevieja fiestas of the Absent Friends Day (Dia Ausentes), those who had previously let the town to seek a new life elsewhere. A bit of searching may throw up similar historical gems.

The first Absent Friends Day held in Torrevieja attracted hundreds of Torrevejenses who had emigrated to other countries and towns; it was reported on No-Do aormi@icloud.com

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It has been under discussion for a long time, but at last a film club in English has been stated with a page on Facebook that is updating films that can be seen in the IMF Cinema in the Habaneras shopping centre. The following is some information about membership and how to reserve seats for the latest films.

TICKET STUBS Please keep your ticket stubs. We will then give you credit for any films you have seen before you receive your membership card.

BASIC MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS The basic Membership benefits are: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday: 5.00â‚Ź admission Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Fiesta Days: 7.00â‚Ź (the standard price) After you see ten films, the 11th is free, for a midweek screening or after 15 films, any night of the week.

Free admission on your birthday More details to follow about other discounts, upgrades and special offers to follow.

MEMBERSHIP SIGN UP Thanks you to those who signed up on Monday. One of the designated sign-up points for membership is Reflections Bar, San Luis Lakeside, Torrevieja, close to where the new Petrol Station is being built and Wash and More.

The process: Thank you to everyone who has either mailed in their membership details or hand delivered them.

A membership list is held by Cines IMF.

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They will designate Membership Card Numbers As soon as the membership cards are ready, everyone who has paid their membership will receive details of their membership Card Number.

Take these details along with some photo ID and pick up your card at the Cines IMF window.

Your personal details are linked to your card, in the same fashion as a Banking Credit Card along with your unique Membership Number.

Once the initial membership cards are produced, future cards will be produced in about 48 hours.

You CANNOT pay for your membership at the CINES IMF window.

Although this would be the simple way of doing things, it is not possible for a variety of reasons.

SIGN UP VENUES Reflections Bar, San Luis, Lakeside, Torrevieja NB: if anyone knows of any other venue that would be good enough to receive payments and application, please pass that information to us, and we will contact them with more details.

PAY PAL A basic Paypal account is being set up.

Standard Information The films play all week, for seven nights.

For film club members ONLY, admission is 5.00€ Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and 7.00€ Friday, Saturday, Sunday plus special Fiesta days.

All films are shown at the Cines IMF, located in the Ozone Centre, opposite the amusement arcade and bowling rink, just across the road from the Habaneras Shopping Centre.

There is plenty of free parking available and if you wish to use the underground parking costs only 1.00€.

Membership costs: It costs 20€ to join the club and the correct change would be much appreciated.

If you are a couple, it costs 30€.

For children under 18 or those holding a Carnet Jove, it costs just 5€ Thus a family of two adults and two children under 18, the total would be 40€ BOOKING ONLINE You can use this method for any film.

However, once the film club is up and running, it will not give you discounts on Tuesday and Thursday nights for being a film club member. aormi@icloud.com

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Just FYI. But Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday are the less popular nights, so there is never a problem at the window. All weekend films are 7.00€ so it does not make a difference if booking online EXCEPT, there is a 90cents booking charge. So your 7.00€ ticket will cost you 7.90€ but it saves you time and annoyance.

The link is: http://cine.entradas.com/entradas/homeCine.do Type in the name of the Film chose the V.O.S.E. choice (Original Version Spanish Subtitles Click on the link.

Select the province, select the town and select the date CLICK ON THE TIME now pick the day. You will see you have a choice until and including Thursday. click continue and complete the process.

OR, you can book and pay for advance tickets at the CINES INF window.

NOT FOR PROFIT ASSOCIATION The Admit One Club does not make any commission from sales of tickets to English Language films. Instead, the Cinema will provide us with special offer and merchandise to off set membership costs and make your club membership excellent value for money.

The Club is based on a not-for-profit basis.

TO JOIN ADMIT ONE CLUB, OR NOT? You do not have to join the Admit One club to be on our mailing list or to attend any film showing at Cines IMF. Non Members simply show up at the window, and tell the person which V.O.S.E. they would like to see and pay for your tickets.

For those who are only in Spain a few months a year it may not be of any financial advantage to join the club. However the club hopes to be able to offer you enough discounts and savings to make it worth your while to do so.

