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Page 5 Interview with Resalegc
Page 10 CLIC Moves to Bigger Premises
Page 14 GMT Clocks Go Back with Barrie Mahoney As the Queen Elizabeth sailed gracefully into Las Palmas on her maiden voyage around the Canary Islands it was certainly ‘History in the Making’. Cunard is one of the oldest names in shipping having been founded in 1839 by Samuel Cunard. The first Cunard ship, Britannia, departed on her maiden voyage 170 years ago in 1840 and Cunard’s history since then has been remarkable. It is remarkable
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that such a long established shipping company has built three new liners in just six years and now has the youngest fleet in the world. Every Cunard Queen has taken her rightful place in the company’s long history and over time has become iconic. Queen Elizabeth is the third Queen to bear that famous name and the second largest Cunarder ever built. Over time she too will be loved and admired around the world just like her forebears.
On Board Queen Elizabeth Art deco flourishes, rich wood panelling, intricate mosaics, gleaming chandeliers, and cool marbles combine to give Queen Elizabeth a unique design and personality of her own - but a style that fits perfectly with that found on her sister ocean liners Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria. Continued on page 16 ...
Page 17 Club Puerto Atlantico New Joint Venture
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The Canary News - Friday 22nd October - Thursday 4th November 2010 - Issue 33
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Markets in Gran Canaria Agüimes In front of the municipal swimming pool Thursdays 09:00-14:00 Arguineguín La Plaza Negra: Every Tuesday 08:00-14:00 CC Ancora Every Thursday 08.00-14.00 TARA Second Hand Market, Plaza de Pino Seco, Arguinegín Every Saturday 9.00 onwards Arucas Calle Francisco Gourier: Every Saturday 08:00-14:00 Gáldar General Market Plaza de Santiago de Apostól: Every Thursday 08:00-14:00. Gáldar Collectors’ Market Guaires, 26, Tel: 928.55.21.40 Ingenio En el Ejido: First Sunday of every month 09.00-15.00 Jinámar Ramblas de Jinámar (Telde): Sundays 9:00-15:00 Las Palmas Rastro Terrace on top of the bus station Every Sunday 8.00-14.00 Maspalomas Second Hand Market CC Faro 2, Campo Internacional, Maspalomas Sundays 10.00 onwards Maspalomas Artisans’ Market Next to Global Bus Station Meloneras Mercadillo en Meloneras: Every Thursday 10.00-17.00 Mendizábal Calle de Mendizábal, Vegueta, Las Palmas Third Saturday of every month Moya On top of the bus station: Every Sunday 08:00-14:00 Playa del Inglés Artesan market, at Parque Europeo, (next to the Minitren) Everyday except Sunday 19.30-23.30. Puerto de Mogán Traditional craft market Plaza del Parking, Puerto de Mogán: Every Monday 09.00-14.30 Puerto de Mogán General Market El Muelle Deportivo: Every Friday 08:00-14:00 San Fernando San Fernando Municipal Market, Maspalomas. Every Wednesday and Saturday: 08:00-14:00 San Fernando Municipal Market Skating ring in San Fernando Every second Sunday 09:00-14:00 San Mateo Every Saturday: 08:00-20:00 and Sundays 08:00-15:00. Santa Brígida Underneath the municipal park in Villa de Santa Brígida. Every Saturday 08:00-20:00 and every Sunday from 08:00-14:00 Santa Catalina Mercadillo in Las Palmas de G.C. Art Gallery of Parque de Santa Catalina Every Sunday between 08.00-14.00.
Santa Lucia Mercadillo de Santa Lucia: Every Sunday 8.00-14.00 Santa María de Guía Plaza del Casco Historico Every Tuesday and Sunday 10.00-14.00 Telde Plaza de San Gregorio, by the bus station Every Saturday 08:00-14:00 Teror Around the Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Pino Every Sunday 08:00-14:00 Valleseco Mercado Municipal : Every Sunday 08.00-14.00 Valsequillo Calle Isla de la Gomera : Every Sunday 08:00-14:00 Vecindario Agricultural Market Recinto Ferial Every Monday 08:00-14:00 on La Karpa, Avda. de las Tirajanas Every second Saturday 08.00-14.00 Vecindario General Market Recinto Ferial Every Wednesday 08.00-14.00 Vegueta, Cultural and Craftsmanship market Plaza del Pilar Nuevo, Las Palmas de G.C. Every Sunday of every month (except July, August and Sept.) 10.00-14.00.
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Events 3
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Issue 33 - Friday 22nd October - Thursday 4th November 2010 - The Canary News
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PLAYA DEL INGLÉS
APARTMENT WITH BEAUTIFUL SEAVIEW. Completely renovated and furnished apartment with 55 m2 living area. It consists of one bedroom, livingroom with kitchen, bathroom and balcony. Complex with large pools and proper parking lots. Low community fee !! Price: 96.000 euros
Edificio Mercurio Torre 1, 1st G E-35100, Playa del Inglés, Gran Canaria, Spain
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SONNENLAND
CHALET WITH PRIVATE GARAGE AND DIRECT STREET ACCESS. Beautiful and excellent maintained chalet with garden and three spacious terraces, one with seaview. Four bedrooms and three bathrooms, two kitchens, living/diningroom and garage. The complex has a large pool. Monthly community fee only 80.- euro. Price: 450.000 euros.
SAN FERNANDO BEAUTIFUL FAMILY-HOUSE, with 3 bedr., 3 bathr., living, large indep. kitchen, patio, terrace, large solarium with view and a very large hobby/storrage-room. Competely furnished and equipped. Excellently maintained. Price: 300.000 euros
MELONERAS
SAN AUGUSTÍN
PLAYA DEL INGLÉS
PUERTO RICO FAMILY-HOUSE. Ground floor consists of 40 m² terrace and lumber room, large living-/dining room, independent kitchen and bathroom. Top floor contains 3 bedrooms, bathroom and a large terrace of 26 m² with beautiful seaviews. The complex is a private and quiet and offers a large community pool. The price includes a parking lot in property. Community fee 60.- €/month. Price: 280.000 euros.
PLAYA DEL INGLÉS
UNIQUE SEAVIEWS Large apartment with three bedrooms and two bathrooms. Spacious terrace of 16 m2 with spectacular direct seaview and the whole day sun. Large patio. Perfect top condition and equipped with all details. No direct neighbour and very private. Price: 330.000 euros
EXCELLENT CHALET IN PRIVILEGED LOCATION. 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. Fantastic views over the new golf course to the ocean. Private parking lot and precious community pool. Price: 460.000 euros.
2º BEACHLINE, Avd. MADRID. Precious one-bedroom apartment with a large sunny balcony, livingroom, full-fitted american kitchen and bathroom. Recently completely refurbished with all extras. Beautiful complex with large pool and garden. Low communityfee. Price: 118.000 euros!!!
Very spacious, luxurious bungalow with large livingroom, fully equipped kitchen, 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and large terrace. Central location. Forms part of a small quiet private complex with pool. Close to the beach and several shopping centres. Community fee only 70 euros/month. Price: 360.000 euros
Fiestas and Upcoming Events Romerias For October & November: Saturday 23rd of October: Romería de San Rafael en Vecindario Saturday 27th of November: Romería de San Andrés en Arucas 2º Best Mojo in the World Competition 23rd October, 12 to 17.00 hours Competition open to all, for more info contact: concursantes@ elsegundomejormojodelmundo.com or call 670 411 760 Parque San Telmo, Las Palmas Photography exposition, “El Cielo”, (The Sky) Till 2nd November, 8.30 to 14.30 hours Over 441 professionals from 23 different countries Ermita de San Pedro Martir, Telde XV Masdanza Festival 23rd till 30th October www.masdanza.com web available in English Consult wed page for times and venues Fotosub Playa Viva 2010 29th, 30th and 31st October. Las Canteras Beach, Las Palmas Ruta Playa Viva 23rd and 30th, October, 9.00 to 15.00 hours Several activities for children and adults Las Canteras Beach, Las Palmas
Classic Romantic, Philharmonic Concert 22nd October, 20.30 hours Gran Canaria Philharmonic Orquestra Concert. Alfredo Kraus Auditorium, Las Palmas XXII Once Foundation Trophy 30th October, 18.00 hours National Basketball Wheelchair Championship. Garcia San Roman Sport Centre, Las Palmas Moscow Ballet Presents de “Nutcracker” 7th December 2010, 19.00 hours Very limited space!!!! For more info call: 928 720035 ExpoMeloneras, Maspalomas Chapel of Cordial Mogan Playa Sunday 31st October 2010, 19:00 hours On All souls day, we provide the opportunity to remember friends and loved ones who have gone before us and to give thanks for their lives with us and to ask for continued blessings on their spirit and everlasting love. The service will be a mix of words and music, prayer and the lighting of personalised memory candles and will also include the Mass concelebrated in the Chapel with Mr. Paul BurrowsGibson.
British Embassy in Madrid on ‘Facebook’ This is a reminder to all those who use the social networking site Facebook to let you know again that the British Embassy has its’ own page. This is a repeat of the information we published in edition 27 of The Canary News. The British Embassy in Madrid has launched its’ Facebook page, allowing dedicated social networkers to get news about the Embassy and Foreign Office via the popular site. Joining 400 million other users of Facebook, including British Embassies in Caracas, Kabul and Kuwait, the Embassy in Madrid is hoping to reach a wide and varied audience. Following the British Embassy in Madrid on Facebook allows you to see all its latest news. There are also links to FCO travel advice and information about visiting or living in Spain. Linking to the Embassy’s Flickr and YouTube channels, the Facebook page shows up-to-date photos from events and useful videos. Most recently, the consular network in Spain uploaded a “Living in Spain” video which gives important advice on a range of topics from claiming a pension to registering to work in Spain. Users of facebook are encouraged to visit the site and give it a thumbs up if they think information they see there is useful - use the ‘like’ button! The URL is: http://www.facebook.com/pages/ Madrid/British-Embassy-Madrid/138104872883324 or search for British Embassy Madrid on the site. Spain welcomes around 16 million British visitors a year, and is home to an estimated 1 million British nationals. The British consulates across Spain will see a huge increase in British visitors in the coming months - websites and social networking sites are increasingly the medium of choice for tourists and residents to get information, particularly about safety abroad. The British Embassy in Madrid also circulates messages on the microblogging site Twitter (ukinspain) and has its own website at http://ukinspain.fco.gov.uk
4 Local News
The Canary News - Friday 22nd October - Thursday 4th November 2010 - Issue 33
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Oktober Fest in San Mateo
For the second year running, and after following last year’s massive success, the village of San Mateo once again organised their own particular ‘Oktober Beer Festival’, which was held next to the sports grounds of this rural village. As an enthusiastic beer drinker I could not miss this event!
The festival was not only promoted by the Ayuntamiento of San Mateo, but also the main sponsors of our local beer “Tropical”, who played a major part, as they were the providers not only of thousands of litres of beer but also provided the infrastructure including bars and tables for the many visitors.
It took place on the 16th October, between 12.00 and midnight, and from the very start the area chosen for the festival was filled with the sounds of live music, performed by both local singers, groups and a variety of German artists, which simply added more value to the authenticity of the event.
As well as live entertainment, the organisation also provided the opportunity for visitors to try authentic German food, typical of this type of event. The bratwurst sausage, sauerkraut, German mustard and pretzel, for more
than a reasonable price, all washed down off course by a generous glass of cold beer.
felt it was a bit poor in attendance and thought it was a shame that so much organisation would not see a reward.
In order to make things easier for the guests and the workers, a main stand was provided where visitors could purchase tickets of different denominations, some for the food, others for beer and of course some for soft drinks and water.
However, as the afternoon wore on more and more people started pouring in till eventually the whole venue was packed to the limits.
With these, the visitors could approach a very long bar and exchange them for the items they desired. As always Canarians are known for arrival late, and when I first arrived I
El Lomo Celebrates
religious acts also accompanied the fiestas, which took place in the San Fernando church. As part of the fiesta the organisers invited several “Chiringuitos”, small mobile bars, which serve food and drinks in order to create a more festive ambience, and added to this were several fun fair attractions much to the delight of the younger ones.
El Lomo is a small neighbourhood located at the beginning of the road to Fataga. It is made up of several buildings which joins a mixture of council flats built to help the more modest families and budget flats for younger families who are beginning their new lives. It is a relatively new development which through its short history has established itself as a very respectful community and a very pleasant area to live in. A few years ago the neighbours of El Lomo decided to organise their own local fiestas in order to give something to the community and try and bring them together in a celebration, and as I live in this area I feel obliged to tell you all about it! The festivities took place between the 7th and 10th October and thanks to the help of several local businesses and of course the Ayuntamiento of San Bartolome de Tirajana, this year the fiesta calendar was packed with activities and events which would suit everyone regardless of their age. The festivities were in honour of the Virgen Madre del Buen Pastor, and as in every case
A great atmosphere was created as everyone enjoyed a very different Saturday afternoon, getting away from the usual and traditional Canarian fiestas. By Tito Cabral
the morning - this was not to everyone’s taste as some of us had our children with us, so sleeping was quite a hard thing to do! The celebrations ended on Sunday with a massive free barbecue for the neighbours and foam party which the children enjoyed very much. Through the afternoon a “Verbena”, popular dance usually with salsa, took place as well as an awards ceremony for everyone who had taken part and won in the many competitions. This is not a massive fiesta, but it is one which is very close to my heart as I am a neighbour of El Lomo. I can’t say I was impressed by the long celebration on Saturday especially considering that my son was quite scared when the fireworks went off. However it did bring the community together and for 4 days this small area was brought to the attention of many, making it, in its’ own little way, the centre of the south of Gran Canaria. By Tito Cabral
The activities were all organised over four days as the event took place, and the local bar, Bar Nicolas, an institution in these parts, also actively collaborated by organising several of these activities; namely Canarian card tournaments. In addition popular games and contests were held both for the children and the older people of the neighbourhood. In the evenings several musical artists and groups were invited to take part as well as local children and adults with dancing and singing competitions. Saturday was the big day, and the night lasted into the early hours of
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Local News 5
Issue 33 - Friday 22nd October - Thursday 4th November 2010 - The Canary News
Resalegc Marketing SL Arguineguin As Resalegc Marketing SL celebrates their first year of business how successful have they been in helping unhappy timeshare owners? It was back in September 2009 that The Canary News featured an article on a new company based in Arguineguin. The headline was “Is Your Timeshare Problem Weighing You Down?” and its’ Managing Director, Kieron Day, explained how his own bad experiences with a timeshare resort here in Gran Canaria led him in his quest to help others like him.
cases to appeal in order to have the status of the contracts ruled null and void due to their glaring omissions and bias against the consumer and if we achieve this then the client’s money will be refunded in full – this is and will continue to be our ultimate goal” So what does this mean to the client? If you have to take the case to appeal then doesn’t this cost more money?
According to Kieron the response he has received since he started offering his services has been overwhelming.
As part of the service we provide we actively encourage all our clients to contact all the major organisations involved in the timeshare industry including the organisation which Alberto Garcia works for – even if they can’t or won’t help then at least their problems are being highlighted. I openly invite him to come and speak with me, see our operation and see exactly what our clients have been through.
“ I knew when I started this that there were a lot of unhappy and disillusioned timeshare owners out there – but even I have to admit that the amount of clients we are now helping and the amount of calls we still receive every single day is astonishing. Timeshare companies all over Spain continue to break the law every single day and still the powers at be continue to ignore it.”
From the 56 cases accepted by the court already 17 clients have been to court to state their claim against the resorts they feel have cheated them and from these 17 cases there has already been 7 initial verdicts. Commenting on the initial verdicts Kieron said “We are delighted with the progress so far – we knew this wouldn’t be easy – going against large and influential companies especially here in Gran Canaria was always going to be a challenge, but the lawyers working on behalf of our clients are happy with their achievements so far. The courts have already ruled that it is illegal to take deposits during the cooling off period and have ordered the offending companies to repay double the amount of the deposit back. We will now take all these
You must be aware that there have been various articles in the local press here in Gran Canaria accusing a company in Arguineguin of been a fraudulent timeshare resale company – are they referring to you? “Well if you mean the articles written by Alberto Garcia then what can I say? Alberto Garcia is an ex police officer who was the head of security for Anfi del Mar for many years and now works for the European Timesharing Organisation – he works for the Timeshare Companies my clients are challenging so of course he’s going to throw mud at us!!
Back then his company was already representing 100 clients so 12 months on how’s it all going?
