The Supplement #41

“Everyone is born with genius, but most people only keep it a few minutes” Edgard Varese

ISSUE 41

Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Saturday 9 June 2012

STORES PREDICT JOB CUTS DUE TO NEW TAX ◗Large stores here may be forced to lay off 800-1000 staff following the surprise move by the regional government to impose a new tax. Due to come into effect in July, the tax could see stores such as Carrefour, Alcampo, El Corte Inglés, Cortefiel and C&A pay up to

11 euros per square metre of their size. A legal challenge is being prepared against the tax, which is one of a number of revenue-generating measures announced by the Canarian government. The stores have received support from Tenerife employers’ body, the

CEOE, whose head José Carlos Francisco predicts the levy could force some big shops and supermarkets to close or at least trim staff levels. ‘Not all these stores are making money at present and an extra bill of up to 300,000 euros could be untenable’ said Francisco.

RELIGION

Anglican chaplain dies after cancer battle ◗The funeral was held on Wednesday in Playa de Las Américas of Anglican chaplain Keith Gordon, who lost his battle with cancer on Monday. Father Keith was a popular figure among the British community and his death has prompted a flood of tributes on the Church website. The funeral mass was presided over by the Very Rev. Dr. John Paddock (Dean of Gibraltar). True to his wellloved sense of humour, Keith had a piece called Time to Say Goodbye played on the day.

LOTTERY

Buenavista celebrates June draw success ◗Many locals in Buenavista are celebrating a pre-summer windfall this week after the special National Lottery June draw resulted in a quarter of a million euros winging their way to the northern town.

Tickets for the second prize, which went to number 97736, were sold at the small lottery office, which had its biggest ever success a decade ago when it distributed 2.5 million euros worth of winning tickets.

The prospect of having to pay thousands of euros due to the new regional tax has set the big stores on the warpath. / DA

ENVIRONMENT

SANTA CRUZ

TRAM SUFFERS THREE COLLISIONS IN FIVE DAYS

Tenerife tops Green Flag table in Canaries ◗Tenerife tops the Blue Flag table in the latest list, made public this week.

Of the 45 flags awarded this year to beaches and marinas in the Canaries, 16 have gone to Tenerife, more than Gran Canaria (11) or Lanzarote and Fuerteventura combined(10).

The collisions brought tram services to a standstill. / DA

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◗Santa Cruz’s normally reliable tram was disrupted badly three times in the space of five days in the past week due to collisions with cars in the city. All three

incidents were caused by drivers ignoring Give Way signs at busy junctions. A total of six people were injured in the collisions, say local police.

2 The Supplement

Saturday 9 June 2012

CONCEPCIÓN RESIDENTS IN ‘LET US SLEEP’ PLEA TO COUNCIL

Santa Cruz in glass recycling reminder DA Santa Cruz de Tenerife

Diario de Avisos Santa Cruz de Tenerife

Having a home in the square next to the La Concepción church in La Laguna would be the envy of most people given its picturesque and history-steeped setting.

However, residents are becoming increasingly frustrated at having to pay what they say is a very heavy price for the privilege of living there, particularly since it was pedestrianised as part of the drive to attract locals and visitors to the area at the far end of the World Heritage city.

The streets behind the church, which dates back originally to the 16th century, have become a magnet for outdoor celebrations organised by the Ayuntamiento and residents have now launched a campaign to force a rethink and have at least some of the events moved elsewhere to share the noise load.

Their case has been taken up by the Historic Centre Residents’ Association, which says it has great sympathy for the long-suffering La Concepción dwellers.

‘They have to put up with countless events, which usually involve a lot of noise and inconvenience, not to mention considerable cleaning-up afterwards’ said the Association in a statement this week.

Among the recent events to force the locals to close their ears and windows to keep out the noise was the 10-hour

TeleMarathon organised on 29 May to collect food for needy families. Although an undoubted success (80 tons were collected) the giant party featured non-stop music until midnight by bands and singers on the specially-erected stage at the rear of the Church. Last Sunday, the spot was taken over for a cycling fundraiser to help the city’s basketball club and again the cause was

a worthy one but the residents had their rest-day disturbed once more by booming loudspeakers.

With the annual open-air Baile de Magos dance, which is a highlight the San Benito festivities in early July, just around the corner, the angry residents have called on the La Laguna authorities to make fairer use of city squares for loud events and transfer some of the ones plan-

ned for their area to other parts, particularly the big Adelantado Square directly in front of the Ayuntamiento.

However, the complaints have been criticised by some sectors who say the Concepción district has benefited most from costly taxpayer-funded improvements such as the traffic-free zone and residents should expect to suffer occasional inconvenience.

The area around the Concepción church is frequently used for noisy celebrations. / DA

Santa Cruz took full advantage of this week’s World Environment Day to give locals a helping hand to increase the already considerable amount of glass recycled in the city. On Tuesday, volunteers distributed special glass-collection bags to members of the public at key locations, including the city’s main Nuestra Señora de Africa market and the busy Avenida de los Príncipes in Ofra. They also pointed out the nearest bottle bins to passersby to raise awareness of the need to recycle.