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION REQUIRED: Please fill in the following details to join the Admit One Cultural and Cine Club First Name: Second Name: Third Name (if required): Date of Birth: NIE / DNI / Passport Number: aormi@icloud.com

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Home Telephone: Mobile Telephone: Address: Town/City: Province: Country: Post Code: Today's Date: First Language: Email Address: Membership Category Individual (20.00€): Couple (30.00€ per couple): Student / Carne Jove (5.00€): Please choose one with an 'X' Membership lasts from when you sign up to December 31st, 2016.

Those signing up after July 1st, will receive a 50% discount on their annual fee for the calendar year.

OBVIOUSLY THERE ARE MANY FILMS SHOWN AT IMF CINEMAS THAT ARE NOT IN VOSE FORMAT BUT AVAILABLE IN SPANISH

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023 January 2016

If music be the food of love, play on

by Dave Stewart

Shakespeare aficionados will be celebrating in 2016 the 400th anniversary of the Bard. For many people his works are a bit of a bore, largely because it has not been presented to them with any sense of how his words affect their everyday world.

We hope to present various ways of approaching the works of Shakespeare. This month we take a look at how some of them have been interpreted, not just on film, but in film musicals – which you will all know and probably even know some of the songs.

Will wrote a number of sonnets and often appeared in his own plays as he was also an actor and singer and collaborated with music composers. I am sure he would have loved the media of film and probably adapted a lot of his work to be better viewed. I am equally sure that he would have loved how some of them were re-written as musicals, as music was one of the means he used to convey a particular message.

So here is a look at just some of those musical films with relation to William Shakespeare.

Possibly the best known play is that of Romeo and Juliet, a love story between children of two opposing families. It was first filmed in 1908 and then many times afterwards. Sometimes filming included real plays, such

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as the balcony scene in a 1924 production at the Regent Theatre in London.

In those early films actors tended to speak as if they were on stage acting in front of an audience. With the arrival of television Romeo and Juliet has frequently appeared in some format or other as well as in different languages.

Leonard Bernstein introduced this love tragedy as West Side Story changing the place, the families, and even during the film preparations the races. Originally it was to be about Irish/Polish Catholics versus Jews in New York. But putting it in a more realistic perspective Puerto Ricans replaced the Jews. This altered the format as the two families became knife-wielding gangs in Manhattan – the Jets and the Sharks. This 1961 became a world-wide hit as Stephen Sondheim produced sharp lyrics, Jerome Robbins introduced excellent choreographies. Everyone knows the songs of Maria, Tonight, America among some of the hits of this musical score. It has won many awards and possibly the best commendation is the number of times that amateur theatre groups have managed to produce it on stage.

The Boys from Syracuse is a musical written by Richard Rodgers and lyrics by Lorenz Hart, based on William Shakespeare's play, The Comedy of Errors, as adapted by librettist George Abbott. The score includes swing and other contemporary rhythms of the 1930s. This show was the first musical based on a Shakespeare play. The Comedy of Errors was itself loosely based on a Roman play, The Menaechmi, or the Twin Brothers, by Plautus. Abbott directed and George Balanchine choreographed the original production, which opened on Broadway at the Alvin Theater on November 23, 1938, after tryouts in New Haven, Connecticut and Boston. The show closed on June 10, 1939 after 235 performances. It starred Eddie Albert (Antipholus of Syracuse), Ronald Graham (Antipholus of Ephesus), Teddy Hart (Dromio of Ephesus), Jimmy Savo (Dromio of Syracuse), Muriel Angelus (Adriana) and Marcy Westcott (Luciana)The 1940 film starred one of my favourite singers, Allan Jones, who played both identical

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twins, Antipholus of Ephesus and Antipholus of Syracuse, who were separated in a shipwreck as young children. When the pair from Syracuse come to Ephesus, a comedy of errors and mistaken identities ensues when the wives of the Ephesians, Adriana and her servant Luce, mistake the two strangers for their husbands. Adriana's sister Luciana and the Syracuse Antipholus fall in love. But all ends happily. Falling in Love with Love This Can't Be Love" or Sing for Your Supper" .