Resalegc Marketing SL is now coordinating over 300 claims. When a clients’ case is taken on the client is advised that it could be up to 2 years before the case goes to court but in this 12 month period Reclaimgc Marketing SL are delighted to confirm that 56 of their cases have already been submitted and accepted by the courts here in San Bartolome de Tirajana, in Tenerife and in mainland Spain.
contracts so that they comply with the law and they will have to exercise more control during the sales process so clients are not misled about what it is they are actually buying”
“No, the client pays a fixed fee for their legal services and this takes them through the whole procedure and includes any appeal costs. What you have to understand is that we never expected to achieve an overall victory at this stage – we knew that challenging something this big would involve an appeal process. The law can be a very complicated thing which is open to interpretation. What timeshare companies have done is to exploit this fact and try to find loop holes which allow them to exploit the consumer. The fact that that the court has declared that it is illegal to take a deposit – even through a third party company – including a trustee is a very positive message from the court, and the lawyers representing our clients are confident that the courts will now go a step further and support them in their request to have the contract declared null and void”. So what does this mean for the timeshare companies against which your clients are making claims? “It’s simple – they will have to change the way they do things – they will have to stop taking deposits within the legal cooling off period – even if this is done through a third party or a trustee, they will have to revise their
On our web site www.reclaimgc.com we have a whole page called client mis-representations where we post some of the letters which we receive from our clients – it’s absolutely scandalous what they have experienced and this is what we need to address. Ultimately whatever is said or inferred about me or my company then one thing is for sure – it will not stop me doing what I’m doing and it will not stop me trying to help my clients get their money back. But you do agree that there are some companies out there claiming to do what you do but in reality they just take money from clients without doing anything? “Yes, unfortunately I am aware of such companies and I fully support those trying to expose them and get them closed down. My advice to any one is check out the company you are dealing with, check out their history, but most importantly check out the lawyers they are recommending and ask to meet with them so you can discuss the merits of your claim and finally if you have any doubts whatsoever then just walk away”
6 Local News
The Canary News - Friday 22nd October - Thursday 4th November 2010 - Issue 33
Follow the comet Hartley from Gran Canaria Cabreja Mountain Astronomical Observatory located in the Vega de San Mateo (Gran Canaria) has for several weeks been following the comet Hartley, as reported on AstroEduca.com. On 15 March 1986 Malcolm Hartley discovered this small comet which has a diameter of 1.5 kilometres, from Australia. The comet only visits the inner solar system for a short period every 6.46 years. According to news reports on AstroEduca. com in the coming weeks it is one of the brightest comets in recent months and is now within range of telescopes and binoculars in dark skies. On November 4th EPOXI mission will send a probe to within 700km from the comet to collect first hand information about these interesting stellar bodies. Through their web page the observatory is showing free live broadcasts of observational sessions of the comet over the Internet, for all observers and sky enthusiasts to enjoy this interesting comet.
Arenas Corza’s Maspalomas Canaries win the championship Base Sets The Arenas Corza’s Rhythmic Gymnastics has managed to clinch the
first place in the Championship Base Sets 2010 Canaries and the two categories presented were Benjamin and Child. Both groups have managed to qualify for the the Championship of Spain Base set to be held in Valladolid next November. Corza’s Club Maspalomas Arenas thanked the sponsors Arenas South School for supporting the club and the Department of Sports City of San Bartolomé de Tirajana.
Canary Islands loose small businesses Over the last year, the Canary Islands, comes second in the statistics to see the closing down of shops owned by self employed people with 756 recorded, just behind Valencia (-854), according to the Union of Professionals and SelfEmployed (UPTA). In Spain from August 2009 to the same month this year, 5,687 businesses have been forced to close their doors. Most of them were located in Valencia, the Canary Islands, Cataluñia, the Basque Country and Andalucia. For most, the situation has been exacerbated by no access to funding and lack of active policies for the sector. They have been forced to find alternative lines of credit and instigate an early retirement policy. “These establishments represent a major service for the residents of these municipalities, which are regrettably seeing their only places to buy basic supplies dwindle,” points out the
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Executive Secretary of Sectoral Policy, César García.
Spanair and Air Europe to expand the lines with the Canaries.
UPTA says that the Government had “ignored” their requests and has left this group “on their own, while stressing that nearly 40,000 businesses have closed as a result of the crisis.
Canary reached a record high of 10.1 million foreigners in 2001. Since then, the sector has remained stable over the nine million visitors, until the crisis hit its highest incidence in 2009 with a record of only 7.98 million people. Now a year later, the hotel industry begins to see a way out, and predicts that this season should close this year with a rise of close to 6%.
The Government is negotiating 120 new flights to the Canary Islands Tourism in the Canarias recovers, but modestly. The Islands close the year with about 8.46 million foreign tourists, which will put the sector at levels comparable to 13 years ago. Despite the improved employment - 3% this year, employers have had to play with special offers and price cuts, which will mean a third consecutive fall in income. The President, Paulino Rivero, said that the government is talking to companies with the aim of implementing a plan to capture more than a million extra tourists. The target: exceed nine million tourists next year. These agreements focus on the providing more than 120 weekly flights between current and emerging tourist targets and our destinations. The objective of this plan, the Government stressed is not to increase the number of beds, but the number of tourists. Melchor, manager of public enterprise Promotion (PROEXCA) says the department has already negotiated with Iberia, Air Berlin, Iberworld, Ryanair,
Playa de Mogán will host a charity gala for Adex On Saturday, 30th October, from 21.00 in the center Santiago de Playa de Mogán there will be a Solidarity-Charity Gala for Adex; a local child who has cerebral paralysis, cortical blindness and epilepsy, amongst other diseases. For this gala event artists such as Aristides Moreno, Domingo Rodríguez “El Colorao” Maestro Florido, Matías Alonso and Lili Quintana Canaria TV program “In key ja” will perform. The gala will be accompanied by an evening party in which the musical groups ‘Latino’ and ‘First Line’ will be taking part. The ticket price is 10 Euros and can be bought at Mogán village, Veneguera, Playa de Mogán, Arguineguin, Tasarte and The Village. Those interested in attending and for more information should log onto: w w w. m o g a n . e s / A g e n d a / 2 0 1 0 / 1 0 _ Octubre/SolidariosconAdexe.jpg
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Feature 7
Issue 33 - Friday 22nd October - Thursday 4th November 2010 - The Canary News
La Cueva Pirata, Re-Opens Its Doors! any younger, and he was finding it a little difficult to carry out his daily duties, so in 2005 he decided to rent the restaurant out. Again this meant yet another blow for Ernesto and his family, as slowly they would witness how the new tenants would destroy the reputation that they had worked so hard for.
It’s not every day we have the chance to talk about an historic site, and on this occasion it is a restaurant which as far as I can remember has always been there. It’s funny but as a child I always recall seeing this particular restaurant due to its name, “La Cueva Pirata”, The Pirates Cave. I’m sure many of us have passed the road on the bottom of the site and smelled the wonderful charcoal grill, and the magnificent scent of cooking meat over an open fire. However the history of this restaurant has not always been as bright as its’ owner Ernesto Solis Guerrero would have liked.
terrace, and began to add a more varied selection of foods. As the years passed, and his popularity increased, Ernesto slowly increased the size of his restaurant, until tragedy hit them in 2001. A fire, caused by a short circuit, burnt down the whole building and destroyed years of hard work. Even though this blow hit Ernesto and his wife very hard, he was undeterred and within six months he had rebuilt the restaurant to its current state in order to continue dining and wining his loyal customers.
Ernesto used to be in the Excavation and Mining industry, his company built and dug out several caves and tunnels around the island, but then unfortunately along came an economic crisis which negatively affected his business. But instead of making his crew redundant, and with the help of a Mining Engineer and friend Paco, he put them to work to excavate a cave in the side of the cliff of Patalavaca. In less than a year his men had completed the work and created an artificial cave which would serve perfectly as a bar. In 1969, Ernesto opened his bar in the cave and started serving some simple foods and many different drinks, which made the Original “Cueva Pirata” a very popular place amongst tourist visitors and locals alike. After two years, and with a little encouragement from a Swiss friend and customer, he decided to expand his business and built the first open air
For 4 more years he and his family continued their hard work in not only serving high quality grilled meats and fish but in maintaining the outstanding reputation for service that they had built up. However Ernesto was not getting
Eventually with the aid of the law he managed to rid himself of these destructive tenants and get back his life’s dream. Today his daughter Ivon is the head of a fully operational restaurant, and together with her team no doubt have a massive job in front of them. We all know that gaining the customers’ trust again is an even more difficult job than starting from scratch. But Ivon has seen this restaurant grow from nothing and has been an important part of its’ history as well as an active part in its’ growth. No doubt that with her enthusiasm and professionalism “La Cueva Pirata” will become a gastronomic meeting point in the south of the island once again. She has opted to preserve the history of this enigmatic restaurant, and chooses to keep the original menu; which worked for her father for over 25 years. She also uses only top quality products and together with her husband, will ensure the best customer experience. The menu is simple yet appetising; we can have a nice mixture of starters both hot and cold, including some old classics which will never be out of fashion. But the ‘star attraction’ for this restaurant is that the meats and fish are cooked on an open barbecue, which takes pride of place in the main dining area. Here customers can choose from a large range of meats and cuts which are carefully selected by the head chef.
I was there for only a little while and can assure you from my experience in the restaurant business that the quality of these meats is exceptionally good. Added to this we have the chance to admire the wonderful views which overlook the bay of Anfi, simply adding value to the whole experience. “La Cueva Pirata” also has a large range of Spanish wines which can accompany the meal to perfection. All in all an experience which once again is available to all of us. Ivon and her team will surely make you feel more than special in this restaurant, which is a big part of the south of the island’s history. When you do go, ask Ivon to show you the cafe where her father originally started the business; it is simply astonishing and I am sure that they will be more than willing to show it to you. “La Cueva Pirata”, Avenida Los Canarios 2, Patalavaca. Tlf: 928 736 039 or 928 151 698. Open from 16.00 to 23.30, Please ensure you telephone before you go as it may be the staff’s day off. By Tito Cabral
8 Letters to the Editor
The Canary News - Friday 22nd October - Thursday 4th November 2010 - Issue 33
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Editors Column
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Letter of the week Dear Editor, My partner and I spend the winter months in Playa del Ingles and wondered if any of your readers know of any bridge clubs in the area. Also can I make a point on the Ryanair debate. We use Ryanair to fly to Gran Canaria and find that as long as you follow their rules there are some really great cheap flights to be had. We flew back to the UK from Gran Canaria last December from Monday to Friday and got two return flights with priority boarding with only hand luggage for Euros 116 ( Euros 58 for each return flight ) complete. Regards, Richard Lang Can anyone help Richard? Ed Never have so many been disturbed by so few... We have been coming to Puerto Rico for quite a number of years now and have generally had a great time, staying in a local hotel, excellent position, great staff, ideal for lots of walking and sightseeing, great choice of restaurants and bars, friendly waiters - some now good friends, usually great weather.....what more could one want? I’ll tell you - a chance to get a good night’s sleep. When we first started visiting Puerto Rico things were relatively quiet after midnight. However, in the last few years some of the pubs have started revving up the music after 11.00 or 12.00 midnight. It starts off quite, almost un-noticeably, and then gets gradually louder and louder till about 4 o’clock in the morning. It ends usually with about half an hour of deep, pounding base sounds (you can’t hear the music) but the base reverberates throughout the surrounding area, waking up the thousands(probably 99%) of people who are tucked up in bed, who are trying to catch up on their sleep in preparation for another happy day of sunshine and leisure. Considering the thousands of holidaymakers and residents in the area surely the music/base beat could be turned down a little bit, just enough for the few hundred who may still be up and about at four in the morning. We are coming back again in January but if the noise is still the same it will be, regrettably, our last visit.
For your information, something similar happened in Funchal, Madeira, a few years ago and because so many hoteliers and tourists complained, the local tourism office clamped down on it as they were afraid of losing the very people who helped the local economy. I would hate to think Puerto Rico would suffer the loss of its tourism, and considering how quiet (in tourist numbers) the place was I shouldn’t be surprised if this un-necessay noise was having some effect. Please think about it Regards, Mr H Livingston, Glasgow, Scotland We understood that the police are constantly turning up at bars and restaurants to check their level of noise output. Maybe they should carry out second inspections in the early hours of the morning to ensure people like yourself can enjoy a decent nights’ sleep. Ed Dear Editor, What a good idea it was to give an explanation on the Indian celebrations you featured not long ago. I am always interested in different nationalities and what they do, where they go etc. so found the background to this particular Indian god very enlightening. I also intend to visit their club in Las Palmas when I next go there as I noticed they have a restaurant open to the public. Indeed I now notice in some of the shops run by these gentle folk small ‘altar-like articles’, usually tucked away discreetly in a corner, so it’s nice to know what they mean. Will you be featuring more of these stories for our enjoyment in the future? Regards, and thanks for providing a great service to our ex pat community, keep up the good work! Patrick Thank you for your email Patrick. We are delighted to receive your comments on our article, which we too found very interesting. Yes, of course we would love to cover similar events, so if any of our readers know about something taking place please contact us before it happens. We are also happy to receive news about anything else which is happening on our island which could be of interest to our readers. Ed
I know you must be saturated with the rescue story of the miners in Chile, especially with the 24 hour live coverage from Sky News, however I would like to add a few comments of my own. What struck me the most was the fact that this small country didn’t hesitate to ask for help from other more powerful, and perhaps, more knowledgeable countries around the globe. As the days turned into weeks, the coming together of ‘foreign brainpower’ to seek the right solution, without further endangering the lives of the 33 miners, was fantastic. I didn’t watch the complete live coverage, but saw enough of it to understand that Chile really pulled together as a country including its’ President who was present from start to finish – ok great PR for him, but so what. I can’t even begin to imagine what those men went through as they waited to be rescued. Most of them looked in good health and spirits as they emerged from the capsule, but it must have been very daunting facing over 2,000 members of the international press as they stepped out. Let’s hope that their mental health will be monitored closely over the next six months, as this is definitely when reality will hit them about their experience. I wonder what happened to the miner who wanted both his wife and mistress to greet him; it can only be a Latin who would dare request this! The summer has been really good for the Canary Islands with regard to tourists. Between May & August the number of foreign tourists increased by 14.34%. 82,000 more foreign tourists choose Gran Canaria between May and August than in the same period last year, and the average length of stay was 10 days with average spend per day of 100 euros. The British market saw the biggest increase after two years of decline, which rose by 13%. The number of Scandinavian tourists arriving in the summer months also increased. Other tourists on the increase to Gran Canaria were from Italy and Belgium, but very few French visit Gran Canaria. Most French tourists go to Fuerteventura. Predictions for winter are good. Bad winters in Europe have meant more bookings. On chatting with Nina, our Scandinavian feature writer, she tells me that the Scandinavians don’t mind paying for good quality and service, but if they feel they are being ‘ripped off’ in the slightest, then there’s no second chance, they just won’t come back. It seems that many businesses have been sitting just waiting for the second and third weekend in October when the influx of ‘snowbirds’ should arrive in great numbers, and comments have been heard about the ‘golden goose’ who will provide enormous amounts of profit to Gran Canaria this winter. A reliable source informed me that last Monday, the normally quiet Puerto Rico was heaving with people; restaurants and bars packed with tourists milling around everywhere. So may I remind all those who own businesses serving the public, keep your prices competitive, your staff polite and above all provide a pleasant experience for the life blood of our island, otherwise you really will ‘kill the goose who lays the golden eggs’. Here’s to a happy and rewarding winter 2010 season for all of us.
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Get More For Your Money When transferring money to Spain it’s important that you get as many euros for your pounds as possible. Transferring your currency overseas – whether you’re paying for a property deposit, making regular mortgage transfers or transferring any sum of money between your bank accounts – is often left to the last minute, which can cost you thousands of pounds due to currency fluctuations. Timing your transaction is key Never underestimate the value of a good exchange rate. Currency markets are constantly fluctuating and making your transaction at the right time can make a big difference to the amount of money you end up with. For example, if you were buying a villa in Gran Canaria worth €250,000, transferring your pounds on the dates specified below, the property would have cost you: - 19 March 2010: £225,835 - 19 April 2010: £222,321 That’s a difference of £3,514 in just over one month! Buying this month the cost would be around £221,240 so timing is critical and can save you money. Currency experts like Moneycorp can tailor their services to suit your needs to make sure you trade when exchange rates are in your favour. A forward contract is just one of the services a currency broker can provide to clients making international money transfers. You book to buy or sell your currency in the future, at a rate you fix today. Forward contracts can help protect against adverse currency movements and can be used to lock into favourable exchange rates.
Finance 9
Issue 33 - Friday 22nd October - Thursday 4th November 2010 - The Canary News
Update on the euro from Moneycorp Since November last year the pound has been wandering along a twelve-cent wide channel from a low of €1.10. In January and for most of February this year the focus was €1.14 and the end of February it dropped to €1.10. March saw a catch-up process during which sterling had recovered to the middle of its’ four-month range. During September however we saw the rates around the 1.22’s to the £ with recent drops back to the range of the 1.14’s. Almost impossible to forecast what is going to happen next!!! The lack of direction suggests a steady relationship between the pound and the euro but it would be fairer to describe the alliance as a marriage of inconvenience. For the euro and the pound the underlying problems are the same ones that have dogged them since the end of last year; debt and politics. The woes of the euro stemmed almost entirely from the maladministration of previous Greek governments. In a situation dating back to Greece’s fudged membership of the euro (many said at the time it should not have gone ahead) the Athens government of the day used financial derivatives to conceal the true scale of its indebtedness in order to meet the Maastricht criteria for euro membership. Since then we have seen problems in Portugal, Ireland and Spain, what is good news however is that all bonds issued by these countries have been taken up. With potential problems in the housing sector forecast for the UK now is a good time to make that move abroad and enjoy the sunshine and relaxed lifestyle.