The Tenerife capital has doubled its volume of recycled glass since separate collection was introduced back in 2000 and the figure last year was just under 1.5 million kilos.

The city is on target to meet the figure again this year, given that 665,000 kilos have already been collected during the first five months of 2012.

More than 500 new bottle bins have been added since 2007, bringing the current number to 826, the council’s Services Department reports.

Cocaine Colombian fails to dupe alert officers DA Santa Cruz de Tenerife

Rivero undeterred by Supreme Court setbacks

Sting cancellation blow to Tenerife’s reputation

Diario de Avisos Santa Cruz de Tenerife

Diario de Avisos Santa Cruz de Tenerife

Canarian president Paulino Rivero refuses to be beaten by the legal setbacks suffered this week in the ongoing battle to stop oil giant Repsol from drilling in the waters off Lanzarote and Fuerteventura. Spain’s Supreme Court issued two rulings in the space of 24 hours rejecting applications by the two islands and the regional government to revoke the permission granted to Repsol by Madrid in March for the controversial exploratory drilling.

Judges say the authorisation is perfectly legal and the required impact assessments were performed before the decision was taken by the Spanish government. ‘While tourism, fisheries

and port traffic are no doubt crucial for the Canaries, exploitation of hydrocarbons can also generate prosperity for the islands and the evidence does not indicate irreversible harm to the environment by the drilling’ said the Court.

Undeterred, Rivero says the fight to prevent an oil industry presence in the Canaries is far from over. ‘This has only just begun and we will fight with every ounce of our strength to ensure our model of sustainable development is not endangered’ said the president.

Rivero promised to take the case to the European Union and was expected to use yesterday’s meeting in Brussels with Environment Commissioner Janez Potocnik to ask for assistance.

The cancellation of the concert by ex-Police singer Sting is the latest body-blow to Tenerife, with some now predicting that major gigs here by international stars could become a thing of the past soon. Local organiser Maldito Rodríguez called the event off less than four weeks before the British legend was due to perform in Santa Cruz.

Rumours had been circulating for several days that the spiralling cost of bringing Sting was proving prohibitive and the fears were confirmed on Monday when Maldito Rodríguez announced it had no choice but to pull out.

‘Sting’s tour company kept

increasing the cost of flying all the equipment to the island.

Everything was extremely tight given that he was performing in Lisbon the previous night and Ibiza the following one. They did not realise what the true cost was and when they did they tried to pass it all on to us, increasing the original quote by 150,000 euros’ explained spokesman Roberto Rodríguez.

‘We tried to work out an arrangement to lower some of the cost, for example, by not bringing down the entourage’s kitchen and office, but they would not budge’ he added.

The cancellation comes just a fortnight after the 3-day Rock Coast Festival due to be held in Santa Cruz at the end of May was also called off.

Drug smugglers go to great lengths to ensure their valuable packages get through ports and airports undetected and the method chosen by a Colombian who was caught bringing cocaine into Tenerife this week was no exception.

The 34-year-old Madrid resident was stopped as he disembarked from a ferry in Santa Cruz on his powerful motorcycle on Tuesday. Civil Guard officers gave the bike a cursory inspection as they examined his papers and one officer looked into the petrol tank, which seemed smaller inside than from the outside.

Seeing suspicious soldering on the bottom of the tank, the officers decided to subject the motorcycle to a much more detailed examination, which revealed a false bottom in the tank and five carefully wrapped packages of high-grade cocaine weighing 2.5 kilos in total.

Saturday 9 June 2012

The Supplement

‘Navel-gaze for summer’ asks government

Tenerife Britons mark Jubilee with celebrations

DA Santa Cruz de Tenerife

Ex-pat parties staged across the island Diario de Avisos Santa Cruz de Tenerife

While nowhere near matching the scale of the lavish Jubilee celebrations that took place in Britain over the double Bank Holiday week-end to mark Queen Elizabeth II’s 60 years on the throne and which saw millions of revellers take to the streets for the royal party, Tenerife’s ex-pat community hosted its own and equally enjoyable commemoration of the historic anniversary.

Dozens of parties and special Jubilee meals were on offer for holidaymakers and locals at the main ex-pat bars and restaurants in the island’s resorts and a big Street Party was held at Vivo Treasure Island, which provided live TV coverage of the events back in Britain on 5 June.

Also organised was a series of more formal events staged by

associations, clubs and one of the British schools. The celebrations, which kicked off with English conductor Jonathan Webb as guest leader of the Tenerife Symphony Orchestra at the Auditorium for a concert programme that included William Walton’s 1953 Coronation March, proved a busy time for British Consul Maria Leng, whose engagements took her from the Wingate School in Cabo Blanco to the Anglican Church on the other side of the island.

At Wingate, senior pupils took time off from their pressing exam revision to decorate themselves and the patio with British flags, red, white and blue bunting, and posters to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee, while teacher Tony Staton treated the audience to an amusing recollection of the historical changes that have taken place during Queen Elizabeth’s long and eventful reign.