A West End production opened at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane on November 7, 1963 based on the off-Broadway production, starring Denis Quilley, Maggie Fitzgibbon, Paula Hendrix, Pat Turner, Sonny Farrar, Adam Deane, John Adams, Edward Atienza, Ronnie Corbett, Lynn Kennington, and Bob Monkhouse. A revival directed by Judi Dench was mounted at the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre in London in July through August 1991, and toured the UK in September and October 1991.

The Lion King - The story takes place in a kingdom of lions in Africa, and was influenced by the biblical tales of Joseph and Moses and William Shakespeare's famous play, Hamlet.

It’s a long way from “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” to Hamlet, but think of “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King” and Shakespearean themes start to resonate. The Lion King, a 1994 Disney film then a stage version, is about lions in Africa. The Lion King was made in 1994 as an animated musical film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures with songs by Elton John and lyrics by Tim Rice. The Washington Post called it “Shakespearean in tone, epic in scope” but concluded ”it seems more appropriate for grown-ups than for kids. If truth be told, even for adults it is downright strange.” Not important as the film ranks as one of the highest-grossing animated films in history, with a 3D re-release in 2011, and earnings of over US $987 million worldwide as of 2011, the film is the highest-grossing hand-drawn animated film in history, the highest-grossing 2D animated film in the United States, the third highest-grossing animated film of all time, and the 23rd-highest-grossing feature film of all time. The music by Hans Zimmer aormi@icloud.com

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and dialogue was brought alive by the voices of many famous actors – Mathew Broderick, Jeremy Irons, James Earl Jones, Rowan Atkinson, Whoopi Goldberg and many others. Lyricist Tim Rice, who was working with composer Alan Menken on songs for Aladdin, was invited to write the songs, and accepted on the condition of finding a composing partner. As Menken was unavailable, the producers accepted Rice's suggestion of Elton John who expressed an interest in writing "ultra-pop songs that kids would like; then adults can go and see those movies and get just as much pleasure out of them", mentioning a possible influence of The Jungle Book, where he felt the "music was so funny and appealed to kids and adults".

The music includes Circle of Life - I Just Can't Wait to be King - Be Prepared - Hakuna Matata - Can You Feel the Love Tonight?

Falstaff

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The composer Verdi loved Shakespeare ‘s writings, and dreamt of making an opera based on King Lear, which never materialized. Amongst some of his best Works are Macbeth, Othello and the last of his 28 operas, Falstaff (based on The Merry Wives of Windsor and Henry IV Pts 1 and 2).

Chimes at Midnight is a 1966 English language Spanish-Swiss coproduced film directed by and starring Orson Welles. Welles said that the core of the film's story was "the betrayal of friendship." Disputes over the ownership of Chimes at Midnight made it difficult to view the film legally until recently. It was released in the UK on DVD and Blu-ray in 2015. A new restoration by Janus Films and The Criterion Collection will screen at the Film Forum in New York January 1–12, 2016. The film will see an eventual release by the Criterion Collection.

Verde’s operatic creation of Sir John Falstaff nearly outdoes Shakespeare in its combination of wit, wisdom and human understanding. The teasing of the “fat knight” by Mistress Quickly and her fellow merry wives narrowly escapes cruelty thanks to Falstaff’s final resigned benevolence, summed up in the closing fugue Tutto nel mondo è burla about the folly of the world – for many, a top moment in all opera

Howard Keel has a spanking time in Kiss Me Kate based on Taming of the Shrew aormi@icloud.com

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Both a stage production and a great movie Kiss Me Kate is another bawdy tale. Cole Porter had a 1948 Broadway hit musical, with the central characters staging The Taming of the Shrew. Life imitates the stage when the star and his ex-wife and leading lady start sparring. In 1949 it won the first Tony award for best musical. Hits include “Too Darn Hot”, “Where Is the Life that Late I Led, Always True to You in My Fashion”.

The cinema version is a classic musical comedy fashion; slapstick madness ensues before everything is resolved. It was filmed in the new technology of 3D and starred Howard Keel, Kathryn Grayson and Ann Miller fighting and singing their way through the gangster plot.