Funding that lifestyle is also important and making the most of your sterling helps our enjoyment in the sun. The best way is to talk to a money expert and that’s why we recommend Moneycorp. Trust Moneycorp to take care of all your money transfers to and from Spain; however small or large. Their experts make the process quick, easy and highly cost-effective. Contact Moneycorp in the Costa del Sol on +34 951 319 700 or in the UK on +44 (0)20 7589 3000, email costadelsol@moneycorp.com and mention that you saw them in The Canary News.
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10 Local News
The Canary News - Friday 22nd October - Thursday 4th November 2010 - Issue 33
Church On The Move
In 2004 the Christian Life International Church (CLIC) Las Palmas , Gran Canaria, was born.It grew out of a missionary vision to reach people of all nationalities, ages and cultures with the Good News of the Gospel. Pastors Larry and Melinda Henderson and their young family moved from the United States to Gran Canaria in 2004 and have been overjoyed to watch the church grow from just a handful of people to over 200 in the last 6 years. This year saw them in the amazing position of having to move house as it were, as the old church building in Calle Galileo just could not accommodate the steady influx of people joining.
The salon is light, comfortable and air-conditioned - but this latter did nothing to detract from the warm welcome all received from this loving church “family”. CLIC celebrated the first service in the new premises with people from over 40 nations represented. All services are bi-lingual- (Spanish and English). Pastor Larry preached a “message for life” sermon, and the musicians /singers led a time of joyous praise and worship.One hotel guest visiting GC from Argentina was delighted to find church actually ‘happening’ in her hotel and quickly came in to join the service.
The Pastor went from conducting one Sunday Service to 3 services every weekend in order pack everyone in! Many churches world -wide would love to have this sort of “problem”. On 3rd of October 2010, the church moved headquarters to their new home – the beautiful Salon San Felipe in the 5 Star Hotel Meliá Las Palmas–right on the beach at Las Canteras, (a pick up point for The Canary News). Now the whole 200 plus congregation can worship together again.
Pastor Melinda says “No matter what country you are from or what language you speak, the church family of CLIC invites you to join with us. We will be delighted to welcome you”. Services are every Sunday at 11am. Tea and biscuits are served in the salon in pre church café. There is a great children’s /youth work in the church. The kids have their very own salon at the hotel, and Sunday School is something very special. Why not go along next week and experience the joy, love and peace abounding in Salon San Felipe on Sunday mornings. I promise you more than a taste of and faith in action when you do.The main ministry center and church offices will continue in the building at Calle Galileo 42. See their ad on page 24 for more details. By Kay Owen 2010
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Feature 11
Issue 33 - Friday 22nd October - Thursday 4th November 2010 - The Canary News
Something For Every ‘Occasion’ from a recently-closed similar business, Yvonne soon expanded her offerings to include a really good range of greetings cards - not just the usual three or four tired looking, sun-bleached generic cards, but a smart display of cards for everyone, separated by laminated tags so you can go straight to the section you want.
Doggone It! Usually feeling “dog-tired” or “ruff” after a heavy Saturday night out?? Sometimes in need of a “hair of the dog” next day?? Then pop down to the Yumbo for the afternoon on Sunday 31 October 2010 for a fun and slightly crazy afternoon when GLAY will be hosting a Novelty Dog Show in aid of GLAY (raising money for Gay Pride 2011) and ANAHI (a Canarian animal charity). Unlike normal dog shows there are no prizes here for best pedigree or obedience! Instead the categories include best dressed dog, dog that looks most like its owner, best set of 6 legs (dog and owner’s legs combine to win that prize!), most talented dog, prettiest bitch and most handsome dog. So, if you’ve always secretly thought your friend or next door neighbour bears a strong resemblance to his or her pet pooch, then make sure they know about the competition!!With stalls for food (apparently there will even be hot dogs on sale that day!) and soft drinks and the usual bars, shops and restaurants open as normal in the Yumbo you can be sure of a doggoned good time. So don’t paws. What’re you waiting for? Schnauzer chance to win a great prize for either you or your dog! Let’s hope the weather is fine that day and makes you a little hot under the collie rather than having it rain cats
Is there no end to this hard working, forward-thinking lady’s talents I ask myself? It was a refreshing change to hear the enthusiasm in her voice as she discussed future plans for Occasions; unlike many other business owners whose only dialogue is how bad things are! I can honestly say that from now on, when I need either greetings cards, party/celebration accessories or table decorations I will visit Yvonne at Occasions in CC Puerto Rico,(see her advert on page 10) it really is the ONLY ONE STOP SHOP for all your party needs. Congratulations Yvonne from The Canary News.
As I picked up my next assignment, the thought that ran through my head was at last a ‘real’ greetings card shop had opened here in the South. It seems that no matter where we are in the world, we still like to send nice, relevant greetings cards to our loved ones back home. The choice, until now, has been very limited and many of us have resorted to sending our greetings either over the internet or by text messaging – not the same as receiving a lovely hand written card in the post!
And so it was that I found myself in the heart of the Puerto Rico Commercial Centre interviewing Yvonne, the new owner of ‘Occasions’. I must add immediately that this is not just a card shop, quite the reverse. Yvonne has been on Gran Canaria for ten years now, working alongside partner Peter in his busy bar, called Sunspot in C.C. Puerto Rico and like many of us realised that for special occasions and celebrations the choice here is very limited. So when the opportunity arose to take a vacant unit next to Property Abroad, she jumped at the chance. Buying up the remainder of the ‘party stock’
already has a large choice of Christmas cards and intends to bring over our much needed Christmas tree decorations, wrapping paper, tags and such like.
By Debbie Wenn
As I chatted with Yvonne it soon became evident just what a talented lady she is – a qualified florist, fantastic baker of special occasion cakes and finally ‘artiste extraordinaire’ when it comes to designing and making wedding accessories. Yvonne proudly showed me just a small selection of the beautiful hair combs, wedding bouquets, necklaces, tiny bags, table adornments etc. etc. the list was endless as to what she could turn her hand to. She told me that her specialist designs were also very popular with the Spanish families who come to her when they have ‘First Communion’ for their children, christenings or indeed any other special events. This is a real breakthrough for Yvonne; as we all know that the Spanish would normally shop within their own community. The materials, beads and fastenings are mostly brought in from the UK, as the quality is that much better and is personally chosen by Yvonne, during her many trips back home. After her last trip to the UK, she decided to bring back a great selection of Halloween costumes, wigs, makeup and masks, and for the Festive season,
and dogs. Regardless, such a fun-filled afternoon is sure to give you a new leash of life instead....... Sunday 31 October 14:00 – 18:00. Main Yumbo Square. Registration starts at 13:30 or you can pre-register in Fuze Bar before the event. €5 to enter your dog for 1 category. €8 for 2 categories. €10 for 3 categories.
12 Scandinavian Scene
The Canary News - Friday 22nd October - Thursday 4th November 2010 - Issue 33
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Laura Dekker with Nina Blaafjell
Laura Dekker is only 15 years old and plans to become the youngest person to circumnavigate the globe. She was born on a boat in the port of Whangarei in New Zealand.
There were objections to her completing the journey due to her young age. The Dutch government stepped in and after some consideration and stipulations for the size of boat, safety equipment etc she was permitted to start the journey.
Her parents were on a seven year trip and Laura spent the four years of her life at sea. Age six she had her first boat and learned to sail. She started making longer and longer journeys herself and in 2009 made a solo crossing from her home in the Netherlands to England. Her family thought she would tire of the solo voyages, but in the same year she announced her plan to for a two year sailing trip around the globe.
She sailed from her home in Den Osse on the 4th August this year with the first leg of the journey finishing in Portugal. This was a test run and not part of the solo circumnavigation as her father was onboard. She was unable to start her solo attempt from Portugal as their law requires a minimum age of 18 to be in charge of a boat. On the 18th August Laura and her father continued on to Gibraltar from where she would start her solo attempt, so she set off from Gibraltar on the 21st August. She arrived in Lanzarote on the 25th August where she stayed until the 21st September and celebrated her 15th Birthday on the 20th September. She then sailed from Lanzarote to Gran Canaria where The Canary News had a chance to meet her. The Canary News met Laura onboard her 38ft boat, ‘The Guppy’. It’s a great looking boat with a red finish and a guppy painted on the front, and is comfortably kitted out with features which allow Laura to sail the boat single handed. She has a tracker system onboard as well as a satellite phone and other safety features. However, to the untrained eye it still does not seem very big when you consider she will be sailing round the world. Initially she was going to make the journey in her old boat which was even smaller, but had to upgrade due to the stipulations made by the Dutch authorities.
Laura seems very mature and disciplined which is perhaps a result of being used to meeting new people whilst travelling with her parents and spending time sailing and visiting many different places. Her schooling during the time she is away is being taken care of by the Wereldschool (Worldschool ) who provide self study materials. She explained that she spends each morning, until around lunch time when she is in port, doing school work and seems much more disciplined about it than I could admit to being at her age. In port she also spends time making sure the equipment on board is in the best possible condition. She says she does not feel lonely and really enjoys meeting new people and is also happy with her own company. Considering the amount of time she will be at sea on her own this is no doubt a good thing. She will be here in Gran Canaria for a little while longer as she waits out the Atlantic hurricane season. Her family will be visiting while she is here in Gran Canaria and hopefully at some of the other stops she will be making along her journey. In comparison to previous circumnavigations she plans to make around 26 stops along the way. This is in essence the motivation behind her journey. She loves to visit new places and meet new people and although if she completes her voyage before July 2012 she will become the youngest person ever to circumnavigate the globe it does not seem to be her main motivation. When asked why she wants to do it she simply says : Just to see if I can. The very best of luck Laura from The Canary News. When she leaves Gran Canaria Laura will make the Atlantic crossing which will probably be her longest time she spends onboard and at sea in one go. You can follow Laura’s progress through her blog at www. lauradekker.nl/English/Home.html By Nina Blaafjell
Laura is a well spoken girl with excellent English. However, considering all the media attention she has had she still seems a little reluctant to be in the spotlight. She confirms that she still feels a little overwhelmed with all the attention she has received and did not quite expect it.
Scandinavian Travel Trends It seems that the Scandinavians are even keener than normal to book up for holidays to the sun. Traditionally Scandinavians spend summer holidays at home and try to get a sunshine break in the winter. This is partly due to normally quite nice summer weather and of course harsh winters. However, in the last few years it seems that more Scandinavians are also travelling abroad in the summer months. In August this year Norwegian tour operators reported record sales of foreign holidays and the reason for this is thought to be worse than normal summer weather
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in Norway. There was an increase in arrivals to Gran Canaria from all the Scandinavian countries this summer. However, it is also thought that low interest rates have helped encourage people to spend money travelling. In common with many other countries there are large savings to be made if you can travel outside the school holidays. However, in addition to travelling more often in the summer months the Scandinavians still want their winter sun. No sooner are the summer holidays over and people start planning their winter break. Gran Canaria has always been popular, but the tour operators are now looking at re-introducing the island to the customers. They are focusing on the new 5 star hotels, adult only hotels, & gay friendly hotels. In addition they are promoting Las Palmas as the ideal combination of city and beach for a perfect holiday. Other destinations such as Egypt and Thailand are increasing in popularity, but Gran Canaria looks like it will remain a popular choice. It has in the past years developed a slightly more downmarket reputation in Scandinavia in comparison to facilities on offer in Thailand and Egypt, but tour operators feel that new resorts like the 5 star Baobab in Meloneras are helping to change this view.
Horoscopes 13
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Issue 33 - Friday 22nd October - Thursday 4th November 2010 - The Canary News
ARIES Mar 21 - April 20
LIBRA Sept 24 - Oct 23
CAPRICORN Dec 23 - Jan 20
If, today, you think that something is just too much, then that is precisely what it may well prove to be. But if you can summon a little confidence and perseverance, you will soon see the right way to.
CANCER June 22 - July 23 You are not yet entirely free from a source of annoyance, a cause of confusion, a scenario that creates stress, tension and a sense of exasperation. But you are, with each passing moment, moving further away from this and all that it represents.
Someone seems to be managing to play, very successfully, on your sense of guilt. You keep looking at the decisions that you have made lately and doubting yourself.
There is now a window of opportunity. It is not a door but it is just about big enough to climb through. There is a ladder on either side. There is no reason why you shouldn’t make the attempt.
TAURUS April 23 - May 21
LEO July 24 - Aug 23
Scorpio Oct 24 - Nov 22
AQUARIUS Jan 21 - Feb 19
You can now see, clearly, what a particular process is bound to lead to. Others, though, either don’t want to hear this or they refuse to believe it.
If you think positively now, you can touch the mind and the heart of someone who has the power to make a decision that could benefit you greatly.
The world is a different place when we are feeling refreshed and revived. Something that now seems very daunting or difficult to you, will soon begin to look like far less of a problem.
You can see how to keep various people happy, even though their needs are so different. And you can somehow juggle, successfully, the conflicting requirements of your financial situation.
GEMINI May 22 - June 21
VIRGO Aug 24 - Sept 23
SAGITTARIUS Nov 23 - Dec 22
PISCES Feb 20 - Mar 20
Your celestial protector is working hard to limit the impact of an adverse situation. Show a little gratitude.
A very strong feeling drives you now. You suspect that you are wrong to let it touch you so deeply. It may, though, just turn out to be right in more ways than you could ever know.
Current events may not bear much resemblance to the vision that you have been holding in your mind’s eye - but this, as you will soon see, is nothing to worry about.
In your current quest for an elusive butterfly, you need to proceed gently and carefully. If something makes no sense, don’t get frustrated; just be patient.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY “ Life may not always be as good as it should be, but it’s never as bad as it could be!”
Pilates at the Norwegian School The popular Pilates classes held at the Norwegian school last year have started again. They take place on a Monday & Friday at 5pm and all are welcome to come along. The Norwegian school is situated on the opposite side of the main road from the entrance to Anfi del Mar between Puerto Rico and Patalavaca.
and were to be some of the best quality apartments built in the area. However, the project kept getting stopped due to lack of building permits. Many of the apartments were sold off plan when the project was introduced in 2002 so those investors have waited 8 years to see their apartments finished. Earlier this year it seemed to be good news at last as the building permits were finally granted and all involved were confident that the project would be completed within a six month period.
What is Pilates ? Pilates is a series of gentle, muscle strengthening exercises formulated by Dr. Joseph Pilates during the 1920‘s. It is a form of exercise that works in a different way to other fitness techniques. It targets the deep postural muscles building strength from the inside out. It is also designed to rebalance the body and bring it into correct alignment. It helps to reshape the body making it longer, leaner and more toned. It will also improve your posture, achieving the perfect balance between strength and flexibility, and it is a great way to relive unwanted stress and tension.
Monte Carrera The story regarding the much discussed and anticipated Monte Carrera property development in Arguineguin has taken a new twist. The 131 new apartments in the Loma Dos area of Arguineguin were meant scheduled to be finished in 2005
However, all the delays meant that the Norwegian developers PAAS AS (earlier called Pueblo Amistad AS) were declared bankrupt in September this year. 60 Norwegian customers have contracts to buy the apartments but 40 of those are likely to lose their investment. The problem is that although customers were told that their deposits were to be deposited in a ‘blocked customer account’ this appears not have been the case. By Nina Blaafjell
14 ‘Twitters from the Atlantic’
The Canary News - Friday 22nd October - Thursday 4th November 2010 - Issue 33
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by Barrie Mahoney
Barrie Mahoney was a teacher, head teacher and school inspector in the UK, as well as a reporter in Spain, before moving to the Canary Islands as a newspaper editor. He is still enjoying life in the sun as a writer and author.
Greenwich Mean Time and the Canary Islands Maybe the real reason why time traveller, Doctor Who, has a continuing pre-occupation with sorting out problems with aliens in the City of London is not really to do with ever shrinking location budgets at the BBC, but more to do with the fact that Greenwich is the centre of time.
global time. Before an important meeting in Washington took place in 1884 there were, in Europe alone, some 20 different meridians - you can imagine the confusion!
A recent news item celebrating the 125th anniversary of the decision to make the Greenwich Meridian the centre of time, reminded me of a history lesson that I still remember from my school days. Co-incidentally, it also has an interesting link with the Canary Islands. Maybe this was the true beginning of my journey to these wonderful islands. The Greenwich Meridian is an imaginary and arbitrary line that cuts through Spain, UK, France, Algeria and Ghana. It divides the Earth into east and west in much the same way as the Equator divides it into north and south. It enables us to navigate the globe, as well as synchronising the world’s clocks. However, this has not always been the case. Before the all important decision 125 years ago to make Greenwich the centre of world time, many countries and, indeed, large towns kept their own local time. This was based upon the hours of daylight and there were no international rules as to when the day would start or finish. With the growth of railways crossing international borders and marine activity, it became essential to set a
Ptolemy selected the Fortunate Islands (the Canaries) as the physical location of the prime meridian when he created an accurate grid system upon which the location of individual cities from the farthest known land west to the farthest known land east could be accurately placed. From that time onwards, early Mediterranean navigators used the meridian through the Canaries, as their first, or prime, meridian as they were then thought to be the most western part of the habitable globe. During the 15th and 16th centuries, when the peoples of Western Europe emerged as sea traders, almost every maritime nation used as a prime meridian, a meridian passing through its own territory.