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Britons turned out in patriotic gear for the Diamond Jubilee parties. / DA

The party at All Saints’ Church in Puerto de La Cruz drew over a hundred people, including some members of the Anglican congregation in the south, who made the trip up for the day and, like the host vicar, donned suitably patriotic costumes. The English Library in Puerto marked the big

day also with a festival of food, fun and entertainment, which saw María Leng plant a commemorative tree.

To round off the Jubilee events in the northern town, the British Games Club laid on a colourful celebration in the spectacular Sitio Litre orchid gardens.

Canarians and people living here are being actively encouraged to look homewards for the summer holiday season. A new campaign launched by the Department of Tourism specifically urges people to look no further than their own islands for their annual vacation, in order to boost the local tourist industry.

The region’s deputy minister for tourism, Ricardo Fernández, said the summer offered a great chance to ‘navel-gaze’ and generate badly-needed revenue for the industry, which anticipates a 7% drop in the number of British holidaymakers. Last year, Canarians contributed 450 million euros to the economy by taking their holidays at home.

‘That is the equivalent of the combined spending of Dutch, Belgian, Irish and Italian tourists, but in this case all the money stays in the Canaries’ explained Fernández at the launch on Tuesday. The campaign features a 20-second TV ad showing an attractive bellybutton with messages written in sun cream.

4 The Supplement ◗FOOTBALL

Finish the job, Tenerife players urged

Saturday 9 June 2012

SPORT

D-Day looms for Canarias ACB cash deadline expires on 14 June for La Laguna club

DA Santa Cruz de Tenerife

Diario de Avisos Santa Cruz de Tenerife

Tenerife’s players have been urged to finish the job in style at home tomorrow to book a place in the play-off semifinals.

Following the 1-0 away win in the first leg, Tenerife need just a draw against Linense to progress but all at the club want a performance at least equal to the impressive showing in the last round against Badalona, not just to satisfy what is sure to be the biggest crowd of the season at the Heliodoro stadium but to avenge derogatory remarks made by Linense coach Rafael Escobar, who criticised Tenerife’s ‘mean’ style of play in the first leg. ‘They have had three managers already this season: there must be a reason’ said Escobar on Tuesday.

If they go through, Tenerife will be just one tie away from a quick return to Division 2, a prospect that was highly unthinkable a few months ago when the side dropped out of the play-off spots following a poor run of form.

Basketball side Iberostar Canarias faces a nail-biting week ahead as it bids to raise the cash required to play in the elite ACB league this coming season.

Having completed a fantastic league and Cup double in the LEB division, the La Laguna side earned the right to return to the top flight after an absence of more than 20 years and join the likes of Barcelona, Caja Laboral and Real Madrid.

The euphoria sparked by the deserved promotion has been cooled considerably by the mammoth job faced to raise the 4.5 million euros the ACB -the second-best league in the worldrequires as an entrance fee, not to mention the estimated 3.5 million that will be needed for player transfer fees and wages for 2012-13.

With cutbacks affecting all sectors, particularly sport, funding in the shape of sponsorship from local and regional government will not be anywhere near what an ACB presence would have commanded in past years. The league requires the money to be

sources but club officials have repeatedly said that it is by no means a foregone conclusion that the money will be raised.

Media reports suggest that La Laguna council and the Tenerife Cabildo have certified that they will give the club 1 million and 2.5 million euros, respectively, in grants over the next four years.

Whatever the outcome, the mobilisation of support for the return to the ACB has been nothing short of incredible, with people the length and breadth of Tenerife expressing their support, in many cases by ‘ACB’ cyclists in Laguna on Sunday. / DA lodging money in two deposited by midnight on 14 bank accounts opened by the June (this Thursday) or Canarias club for contributions.

Fundraisers included last Sunwill lose any chance of taking up the place, which would automa- day’s cycling ‘fun stroll’ through tically be offered to one of the the streets of La Laguna, which drew almost 500 supporters ACB sides relegated this season.

Talks have been held for seve- dressed in the club’s yellow and ral weeks now to secure the fun- black colours and carrying ‘We ding from public and private Want ACB’ posters.

ATHLETICS

Las Teresitas Aquathlon takes place today ◗An unusual endurance event takes place today on the Las Teresitas beach outside Santa Cruz. Competitors in the city’s first ever Aquathlon have to run 2.5 kilometres, swim a distance of 1 kilometre, and then repeat the run a second time, all continuously. The event, organised by the Ohana Triathtlon Club, starts at 10.00 and is followed by a junior version at 12 noon.

OLYMPICS

13 Canarians confirmed for London Olympics ◗Thirteen Canarians have already booked their places in the London Olympics and the number could increase slightly in the coming days as qualifying events in various sports reach their conclusion. The London-bound contingent includes Tenerife’s Mario Pestano (athletics), Javier Hernández (sailing), Elizabeth Chávez (handball) and Andrés Matas (weightlifting).