A Midsummer Night's Dream is a 1935 American romance fantasy film of William Shakespeare's play, directed by Max Reinhardt and William Dieterle, and starring Ian Hunter, James Cagney as Bottom, Mickey Rooney as Puck, Olivia de Havilland, Joe E. Brown, Dick Powell, and Victor Jory with the wonderful Arthur Treacher as Epilogue. The storyline is of the adventures of four young Athenian lovers and a group of six amateur actors, who are controlled and manipulated by the fairies that inhabit the forest. The play, which is categorized as a comedy, is one of Shakespeare's most popular works for the stage and is widely performed across the world. Felix Mendelssohn's music was extensively used, the ballet sequences featuring the fairies were choreographed by Bronislava Nijinska.

The 1999 version A Midsummer Night's Dream is a romantic comedy fantasy film directed by Michael Hoffman. Among the stars, and there are many, are Kevin Kline, Stabley Tucci, Calista Flockhart Anna Friele, Dominic West, David Strathairn and Christian Bale.

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At primary school we mockingly sang “Who is Sylvia” which turned out to be one of Schubert’s best-loved songs, written at the height of his brief career in 1828. The text is from The Two Gentlemen of Verona. It features the lovers of the title and two women, one of whom is Silvia, much wooed daughter of the Duke of Milan. Two Gentlemen of Verona is a rock musical, with a book by John Guare and Mel Shapiro, lyrics by Guare and music by Galt MacDermot, based on the Shakespeare comedy.

The original Broadway production, in 1971, won the Tony Awards for Best Musical and Best Book. A London production followed in 1973. The Public Theater revived the piece in 2005. The storyline is that lifelong friends Proteus and Valentine leave their rural hometown to experience life in urban Milan.

Valentine falls in love with Sylvia, whose father has betrothed her against her will to the wealthy, but undesirable Thurio, and plots to win her hand.

Disregarding his loyalty to Valentine and Julia, his sweetheart back home, Proteus also sets his sights on Sylvia. He plans to expose his friend's intentions to her father, have Valentine banished from Milan, and claim her for himself. aormi@icloud.com

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The Tempest is a play by William Shakespeare, who worked with Robert Johnson (1583-c1634), composer and lute player, setting lyrics from later plays such as Where the Bee Sucks and Full Fathom Five from The Tempest. Said to be Shakespeare’s most musical play, it has inspired at least 46 operas (including one by Thomas Adès), orchestral works (Tchaikovsky, Arthur Sullivan and Sibelius) and songs (Vaughan Williams, Amy Beach, Michael Nyman).

The Tempest laid the foundation for the science fi c t i o n fi l m Forbidden Planet in 1956.

The Tempest is alsoa 2010 American film based on the play of the same name by William Shakespeare, featuring talented Helen Mirren in the principal role of Prospera.

The film was directed by Julie Taymor and premiered at the Venice Film Festival in September 2010.

Sandy Powell received her ninth Academy Award nomination for Best Costume Design. Ben Whishaw’s dreamy “Where the Bee Sucks” in the 2010 film soundtrack by Elliott Goldenthal no doubt gave teenage girls a new taste for English lessons and has been recorded by several artists. aormi@icloud.com

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Henry V Henry V is a 1944 British Technicolor film adaptation of Will Shakespeare's play of the same name. The on-screen title is The Chronicle History of King Henry the Fifth with His Battell Fought at Agincourt in France (the title of the 1600 quarto edition of the play). It was directed and starred the great Laurence Olivier. The play was adapted for the screen by Olivier, Dallas Bower, and Alan Dent. The score is by William Walton. The film was made near the end of World War II and was intended as a morale booster for Britain. The film was originally "dedicated to the ‘Commandos and Airborne Troops of Great Britain the spirit of whose ancestors it has been humbly attempted to recapture.’" The movie won Olivier an Academy Honorary Award for "his outstanding achievement as actor, producer and director in bringing Henry V to the screen."

Of all the epic soundtracks for film versions of Shakespeare, none matches those awe-inspiring, patriotic scores William Walton wrote for Laurence Olivier: for Henry V (1944), Hamlet (1948) and Richard III (1955). Since Walton had been earning less than £100 per year, these fiercely demanding commissions, with their deadlines and tight structures, gave him new confidence, though he was unable to rid himself of the idea of film music being “low brow”. Olivier put him straight, saying of Henry V: “The music actually makes the film.”