The Washington meeting, naturally, brought with it many different views, no doubt based upon national selfinterest. The final conclusion was to make Greenwich the standard for setting time with a vote of 22 to one, with only San Domingo voting against and Brazil and, predictably, France, abstaining. France suggested that the new agreed meridian should run through the Canary Islands, and this suggestion was not just French awkwardness - it had some foundation. Back in AD 127, the Greek astronomer, Ptolemy, made astronomical observations from Alexandria in Egypt.
The French, for example, used the meridian of Paris; the Dutch, that through Amsterdam; and the English the meridian through London. You can only imagine the chaos and confusion and inconvenience caused to mariners by the existence of a multitude of prime meridians! So you see the Canary Islands have a strong place in history in setting the centre of world time. Imagine the prestige (and confusion) if the world’s clocks were set to Canaries Mañana Time and not Greenwich Mean Time! PS. Don’t forget to put the clocks back on 31 October. © Barrie Mahoney
If you enjoyed this article, take a look at Barrie’s websites: www.barriemahoney.com and www.thecanaryislander.com or read his latest novel, ‘Journeys and Jigsaws’ (ISBN: 9781843865384). © Barrie Mahoney
Spanish Lesson
Lesson 27
Reflexive verbs: Doin’ it to yourself
Oh joy and rapture – yet another kind of verb or action word that doesn´t exist in English: the reflexives. These are actions we do to ourselves. Check out the following examples: (yo) lavo el coche y la ropa (I wash the car and the clothes), BUT me lavo (literally: I wash myself, or me I wash) Many of us use one reflexive verb already, llamar/se [yam-AH-seh]: ¿Cómo te llamas? (what´s your name – lit: how you call yourself?) - Me llamo Theresa (I´m called – lit: I call myself Theresa) ¿Y tu novio? (And your boyfriend?) - Se llama Peter (he´s called Peter) Just like lavar (to wash), the verb llamar also exists in this ‘normal’ (not reflexive) form and simply means ‘to call’, as in siempre llamo a mi madre los domingos (I always call my mum on Sundays). Some of the reflexive verbs have no direct translation
With Theresa Coe
in English. You just have to learn them! An example is quedar/se (to stay – perhaps literally ‘to keep oneself’): Cuando voy a Londres, siempre ME QUEDO con mi hermana (when I go to London, I always stay with my sister). The verb´s meaning is often quite different without this extra bit. For instance, quedar means ‘to have left’ as in no me queda leche (I don´t have any milk left). Another example is IR and IR/SE. Many of you will remember that ir means ‘to go’: quiero ir a Tailandia – I want to go to Thailand. However, irse [EAR-seh] means ‘to be off/leaving’ as in necesito irme ahora (I need to be off now) or simply ¡me voy! (I´m leaving!). Normally, the ‘extra bits’ or pronouns that complete a reflexive verb have to go before it, though the action part is formed with the normal endings we´ve already learnt. Here are those endings in full for the verb ducharse (to shower oneself): Present tense: I shower (myself) You shower (yourself) He/she showers (him/herself) We shower (ourselves) They shower (themselves)
me ducho te duchas se ducha nos duchamos se duchan
Note that if we shower someone else, the verb is NOT reflexive: tengo que duchar al perro porque está sucio (I have to shower the dog because he´s dirty). The extra bits (me, te, se and nos) are called pronouns ,and there are only three occasions where we can put these little words (such as me, him/her, it, us or them) AFTER the verb as we do in English. Here they are: 1) WITH AN INFINITIVE (original, unchanged verb) e.g: necesito sentarme [neh-seh-SEE-toh senTAR-meh]; I need to sit down. This is from the verb sentarse, to sit oneself down.
2) AFTER THE PRESENT CONTINOUS (for actions taking place right now): ¿Estás bañándote? [es-TASS ban-YAN-doh-teh?] are you bathing yourself/taking a bath? 3) AFTER A COMMAND: ¡Quédate! [KEH-dahteh] stay! E.g. to a dog. ¡Cállate! [KAH-yah-teh] be quiet – lit: quiet yourself, from the verb callarse, to be quiet. ¡Levántate! (Get up!, from the verb levantarse, to get oneself up). Remember that the accents here are telling us where to put the stress.
Giving instructions
It´s easy to use the command (‘imperative’) form for regular verbs because the endings are the same as those for ‘he/she/it’. For example, Janie espera a su amigo (Janie waits for her friend), but ¡Espera! (wait!) John se mira en el espejo (John looks at himself in the mirror), but ¡mírate! (look at yourself!). You might want to say repite más despacio, por favor (repeat more slowly please), or habla español porque necesito practicar (speak Spanish because I need to practice). Take care not to misuse the extra me/te/se bits. For instance, we know that hablo mucho means ‘I talk a lot’, but if we accidentally say me hablo mucho the translation would be: ‘I talk to myself a lot’!
Revision spot
Remember, it´s often ‘o’ for a boy and ‘a’ for a girl: novio means boyfriend so girlfriend is novia. Other examples include: amigo/amiga (male/female friend), chico/chica (boy/girl), hermano/hermana (brother/ sister), niño/niña (male child, female child) hijo/hija (son/daughter), abuelo/abuela (granddad/grandma), nieto/nieta (grandson/granddaughter), and tio/tia (uncle/aunt – though these words are also slang for (bloke/girl).
If you have any questions or comments relating to this column or the Spanish language in general: Please email theresacoe@gmail.com
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‘The Canarian Lawyer’ On purchasing a property we were told our/all properties came with a 10 year guaranty supplied by the Architect and Builder.But now we have completion we are told the policy does not cover faulty work done by the builder,who is not keen to put things right. Can you tell us what the policy covers and what action to take. To know what policy covers you must to show a lawyer the contract you signed. anyway, the Spanish law says: Persons involved in the construction process shall be liable to the owners and third party purchasers of the buildings, if there are damages caused to the building during the following periods of time: • For ten years, if the damage caused to the building or defects affects the structural elements. • For three years, if the damage caused to the building or defects of the building
Your Questions Answered 15
Issue 33 - Friday 22nd October - Thursday 4th November 2010 - The Canary News
components or facilities that cause breach of the habitability requirements. Builder shall also be liable for any damage or defects by implementing elements affecting termination or completion of works within a year. In any case, the promoter shall be liable with the other actors involved to potential purchasers of property damage in the building caused by construction defects . Is better you contact a lawyer who will recomend you the correct steps to take in order to claim at the court. Excess of Speed I wonder why they gave me a fine of EUR 100 to go 82 km per hour when the limit was 60, and again in the same place they fined me for going 65 km per hour. The Traffic Law has established a
Now in Mogan every Tuesday and Thursday from 10:30am to 1pm
schedule of penalties for speeding. When the speed limit on the road is 60 kilometres per hour or higher, the amount of sanctions varies by speeding established by sections. So if the limit is set at 60 km per hour or higher, up to 30 km per hour over speeding is punishable with 100 euro. If it exceeds 20 km per hour more over it is punishable by a fine of 300 euro and 2 points of your driving license. Then by every 10 km per hour more over 100 euro more and 2 points, til the maximum of 600 euro and 6 points. Therefore they gave you the same fine because the excess was in the same section. Example: If the speed limit is 80 km per hour and your speed is between 81 and 110 (1st. section), you will be fined 100 euro. If you drive with an excess of speed of between 111 and 130 (2nd section), the fine will be of 300 euro and 2 points. Driving with a speed up to 140 to 131 (3rd. section), it means 400 euro fine and 4 points. Driving with a speed of 141 to 150 (section 4), 500 euro fine and six points.
From 151 Km per hour in advance, the fine will be 600 euro and 6 points (plus the judgment for prison in some cases). The sections and the penalties are the same for all the excesses of limit of 50 km per hour. For less than 50 km / h speed limits the sections are for every 10 km per hour, except the first section which is 20 km/h. In the sections of highways and motorways with access to cities in which is established a speed limit less than 100 km per hour, the excess of speed is only sanctioned with the economic fine without withdrawal of points.
Edificio Mercurio, Torre 1, 3.º A 35100 Playa del Inglés GRAN CANARIA -----------------------------------Avda. de Pescadores s/n Playa de Mogán TLF: +34 928 730 161 Mobile: +34 679 762 983 +34 649 874 490 CANARIA GRAN CANARI Fax: +34 928 779 928 info@riveromendoza.com
Web and Computer problems? info@thecanarynews.com When most people connected to the Internet via dialup, this was a valuable tool and really did tend to speed things up. Accessing a website from the hard drive was faster than accessing it directly over a slow dial-up connection. However, just the opposite occurs when you are using a fast broadband connection like DSL, Cable or even satellite. Why? Well, as more and more sites are added to the cache the larger it gets. The larger it becomes the longer it takes for the browser to search through it for a given website which may or may not even be there. Q. I have noticed that I have thousands of files in my Temporary Internet Files folder. Can I delete these files to regain disk space? A. The short answer is yes and you should, but a more correct answer is that you should not allow this folder to accumulate so many files in the first place. I have briefly covered or mentioned the Temporary Internet Files folder in past columns, but possibly more explanation is needed. Anytime you go to a website, a copy of the site is stored in a cache called the Temporary Internet Files folder. This folder is just a regular folder stored on the hard drive with many files with URLs as their titles inside it. The intent of this was to speed up browsing by having the browser look in the cache for the site rather than actually going to the site. All this sounds good and it was in the past, but this philosophy is now outdated.
It doesn’t take long before accessing the site directly becomes faster than searching through thousands of files and retrieving it from the cache. This is especially true if there are a lot of files to search through, and the Internet connection is via a very fast connection (6 Mbs or faster). Not only is the website displayed faster if accessed directly, it is up to date whereas the one from the cache probably isn’t. One other thing that has pushed the use of the Temporary Internet Files cache toward obsolescence is the speed of the current browsers. Currently, probably the fastest browser in rendering web pages is Google’s Chrome. But, I have been beta testing Internet Explorer V9 for a while and it along with a fast DSL connection, pops web pages in like they were coming from memory. Note here: Internet Explorer V-9 will only be available for Windows Vista SP-2 and later. Windows XP at nearly nine years old is just too old to facilitate the graphics acceleration that IE-9 uses.)
So, with broadband Internet access and current and future browsers, the Temporary Internet Files folder cache is best kept empty. Fortunately, this is easy to accomplish with little or no user actions but does require user input to set up. In Windows XP and earlier, the cache was set active by default when most access was via Dial-up. For reasons known only to Microsoft this default configuration is still carried through Windows 7 when most access is via broadband. The Temporary Internet Files folder cache can be emptied manually by opening the Control Panel, selecting Internet Options, and then clicking on the Delete button in the Browsing history section. This opens a dialog where you can choose to delete these Temporary Internet Files and other items. It can also be configured to have these Temporary Internet Files deleted automatically every time the browser is closed. This is the recommended setting for those that use broadband to access the Internet. To do this, open the Control Panel, select Internet Options and then the Advanced tab. Scroll down to the Security section and check the box in front of “Empty Temporary Internet Files folder when browser is closed”. Click OK and it is set. Oddly enough, these processes are exactly the same for XP, Vista and Windows 7.
16 Feature
The Canary News - Friday 22nd October - Thursday 4th November 2010 - Issue 33
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QE’s Maiden Voyage Continued from front page ...
The very traditional Royal Arcade presents famous brand names, such as Fortnum & Mason, Hackett, Harris Tweed and Anya Hindmarch, in 4000 sq ft of shops while the two-tiered Library features a unique leaded glass ceiling and a globe from the era of Cunard’s first Queen Elizabeth, along with its 6000 volume book collection.
All three ships offer elegant public rooms that combine grand spaces and intimate public areas. First impressions matter, and Queen Elizabeth will impress as soon as guests embark into the ship’s triple height Grand Lobby which shows the grandeur of the ship and link her with ocean liners of the past.
Child facilities on board Queen Elizabeth are The Play Zone and The Zone and feature the very latest equipment for children of all ages. A permanent staff and nursery nurses is on hand in this inside / outside play area.
With its finishes of light mahogany and marble, a stunning art deco chandelier from the era of the first Queen Elizabeth, cantilevered balconies and magnificent two-deck-high original artwork piece by Viscount Linley on the grand staircase, the Grand Lobby is the social focal point of the ship.
Health and fitness facilities will be extensive. The Cunard Royal Spa and Fitness Centre feature the latest spa and beauty treatments for both men and women, as well as a hydro-pool and thermal suite. Forward of the Spa is the expansive gymnasium and aerobics area with state-of-the-art cardiovascular fitness equipment including inclining treadmills and bikes complete with their own personal LCD television screens.
Plaques detailing the Captains who have served on the two previous Cunard Elizabeths will celebrate the continuation of the ‘Elizabeth’ name, and a third plaque will record over time the names of the future masters of the new Queen Elizabeth. The main Dining Room, the Britannia Restaurant, is one of the most remarkable rooms at sea, spanning two decks at the stern of the vessel and offering a true art deco feel. It evokes memories of classic ocean liner restaurants with a unique sweeping staircase and marbleised backlit decorative ceiling among the focal points.
passengers who wanted a truly exclusive experience and the rooms would be frequented by royalty, film stars, the rich and the famous. The Verandah is a light and elegant room with artwork inspired by the whimsical murals on the first two Queens, where vintage menus tell the story of the dining experience on board the original Queen Elizabeth. The Garden Lounge, also named after a room on the first Queen Elizabeth, will host occasional evening ‘Supper Clubs’ with musical entertainment and dancing. The area has a palm–filled conservatory feel inspired by the glass houses at Kew Gardens and its vaulted glass ceiling making it a truly light, bright and airy place to sit by day. The extensive Café Carinthia continues the popular concept introduced on Queen Victoria and offers art deco touches and rich décor whilst guests enjoy sweet pastries and fine teas and coffees. In a central position overlooking The Grand Lobby, this is the place to see and be seen!
Both the Queens Grill and Princess Grills at the top of the ship are enclosed by graceful and gently curving panoramic glass walls on the seaboard sides, and cantilevered out over the side of the vessel. French–style doors open from each Grill onto the Courtyard - an exclusive patio area, where al fresco dining is offered, and steps lead up to the Grills Terrace – a secluded retreat on the ship’s uppermost deck where Grills guests can enjoy luxurious sunbeds and exclusive waiter service. The Verandah Grills on board the original Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth were perhaps the most exclusive dining rooms at sea, on a par with exclusive private clubs in London, New York and Paris. These Grills were available to first-class
The Golden Lion Pub, another Cunard tradition, offers traditional English pub food for lunch in a typical British pub setting. The magnificent three-deck Royal Court Theatre, with tiered seating for 832 guests, will be the location for the main entertainment of the evening with full-
scale, West End-style productions, by the Queen Elizabeth Theatre Company, as well as named entertainers. Decorated in a regal blue and gold colour scheme, this grand auditorium offers private boxes on the upper level along with a lounge area for guests to enjoy drinks before the show.
In addition to the large hydro-pool in the Spa, there are two outdoor swimming pools. There is also a large sunbathing area where The Lido Pool is located.
They can then enjoy champagne and petit fours or chocolates in their box during the show, ringing for service as they wish on their private (and silent!) velvet bell pull. Queen Elizabeth’s two-deck Queens Room, another Cunard signature feature, is designed for dancing, cocktail parties and traditional English afternoon teas complete with finger sandwiches and freshly baked scones with jam and cream. This glorious room highlights Cunard’s royal links and traditions and has murals inspired by views from royal palaces. Other highlights are the dramatic high ceiling, crystal chandeliers, a large 1000 sq ft dance floor with inlaid wood patterns and rich wall décor, with spectacular art deco backlit glass panels. Queen Elizabeth’s Games Deck, named after the same space on the original Queen Elizabeth, offers paddle tennis, croquet and bowls under a canopy to shield players from the sun. The bowls green is appropriate given the fact that Queen Elizabeth’s home port of Southampton houses the oldest surviving bowls green in the world, first used in 1299!
Queen Elizabeth has 1,046 staterooms of which 892 (85%) are outside staterooms with 738 (71%) featuring balconies. . In a market where many brands ‘contemporise’ and compromise traditional standards, Cunard upholds these standards and uniquely combines the best traditions with modern luxury and state of the art facilities. The traditional experiences on offer include their famous white gloved afternoon tea, wonderful fine dining and formal gala evenings and these are in growing demand from those who value quality and the best of tradition. In recent years there has been a surge in interest in the golden age of ocean travel, encouraged by film, drama and documentary and this has in turn led to a surge in demand for the unique holiday experience that only ocean liners can provide with memories of fine dining, entertainment and camaraderie in the early part of the last century.
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Feature 17
Issue 33 - Friday 22nd October - Thursday 4th November 2010 - The Canary News
New Joint Venture for Club Puerto Atlantico Club Puerto Atlantico in Arguineguin is delighted to announce its joint venture with Atlantic Sands – a brand new luxury vacation ownership resort in Tauro. The new resort consists of 50 luxurious 2 bedroom villas and is due to welcome its first occupants on the 1st December this year. Gran Canaria, like the rest of the world, has felt the effect of the recent economic crisis so it’s great news that despite the challenges of the last few years this wonderful new development is now close to completion. Its’ opening in December is set to have a very positive impact on tourism in the municipal of Mogan.
Originally land owners whose main business was the export of fruit and vegetables the Sanchez family quickly recognised the potential for development in Gran Canaria. In 1980 they bought their first hotel consisting of 200 units – a move that catapulted them on their amazing road to success. After going on to purchase their second resort the family decided to expand their operations into hotel construction and went on to build a further 6 hotels here in Gran Canaria amassing some 1.175 units. After selling all but one of their hotels and with success tucked firmly under their belt they moved into real estate.
Here in Gran Canaria the vacation ownership Industry has enjoyed much success and has proved to be a robust business capable of generating profits even in a difficult economic climate – something that attracted Oscar. For their first venture into the vacation ownership industry Oscar knew choosing the correct partner was essential. Eugen Kaiser, a well know name in the vacation ownership Industry for many years owns his own hugely successful resort, Club Puerto Atlantico, and over the last 8 years has been working on his own sales operations.
Each spacious villa had been built using only the finest quality materials. Upstairs and downstairs terraces look out onto the wonderful pool terrace which is surrounded by lush tropical plants and water features and inside their fresh contemporary design incorporates quality marble through out, bright modern kitchens and bathrooms and large flat screen TVs in every room.
The resort also boasts gym, sauna, mini market, courtesy bus, children’s pool and play area - everything you need for that perfect holiday experience Atlantic Sands is the new collaboration between Oscar Sanchez and Eugen Kaiser. Oscar Sanchez and his family have been involved in the construction of luxury properties for over 30 years and Eugen Kaiser, the owner of the newly refurbished Club Puerto Atlantico in Arguineguin has a wealth of experience in the vacation ownership industry. After obtaining his business degree in 1999 Oscar Sanchez graduated from Wake Forest University in North Carolina. From here he went on to pursue his passion for golf and travelled the world as a golf professional for 3 years. Whilst Oscar enjoyed his time playing professional golf he always knew that the real challenge would be in taking over the reins of the hugely successful construction business his father and grandfather had created.
His success with his own vacation ownership resort attracted the attention of Bjorn Lyng, the owner of Anfi Del Mar, the biggest Vacation ownership resort in Europe. In 1998 he was offered and accepted the role of Sales and Marketing Director at Anfi del Mar - a role which lead him quickly to that of CEO. During his appointment as CEO he played a significant role in the company’s success and was recognised for the following major achievements: • He increased sales from 20 million euros per annum to 120 million euros per annum • He was instrumental in securing the sale of 51% of the company to TUI – one of the largest tour operators in the world • He developed the first Hotel lead generation program with Thomas Cook – a program which is now used by major vacation ownership resorts through out the world • In his last 2 years in Anfi he sold out 68% of Anfi Palace Murren in Switzerland.
The new resort nestled in the tranquil barranco of Tauro will provide its’ guests with a luxurious oasis. Close to the golf course in Tauro and only a few minutes away from Amadores Beach Atlantic Sands has been built with one thing in mind – luxury.
On site guests will be able to dine in the delightful pool pavilion whose menu will be supplied the popular and renowned Restaurant Rossini – one of the most successful restaurants in the South of Gran Canaria whose famous steak house attracts visitors from all over the Island.
The resort remains extremely popular today and boasts an 80% occupancy all year round.
After leaving Anfi Del Mar and having identified a niche in the vacation ownership market, Mr Kaiser went on to successfully develop and market his own cost effective lead generation product – something that has now been mirrored by other developers throughout Europe.
To date the company has built and sold some 12 luxury, prime location developments here in Gran Canaria consisting of a whopping 1.957 houses – not to mention the construction of 2 commercial centers!! Driven by their success in Gran Canaria their next project was Fuerteventura. Their first purchase was 26 million square meters of land which they developed creating roads and electricity supplies. They also built a large water desalination plant which still supplies the whole of Costa Calma with their water supply. They then went on to purchase 6 luxury beach front hotels and then expanded their portfolio by constructing a further 5 hotels themselves – again all prime beach front locations. Today their chain of 11 hotels with 2.700 rooms makes them the largest hotel chain on the Island of Fuerteventura. Oscar is now taking the lead in his family business and is taking it in yet another direction.
Oscar Sanchez said “This is our first step into an industry which we know can be extremely successful but of which we know very little about. It was important to find the right partner to do this with and Eugens success with his own resort, his history as the CEO of Anfi del Mar plus the fact that he has had so much experience in this industry meant he was the obvious choice for us. From our very first meeting we had the same vision for this resort and for the potential for future expansion and I am looking forward for to a long and successful partnership.” Eugen Kaiser has a wealth of experience in the hospitality and vacation ownership Industry and has lived in Gran Canaria for 25 years. In 1994 he bought a small 27 room hotel in Arguineguin with the vision of converting it into a vacation ownership resort and went on to create a successful sales and marketing program which saw the 1.377 vacation ownership weeks sold out in a 2 year period.
Eugen said “I am absolutely delighted to be able to welcome a new developer into the vacation ownership Industry – especially one with Oscar’s credentials – I am even more delighted to be able to offer my knowledge and expertise with regards the sales and marketing operations. This resort is exactly what a vacation ownership resort should be – luxurious. Vacation ownership clients demand quality and this is exactly what they will receive the minute they set foot inside our new resort. We are delighted to be able to offer thousands of families a permanent holiday home here in Gran Canaria and the synergies from our new joint venture gives us huge scope for future developments. Our new resort will guarantee a continuous steam of clients throughout the whole year which is not only great for us but it will also have a very positive impact on the local restaurants and supermarkets where our clients will dine and shop” Eugen added “We are all excited about this fantastic opportunity and are looking forward to it being a great success”
18 Restaurant Critic with Simon Spit
The Canary News - Friday 22nd October - Thursday 4th November 2010 - Issue 33
Restaurante Columbus, Playa Del Ingles
but I fear Mr Columbus would change his name by deed pole if he were resurrected and visited this humble joint.
Awarded 1 stars (out of a possible 5) *
I arrived at Restaurante Columbus and my Mavis (clutching onto her phone bill) was finishing her Dune Boarding lessons with Francesco Van Montgomery – the Swedish hunk dune boarding champion! (I got a birthday lesson as a gift but gave it to Mavis because I’m not one for speeds or confined spaces. Whilst at Restaurante Columbus I could hear the sound of Mavis screaming whilst ‘downing’ a Dune and huffing and puffing whilst climbing back up another one.
Simon´s Guide Greek Taverna ***** (San Agustin) Saffron ***** (Puerto Mogán) Taberna Bulgaria III **** (Yumbo Centre) Restaurante Centrum **** (Yumbo Centre) Grand Italia ** (Meloneras) Ciao Ciao Italian Café * (Playa del Inglés, Anexo II) Hard Rock Cafe * (Paya del Inglés) Restaurante Columbus * (Playa del Inlgés)
The view from the restaurant is lovely, you can see the beach, the dunes and the sea. At night time it’s a very romantic place to be and the delightful fresh sea air breezes everywhere and the lights from the coast of the island give you a sense of cosy romance.
On my return to Gran Canaria I was absolutely starving so I didn’t let another minute go by without a mouthful of something tasty! And because it was the celebrations of Christopher Columbus discovering America, I thought it was my duty to float along to Restaurante Columbus on Playa Del Ingles beach parade for supper. I simply had high hopes because of who it was named after,
Sponsored by
owner of Columbus pleeaasse start using the barbeque properly; you would make a fortune if you only served barbeque meat and fish – tourists and residents are crying out for barbequed food! Give it to us!!! Arrrgghhhhh! I ordered my drinks, a lovely bottle of still water arrived, very good size! Restaurante Centrum in the Yumbo Centre has good food but the bottled water at 1.50 is on the small side with only one glass in a bottle, whereas in this restaurant you get 3 glasses out of one bottle for 1.75, so much better value in the ‘agua department’. When I was ordering my food, the waiter’s head kept swinging backwards and forwards, he was looking at me and then looking and waving at people passing by, then he was shouting at people passing by, then he was mumbling something to me. Well I never! I like my waiters to give me their undivided attention and make no mistake about it! He was more interested in trying to get more people in the restaurant than he was in serving me properly! Naughty waiter, you should get a smacky bottom! Smack smack!
Hello all of you! I am back after my marvellous vacation to the realms of lavish Italy where I spent 2 glorious weeks. Each day I made sure I took a different gondola in order to flirt with those wonderful ‘Italian stallions’ who guided the boats up and down Canale Grande in Venice; sampling the most exquisite Venetian cuisine and tantalisingly robust Italian wines. The food was so good everywhere; the smells of glorious food just lingered in the expensive Italian air – all the melting cheeses, freshly baked bread, simmering tomatoes and fresh herbs...it was what I imagine heaven to be like.
There was a splendid looking array of dishes of the day on the blackboards outside (but the waiter couldn’t tell me anything about them, just shrugged his shoulders) Mixed Meat Grill 14.50, Fillet Steak 15.00, Flambes 16.95 and even Shark Fillet at 7.75!!
Oh lets have a table for two shall we! Nyyyess. I shall make a start and then Mavis will join me. The smoky, meaty smells from the barbeque outside this restaurant were divine, I felt like I was about to be treated to a glorious variety of freshly barbequed meats and fish – but sadly not the case at all as the barbeque is only used to make flambes! Can the
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I initially ordered chicken Kebab and peanut sauce 8.95 but when it arrived it looked like the back end of a camel on a bad day (get the idea? Hmmmm I doubt my Gucci suede loafers would last if I stepped in it). I tasted it, just one mouthful and urgh! Yes you could taste peanuts but there was garlic in it and lord knows what else, it tasted yucky! Who would put garlic in a peanut sauce? Huh? The chicken was without any doubt pre-cooked and
re-heated, it tasted re-heated and stale. I sent it back and ordered deep fried calamari instead,10.95, it arrived much more palatable than the chicken but tasted like it had been cooked in old oil! (I ate half of it and felt ill so didn’t finish it).
My Mavis ordered Pizza 8.50 and it did look fully loaded with mushrooms, ham, cheese and king prawns – and it did taste nice although very salty and Mavis needed 4 more beers to quench her thirst! Yes she was a tad merry when we left especially after her free brandy as well! The good thing is the waiter agreed to change my food without any hesitation and we did get a free brandy and honey rum as a gesture of goodwill. What restauranteurs need to realise is bad food equals no customers… a bad restaurant may be able to swindle a few unsuspecting tourists but once they have had one bad experience I can assure you they won’t be going back for more! If restauranteurs would only keep food standards to a good basic level and service to a good basic level, tourists and residents will keep returning for more. This restaurant could be one fabulous place but any restaurant which serves reheated chicken needs to be slapped on the wrist. Any restaurant which puts garlic in peanut sauce needs a new chef. You know when you’ve been spat by Spit! Until the next time Ciao Ciao!!
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Cookery 19
Issue 33 - Friday 22nd October - Thursday 4th November 2010 - The Canary News
Perfect Coffee
The ideal coffee should be a perfect balance between bitterness, sweetness and acidity and this is where a good barista comes in. The water filtering through the machine should be no more than 90 degrees C, and filtered through the coffee drip for precisely 31 seconds. Any more creates too much pressure. Lastly, there’s the milk, which must be full fat. Anything else will not give you the same texture or finish, skinny latte, never!
Where would we be in the morning without our beans? Not the instant granule type, but real, strong, rich ‘cafe solo’ or even a proper cappuccino. It’s now so easy to find a variety of coffee making machines that you don’t need to settle for second best. Most Europeans wouldn’t even think of starting their day with anything less, so here is a short description on what makes the ‘perfect start to a day’. The barista (your human coffee maker) works to a set of basic rules, and to disobey just one of them can result in the coffee being spat out in disdain – probably by our own Simon Spit.
A cappuccino is like a cocktail, and the ingredients need to be right, which of course includes the milk. It needs to have a temperature between 37 degrees and 65 degrees C and be frothed until the consistency starts to shine. To create ‘latte art’ you need to pour the frothy milk into a ‘black espresso’, tilting the milk jug backwards and forwards, as the froth starts to rise. You pour the milk down with a wriggling action to create a ripple effect leaf. Not easy but with practice you get there. Add cane sugar if you wish. And voila, there you have it, perfect espresso or cappuccino. Enjoy!
20 Fashion
The Canary News - Friday 22nd October - Thursday 4th November 2010 - Issue 33
Fabulous Specs
person can be credited the invention of spectacles. The earliest records about specs can be traced back to 2000 years ago when people used globe of water to magnify the viewing objects. About 1000 years ago, reading stone was invented, which was the segments of glass sphere that could be put on the books to see words better. Later around 13th century, Italian Venetian glass makers put the glass into a kind of frame so that the specs could be held on the eye. At that time, the specs was intended to use by one eye. Later people fitted two glasses into frames, making the specs a single unit so that people see through two eyes with the aid of spectacles. The first manuscript about spectacles glasses was found around 1289 by a Popozo family member. In the Middle ages, wearing spectacles glasses was considered a sign of knowledge and intelligent learning. From some artistic paintings of that era they showed figures wearing specs, or the specs was included in the art portrait.
Spectacles are defined as a vision correction device mechanically adjusted to human eyes. Spectacles and eyeglasses are terms interchangeably used by people, while spectacles are the term mostly used by optometrists.
Spectacles are usually shortened as specs, some even invent a word ‘spex” to refer to “spectacles”. The evolution of specs went through a long and vague history, and no single
The modern spectacles glasses with arms on the ears were invented by a London optician Edward Scarlett. This is the beginning diversified specs industry.
of
today’s
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The correct jewellery piece or maybe a seriously fabulous handbag, all of the items we decide on to express who we are. Our fashion sense could be used on our glasses after we search for just the appropriate frames to complement our personal private fashion. Searching for the best pair of reading through eyeglasses for your fab new green sweater? Why don’t you consider a pair to go with your navy blue power suit? A couple of sleek silver titanium frames could possibly be the ticket. Whenever you locate inexpensive optical eyeglasses either on the web retailers or stores, you should have a pair for each and every outfit inside your armoire.
Health and Beauty 21
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Issue 33 - Friday 22nd October - Thursday 4th November 2010 - The Canary News
Cosmetic Surgery Part 1 Liposuction
7 out of 1,000 liposuction operations. Twenty percent of these were classified as major.
There is a surge in popularity for cosmetic surgery in Britain lately, and men seeking to retain or re-obtain their youth seem to be fuelling it.
McGeorge emphasized that liposuction is not a cure for obesity. “It is not an alternative to dieting,” he said. “It works best on someone who is happy with their tummy, say, but has ... thighs which you can reshape. If someone is three stone (40 pounds) overweight and wants liposuction to deal with the problem, I tell them to go away.” “Liposuction is no solution for excess body fat,” said Mike Adams, co-author of “Natural Appetite Suppressants for Safe, Effective Weight Loss.”
The demand for cosmetic surgery is on the rise, with a worsening obesity epidemic feeding a desire for quick-fix weight loss.
“If the fat is removed in some areas of the body, it will simply continue to be accumulated in other areas. The key is not to surgically remove body fat, but rather adopt healthful lifestyles that burn body fat and keep the body’s metabolism in balance,” Adams said.
According to the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS), the use of liposuction in the U.K. increased by 90 percent in 2009. The number of cosmetic surgeries in general rose by 31 percent, to almost 29,000.
The yearly market for cosmetic surgery in the United States is estimated at $15 billion.
The Harley Medical Group disputes these numbers, and claims that the total number of operations was actually more than 90,000.
A good candidate for liposuction should have realistic expectations about the results of this procedure as well as these basic qualities:
Liposuction is a cosmetic surgical procedure in which fat is sucked out of certain portions of the body, such as the thighs or abdomen. “It is not desperately difficult,” said Douglas McGeorge, president of BAAPS. “I could teach a four-year-old to do it. The skill comes in re-sculpting the body.”
• Average or slightly above-average weight • Firm, elastic skin • In good overall health • Concentrated pockets of fat that do not respond well to diet and exercise
McGeorge attributes the rising popularity of liposuction to increased public acceptance of the procedure. “People don’t feel as bad about having cosmetic surgery as they did. The techniques are tried and tested and the results are predictable.” No medical procedure, however, is entirely without risk. According to a 2004 study published in “Dermatologic Surgery,” complications occur in roughly
Who Is a Good Candidate For Liposuction?