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Are We in For a Third Housing Boom?

by Dave Stewart

House sales on the Costa Blanca are on the increase, especially the modern style new homes. We may be looking at a third housing boom.

Between 2000 and 2008, around five million houses were built in Spain, many of them along the country’s extensive Mediterranean coastline, while others were part of vast residential estates constructed on green field sites, sometimes in rural or protected areas. This was the country’s second construction boom once the builders woke up to the potential of second homes and residential tourism. Spain’s independent Sustainability Observatory says that between 1986 and 2006, an average of 44 hectares of land per day was being developed.

Today estimates suggest there are at least three million properties standing empty, along with tens of thousands more that are unfinished. Now we are seeing a lot of these skeleton buildings beginning to be filled out ready for sales as work starts again..

There’s lots of already built or almost constructed housing available but some organizations are issuing warnings on what we already have. There are several online citizens’ initiatives that have been documenting the evidence: Ruinas modernas (Modern ruins) focuses on half-completed private residential estates; Nación Rotonda (Roundabout Nation) on new road building; Ecologistas en Acción (Ecologists in Action) on the wider impact on the environment; and Basurama on garbage disposal and landfills.

A newly created online database, called cadaveresinmobiliarios.org, invites the public to document empty or unfinished property developments.

It’s doubtful that we are in for a boom as seen before, but construction always has a spin off in the services which means more employment.

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Day of the Tree

by Dave Stewart

The next two years could be the hottest on record globally, says researchers from the UK's Met Office.

It warns big changes could be under way in the climate system with greenhouse gases increasing the impact of natural trends. Scientists confirm that in 2015 the Earth's average surface temperature is running at, or near, record levels (0.68C above the 1961-1990 average).

Nearly a century ago in 1927 the Mayor of Torrevieja D. Waldo Calero Idiarte decided that it was time to pay more attention to the town’s appearance and instituted the Day of the Tree and started planting trees in the central part of town. It is a custom that continues today with schoolchildren being encouraged to plant a tree and look after it. As we all know trees are an important element in our life as they absorb carbon dioxide and exhale oxygen.

Offshore we have Poseidon another plant that actively produces oxygen and helps keep the Mediterranean clean and healthy.

The area off Tabarca Island is a protected area and off Cabo Cervera is an artificial barrier encouraging fish and sea fauna to exist in those areas. aormi@icloud.com

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The United Nations has b e e n sounding off for decades about global warming and t h e environment u r g i n g governments to cut down pollution emissions that a re destroying o u r atmosphere.

In December at the UN P a r i s conference (which was the 21st in a series) once again many promises have been made to keep pollution u n d e r A monumental poem to the tree in the plaza de la Asuncion control. The W o r l d Meteorological Organization - the UN's weather agency – told them that the levels of carbon dioxide and methane, two key greenhouse gases, reached record highs last year. This will have an effect on crops and a World Bank report says that 62 million more people in South Asia could fall into extreme poverty by 2030 as a result of lower crop yields and higher food prices, plus the health impacts of climate change. aormi@icloud.com

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Unfortunately as usual big money talks more than common sense. Typhoons are more frequent and each year appear to be more intense and though initially in the Far East they tail end seems to come closer and closer each year as Storm Desmond did last month, flooding large parts of the UK and causing millions of pounds of damage and the deaths of a couple of people. 
 The world is the common home of humanity and we can no longer rely on governments and civil society as often they are affected by how the stock exchange is doing. There is a dire need for solidarity and an accountable use of our common resources whether it is offshore oil or tropical forests. None of the world’s economic or ecosystems are going to become more sustainable and inclusive unless we find a simpler lifestyle. If we continue on our current

Daily Telegraph

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When the climate march, cancelled for security reasons, was replaced by a sea of shoes in the centre of Paris, the image of the pope’s well-worn footwear was beamed across the globe.

It sent a compelling message—Pope Francis stands (quite literally) with you.

Other religious leaders spoke out with force and passion.