Patients with poor skin quality (cellulite) are not good candidates for liposuction because they may develop skin irregularities due to under- or overcorrection of localized fat deposits. Age is generally not a major consideration when discussing liposuction; however, older patients often have less elasticity in their skin and thus may not achieve the same benefits of liposuction that a younger patient with tighter skin might achieve
Canary THE
NEWS
Werner from Phoenix Trans International says that after his article in The Canary News on where to get good car tyres 5 German people phoned him to say how good it was and how useful they find the information.
The practice is particularly popular among men from London’s financial district, mostly male executives in their 30’s. Surgery to remove love handles is among the most popular procedures, but even that falls behind things like facial injections of Botox relaxants and collagen, which are being used to cover up wrinkles associated with aging. Experts say that, in a high-stakes business world, it’s not hard to see why. Are the Results of Liposuction Permanent? The fat cells are removed permanently, so if you gain weight after the procedure, it usually will not concentrate in the area that was treated. However, it is important to note that liposuction will not prevent you from regaining weight. To keep your new shape and new weight after liposuction, you must follow a proper diet and exercise plan. What Are the Risks of Liposuction? All surgical procedures involve some risk. However, liposuction has a good safety record and the risks associated with the procedure are minimized when performed by a specially trained, board-certified plastic surgeon. Although rare, risks include infection and skin discoloration. As with all surgery, common sense is important. The risk of medical problems can be minimized by avoiding extremely long procedures or excessive removal of fat.
“There is a pressure on jobs and the general appearance in the City,” said Harley chairman Mel Braham, referring to the high-pressure environment of London’s financial district. “The ravages of life catch up. People work late, travel long distances and entertain clients. It shows on the face.” Business rivals often seize on these signs of weakness, so men are increasingly willing to spend money on products and services that promise to make them look younger so they can stay ahead of the game.
22 Health
The Canary News - Friday 22nd October - Thursday 4th November 2010 - Issue 33
“B” is for Brain
By Ann Mather, Celebrity Nutrition Advisor , Famouslyfit.com A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a piece on Vitamin B12, and now it has been plastered all over the news that Vitamin B may be a revolutionary weapon against Alzheimer’s!
out with the bathwater! We need red meat and we need saturated fat – it is all about lean cuts and moderation! Eat Them Every Day – Several Times! We are unable to store many of the B Group of Vitamins – any excess simply gets eliminated in our urine - so we actually need a regular daily top up to keep our levels up. What Foods?
It has actually been known for a very long time that many of the Vitamins contained in the B group have an effect on the health and functioning of the brain, so it actually is not really anything new. What is new is that taking high doses of Vitamin B may help to reverse the effects of Alzheimer´s and Dementia and reduce brain shrinkage. But why wait until you have got these debilitating diseases to think about Vitamin B? Isn’t prevention better than cure? Avoid Processed Foods
The Vitamin B complex contains 8 distinct vitamins, many of which co-exist in the same foods. Indeed, several of the B Vitamins work with each other and if one is absent, the other is less effective. Like most vitamins and minerals, their effect can be significantly reduced by cooking, freezing, juicing and processing. Wherever possible make sure you eat foods fresh, natural and raw with the exception of fish and eggs which, when raw, act as antagonists. If you eat the following foods on a regular daily basis, you are sure to get plenty of Vitamin B:
Vitamin B is found in UNPROCESSED foods. Processed and refined foods have much lower levels than their unprocessed counterparts, especially those containing refined sugars and flour. Sulphites and other additives and chemicals that are added to processed and refined foods often attack and degrade these vitamins. So here is one main reason that perhaps we are suffering so many problems with our brain functioning – because we are eating more processed and refined foods! Reduce Alcohol and Caffeine Intake Alcohol and caffeine, in particular, can affect our ability to absorb many of the B Vitamins Avoid Medication Wherever possible, avoid taking any form of medication – other than prescribed by a doctor of course –but even then check that medication is the only option! All drugs act as antagonists for the absorption of minerals and vitamins, so the more you take the more likely that you will suffer some form of deficiency. Many of the Vitamin B´s are also particularly concentrated in meat – especially red meat. With all the scares about eating red meat because it contains saturated fats, we are again probably throwing the baby
Lean Pork and other meats (especially liver); Fish (not raw); Whole grain cereals; Nuts; Seeds; Eggs (not raw), Dark Green Vegetables, Collard Greens, Spinach, Green Beans, Broccoli, and Cauliflower; Pulses and legumes; Yeasts and fungi (e.g. marmite and mushrooms)
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Issue 33 - Friday 22nd October - Thursday 4th November 2010 - The Canary News
23
24 Community
The Canary News - Friday 22nd October - Thursday 4th November 2010 - Issue 33
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“You In Your Small Corner...and I in mine” Kay Owen, Comfort Corner Last month this page featured a ‘Once upon a time’ true story of deprivation and despair. It highlighted the needs of a poor family whose whole life would be dramatically changed for the better if only the little lady featured could own a sewing machine. Her fingers were chapped and bleeding from having to stitch with needle and thread, for up to 80 hours a week to earn a meagre 2-3 euro a day. Not even enough to pay the rent. Here was a beautiful young widow, whose only desire was to work hard to feed, clothe and educate her beloved children. If only she could, by some miracle, obtain a sewing machine to aid her work as a seamstress she would earn enough to be totally self- sufficient. Here’s where YOU came in, if you contributed in any way-large or small to one or more of the following to give this little miracle it’s ‘happily ever after’ ending. Although the current recession bites hard here in Gran Canaria as in many parts of the world, you magnificently generous people responded, by supporting one or more of the following September initiatives:- Car Boot sale ( Faro Dos Market), Story- telling evening ( Padriac and Mena’s) Tapas party, (Playa del Hombre). These 3 events raised enough to buy out the entire Singer Sewing Machine Factory. (OK -I exaggerate - maybe not in its entirety!) So here is the sequel…with no need for any exaggeration or embellishment, and who better to tell it than the little seamstress herself? Dear Readers , You do not know me, but I really feel that I know you. My name is Suzie and today I am sharing my story in which lots of you feature.This letter is my way of saying “Thank you” to those of you who met my need in my saddest hour. I guess you know who you are.
Just a few weeks ago, I woke up in the cold light of dawn, chilled and shivering. Still half asleep, I rolled across to the other side of the bed to snuggle up to my husband in an endeavour to get warm. Dawn shadows played on the damp walls, and as my mind slowly cleared from a fitful sleep, my stomach knotted as once again the hopelessness of my present situation hit me. My own darling husband was no longer here…only a cold empty space where his warm body and his love used to be. Loneliness and longing enveloped me. I was not even in our cosy familiar bed, but lying on a hardwood floor, with a rusty ladder leading up to the loft which I and my 3 dear children share – right next to one which houses a flock of noisy dirty pigeons!
All to no avail - my darling husband, lover, provider and best friend died in my arms. He was just 34 years old. Agonised, I thought my heart would break. Now I find myself a young widow with 3 children, no money and no means of providing for them. I am small and not strong, so the option I am given of starving or labouring hard in the fields is very frightening. Grief stricken, I move my dear little family out of my home village into the city - where I find work as a seamstress for 2-3 euro a day, working 7 days a week. This has caused me to develop painful arthritis in my neck. What I earn sometimes does not even cover the rent on the draughty old loft. My son has a hacking cough, and we are living on meagre rations. One day, as I pray in desperation for a miracle, I hear voices at the top of the old rickety ladder. Jo Charles appears with her team of ‘angels’. They have come to visit. I pour out my innermost thoughts and fears to them. We stand and cry together.
Once again I was made acutely aware of the hopelessness of my circumstances. Stifled sobs of anguish racked my body as I hugged my tear-soaked ‘pillow’ –a bundle of raggedy old clothes that now served as bedding. Just two years ago I had a loving husband who had a good steady job and he provided for us in every way. We were blessed with 3 adorable children, Autumn, Fern and Magnus, and were gloriously happy. Our children, sponsored by Josephine Charles Foundation, were doing really well in a fantastic school; so very grateful for the wonderful opportunity. Not wishing to depend on relief aid, we had always determined that we would educate our children, as we firmly believed that such learning would empower them and give them a bright future. We planned that they would never be caught up in the poverty trap. Then suddenly Chris, my darling husband got sick and was no longer able to work and provide for us. We were forced to spend our precious life-savings on hospitals and medication. Soon we were penniless. We had lost everything except our dignity.
Jo features my plight in her next Global Newsletter and the coordinator in GRAN CANARIA responds. Locals read of my grief in The Canary News, and suddenly there are big-hearted benefactors who care enough to come to my rescue. My prayers are about to be answered. A week later, shaking with excitement, I am whisked off to buy a brand new shiny modern sewing machine. I pinch myself to make sure I am not dreaming again! This gift has totally changed our lives. There was enough also to pay for medication for my little boy’s chest infection. I can now earn enough to pay for essential therapy for my neck problem. Thanks to your indescribable generosity I can now provide for myself and my little ones. You have allowed me to keep my dignity. You have turned my tears of sadness into rivers of joy. THANK YOU. I send you much love from a grateful heart, Suzie Readers and friends - YOU made the difference. Thank you. Realistically, we cannot set out to change the world, but we can shine a light to help someone, somewhere, somehow, some of the time. When it all seems too big a task it may help to remember some of the words of this old song:“In this world of darkness, May we always shine. You in your small corner And I in mine.” Kay Owen Oct 2010
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Golf 25
Issue 33 - Friday 22nd October - Thursday 4th November 2010 - The Canary News
Green Wins Portugal Masters Mark McGeehan, PGA Golf Professional, Lopesan Meloneras Golf A u s tralian Richard Green overcame a sevenshot deficit to win the Portugal Masters, his third European tour title.Green, 39, holed 11 birdies in a 65 to end on 18 under par, two clear of four players including Francesco Molinari.
“I felt I needed to play one of my best rounds of golf,” said Green, who leapt up 14 places on the final day to win his third European Tour title.
top-10 finishes this year. Els, winner of three major titles, dropped only one shot and started and finished his round with birdies.
“Scoring a 64 was on my mind. Strange finish but a win is a win. This win is up there with my other two.”
The Italian Ryder Cup player carded his second 62 of the tournament and was left to rue 74s on days one and three.
England’s David Dixon matched Martin’s 15-under total after a 67, as did the Republic of Ireland’s Peter Lawrie (69) and the unfortunate Martin. Ryder Cup stars Ross Fisher and Miguel Angel Jimenez finished down the field despite finishing on 11 and 10 under respectively.
McDowell’s strong finish was timely after he took a triple bogey seven at the 436-yard par-four 11th, then bogeyed the next hole. His problems at the 11th started when he bunkered his approach shot then thinned his third out of bounds. Kaymer birdied the 148-yard par-three third but ran up four bogeys.
Toms, who won the USPGA title in 2001 but has been hampered in recent times by a bone spur in his right rotator cuff, was delighted with his score on a day that saw strengthening winds on the back nine at the Port Royal Golf Course in Southampton. “It was a great first 10 holes,” he said. “Even though it’s a fun event, kind of an exhibition-style event, you want to go out and play great. Getting off to a good start was nice.”
Golf In Bermuda Late invite David Toms carded a fourunder 67 for a one stroke lead after the first round of the four-man, 36-hole
Overnight leader Pablo Martin went from 18 to 20 under before three bogeys and two double bogeys, including one on the last, left him joint sixth on 15 under. Spain’s Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano (68), Sweden’s Robert Karlsson (67) and Joost Luiten of the Netherlands (69) shared second place with Molinari, who raced into the clubhouse lead with the help of nine birdies and an eagle at the long third. He could have piled even more pressure on those following behind him, but was unable to add to his birdie count over the final four holes. Green was on target to match - or even better - Molinari’s round when he was nine under for the day after 15 holes, but he dropped a shot at the next and also took five at the par-four 18th. He then faced an anxious wait to see what Martin could do and the Spaniard self-destructed with three bogeys in four holes from the 13th before finding water at the last to finish disconsolate after a 75.
Grand Slam of Golf in Bermuda. The 43-year-old American, only playing because of an injury to Open champion Louis Oosthuizen, birdied the opening two holes and had six birdies in total. Ernie Els, deputising for Masters champion Phil Mickelson, returned a 68. US Open champion Graeme McDowell birdied the last two holes for a 72 and USPGA winner Martin Kaymer posted a 74. The two-day competition is designed for the four major winners during the season. But Mickelson was unavailable because of arthritis and Oosthuizen withdrew because of an ankle injury sustained after tripping on a pothole. Toms has 12 PGA Tour titles to his name but has not been victorious since 2006, although he has recorded two
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26 Entertainment
The Canary News - Friday 22nd October - Thursday 4th November 2010 - Issue 33
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Music Scene By Gary Melling It’s that time again when I say a big hello from all the KISS FM team, I will not write on and on so let’s get to the dirty lady first!
For the first time this year, fans are able to buy tracks from the finalists as digital downloads “within hours” of the talent show being broadcast. But producers said the songs would be excluded from the top 40 to “protect integrity”.
Christina Aguilera: ‘You Lost Me’ I am just going to come out and say it things aren’t going that well for Christina Aguilera. After her ballsy comeback, ‘Not Myself Tonight’, stalled at number 12, its’ parent LP suffered the slight indignity of being awarded lowest sevenday sales figures for a No.1 album in UK chart history. Ouch. Remember though folks, this is the same Xtina who once told us to get down and Dirrty,( nice) that we’re Beautiful no matter what they say, and, crucially, that she’s a Fighter - and the odd setbacks like that can’t hold her down.
The move will also avoid exposing which contestants are proving most popular. Following the first round of the live finals on Saturday, 9 October, all 16 performances from the programme’s contestants were made available for download, priced at 99p per track, sounds good to me. On Sunday’s results show, Nicolo Festa exited after coming bottom of the public vote, whilst boyband FYD were eliminated by the show’s judging panel after a sing-off with Katie Waissel. Soul Lounge 7
To that end, she’s changed tactics for her new single, recruiting Aussie chanteuse Sia to write her a melodramatic ballad about a no good cheating sod who’s left her world “infected”. Backed by little more than strings and piano, Aggie’s free here to smoulder, wail and belt like the true diva she is, but her performance somehow lacks the sincerity she displayed on ‘Hurt’ or ‘Oh Mother’ - the very sincerity, of course, that has often given her the edge over her chart rivals. Still, we’re confident she’ll return to boffo form soon enough - this is Christina Aguilera, after all. Released on Monday, October 18. 100 percent KISS FM hit Swedish House Mafia Tempah: ‘Miami 2 Ibiza’
Vs.
Tinie
Urban British pop and commercial European dance are now such comfortable bedfellows that this collaboration between an trio of Scando knob-twiddling types ( sorry Zandra) and the best thing to come out of Plumstead since Shampoo barely raises a brow. Up next: Basshunter ft. Ms Dynamite? However, just because the two genres are comfortable bedfellows doesn’t mean the earth moves every time they do the dirty. Tinie Tempah steers ‘Miami 2 Ibiza’ towards its’ big whooshy bridge and trancey arms-in-the-air chorus with his customary lyrical flair, but the result still feels like the musical equivalent of the Cam ‘n’ Cleggy coalition. You couldn’t accuse it of being ineffective, but you wouldn’t say it works entirely seamlessly either. Take a listen to this on KISS you’ll love it . Last single ONE was a big hit.
Soul Lounge is defined as contemporary jazz meets chill out. I don’t often do this but we do want to get your attention for this 7th release already in the Soul Lounge series. I often get questions from ‘rookie soul followers’ about which album I recommend to buy as a ‘collection starter’. Well here’s the answer. The Soul Lounge series offer a splendid diversity of contemporary soul. From Incognito (my top band) to Live Tropical Fish, from Heston to Hill St Soul ... a huge amount of artists featured on JazzandSoul appear on this triple disc collection. So if you’re searching for a wonderful set of songs to discover the magnificent world of modern soul, or for that CD to complete some gaps in your collection ... Soul Lounge 7 is the real deal for sure. Watch out for this September release on the Soul Lounge label. I do a soul show on KISS FM 102.5 every Sunday 5 till 7pm so come and take a listen to some Sunday soul with me Gary. And finally, Ok, ok look I am not a fan of the show X Factor but I keep finding myself just taking a look; WHY oh why? .. here’s a story that’s made me think (don’t do a lot of that) is this good or bad ?
X Factor track downloads ‘not chart eligible’ Downloaded tracks from The X Factor are not eligible for the chart. Performance tracks from this series of X Factor are not eligible for the official UK singles chart, despite being sold via iTunes.
Fourteen acts still remain in the competition as we go to press that is. So from me Gary till next time, listen up to KISS FM 102.5 kissssss.
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Sport 27
Issue 33 - Friday 22nd October - Thursday 4th November 2010 - The Canary News
Huge Waves in Gran Canaria By Danny Alcock October the 8th, 9th and 10th saw by far the biggest waves on Gran Canaria in quite some time. Here is a surfer’s perspective of the week running up to that weekend and how it all unfolded. The forecast was good and just kept getting better, this was definitely going to be the biggest swell of the season so far, but it could go above and beyond just a great swell and become something special, something that we only see once in a while
Waves which arrive in Gran Canaria are created by storms in the Atlantic and roll gently towards our shores to be enjoyed by many surfers here on ‘the Hawaii of the Atlantic’.
In the final days of September there was plenty of action out there with two big hurricanes running past creating mayhem all over the coasts of Western Europe. This particular swell was from the North West. With swell from this direction, even if it is really big, it is hard to notice in the south or southwest of the island because these coasts are protected from this swell direction and Tenerife is in the way for it to properly get through to the more western coasts. So it was all eyes to the north. Thursday saw the first big pulse of the swell and an early dawn patrol by the Surf Canaries Team (enjoying a day off) paid off with perfect overhead waves. Out at the big wave spot (El Paso) there were a few well prepared guys out, taking big waves and paying the consequences with some huge falls and broken boards. The photo says it all! (yes, that is here in Gran Canaria!) The following day saw a rise in the swell which took it beyond ride-able for the mere mortals, the most terrifying thing was that the swell was still due to rise further for the next day!
Big Sunday
Most spots on the north were simply enormous and just too big to even contemplate going near the water. Damage was being done to the coastline from San Felipe right through to Las Canteras (and are still being repaired as we write). Seeking some shelter, we found that the waves were so strong and penetrating so much that they were wrapping round the island and setting off new surf spots which on most days don’t see waves. Top bodyboarder from Gran Canaria Ardiel Jimenez, taking a break at home during his charge for the 2010 Bodyboard Drop Knee World Title, was photographed getting some incredible waves in the North West of the island (near Galdar), see photo by Ruben Grimon. He told The Canary News later that he has really enjoyed this last swell and that it has given him great training as he heads into the final stages of the World Championship. One spot in particular was ridden by a couple of the Surf Canaries Team just on the entrance to Las Palmas next to Vegueta. Having to walk along
the highway ½ km then scale the sea defences to get in the water, it was quite the adventure but we were greeted by perfect waves, almost double the height of a person. The big drawback was the water quality (a big outlet pipe just next to us) and so we came out happy having a great surf but smelling of $***! Whilst the authorities would have us believe that the usually clear blue seas of Gran Canaria are clean, there are several hotspots on the island where sewage is discharged very close to the coast. Ever wondered what that smell is as you enter Las Palmas, just parallel with Vegueta? As surfers, we get a first hand view as to what the reality is here and The Canary News will be following this subject. By the next day, the swell was on the drop and things were returning to normality again leaving us with good memories, increasing our knowledge of the different spots and the waves that they can produce when the surf is massive. What’s more, this swell has highlighted the need for more control over sewage outlets into the ocean in Gran Canaria. To be continued ... By Danny Alcock
The 2010 La Santa Pro in Lanzarote From the 27th Ocotber till the 1st November, there is a very important World tour surf contest in Lanzarote. The worlds’ best (ranked from 30 downwards) will be competing on a leg of the WQS (the World Qualifying Series) for a spot on the top 30 WCT for next year.What makes this year special is that the Lanzarote event is a “prime”
making it one of the most important legs on the tour!Following the event, the tour moves on to Gran Canaria where the Ocean Earth Confital Pro will take place from the 3rd of November. The Canary News will be at both events to bring you the action… By Danny Alcock
28 Sport
The Canary News - Friday 22nd October - Thursday 4th November 2010 - Issue 33
Wayne Rooney Wants to leave Man Utd Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed Wayne Rooney wants to quit Manchester United. The Old Trafford boss admitted he was “shocked” and “disappointed” to hear the news but said he had not fallen out with the 24-year-old England striker. “We are as bemused as anyone can be, we can’t quite understand why he would want to leave,” said the Scot.
“I asked to have a meeting with the boy and he reiterated what his agent said, that he wanted to go.
just as Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes have... so there has been no falling out.
“The one thing I said to him was ‘respect this club, I don’t want any nonsense from you’.
“So there we are, we have got into a situation where we had to clarify this for our fans because what we saw on Saturday was unacceptable.
“I don’t know if he has done that. I have doubts on that, we are reading all these things about falling out with me and all that nonsense.
Ferguson said the “door is still open” for Rooney, who will miss Wednesday’s Champions League game with Bursaspor after being carried off in training.
“We’ve done nothing but help him since he’s been at this club,” said Ferguson, who has not given up hope of Rooney remaining at Old Trafford.
Rooney’s future has been the subject of intense speculation over the last few days following reports that he was not prepared to sign a new contract.
“We cannot quite understand why he would want to leave. No-one can deny this club is one of the most successful in British football.
His current deal is due to finish at the end of the 2011/12 campaign.
“We have won 40 major trophies, countless cup finals, have a fantastic history, a great stadium, great training arrangements.
In an interview with MUTV filmed before he spoke to the media, Ferguson said United chief executive David Gill had told him about Rooney’s decision not to sign a new contract back in the summer.
“I was dumbfounded. Only months before he was saying he was at the greatest club in the world.” Having learned of Rooney’s desire to go, Ferguson requested to speak to the player. “Dealing with the next step was always going to be decisive for us, how we dealt with the situation,” he said.
“When we got to 2-2 [against West Brom] and they were chanting Wayne Rooney, it’s a pressure on the players and didn’t do the team any good so we had to clarify the situation and put it right.” Rooney’s decision has clearly had a big impact on Ferguson, who signed the player from Everton in August 2004. United paid the Toffees £25.6m for the 18-yearold, a world record fee for a player aged under 20.
The forward suffered minor ankle damage at the end of the session and will sit out the European tie at Old Trafford.
“I was in the office on 14 August and David phoned me to say he [Rooney] wasn’t signing a contract,” confirmed Ferguson.
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“We don’t understand it. I can’t answer any questions about why he is doing it. We can speculate. We can have opinions. It won’t matter a dickie-bird, simply because the player is adamant he wants to leave.” “It’s disappointing because we have done everything we possibly can to help Wayne Rooney ever since he came to the club. “We have always been here as a harbour for him any time he has been in trouble, the advice we have given him. I was even prepared to give him financial advice. “But it’s not just Wayne Rooney, we have done that for all the players. Wayne has been the beneficiary of that,
However, Ferguson added: “I feel that we still have to keep the door open for him, especially as he’s such a good player.” Rooney has been a key figure for United, helping them to win the Premier League in 2007, 2008 and 2009 as well as the coveted Champions League in 2008. Provided by BBC Sports website.
Spain and Italy Victorious in Las Palmas being added to the count by Lario/Mesa as they defeated – once again in three sets – Ingrosso/Ingrosso for the delight of the local fans.
Italian counterpart, Cicolari/Menegatti, with a 21-17 and 21-18. The pair Giombini/Rosso won gold for Italy with a tough victory against Simón/ Ribera (21-18, 21-18).
Gran Canaria and especially the splendid Beach Volleyball show that could be enjoyed on the Playa del Inglés during the previous weekend. Once more Gran Canaria is proving to be a much desired destination of internationally recognised events which in turn serve as a massive promotional tool for our tourist destination. By Tito Cabral
In Las Palmas on October 17, Spain and Italy shared victories as the Sub Zonal Phase tournament – Pool C for the CEV Continental Beach Volleyball Cup which came to a close on Gran Canaria. The Spanish guys defeated Italy 3:0 in the final match whereas the local heroines were shut out 3:1 by the “Azzurre”. Sweden outclassed Iceland in the classification matches for both genders, thus advancing to the Zonal Phase which is slated for next year. Spain’s best duo Herrera/Gavira needed three sets to defeat Nicolai/Lupo and the Ingrosso twins, with the third point
The Spanish girls did their best to claim first place as well but it was not enough; the Italians took the lead after the first two matches with the combined victories of Giombini/Rosso against Fernández/ Baquerizo (2-0, double 21-18) and Cicolari/Menegatti against Simón/ Ribera (21-14 and 21-11), but the best Spanish team (Fernández/Baquerizo) cut the difference with a victory against the
The bronze medal, both in the men’s and women’s division, went to Sweden with a double 3:0 against Iceland. The competition was very successful both in and off the courts, where the players competed at a high level and the public enjoyed the music, the sun of
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Issue 33 - Friday 22nd October - Thursday 4th November 2010 - The Canary News
CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING
29
To place a classified advert, simply fill in the coupon on page 31 and drop off at Property Abroad, Aladdins Cave, Cafe Florin. See ads for locations. Email: sales@thecanarynews.com or Tel: 928 774 818
PROPERTIES FOR SALE Private
San Fernando
4 bedroom triplex, corner house, 2 bathrooms with windows, large private roof terrace, large seperate kitchen/diner, all renovated, very central and quiet. Community fees 20€ 199,000€ Tel: 649 708 766
PROPERTIES FOR SALE AGENTS Mogán, Playa and Puerto Single-family house, 3 bed(s) Magnificent views 189.000 Euros, 21777-TB ***CARDENAS REAL ESTATE, SINCE 1980*** Call now 928 150 650 or visit www.cardenas-grancanaria.com Maspalomas, San Fernando Duplex, 4 bed(s) A very good deal! 195.000 Euros, 21773-MV ***CARDENAS REAL ESTATE, SINCE 1980*** Call now 928 150 650 or visit www.cardenas-grancanaria.com Puerto Rico, East Hill Apartment, 1 bed(s) 78.500 Euros, 21783-OM
***CARDENAS REAL ESTATE, SINCE 1980*** Call now 928 150 650 or visit www.cardenas-grancanaria.com Puerto Rico, Center Apartment, 1 bed(s) 99.000 Euros, 21795-CG ***CARDENAS REAL ESTATE, SINCE 1980*** Call now 928 150 650 or visit www.cardenas-grancanaria.com Puerto Rico, West Hill Puerto Azul Apartment, 1 bed(s) 125.000 Euros, 21829-OM ***CARDENAS REAL ESTATE, SINCE 1980*** Call now 928 150 650 or visit www.cardenas-grancanaria.com Arguineguín, Altos de Arguineguín Duplex, 2 bed(s) 215.000 Euros, 21834-OM ***CARDENAS REAL ESTATE, SINCE 1980*** Call now 928 150 650 or visit www.cardenas-grancanaria.com Puerto Rico, West Hill Apartment, 2 bed(s) 185.000 Euros, 21835-OM ***CARDENAS REAL ESTATE, SINCE 1980*** Call now 928 150 650 or visit www.cardenas-grancanaria.com El Salobre Golf Duplex, 2 bed(s) 350.000 Euros, 21841-OM ***CARDENAS REAL ESTATE, SINCE 1980*** Call now 928 150 650 or visit www.cardenas-grancanaria.com Arguineguín, Patalavaca Apartment, 1 bed(s) At seafront !!! 150.000 Euros, 21847-OM ***CARDENAS REAL ESTATE, SINCE 1980*** Call now 928 150 650 or visit www.cardenas-grancanaria.com Arguineguín, Patalavaca Bungalow, 2 bed(s) 380.000 Euros, 21851-OM ***CARDENAS REAL ESTATE, SINCE 1980*** Call now 928 150 650 or visit www.cardenas-grancanaria.com —-----------------------------------PLAYA DEL INGLÉS, LARGE BUNGALOW WITH PROPER GARAGE. Plot: 250 m². Livingarea: 110 m². Consisting of: living, two
BRITISH MEDICAL CLINIC Bungalows Martinica 19 , Puerto Rico (0034) 928 56 00 16 DR PAUL BERESFORD-‐JONES Clinic Hours: Mon -‐ Fri 9-‐1.30, Tues and Thurs 4-‐5.30 Phone lines open: Mon -‐ Fri 8.30-‐5.30
The ONLY British Doctor on the Island
bedrooms, two bathrooms, seperate built-in kitchen, study, terraces and garden. Completely furnished and in perfect condition. Price: 450.000 euro. Europa Real Estate 928 765 812 info@europa-immobilien.com SONNENLAND,BEAUTIFUL BUNGALOW, IDEAL FOR PROPER USE. Quiet, one-bedroom bungalow with two bathrooms, two large terraces and private garden with whole-day-sun. Very good and tastfully furnished and with high standard equippement. Private parkinglot. Monthly communityfee only 80.- euro. Price: 144.000 euros. Europa Real Estate 928 765 812 info@europa-immobilien.com PUERTO RICO Bungalow with panoramic seaview over the beach and harbor of Puerto Rico. 100 m² Living-area, 3 bedrooms and 2 large sunny terraces. Parking-lot and Pool. Price: 330.000 Euros Europa Real Estate 928 765 812 info@europa-immobilien.com PLAYA DEL CURA, EXCLUSIVE APARTMENT WITH PANORAMIC SEAVIEW This apartment has 72 m² livingarea and a large very private terrace of 36 m² with whole-day-sun. Bedroom and bath are ensuite. Situation and the use of only the most luxurious materials make this real estate to an unique exquisity. Price: 290.000 Euros Europa Real Estate 928 765 812 info@europa-immobilien.com PLAYA DEL INGLÉS, OUTSTANDING BUNGALOW WITH GARAGE AT THE BEACH PROMENADE This unique dreamhouse with aprox. 100 m² living area and large private garden consists of living-diningroom, kitchen, 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, large terrace and solarium with spectacular view to the dunes of Maspalomas ans ocean. The bungalow is equipped with all luxury. Heated cummunity swimmingpool. Price: 588.000,- Euros. Europa Real Estate 928 765 812 info@europa-immobilien.com SAN AGUSTÍN, DREAM BUNGALOW with beautiful view over the ocean. 64 m² Living-area, 2 bedrooms, full-fitted kitchen, bathroom
and 32 m²-large sunny terrace. Parking-lot and Pool. Monthly communityfee only: 78,- Euro. PRICE: 290.000,-- € Europa Real Estate: 928 765 812 info@europa-immobilien.com PLAYA DEL INGLÉS, TOPFLOOR. Bright, furnished two-bedroom apartment with balcony. Central. Quiet. Near Yumbo. Only three minutes walk to the beach. Heated pool ! Price: 114.000,- Euros. Europa Real Estate: 928 765 812 info@europa-immobilien.com SAN FERNANDO, LARGE APARTMENT With three bedrooms and two bathrooms, seperate kitchen and a balcony with seaview. Parkingspace in garage included. Price: 144.000.- Euros. Europa Real Estate: 928 765 812 info@europa-immobilien.com
Properties Abroad Estate Agents
PUERTO RICO INSURANCE, MORTGAGE & FINANCIAL ADVICE Tel: (0034) 928 562 467 Fax: (0034) 928 562 454 Email: info@propertiesgrancanaria.com Web: www.propertiesgrancanaria.com
PLAYA DEL INGLÉS, BEAUTIFUL COMPLETELY RENOVATED APARTMENT. It consists of one bedroom, livingroom, full equipped kitchen, bathroom and terrace. Tastfully furnished. Complex with large pools and parkinglots. Price: 96.000,- Euros. Europa Real Estate: 928 765 812 info@europa-immobilien.com PLAYA DEL INGLÉS, QUIET CORNER-APARTMENT WITH PRIVATE PARKING Very centrical located spacious two-bedroom apartment consisting of: livingroom with amarikan kitchen, bathroom and large balcony.The complex offers 2 large swimmingpools, 2 tennis courts and private parkinglots ! Low community fees. Price: 168.000,- Euros. Europa Real Estate:
928 765 812 info@europa-immobilien.com ------------------------------------Playa del Inglés Beautifully refurbished one bedroom apartment for sale in Playa del Inglés. The apartment is close to the CC Kasbah and only a few minutes walk from the beach. The complex has a communal swimming pool and Pool bar. Ref. PI657. Price: €80,000. Tel. 928141202. DREAM HOMES www. dreamhomesgrancanaria.com Taurito Apartment for sale in Playa de Taurito. The apartment has one bedroom, a kitchenette and a balcony. Located close to the beach and the resort centre, with its shops, bars and restaurants. The complex offers a swimming pool and a sun terrace. Sea views . The apartment has been renovated and includes new mattresses, new sofa, new curtains and a new fridge. Bargain! Ref: TR537. Price:€69,000. Tel: 928906890. DREAM HOMES www. dreamhomesgrancanaria.com Puerto Rico Brand new family home with beautiful pool area and views over Puerto Rico. This secure residential complex boasts a pool, children’s pool and baby pool as well as jacuzzi and communal gardens. The apartment with two bedrooms has never been lived in and has marble floors, utility area, large patio, fitted bathrooms and fitted kitchen with appliances included Ref. PR700. Price: €144,954. Tel: 928906890. DREAM HOMES www. dreamhomesgrancanaria.com San Agustín Fabulous roomy triplex with amazing views over San Agustin and the sand-dunes. Three bedrooms, two bathrooms, jacuzzi and sauna - this house has it all. Nice community pool and also barbeque area next to the kitchen. Excellent value for money. Ref. SA285. Price: €289,000. Tel. 928141202. DREAM HOMES www. dreamhomesgrancanaria.com Sonnenland Beautiful family home with five double bedrooms, each with it’s own terrace or balcony. The house is very spacious and is very nicely decorated. There is also parking included and there is a community swimming pool and children’s pool. Ideal for a family with children. Very secure complex of villas in the popular