Leading representatives of the different faiths—Jewish, Islamic, Buddhist, and Hindu—issued timely statements on the moral imperative to care for the earth. And faith-based petitions amounting to almost 2 million signatures were presented to President Hollande during the negotiations.

trajectory, the implications could prove catastrophic—especially for the world’s poor and excluded, the very people who bear the least responsibility for the current state of affairs.

Paris 50,000 participants, half of them official delegates from governments or intergovernmental agencies discussed our future, yours and mine and those of our grandchildren. The aim was to reach a universal and legally binding agreement to enable us all to combat climate changes and boost the transition towards resilient, low carbon socialites by keep the global warming under a 2ºC threshold. In reality we need to keep that figure well under the 2ºC and now that there is an binding legal agreement many large companies of fossil fuels and energy interests are arguing that the aims are unnecessary. This commitment, bold and ambitious as it is, is not legally binding. Instead, countries are asked to submit their own national plans through a bottom-up approach. The problem is that these numbers simply don’t add up right now. The plans are nowhere near ambitious enough to stay under the 2-degree limit, let alone 1.5 degrees. question will be who wins in the end - BIG money or political power of the people.So while the Paris agreement does not deliver the solution itself, it delivers a solid foundation from which the solution can be built. What matters now is political will, and the translation of this will into concrete action on the ground.

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Torrevieja area

Pilar & Mar Menor area

Guardamar area

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The Lancet—one of the world’s most prestigious medical journals—dubbed climate change as the greatest global health issue of the 21st century. And a recent study in Nature suggests that global incomes could fall by 23 percent by the end of the century—and once again, the poor would lose out most. A study —commissioned by 20 governments from a group called DARA International —estimated that climate change could kill 700,000 by 2030, and nearly all of these deaths would be in developing countries. And 2030 is just around the corner.

Surging Seas network of scientists has produced a series of computer projections that show vividly what could happen in two scenarios of 2ºC or 4ºC global temperatures rise. Don’t forget that at one time Torrevieja was an island that, presumably after a seismic motion, ended up by having two inland salt lakes. Opposite page are copies of our coastline taken from Google maps that the scientist project what would happen in our area. As they dramatically show the two salt lakes would become enlarged flooding places nearby; a lot of the of coastline would disappear and many inland low-lying areas flooded as well.

What they do show are scientific projections of the different post-2100 sea levels that could lock in this century, depending upon the carbon pathway we select.

The areas coloured blue are the areas below those levels – areas which will eventually be permanently underwater. These maps pose this question: which legacy will we choose?

As I have said before I am not one for trusting statistics as they can be interpreted differently. The same applies to computer projections such as this as the results depend on the accuracy of the input.

Carbon pollution casts a long shadow. It is expected to persist in the atmosphere long enough to prolong temperature increases for hundreds and thousands of years, long after we stop burning fossil fuels or clearing forest. And the seas will continue to rise.

That’s what these maps are about. If you are interested at all in our common future you can access the results of these scientists results over a large or short time scale and maps off anywhere in the globe at their webpage below. In the meantime keep enjoying our environment and continue looking after our trees, seas and plants.

- See more at: http://choices.climatecentral.org

We all may enjoy hot weather, but if it is too hot then it becomes hell on earth. aormi@icloud.com

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This graphic underwater sculpture is made by Isaac Cordal in Berlin, Germany.

It is titled: Politicians debating Global Warming, so let us hope that they are not too late or they will be up to their neck in it.

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Solar Energy in Morocco

A solar thermal plant at Ouarzazate in Morrocco will harness the Sun's warmth to melt salt, which will hold its heat to power a steam turbine in the evening. The first phase is expected to generate for three hours after dark; the last stage aims to supply power 20 hours a day.

It is part of Morocco's pledge to get 42% of its electricity from renewables by 2020. As part of its national commitment to the Paris climate conference, Morocco has pledged to decrease CO2 emissions 32% below business-as-usual by 2030, conditional on aid to reach the renewable target.

At the moment to Morocco imports electricity from Spain, but engineers hope that will not last long.

The new solar thermal plant at Ouarzazate will harness the Sun's heat to melt salt, which will hold its heat to power a steam turbine in the evening.

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The UN has praised Morocco for the level of its ambition. The UK, a much richer country, is aiming for 30% by the same date.