residential area of Sonnenland. Only 5 mins from the beach and 5 mins into Playa del Ingles. Ref. SN324. Price: €420,000. Tel. 928141202. DREAM HOMES www. dreamhomesgrancanaria.com ---------------------------------------
TIME TO TAKE A DECISION Properties to suit your lifestyle at reasonable prices, only a click away: www.ksrgrancanaria. com ESTATE AGENT KSR, Karin-Sybille Rosenfeld, Playa del Inglés, C/. Escorial, Edif. Danubio, Tel. 928 766 684, info@ksrgrancanaria.com MASPALOMAS Near the Golf Course and short distance to the light house, quiet terraced 1 bedroom bungalow in very well kept complex with heated pool and tennis, ample parking space, nicely furnished with all comfort. 135.000 Euro (Ref. 3.509K2). INMOBILIARIA KSR, C/. Escorial, Edif. Danubio, Tel. 928 766 684, info@ksrgrancanaria.com SONNENLAND Charming Duplex-bungalow in private complex with beautiful pool area in tropical gardens, 1 bedroom, 1 bath, separate WC, front and rear terrace, small fenced garden, the property comes fully equipped (washing machine etc.). 125.000 Euro (Ref. 3.810B). INMOBILIARIA KSR, info@ksrgrancanaria.com, Tel. 928 766 684 SAN AGUSTIN Terrace house with wonderful sea view, 2 bedrooms, 1 bath, living and dining room, open kitchen, 70 m2 sunny terrace, completely furnished, carport, INCLUDE in the price a Suzuki Vitara Cabrio. 298.000 Euro (Ref. 4.804P). INMOBILIARIA KSR, C/. Escorial, Edif. Danubio,
Contact us to share your news and celebrate your anniversaries. See page 31 for more information
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The Canary News - Friday 22nd October - Thursday 4th November 2010 - Issue 33
Tel. 928 766 684 PLAYA DEL INGLÉS Beautiful 1 bedroom Apartment, very private balcony with sea view, luxuriously fitted, quiet location and well-kept complex with pools, private parking, 24hour security etc. 93.600 Euro (Ref. 1.004U). INMOBILIARIA KSR, www.ksrgrancanaria.com, Tel. 928 766 684 PLAYA DEL INGLÉS Unique position over looking dunes and Atlantic, cornerbungalow with 2 bedrooms, (facility for converting in 3), 2 bath, 60 m2 covered terraces, roof terrace, tastefully equipped with an eye for the detail, 645.000 Euro (Ref. 4.028). INMOBILIARIA KSR, www.ksrgrancanaria.com, Tel. 928 766 684 SONNENLAND Spacious family house, built 2006, aprox. 130 m2 living space + 115 m2 basement and garage with own entrance; terraces, balcony, BBQ, whirlpool; high quality material and newest technology. 594.000 Euro. Method of payment negociable. (Ref. 8.009C). INMOBILIARIA KSR, Tel. 928 766 684, www.ksrgrancanaria.com BAHIA FELÍZ Near beach, luxury penthouse with amazing terrace (view!) and balcony, 122 m2 living space + 73 m2 terrace, 2 bedrooms, 2 bath, high quality equipment, complex with heated pool and priv. parking, 24-hours security service. 354.000 Euro (Ref. 2.505C). INMOBILIARIA KSR, info@ksrgrancanaria.com, Tel. 928 766 684 PLAYA DEL INGLÉS Quiet, residential complex, cosy Maisonette-Bungalow, 95 m2 living space, 3 bed rooms, 2 bath, spacious terrace partly covered, roof terrace, large storage room, fully equipped, off-road parking. 275.000 Euro (Ref. 4.008O). INMOBILIARIA KSR, C/. Escorial, Edif. Danubio, Tel. 928 766 684 SAN AGUSTÍN Front line to the Atlantic: topquality apartment (52 m2) with
bright rooms tastefully, modern designed, fully equipped, lot of storage space, complex with heated pool and direct access to the promenade, low maintenance costs. 168.000 Euro (Ref. 1.507D) INMOBILIARIA KSR, info@ksrgrancanaria.com, Tel. 928 766 684 MONTAÑA DE LA DATA Exceptional Villa with lots of possibilities on 1.300 m2 fenced ground, peaceful and quiet place with amazing views towards Maspalomas and the Atlantic, 384 m2 living space (plus enormous terraces), include 2 separate apartments, each with 2 bedrooms, wonderful garden, pool, BBQ house, 1.100.000 Euro (Ref. 6.300C). INMOBILIARIA KSR, Tel. 928 766 684, www.ksrgrancanaria.com ---------------------------------------
ROCA REAL ESTATE 928 561667 www.inmobiliaria-roca.com REFURBISHED STUDIO, PUERTO RICO, central location, complex with large pool, pool bar, restaurant, minimarket, parking, sea views. Ref: 10073A. Sale price 70.000.-€ 1 BEDROOM APARTMENT IN PLAYA DEL CURA, excellent complex, fantastic sea views. Sale price: 96.000.-€ 2 BEDROOM DUPLEX HOUSE NEAR PUERTO RICO BEACH, Two bedroom house a quiet residential complex. Private garden, no comunidad, quiet street two minutes from the beach. Ref: 10014. Sale price 210.000.-€ 2 BEDROOM DUPLEX,
MON TO FRI 10am to 8pm SAT 10am to 1.30pm For appointments please tel 928 561 771
PUERTO RICO, VERY CENTRAL RESIDENTIAL COMPLEX. With sea views. Refurbished and beautifully furnished. Ref: 10129. Sale price: 153.000.-€ EMPTY SHOP UNITS / LOCALES, CLOSE TO AMADORES BEACH, for sale, please enquire for prices and location. ROCA REAL ESTATE 928 561667 www.inmobiliaria-roca.com
PROPERTIES FOR RENT Agent Sonnenland Excellent apartment with lovely views over Maspalomas, the sand dunes and the sea. Lovely communal pool area with childrens park. The apartment is fully furnished including washing machine and is available for long term rental only. Ref:SN713.Price:€450 /month. Tel: 928141202. DREAM HOMES www. dreamhomesgrancanaria.com Maspalomas Lovely 1 bedroom apartment located in a privileged area just 3 minutes from Maspalomas Beach and the Dunes. Air conditioned included, private garage and spacious garden. Recently refurbished with brand new modern furniture . Ref:MP313.Price:€500/month. Tel: 928141202. DREAM HOMES www. dreamhomesgrancanaria.com Playa del Inglés The bungalow has two bedrooms (one double and one single), one bathroom, a living room, kitchenette, a terrace with a small garden and off-road parking. Television includes all german and english channels. The complex has a pleasant open-air swimming pool with pool bar. Ref. PI502. Price: €650/month Tel. 928141202. DREAM HOMES www. dreamhomesgrancanaria.com Meloneras Lovely duplex in Meloneras with three bedrooms and three bathrooms. Immaculate condition and rented with satellite TV included as well as air conditioning, washing machine and seperate fully fitted kitchen with oven, microwave and 4-ring ceramic hob. Well situated and only minutes from the sea and the restaurants. The house is the whole year except the month of august available! Ref. : ML711. Price: €2.000/month Tel. 928141202. DREAM HOMES www. dreamhomesgrancanaria.com
San Agustín Nice three bedroom villa in a unique location right in front of San Agustin beach. Large terrace with direct access to the beach promenade. Villa with amazing views over the sea. Located in a very quiet area . Fully furnished and equipped with private pool including additional bathroom for the pool area, microwave and dishwasher. Ready to move in! Ref. SA486. Price: €2.250/month Tel. 928141202. DREAM HOMES www. dreamhomesgrancanaria.com --------------------------------------ROCA REAL ESTATE 928 561667 www.inmobiliaria-roca.com STUDIOS, ONE & TWO BEDROOMS APARTMENTS AND BUNGALOWS, in Puerto Rico, & Playa del Cura, long term lets. Prices from 440.-€ / month. ONE BEDROOM APARTMENT, LA LAJILLA, ARGUINEGUIN, very central, great sea views, available for long term rental, 600.-€/month plus bills. ROCA REAL ESTATE 928 561667 www.inmobiliaria-roca.com
Charities Free tandem bike rides for blind people or people with any other physical disability who are unable to ride a bike by themselves. Also free excursions into the mountains in my car for people in wheelchairs together with a companion. Minibus trips can also be arranged at an agreed reasonable cost. For more information call Franz at 699 124 985. WANTED. Second hand books, in good condition, to be sold in support of Registered Childrens’ Charities 1) RUBBISH DUMP CHILDREN in Cambodia 2) ORPHANS/ SCHOOL projects in China. Please drop books off at Original Designs, Ancorra C. Arguineguin. donations gratefully received. Contact kay.r.owen@gmail. com Together we can make a difference Drinking Problem? International, English speaking AA meetings every Friday at the church in the Kasbah (door on the left hand side) Playa del Inglés, 8.30pm. Monday 12pm in San Fernando, behind Market Maspalomas and Tuesday 7pm at the Catholic Church (enter by the stairway on the right hind side), Behind the taxi rank next to the police station. Do you believe that you have a problem with alcohol?
Perhaps you are looking or some help? Alcohol Anonymous meet in Telde on Mondays and Thursdays from 20.00 until 21.30. Call 928 202 638 TARA Animal Charity Shops Big & Beautiful - In Arquinequin 63 & 67 c/Tanausu across from Pino Seco Park. Monday thru Saturday 10am till at least 4pm All Kinds of Second Hand Items ON OFFER! 607 671 617 or www.taraanimales.org TARA Animal Car Boot Sale Every Saturday 0800 – 1400 Across from TARA Animal Charity Stores. Pino Seco Park, Arguineguin – Great Buys & Ambience. Call - 607 671 617 or www.tara-animales.org TARA Animal Welfare Charity Adopt or Foster Dog/Pups, Cats/ Kittens. Human Companions Needed for Life. Call – 607 617 671 or www.tara-animales.org TARA Animal Welfare Charity Needs Donations To Save Animals. Pick-up Service Available For Big Loads Call – 607 617 671 or www.taraanimales.org Tara Animal Respect Association TARA Telephone: +34 607 671 167. WEBSITE: www.TaraAnimales.org FACEBOOK: Tara Animal Respect TARA BLOG: http://Taraanimales.blogspot.com/ Arguineguin Cultural Society meets every Thursday at Tío Pepe bar from 20.00 at the C.C. Ancora in Arguineguín. As mentioned previously in TCN, the group were looking for a place to build up our string puppet stage and to train people in the making and operating of string puppets. The group has now found a suitable place in Arguineguín and if anyone is interested in joining them please call Peter on 639 229 414 and go to the meetings on Thursdays. Join the library in Maspalomas with your NIE number and passport and picture or residencia. No charge. English books and other European languages too. Also free internet access.!! The library hours are 8.00 am till 2.30 pm and 3.30 pm to 10 pm Monday to Friday. Biblioteca Municipal Maspalomas, Casa del Cultura Maspalomas, Avda De Tejeda 72 Phone 928 720 035 Amigos contra el Sida is a charity that provides support
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for people with HIV and Aids and has information about sexually transmitted diseases Amigos contra el Sida - Friends against Aids Av. Alejandro del Castillo, Mercado Municipal, 2º floor San Fernando Maspalomas Contact: 695578004. Timetable: Tuesday and Thursday - 9:00 to 15:00 hour. Amigos contra el Sida Calle El Escorial nº 7, Vecindario Teléfono: 928 149 570 Timetable: Monday to Friday - 9:00 to 14:00 hour. Website: www.amigoscontraelsida.org Support Maria Templeman’s Dog Rescue. You can find Maria’s stall in Arguineguin market on Tuesdays and Mogan market on Fridays. You can also find Maria in Maspalomas market next to the big, main flood light on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Money raised from Maria’s stall goes to funding dog rescue in Gran Canaria, including vet and kennel fees and re-homing dogs.
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Issue 33 - Friday 22nd October - Thursday 4th November 2010 - The Canary News
Cafe Florin
BUY, DONATE, SWAP BOOK LIBRARY All proceeds go to The Red Cross.
Calle Alfreces Prov. 29 (opposite Hard Rock cafe)
Cristina´s Money Exchange, Local 261, Phase 1, CC Puerto Rico
ADDICTIONS ALCOHOL & DRUGS Let us help you overcome your problem in a painless way. Contact us for a confidential consultation It can make a real difference On your road to recovery Tel: 928 934 097 Mobile: 619 391 040 Email: addictedgc@gmail.com
THE CANARIAN PRO BREASTFEEDING runs a Support Group every Wednesday from 6pm until 8pm at the C.C. Botanico, Local 135, San Fernando. Anyone needing help and support concerning breastfeeding can also call 637 564 296 (leave a message if there is no answer with name and telephone number)
BOOKS -BOOKS -BOOKS... ( English, Spanish and German.) Many new titles. Support Children in Need. Find us - The MAD (Making A Difference) Team at Faro 2 Market . First Sunday in every month from September 5th 2010. Book donations please contact:k.r.owen@gmail.com (can collect).
6 Editions for the price of 4 (Adverts must run concurrently)
Take-Away delivery person, must have clean driving license, own scooter/motorcycle for transport, good knowledge of Playa del Ingles, dependable.
Hand into any of our drop off points Property Abroad Puerto Rico Aladdin´s Cave Arguineguin Café Florin Opp. Hard Rock Cafe Paraiso Jewellers Mogan The Print Shop San Fernando (See adverts for locations)
For further information on both positions please contact Gautham on
663 454 953
Canary THE
Call Mandy: 637 163 434 Ancora Centre No. 82
‘face book’ wall!
Special Offer
Waitress, must be experienced, smart appearance, good with customers and a pleasant disposition.
Second Hand and New.
MOTHER AND TODDLER GROUP EVERY WEDNESDAY FROM 4PM ONWARDS Different activities every week in the local Puerto Rico area Meet othermums with children of all ages. Call Jo Pike on 639 153 547 You can even leave a message on their
Classifieds
Newly-Opened Poornima Indian Restaurant The following staff are required to start immediately:
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Items Wanted Personal Pets Properties - Private Sale Property - Agents Health Miscellaneous
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The Canary News - Friday 22nd October - Thursday 4th November 2010 - Issue 33
Telephone: 928 141 202
Mobile: 676 406 679
Dream Homes , C.C. Yumbo Local 411/10 , 35100 Playa del InglĂŠs and Avda. Tomas Roca Bosch NÂş 28, Puerto Rico G.C. Tel: 928 90 68 90 info@dreamhomesgrancanaria.com www.dreamhomesgrancanaria.com
For Rent
Las Palmas - Tafira
Sonnenland
Puerto Rico
Price: 1,500â‚Ź/month Bedrooms: 5 Bathrooms: 4 Fantastic villa in the best area of Tafira. There are wonderful views of the countryside and the sea. All the floors are parquet and the villa is a very high quality finish. There is a 700m2 garden and garage, fully furnished kitchen. There is also a servicearea as well as various living areas.
Price: 550â‚Ź/month Bedrooms: 1 Bathrooms: 1 Totally refurbished dĂşplex for rent in Sonnenland. Groundfloor with living room, kitchenette and guest toilet. Second floor with bedroom, bathroom and balcony. Complex has three communal pools and a tennis court. Bills are not included and minimum rental period of one year.
Price: 750â‚Ź/month Bedrooms: 3 Bathrooms: 1 House with balcony and views over waterpark. It is fully furnished and would suit those who want a quieter lifestyle but within 10 mins you can be at the commercial centre which hosts, bars, shops, restaurants and much more!! Very well maintained and spotless clean. Water and electricity are separate.
For Sale Playa del InglĂŠs
Playa del InglĂŠs
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,OOKING TO BUY PROPERTY IN 'RAN #ANARIA "ELLEVUE "EST 0ROPERTY !GENT
#ÉRDENAS 2EAL %STATE IS A FAMILY BUSINESS THAT HAS SPECIALIZED IN PROPERTY IN THE SOUTH OF 'RAN #ANARIA SINCE
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Price: 315,000â‚Ź Bedrooms: 3 Bathrooms: 2
Price: 265,000â‚Ź Bedrooms: 2 Bathrooms: 2
Price: 420,000â‚Ź Bedrooms: 8 Bathrooms: 3
Beautiful bungalow in Los Porches. The bungalow is a corner property and has a very spacious garden with fruit trees with direct access to the street. It is totally refurbished and is sold fully furnished. The complex is very well looked after and has a communal pool. The bungalow is in very good condition.
Beautifully refurbished bungalow in excellent position on very popular complex in the heart of Playa del Ingles. Very spacious master bedroom with ensuite bathroom. Parquet flooring throughout and sold fully furnished and ready to move into. Great buy and must be seen!
The house is set up as 2 separate flats with separate entrances although they are connected if desired. The 2 main bedrooms have integrated air-conditioning. Both floors have their own completely fitted kitchen. There is a spacious terrace. The property is set on a very quiet residential street.
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