The Saudi-built Ouarzazate solar thermal plant will be one of the world's biggest when it is complete. The mirrors will cover the same area as the country's capital, Rabat.

The cost of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels is falling fast, but the International Energy Agency expects them to play a part in an energy revolution, which is likely to see solar as the dominant source of electricity globally by 2050.

Its doubtful if Torrevieja could use this technology as though it supplies salt, it does not have the area for so many solar panels. aormi@icloud.com

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Television Torrevieja has been holding auditions for children for a singing competition Menudos Voces and a number of youngsters have shown their abilities at the castings. For most it is a bit nerve wracking to stand and sing in front of television cameras and judges. Nervousness didn't stop some of them showing their ability and several of them are going forward to other rounds and eventually to a gala performance in May in front of the general public.

Menudos Voces is introduced by journalist and broadcaster Antonio Aniorte.

The judges are vocalist/ composer Shani Ormiston, professional singer and professor of music - Pilar Paez, and singer/actor Jose Antonio Quesada.

Ten youngsters participated in the first stage of three castings held during November and December. More children and more rounds will be held until May and the winning voice will win a trip to Disneyland Paris with their parents.

There will be a show open to the public in the Palace of Music approx 6:30 on Tuesday 19th January which will be televised then available on internet the next day. Most of the TVT programs can be seen on internet on the television webpage.

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Shrinking the Shape

by Pat Hynd The Shrink Winter fiestas in Spain tend to run for almost six weeks as they begin before the national holiday on the 8th December then encompass Christmas, New Year and into January on the 6th with the Three Kings. If you are still working then not only family celebrations are an onus, but also any work and friends parties.

So we have maybe over-indulged a little bit and gained a spare tyre around the middle. So what? Well, carrying too much weight is a strain on your system for one thing. “Oh that’s all right, I can work that off easy peasy.” If you can, then you’re darned lucky. I put the fat on with just a few drinks and some mince pies, but it takes longer to get it back off again.

If being overweight is a problem for you then do seek professional help.

And by that I don’t mean somebody who says go on this or that diet. A dietician is a highly qualified professional who has studied, not only the body, but its chemistry, illnesses, nutrition, food-allergies etc. It may be a surprise to some but a registered dietician is a person who meets all of a set of special academic and professional requirements, including: - the completion of a bachelor's degree with an accredited nutrition curriculum - satisfactory performance on the registration exam - an internship at an approved health-care facility, foodservice organization, or community agency.

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Often dieticians can specialise in other fields such as sports, the food industry, journalism, sports nutrition, corporate wellness programmes, and other non-traditional dietetics settings.

Part of a dietician’s work is to advise on food that is attractive and nutritious for individuals, especially patients, who may have some sort of illness such as diabetes.

Qualified Spanish dieticians can offer a range of diets and plans to suit individuals’ circumstances, such as being pregnant for example. I have used the services of Sonia Fructosa Espinosa who has a Nutrition and Dietetic Centre in calle San Ramon, 17, 3ºC, in the centre of Torrevieja.

Its one of those back streets that always reminds me of the mews in some of the London areas such as Mayfair. Her office actually looks over the next street, Calle Ramon Gallud.

It is a busy clinic with a variety of patients; some whom I would not have considered to be fat, but may have dietary problems. There seems to be always a few pregnant ladies, which adds to another side effect of clinics, namely getting to know people.

Sonia is a friendly person with an attractive manner who will ask a battery of questions before weighing you on a machine that not only tells you your weight, but the fat and water contained in your body. At the beginning of any diet you will normally lose a fair amount in the first weeks, as this is mostly water. She supplies an individual personalised diet sheet that will take note of any infirmities you may have, providing a balance of nutrition and protein. IT IS NOT A STARVATION REGIME. But a balanced diet is not enough as there has to be some exercise and again that will depend on several factors including age and mobility.

Walking is one of the best exercises that doesn’t require gym fees or other costs. If you have mobility problems then it is still possible to do sedentary exercises sitting in a chair. If you can walk to a nearby park or the beach most of these have equipment that is suitable for the elderly to exercise.

Earlier in this edition we have an article on yoga and this is another helpful way to stretch out the fat and shrink a bit. aormi@icloud.com

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New Year’s Concert in Auditorium on 6th January

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